The Idolmaster fan & singer Gen Hoshino has song covered by his fav Miku

Bandai Namco Entertainment has added a cover version of the song “Koi (恋)” by singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino to The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage. The song is covered by idol Miku Maekawa and was a surprise release that coincided with the character’s birthday. The song supports 3D mode, and in addition to the “regular version,” you can also play an “original version” that is an homage to the music video that was used for Hoshino’s original song.

#星野源の楽曲「恋」を、前川みくさんがカバーした楽曲が #デレステでプレイできるようになりました！

とってもかわいい通常verに加え、なんとMVをオマージュしてくださったオリジナルverも！
全国のプロデューサーさん、ぜひプレイしてみてください！https://t.co/Fy6NGDWJQP @imascg_stage pic.twitter.com/JETBuY3257
— 星野源 Gen Hoshino (@gen_senden) February 22, 2023

Tweet Translation:
You can now play Miku Maekawa’s cover version of Gen Hoshino’s song “Koi” in Starlight Stage!
Not only can you play the super cute Regular ver, but there’s also an Original ver that pays homage to the music video!
Producers all over the country, please give it a try!

“Koi” is Gen Hoshino’s 9th single and was released in 2016. The Idolmaster series has covered songs from a wide range of genres, so some would feel that there is nothing surprising about this new cover. However, Hoshino and Starlight Stage actually share a deep connection.

Hoshino is a self-proclaimed fan of The Idolmaster series and is known for being especially fond of Miku Maekawa. He has discussed his gacha results on his radio show and has even had Miku Maekawa’s voice actress Natsumi Takamori on as a guest.

Perhaps because of this, the official character designer for The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, Annin Doufu, posted an illustration of Miku Maekawa dancing to “Koi” on her Twitter account in 2016. This image was Annin Doufu’s personal fanart and not official in any way, but it seems that there were many fans who expressed their desire for Miku Maekawa to sing “Koi.”

「恋」は常にゲーム内のカバーリクエスト上位で、本当に長い時間をかけて企画検討していただいていたそうです
— 杏仁豆腐 (@annin_oiko) February 22, 2023

Tweet Translation:
“Koi” has constantly been at the top of the in-game cover requests, and it appears that they spent a lot of time on planning and consideration.

After I (the original author of this article) played “Koi” in Startlight Stage myself, I realized that it was designed so that your fingers move in a similar way to the dance moves from the original song. The distinctive arm movements from the chorus are also conveyed well; for example, the swinging of index fingers back and forth is represented by alternate left and right flicks on the screen, making you feel like you are dancing along with the idols. You can really feel the respect that they have for Gen Hoshino in the song’s design.

Gen Hoshino is not only a singer-songwriter, but also works in many other fields, including as an actor and producer. So who knows? Maybe the addition of “Koi” to Starlight Stage will lead to Hoshino working together with Miku Maekawa in some form or another.

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-02-22 18:56 JST)