is a

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements b ...

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or . The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies. MCZ is notable for being the first female group to hold a solo concert at National Olympic Stadium in Japan, as well as providing theme music for

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series such as ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

'', ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...

,'' and ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

''. In 2013, the group grossed the fourth highest total sales revenue by a music artist in Japan, with over ¥5.2 billion. During 2016, about 636,000 people attended their live concerts, the most ever for a Japanese female group. MCZ was ranked as the most popular female Japanese group from 2013 to 2018, and 2020 to 2022. MCZ has collaborated with other performers, including a 2015 recording with American hard rock band

KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, marking KISS's first collaborative recording. In 2016, their first overseas tour titled ''Trans America Ultra Live'' was held in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. They sold more than 3 million physical copies in Japan.

Members

On stage, Momoiro Clover Z members are easily distinguished by the colors of their clothes, similar to the characters from

Super Sentai is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi ("Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The sho ...

or ''

Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS Entert ...

''. In some songs and music videos, the group loosely parodies them. Before the group made its debut, other girls were in the lineup: Sumire Fujishiro, Manami Ikura,

Yukina Kashiwa is a Japanese actress and former idol singer. She was in the girl groups Momoiro Clover Z and Nogizaka46. Career As a child, Kashiwa acted in many tokusatsu dramas, including '' Tokusō Sentai Dekaranger'', ''Garo'', and '' Madan Senki Ryuken ...

(later a member of

Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, and ...

), Tsukina Takai (later became a member of

SKE48 SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a s ...

), Miyū Wagawa, and Runa Yumikawa.

Timeline

History

2008-2009: Conception and beginnings

The group was formed in the spring of 2008 as a 5-member unit, originally named Momoiro Clover ("Pink Clover" or, literally, "Peach-Colored Clover"). The name was chosen to imply that the group was composed of innocent girls who wanted to bring happiness to people. Ariyasu Momoka joined the group after their first single. Later in 2011, after the departure of Akari Hayami from the group, management added the letter "Z" to the group's name. The group's slogan is . Momoiro Clover began as a street act in 2008, performing for bystanders in Tokyo's

Yoyogi Park is a park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located adjacent to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Yoyogikamizonochō. The park is a popular Tokyo destination, especially on Sundays when it is used as a gathering place for Japanese rock music ...

. As most members were students attending school on weekdays, the group was active mainly on weekends, leading them to be nicknamed . In a one-year period, Momoiro Clover had a number of line-up changes. In March 2009, they became a five-member unit composed of

Reni Takagi is a Japanese idol and a member of the girl group Momoiro Clover Z. She is the former leader of the group, before leadership was passed to Kanako Momota, and her signature color in the group is purple. Takagi was born in Kanagawa Prefecture ...

Kanako Momota is a Japanese singer and actress, represented by Stardust Promotion. She is best known as the leader of the girl group Momoiro Clover Z. She has also provided the Japanese dub for Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting from '' Black ...

, Akari Hayami,

Shiori Tamai is a Japanese feminine given name. Possible writings Shiori can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *栞, "bookmark / guide" *撓, "lithe" *詩織, "poem, weave" *汐里, ''tide, village'' The name can also be written in ...

, and Ayaka Sasaki. To support and promote their first

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

single, "

Momoiro Punch is the debut indie-label single by the Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover, released in Japan on August 5, 2009. Reception The single debuted at the 23rd position in the weekly Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the h ...

", Momoiro Clover took advantage of school holidays from May to August and went by minibus on a long tour across Japan. They gave a total of 104 concerts in 24 electronic stores of the

Yamada Denki is one of the largest consumer electronics retailer chains in Japan. Some of its stores also sell other products, such as books. Overview The company was founded in 1973 as a privately owned store. Yamada Denki Co., Ltd. was established in 1 ...

network. The girls slept in the minivan, and group's managers drove. In the middle of the tour,

Momoka Ariyasu is a Japanese singer and photographer, as well as a former idol and child actress. She is best known as a former member of the all-girl musical group Momoiro Clover Z, in which her signature color was green. Biography Ariyasu was born in Ky ...

was added to the group as a sixth member. The single was sold only at the group's live events and those sales were enough for it to place 11th in the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

Daily Singles Chart and 23rd in the weekly chart.

2010: Major debut

In March 2010, the girls stated their goals: to take first place on

, to participate in ''

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

'', to perform at

Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts ...

.At the same ceremony, Momoiro Clover signed a contract with

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. The public contract signing ceremony featured the weighing of every member to determine if they passed the weight requirement set by the record label for idols. If the band passed the requirement, they would sign a permanent contract.

failed, resulting in a temporary contract. They usually performed in a small club with live music or on a roof of a department store. They sometimes set a simulated stage of National Olympic Stadium, where notable musicians are allowed to perform. Their first major-label single "

Ikuze! Kaitō Shōjo is the debut major-label single by the Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover, released in Japan through Universal J on May 5, 2010. It reached third place on the Oricon charts. The dance routine for the song incorporates intense acrobatics, includin ...

" was released in May. The single debuted on Japan's Oricon Daily Singles Chart at the first position, and at number 3 for the week. Momoiro Clover then moved to King Records. The group's first single with King was " Pinky Jones", composed by Narasaki from the Japanese rock band Coaltar of the Deepers with a "more chaotic" approach than previous songs. December 24 marked Momoiro Clover's first solo concert at a concert hall. Nihon Seinenkan, a venue with a capacity of 1,300 seats, was sold out in 30 minutes.

2011: Shift to Momoiro Clover "Z"

In January 2011 at the release event for a new song, sub-leader Akari Hayami stated that she had decided to withdraw from the group in April. Hayami explained that her character was not suited to being an idol and that her dream was to become an actress. At the April 10 Akari Hayami "graduation" concert, the group's management announced the name change to Momoiro Clover Z after Hayami's departure. In Japan, symbolizes ultimateness and this letter is often appended to a title (e.g.,

Mazinger Z is a Japanese super robot manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later was reissued in Kodansha ''TV Magazine ...

and

Dragon Ball Z ''Dragon Ball Z'' is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the ''Dragon Ball'' media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 '' Dragon Ball'' anime series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original ...

). Z is officially pronounced as (British pronunciation) when the name is used in spoken English. The band has gone on record saying in an interview that the Z in the title is a reference to the famous anime series,

stating "The Z in our name is a very obvious reference to

" and that "It's a awesome and very influential series". Momoiro Clover Z's first single after Hayami's departure was " Z Densetsu: Owarinaki Kakumei", accompanied by a new group image and stage performance. The girls wore outfits with helmets and so-called "transformation belts" reminiscent of Japanese superhero movies, and the music video also borrowed from such "

" imagery. In July, Momoiro Clover Z released their first album, '' Battle and Romance''. Later in December, ''Hotexpress'' described the band as the number-one breakthrough idol artist of 2011 and stated that the album became a big turning point for them. Next February, ''Battle and Romance'' won the Grand Prix at the

CD Shop Awards The is an annual set of music awards presented in Japan. It is sponsored by All-Japan CD Shop Clerks Union and awarded based on votes by CD shop clerks from all over Japan. It is referred to as a "music edition of Japan Booksellers' Award". Abst ...

as the best CD of the year selected by music shop employees from all over the country. Momoiro Clover Z was the first idol group to win the award. On Christmas Day, 2011, Momoiro Clover Z gave a concert at

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making i ...

to their biggest audience to date: all 10,000 tickets were sold out.

2012: Rising popularity in Japan

In May 2012, Momoiro Clover Z performed in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The former Prime Minister,

Najib Razak Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( ms, محمد نجيب بن عبد الرزاق, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th prime minister of Malaysi ...

, personally greeted the group. In June, Momoiro Clover Z opened a national tour, which closed with a sold-out show at

Seibu Dome (official name: ) is a baseball stadium located in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. It is home to the Saitama Seibu Lions, a professional baseball team. The stadium has a roof over the field and the stands, like other indoor ballparks. However, it la ...

in August to a capacity crowd of 37,000 fans. Both dates were broadcast live to selected cinemas across Japan, the latter also to Taiwan and Hong Kong. MCZ Japan Expo 12

The group recorded an ending theme song for

's ''Best Wishes'' series (titled "Mite Mite Kocchichi" and included in the eighth single " Otome Sensō" as a coupling track). In July, Momoiro Clover Z performed at

Japan Expo Japan Expo is a convention on Japanese popular culture - the largest of its kind in the world - taking place in Paris, France, although it has branched out into a partnership festival - Kultima - and expanded to include some European and US pop c ...

2012 in Paris. Momoiro Clover Z's ninth single "

Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo is the 9th single by the Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover Z, released in Japan on November 21, 2012. The title track became the group's first song to top the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 chart. Release The single was released in two ve ...

", which appeared in November, topped the ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine ''Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence from ''Bi ...

'' Hot 100 chart, becoming their first single to do so. On December 31, Momoiro Clover Z performed at ''

'', an annual New-Year-Eve music show hosted by

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

, for the first time. Going to Kōhaku had been the group's goal for a long time. During the January 1

Ustream IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest offices. ...

broadcast, Momoiro Clover Z made several announcements: that the band set a new goal for itself — to give a concert at the National Olympic Stadium, an arena with 60–70,000 capacity, that they would release a new album in spring, and that

had to undergo a throat treatment and she would not sing or even talk until the end of January. The treatment was subsequently prolonged for another month, until the end of February. During the group's live Ustream broadcasts, Momoka communicated by drawing and writing on a markerboard. At live performances, other members took turns in singing her parts.

2013: ''5th Dimension''

Momoiro Clover Z's second full-length album '' 5th Dimension'' was released in April. It sold 180,000 copies in the first week and debuted on top of the

charts, with the first album '' Battle and Romance'' resurging to number two. Finally, it won a platinum disk award. In August, Momoiro Clover Z held a concert at

Nissan Stadium Nissan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, it is primarily used for football and is the home field of the Tennessee Titans of the Natio ...

. It has the largest capacity in Japan.

2014: Dream come true

In March, the group held a solo concert at National Olympic Stadium, realizing one of their dreams since the debut. Such solo concerts had only been performed by six groups until then. Momoiro Clover Z was the first female group and also became the fastest group ever, which achieved that in six years. As a two-day concert, a total of 150,000 people watched in the stadium and at live viewing venues. In May, the group released their 11th single " Naite mo Iin Da yo"; B-side "My Dear Fellow" made its debut at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

when it was used for

Masahiro Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). From 2007 through 2013, he played for the Eagles in NPB. Tanaka was posted by the Eagles after the 2013 season to be si ...

's warm up for his first game with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. The group also provided the

theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

for the anime ''

Sailor Moon Crystal ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series ''Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th annive ...

''. The title is " Moon Pride" (the group's 12th single released in July). In August, the group performed at

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

's concert as an opening act. It was a part of Gaga's world tour named " ArtRave: The Artpop Ball" and held in Japan. Momoiro Clover Z was selected by Gaga herself.

2015: Collaboration with KISS

On January 28, 2015, Momoiro Clover Z released a collaboration single with the American hard rock band

, titled "

Yume no Ukiyo ni Saitemina is the Japanese word for dream, and may refer to: People *, Japanese rugby sevens player *, Japanese actress *, Japanese rugby sevens player *, Japanese gravure idol and actress *, Japanese professional footballer Entertainment *YuMe, a multi- ...

". It was the first time for KISS to release a collaboration CD with another artist. In Japan, it was released physically in two versions: Momoiro Clover Z edition (CD+Blu-ray) and KISS edition (CD only). An alternate mix of the single's title song was also included as an opening track on the Japanese-only SHM-CD album ''Best of KISS 40'', released in Japan on the same day. In February 2015, Momoiro Clover Z were removed from a television performance due to controversy surrounding an appearance in

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

alongside

Rats & Star , formerly called Chanels, was a blackface Japanese male pop group that specialized in doo-wop-influenced music. The group was led by Masayuki Suzuki. History In 1975, Masayuki Suzuki, Masashi Tashiro and Nobuyoshi Kuwano, joined together to for ...

. Momoiro Clover Z provided the theme song, " Z no Chikai" which was released as their fifteenth single on April 29, 2015, for the '' Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F''' theatrical anime film. The group also voiced the Angels at the end of the film.

2016: ''Amaranthus/Hakkin no Yoake'' and ''Trans America Ultra Live''

The group released their third studio album

Amaranthus ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Catkin-like cymes of densely pac ...

and fourth studio album Hakkin no Yoake in a double release in Japan on February 17, 2016. The albums debuted at #1 and #2 in the Oricon weekly albums chart. The group held a dome trek tour for the two albums. In early April 2016, the group announced their first overseas tour titled ''Trans America Ultra Live'' and appeared in

and

2017: MTV Unplugged

2018: 10th Anniversary Best Album

On January 21,

graduated from the group, leaving MCZ with only four members. In April, they released their 18th single, "Xiao yi Xiao". On May 23, they released a new best of album for their tenth anniversary called ''Momo mo Juu, Bancha mo Debana''.

2019–2021: Self-Titled Album

On May 17, 2019, Momoiro Clover Z released their self-titled fifth studio album, their first studio album to not feature Momoka Ariyasu and their first as a four-member group. In 2021, they performed the theme song for the

Sailor Moon Eternal ''Sailor Moon Eternal'' is a 2021 Japanese two-part animated action fantasy film based on the ''Dream'' arc of the '' Sailor Moon'' manga by Naoko Takeuchi, that serves as a direct continuation and a "fourth season" for the ''Sailor Moon Cryst ...

movie.

2021–present: ''Shukuten''

Music style

The band's songs are intentionally ridiculous "hyperactive J-pop numbers". Their live performances are heavily choreographed and feature acrobatic stunts. The group is noted for their "anarchic energy" that is similar to that of punk bands. The response from the audience has been characterised as "seismic". Some of Momoiro Clover's works are quite complex, switching from one musical style to another during one song and connecting "seemingly unconnected melodies". The group has worked with many noted songwriters and musicians, belonging to different genres of music, from pop to punk and heavy metal. Overall, the group and its music has been noted as progressive and forward-thinking. Ian Martin from ''The Japan Times'' dubbed Momoiro Clover "a pop group who provoke squealing, teenage admiration from punks, indie kids, noise musicians and heavy-psychedelic longhairs throughout the Japanese underground music scene". Momoiro Clover "is known for upbeat tunes, eccentric choreography and the members' costumes". A music critic from ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' cites Momoiro Clover as an example of "a seamless integration of personality, image, and music, with each element mutually complementary".

Discography

* '' Battle and Romance'' (2011) * '' 5th Dimension'' (2013) * ''

'' (2016) * '' Hakkin no Yoake'' (2016) * ''Momoiro Clover Z'' (2019) * ''Shukuten'' (2022)

Collaboration

Momoiro Clover Z have collaborated with overseas artists. *

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

released a collaboration single with Momoiro Clover Z, titled "

" (January 2015). *

designated Momoiro Clover Z for an opening act of her concert (August 2014). *

Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...

participated as a guitarist in " Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7 Gakushō "Mugen no Ai"" (March 2012) and " Moon Pride" (July 2014). *

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

participated as a guitarist in "Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7 Gakushō "Mugen no Ai" -Emperor Style-" (June 2014). The group sings the theme music for the following anime. * ''

Yosuga no Sora is a Japanese romance/drama adult visual novel developed by CUFFS ("Sphere"). The game was originally released for Windows on December 5, 2008. It was adapted into a serialized manga and an anime television series. A sequel/fan disk titled ' ...

'' - "Pinky Jones" (November 2010) * ''

Dragon Crisis! is a Japanese light novel series by Kaya Kizaki, with illustrations by Itsuki Akata. As of March 2011, thirteen volumes have been published by Shueisha under their Super Dash Bunko imprint. An anime adaptation by Studio Deen aired in 2011. ...

'' - "Mirai Bowl" (January 2011) * ''

Bodacious Space Pirates is a Japanese light novel series about space pirates written by Yūichi Sasamoto and illustrated by Noriyuki Matsumoto, published since October 2008. An anime television series adaptation produced by Satelight, under the title , aired ...

'' - "Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7 Gakushō "Mugen no Ai‍"" (March 2012) * ''

'' - " Mite Mite Kocchichi" (June 2012) * ''

Joshiraku is a Japanese comedy manga series written by Kōji Kumeta and illustrated by Yasu, telling the everyday lives of five young female rakugo comedians. It was serialised in Kodansha's ''Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'' from September 2009 to Septe ...

'' - "

Nippon Egao Hyakkei is a single that the Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover Z released under the alias of . The single was published in Japan on September 5, 2012. Details The first verse of the song is simply the full name of Japanese folktale character ...

" (June 2012) in collaboration with

Yoshida Brothers The are Japanese shamisenist musicians who have released several albums on the Domo Records label. The two brothers are performers of the traditional Japanese music style of Tsugaru-jamisen which originated in northern Japan. They debuted in 199 ...

* ''

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series '' Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th anni ...

'' - " Moon Pride", (July 2014) **'' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal Season III'' - (June 2016) **'' Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie'' - (January 2021, with main voice actresses:

Kotono Mitsuishi is a Japanese voice actress, actress, singer, and narrator. She was affiliated with Arts Vision and Lasley Arrow, but is now freelance. Mitsuishi lived in Nagareyama, Chiba. She graduated from high school and entered the Katsuta Voice Actor's Ac ...

Hisako Kanemoto , also known professionally as , is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is represented by Production Baobab. She released her first album ''Fantastic Voyage'' in 2014. Biography Kanemoto attended high school in Kamogata, Okayama, before en ...

Rina Sato Rina or RINA may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Rina (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kento Rina, Indian politician * Mahfuza Rahman Rina, Bangladeshi politician * Tongam Rina (born 1979), Indian journ ...

Ami Koshimizu is a Japanese actress and singer. She has voiced many different types of characters, from young girls to adult women, as well as boys and animals. Her roles include leads such as Ryuko Matoi in '' Kill la Kill'', Kallen Stadtfeld in ''Code Geass ...

, and

Shizuka Ito is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Shizuka can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *, "quiet/calm" *, "quiet/calm, flower" *, "quiet/calm, fragrance" *, "quiet/calm, flower" *, "quiet/calm, excellent" *, " ...

) * '' Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F''' - " Z no Chikai (April 2015) * '' Crayon Shin-chan: Burst Serving! Kung Fu Boys ~Ramen Rebellion~'' - "Xiao Yi Xiao" (April 2018).

Overseas performances

* Japan Media Arts Festival 2011 in Dortmund, Germany (September 9) * Hari Belia Negara 2012 in Putrajaya, Malaysia (May 26) * Japan Expo 2012 in Paris, France (July 5) * Anime Expo 2015 in Los Angeles, California (July 2) *Japan SAKURA Festival 2016 in Hanoi, Vietnam (April 16, 17) *Bilibili Macro Link 2016 in Shanghai, China (July 23) *Trans America Ultra Live 2016 in Hawaii, Los Angeles and New York (November 15–19)

Awards

In 2012, their first album '' Battle and Romance'' won the CD Shop Award as the best CD of the previous year as voted by music shop salesclerks from all over Japan. It was the first time an

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

(group) got this prize. , - , style="text-align:center;", 2012 , '' Battle and Romance'' ,

— Grand Prix , , - , rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;", 2013 , rowspan="2", "

" ,

Space Shower Music Video Awards Space Shower Music Awards (old name: SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards, abbr. to SPACE SHOWER MVA) are an annual set of music awards sponsored by Japanese Space Shower TV. The prizes have been awarded since 1996. Winners in main categories Best ...

— Special Award , , - , MTV Video Music Award Japan for Best Choreography , , - , rowspan="2", Momoiro Clover Z ,

MTV Europe Music Award for Best Japanese Act The following is a list of the MTV Europe Music Award winners and nominees for Best Japanese Act. Winners and nominees Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold. 2010s 2020s See also * MTV Video Music Awards Japan The MTV Video Music ...

, , - , MTV Europe Music Award for Best Japan and Korea Act , , - , rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;", 2015 , rowspan="2", ''

Maku ga Agaru is a 2015 Japanese film directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro and featuring the members of Japanese idol girl group Momoiro Clover Z. It's based on a play of the same name by Oriza Hirata ( ja). It was released on February 28, 2015. Cast * Kanako Momota ...

'' , 39th Japan Academy Prize — Popularity Award , , - , The 40th

Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the ''Hochi Shimbun , previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day. It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. ...

— Special Award ,

Filmography

* - August 2010 ::

Horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

. During filming, the girls were reportedly led to believe they were participating in a documentary about an urban legend and that everything happening was genuine. * - March 2011 * ''Ninifuni'' - February 2012 * - February 2012 ::5-episode internet drama

omnibus film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...

. * - February 2015 ::The five members played leading roles and later won Japan Academy Prize.

Notes

References

External links

* *
YouTube channel
(videos up to 2013; a shared channel with sister groups)
YouTube channel
(videos from 2014)
Ustream channel
{{Authority control Japanese musical groups Japanese pop music groups Japanese rock music groups Japanese dance groups Japanese idol groups Japanese girl groups All-female bands Child musical groups Vocal quartets 2008 establishments in Japan Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Tokyo Stardust Promotion artists King Records (Japan) artists Universal Music Japan artists MTV Europe Music Award winners