I thought I was done finding new STARTO ENTERTAINMENT groups. I thought I had scoured every corner and turned every rock to exhaust every potential option. But, when I had been told about the potential of the Kansai Junior group, AmBitious, I had taken it almost as a personal challenge to not become a fan. Almost. That thought was quickly discarded when I became charmed by member Taro Yoshikawa. It was only going to be a matter of time before the rest of the group wormed their way into my heart.
When AmBitious announced their spring tour, OdoROK! DANCE TOUR, I knew that I wanted to go and experience their style of performance. I had friends who swore by their abilities as well as the charms of the whole group, so I walked in with high hopes to experience something incredible. Little did I know that AmBitious would exceed those expectations I had.
The concert began with epic music, the anticipation building with spotlights sweeping across the stage and the audience. At the very height of the excitement, AmBitious stepped out onto the main stage dressed in their red and black costumes. Their opening song was Can’t stop, a Kansai Junior original song. With rock concert vibes, a bumping drum beat, and clapping sounds to the track, it was the perfect song to make their entrance. It set the tone for the concert and what style of music to expect for them, but also it set the bar for their dancing abilities.
Of course STARTO idols groups can dance. It’s a cornerstone of the definition of the word “idol,” but, from the very beginning of the concert, I was blown away by AmBitious’ dance capabilities. I would akin them to the level of groups like Travis Japan who have a very dance centered image. The way that AmBitious performed Can’t stop reminded me of the high level performances you would see at a Travis Japan show.
Their dance abilities didn’t stop with the first song. Their cover of Snow Man’s debut song, D.D., kept the vibe going. Takeyuki Mayumi doing a jump to a split at the very beginning of the song along with acrobatics by the other members reminded me of acrobatic performances from Snow Man. At times, AmBitious’ stomps onto the stage were so loud you could hear them across the venue. King & Prince’s YOU, WANTED! continued this strong dance focus while also allowing the members to hangout on the stage and take a bit of a break before the next song.
Reach for the sky is an AmBitious original song that encompassed the definition of the group within it. With a more rock backing track, the vocals and lyrics have a hopeful message about reaching for your dreams and doing what you can to live your life to the fullest. The choreography and transitions between dance formations were clean, and with a few spins, twirls, and backflips scattered throughout the song, it’s hard not to notice how the whole group sparkled.
The members gave a small introduction of themselves to the audience along with a small call and response their adoring fans could take part in. When the members appeared at the top of their stage for the next song, SixTONES’ WHIP THAT, dressed in silver and black outfits, they were back at 200 percent energy. Complete with wild head banging and party energy, AmBitious embodied the soul of WHIP THAT and made it their own performance.
The singing didn’t last for long before they went into a dance battle. Splitting up into two groups of Mayumi, Gaku Kawashita, Ichita Inoue, and Taro versus Yuri Oka, Leo Nagaoka, Rikuto Ura, Rion Ouchi, and Itsuki Yamanaka, the two groups took turns dancing before it became a freestyle. Each member took their turn to show off their respective style of dance solo or in a duo. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, all of the members high-fived before ending the song in a group dance.
YSSB by WEST. was another strong performance by the group complete with a crazed laugh by Rion at the start and Rikuto showing off his abs during the lyrics “You’re so sexy, baby” before the chorus dropped. The show flowed into the next song nicely, V.I.P. by the former Kansai Junior duo B.A.D. This performance gave AmBitious a chance to show off their silly side as whoever wasn’t singing mimicked the dancing of who was currently singing. Full of jumping and high energy, it was hard not to smile listening to them sing this classic song.
Following that song, the venue became quiet as Oka stepped out of the doors on the main stage dressed in black pants and a white button up shirt. He performed a stunningly beautiful lyrical style dance that radiated heartbreaking emotion before the other members joined him on stage for timelesz’s song, Meiwakiyaku (名脇役). Compared to the dancing in the earlier parts of the concert, Meiwakiyaku’s choreography felt very soft and delicate that allowed the members to show off their vocal talents in this ballad. The song ended with Ichita alone on stage singing the final lyrics.
The other members quickly return with chairs for their rendition of Snow Man’s all English song, KISSIN’ MY LIPS. Adding black jackets to their ensemble, AmBitious danced the original choreography including those iconic chair twirls. I had watched Taro a bit during this performance and his leg kicks during the chorus felt as if he was kicking high enough to reach the lights over him. The song ended with the group cloaked in darkness except for spotlights illuminating their silhouettes.
AmBitious entered their MC corner with the younger members of the group taking the chairs off stage and returning with hand microphones for everyone to use. Their talk portion started with them acknowledging their audience and all of the members jumping up and down so those on the second floor could see them.
The MC was full of laughing and joking with all of the members, but the biggest section of time was dedicated to Gaku asking the members who kept taking his melon bread that he would bring to eat in their dressing room. A thief was among them! The members decided to close their eyes and raise their hands to admit who was the one who took the melon bread. Before Gaku could finish his question, Taro had already raised his hand in admittance with Mayumi, Ichita, and Itsuki following quickly behind him. The shock that four members were responsible for the missing melon bread was especially surprising for Oka, especially that new member Itsuki was one of the members who had taken it.
With the MC corner coming to a close, it was now time for the unit songs. Breaking up into groups of three, the first unit was Mayumi, Oka, and Rikuto coming out with microphone stands to perform former Junior unit Prince’s song Prince Princess. The choreography involved them trading turns at the center microphone for the first verse, but the transitions between each member were fluid and as if they had been performing this number for years. Fans also danced along with them using their penlights.
Leo, Ichita, and Itsuki took to the stage next to perform a dance heavy version of Shonentai’s song, Kamen Butoukai (仮面舞踏会). The performance involved them performing two of the verses back to back before delving into that classic chorus. The dance movements involved in the whole song were crisp and perfected, and, with backflips at the end, it made for a very solid unit song.
The final of the three units were Gaku, Rion, and Taro performing the Kansai Junior song, Silhouette (シルエット). I had originally heard WEST. sing this song around the time of their debut, and it was nostalgic to hear it performed live. Complete with Rion playing the guitar, this performance was on the simpler side but still an effective and wholesome performance from this trio.
SHAKE by SMAP was a chill but fun performance that AmBitious put together. The song started with the members coming out on stage and acting as if they were mannequins until an accessory was added to their outfit. Whether it was another shirt, a hat or even a necklace, they were only allowed to join in the song and dance once that article of clothing was put on them. It was a smart way to add variety to their dance performances to keep their audience interested in what they were doing on stage. AmBitious continued the funky vibes by sliding into Snow Man’s Dangerholic next. It was a performance that showed off another style of dance and was also full of powerful vocals.
Before going into a second performance of their original song, Reach for the sky, AmBitious took the time to teach their fans the penlight choreography they wanted them to do. Mayumi and Gaku were on raised platforms and were the examples for the fans to follow along with and mirror. After the first round, Mayumi burst into laughter because Taro, who was in front of him, was dancing quite silly. On the second round of practice for the fans, Taro once again danced and wiggled his hips which Mayumi copied.
This second performance of Reach for the sky featured less dancing than earlier in the show as the group focused more on interacting with their fans and giving small waves to the audience. What followed this performance was a medley of Kansai Junior songs, such as Happy Happy Lucky You!!, Romantic, and Loud-X, that continuously built up energy until this colorful and bright corner ended with Ban Bang!! (バンバンッ!!).
AmBitious went into a dance break section with the end of the medley, and this part of the show absolutely blew my mind. Each member had their own time to show off their dance abilities, and the backing tracks to their dance reflected their personalities while slowly transitioning into their orange and black outfits. It was nice seeing the style of dance and performance that each member favored. After each member had their turn, the group reconvened on the main stage for another group dance. The combination of electronic music and choreography was stunning, but it was when the music fell away that AmBitious shined. Though there were nine people on stage, their stomps and foot choreography were so clean it sounded as if there was only a single person performing.
The group continued the powerful dance performance by going into Cry out by Snow Man. AmBitious absolutely embodied the soul and style of the song. With sparklers shooting up, they threw everything they had into the original choreography, but, throughout the song, it looked as if they were enjoying every single second while performing Cry out. It was impossible to look away, and I found myself dancing along with them because their performance made me want to join in too.
It was difficult to top Cry out, but AmBitious’ original song, Ride, might have been the one to do it. Sparklers were also shot up into the air for it, but with smoke filling the stage and lights going off, the whole performance had an almost dangerous vibe to it. This song had a similar style to the one before which made it a good follow-up number. Their dance formations and transitions were the cleanest they’ve been through the entire show. It was hard to believe this level of performance was possible this late into the show.
The last three songs of the concert, Oh Yeah! by Arashi, Moonlight (ムーンライト), and Mixed Juice, the latter both being WEST. songs, were largely spent interacting with the audience, waving and getting the crowd to give more and more energy to AmBitious. It was sweet watching the members find their fans amongst the audience. As quickly as the show began, it came to a close with the boys leaving the stage.
As soon as the doors were closed, the fans in the audience were cheering and clapping for AmBitious to come out. They didn’t have to wait long before the members walked back on stage from the wings, asking if the fans wanted to hear a few more songs. With a resounding cheer, they got into position to perform WEST.’s debut song, EEJYANAIKA (ええじゃないか).
This song was chaotic, but not in the negative sense of the word. The cheers from the audience were defending as they participated in the call and response nature of the song, and I’m sure their voices could be heard from miles away. AmBitious themselves also danced along to the song, but I could tell they were more focused on having fun than putting on the perfect dance performance. I was also absolutely stunned by Gaku’s vocals during his solo lines.
The final song of their encore was the Kansai Junior song Kansai Island (関西アイランド). Like the last three songs before the encore, most of this song was dedicated to sending love and appreciation to their adoring fans who had come to watch them. There was also a small tsukkomi and boke (a style of “straight man” and “funny man” comedy popular in the Kansai area) with all of the members saying ridiculous things while Ichita was the “straight man.” It was absolutely hilarious watching all of them in one final silly moment. With their final goodbyes, AmBitious left the stage for the last time, giving their final waves and thank you’s to everyone in attendance.
OdoROK! was an absolutely fun concert tour. From the song selection to how the concert would flow to how AmBitious used every inch of the stage was meticulously thought out to give their fans the best concert experience possible. At just an hour and thirty minutes, this is on the shorter side for concert length, but OdoROK made use of every single minute to help define who AmBitious are.
AmBitious are funny. They have a great bond where they can laugh and joke but also feel comfortable and be honest with each other to admit when they steal each other’s melon bread. They have the dance capabilities to cover a wide range of styles and musical genres while also being top tier level performers. But, most importantly, AmBitious have the potential to continue to grow and hone their craft and become an absolute force in the entertainment industry. It is for that reason, I cannot wait to see where these nine boys will go in their careers.
Check out our all English interview with Taro Yoshikawa here.
And check out AmBitious on all of the various social media accounts!
YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | X | Official website
Dumpling Box is also hosting a give away for some AmBitious’ OdoROCK tour merchandise. Click below for more information!
https://dumplingbox.org/2024/05/20/giveaway-ambitious-tour-goods
Concert photography © STARTO ENTERTAINMENT.
And check out this behind the scenes look at AmBitious‘ OdoROK! DANCE TOUR! This video is courtesy of Ken Kojima of Ae! group and the Junior CHANNEL production team which features English subtitles provided by dedicated fans!
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