Hey! Say! 7 is the sub-unit that tends to get the most focus of the group, mainly because of just how insanely popular Yamada Ryosuke is. But Johnny's has been working to get the rest of the boys some time in the spotlight, especially when you take Scrap Teacher into account and how that let three of the five members do a drama. They don't ignore Ryutarou or Keito either as they both have regular spots on TV programs, though Ryutarou shares with Yuto and Yamada on Showa x Heisei and Keito is placed with Juniors on Hyakushiki-Ou.
And while talking about programs, they are the first to get their own radio program. Which I enjoy hearing them interact on. As well as the first of the two sub-units to have a non-concert group song thanks to be featured on Minna no Uta. So Johnny's is definitely keeping these boys busy.
I think I have to say that Keito is my favorite member of the group, though Yamada is a very close second. I remember hearing so many people put him down for coming out of nowhere and having a father that was a Johnny's being the only reason he was allowed to debut in Hey! Say! JUMP. And I won't lie, I know from my Japanese studies that much relies on who you know in that society on how far you can go sometimes, but I also think that if Keito did not show signs of talent to be in a Johnny's group I don't think he would have debuted. But anyway, all the negativity about him got me interested in him and the more I saw of him the more I liked him. I don't read every Hey! Say! 7 radio program translations anymore, just the ones he is in because he is anything but boring. In fact he's quite strange and beyond the understanding of his group members. And he really has worked hard to make sure he doesn't drag down the group with his relative inexperience, which I really admire.
And talking about hard workers, it reminds why I like Yamada so much. He was my favorite Hey! Say! JUMP member at first but others have come in to claim that spot for me since then. And it's not that I found myself disliking Yamada, even though I just didn't get the whole 'sexy' thing Johnny's has been trying to get him to do. I mean to me he's a kid and he has some more growing to do before I will even begin to consider him to be sexy. He's just cute to me, and a bit of an inspiration with how hard he works, especially now that he is pretty much the 'face' of Hey! Say! JUMP.
Yuto is another member that has grown on my over time. I didn't really have an opinion of him at first but as he begins to grow out of the awkwardness of his growth spurt he seems to be regaining the confidence he used to have when he was that cute little kid. And I like how he's so into drumming, as most Johnny's tend to gravitate to guitars as their instrument of choice. I think it sets him apart in a good way, not to mention helps letting HSJ make their own band if they wanted to that much easier. (laugh)
Chinen is cute and bratty. A dangerous combination, especially as he seems to realize this. But I think that makes having someone think Keito in the group a good thing as if the radio shows they've co-hosted together are proof, Keito is immune to the cute with his strangeness, so Chinen can't always get his way. It's been interested to see how Johnny's have dealt with his voice change, either have him lipsynch to his old voice or make sure he is getting more singing parts to fit his new range better. And I'll admit that I'm no fan of his acting. He comes off as stiff, though he did seem to improve a bit during Scrap Teacher.
Ryutarou is the member I'm least interested in. He just tends to fade into the background most of the time as Yamada, Yuto and Chinen tend to get the spotlight and Keito just normally stands out. I mean even his younger brother Shintarou seems to be getting more oppurtunities to be known that Ryutarou. Which is a bit of a shame as I'm sure I'll like Ryutarou a bit more if I can see more of him. He comes off as one of the more normal ones and being rather guyish. I just don't feel like I know much about him and would rather wait a couple more years when he's older before giving him a second look.
I don't think I can really get into Hey Say! 7 as a group until they all grow up a bit more. Though I guess most will be hitting 16 this year when birthdays come around. But as most still look rather young so I keep thinking of them as that 'just cute' category they were in when Hey! Say! JUMP debuted.
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