Idol Fandoms 2020: Johnny's Juniors

I am still trying to catch up with the Johnny's Juniors in general since coming back as there of course been quite a few changes since I was last following them years ago. Because of this I am just going to go over the groups that have my interest for now, as it will take a while for me to get a better sense of them all.

I have a feeling that HiHi Jets and BiShounen will be the next Kis-My-Ft2-A.B.C-Z/SixTONES-Snow Man. So they will probably have a few more years as Junior groups before they get their chance to debut. And I look forward to it as BiShounen has won me over already with their videos on the Johnny's Junior channel. 

Shounen Ninja interests me as I see it as a group that future star Juniors will rise from. So I am interested in seeing which Juniors from the group start pulling away from the rest popularity-wise.

Naniwa Danshi is one of the groups I am most interested in at the moment. I was already familiar with Nishihata Daigo and Onishi Ryusei from being connected to the previous Kin Kan and Naniwa Ouji Kansai Junior groups as Mukai Koji, Hirano Sho and Nagase Ren were a part of those groups. I liked them then and I am glad they were not forgotten or pushed to the side as the groups were broken up and it is interesting to see how they are developing as idols. I just have to learn about the other five members of the group. Fujiwara Joichiro so far is the one leaving the greatest impression if just realizing how long he has been around as a Kansai Junior.

After seeing the little I have of them I do want to learn more about Ae! group. They look like a fun group, and I always feel good about supporting Kansai Juniors as they do not get the same amount of opportunities as their Tokyo counter parts.

Other than that I just still have a lot of catching up to do with the Juniors as I am not very familiar with the current generation now. So I am sure this list will change once I get to know them all more.

This wraps up Johnny's idols so the next few will be focused on female Japanese idols. 

NEWS' Canary

It is that time of year for the annual NTV 24 Hour TV fundraiser and this year NEWS' Masuda Takahisa is one of the hosts along with Inohara Yoshihiko (V6), Kitayama Hiromitsu (Kis-My-Ft2), Shigeoka Daiki (Johnny's WEST) and Kishi Yuta (King & Prince). Massu though ended up performing with the rest of his group during the programming event and they gave us a new song.

On the program the trio performed Kanariya (the Japanese word for Canary). The performance is floating around on twitter, which is where I watched it and you can tell it was pretty emotional for the members as they just put everything into the performance. While that did make it sound rough at times it does make me look forward to a more polished version later. Plus I could not help but feel proud of Kato Shigeaki for really being able to showcase his vocal growth over the years. 

I really hope this is a sign that the group is going to be releasing a new single soon and officially kicking off their new era as a 3 member group. I am sure both the group and Johnny's would like to move on, and make sure everyone knows what the group's line-up is.

Idol Fandoms 2020: Other debuted Johnny's

Figured it would be best to just lump the other Johnny's debuted group all together though there are two main groupings for them for me.

For the groups that I am not interested in following closely it is mostly the older groups/acts. As I have been coming back to following Johnny's in general I have been slowly working on getting at least the albums for these groups. I have most of TOKIO already, but seeing as they are going to move on to just being talents and leaving their music career behind once I have their older albums I will be all caught up with them. Unlike Kinki Kids and V6, who are still actively releasing albums. It will probably take quite some time for me to catch up with collecting all of those albums.

Not too interested in the solo careers of Kimura Takuya and Yamashita Tomohisa, though I do like some of Yamapi's songs so I have picked up a few of his albums.

I do not feel like I need to follow Arashi to keep up to date with them. Between knowing fans and the fact it is so much easier to find information on them in English with their new social media presence I have plenty to keep me in the loop for them. Which is perfect as I am at best a casual fan in the end.

Not sure where I stand with Kanjani8 and KAT-TUN with their current line ups. Though since my favorite Eito member, Yokoyama You, is still with the group my interest in them is greater for that. And I have new respect for  him and Ohkura Tadayoshi with how they are supporting the Kansai Juniors. 

I like A.B.C-Z and Johnny's WEST, but not enough to actively follow them. Of course I have all their albums at least and plan on keeping it that way. 

Then there are the groups that I am on the fence about following more. A part of the issue is just the time I have in general is pretty strained or a couple of these groups I would be following actively. The two groups that I wish I had the time for are Snow Man and King & Prince. I do like Snow Man and want to actively follow them as I have enjoyed everything I see them in and have liked Mukai Koji before he was added to the group. I may just give up and follow them any way but I will have to see. Especially as King & Prince has finally caught my interest after watching their Ride On Time episodes. It is a group I feel I should have liked from the get go as I liked most of the members from their Junior days but since they rose in popularity and debuted when I was not following Johnny's much I just let them slip under the radar. I will be picking up their albums though and look forward to their next release.

And again this is just debuted groups, as there are Junior groups I want to keep an eye on and/or support. But that I shall save for the next post.

Idol Fandoms 2020: Sexy Zone

 When I was coming back to being a general Johnny's fan again a few months ago Sexy Zone was one of the groups that I found myself more interested in now then I ever was before. Picking up their albums I was surprised to find that they had a rather solid song discography and some songs I love.

Looking back I can see why the group did not work for me, outside of the terrible name. Between not really interested at the time in following another young group while still following Hey! Say! JUMP, NYC and Juniors, and the sidelining of two of the members it was hard to feel right to support them. When Kis-My-Ft2 had a similar split it was easier to take as the four members pushed to the back were at least still a part of the group's songs and were given their own opportunities to be seen and strengthen their position in the group. Something that did not seem to happen with Sexy Zone.

Of course that imbalance looked to have changed around their 5 year anniversary and it is really the period after that I really got into them. And I am glad as I have liked Nakajima Kento since his Junior days and seeing the group interacting older it is interesting to see how the different personalities work together. With Matsushima So being my favorite member of the group I was on the fence about adding the group to my growing list of groups to actively follow, but with the news of him beginning his return to the group I do not have an excuse.

I look forward to the group's future as they seem to have the potential to do some interesting things with the label change. I would like to see them give a try for the international market as the group seems to have had trouble with standing out among the other Johnny's groups so focusing on other markets would be a smart move. Plus I am all for any Johnny's group to expand beyond Japan being an international fan.

Hey! Say! JUMP's Your Song

 Johnny's apparently decided that Hey! Say! JUMP fans have deep pocket books as they have announced a new release. This time it is a single that will come in the usual two limited editions and one regular edition. The title track, Your Song, will be theme song for the TV drama series Risky Futari -K2-, which Yamada Ryosuke stars in.

Your Song [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type 1]

Hey! Say! JUMP

The first limited edition comes with a CD with the title track and an exclusive B-side track to the edition, as well as a DVD with the music video and making of footage.

Your Song [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type 2]

Hey! Say! JUMP

The second limited edition also comes with a CD with the title track and its own exclusive B-side track. There is also a DVD that will have bonus video footage, though it is not listed what exactly that will be.

Your Song [Regular Edition]

Hey! Say! JUMP

The limited edition is just the CD but not only has the title track but also three B-sides exclusive to this version as well as karaoke tracks for all four songs on the single. 

Your Song [Bundled Set of All 3 Editions]

Hey! Say! JUMP

I am rather surprised that we are getting another HSJ release. Their last single was released in July and then a concert DVD/BD release in August so having another single in September does not give fans a lot of time between releases. Especially as both singles come with five B-sides each, so that is a lot of new music. When they announced the new song, Your Song, a couple of days ago I had assumed that it would be a track on a double A-side that would be coming out in at least a couple of months. 

Despite being taken off guard I know I will still be picking up the single, though I hope I can get the limited editions as it is going to have to wait for my next paycheck. And since I listened to the preview of the song floating around I am really looking forward to this single as I really enjoy the song. 

Hey! Say! JUMP's Inoo Kei on sick leave

 With the way things have been going in Japan it was more than likely just a matter of time before someone from Johnny's tested positive for Covid-19. Hey! Say! JUMP's Inoo Kei tested positive earlier this week and has been isolating and resting at home since. The other members of the group have been all tested and were all negative.

As he has not needed to be checked into a hospital it sounds like Inoo was at least lucky enough not to be affected much by the illness. Hopefully it remains that way until he is clear of the virus.

I almost missed this news as it looks like it has been kept quiet with not much attention drawn to it. It would not be the best look for the news to be blasted around with the Twenty Twenty charity single coming out this past week as well, but it was not like there are stories attached to it about Inoo going out to party or anything. 

Though this does put into question if Johnny's should be moving ahead with holding concerts. Yet I sense there is a push from the Japanese government to move forward with a show of returning to normalcy even though there handling of the pandemic has been lacking when compared to some of their neighbors. I just hope I am overthinking things here and everyone will be safe and healthy in the end.

Matsushima Sou set to resume activities with Sexy Zone

 I know I am a couple of days late writing a post about this news but I have been just been basking in the joy of it. It is a rare thing to get good news about a Johnny's group member these days after all.

That said it was announced a couple of days ago that Sexy Zone's Matsushima Sou will be returning to group act ivies, ending his hiatus. His hiatus began November 2018 as he was diagnosed with a panic attack disorder and went on hiatus to work on treating it. He will be eased back into work so there is no word yet when he will be fully active with the group. And because of that he will not be a part of the group's concert tour for their recent album, Pop x Step. 

As happy as I am to hear that Sou returning I am also glad to know that he will be rejoining slowly so he has time to adjust to the busy work load of a Johnny's idol. I would expect to first see him appear in photo shoots then building from there. With the final concert for the Pop x Step tour currently scheduled for November 1st and the group only just releasing a new single this month I would expect that the next release for them will either be December or January. And I would be shocked if Sou did not at least appear on stage if just to stand with the group for the final concert. That would be the best place and time to announce the group being able to fully move on as a five member group once more.

Above all I do hope all goes well for Sou and that he has been able to learn how to deal with and mitigate his anxiety before it becomes a panic attack. He is bound to just be happier and healthier over all if that is the case. Which in the end if far more important than anything else, even returning to Sexy Zone. 

Idol Fandoms 2020: SixTONES

It makes me so happy that I can add SixTONES to my list of debuted groups that I follow. I am one of the fans that have been following the group back when they were just known by fans as the Bakaleya6 so it has been a lot of patient waiting for this.

I am very curious to how Johnny's plans on promoting the group overseas. There have been inroads made with the fact they have a presence on Youtube at least and from comments members have made they have all been studying English. But that seems to be the extent of things for now. It would be nice to have their music on streaming sites and available digitally, but who knows, that may be the next step. It can be difficult to figure out what Johnny's has planned sometimes.

But since I have followed the group so long I plan on following them for some time to come at least. And just hope that the wait for their third single will not be as long as the wait for their second single after the release of their debut single.

Gaming with A.B.C-Z

A.B.C-Z will be releasing a new album on September 16th titled Continue? This will be the 7th album from the group and it will come in three versions, two limited editions and a regular edition. Each version will come with a set of five stickers as a bonus.

Continue ? [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A]

A.B.C-Z

The first limited edition comes with a CD and a DVD. The CD will have 14 tracks in total then the DVD will have the PV for the album's promotional track, GAME OVER!!!, as well as the making of, album jacket shooting footage and dance footage of the single Cheat Time.

Continue ? [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type B]

A.B.C-Z

The second limited edition also is a CD and DVD combo. The CD contents are the same as the other limited edition. The DVD comes with a variety program put together for the release as well as a dancing lesson lead by Goseki Koichi.

Continue ? [Regular Edition]

A.B.C-Z

The regular edition is just a CD with the album tracks, but will have two bonus tracks that the limited editions do not have.

Continue ? [w/ Bonus for Set Purchase, Bundled Set of All 3 Editions]

A.B.C-Z

To be honest I was a bit worried with the title of the album until I saw the album cover art and saw that the ? was formed to look like the number 7. Of course knowing Johnny's I should have known that they would not be dropping hints about the fate a group in a release title, but with so many groups within just the past two years losing members and/or breaking up I still found myself worrying as A.B.C-Z is sadly not a very popular Johnny's group. Which means people sleep on them all the time as while I do not follow them closely I do pick up their albums as I have yet to be disappointed by one. In fact there are always tracks that I end up loving off of each one that makes it more than worth it to get it.

That aside I am loving the retro gaming look they have for this release. Though it makes the album jacket for the second limited edition look out of place as it is just a generic group shot. Really wish they kept that in the same theme as the other two album jackets. But that is not as disappointing as realizing that since everything for the albums was ready to be released when its release was announced the group probably had a concert they will have to shelve planned out as well. While Johnny's is letting some live productions go ahead they still have yet to green light a concert and I doubt that will happen for a while. Hopefully when they do they can tour for this album release and use those plans still.

Idol Fandoms 2020: Kis-My-Ft2

If there was a group I would consider my comfort group it would be Kis-My-Ft2. They have been so steady for so long and more often than not I enjoy what they release and watching them. I may not be as passionate about them as some other Johnny's groups but there is a reason when I pulled back from following most of Johnny's I kept up with Kisumai still. 

The group also holds a sentimental value for me as well as they were the first Junior group I was a fan of that made it to debut as a group. They worked so hard to debut and I am so happy that they have found a good amount of success as a debuted group. And I swear every time I find that I have not been enjoying their recent releases they then come out with a song or songs that pull me right back in. 

I cannot believe that next year they will be celebrating their 10th debut anniversary. But I also cannot wait to see what they do for it. I just hope things will be better in the world so they can go all out for it.

Idol Fandoms 2020: Hey! Say! JUMP

When I was last blogging regularly about Johnny's I had fallen out of being a Hey! Say! JUMP fan. I was frustrated that the group was feeling stagnant, especially since they had a younger group debut after them that should have let them progress to a mature sound and feel for the group. And looking back from now I see that if I stuck with the group just a couple more years I would have gotten what I had been hoping for. 

Getting back into Johnny's in general again last year had me falling for Hey! Say! JUMP all over again. Especially since they are showing that they have grown, even though there is a part of me that will always see them as the kids they were when I first saw them. So why the sex appeal the group can show does not appeal to me I am glad they are able to show it for the fans that do enjoy it. I will just enjoy their songs, because they have some really strong bops, and everything else they have to offer.

Of course I am now trying to play catch up with what I have missed. Thankfully I have been rather lucky and have picked up all their albums and a good amount of their singles. So I have mostly caught up on that end. I just now have to figure out how to afford to keep up with new releases. 

That all said I find that my favorites of the group really has not changed. Takaki Yuya remains my favorite with Yamada Ryosuke and Okamoto Keito being in the top tier. Really looking forward to when Keito returns to the group after studying overseas. 

I also have a feeling that when he does return HSJ may be the next group that starts aiming to expand beyond Japan. As not only will Keito be the English-speaker of the group, with him studying acting I have to wonder if that is to help him get roles in English language productions. But that is just my speculation for now.

Idol Fandoms 2020: NEWS

NEWS was the first Japanese idol group I really got into and at this point I am going to be with this group to the very end. It does help that the remaining three members have always been among my favorites, with Kato Shigeaki being my favorite member of NEWS for many years already. 

Tegoshi Yuya leaving as he did in June was definitely a blow. I was expecting the four members to be the final line-up for the group, so it really felt like it came out of nowhere. And it did not help that it happened as he made some questionable decisions that got picked up by tabloids. I do wish him well but I will not lie and say that I am not still hurting from his decision. Less about him deciding to leave, but how he went about it.

Yet again I find myself not certain about the future of the group. While I have faith they will continue on as a trio it is hard to see what the singing dynamic will be now. Though I am sure they will figure out something to work with their voices. 

The only thing I truly worry about is how Koyama Keiichiro is dealing with it. As the leader of the group I am sure he cannot help but think that it is partly his fault that he could not keep the group together as four. Plus the fact that he did not have a chance to properly talk to Tegoshi before he decided he was going to leave must weight heavy on him. I would love to see him smiling with the rest of the remaining members of NEWS again. So I await their comeback as a trio as they begin the next chapter of the group's history.