2009 Speculations

Well with KAT-TUN's concert announcement my mind has been thinking about what to take from the releases announced so far will say about the rest of the year.

The easiest to predict for me is KAT-TUN as they now have four singles since their last album to go towards a new album which can be released just in time for their Tokyo Dome concerts. Though usually they have a single released right before an album that has it's title track go on the following album, like Don't U ever stop was released right before Queen of Pirates but will be on the upcoming album. I'm thinking either Rescue will be that single or as White X'Mas was a limited single it won't be counted/included and there will be an April single that will be released before the album. Of course Johnny's could just not release an album for the concerts but KAT-TUN has generally only done concerts when they have an album to base it off of since their debut, IIRC. Either way I have the feeling after the concerts their releases will slow down again for the rest of the year. And I wouldn't be surprised if they don't do a summer concert this year if there is an album release for these Tokyo Dome concerts.

Arashi is a bit hard to figure out what Johnny's is doing for them release-wise. They have had enough singles for a new album, especially with the upcoming double A-side, but this is their ten year anniversary so something special can be in the works. Personally I'm assuming it'll be an album next for them, perhaps another single or two and then a best of later in the year, close to their debut date. And as it is their ten year anniversary and the fact that they've already had two best of albums I think it would be great if they did what Kinki Kids did and have a best of with tracks fan and group members select from their entire discography.

Kinki Kids are rather worth mentioning as they're closing in on their 30th single release. With their latest single, Yakusoku, releasing in a couple of days they will have 28 singles and from the NINKI numbers (an interest gauge Oricon does for upcoming releases) it looks like they will have another #1 debut, which ups their Guinness World Record once again. I'm sure Johnny's wants them to reach 30 by the end of the year so there just might be a steady release pattern from them this year as well as an album.

V6 looks like they will just keep on releasing group and subgroup cds and dvds throughout the year as usual. I think they're one of the few groups that really haven't a slow period. Though that might be because they do have those subgroup releases so they don't need the entire group to release cds or do concerts.

I won't even try to speculate about Tackey & Tsubasa as they just seem to do whatever they want in the end so it's too hard to predict what they will do next.

Groups like SMAP and Tokio have enough seniority to probably be able to release something only when they feel like releasing something. Though I'm thinking that Tokio may not have released something for so long because Nagase's been busy with his most recent movie. So I'm expecting a new single after he finishes up promotions for that, like his upcoming MTV Unplugged session.

Kanjani8 is another difficult one to guess what they will do this year. They didn't release much of anything last year and haven't been lined up for release this year yet. Hopefully they'll be more active release-wise this year than in 2008, especially as IIRC they should be getting close to having enough singles for a new album this year.

NEWS I'm not too worried about for releases. They'll probably have a DVD release of their winter tour and sooner or later will begin releasing singles again. Ever since they came back from their hiatus they've had a steady schedule of releases every year, more or less. They may be coming up to a best of album themselves though, with 11 singles, on double A-side to give them 12 tracks for a best of. If you subtract the year they were suspended this would be the fifth year they have been together as a group so it seems like it would be a good time to release one. Though with Arashi most likely releasing a best of they might push back NEWS' back another year. I'm just really curious about it as if they re-record the earlier singles for the current group line up then I think that will be the nail in the coffin for the hope that Uchi and/or Kusano will return to group.

And the last for debuted groups of course is Hey! Say! JUMP. It looks like the rumors of a new single in April could very well be true as they've been singing Yuuki 100% quite bit recently, like as the end song of one of the February Shounen Club episodes. I only hope this single will have an album release very close to it. Johnny's has been making us fans wait far too long for it, IMO. But recently I reminded myself this isn't the first time it's taken so long for an album to get released after debut. I made a post in June of last year that showed how closely Hey! Say! JUMP's release pattern was to NEWS'. I only went as far as the fourth single for both groups but looking at NEWS' next two releases, a single in March followed by their 1st album in April, I would not be surprised if the release dates for HSJ's next two releases, a single then an album, are close to those. Though NEWS had to deal with Kanajani8's debut before those releases, as they then had to share two members with KJ8. I don't see what held HSJ back, other than maybe Johnny's being lazy and deciding to just follow the last volleyball group release pattern.

For Juniors I think there will be a debut this year. Mainly because the Uchi concerts seem to have done well so I'm sure Johnny's is figuring out how to re-debut him. I personally don't think he could go on as a solo artist, he just doesn't have the right personality for that and he seemed to have to rely on the other Juniors for the MC segments at his concerts to keep things going. If he does get a group then I hope they let some of the other Kansai Juniors debut, as the past two group debuts have been Kansai Junior free (KAT-TUN, Hey! Say! JUMP). Though I wouldn't mind it if they put some Tokyo Juniors in as well. Especially if Kusano finally returns.

And of course I'm hoping for a Kis-My-Ft2 debut. I think I always will until they either finally do debut or get split up by a debut. Though I wouldn't be surprised that instead of a debut this year they're given a solo con like pre-debut KAT-TUN had. And of course if that is a success than they just might keep following KAT-TUN's path and make their debut finally. But this is more wishful thinking than anything else at the moment.

EDIT: Hasn't passed midnight quite yet so I'm still in time for HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sakurai Sho!