Shintaro's long goodbye
So, Shintaro Morimoto’s birthday has disappeared from Johnny’s website calendar. That’s usually as official as it gets...an idol has retired, or more likely, been retired. Showbiz is tough. With Johnny, there’s no announcement and no certainty. For a while you think “maybe it was a typo” or “soon they’ll come to their senses” or “the uprising of massive fan support will convince them of this huge mistake.” And then life goes on, because really, we know what has happened.
I feel like I’ve been saying goodbye to Shintaro all year. It’s hard to believe that less than a year ago, the 2011 calendars came out, including the most gorgeous picture of Shintaro I’ve ever seen. For weeks I kept it open on my desktop, thinking this was truly a moment in Johnny’s history to treasure. Which it was, but sadly it was just a moment. Shintaro was all over that calendar, but right after that, he started to fade away on Shonen Club, continuing to lead the younger Jr’s in a song or two for a while, but oddly singing to tracks recorded long ago. In the summer he reappeared with a new image, athletic and grown-up. It seemed so sudden, but that’s what happens with a 13 year old when you don’t see him much for six months.
A lot of people thought Shintaro would be forced to go because of what happened with Ryutaro. Some would say that’s the reason he’s disappearing today, but I don’t think so. Shintaro kept going, doing everything they wanted him to do, despite a shrinking profile. As I wrote in my SUMMARY review, it was shocking to see him as an almost unknown backdancer, but he showed up. He stayed in the magazines too, profiled by himself and with Juri, and recently it looked like he might join Hip Hop JUMP.
Actually, I think the most recent magazine profile is the biggest clue why Shin-chan seems to be leaving the stage. In December’s Myojo, as translated by juniority on livejournal’s jr_w0rld, he said “I’m the type that gets muscles easily...My stomach, it’s too ripped...Scary!!” For a lot of boys it’s a badge of honor, and maybe Shintaro might have thought so too. But how many Johnny’s boys have a 6 pack of muscles on their abdomen, at least so you can see? Johnny’s idols are the cute boys next door who never really grew up, not power-lifting supermen.
I think Shintaro was meant to be the chibi Jr. with the puppy-dog movie. It’s hard to keep that image when you’ve grown 20 cm, your voice is as deep as an adult’s, and your muscles are practically bulging through your shirt. No, it’s impossible to keep that image. Yuto almost got lost in the transition, Chinen got lucky and still hasn’t really had to change. Shintaro, sad to say, seems to be taking the more familiar route.
But Shin-chan, if you're leaving us, we will have a lot of good memories. Battery, the TV series. Koishite Akuma, the vampire boy, paired up again with Johnny's other favorite, Yuma Nakayama. All those posters and TV appearances. And the biggest times of them all, the star of Snow Prince, leading the Gasshouden, traveling halfway around the world for that movie premiere in the Alps. Shintaro, I always thought you were on the edge of greatness, but sometimes it just isn't meant to be. Johnny might not say it, but thanks for some great years that will not be forgotten.
I feel like I’ve been saying goodbye to Shintaro all year. It’s hard to believe that less than a year ago, the 2011 calendars came out, including the most gorgeous picture of Shintaro I’ve ever seen. For weeks I kept it open on my desktop, thinking this was truly a moment in Johnny’s history to treasure. Which it was, but sadly it was just a moment. Shintaro was all over that calendar, but right after that, he started to fade away on Shonen Club, continuing to lead the younger Jr’s in a song or two for a while, but oddly singing to tracks recorded long ago. In the summer he reappeared with a new image, athletic and grown-up. It seemed so sudden, but that’s what happens with a 13 year old when you don’t see him much for six months.
A lot of people thought Shintaro would be forced to go because of what happened with Ryutaro. Some would say that’s the reason he’s disappearing today, but I don’t think so. Shintaro kept going, doing everything they wanted him to do, despite a shrinking profile. As I wrote in my SUMMARY review, it was shocking to see him as an almost unknown backdancer, but he showed up. He stayed in the magazines too, profiled by himself and with Juri, and recently it looked like he might join Hip Hop JUMP.
Actually, I think the most recent magazine profile is the biggest clue why Shin-chan seems to be leaving the stage. In December’s Myojo, as translated by juniority on livejournal’s jr_w0rld, he said “I’m the type that gets muscles easily...My stomach, it’s too ripped...Scary!!” For a lot of boys it’s a badge of honor, and maybe Shintaro might have thought so too. But how many Johnny’s boys have a 6 pack of muscles on their abdomen, at least so you can see? Johnny’s idols are the cute boys next door who never really grew up, not power-lifting supermen.
I think Shintaro was meant to be the chibi Jr. with the puppy-dog movie. It’s hard to keep that image when you’ve grown 20 cm, your voice is as deep as an adult’s, and your muscles are practically bulging through your shirt. No, it’s impossible to keep that image. Yuto almost got lost in the transition, Chinen got lucky and still hasn’t really had to change. Shintaro, sad to say, seems to be taking the more familiar route.
But Shin-chan, if you're leaving us, we will have a lot of good memories. Battery, the TV series. Koishite Akuma, the vampire boy, paired up again with Johnny's other favorite, Yuma Nakayama. All those posters and TV appearances. And the biggest times of them all, the star of Snow Prince, leading the Gasshouden, traveling halfway around the world for that movie premiere in the Alps. Shintaro, I always thought you were on the edge of greatness, but sometimes it just isn't meant to be. Johnny might not say it, but thanks for some great years that will not be forgotten.