And the 7th 2D music project announced in 2021 is here. An ambitious concept and interesting cast welcome you to VS AMBIVALENZ.
Introduction
VS AMBIVALENZ is a 2D music project by NIZISTA (best known for HANDEAD ANTHEM). It has a pretty unique format in which only 7 out of the 14 members will make it to the final group.
And in charge of deciding who makes it to the group is you, the listener.
Story
–You or Me.
In 2021, the legendary entertainment company REISEN Productions held an audition called VS AMBIVALENZ to form an idol group WITH seven MEMBERS.
Of the 130,000 applicants, 14 were selected. The final audition is… “It’s one or the other“.
Throughout the year, the two men, who have been entrusted with the same responsibility, compete, and only those who have gained more support than their rivals can make their debut.
“I’ll stand there — I’ll be sure to!’
The story of 14 idol candidates who seek the idols’ spotlight and pursue infinite possibilities begins now.
The cast
VS AMBIVALENZ has an interesting cast that mixes experienced seiyuu with up-and-coming talents.
The cast includes Shintaro Asanuma, Makoto Furukawa, Chiaki Kobayashi, Reiou Tsuchida, Tasuku Hatanaka, Kengo Kawanishi and Ayumu Murase.
All seiyuu lend their voice to 2 characters in this franchise. And 1 of the characters each seiyuu voices will not make it to the final group.
The characters are the following:
TAIYO/SUBARU (CV: Reiou Tsuchida)
As an idol trainee, SUBARU has achieved excellent results in various showcases and auditions, earning him the nickname “Legendary Trainee”. He is serious, responsible, and stoic. Despite being highly regarded for his talent and being on the verge of debuting, he has continuously missed opportunities to debut ever since he turned down an offer from a major production company.
Among the 14 finalists in the final audition, TAIYO is the most inexperienced. On a whim, he decided he wanted to become an idol and surprisingly made it to the final audition. Although he hasn’t attended an idol training school, he has excellent sense and athleticism. He is cheerful, and friendly, and enjoys interacting with others. He has a strong ability to engage those around him.
A promotional video is out.
ISSEI/MIO (CV: Kengo Kawanishi)
ISSEI is a cool Kansai native who handles everything flawlessly. He has been childhood friends with Leon. He is a perfect human being with no dislikes or things he struggles with. Even after Leon started living abroad, they continued to stay in touch. However, it seems he was unaware that they were both auditioning for the same group.
MIO decided to become an idol at his sister’s suggestion. He struggles with reading the room and has difficulty actively joining conversations. As a result, he is extremely quiet most of the time, but in his mind, he often engages in solo comedic dialogue. He quietly fulfills his roles and subtly supports others, though his efforts often go unnoticed.
A promotional video is out.
JINTARO/CION (CV: Chiaki Kobayashi)
JINTARO is a big talker who answers “I can do it!” whether he can actually do it or not. He possesses both the proactiveness to tackle challenges confidently and the persistence to keep at something until he can do it. Although his loud voice and somewhat harsh language often scare children, he loves kids and studies early childhood education. Surprisingly, he is also diligent about writing.
CION is calm, composed, and quiet, rarely asserting himself but occasionally delivering sharp-witted retorts. He enjoys spending time alone and doesn’t like to mingle with others, believing that a world where he can handle things by himself is peaceful. However, he joined the audition to break out of this situation. He always wears his trademark round glasses, which seem to have a special reason behind them…
A promotional video is out.
NAGOMU/CUC (CV: Shintaro Asanuma)
NAGOMU is kind, gentle, and has a calming presence. He is Kazu’s older brother. With high-level dance skills, he and his brother Kazu are famous among idol trainees. However, he has extreme self-confidence issues and cannot step forward even when necessary. He wishes to change his negative self-image.
CUC joined this audition with a specific determination. He came from a southern country, crossing the sea. With a very bright and fearless personality, he is good at cheering others up. However, he has a free-spirited nature and is somewhat laidback regarding time. Usually, he speaks in broken Japanese, but occasionally he suddenly speaks fluently, surprising the other candidates.
A promotional video is out.
39YEAH↗/REY (CV: Makoto Furukawa)
39YEAH↗ (read: Sakuya) is a natural flirt who loves being popular and became an idol to attract more attention. ‘Being popular’ is the center of his life, and he never misses an effort to stay that way. He lives to be popular and could die for it.
Consequently, while he may seem superficial, he is attentive. He often notices the strengths of others and can manage social situations well. However, he also tends to give up easily.
REY is undeniably handsome and recognized by both himself and others. With an extremely high self-esteem, he is a narcissist who can gaze at his own appearance 24/7. He became an idol with the desire to heal the world with his beauty. Since his butler handled everything around him, he sometimes behaves in ways that deviate from common sense. He spares no effort when it comes to maintaining his beauty.
A promotional video is out.
AUGURI/FUTABA (CV: Ayumu Murase)
AUGURI is the youngest among the final 14 contestants in the audition, he is somewhat of a crybaby. He has many hobbies and his interests change frequently. He is dexterous and even made his own costumes for the idol training school’s presentations. While he enjoys being praised as “cute,” he would be even happier if praised as “cool.”
FUTABA is an enthusiastic idol otaku among the idol trainees. He is extremely knowledgeable about idols and has covered everything from pre-debut trainees to current idols. He admired idols as a source of support since childhood and eventually aimed to become one himself. His special talent is being able to eat endlessly if he loves something.
A promotional video is out.
LION/KAZU (CV: Tasuku Hatanaka)
KAZU is Nagomu’s younger brother. Like Nagomu, he is skilled at dancing and is well-known among the idol trainees because of that. At the young age of 15, he is often called a genius. Although he is serious and has a good demeanor, his deep admiration for his brother sometimes leads to conflicts with those around him. He believes that his brother is the one who truly deserves to become an idol.
LION is the heir to the world-renowned Snow Tiger Agency. Instead of joining the idol training school, he attended an entertainment academy overseas. His father forcibly made him participate in this audition. He has been childhood friends with Issei since they lived in Japan.
A promotional video is out.
INAMOTO (Guide and manager voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto)
Voting [UPDATED on 22/12/2021]
The voting is rather simple for this one. You need to either have a LINE or Twitter account to vote.
As soon as your preferred account is added, you’re free to vote once per day for the duration of the voting.
Voting is made through VS AMBIVALENZ’s official website and there you have to choose 1 idol of each color to advance to the final group.
After choosing your favorite members, click on the fucshia highlighted button (circled in yellow in the image below).
You will receive a message confirming your votes (print screen below). You can click on the link to share with your friends on Twitter that the voting is open (it doesn’t share who you voted for).
Prior to the final voting that kicked off on December 17, there were 2 other votings.
The final voting for the definitive 7-member group named GLANZ is open from December 17, 2021, to December 27, 2021.
Voting results are going to be unveiled at a later date (to be announced).
Music
VS AMBIVALENZ‘s theme song “Go My Own Way” is featured in the promotional video released this week. The song is performed by all 14 characters.
You can check it out in the video below.
According to NIZISTA, the Season 1 of CDs will kick off in December 2021 (4 CDs planned so far), with more details being announced in the upcoming months.
For more details on this project – including voice samples and character profiles – please refer to VS AMBIVALENZ’s official website (link below).
Final group: XlamV
After a full year of activities in order to determine the final 7-member lineup for VS AMBIVALENZ, fans have the verdict.
The once 14-member lineup – with seiyuu voicing two characters representing a color – is now the 7-member unit XlamV (read: Kranve) ready to shine in upcoming music releases.
“XlamV” is a word that combines “climb” and the Roman numeral “XIV” (meaning 14), meaning those of have won the audition but also paying homage to everyone that participated.
The “V” in the name also means “VICTORY”, including the vow to surprise the world and aim to become an idol group that will reach the top.
The full lineup is as follows:
- Jintaro (CV: Chiaki Kobayashi)
- Nagomu (CV: Shintaro Asanuma)
- 39YEAH↗ (CV: Makoto Furukawa)
- Issei (CV: Kengo Kawanishi)
- Lion (CV: Tasuku Hatanaka)
- Auguri (CV: Ayumu Murase)
- Subaru (CV: Reiou Tsuchida)
New Groups [2024]
In May 2024, during a livestream, it was announced that the VS AMBIVALENZ franchise is welcoming 2 new groups, comprised of the 7 members that didn’t make it to the final lineup (that we now know as XlamV).
Fun4re (read: Fanfare) features vocals by TAIYO (CV: Reiou Tsuchida), MIO (CV: Kengo Kawanishi), FUTABA (CV: Ayumu Murase) and KAZU (CV: Tasuku Hatanaka).
illuvista features vocals by REY (CV: Makoto Furukawa), CION (CV: Chiaki Kobayashi), and CUC (CV: Shintaro Asanuma).
Both groups are going to debut in August 2024.
SOURCE: VS AMBIVALENZ official website
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