On the forum I hang out on for J-music discussion recently there was a discussion on trying to figure out how NEWS is as a group. After sleeping on it I figured out what I thought was a pretty analogy for how the group works and I thought it was the kind of thing that I would want to share with others. So here is the re-posting of the analogy:
"To chime in about NEWS, I kind of view them as a family of sorts. Yamapi is the working father who brings in the money, or popularity, for the group but tends to enjoy spending his time outside of work with his drinking buddies than at home. Koyama is the mother, as he's the one that pushes the most for everyone to be together. Ryo is an uncle that comes to visit from time to time and while he may enjoy spending some time with them every once in a while they're still not his primary family unit so his priority will be with K8. The other three would be the kids and while they have no problem getting along they also have lives outside of the family and enjoy those. Though Shige does have his BFF relationship with Koyama and recently he and Massu seem to be getting closer and spending more time together, especially since Shige has graduated from college this past March. But I don't think the group will ever have the kind of unit bonds other groups do."
Of course I don't mean the last sentence to be any kind of insult or slam against the group, they are still my favorite after all, but as a fan I think that the group chemistry of NEWS is different than the other groups. Probably because of how they were put together and that they never had anything that really pushed them all together as a group, in fact with the year suspension they pretty much had the opposite happen, as other groups have.
So instead while they do have good relationships with each other they do lack a good bit of unit cohesiveness that you would find with the older Johnny's groups or groups like Arashi and Kanjani8 who have had group activities like variety programs to help them build that kind of bond. Which isn't so bad, as Kinki Kids is kinda like NEWS, in where the members get along fine but are just as happy doing their own thing as they are doing something together.
Agree in a way.
ReplyDeleteThe Soukon4, who have been working together since their Yax3 days, get along better than most Johnnys groups. Shige and Massu have been close for quite a few years. KoyaTego also hang out a lot in private. But wtv, I can deal with NEWS not living in each other's pockets (neither SMAP or Kinki do), but I just wish management would give them work together since they're a group.
lol and to add your analogy, TegoMass would be the kids who've grown up and think they're ready to leave home.
..hehe..i agree with your analogy, when i found out about news through Onigokko on Ya Ya yah, i was like 'okay koyama, shige, massu and tego, kusano are there regulary, (moriuchi/uchi appeared) but arent Yamapi and Ryo supposed to be there also, thats strange groups are supposed work togther' but then i found out about their history and JE and came to understand how the group was formed..
ReplyDelete...Ryo and Yamapi were on a different level as juniors than the soukon4 while most of the members of other johnny's groups were around the same level as juniors (from what i know) if that made any sense, sorry for the incoherent argument...
@ Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI really think it shows that the Soukon4 have a closer bond together than with Yamapi and Ryo as those two tend to be doing something else away from them.
@ nfsqym
No need to apologize, I believe I understand what you're saying. And I do agree even in their Junior days Yamapi and Ryo did get the 'golden boy' treatment so they did seem to be on another level compared to the others.