In 2018, Tokyo B Shonen and HiHi Jets were introduced to me by Junior CHANNEL. Their youthful interactions, mischief, curiosity, and wonders made me vow to never take my eyes off them. I vowed to be there for their debut concerts. Even if I spread my wings to get to know other idol groups, I knew I would always return to them, always so eagerly waiting for their debuts.
The heartbreak of every single fan of the Juniors after the group shuffle announcement on February 16th was incomparable. Variations of “why” and “how” were spewed nonstop regarding it with increasing sadness and anger as time passed by. Amidst the chaos, there was an announcement of the start of the application process for the lottery of a new group’s tour.
The tour was called “PROLOGUE” for a group named ACEes. When I saw that, I shoved the information at the back of my head, not ready to face what it meant. I feared that if I took another look at the cast list, I’d be acknowledging that the groups I have loved so dearly for 7 years do not exist anymore.
Approaching the deadline of the lottery application, I asked myself what it meant for me to be a fan of the previously existing Junior groups. I came to the conclusion that now that it had come to this, I’d do anything in my power to show support for my beloved idols. I had done nothing but receive so much love, unable to return any of it until the last moment.
At that moment, I remembered Ukisho’s (Hidaka Ukisho) passion for idols and his hard work to get to where he was then. I remembered how I first hesitated to follow the juniors. I then remembered my specific vow not to take my eyes off them.
“Would you let me fall in love with you again?” I thought desperately, praying as I applied for the concert lottery. If my idols were to bloom again somewhere else, I want to be there and witness them blossoming.
As silly and cruel, yet sweet one’s life could be, I received the result for my lottery several weeks later. An email was sent to me from the official Junior Division FAMILY CLUB mail with a cheerful message saying, “Congratulations, you hit your second option!” I immediately asked my friends who live in the Kansai area in Japan,
— How hot is Osaka in August usually? I’m going to see my idols.
That day, I promised that no matter how money-consuming, hot, and painful it would be, I would be going to Osaka-Jo Hall in the middle of what was predicted to be Japan’s hottest and most dangerous summer to date, to witness ACEes’ show with my own eyes.
Fast forward to August 5th, it was a very hot Wednesday. I had been in Osaka since August 2nd (Sat), and that Wednesday happened to be the hottest day I have ever experienced in Japan. Nevertheless, my heart was thumping hard. I had been waiting for this day for too long. I took pictures with the goods I have bought on the flags section. They never really had individual flags like shown in the picture above during their time in the previous groups, so taking pictures like this really got me all hyped up for the concert 🤩.
So many things have happened ever since I got the lottery announcement e-mail. Starting from the tour logo announcement, ACEes member colors’ announcement, their first set of shows in Ariake Arena, their Hokkaido trip they did privately as a group (the vlog of which can be watched on Junior CHANNEL as they kindly filmed the trip and shared it on their YouTube).
I was lucky to be assigned to a reserved arena seat! This was my first ever arena seat after going to several STARTO talents’ concerts, so I was quite giddy about it and couldn’t hide my excitement. I barely needed to use my binoculars due to how close I was to the stage, and I was very grateful for it since I had a hard time setting my binoculars to its best setting LOL 😭.
Before the show started, the screens were showing us a message from the concert staff members that there was a secret project for this show. It’s not really a secret anymore since it was already revealed as a surprise on the show from yesterday. Basically, they asked us to sing along to the last “Wow-wow-wow.” in ACEes’ second original song “PROLOGUE”. From what I heard, the surprise project was a huge success yesterday, and it made some members shed some tears! Even though I knew it wouldn’t be as much of a surprise on this show, I was happy that I could still participate in such a cool project.
The lights went out, and the VTR showed the overture. As can be seen from the shiny concert logo, sparkly merchandise with holographic prints, and 💍emoji that had been used throughout the entire tour run, it was no wonder that the overture was showing gemstones that represent each member’s aesthetic:
Nasu (Yuto Nasu), the oldest of this group, filled with only 2002-born boys with a bunch of entertaining surprises in his arsenal, was represented by the elegant and pristine sapphire.
Kyon or Fukada (Ryusei Fukada), the most junior in terms of idol career with unlimited charming potential that makes you want to root for, was represented by the serene and timeless emerald.
Saku-chan (Ryuto Sakuma), the nonchalant all-rounder genius who’s starting to break out of his shell to explore and go over his limits, was represented by the regal and mystical amethyst.
Ryuga (Ryuga Sato), the lovable airheaded youngest whose striking figure forces you to look at him, was represented by the picturesque and sun-drenched citrine.
Lastly, Ukisho, the group’s positivity and variety monster, whose charm has been multiplying at an alarming rate lately, was represented by the wondrous and blazing topaz.
One thing I noticed during the overture, the screams and yells for each member were equal. I usually watch concert DVDs of other groups and even got the opportunity to go to several STARTO talents’ concerts in Japan as well since the beginning of this year, but I never heard a series of screaming during the overture that was equal for every member.
Usually, there would be one or two members who would get the biggest screams, but it wasn’t like that for ACEes. Even when I looked around, I realized the penlight colors were very evenly spread throughout the venue. I couldn’t tell which member had the most fans from that environment alone. This made me think like “Oh wow, this group is very true to its name— they are all aces.“
Suddenly, on the stage, a jewel box-like set opened up slowly to reveal ACEes members in their first-ever original outfit. The outfit had a regal feel to it with the white fur, uniform white vest with sprinkles of shiny stones, and holographic fabric. Very consistent with the overall theme of the concert. They were jewels that were presented to us.
They kicked off the show with “Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi” by ARASHI, which I thought probably had a huge immediate impact on the psychological welfare of the audience during the earlier tour dates as the song tells a message of the protagonist who is trying to find meaning amidst chaos and grief and soothe those who listen to the song.
“Smile again, I’m smiling again.” — It was probably the words that ACEes wanted to immediately tell fans after the chaotic events that unfolded in February this year.
They didn’t decrease the tempo nor hype at all after that, they accelerated full speed to the center stage and around the arena while singing Snow Man’s “Dangerholic”, timelesz’s “Jinsei Yuugi”, and Kis-My-Ft2’s “SHE! HER! HER!”
Seeing them so close to me absolutely stunned me. Whenever they started coming near my seat, I held my breath because there was this irrational fear in my head that I was going to have a concussion if stunning comets like them were going to come anywhere near me.
After “SHE! HER! HER!”, the members greeted the audience briefly to liven up the atmosphere. The greeting that I remembered the most was Nasu’s confident “Aren’t we so good looking? We’re so damn good looking aren’t we?” and I could NOT not yell “YEEEEEES!!!” (😭). They were all so breathtaking in person. How was I going to survive 2 hours of this show?
It might not have been a show with gemstones as its main aesthetic if it didn’t have Naniwa Danshi’s “Diamond Smile” in the setlist, and they absolutely delivered it. It’s been a staple to Naniwa Danshi even during their junior era. I remember getting tired of it in 2021, but seeing ACEes’ rendition of it reminded me of how good of a song this is and why we all loved this song in the first place.
To make our jaws drop lower to the floor, ACEes continued with Kenty’s (Kento Nakajima) “THE CODE” while utilizing moving mirrors to create this mirror maze feel on the stage. I remember how shocked everyone was when some people spilled on SNS that ACEes included this song from Kenty’s “N/Bias” album.
Ukisho, the ambassador of Kenty-ism and self-proclaimed FumaKen (timelesz’s Fuma Kikuchi and Kento Nakajima’s duo name) child, might have been the mastermind behind this selection, but no one’s complaining! We were gobbling that up!
I think ACEes’ “THE CODE” cover performance deserves to be uploaded to the Junior CHANNEL YouTube just like how B&ZAI uploaded their ARASHI – “Truth” cover from their First Beat (2025) concert. Another ACEes cover performance that I think deserves its own upload on YouTube is their “Mazy Night” by King & Prince, which was also the next song in the setlist.
Their rendition of “Mazy Night” also became the talk of the town for its unique choreography. During the chorus, their choreo became one that mobilizes them forward towards the extending stage. I remember thinking that it was so catchy and I really wanted my Tiara (King & Prince’s fan name) friends to watch it.
Ending this performance-heavy section, they went on with Kis-My-Ft2’s “Black & White”. It was hard to concentrate on the group as a whole because Ukisho and Kyon were in front of me most of the time, and my brain wiped out most of the memory every time that happened. That’s why I hope they release the DVD of this concert soon!
After elevating the vibe of the venue song after song, they gently took our hands to slowly welcome the serene atmosphere by performing Hey! Say! JUMP’s “Naimononedari”. Now, what you need to know about me is that I’m a huge fan of JUMP, it’s basically my #1 favorite group since I was an elementary school student. I know what “Naimononedari” means as a song and how much it weighed for it to be included in this setlist.
“Naimononedari” is a song about Wendy (from Peter Pan), who’s all grown up, reminiscing on the night before her marriage about her times with Peter Pan when she was young. Choosing this song holds so much meaning on ACEes’ end. It’s like they wanted to convey to the fans that they have nothing but gratitude for their respective previous groups.
For those who didn’t know, Ukisho, Nasu, and Ryuga were in Bishonen, Saku-chan was in HiHi Jets, and Kyon was in Shonen Ninja. As a fan of all three groups at the same time, seeing the performance sent me into a tearful mess. They didn’t sound too sorrowful like in the early shows of the tour, but I knew they wanted to deliver a message with that song. It really felt like seeing your little brother at his pre-wedding dinner, declaring that he will do his best to be happy onwards with his new significant other.
Not wanting to end the wonder and fantasy-like trance of the atmosphere, they sang some other popular songs from their seniors like SixTONES’ “Boku ga Boku Janai Mitai da”, Hey! Say! JUMP’s “Fab-ism”, timelesz’ “Suki Sugite”, and ARASHI’s “Fight Song”.
They were very playful during “Suki Sugite,” and I was so happy to witness a “Suki Sugite” live performance with my own eyes. This song is pretty old, and the last time I watched a junior performing it was when there was still The Shounen Club (or Shokura in short) on NHK. I think they were on carts or were running around during this while giving fan services, so even the fans were so hyped. Some of us fans also ditched the uchiwas we had in our hands and followed the hand choreo with our penlight because it was just too nostalgic and we couldn’t resist it LOL.
With a very warm and energetic atmosphere, it was time for them to greet the audience again for the MC corner. They were talking about how excited they are for today, which is the last day for their tour. I attended the noon show, so there was still 1 more show after mine and that’s why they were being careful so that they don’t lose energy for the last show.
Nasu talked about a lot of things during the MC! Starting from how he initially wanted to dye his hair for the tour but couldn’t really do it that time, followed by Ukisho nodding to this, adding that he too wanted to dye his hair blond, but he had his variety show jobs that would feel weird to attend to with blond hair.
Saku-chan and Ryuga were also promoting their FINEBOYS x LUMINE EST Shinjuku collaboration. They teased fans “Do people from Osaka know Shinjuku? If you take a Shinkansen train to Tokyo, get off and ride the Yamanote line, you’ll arrive after 4 stops!” which then earned a huge laughter from the audience and some comebacks from other members “Of course they know! They can Google the directions themselves too!” It was such a shame that it was only in Shinjuku while I was in Osaka for the trip, arghh, I couldn’t extend my stay as well. I hope there’ll be another one once I can go to Japan again!
While the conversation flowed nicely, the topic of Kyon and Nasu’s budding brotherhood came up again. This has been an ongoing topic of them, even in magazines, and fans were curious of their budding friendship as well. With Kyon being everyone’s junior and Nasu being the oldest, they became ACEes’ unexpected brother combination on the rise!
ACEes had a huge laughter after Kyon told the story of how he accidentally entered the open bath in the hotel they were staying at, at the same time Nasu entered, so they ended up taking a bath together. Kyon also managed to take some pictures of Nasu, who was showering (as he was the cameraman in charge of their stay in Osaka), and ended his story by reporting to us that Nasu looked so lame when he bent his body during the shower because the shower hose was ridiculously short.
The talk about filming members and everything reminded themselves of the existence of the legendary Junior-only video website: Island TV. It was a website for the Juniors to share short videos from their daily lives. The venue basically roared when they mentioned it. The website was responsible for the viral videos of the Juniors throughout the years, and it also shaped the culture and way of communicating for the Juniors towards their fans. 7 MEN Samurai is the prime example for this as their glass door prank video that they uploaded on Island TV became a huge hit overseas.
“Eh?! You guys still remember Island TV??? It was such a long time ago though!” Yes Ukisho, we yearn for Island TV’s return and also it only stopped operating in 2023 so the loss is still pretty recent 💔.
They introduced a game called “Dragon Question”, which they shortened to “DraQue” and was toootally not a parody of Dragon Quest. Here, they utilized the 3 screens on stage as the game screens, showing different game menus, action selection, and stats for each member.
So the thing is that ACEes is filled with huge-brained people right, they also utilized the fact that since the Japanese word for dragon is “Ryu”, they made RYUga, RYUto, and RYUsei as the 3 dragons that needed to be defeated by our warriors; Ukisho and Nasu.
The three dragons wore uniform brown dragon suits, while Ukisho equipped himself with a shield and a sword like a classic warrior, and Nasu was armed with a magical staff. They were all wearing Snow Man’s iconic teal-pink outfit from their Junior era underneath the cosplay, which made us wonder the kind of setlist that’ll be performed after this game.
The game itself was a really classic turn-based RPG with a random outcome each show. Sometimes one of the warriors wins, sometimes one of the dragons would win instead. It’s a gamble each show and fans get antsy because the outcome would result in another challenge for the winner and a different line up for the next song (which happened to change in several shows).
During my show, Nasu was the only man standing while the rest of the defeated members returned backstage. He got to hog the entire venue for several minutes at the expense of doing another challenge, which he dreaded doing 😂.
“HEY HEY guys I actually don’t really like doing this kind of stuff alone… It’s damn LONELY in here!!!”
“The challenge I have to do– [do kabaddi like you mean it] ARE YOU GODDAMN SERIOUS??? IS THIS FOR REAL??? MY KABADDI SUCKS A LOT. I’M NOT TAKING THIS L TODAY.”
The audience, worried for Nasu’s sanity, giggled and shouted “You can do it! Woo hoo!” even from afar. At that time, I think it greatly improved the atmosphere that Nasu was worried about not being able to maintain. Nasu then did his kabaddi, only for him to get another challenge to do kabaddi while doing heart-throbbing lines. The sight of him collapsing on stage after seeing the new challenge is something I can’t forget because the comedic timing was perfect.
The audience then laughed again and added more encouragement, “YO! HANDSOME GUY! YOU CAN DO IT!” “NOOO DON’T GET DEPRESSED YOU’RE SO SEXY!!!” “GO GO NASU GO.” “NASU WE LOVE YOUUUU.” It was overall chaotic but I’m so glad to take part in it. When else could I encourage an idol to prepare his mental over a kabaddi challenge?
Nasu then continued his kabaddi challenge and added the line “Even if I’m like this… I still… Love you!” during his kabaddi. The audience did a great job hyping him up during the entire thing. It was overall not an awkward segment, it was SO fun even, and I’m so glad that the random challenger on the show I watched was him. It truly shaped his ‘madman’ image even further in my head. I just love how multidimensional this guy is, and I’m glad that I got to grab his hapinui before the sales ended, because I knew my love for him would increase as time goes (weird realization).
So the thing is for the song shuffle after the DraQue corner is that the song is different for every city. I remember it was Kis-My-Ft2’s “MU-CHU-DE Koishiteru” for the Tokyo performances, Tegomass’ “Neko Chudoku” for Fukuoka performances, Shonentai’s “Sushi Kuinee!” for Shizuoka performances, and timelesz’s (Chicken Basket’s) “Watashi no Okite” for the Aichi performances. The audience looked forward to what would happen and what song ACEes would choose for the shuffle.
Then our reward for hyping Nasu up came… In the form of ACEes’ cover of “Pet Shop Love Motion” by Hey! Say! JUMP!!!!!! AND THE BEST PART WAS EVERYONE WORE ANIMAL ONESIES!!! (except for Nasu… because he won the DraQue part… RIP to the Nasu-tan next to my sister, who was hissing, “WHY must it be on THIS SHOW that NASU doesn’t wear an ONESIE.”)
We were all so hyped when we heard the legendary intro for the song and immediately had our eyes scanning the stage to see what animal onesie our own faves were wearing. I remember that Ukisho wore the dog onesie on the show the day before (according to other reports). I was surprised to see that they even shuffled the animal onesies! On the show I attended, it was like this:
Ukisho – Bunny
Kyon – Mouse
Ryuga – Cat
Saku-chan – Dog
Everyone basically screamed throughout the entire song because of how cute the fan services were. It was so rare to see Saku-chan do his best to act like a cute abandoned dog, and Kyon doing the last “Nee!” with full azatoi (sly) power was so lethal. I’d do anything for this performance to be included in the DVD.
From then on, it was filled with heartwarming love songs that the audience was already familiar with. King & Prince’s “koi-wazurai” and Hey! Say! JUMP’s “DEAR MY LOVER” is a sure-fire way to get the fans all hyped since those two songs happen to have easy choreography to follow even by the fans on our seats. When I wasn’t trying to appeal to the members each time they’re in front of me, I’d just vibe by dancing. I’m blessed to be a JUMP-tan who regularly gets forced to dance to “DEAR MY LOVER” by JUMP for so many times the past few concerts LOL.
After arriving back to the main stage from their carts, they performed “Aozora no Shita, Kimi no Tonari” by ARASHI. The VTR behind them showed an animation of a city road, and the choreography for it was so energetically cute! I also love this song for having such a straightforward message of “If I’m with you, there’s nothing I can’t overcome!” It’s so clear that ACEes was using that song to convey what they wanted to tell their fans. They wanted to tell us that they can overcome the obstacles if it’s with these members, if it’s with us. They wanted to finally unite themselves with us.
Feeling so loved with those 3 songs and such cute performances, I didn’t realize that Nasu was already gone from the stage. This then revealed a transition to their solo medley for each member. Nasu came out with a black unbuttoned or unzipped jacket with black pants. His bulky arms and toned abs were visible for us to see. The song selection was Kazuya Kamenashi’s “1582” and I was like, are you kidding me NASU YUTO.
I was so??? HELLO. The dance was so clean with so much power to each beat. The eye contact switching from fans, to cameras, to fans again was so intense. The “LOOK AT ME” aura was so strong, he was giving his all to this performance. The final part of the song ended with him going inside a bed that appeared on the center stage, smirking before going into the sheets. If I were a shy Victorian woman, I would just shut up and not say anything about that performance, but I’m an Indonesian living in 2025, so I gave Nasu a standing ovation and a perfect 100 score for that.
Ok, so we’re going to the first plot twist of the solo medley. After Nasu went into the bed sheets, Ryuga came out of the sheets not long after, performing his solo cover of Fuma Kikuchi’s “rouge”. He looked effortlessly gorgeous wearing his glasses as he performed the song. He made use of the blanket to give the image of yearning by hugging himself and integrating it into his choreography.
It was such a serene moment that everyone locked in to hear, feel, and see the entire performance. Ryuga’s movements were so addicting to see. The yellow penlights that were lit for him added to the golden atmosphere vibes, making the performance look richer. If Nasu’s solo was “hot” and “determined”, Ryuga’s solo was simply “drop dead gorgeous”. You can totally see why he’s one of the front faces of the Junior division now.
Changing the view of sun-drenched citrine to an elegant emerald, it was time for Kyon’s solo. He was on another stage. Instead of a stage, I think it’s better to call it a platform, because it rose so high that he was able to make direct eye contact with fans who were sitting at the back of the second floor. He was singing Tomohisa Yamashita’s “Loveless”. Another beloved song of mine that was introduced to me by 7 MEN Samurai through their cover in Shokura.
I knew that Kyon could sing well, but I never knew his voice was that good. The effortless vibrato that added more flavor to the song, the expression that just screamed YEARNING, and the bittersweet nature of the lyrics and melody made me shed a tear. It was too good. Ryusei Fukada is too good. His growth is so much fun to observe.
For this performance, I was facing his back, so I had to check the front monitor and his physical body back and forth for the full experience. I was in the same row as his fans, and they all decided to fawn over him by watching the monitors instead. I think we all kind of gave up on seeing him when he was too high up for us to see, haha. However, it was overall such a heartfelt performance. I could tell that he cherished his fans and his former group. Shonen Ninja’s fans and members are so loved by him.
I didn’t have time to dwell on my emotions because Saku-chan was ready to give us a 180-degree whiplash of mood as he rose to the center stage with a white shirt that he unbuttoned the first 2-3 buttons of, a blindfold, and chains holding his hands together. Another member was wearing a black hooded cloak like an executioner and led Saku-chan’s flow of performance. It was something so sensual that I think I had never seen Saku-chan immerse himself in a performance like this before. Oh yeah, the song was Jin Akanishi’s “PINKY”. Of course, of-freaking-course it had to be “PINKY” goddammit.
I was holding my breath each time Saku-chan took a step forward. The purple penlights became a very reliable mood-lighting. It somehow became more dizzying and hotter with the purple color dyeing the venue. It was crazy intoxicating, and I just had to cheer loudly afterwards. It was indeed the birth of a new Saku-chan, geared with even more surprises for us to witness.
Ukisho’s turn came up, and we were shown a video of the “executioner” that held Saku-chan previously. The video played on rewind, and the hood was lifted to reveal the face of the executioner, which was none other than Ukisho. The intro of Ryosuke Yamada’s “Mystery Virgin” started playing, which properly connected the mystery that had surrounded Saku-chan’s solo to Ukisho’s.
I basically screamed the loudest the moment Ukisho started performing it, because both Yamada and Ukisho are my faves. Yamada and Ukisho will always be 2 very special idols to me, as for the longest time, Yamada is my saioshi and Ukisho is my most favorite junior. I knew beforehand that he’d be performing “Mystery Virgin”, but I was still so shocked by it because I thought Ukisho would have chosen a Kenty song instead. Maybe ACEes performing “THE CODE” was enough for him.
Anyway, I was so happy to watch another “Mystery Virgin” performance in 2025 (I watched it as well on Yamada’s solo tour 2025 “RED” in Fukuoka), since it’s such an old song haha. Ukisho’s so refined in so many ways. With every beat, he emphasized his presence. The orange lights resembled the fiery spirit of the song. The other members reappeared on stage with a similar cloak that Ukisho wore before and danced along to the song. It’s such a feast to see a “Mystery Virgin” performance this good. When Yamada released this song, he was younger than Ukisho. So I really hope Ukisho can debut soon! It’s so weird that ACEes members are still Juniors! I really need them to debut!
ACEes then revealed a new black and red outfit underneath their cloaks, which signaled something new coming. I personally have never seen that outfit worn by Juniors or even the debuted seniors. Which only meant one thing: it’s another original outfit of theirs, and they were going to perform their original song.
I knew they had 2 original songs for this tour, but I never looked at previous fan-reports, so I didn’t know when they were going to perform it. My curiosity was granted an answer fast, because the screen displayed: “ACEes Original Song: Acing out”
The song is one that highlights their dance skills, and it didn’t fail to show us how ridiculously high-quality their skills are. When I thought about it again, even though I watched it in August, they’ve been consistently performing this song with quality that only increases from time to time since April. This group had only been formed for 2 months at that time, but their chemistry on stage was already top-notch. I could feel that they all rely on each other properly in this performance. Even when there was a shift of center midsong, I never thought the transition was weird. Every member looked good in the middle. This group is truly filled with aces.
Speaking of aces, the outfits for some members did have the word “ACE” on it. I recalled that Nasu has it on his pants and Saku-chan has it on his jacket. With the lyrics filled with pride, announcing that they are ready to go to the top, breaking through, and “Can’t stop the acing”, it’s a song with a performance that gets only more intense the longer the song goes. The choreography consisted of a lot of jumping and fast-tempo lyrics, and it’s amazing that the members were able to sing the entire song without cracking a single note.
With this song, ACEes showed off that they could perform anything. Their group image wouldn’t be just sparkly prince-like, they’ll get wilder than you could imagine. The group has been showing that they excel at every single concept they’re given. Be it an energetic song, wild, cool, sensual, cute, you name it, they’ll ace it all.
With only about half an hour left, they performed a medley of their seniors’ classics. They started off with KAT-TUN’s “Real Face”, then continued to everyone’s beloved “Can do! Can go!” by V6. I got surprised when they sang timelesz’s “Make my day” and WEST.’s “Principal no Kimi e”. Those songs are not necessarily old, but I listened to them when I was in university, so the nostalgia hit me mid-concert LOL. They then ended the medley with 3 songs from their great seniors: “AMBITIOUS JAPAN!” by TOKIO, “Gamushara Koushinkyoku” by SUPER EIGHT, and “Kotoba Yori Taisetsuna Mono” by ARASHI.
Sometimes it’s hard to accept that idols with skills and popularity as high as ACEes’ members are still juniors. But when they’re singing a medley of songs like this, they looked like they were having so much fun dancing to the songs they grew up with. It made me smile, reminiscing their younger selves dancing at the back of their seniors, not knowing how the view at the front looked like.
It was then time for the last greetings. I recall that they were brimming with smiles, more refined than what I imagined from their greetings reports from their Tokyo shows. I cannot recall the exact order of the greetings, other than Nasu for being the first one and Kyon being the one after him. But I will write what each member said during it.
Nasu commented on how naughty the rest of the 4 members were for toying with him with the kabaddi challenges from before. “Really, how could they do this to their big brother? But I’m very happy, it just shows how much trust we put in each other to be able to pull that off. What a positive thinker, right?”
He then claimed that he really wanted to be a member who’s well-loved by other members and is seen as a cool person by fans. This is consistent with what he said about the concept of the back of his uchiwa– “I want to look like I’m loved by everyone.” Nasu, I hope you know that we really appreciate and adore you!
Nasu then ended his greetings by saying “Bye, bye! See you agaaiinnn”, which was the inside joke of the day that they shared with us. It was initially from Ukisho’s story during MC corner of how he usually ended his Island TV videos with that bye-bye. Everyone thought it was funny and cute, so they started mimicking that bye-bye throughout the show, and the dragon trio even sneaked it during their monologue in DraQue.
Kyon then came out on stage, already wearing the first outfit again, minus the fur and holographic skirt. He started off by saying that Nasu’s cute for saying bye-bye and “see you agaaainnnn” like that, wondering where on earth did he learn to say it that way. “But anyway, it’s still hard to believe that it’s the last day of the tour. Time flies so fast, doesn’t it. Looking back at what happened in our Tokyo performances, we were discussing a lot about how it would be from there. However, I think it’s precisely because we went through all of that that our bonds deepened.” He showed deep gratitude towards the bond that he had formed with the rest of the members and the fans and thanked everyone for supporting them throughout their first tour.
“We’ll make you happy, so please follow us.”
Saku-chan calmly scanned the audience while saying his greetings. He mentioned how fast time passed, as they suddenly arrived on the final day of the tour. Saku-chan talked briefly about how he appreciated fans’ feelings and other members’ efforts. He also acknowledged his fans’ feelings of wanting him to be accepted by other members and their fans, properly saying that “Your earnest feelings reached me, thank you.”
Thinking back, there were a lot of gaps between the customs and culture of the previous fandoms. It must have been tough to assimilate, but the members were resilient. They did their best to accommodate what is expected of them and also protect other members. Saku-chan, who used to be the youngest of HiHi Jets, was standing tall as the most senior out of everyone with so much pride and love for his new comrades.
Ryuga was already dolled up in the first outfit as well, which made me think, “Oh, they’re performing another original song of theirs after this huh.” Ryuga smiled while recalling the tough atmosphere during their Tokyo shows. Five months have passed since those shows, and he thought it was commendable that ACEes and their fans have changed for the better.
“I think it’s safe to say that I’ve grown more mature ever since then. How about you guys? I hope it’s the same for you too. There were lots of moments where I thought, ‘I’m glad to be with these members.’ I’ll do my best from now on!”
Lastly, Ukisho began his greetings by asking the audience whether they believe in manifestations through words, because he did. He thought that words are very powerful, and he would like to declare grandeur wishes in hopes of them coming true for him and the group soon. “That’s why I’ll declare it here loud and clear that WE WILL DEFINITELY SELL! We will become a top idol group!”
Every word held an unimaginable weight. They themselves are idols who are aware of how fleeting idols are, how a lot of things are not absolute. The past year has been a huge wake-up call for them and fans that nothing will stay the same. It’s painful, but as we move forward with scars in our hearts, it was very reassuring to have Ukisho, who had been nothing but tough and loving to every single member and fans, declaring such important wishes.
They finished their setlist with their original song “PROLOGUE”, a very orthodox-like idol song with hopeful lyrics. “We’ll start again right here and go see the new world we have never seen before.” I have seen the performance on YouTube for an embarrassing amount of times, but seeing them with my own eyes on the center stage sparkling with their eyes set to reach the same future together with their new comrades and fans made me cry.
I never thought I’d cry for them like this. A group that is doing their best to pave their road with their staff members and fans at an extreme speed. A group filled with members who no longer fit the “diamond in the rough” narrative, as they are jewels so polished they shock your eyes with how bright they shine on stage.
My tears couldn’t stop flowing even after we called them for an encore. They came out singing “Ashita ni Mukatte” by ARASHI with their tops changed to the tour t-shirt and a more laidback hairstyle. Everyone loosened up, happy to finish the second to last show before the tour ended. They closed the curtain for the show with SMAP’s “Arigatou”, walking towards the main stage while having their arms on each others’ shoulders. A gesture that’s no longer awkward after numerous shows they have done together as five.
The afterglow of the performance was so beautiful.
Everything was so beautiful.
More than anything, I realized that ACEes nurtured such a beautiful fanbase. The tour started off with everyone who was still hurting, facing fans who were still in pain as well. The warm and prideful atmosphere in the noon show that I watched in Osaka was a result of their persistence and fans’ unlimited love for their favorite members, which overflowed to other members as well.
I have nothing but gratitude towards the staff members who helped assemble such an amazing show like this. It was so high quality and so fitting for a group of aces.
The amount of respect they have towards each other and fans while also keeping their history and origins dear to them made me think that they will be okay. They have grown older from the first day I discovered them on Junior CHANNEL in 2018 and in 2020.
Returning from the venue, I sent a message to my friend, telling her that Osaka was as hot as she told me it’d be, and that I saw ACEes’ concert.
I came with a broken heart and returned with a heart that is full of love. I believe that in the future, this symbiotic relationship us fans have with ACEes will continue and that our love and healing power for each other will only get better.
I hope the next time I cry for these idols, it’s for their debut announcement! Thank you for giving me so much love, ACEes! I’m proud to call myself an ACEee from now on 💍.
And thank you all for reading up until this point, see you later!
