Japanese Students Take Idol Worship to a Whole New Level
University Copy Dance Clubs Like SPH Mellmuse Elevate Fan Devotion Through Precise Performances and National Competitions
By Christian Lambert | February 13, 2020
From Fans to Performers in the Idol Arena
TOKYO — In the bustling hallways of Sophia University, a group of young women transforms from ordinary students into synchronized replicas of Japan's biggest pop idols, stomping heels to synth-pop beats in front of mirrored walls, their movements a testament to the nation's deepest fandom. This is the world of SPH Mellmuse, one of Japan's pioneering idol copy dance clubs, where university students dedicate hours to flawlessly mimicking the choreography of groups like AKB48 and Morning Musume, turning idol worship into a competitive art form that blurs the line between admirer and artist.
These clubs, born from the explosive "idol boom" of the early 2010s, have grown into a subculture all their own, with members practicing four to six times a week in sweatpants and T-shirts, eyes glued to smartphone screens replaying music videos frame by frame. When the school bell chimes, they swap heels for sneakers and backpacks, slipping seamlessly back into student life—but the passion lingers, fueling late-night rehearsals and handmade costumes for performances at festivals and fan events.
SPH Mellmuse, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, started as SPH48—a nod to Sophia University and AKB48—before rebranding to escape online backlash from purist fans who trolled the group for daring to emulate their icons. Now with 44 members, all ardent idol enthusiasts, the club operates like a mini-agency: unified Twitter accounts for promotion, student-run PR managers, and nicknames that echo the idol world's playful personas. Their devotion demands perfection—every hand angle, every step precise—mirroring the rigorous training of professionals, yet without the pressure of record deals or spotlights on singing voices.
This phenomenon extends beyond Sophia, with dozens of similar clubs across Japan feeding into Unidol, a student-led national competition that pits university copy groups against each other in high-stakes dance-offs. The Kanto regional prelims, held near Shinjuku Station, drew 36 teams and over 700 spectators, from high schoolers to working adults, who voted alongside judges to decide finalists. SPH Mellmuse, sending 18 members to the winter 2019-20 edition, clinched their day's top spot with a medley of Angerme and SKE48 routines, advancing to the February 13 finals at Tokyo's Studio Coast amid tears of relief and triumph backstage.
As Japan's youth navigate academic pressures and social isolation, these clubs offer a joyful escape, fostering bonds through shared obsession and the thrill of replication. In an era where idols symbolize unattainable glamour, student copycats democratize the dream, proving that fandom's truest expression lies not in consumption, but creation—stomp by synchronized stomp.
The Cultural Engine Driving Student Idol Fandom
At the pulse of Japan's student idol copy dance clubs is a symbiotic explosion: AKB48's 2010s breakthrough unleashed a "Warring States Period" of groups like NMB48 and Babymetal, spawning not just rivals but a grassroots wave of devotees who reproduce their dances, fashions, and fervor, transforming passive admiration into active homage that sustains the industry's ecosystem.
Unidol, the pinnacle of this fervor, channels that energy into competition, where clubs like SPH Mellmuse vie for glory without original songs or commercial stakes, yet face athletic-level intensity—backstage nerves, minor slip-ups sparking tears, and the raw elation of victory under spotlights, all echoing the idols they emulate while carving identities tied to self-worth and team pride.
This subculture, as scholar Patrick W. Galbraith notes, thrives on intense investment from small audiences, mirroring the idols' model but amplified by youth's unbridled passion, ensuring that what began as fan mimicry evolves into a vibrant, self-perpetuating force in Japan's pop-cultural tapestry.
Inside a Typical Practice Session
At Sophia University, SPH Mellmuse rehearsals hum with focus: members in casual attire pore over video clips, correcting each other's angles to match idols' precision, their four-to-six weekly sessions a ritual of devotion that rivals professional training yet yields pure joy in replication.
The Evolution from SPH48 to Mellmuse
Originally SPH48, the club weathered fan trolling for its AKB48 homage, rebranding to SPH Mellmuse to affirm its copycat ethos while professionalizing operations like PR and costuming, now boasting 44 members united in idol love.
Unidol's High-Stakes Stage
In the Kanto prelims near Shinjuku, 36 teams battled over three days, with SPH Mellmuse's medley earning top honors amid 700 fans' cheers, advancing them to finals where audience votes blend with judges to crown winter champions.
Voices from the Copy Idol World
"I was browsing for clubs on the university's website and I came upon SPH Mellmuse and thought it was very interesting. I joined after noticing how close they are to actual idols, even though they are just copying them—it's that precision that makes it feel so real and rewarding."
"SPH Mellmuse is really serious. Every detail of each movement has to be copied perfectly. If my hand is not moving exactly at the same angle as the idols', another member will point it out—it's tough, but that feedback loop turns us into a tighter unit every practice."
"After the breakout success of AKB48, there was a surge of idols produced and performing in a similar model, or appealing to small audiences that were intensely invested. This idol boom was made possible by, and subsequently inspired, a massive number of people wanting to become idols."
"They started out as SPH48, and so were immediately associated with AKB48, which earned them negative comparisons and terrible trolling by fans online. The club later changed its name to distance itself from 'real idols' but became professionalized as 'copy idols' to own their niche."
"Despite not producing or performing original content, and having no pressure to make a living from this like idols in the industry, there is definitely pressure for university idol copy dance groups to perform well—it's kind of like college athletics in Japan, where you really do want to be the best."
Roots of the Idol Copy Dance Phenomenon
Japan's idol copy dance clubs trace to the AKB48 era of the late 2000s, when the group's interactive model exploded into the "aidoru sengoku jidai," birthing hundreds of imitators and fan replicators who, like SPH Mellmuse since 2010, turned admiration into action—reproducing dances and styles as a badge of belonging in a culture where idols embody collective dreams.
Unidol, launched in the mid-2010s as a student initiative, formalized this fervor into tournaments, drawing from university club traditions where extracurriculars forge identities, evolving from casual mimicry to polished spectacles that attract thousands, blending otaku passion with athletic rigor in venues like Studio Coast.
Future of Student Idol Fandom
As clubs like SPH Mellmuse eye more finals and festivals, the scene promises growth, potentially inspiring hybrid events or digital challenges, while addressing pressures like online hate to sustain its joyful core, ensuring copy idols remain a vibrant thread in Japan's pop fabric.
In mirroring idols' shine, these students illuminate fandom's power: not blind worship, but creative communion that empowers the next generation to dance their own paths, one perfect step at a time.
Categories, Keywords, and Sources
Categories: Japanese Culture, Idol Fandom, Student Clubs, Dance Competitions, Pop Music
Keywords: Japanese idol copy dance, SPH Mellmuse, Unidol competition, AKB48 fandom, university idol clubs
Source: The Japan Times | For more on Banzai Japan news, visit our homepage.
