Farewell, Akun.

I know I have been slacking with posts here and it is partly because I knew that I would have to write this post because this is something that I do not want to lump with other Junior news.

Apparently a few days ago the profile and voice messages for Igo Akun, one of the guitarist for the Junior band Question? have been taken off the official Johnny's sites. While the profile that came off of TakiCHANnel is not complete proof of this as not all Juniors have their profiles up there for whatever reason and some have disappeared before even though the Junior was still with the agency, the removal of the voice messages has been pretty spot on. I guess they next bits of confirmation we need is for Question? to do something as a group and have him missing. But I think it is safe to say that he has indeed left Johnny's.

While I had given up the hope of Question? debuting some time ago I still do like the group, especially Akun, who was my favorite member. He was always great at being entertaining and getting laughs out of people. I knew whenever he would be given the chance to be in the spotlight I was going to love it. He was always a great highlight to any of the Shounen Club episodes he got to be a part of a segment on. The program just is not going to be the same without him there.

I am going to miss him so dearly and I hope that whatever he decides to do with his life from now on he will be happy. 

My personal wish is that he plans on continuing his career in a band like pretty much all the recent Junior band members from FiVE and Question? I think if that will be the case then leaving Johnny's would be a good idea as they just do not seem to want to bother with debuting another band group, not when you have groups like Kanjani8 and Hey! Say! JUMP that have members that can create their own band within their group. That and they seem to be moving more towards just letting the Juniors that can play instruments do so for concerts without grouping them together. 

I guess the only hope of another Johnny's band group debuting if there is another rock band boom in the Japanese music industry, so I cannot blame any of the members of FiVE or Question? for leaving. Though it does not stop it from being heartbreaking all the same.

2010 Winter Drama brief thoughts

I was looking through the latest issue of TV Life, which is one of the weekly TV guide magazines, and noticed they had cast diagrams up for most of the upcoming winter dramas.

Hidarime Tantei EYE has new additions to the cast, but most of the new cast are listed as undetermined. There doesn't seem to be a spot for a classmate for Yamada's character, which makes me sad, though there is a character that has an unknown age, but I have the feeling it will be for another adult character. But seeing as it won't air until January 23rd, there's still quite a bit of time for things to be announced. Also with that start date if we are getting a new Hey! Say! JUMP single tied in to the drama then it probably won't be released until sometime in February.

Now the series that caught my eye the most is actually Tokujo Gabachi!!, which stars Arashi's Sakurai Sho. Even though I do like Sho it's not him I'm excited over being in this drama. Instead it's one of my favorite Juniors, Question?'s Igo Akun. It looks like his role will be minor but at least reoccurring in the drama. I'm just really happy for him, as I think Question? gets over looked a lot so it's nice to see one of the group's members get a break like this. I hope I can see him in the premier episode which will air January 17th.

I didn't watch the first season of Code Blue so I can't really say anything about the second season, other than I'm glad Yamapi has ditched the perm. In fact I rather like his hair in the picture they have of him so I hope it's the style he's keeping for the drama. And this drama will begin on January 11th.

And of the other drama starring Johnny's is listed as well, Yamato Nadesico Shichi Henge. I don't think there's much to say as there isn't much information presented that hasn't already been announced. Which I believe even includes that the series will begin January 15th.

I want to give everything a try, minus Code Blue because I don't want to get into a series without seeing it from the start. But Hidarime Tantei EYE and Tokujo Gabachi!! are at the top of my list and Yamato Nadesico Shichi Henge will be a drama I'll get around to viewing when I have the time to do so.