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Bright, shining eyes, a doll-like face, black hair, and delicate, slender hands. Fans are fascinated by her lively performances and beautiful appearance that never becomes dull no matter how many times you see it. She has a figure and air about her that makes her seem like a heroine who has jumped out from the world of animation. She has been this way since she debuted with AKB48. What’s more, she was an otaku obsessed with illustrations, anime, and special effects shows, which have more than likely had a great influence on her.
Her name is Mayu Watanabe. She is a member of Team A of Japan’s national female idol group, AKB48. Basically, she is an idol. She is affectionately called Mayuyu by fans and members of her group. Since she passed the AKB48 auditions when she was 12, she has become active as the group’s leading member. She is also active as a member of the AKB48 derivative group, Watarirouka Hashiritai 7. In February 2012, she made her solo debut with the release of her first single, “Synchro Tokimeki.”
Since then, she has announced other solo singles one after the other. For example, “Hikaru Monotachi” is a work in which her charm, which crosses the boundaries between 2D anime and 3D reality, is exemplified. The photo visual of her wearing a costume designed by popular artist Akane Aki made headlines, and her representation of a “2.5 dimensional” idol was featured in Japan’s media. Adding onto the electro sound is a Vocaloid-like voice, and the song awakened the virtual world with its sound, reaching No. 1 for CD sales on the Oricon weekly chart. Also making big news was the music video for the song “Sayonara no Hashi” in which Mayuyu challenged herself to wear 47 different school uniforms from high schools spanning the 47 administrative divisions of Japan.
Her fourth single, “Rappa Renshuchu,” will go on sale on July 10. The song is lively and cute and includes the brass rock band, OreSkaBand. Also, the amusement park themed jacket art for the pre-order exclusive limited edition of the CD was chosen from a recent Pixiv illustration contest. More than 1,200 illustrations were submitted, 150 of which were from overseas fans, which shows the upsurge in Mayuyu’s popularity even outside of Japan.
Mayuyu is surely breaking out of her otaku shell and is blazing up the staircase to becoming an idol. For those who are even slightly interested in this talented singer, don’t miss out on where the future takes her!
Mayu Watanabe’s Official Site:
http://www.watanabemayu.jp/index.html (Japanese)
AKB48’s Official YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AKB48
Complete Listings of Mayu Watanabe (CDJapan)
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/search3.html?q=mayu+watanabe&media=&r=any&step=20&order=score
© Sony Music Entertainment
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
