Idol Is Dead: Non-chan’s Propaganda Major War / Aidoru Izu Deddo – Nonchan no Puropaganda Daisenso / アイドル・イズ・デッド-ノンちゃんのプロパガンダ大戦争

Yukihiro Kato’s sequel to his 2012 opus, Idol is Dead, finds his girl group/thrash pop band Brand-new Idol Society (BiS) picking up the pieces from their previous no budget horror/music outing and going the distance in a newer, trashier and more fun adventure. Idol Is Dead: Non-chan’s Propaganda Major War joyfully sends up the social Darwinism that infects Japanese society from high school to the music biz. The film builds across a fairly convoluted plot that includes rivalries, battles, dismemberment, death by pickaxe (among other things), monumental projectile vomiting, lots of fake blood, anti-nuke protests, women’s prison shenanigans, bigger conspiracies, and a few more odds and ends, highlighting the battle between BiS and corporate idol group Electric★Kiss. Amid all the mayhem, BiS (Pour Lui, Nozomi Hirano, Yufu Terashima, Rio Michibayashi – all tough and charming) conquers all in a stunning final set piece. Nozomi, in the lead role carries a perfect balance of nerdiness and drive.  The rest of the band follows suit. The exuberance of all involved is infectious. BiS not only rock. They rule!

Originally published in EL Magazine, January 2014.