Higashi Ikebukuro 52: new Japanese idol unit made up of credit card company employees 【Video】

These girls pull off cute dance moves and pose like professional idols in their debut video.

In Japan, all-singing, all-dancing idol units like AKB48 and Nogizaka46 are not only popular, they also bring attention to the areas they represent too. Thanks to them, Tokyo’s Akihabara and Nogizaka are well taken care of, but now it’s time for Higashi Ikebukuro (East Ikebukuro) to be thrust into the spotlight with an idol group of their own, and this one is made up of employees who work for a credit card company.

The company, called Credit Saison, unveiled their group on Friday with an official promotional video featuring all 24 members performing their new song “I Saison“. The members of the idol unit, who work at Saison or its affiliates, are all amateurs when it come to singing and dancing, but you wouldn’t know it when watching their polished performance.

Take a look at their video below:

Saison put a lot of effort into assembling a professional team for the idol project, hiring cameramen who previously worked with Nogizaka46, and using experienced professionals from the idol group industry to provide choreography and lyrics for the performance.

Higashi Ikebukuro 52 is so-named because the Saison headquarters is located on the 52nd floor of the Sunshine 60 complex in Higashi Ikebukuro. Lots of scenes from the area feature in the video clip, including nearby Ikebukuro Station, run by their affiliate Seibu Railways…

▼ …and Seibu department store, another affiliate of the company.

The video clip is due to be screened on television in the near future, with ads for radio scheduled as well. To see what went into making the new video, check out the behind-the-scenes clip below.

“I Saison” will be released on CD with three different jackets, which Saison credit card customers can receive in exchange for points on a special point program. Given Japan’s love of unique idol groups, we’re sure that Higashi Ikebukuro 52 will be bringing in a lot of new credit card customers for the company!

Source: NetLab
Images: YouTube/永久不滅チャンネル

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