On June 8th, in Kyocera Dome, Osaka, for the first time since 2019, Kis-My-Ft2 kicked off an in-person tour to showcase a new album release! Their first album since becoming six members shows off a wide range of songs and individuality, one song each produced by a group member and others chosen by staff members on “Team Kis-My-Ft2”, and the concert left no fans disappointed in their way of showcasing their new start.
Kis-My-Ft2, often referred to as “Kisumai”, debuted in 2012 with the single “Everybody Go”. Originally a seven member group, they went down to six members as Kitayama Hiromitsu left on August 31, 2023. They all specialize in different fields on top of their music jobs; Senga Kento does dance and art, Miyata Toshiya is a big anime enthusiast and voice actor, Yokoo Wataru showcases cooking and poetry skills on TV, Fujigaya Taisuke works in acting both on stage and on camera, Tamamori Yuta is an actor and fashion ambassador, and Nikaido Takashi does the staging and production for their shows. While the general public know them for their presence in variety shows, their specialty as a group is rollerskates. They’ve been a constant element to their performances since junior days, and although nowadays they use skates less for music videos and TV performances, their concerts always incorporate them.
As an intro to the concert, an opening video shows the members in situations similar to a fantasy game; Tamamori carrying a sword, Nikaido with bow and arrow, Senga with a long staff and magical powers, Yokoo with wolves and summoning powers, Miyata aiming with a gun and Fujigaya on a horse, also with a sword. They team up for a battle with the last boss, and the concert itself starts.
LOVED ONE, the title track for the album, comes on and professional dancers lead while the members have yet to appear. It’s the first time for Kisumai to have dancers instead of juniors to back for them, and for this particular show, the way it adds an adult feel to the concert makes it feel like the ideal choice. Finally, the VTR of the members walking towards the camera cuts to them showing up at the top of the main stage, and the audience in Kyocera Dome practically roars in excitement. Just like in the music video they dance with sharp moves, a choreography that brings games to mind as well – the theme for the concert has been well established.
The song ends with members and dancers at the front of the main stage, gathered as we transition smoothly into the next song. Keep it 100, produced by Senga, is a harder song with a hip hop feel to it. For the performance he completes the work with his own powerful choreography, incorporating the dancers to make an impressive large formation that couldn’t have been pulled off with just the six of them.
Flames go up around them as they sing lyrics of their way to freedom on the highway to gold; some might have considered it an unusual fit for a second song of a concert, may have expected more of a build-up to it, but I think it was a conscious choice, and an excellent one at that. Kisumai are clearly here to show where they’re heading, and they’re not about to slow down.
If anything is unexpected, it’s the song that follows it. A.D.D.I.C.T. is a song from their 2019 album FREE HUGS, originally performed during the tour showcasing the same album, and not only did it make the selection for this year’s tour, they also powered through the very much exhausting original choreography. Of course altered in places due to staging and different placements, the dance during the chorus was completely unchanged and that is a choice that requires admiration.
Following A.D.D.I.C.T. Senga greets the audience while the rest of them put on rollerskates. He steps into the spotlight, bleached blonde hair sprinkled with glitter flakes, revving up the audience with calls to get them to tell him if they’re ready, if they’re going to be able to keep up, if they’re excited to be there, and let me tell you, they are not letting anybody down. The audience is just as fired up as he is, the dome is hot with smoke and pure excitement, and after a longer exchange than usual, Senga backs into the shadows to make space for other members’ greetings.
On rollerskates Kisumai move on to the next segment of the set; a colorful medley of past singles, some more well recognized than others. It starts with SHE! HER! HER!, a staple in their concerts, followed by Ki Su U Ma I, Ai no Beat, Shake it up, S.O.S (Smile On Smile). and Unmei Girl, ending with a second section of SHE! HER! HER!, and the members disappear for a costume change.
On the screens, Kisumai’s iconic Screamers, little ice cream-like characters in member color, appear and guide the fans to use the new setting on the penlight they started selling this year.
A regular penlight would light up in a number of colors – this one does more than that, and it’s the first in its category among STARTO groups. Not only does it light up with 24 LED lights, eight times the amount of a standard one. It also comes with an SD card that the penlight reads while in its new, special setting, and with this year’s SD card, the colors of the rainbow rotate around the penlight thanks to the many lights inside.
So, with the whole dome filled with rotating rainbows, and fans rotating them in their hands, the stage goes from completely dark to lit up in the same colors, and the intro to Connecting!! comes on.
It’s a song that Nikaido produced with a particular purpose in mind; to get the fans in on creating the concert together with them. There are designated call-and-response parts for the fans to sing along in, making for a playful atmosphere, and it’s not the only thing he has played around with.
Nikaido has also assigned certain lines to members to deliberately switch it up. Tamamori starts with rap, an unusual role for him, and he does it from where he comes out of a refrigerator that’s part of the set. In fact, the whole stage set is full of everyday items, and it becomes apparent that they’re not just for decoration as the song goes on.
A microwave opens and Senga comes out of it, Miyata bounces on top of a trampoline built into a couch, Fujigaya appears on top of a boombox, and so on. Of course, the items are all scaled up so that they look giant next to the members, another nod to the game theme.
The stage briefly goes dark, and the whole dome screams in excitement once again when a song from Kisumai’s junior days comes on. It’s 3D Girl, and they’ve quite literally put a new spin on it. Kisumai on wheels is not uncommon, but the wheels of a hoverboard are a new occurrence. It gives a robotic feel that works well with the heavy autotune of this song, and halfway through it they step down onto the stage and complete the performance with the original choreography. I doubt they could have chosen a better song for a throwback, and by the sound of the fans inside Kyocera Dome, I am not the only one thinking it.
The next song is Hoshiyui, produced by Yokoo, a song that combines a modern beat with traditional Japanese instruments. The screens add to the feel with traditional Japanese patterns and imaging, while the members sing as they move along walkways to stop once they’re evenly spread out. Next to each one of them is a female dancer in a kimono-esque outfit, and together they perform a distanced pair dance much different from what they have done previous years.
This is a grown-up take on Kisumai, and as men in their thirties, it’s a very flattering look for every one of them. As the song is about to end they gather on the center stage, where a circle of panels have appeared in the middle, on them projected similar images as on the larger screens, and for a moment everything goes dark as they get into position for the following song.
The ringing of a phone leads us to I Miss You, the second MV song from the album. A rap heavy song of lost love during which the members take their places behind the screens on center stage, projections perfectly creating windows and sceneries for each member, and also projecting the person singing on all sides of the circle to make sure all the fans get the same experience. A clever way to solve a problem fans often have; the staging blocking the view for certain members, but this time it’s completely without taking away from the whole visual aspect.
At the same time it brings one’s thoughts back to the music video, where the members are shown inside a telephone box. Seamlessly solving an issue while bringing the exact right vibes for the song, as expected of Kisumai, always praised by fans for their creative staging.
It’s quite a change when C’monova comes on, the circular center of the stage bringing the group up above the screens, and the solemn looks on their faces are now nowhere to be seen. This rock pop tune is made to have fun with, and you can easily tell just how much they enjoy it. Fujigaya’s face is practically beaming as he wraps an arm around Senga as they line up at the intro, both of their smiles infectious, surely reaching every person inside the dome.
They travel by carts towards circular stages that have taken the place of a third stage opposite of the main stage, with the exception of the two members that walk to the circles connected to the walkways; from there large cranes raise them up all the way to the level of the second floor stands as they perform Heartbreaker. A great dance number that they’ve performed numerous times on TV as it was their first single as a six member group, but here it’s a way to connect with the fans in the further away seats.
Only Nikaido, who has a terrible fear of heights, is holding on tightly but his eyes are on the fans, and as the professional he is, he pulls off his lines as he’s meant to. The only exception is when Tamamori’s lifter swings around and they come up close; Tamamori reaches out for him, aiming to give him a high five as they are close enough to reach each other, but Nikaido breaks in the middle of a line to tell him that there’s no way he can let go of his safety railing to reach over.
The fans break out in laughter, audible over the music, and this is another reason people come back to Kisumai. Even as proper adults, even as they’re singing their grown-up, serious songs, they manage to be silly. A good reminder to be a child at heart, one that I think all of us need once in a while.
The lifters start lowering the members back on the stage and they travel on carts back to the main stage as they sing Kiss Damashii and WANNA BEEEE!!!, two singles from early in their career. They end it in the middle of the main stage before greeting the audience once again, and ask them to sit down for the MC time.
After the summer tour classic, doing a cheers with everyone to rehydrate, idols and fans alike, the members discuss the concert so far. The opening video and how it was to film it, complete with stories that make everyone laugh, as well as the staging and the set itself. Nikaido points out that there’s a lot going on, parts that open, as shown in Connecting!!, little details to complete the feeling, and Fujigaya points out that “it’s basically Disney”, a comment that makes the members laugh along with the fans.
Of course Tamamori won’t let Nikaido forget about his fear of heights as he asks why he won’t reach out for his hand, and also why he chose to use the large lifters when he knows he’s terrified of being on them.
Yes, Nikaido has been in charge of staging for several years now, and he continues to battle his personal fears in favor of showing the group in the best possible light. Sometimes it’s the lifters, sometimes it’s being on wires; last tour, they used chairs to turn them completely upside down.
During performances you can tell that he’s scared, but there’s courage in putting yourself through such things for the sake of something bigger, when you could easily opt out of it. The members say it themselves; Nikaido is possibly the biggest fan of Kisumai, always striving to make them look the very best, because he wants to see them looking the very best.
There’s a brief discussion of costumes as well, led by Tamamori who is in charge of them, pointing out that the shiny jackets they’ve been wearing since the last change weigh a whopping eight kilos. Not only that, the large stones on them are hand sewn onto the jackets; he says he begged the staff over and over to let him make them despite the short time available between the arena tour that ended in February, and the tour starting in June. He thanks the costuming staff for making it possible, and Miyata throws in a brief comment that wearing it makes him feel like a star, but seeing his group members wear it really completes the whole vision.
The MC is still going on as they slowly make their way back to the center stage, giving out casual greetings as they look around at the fans below them, and once they get into their spots, they sing Chillax’, another song from the recent album. As the title hints, it’s a chill ballad and the stage takes them on a slow spin around as they’re sitting down to sing.
Then, before the next break for costume change they instruct the fans to turn on the rainbow setting on the penlight and dance along during the chorus of Forever Girl. For a first show you might expect fans to not quite get the hang of it just yet, but by the time they’ve made it back to main stage and are singing the last chorus, the whole dome is dancing; bright rainbows from the arena floor to the very ceiling of the dome coming together in perfect unity.
As Luv Bias begins playing the members appear on the circular stages with Kisumai’s custom-made mic stands, with water bubbling through the center and lights shining up through them; mic stands that they hand over as they travel back to center stage for a much newer song. Jenga Love, which came on their first single as six members, a dance ballad utilized to the maximum with the choreography made for them by one of their dancers for the tour.
Their white costumes flair as they dance, long straps following their movements, each costume different but tied together by the same fabrics and details. Sometimes a costume can add so much to a performance, and it’s especially true for the song that follows.
With… was produced by Fujigaya, another dance ballad, one that incorporates classical music. It has samplings of Air on the G string by Bach, creating quite a dreamy pop tune, but rather than that, the performance is breathtaking.
Positioned around the circular center of the center stage, the members spin slowly as the stage fills with smoke, and their mic stands turn out to be anything but regular ones. They’ve got wide, rounded bottoms, resulting in them coming right back up when being pushed in any direction, and these movements have been accounted for when the dance was created.
All these elements create an ethereal scenery; the members dressed in white resembling angels on clouds, the smooth movements of their mic stands along with them dancing seeming surreal. It’s truly breathtaking, a scene that is etched into my mind.
The last part of the song brings them back to the main stage, where the large screen becomes a big part of the focus for Reset. A song of being broken hearted, of wanting to go back to before it even began, of wanting to start over. The lyrics are fading in and out on the screen to emphasize the meaning of the song, and once it’s over, the members themselves disappear into darkness.
When they come back out they’re dressed in black, a style common for Kisumai that the fans playfully like to call “the unsafe Kisumai”. It’s a play on their delinquent-esque style from their junior days, and this particular costume is a very classy, adult version of it.
Their faces are projected on screens next to them as they sing B-SIDE. This song was produced by Miyata, and has a prominent storyline of finding out about a darker side of your beloved one, and falling in love all over again. As the song goes on they smash a fist back against the screen and it cracks, freezing the projection in place, a quite impactful detail to an already impactful performance. There’s some choreographed fanservice involved as well; in pairs of Nikaido and Senga, Tamamori and Miyata, Yokoo and Fujigaya, they all get a moment where they get touchy enough that the fans scream in excitement.
They transition into NAKED next, a song that was released in their later years as seven members, and it’s one where I personally notice former member Kitayama’s absence the most. The choreography and even the way they travel down the walkway is exactly the same as previous tours, and it makes the decrease in number of members quite obvious.
The feeling is something that will always come with changes in groups; coming to terms with what they are now. And by no means is the six member version bad, not at all. They power through it like they do with everything else, strongly and with determination, and when they’re gathered to finish it off and transition into Catapult, they look ready to tackle anything about to come at them.
This is where things really start aligning with “unsafe”. Miyata pops the last button on his vest to reveal that under it he’s wearing nothing, toned abs out as he sings the rather aggressive lines in the song.
Next to him Fujigaya has slipped his jacket down to his elbows, the deep plunge of his vest and his bare arms giving a similar yet different feel of exposure to Miyata’s.
Thankfully the rest of them still have their clothes in place, or the dome might have overheated entirely with the excitement of the fans at seeing their idols in a much less put together state than usual.
FIRE BEAT is not any less hot. They’re split up for this number, and the backflip that Nikaido usually does has been replaced with a high kick that each one of them do at the exact same time. Fans rotate their penlights as the members shake their heads in the iconic headbang that the song is popular for, and I start thinking this might be the absolute peak of the show.
Gravity turns out to be a song in between strong numbers more than anything else, but it’s a welcome comeback for a song they haven’t sung in a long time, although it’s nothing compared to TAKE OVER. The dome practically rumbles when it comes on; it’s that unexpected, and simultaneously just that desired. With rough rap lines and a declaration to “never stop”, Kisumai make their way to the main stage for the climax of the show.
“Watch out! Warning warning”, the members sing as fireworks go off one after another in the song WANI-WANI. An album song, this one produced by Tamamori, it’s an up-tempo song with a chorus that leaves a strong impression. Lines accented by the bangs and sparkling lights, alternating with flame throwers going off in between, the inside of Kyocera Dome turns into a firework festival, only louder, hotter, and a hundred times more exciting.
It’s an unexpected end to a concert, but the members leave the stage and the screens show them defeating the boss from the opening video before a save screen comes up. There are two choices; “Bonus stage” and “Save”.
Of course, to all of the fans’ relief, the bonus stage is selected and the members come out on carts to another tune we haven’t heard in concert in a while. Hikari no Signal takes them around the outside of the arena seatings and transitions into Thank you jan!, during which they get on their individual stages and onto the lifters once again.
With mics stretched out towards the audience they let them sing along in AAO, and when these songs start lining up, it’s hard to not realize we’re nearing the end of the entire show. Everybody Go, their debut song, is sung as they interact with their fans, and then, finally, they announce that the last song has come.
It’s Waratte Naite, another pop rock styled song that makes them all shine as they sing their hearts out. Fujigaya freestyle dances by himself as he travels to the main stage, completely lost to the music in the most entrancing way possible, no choreography to follow but fully on beat and enjoying himself to the max.
After introducing the dancers one by one, the group lines up facing the audience, and asks them to join in their renewed final call.
“Us and all of you, we are”
“Kis-My-Ft2!”
They bow deeply as streamers shoot out over the venue in a celebratory fashion, and they disappear towards backstage one by one after saying their goodbyes for this time.
It’s been a blast, from setlist to staging to each member’s individual performance, and if this is the synopsis of what’s to come, there is no reason to have any doubt in what Kisumai are going to accomplish in the future.
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