I've finally come to the conclusion that November is just going to be too busy with various things for me that I probably won't be able to keep up with almost daily entries as I have in the past couple of months. I would like to avoid that, as I have enjoyed being actively blogging as I have been. The History of Johnny's series of course is still on track and should continue being updated as usual throughout the month and I'll try to keep up with the Johnny's related news as I have before but outside of that I can't guarantee anything.
To try to avoid days without anything posted I've decided to open up for questions readers may have and never had the opportunity to ask for whatever reason. I think already have a topic to discuss it'll probably be easier to write something than to try to come up with one myself. And as long as it's about Johnny's I am game for at least giving it shot to answer whether or not I actually know one or have to go researching to find one.
If you want you can ask me non-Johnny's related questions as well (but nothing overtly personal please) and while I won't answer them on this blog I will on my other blog. I will make sure to put a link up on a post here so you know it's been answered without having to follow that blog as well if you don't want to.
I'll keep the question period open until the end of December. If I don't answer your question before then I will still answer it eventually. And depending on how successful this is I may make it an annual thing, but we'll see.
So please feel free ask away. There's no limit on how many questions you can ask.
31 October 2011
29 October 2011
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Members: Joshima Shigeru (guitar), Kokubun Taichi (keyboard), Yamaguchi Tatsuya (bass), Matsuoka Masahiro (drums) & Nagase Tomoya (lead vocals, guitar)
With the unexpected end to Otokogumi in 1994 Johnny’s decided to debut a new band group and TOKIO had their debut. Their debut concert was held at Nippon Budokan, which is a goal for many Japanese rock bands.
TOKIO was a Junior group for a while and played the same role current Junior bands, like FiVe and Question?, do today by being the live backing band for other groups at concerts. Nagase was not originally in the line-up but for a while was a support member of the group until one of the original members of the group quit shortly before the band’s debut.
Their first single was Love Only You which has remained a personal favorite song of the group and their fans. Their second single, Ashita no Kimi wo Mamoritai, was a tie in the Spaceship Yamato 2025 anime series which began their anime tie-ins for their singles that their early singles had. Their most successful single is 2006’s Sorafune which was used for the TV drama series My Boss, My Hero, which starred Nagase Tomoya.
Like Otokogumi TOKIO do write their own songs, though mainly the B-sides and album tracks but sometimes their singles as well. Unlike Otokogumi they are more pop than rock when it comes to their music.
They have changed music labels a couple times in their career. They began on Sony Music Japan’s label before switching to Universal Music Japan. Then in 2008 they made their last switch to an agency owned music label, J-Storm.
Like most post-SMAP groups TOKIO have their own variety programs, currently 5LDK and Tetsuwan DASH. Joshima, Taichi and Yamaguchi individually host several different programs on top of those two group shows.
Not only is Joshima Shigeru the oldest of the group he’s also the leader of it and is often just called Leader by just about everyone, even members of other groups. His life is suffering (gets forgotten, has a tendency to be uncoordinated, is thought of to be an old man even when he was young) but he suffers it well. Which makes it all the more surprising to see him play guitar, especially in concerts, since he seems just so happy and energetic when he plays.
Kokubun Taichi is rather energetic and a big soccer fan. He’s also a runner and participated and finished the Tokyo Marathon in 2011. Taichi co-starred in a movie with Domoto Tsuyoshi and together they released a single for the theme song, Fantastipo, under the name Toraji to Haiji.
Yamaguchi Tatsuya is the only member of the group to be married so far. He also has two sons with his wife who he married in 2008. He loves surfing and has even taken other members of the agency with him to surf.
Matsuoka Masahiro is the quiet one of the group. He has directed the PVs for the band since their 2002 single ding-dong. He also is known for being a good cook and will bring food he made in for the band when they’re doing concerts.
Nagase Tomoya is the youngest of the group and probably the most popular because of his drama roles. A couple of popular dramas he has starred in are My Boss, My Hero and Tiger and Dragon. Even though he’s the main vocalist of the group he also plays guitar. Nagase is the only Johnny’s artist to ever be featured on MTV Unplugged (Japan only of course).
Trivia: All members but Nagase were in the same Junior group with the members of SMAP, Skate Boys.
TOKIO has had others from Johnny’s star in their PVs, Nakajima Yuto in Jibun no Tame ni and Ikuta Toma in NaNaNa (Taiyou Nante Irane).
Next Entry > Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
 |
| Top (left to right) Yamaguchi Tatsuya, Joshima Shigeru & Kokubun Taichi Bottom (left to right) Nagase Tomoya & Matsuoka Masahiro |
With the unexpected end to Otokogumi in 1994 Johnny’s decided to debut a new band group and TOKIO had their debut. Their debut concert was held at Nippon Budokan, which is a goal for many Japanese rock bands.
TOKIO was a Junior group for a while and played the same role current Junior bands, like FiVe and Question?, do today by being the live backing band for other groups at concerts. Nagase was not originally in the line-up but for a while was a support member of the group until one of the original members of the group quit shortly before the band’s debut.
Their first single was Love Only You which has remained a personal favorite song of the group and their fans. Their second single, Ashita no Kimi wo Mamoritai, was a tie in the Spaceship Yamato 2025 anime series which began their anime tie-ins for their singles that their early singles had. Their most successful single is 2006’s Sorafune which was used for the TV drama series My Boss, My Hero, which starred Nagase Tomoya.
Like Otokogumi TOKIO do write their own songs, though mainly the B-sides and album tracks but sometimes their singles as well. Unlike Otokogumi they are more pop than rock when it comes to their music.
They have changed music labels a couple times in their career. They began on Sony Music Japan’s label before switching to Universal Music Japan. Then in 2008 they made their last switch to an agency owned music label, J-Storm.
Like most post-SMAP groups TOKIO have their own variety programs, currently 5LDK and Tetsuwan DASH. Joshima, Taichi and Yamaguchi individually host several different programs on top of those two group shows.
Not only is Joshima Shigeru the oldest of the group he’s also the leader of it and is often just called Leader by just about everyone, even members of other groups. His life is suffering (gets forgotten, has a tendency to be uncoordinated, is thought of to be an old man even when he was young) but he suffers it well. Which makes it all the more surprising to see him play guitar, especially in concerts, since he seems just so happy and energetic when he plays.
Kokubun Taichi is rather energetic and a big soccer fan. He’s also a runner and participated and finished the Tokyo Marathon in 2011. Taichi co-starred in a movie with Domoto Tsuyoshi and together they released a single for the theme song, Fantastipo, under the name Toraji to Haiji.
Yamaguchi Tatsuya is the only member of the group to be married so far. He also has two sons with his wife who he married in 2008. He loves surfing and has even taken other members of the agency with him to surf.
Matsuoka Masahiro is the quiet one of the group. He has directed the PVs for the band since their 2002 single ding-dong. He also is known for being a good cook and will bring food he made in for the band when they’re doing concerts.
Nagase Tomoya is the youngest of the group and probably the most popular because of his drama roles. A couple of popular dramas he has starred in are My Boss, My Hero and Tiger and Dragon. Even though he’s the main vocalist of the group he also plays guitar. Nagase is the only Johnny’s artist to ever be featured on MTV Unplugged (Japan only of course).
 |
| Top (left to right) Joshima Shigeru & Yamaguchi Tatsuya Bottom (left to right) Matsuoka Masahiro, Nagase Tomoya & Kokubun Taichi |
Trivia: All members but Nagase were in the same Junior group with the members of SMAP, Skate Boys.
TOKIO has had others from Johnny’s star in their PVs, Nakajima Yuto in Jibun no Tame ni and Ikuta Toma in NaNaNa (Taiyou Nante Irane).
Next Entry > Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
28 October 2011
Kansai Jr. X'mas concert dates announced.
The dates for the X'mas concerts which seems to have become an annual thing for the Kansai Juniors have been announced finally. There will be two versions of the concerts, one featuring 7WEST and the other featuring B.A.D. and Hamada Takahiro with Veteran. The dates for 7WEST's are December 3-4,10-12, 17-19 & 24-25. B.A.D. and Hamada Takahiro with Veteran then have December 5-8, 13-15 & 20-22.
I think after the bad year most Kansai Junior fans have had, with quite a few of the older more established Kansai Juniors leaving, this is some good news for the end of the year.
I really hope we get to see more of the Kansai Juniors. Nakayama Yuma seems to be stuck with musicals, which isn't terrible except when it comes to foreign fans it gets a bit hard to see much of him. Having Shounentachi again this year was nice, especially as some of them got to go to Tokyo for their run of it. But I, like other fans of Kansai Juniors would like to see them do more and hope that more don't leave.
27 October 2011
Johnny's announces 2012 Imperial Theatre schedule
Johnny's has announced that for 2012 they will have three different productions at the Imperial Theatre. The first is of course Takizawa Kakumei which will be for the month of January. The next will be Domoto Koichi's yearly Endless Shock production in the months of February, March and April. Then in November and December there will be a third production which will be a new play/musical. No other information is available about the third production.
Sports Yomuiri (Japanese)
It's pretty interesting that there will be a new production at the venue. I'm really curious to what it will be and who will be starring in it. But I guess we won't hear anything more about it until much later in 2012.
Sports Yomuiri (Japanese)
It's pretty interesting that there will be a new production at the venue. I'm really curious to what it will be and who will be starring in it. But I guess we won't hear anything more about it until much later in 2012.
Sexy Zone comes knocking.
Information about SZ's debut single information has been updated on Johnny's net which includes a more detailed version of what's on two of the DVDs plus titles for the other two B-sides.
The 1st version is still only the PV for the titled track. The 2nd version goes on to explain the close up version thing a bit. There are five different versions, one for each boy, and this will be a close up shot for the PV. I'm honestly assuming that this is pretty much the same thing as the hidden PV alternate angles on Hey! Say! 7's Hey! Say! single were, which for those trying to figure out who sings what part will be a big help for. Then for the 3rd and final version with a DVD it is the making of for the PV. It also has footage of from the jacket shooting and the boys each give an introduction of themselves. The total time for this DVD will be 39 minutes.
Moving on the the other two CDs without DVDs do both have the titles for each of their B-sides. The one that comes with the photo book will have a B-side titled Knock! Knock!! Knock!!! and the RE has a B-side titled I see the light ~Bokutachi no Suteejii~ (I see the light ~Our Stage~).
I'm going to guess that we probably won't have to wait too much longer before we get the previews for the covers seeing as we're less than a month away from the release. If we don't get them in the next couple of days by next for sure as that's when the boys will start appearing on programs and I'm sure they'll want to show a cover of the CD so people know what to look for in stores when it comes out.
The 1st version is still only the PV for the titled track. The 2nd version goes on to explain the close up version thing a bit. There are five different versions, one for each boy, and this will be a close up shot for the PV. I'm honestly assuming that this is pretty much the same thing as the hidden PV alternate angles on Hey! Say! 7's Hey! Say! single were, which for those trying to figure out who sings what part will be a big help for. Then for the 3rd and final version with a DVD it is the making of for the PV. It also has footage of from the jacket shooting and the boys each give an introduction of themselves. The total time for this DVD will be 39 minutes.
Moving on the the other two CDs without DVDs do both have the titles for each of their B-sides. The one that comes with the photo book will have a B-side titled Knock! Knock!! Knock!!! and the RE has a B-side titled I see the light ~Bokutachi no Suteejii~ (I see the light ~Our Stage~).
I'm going to guess that we probably won't have to wait too much longer before we get the previews for the covers seeing as we're less than a month away from the release. If we don't get them in the next couple of days by next for sure as that's when the boys will start appearing on programs and I'm sure they'll want to show a cover of the CD so people know what to look for in stores when it comes out.
26 October 2011
Tegoshi Yuya in Hotaru no Hikaru film, plus the debut of Koya-riida
It's been announced that Tegoshi Yuya has a part in the upcoming Hotaru no Hikaru film, which is based off a hit drama series. It's unknown how big the role is, but is for a character only being introduced in this film who is the younger brother of another new character.
The film will come out early summer of 2012 in Japan.
Tokyo Graph article. (English)
Also in other NEWS related news, on Koyama Keiichiro's radio program K-chan NEWS he had Kato Shigeaki on and they talked about how the new NEWS chose him as their new leader. It pretty much went down that the idea was suggested by Shige and Masuda Takahisa and Tegoshi Yuya agreed stating that it meant that Koyama would be paying for their meal. As apparently one of the roles group leaders have is to pay for the meals when they go out with group members.
With this piece of information I think I understand why some groups, mostly the younger and bigger groups, don't have official leaders. XD
The film will come out early summer of 2012 in Japan.
Tokyo Graph article. (English)
Also in other NEWS related news, on Koyama Keiichiro's radio program K-chan NEWS he had Kato Shigeaki on and they talked about how the new NEWS chose him as their new leader. It pretty much went down that the idea was suggested by Shige and Masuda Takahisa and Tegoshi Yuya agreed stating that it meant that Koyama would be paying for their meal. As apparently one of the roles group leaders have is to pay for the meals when they go out with group members.
With this piece of information I think I understand why some groups, mostly the younger and bigger groups, don't have official leaders. XD
25 October 2011
Jin to guest judge Kollaboration 11
The latest Johnny's International e-mail has been sent out and came with an announcement for Akanishi Jin to be a guest judge at the Kollaboration 11 in L.A.'s Nokia Theatre on November 5th. Kollaboration is an entertainment concert for Asian Pacific Islander's to participate in so they have a creative outlet.
You can check out the Kollaboration website here.
And while it doesn't mention him performing I'd be surprised if Jin doesn't at least perform his upcoming U.S. single, as I'm sure this is a part of promotion for it. And if not it's another good chance for Jin fans in the L.A. area to at least be able to see him.
You can check out the Kollaboration website here.
And while it doesn't mention him performing I'd be surprised if Jin doesn't at least perform his upcoming U.S. single, as I'm sure this is a part of promotion for it. And if not it's another good chance for Jin fans in the L.A. area to at least be able to see him.
24 October 2011
Juniors to get the SMAP-bump
It has been announced that SMAP x SMAP will be adding a new corner to the show that will involve the Juniors. The corner will be called Ganbare Johnny's! and start on October 31st. SMAP will be divided into two teams, Kimura & Kusanagi and Inagaki & Katori and will team up with Juniors and according to the announcement new units to compete in games and challenges against each other. It mentions that CD debuts are on the line but gives no further information about that.
SMAP x SMAP OHP. (Japanese)
This is really a smart move when it comes to promoting Juniors that the agency is thinking of debut. SMAP x SMAP is a highly rated program so it would be easy to get the general Japanese public to learn about these potential members of a new group. I am curious to what exactly "new unit" means. It could mean new Junior units but on the other hand it could be talking about the newly debut units of Kis-My-Ft2 and Sexy Zone (the later still having yet to debut technically but still close enough). I think it would be wise to have at SZ a part of this so people can get to know them better as they're going to need all the help they can get right now with promotion as so many of them are really fresh Juniors. But I guess it's something that needs to be clarified when the first segment airs and should be.
For the CD debut line I wouldn't get too excited. It says so very little about it and it could just be simply for a one-shot debut, which could lead to something more or nothing as it has in the past for Juniors. I think it's probably better to wait until the first segment airs at it should clear it all up.
I'm really curious to which Juniors are going to be a part of this. For any of them this is a big chance for them to start getting known and on their way to a potential career debut if they get popular enough. I'm not sure is SMAP fans will be happy to see Juniors on the program but it's not like they're replacing SMAP with them and I personally love see interaction between the generations within Johnny's and I can't imagine anyone better to help the next generation than a group that has defined the agency itself.
SMAP x SMAP OHP. (Japanese)
This is really a smart move when it comes to promoting Juniors that the agency is thinking of debut. SMAP x SMAP is a highly rated program so it would be easy to get the general Japanese public to learn about these potential members of a new group. I am curious to what exactly "new unit" means. It could mean new Junior units but on the other hand it could be talking about the newly debut units of Kis-My-Ft2 and Sexy Zone (the later still having yet to debut technically but still close enough). I think it would be wise to have at SZ a part of this so people can get to know them better as they're going to need all the help they can get right now with promotion as so many of them are really fresh Juniors. But I guess it's something that needs to be clarified when the first segment airs and should be.
For the CD debut line I wouldn't get too excited. It says so very little about it and it could just be simply for a one-shot debut, which could lead to something more or nothing as it has in the past for Juniors. I think it's probably better to wait until the first segment airs at it should clear it all up.
I'm really curious to which Juniors are going to be a part of this. For any of them this is a big chance for them to start getting known and on their way to a potential career debut if they get popular enough. I'm not sure is SMAP fans will be happy to see Juniors on the program but it's not like they're replacing SMAP with them and I personally love see interaction between the generations within Johnny's and I can't imagine anyone better to help the next generation than a group that has defined the agency itself.
23 October 2011
RE:STOP pesky rumors
I normally ignore rumors for the most part as most end up being untrue or only partly true and the parts that aren't true making them seem completely groundless. But since I find that these rumors tend to be given much more weight than they should with the fans of the younger groups every once in a while I'll address those to remind people that if something sounds too good to be true than most likely it is.
The current rumor is about Morimoto Ryutaro returning to Hey! Say! JUMP by releasing a new single with him in January, titled RE:START.
One of the reasons that the rumor doesn't pan out is that it goes back to the problem of rumors that only have a single source that isn't really verifiable. Sure the new volleyball unit rumor panned out except the group name wasn't the same nor were the group members, so if anything it was one of those annoying partial rumors that at least had the tradition of FIVB unit debuts and it was coming from an online store not a personal blog to back itself up. This current rumor though has nothing to back it up other than one personal blog in Japanese saying that it's true and others just believing them.
And Johnny's wouldn't make such an announcement unless it was at some kind of event for HSJ which they aren't scheduled for any. In fact it looks like they may not even have concerts this winter as there has been no announcement for one, as other groups have already made their winter concert announcements so fans would have enough time to ballot for tickets from them.
Also there has never been a case of a member of a group being caught in an underage smoking/drinking scandal and being returned to their group. You just have to look at what happened to Uchi Hiroki and Kusano Hironori to see that Ryutaro has a greater chance of ending up like them than being able to rejoin the group. And if he does get the chance to rejoin the group he's going to have to do more than stay out of the spotlight long enough. He'll probably have to be placed on Trainee status for a while and be a part of something, like Uchi and Kusano were in 2007's PLAYZONE, before regaining his Junior status and then maybe, just maybe he'll get a chance to be a part of the group.
I know a lot of fans are still clinging to the hope that since Johnny's net hasn't updated the profile for HSJ to exclude Ryutaro that there's still a good chance for him to return. I personally think that they're just trying to avoid any major backlash from HSJ fans and are just waiting for people to get used to the nine member version of the group a bit more before they finally make that update and officially state that he isn't currently a member of the group.
And on a personal note, as I'm also a fan of NEWS it would honestly and truly piss me off if Ryutaro was able to return to the group just like that. I may not have been a fan of NEWS when they were still eight but I became a fan not too long after the group's return and the feeling and hopes of Uchi and/or Kusano returning to the group were still rather high, especially with them returning to being active with PLAYZONE. And then there was the fact that there was no doubt that Kanjani8 wanted Uchi back, the infamous encore at one of their concerts where they brought him onstage to announce that this was Kanjani8 comes to mind. But in the end neither of them returned to their groups, even Uchi who had been popular before his scandal and had a group publicly state that really wanted him back. They worked hard for their second chances and I expect no less for Ryutaro as it would be a cruel slap in the face for him not to have to go through something similar to those two before even being evaluated by management on whether he should return to HSJ or not.
I know that may seem harsh but I wouldn't have an issue if Ryutaro went the same path as Uchi and Kusano and then was put back into HSJ. In fact I think I'd come to appreciate him more, as that would show he has a lot of dedication to the group. And I've always felt one of the reasons Uchi and Kusano didn't get that chance in the end was because of the mess that PLAYZONE ended up being with the Akasuka Akira drug scandal. Which unfortunately just sucked for them as they really couldn't control that. But I honestly cannot accept Ryutaro's return to the group without him having to go through something to show his resolve to really want to be in the group. Especially when there have been Johnny's in a similar circumstance that had to go through something like that and still not be able to return to their groups.
The current rumor is about Morimoto Ryutaro returning to Hey! Say! JUMP by releasing a new single with him in January, titled RE:START.
One of the reasons that the rumor doesn't pan out is that it goes back to the problem of rumors that only have a single source that isn't really verifiable. Sure the new volleyball unit rumor panned out except the group name wasn't the same nor were the group members, so if anything it was one of those annoying partial rumors that at least had the tradition of FIVB unit debuts and it was coming from an online store not a personal blog to back itself up. This current rumor though has nothing to back it up other than one personal blog in Japanese saying that it's true and others just believing them.
And Johnny's wouldn't make such an announcement unless it was at some kind of event for HSJ which they aren't scheduled for any. In fact it looks like they may not even have concerts this winter as there has been no announcement for one, as other groups have already made their winter concert announcements so fans would have enough time to ballot for tickets from them.
Also there has never been a case of a member of a group being caught in an underage smoking/drinking scandal and being returned to their group. You just have to look at what happened to Uchi Hiroki and Kusano Hironori to see that Ryutaro has a greater chance of ending up like them than being able to rejoin the group. And if he does get the chance to rejoin the group he's going to have to do more than stay out of the spotlight long enough. He'll probably have to be placed on Trainee status for a while and be a part of something, like Uchi and Kusano were in 2007's PLAYZONE, before regaining his Junior status and then maybe, just maybe he'll get a chance to be a part of the group.
I know a lot of fans are still clinging to the hope that since Johnny's net hasn't updated the profile for HSJ to exclude Ryutaro that there's still a good chance for him to return. I personally think that they're just trying to avoid any major backlash from HSJ fans and are just waiting for people to get used to the nine member version of the group a bit more before they finally make that update and officially state that he isn't currently a member of the group.
And on a personal note, as I'm also a fan of NEWS it would honestly and truly piss me off if Ryutaro was able to return to the group just like that. I may not have been a fan of NEWS when they were still eight but I became a fan not too long after the group's return and the feeling and hopes of Uchi and/or Kusano returning to the group were still rather high, especially with them returning to being active with PLAYZONE. And then there was the fact that there was no doubt that Kanjani8 wanted Uchi back, the infamous encore at one of their concerts where they brought him onstage to announce that this was Kanjani8 comes to mind. But in the end neither of them returned to their groups, even Uchi who had been popular before his scandal and had a group publicly state that really wanted him back. They worked hard for their second chances and I expect no less for Ryutaro as it would be a cruel slap in the face for him not to have to go through something similar to those two before even being evaluated by management on whether he should return to HSJ or not.
I know that may seem harsh but I wouldn't have an issue if Ryutaro went the same path as Uchi and Kusano and then was put back into HSJ. In fact I think I'd come to appreciate him more, as that would show he has a lot of dedication to the group. And I've always felt one of the reasons Uchi and Kusano didn't get that chance in the end was because of the mess that PLAYZONE ended up being with the Akasuka Akira drug scandal. Which unfortunately just sucked for them as they really couldn't control that. But I honestly cannot accept Ryutaro's return to the group without him having to go through something to show his resolve to really want to be in the group. Especially when there have been Johnny's in a similar circumstance that had to go through something like that and still not be able to return to their groups.
22 October 2011
The Living Legend of SMAP
Members: Nakai Masahiro, Kimura Takuya, Inagaki Goro, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi & Katori Shingo
The title for this entry may seem a bit much but in actuality it fits this group quite well. Even though past groups have been influential in newer groups the reason Johnny’s is what it is today is tied to SMAP and their accomplishments.
SMAP is one of those groups that have an acronym for their name. In their case SMAP stands for Sports Music Assemble People. The originally debuted as a six member unit but Mori Katsuyuki left in 1996 to pursue a career in motorbike racing. Their debut in 1991 was rather lackluster, especially compared to their sempai groups and their early years were difficult times for the group as they did not sell well with not only their music releases but also for concerts. It is said that at a concert in Nagoya’s stadium early in their career they apologized to the crowd as only the seats on the floor level had been sold out with only about two people in the stands and they promised to the crowd that when they come back they will be more popular so that concert would be more enjoyable.
What really set SMAP apart from the Johnny’s that came before them was how they rose to fame. While earlier groups followed a pattern of appearing on variety programs and releasing hit song after hit song, SMAP departed from this route by being the first Johnny’s group to host their own variety program, Ai Love SMAP. The popularity from their variety program as well as Kimura Takuya getting big breaks with his drama roles is what propelled the group into superstardom. Since then the group’s popularity grew to an unparalleled extent which has played a large role in their longevity.
The group can be said to have hit their peak with the release of the single Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana in 2002. The single sold about 2.5 million copies and is still a song favorite for karaoke. It is considered the groups signature song and they even made a Chinese version of it for their first concerts in China in 2011, singing it to the Chinese premier when he visited Japan earlier that year.
Their most popular variety program that they host is SMAPXSMAP that is known for them doing collaborations with their musical guests. In the past few years this has included several popular Western artists such as Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber.
Nakai Masahiro is the member most well known for his skills as a program host and MC as well as his lack of skills when it comes to singing and dancing. He has the tendency to tease his kouhai (any of the Johnny’s that debuted after SMAP or are younger than him) when they show up on the programs that he hosts. He is also the group’s leader and one of the few Johnny’s that was able to skip having to audition to join the agency.
Kimura Takuya who is also known by his nickname Kimutaku, is known for his acting and his good looks, he continuously gets high votes in polls for sexiest man in Japan. He got his first big break in the drama Asunaro Hakusho in 1993 where he played the lead character. Since then he has starred in many hit dramas such as Long Vacation, Beautiful Life and HERO. He shocked fans when he announced his marriage to singer Kudo Shizuka in 2000. The two are still together and have two daughters.
Inagaki Goro tends to be one of the quieter members of the group. He’s known to have an interest in wine and has a bit of a “high class” image about him from this. In 2001 he was involved in a traffic incident. A policewoman was at his car to cite him for a parking violation and he panicked and drove off clipping her as he did escalating it to a hit and run crime. The incident paired with Kimutaku’s marriage a year earlier caused people to worry if the group would disband but Inagaki made his apologies and accepted his punishment so he and the group were able to ride it out and continue on.
Katori Shingo is the youngest member of the group. He has had a couple of solo releases, both tied to different characters, the first Shingo Mama from the variety program Sata Suma and the other and more recent, Ryo-san, of the drama series Kochikame. He also hosts and English oriented program, SmaSTATION!!.
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is probably better known as the one that got drunk and ran around naked in a park calling out the name of one of his band mates until the police came and arrested him. From this incident he is well quoted as asking the police, “What’s wrong with being naked?” as well as the mass over reaction to it when just about all his advertising contracts were pulled. He later got most of them back after putting himself under house arrest for a while and giving the usual apology to the nation that is expected of celebrities to do in Japan. If fact he rebounded from this scandal surprisingly well and went on to star in a hit drama, Ninkyu Helper, later that same year. He’s also known to be fluent in Korean and has even had Korean solo releases under the name, Chonan Kan. In 2011 he published a book of short stories that he translated from Korean to Japanese.
TRIVIA: As Juniors all the members of SMAP were in the same group of Juniors, Skate Boys. This group also had four of the five members of TOKIO in it.
Kimura Takuya was the first non-Western celebrity to advertise for Levi’s jeans.
Katori Shingo's single released under his Shingo Mama persona sold over a million copies.
Next Entry > TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
 |
| top row (left to right) Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, Kimura Takuya & Inagaki Goro bottom row (left to right) Nakai Masahiro, Katori Shingo, Mori Katsuyuki |
The title for this entry may seem a bit much but in actuality it fits this group quite well. Even though past groups have been influential in newer groups the reason Johnny’s is what it is today is tied to SMAP and their accomplishments.
SMAP is one of those groups that have an acronym for their name. In their case SMAP stands for Sports Music Assemble People. The originally debuted as a six member unit but Mori Katsuyuki left in 1996 to pursue a career in motorbike racing. Their debut in 1991 was rather lackluster, especially compared to their sempai groups and their early years were difficult times for the group as they did not sell well with not only their music releases but also for concerts. It is said that at a concert in Nagoya’s stadium early in their career they apologized to the crowd as only the seats on the floor level had been sold out with only about two people in the stands and they promised to the crowd that when they come back they will be more popular so that concert would be more enjoyable.
What really set SMAP apart from the Johnny’s that came before them was how they rose to fame. While earlier groups followed a pattern of appearing on variety programs and releasing hit song after hit song, SMAP departed from this route by being the first Johnny’s group to host their own variety program, Ai Love SMAP. The popularity from their variety program as well as Kimura Takuya getting big breaks with his drama roles is what propelled the group into superstardom. Since then the group’s popularity grew to an unparalleled extent which has played a large role in their longevity.
The group can be said to have hit their peak with the release of the single Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana in 2002. The single sold about 2.5 million copies and is still a song favorite for karaoke. It is considered the groups signature song and they even made a Chinese version of it for their first concerts in China in 2011, singing it to the Chinese premier when he visited Japan earlier that year.
Their most popular variety program that they host is SMAPXSMAP that is known for them doing collaborations with their musical guests. In the past few years this has included several popular Western artists such as Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber.
Nakai Masahiro is the member most well known for his skills as a program host and MC as well as his lack of skills when it comes to singing and dancing. He has the tendency to tease his kouhai (any of the Johnny’s that debuted after SMAP or are younger than him) when they show up on the programs that he hosts. He is also the group’s leader and one of the few Johnny’s that was able to skip having to audition to join the agency.
Kimura Takuya who is also known by his nickname Kimutaku, is known for his acting and his good looks, he continuously gets high votes in polls for sexiest man in Japan. He got his first big break in the drama Asunaro Hakusho in 1993 where he played the lead character. Since then he has starred in many hit dramas such as Long Vacation, Beautiful Life and HERO. He shocked fans when he announced his marriage to singer Kudo Shizuka in 2000. The two are still together and have two daughters.
Inagaki Goro tends to be one of the quieter members of the group. He’s known to have an interest in wine and has a bit of a “high class” image about him from this. In 2001 he was involved in a traffic incident. A policewoman was at his car to cite him for a parking violation and he panicked and drove off clipping her as he did escalating it to a hit and run crime. The incident paired with Kimutaku’s marriage a year earlier caused people to worry if the group would disband but Inagaki made his apologies and accepted his punishment so he and the group were able to ride it out and continue on.
Katori Shingo is the youngest member of the group. He has had a couple of solo releases, both tied to different characters, the first Shingo Mama from the variety program Sata Suma and the other and more recent, Ryo-san, of the drama series Kochikame. He also hosts and English oriented program, SmaSTATION!!.
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi is probably better known as the one that got drunk and ran around naked in a park calling out the name of one of his band mates until the police came and arrested him. From this incident he is well quoted as asking the police, “What’s wrong with being naked?” as well as the mass over reaction to it when just about all his advertising contracts were pulled. He later got most of them back after putting himself under house arrest for a while and giving the usual apology to the nation that is expected of celebrities to do in Japan. If fact he rebounded from this scandal surprisingly well and went on to star in a hit drama, Ninkyu Helper, later that same year. He’s also known to be fluent in Korean and has even had Korean solo releases under the name, Chonan Kan. In 2011 he published a book of short stories that he translated from Korean to Japanese.
 |
| (from left to right) Katori Shingo, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, Nakai Masahiro, Inagaki Goro & Kimura Takuya |
TRIVIA: As Juniors all the members of SMAP were in the same group of Juniors, Skate Boys. This group also had four of the five members of TOKIO in it.
Kimura Takuya was the first non-Western celebrity to advertise for Levi’s jeans.
Katori Shingo's single released under his Shingo Mama persona sold over a million copies.
Next Entry > TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
Little updates.
Well tomorrow I will finally be reaching the sempai groups of Johnny's with SMAP, which has me personally excited. These entries will probably be longer than the previous ones as it is just much easier to find information about these newer groups than the daisempai groups.
Of course since I've begun the project there's been a couple of major changes to the Johnny's line up which looks like I'll be doing this project for longer than I expected as I have more entries to right because of those. It's now looking like around the end of January, early February before I reach the stopping point.
I have decided that I'll be adding one last entry to cover anything I missed that I felt needed to be brought up. This will mainly be for the experiment that was Golf & Mike and I'm thinking about maybe just putting NYC into that instead of giving them their own entry as it's hard to tell what's going on with that group right now.
I also want to bring up that I have been putting update notifications for my blogs on my twitter. In fact that's pretty much what I'm mainly using it for these days as I just don't have much to say with it otherwise. So if you have your own twitter account and would like to know when I update my blogs feel free to follow.
And lastly I've seen the magazine photo of Yamada Ryosuke with blond hair and I'm still kinda in shock about it. He would have been one of the last Johnny's I would have thought to have ever seen seen with blond hair, and it is like Hikaru-blond too.
Of course since I've begun the project there's been a couple of major changes to the Johnny's line up which looks like I'll be doing this project for longer than I expected as I have more entries to right because of those. It's now looking like around the end of January, early February before I reach the stopping point.
I have decided that I'll be adding one last entry to cover anything I missed that I felt needed to be brought up. This will mainly be for the experiment that was Golf & Mike and I'm thinking about maybe just putting NYC into that instead of giving them their own entry as it's hard to tell what's going on with that group right now.
I also want to bring up that I have been putting update notifications for my blogs on my twitter. In fact that's pretty much what I'm mainly using it for these days as I just don't have much to say with it otherwise. So if you have your own twitter account and would like to know when I update my blogs feel free to follow.
And lastly I've seen the magazine photo of Yamada Ryosuke with blond hair and I'm still kinda in shock about it. He would have been one of the last Johnny's I would have thought to have ever seen seen with blond hair, and it is like Hikaru-blond too.
21 October 2011
A brief look at half and mixed Johnny's (Juniors)
In light of the debut of You Marius with the group Sexy Zone I think it might be good for Johnny’s fans to have at least a brief look at the half and mixed Johnny’s that were or still are with the agency. These Juniors, as they all have been Juniors until Marius debuts, are sometimes called "International Juniors", but I don’t think that’s an accurate name for them. The name came from a time when Johnny’s lumped a few of the half and mixed Juniors together and gave them that “group” name for a calendar picture and it just has persisted over the years.
I know I’m going to miss quite a few of them but I’ve decided to stick to some of the better known Juniors that you can actually find some information on in the English fandom or this entry will probably get too long.
If you run into older Johnny’s fans or just watch the older episodes of Shounen Club back when KAT-TUN was still a Junior group then Jimmy Mackey will be the name first given as an example of a half Junior. He was from the U.S. and while he had a rather big presence on Shounen Club for an ungrouped Junior, he was one of the main hosts during his time, it was pretty clear to see that his career was going nowhere. In early 2006 he quit the agency and returned to the States.
Joey Tee was a young Junior, he was 12 when he joined the agency, from the U.S. that for a time was heavily promoted, mainly for his dance skills. It as assumed he left Johnny’s at some point but there are recent reports that he’s been spotted at Akanishi Jin’s Japanese solo concerts as a back dancer, so it seems he still at least has contacts with Johnny’s at least. I’ve also found a youtube account that he has been uploading videos of him dancing in that you can check out here.
Cade Camu was probably another half Junior that was relatively well known during his time in Johnny’s. He had a role in one of the seasons of 3nen 3gumi Kenpachi-sensei and was in the Junior group Hip Hop Jump. He left the agency sometime in either 2008 or early 2009. The last bit of news for him was that he was arrested for theft in December 2009, his name wasn’t released but as the two caught were said to be 17 and 18, ex-Juniors and had roles in the 3nen 3gumi Kenpachi-sensei drama only he and fellow ex-Johnny’s Junior Kamei Taku fit those descriptions.
Moving on to those still in the agency, Anderson Casey is typically the one that would make those English introductions at concerts, I know he did them for Hey! Say! JUMP, of group members. He was born in Japan but is half American. He isn’t in a Junior group but is usually put in the group of Juniors that perform with Kyomoto Taiga. Every once in a while a T. is placed in his name or it's actually spelled out "Takeshi" and one can assume it's his middle/Japanese name.
Jesse Lewis (Hip Hop Jump) prior to being placed in HHJ really didn’t do anything too prominent though he’s been in the agency for a while, at least since he was 11. He's one of the few original HHJ members still in the group after it's been reshuffled a few times.
Igo Akun (Question?) is probably one of the most popular half Juniors if just because he’s been around for some time and is a part of a group. His father is Turkish and his mother Japanese and he was born in Japan. He has had some acting roles in the past, though usually only minor parts, and with Question? was a part of the special CD release, Matchy + Question? in 2008. He plays the guitar in the group and tends to be one of the members of the group to be seen in the Junior corners of Shounen Club.
Nakama Junta (B.A.D.) is a quarter Taiwanese and spent about six years in Taiwan when he was younger so he is fluent in Mandarin Chinese though he was born in Japan. He is probably most known for being in the Gokusen 3 drama series with fellow B.A.D. member Kiriyama Akito and Hey! Say! JUMP’s Takaki Yuya. He has also been in other dramas, such as the Kansai Junior dramas, and in stage plays almost always paired off with Akito.
Mukai Koji (Shadow WEST) & his older brother Mukai Tatsuro were originally a duo together called the Muay Thai Mukai Brothers and were often featured showing off Thai boxing moves. When Shadow WEST was formed they were broken up and Koji joined the group and is the center of it. Tatsuro is still a part of the agency and can be seen from time to time in the ungrouped Kansai Junior lot.
So while there has actually been a good number of half and mixed Juniors over the years Marius is still the only one that has gone on to actually debut in group. And honestly it gives me some hope that my favorites of the half Juniors do actually have a shot at debuting instead of constantly wondering how much longer they’ll stay before, like the others before them, they give up and quit the agency.
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| The "International" Juniors |
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| Jimmmy Mackey |
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| Joey Tee |
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| Camu Cade |
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| Casey T. Anderson |
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| Jesse Lewis |
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| Igo Akun |
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| Nakama Junta |
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| Mukai Koji |
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| Mukai Tatsuro |
So while there has actually been a good number of half and mixed Juniors over the years Marius is still the only one that has gone on to actually debut in group. And honestly it gives me some hope that my favorites of the half Juniors do actually have a shot at debuting instead of constantly wondering how much longer they’ll stay before, like the others before them, they give up and quit the agency.
19 October 2011
Arashi to co-host Kohaku once more
The hosts for the annual Kohaku Uta Gassen have been announced and Arashi will be the hosts for the white team again this year. The red team will have actress Inoue Mao as host.
Nikkan Sports (Japanese)
I have the feeling this announcement makes Hana Yori Dango fans happy.
Also with this announcement I think we can see this year's Johnny's Countdown concert to be like last year's, with Kanjani8 in Osaka, Arashi not being able to make it to the Tokyo Dome because of their hosting duties and will just film something at NHK Hall instead like last year and of course Tackey & Tsubasa at the theatre Tackey will be having his musical in as that starts on the 1st. And this year there will probably be some VTR footage of SZ like they had with Hey! Say! JUMP when the whole group was too young to participate. Though this year all the active members of HSJ are finally old enough to participate in Countdown so I look forward to that.
Nikkan Sports (Japanese)
I have the feeling this announcement makes Hana Yori Dango fans happy.
Also with this announcement I think we can see this year's Johnny's Countdown concert to be like last year's, with Kanjani8 in Osaka, Arashi not being able to make it to the Tokyo Dome because of their hosting duties and will just film something at NHK Hall instead like last year and of course Tackey & Tsubasa at the theatre Tackey will be having his musical in as that starts on the 1st. And this year there will probably be some VTR footage of SZ like they had with Hey! Say! JUMP when the whole group was too young to participate. Though this year all the active members of HSJ are finally old enough to participate in Countdown so I look forward to that.
A bit of a follow up.
Well today the spoilers for next month's SC came out. So if you don't want to be spoiled I suggest you stop reading right now. If not then I'll like to continue on some of the things I said in my last post as some of that can be seen with what's been reported for this upcoming SC.
I'm most surprised that Kis-My-Ft2 is coming back. I really thought they would be wrapping up their time on SC now that they have other programs to be on. Though I guess KAT-TUN hung around SC for sometime as well post-debut so it isn't too out of the ordinary. I just kinda wish they had a new single to promote on SC.
Another interesting bit is that there seems to be a lot less live footage recorded at this taping. Such as only one Junior Battle game filmed instead of the usual two. I have the feeling this is because we're going to be getting a lot of VTR footage with these episodes and of course the footage will be all about SZ and their debut.
And A.B.C-Z is back and performing as a complete group. Kawai Fumito is reported to be able to walk around just fine and did simple dance moves, so while he's still not completely recovered he's getting there and at least he's out of the wheelchair. There actually seems to be more A.B.C-Z than Kisumai for these episodes, which makes sense if A.B.C-Z is truly being geared up for a debut sometime next year.
And I will confess the performance I'm most looking forward to is a Hashimoto Ryosuke and Kyomoto Taiga duet of Ai Nante in the A.B.C-Z medley. They're two of my favorite singers in the Juniors and Ai Nante is one of my favorite NEWS songs, so it's bound to be a real treat for me at least.
Morimoto Shintaro is not only with Hip Hop Jump but is reported to be wearing the same outfits as the group. I don't follow magazines but I'm hearing he's also been appearing with the group in those lately so I think it's clear that Johnny's must be thinking about having him join the group. I think that it'll be interesting to see that happen as I don't think he'll be shoved to the back, instead he'll probably be co-lead with Tanaka Juri with performances. I think Juri is proving to be the better MC and I can see him filling that position even if Shintaro is added to the group. Even though Shintaro isn't getting pushed as much as he once was he's still one of the most familiar faces of the Juniors and has done a lot to gain a fanbase so I don't think it would make a lot of sense to push him in the back, and they haven't quite done that either as he still gets interviewed and solo lines, if anything he's just getting the same kind of promotion most Juniors do.
And as Shintaro seems to be merging with HHJ, Nozawa Yuki and Sanada Yuma continue to act more like a duo than members of their group, Mis Snow Man. MSM is actually performing in these episodes but NonSana are separated from the rest of the group for their performances. Honestly by now I'm not surprised as this has been happening more often than naught with this group.
It's reported both Koichi Yugo and Matsumura Hokuto are nowhere to be seen at this recording. It's not too surprising. Yugo is out most likely because of his injury, which from what I've heard is a broken or fractured collarbone so he's bound to be out for a while. And Hokuto not there is most likely just part of the standard protocol when it comes to popular groups only having some members debut. It could be seen with Hey! Say! JUMP's SC appearances where Yamashita Shoon was no where to be seen for a while but eventually began to show up again eventually, though was still kept away from interacting with his past group members. But I think as B.I. Shadow wasn't around for as long and Yugo and Hokuto are younger so hopefully they won't be as strict as they were with Ya-Ya-Yah and it's members post-HSJ debut.
So looking at what's been planned and putting it against my memory of what happened last time a V-ball debut happened then it seems like I'm not too off for now. If anything though status changes with the Juniors is a constant thing so I'm sure there will still be surprises, especially as new Juniors are always being added.
I'm most surprised that Kis-My-Ft2 is coming back. I really thought they would be wrapping up their time on SC now that they have other programs to be on. Though I guess KAT-TUN hung around SC for sometime as well post-debut so it isn't too out of the ordinary. I just kinda wish they had a new single to promote on SC.
Another interesting bit is that there seems to be a lot less live footage recorded at this taping. Such as only one Junior Battle game filmed instead of the usual two. I have the feeling this is because we're going to be getting a lot of VTR footage with these episodes and of course the footage will be all about SZ and their debut.
And A.B.C-Z is back and performing as a complete group. Kawai Fumito is reported to be able to walk around just fine and did simple dance moves, so while he's still not completely recovered he's getting there and at least he's out of the wheelchair. There actually seems to be more A.B.C-Z than Kisumai for these episodes, which makes sense if A.B.C-Z is truly being geared up for a debut sometime next year.
And I will confess the performance I'm most looking forward to is a Hashimoto Ryosuke and Kyomoto Taiga duet of Ai Nante in the A.B.C-Z medley. They're two of my favorite singers in the Juniors and Ai Nante is one of my favorite NEWS songs, so it's bound to be a real treat for me at least.
Morimoto Shintaro is not only with Hip Hop Jump but is reported to be wearing the same outfits as the group. I don't follow magazines but I'm hearing he's also been appearing with the group in those lately so I think it's clear that Johnny's must be thinking about having him join the group. I think that it'll be interesting to see that happen as I don't think he'll be shoved to the back, instead he'll probably be co-lead with Tanaka Juri with performances. I think Juri is proving to be the better MC and I can see him filling that position even if Shintaro is added to the group. Even though Shintaro isn't getting pushed as much as he once was he's still one of the most familiar faces of the Juniors and has done a lot to gain a fanbase so I don't think it would make a lot of sense to push him in the back, and they haven't quite done that either as he still gets interviewed and solo lines, if anything he's just getting the same kind of promotion most Juniors do.
And as Shintaro seems to be merging with HHJ, Nozawa Yuki and Sanada Yuma continue to act more like a duo than members of their group, Mis Snow Man. MSM is actually performing in these episodes but NonSana are separated from the rest of the group for their performances. Honestly by now I'm not surprised as this has been happening more often than naught with this group.
It's reported both Koichi Yugo and Matsumura Hokuto are nowhere to be seen at this recording. It's not too surprising. Yugo is out most likely because of his injury, which from what I've heard is a broken or fractured collarbone so he's bound to be out for a while. And Hokuto not there is most likely just part of the standard protocol when it comes to popular groups only having some members debut. It could be seen with Hey! Say! JUMP's SC appearances where Yamashita Shoon was no where to be seen for a while but eventually began to show up again eventually, though was still kept away from interacting with his past group members. But I think as B.I. Shadow wasn't around for as long and Yugo and Hokuto are younger so hopefully they won't be as strict as they were with Ya-Ya-Yah and it's members post-HSJ debut.
So looking at what's been planned and putting it against my memory of what happened last time a V-ball debut happened then it seems like I'm not too off for now. If anything though status changes with the Juniors is a constant thing so I'm sure there will still be surprises, especially as new Juniors are always being added.
18 October 2011
Let's speculate ... Juniors post Sexy Zone debut
It's been a while since I've done a proper Let's Speculate ... post and after watching this month's Shounen Club episodes I can't help but think about how the Juniors are going to be. They are now without not only Kis-My-Ft2 around, as it seemed rather clear that they are being moved on and won't be appearing much on the program now, but with the debut of Sexy Zone one of the more popular Junior groups is being disbanded. And yes by now I am completely convinced SZ is not a one-off group, there would be no point to sign them to a non-Johnny's label if they were only going to release one single, plus they fill the every-four-years pattern for volleyball unit career debuts.
Much like when HSJ debuted the groups that are still intact will probably benefit for a while, so I expect to be seeing more A.B.C-Z and Hip Hop Jump for a few months. A.B.C-Z though probably has been heading for such a boost with Kis-My-Ft2's debut as they are now one of the few older groups still around and have their upcoming solo concert. other than that there will probably be a lot of shuffling of non-grouped Juniors until some new groups are formed. I wouldn't be surprised to see Question? and Mis Snow Man get to do a bit more, that is if they're not busy with supporting the tours of debuted groups like they usually are.
I think the Juniors, that aren't debuting of course, we saw most of in the October episodes are probably the ones we'll see the most of in the coming months. That is when we don't have SZ members being pushed to the front as I don't doubt they'll remain a big part of SC post debut for a while much like HSJ was right after their debut. But I am quite happy with the thought of seeing more of Kyomoto Taiga (who had an awesome solo in October's second episode) and Tanaka Juri (especially if it means more HHJ).
Morimoto Shintaro probably won't ever be able to reclaim his spot as most promoted younger Junior anymore if just because he's getting too old. I find it interesting that he's being placed with HHJ lately and would not mind to see him join the group, as I think if he's to continue on that would be better for him now instead of being solo without really getting solo lines anymore. Plus he seems to get along well with the members of that group so I think it would be a good fit.
As for who will take up the most promoted younger Junior spot I think Kuramoto Kaoru is the most likely candidate. He's gotten a good deal of promotion recently, he's the right age at 10 years old, and shows signs of promise. That and he's just an adorable child that makes me think of puppies and kittens when I see him and since I love those I would love to see more of him.
Speaking of B.I. Shadow I think Koichi Yugo and Matsumura Hokuto will probably stay with the agency. Yugo has been out because of an injury which is why he hasn't been on SC but I suspect he'll be back once he's healed. Hokuto I would just like to see more of. It's been a bit sad that even though he and Nakajima Kento have been in the past two months' SC he's been pushed to the back still while Nakaken has kept his spotlight. But he's still young and can have a second (or third depending on how you view the Nakayama Yuma w/B.I. Shadow/NYC boys one shot single) chance. If anything both have a good deal of fans from being in B.I. Shadow and it would be waste not to get them into a new group or start promoting them more now that Nakaken and Kikuchi Fuma have made their debut.
But once SZ stops dominating SC and once they start having their own concerts I can see the Juniors getting shuffled into new groups to be promoted as Johnny's keeps looking for the next group of stars to debut in years to come.
16 October 2011
My Johnny's purchasing heirarchy
With the trouble Sexy Zone fans are having with trying to pick out which versions of their debut single to buy or trying to figure out how to afford them all, I realized that I have to figure out where this new group falls in my "to buy" list when it comes to Johnny's. It's pretty clear they aren't at the top but they still are starting pretty high thanks to having one of my favorite Juniors, Nakajima Kento, in it and the most recent Junior that has caught my attention Sato Shori. So to help myself sort things out, as there aren't any Johnny's groups I dislike but only so many I can follow with purchases, I'm making this entry to help make the decision clearer for myself.
Top Tier (aka Just take my money now!)
My two favorite groups, NEWS & Hey! Say! JUMP, are the only two in this tier. They are the ones I will buy releases of immediately if I can afford to, and if I can't save up money to buy later. I might skip some versions of a release though, like if the RE has the same tracks as the LE (I personally don't care at all for karaoke track so I don't count those). But in the end if I don't have at least one version of a release then it probably just means I'm saving up for it.
Upper Middle Tier (aka I love you, but I do need to eat sometime.)
This is where my two other group loves, TOKIO & Kis-My-Ft2, are as well as my favorite sub-units Tegomass & NYC. These are the ones where I don't mind missing out on releases at times, especially the more costly concert DVDs and the like. But I am at least likely to by one version of their CD singles and albums and if I really like the extras and can afford to will by more than one version. This is the tier I can see SZ fitting into, but I think it's going to depend on how much I like their next couple of singles.
Lower Middle Tier (aka I either honestly like you for your music or I only have love for some of the group.)
This is the tier Kanjani8 and KAT-TUN are in and Kinki Kids is on the low end of this. This tier is for the groups that I will typically wait for the albums to come out for them, unless a single comes out and I find myself in love with the title track. For K8 I do like them for their music but for KAT-TUN I only really like Ueda Tatsuya & Taguchi Junnosuke and while the others I enjoy them butjust not enough to part with my money for them. So for them I really only buy the releases that have their solos on them. I put Kinki Kids on the low end because I find them hit or miss with their albums so I skip some but the ones I do like I pretty much love to death.
Bottom Tier (aka If I really like the single I might get it, maybe.)
This is the tier that everything else falls under. As I mentioned before I don't dislike any Johnny's but there are a few I'm apathetic towards. Even then though if they ever release a single that I find myself liking I'll at least think about buying it. Some groups at the top of this tier I'll buy the single collections of and best ofs, such as SMAP & Arashi.
Of course there are the one shots and the like but those of course have to be decided on a case by case basis but this is the mainly the way I figure out where my money goes when it comes to Johnny's.
Top Tier (aka Just take my money now!)
My two favorite groups, NEWS & Hey! Say! JUMP, are the only two in this tier. They are the ones I will buy releases of immediately if I can afford to, and if I can't save up money to buy later. I might skip some versions of a release though, like if the RE has the same tracks as the LE (I personally don't care at all for karaoke track so I don't count those). But in the end if I don't have at least one version of a release then it probably just means I'm saving up for it.
Upper Middle Tier (aka I love you, but I do need to eat sometime.)
This is where my two other group loves, TOKIO & Kis-My-Ft2, are as well as my favorite sub-units Tegomass & NYC. These are the ones where I don't mind missing out on releases at times, especially the more costly concert DVDs and the like. But I am at least likely to by one version of their CD singles and albums and if I really like the extras and can afford to will by more than one version. This is the tier I can see SZ fitting into, but I think it's going to depend on how much I like their next couple of singles.
Lower Middle Tier (aka I either honestly like you for your music or I only have love for some of the group.)
This is the tier Kanjani8 and KAT-TUN are in and Kinki Kids is on the low end of this. This tier is for the groups that I will typically wait for the albums to come out for them, unless a single comes out and I find myself in love with the title track. For K8 I do like them for their music but for KAT-TUN I only really like Ueda Tatsuya & Taguchi Junnosuke and while the others I enjoy them butjust not enough to part with my money for them. So for them I really only buy the releases that have their solos on them. I put Kinki Kids on the low end because I find them hit or miss with their albums so I skip some but the ones I do like I pretty much love to death.
Bottom Tier (aka If I really like the single I might get it, maybe.)
This is the tier that everything else falls under. As I mentioned before I don't dislike any Johnny's but there are a few I'm apathetic towards. Even then though if they ever release a single that I find myself liking I'll at least think about buying it. Some groups at the top of this tier I'll buy the single collections of and best ofs, such as SMAP & Arashi.
Of course there are the one shots and the like but those of course have to be decided on a case by case basis but this is the mainly the way I figure out where my money goes when it comes to Johnny's.
Sexy Zone is making you pony up your cash.
I'm quite happy when my predictions are right so you better believe I'm feeling quite pleased with myself to see that Johnny's net has updates with information about Sexy Zone's debut single. As I guessed it will be released on November 16th and With You is a B-side on the single.
Things of note is that they are releasing the single on a non-Johnny's label, Pony Canyon (another sign this is not a one-shot debut even though it's listed under Juniors still, but so was Kis-My-Ft2 until the release date of their single), and there are as many versions of this single as there are members of the group. There are four limited editions, three of the four coming with a DVD, and a regular edition which have a different bonus track from the fourth LE. The title track and With You will be on all five versions.
The four different DVDs are, the MV (version A) for the title track, a close-up version of the MV (version B), then the offshoot footage (making of) for the MV & jacket shoot as well as a special interview (version C). The fourth LE will simply have a B-side not on the other versions.
The regular edition also have the difference of one having a picture label (a picture on the disc) and profile cards, I believe you get one of five and each is a solo shot of each member
Personally I'm just getting the versions with the music. While I'm warming up to the group I don't think they'll be up there with my top favorites, NEWS & Hey! Say! JUMP, but may end up being close like Kis-My-Ft2 & TOKIO. I kinda feel bad for the people who are big fans of the SZ boys as they'll have to shell out a lot of money to get all five versions, about what one would expect to buy two albums with. Even more if you're a fan who must have one of those cards for each member, which can quickly get costly as you probably won't be able to tell whose card you have until you open it.
With the five editions I'm waiting to see the covers as there's just this feeling that each cover will have a different member center or something. But that's just a personal hunch.
EDIT: Found the OHP for SZ on Pony Canyon's website and they have a typo on their page bar (or whatever you call the thing that tells you the name of the page you're on the top of your browser) which I'm finding hilarious because I am tired and it doesn't take much to make me laugh right now. Instead of Sexy Zone it just has Sex Zone, which I guess is a good reminder of how much worse this name could have been.
Things of note is that they are releasing the single on a non-Johnny's label, Pony Canyon (another sign this is not a one-shot debut even though it's listed under Juniors still, but so was Kis-My-Ft2 until the release date of their single), and there are as many versions of this single as there are members of the group. There are four limited editions, three of the four coming with a DVD, and a regular edition which have a different bonus track from the fourth LE. The title track and With You will be on all five versions.
The four different DVDs are, the MV (version A) for the title track, a close-up version of the MV (version B), then the offshoot footage (making of) for the MV & jacket shoot as well as a special interview (version C). The fourth LE will simply have a B-side not on the other versions.
The regular edition also have the difference of one having a picture label (a picture on the disc) and profile cards, I believe you get one of five and each is a solo shot of each member
Personally I'm just getting the versions with the music. While I'm warming up to the group I don't think they'll be up there with my top favorites, NEWS & Hey! Say! JUMP, but may end up being close like Kis-My-Ft2 & TOKIO. I kinda feel bad for the people who are big fans of the SZ boys as they'll have to shell out a lot of money to get all five versions, about what one would expect to buy two albums with. Even more if you're a fan who must have one of those cards for each member, which can quickly get costly as you probably won't be able to tell whose card you have until you open it.
With the five editions I'm waiting to see the covers as there's just this feeling that each cover will have a different member center or something. But that's just a personal hunch.
EDIT: Found the OHP for SZ on Pony Canyon's website and they have a typo on their page bar (or whatever you call the thing that tells you the name of the page you're on the top of your browser) which I'm finding hilarious because I am tired and it doesn't take much to make me laugh right now. Instead of Sexy Zone it just has Sex Zone, which I guess is a good reminder of how much worse this name could have been.
15 October 2011
Otokogumi, Rocking It Old School
Members: Okamoto Kenichi (guitar), Takahashi Kazuya (bass), Narita Shouji (lead guitar), Maeda Kouyou (leader, keyboard)
While Otokogumi is the best known of the dai-sempai bands it is far from the first. The agency tried boy bands a few times before, like with The Goodbye. Otokogumi was the first to really be successful though, which may partly due to the fact that Japanese rock in general was having a boom in popularity at the time that they appeared as they are probably the least idol-like group Johnny’s has ever had.
The group went through various line-ups and name changes during their Junior years before becoming the four man unit they were when they debuted. As a Junior group they had been active since 1985 but did not debut until 1988. Their debut single, Daybreak, was #1 on the Oricon charts and sold over a million copies.
What really set the group apart was the fact they were more of an actual rock band than a boy band. They even began to write their own music eventually. They were also known for the fact that none of the members graduated from high school. During their seven year career as a group they released ten albums (8 studio albums, 2 best of albums) yet only ten singles.
In 1993 the band surprised fans when they cancelled a sold out tour without warning and Takahashi was fired from the agency while the band was at the height of their popularity. In 1994 they officially broke up with only one member of the band staying with the agency and the other remaining two leaving. The information that can be gleaned from various sources was that Takahashi was suspected of using drugs, which is a huge no-no for an idol no matter how rock band like they are. Okamoto tried to keep the band going despite Takahashi’s firing but when TOKIO debuted the same year it did not look like Johnny’s wanted Otokogumi to continue on after the scandal.
Takahashi Kazuya continued on with his music career after Johnny’s let him go as his alleged drug use was never proven. He formed a few bands before joining his current one called Midnight Angel. He has also done some acting. He is also a father of six.
Maeda Kouyou was the last member added to the group but had no prior experience or training on instruments. He was still made leader of the group and he was in charge of the keyboard. Like Takahashi continued on with music and rock bands after Otokogumi disbanded. Currently he is in the same band as Takahashi, Midnight Angel. He is married and in 2007 became a father.
Narita Shouji joined the agency with help from his older brother, who was a Junior at the time, who introduced him to Johnny at a concert so he could be scouted. In 1992 he married, his now ex-wife, who was pregnant at the time with their daughter. Like the other members who left Johnny’s he continued on with various other rock bands. In 2009 he was arrested for drug possession.
Okamoto Kenichi is also part of the small group of Johnny’s that have married and had at least a child. He is divorced though but his son, Okamoto Keito, lives with him and is also a member of the agency. In fact in 2007 Kenichi became the first Johnny’s to have his son also debut as a Johnny's, when Keito debuted with Hey! Say! JUMP. Kenichi is still active in the agency with mainly doing stage plays.
TRIVIA: As a Junior group the band started off being called Tokyo then Tokyo Otokogumi before later settling on Otokogumi.
They performed with support members as they didn’t have a drummer. Their first support drummer was also the drummer that worked with Domoto Tsuyoshi for his early solo work.
Their debut single had four different versions, so they are one of the earliest Johnny’s group to have more than one version of a release.
Next Entry > The Living Legend of SMAP
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
 |
| (from left to right) Narita Shouji, Okamoto Kenichi, Takahashi Kazuya & Maeda Kouyou |
While Otokogumi is the best known of the dai-sempai bands it is far from the first. The agency tried boy bands a few times before, like with The Goodbye. Otokogumi was the first to really be successful though, which may partly due to the fact that Japanese rock in general was having a boom in popularity at the time that they appeared as they are probably the least idol-like group Johnny’s has ever had.
The group went through various line-ups and name changes during their Junior years before becoming the four man unit they were when they debuted. As a Junior group they had been active since 1985 but did not debut until 1988. Their debut single, Daybreak, was #1 on the Oricon charts and sold over a million copies.
What really set the group apart was the fact they were more of an actual rock band than a boy band. They even began to write their own music eventually. They were also known for the fact that none of the members graduated from high school. During their seven year career as a group they released ten albums (8 studio albums, 2 best of albums) yet only ten singles.
In 1993 the band surprised fans when they cancelled a sold out tour without warning and Takahashi was fired from the agency while the band was at the height of their popularity. In 1994 they officially broke up with only one member of the band staying with the agency and the other remaining two leaving. The information that can be gleaned from various sources was that Takahashi was suspected of using drugs, which is a huge no-no for an idol no matter how rock band like they are. Okamoto tried to keep the band going despite Takahashi’s firing but when TOKIO debuted the same year it did not look like Johnny’s wanted Otokogumi to continue on after the scandal.
Takahashi Kazuya continued on with his music career after Johnny’s let him go as his alleged drug use was never proven. He formed a few bands before joining his current one called Midnight Angel. He has also done some acting. He is also a father of six.
Maeda Kouyou was the last member added to the group but had no prior experience or training on instruments. He was still made leader of the group and he was in charge of the keyboard. Like Takahashi continued on with music and rock bands after Otokogumi disbanded. Currently he is in the same band as Takahashi, Midnight Angel. He is married and in 2007 became a father.
Narita Shouji joined the agency with help from his older brother, who was a Junior at the time, who introduced him to Johnny at a concert so he could be scouted. In 1992 he married, his now ex-wife, who was pregnant at the time with their daughter. Like the other members who left Johnny’s he continued on with various other rock bands. In 2009 he was arrested for drug possession.
Okamoto Kenichi is also part of the small group of Johnny’s that have married and had at least a child. He is divorced though but his son, Okamoto Keito, lives with him and is also a member of the agency. In fact in 2007 Kenichi became the first Johnny’s to have his son also debut as a Johnny's, when Keito debuted with Hey! Say! JUMP. Kenichi is still active in the agency with mainly doing stage plays.
TRIVIA: As a Junior group the band started off being called Tokyo then Tokyo Otokogumi before later settling on Otokogumi.
They performed with support members as they didn’t have a drummer. Their first support drummer was also the drummer that worked with Domoto Tsuyoshi for his early solo work.
Their debut single had four different versions, so they are one of the earliest Johnny’s group to have more than one version of a release.
Next Entry > The Living Legend of SMAP
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
Fighting Kansai! and some release predictions
Kanjani8's upcoming album is now up for pre-order and all the track information for it is up.
Like their last album there will be three editions, the two LEs come with a DVD with a PV for one of the songs off the album on each. The RE will have bonus tracks which include solos for Nishikido Ryo and Shibutani Subaru while the rest of the group will split into smaller units for two more songs. The album will be released on November 16th and the title is FIGHT.
Like their last album there will be three editions, the two LEs come with a DVD with a PV for one of the songs off the album on each. The RE will have bonus tracks which include solos for Nishikido Ryo and Shibutani Subaru while the rest of the group will split into smaller units for two more songs. The album will be released on November 16th and the title is FIGHT.
They seem to be pulling it rather close when it comes to putting this album up for pre-order but IIRC it'll still be out just in time for their concert tour.
With this release announcement I think there's still a chance for Sexy Zone to release their single on the same day as this album. It's calling it close when it comes to pre-order time but with all the promotion SZ will be getting in November because of the volleyball tournament it wouldn't make much sense to delay this release until December. They're already scheduled to be on Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ with filming on the 25th of October so I'm sure by then they'll have the sate for the single as I'm sure that's just the start of the promotions they'll be doing all of next month. But I will concede to being wrong if the single doesn't go up for pre-order within a week as it would be cutting it too close any later than that.
13 October 2011
Recent odds and ends
Have a few small bits of news so I figured it'll be best to put them all together.
First off Akanishi Jin's webpage for his U.S. career is finally up and running. You can visit it here.
Then information about his Japanese mini album has come out and it honestly looks to be more like a single for his debut U.S. song, Test Drive, but has some of the songs from his solo concerts on it as album tracks.
Kis-My-Ft2 has announced in their latest video on Johnny's net that their fanclub is on its way so Kisumai fans in Japan can look forward to that in the near future.
Then Tackey & Tsubasa will be releasing a new single on November 23rd. The single is titled Heartful Voice.
It's rather nice to see that management finally got their act together for the duo in time for their 10th anniversary next year.
Also with the T&T single being released on the 23rd it looks like I'm probably going to be right about Sexy Zone's debut single being released on the 16th. Hopefully this means we'll be getting an announcement for that soon now that the rest of that month has had its releases announced for Johnny's.
First off Akanishi Jin's webpage for his U.S. career is finally up and running. You can visit it here.
Then information about his Japanese mini album has come out and it honestly looks to be more like a single for his debut U.S. song, Test Drive, but has some of the songs from his solo concerts on it as album tracks.
Kis-My-Ft2 has announced in their latest video on Johnny's net that their fanclub is on its way so Kisumai fans in Japan can look forward to that in the near future.
Then Tackey & Tsubasa will be releasing a new single on November 23rd. The single is titled Heartful Voice.
It's rather nice to see that management finally got their act together for the duo in time for their 10th anniversary next year.
Also with the T&T single being released on the 23rd it looks like I'm probably going to be right about Sexy Zone's debut single being released on the 16th. Hopefully this means we'll be getting an announcement for that soon now that the rest of that month has had its releases announced for Johnny's.
12 October 2011
Some thoughts on Sato Shori & With You
Going through my files yesterday I found the Tozai Uta Gassen from last year, which was the special the Juniors did for New Year. At this event JaPAnese Hi had their first appearance and there were two members of the group that are now part of Sexy Zone, Sato Shori and Matsushima Sou.
Remembering this I went through the special to see if I couldn’t spot them as that would be their first appearance on TV. And while I failed to find Matsushima I did find Shori, and honestly it wasn’t that hard. I can’t help but think Shori had to be one of the Juniors in that group that probably stood out from the start so I can’t say I’m surprised with the fact that he’s gotten so much attention once he took to the stage on Shounen Club.
But while I can see him reaching the same levels of popularity of Yamada Ryosuke in time and with the right exposure, such as getting drama roles, I think Nakajima Kento will give him a good run for his money when it comes to being the most popular member of the group. Nakaken has time on his side as well as the fact that he’s gotten drama roles and I think he’ll get more now that he’s a part of a debuted group. And I think those are the two of this new unit that I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on.
Also with watching the first episode of this month's Shounen Club and paying attention to who has been singing the song With You I have the feeling this could very well end up being a B-side on Sexy Zone's debut single. Even though other Juniors have sung it all the members of Sexy Zone have as well and a portion of them have been in every performance of it so it's a song they all know by now and saves them from having to learn a new song to perform when they get their chance to perform something that won't be their debut song like when they start having concerts.
Remembering this I went through the special to see if I couldn’t spot them as that would be their first appearance on TV. And while I failed to find Matsushima I did find Shori, and honestly it wasn’t that hard. I can’t help but think Shori had to be one of the Juniors in that group that probably stood out from the start so I can’t say I’m surprised with the fact that he’s gotten so much attention once he took to the stage on Shounen Club.
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| Sato Shori number 108 |
But while I can see him reaching the same levels of popularity of Yamada Ryosuke in time and with the right exposure, such as getting drama roles, I think Nakajima Kento will give him a good run for his money when it comes to being the most popular member of the group. Nakaken has time on his side as well as the fact that he’s gotten drama roles and I think he’ll get more now that he’s a part of a debuted group. And I think those are the two of this new unit that I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on.
Also with watching the first episode of this month's Shounen Club and paying attention to who has been singing the song With You I have the feeling this could very well end up being a B-side on Sexy Zone's debut single. Even though other Juniors have sung it all the members of Sexy Zone have as well and a portion of them have been in every performance of it so it's a song they all know by now and saves them from having to learn a new song to perform when they get their chance to perform something that won't be their debut song like when they start having concerts.
Aim for the Stars
I know there might be some readers getting tired of reading even more about my feelings about the recent NEWS member change but I promise this will probably be the last until the new NEWS at least announces that they're releasing something. I can say this with confidence because I think after the past few days where my thoughts and emotions about this have been all over the place I can feel that it's all finally settling and I'm just getting anxious to begin the new chapter in NEWS' history with the group as four.
The more I think of it the happier I am with the new arrangement. NEWS and Kanjani8 have spent way too much time playing a see-saw game with group activities over the years so it's really for the best for Nishikido Ryo to leave one of the groups. And I think sticking with Kanjani8 is better for him as his history with them goes for much longer than with NEWS and you can just tell he's more comfortable with K8. And I doubt Yamapi would stop his solo project even if he stuck with NEWS which means there would still be periods on non-activity for the group as Yamapi went off to do solo activities. Sure there's still Tegomass but I can see them merging with the new NEWS line-up, especially since their sales are only decent and hopefully new NEWS will be able to surpass them.
Reading some of the messages from the members and even other Johnny's about things I think I'm quickly coming to love new NEWS. Koyama recently brought up the reason they decided to continue on as four was because they felt that it was better for the fans that have been waiting so long for NEWS. Of course if I wasn't so sure that the remaining four enjoy being in a group together I may not have found that so heartening but I do believe the members left truly do love being able to work together. Not to say they hated working with the other two or vice-versa but it's always been clear that Yamapi and Ryo just weren't as close with those four. And maybe it's because I'm American but I love to cheer for the underdog and right now with Johnny's I don't think any other group really fits that status than NEWS.
I still won't be supporting Yamapi's solo career but it's really much more a financial decision than anything else. With Kis-My-Ft2 finally debuted and Sexy Zone debuting as well as the possibility of A.B.C-Z debuting sometime next year I just can't afford to buy CDs and/or merchandise for everyone I have been. Even if Yamapi wasn't leaving the group and still doing solo work I would take a pass on it as his solo stuff just doesn't interest me much. Sure he has a few songs I enjoy but because I can't afford to purchase everything I like I need to stick with that which I love and I just don't love solo Yamapi if his most recent releases are an indication of what direction his music is going in.
There's still a hope to see the six onstage together one day in the future. I don't care if they don't actually perform anything, just an ordinary talk during a concert MC thing with Ryo and Yamapi promoting whatever work they're doing at the time would be perfectly fine with me. And it's not that I want this because I'm hoping that the group will continue on as six, but more because I don't want the fact that Ryo and Yamapi were a part of the group to be forgotten. I've seen too many programs that looked back on Johnny's groups in the past and seen ex-members cut out of performances or PVs and I don't want to see that happen with NEWS. Especially because Yamapi and Ryo made the decision to leave the group unlike others who were either kicked out because of scandals or left the agency. Because they are still with Johnny's I would like to see that they're not going to try to erase a part of their history with the agency even if they're moved on. And it's not like I want them to dwell on it all the time because they have their own paths that they're taking and I'm hardly going to obsess about it either. I just don't want to see them completely ignoring the remaining four members if they happen to be on the music program together, which considering is something they don't do with other groups I don't think it's too much to ask that they do the same to the group they have a personal history with.
In any case I wish them both luck. If anything I really can't feel I'm losing Ryo as I do at least follow Kanjani8 a bit and at least buy their albums so if anything there will just be a little less of him in my life. And I will always have the earlier Yamapi singles and whatever he had done with NEWS if I ever miss him.
Now I just wait for news about the new NEWS to see what direction they'll head off into now. It's up to these four to pave the new path for the group to follow and I want to be there supporting them all the way.
The more I think of it the happier I am with the new arrangement. NEWS and Kanjani8 have spent way too much time playing a see-saw game with group activities over the years so it's really for the best for Nishikido Ryo to leave one of the groups. And I think sticking with Kanjani8 is better for him as his history with them goes for much longer than with NEWS and you can just tell he's more comfortable with K8. And I doubt Yamapi would stop his solo project even if he stuck with NEWS which means there would still be periods on non-activity for the group as Yamapi went off to do solo activities. Sure there's still Tegomass but I can see them merging with the new NEWS line-up, especially since their sales are only decent and hopefully new NEWS will be able to surpass them.
Reading some of the messages from the members and even other Johnny's about things I think I'm quickly coming to love new NEWS. Koyama recently brought up the reason they decided to continue on as four was because they felt that it was better for the fans that have been waiting so long for NEWS. Of course if I wasn't so sure that the remaining four enjoy being in a group together I may not have found that so heartening but I do believe the members left truly do love being able to work together. Not to say they hated working with the other two or vice-versa but it's always been clear that Yamapi and Ryo just weren't as close with those four. And maybe it's because I'm American but I love to cheer for the underdog and right now with Johnny's I don't think any other group really fits that status than NEWS.
I still won't be supporting Yamapi's solo career but it's really much more a financial decision than anything else. With Kis-My-Ft2 finally debuted and Sexy Zone debuting as well as the possibility of A.B.C-Z debuting sometime next year I just can't afford to buy CDs and/or merchandise for everyone I have been. Even if Yamapi wasn't leaving the group and still doing solo work I would take a pass on it as his solo stuff just doesn't interest me much. Sure he has a few songs I enjoy but because I can't afford to purchase everything I like I need to stick with that which I love and I just don't love solo Yamapi if his most recent releases are an indication of what direction his music is going in.
There's still a hope to see the six onstage together one day in the future. I don't care if they don't actually perform anything, just an ordinary talk during a concert MC thing with Ryo and Yamapi promoting whatever work they're doing at the time would be perfectly fine with me. And it's not that I want this because I'm hoping that the group will continue on as six, but more because I don't want the fact that Ryo and Yamapi were a part of the group to be forgotten. I've seen too many programs that looked back on Johnny's groups in the past and seen ex-members cut out of performances or PVs and I don't want to see that happen with NEWS. Especially because Yamapi and Ryo made the decision to leave the group unlike others who were either kicked out because of scandals or left the agency. Because they are still with Johnny's I would like to see that they're not going to try to erase a part of their history with the agency even if they're moved on. And it's not like I want them to dwell on it all the time because they have their own paths that they're taking and I'm hardly going to obsess about it either. I just don't want to see them completely ignoring the remaining four members if they happen to be on the music program together, which considering is something they don't do with other groups I don't think it's too much to ask that they do the same to the group they have a personal history with.
In any case I wish them both luck. If anything I really can't feel I'm losing Ryo as I do at least follow Kanjani8 a bit and at least buy their albums so if anything there will just be a little less of him in my life. And I will always have the earlier Yamapi singles and whatever he had done with NEWS if I ever miss him.
Now I just wait for news about the new NEWS to see what direction they'll head off into now. It's up to these four to pave the new path for the group to follow and I want to be there supporting them all the way.
10 October 2011
JIN ... in AMERICA!
I was asked about what I thought Akanishi Jin's chances of actually making it big in America. And honestly, I don't know. The thing is with the U.S. it's hard to guess which U.S. artist is going to hit it big let alone an artist trying to break in to the market from another country, unless it's Canada, as I don't think many from the U.S. care to differentiate them from U.S. artists as they come off similar enough for the most part.
Honestly for foreign artists the biggest hurdle is language as it's a rare feat for an artist that doesn't sing in English to make it big and if they do they tend to be one-hit wonders. But I don't think there's an artist from Asia that's trying to get mainstream recognition (because there are plenty that are happy just being a niche artist which you can see with most of the J-rock bands that come over or even Hello Pro's ventures into the U.S. market) that's foolish enough not to learn English for that reason. Jin has been learning English for years now and while he isn't as fluid in it as a native speaker is he at least seems to be able to understand it well and can speak and write it, though seemingly not as well and with some questionable vocabulary thrown in there as well. But he's still understandable and while he was doing the awkward pause thing in past interviews I would expect after working on a movie and his album over the past year or so he should have improved but we have to wait for him to do another spoken interview to see if he has.
That said there's also the music genre aspect to take into account. I think Jin may do well enough with R&B over a more general pop sound as Asian and Asian-American artists have at least some presence in that genre in the U.S. while for general pop the landscape is pretty barren of Asian or Asian-American artists that have made it big. Especially with the recent success of the Asian-American group Far East Movement the R&B/Hip-Hop music style could benefit him more.
But even with those things in his favor it's really hard to tell how he will do. He'll definitely need the support of his fans in the U.S. but unless he can do something to gain new fans I can't see him going far. His role in 47 Ronin could help, but even then that film isn't slated to come out until December 2012 and his debut album should come out well before then. What I really think he needs to do is get on music programs or even the late night shows to perform, get his songs picked up to be used in TV programs and their soundtracks and just in general get the kind of promotion and pushing any artist trying to make it big in the U.S. get to achieve the kind of success a lot of people are expecting that he's aiming for.
Of course one thing fans or just anyone who will be watching his progress needs to remember is that the U.S. market is different than Japan's in some rather significant ways. The main one will be with singles. Unlike Japan where usually all the singles from an album come out before it does in America you tend to get one song released before an album and then all the other singles come from the already released album. This is done because album sales are much more important in the U.S. market than singles so to help make the album sell for as long as possible to gain as many sales from it. So while singles are good to follow to see which songs are more popular or if an artist is gaining more fans with each new single in the end it's whether or not the album sells that's most important. That and if they give up releasing singles for an album not long after it comes out then that is a sign that the album isn't selling as well as the label thought it would compared to an album that they keep releasing songs off of as singles for years sometimes.
Only time is going to tell if Jin will be able to hit it mainstream or become another Utada Hikaru, Rain, or BoA. Though since his attitude seems to be that he just wants to release music in the U.S. as it's the kind of music he enjoys making I think he at least has the chance of being able to create a niche of fans that will support him for years even if he never makes it big in the U.S.
Honestly for foreign artists the biggest hurdle is language as it's a rare feat for an artist that doesn't sing in English to make it big and if they do they tend to be one-hit wonders. But I don't think there's an artist from Asia that's trying to get mainstream recognition (because there are plenty that are happy just being a niche artist which you can see with most of the J-rock bands that come over or even Hello Pro's ventures into the U.S. market) that's foolish enough not to learn English for that reason. Jin has been learning English for years now and while he isn't as fluid in it as a native speaker is he at least seems to be able to understand it well and can speak and write it, though seemingly not as well and with some questionable vocabulary thrown in there as well. But he's still understandable and while he was doing the awkward pause thing in past interviews I would expect after working on a movie and his album over the past year or so he should have improved but we have to wait for him to do another spoken interview to see if he has.
That said there's also the music genre aspect to take into account. I think Jin may do well enough with R&B over a more general pop sound as Asian and Asian-American artists have at least some presence in that genre in the U.S. while for general pop the landscape is pretty barren of Asian or Asian-American artists that have made it big. Especially with the recent success of the Asian-American group Far East Movement the R&B/Hip-Hop music style could benefit him more.
But even with those things in his favor it's really hard to tell how he will do. He'll definitely need the support of his fans in the U.S. but unless he can do something to gain new fans I can't see him going far. His role in 47 Ronin could help, but even then that film isn't slated to come out until December 2012 and his debut album should come out well before then. What I really think he needs to do is get on music programs or even the late night shows to perform, get his songs picked up to be used in TV programs and their soundtracks and just in general get the kind of promotion and pushing any artist trying to make it big in the U.S. get to achieve the kind of success a lot of people are expecting that he's aiming for.
Of course one thing fans or just anyone who will be watching his progress needs to remember is that the U.S. market is different than Japan's in some rather significant ways. The main one will be with singles. Unlike Japan where usually all the singles from an album come out before it does in America you tend to get one song released before an album and then all the other singles come from the already released album. This is done because album sales are much more important in the U.S. market than singles so to help make the album sell for as long as possible to gain as many sales from it. So while singles are good to follow to see which songs are more popular or if an artist is gaining more fans with each new single in the end it's whether or not the album sells that's most important. That and if they give up releasing singles for an album not long after it comes out then that is a sign that the album isn't selling as well as the label thought it would compared to an album that they keep releasing songs off of as singles for years sometimes.
Only time is going to tell if Jin will be able to hit it mainstream or become another Utada Hikaru, Rain, or BoA. Though since his attitude seems to be that he just wants to release music in the U.S. as it's the kind of music he enjoys making I think he at least has the chance of being able to create a niche of fans that will support him for years even if he never makes it big in the U.S.
09 October 2011
Akanishi Jin's U.S. debut single set for November 8th, Japanese mini album
It has been finally announced that Akanishi Jin's first U.S. solo single will be released on November 8th. The single will be the one that has been rumored to be it for a while, Test Drive, which he worked with U.S. artist Jason Derulo with.
From what else I can get from the photo of the newspaper article this is coming from the single will be released on iTunes (not sure if it's U.S. only or not) and it seems like for his U.S. career he will be going by the name JIN.
It was also announced that on December 7th he will release a mini album in Japan.
Tokyo Graph twitter (English)
Can't say I'm surprised by the name change, it seems to be the big worry when artists come over to try to break in to the U.S. music industry whether or not the U.S. audience will take to a "foreign" sounding name. And it's not a big change either as it's just his first name which is hard to mispronounce in English.
It's also nice to see that he does plan on making sure he gives his Japanese fans something as he works on his American career.
From what else I can get from the photo of the newspaper article this is coming from the single will be released on iTunes (not sure if it's U.S. only or not) and it seems like for his U.S. career he will be going by the name JIN.
It was also announced that on December 7th he will release a mini album in Japan.
Tokyo Graph twitter (English)
Can't say I'm surprised by the name change, it seems to be the big worry when artists come over to try to break in to the U.S. music industry whether or not the U.S. audience will take to a "foreign" sounding name. And it's not a big change either as it's just his first name which is hard to mispronounce in English.
It's also nice to see that he does plan on making sure he gives his Japanese fans something as he works on his American career.
08 October 2011
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
Members: Uchiumi Kohji, Osawa Mikio, Morohoshi Kazumi, Sato Hiroyuki, Yamamoto Junichi, Akasaka Akira & Sato Atsuhiro
Hikaru Genji was one of the big groups of Johnny’s and the current sempai groups can be tied back to this group, such as SMAP and most of TOKIO being their back dancers before their debut. They debuted in 1987 and first broke up in 1994 when members Osawa and Hiroyuki left the group and agency. For a time the group was renamed Hikaru Genji Super 5 before that broke up only a year later in 1995. It is said they broke up because of in fighting between the members of the group.
The group’s name comes from the name of the main character from the first Japanese novel, The Tale of Genji. They were the first Johnny’s group to have sub-units, which were simply called Hikaru and Genji. Hikaru consisted of the two oldest members, Uchiumi Kohji and Osawa Mikio while Genji comprised of the younger five members. The group used roller skates in their performances as their way to stand out from the rest of the male idol groups out there. They were also the youngest male group to top the Oricon chart which they lost when the Junior group Hey! Say! 7 bet their record in 2007. Like Matchy they won the Japanese Records Award in the year they debuted.
They are also the first group to sing Yuuki 100% which was used as the theme song for the anime series Nintama Rantaro. This song has been covered and released as a single by Junior group Ya-Ya-Yah (2002) and the group NYC (2010) and has been covered by Hey! Say! JUMP (2009), though their version was never released on CD. And all these covers have been used as the theme song for Nintama Rantaro as it’s one of the few anime series that just seems to go on forever.
Uchiumi Kohji is the oldest member of the group and one of the two that are still with Johnny’s & Associates. Like Higashiyama of Shounentai it’s said that he is a part of the agency’s management team, which with the fact he really does not do much as a solo artist anymore seems to be legit information though he will show up at Johnny’s Countdown, an annual New Year’s eve concert, from time to time.
Osawa Mikio was one of the first members to leave the group back in 1994. He has gone on to become an actor and has been in several Japanese movies and TV dramas.
Sato Hiroyuki left the group with Osawa in 1994. Unfortunately I couldn’t really find much information about him other than recently he joined with fellow ex-members, Morohoshi and Yamamoto to perform onstage together at a concert Morohoshi was having as a benefit for the tsunami victims.
Akasaka Akira, like Uchiumi, Atsuhiro and initially Yamamoto, stayed with Johnny’s after Super 5 split. He was active in stage work until 2007. He was in that year’s PLAYZONE musical but before the promotions began for the usual DVD release of the show he was caught possessing drugs. With Japan’s zero tolerance position on illegal drugs he was promptly dropped from the agency and the release of that PLAYZONE DVD was cancelled and the soundtrack that had already been released prior had its sales stopped. Unlike in the West Japan is not forgiving of illegal drug use or possession, especially by idols, and this marked the end of his career. While he was with Johnny’s he was considered to be one of the Dancing Kings of the agency.
Yamamoto Junichi stayed with the group until they disbanded completely in 1995. He stayed with the agency for a while but ultimately left in the end.
Sato Atsuhiro are still with Johnny’s & Associates as solo talents and these days do stage work though Atsuhiro had a brief solo career as a singer post-Hikaru Genji. At the time of his debut with Hikaru Genji he held the record of being the youngest Johnny’s to debut, he was 13, which was a record broken first in 2007 when Hey! Say! JUMP debuted with a member who was only 12.
Morohoshi Kazumi has continued on as a solo singer and still performs concerts to this day. In the past couple of years he has mentioned wanting to do a Hikaru Genji reunion but with two members still with Johnny’s and Akasaka’s arrests on drug charges it looks doubtful at the moment that his dream will come true.
Overall Hikaru Genji is one of the more important groups in Johnny's history. While groups and other acts from the agency were popular in their own right none as much as Hikaru Genji who were the third artist in Oricon history to have the number 1 and 2 single of the year and the second to have three of their singles be the top three singles on the Oricon charts as well. It's really no surprise that Johnny's keeps looking back on this group for inspiration for their new groups, the sub-units in V6 and Hey! Say! JUMP as well as Kis-My-Ft2 using roller skates. So while they did not last much longer than many of the Johnny's groups of the time they still left a strong and lasting impression on the agency and the groups that came after them.
TRIVIA: The group was originally formed in 1986 and was then simple called GENJI.
Yuuki 100% was even covered by the group themselves when they became Hikaru Genji Super 5.
Next Entry > Otokogumi, Rocking It Old School
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
 |
| Hikaru Genji (from left to right: top row - Uchiumi Kohji, Osawa Mikio, middle row - Yamamoto Junichi, Akasaka Akira, Sato Hiroyuki, bottom row - Morohoshi Kazumi, Sato Atsuhiro) |
Hikaru Genji was one of the big groups of Johnny’s and the current sempai groups can be tied back to this group, such as SMAP and most of TOKIO being their back dancers before their debut. They debuted in 1987 and first broke up in 1994 when members Osawa and Hiroyuki left the group and agency. For a time the group was renamed Hikaru Genji Super 5 before that broke up only a year later in 1995. It is said they broke up because of in fighting between the members of the group.
The group’s name comes from the name of the main character from the first Japanese novel, The Tale of Genji. They were the first Johnny’s group to have sub-units, which were simply called Hikaru and Genji. Hikaru consisted of the two oldest members, Uchiumi Kohji and Osawa Mikio while Genji comprised of the younger five members. The group used roller skates in their performances as their way to stand out from the rest of the male idol groups out there. They were also the youngest male group to top the Oricon chart which they lost when the Junior group Hey! Say! 7 bet their record in 2007. Like Matchy they won the Japanese Records Award in the year they debuted.
They are also the first group to sing Yuuki 100% which was used as the theme song for the anime series Nintama Rantaro. This song has been covered and released as a single by Junior group Ya-Ya-Yah (2002) and the group NYC (2010) and has been covered by Hey! Say! JUMP (2009), though their version was never released on CD. And all these covers have been used as the theme song for Nintama Rantaro as it’s one of the few anime series that just seems to go on forever.
Uchiumi Kohji is the oldest member of the group and one of the two that are still with Johnny’s & Associates. Like Higashiyama of Shounentai it’s said that he is a part of the agency’s management team, which with the fact he really does not do much as a solo artist anymore seems to be legit information though he will show up at Johnny’s Countdown, an annual New Year’s eve concert, from time to time.
Osawa Mikio was one of the first members to leave the group back in 1994. He has gone on to become an actor and has been in several Japanese movies and TV dramas.
Sato Hiroyuki left the group with Osawa in 1994. Unfortunately I couldn’t really find much information about him other than recently he joined with fellow ex-members, Morohoshi and Yamamoto to perform onstage together at a concert Morohoshi was having as a benefit for the tsunami victims.
Akasaka Akira, like Uchiumi, Atsuhiro and initially Yamamoto, stayed with Johnny’s after Super 5 split. He was active in stage work until 2007. He was in that year’s PLAYZONE musical but before the promotions began for the usual DVD release of the show he was caught possessing drugs. With Japan’s zero tolerance position on illegal drugs he was promptly dropped from the agency and the release of that PLAYZONE DVD was cancelled and the soundtrack that had already been released prior had its sales stopped. Unlike in the West Japan is not forgiving of illegal drug use or possession, especially by idols, and this marked the end of his career. While he was with Johnny’s he was considered to be one of the Dancing Kings of the agency.
Yamamoto Junichi stayed with the group until they disbanded completely in 1995. He stayed with the agency for a while but ultimately left in the end.
Sato Atsuhiro are still with Johnny’s & Associates as solo talents and these days do stage work though Atsuhiro had a brief solo career as a singer post-Hikaru Genji. At the time of his debut with Hikaru Genji he held the record of being the youngest Johnny’s to debut, he was 13, which was a record broken first in 2007 when Hey! Say! JUMP debuted with a member who was only 12.
Morohoshi Kazumi has continued on as a solo singer and still performs concerts to this day. In the past couple of years he has mentioned wanting to do a Hikaru Genji reunion but with two members still with Johnny’s and Akasaka’s arrests on drug charges it looks doubtful at the moment that his dream will come true.
Overall Hikaru Genji is one of the more important groups in Johnny's history. While groups and other acts from the agency were popular in their own right none as much as Hikaru Genji who were the third artist in Oricon history to have the number 1 and 2 single of the year and the second to have three of their singles be the top three singles on the Oricon charts as well. It's really no surprise that Johnny's keeps looking back on this group for inspiration for their new groups, the sub-units in V6 and Hey! Say! JUMP as well as Kis-My-Ft2 using roller skates. So while they did not last much longer than many of the Johnny's groups of the time they still left a strong and lasting impression on the agency and the groups that came after them.
 |
| Hikaru Genji Super 5 (from left to right - Yamamoto Junichi, Morohoshi Kazumi, Uchiumi Kohji, Akasaka Akira, Sato Atsuhiro) |
TRIVIA: The group was originally formed in 1986 and was then simple called GENJI.
Yuuki 100% was even covered by the group themselves when they became Hikaru Genji Super 5.
Next Entry > Otokogumi, Rocking It Old School
Directory >
Introduction
Johnny’s Juniors, full of rising stars and heartbreak
The Early and Rocky Path to Fame
Kondo Masahiko: Singer, Dancer, Actor, Professional Race Car Driver
Giving a New Meaning to Playzone, Shounentai
Hikaru Genji, Shining the Brightest and Crashing the Hardest
The Living Legend of SMAP
TOKIO, From Spaceships to the Over 30s World
Victory, Volleyball, Vegetable, Vicylce? V6
KinKi Kids, It's Not What You Think
Arashi, Storming to the Top
The Inseparable Duo, Tackey & Tsubasa
North, East, West, South ... It's big NEWS
Kansai Underdogs, Kanjani∞
Cartoon? KAT-TUN!
Jumping to Their Dreams, Hey! Say! JUMP
Johnny's Black Sheep, Akanishi Jin
How to Debut Without Even Trying, Ikuta Toma
Kis-My-Ft2, Everybody Go (Roller Skating)!
Yamashita Tomohisa, Johnny’s Golden Boy
Entering the Sexy Zone
The 5Stars A.B.C-Z
International Ventures
Johnny's and Charity
Odds & Ends
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