[ICON] Nemu Yumemi – New Generation Cultural Icon Linking Akihabara and Harajuku（2/3）

2012.05.11

I feel that Harajuku and Akihabara have exchanged some of their unique elements.

ab：The next generation culture created by the fusion of the fashionable Harajuku and the wotaku mecca of Akihabara has been gaining attention. Nemu-chan, you have been at the center of this scene for the past few years, how do you see this from your experiences?

Nemu: I think that rather than a crossover it is more like some of the unique factors have been exchanged between the two. Masuda Sebastian, the designer of the brand "6%DOKIDOKI" says that up until recently, the Akihabara pedestrian mall at its peak was very similar to the former pedestrian mall of Harajuku. Since last year more of the kids of Harajuku are wearing character T shirts and other wotaku style clothes. At the same time more and more Akihabara people are wearing brand-name clothing. It seems that each culture is infiltrating the other.

One thing I have tried is mixing up the genre of wotaku and idols, and getting wotaku to buy art, and giving them an arty look. At the same time getting the fashionable Harajuku crowd to come to Akiba, and that has made Akiba look like a back street of Harajuku. This is the current movement. Recently Dear Stage has been working in collaboration with a shop called Gokai which carries a selection of products by up and coming designers.
The collaborative brand is called BALMUNG and we have made a parker called Barunemungu. It is by no means cheap but still my fans have bought it. It seems that those who have been involved in fashion brands are making inroads in Akihabara in a way never seen before.

Popularity with girls is an omen that something special is coming.

ab： This is something you have always wanted to do, isn’t it.

● "DJ Nemu-kyun"

Nemu: Yes. I really feel that way. Up until now there have been a lot of wotaku coming to see us at Dear Stage, but at an event I was in the other day there were 6-7 girls queuing up before opening. Up until then it was only boys who would come and see me but the girls wore my Neo Cos outfit, Hatsukoi Terrorist bag as well as their hair done in my style. “We can’t wait to see Nemu-chan’s performance,” they were girls who had come especially to see me. And they were real Harajuku girls. Up until now it was unheard of for girls to follow underground idols like me. Being popular with girls is an omen that something special is going to happen. So I am really looking forward to what is going to happen in the future. I hope I can be the starting point for such a movement.

ab：　You have successfully appeared in magazines and TV commercials. Has your mindset and surroundings changed?

Nemu: I have become much stronger. Before, if I had troubles I would burst into tears but these days I only shed tears of joy. The reason for crying has changed. I have also stopped painting. The inspiration for my artwork comes from sadness, anger, loneliness, grief and other negative emotions – I transfered them all onto the canvas. I receive so much love from my fans so I am not alone or sad and I don’t have anything to paint about (lol)! I’m just so happy – I don’t think I can do anything else than be an idol (lol). But I would like to start painting again if possible.