This text and podcast are based on essays about the Japanese idol group, Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora (commonly known as Boku-Ao), written by a fan living in Kyushu, Japan, and originally posted on the Japanese platform "note." The author resides in Kyushu and shares their personal journey with the group. AI was used for translation, and voice synthesis software was used for the audio.

Someone once wrote on X: "A true 'Otaku' lives on whatever money is left after spending on their favorite idol. A 'Fan' spends on their idol whatever money is left after paying for their life."

If that’s the case, I’m undoubtedly just a "fan." Still, I find myself wanting to write about Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora. Just as a fan. I want to look back and capture what I was thinking and how I supported Boku-Ao during those times.

First, let me explain. Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora—commonly known as Boku-Ao—is an idol group that debuted in the summer of 2023. They are generally known as the official rival to Nogizaka46.

What I’m about to share will be based mostly on my own memory. Because of that, some facts might be a bit off, or the order of events might be reversed. But please know from the start that I have absolutely no intention of attacking the members, the management, other fans, or any specific individual.

Also, you’ll probably notice some inconsistencies in how I write the group’s name or the members' names. Sometimes they’ll be in brackets, sometimes not. Sometimes in Kanji, sometimes in Hiragana. I might use nicknames, or I might use their last names. To be honest, it’s a reflection of my own shyness—a middle-aged man feeling a bit self-conscious about calling these young ladies by their nicknames, then suddenly snapping back to reality. Please bear with me on that.

To give you an idea of what kind of fan I am: I’ve never participated in online "Meet & Greets" or handshake events. As of this writing, the only real-world events I’ve attended were the "One-man Live Vol.1" in June 2024 and Nana’s event in Kagoshima in August of the same year. I watch almost everything they stream on YouTube and other platforms. I generally like all the members, but if you asked who my favorites are, I’d say Nana and Eren. Though, that does change from time to time.

From the next post onward, I’d like to write about when and how I discovered Boku-Ao and how I became a fan. I plan to follow the timeline every few months or by each single release. For a while, I’m aiming to post about twice a week.

Honestly, I don’t expect these posts to be read by many people. For now, I’m not planning to link this with X or any other social media. I’m only using the bare minimum tags like #Boku-Ao. So, the chances of this catching the eye of anyone who isn’t specifically searching for "Boku-Ao" are quite low.

As of early December 2024, Boku-Ao’s popularity isn't that high yet. That’s why, if Boku-Ao becomes much bigger someday, and a fan happens to find these articles after searching for them, I’ll be happy if they think, "Oh, so this was part of the atmosphere around Boku-Ao back when they debuted." That would be enough for me.