Just a short entry to explain what's going on. There will be a much longer entry later tonight full of JE goodness.
As I mentioned before I was going to be moving my room in the house. At first I didn't see it being too problematic in regards to keeping the normal daily entry schedule of this blog that I've been trying to keep. Like almost everything in life though things aren't going nearly as smoothly as I planned. I keep getting pulled away to help with the other room moves that need to be done which ends up taking up most of my time. Plus I'm having trouble getting my desktop to work again, which baffles me as a trip up two flights of stairs should not have done anything to it.
To add to the moving that's been sucking up my time, for the second time in two weeks the internet went down with no reason for 24 hours. This annoys me greatly as I would think the provider would be courteous enough to give its customers some information about what is going on when something like that happens. I really hope it doesn't happen again or I think it'd be time to switch internet companies.
So these have been the reasons why I haven't updated in the past few days. Instead of double posting I'm just going to make entries whenever I can for the next week or so with whatever I find relevant.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
SUMMARY 2008 information update
Well the moving has begun but I'm going to have more free time for a while so this should hopefully be the last of the quick posts. And it looks like I should be able to get my desktop up and running shortly but I think I'll catch up on episode summaries this week as I realize I haven't done this month's Shounen Club and next Saturday will be the first August episode airing.
Unfortunately with all the moving I haven't had time to really prepare anything for this entry. And it probably doesn't help that I banged the back of my hand against something today and it has swollen a bit which makes using the computer more difficult than usual.
I did manage a trip over to Seattle today though. I'm glad I did as it looks like the Kinokuniya over there just got their shipment of JE magazines in. I picked up the August issues for Duet and Wink Up, which tend to be my favorites.
Something a bit interesting about the Wink Up is that the fold out poster is more of a SUMMARY promotion than the standard new single promotion. Hey! Say! JUMP is on one side with Nakayama Yuma, B.A.D., A.B.C. and Kis-My-Ft2 on the other side which advertises for SUMMARY alone. I knew of the Kansai Juniors B.A.D. was participating but I did not realize until then that Nakayama would be featured in it as well. In a way he kinda reminds of Ryo Nishikido, with the whole Kansai Junior that JE seems to be in love with vibe. I honestly think the only things that could keep Nakayama from debuting are either, him quitting for some reason or a scandal. And he really impressed me in this month's Shounen Club episodes so I don't mind that at all.
Unfortunately with all the moving I haven't had time to really prepare anything for this entry. And it probably doesn't help that I banged the back of my hand against something today and it has swollen a bit which makes using the computer more difficult than usual.
I did manage a trip over to Seattle today though. I'm glad I did as it looks like the Kinokuniya over there just got their shipment of JE magazines in. I picked up the August issues for Duet and Wink Up, which tend to be my favorites.
Something a bit interesting about the Wink Up is that the fold out poster is more of a SUMMARY promotion than the standard new single promotion. Hey! Say! JUMP is on one side with Nakayama Yuma, B.A.D., A.B.C. and Kis-My-Ft2 on the other side which advertises for SUMMARY alone. I knew of the Kansai Juniors B.A.D. was participating but I did not realize until then that Nakayama would be featured in it as well. In a way he kinda reminds of Ryo Nishikido, with the whole Kansai Junior that JE seems to be in love with vibe. I honestly think the only things that could keep Nakayama from debuting are either, him quitting for some reason or a scandal. And he really impressed me in this month's Shounen Club episodes so I don't mind that at all.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Ryo - Angel SC11NOV2001
I've been wanting to share this ever since I saw it, as Ryo looks so adorable. You can tell he's finally growing by this time but still has all the cuteness from his chibi days. Usually I don't like it all when JE boys dye their hair blond but I think it's Ryo's cute factor that makes me not mind it much at all.
His voice throws me off though as I'm so used to his voice post-puberty as it's so distinct. But then again so does the fact that he's utterly adorable as a child as I'm so used to seeing him as the 'Sexy Osaka Man.'
Another small thing I found a bit amusing to see in this performance was how many members of KAT-TUN were his backup singers.
His voice throws me off though as I'm so used to his voice post-puberty as it's so distinct. But then again so does the fact that he's utterly adorable as a child as I'm so used to seeing him as the 'Sexy Osaka Man.'
Another small thing I found a bit amusing to see in this performance was how many members of KAT-TUN were his backup singers.
Tokio's 41st single
I ended up being much more busy today than I thought I would be so I didn't really have time to prepare something for this second entry for today. Thankfully the new release information for Tokio's next single came out so I'll just be posting that information.
Amagasa / Akireru Kurai Bokura wa Negao [Regular Edition] / TOKIO
Amagasa / Akireru Kurai Bokura wa Negao [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type 1] / TOKIO
Amagasa / Akireru Kurai Bokura wa Negao [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type 2] / TOKIO
Tomorrow looks like another busy day for me but I'll upload a video real quick in the morning. It's a performance from one of the 2001 Shounen Club episodes that I have been able to find.
Amagasa / Akireru Kurai Bokura wa Negao [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type 1] / TOKIO
Amagasa / Akireru Kurai Bokura wa Negao [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type 2] / TOKIO
Tomorrow looks like another busy day for me but I'll upload a video real quick in the morning. It's a performance from one of the 2001 Shounen Club episodes that I have been able to find.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Hey! Say! JUMP - Your Seed/Bouken Rider review
Your Seed/Bouken Rider is Hey! Say! JUMP's 3rd single and first double A-side. Though after listening to the two songs on the cd for a while I think it probably should have been kept a single A-side as it was first solicitated out to be.The covers probably aren't the most incredible things ever, but they aren't the usually group photo shot and it looks like they tried to be a bit creative with them. I kinda find it cute that they had a panda plush toy on the covers as their way of showing that the single is tied in to the Kung-Fu Panda movie.
Your Seed is definitely the stronger of the two songs, as well as the one that diverges the most from what HSJ has released so far. From the small preview we first got of it back when the single was first announced I thought it sounded like a song I would like and it is probably one of my favorite HSJ songs now. As it uses the lower ranges more than HSJ's other songs it doesn't sound so much like it is a song sung by young boys so much, which at first threw me off. But I think it's hardly a bad thing as the boys are growing up fast and beginning to reach the point where most voices have deepened since their debut. I think overall Your Seed is a good song to release as I noticed that haven't liked any of HSJ's previous songs say that they like Your Seed, so it's helping bringing in a new group of people that may not have enjoyed the volleyball songs of the first two singles so much.
The second A-side, Bouken Rider, is more like the typical sound that HSJ has so far. It's a light pop song and not nearly as catchy as Your Seed, IMHO. I'm sure I would not have been sold on this single much at all if Bouken Rider was released as a single itself. I think it makes a good B-side though.
The DVD is set up to be in three parts. The actual promotional video for Your Seed, viewing HSJ in their dance lessons for the PV and the making of portion of the PV.
The PV has been out for a while so I'm not going to spend too much time on it. It's dancing from the beginning to the end on the same stage, though that can be forgiven as they use a giant LED screen behind them to change the background and the dance is remarkable. As I mentioned in an earlier post I think this is the first dance that really uses the fact that there is ten members to the group to it's advantage. I don't think I could see a smaller group repeating it and having it work out so well.
Next portion has clips of the boys learning the dance moves for the PV. It actually took me the third viewing to realize that Takaki isn't with the other nine members for the dance lessons, but was on his own learning the dance moves. This is kinda explained in the making of portion as Takaki mentions that because of his work schedule he hadn't had the same amount of time to practice the dance as the rest of the group so he was finding it difficult. All of this portion is dubbed over by Your Seed so there isn't too much to say about it but I do find it a bit interesting to see them learning the dance and see some of the mistakes they make.
The making of portion is shorter than the two past HSJ singles but seems to have gone for quality over quantity as it's the most enjoyable. Even though at first I found myself indifferent to him when HSJ first debuted this making of and the one for Dreams come true has made really like Hikaru. He's easily one of the more enjoyable member of the group to watch as he's just so energetic and goofy. I found the fact that where ever he was Inoo would be nearby and vice-versa rather amusing and I think it really does prove that those two have become good friends. Yuto as a 'reporter' was cute and I might be biased because of the amount of screen time Daiki got because of it. Yuto's English was pretty fail, and I love how Keito seemed pretty interested in what he was going to try to say. Even though Takaki seemed a bit tired he also looked very happy to be with the rest of the group this time. I really felt this was too short and I hope we get a bit more with their next making of if it'll be as entertaining as this one.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Otokogumi - Rollin' in the Dark
For some reason, still unknown to me, the internet cut out yesterday which is why I didn't make a post. It really annoys me as I don't like missing a day. I do plan on doing a make-up post tomorrow, so there should be one in the morning and then the usual evening post.
For today though I found another rarity to share, an Otokogumi performance on Music Station from 1988. I think out of all the daisenpai groups I like Otokogumi the most. And not just because Okamoto Kenichi is Okamoto Keito's dad. Unlike the other groups I don't cringe at their dated sound and actually enjoy their music.
Like all the daisenpai groups it's near impossible to find any information about them in English so I really don't know too much about the members. In fact if Kenichi wasn't Keito's dad I really would know anything about him. Of course it makes me a bit curious if I'm not the only one who has gotten into Otokogumi because they were Hey! Say! JUMP fans.
Enough of my rambling now. Here's the clip of Otokogumi performing Rollin' in the Dark on Music Station, with random camera filter thrown in.
For today though I found another rarity to share, an Otokogumi performance on Music Station from 1988. I think out of all the daisenpai groups I like Otokogumi the most. And not just because Okamoto Kenichi is Okamoto Keito's dad. Unlike the other groups I don't cringe at their dated sound and actually enjoy their music.
Like all the daisenpai groups it's near impossible to find any information about them in English so I really don't know too much about the members. In fact if Kenichi wasn't Keito's dad I really would know anything about him. Of course it makes me a bit curious if I'm not the only one who has gotten into Otokogumi because they were Hey! Say! JUMP fans.
Enough of my rambling now. Here's the clip of Otokogumi performing Rollin' in the Dark on Music Station, with random camera filter thrown in.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
HSJ's Your Seed + other tidbits.
I think right now my favorite Japanese holiday is Umi no Hi (Marine Day). It was celebrated this past Monday the 21st of July and is most likely the reason I got my copies of Hey! Say! JUMP's Your Seed single today, a full day before its street date. It's a rather new holiday too, as it was only stated as a National Japanese holiday in 1997. In a way I think it's rather appropriate for HSJ to release something the same week as a holiday created in the Heisei era. For reason's stated in this earlier entry I have left the RE edition unopened, but as I opened the LE I have a couple of scans to share from that. I do hope someone else scans the RE booklet as it seems to have more photos of the boys, unlike the LE where they're only on the cover.
One thing I noticed is that when you look at the two covers you can almost tell a story about them. It's easy to see that it's the same place they're in for both covers with some changes here and there. The thing that really ties them together is the tree, as it's a sapling being watered by Yamada in the LE has grown into a tree on the RE that Yamada sits on a swing tied to one of it's branches.
Also in drama news, Ryo from News/Kanjani8 and Ninomiya from Arashi will be in a drama together in the Fall season. The name of the drama is Ryuusei no Kizuna. The synopsis given is that three siblings, Ryo and Nino play the two brothers and Toda Erika plays the sister, have their parents murdered. They swear on a meteor to get revenge which the brothers finally after fourteen years find the murderer but it looks like their sister will get in the way. The official Japanese news article can be found here.
One thing I noticed is that when you look at the two covers you can almost tell a story about them. It's easy to see that it's the same place they're in for both covers with some changes here and there. The thing that really ties them together is the tree, as it's a sapling being watered by Yamada in the LE has grown into a tree on the RE that Yamada sits on a swing tied to one of it's branches.
Also in drama news, Ryo from News/Kanjani8 and Ninomiya from Arashi will be in a drama together in the Fall season. The name of the drama is Ryuusei no Kizuna. The synopsis given is that three siblings, Ryo and Nino play the two brothers and Toda Erika plays the sister, have their parents murdered. They swear on a meteor to get revenge which the brothers finally after fourteen years find the murderer but it looks like their sister will get in the way. The official Japanese news article can be found here.
Just a blip.
This week doesn't seem to be getting off to a great start. Like the past few days I've just been very tired and I'm going to skimp a bit with this entry. I'll make sure to have the next chapter of Chotto Taimu scanned and ready for upload tomorrow though.
In Junior news, Johnny's net is listing Hashimoto Ryosuke and Sanada Yuma to be appearing in the July issue of Popolo. When it comes to Juniors Ikuta Toma and Kis-My-Ft2 are the only ones to be in Popolo so this could be a big thing for Hashimoto and Sanada. I will say I'm disappointed that Nozawa Yuki isn't listed with them, but until the list for who's in the August issue I'll assume they using an old photo shoot before it was finally decided that Nozawa would be part of the Hashimoto-trio.
I just noticed watching the 18JUL2008 Music Station performance that the ones that get a good deal of camera time outside of the usual two, Yamada and Takaki, are the three that were in the Sensei wa Erai SP, Nakajima, Chinen and Arioka. Which reminded me of the fact that in the filming of the August Shounen Club it was the four from the Sensei wa Erai SP that were called in to help fill the void with the lack of Juniors. They even sing the ending theme of the SP Namida-kun Sayonara on it. I don't think there are any rumors about this yet, and I can't seem to find the ratings for the SP, but I'm wondering if the SP did well enough to be made into a full season drama. As that would explain why there seems to be a bit of attention on those four. Or it could be that they are also the other members of the original Hey! Say! 7 line-up so they want to continue to focus on them as they were the ones that were a part of JE's biggest selling Junior group. I guess only time will tell which it is.
EDIT:
It looks like SMAP wants to remind everyone that 'yes, they do still release music' and have a new single coming out on 13AUG2008. It's being used as the theme song to the TBS Beijing Olympic 2008 program. And unlike other JE releases it will only come in one version. cdjapan only has information about the title track but with the price it's being sold at there should be at least one B-side track for this single.
Kono Toki, Kitto Yume ja Nai / SMAP
In Junior news, Johnny's net is listing Hashimoto Ryosuke and Sanada Yuma to be appearing in the July issue of Popolo. When it comes to Juniors Ikuta Toma and Kis-My-Ft2 are the only ones to be in Popolo so this could be a big thing for Hashimoto and Sanada. I will say I'm disappointed that Nozawa Yuki isn't listed with them, but until the list for who's in the August issue I'll assume they using an old photo shoot before it was finally decided that Nozawa would be part of the Hashimoto-trio.
I just noticed watching the 18JUL2008 Music Station performance that the ones that get a good deal of camera time outside of the usual two, Yamada and Takaki, are the three that were in the Sensei wa Erai SP, Nakajima, Chinen and Arioka. Which reminded me of the fact that in the filming of the August Shounen Club it was the four from the Sensei wa Erai SP that were called in to help fill the void with the lack of Juniors. They even sing the ending theme of the SP Namida-kun Sayonara on it. I don't think there are any rumors about this yet, and I can't seem to find the ratings for the SP, but I'm wondering if the SP did well enough to be made into a full season drama. As that would explain why there seems to be a bit of attention on those four. Or it could be that they are also the other members of the original Hey! Say! 7 line-up so they want to continue to focus on them as they were the ones that were a part of JE's biggest selling Junior group. I guess only time will tell which it is.
EDIT:
It looks like SMAP wants to remind everyone that 'yes, they do still release music' and have a new single coming out on 13AUG2008. It's being used as the theme song to the TBS Beijing Olympic 2008 program. And unlike other JE releases it will only come in one version. cdjapan only has information about the title track but with the price it's being sold at there should be at least one B-side track for this single.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Utaban 17JUL2008 Hey! Say! JUMP talk
I went over to Seattle today, and while I enjoy going across the water and visiting the International District, the heat of the summer makes me feel so lethargic. It's hard for me to find the motivation to do a post today but my goal is to have some kind of update for a post everyday. I'm someone who gets distracted a lot and lets things slip so I need to work on my resolve.
This is the talk segment for the 17JUL2008 Utaban that had Hey! Say! JUMP as guests. I think this was the highlight of the episode as I didn't care for the game they had them play. While saying the names of the subgroups Nakai called 7 nana (one of the Japanese ways of saying 7) instead of seven, which HSJ quickly corrects. Then they show the problem BEST has with 7, which is the fact there are so many tall members of 7 that if they stand in front of BEST they block people's view of them.
This is the talk segment for the 17JUL2008 Utaban that had Hey! Say! JUMP as guests. I think this was the highlight of the episode as I didn't care for the game they had them play. While saying the names of the subgroups Nakai called 7 nana (one of the Japanese ways of saying 7) instead of seven, which HSJ quickly corrects. Then they show the problem BEST has with 7, which is the fact there are so many tall members of 7 that if they stand in front of BEST they block people's view of them.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Johnny's A GO GO 1999
My time for this half of July looks like it's going to mainly be taken up by helping out around the house as my parents are re-doing the upstairs. When they are done I'll be moving up to one of the rooms and out of the basement. This will effect my blogging a bit in the fact I'm not sure how many days I'll be busy with moving, I collect things like there's no tomorrow so my days are bound to be busy with just sorting through my things. Before I have to move my desktop computer I'm going to be a bit spammy with video streams and scans as I'm not sure how long it will be to get it all back online again once it's upstairs. So you'll probably be able to tell when I'm making my move as there will be quite a few text heavy, and most likely short entries during that time.
Like I mentioned in a post earlier in the month, I mentioned I would be sharing a couple of more clips from the Sugao 2 that tackey-tsubasa.net is sharing with other hard to find Junior concerts/events. This is the opening song of the concert so it has a lot of the introductions of the Juniors. It also has Tackey in a cowboy outfit that looks like it's being eaten by the tassels on it. I mean I understand that one of the reasons the outfits that Johnny's wear is for visibility so even the people in the back rows can see what's going on stage and tell who's who but sometimes they seem to just go completely overboard.
Like I mentioned in a post earlier in the month, I mentioned I would be sharing a couple of more clips from the Sugao 2 that tackey-tsubasa.net is sharing with other hard to find Junior concerts/events. This is the opening song of the concert so it has a lot of the introductions of the Juniors. It also has Tackey in a cowboy outfit that looks like it's being eaten by the tassels on it. I mean I understand that one of the reasons the outfits that Johnny's wear is for visibility so even the people in the back rows can see what's going on stage and tell who's who but sometimes they seem to just go completely overboard.
Friday, July 18, 2008
JE news round up
After almost an entire year since their last single Kinki Kids is releasing a new single. It's called Secret Code and the title track is the theme song for Tsuyoshi's Summer drama, 33pun Tantei. This is their 27th single and I'm sure JE is going to make sure like all their singles this debuts at #1 so they can keep their Guinness Book of World Records of most singles that debuted at #1 consecutively since their debut.
Secret Code [Limited Edition] / KinKi Kids
Secret Code [Regular Edition] / KinKi Kids
Every week Oricon, the Japanese cd sales chart, does a poll of 400 of it's subscribers for interest in the releases of the upcoming week. While the numbers don't reflect actual sales it tends to be mostly accurate for how things will rank. This is what the NINKI numbers are, so if you see them around remember they are not sale predictions in any way, which is a common misconception people have about NINKI. The NINKI numbers are out for next week and Hey! Say! JUMP is on top with 181.7 out of 400. Their closest competition is Aiko whose NINKI numbers are 91.1 out of 400, so it looks like they'll easily get the weekly #1 next week.
There's also a rumor going around that Okamoto Keito will be in a drama this Fall. There doesn't seem to be any thing to confirm this and it's a bit early for announcements for next seasons dramas, though not too early to begin hearing rumors for them so it'll probably be a while before this rumor to be proved true or false.
Secret Code [Limited Edition] / KinKi Kids
Secret Code [Regular Edition] / KinKi Kids
Every week Oricon, the Japanese cd sales chart, does a poll of 400 of it's subscribers for interest in the releases of the upcoming week. While the numbers don't reflect actual sales it tends to be mostly accurate for how things will rank. This is what the NINKI numbers are, so if you see them around remember they are not sale predictions in any way, which is a common misconception people have about NINKI. The NINKI numbers are out for next week and Hey! Say! JUMP is on top with 181.7 out of 400. Their closest competition is Aiko whose NINKI numbers are 91.1 out of 400, so it looks like they'll easily get the weekly #1 next week.
There's also a rumor going around that Okamoto Keito will be in a drama this Fall. There doesn't seem to be any thing to confirm this and it's a bit early for announcements for next seasons dramas, though not too early to begin hearing rumors for them so it'll probably be a while before this rumor to be proved true or false.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Hyakushiki-Ou 24JUN2008 Roads
Because I'm falling quite behind on episodes for Hyakushiki I've figured it was time to catch up. I initially skipped this one as the next two episodes had my favorite things, aka Fujigaya & Shoon in Tokyo Disneyland. ♥
But to get to that I'm suffering through this episode. And yes, suffering is a bit strong but even cute boys can't make this subject entertaining in any way. I kinda wonder who chooses these topics that they cover on the show and how they choose them. Because I can't see how anyone would think 'roads' could be an interesting topic to cover. So I'm going to keep this short and screen cap light.
They got through the usual trivia and then we see that Fujigaya and Keito are the ones that have been sent out on location. They meet up with a Road Specialist and they start walking and are shown various things things about the road they are walking next to. Maybe it's because I find the subject so boring I can't help but think the boys can't be nearly as excited about the subject as they are acting to be.
They return to the classroom and Fujigaya and Shoon make sure they get their moments to shine by speaking out as much as possible. Keito and Takada get to speak a little bit too. Then it's back to more trivia about roads and my brain kinda shut off.
This last segment is pretty much the highlight of the episode as the boys get to banter with Inohara. They also pull out some amusing signs, a not cheating sign for the class and a no sleeping sign for Inohara.
It's then a preview for the next episode, which is the first part of the two episodes where they cover a much more exciting topic, Tokyo Disneyland. And a short clip from the current episode to end it on.
But to get to that I'm suffering through this episode. And yes, suffering is a bit strong but even cute boys can't make this subject entertaining in any way. I kinda wonder who chooses these topics that they cover on the show and how they choose them. Because I can't see how anyone would think 'roads' could be an interesting topic to cover. So I'm going to keep this short and screen cap light.
They got through the usual trivia and then we see that Fujigaya and Keito are the ones that have been sent out on location. They meet up with a Road Specialist and they start walking and are shown various things things about the road they are walking next to. Maybe it's because I find the subject so boring I can't help but think the boys can't be nearly as excited about the subject as they are acting to be.
They return to the classroom and Fujigaya and Shoon make sure they get their moments to shine by speaking out as much as possible. Keito and Takada get to speak a little bit too. Then it's back to more trivia about roads and my brain kinda shut off.
This last segment is pretty much the highlight of the episode as the boys get to banter with Inohara. They also pull out some amusing signs, a not cheating sign for the class and a no sleeping sign for Inohara.
It's then a preview for the next episode, which is the first part of the two episodes where they cover a much more exciting topic, Tokyo Disneyland. And a short clip from the current episode to end it on.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Return of Tegoshi and His Half Bald Head.
Sometimes it's not so bad living on the West Coast of the United States. Sure we have to wait three hours after the East Coast to see programs that are 'filmed live', sports being the only exception to this. And we're one of the last timezones that the day ends on, thus one of the last to celebrate the New Year. But that can have it's upside too. Like the fact as the evening begins here it's already well into the morning in Japan for the next day. So to catch morning news in Japan I don't have to worry about staying up late as it may not even be dark yet outside where I am.
And what does that have to do with Johnny's? Not much really except for me being happy to be awake to get news about the Johnny's boys fresh off the press, like this.
Sanspo, one of the online Japanese news sites has just put up an article saying that Tegoshi Yuya will be starring in another Shabake series. The first 'series', which I use loosely as it really was only a SP as it was only a single episode. They're saying this will be a sequel series called Usouso and will air this winter as the first SP did rather well getting 14.4% ratings. For drama ratings that is a good rating as anything less than 10% is bad and above 20% is considered high.
You can view the original article in Japanese by following the hyperlink.
Until more information comes out to contradict me, I'm taking that this will actually be another SP, so another single episode, not an actual full length drama.
I know the hopeless Takaki fangirl in me wants him to be in this special as well as he was in the first one, but I have a feeling that won't happen. His character can be written out rather easily and I think after Gokusen 3 JE probably wants to keep him in bigger roles. But I'm curious if they'll cast another Johnny's in a part like they did Takaki. I know I'd be grateful to see more of Hey! Say! JUMP in drama roles of any kind as besides Takaki and Yamada the rest haven't done much drama-wise since debut. But in any case winter is still a ways away so I'll save speculation until more information is known about this.
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hashimoto Ryosuke! You still look like you should be turning 17 at least, not 15, but I guess you're still closer to looking your age than when you were 14. ^__^;;
And what does that have to do with Johnny's? Not much really except for me being happy to be awake to get news about the Johnny's boys fresh off the press, like this.
Sanspo, one of the online Japanese news sites has just put up an article saying that Tegoshi Yuya will be starring in another Shabake series. The first 'series', which I use loosely as it really was only a SP as it was only a single episode. They're saying this will be a sequel series called Usouso and will air this winter as the first SP did rather well getting 14.4% ratings. For drama ratings that is a good rating as anything less than 10% is bad and above 20% is considered high.
You can view the original article in Japanese by following the hyperlink.
Until more information comes out to contradict me, I'm taking that this will actually be another SP, so another single episode, not an actual full length drama.
I know the hopeless Takaki fangirl in me wants him to be in this special as well as he was in the first one, but I have a feeling that won't happen. His character can be written out rather easily and I think after Gokusen 3 JE probably wants to keep him in bigger roles. But I'm curious if they'll cast another Johnny's in a part like they did Takaki. I know I'd be grateful to see more of Hey! Say! JUMP in drama roles of any kind as besides Takaki and Yamada the rest haven't done much drama-wise since debut. But in any case winter is still a ways away so I'll save speculation until more information is known about this.
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hashimoto Ryosuke! You still look like you should be turning 17 at least, not 15, but I guess you're still closer to looking your age than when you were 14. ^__^;;
Monday, July 14, 2008
Johnny's Generations
One of the things I love about Johnny's groups is the interaction between them. With the Junior system many have known each other since they were kids and it's nice to see the friendships cross over from the different groups. Especially at events like the Countdown concerts. Of course with the passage of time some groups tend to interact with other groups with members their age or those that debuted about the same time. I've come to think of those breaks along the lines of "generations" of the Johnny's groups.
SMAP (1991)
SMAP to me feels like it belongs on the end of the generation of Johnny's artists and groups that have since disbanded or already retired from releasing music. Maybe it's because they don't really release much of anything or perform concerts anymore. Even though they are undoubtedly solid fixtures in Japanese entertainment with their variety programs and drama roles.
Tokio (1994)
V6 (1995)
Kinki Kids (1997)
It's easy to notice how well these groups all get along together, especially when they are all on stage together. It's great to watch grown men act like little kids together on stage. Most of the them are the same age and from interviews and the message board in the Wink Up magazine they like to spend their free time together.
Arashi (1999)
Poor Arashi doesn't seem to fit with the other groups so I've decided to make them their own generation as there is quite a difference in time between the debut before them and the next one. Of course that's not to say they don't interact with members of other groups as there are interviews that say otherwise. Age wise they're a bit spread with Ohno being the same age as V6's Okada and the rest of the group being closer to the ages of the groups that came after them. I think in a way I kinda see them as taking SMAP's place once that group retires with Japanese programs and dramas.
Tackey & Tsubasa (2002)
News (2003)
Kanjani∞ (2004)
KAT-TUN (2006)
I wasn't quite sure if I should place Tackey & Tsubasa in this group or not. But after thinking about who they usually interact with, all the answers pointing towards Juniors, I figured that they fit better with these groups, especially as Takki was the one to give Yamapi his nickname and all. News and Kanjani8 are pretty much no brainers to put together as they share a member between them. The members of News and KAT-TUN are all about the same age so it only makes sense to put them together as well.
Hey! Say! JUMP (2007)
It's not hard to see Hey! Say! JUMP in their own generation with the age differences between their members and the other groups. I think it'll be interesting to see who comes after them, as it'll seem weird to put them in this generation if they end up around the same ages as the members of the previous generation, which is pretty much almost all the current older Junior groups.
Of course there's cross generation interactment, like when any of the group's end up on Nakai's (SMAP) Utaban program or they are in TV shows, dramas, plays and musicals together. Chinen's fan boy love for Ohno got him a chance to spend some time with his idol when one of the idol magazines had them do a cross talk and photo shoot together. Which was one of the cutest things to read as Chinen was so obviously nervous around him. And there's various J-web entries about senior Johnny's taking out the younger ones out to dinner to treat them or giving them birthday gifts.
It all gives off the warm feeling that Johnny's is kinda like a big family. Of course I'm sure not everyone gets along, but it's nice to see when they do.
SMAP (1991)
SMAP to me feels like it belongs on the end of the generation of Johnny's artists and groups that have since disbanded or already retired from releasing music. Maybe it's because they don't really release much of anything or perform concerts anymore. Even though they are undoubtedly solid fixtures in Japanese entertainment with their variety programs and drama roles.
Tokio (1994)
V6 (1995)
Kinki Kids (1997)
It's easy to notice how well these groups all get along together, especially when they are all on stage together. It's great to watch grown men act like little kids together on stage. Most of the them are the same age and from interviews and the message board in the Wink Up magazine they like to spend their free time together.
Arashi (1999)
Poor Arashi doesn't seem to fit with the other groups so I've decided to make them their own generation as there is quite a difference in time between the debut before them and the next one. Of course that's not to say they don't interact with members of other groups as there are interviews that say otherwise. Age wise they're a bit spread with Ohno being the same age as V6's Okada and the rest of the group being closer to the ages of the groups that came after them. I think in a way I kinda see them as taking SMAP's place once that group retires with Japanese programs and dramas.
Tackey & Tsubasa (2002)
News (2003)
Kanjani∞ (2004)
KAT-TUN (2006)
I wasn't quite sure if I should place Tackey & Tsubasa in this group or not. But after thinking about who they usually interact with, all the answers pointing towards Juniors, I figured that they fit better with these groups, especially as Takki was the one to give Yamapi his nickname and all. News and Kanjani8 are pretty much no brainers to put together as they share a member between them. The members of News and KAT-TUN are all about the same age so it only makes sense to put them together as well.
Hey! Say! JUMP (2007)
It's not hard to see Hey! Say! JUMP in their own generation with the age differences between their members and the other groups. I think it'll be interesting to see who comes after them, as it'll seem weird to put them in this generation if they end up around the same ages as the members of the previous generation, which is pretty much almost all the current older Junior groups.
Of course there's cross generation interactment, like when any of the group's end up on Nakai's (SMAP) Utaban program or they are in TV shows, dramas, plays and musicals together. Chinen's fan boy love for Ohno got him a chance to spend some time with his idol when one of the idol magazines had them do a cross talk and photo shoot together. Which was one of the cutest things to read as Chinen was so obviously nervous around him. And there's various J-web entries about senior Johnny's taking out the younger ones out to dinner to treat them or giving them birthday gifts.
It all gives off the warm feeling that Johnny's is kinda like a big family. Of course I'm sure not everyone gets along, but it's nice to see when they do.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Yasuko to Kenji first impressions
For anyone who knows about Johnny's Jimusho it quickly comes apparent that drama roles are an important role in promoting their talent. There isn't a season that goes by without dramas with JE boys in the star or co-star role. And it probably isn't too surprising to see that the ones that get the most screen time and work in dramas tend to be the most popular members of their groups.
Personally I can't stand serious dramas most of the time. I prefer light and fun for my dramas as I get annoyed easily at watching characters get into bad situations that could easily be avoided by doing something simple like just telling the truth. Kinda why I don't like a lot of shoujo manga. So a lot of the dramas that come out aren't to my tastes. This season the only one that looked like that fit the bill was Yasuko to Kenji. So I gave it a try.
The drama is based off a shoujo manga series of the same name. The basic story centers around a high school girl, Yasuko, and her older brother, Kenji, who is an ex-bike gang leader. Kenji gave up is gang ways after their parents died and has raised Yasuko on his own since then. He supports them working as a shoujo manga artist and two of his followers from his biker gang days are his assistants. Yasuko isn't too pleased with having Kenji as a brother as he's very strict and of course embarrassing to be around for her. Especially when she falls for the new transfer student Jun. Jun's older sister, Erika, though seems to have a past in a female biker gang but now runs a flower store, but it looks like unlike Yasuko, Jun doesn't know about his older sibling's past.
The casting is wonderful, especially Matsuoka Masahiro, in the lead role as Kenji. He's a delight in every scene he is in. The whole cast comes off as strong and play off each other well. And there's just so much potential that I hope future episodes use well. I'm so glad I gave this drama a shot and by the looks of things it will be the only drama that I will be following this season.
The song Amagasa of course was played and I have to say after listening to it a couple times, even with all the dialog over it, I think I'm beginning to love it. It does have a strong Shiina Ringo sound to it with the jazz influence but I hardly find that as a bad thing. I think this will be one single I'm going to have to pre-order.
I decided to put up the clip that has Amagasa playing in the background. It played near the end in the scene Kenji comes to save Yasuko from some thugs that kidnapped her and her love interest, Jun.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Tokio joins the Storm.
The news has been out for a while now, I don't follow Tokio closely so I just recently found out it. But Tokio has switched labels once more. They began on the Sony Music label and then switched to Universal Music until this latest switch. This time they've signed on with J-Storm where they join fellow JE groups, Arashi and Hey! Say! JUMP. They don't have their page up yet on the website but there is a pop-up window with some information about their next single that will be the first Tokio release from J-Storm.
Johnny's has also snagged them one of the most interesting choice of songwriter to write their next song, Tokyo Jihen. For those who aren't famliar with this group they are the rock band that Shiina Ringo, a popular J-rock artist, put together after she decided not to continue her solo career. Shiina Ringo is also a bit infamous for having a very unique style to her music. Here's a link to a streaming of Tokyo Jihen performing Koko de Kiss Shite, one of Shiina's most popular songs from her solo career.
The song they are writing for Tokio is called Amagasa which translates to Umbrella. Shiina Ringo is writing the music and lyrics and Tokyo Jihen are credited to be doing the arrangement. It will be used as the theme song for the drama, Yasuko to Kenji, starring Tokio's Matsuoka Masahiro and co-starring Kanjani8's Tadayoshi Ohkura.
I'm rather surprised at this as Shiina Ringo is one of the last J-rock artists I would imagine writing music for a JE artist as she's about as un-idol like as they come. I'm not too surprised that JE decided to use a popular artist to write music for them as they did that with KAT-TUN's debut single Real Face. I'm really curious to how this song will sound though. I have liked the few songs I've heard from Shiina Ringo and I would like to see how she does writing music for others. And I'm sure I'm not the only one as I'm sure J-Storm is trying to make sure the first single they release for Tokio is a hit.
And this makes my dream of one day Utada Hikaru writing a song for a JE group seem a little more possible. Though it's probably just going to remain a dream but I don't want to let go of it as I can only imagine how awesome it would be. *__*
Johnny's has also snagged them one of the most interesting choice of songwriter to write their next song, Tokyo Jihen. For those who aren't famliar with this group they are the rock band that Shiina Ringo, a popular J-rock artist, put together after she decided not to continue her solo career. Shiina Ringo is also a bit infamous for having a very unique style to her music. Here's a link to a streaming of Tokyo Jihen performing Koko de Kiss Shite, one of Shiina's most popular songs from her solo career.
The song they are writing for Tokio is called Amagasa which translates to Umbrella. Shiina Ringo is writing the music and lyrics and Tokyo Jihen are credited to be doing the arrangement. It will be used as the theme song for the drama, Yasuko to Kenji, starring Tokio's Matsuoka Masahiro and co-starring Kanjani8's Tadayoshi Ohkura.
I'm rather surprised at this as Shiina Ringo is one of the last J-rock artists I would imagine writing music for a JE artist as she's about as un-idol like as they come. I'm not too surprised that JE decided to use a popular artist to write music for them as they did that with KAT-TUN's debut single Real Face. I'm really curious to how this song will sound though. I have liked the few songs I've heard from Shiina Ringo and I would like to see how she does writing music for others. And I'm sure I'm not the only one as I'm sure J-Storm is trying to make sure the first single they release for Tokio is a hit.
And this makes my dream of one day Utada Hikaru writing a song for a JE group seem a little more possible. Though it's probably just going to remain a dream but I don't want to let go of it as I can only imagine how awesome it would be. *__*
Hey! Say! JUMP 11JUL2008 Music Station
I wanted to post this much earlier but my schedule was thrown off today because of those around me had delays. But I really wanted to do today's post for this and decided that I would be selfishly stubborn and do a late post today. I am leaving out a subject I wanted to talk about, but as it's not Hey! Say! JUMP related I figured that at least could be carried over to tomorrow.
One of the reasons I kept the opening talk was to help show how Takaki seems to have been promoted to spokesperson with him starring in Gokusen 3. I think it's a bit important to note this because Johnny's doesn't just randomly pick the one or two members of a group that get to do the talking on shows like this. It's usually the members that are the most popular or the ones that JE wants to promote. Not to mention that those that end up in the spokesperson role also tend to be the group leaders.
When Hey! Say! JUMP debuted it was Yabu and Yuto that got to be the group spokespeople, which seemed inevitable as Yabu was Ya-Ya-Yah's group leader and Yuto seemed to fill the group leader role for the original Hey! Say! 7 unit. And it remained that way until Gokusen 3 was on air and then it switched over to Takaki and Yamada. I see this as a reflection of the popularity of the group members. There's little doubt that Yamada is the most popular HSJ member as concert reports always talk about the large amount of Yamada uchiwas in the crowd. Takaki had a boost of fame/popularity with Gokusen 3 so I think it's a partial popularity and part pimping that has him taking on the spokesperson role. I think it'll be most interesting to see if they keep these positions. Though I find it hard to think of either as group leaders.
On the performance itself two things really stood out to me. One is the dance as it looks rather impressive and the fact that it was about equal screen time for everyone.
I think if you're going to have a group as large as HSJ, this is the kind of thing to do with them. I don't think a smaller group could really pull off a performance like this as well as it has so many moving parts happening all at once or very close in sequence.
And even though it looked like almost all the group members got equal time in the camera's spotlight it seemed to stay on Yamada and Takaki a bit longer than the rest, IMHO. And I'm not sure if it is because he usually lacks screen time but I felt that Daiki got a bit of the spotlight treatment. Not as much as Takaki and Yamada but I noticed him more in this performance more than usual. Of course it probably helped him that he made up the front row with Takaki and Yamada instead of being shuffled to the back row like usual. I'm rather pleased by that though as Daiki is one of the HSJ members that I really think needs more love and I hope JE gets him in acting roles again soon as I think he's one of the better actors of the group.
Also on another note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kato Shigeaki!
One of the reasons I kept the opening talk was to help show how Takaki seems to have been promoted to spokesperson with him starring in Gokusen 3. I think it's a bit important to note this because Johnny's doesn't just randomly pick the one or two members of a group that get to do the talking on shows like this. It's usually the members that are the most popular or the ones that JE wants to promote. Not to mention that those that end up in the spokesperson role also tend to be the group leaders.
When Hey! Say! JUMP debuted it was Yabu and Yuto that got to be the group spokespeople, which seemed inevitable as Yabu was Ya-Ya-Yah's group leader and Yuto seemed to fill the group leader role for the original Hey! Say! 7 unit. And it remained that way until Gokusen 3 was on air and then it switched over to Takaki and Yamada. I see this as a reflection of the popularity of the group members. There's little doubt that Yamada is the most popular HSJ member as concert reports always talk about the large amount of Yamada uchiwas in the crowd. Takaki had a boost of fame/popularity with Gokusen 3 so I think it's a partial popularity and part pimping that has him taking on the spokesperson role. I think it'll be most interesting to see if they keep these positions. Though I find it hard to think of either as group leaders.
On the performance itself two things really stood out to me. One is the dance as it looks rather impressive and the fact that it was about equal screen time for everyone.
I think if you're going to have a group as large as HSJ, this is the kind of thing to do with them. I don't think a smaller group could really pull off a performance like this as well as it has so many moving parts happening all at once or very close in sequence.
And even though it looked like almost all the group members got equal time in the camera's spotlight it seemed to stay on Yamada and Takaki a bit longer than the rest, IMHO. And I'm not sure if it is because he usually lacks screen time but I felt that Daiki got a bit of the spotlight treatment. Not as much as Takaki and Yamada but I noticed him more in this performance more than usual. Of course it probably helped him that he made up the front row with Takaki and Yamada instead of being shuffled to the back row like usual. I'm rather pleased by that though as Daiki is one of the HSJ members that I really think needs more love and I hope JE gets him in acting roles again soon as I think he's one of the better actors of the group.
Also on another note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kato Shigeaki!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
News tidbits 10JUL2008
Doing another quick round-up of news in the JE world.
Probably the biggest news would be the announcement of Arashi's newest single truth/Kaze no Muko e. truth is the theme song for the drama Maoh that stars Ohno Satoshi and Ikuta Toma and Kaze no Muko e is the theme song for the Olympic broadcast in Japan. With Arashi's current popularity it's no surprise that both LE editions are 'out of print' at cdjapan already. But they could be open for pre-orders again at least once before the sale date.
Here are the links for the singles at cdjapan:
truth / Kaze no Muko e [Regular Edition] / Arashi
truth / Kaze no Muko e [w/ DVD, Limited Edition 1] / Arashi
truth / Kaze no Muko e [w/ DVD, Limited Edition 2] / Arashi
I can't help but think that with there being two different LEs if JE is trying to grab the number one spot for the singles of 2008. At the moment Aoyama Thelma holds that spot and is still selling steady. KAT-TUN is right behind but don't look like they'll be able to catch up let alone pass her sales. Arashi's singles may not be One Love has been as big as a seller as KAT-TUN's singles but it is a steady seller and should easily beat Step and Go and if it keeps selling strong could nab the top spot for the year itself.
The covers for the new NEWS DVD are out now. I kinda like how it seems to be in the same style as the last concert DVDs. The LE is the blue and the RE the pink.
Also Hey! Say! JUMP will be appearing on Music Station tomorrow, the 11th, and that will be the first performance for their new single. Also the preview is out for their PV for Your Seed. The set looks quite cheap but I'm not surprised about that. We should be getting the full PV soon, most likely early next week.
Probably the biggest news would be the announcement of Arashi's newest single truth/Kaze no Muko e. truth is the theme song for the drama Maoh that stars Ohno Satoshi and Ikuta Toma and Kaze no Muko e is the theme song for the Olympic broadcast in Japan. With Arashi's current popularity it's no surprise that both LE editions are 'out of print' at cdjapan already. But they could be open for pre-orders again at least once before the sale date.
Here are the links for the singles at cdjapan:
truth / Kaze no Muko e [Regular Edition] / Arashi
truth / Kaze no Muko e [w/ DVD, Limited Edition 1] / Arashi
truth / Kaze no Muko e [w/ DVD, Limited Edition 2] / Arashi
I can't help but think that with there being two different LEs if JE is trying to grab the number one spot for the singles of 2008. At the moment Aoyama Thelma holds that spot and is still selling steady. KAT-TUN is right behind but don't look like they'll be able to catch up let alone pass her sales. Arashi's singles may not be One Love has been as big as a seller as KAT-TUN's singles but it is a steady seller and should easily beat Step and Go and if it keeps selling strong could nab the top spot for the year itself.
The covers for the new NEWS DVD are out now. I kinda like how it seems to be in the same style as the last concert DVDs. The LE is the blue and the RE the pink.
Also Hey! Say! JUMP will be appearing on Music Station tomorrow, the 11th, and that will be the first performance for their new single. Also the preview is out for their PV for Your Seed. The set looks quite cheap but I'm not surprised about that. We should be getting the full PV soon, most likely early next week.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Beating the Odds.
There's been a topic that's been milling around in my thoughts for a while but only recently become prominent enough that I feel that it's worth it to really look into. And that is simply the odds any Junior in the Johnny's Jimusho has in reaching the treasured goal of debuting. I'm still in mid-thought about it but I wanted to write what I have so far so I wouldn't forget about these points later.
For me I like finding patterns, so I look to the past to try to find my answers for the future. I can't say I am all too familiar with the older JE groups so I am only going off with what information I can find for them. So to help myself out I made a list of all the groups from SMAP onwards and noted which ones were Junior groups before debuting and how many were in the group when they debuted.
SMAP (Junior group debut) (6)
Tokio (Created at debut?) (5)
V6 (Created at debut) (6)
Kinki Kids (Junior group debut) (2)
Arashi (Created at debut) (5)
Tackey & Tsubasa (Created at debut?) (2)
News (Created at debut) (8)
Kanjani∞ (Junior group debut) (6*)
KAT-TUN (Junior group debut) (6)
Hey! Say! JUMP (Created at debut) (10)
From the list the only group I could not find a reference to about whether or not they were a Junior group or not was Tokio. Out of the other nine groups four of them were Junior groups before debuting and four (the volley ball groups) were created for the debut, while Tackey & Tsubasa is an odd one as they were meant to be solo artists but because of Takki and the fans ended up debuting as a duo so I'm not 100% on what to list them as.
I honestly have to confess I originally thought there wouldn't be so many Junior groups that ended up debuting as a unit. Perhaps it's because Hey! Say! JUMP was the most recent debut. But seeing as about half of the current Johnny's acts were together as Juniors before hand, gives me a bit more hope for the current Junior groups to be able to debut together. Of course I don't think they all will do this, but at least it seems more possible than it did before to me.
Looking at the numbers it can be seen that since 1991, out of all the hundreds of Juniors that have come and gone from Johnny's only 56 have managed to debut (two of them twice with Ryo and Uchi debuting with News and Kanjani8), over half of them in just the past five years. Of course there have been a few loses since then, but right know I'm focusing on debuting not what happens after.
For Hey! Say! JUMP's debut concert it was reported that about 200 Juniors participated. I knew I was shocked to learn that there were that many Juniors. It was also then that I began to wonder about what chance does any Junior have to reach the final goal of debut. And it really does seem small even when you look at a large group like HSJ and compare it to those 200 Juniors that participated at their concert. That's 5% of the Juniors of that year (assuming that 200 is the actual total of all the Juniors at that time) of the Juniors that were able to finally debut.
If you estimate that the number of Juniors that actually perform on Shounen Club, as in both singing and dancing, regularly is roughly about 40, that's about 20% of 200. Which leaves 80% of the Juniors as only back dancers, most nameless faces to viewers. Out of that 20% performing on SC are the ones that get picked to debut. Even Keito, who had almost no time as a participating Junior, performed at least once on Shounen Club before HSJ was debuted, so I'm pretty sure this observation holds true. And while people gripe about HSJ having too many members I don't think the Juniors do, as with that debut about 25% of that 20% was taken out of SC, allowing others that were nameless back dancers to move up. And while I don't think we're going to see another huge group like HSJ for some time there's no doubt that the numbers are looking better for some of those 20% on SC. And of course they're all much better off than the other 80% of the Juniors.
Age of course is something that needs to be taken into consideration, so I decided to make the list again, this time listing the age range between the eldest member of a group and the youngest of the groups at the time of their debut.
SMAP (19-14)
Tokio (23-15)
V6 (24-14)
Kinki Kids (18-17)
Arashi (18-16)
Tackey & Tsubasa (20)
News (19-15)
Kanjani∞ (23-17)
KAT-TUN (22-20)
Hey! Say! JUMP (17-12)
Looking at this I wish I could find all those people that kept complaining about there being such a big age gap with HSJ, as their 5 years has nothing on the ten year gap V6 has. In fact a five year age gap seems quite normal, I think it was the ages that really threw people off as it was the first time a preteen debuted.
With the eldest person to debut at 24 most of the older Junior groups are actually okay age-wise for a year or two more. Yara of Butoukan and Yodogawa of Question? are 25 this year though, but I think with the younger members of their groups to balance things out a bit they still have a chance at debuting. But it will have to be soon for all the groups with members nearing 25, as Johnny's seems to like to debut younger than older. So I really wouldn't count the older Junior groups out just yet. Actually by going by age Toma could feasibly still have a chance at debut as he only turns 24 this year. I personally don't see it happening, but I wouldn't put anything past Johnny's.
So while it helps to be a teenager and performing on Shounen Club it hardly ensures that you'll get a debut. But even making it that far is pretty impressive to me as it means the Juniors on SC have been selected out of over a hundred other Juniors to be able to get a taste of a spotlight that they may one day attain. I'd like to think that it's a good deal of hard work that gets them selected, but I'm sure some of it comes down to luck and having the right kind of look/talent/attitude that JE is looking for as well.
For me I like finding patterns, so I look to the past to try to find my answers for the future. I can't say I am all too familiar with the older JE groups so I am only going off with what information I can find for them. So to help myself out I made a list of all the groups from SMAP onwards and noted which ones were Junior groups before debuting and how many were in the group when they debuted.
SMAP (Junior group debut) (6)
Tokio (Created at debut?) (5)
V6 (Created at debut) (6)
Kinki Kids (Junior group debut) (2)
Arashi (Created at debut) (5)
Tackey & Tsubasa (Created at debut?) (2)
News (Created at debut) (8)
Kanjani∞ (Junior group debut) (6*)
KAT-TUN (Junior group debut) (6)
Hey! Say! JUMP (Created at debut) (10)
From the list the only group I could not find a reference to about whether or not they were a Junior group or not was Tokio. Out of the other nine groups four of them were Junior groups before debuting and four (the volley ball groups) were created for the debut, while Tackey & Tsubasa is an odd one as they were meant to be solo artists but because of Takki and the fans ended up debuting as a duo so I'm not 100% on what to list them as.
I honestly have to confess I originally thought there wouldn't be so many Junior groups that ended up debuting as a unit. Perhaps it's because Hey! Say! JUMP was the most recent debut. But seeing as about half of the current Johnny's acts were together as Juniors before hand, gives me a bit more hope for the current Junior groups to be able to debut together. Of course I don't think they all will do this, but at least it seems more possible than it did before to me.
Looking at the numbers it can be seen that since 1991, out of all the hundreds of Juniors that have come and gone from Johnny's only 56 have managed to debut (two of them twice with Ryo and Uchi debuting with News and Kanjani8), over half of them in just the past five years. Of course there have been a few loses since then, but right know I'm focusing on debuting not what happens after.
For Hey! Say! JUMP's debut concert it was reported that about 200 Juniors participated. I knew I was shocked to learn that there were that many Juniors. It was also then that I began to wonder about what chance does any Junior have to reach the final goal of debut. And it really does seem small even when you look at a large group like HSJ and compare it to those 200 Juniors that participated at their concert. That's 5% of the Juniors of that year (assuming that 200 is the actual total of all the Juniors at that time) of the Juniors that were able to finally debut.
If you estimate that the number of Juniors that actually perform on Shounen Club, as in both singing and dancing, regularly is roughly about 40, that's about 20% of 200. Which leaves 80% of the Juniors as only back dancers, most nameless faces to viewers. Out of that 20% performing on SC are the ones that get picked to debut. Even Keito, who had almost no time as a participating Junior, performed at least once on Shounen Club before HSJ was debuted, so I'm pretty sure this observation holds true. And while people gripe about HSJ having too many members I don't think the Juniors do, as with that debut about 25% of that 20% was taken out of SC, allowing others that were nameless back dancers to move up. And while I don't think we're going to see another huge group like HSJ for some time there's no doubt that the numbers are looking better for some of those 20% on SC. And of course they're all much better off than the other 80% of the Juniors.
Age of course is something that needs to be taken into consideration, so I decided to make the list again, this time listing the age range between the eldest member of a group and the youngest of the groups at the time of their debut.
SMAP (19-14)
Tokio (23-15)
V6 (24-14)
Kinki Kids (18-17)
Arashi (18-16)
Tackey & Tsubasa (20)
News (19-15)
Kanjani∞ (23-17)
KAT-TUN (22-20)
Hey! Say! JUMP (17-12)
Looking at this I wish I could find all those people that kept complaining about there being such a big age gap with HSJ, as their 5 years has nothing on the ten year gap V6 has. In fact a five year age gap seems quite normal, I think it was the ages that really threw people off as it was the first time a preteen debuted.
With the eldest person to debut at 24 most of the older Junior groups are actually okay age-wise for a year or two more. Yara of Butoukan and Yodogawa of Question? are 25 this year though, but I think with the younger members of their groups to balance things out a bit they still have a chance at debuting. But it will have to be soon for all the groups with members nearing 25, as Johnny's seems to like to debut younger than older. So I really wouldn't count the older Junior groups out just yet. Actually by going by age Toma could feasibly still have a chance at debut as he only turns 24 this year. I personally don't see it happening, but I wouldn't put anything past Johnny's.
So while it helps to be a teenager and performing on Shounen Club it hardly ensures that you'll get a debut. But even making it that far is pretty impressive to me as it means the Juniors on SC have been selected out of over a hundred other Juniors to be able to get a taste of a spotlight that they may one day attain. I'd like to think that it's a good deal of hard work that gets them selected, but I'm sure some of it comes down to luck and having the right kind of look/talent/attitude that JE is looking for as well.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
August 2008 Shounen Club Report
The reports from the filming of next month's Shounen Club episodes are out now. And from reading them I know I'm really excited about August's episodes, though they're going to be a bit odd to watch.
What will make them a bit odd to watch is the fact that most of the Juniors were busy performing at concerts and musicals, as well as co-host Nakamura, hence why Shigeaki was there to fill his spot and co-host with Koyama. It pretty much just left Yamashita Shoon, the Hashimoto-trio (Hashimoto Ryosuke, Nozawa Yuki & Sanada Yuma) and 4/5 of Question? as Ishigaki was playing with FiVe for the concerts. Which is great for the remaining Juniors as they don't have to share the spotlight as much.
The guest is Imai Tsubasa from Tackey & Tsubasa for both episodes. And as I mentioned earlier Kato Shigeaki is there as a guest host. Shige got a lot of attention as he's apparently dyed his hair blond. I'm curious to see it, but a bit fearful too as I don't think I've ever seen a Johnny's pull off blond hair to date.
To help fill the void they brought back half of Hey! Say! JUMP to perform. The four from the Sensei wa Erai drama, Nakajima Yuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri and Arioka Daiki as well as Yabu Kota. Yamada, Daiki and Yabu all get solos. I think I'm most excited about Daiki getting a solo as it's been so long since he's really been able to sing a solo of any kind. And it just looks like Yabu just sings his solo and it's the other four that sing the group songs, which will include Your Seed and Bouken Rider.
But even with the return of part of HSJ, the Juniors left do get their chances to shine. Question? got to perform two of their songs and Shoon showed off his sexy side in the KAT-TUN melody. And now I really want to see that KAT-TUN melody. XD
Shige is proving himself determined to strip on the SC stage as he made another attempt during the Junior League segment. He made it further this time too as Koyama wasn't in the position to see clearly what he was doing but did eventually figure it out. I really hope this doesn't get cut for the broadcast. The whole Junior League sounded like it was full of cute and fail from the boys, a perfect combination in my book for a fun time watching.
August can't come quick enough.
The filming for September will also be done this month, as all the Juniors will be busy with Summary and concerts so there will be no one left over for filming. Nakamura is scheduled to be there for the filming so I'm assuming the rest of the Juniors will be back again as well.
Also in slightly unrelated news, at the Kanjani8 concert it was announced that two of their members will be doing solo live stages, both using the Johnny's Theatre that is being put up for Summary. This makes it three non-Summary concerts that will be using this stage, KAT-TUN's Ueda Tatsuya is also scheduled to do a solo concert there after Summary is over. I wonder if this is just to help with the cost of putting it up in the first place, as making your own concert stage to fit 70,000 people can't be cheap, or if they have plans for it later in the year and need to find ways to make use of it until then. It's probably just me reading into things much more than necessary, but I wouldn't put anything past Johnny's.
What will make them a bit odd to watch is the fact that most of the Juniors were busy performing at concerts and musicals, as well as co-host Nakamura, hence why Shigeaki was there to fill his spot and co-host with Koyama. It pretty much just left Yamashita Shoon, the Hashimoto-trio (Hashimoto Ryosuke, Nozawa Yuki & Sanada Yuma) and 4/5 of Question? as Ishigaki was playing with FiVe for the concerts. Which is great for the remaining Juniors as they don't have to share the spotlight as much.
The guest is Imai Tsubasa from Tackey & Tsubasa for both episodes. And as I mentioned earlier Kato Shigeaki is there as a guest host. Shige got a lot of attention as he's apparently dyed his hair blond. I'm curious to see it, but a bit fearful too as I don't think I've ever seen a Johnny's pull off blond hair to date.
To help fill the void they brought back half of Hey! Say! JUMP to perform. The four from the Sensei wa Erai drama, Nakajima Yuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Chinen Yuri and Arioka Daiki as well as Yabu Kota. Yamada, Daiki and Yabu all get solos. I think I'm most excited about Daiki getting a solo as it's been so long since he's really been able to sing a solo of any kind. And it just looks like Yabu just sings his solo and it's the other four that sing the group songs, which will include Your Seed and Bouken Rider.
But even with the return of part of HSJ, the Juniors left do get their chances to shine. Question? got to perform two of their songs and Shoon showed off his sexy side in the KAT-TUN melody. And now I really want to see that KAT-TUN melody. XD
Shige is proving himself determined to strip on the SC stage as he made another attempt during the Junior League segment. He made it further this time too as Koyama wasn't in the position to see clearly what he was doing but did eventually figure it out. I really hope this doesn't get cut for the broadcast. The whole Junior League sounded like it was full of cute and fail from the boys, a perfect combination in my book for a fun time watching.
August can't come quick enough.
The filming for September will also be done this month, as all the Juniors will be busy with Summary and concerts so there will be no one left over for filming. Nakamura is scheduled to be there for the filming so I'm assuming the rest of the Juniors will be back again as well.
Also in slightly unrelated news, at the Kanjani8 concert it was announced that two of their members will be doing solo live stages, both using the Johnny's Theatre that is being put up for Summary. This makes it three non-Summary concerts that will be using this stage, KAT-TUN's Ueda Tatsuya is also scheduled to do a solo concert there after Summary is over. I wonder if this is just to help with the cost of putting it up in the first place, as making your own concert stage to fit 70,000 people can't be cheap, or if they have plans for it later in the year and need to find ways to make use of it until then. It's probably just me reading into things much more than necessary, but I wouldn't put anything past Johnny's.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Gokusen 3 trio in Taiwan
This was what I planned on talking about yesterday before I found that episode of Shounen Club. As I'm sure everyone knows by now who have been frequenting Hey! Say! JUMP and Kansai Junior communities the Gokusen trio, Takaki Yuya, and B.A.D. (Kiriyama Akito & Nakama Junta) had their live performance in Taiwan. I'm glad I waited though as the youtube links with the performance are all getting taken down rather quickly and I had to search for somewhere else that didn't look like the video was going to be yanked from. Luckily I did find such a place so just follow the hyperlink to watch the video.
Even though they don't sound all that great I do like the fact that it definitely is a live vocal performance without all the backing track help they usually get. It's refreshing to actually know that the live performance you're listening to is actually being all sung live, especially in the idol world where it's so easy for them to just throw up a backing track for performers to lip sync to.
You can tell the trio are nervous and it seems at the beginning it seems to get the best of them, like Takaki having trouble controlling his vibrato. And while they seem to relax a little as they go along there are still problems that can probably go back to a good lack of experience and a need to practice more. Like the fact Akiyama letting his voice drown out the other two and Takaki really forcing his voice more than it should so he can be clearly heard. I don't think I really heard Junta much at all, besides his MC which he had to do most of as the only one that knows how to speak Chinese.
I really hope they all look back at the performance and decide to work harder from now on for their vocals since I do like the tone of their voices and I'm sure with practice and experience they could pull off a live performance much better than the one in Taiwan. Not to mention they probably just need more experience period. I guess it's a good thing that they'll be performing in Summary, as a full month of concerts should help with that.
Even though they don't sound all that great I do like the fact that it definitely is a live vocal performance without all the backing track help they usually get. It's refreshing to actually know that the live performance you're listening to is actually being all sung live, especially in the idol world where it's so easy for them to just throw up a backing track for performers to lip sync to.
You can tell the trio are nervous and it seems at the beginning it seems to get the best of them, like Takaki having trouble controlling his vibrato. And while they seem to relax a little as they go along there are still problems that can probably go back to a good lack of experience and a need to practice more. Like the fact Akiyama letting his voice drown out the other two and Takaki really forcing his voice more than it should so he can be clearly heard. I don't think I really heard Junta much at all, besides his MC which he had to do most of as the only one that knows how to speak Chinese.
I really hope they all look back at the performance and decide to work harder from now on for their vocals since I do like the tone of their voices and I'm sure with practice and experience they could pull off a live performance much better than the one in Taiwan. Not to mention they probably just need more experience period. I guess it's a good thing that they'll be performing in Summary, as a full month of concerts should help with that.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Shounen Club 09APR2000
Didn't plan on doing another Shounen Club entry so soon but I came upon this today and I thought it was definitely something worth talking about. This is the debut episode of the Shounen Club show that aired back in 09 April of 2000. It was strange watching it as the program has changed so much since then. Event he run times are different, this episode is only 30 minutes long instead of the hour long episodes of more current Shounen Clubs. The quality of the video I found isn't all that great, probably because it looks to be a VHS rip so the quality of the screencaps are rather low too.
The episode starts off with the Juniors dancing to, and I still can't believe this is the song, Will Smith's Wild Wild West. I really have to wonder what in Earth Yamapi is wearing as it looks so odd. But all the Juniors are introduced by their individual names, except for FiVe, who are the band playing in the background. It's strange to see a Shounen Club with so little Junior units after seeing so many SC episodes where the only featured Juniors tended to be the ones in units.
Considering the year of the show I'm surprised not to see Takizawa or Tsubasa anywhere in site, but I guess they wanted to focus on the younger Juniors on this program from the looks of things. The main host is Yamashita Tomohisa (who gets the most focus) and Hasegawa Jun and Jimmy Mackey are assistant hosts. Yokoyama Yuu is there too as a guest commentator to help out the younger ones with hosting. The actual guests of the program are Arashi. What's interesting about this part is that it is done in a studio set unlike the live stages which they're actually in front of an audience, though the do employ a laugh track, which seems a bit lame and is quite obvious with the male voices used in it. The studio looks so cheap and you can hear the squeaking of the seats when they're moved. They start off by listing things that they will be covering on the program before cutting to another live stage.
This live stage is Yamapi and Johnny's Jr. singing Sawarenai. And right now I'm going to apologize if I mess up a song or person's name as I have limited knowledge of Japanese, I can read katakana and hiragana just fine but kanji is a problem for me. But another thing I've noticed with the this episode of SC is that you get to see quite a bit of KAT-TUN before they were KAT-TUN. In this performance alone you get to see Tanaka, Taguchi and Akanishi singing and dancing with Yamapi. And I'm pretty sure one of the dancers in the black shirts is Ueda. In fact Kamenashi and Nakamaru are the only members I didn't spot at all. Either that or I just didn't recognize them.
After the performance it's back to the studio, this time to do a segment called Club News. They start by introducing the episode's guest, Arashi. They do a little report with two Juniors that I don't recognize the names of at all that go check out Arashi at dance practice. Then move on to talk about acting roles some of the Juniors currently have. I'm very glad Yokoyama is there as he seems to be the only one really relaxed in his role and his goofing off is amusing to see as the rest stumble through their parts.
Then Arashi performs a live stage of their own, singing SUNRISE NIPPON. As this is back in 2000 everyone is still pretty young looking, which really makes this feel like it's pretty old. One thing that hasn't changed is that Matsumoto Jun is a camera whore. And another sign that this was very low budget is the floating mic that showed up on screen above Sakurai during the performance.
It's back again to the studio to be the bridge to the next segment, Junior Face Fight. Which is just a glorified staring contest. I don't know who the little Junior is but I recognized the taller one as KAT-TUN's Ueda. It's overall rather boring and I hope they dropped this segment quickly.
It's then a return to the studio to see Yokoyama making out with a Domo-kun, the NHK channel mascot, plushie. Well maybe not making out but after the bore that was the last segment it comes off as rather cute and amusing. Though it only serves as a quick bridge to the next live stage which features Musical Academy performing Romantic Time, as in actually singing and dancing instead of just dancing as they did for the most part before they were recently dissolved. And as much as it scares me to think about it but I think those flower print suits that they're wearing are still being used, or at least the pattern for them.
It goes right into the next live stage, Suki ni Natteku Ai Shiteku performed by the Juniors, with Tanaka Koki and Hasegawa Jun on the lead vocals.
The Juniors leave the stage and Arashi comes back on to sing Ai no Arashi. I'm kinda curios to why Sakurai has a different shirt on than the rest, but I don't think that's something I'll ever know. Ninomiya is rather cute playing guitar for this as he looks so serious while doing it. And I don't anyone is surprised that somehow Matsumoto manages to undo his shirt so he can show his bare chest during the performance.
Ikuto Toma really should have been made one of the assistant hosts, as he seems like a natural host. His studio segment looks like the forerunner to the Junior ni Q segment of SC. It's just without any Juniors there to ask about their answers but it has the board where they paste their answers to the episode's question up. Not sure what the question is though, other than it's a 'yes or no' answer to it.
After that it's the end of the program. The last song is Love Letter sung by Yamapi and Johnny's Jr.
The episode starts off with the Juniors dancing to, and I still can't believe this is the song, Will Smith's Wild Wild West. I really have to wonder what in Earth Yamapi is wearing as it looks so odd. But all the Juniors are introduced by their individual names, except for FiVe, who are the band playing in the background. It's strange to see a Shounen Club with so little Junior units after seeing so many SC episodes where the only featured Juniors tended to be the ones in units.
Considering the year of the show I'm surprised not to see Takizawa or Tsubasa anywhere in site, but I guess they wanted to focus on the younger Juniors on this program from the looks of things. The main host is Yamashita Tomohisa (who gets the most focus) and Hasegawa Jun and Jimmy Mackey are assistant hosts. Yokoyama Yuu is there too as a guest commentator to help out the younger ones with hosting. The actual guests of the program are Arashi. What's interesting about this part is that it is done in a studio set unlike the live stages which they're actually in front of an audience, though the do employ a laugh track, which seems a bit lame and is quite obvious with the male voices used in it. The studio looks so cheap and you can hear the squeaking of the seats when they're moved. They start off by listing things that they will be covering on the program before cutting to another live stage.
This live stage is Yamapi and Johnny's Jr. singing Sawarenai. And right now I'm going to apologize if I mess up a song or person's name as I have limited knowledge of Japanese, I can read katakana and hiragana just fine but kanji is a problem for me. But another thing I've noticed with the this episode of SC is that you get to see quite a bit of KAT-TUN before they were KAT-TUN. In this performance alone you get to see Tanaka, Taguchi and Akanishi singing and dancing with Yamapi. And I'm pretty sure one of the dancers in the black shirts is Ueda. In fact Kamenashi and Nakamaru are the only members I didn't spot at all. Either that or I just didn't recognize them.
After the performance it's back to the studio, this time to do a segment called Club News. They start by introducing the episode's guest, Arashi. They do a little report with two Juniors that I don't recognize the names of at all that go check out Arashi at dance practice. Then move on to talk about acting roles some of the Juniors currently have. I'm very glad Yokoyama is there as he seems to be the only one really relaxed in his role and his goofing off is amusing to see as the rest stumble through their parts.
Then Arashi performs a live stage of their own, singing SUNRISE NIPPON. As this is back in 2000 everyone is still pretty young looking, which really makes this feel like it's pretty old. One thing that hasn't changed is that Matsumoto Jun is a camera whore. And another sign that this was very low budget is the floating mic that showed up on screen above Sakurai during the performance.
It's back again to the studio to be the bridge to the next segment, Junior Face Fight. Which is just a glorified staring contest. I don't know who the little Junior is but I recognized the taller one as KAT-TUN's Ueda. It's overall rather boring and I hope they dropped this segment quickly.
It's then a return to the studio to see Yokoyama making out with a Domo-kun, the NHK channel mascot, plushie. Well maybe not making out but after the bore that was the last segment it comes off as rather cute and amusing. Though it only serves as a quick bridge to the next live stage which features Musical Academy performing Romantic Time, as in actually singing and dancing instead of just dancing as they did for the most part before they were recently dissolved. And as much as it scares me to think about it but I think those flower print suits that they're wearing are still being used, or at least the pattern for them.
It goes right into the next live stage, Suki ni Natteku Ai Shiteku performed by the Juniors, with Tanaka Koki and Hasegawa Jun on the lead vocals.
The Juniors leave the stage and Arashi comes back on to sing Ai no Arashi. I'm kinda curios to why Sakurai has a different shirt on than the rest, but I don't think that's something I'll ever know. Ninomiya is rather cute playing guitar for this as he looks so serious while doing it. And I don't anyone is surprised that somehow Matsumoto manages to undo his shirt so he can show his bare chest during the performance.
Ikuto Toma really should have been made one of the assistant hosts, as he seems like a natural host. His studio segment looks like the forerunner to the Junior ni Q segment of SC. It's just without any Juniors there to ask about their answers but it has the board where they paste their answers to the episode's question up. Not sure what the question is though, other than it's a 'yes or no' answer to it.
After that it's the end of the program. The last song is Love Letter sung by Yamapi and Johnny's Jr.
Friday, July 4, 2008
News - NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007 2008 -THE FIRST TOKYO DOME CONCERT- [DVD]
If you've been to any of the News communities in the past twelve hours then I'm sure you've already heard the news about this release. I know as a News fan I'm really excited about it and made sure to order my copy of the LE right away. For what I know of other News fans this has been long awaited, considering the concert was back in January. But from the looks of things it was well worth the wait as looking at the track listings that Johnny's.net has up for it it's loaded with material as both discs clock in at 190 minutes.
The first Johnny's concert I watched was News' Never Ending Wonderful Story concert, which I own the LE of. I loved watching it then and still love watching it now. Especially since I know so much more about them now and I recognize the Juniors back dancing for them, as several of the younger Juniors from that concert are now members of Hey! Say! JUMP. I'm sure this DVD will get just as many plays in my DVD player and I'm glad JE decided to release this on DVD so fans who couldn't make it to the concert could still get a chance to see it.
The only difference between the Limited Edition and the Regular Edition for this DVD release are the booklets and packaging. The RE comes with a 12 page booklet and regular packaging while the LE comes with a 36 page booklet and special premium packaging. But the price for both 5,900 yen and the content on both discs are exactly the same for both versions.
Disc 1
OVERTURE
weeeek
BEACH ANGEL
裸足のシンデレラボーイ (Hadashi no Cinderella Boy)
希望～Yell～ (Kibou ~Yell~)
Stand Up
Change the World
ゴメンネジュリエット (Gomen ne Juliet)
愛のマタドール (Ai no Matador)
Member Call by a DANCE SONG
SHOCK ME vs Devil or Angel
PRIVATE HEARTS
なんとかなるさ (Nantoka Narusa)
HAPPY MUSIC
DREAMS
星をめざして (Hoshi o Mezashite)
Fiesta
NANDE×2 DAME
サヤエンドウ (Sayaendou)
NEWSニッポン (NEWS Nippon)
永遠色の恋 (Towairo no Koi)
真冬のナガレボシ (Mafuyu no Nagareboshi)
SNOW EXPRESS
キッス ～帰り道のラブソング～ (Kiss ~Kaeri Michi no Love Song~)
抱いてセニョリータ (Daite Senorita)
青春アミーゴ (Seishun Amigo)
ズッコケ男道 (Zukkoke Otokomichi)
チラリズム (Chirarizumu)
愛なんて (Ai Nante)
君想フ夜 (Kimi Omou Yoru)
code
VIBRATION
紅く燃ゆる太陽 (Akaku Moyuru Taiyou)
きらめきの彼方へ (Kirameki no Kanta e)
チェリッシュ (Cherish)
Disc 2
TEPPEN
weeeek
希望～Yell～ (Kibou ~Yell~)
太陽のナミダ (Taiyou no Namida)
夢の数だけ愛が生まれる (Yume no Kazu Dake Ai ga Umareru)
･MC @ TOKYO DOME
･NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007 2008 DOCUMENTARY
･NEWS 1st CONCERT 2007 IN TAIPEI DOCUMENTARY
Pre-order at cdjapan here:
NEWS Concert Tour Pacific 2007 2008 -The First Tokyo Dome Concert- [Limited Edition] / NEWS
NEWS Concert Tour Pacific 2007 2008 -The First Tokyo Dome Concert- [Regular Edition] / NEWS
Update: The LE is already 'out of print' at cdjapan. Though I wouldn't worry yet if you haven't pre-ordered your copy yet. It should go 'in stock' again in the next couple of days though it will most likely go 'out of print' again after that. Plus, when the release date arrives it should be back in stock again before it will be 'out of print' for the final time if the usual pattern holds for cdjapan's listings.
The first Johnny's concert I watched was News' Never Ending Wonderful Story concert, which I own the LE of. I loved watching it then and still love watching it now. Especially since I know so much more about them now and I recognize the Juniors back dancing for them, as several of the younger Juniors from that concert are now members of Hey! Say! JUMP. I'm sure this DVD will get just as many plays in my DVD player and I'm glad JE decided to release this on DVD so fans who couldn't make it to the concert could still get a chance to see it.
The only difference between the Limited Edition and the Regular Edition for this DVD release are the booklets and packaging. The RE comes with a 12 page booklet and regular packaging while the LE comes with a 36 page booklet and special premium packaging. But the price for both 5,900 yen and the content on both discs are exactly the same for both versions.
Disc 1
OVERTURE
weeeek
BEACH ANGEL
裸足のシンデレラボーイ (Hadashi no Cinderella Boy)
希望～Yell～ (Kibou ~Yell~)
Stand Up
Change the World
ゴメンネジュリエット (Gomen ne Juliet)
愛のマタドール (Ai no Matador)
Member Call by a DANCE SONG
SHOCK ME vs Devil or Angel
PRIVATE HEARTS
なんとかなるさ (Nantoka Narusa)
HAPPY MUSIC
DREAMS
星をめざして (Hoshi o Mezashite)
Fiesta
NANDE×2 DAME
サヤエンドウ (Sayaendou)
NEWSニッポン (NEWS Nippon)
永遠色の恋 (Towairo no Koi)
真冬のナガレボシ (Mafuyu no Nagareboshi)
SNOW EXPRESS
キッス ～帰り道のラブソング～ (Kiss ~Kaeri Michi no Love Song~)
抱いてセニョリータ (Daite Senorita)
青春アミーゴ (Seishun Amigo)
ズッコケ男道 (Zukkoke Otokomichi)
チラリズム (Chirarizumu)
愛なんて (Ai Nante)
君想フ夜 (Kimi Omou Yoru)
code
VIBRATION
紅く燃ゆる太陽 (Akaku Moyuru Taiyou)
きらめきの彼方へ (Kirameki no Kanta e)
チェリッシュ (Cherish)
Disc 2
TEPPEN
weeeek
希望～Yell～ (Kibou ~Yell~)
太陽のナミダ (Taiyou no Namida)
夢の数だけ愛が生まれる (Yume no Kazu Dake Ai ga Umareru)
･MC @ TOKYO DOME
･NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007 2008 DOCUMENTARY
･NEWS 1st CONCERT 2007 IN TAIPEI DOCUMENTARY
Pre-order at cdjapan here:
NEWS Concert Tour Pacific 2007 2008 -The First Tokyo Dome Concert- [Limited Edition] / NEWS
NEWS Concert Tour Pacific 2007 2008 -The First Tokyo Dome Concert- [Regular Edition] / NEWS
Update: The LE is already 'out of print' at cdjapan. Though I wouldn't worry yet if you haven't pre-ordered your copy yet. It should go 'in stock' again in the next couple of days though it will most likely go 'out of print' again after that. Plus, when the release date arrives it should be back in stock again before it will be 'out of print' for the final time if the usual pattern holds for cdjapan's listings.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
News tidbits
Ok, with the holiday weekend coming up I'm trying to save some things for that so I can make some quick entries on days I won't be around much. So today I'll just make an entry about various tidbits that aren't enough for a entry on their own.
Tegomass is doing another anime theme song. As Ai Ai Kasa was the ending theme for Neo Angelique, their new song Kataomoi no Chiisana Koi will be the sequel Neo Angelique Second Age, which begins airing on July 6th.
I'm kinda surprised that Tegomass is being so active all of a sudden. Hopefully though we can get an album out of this instead of more singles, even though their singles are rather loaded with song tracks. I'm also wondering if JE is giving News a break with all the Tegomass promotion so Kanjani8 can release a new single as the last one was released way back in March.
As the release date for Hey! Say! JUMP's new single comes up announcements for which shows they'll be on to promote it. So far dates for Hey! Hey! Hey! and Utaban have been announced. HSJ will be on the Hey!x3 on the 13th of July and fellow JE group V6, who are promoting their DVD single (which seems to be more of a mini-album than single), Vibes, will be on the same program. I'm wondering if we'll get some senpai-kouhai moments between the two groups, especially with Inohara as he has had all of them on Hyakushiki before. Utaban will be on the 17th of July.
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Masuda Takahisa!
Tegomass is doing another anime theme song. As Ai Ai Kasa was the ending theme for Neo Angelique, their new song Kataomoi no Chiisana Koi will be the sequel Neo Angelique Second Age, which begins airing on July 6th.
I'm kinda surprised that Tegomass is being so active all of a sudden. Hopefully though we can get an album out of this instead of more singles, even though their singles are rather loaded with song tracks. I'm also wondering if JE is giving News a break with all the Tegomass promotion so Kanjani8 can release a new single as the last one was released way back in March.
As the release date for Hey! Say! JUMP's new single comes up announcements for which shows they'll be on to promote it. So far dates for Hey! Hey! Hey! and Utaban have been announced. HSJ will be on the Hey!x3 on the 13th of July and fellow JE group V6, who are promoting their DVD single (which seems to be more of a mini-album than single), Vibes, will be on the same program. I'm wondering if we'll get some senpai-kouhai moments between the two groups, especially with Inohara as he has had all of them on Hyakushiki before. Utaban will be on the 17th of July.
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Masuda Takahisa!
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