Falling for Johnny's WEST + Some Naniwa Zamurai screen caps
Man, It's been a while since i stan an idol group.
The first group i stan is Hey! Say! JUMP from 2010 to 2014 (?).. and along side Hey! Say! JUMP i was also active in the Johnny's Junior fandom.
Then on 2014, I stan EXO but just for a short time.. It was also that time when i started to like NCT (They were still SRB that time) but i didn't really stan them. Then on 2015,rather than stanning idol groups, I was more active into watching jdramas and korean variety shows..
on 2016 until the first half of 2020, I went on hiatus with fandom stuff because of college. I still know what was happening to all of my fandom but i just don't check them from time to time.
Then three weeks ago, I was just watching random subbed videos of random Johnny's groups. I was just downloading random subbed videos i found in the subbing communities i've joined here in lj. It was just Hey! Say! JUMP and SixTones at first then some Kanjani8, Johnny's WEST, Arashi, Kinpuri and Snowman.
But among all the videos I've watched, It was those two Kansai Johnny's groups videos that i enjoyed the most. I was expecting it already with Kanjani8 but to Johnny's WEST, It was during their debut when i started to stan EXO and become inactive with janizu fandom. So even though i knew them since they were still juniors, I realize, i don't have much knowledge about them. I don't know that this member can be like this and be like that..I felt like i discovered something new as I just recently found out what they are like.. and now.. what I've been doing all day is watch JUST VIDEOS OF THEM and i think, I'm falling in love.
I've watched Naniwa Zamurai- Hello Tokyo DVD just recently and it was like a time machine that brought me back to the time of their debut. I can still remember during Johnny's Countdown 2013-2014, when it was first announced that Johnny's WEST will debut but with only four members - Shige, Junta, Akito and Kotaki. As a fan of Johnny's Juniors, I was happy for them especially for the B.A.D duo and also, Shige and Kotaki were my favorite kansai juniors so it was nice to see that they will debut. But during that time i was also asking myself WHY??? WHY will they debut with only four members?!??! It's not fair for Hamachan and the other two from 7WEST. Many Kansai juniors have quit but those 3 remained and waited for their time. It was not fair! It was frustrating for the their fans and even more frustrating than the 7 of them. To debut after training for a long time is sure a great thing but to them It doesn't feel right to debut with only four members and in the Stage play - Naniwa Zamurai, they made a story about the struggles they faced around the time of their debut. It was also in that stage play where they first announce that they will debut with seven members.
Way back when it was announced to the public that they they will debut with 7 members, i was happy and also amazed that the four original members convinced Johnny san to put those three in the group. They did the right thing.
Watching them now, I can't imagine Johnny's WEST with only four members. It won't be as fun without those three.
Anyways, My fave parts in Naniwa Zamurai stage play is Ryusei and Kotaki's performance of the song "Vivid", ex-Johnny's juniors (now 7ORDER members - Yasui, Keigo, Myuto and Shoki) of "Fire Beat" and the funny skit part. After the stage play, I also like the part when they announced that they will debut as 7 members. It's been 6 years already but watching that part and listening to the shouts of the live audience after that announcement gave me chills.
After the announcement of 7 members and some performances, they did the part that i liked the most - the game part!!
In this part, they pretend that they are restaurant staff and they were thinking of some strategy on how to have more customers especially female customers. So they thought of a plan and that is to make girls fall with them (lol) and that's when the game started. The game is they have to think of a wedding proposal.. Inside a box, there are balls with their names written on it and the three names that will get to pick will participate in the game. It was Shige who picked the names. The first person that got picked is Yasui, then Shige picked his own name (lol) and the last is Kotaki.
So first, they asked Yasui to picked the person that will pretend to be his girlfriend and he choose Ryuuko (Ryusei)
That was very cool and cute. aaahh... i really miss Yasui now and all the members of 7ORDER. It was so sad when they quit Johnny's but it is also nice that they are still together and still working as a group. I like most of the members of 7ORDER and they really are great performers. I don't know what happened why did they quit but i guess it was really hard for them, working for so long and not giving a chance to debut.
Anyways, Back to the game...
Next participant is Shige and the person he choose to be his girlfriend is "Junko" (Junta).
I was really anticipating this because i like Shige and he's been stealing girls hearts with his daikyan smile and he's really good in dramas... But Shige is Shige and he always like to fool around xD also, Junta is such a great tsukkomi.
and then finally, It's Kotaki!! and he choose Ryuuko (again!) to be his girlfriend.
at first, Kotaki looks worried and shy.. but damn. He's so cute and good looking. He can caught someone's heart even if he's not saying anything. The girl who will he marry in the future will say "Yes" immediately even if he's still not proposing to her. (lol)
As expected everyone liked Kotaki's proposal. Of course after the Stage play where Kotaki and ryusei had many bromance scenes and then this proposal, everyone feel giddy. I was laughing my ass off with Shige's smiley face while looking at the two of them and his comment after that. hahaha.
The audience will decide the winner and it is the person who will get the loudest clap.. Of course, the winner is.....
Of course, Shige had say something about that. lol
also, Kotaki was only 17 years old during that time and again, Shige had to say something about that.
Ironically, after one year.. Johnny's WEST released their fourth single "Bari Hapi" and in the PV, Shige married Kotaki XD
lol