On May 18 and 19, FRUITS ZIPPER performed a live show titled ‘FRUITS ZIPPER 2nd ANNIVERSARY Chou Medetai Live ~NEW KAWAII at Nippon Budokan to celebrate two years since their debut.

Debuting in 2022, FRUITS ZIPPER is a seven-member idol group created by the KAWAII LAB. idol project. The group’s first song, Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, became a huge hit on TikTok, pulling in over 900 million views to date. The single ranked third on the Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales chart and the group won Best New Artist at the 65th Japan Record Awards. The group’s first arena concert at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium last year sold out almost immediately, and their first album, NEW KAWAII, debuted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly Album Ranking and Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales, showing their popularity among men and women of all ages.

Presale tickets for both days of the Nippon Budokan concert sold out. The 360-degree center stage allowed the girls to see the entire audience of 24,000 excited fans.

As the Overture began to play, the semi-circular dome in the center of the stage, lit by seven unique colors, cracked open to reveal the members, who were greeted by loud cheers from all directions. The titular song from the group’s first album, NEW KAWAII, began to play as Yui Sakurai addressed the crowd. “Let’s make the best NEW KAWAII memories together today,” she called out. The girls continued to open the show with Welcome to the ♡ Furuppa! and Kimino Akarui Miraiwo Oikakete, filling the venue with their contagious energy.

“Today, the seven members of FRUITS ZIPPER will give it our all, so keep cheering us on,” shouted Suzuka Chinzei as the girls began to perform the song BABY I LOVED for the first time. Just as the audience fell under the group’s sweet charms, they turned up the heat with powerful performances of We are Frontier and Re→TRY & FLY as smoke machines and pillars of fire decorated the arena.

During the MC, the members called out to fans in all directions, creating a genuine feeling of unity throughout the venue. During Fre-Fru Summer, the members got even closer to fans on a lift, waving their towels around with all their might. The special ambiance created by the fans and the members together seemed to evoke the early arrival of summer.

Keeping up the momentum, the girls continued with Zutto, Zutto, Zutto!, CO-Kosei, and Kanpeki Shugide ☆, with the audience getting more hyped when the members took the stage in their impressive new costumes with sparkling skirts. Designed by Miki Aizawa and Hirosumi Saito, the team behind the outfits seen on the cover of NEW KAWAII, the new costumes kept the same princess vibes and proved to be even cuter than past ensembles. The seven members showed off their new costumes and massive stage presence as they performed Pure In the World, RADIO GALAXY, Going!, and Roller Coaster Heart.

During the second half of the show, the group performed Sekaiwa Kimikara Hajimaru, skyfeelan, and Kimikoi, showing off both their cute and dramatic expressions to fans at all parts of the hall. They followed this up with Happy Choco, a big hit on TikTok, and Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, the song that triggered their entry into the mainstream. Seven-colored streamers were flown in the air, and the members and 12,000 fans danced the same choreography together. Given the joyous atmosphere, it was an appropriate time to perform Chou Medetai Song ~Konnani Shiawasede Iinokana?~ The twinkling penlights from the 360-degree audience and the loud cheers and applause from the fans congratulated FRUITS ZIPPER, who had given their all over the past two years.

When the main program ended, the audience didn’t rest, immediately demanding an encore. When the members took the stage in response, fans cheered to see their familiar costumes and microphone stands from their performance on THE LAST TAKE earlier this month, where the group’s new rendition of Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro racked up over 3.7 million views in two weeks. The group performed just as they did on the popular YouTube channel, even mimicking their commentary before the song.

This wasn’t the only surprise. Immediately after, the group launched into their new song Niji for the first time. The song tells the story of the girl’s journey from their debut to their performance at the Nippon Budokan and is filled with the member’s thoughts and feelings, detailing their troubles and how they kept moving forward, determined to become more than idols.

(Day 1 Photo)

During the final MC, each member read a letter to the fans. “Ever since I did what I had always dreamed of doing, my view of the world has changed,” said Suzuka Chinzei, standing on stage at Budokan after dreaming of becoming an idol for years. Amane Tsukiashi, who has loved idols since she was a child, also revealed her past frustrations, wondering if she was not suited to be an idol. After realizing that her love for idols was forever, she expressed her gratitude with her fateful encounter with FRUITS ZIPPER and the fans who had supported her. “Since then, there has never been a day that I have second-guessed becoming an idol,” Tsukiashi said. Yui Sakurai thanked both the members and fans for bringing her to Budokan, while Mana Mana concluded with a statement that all the girls could agree with–” I’ll keep moving forward so that I can make everyone proud.”

To conclude the show, the girls performed NEW KAWAII one more time. With big smiles on their faces, the members performed a special version of what they thought was each member’s NEW KAWAII, ending the two-day Nippon Budokan concert with a huge round of applause. After starting out at small live houses with the goal of giving energy to their many fans, FRUITS ZIPPER finally stood on the legendary stage of Nippon Budokan. These two days proved that if you work hard, your dreams will someday come to fruition.

FRUITS ZIPPER has announced that it will hold a 12-city, 13-show hall tour this fall, the most expansive tour for the group so far. Ticket preorders for members of the FRUITS ZIPPER Official Fanclub are now open. Additionally, preorders for the Blu-ray and DVD of the group’s Nippon Budokan concert, scheduled for release on September 18, are now open as well. These will include the full-length live performance as well as a live documentary with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage and will be released in either the Standard Version or made-to-order Limited Edition, which includes a second sound channel, photo book, and more. Please check the FRUITS ZIPPER Official site for more details.

In addition, the concert is being streamed on U-NEXT until Sunday, June 2, 2024.

Photo: Yoshihiro Mori, Yuuna Yoshimori, Mari Kinoshita

■U-NEXT Streaming Information
Streaming Period: Until June 2, 2024 at 23:59
URL: https://video.unext.jp/livedetail/LIV0000005200

Suzuka Chinzei

 

Yui Sakurai

 

Karen Matsumoto

 

Luna Nakagawa

 

Amane Tsukiashi

 

Mana Manaka

 

Noel Hayase