This year marks the 10th anniversary of the collaboration event between Saitama Seibu and Taiwan Pro baseball and Unification The Lions, which began with the connection between the team names "The Lions". In 2016, coach Fumiya Nishiguchi served as the temporary coach of Unification The Lions, so this year's event was particularly inviting.

The collaboration event was held at each of the stadiums in Japan and Taiwan, with Saitama Seibu Lions 's "Leo" and "bluelegends" visiting the Taipei Dome, the official dance performance team of Unification The Lions "Uni-girls" and mascots "LION" and "YINGYING" visiting Belluna Dome for a collaborative dance, and the Saitama Seibu Lions in Taiwan. Mr. Takehiro Ishii and Mr. Hisanobu Watanabe, who are alumni and have been in the Taiwanese baseball world, appeared as guests. The game was enlivened by a talk show at the Taipei Dome and the first pitch ceremony.

In particular, the success of Uni-girls and bluelegends at both stadiums is a bridge not only between The Lions but also the Japanese and Taiwanese professional baseball worlds. This time, we interviewed four Uni-girls who came to Japan.

・Maggie-san (@_maggie_chen) / Fashion Manager, 5th year
・Fei Qi (@feichi1124) / 5th year (also participated in the collaboration event last year)
・Lois (@han.yang830) / Fashion manager, 6th year (also participated in the collaboration event 6 years ago)
・MINA-san (@wutsaimi) / Dancer, 7th year

Four popular Taiwanese cheerleaders captivate the crowd at Belluna Dome

The collaboration event, held at the Taipei Dome from April 11th to 13th, was a huge success, backed by a favorable match between the top-ranked Uni-President The Lions and the second-ranked Wei Chuan The Dragons. The Uni-girls all agreed, "It was fun to do it together," and "It was very refreshing."

"(Because we're usually based in Tainan) it was special that we performed at the Taipei Dome this time. We danced the opening dance together, and what impressed me the most was that everyone in bluelegends was always friendly, cute, and professional." (MINA)

"We have a popular cheer in our repertoire called 'Hey, hey, hey, hey,' where the cheerleaders lead the way with a microphone, and we got the girls to do it too. It looked like they had fun (laughs). I think that through this collaboration, we were able to help the girls experience the charm of Taiwanese baseball. There is a big difference between Japanese and inning performers. In Japan, the main activities are between inning, but in Taiwan, they cheer every inning, and the players have to join in too. It was clear to see that they found this very fresh and interesting." (Rui Si)

"This was my first time collaborating with Uni-girls and traveling to Taiwan," said Kotono of bluelegends.
"The fans had learned the Uni-Girls' choreography and were dancing along to liven up the stands, creating a sense of unity in the stadium, which was really moving! Even the little kids were dancing along between inning, which left a really strong impression on me."
(Bluelegends・Kotono)

About three weeks later, on April 30 and May 1, the Uni-girls visited Belluna Dome. On the stage before the game, they danced to "TRAIN-TRAIN" and the team support song "Barking The Lions" with bluelegends, followed by "制霸天下" and "Unified Shang Yong", which is also used by the Taiwanese national team and is also called "Taiwan 尚勇", and also appeared during the inning of the game, "Ultra soul" before the game, "Big Ball Rolling Relay" in the 5th inning, and " in the 7th inning Howl The Lions danced, it was a real big wheel performance. When I asked them what they remembered, they told me about their memories before the game, and Maggie told me about an episode from inning.

"On the 30th, I saw the performance of bluelegends on the stage before the game, and I was impressed by how they danced to several songs in a row. I also got to see a collaborative performance with Rakuten Eagles cheerleaders (Tohoku Golden Angels), which I thought was really refreshing." (Ruisi)

"We were performing the train dance between inning in outfield, so as soon as the song finished we had to get back to infield as quickly as possible, so we just kept running. I thought I was running as hard as I could, but the person in charge signaled me to run faster (laughs). It was quite an impressive performance," said Maggie.

Japanese and Taiwanese fans who heard about Uni-girls' tour of Japan also enthusiastically supported their cross-border challenge.

"As I was leaving Seibu Station, there was a huge banner with messages written by fans. Apparently it took eight hours to make and was handwritten by fans. Japanese fans even sent them sweets and bouquets of flowers," says Higi.

"(Nodding in agreement with Fei Qi's words) Taiwanese fans handed out trading cards to Japanese fans and introduced them by saying, 'This is Maggie' and 'This is MINA.'" (MINA)

The reason why their fans are so passionate is that each member regularly uses social media such as Instagram to post about their daily activities, talents, and personalities. The Uni-girls are much closer to them than influencers or idols, since you can meet them at the stadium.

The victory ceremony where we could feel the professionalism of bluelegends

When asked, "From a performer's perspective, what made you think 'this is what makes Blue Legends so professional!'" he mentioned their performance at the victory ceremony after the match.

"Their performance involved carrying very heavy LED flags. Even though they were all holding them with just two hands, they all kept smiling and looked really professional. I was really impressed." (MINA)

"That's right! I'm sure it must be heavy! I admire how she performs energetically in any situation." (Rui Si)

Meanwhile, we also asked Kotono from bluelegends about how Uni-girls inspired him.

"I think it's really wonderful that each member is always thinking about how they can make their fans happy. Each member skillfully incorporates their own individuality, character, and the latest trends to provide constant fan service, and I think the richness of their variety is the result of daily research. I was strongly inspired and want to further study how to captivate the fans in my own performances." (Kotono, bluelegends)

This mutually stimulating exchange between Uni-The Lions and Saitama Seibu has been going for 10 years now, but what vision do they have for the next 10 years? MINA talks about what she wants the Uni-girls to be like in the future.

"If I could, I would like to try various Japanese dance styles, and I'm interested in acrobatics (like those performed by the members of bluelegends). I was so impressed by their performance." (MINA)

The girls returned to Taiwan with a lot of stimulation and experience. With the WBC coming up after this season, the Taiwanese cheerleaders will likely be in the spotlight again in the Japanese media. It's important to know once again the charms of these girls who are not just "cute" but also have talent.