Kansai Johnny's Jr Summer Con Report
Show: Kansai Johnny's Jr Summer Special Performance "TOUGH WEEDS + SHOW TIME"
Location: Shochikuza Theatre, Osaka
Date: 8th August, 2009
Time: 13:00
On Saturday, I was lucky enough to go and see the Kansai Juniors perform their current summer-long show in the super small Shochikuza Theatre in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. The show consisted of the play "TOUGH WEEDS", written by Kanjani 8's Yokoyama You, and a SHOW TIME segment, which showcased many of the Kansai Juniors groups and individuals, and their original songs, as well as other Johnny's songs by groups such as Arashi and NYC Boys/ Nakayama Yuma w/ B.I Shadow. The primary Kansai Juniors to star in the show were:
* BAD (Nakama Junta and Kiriyama Akito)
* BOYS (Nakata Daichi and Hamada Takahiro)
* VETERAN (Hamanaka Bunichi, Ito Masahi, Kikuoka Masahiro, Muro Tatsuki, Muro Ryuta, Yamasaki Kunta)
* Hey! Say! 7 WEST (Shigeoka Daiki, Kamiyama Tomohiro, Fujii Ryusei, Takemoto Shinpei, Shingaki Yuuto, Kotaki Nozomu)
* Little Gangs
* Others like Senzaki, Muro Masaya, and all the Kansai Johnny's Juniors (in other words, the chibi kids)
Unlike shows such as PLAYZONE, where the complete first half of the show is the play, then the complete second half is the SHOW TIME, the Kansai Juniors show began with several concert-style songs, which led into the start of the play. After half time, the play continued, then the show finished with a large SHOW TIME section. Our show began at 1pm, and didn't finish until nearly 4pm!
We sat in the fourth row of the second floor of the theatre, on the far right side. Sitting next to me were Daichi fans (like myself) which was cool. I saw alot of people with the new pink Jr penlights, and a few people, randomly, with Ebikisu concert bags (to which the lady next to me remarked "What do they think they're doing bringing THOSE bags here?" Lol. Anyway, Shochikuza is a very small theatre, ence, even if you sit on the 2nd or 3rd floors, you really don't feel that far from the stage. Before going to the show, I read in some Japanese blogs that certain members of BAD and BOYS would actually appear on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the venue at some stage. What I did not know was that this would happen right at the very beginning. But more on that later!
The concert began with the curtains down, and several Kansai Juniors speaking into a microphone, excitedly welcoming people. I think only about 3 of them spoke, and I know one of them was definitely Hey! Say! 7 WEST's Shigeoka. Then, the lights went on and the stage lit up and bam!
The first song of the day was none other than the volleyball support unit NYC BOYS’ song "NYC", which was performed by Hey! Say! 7 WEST. I sang along, and the whole crowd did the hand actions. By the way, I have to mention that I really like Hey! Say! 7 WEST, even though the only one I pay attention to is really Shigeoka. But they are all really sweet and have some good songs. The stage had a pretty sparkly sign that came down from the ceiling, saying "Kansai Johnny's Junior" or something like that. Next song was "Ume 強引 on" by BAD, BOYS, Veterans and HS7 WEST, a new song that made its first appearance at the Kansai Juniors Ume Cons, and also on this year’s Shounen Club in Osaka episode. With this song, BAD and BOYS made their entrance, and where should they enter from, but the second and third floors of the theatre! BAD occupied the second floor (Akito on the left-hand side, Junta on the right), while BOYS occupied the third (with Daichi on the left-hand side and Hamada on the right). I told you that we were sitting second floor, on the far right-hand side, right? So, we got to be super close to Junta, who was ever so adorable! Whilst everyone on our floor was naturally super excited and surprised to see the boys up close, Sara (the girl who I was lucky enough to see the show with) was especially excited, because she is a massive Junta fan! In fact, seeing Junta was the main reason she got tickets to the show in the first place! Junta was too sweet, he waved at us, read Sara’s uchiwa and gave her peace signs! Meanwhile, I was looking up at the floor above, and the awesome Hama-chan was looking down at me, waving! I immediately felt so happy, because Hama-chan is just one of those hilarious and adorable characters who makes you feel better in an instant! When Hama-chan and I finished waving at each other, I looked back at Junta, and I threw him a few peace signs. He saw me and he sat on the edge of the balcony and gave me a peace sign back! Of course, I have to mention how gorgeous Akito and Daichi were too, on the other side. Akito was insane and full of energy as usual, Daichi was super cool and looking so sexy.
Once the song finished, BAD and BOYS went back out the doors, and down to the first floor to join the rest of the Kansai Juniors on the stage. Everyone was welcoming the audience to the show, waving and cheering. As soon as we noticed that Akito was closest to our side, he was waving exaggeratedly in our direction. We didn’t even think they would be able to see us from the stage, but as I said, the theatre is small and because the seats slant upwards (and we both probably stuck out like sore thumbs), I guess they could. Akito waited for us to wave back, then shot us another stunning grin. At this stage I think both of us could have totally died and gone to heaven. I know my heart was racing crazily!
So BAD, BOYS, Veteran and HS7 WEST sang two more songs together (somewhere in there, “Aoi Kisetsu” from the Yuma w/B.I. Shadow/ NYC Boys single made an appearance), then the stage was left totally to HS7 WEST again, and they sang their song "Dial Up". (Of course it’s actually not officially their song anymore, but it used to be, and I've always liked WEST’s version since I saw it at Uchi's concerts). It was very funky, a cool dance and everything. Then, they sang "Why Did You Go" "Akuma na Koi" (For those who don’t know, another song that was originally WEST’s, when Yuma was with them. The lyrics and title are different, but again, I have memories of seeing Yuma and WEST performing it when it was their own new song, and they’ll always stay with me.) The stage was very pretty, and they were on some kind of rotating/rising platform. Again, everyone was singing along. Having WEST perform these last two songs gave the main cast of the play time to get ready for their performance of TOUGH WEEDS.
And so the play we’d been heavily anticipating began with a voiceover from Yokoyama You of Kanjani 8.
Many people mightn't be aware, but Yoko wrote EDIT: created the idea for the script and contributed (haha, I wrote that he wrote the whole thing but paaaaan gave me the heads up that he had assistance, which makes more sense considering he would have been busy with The Quiz Show etc), and I think he did an outstanding job. TOUGH WEEDS tells the story of a bunch of deliquent boys in a juvenile detention centre/prison and is not only highly entertaining, but extremely moving. Each boy has a different personality, ranging from scary, to paranoid, to cute, to outgoing. The boys, while living with each other, create friendships and share with each other their goals for the future, once allowed back into society. . However great their aspirations may be though, the boys are constantly trodden on, beaten and abused by the guards of the centre, who never cease to remind them that they are failures, and who have no problems using violence whenever the boys act up or retaliate against the abuse they receive. Only one guard, unlike the rest, befriends the boys, and wants to protect them. One day, when several of the guards beat one boy to death, the others decide, in memory of their friend, to escape from the center and deliver a letter to his mother. But can they escape? And do they survive?
The Main Characters:
* RYUJI (BAD’s Kiriyama Akito) (likes soccer, very energetic and funny)
* SHUN (BAD’s Nakama Junta) (cool, talented at martial arts, has a younger brother called Satoshi)
* TOSHIRO (BOYS’ Hamada Takahiro) (kind of dorky and adorable, gets chosen to be the group’s leader)
* TYSON (Veteran’s Hamanaka Bunichi) (a boxer, brooding and scary, always ready for a fight)
* KARASU (Veteran’s Ito Masashi) (good with words, a talented liar therefore untrustworthy)
* KEPPEKI (Veteran’s Kikuoka Masahiro) (afraid of germs and constantly cleaning)
* REN (Veteran’s Muro Tatsuki) (Nori’s brother, comedic, they are called the Combini Brothers)
* NORI (Veteran’s Muro Ryuta) (Ren’s brother, and I think they earned the nickname "Combini Kyoudai" because they robbed a convenience store?? Anyway they are pickpockets)
* KUZUTETSU (Veteran’s Yamasaki Kunta) (collects scraps of metal, totally excitable and adorable if anything to do with metal is mentioned)
*SAKUMA (BOYS’ Nakata Daichi) (a guard, who, unlike the others, refrains from being violent towards the boys, tries to look out for them andbefriends them)
Senzaki and a whole lot of the others also play the roles of guards (but Daichi's is different to all the other guards, and his role is bigger). Then there are other inmates in other wards, played by some of the WEST members and such. There are also a bunch of boys who play Shun's younger brother and his friends.
ACT ONE
The first scene takes place in the centre. Already there are Toshiro, Shun, Ren, Nori, Karasu and Kuzutetsu. All the inmates in cell Z have to wear orange jumpsuits, and each person wears theirs slightly differently, reflecting their individual personalities and style. The outfits all have large inmate numbers written on one leg. Ryuji and Keppeki , newcomers, are brought to the cell by guards and Ryuji is quick to introduce himself to the others, very energetically. He jokingly introduces himself as Kimura Takuya from SMAP. Nobody finds this funny and they mostly ignore him. Keppeki, meanwhile, isn’t liking being in such an unclean place, and keep dusting himself, and the seats, whenever he has a chance. Tyson is then brought into the cell by another of the guards (Senzaki), who is extremely frightened of him, and runs away nervously. Ryuji’s attempts to make conversation with the other boys don’t go very well. He tries to tell the others that they’ll feel better while in the centre if they laugh and smile. Toshiro comes forward, and, by himself, attempts to laugh, rather goofily. The boys ask him what he is doing, and he replies that he is attempting to laugh, because Ryuji said he should. So Ryuji joins in, and they both stand in the middle of the boys, laughing to themselves, while the others look on in disbelief. Throughout the scene, the members and their personalities are all introduced. Most memorable for me were Ryuji, Shun and Tyson (played by Bun-chan, who looked incredibly different with his hair tied back, in a tank top displaying his back and arms.)
The next scene takes place in the cafeteria at mealtime. Everyone, including other inmates (in blue outfits) is there to receive food, but Ryuji is surprised that none of them are lining up properly. He calls them up on it, and this starts a fight between all of them, involving the other groups of boys too. The guards swarm in and try to break up the fighting, eventually dragging away Ryuji and Shun from the others, and putting them into cells.
The third scene is between Ryuji and Shun in the cells. There, they get to know each other, and talk about why they are in there, and what they want to do when they get out. Shun tells Ryuji that he only has one month left before he will be released. He really misses his brother Satoshi, and his brother misses him too. The spotlight turns to a group of little boys walking along, who are Satoshi’s peers. Satoshi is walking behind them, thinking of his brother.
Ryuji and Shun rejoin the boys from Z-cell. Toshiro gives Kuzutetsu, who likes to collect metal, a metal chain as a present. Kuzutetsu’s reason for collecting metal pieces is so he’ll one day become rich, and hearing this prompts Ryuji to ask all of the boys what their dreams for the future are, once they are released. At first, they don't say anything, and Ryuji is shocked. He runs to the gates of the cell and screams at the guards to let him out, alarmed that he is stuck inside with a group of boys who have no hopes for the future. He urges them to tell him what they want to do, and eventually they open up and share their dreams with one another. Toshiro wants to look after his mother and make life easier for her, since he has already caused her so much grief. Shun wants to live with his brother, get a job, and allow his brother to study at a good school. Keppeki will inherit his parent’s company. Tyson wants to return to boxing, and if he can’t be a pro boxer, he wants to be a trainer. Next, Ren is asked, but he doesn’t answer the question clearly, instead mumbling and appearing slightly embarrassed about telling the truth. None of the boys can distinguish his answer, until his brother Nori comes forth and says that the pair of them want to become bakers and open a cake shop, to which everyone laughs because it is far too cute of a dream to match their tough, delinquent image. Karasu, when asked, replies he doesn’t really know what his dream for the future is. The others suggest that, because of his way with words (he is a skilled talker and liar), he should work on TV as a telephone-shopping promoter. Lastly, Ryuji, who has brought a soccer ball into the centre, tells the others that he wants to play soccer once he is released.
Now thinking more positively about their futures, Toshiro makes the suggestion that the group meet up again on the outside, once they’ve all been released. He says that they should gather on the hill near the centre, and show each other how far they’ve come with achieving their dreams. Because of Toshiro’s suggestion, the boys decide to appoint him as their group leader. Toshiro is really chuffed. He promises to be a good leader for them all. Filled with inspiration now, the boys begin to sing (yes, there are several moments of singing in this play), however, suddenly a guard and the boss of the guards barge into the cell. They tell the boys to shut up, that they shouldn’t get so excited and positive about their futures because none of them will have one. They yell at the boys, telling them that they are simply worthless, stains on society, and that they’ll go nowhere. The boys don’t take this well at all, and retaliate against the guards. The guards begin to beat them with sticks. Sakuma (the nice guard) rushes in, and tells the mean guards to back off a little, and leave the boys alone. He stands up for the boys in cell Z, taking their side.
The next scene is where Shun is writing a letter to Satoshi, telling him that he will be out of the centre soon, and they will finally be able to meet each other again. There is a cut to the walkway by the stage, where Satoshi and his group of friends are walking. Satoshi is reading the letter from Shun, and is really happy. His friends ask where his brother is, and he tells them that his brother is overseas, studying. But one of Satoshi’s friends tells him to stop lying. He says he overheard from his mum that Shun is in a juvenile lock-up. The boys, unimpressed, all walk off, leaving Satoshi alone.
The boys of cell Z decide to celebrate Shun’s coming release from the centre. The “combini brothers” (the nickname for Nori and Ren) bake some hotcakes and everyone has a taste. Suddenly, Sakuma comes in and demands to see what they are doing. The combini brothers hide the hotcakes, but Sakuma finds them anyway. But, to everyone’s surprise, he takes a bite, and actually enjoys it and lets them off the hook.
Suddenly the boys bring out two brightly colored boxes. Kind of like improvisation, the play stops momentarily and the cast have to do various scenarios, which I’m guessing change each day. A situation, and a person’s name are drawn out of the boxes. At our show, they had to do a scenario where two people are walking along and one accidentally crashes into the other. The person who crashes has to act out how they would avoid getting in trouble when the other person is angry. I can’t actually remember who was made to do the scenarios, but the first person, after crashing, pretended to be sending a mail on their phone and not noticing that they’d crashed into someone. The second person pretended not to even notice the guy they’d crashed into, and yell out to people in the opposite direction. It was really funny, the way they broke up the play with this.
Anyway the play continues, back in the cell, where the guards come in to do a pat down of the inmates and check that they don’t have anything forbidden with them. One of the guards, when checking Shun, finds that he has a packet of cigarettes in the pocket of his uniform. Because cigarettes are not allowed, they say that they’ll punish Shun. Shun denies that he knows anything about the cigarettes. The other boys are all aware that Shun is so close to being released from the centre, and so Toshiro, being the leader and feeling that he should take responsibility, comes forward and claims to the guards that the cigarettes aren’t Shun’s, but his. He says that he accidentally put them in Shun’s uniform pocket, thinking it was his uniform. Shun tells Toshiro not to cover for him, but Toshiro yells at Shun, telling him that he is so close to leaving, and getting in trouble now would mean he couldn’t go back to Satoshi. Toshiro insists on taking the blame. The guards don’t believe Toshiro, but take him away from the room anyway. Toshiro insists to the others that he is the leader and will take whatever punishment comes to him.
Toshiro is taken by the guards to a cell by himself. They beat him, kicking, punching and hitting. They tell him to own up and tell the truth about the cigarettes. Toshiro refuses to. Every time he refuses, they beat him more. But even with all the vicious beatings, Toshiro doesn’t give in. He tells the guards that it doesn’t hurt him, he is their leader, after all, and leaders are strong. So the guards have enough of that, and stop questioning him, but continue to beat him even harder. When the guards finally leave, the others from cell Z come to visit him. They bring him food and treats, Ryuji brings him a smile, and so on. The boys tell him to hang in there, and that they are proud of him as their leader. When the boys leave, the guards suddenly return though, and aren’t happy with what they see. They start beating Toshiro AGAIN, while he tries to collect all the gifts his friends brought him. By now, he is struggling to breathe, fallen to the floor, crying and in so much pain. Because of the vicious beatings, Toshiro is close to death. He wonders, as he takes his last breaths, if he was able to be a good leader for the group or not.
The following scene takes place back in cell Z. The boys are sitting around, wondering about Toshiro, when the guards walk in, and announce to them that Toshiro has passed away. They are all shocked, and then extremely furious, and none of them can contain their feelings. They retaliate and yell at the guards. Sakuma feels that he is responsible, because he didn’t step in and take action against the violence. He says that he will investigate the cause of Toshiro’s death, but everyone tells him that it won’t do any good, because it won’t bring Toshiro back.
Shun is unable to cope, feeling that it was his fault for letting Toshiro take the blame, and hence being beaten to death. The boys sit in their room, crying, yelling and in utter disbelief. They yell at Sakuma to leave. Ryuji then finds a letter that Toshiro had written to his mother. He decides, as one last effort for Toshiro, to find a way to escape from the centre and give the letter to Toshiro’s mum. One by one, the other boys agree to help, until everyone is decided that they’ll all escape together.
ACT TWO
The boys decide to put their escape plan in action, and are each given roles to perform. Kuzutetsu is to use his knowledge of metal to pick the cell locks, Karasu is to use his speaking skills to fool the guards and give them false information about the whereabouts of the other boys. The combini brothers have to collect all the items needed for the escape, while Ryuji and Tyson are on look out for the guards. Keppeki has to get blueprints.
Finally, the time comes for the boys to make their attempt to escape. They split off into groups, the first being Shun, Keppeki and the brothers, the other being Tyson, Ryuji, Kuzutetsu and Karasu. The second group attempts to leave but gets caught by a whole group of guards, however the door to the cell is open and they make a run for it. All, except for Tyson. He stays to fight off the guards, telling them to bring it on. Suddenly, though, Tyson is outnumbered, that is, until one of the boys from another cell (played by WEST’s Shigeoka) appears and helps him fight.
Meanwhile, the other group is also attempting to escape, and gets surrounded by guards again. Suddenly, Ren and Nori, from behind one of the guards, steal his gun, with their “combini attack” (totally hilarious). The guards are shocked at this, unaware that the boys completely crept up on them (the comedy was in the fact that the brothers did this silly kind of dance, and weren’t exactly quick about stealing the gun). Though next, the brothers get caught by the guards and can’t escape. However, one of the guards tells the others that he’ll handle the situation, and tells them to go off and find the other group of boys, so they leave. It then turns out that the guard remaining with the brothers is not actually a guard, but one of the other inmates.
The remaining boys gather, but then when they see more guards, Karasu decides to step in and fool the guards, telling them that he knows the boys’ plan, and that is that they’ll leave through one of the gates (which, in fact, is a lie, because they plan to leave through a different gate). Karasu fools the guards, allowing the others to escape to the West gate.
Finally, the boys make it to the West gate. All they need to do now is open the gate, and they’ll be free. The gate is locked, however the boys realize that if Ryuji can aim his soccer ball correctly, he can use it to hit the button that will open the gate. The pressure is on Ryuji, and he sets up the soccer ball in preparation for the kick. He kicks it (the ball actually disappears into a special hole that opens up in the stage) and the gates open. However, just as the boys go to make their escape, the two violent guards approach them from the other side of the gate. “You didn’t think you could fool us that easily, did you?” they say, as they hold out their guns. The boys are basically trapped, and the guards aim their guns at Ryuji, who is unable to move. Just as it looks like Ryuji will get shot, Kuzutetsu jumps in front of the bullet, and tragically, gets hit. Kuzutetsu falls to the ground, and the other boys are in shock. Just then, Sakuma appears, also with a gun, however, instead of aiming for the boys, he shoots the other guards. The fighting finally ceases.
One Year Later…
The final scene takes place by the sea, where Sakuma is laying flowers on Toshiro’s memorial grave. The boys are gathered, having all been released from the centre. They appear to have all made steps towards achieving their dreams. Karasu has become a TV personality, thanks to his work as a telephone shopping representative. Nori and Ren, in baker’s outfits, have realized their dream of opening a cake shop. Tyson, who has red boxing gloves around his neck, has returned to boxing and is awaiting results of a competition. Shun has been reunited with his brother, and both he and Ryuji are living enjoyable lives now. Keppeki, who was once afraid of germs, appears in totally messy clothes. It seems that his parent’s company went bankrupt, but he doesn’t mind. Suddenly, someone in a flashy suit shows up and joins the others. Kuzutetsu, who has become successful in the iron industry. He shows the others the metal chain that Toshiro gave him, and explains that the bullet from the guard’s gun actually got stopped by one of the links in the chain, and therefore didn’t kill him. He says that Toshiro protected him until the end. While it appears that Keppeki’s family’s business became bankrupt, Kuzutetsu promises to give him a job at his ironworks company. The boys, and Sakuma, all reminisce and remember Toshiro. Ryuji exclaims to Toshiro that they kept their promise of meeting up, and the boys all hope that Toshiro is looking down on them from heaven. The play ends with the voice of Yokoyama You again, explaining that these tough weeds, no matter what tough times they faced, continued to survive and go forth towards their own futures.
For the closing of the play, Toshiro rose back up from behind the grave and the cast gathered together to applaud each other and the audience.
Now, for my own thoughts and reflections. It truly was an amazing play, and writing this report was very difficult because I honestly kept getting emotional, particularly when writing about the scenes where Toshiro is being beaten, and eventually dies. Almost everyone in the venue had tears in their eyes, including myself. Hama-chan’s acting was extremely sincere and realistic. The final scene of the play was also very moving, and really tugged at everybody’s heartstrings. The messages of friendship and teamwork, standing up for yourself and achieving your goals, really came through very strongly. The main cast of BAD, BOYS and Veteran did a really outstanding job. Nobody’s acting was too over the top. Each character was portrayed in only a way that could have been done by each actor. The roles were very suited to each cast member, and really, the script showcased what fine talent the Kansai Juniors possess, of which even I was surprised. The supporting cast also did a brilliant job, and peppered the play with humor. I am so proud of EVERYONE, and so thankful to Yoko EDIT: and the writers, directors and so on, for creating such a sensational work. Seeing this show made me think that Yoko (and everyone who put the work together) is very intelligent and clever. I think anyone who sees the play would be able to relate to it and feel the emotions with the characters, and I truly don’t think my recount of the story has done it any justice.
And now, to SHOW TIME.
SHOW TIME consisted of 16 songs, broken up by a conto (skit) performed by “Muro San Kyodai” (the three Muro brothers, Tatsuki, Ryuta and Masaya), as well as an MC by BAD, BOYS, Veteran and WEST. Songs performed were, in this order:
BLOW OUT
ジゴロイズム
Back in time
昨日の月が見える頃
CHANCE
I-ZA-NA-I-ZU-KI
Love Criminal
アメフリーレインボー
5W1H
-Muro Brothers Skit-
Beautiful未来
-MC-
愛してる愛してない
No Control
Everything
新曲 (okay so this means "New Song"... I don't know the name of it, and the blog I referenced for the setlist didn't either...)
エスパー
I can catch the moon
-Member Introduction-
-Curtain Call and final thank yous-
To be honest, I can't remember which groups sang what songs (but if you are curious, go look at some blogs!!) but...
* Love Criminal is Junta's solo song, while 5W1H is Akito's. You can see those performances on the most recent SC in Osaka.
* Senzaki sang I-ZA-NA-I-ZU-KI, and it was gorgeous. Before he sang it, they announced that they wanted to show a "cool" side of the Kansai Juniors. Senzaki was singing on a dark stage, spotlight on him, and I think he may have been on a platform. However, just as he started singing, the music stopped, and all the lights in the house went on! Everyone teased Senzaki, until he begged to be able to keep singing, and then the lights went back down, and he continued with the song!
* There were quite a few songs and dances done by the chibi juniors (Little Gangs and below)... they wore typical Johnny's costumes... bright, oversized shirts, vests, and so on. There are some really adorable little juniors, such as Kusumoto Yukito, whose mass of curly hair makes him totally identifiable from the audience.
* The Muro Sankyoudai skit was too funny. The three brothers stood on the hanamichi (walkway) and introduced themselves, then did a cooking show skit, where they were making miso soup. They pretended to be going through the list of neccesary ingredients, but then suddenly realised they were missing "negi" (spring onion)... but then Ryuta pointed to Tatsuki (the oldest brother, who is tall and lanky, and could be said to resemble a spring onion) and said "its okay, here we have some spring onion" and Tatsuki pretended to be a spring onion. Next, they realised they didn't have any tofu. But again, Ryuta pointed out that Tatsuki is like tofu (>.> err... something like that) and so on. It was a really short skit, and I suck at explaining it, but it was funny. The most adorable part was the way the three brothers interacted with each other. They kinda got a bit giggly and embarrased at one stage, before proceeding with the skit.
* The MC.... BAD, BOYS, Veteran and WEST were spread out across the entire stage. They talked about freaky experiences such as seeing ghosts or reflections in mirrors or windows, Hama chan being too scared to be in his own room at a hotel and needing Daichi to keep him company, somebody (I think it might have been WEST's Takemoto) going to Akito's room and using 2 whole boxes of tissues, Yuma and co coming to Osaka for the Womens Volleyball, and WEST joining them, and thus getting to talk heaps with Yuma (awww....), Shigeoka meeting B.I Shadow for the first time and saying that they were all really nice, Akito and Junta being in Gokusen (Akito asked the crowd if they'd watched it yet, and somebody noticed that all the people who didn't put their hands up were trying not to look at Akito!!), HamaDai's DRAMADA-J performance and talk of who is next up after their story finishes, so on and so forth. Somewhere in there, one of the boys from WEST told everyone that he'd been practicing how to do some acrobatic move, which he then went on to show everyone... (it might have been Takemoto again?) At any rate, the MC was pretty good (although the boys all talked so quickly, and of course in Kansai-ben, so I couldn't catch it all...) The primary speakers were, as you'd expect, Akito, Daichi (who got really pissed off at one stage because the fangirls in the first row kept calling out stuff to him), Hamada and WEST. Veteran didn't say much (but I enjoyed seeing Bun-chan there anyway...)
* Everything (which is Arashi's song)... it was really nice.
* The last song, I can catch the moon, was so sweet. Everyone was on this rotating stage (the stage was actually really cool, throughout the entire play and the SHOW TIME, it would move up and down, change shapes, etc etc) and the spotlight would focus on different members, and it was just a really pretty song.
I have to mention the costumes too. BAD and BOYS seemed to wear their usual costumes (again, look to the most recent SC in Osaka for examples), and I have to say I really like the designs. Alot of the Kansai Juniors have nice outfits, but particularly BAD. Their final outfit, especially Akito's, was super cool.
One by one, after the SHOW TIME, the groups and their members were introduced. And then, after final thankyous from each group, they said goodbye, and the concert finished. I have to say, I wanted to scream and make far much more noise at this concert than I did, and that was partly because the audience was kinda quiet the entire time... so different from larger concerts. There was no "encore" chanting or anything either. Anyway it was a darn cool show and I really had so much fun seeing the Kansai Juniors do their thing. I think it is excellent that they get this summer to showcase their talent. I seriously wish we could see them more, but on the other hand, it makes it more special when you don't get to see them all the time on SC and stuff, and then you finally get to see them live.
So in summary, a totally fun show, great performances all round, and nothing but smiles left on the faces of the performers and the audience!
Location: Shochikuza Theatre, Osaka
Date: 8th August, 2009
Time: 13:00
On Saturday, I was lucky enough to go and see the Kansai Juniors perform their current summer-long show in the super small Shochikuza Theatre in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. The show consisted of the play "TOUGH WEEDS", written by Kanjani 8's Yokoyama You, and a SHOW TIME segment, which showcased many of the Kansai Juniors groups and individuals, and their original songs, as well as other Johnny's songs by groups such as Arashi and NYC Boys/ Nakayama Yuma w/ B.I Shadow. The primary Kansai Juniors to star in the show were:
* BAD (Nakama Junta and Kiriyama Akito)
* BOYS (Nakata Daichi and Hamada Takahiro)
* VETERAN (Hamanaka Bunichi, Ito Masahi, Kikuoka Masahiro, Muro Tatsuki, Muro Ryuta, Yamasaki Kunta)
* Hey! Say! 7 WEST (Shigeoka Daiki, Kamiyama Tomohiro, Fujii Ryusei, Takemoto Shinpei, Shingaki Yuuto, Kotaki Nozomu)
* Little Gangs
* Others like Senzaki, Muro Masaya, and all the Kansai Johnny's Juniors (in other words, the chibi kids)
Unlike shows such as PLAYZONE, where the complete first half of the show is the play, then the complete second half is the SHOW TIME, the Kansai Juniors show began with several concert-style songs, which led into the start of the play. After half time, the play continued, then the show finished with a large SHOW TIME section. Our show began at 1pm, and didn't finish until nearly 4pm!
We sat in the fourth row of the second floor of the theatre, on the far right side. Sitting next to me were Daichi fans (like myself) which was cool. I saw alot of people with the new pink Jr penlights, and a few people, randomly, with Ebikisu concert bags (to which the lady next to me remarked "What do they think they're doing bringing THOSE bags here?" Lol. Anyway, Shochikuza is a very small theatre, ence, even if you sit on the 2nd or 3rd floors, you really don't feel that far from the stage. Before going to the show, I read in some Japanese blogs that certain members of BAD and BOYS would actually appear on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the venue at some stage. What I did not know was that this would happen right at the very beginning. But more on that later!
The concert began with the curtains down, and several Kansai Juniors speaking into a microphone, excitedly welcoming people. I think only about 3 of them spoke, and I know one of them was definitely Hey! Say! 7 WEST's Shigeoka. Then, the lights went on and the stage lit up and bam!
The first song of the day was none other than the volleyball support unit NYC BOYS’ song "NYC", which was performed by Hey! Say! 7 WEST. I sang along, and the whole crowd did the hand actions. By the way, I have to mention that I really like Hey! Say! 7 WEST, even though the only one I pay attention to is really Shigeoka. But they are all really sweet and have some good songs. The stage had a pretty sparkly sign that came down from the ceiling, saying "Kansai Johnny's Junior" or something like that. Next song was "Ume 強引 on" by BAD, BOYS, Veterans and HS7 WEST, a new song that made its first appearance at the Kansai Juniors Ume Cons, and also on this year’s Shounen Club in Osaka episode. With this song, BAD and BOYS made their entrance, and where should they enter from, but the second and third floors of the theatre! BAD occupied the second floor (Akito on the left-hand side, Junta on the right), while BOYS occupied the third (with Daichi on the left-hand side and Hamada on the right). I told you that we were sitting second floor, on the far right-hand side, right? So, we got to be super close to Junta, who was ever so adorable! Whilst everyone on our floor was naturally super excited and surprised to see the boys up close, Sara (the girl who I was lucky enough to see the show with) was especially excited, because she is a massive Junta fan! In fact, seeing Junta was the main reason she got tickets to the show in the first place! Junta was too sweet, he waved at us, read Sara’s uchiwa and gave her peace signs! Meanwhile, I was looking up at the floor above, and the awesome Hama-chan was looking down at me, waving! I immediately felt so happy, because Hama-chan is just one of those hilarious and adorable characters who makes you feel better in an instant! When Hama-chan and I finished waving at each other, I looked back at Junta, and I threw him a few peace signs. He saw me and he sat on the edge of the balcony and gave me a peace sign back! Of course, I have to mention how gorgeous Akito and Daichi were too, on the other side. Akito was insane and full of energy as usual, Daichi was super cool and looking so sexy.
Once the song finished, BAD and BOYS went back out the doors, and down to the first floor to join the rest of the Kansai Juniors on the stage. Everyone was welcoming the audience to the show, waving and cheering. As soon as we noticed that Akito was closest to our side, he was waving exaggeratedly in our direction. We didn’t even think they would be able to see us from the stage, but as I said, the theatre is small and because the seats slant upwards (and we both probably stuck out like sore thumbs), I guess they could. Akito waited for us to wave back, then shot us another stunning grin. At this stage I think both of us could have totally died and gone to heaven. I know my heart was racing crazily!
So BAD, BOYS, Veteran and HS7 WEST sang two more songs together (somewhere in there, “Aoi Kisetsu” from the Yuma w/B.I. Shadow/ NYC Boys single made an appearance), then the stage was left totally to HS7 WEST again, and they sang their song "Dial Up". (Of course it’s actually not officially their song anymore, but it used to be, and I've always liked WEST’s version since I saw it at Uchi's concerts). It was very funky, a cool dance and everything. Then, they sang "Why Did You Go" "Akuma na Koi" (For those who don’t know, another song that was originally WEST’s, when Yuma was with them. The lyrics and title are different, but again, I have memories of seeing Yuma and WEST performing it when it was their own new song, and they’ll always stay with me.) The stage was very pretty, and they were on some kind of rotating/rising platform. Again, everyone was singing along. Having WEST perform these last two songs gave the main cast of the play time to get ready for their performance of TOUGH WEEDS.
And so the play we’d been heavily anticipating began with a voiceover from Yokoyama You of Kanjani 8.
Many people mightn't be aware, but Yoko wrote EDIT: created the idea for the script and contributed (haha, I wrote that he wrote the whole thing but paaaaan gave me the heads up that he had assistance, which makes more sense considering he would have been busy with The Quiz Show etc), and I think he did an outstanding job. TOUGH WEEDS tells the story of a bunch of deliquent boys in a juvenile detention centre/prison and is not only highly entertaining, but extremely moving. Each boy has a different personality, ranging from scary, to paranoid, to cute, to outgoing. The boys, while living with each other, create friendships and share with each other their goals for the future, once allowed back into society. . However great their aspirations may be though, the boys are constantly trodden on, beaten and abused by the guards of the centre, who never cease to remind them that they are failures, and who have no problems using violence whenever the boys act up or retaliate against the abuse they receive. Only one guard, unlike the rest, befriends the boys, and wants to protect them. One day, when several of the guards beat one boy to death, the others decide, in memory of their friend, to escape from the center and deliver a letter to his mother. But can they escape? And do they survive?
The Main Characters:
* RYUJI (BAD’s Kiriyama Akito) (likes soccer, very energetic and funny)
* SHUN (BAD’s Nakama Junta) (cool, talented at martial arts, has a younger brother called Satoshi)
* TOSHIRO (BOYS’ Hamada Takahiro) (kind of dorky and adorable, gets chosen to be the group’s leader)
* TYSON (Veteran’s Hamanaka Bunichi) (a boxer, brooding and scary, always ready for a fight)
* KARASU (Veteran’s Ito Masashi) (good with words, a talented liar therefore untrustworthy)
* KEPPEKI (Veteran’s Kikuoka Masahiro) (afraid of germs and constantly cleaning)
* REN (Veteran’s Muro Tatsuki) (Nori’s brother, comedic, they are called the Combini Brothers)
* NORI (Veteran’s Muro Ryuta) (Ren’s brother, and I think they earned the nickname "Combini Kyoudai" because they robbed a convenience store?? Anyway they are pickpockets)
* KUZUTETSU (Veteran’s Yamasaki Kunta) (collects scraps of metal, totally excitable and adorable if anything to do with metal is mentioned)
*SAKUMA (BOYS’ Nakata Daichi) (a guard, who, unlike the others, refrains from being violent towards the boys, tries to look out for them andbefriends them)
Senzaki and a whole lot of the others also play the roles of guards (but Daichi's is different to all the other guards, and his role is bigger). Then there are other inmates in other wards, played by some of the WEST members and such. There are also a bunch of boys who play Shun's younger brother and his friends.
ACT ONE
The first scene takes place in the centre. Already there are Toshiro, Shun, Ren, Nori, Karasu and Kuzutetsu. All the inmates in cell Z have to wear orange jumpsuits, and each person wears theirs slightly differently, reflecting their individual personalities and style. The outfits all have large inmate numbers written on one leg. Ryuji and Keppeki , newcomers, are brought to the cell by guards and Ryuji is quick to introduce himself to the others, very energetically. He jokingly introduces himself as Kimura Takuya from SMAP. Nobody finds this funny and they mostly ignore him. Keppeki, meanwhile, isn’t liking being in such an unclean place, and keep dusting himself, and the seats, whenever he has a chance. Tyson is then brought into the cell by another of the guards (Senzaki), who is extremely frightened of him, and runs away nervously. Ryuji’s attempts to make conversation with the other boys don’t go very well. He tries to tell the others that they’ll feel better while in the centre if they laugh and smile. Toshiro comes forward, and, by himself, attempts to laugh, rather goofily. The boys ask him what he is doing, and he replies that he is attempting to laugh, because Ryuji said he should. So Ryuji joins in, and they both stand in the middle of the boys, laughing to themselves, while the others look on in disbelief. Throughout the scene, the members and their personalities are all introduced. Most memorable for me were Ryuji, Shun and Tyson (played by Bun-chan, who looked incredibly different with his hair tied back, in a tank top displaying his back and arms.)
The next scene takes place in the cafeteria at mealtime. Everyone, including other inmates (in blue outfits) is there to receive food, but Ryuji is surprised that none of them are lining up properly. He calls them up on it, and this starts a fight between all of them, involving the other groups of boys too. The guards swarm in and try to break up the fighting, eventually dragging away Ryuji and Shun from the others, and putting them into cells.
The third scene is between Ryuji and Shun in the cells. There, they get to know each other, and talk about why they are in there, and what they want to do when they get out. Shun tells Ryuji that he only has one month left before he will be released. He really misses his brother Satoshi, and his brother misses him too. The spotlight turns to a group of little boys walking along, who are Satoshi’s peers. Satoshi is walking behind them, thinking of his brother.
Ryuji and Shun rejoin the boys from Z-cell. Toshiro gives Kuzutetsu, who likes to collect metal, a metal chain as a present. Kuzutetsu’s reason for collecting metal pieces is so he’ll one day become rich, and hearing this prompts Ryuji to ask all of the boys what their dreams for the future are, once they are released. At first, they don't say anything, and Ryuji is shocked. He runs to the gates of the cell and screams at the guards to let him out, alarmed that he is stuck inside with a group of boys who have no hopes for the future. He urges them to tell him what they want to do, and eventually they open up and share their dreams with one another. Toshiro wants to look after his mother and make life easier for her, since he has already caused her so much grief. Shun wants to live with his brother, get a job, and allow his brother to study at a good school. Keppeki will inherit his parent’s company. Tyson wants to return to boxing, and if he can’t be a pro boxer, he wants to be a trainer. Next, Ren is asked, but he doesn’t answer the question clearly, instead mumbling and appearing slightly embarrassed about telling the truth. None of the boys can distinguish his answer, until his brother Nori comes forth and says that the pair of them want to become bakers and open a cake shop, to which everyone laughs because it is far too cute of a dream to match their tough, delinquent image. Karasu, when asked, replies he doesn’t really know what his dream for the future is. The others suggest that, because of his way with words (he is a skilled talker and liar), he should work on TV as a telephone-shopping promoter. Lastly, Ryuji, who has brought a soccer ball into the centre, tells the others that he wants to play soccer once he is released.
Now thinking more positively about their futures, Toshiro makes the suggestion that the group meet up again on the outside, once they’ve all been released. He says that they should gather on the hill near the centre, and show each other how far they’ve come with achieving their dreams. Because of Toshiro’s suggestion, the boys decide to appoint him as their group leader. Toshiro is really chuffed. He promises to be a good leader for them all. Filled with inspiration now, the boys begin to sing (yes, there are several moments of singing in this play), however, suddenly a guard and the boss of the guards barge into the cell. They tell the boys to shut up, that they shouldn’t get so excited and positive about their futures because none of them will have one. They yell at the boys, telling them that they are simply worthless, stains on society, and that they’ll go nowhere. The boys don’t take this well at all, and retaliate against the guards. The guards begin to beat them with sticks. Sakuma (the nice guard) rushes in, and tells the mean guards to back off a little, and leave the boys alone. He stands up for the boys in cell Z, taking their side.
The next scene is where Shun is writing a letter to Satoshi, telling him that he will be out of the centre soon, and they will finally be able to meet each other again. There is a cut to the walkway by the stage, where Satoshi and his group of friends are walking. Satoshi is reading the letter from Shun, and is really happy. His friends ask where his brother is, and he tells them that his brother is overseas, studying. But one of Satoshi’s friends tells him to stop lying. He says he overheard from his mum that Shun is in a juvenile lock-up. The boys, unimpressed, all walk off, leaving Satoshi alone.
The boys of cell Z decide to celebrate Shun’s coming release from the centre. The “combini brothers” (the nickname for Nori and Ren) bake some hotcakes and everyone has a taste. Suddenly, Sakuma comes in and demands to see what they are doing. The combini brothers hide the hotcakes, but Sakuma finds them anyway. But, to everyone’s surprise, he takes a bite, and actually enjoys it and lets them off the hook.
Suddenly the boys bring out two brightly colored boxes. Kind of like improvisation, the play stops momentarily and the cast have to do various scenarios, which I’m guessing change each day. A situation, and a person’s name are drawn out of the boxes. At our show, they had to do a scenario where two people are walking along and one accidentally crashes into the other. The person who crashes has to act out how they would avoid getting in trouble when the other person is angry. I can’t actually remember who was made to do the scenarios, but the first person, after crashing, pretended to be sending a mail on their phone and not noticing that they’d crashed into someone. The second person pretended not to even notice the guy they’d crashed into, and yell out to people in the opposite direction. It was really funny, the way they broke up the play with this.
Anyway the play continues, back in the cell, where the guards come in to do a pat down of the inmates and check that they don’t have anything forbidden with them. One of the guards, when checking Shun, finds that he has a packet of cigarettes in the pocket of his uniform. Because cigarettes are not allowed, they say that they’ll punish Shun. Shun denies that he knows anything about the cigarettes. The other boys are all aware that Shun is so close to being released from the centre, and so Toshiro, being the leader and feeling that he should take responsibility, comes forward and claims to the guards that the cigarettes aren’t Shun’s, but his. He says that he accidentally put them in Shun’s uniform pocket, thinking it was his uniform. Shun tells Toshiro not to cover for him, but Toshiro yells at Shun, telling him that he is so close to leaving, and getting in trouble now would mean he couldn’t go back to Satoshi. Toshiro insists on taking the blame. The guards don’t believe Toshiro, but take him away from the room anyway. Toshiro insists to the others that he is the leader and will take whatever punishment comes to him.
Toshiro is taken by the guards to a cell by himself. They beat him, kicking, punching and hitting. They tell him to own up and tell the truth about the cigarettes. Toshiro refuses to. Every time he refuses, they beat him more. But even with all the vicious beatings, Toshiro doesn’t give in. He tells the guards that it doesn’t hurt him, he is their leader, after all, and leaders are strong. So the guards have enough of that, and stop questioning him, but continue to beat him even harder. When the guards finally leave, the others from cell Z come to visit him. They bring him food and treats, Ryuji brings him a smile, and so on. The boys tell him to hang in there, and that they are proud of him as their leader. When the boys leave, the guards suddenly return though, and aren’t happy with what they see. They start beating Toshiro AGAIN, while he tries to collect all the gifts his friends brought him. By now, he is struggling to breathe, fallen to the floor, crying and in so much pain. Because of the vicious beatings, Toshiro is close to death. He wonders, as he takes his last breaths, if he was able to be a good leader for the group or not.
The following scene takes place back in cell Z. The boys are sitting around, wondering about Toshiro, when the guards walk in, and announce to them that Toshiro has passed away. They are all shocked, and then extremely furious, and none of them can contain their feelings. They retaliate and yell at the guards. Sakuma feels that he is responsible, because he didn’t step in and take action against the violence. He says that he will investigate the cause of Toshiro’s death, but everyone tells him that it won’t do any good, because it won’t bring Toshiro back.
Shun is unable to cope, feeling that it was his fault for letting Toshiro take the blame, and hence being beaten to death. The boys sit in their room, crying, yelling and in utter disbelief. They yell at Sakuma to leave. Ryuji then finds a letter that Toshiro had written to his mother. He decides, as one last effort for Toshiro, to find a way to escape from the centre and give the letter to Toshiro’s mum. One by one, the other boys agree to help, until everyone is decided that they’ll all escape together.
ACT TWO
The boys decide to put their escape plan in action, and are each given roles to perform. Kuzutetsu is to use his knowledge of metal to pick the cell locks, Karasu is to use his speaking skills to fool the guards and give them false information about the whereabouts of the other boys. The combini brothers have to collect all the items needed for the escape, while Ryuji and Tyson are on look out for the guards. Keppeki has to get blueprints.
Finally, the time comes for the boys to make their attempt to escape. They split off into groups, the first being Shun, Keppeki and the brothers, the other being Tyson, Ryuji, Kuzutetsu and Karasu. The second group attempts to leave but gets caught by a whole group of guards, however the door to the cell is open and they make a run for it. All, except for Tyson. He stays to fight off the guards, telling them to bring it on. Suddenly, though, Tyson is outnumbered, that is, until one of the boys from another cell (played by WEST’s Shigeoka) appears and helps him fight.
Meanwhile, the other group is also attempting to escape, and gets surrounded by guards again. Suddenly, Ren and Nori, from behind one of the guards, steal his gun, with their “combini attack” (totally hilarious). The guards are shocked at this, unaware that the boys completely crept up on them (the comedy was in the fact that the brothers did this silly kind of dance, and weren’t exactly quick about stealing the gun). Though next, the brothers get caught by the guards and can’t escape. However, one of the guards tells the others that he’ll handle the situation, and tells them to go off and find the other group of boys, so they leave. It then turns out that the guard remaining with the brothers is not actually a guard, but one of the other inmates.
The remaining boys gather, but then when they see more guards, Karasu decides to step in and fool the guards, telling them that he knows the boys’ plan, and that is that they’ll leave through one of the gates (which, in fact, is a lie, because they plan to leave through a different gate). Karasu fools the guards, allowing the others to escape to the West gate.
Finally, the boys make it to the West gate. All they need to do now is open the gate, and they’ll be free. The gate is locked, however the boys realize that if Ryuji can aim his soccer ball correctly, he can use it to hit the button that will open the gate. The pressure is on Ryuji, and he sets up the soccer ball in preparation for the kick. He kicks it (the ball actually disappears into a special hole that opens up in the stage) and the gates open. However, just as the boys go to make their escape, the two violent guards approach them from the other side of the gate. “You didn’t think you could fool us that easily, did you?” they say, as they hold out their guns. The boys are basically trapped, and the guards aim their guns at Ryuji, who is unable to move. Just as it looks like Ryuji will get shot, Kuzutetsu jumps in front of the bullet, and tragically, gets hit. Kuzutetsu falls to the ground, and the other boys are in shock. Just then, Sakuma appears, also with a gun, however, instead of aiming for the boys, he shoots the other guards. The fighting finally ceases.
One Year Later…
The final scene takes place by the sea, where Sakuma is laying flowers on Toshiro’s memorial grave. The boys are gathered, having all been released from the centre. They appear to have all made steps towards achieving their dreams. Karasu has become a TV personality, thanks to his work as a telephone shopping representative. Nori and Ren, in baker’s outfits, have realized their dream of opening a cake shop. Tyson, who has red boxing gloves around his neck, has returned to boxing and is awaiting results of a competition. Shun has been reunited with his brother, and both he and Ryuji are living enjoyable lives now. Keppeki, who was once afraid of germs, appears in totally messy clothes. It seems that his parent’s company went bankrupt, but he doesn’t mind. Suddenly, someone in a flashy suit shows up and joins the others. Kuzutetsu, who has become successful in the iron industry. He shows the others the metal chain that Toshiro gave him, and explains that the bullet from the guard’s gun actually got stopped by one of the links in the chain, and therefore didn’t kill him. He says that Toshiro protected him until the end. While it appears that Keppeki’s family’s business became bankrupt, Kuzutetsu promises to give him a job at his ironworks company. The boys, and Sakuma, all reminisce and remember Toshiro. Ryuji exclaims to Toshiro that they kept their promise of meeting up, and the boys all hope that Toshiro is looking down on them from heaven. The play ends with the voice of Yokoyama You again, explaining that these tough weeds, no matter what tough times they faced, continued to survive and go forth towards their own futures.
For the closing of the play, Toshiro rose back up from behind the grave and the cast gathered together to applaud each other and the audience.
Now, for my own thoughts and reflections. It truly was an amazing play, and writing this report was very difficult because I honestly kept getting emotional, particularly when writing about the scenes where Toshiro is being beaten, and eventually dies. Almost everyone in the venue had tears in their eyes, including myself. Hama-chan’s acting was extremely sincere and realistic. The final scene of the play was also very moving, and really tugged at everybody’s heartstrings. The messages of friendship and teamwork, standing up for yourself and achieving your goals, really came through very strongly. The main cast of BAD, BOYS and Veteran did a really outstanding job. Nobody’s acting was too over the top. Each character was portrayed in only a way that could have been done by each actor. The roles were very suited to each cast member, and really, the script showcased what fine talent the Kansai Juniors possess, of which even I was surprised. The supporting cast also did a brilliant job, and peppered the play with humor. I am so proud of EVERYONE, and so thankful to Yoko EDIT: and the writers, directors and so on, for creating such a sensational work. Seeing this show made me think that Yoko (and everyone who put the work together) is very intelligent and clever. I think anyone who sees the play would be able to relate to it and feel the emotions with the characters, and I truly don’t think my recount of the story has done it any justice.
And now, to SHOW TIME.
SHOW TIME consisted of 16 songs, broken up by a conto (skit) performed by “Muro San Kyodai” (the three Muro brothers, Tatsuki, Ryuta and Masaya), as well as an MC by BAD, BOYS, Veteran and WEST. Songs performed were, in this order:
BLOW OUT
ジゴロイズム
Back in time
昨日の月が見える頃
CHANCE
I-ZA-NA-I-ZU-KI
Love Criminal
アメフリーレインボー
5W1H
-Muro Brothers Skit-
Beautiful未来
-MC-
愛してる愛してない
No Control
Everything
新曲 (okay so this means "New Song"... I don't know the name of it, and the blog I referenced for the setlist didn't either...)
エスパー
I can catch the moon
-Member Introduction-
-Curtain Call and final thank yous-
To be honest, I can't remember which groups sang what songs (but if you are curious, go look at some blogs!!) but...
* Love Criminal is Junta's solo song, while 5W1H is Akito's. You can see those performances on the most recent SC in Osaka.
* Senzaki sang I-ZA-NA-I-ZU-KI, and it was gorgeous. Before he sang it, they announced that they wanted to show a "cool" side of the Kansai Juniors. Senzaki was singing on a dark stage, spotlight on him, and I think he may have been on a platform. However, just as he started singing, the music stopped, and all the lights in the house went on! Everyone teased Senzaki, until he begged to be able to keep singing, and then the lights went back down, and he continued with the song!
* There were quite a few songs and dances done by the chibi juniors (Little Gangs and below)... they wore typical Johnny's costumes... bright, oversized shirts, vests, and so on. There are some really adorable little juniors, such as Kusumoto Yukito, whose mass of curly hair makes him totally identifiable from the audience.
* The Muro Sankyoudai skit was too funny. The three brothers stood on the hanamichi (walkway) and introduced themselves, then did a cooking show skit, where they were making miso soup. They pretended to be going through the list of neccesary ingredients, but then suddenly realised they were missing "negi" (spring onion)... but then Ryuta pointed to Tatsuki (the oldest brother, who is tall and lanky, and could be said to resemble a spring onion) and said "its okay, here we have some spring onion" and Tatsuki pretended to be a spring onion. Next, they realised they didn't have any tofu. But again, Ryuta pointed out that Tatsuki is like tofu (>.> err... something like that) and so on. It was a really short skit, and I suck at explaining it, but it was funny. The most adorable part was the way the three brothers interacted with each other. They kinda got a bit giggly and embarrased at one stage, before proceeding with the skit.
* The MC.... BAD, BOYS, Veteran and WEST were spread out across the entire stage. They talked about freaky experiences such as seeing ghosts or reflections in mirrors or windows, Hama chan being too scared to be in his own room at a hotel and needing Daichi to keep him company, somebody (I think it might have been WEST's Takemoto) going to Akito's room and using 2 whole boxes of tissues, Yuma and co coming to Osaka for the Womens Volleyball, and WEST joining them, and thus getting to talk heaps with Yuma (awww....), Shigeoka meeting B.I Shadow for the first time and saying that they were all really nice, Akito and Junta being in Gokusen (Akito asked the crowd if they'd watched it yet, and somebody noticed that all the people who didn't put their hands up were trying not to look at Akito!!), HamaDai's DRAMADA-J performance and talk of who is next up after their story finishes, so on and so forth. Somewhere in there, one of the boys from WEST told everyone that he'd been practicing how to do some acrobatic move, which he then went on to show everyone... (it might have been Takemoto again?) At any rate, the MC was pretty good (although the boys all talked so quickly, and of course in Kansai-ben, so I couldn't catch it all...) The primary speakers were, as you'd expect, Akito, Daichi (who got really pissed off at one stage because the fangirls in the first row kept calling out stuff to him), Hamada and WEST. Veteran didn't say much (but I enjoyed seeing Bun-chan there anyway...)
* Everything (which is Arashi's song)... it was really nice.
* The last song, I can catch the moon, was so sweet. Everyone was on this rotating stage (the stage was actually really cool, throughout the entire play and the SHOW TIME, it would move up and down, change shapes, etc etc) and the spotlight would focus on different members, and it was just a really pretty song.
I have to mention the costumes too. BAD and BOYS seemed to wear their usual costumes (again, look to the most recent SC in Osaka for examples), and I have to say I really like the designs. Alot of the Kansai Juniors have nice outfits, but particularly BAD. Their final outfit, especially Akito's, was super cool.
One by one, after the SHOW TIME, the groups and their members were introduced. And then, after final thankyous from each group, they said goodbye, and the concert finished. I have to say, I wanted to scream and make far much more noise at this concert than I did, and that was partly because the audience was kinda quiet the entire time... so different from larger concerts. There was no "encore" chanting or anything either. Anyway it was a darn cool show and I really had so much fun seeing the Kansai Juniors do their thing. I think it is excellent that they get this summer to showcase their talent. I seriously wish we could see them more, but on the other hand, it makes it more special when you don't get to see them all the time on SC and stuff, and then you finally get to see them live.
So in summary, a totally fun show, great performances all round, and nothing but smiles left on the faces of the performers and the audience!