Marshmallow 3D reveal all

When we first heard about Marshmallow 3D's charity boob grab, we were mildly alarmed. Had we really reached a point where an aspiring idol group had to submit themselves to a public fondle – charitable aims or no – in order to get noticed?

That's what the three-member girl group will be doing this weekend, as part of a 24-hour telethon organised by porn channel Paradise TV. There'll be all kinds of kinky things going on during 'Erotics Save the Earth 2011', which is actually intended to raise awareness about AIDS, but the highlight will surely be the oppai bokin, in which members of the public make a charitable donation and get a good squeeze of a young lady's mammaries in return.

In previous years, the ladies in question have been bona fide porn actresses, but Paradise TV appeared to have bucked that trend this year by enlisting some wide-eyed young pop starlets instead. An act of perverse cruelty, surely?

Not quite. After spending a few minutes in the company of Marshmallow 3D's members – that's Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolat to you and me – our fears were put to rest. As you might have guessed for an idol group that was put together by Paradise TV themselves, these aren't a bunch of unblemished innocents. It's a fact confirmed for us halfway through the subsequent photoshoot, when Vanilla nonchalantly asks, 'So, do you want us to get our knockers out?'

We decline, of course, but it was kind of her to ask.

Still, it's hard to say exactly what Marshmallow 3D are. When we ask them about their formative idol influences, things being to become a little clearer...

Vanilla: When I was young, I liked Morning Musume.
Strawberry: And Speed!
Vanilla: Perfume are good, too, and they're a trio like us. If our dance routines were as slick as theirs, that'd be great.
Chocolat: People said our main rivals were Watarirouka Hashiritai – they're a spin-off group from AKB48, you know – but we've got three members, so why not Perfume?
Vanilla: Like the erotic Perfume.
Strawberry: We don't have any rivals.
Vanilla: We're making a new genre.

Um… sure. Marshmallow 3D came into existence a mere month ago, and they've got a single aim in mind: to find themselves a nice onii-chan, or big brother.

'We thought that if we became idols, and lots of people supported us, we'd have loads of guys coming to our shows,' says Strawberry. 'A-a-and maybe one of them would be our big brother.'

'We've got this "Ni-Ni Counter",' says Vanilla, holding a handmade gizmo that looks more like a prop from a '50s sci-fi B-movie, 'so we can use it to find our big brothers amongst the guys who show up.'

Equipment aside, have the girls being doing anything else to prepare themselves – physically, mentally or spiritually – for this mass fondle-thon?

'We're trying to keep our boobs in good condition, using moisturiser and stuff,' says Strawberry.

'I'd hate it if I wanted my big brother to touch me, but he wasn't into it,' adds Chocolat.

It's becoming hard to think straight by this point in the interview, so we steer things onto a more serious topic. Underpinning all the frivolity at 'Erotics Save the Earth 2011' is a more important aim: to raise money for the Japan Foundation for AIDS Prevention, and increase awareness of the risks of STDs. The issue carries particular weight in Japan, where new cases of HIV infection are at an all-time high, and many youngsters don't even think about donning a condom before getting in the sack.

'Guys are more worried about getting a girl pregnant than getting AIDS,' says Strawberry.

'This is still a really "guys first" country,' adds Vanilla. 'If a guy really pushes for something, it's hard for the girl to say no. We want people to be open about sex, but to understand the danger of AIDS at the same time.'

And they're putting their boobs on the line to prove it.

Click for more information on Erotics Save the Earth 2011, live from 7pm, Aug 20 until 8pm, Aug 21

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