NEWS: Masuda Takahisa
* Name: Masuda Takahisa (増田貴久)
* Nickname: Massu (used by bandmates), Taka (called by family), Macchan (Elementary school)
* Birthday: 1986.07.04
* Zodiac sign: Cancer
* Blood Type: O
* Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
* Siblings: Older sister (by 2 years)
* Height: 171cm
* Weight: ~64kg
* Band colour: Yellow
Childhood
Masuda Takahisa was born in the summer of 1986, an impressive for Japan 3.8 kilo baby. Massus's name "Takahisa" was decided by fortune-telling. Apparently based on his surname his name had to have 2 kanji with 12 and 3 strokes so his parents decided on "Takahisa" which has the meaning of ”continuously precious”.
A face that never changes.
Like Tegoshi Massu was also very pleased with himself from an early age. Ha was a very lively and mischievous kid. Thanks to his parents he grew to love all sorts of sports: skiing, skating, rollerblading - a skill which came in handy later when he joined Johnnys. His father also taught him how to ride a bicycle and he was really into it. But Massu's favourite sport was swimming. He learned to swim when he was 3 and has been doing it ever since.
Massu says he was a noisy child and was often scolded by teachers but in elementary he had perfect attendance. At that time Massu was taking part in many competitions and sports festivals. Soccer, basketball, softball, swimming, relay - he says he liked everything but wasn't outstanding in any. He also did cheerleading. But academically he wasn't very good. He says his favourite subjects at school were lunch and PE. After finishing High School he wondered if he should try to go to college but he was told his grades weren't good enough so he gave up on it.
Massu has an older sister but they don't seem to be close as she takes no interest in his work. He said she doesn't come to concerts and probably doesn't even know the members' names.
Entering JE and NEWS
Massu never thought of being a star but his fate was decided by a stranger. Apparently in Japan if you have an annoying little brother you can solve that problem by sending his application to Johnnys. When Massu was about 10, his sister's friend decided it was a good idea to send an application on his behalf so without telling him she sent his profile and picture to the agency. He was called to an audition and at first he was reluctant to go but there he was made to dance and he ended up liking it so when he was accepted he continued to come to practices on weekends.
Unlike Tegoshi Massu was in no big hurry to debut. He genuinely enjoyed dancing and it didn't really matter if he wasn't in the spotlight. But basically he was the one who joined JE earlier than other members and yet it took awhile before he was able to hold a microphone and seeing other juniors forming groups and acting in dramas made him feel a little sad. However, in 2001 Massu was casted in a popular school drama "3nen Bgumi Kinpachi Sensei" and once while he was filming he was stopped in a corridor by some gentlemen who later turned out to be TV producers and he was casted in a historical drama "Musashi". They weren't big roles but things were definitely looking up.
A 15-year old middle schooler Masuda as a 15-year old middle schooler Nagasawa.
Though Massu had a nice voice it wasn't until Tegoshi appeared that he was able to sing on stage. Apparently Johnny himself heard him sing and decided that his voice will match well with Tegoshi's. Which it really does.
Since 2003 the two of them began to sing together on TV shows and other groups' concerts and in September 2003 they became a part of NEWS. But since initially NEWS was meant to be a temporary unit after a month of touring with the volleyball team, everyone went back to what they were doing before. For Massu it meant going back to backdancing and occasionally singing with Tegoshi. He says he didn't mind as long as he was needed.
Massu backdancing (or rather backrolling) for K.K.Kity in 2003.07.13. Two months later K.K.K. became a part of NEWS but Massu still continued to backdance for them.
In March 2004 a junior unit was formed out of the crowd Massu usually backdanced with. He wasn't included but the unit was called "Kis-My-Ft" (by the member's names) and one month later a member by the name of Matsumoto joined J.J.Express and Masuda filled in temporarily as the 'M'. However, another month later it was decided that NEWS shall officially debut so Massu withdrew from Kis-My-Ft.
In the band's early days Massu wasn't very popular. Which is outrageous to me, but it seems Massu is the type to take it slowly so his career follows that rule and apparently, now he is the most popular of the 4. Easy does it.
In 2006 Massu and Tegoshi debuted as Tegomass. The band was initially supposed to be called "Masutego" but they were debuting in Sweden and in the end much to Massu's chagrin it was decided that "Tegomass" sounded better for foreign listeners.
Both of them admit it was a little hard to get along at first since their personalities are very different, they fought and sometimes still do but in the end they learned to get along well and they say that it is because they have different views that they are able to achieve the best results. After all, their goals are the same.
Deceptively cute and innocent Tegomass around the time of their debut.
Though Masuda spends a lot of time with Tegoshi because of work he mentioned that in private he hangs out with Shige the most. But he's probably the closest with with KAT-TUN's Nakamaru. They auditioned on the same day and became good friends.
Career&Hobbies
Massu is pretty good at singing but I think he's the only real dancer in the band. I mean Dancer with a capital D. He's the only one who can do backflips and headstands and his solo songs are always dance songs. Massu seems to have a good sense of rhythm. During the 2006 tour he also played taiko drum and around 2009 he got really interested in a percussion instrument called asarato.
Fashionista is a word that really comes to mind when you see this guy. Rather than saying that Massu loves fashion I'd say he lives it. His sense of fashion is truly amazing and unique. He prefers baggy clothes, wears a lot of shorts and leggings and even long skirts for his stage outfits. Clothes are his passion. He goes shopping very often and his collection must be incredible since even his bandmates claim they never see him in the same outfit twice.
Even when the members are wearing the same outfit Massu's will always be a little different.
Two tour T-shirts: normal and Massu-sized!
Starting from 2010 Masuda also began to design the band's stage costumes and now he does it at every tour making sure to personalize them to each member's tastes.
Massu is a very athletic person. He doesn't do many sports like he did when he was little but he still loves swimming and does intense muscle training. That's right, behind the baggy clothes he hides a sculpted body. He even wants to appear in a fitness magazine but he says now he can't reach the level he had when he was about 19. He's also very interested in healthy lifestyle so he likes to try different techniques and tips to stay healthy.
Yup, that's not photoshop.
Unfortunately, because of his face Massu gives off the impression of being chubby and it upsets him. But it needs to be said that Massu does really like eating. It may sound strange because who doesn't but Massu really loves it, you know. His fellow members say he eats several times as much as others. His favourite food is gyouza (dumplings) and if I were to write a book about Massu I'd have to get gyouza a whole chapter. Actually, Massu has a special corner in Wink Up called "Tabemasu" (to eat) where he basically just... eats.
Personality
Massu is known as Sunny Man because apparently whenever he comes on location the weather is always sunny. But rather than the weather what really makes him sunny is his trademark smile. It's so warm and earnest that you can't help but smile back. Anyway, a picture paints a thousand words.
Massu: making world a brighter place since 1986!
Massu smiles a lot but he also can get too emotional and cries easily which you can see during the concerts.
Massu is a nice guy who is very considerate of others. He doesn't participate in the pranks that Tegoshi (and sometimes Kato) like to throw. He's also very nice to staff, treating them to coffee and snacks on tour. However, it's not like he's completely innocent. I mean it was his idea to make Koyama pay for everyone's meals when he said he wanted to become a leader. Massu isn't full of himself but he does like himself very much. When he is asked to say something he doesn't like about himself he says there isn't anything. I mean even Tegoshi has something he wants to fix.
Massu doesn't seem to read books (much to Shige's chagrin) but he's very curious. He likes to talk about all sorts of things and knows a lot of random facts and sometimes you may witness the wonder that is Massupedia.
Everyone knows Massu is a slow type of person. While he might be really hyper on stage and in TV shows most of the time he is very relaxed and hates being rushed. Other members often complain that he keeps everyone waiting because he likes to take his time. Massu also thinks about things carefully, he's very particular and attentive to details. He's cautious when it comes to making decisions which is a complete opposite of Tegoshi who rushes forward without thinking. Massu takes his work very seriously. He often goes to concerts of other JE bands and learns from them so he can come up with better ideas for his own concerts.
Massu is very individualistic. And it's not just about fashion. He really hates when someone says he looks like someone else or when someone has the same things that he owns. He gets a little paranoid about it, really and gets annoyed if someone tries to copy him.
Massu is very strong physically and can beat all the members at arm-wrestling in a second but he's terribly afraid of insects and sometimes animals. Ok, to tell the truth he's afraid of nearly everything. Even tiny bunnies. But he tries his best and he got a little better at it and was able to hold a puppy for a PV recently but he's still visibly uncomfortable around bigger animals, dogs included.
Another well-known fact is that Massu is a neat-freak. His place in the dressing room is always clear and tidy. He is very concerned about his things, never puts them on the floor and doesn't like anyone touching his stuff. Though Massu is friendly and talkative many people also say that he's a very private person and he doesn't reveal much about himself.
Sometimes when I look at Massu I think that one day God looked at Earth and decided there's not enough cute. So Massu was created. I've seen a lot of cute people but nobody was so absolutely adorable without trying. Just looking at him smile is healing. It's hard to describe Massu briefly because Massu is... Massu. He's that one special snowflake, one of a kind but I really tried my best.