The Japanese Girl Group Based on…Hamburgers?

The Japanese idol phenomenon is hard for people outside the country to comprehend. Idol groups focus on being cute and weird but with wholesome values; most are supposed to be role models of some kind. Above all, though, they need to be cool.  Babymetal falls into this category as do all of these groups.

Cool, though, is a matter of opinion. And to anyone not familiar with this corner of Japanese pop culture, it can be very, very baffling. Take the case of Hambergurl, a girl group themed around hamburgers.

Yes, hamburgers.

These adorable girls–Lina, Kanna, Kuuchan, Chiichan, Riinya, Akarin, Hinata, Honoko and Emi are among the band’s 15 members–sing and dance to celebrate hamburgers. When they perform live, each member has a different ingredient on their head, ranging from the expected (a beef patty, which is Riinya’s thing, making her the front person, I guess) to the very Japanese (Egg plant? Awajishima fish?). And before you ask, Hambergurl does have a bacon specialist: Tsuumin, whose favourite word is “Thank you.”

Each member is also given a specific identity. Going back to Riinya for the moment, in addition to Awaji Island beef, she’s partial to horse sashimi. Her motto is “If you believe, anyone can be Cinderella.”

Please enjoy. Perhaps we’ll see them at Coachella next year. Best read up on them here. (Original link via Tom.)