NIJIGUMI FIGHTS – ‘The 11th Nijigumi Academy Autumn Culture Festival’

Seventeen years of earnestly longing to be like someone else.
An awkward but passionate gay idol performance born from an honest pursuit of what one loves.

The gay idol ensemble NIJIGUMI FIGHTS was formed in 2009 with the concept “playing pretend as idols.” Members have changed fluidly ever since, totalling 140 participants over seventeen years and based in four locations—Kanto, Nagoya, Kansai, and Kyushu—their multifaceted activities range from performing at live concerts (with different members gathering for each event), streaming music and video, and participating in the Pride Parade.

The original songs they perform deal with standard idol themes such as romance and cheering people on, but by interweaving same-sex relationships, they push the boundaries of the hetero-normative idol genre. NIJIGUMI FIGHTS’s idol songs and dance, their activities as a team, and their performances, where every member goes all out in their own unique way, allow audiences to feel that “no matter who you are, it’s okay to be honest about what you really love,” subverting and expanding their preconceived notions about “idols” and “longing.”

The 11th Nijigumi Academy Autumn Culture Festival, which has been hosted ten times in the past, features various forms of performance, not only song and dance. Here, each member’s uniqueness is given time to shine, and the audience does not just watch from afar, but is welcomed in to enjoy the same time and passion together.