I’ll be completely frank with you: I’m not a fan of SpeciaL.
But I don’t mean that in a negative way. A few years ago, an ex-friend sat me down to watch one of their Christmas FC videos in which they played a version of rock paper scissors that involved attacking each other with a plastic hammer or defending their heads with a helmet. It was absolute and utter chaos that had me laughing along with their antics, particularly of members Hayashi Ren and Matsuo Tatsuru. But it sadly wasn’t enough for me to fully commit to getting to know them better. I had said at that time if I was going to be a fan of any of the members, it was going to be Ren or Tatsuru. Both had personalities of idols I typically support, so they were both easy predictions for whatever the future held.
Since that day, I have attended only one other production featuring SpeciaL members, and, although my interest in Tatsuru grew just a tiny bit from watching him dance ballet, I remained firm that I would more than likely not see them again. ESPECIALLY if they had their own solo play. It wasn’t in the cards, or my wallet for that matter.
The funny thing about “never” is that those words often find a way to come back and haunt me later. When Yabo Kyoudai to Kogitsune-chan (野暮兄弟と小狐ちゃん) was initially announced, I was overjoyed this play was returning. I had watched it about three years prior with a different cast (featuring STARTO actors Tomioka Kento and Nozawa Yuki and former Johnnys’ Jrs. members Inaba Hikaru and Fukushi Nobuki). As much as I loved this play, I didn’t have the money to ballot and consigned myself to not watching how the production had evolved.
The thing about friends is that they are so utterly unpredictable sometimes. The same former friend from earlier offered to pay for not only my ticket but also the ticket of a friend, so I could support her sons (her words, not mine). She offered this chance because she couldn’t come to Japan to see the group herself. It was a good deal, getting to see a play I love and get to recount details of what happened to her, so I easily agreed. I grabbed another friend who was interested in SpeciaL, we settled on which shows we wanted to attend, then waited for the results to come out.
Despite my hesitations over whether I would hit or not, I managed to snag a pair of tickets for the first weekend. When the tickets arrived in the mail, our seats a little over halfway back, I realized I had a greater task ahead of me that hadn’t crossed my mind: I needed to learn the names and faces of SpeciaL.
To most people, this wouldn’t be hard. With only four group members, SpeciaL is by far one of the smallest groups within STARTO. But if you had sat me down and quizzed me on what their first and last names were as well as which one was Nakamura Kodai and which was Wada Yuki, I would have been completely wrong. I was completely face blind to the differences between Yuki and Kodai, and I had a limited time before the start of Yabo Kyoudai to learn them. By the time the lights went dark in Kinokuniya Hall, the Tokyo theater the play happened in, I was confident I had learned everyone’s names and faces correctly.
Yabo Kyoudai tells the story of three men, a convenience store clerk named Tooru (played by Wada Yuki), a salaryman named Hiroyuki (played by Nakamura Kodai), and a personal trainer named Eiji (played by Hayashi Ren). All three men believe they are dating the same person, a woman named Wakana (played by Matsuo Tatsuru). The play centers greatly around the conversations they have while waiting for Wakana to return to her apartment as well as delving into how each met and became involved with her. Although the topic of the play seems quite heavy, the conversations and interactions between each of the characters is quite hilarious and charming.
For example, there is a moment within the play where Yuki is describing his perfect date. He enters a position quite similar to an arabesque, just his body more parallel to the ground, before Tatsuru, dressed in his role of Wakana’s friend, yells, “STOP!” Yuki is forced to hold that position as Tatsuru addresses the audience which leads to quite a few wonderful little moments. Particular stand outs are when the audience watched to see if Yuki was able to hold that position as well as Tatsuru’s annoyed glances and warnings that he better not fall. It felt as if Tatsuru was making that moment last as long as he could, and I loved every second of it.
It’s these little moments of improved comedy, or the feel of improv comedy, that really make this entire play, and Tatsuru is a master of them. His acting is a little breath of fresh air that really makes Yabo Kyoudai really shine. He completely embodied each of his roles, and I laughed so much during his time on stage. I particularly love how he interacted with guests who came to watch the play. When I went to watch, Travis Japan’s Kawashima Noel was in attendance, and it was hilarious watching Tatsuru react to Noel in the audience as well as Noel’s embarrassed reactions each time.
Ren and Yuki are also incredibly strong on stage and give wonderful performances. Ren’s whining as his character is incredible, and I thoroughly enjoyed his conversation with Yuki’s character near the end of the play. His reactions as Tooru slowly whittled down how long Eiji had actually been over to Wakana’s apartment were really funny. I unfortunately remember the least about Ren and his character, but I did enjoy his performance quite a bit. Yuki on the other hand is surprisingly a strong actor. I was blown away not only by the comedy in his character but also the innocent nature he exuded in his role. There were moments of almost a childlike wonder that made me warm to him quite a bit throughout the play.
While I enjoyed Tatsuru, Yuki, and Ren’s performances on stage, there was one other performance that had stunned me. From the moment he appeared on stage, there was something about Nakamura Kodai that piqued my interest. Whether it was from his dancing at the beginning, or the relaxed way he was sitting on the couch, Kodai felt like a completely different person from the initial video I had watched so many years prior. He had slipped into his role as this confident and relaxed Hiroyuki that I couldn’t see the shy and quiet kid I had first seen.
I think what had really captured my attention was a small moment during the play where Kodai came forward and said in English, “That’s right! I’m wearing” while pointing at where his underwear would be. He continued to model while pointing as Yuki and Ren’s characters bickered on the other side of the stage. I have absolutely no recollection of what happened before this moment because the utter shock of an idol speaking English and my uncontrollable laughter had completely wiped my memory. By the end of the play, it was clear to me: whenever I got into SpeciaL, my favorite member would more than likely be Kodai.
Compared to the production in 2021, this year’s production of Yabo Kyoudai does feature a few changes that I enjoyed along with one that I do miss. From what I remember, Tatsuru’s role has shrunk quite a bit. Nozawa “Non-chan” Yuki, with whom Tatsuru shares his role, had quite a few more scenes. Non-chan was more akin to a narrator, while also playing the role of Wakana’s friend. He would jump in and out of the play to talk about what had happened as well as move us forward or backwards in time using a large clock set piece. These moments have been removed and instead we’re given hints to the time through staging and a large screen at the top of the stage. I do wish we had gotten more of these more candid narrator moments so Tatsuru would have more stage time in comparison to the other members of SpeciaL.
One thing that I liked was that the music in Yabo Kyoudai changed from what I remember. During the play, Tooru, Hiroyuki, and Eiji all tell their stories of how they met Wakana and started dating her. At the end of their scenes, it features each man dancing along to different songs, such as Happy by Pharrell, and some, like Kodai, mouth along the lyrics as if they’re singing them. I remember the songs used three years ago were a bit older, so it was nice hearing more current songs.
I also love that we as the audience were able to get more scenes with the character of Wakana. In the original production that I watched, much of what we get to see of Wakana is told through the perspective of her friend. We never actually see Wakana, the times she is on stage being relegated to a single spotlight hinting where she is standing. Getting to see Wakana and how she reacts and acts was a solid change to the structure of the play.
Another strong addition for Wakana was a scene where the audience gets to see how she is when she falls in love. During each of her meetings with Tooru, Hiroyuki and Eiji, we see that she has to be reminded of how they met before she “recognizes” them all and eventually gets their phone numbers. The audience gets to see how disinterested she is in each of these men, and it adds so much more depth than having Wakana’s words relayed to us through her friend. When we see Wakana at a restaurant later in the play, hitting on and flirting with a waiter before getting his number, she is completely changed. She’s engaged in the conversation and happy, giving her character more life than in the 2021 version.
Overall, SpeciaL did an absolutely wonderful job bringing this stage production to life. As excited as I was to see this play again, there was a part of me that had been worried. I had absolutely adored the original production, and I have such fond memories watching that cast. In the end, I had nothing to worry about. SpeciaL absolutely lived up to my expectations and put a wonderful spin on a play that I love. I will always adore that original cast more, but, at the end of the day, I am fully happy with the version I saw this year. I do hope this means we’ll get to see more of SpeciaL acting together in plays in the future.
I’m not a fan of SpeciaL.
I have said those words so many times since I was initially introduced to them. Now? I don’t know if I can consider myself their fan, but I’m more open to getting to know them. From what I saw on stage, they are all fantastically talented Johnnys’ Jrs. that deserve as much love and affection as other groups. I wish them nothing but the best, and I hope they all continue to shine throughout their careers.
Yabo Kyoudai to Kogitsune-chan is performed in Tokyo from September 7th to September 18th. The play finishes its run in Osaka from September 29th to October 1st.