"Japanese Boy Idol Dream Factory" Janis pioneered the era of idols in Japan and even Asia, and has now gone through half a century, creating a combination of countless dreams of young boys and girls. Among them, in addition to the national group SMAP, which is well known to Chinese audiences, there are also popular idol groups such as J-FRIENDS (a limited group composed of TOKIO, V6, and Kinki Kids), "Golden Generation" and "Little Three Groups". In recent years, it has withdrawn from the group due to scandals, suspended the group, disbanded, etc., which has brought a great impact to fans. With the death of Johnny Hitagawa and Mary Hitagawa, there are many concerns about the future development of The Janis Studio. Some people choose to leave Janis to stand on their own, and some people choose to stay and inherit Grandpa Xi's legacy. What kind of waves have these veteran popular groups that have been active for many years experienced?
TOKYO
TOKIO made his CD debut with the single LOVE YOU ONLY in September 1994. Just two months later, he performed at nippon budokan. Every year, he was a regular member of the "Kohaku Uta Gassen" at the end of the year, but after member Tatsuya Yamaguchi left the company in 2018 due to a scandal, his music activities were virtually dormant. In 2021, Shigeru Jojima, Taichi Kokubun and Masahiro Matsuoka established TOKIO Co., Ltd. as an affiliate of the Johnny's Group, and Tomoya Nagase left johnny's office.
TOKIO debuted in September 1994 with the single "LOVE YOU ONLY" CD. Just two months later, a performance was held at the Budokan in Japan and was a regular visitor to the annual "Red and White Song Festival", but after member Tatsuya Yamaguchi quit the group due to scandal in 2018, the actual musical activity was in a state of suspension. In 2021, Shigeru Shiroshima, Taiichi Kunita, and Masahiro Matsuoka established ToKIO Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Janis, and Tomomo Nagase also withdrew from the Janis office.
V6
The V6 made his CD debut on "MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE" on November 1, 1995. On March 12, 2019, V6 announced that it will be dissolved on the 26th anniversary of its CD debut on November 1. The group reported on the official website of johnny's office that "discussions were repeated by only six people many times". For the 25th anniversary of his debut, he has continued to work with masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano, Yoshihiko Inohara, Tsuyoshi Morita, Ken Miyake and Junichi Okada.
V6, which debuted on The PEOPLE CD on November 1, 1995, announced on March 12 this year that it would be disbanded on November 1, the 26th anniversary of the CD's debut. The group published the results and report of "6 people discussing many times" on the official website of Janis & Associates. Since its 25th anniversary, the group has been based on six people, namely Masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano, Kohihiko Inohara, Tsuyoshi Morita, Ken Miyake, and Junichi Okada.
KinKi Kids
KinKi Kids (Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto) are now in their 25th year of debut. His debut single, "The Boy of Glass," was released on July 21, 1997. It reached no. 1 on the Oricon chart for the first time and eventually sold about 1.8 million copies. All 43 singles continue to record the first place until "Amp/Pair" released on this year's debut anniversary. On the way, tsuyoshi's illness rest was held, but there was no combination farewell, and if it counted from the entrance, it was a stable activity for 30 years. Kinki's fans are envious of other Johnny's group fans who tend to be plagued by dissolution, suspension of activities, and leaving the squad.
KinKi Kids (Koichi Domoto) is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The debut single "Glass Boy" was released on July 21, 1997. It debuted at number one on the oricon credit list and eventually sold 1.8 million copies. Up to the release of "アン/ペア" released on this year's debut anniversary, a total of 43 singles have won the first place, maintaining an unprecedented record. During this period, although Domoto had just recuperated from illness, he was not separated from his partner, and they had been in a stable state of activity for 30 years since they joined the club. In the eyes of fans of other Janis groups who are often troubled by dissolution, suspension of activities, and members leaving the group, KinKi Kids' fans are enviable.
Lan
Lan
Formed in 1999 after a debut press conference in Hawaii. Arashi stopped group activities at the end of last year. It is yet to be determined when the activity will resume, but sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazuya Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto, who are not Satoshi Ohno, continue to play an active role as variety, actors, and MC, and they frequently reveal their interactions with the members on each other's programs, delighting fans.
Arashi held a debut press conference in Hawaii in 1999 and formed a group. At the end of last year, Arashi stopped group activities. It is still uncertain when the event will be restarted, but in addition to Tomoyuki Ono, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazuya Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto continue to be active in the fields of variety shows, actors, and hosts, and will frequently talk to members in each other's shows, which makes fans very happy.
Tacky & Wing
Taki and wing
Tacky & Tsubasa debuted on September 11, 2002 with their album Hatachi. On September 10, 2018, 2016, 16 years after his CD debut, it was announced that Tsubasa Imai had left johnny's office after dissolution of Tacky & Tsubasa, and Hideaki Takizawa also retired from performing arts activities and went to the back of johnny's office. Hideaki Takizawa is currently the president of Johnny's Island, a Johnny's company that produces Johnny's Jr., and expectations are high for his management skills.
Taki and Wing debuted on September 11, 2002 on the album Hatachi. On September 10, 2018, 16 years after CD's debut, Taki and Wing disbanded, Imai Wing withdrew from the Janis Office, and Hideaki Takizawa also announced his withdrawal from acting activities and transferred to the behind-the-scenes work of the Janis Office. Hideaki Takizawa is now the president of Johnny's Island, a subsidiary of Janis that trains newcomers, and his management skills are highly anticipated.
Kanjani ∞
Off 8
The current members are Tadayoshi Okura, Ryuhei Maruyama, Shingo Murakami, Akihiro Yasuda, and Yutaka Yokoyama. At the time of their debut, it was a group of eight people with Shibuya Subaru, Nishikido Ryo, and Uchi Hiroki in their homes. However, in 2005, he was inactive due to underage drinking, and later left the group, and now he is active solo. Since then, seven people have been active, but Shibuya left the group in 2018 and left Johnny's. After the dome tour to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his group debut in 2019, Nishikido left the group and left Johnny's.
The current members of Seki 8 are Tadayoshi Okura, Takahira Maruyama, Shingo Murakami, Akira Yasuda, and Hiroshi Yokoyama. At the time of his debut, it was an 8-member group with shibuya, Ryo Nishikido, and Hiroshi Uchiha. However, in 2005, BoGui was suspended from acting due to underage drinking, and then quit the group and now goes solo. After that, Sekihachi continued his activities in the form of 7 people, and in 2018 Shibuya took out of the group and Janis. After the 2019 15th Anniversary Dome tour of the group's debut, Ryo Nishikido withdrew from the group and Janis.
NEWS
NEWS was originally a group of nine. Member Takahiro Moriuchi left in 2003 and is currently active as a vocalist for the popular band "ONE OK ROCK". Hiroki Kusano and Hiroki Uchi both left in 2006 for underage drinking. Tomohisa Yamashita and Ryo Nishikido, who are "Yamapi", also left the group in 2011. Tekoshi joined this, and the current members are keiichiro Koyama, Takahisa Masuda, and Shigeaki Kato.
NEWS was originally a 9-player duo. Member Takahiro Moriuchi quit in 2003 and is now active as the lead singer of the popular band ONE OK ROCK. Both Hiroki Kusano and Takashi Uchihiro quit in 2006 due to underage drinking. Tomohisa Yamashita and Ryo Nishikido also left the group in 2011. In addition, Tetsukoshi Yu also withdrew from the society, and the only members left now are Keiichiro Koyama, Takahisa Masuda, and Nario Kato.
KAT-TUN
When they made their CD debut in 2006, they formed together Kazuya Kamenashi, Hitoshi Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Sei Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda and Yuichi Nakamaru. It is a group with the image of "bad" and "glitter" while the individual individuality of the members and our strong, while the conventional idol image was mainly honor student. Akanishi left in 2010, Tanaka in 2013, and Taguchi left in 2016. After a 1 year and 8 months of "charging period" (inactive) with the remaining three people, it restarted at Johnny's Countdown Live on January 1, 2018.
When he debuted on CD in 2006, he consisted of Kazuya Kameari, Ren Akashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Seiyoshi Tanaka, Ryuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. From the beginning of the formation, the personalities of the members are very strong, and contrary to the previous idol images, which are mainly excellent students, it is a combination of "bad" and "dazzling" images. Hitoshi Akanishi, Seiyuki Tanaka, and Junnosuke Taguchi withdrew in 2010, 2013, and 2016, respectively. The remaining 3 people resumed their activities again at the Janis New Year's Eve Concert on January 1, 2018 after a "charging period" of 1 year and 8 months (the event was suspended).
The "Yuan Janis" who abandoned the title of Janis and explored a new path
Subaru Shibuya quits her idol and is doing music in earnest, so it's no surprise that you won't be watching it on TV. It is a miscalculation that live activities cannot be done as the new Corona ravages think, but there are a certain number of core fans, there is a reserve, and there is no trouble in life. On May 8, 2019, she announced her marriage to a general woman.
Shibuya quit his job as an idol and officially engaged in musical activities, so naturally he will no longer see him on TV. He did not expect to be unable to perform live performances as he wished due to the new crown epidemic, but he has a certain number of core fans, and he also has a certain amount of savings, and there is no difficulty in life. On May 8 of this year, he announced his marriage to an ordinary woman.
Yuya Tekoshi left Johnny's in June last year and made his YouTuber debut. The number of subscribers has already reached 1.7 million, and collaborations with other popular Youtubers have been actively involved, steadily increasing the number of views. In addition, he posted it on the Chinese video site "bilibili", and in March this year, he opened an account on the Chinese version of Twitter "Weibo", making the most of the internet. In addition, he is also active as a businessman, producing hair removal salons himself.
In June last year, Yusuke Tetsukoshi also debuted as a YouTuber after retiring from Janis. His account has now reached 1.7 million followers, and his partnerships with other popular YouTubers are also active, and the number of views is also growing smoothly. Moreover, he has also made the most of the Internet, contributing to the Chinese video website "bilibili", opening an account on the Chinese version of Twitter "Weibo" in March this year, and so on. In addition, he also worked as an "industrialist" and founded his own hair removal salon.
Jin Akanishi left the company in February 2014 and started his music activities as a member of his own label. His solo music activities have been on track, and his popularity is high not only in Japan but also overseas, and in 2015 he became the first Japanese to receive two awards, the Asian Popular Artist Award and the Music Grand Prize of the Year, at the award ceremony "Aiki Gei Ying no Yoya" held in Beijing, China.
Akashi quit the club in February 2014, founded his own record label, and started a music campaign. Solo's musical activities are on track, and their popularity is high at home and abroad. At the awards ceremony "iQIYI Scream Night" held in Beijing, China in 2015, he became the first Japanese to win two awards: the Asian Popular Artist Award and the Music of the Year Award.
Sei Tanaka, who was also KAT-TUN, and Junnosuke Taguchi were also arrested in drug cases, so they have not been able to show their success on TV after leaving the company.
Seiji Tanaka and Junnosuke Taguchi, who were also KAT-TUN, were arrested for drug abuse and were no longer active on television after quitting.
In September 2019, Nishikido began his musical activities as soon as he left Johnny's. Because of this sense of speed, it is thought that Akanishi became a "advisor". And, the activity under the name of "N/A" is done in parallel with Akanishi. He launched his own label, NOMAD RECORDS, and toured the country in November 2012, before the new Corona Riots broke out.
Ryo Nishikido began his musical activities immediately after quitting Janis in September 2019. Judging from this speed, it should be to find Akanishi Ren as a "consultant". He founded his own record label , NOMAD RECORDS , which toured the nation in November of the year before the pandemic. At the same time, he and Akashihito are also engaged in activities under the name of the "N/A" group.
Tomohisa Yamashita appeared in Hulu's original drama "THE HEAD" from June 2020 when he belonged to Johnny's, and took a step forward in expanding overseas. Immediately after leaving, he has become an ambassador for Bvlgari and Dior. In 2022, the Hollywood movie The Man From Toronto will be released and wowow and Hollywood's joint production drama TOKYO VICE will be aired.
While in Janis, Yamashita starred in the June 2020 Hulu original TV series "Polar Assassination", a step towards overseas expansion. After retiring from the society, he immediately became an ambassador for Bulgari and Dior. In 2022, the Hollywood movie "The Man from Toronto" and the TV series "Tokyo Sin" co-produced by WOWOW and Hollywood will be released soon.
Tomoya Nagase disappeared from the front stage. Nagase opened Instagram in April. Touring on a motorcycle with friends, enjoying fishing, playing the guitar and talking, private appearances are released one after another.
Nagase also disappeared from the stage. He opened an Instagram account in April and began sharing his private life with friends on motorcycles, fishing, and playing guitar.
"There are two main types of quitting Jani: "Do what I want to do" or "do what the fans want". It is the latter that can continue performing arts for a long time, and so are Toshihiko Tahara and Kazumi Morohoshi of Genji Motomitsu. They both have a strong service spirit and know what they're looking for, so the core fans don't leave for a long time. Whether the former Shibuya, Nishikido, and Yama-P can remain popular in the future. Can they abandon Johnny's title and continue to shine on a new stage? I want to pay attention to future activities." Entertainment writer Elizabeth Matsumoto says so.
Acting writer Elizabeth Matsumoto said: "There are roughly two types of artists who leave Janis. 'Do what you want' and 'Do what your fans ask'. It is the latter who can continue to perform performing arts activities for a long time, such as Mr. Toshihiko Tahara and The Stars and Himself of Maemi hikari GENJI. Both are very service-minded and know what they are being asked for, so they have always been inseparable from the core fans. Will Shibuya, Kindo, and Yamap, which are the former, remain popular in the future? Abandoning the title of Janis, can they continue to shine on the new stage? I am looking forward to their future activities. ”
The successors of the "Janis doctrine" that inherited mr. Johnny Kitagawa's legacy
Some of the talents who have long belonged to Johnny's Office have moved to pass on Johnny's ism to their juniors. Hideaki Takizawa, who has stopped talent activities and is dedicated to nurturing juniors, is the first.
It can be seen that among the artists who have long been affiliated with Janis, there is a trend to pass on the "Janis doctrine" to the younger generations. Hideaki Takizawa, who stopped his acting activities and concentrated on cultivating his juniors, was the first of them.
Tadayoshi Okura and Yutaka Yokoyama of sekijani ∞ are starting to train Kansai Johnny's Jr.
Tadao Ōkura and Hiroshi Yokoyama of Seki 8 began to cultivate Kansai Janis Jr.
Koichi Domoto has taken over the production of the stage "DREAM BOYS" directed by Janie, and Tsuyoshi Domoto makes songs that remind him of Janney.
Koichi Domoto inherited the stage play "DREAM BOYS" directed by Mr. Johnny Kitagawa, and Tsuyoshi Domoto produced music in memory of Mr. Joyny Kitagawa.
After Janney's death, the movement to inherit Johnny's ism is accelerating.
After the death of Mr. Johnny Kitagawa, the succession to the "Janis Doctrine" is accelerating.
In the past, the popular composition of Janis was human, which can be said to be the tears of the times, but the gathering and dispersion of idol groups seems to be a very normal thing in the entertainment circle that is constantly changing. Even if the path they choose changes, the love and emotion they have brought to their fans will not change. The active Janis idols will continue to sparkle on stage, and the artists who leave Janis will continue to grow and move on to the next stage.
With the development of online media, artists have more and more channels to show themselves and communicate with fans, and various social media have also provided a stage for artists. Recently, the Janis firm has also undergone great changes - the release of online portrait rights for artists, the opening of group ins, YouTube accounts, etc. The space for artists to move is getting bigger and bigger, and there are more and more ways for fans to contact idols through the Internet. It can be said that in order for Janis as a culture to take root in the present era, Janis is in a period of reform.
Looking forward to the ever-changing Janis, I also hope that all the artists who leave Janis can have their own wonderful lives.