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Are you a fan of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu? Then perhaps you’ll like her new “little sister” Hamada Bamyu Bamyu, Japan’s latest quirky pop sensation.

▼ Kyary Pamyu Pamyu teaches her lil’ sis how to pose cutely for the camera.

Masatoshi Hamada, of the veteran comedy duo Downtown, recently made his idol debut under the alias of Hamada Bamyu Bamyu. The catalyst of his idol debut can be traced back to a June episode of Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, a long-running Japanese variety program hosted by Downtown along with three other co-hosts. In the episode, a project to turn Hamada into an idol was proposed.

After six months of planning and production involving the talented creators who contributed to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s pop success – song writer Yasutaka Nakata (CAPSULE) and art director Sebastian Masuda – the Harajuku icon’s “little sister” Hamada Bamyu Bamyu was “born”!

In the music video for Hamada Bamyu Bamyu’s debut single, Nandeyanennen, the 52-year-old comedian sports an exaggerated pastel rainbow-colored hair style and prances around in a fluffy pink dress while singing about his desire to be fashionable and cute despite how unapproachable and scary he normally looks.

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The main catchphrase of the song, “nande yanen” is a slang phrase commonly used in the Kansai region, which loosely translates to “What the hell?” or “Why the hell?” depending on the context.

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After sitting on his troubles for nights on end, Hamada Bamyu Bamyu eventually loses his cool and reveals a more violent personality, his cute butterfly frock transforming into a purple gorilla head outfit. This image probably stems from an ongoing joke about how Hamada’s face resembles that of a gorilla. He is also equipped with a harisen, an enlarged paper fan that is often used as a prop in Japanese stand-up comedies.

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▼ Even his animal pals turn bad ass.

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▼ The other half of Downtown, Hitoshi Matsumoto, didn’t miss the chance to join his partner’s whimsical adventure.

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This may be Hamada Bamyu Bamyu’s debut single, but the man under the rainbow wig is definitely no newbie to the music scene. Apart from singles released under his own name, Masatoshi Hamada has also been part of a musical unit with one of the biggest names in the Japanese music industry, Tetsuya Komuro.

What are your thoughts on Hamada Bamyu Bamyu? I watched the video a couple of times while capturing images for this article, and already the catchy tune is stuck in my head. There hasn’t been any word on whether Hamada Bamyu Bamyu will be making more songs, but I’m definitely hoping for more!

Source/images: YouTube/Yoshimoto Kougyou Channel