The Shounen Club 3 December 2010 review

I can't believe I am on the December episodes for 2010 already. Despite some set backs it looks like I feel like I am finally catching up with these episodes, especially as there will be a few weeks of two reviews a week for the 2011 episodes in about a month.

The show opens with the usual medley. The Juniors perform songs from 2010 and in the cases of NEWS and KAT-TUN they have the hosts, Koyama Keiichiro and Nakamaru Yuichi, perform with them. There is not a lot of focus on the main Junior groups in this, so it does not feel like the usual introduction.

Like in the past few episodes we get the guest of the episode to perform at the end of the medley. For this episode there is all of Hey! Say! JUMP for a change and they perform their only single released for 2010 so far, Hitomi no Screen.

The theme of the episode is 2010, and I guess we shall see how well they stick to it. Interestingly enough Arioka Daiki, Takaki Yuya and Nakajima Yuto are introduced as the supporters for the show even though they have the rest of the group there. I wonder how it would have been if those three were the only ones to host the program once Koyama and Nakamaru left.

This is followed by a performance led by Morimoto Shintaro with Snow Prince Gasshoudan and Hip Hop Jump of Boogie Woogie Cat. That is definitely not a song from 2010, so already we have theme deviation. But it is nice to see the main younger Juniors perform, especially as some are now some of the better known Juniors.

There is then an MC segment with Shintaro and B.I.Shadow. They all get to talk about something that happened to them in 2010. BIS go first as Shintaro's turn starts as they get ready for their performance after this.

BIS perform Akuma na Koi, which is nice to see them do as a group seeing as they were a part of the single. What is also nice is that all the members get plenty of camera time instead of the usual two getting most of it.

Jumping Paradise is next and is more of a talk segment this time around. The members of HSJ go over three of the big events the group did in 2010. The first is the group going to Hawaii together, then it was the SUMMARY concerts and finally their first album being released.

Kis-My-Ft2 is up next to perform and they do their group song Inori. IIRC, about this time the group had a commercial deal with one of the companies in Japan that sells ringtones and songs for phones with Inori and Firebeat being used in the commercials. Which of course helps explain why those songs are being performed again on the program.

Then it is the You no Otegami Yomitai Desu! segment with the usual trio of Juniors as hosts. The first letter brings out the natto lovers trio to discuss the topic.

The second letter is another letter that tries to match something to a Junior and this time it is Tamamori Yuta with an alpaca.

This is followed by A.B.C-Z getting to perform what was a new song for them, A to Z. It definitely seems to be a song written to play to the group's strengths as there are plenty of breaks for them to show off their dancing and acrobatics in it.

We have a Kansai Junior ni Q for this episode. B.A.D. joins BOYS as hosts for the segment this time around. The topic is about things that give you power and B.A.D. get to talk about it first, with Nakama Junta citing fan letters for him. Kiriyama Akito on the other hand jokes about it being on the Junior ni Q segment.

Most of the Kanjuu called up are new faces to the segment and I honestly have no idea who they are. There is one exception and that is Kaneuchi Toma. He talks about the bed his mother makes for him is what gives him power. It is odd to see him so reserved as he has come out of his shell so much since then.

HSJ then get an MC segment. While he was stuck in the back Yaotome Hikaru did the most talking, though Arioka Daiki made sure to chime in from time to time. They mainly talked about going on a trip together.

They started off the show with their first single for 2010 and here at the end they perform their last for the year Arigato ~Sekai no Doko ni Itemo~. This is always a fun song, or at least for me, as I enjoy hearing all the different languages used in it and it really is the start of a new style of song for the group post-1st album.

The show ends with HSJ performing again, this time an album track, Thank You ~Bokutachi kara Kimi e~. My main complaint about this is the fact that the group had only just done a performance and would rather have had that previous performance come in earlier in the program if they were going to end with this. Otherwise it is a nice mellow song to close on, and the album was released in 2010 so it can fit the theme.

Also what is nice is that at the very end the main Junior groups and Shintaro, all get to say something. Seeing as they all did not get highlighted at the start of the program it is nice to see them getting that kind of attention here.


A good episode of the show, if just because it do a good job in getting a large range of Juniors a chance to perform and get some camera time. Otherwise it was pretty forgettable overall.

Yet it will not be longer before we get some status quo changes with the program, for better or worse, as we soon enter the eventful year that was 2011.