This month’s first Shounen Club (ザ少年倶楽部 – the Boys/Youth Club) kicks off with Jinguji Yuta-kun welcoming the audience and the juniors performing “WANNA BEEEE!!!” from Kis-My-Ft2.
The Double Yuta team (Jinguji, Kishi, Iwahashi, Haniuda, Takahashi, Kuramoto, and Nakamura) are highlighted first:
As the song changes to A.B.C-Z’s “Za ABC~5stars~”, we get the names of the Chibi team:
Coming on stage for Hey! Say! Jump’s “Super Delicate” were the members of Travis Japan and others.
To round things out, the Double Yuta team was front and center for Sexy Zone’s “Sexy Summer ni Yuki ga Furu” while the chibis (who had rushed backstage during “Super Delicate”) encircled them on roller skates.
So, a very youthful opening this time. The Hey! Say! Jump hosts for this week were Arioka Daiki-kun, Yamada Ryosuke-kun, and Yabu Kota-kun. The theme for the episode is “Present” – as in a gift, not as in right now.
They introduce the first main performance of the evening – special guests Kis-My-Ft2 with the dance version of their new single “Ai no Beat”.
Always nice to see new material on Shounen Club, but the opening moves to this dance reminded me forcefully of chicken. It got better after that, though.
The song itself was solid, though nothing remarkable. It didn’t push vocal boundaries, keeping them well within their vocal ranges. The English lyrics seemed in large part random words that sounded good – at certain points, just any word that ended in “-tion”.
Of course, with Kis-My-Ft2 performing on Shounen Club, we’re really looking for above average dancing, and they were in good form this time. Seems like they ‘re still eager to wow the Shounen Club crowd.
Naturally, the hosts spoke with the special guests following the performance. Kitayama-kun got a pat on the back from Yabu-kun.
They started off talking about the two versions of “Ai no Beat”, then took up the theme for the week – presents – with Senga-kun still sweating profusely. The talk was as well-distributed as possible, given the limited time.
Next up, noon boyz performed SMAP’s “Moment”, though notably not with the Elder team backdancing. So much for that becoming a unit. I didn’t even recognize these juniors – doubtless they’re part of the vast reserves of as-yet unaffiliated juniors.
The song itself isn’t vocally demanding at all, requiring a handful of notes set to a slow, smooth rhythm. The dancing wasn’t anything special, either. Once again, I’m back to being a noon boyz skeptic.
After that, Nakajima Kento-kun and Kikuchi Fuma-kun handled the Shokura You Bin fanmail segment.
The letter this time was directed to Kento and Fuma themselves. I didn’t quite get the gist of it, but somehow if ended up with them doing imitations of each other. Considering how well they know each other, you know this was hilarious.
They then read another letter, and quickly brought on three members of Bakaleya Six – Tanaka Juri-kun, Matsumura Hokuto-kun, and Kyomoto Taiga-kun – to handle the response. The scenario had something to do with Christmas, but I didn’t catch the particulars. I think you can tell from the screenshots what kind of responses these were, though.
The real fun started when Juri-kun had to play the girl in Hokuto-kun’s scenario . . .
. . . and he decided that his skirt was too long.
Ultimately, this one had the audience squealing.
Really, between Juri-kun and Kouchi-kun, there must be a lot of comic relief in Bakaleya Six.
Then it was time for Yamada-kun to perform his new single, “Mystery Virgin”, in what might be the earliest I’ve ever seen a song on Shounen Club in relation to its release. Usually they perform it . . . well, at least two weeks late, right? Seems like they’re actually intent on promoting this one.
The dancing was absolutely excellent, and better than my already high expectations.
Performance-wise, there was nothing to complain about, and Yamada-kun oozed charisma as usual.
The song itself was good – musically coherent with no obnoxious effects. I have to confess to still being underwhelmed by Yamada-kun’s voice, though. With everything else solid, he really needs to put his full effort into improving his range and gaining better control over the notes that he has. Right now, it severely constrains the types of songs he can do.
The next song was A.B.C-Z with “Dream ~5つの願い~” (Dream ~itsutsu no negai~ – Dream ~Five Wishes~).
This was a slower, perhaps more Christmasy song for them. Since I look to them mainly for the dancing, it wasn’t high on my list of favorite A.B.C-Z performances.
The kooky present-giving bit in the middle didn’t help.
That said, they got to show off more of their vocal abilities than they usually do, and they’re definitely decent. Not bad at all. Hashimoto-kun in particular did a nice job here.
With that, it was time for Junior ni Q, hosted by Yamada-kun and Yabu-kun. The topic was the major event/incident for the juniors in 2012. The first one up was Sanada Yuma-kun, with a SMAP-related incident.
Kouchi Yugo-kun, of course, discussed his unexpected part in a drama, and got some advice from Yamada-kun:
Tanaka Juri-kun went with Summary as his big event for the year.
Last up was Jinguji Yuta-kun, who faced difficulties (and apparently a fever) at a Sexy Zone concert.
Junior ni Q wrapped up, and it was time for the Bakaleya Six performance. They did Kis-My-Ft2’s “Shake It Up” – the theme of the drama that made them a group in the first place.
The dancing this time was a lot slower than usual, and they looked extremely tired. Of course, considering how much more active they’ve been than ever before, I guess that’s somewhat expected. Even so, I think this was below my expectations, especially since this is a song they have done quite often.
With Kis-My-Ft2 on the show, there’s a clear contrast showing how far these guys still need to develop. And there’s no telling how long they’ll be able to take advantage of the spotlight before the agency turns it aside to the next new thing, whatever group that might be.
Of course, they’re still my primary rooting interest on this show, which is why I’m perhaps a bit overly concerned.
Next, the hosts interviewed the three younger members of SZ – Marius Yo-kun, Sato-Shori-kun, and Matsushima Sou-kun. It was about the giving and receiving of presents. Marius-kun seemed to be picking out presents for the others. There were cushions and candles and pens, but I wasn’t entirely sure who was doing the giving and who was doing the receiving. Marius-kun did most of the talking, though.
SZ then performed “Kimi to . . . Milky Way”, with Kento-kun at the piano. Have I mentioned how much I like seeing him on the piano, especially on the Shounen Club stage, where this sort of performance is rare?
This was my favorite song from their album, so there’s no way I was going to be disappointed with it here.
Fuma-kun started the song with his wonderfully smooth voice, and the highlight is when Kento-kun breaks in with his crisp voice. I’m still unsure about Shori-kun’s voice – sometimes it seems all right, but at other points it breaks down.
The show concluded with a song with a title Yamada-kun absolutely cannot pronounce – “Let’s Go to Earth (Starting a Journey)”. I wasn’t looking at the screen when I first heard him say it, and I had no idea what he said – it wasn’t Japanese and it wasn’t English. It wasn’t even something in between. It was actually a shock to me to hear him say it so badly.
Then they started singing, and the lyrics are in English. And . . . yeah. The pronunciation of the lyrics was better than the hash Yamada-kun made of the title. Unusually, the lyrics actually made sense, and they were clearly written to be easy for the boys to sing while retaining semantic correctness.
The tune, though, sounded like a weak copy of a Disney song, so even if they managed to nail the lyrics, this number wasn’t going to get a high mark from me.
The major soft-spots in the episode were the noon boyz performance and the finale. Kis-My-Ft2 was good, I’ll gladly forgive Yamada-kun’s other faults in exchange for the dancing in his solo, and the SZ performance was also a plus. As in some other episodes recently (and probably for the same reason), the Bakaleya Six performance was lacking.
I can call it an 8 out of 10 if I ignore the ending, and I don’t think weak close should cost a full point. If noon boyz had done a more upbeat dance with the Elder team, or if they had been replaced with a junior medley, then this would have been a 9. Throw in some better English and Bakaleya Six at the top of their game, and that would have been good enough for a ten.
Let’s see if they have better to offer next week.
I really did not care the transitions they used in the opening medley. They were really awkward to me as none of the songs seemed to flow together.
I do agree with the end song being lackluster, but from what I have heard that “hot mess” is the best way to describe Johnny’s World in general so I am not surprised by it at all.
Are you going to go back and do the other Osaka SC episode? I know there is finally a copy of it floating around and I rather enjoyed it and found it stronger than this SC episode.
Good point on the transitions in the opening. I didn’t really critique the opening at all – just settling in and figuring out who was doing what, I guess.
I’m disappointed to hear that about Johnny’s World, but since this was the song they chose to feature from it, I guess I’m not surprised.
I only saw the 11/21 Osaka episode on the livejournal shokura community when I picked this episode up. Initially, I wasn’t going to do it since we’re already into the December episodes, but since you recommend it, I’ll review it. I’ll have to see where to fit it in (I’m already late on Piece 6, VS Arashi, and Himitsu no Arashi), but rather sooner than later.
Thank you for your comment!
Hi! I haven’t completely dropped off the face of the earth…I have been following your blog as always it’s just that I’ve lost interest in the ChinenTakaki show 😦 that’s why I haven’t commented for a while…
But here I am. I was looking forward to reading your opinion on Yamada’s performance since you are not really a fan of him. I was looking for some objectivity among the squeeling voices all over the net…Well, you seem to have liked it, you only formulated some kind of criticism regarding his vocal range and abilities. Interestingly, me, who is a great, great fan of Yamachan, I hated every single second of it. But it didn’t actually came as a surprise. (A brief overview of the song and performance: don’t like the song, don’t like the choreography, no problems with Y’s voice, since the song is kind of tailored to his vocal range, but I acknowledge that there’s room to develop for him)
Why I hated it? You see, Yamada has always reminded me of Kamenashi. They are both extremely, almost pathologically perfectionist. There’s this desperate urge in them to appeal and to be perfect, but Kamenashi with age has at least lost the ‘smell of sweat’ that goes with such overachieving. Yamada is still 19 and as far as I can see (and that’s why I respect him very much) he has fought his way up to being number 1 in HSJ by his own sweat and blood. (At first Yuto was put center stage – a bad idea in my opinion, cause he is just lacking that kind of fierceness and drive that Yamada naturally has. It’s a natural order of things that Yuto was knocked out of that position.) Now it’s the agency who is pushing him, but it’s only an after-effect. That said, Yamada is the prototype of the kind of Johnny’s that the agency likes: obedient, gives 150% and more, verrry good-looking and is willing to go to practically any length to satisfy the crowds. As for his abilities: his strong point is dancing, hands down. He is amazing in that respect, although it depends on what you consider amazing dancing. For me it’s, let’s say, Kame’s Plastic Tears performance on SC. Yamada is lightyears away from that kind of thing, simply because the sexy that Kame can put in everything that he does can come only with age. For me Yamada is still only a promise that may or may not come true, because no one can deny the potential in him.
So why do I hate this performance? Because it’s everything that makes me cringe about Yamada. People tend to say that Yamashita is like a robot, but at least there’s this warmth oozing from him every second of every minute that makes him real, human, a person. Yamada’s dancing here is flawless. As always. Very few people can dance like this, and I have come to the conclusion (after seeing him in several performances) that the key is physical fitness.This guy is just so incredibly strong that he can perform each and every single movement with the same perfection from the first one to the last. If you observe HSJ performing, the other 8 members have to ‘cheat’ from time to time – simply because they have to ration their energy. Yamada doesn’t. Cause he is just that strong. Here the same. His dancing is flawless (just look at the backdancers – a crowd of enthusiastic amateurs hopping around in the background compared to him…) But for me it’s inhuman. It’s like running your fingertips along a piece of metal. Smooth and cold and eventually – lifeless. I watch him and I think: could you be a bit less perfect? just a little bit. Could you just let go for once and enjoy what you are doing? Enjoy – in the sense that you yourself become the dance and not just performing a choreography to the best of your abilities. This boy is and has been for years a tight little knot of tension. I can only compare him to Kame, because I’m a huge KAT-TUN fan and I know Kame quite well, so there is hope that knot of tension will give a bit and Yamada will became a bit more relaxed.
I’ve written a lot already, but one more thing: I really hate this ‘XY needs to go solo after a certain time, simply because he is the number 1 in Z band’. I hated it with Pi and I hate it with Yamada now. (Okay he is still a member of HSJ, but who knows…) I won’t start analysing why Pi should never have left NEWS (he is a case study for how to ruin an image in 10 days), but with Yamada I feel that that end result would be even worse. He needs a small crowd around him (HSJ) to tone down the fact that he is Johnny’s best functioning robot. If I had to watch him performing a solo CONCERT I think I would just cut my wrists by the end.
But that’s just the way I see it. I hope I’m not boring you. It had to come out…)
Taking your second point first, I agree that I don’t like the idea of pushing a member of a group to go solo. I don’t know what Yamapi’s situation was – whether he wanted to go solo, or whether they pushed him – but it’s pretty clear that Yamada-kun has no particular interest in going solo, and is quite comfortable in HSJ. At this point, I certainly don’t want to see a solo concert from him, because his vocals would not allow him to sing a range of songs to retain the audience’s interest. As a result, they would probably resort to using a whole lot of supplemental electronics, and that’s never good.
On Yamada-kun’s perfection and the degree to which he seems like a robot, I agree in principle, but think that’s just a matter of being young. To some degree, the agency has kept Yamada-kun busy and prevented him from having the experiences – like going to France, for instance – that would allow him to grow out of it and to develop his character. I don’t think they can keep that up indefinitely, though Yamada-kun’s thinking has been a bit of an enigma to me. The fire in dancing, as opposed to simple technical perfection, comes from being able to see things through the eyes of the audience – by empathizing with others. Some people are able to do that early on, for others, it’s the true mark of becoming an adult. If I had to pick a Johnny’s member who best embodies empathy and the ability to add excitement to his dance without going to technical extremes, I’d pick Aiba-kun.
That said, Kamenashi-kun is the same way. You get the feeling that Kamenashi-kun really connects with people in a way Yamada-kun doesn’t yet. When I look at Yamada-kun, I generally take the young man at his word and compare him to his own hero, Domoto Koichi-san. However, I think your comparison to Kamenashi-kun is interesting. I consider Kamenashi-kun to be a singular talent, and you can look at the way he always presents himself on stage to see that he’s always looking through the eyes of the audience rather than just going through the motions. He does this while acting, as well.
To Yamada-kun, the audience is still a mystery. The reason he’s a tight knot of tension and not relaxed is because he doesn’t really understand the people watching him. And that’s why I made such a big deal about Takaki-kun and Chinen-kun meeting people on their France trip – learning about people and interacting with them isn’t just about growing up, it is also critical to improving their performances.
Knowing all this already, I didn’t really hold it against Yamada-kun in this performance. I put it down to the agency’s short-sightedness in not understanding what really contributes to a great performance. Arashi is Arashi because of all the activities they did in their early days – going out and meeting people as part of their variety shows. The agency has been grossly overprotective of Yamada-kun, and now he’s famous enough that it’s difficult for him to just go out in public for a variety show the way Arashi did in their early days. So, since he can’t do it in Tokyo, perhaps he’ll have to go to the rural areas of Japan – Takaki-kun and Chinen-kun certainly found farmers friendly. That, or they’ll have to send him on a trip abroad in a way that he’ll be forced to talk to people. I doubt they will, though.
Oh, and for the record, I don’t think Chinen-kun ever has to “cheat” to keep up with Yamada-kun.:) I like Yuto-kun, but he’s too easy-going to be the top dog – nor would he have fought for the position. He’s also way too curious for the agency, I think – he would have had trouble staying in the box they put him him. Somewhere along the way, Yamada-kun has to figure out that he’s in a box, and to try and find ways to get out.
Thanks for your analysis!
Thanks for your reply!:) You have managed to shed a whole new light on my problems with Yamada. In my message I also attributed his shortcomings mostly to his young age and being inexperienced. However, you are right when you say that it’s the agency who has kept him in a box so to say and cut him off from the kind of experiences that could help him grow not just as a person but a performer too. Which is kind of silly if you think about it.
As for Arashi – since their music does not appeal to me much, I don’t really know much about them, and I know even less about their beginnings and early years. But I think their experiences with those shows must have been the same as Kat-tun members’ with Cartoon Kat-Tun, which I love to bits and consider a brilliant source of entertainment, even if at times it was dragging a bit but probably because of tension among the members (esp. Akanishi). So it seems that this show also contributed to the fact that Kame is such a great entertainer now. Also, you mentioned curiosity. Kame definitely has it, has always had it, but unfortunatey I don’t see much inclination in Yamada to find out things for himself yet. I see him as a very good, very obedient boy. The model student. He takes whatever you give him in, but this is a one-way process, not much comes from him and it’s probably beacuse to give you need to accumulate first. I hope he will be able to enrich his personality by the kind of experiences that you’ve mentioned in the upcoming years.
And as for cheating…I actually wanted to go back and add ‘except maybe for Chinen’, but I was writing under time constraint so…Yes, Chinen is just as physically fit as Yamachan. My mistake.:)
(Oh, and one more thing. About Pi. Well, if the test of a Johnny’s being ready to go solo and hold his own solo concerts was, I’m quoting you: ‘his vocals would (not) allow him to sing a range of songs to retain the audience’s interest.’ then I’m afraid Pi should have just stayed where he was. In News. Cause that voice of his…But he’s got he Pretty. And that’s what matters, right? :D)
The funny thing is that being a very good and obedient boy doesn’t make someone a model student, because the teacher never feels like the student has any passion for the subject. It’s curiosity – the interest in going beyond and finding ways of getting better outside the context of the classroom that makes for a truly excellent student. I guess you could say that he’s got good grades, but is short on extracurricular activities. The thing is, those other activities are what help you gain the confidence to do even better, which is the mark of the best students. Curiosity is my keyword for the day.
I was never able to get my hands on many episodes of Cartoon KAT-TUN subbed, so I missed that part of Kamenashi-kun’s development, though it sounds like it was exactly what I might expect. The strife within KAT-TUN probably helped all of the members in the end, though there’s no gain without some pain and it was probably unpleasant to watch. I was lucky enough to get the entire run of a number of Arashi series subtitled, so I often use them as a touchstone for comparison.
Ah, yes, you make a good point about Yamapi’s voice, and that’s the reason I’ve never been able to get myself to watch a Yamapi concert DVD even though I liked NEWS and am also favorable to Yamapi as a person. Pretty, of course, isn’t good enough for me (though I don’t blame fans who put it at the top of the list – it’s all about personal enjoyment, after all). So, to sum up the requirements: to have solo release, the individual has to actually want to go solo, and not just be pushed into it, and to have a solo concert, they have to have sufficient vocal range so that the songs can have a substantially different feel to each other over the course of a concert. Since the subject may come up again, I want to make sure I’m consistent on these points.
Let’s just hope the best for Yamada-kun, and it’ll be real interesting to see how he turns out five or ten years from now.
there were a lot of things I like about this episode but a couple of things I dislike and a thing I hated. I absolute hated the ending of the episode. It was a complete disaster! they didn´t remember the lyrics, the lip-sync the song I hate everything about that performance!
What I like about this episode? there was a song by HSJ and the juniors did the singing without HSJ !!! THAT IS EPIC … I love HSJ but the Shounen Club is suppose to be a Jrs show soo let the jrs sing!!!I love Kis my ft2 and I enjoyed their performance but I thought that they were going to do the rock version this time! the opening was good ! Bakaleya´s performance was great and the letters reading was really funny, and Juri and Hokuto are great! sexy zone new song is nice.
I dislike Abcz performance because that song is not my favourite…
and Yamada´s song is very similar to another song … one from News I can´t remember the name but It´s really similar
All and all I agree with your 8 out of 10!!
My initial comments about the ending were a lot harsher than what I ultimately had in the review – I decided to tone it down a bit because I didn’t want to conclude by being so negative at the end of an okay show – leaving people with a bad taste, as it were. In retrospect, maybe I should have left the original version in, since I might still have been too kind. I tend to go too far when discussing how badly the kids handle English lyrics, though, considering I’m not all that great at Japanese.
This show certainly needs more junior time. It was definitely nice to see them do “Super Delicate”, but this format of doing one song from each of the recently debuted groups (KMF2, ABC-Z, HSJ, and SZ) needs to stop, since it leads to an uneven opening as the groups have very different styles. While doing one group’s song when they’re on-hand is fine, members of all four groups were on Shounen Club, so I thought it was also a bit redundant. I’d love to see the juniors kick things off with a HSJ medley instead, or something else a bit more coherent.
Actually, the Shokura You Bin segment, especially the bit between Hokuto-kun and Juri-kun, somewhat overshadowed the Bakaleya performance in terms of entertainment value. I think part of the reason I was a bit down on the Bakaleya performance is the contrast to KMF2, since this is a KMF2 song, but also because I think they could have done much better than they did.
I agree on the A.B.C-Z song. I’m not sure what NEWS song Yamada’s might be similar to, so maybe it’s time for me to do a NEWS refresher.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
I haven’t watched the episode yet, but I plan to 😀 I watched some performances though.
Actually the song Let’s go to Earth seems quite natural for me to be there. Judging by the theme of the episode. That s also the only new original song they all sing together. And when I say they all sing together I mean that HSJ, ABC-Z, Sexy Zone, Yamapi, Koichi-kun, Kame, Tackey, Yuma and Kissumai all sing this song together at the end of Johnny’s World (On SC, I recognized more than one Junior, such as Wesley, that I’ve seen on Johnny’s World too lol)
. Most of the other songs during Johnny’s World are either song from each band ( Desperado, what seems to be the new HSJ song Sakura something etc) I would say only Sexy Zone doesn’t have a new song but that’s to be excepted : they were not even supposed to be part of Js World, two members are missing for no reason whatsoever in my mind and they are not much in it) or excerpt where more than one band sing together/they mix the members wih come from previous Js shows such as Dream Boys or Shock
It would have been weird for them not to do it, in my opinion and choose another song from Js World. That’s also the only song where yeah, Kissumai is being featured ( Sometimes they have Kissumai guest during one song, I saw Senga for example, but it was during a Dream Boys part song, and I heard rumors of Hiropi guesting during the same one…). And because of the final message during the whole second part of the show especially.
I really really like Johnny’s World. It has become my favorite Js musical I would say. And the only one where I plan to drag my parents when they come to visit, because there is mostly acrobatics, singing of course and not enough talking for them to get really bored as they could have been during Shonentachi for example. It is a Johnny’s musical, so despite all the deaths ( that s quite a cataclysm, lol) it ‘s super cheesy in the end.
At the end of the day, I would say it’s really enjoyable, even without being a JE fan(it’s even more when you are one of course and recognize the songs and the ‘parody’ they sometimes do of previous Js Show). There are quite a lot of interaction with the audience, especially front row, as they make everyone stand up, sometimes taking people’s hands even. And the acrobatics are being done for a good part, not on stage but where they audience is ^^
I still don’t know what is the finalized version, if there is one, because many things happened that disturbed it s pace (I explain why a bit later)
I saw the perf of Kimi To milky way on SC ^^ It was good, and just like you it’s my favorite one from their album, but I wasn’t surprise because Kento often play the piano ( During SZ summary, or during every performance of this song in Johnny’s World). I would say I prefer the Johnny’s world performance of this song. I agree on Shori voice. Sometimes it seems ” weaker” than other time.
They had a huuuuuuge problem during Js World though
I don’t know if you heard about that, but at some point, Tsuka-chan ( ABC-Z) dislocated (?) his shoulder during a part of the show. He was one of the main cast had lots of acrobatics. I ve seen the show before and after he got hurt, and MANY things got changed.(then again, he was wearing a sling all the time, and there was a part of the show when him and Kawai come to apologize for the inconvenience and for him getting hurt)
They had to cut parts, put other things ( ABC-Z parts especially got cut, but Chinen had the whole part he does with Tsuka-chan cut, and Yamada a small part too.)…Overall, they didn’t even try to hide the fact that a member was missing ( on purpose, though. Because during Shonentachi, they did.) especially during ABC-Z parts. I m an ABC-Z fan so I felt it quite strongly
to see that during the perf, there is a place where someone should be an is missing…
but I would objectively say the performances at the time were not as good nor as impressive (Tsuka-chan despite being one of the main cast, was even less than in Shonentachi, which I didn’t think could ever be possible. It took almost until half of the show to first see him). They had to cut a lot of acrobatics from the show
Now he got better and completly recovered, but they still had to change things due to Mori Mitsuko death. So, so far I’ve seen three shows of Js World and none of them were even 70% similar. ( Some changes I don’t understand though but maybe the one for ABC-Z was deemed too ”dangerous”. They are relying more on also the screens/camera and using them which is a GREAT idea they should have done earlier, and in some part not using them anymore)
I saw the Mystery Virgin part! They sure are doing a great promo for it : Best Artist, and now SC? The first time I heard it was during Johnny’s World (ABC-Z backdancing for him) and for the reason of it being a solo song when there is Dai-chan in it seems even more incomprehensible (other than the agency pushing him, I mean) as they put video of the drama behind him a bit before and during a part of the song. So we see Dai-chan. I really like the song, every version of it ;slow paced or the quick/normal way.
I don’t remember Kissumai ever doing the Ai no beat rock version live even on promo on MS or other musical program. Or if they did, it was once…
I m not too shocked nor do I care about the english or accent. I think because I m used to Japanese engrish as some call it, and well I don’t really care about the accent in general ESPECIALLY idols one’s.
They use quite a lot of english songs in Js World, so that may be why I really wasn’t fazed by Let’s go to Earth. One of them being a Celine Dion song. That was one is not good at all, as the Johnny’s who sings it ( not spoiling you so I won’t say who) doesn’t have good vocal enough for it. Yamada has a solo song in english, ABC-Z has a song with also english lyrics which I really like ( I m a huge ABC-Z fans though, who loves their music and acrobatics the most so I may not be reliable xDD). There is Hasshi version ‘s of Over the Rainbow….Also Okamoto Keito translate quite a few things that are happening, in english
( His accent is sometimes great, sometimes dreadful, but I m not surprised by that, when I get tired my french accent gets REALLY thicker and as much as I want to I can’t help it, so I suppose that’s the same for him. It depends on the performance…haha same for Yamada. The song he sings in english xDD)
The ABC-Z song : I didn’t see this performance, but I know the song from a SC they did before they debuted, and I agree. I don’t like the song, but that comes more from the music itself, than their voice. Done by anyone else, I still wouldn’t like it.
I m also a KAT-TUN and NEWS fan xD I will answer about Yamapi : he wanted to leave. He wasn’t pushed by the agency to do so. When the news broke out, (my biais are KoyaShige) I didn’t know HOW he would do. Because Yamapi simply wasn’t good when he was alone. During NEWS concerts ( speaking of those I saw too), he is super shy, and he tries to not outshine the other members too I think ( I was really surprise, as he has a great charisma on stage Oo before seeing NEWS live, I was quite indifferent to him, but during the live, and that was one of my friend impression too, he has a great presence. Even when he does nothing. XD My friend actually disliked him a bit before the concert,so it came as a greater shock to her)
But actually Yamapi does great live (During the MC he goes to speak with fans, so that ‘s how he do it, otherwise I suppose he wouldn’t be able to do anything) And he is happy. Anyone denying that it wasn’t his choice would deny not only NEWS comments ( Tesshi especially) but also his comments, and the way he is during the live. He wasn’t miserable, he wasn’t sad despite I would say the mild success his concerts had ( his concerts were probably some of the cheapest I ve seen in Js) or album/Cds.
I don’t think he is in bad term with any of the NEWS remaining members ( if only because reports of fans, and them speaking of each other) when Akanishi is on bad( dreadful?) terms with KAT-TUN or at least some members
About Kame-Yamada. To be fair, Kame is older and he had to go through a ”worst” (?) phase than Yamada had too. He is my top favorite in JE with MatsuJun, but I can tell you that the time of Nobuta Wo produce, he wasn’t really Llikeable ? Especially when he spoke about KAT-TUN and their debut that finally happened. KAT-TUN had always lots of tension on going that climaxed more than once, and one being the time he had to do the Seishun Amigo with Yamapi – in a Cartoon KAT-TUN episode that they both shoot together, Koki actually once again commented on how terrible he had been with him at the time and deeply regrets it/is sorry, and Kame doesn’t answer and just keep eating a bit embarrased.-
In a way I would say he had more…experiences ? As displeasing as they can be ( the famous ” He fell off stage and JE drugged him to get him back ” is one of them, as well as how he was treated by yarashikis. He did almost cry on stage because of them). They do form someone’s caracters, and in a way make him wiser ? Kame was quite the robot during NWP, but when KAT-TUN and especially Koki warmed up to him, he began to change. And those changes could be seen in CKT and in his interviews. At least, that s what I ve seen.
To be fair, they can send Yamada in places out of Tokyo. JE is well known but not everyone know of them, even in Tokyo. (he has more chance of being recognized there, I agree)…but he is no way near SMAP or Arashi level in cities
HSJ would need a program where they would meet other people and ”grow up”, getting more skills for their program, concerts and so
I feel like, but I may be wrong, Yamada was one of the few lucky ones that JE never really treated too badly. He also did his first location shoot in 2008 and he didn’t get to interact that much with people that are not JE fans or his fans.
Long comment xD I m sorry Oh yeah! During Js World, Yamada does interact with the audience (there is a part where he speaks with some people randomly chosen as he walk to the stage ) but once again, the problem is that they are JE or HSJ fans
Since I have no idea what’s going on with Johnny’s World, it’s nice to get all the views I can of it, so thank you for contributing your experience from it.
I guessed that “Let’s go to the Earth” was that sort of song based on the way it sounds – you know, the finale with everyone involved style – but it could be a whole lot better in a bunch of ways, and once again I find myself having to accuse a composer of laziness. To this point, there are a few songs I’ve seen everyone do in unison that strike me as really good finale songs, including “Days”, but this was just an inexcusably sloppy song. But you’re no doubt right – this was the natural song to pick from Johnny’s World. That’s why it should have been a better song, and more thoroughly rehearsed.
Is it possible that the two members of SZ were missing because they were too young? Or, at least in the case of Marius-kun, it might be because he’s busy shooting his new series, or the movie for Kodomo Keisatsu (I don’t know when it’s coming out) or . . . wow, he’s a busy little fellow, isn’t he?
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed Johnny’s World. The song, combined with other accounts, were giving me a bad impression of it, so it’s nice to hear someone was happy with the show they put on. I like acrobatics, too, but I’m not so enthusiastic about cheesy endings. I’m more interested in the music and the dance performances, of course, and it sounds like this is less of a musical and more of a revue. That’s a subtle different, but an important one as far as how the music is written. In the end, I’ll judge for myself if they release a DVD of it. It won’t be the same experience, of course, but I have little choice in the matter and I hate crowds anyway.
Thanks for seconding my opinion on Shori-kun’s voice – I was wondering whether I was alone on that one.
I did hear about the Tsukada-kun’s injury and the result of it. It’s interesting that so much of the acrobatics were dependent on a single person – perhaps they just didn’t feel right about doing it when he wasn’t there, or was it that he was an integral part of the move and it wouldn’t have worked without him?
Well, I was definitely looking for a HSJ single in the new year rather than a Yamada solo, especially since it’s been a whole year since “Super Delicate”. The song is good, and I guess they weren’t going to do a Yamada-Arioka duet even though Daiki-kun’s voice is quite good. Daiki-kun can’t keep up with Yamada-kun on the dancing, though. Still, that would have been a really good pair to front a single, especially since their vocals contrast – Daiki’s are smooth, and Yamada’s are edgy.
The thing that really shocked me about the mangling of English was that Yamada-kun couldn’t even get the title of the song out – not so I could make out what he was saying, anyway. That’s . . . just not good. As long as I can understand it, I can give allowances. As usual, though, unless they do a good job of English, I’d rather they not use it. Consider a stage show in America that used similarly bad Japanese. It would be an embarrassment to the producer, wouldn’t it be? It would be ridiculed in the press and by critics. I just expect reciprocity.
A Celine Dion song? Ugh.
Ah, thanks for clarifying that it was Yamapi’s choice to leave NEWS. That was my impression, but I wasn’t sure. I’ll have to take a look at his concert DVDs after all, and judge for myself. Maybe he’s developed more than I could have imagined. I had the same impression while he was with NEWS – that he lacked stage presence and seemed to try to blend in more than stand out. I maintain, though, that his voice isn’t sufficient, but there’s more to a performance than the vocals, I guess.
In a way, the difficult things Kamenashi-kun went through helped him to grow as an individual outside of the group context. My critique is that Yamada-kun has been kept isolated from any strife – the kind of social tension that helps a person to understand the way other people think. I think that, if he faced more of that, he would understand a bit more about the audience’s thoughts, feelings, hopes, and pains, so that he can better engage with them in his performance. Thankfully, as you pointed out, Kamenashi-kun is older, and Yamada-kun still has plenty of time to develop. My only worry is that the agency doesn’t want him to – they want to keep him a pliant kid rather than let him really grow up. Like caring parents, they don’t want him to have any of the experiences that Kamenashi-kun had, and want to keep him safe from pain, but that won’t really give him the room to grow into a proper adult.
Good to hear Yamada-kun still has room to maneuver outside of Tokyo without being suffocated by fans. Now, the question is: will the agency let him have that room? I haven’t seen Yamada-kun do many location shoots in the past few years, have you? With School Kakumei in the Okinawa specials, perhaps, but other than that? Compare that to the kind of experience Yabu-kun and Hikaru-kun have had through Ya-Ya-Yah, and it’s pretty easy to see why Yabu and Hikaru feel so much more like adults than the other members. In this respect, Yamada-kun is far from lucky. Overcoming rough treatment, learning to pick yourself back up again, defying critics, and winning over people who don’t like you, is part of becoming an adult. The agency’s protectiveness over the other members was probably the reason why Yan Yan Jump, which started out involving all of them, quickly focused back in on Yabu and Hikaru once the format changed to include location shoots.
I thought Yan Yan Jump was going to be the show where HSJ would meet people and grow up, but even though it had some signs of that, they eventually made sure that it only involved the two members who were already grown up.
I’m glad to hear that Yamada-kun interacts with the fans – that’s something, at least – but because they’re all in panic/excitement mode, it doesn’t really give him a good sense of who they are as people, and why they are so thrilled to meet him. If he really understood who they were when they aren’t meeting their idol, I’d bet his performances would improve dramatically.
Wow, that was a long comment. But, I think I managed to match it with a long reply.:)
Thank you so much for your thoughts. It’s great to hear a different point of view, and I really appreciate it. It’s also wonderful to have a better account of what went on in Johnny’s World.
Yes! Thank you. I had trouble trying to explain myself about Yamda-kun, but this is exactly what I meant. That because he was one of the” stars” of the JE even in his Junior times, he didn’t get to have a real experience,and be in contact with other people ( I mean for location shooting, people who don’t know him or are not JE fans etc)…Something like the Arashi did back in the day with Mago Mago Arashi for example. I don’t see them chaning their position about their ” overprotectiveness” any time soon, but maybe when he is slightly older
Yes, the difference between YabuHikaru and the others on that aspect is quite strikingn they also seem more mature in general
I did think of Marius and So age, but I went to a 1pm show once, and they were not there . Also,I saw Chino Aoi et other much younger Johnny’s during the evening show, so that probably not the reason.
A revue… I m not sure, to be honest…It s not a musical per say, because even though there is indeed a general theme and a, there isn’t really a story. Actually there are lots of theatric(sowrds fighting , some theatrical famous real scenes from a famous author,) and acrobatics…
It is also more of a celebration of Johnny’s and that has been done before, especially the second part. While once again, having a theme and aim
This is why after the death of Mori Mitsuko they added quite a long hommage ( the took off arobatics, and the sketch ABC-Z was doing)? Pictures of her, footages, videos, during the rehearsals or on stage, even her voice speaking to us, and they all come on stage to comment (though the voice of one or two member in each group) about her.
They added a small thing on her behalf at the end of part I which acknowledge all she did for them, and during the greetings at the end, they thank her once again. I m not too shocked as she had a huge impact on all of them…
This being said, that s the only moment on the first par where it really truly shows to a audience who doesn’t know a thing about boysband or Johnny’s or doesn’t speak japanese at all, that the show is really centered around them. Even though they put it during the first part of the show, I would say its place doesn’t bother much the audience ( maybe the lenght though?) because it seems the better place where to put it, without disrupting to much the pace of the whole show. And seeing as all the previous things before where almost all about death and tragic death especially…Well, it’s definitely at its right place
The second part is no presented as them going to speak and play many of their senpais butais. They don’t even hide it. , and it is then more of a revue especially the ârody of one of the show
I can understand why people would think it is a mess. It could appear like that during the time when Tsuka-chan was wearing a sling. ESPECIALLY when they add to add another sketch which were actually monomane, and for quite a long time also
It came out of nowhere and really putting it there wasn’t the best idea, but they could put it nowhere else, I suppose.I really can’t speak about how it would have felt if they had just continued their things and done the acrobatics because when Goseki had some point did, it didn’t feel right to me. But I m a fan of them, and I had seen the show prior to that, so I m definitely biaised.
They had to cut the ”samurai” part wit Chinen, because that part was suppose to be Tsuka-chan fighting other HSJ, and then both of them doing acrobatics in the air together. There is quite a difference in level, which is understandable seeing their age difference, and Tsuka-chan background, but still…
I don’t think they had anyone ready or good enough to take his place, or they knew what he had was goign to be quickly healed. Which make me think that this is a fault of JE they should have someone prepared to take another person’ s plce ? Then again, the fans may get angry.
I really hope we will have a DVD.. I hope it will be with SZ (as they re not there for January) and that they will do what they did for Arafes ; put everything in it. I mean, putting Mori MItsuka part, but also the samurai one. It is so good.
I will want to see your review then :)))) so we can discuss it
Anyway, overall : Johnny’s World is a good show. nothing fabulous nor mind blowing, some part are better than others, but it’s a good show and really entertaining. I m at my third time already and I am still not bored.
LOL At east it’s waaay more comprehensible than Dream Boys ( I don’t know if you ve seen it)…Dream Boys makes no sense ( Kame being in a circus, then becoming a vampire, with zombies attacking Jrs …) and is super cheesy(the soul coming back from death speaking to all of them more than once)??? Though Dream Boys fault was that during the years, the show changed more and more, adding parts, acrobatics, things the members do in their own concerts, and the story get stretched to the max, and lost in the middle of ” the show”
One year already ? Time fly fast…I suppose after NYC released song ( it s for February ? Maybe earlier as ZIP already put previews) we will get the Sakura no hanabira (not sure of the title), that they perform in Js World? YabuHikaru sang it for feww sec in a HSJ medley on Yan Yan Jump. I can see it being released just for March
LOL I m pretty sure this is the first time Yamada said the title. They don’t say it (I m speaking about ‘Journey” part,) not the ” Lets go to earth. Yes, Yamada s english is quite terrible in pronunciation, especially his slo song in Js World
I still haven’t watched any of Yamapi concerts, despite owning them. For NEWS, it was quite strange to see him in DVD with not much presence, and being on the concert, and seeing him radiating charisma literally, even when he does nothing and really try to blend in. I could understand why three quarter of the Tokyo Dome were his fans.
What to say about the Ero-P concerts ? It was really great. Hi vocals are not strong, but he has some nice songs ( Ai texas was a terrible choice for a single) and some I really love. Especially one ballad. He is a good entertainer though, and strangely enough, ever since he became solo, he took a different part from for example Akanishi-kun…He is closer to his audience ( during one song, two people are being chosen randomly, and he bring them on stage, made them sit next to him ask question out of them. One girl once was a foreign fan and he spoke with her in english and they spoke in english)
Oh yes, I saw your comment about Js go solo when they want to… Thing is, if it did apply to Jin and Yamapi, Yuma sure doesn’t seem to want that (when Toma also one of his deepest regret is to never have been put in a band). I do think JE force them into certain things, at least these sorts of things, when they are juniors. I hope though Yuma will be put in a band as it s clearly something he prefers
Looks like we’re on the same page on Yamada-kun.
A revue tends to have a lot of different kinds of acts, which is what you seem to be describing. A musical is much more coherent. I tend to prefer a bit more coherence, and get frustrated when things look like they’re coming out of nowhere and going all over the place, but I’m probably in the minority there these days. Maybe I’m just getting old.
I agree that having the tribute to Mori Mitsuko-san at the end of part 1 is certainly the right place for it, and where you’d expect a tribute like that. I really don’t know much about her, but the outpouring of grief at her death certainly says a lot about what kind of person she was to them. Having a tribute like that also allows the audience to get a sense of the boys as people rather than just performers, and probably made the audience support them even more through the rest of the show.
I like Tsukada-kun – he looks like a positive, can-do type who also has a somewhat wry sense of humor (like all the members of A.B.C-Z do). I’m not surprised they didn’t have someone who could stand-in for him, but I also wonder if the fact that they over-used him led to his injury. He doesn’t strike me as the type who’d say no if they asked him to do something, even when he’s worn out.
The interesting thing about watching a show like this on DVD is that you get to see what they thought the show was supposed to be like – what it was about. In the case of Johnny’s World, there seems to have been a lot of changes along the way and bumps in the road. I hope the DVD has everything as extras, but that the main disc has a single version that represents what the best Johnny’s World was like according to them – picking out the best parts from a number of different shows, if necessary. That way, I can judge Johnny’s World based on that. They can put the Mori Mitsuko tribute on the main disc if they think that actually turned out to be integral, or on an extras disc if they think that, even though it was good, it didn’t fit with the image they were going for. I want to know what Johnny’s thought Johnny’s World was meant to be, and I think a DVD will give me a sense of that.
If they release a DVD, and I get my hands on a version, then I’ll review it. I’m very curious about how it really turned out.
I’ve never seen Dream Boys in its entirety, but I’ve seen clips from the 2006 version. It didn’t exactly encourage me to see more of it. If they’ve been making the show even messier since then, like you describe, I’m probably going to stay away from that particular Johnny’s tradition.
Well, March or April are certainly the right months for a sakura song, but is it really HSJ’s style? I haven’t heard it, of course, but if something has “sakura” in the title, it’s generally a softer song, and not the energetic sort of thing HSJ normally put out. Unless it’s a wilder, jumpier sakura song, in which case . . . I still can’t see it, but anything can happen. I hope they don’t stray too far from the mood set by their existing singles, though.
I think if Yamada-kun knew how he sounded to English speakers, he’d work really hard to get it right. Can’t fault him for not trying hard.
Yeah – “Ai Texas” was not a good choice at all. The song itself was completely uninteresting. On top of that, as a Californian, there’s a certain rivalry between my state and Texas, as the two epitomize two different visions about what America should be. I would like to point out, then, that the whole point of Route 66 – the legendary road Yamapi had his journey on – was to get to California. If anything, people used it to get out of Texas (which, like Oklahoma and Kansas, suffered from the Dust Bowl and other economic calamities). If it was “Ai California”, I’d be a bit happier, though I imagine I’d cringe every time I heard Yamapi try to pronounce “California”.
Sounds like Yamapi on-stage is a lot better than Yamapi on-DVD. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.
I totally agree on the point about Yuma-kun. It really should be up to him. I think he would be successful either way, so if he wants to be part of a group, the agency should just build a group around him as soon as possible and run with it. I think Yuma w/B.I.Shadow would have been fine and successful if they had let that happen, and I think Yuma w/(anyone else reasonably talented) would also be fine, especially if the group’s name doesn’t start with “Yuma w/”. The important thing is that the group should be formed soon, so fans can get some time to warm up to them before they debut. The group should also reflect Yuma-kun’s strong point – the fact that he can pull off a dark and dangerous image – which is what NYC is totally missing.
As always, thank you for your thoughts!
The Hey Say Jump sakura song is not a ballad 🙂 It it s a bit less energic than let’s say Super delicate,though because I can’t embed the video, here is an extract of the Yan Yan Jump, it’s only the chorus, but it gives a good idea of the song http://shirobiafeatyabu.tumblr.com/post/37405947339/yyj-121202-dreams-come-true-super#notes
Ah, well that’s certainly workable. Honestly though, it might be too lacking in energy – at least, if HSJ wants to maintain its particular musical niche in Johnny’s instead of blending in with other senpai. Hopefully, there’s a bit more excitement outside the chorus, but if this gives a good idea of the song, it doesn’t sound strong enough to get a listener’s attention as an A-side. Could work as a B-side, though.
Thanks for the link!