Cho Tokimeki Sendenbu’s recent ascent through viral TikTok hits can paint them into overnight sensations. Since their song “Suki!” suddenly gaining traction in 2021, the idol group has been riding the surging popularity of their music brought through the app as far as it could take them. Before the influencers got a hold of their starry-eyed pop songs, though, they’ve been grinding in the scene as the rookies of the famed talent agency Stardust. And this year, they celebrate a full decade as a group with an anniversary tour to commemorate the occasion.
A group initially meant to be temporary — the members started out as trainees in Stardust’s actor program, assembled into an idol group to promote a variety show — Toki Sen are now practically veterans in the game. While they came up under the shadows of their predecessors like Momoiro Clover Z, they lead the wave in Stardust during these current times where more and more idol acts get a boost in visibility through TikTok. As contemporaries play catch-up, Toki Sen naturally fit in by expanding upon the sugar-sweet, heart-on-sleeve personality summed up best through their catchphrase: “lock on, to your heart!”
For a quick look into Toki Sen’s 10-year history, here are seven highlights from their discography that track their journey.
"Do Do Do Do Dreamer" (2017)
Toki Sen referred to Momoiro Clover Z, the senior idols of their talent agency Stardust, when shaping the sound and attitude of their first releases. For their first major-label single, “Do Do Do Do Dreamer,” the group called on Hyadain, the producer behind the essentials of MCZ and other Stardust idol acts like Shiritsu Ebishu Chugaku and Tacoyaki Rainbow. In classic Hyadain fashion, he throws together every instrument imaginable — xylophones, harpsichords, trumpets, glockenspiels, the list goes on—like he’s smashing atoms. Toki Sen sing and shout in an explosive burst that’s as energetic as the instrumental, preaching tirelessly about their declared mission to uplift fans across the world. If “Do Do Do Do Dreamer” sounds over the top, it’s only matching the impossibly big scale of their ambitions — just like the weekend heroines before them.
"Koi No Shape Up" (2019)
While their Stardust peers like Batten Shojotai and Iginari Tohokusan found inspiration from their regional pride, Toki Sen turned to their catchphrase: “lock on, to your heart!” As their tag line factored more into their lyrical concepts, the group’s on-record persona began to shift from the nation’s cheerleaders to teenagers scheming to win over their crush. For what they lacked in unique subject matter, they made up for it through their commitment to the act: the group cranked up the intensity in 2017’s “DEADHEAT,” rolling full throttle with a momentum reserved for hardcore rave.
But Toki Sen were also self-aware, leaning into the dramatics of their love-crazy persona in “Koi No Shape Up.” The group re-fashioned Eurobeat less like MAX than BEYOOOOONDS and their parody of Village People: giving it their all but also with tongue in cheek. The sweaty beat alone would call attention to its own novelty, even if Toki Sen didn’t use the exercise-tape music to sing about their own diet regimen. As they treated their work with as much rigor as their battle cries of “DEADHEAT,” they also made time to crack jokes between their sets of sit-ups: “the goal is to weigh about three apples,” Haruna Koizumi sings in the chorus with a wink as if to remind that Toki Sen are idols after all.
"Shibuya Tsutaya Mae De Machiawasene!" (2020)
At the start of this decade, Toki Sen got back to basics—new member, new name, a fresh new start. “Shibuya Tsutaya Mae De Machiawasene” traced its roots all the way back when the concept of an idol was fully established, nodding to the sincere music of girl groups in the ’60s. Opening with a nostalgic intro recalling Ryoko Hirosue’s classic “Maji De Koi Suru 5 Byoumae,” Toki Sen play the role of the girls next door in “Shibuya Tsutaya Mae De Machiawasene.” The song’s ordinary details, like the idols surprising us from behind as we meet up at the CD store, might lack the histrionics of their flashier anthems. Yet those moments feel intimately familiar in their everyday ways, the lyrics especially resonating during the new normal brought by COVID-19. “We recorded it during a time when we couldn’t see everyone, and the lyrics really struck a chord,” the group’s Hitoka Sakai shared in an interview in 2020. “When I thought about the day we get to see our fans again as I sang the lyrics, tears naturally started falling out.”
“Suki! (Cho Ver.)” (2021) / “Kawaii Memorial” (2023)
If the twinkling music and single-minded approach of “Suki” seem better suited for a freshly debuted Toki Sen, it’s because the song was plucked from that very era. Originally a non-single from the 2018 album Tokiotome, the group re-recorded the track when it suddenly gained buzz on TikTok three years later. The heart-sign choreography set off a dance craze on the app, eventually getting Toki Sen to perform it on major music programs. As they went on TV, the nonstop hook ensured the viewers at home remembered the name of the single long after they were done.
But while “Suki!” presented Toki Sen with a guiding concept to help them navigate a scene increasingly informed by the whims of TikTok, following it up was another challenge. Despite using a similar formula, the group couldn’t quite get it right: “Gyutto” workshops another hook designed to be repeated ad nauseum yet lacks the stickiness. After trying out a few different modes, the group reaches a solution: double down and be aggressive.
The finest example of this strategy, "Kawaii Memorial" rolls out a new Toki Sen who’s not afraid to get in your face about what they want. The music lays it thick with the sweetness, and the group’s vocals sound disarmingly charming, sugar-coating the obsessive love at the heart of the single. “You’re all mine, and I’m going to keep you all to myself,” Aki Suda sings, which starts to sound less endearing when the members ask about your location or the person texting you back. Toki Sen know they are a lot to handle. But their selfishness defines a personality that’s beyond some one-note hook.
"Saijyokyuu Ni Kawaiino!" (2024)
After making a name through singles that smother their listeners with love, who would’ve thought Toki Sen had it in them to hurl the pettiest disses? In their best song thus far, the group pull the sweetest revenge to get back from a horrible break-up. “Since you dumped me, I’m the cutest now than I’ve ever been,” the idols sing in the chorus while wearing the proudest grin, and this part caught attention on TikTok with countless others dancing to it as if to flaunt their most flattering look to an ex who did them dirty.
For “Saijyokyuu Ni Kawaiino,” singer-songwriter Koresawa expanded the obsessive love driving “Kawaii Memorial” to establish a personality who’s full of attitude. She likes to write these sassy characters who deeply cling on to love and are unafraid to resort to violence: her recent hit involves her sweetly reminding her partner that she’s capable of doing the worst if they ever decide to cheat. Through her songwriting, Toki Sen shamelessly open up about their resentment. And after long years spent with the reputation of being wholesome idols, their bitterness stands out as a display of a new, charming humor.
"Chosaikyo" (2024)
While the winking title of “Chosaikyo” seems as a direct sequel to Toki Sen’s last big hit, the group makes a leap into yet another new direction. The single joins in on the wave of meta idol songs designed for the current oshikatsu times, where any favorite cultural fixture is an oshi who we must invest our all to support. Toki Sen are playfully self-obsessed as they are deeply self-referential, constantly breaking the fourth wall to tease their very fans about their show of support. The more love we pour in their direction, the more superhuman they can become in return. A decade since their debut, Toki Sen sounds more confident than ever to fulfill this promise.
