Within the STARTO ENTERTAINMENT theater scene, there are a few stage plays that are absolutely beloved by the fans who attend them. SHONENTACHI (少年たち) and DREAM BOYS are a few that come to mind, but there is also the January show dedicated to showing off the up and coming Tokyo Junior talent. Newly named Act ONE, this roughly two hour extravaganza shows off the talent of HiHi Jets, Bishonen, 7 MEN Samurai, and Shonen Ninja as well as fresh talent who haven’t been placed into a group yet.
There is a loose story flowing through Act ONE. The four Junior groups featured in this production have started fighting amongst each other and it’s up to fresh talent Kento Mihara, Daia Miyaoka, So Yamagishi, and Jun Someya to decide which of the groups is the best. These small acting portions also feature Kazutoshi Hayashi and Reo Teshima of the ACTORS division helping to introduce each of the Junior groups to these four young talents.
Although these intermediary portions are quite hilarious, Hayashi and Teshima often being the butt of the joke, and are used to link us from one portion of the show to the other, the true highlight of Act ONE are the corners from each individual group. Lasting about twenty minutes, each section of the show was individually produced by each group and was centered around a selected theme. With KinKi Kids’ Koichi Domoto serving as supervisor, the entire production had a solid foundation to build itself upon.
Even with the focus being on each individual groups’ corners, the parts of the show where all of the members are on stage give a lasting impression to the audience. The production’s titular song, Act ONE, which is also repeated frequently throughout the show in various forms, open the show in a staging that rivals Broadway’s own musical numbers. From the very moment that Reia Nakamura of 7 MEN Samurai, Taisho Iwasaki of Bishonen, Yuto Takahashi of HiHi Jets, and Koki Kawasaki of Shonen Ninja rise from the orchestra pit, their fellow group members being revealed on pearly white stairs, there is a feeling of glamour and opulence that is extended into the costumes and choreography of the number.
But what really shines of this opening scene is the remix of songs from each group, featuring the songs HiHi Jets from HiHi Jets, Niji no Naka de (虹の中で) from Bishonen, Siren (サイレン) from 7 MEN Samurai and Taiyou no Egao (太陽の笑顔) from Shonen Ninja. With a rock beat pumping through the speakers, this performance is meant to be an introduction to each group to fans who might not know who they are. There are moments where there is so much flurry of activity that the eye doesn’t know where to look but in the best possible sense of the words. It’s an explosion of life and energy on stage as the music continues to build to the very end, and I had chills watching this performance unfold. It is a moment where you can’t help but think, “This! This is what STARTO ENTERTAINMENT is about!”
Starting off the group corners was HiHi Jets, who chose “freedom” as their theme. From the very first song of their set to the very last, this word could be felt through everything that they performed. Out of all of the groups’ corners, HiHi Jets had the most variety to their performances as well as a multitude of set pieces and props they used. From a car to traditional Japanese taiko drums and even large scale models of the Earth and planets in the solar system, it was exciting to see what the group would do next.
BOOOOOST UP!!!!! was a strong start, featuring the aforementioned car prop before each of the five members slid out to dance on their signature skates. The members zoomed around so quickly I often lost which member was where with their quick and seamless transitions. INSTINCT was a performance that caught my attention because of their use of the taiko drums while also utilizing HiHi Jets’ skating. There was one particular move where they were skating around the drums in one big circle while hitting them to the beat that I thought was impressive. Though it looked simple, the timing and skill to not go too quickly or slowly made it, to my assumption, a technical moment to land.
HiHi Jets delivered solid performances with their songs HiHi Jets to the moon and HiHi Jets to wrap up their set, but easily the best performance during their corner was COMPLETE. The song is performed in two different spaces on stage: Mizuki Inoue and Ryuto Sakuma flying through the air in different poses while Yuto, Ryo Hashimoto, and Soya Igari danced and sang on skates beneath them. Hashimoto and Igari’s dancing was particularly beautiful, and I thought they were as beautifully as top figure skaters. Both of them moved across the stage as if they were world class dancers.
Delivering the theme of “wild” was 7 MEN Samurai. From the moment their stage is revealed, this theme could be felt as the first beats of B4N4N4 came through the speakers. The structure is a two level brick cityscape complete with two sets of stairs and a few other set pieces 7 MEN Samurai could jump on as they rap and sing the lyrics for their first song. Their organic and raw emotion filled performance slaps the audience across the face with everything they want to convey for their theme.
Throughout their corner 7 MEN Samurai keeps the excitement level high whether they are performing on their instruments or dancing along to songs. Their set shows off their unique group appeal as being a STARTO ENTERTAINMENT group that can not only dance but be a band whenever the time calls for it. Hot Night is one of 7 MEN Samurai’s strong dance numbers that had me grinning throughout the entire song because they were in their element from start to finish.
Though 7 MEN Samurai ends their corner with Shout (シャウト), the stand out moment of their set was their new song, Chaos Killer. Introduced as something that only they can do, this apt description is true. Chaos Killer is a performance that only 7 MEN Samurai could perform. The song begins as a dance number but quickly switches halfway through when Reia rips off a tarp with their group name written on it to reveal Taiko Sasaki’s drum set behind it. What follows is a song that devolves quickly into a heavy rock number that borders on metal with wild head banging from all of the members.
Compared to the other groups, Bishonen wasn’t an explosion of energy on stage. Their performances felt gentler and softer after the wild corner just watched by the audience, no hard or rough edges, but with the theme of “beauty” this made complete sense. Even when they perform their own arrangement of Act ONE, a more Japonesque styling with a rap, Bishonen include a flair of elegance during their songs. They truly exude the definition of ‘idol’ during their time on stage for their corner.
What Bishonen does so well during their set is deliver consistent and smooth vocals during all of their performances. Whether they are dancing with the fresh juniors for Nee Motto (ねぇもっと) or performing in sync to Sing It as their big act closer, Bishonen have honed their skills to such a level that they leave the audience watching them in wonder as they flow from one song to the next. In particular, Taisho Iwasaki’s vocals stand out amongst his group. As someone who has not watched a Bishonen concert before, Taisho’s vocal ability as a soloist as well as hearing his voice weave in with the other members of his group was awe inspiring. Although all of the group members are talented, Taisho by far stood out to me during their performances.
The moment that Bishonen truly showed off their craft was their corner opening song, Beautiful Love. This performance was the embodiment of beauty from the very beginning. The stained glass outlines of each member on the screen being lifted to reveal each of them in an intricately built library set piece. From the choreography to Bishonen’s solid vocals, this performance was the epitome of what they wanted to create for their set, but it also gave the boys time to show off their personalities. From jumping up on top of the fireplace to interacting with books built into the shelves, Beautiful Love was the perfect introduction to those who might not know Bishonen yet.
Wrapping up the final group corner was Shonen Ninja wanting to show off their “passion” as the theme for this set. As surprising as it is for me to admit this, Shonen Ninja were the stand outs of the entire show with their corner. I always thought that any more than nine members is too much for a group, but the performances from this group completely changed my opinion. The intricacy of their choreography and the way Shonen Ninja were able to pull off such interesting formations blew my mind, and their level of performance only increased with every song.
The introduction of parkour is something that no other group had included up until this point of the show which made the group stand out. Their performance of Ready to Rise had me on the edge of my seat as it showcased the members of the group in various ways, such as member Kohei Aoki and Yusei Nagase performing on cubes hanging by a rope or Hideki Ajima hanging on a rope and spinning at such a velocity it got my heart racing. Although there are many members highlighted during this number, it never feels as if one person was favored more than another. By the time the curtain comes down when The Shining Star ends, the members of Shonen Ninja taking up the entire length of the stage when standing together, you feel as if you had watched the grandest performance of your life.
By far the performance that I enjoyed the most from Shonen Ninja was their new song, Dreamer. It was the performance that took my preconceived notions of the group, one from their formation, and completely flipped it on its head. Dreamer feels like a turning point as the members of the whole group are inching their way into adulthood as not only the performances from all of the members but the choreography shows maturity. Their movements are crisp and clean without being too flashy or over the top. It’s the kind of dance level that I could expect to see at a competition like WORLD OF DANCE. Truly, Dreamer is an incredibly show stopping number.
Act ONE comes to a quick close as HiHi Jets, Bishonen, 7 MEN Samurai, and Shonen Ninja overcome their rivalry that was built up in the beginning, performing Not enough onstage together with the fresh Juniors. But what truly makes this show unique and stand out is the final corner of the show that changes every day. It gives the boys the chance to flex their talents in not only singing but dance, rap and also if any of them happens to play an instrument. It also gives a fresh and new experience to anyone who is lucky enough to attend multiple times, but there is another reason why this corner stood out to me.
What caught my attention during this corner was how much the idols support and amp each other up during their performances. For example, at the show that I attended, when Taiki Konno of 7 MEN Samurai and Taisho of Bishonen were performing their duet while playing the guitar, Taiko of 7 MEN Samurai was standing up in the back and getting the audience to clap along to the song. He would even point to audience members using binoculars and ask them to stop using them so they could clap. Not only this but the boys can be heard hooting and hollering for their friends throughout the various performances taking place.
This show of affection and adoration for each other is wonderful to watch as an audience member. Although there is this “rivalry” between them to become popular and gain as many fans as possible, they are all working towards a similar dream and their passions are the same: to see each and every person in that audience smile and enjoy themselves at their shows. This camaraderie in seeing each other show off and succeed in their performances is why I continue to be an idol fan after so many years. It shows that, even in such a competitive business as show business, true and wonderful friendships can still be formed.
The final song of the show is another performance of Act ONE. As the idols on stage are waving goodbye and smiling at their adoring fans in the audience, the joy the audience feels is powerful and fills the Imperial Theatre, and the crowd leaps to their feet to give every single person on stage a standing ovation.
The hard work and dedication the boys have put into this show is evident. Act ONE is an absolute masterpiece of a stage production. I can only hope that this production will be put on for years to come or immortalized in some way, so old and new fans alike can understand how perfect it is.
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