Shirome 2010

Director Koji Shiraishi steers a plan to film an episode for a Japanese television program that centers on the idol group Momoiro Clover Z, who are referred to in the film by their former name, Momoiro Clover. The core cast of performers includes the group’s members — Akari Hayami, Shiori Tamai, Momoka Ariyasu, Ayaka Sasaki, and Kanako Momota — alongside other participants who contribute to the televised venture. The team travels to an abandoned school that houses a shrine to a minor kami known as Shirome, manifested as a painting that resembles a butterfly and may, in fact, bear the entity’s face.

According to local lore, Shirome can grant a wish, but only if the requester is utterly sincere in both the plea and their belief in the deity’s existence and power. If a wish is frivolous or if the believer wavers, Shirome is said to respond with severe punishment, ranging from a fatal accident or suicide to driving the person into madness. With this caution in mind, the girls request a chance to appear on a nationwide television broadcast, hoping to turn their entertainment careers into a larger platform.

Soon after the wish is voiced, a cascade of unsettling disturbances unfolds, and a hulking, pale, white-eyed figure is glimpsed standing beside the group, sometimes described as hovering. This ominous presence punctuates a turning point in their lives, one that promises dazzling public attention and commercial success but also hints at a hidden, increasingly dark cost.

As the episodes and appearances accumulate, the group’s rise in fame becomes unmistakable, accompanied by glossy media coverage and a surge in fan fervor. Yet a troubling video clip captured in the wake of a major concert casts a shadow over their ascent, suggesting that their newfound prominence may have been secured through methods that skirt ethical boundaries or supernatural peril. The film carefully threads the tension between fame and fear, implying that the more their souls are tied to the spectacle of stardom, the more they may stand to lose in the end.

Throughout, the narration underscores the blurred line between entertainment magic and real danger, with Chavetaro Ishizaki providing the voice that guides audiences through the escalating mystery. The dynamic of a high-profile idol group navigating an unsettling supernatural force, the allure of broad exposure, and the looming threat of consequence all intertwine to present a story that is as reflective as it is eerie, inviting viewers to weigh the price of fame against the price of belief.