Dempagumi.inc - W.W.D.D.

Founded in 2008 by producer Maiko Fukushima, Dempagumi originally only had one member, Furukawa Mirin. With the arrival of new members later on, Dempagumi was renamed Dempagumi.inc. Currently, the group comprises Risa Aizawa, Furukawa Mirin, Yumemi Nemu, Naruse Eimi, Moga Mogami and Fujisaki Ayane. The group's leitmotif is the Akihabara otaku culture and their headquarters that is located right in front of the headquarters of Don Quijote group AKB48.

Dempagumi.inc’s third studio album W.W.D.D., originally out on February 18th, was released internationally via JPU Records on August 7th. This album follows WORLD WIDE DEMPA, which was released back in 2013. The additional “D” in the title stands for “daiboken”, which means “adventure” in Japanese. Without even listening to the album proper, the brightly coloured CD jacket artwork with flora and fauna surrounding the six girls already hints at the light-hearted and cheery forest adventure Dempagumi.inc will bring listeners through.

W.W.D.D. follows the same pattern as its predecessor, containing all previously released singles. Before launching into the singles, however, there is one obligation for the majority of idol groups nowadays: an overture track. Dempa na sekai ~ It’s a dempa world ~ is played at the start of every Dempagumi.inc performance to introduce the show, during which fans clap their hands and cheer for the girls who make their entrance on stage.

Introductory track done, W.W.D.D. wastes no time in getting listeners up to speed about what Dempagumi.inc is all about with Dempari Night. As visuals are such a vital part of the group’s music, it is impossible to experience Dempagumi.inc’s songs in full by just listening to the audio alone. Originally released as a double A-side single in November last year, Dempari Night is a speedy carnival-themed song. The Dempagumi.inc girls are seen dancing on a chequered stage with a castle backdrop, fireworks going off in the sky. Donning a variety of costumes, a bevy of Dear Girls—girls who work and perform at Dear Stage like Dempagumi.inc but don’t belong to any group—join in the dance, turning the whole show into a fancy performance resembling Disney parades.



Dance Dance Dance is up next, a rhythmical track that reminds listeners of Fuyu e hashiri to dasu o!, the B-side of 2013 single W.W.D./Fuyu e hashiri to desu o!. NEO JAPONISM follows, capturing the flavour of live performances by Dempagumi.inc. As if the infectious bout of positive energy brought forth by the first four tracks of the album isn’t enough to heat listeners up, the album’s pace slackens not one bit with FD2 ~ Raison d’etre daiboken ~’s punchy rhythm and danceable melody. “FD2” means “Future Diver 2”, and Future Diver is Dempagumi.inc’s first single.

Chururi chururira is next in line, its title a reference to the sound one makes when slurping noodles noisily. A speedy song done in collaboration with cup noodle brand Nissin, Chururi chururira is set in feudal Japan. Here, Japanese fans, or “wota”, are likened to modern samurai who protect their idol lords, even though Dempagumi.inc is perfectly capable of self-defence.



Mamonaku, Dempagumi.inc ga ririku itashimasu, the seventh track on W.W.D.D., was originally released as the B-side of Dear Stage e youkoso. Dear Stage e youkoso was a single released in very limited quantities, and you would be hard pressed to find it anywhere now except at auctions. While B-sides are in general quieter, Mamonaku, Dempagumi.inc ga ririku itashimasu breaks tradition by being catchy, infused with a huge portion of Dempagumi.inc’s own brand of “moe”.

Dear Stage e youkoso itself comes next. Written and composed by Kiyoshi Ryujin, the song begins with a lengthy monologue of a man who is lost in life. He discovers Dempagumi.inc singing at Dear☆Stage and subsequently finds peace and the answers to life’s questions through the group’s world and music. Although Dear Stage e youkoso gets off to a slow start with the monologue, it picks up the pace when the music finally kicks in.

What follows is probably the most attention-grabbing track of the album. Bari3 Republic, which was used as the opening theme for Dempagumi.inc’s Fuji TV show “Dempa Jack -Worldwide Akihabara-”, presents the Akihabara spirit in all its glory through an energetic anthem about spreading all things otaku to the ends of the earth. The song opens with a playful arcade game-style jingle before forging ahead at full steam with a rather prominent drumbeat. The visuals that complement the music are right on point, featuring all-time otaku favourites such as crazy mecha battle sequences, magical girl transformations and vivid anime or manga-style illustrations.



After an intense series of colourful mecha battles, Fancy Hoppe U FU FU lightens up the mood of the album. A collaboration with lollipop brand Chupa Chups, Dempagumi.inc exudes feminine charm and sweetness in this jaunty song.



Moving on, W.W.D.D. offers another song in collaboration with cup noodle brand Nissin. Lemon Iro’s PV is presented entirely in slow motion, which makes for a refreshing change in visuals as compared to the usual action-packed fare. In the minimalistic video, the Dempagumi.inc girls are seen chilling out together around a table in a simple room, eating iced cup noodles and salad. The song itself is rather fast in pacing and carries electro-pop elements.



Brand New World, the 12th track on the album, is a tribute to BiS. Composed and arranged by the same person behind BiS’ song Primal, it’s a much darker piece compared to the rest of Dempagumi.inc’s repertoire. Here, Moga and Ayane get to sing the intro for a Dempagumi.inc song for the first time ever.

The second last song, Irodori sekai, is a slow ballad. Much calmer than all the songs on the album, Irodori sekai’s sweet melody and gentle rhythm soothes the soul.

W.W.D.D. closes with Sakura Apparation, which is a pure mix of “denpa” music and the Japanese spring festival. For those unfamiliar with otaku terminology, “denpa” music refers to quirky music that often features intentionally nonsensical lyrics, catchy and over-the-top tunes. “Denpa” literally means “electromagnetic waves”, and people who create “denpa” music are thought to be hypnotised by electromagnetic waves, thus producing strange music. Just like how Dempagumi.inc ended off their COUNTDOWN JAPAN 14/15 set with Sakura Apparation, the song is perhaps a fitting way to conclude the album.



While the previous album WORLD WIDE DEMPA had a more international feel, W.W.D.D. is truly a precise presentation of Akihabara pop to the world. Similar to all kinds of idol music in general, and especially so for Dempagumi.inc, the flavour of the songs on the album can only be experienced in full when seen and heard live. This is particularly true for songs such as NEO JAPONISM or Bari3 Republic, which can only be enjoyed to the fullest when combined with crazy choreography and cheering from fans. The group are actually on their world tour and have already visited Indonesia, France and the UK, so be sure to catch them if they stop by your country.



The international CD version of W.W.D.D. can be purchased via JPU Records at http://jpurecords.tictail.com/product/dempagumiinc-wwdd. For more purchase choices, visit https://www.jpurecords.com/dempagumi-wwdd/.