My Thoughts On, Uchi and Kusano Possibly Returning to NEWS

As a NEWS fan I know there is an issue I need to voice my opinion on because it’s one of those topics that people are bound to eventually ask about. That of course is what I think of the two suspended members from the group, Uchi Hiroki and Kusano Hironori.

As I got into NEWS post-hiatus I really only knew NEWS as a six member unit. It kinda confused me to watch their pre-hiatus performances and music videos as there were two ‘extra’ members there. It took me a while to get used to them as I sought out the older NEWS clips.

In a way I can’t help but think the both of them were rather lucky in their punishment. They could have easily gotten the boot from Johnny’s, so being allowed to stay on, even in trainee status (a status even lower than Junior), was a lucky break. I’m glad to know that they were able to keep out of trouble and be promoted to Juniors again. Of course this leads to the question of ‘What now?’

Personally, I’m rather indifferent when it comes to Uchi. He never got my attention in the old clips though I am happy to see that he’s already back to work with the JE, if only for dramas. Whether or not he returns to NEWS I don’t have much of an opinion on. Though I do wish him luck on being able to be a part of Kanjani8 again as the group seems to really want him back.

Kusano on the other hand I have grown to like from the old clips. And while it won’t break my heart if he never returns to NEWS I don’t want him to follow Uchi’s current route and became mainly just an actor. If the rumor about him going overseas to study dance for a year are true, and I hope they are, I definitely want to see him performing again. I don’t care if that means he rejoins NEWS, is re-debuted as a solo artist or with a new group, or even has to go back to performing on Shounen Club, but I want to see him singing and dancing again.

So overall I’m ok if they return to the group or not. The only issue I would have with their return is that I’m afraid some of the members that didn’t get much attention before, like Koyama and Shigeaki, may once again get pushed to the side for them. But I think they’ve done well since the return to establish themselves in the group and build fanbases that will make sure they won’t be overshadowed by a return of Uchi and Kusano.