‘Happening Girls’ is a new reality TV show in Japan, featuring a girl group that fans can date and potentially even marry. The band currently consists of four girls who always wear bikinis or swimsuits in public. Male fans interested in dating the girls can apply to the producers of the show and take part in X-Factor style auditions and interviews for the chance of winning a date.
The four bachelorettes who currently make up the band are: Manaka, 20, Saaya, 22, Kaori, 26, and Eri, 25. If one of them gets married and leaves the show, her place will be taken by a new band member. The show’s producers are recruiting replacements under strict conditions – applicants must be between 17 and 30 years of age, living in Tokyo, and must have no objections to wearing bikinis in public at all times.
The show is built on the premise that most male fans never get an opportunity to interact with their female pop idols on such an intimate level. “We are positively encouraging our fans to meet and date the girls. How they get on and how far they go is up to them,” said spokesperson Teruki Aoki. “But they’re contracted to let us into their private life and share in their relationship. They’re free to have fun, develop, date, and even marry if they want to. We’ll be there to record the marriage aptitude interviews and we’d be delighted to arrange the wedding.”
The show also declares that they’ve created the world’s first bikini-clad girl group.“There are lots of idol groups in Japan but until now there were none wearing swimming costumes, and what young male fan wouldn’t like to see their idol in a bikini?” asked Aoki. “Men love swimsuits. There is no other swimsuit idol group in existence, anywhere.”
Fans are permitted to meet the lovely ladies during their private hours, but the first meetings have to happen through ‘marriage interviews’ that would be a part of the show. Kandou TV – the channel that airs the show – reserves the right to produce, record, and televise any part of the relationship right from the first meeting all the way up to the wedding itself. The weddings will be organized by Kandou’s subsidiary bridal company.
