Not an exact translation of NHKās captions, but I think it captures the meaning.Ā
When the official NHK twitter urged us to watch till the last second for an important message, quite a number of fans thought there would be some announcement regarding Kouhaku (NHK was probably trolling us).
But this short montage was far better than that.Ā
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20th Anniversary Concert Rewatch Week 6Ā - Domoto Dome de Daininki (2001)
This one is notable for being the first concert with a substantial birthday celebration for Koichi! Theoretically Iāve watched this recording before, but I donāt actually remember much about it. This is also my first time attempting a full concert review off of a fancam. Itās far better quality than the last couple of fancams I watched though, so Iām going in with cautious optimism.
The concert opens with some juniors flailing about in completely ridiculous costumes as KinKi Kids Forever plays in the background. This is not the greatest first impression, but letās see where it goes, hahaha.
Much like the last full dome concert I watched, KinKi first appear in airborne cages of some sort. Their opening song is Hey!Wa, which is one of my favorite D Album songs despite its slightly silly rap segments. For the record thatās not saying much, since the D-F span of albums is at the bottom of my list. Iām not very familiar with many of the songs on them tbh.
In the very brief opening greetings, Koichi asks for an excellent start to the 21st century (wow, that takes me back) and Tsuyoshi asks the audience to give Koichi an excellent birthday. <3
After using KinKi Kids Forever again to transition briefly between songs, KinKi move on to Natsu no Ousama, which is a little surreal to hear in this context. Itās strange to hear them singing it during a winter concert, for one thing, though since the single was released during the previous year itās not that surprising. But regardless of the time of year, Iām simply not used to hearing it done in concert ā theyāve talked a number of times about how much they dislike singing this song because the key is so high, so I think once this year was out they avoided it as much as possible, lol.
Thereās a very smooth transition into Kiss Kara Hajimaru Mystery/Natural Thang. KisuMisu has been one of the most consistent concert fixtures over the years, so itās not too surprising to see it pop up here, but itās good to hear Natural Thang for the first time! This song was written by Yonekura Toshinori, a fairly prolific artist whoās been active since the early ā90s. He was also responsible for since 1997 on the Phi Album, hence why KinKi combined the two songs during the KinKiYou tour.
I think this is the clearest example of a quick-change outfit Iāve ever seen from KinKi. Itās not entirely clear given the video quality, but whatever mechanism they have for removing the top layer of their pants is very smooth. It think they managed to remove their entire outer layer in about six seconds. I am usually a big proponent of wearing fewer layers, but I have to admit that watching this process in action was pretty cool.
Thereās a quick introductory bit here where Tsuyoshi just crouches down in different directions and pretends to shoot beams out of his hands? Or something? Itās very clearly a substitute for the backflip he canāt do, lol, but it ends up being pretty cute because Koichi plays along with it and acts like Tsuyoshi hit him when Tsuyoshi points in his direction. Then, as expected, Koichi does a proper backflip once itās his turn.Ā
KinKi no Yarukimanman Song is next in what has so far appeared to be a medley of sorts. Each of the songs Iāve listed so far (with the possible exception of Hey!Wa) has been shortened quite a bit, and theyāve all been connected in between by the KinKi Kids Forever chorus. I donāt know if itās worked for me across the board, but overall I think itās a cute idea, and itās nice to get a variety of songs without any of them starting to drag, though in some cases I wouldnāt mind hearing a little more.
Kono mama te wo tsunaide is the last song before thereās another quick costume change. Though this song is a KinKi con staple, itās strange to hear it near the start of a concert. I think this is the last time this will happen until 2008.
KinKi shift gears a bit here and do a full performance of Yokubou no Rain. Not one of my favorites Iāll admit, but it does allow for some dancing. This song was composed by Miyazaki Ayumi, who apparently has also done a bunch of Digimon themes, some other songs for KinKi including To Heart, and a number of Koichiās recent solo songs, including Show Me UR Monster and Slave Maker.
Suppin Girl comes next. I like the see-through shirts theyāre wearing. ā¦Iām just waiting for the person who filmed this to realize how much nicer it is to watch if you just film one of the monitors, lol. My apologies for all the fuzzy screencaps so far.
Itās looking like, as with most fancams, the MC segments are going to be the real star of this video, so Iām thrilled to have reached the first one. Koichi starts out making fun of the concert title. This is one thatās really stuck with them ā I feel like whenever theyāve had to pull out an example of a ridiculous concert name in subsequent interviews, itās always been, āDomoto Dome de Daininki.ā There are a lot of fans yelling out, āKo-chan, happy birthday!ā while he talks, and itās a little frustrating since it makes it harder to hear what heās saying, but itās also pretty cute.
Koichi thanks everyone for taking time out on New Yearās to come see them and makes special mention of the families in the audience as well as the male fans, which earns a āTsuyoshi!ā shout from one of them, hahaha. Tsuyoshiās pretty low-key here ā heās practically mumbling whenever he talks ā but he seems to be in good humor nevertheless.
Koichi mentions that theyāve written solo songs again, and Tsuyoshi points out that heāll be singing Juuinigatsu (December) even though itās now January. He also says he feels bad because the same thing will be happening at V6ās concerts with the song he wrote for Okada, Kimi ni Aeta Juunigatsu (Iāll be talking some more about that one in an upcoming post.) In the middle of this conversation, the fans suddenly start singing. Theyāre incomprehensible at first, and you can see KinKi straining to figure out whatās going on, but eventually they become a little more united and it becomes clear that theyāre singing Happy Happy Greeting. The timing is a little bit awkward, but itās mostly impressive. I always find it amazing when KinKi fans manage to unite so quickly like this. Tsuyoshiās the first to figure out whatās going on, and Koichiās face when Tsuyoshi tells him theyāre singing for him is absolutely darling.
Koichi says that this is a first out of all the New Yearās concerts theyāve had so far, which is strange to hear now since substantial celebrations of his birthday have become a tradition, but come to think of it in all the previous concerts his birthday has only been mentioned here and there. Tsuyoshi jokes that he had a meeting with the fans beforehand to arrange this, and then the band plays the introduction to Happy Birthday to You, prompting both Tsuyoshi and the audience to sing to Koichi together. ā¦and then right when they finish Koichi dashes over to Tsuyoshi and starts blowing air in his face pretending that heās blowing out candles, lol. I guess itās a good thing theyāve started bringing cakes onstage as well.
Koichiās delighted surprise through all of this is super cute, and I have to say Iām really grateful that Tsuyoshi thinks up new things to do for each birthday because it means Koichi never knows what to expect so we get to see him make these faces every year. <3
Tsuyoshi talks a bit about his own birthday and how he usually ends up celebrating it in the middle of drama filming. On his last birthday he received congratulations from Hirosue Ryoko and Imai Tsubasa, but Okada sent his a little late. Then he suddenly says to Koichi, āYesterday I was really torn on whether to send you a message or not!ā He was worried that it would look like he was angling for Koichi to mention it on stage to boost his image, so in the end he decided not to send one. Koichiās like, āI wouldnāt think that!!ā Tsuyoshi had decided that maybe heād wait until the concert was over and then do it, but Koichi assures him that if heād thought Tsuyoshi was sending him messages to make himself look good he wouldnāt talk about it onstage, lol.
Koichi mentions very happily that Nagase sent him a birthday greeting after the Countdown concert. <3 And apparently Tsuyoshi sent New Yearās greetings to everyone in his phone, aww. Thereās a little more talk on Countdown ā Tsuyoshi helping to choose Higashiyamaās outfit! ā but if Iām not careful Iām just going to end up sitting here summarizing everything and thatās really not what Iām here for? Itās all a lot of fun to listen to, but Iām going to try to restrain myself. ā¦just a little, at least. Iāll stick to the highlights as best as I can.
Koichi starts speculating about what Tsuyoshiās going to give him for his birthday, and Tsuyoshiās like, āI thought about that quite a bit. Mmm probably, what Iām going to give you is⦠gold pants?ā Koichi seems very amused but skeptical, so Tsuyoshi tries to argue for the merits of gold fashion. Itās cool, he says! Today among his private wardrobe were a gold belt, a gold watch, and gold shoes. Koichiās like, āI wore sweats today! :D :Dā Tsuyoshi: āPlease hire a stylist! To use at home!ā
Koichi suddenly realizes that he and Tsuyoshi didnāt see each other before the concert started, so they wish each other a happy new year right there on stage, hahaha. Tsuyoshi reveals that he was the only one who did the sound check that day, and then when he passed by Koichiās dressing room he saw the lights were out and realized Koichi was sleeping so he decided to leave him alone.
Tsuyoshi mentions that he and Koichi got āgarlicā shots before Countdown because they both felt like they might be coming down with something. Itās a little disturbing but not at all surprising that KinKi have to turn to artificial methods of fighting off exhaustion ā this is one of the necessities of the idol world, it seems. Iād never heard of these specific shots before, though. Apparently theyāre energy-boosting injections that mostly consist of vitamin B and leave a garlic smell in the mouth of whoever theyāre given to. Tsuyoshi said he hated it and I canāt blame him ā it doesnāt sound at all pleasant.
Eventually the Countdown talk leads to a Nagase impersonation from Tsuyoshi. Heās done these in a number of different settings, but I never get tired of seeing them ā heās just so good at it. Once Tsuyoshi finishes, Koichi asks, āAre you making fun of him?ā (defending Nagaseās honor, aww), but Tsuyoshi says, āNo, I was just surprised!ā Koichi tries to convince him that Nagaseās performance level is normal, and it quickly descends into an argument over whether which member of KinKi was more energetic during Countdown.
Ultimately, Koichi calls Tsuyoshi lame and Tsuyoshi claims to be offended but then breaks character and cracks what I believe is his first smile of the evening. Honestly. I hadnāt thought about it much because Koichiās been laughing and smiling all over the place, but deadpan Tsuyoshi has been going full-swing so far. Itās like the sun just emerged from behind the clouds. *_*
There are a couple more stories about Leader and Higashiyama, and now that the ice has broken thereās a lot of laughter happening on both sides. Itās kind of infectious ā I canāt stop smiling just watching this.
We return to the singing portion of the concert with KinKi Kids Forever, this time sung in full. As Koichi mentions in his introduction here, the lyrics to this song were originally written in English before they were translated to Japanese to be recorded. They sing the English version here, and while I personally would prefer to hear the Japanese lyrics a little more often, I think itās kind of cute that the English ones have become the norm. This is one of those songs that I hate myself a little for enjoying as much as I do just because itās so cheesy, but honestly as a KinKi fan I feel like itās impossible not to feel a lot of affection for it.
ā¦I just noticed past the blurry video quality that the usual closed-shirt/open-shirt pattern is in operation once again. Somehow it felt less obvious during the MC.
The juniors show up next and start singing Shounentaiās Be Cool, which I have zero interest in since I canāt even tell who any of them are, but Koichi joins them partway through! Iād completely forgotten about this song ā it reminds me a little of So Young Blues actually, hahaha. Koichiās also sounding pretty nice here ā singing with a lot of power and in a lower register than he was in his late teens, so itās closer to what Iām used to hearing from him. I think itāll still take a tiny bit longer for this to become consistent, but weāre almost there.
Tsuyoshi rejoins Koichi on stage to perform Misty. I donāt actively dislike this song, but I donāt particularly care for it either so Iāve always been a little bewildered by its widespread popularity. Whatās most notable for me about Misty though is that itās the first song Dojima Kohei offered to KinKi (along with another D Album song called Kotae wa kitto kokoro no naka ni, which has left no impression on me whatsoever, lol. It should come up later in this concert though.) I tend to just assume that everyone in KinKi fandom knows who Dojima-kun is, especially given recent events, but in case anybody needs a refresher, here are the basics.
Dojima Kohei is a singer-songwriter who has been active since the mid ā90s, and aside from his own music has written a number of songs for other artists. His most significant early contributions to KinKi were Kanashimi Blue and the music for Eien no Bloods. He also appeared as a regular on Domoto Kyoudai for about a year from 2002 to 2003, and he can be seen playing guitar in the music video for Secret Code, which he helped to arrange. Heās become heavily involved with KinKiās recent activities; he appeared in the music video for Bara to Taiyou, he had some part in writing and/or arranging half the songs on N Album, and he essentially acted as the albumās co-producer. Heās said some really lovely things about Koichi and Tsuyoshiās history together, and itās clear that he put a lot of thought and love into the project. Likewise, given that itās the first time KinKi have allowed a single songwriter to dominate one of their albums this way, I think itās obvious that they have a great deal of trust in him and respect for him as a musician. He also joined KinKi for their latest tour and played guitar in their band ā according to concert reports theyāve been teasing him a lot. <3
Misty is followed by Ame no Melody, in an arrangement that allows for some dancing at the beginning and the end. After the chorus is over Koichi leaves the stage to prepare for his first major solo song and Tsuyoshi does some popping to fill in the time until heās ready. I know Iāve said it before, but itās a lot of fun to watch Tsuyoshi in this dance style ā he really holds his own.
Koichiās first solo is Jealous Train, another never-recorded solo, though he had no part in writing this one. The music for this song was written by Iida Takehiko, who Iāve brought up before as the composer of Gekkou and Suppin Girl among others. Itās a shame this one didnāt make it onto an album ā itās got a nice strong beat and a catchy melody. Iāll be glad to see it in better quality when I move on to the Taiwan concert after this, but there is something nice about being able to see the full-body choreography through the whole song, however blurry it might be. Itās always a delight to watch Koichi dance.
Next up is Tsuyoshi performing Juunigatsu, and I canāt help giggling at the start after the āEven though itās Januaryā jokes they were making earlier. This song is a little slow and Tsuyoshi looks like a bit of a mess while heās singing it here, but the melody and the arrangement are lovely. Somehow I keep forgetting that this song exists, but itās definitely one of my favorite pre-solo-debut Tsuyoshi compositions. Iām also entertained by the fake snow they have falling during the second half of the song, lol.
The section of the concert after these solos is kind of fabulous. KinKi alternate back and forth doing a series of short covers bookended by Koichi singing Tayori ni shitemasse, and it all feels ridiculous but super entertaining. My personal favorite is Tsuyoshi doing Yoshida Takuroās Kekkon shiyou yo, while wearing a giant afro wig and imitating Takuro-sanās singing style. Koichi waving and going, āTakuro-san~!ā at the start of the performance is the cherry on top. (The other two covers they do here are Koichi singing Yamashita Tatsuroās Christmas Eve, interrupted partway through by Tsuyoshi coming in with a rock arrangement of Yamamoto Jojiās Michinoku Hitoritabi, which Koichi eventually joins in on.)
They break here for another MC segment, and Koichi mentions that a bunch of reporters have come to the concert so theyāre going to have a little press conference on stage. Thereās a break in this recording at that point, and when it comes back itās focused briefly on a whole bunch of cameras that have been brought onto the stage and Koichi and Tsuyoshi are in the middle of being interviewed. Iām not sure how Iād feel about this if it happened at a concert Iād come to see. I think I might be kind of pissed because it takes time away from seeing Koichi and Tsuyoshi just screwing around with each other, but it might still be entertaining so letās seeā¦
After Koichi insists that he doesnāt need any presents from Tsuyoshi, the interviewer asks if he received a lot of āHappy Birthdayā messages from his friends and heās just like, āNope.ā Tsuyoshi then explains that Koichi almost never replies to the messages people send to his phone so theyāve given up on him, lol. Tsuyoshi only sends Koichi about two messages a year. Koichi suddenly puts a hand on Tsuyoshiās shoulder and says, āWe didnāt talk on the phone at all last year!ā HE SOUNDS SO HAPPY ABOUT IT, WTF. And then Tsuyoshiās about to agree with him, but heās suddenly like, āHang on, we did talk on the phone ā I called you after practice.ā Koichi: āā¦eh?ā THESE TWO ARE RIDICULOUS. Iām beginning to wonder now when they first started claiming(?) not to know each otherās phone numbers.
When the interviewer asks for a concrete goal for the year, Tsuyoshi replies, āIāve been talking with Koichi about this for a while, but just for fun Iād like to make an album together, just the two of us.ā I WANT TO WEEP. I canāt believe heād been considering this for so long. As the years go by itās starting to feel less and less likely, to be honest, though I continue to hold out hope. Itās something Tsuyoshiās still interested in doing for sure, but for the past few years Koichi keeps saying he doesnāt have the inspiration to write music. Itās totally fair that he doesnāt want to force it if heās not feeling it, but looking at this situation from the perspective of someone who came down with a bad case of writerās block about ten years ago and hasnāt written anything seriously since, I canāt help feeling concerned about how long this might last, not only because Iād like to see a KinKi composed album, but also because I miss hearing new songs from Koichi in any context.
I also canāt help wondering if maybe a KinKi album would have been realized a lot sooner if Tsuyoshiās solo debut hadnāt happened, or if it had at least been postponed a few years. The period from around 1997-2002 was probably Koichiās most consistently prolific ā he was writing at least one new solo song for every major concert series, and seemed to have fewer qualms about writing lyrics. I think if Tsuyoshi had pitched this idea seriously enough and with the right timing, without anything getting in the way, they might actually have been able to pull it off. Ah well, we can still dreamā¦
As the press conference finishes thereās another cut in the recording, so Iām not sure what happened in between, but when it starts up again the MC segment is carrying on. Some juniors have joined KinKi on stage, most notably MAās Akiyama Jun, who was clearly already a favorite of KinKiās to play around with, but was probably getting even more attention during this period since he was in the middle of filming a drama with Tsuyoshi. They spend about ten minutes having Akiyama play the voice of a āHigashiyamaā mannequin theyāve brought on stage ā itās all pretty dumb but still entertaining, and seeing Tsuyoshi practically collapsing from laughter is well worth it.
Thereās another cut in the footage past what seems to be a junior introduction section, and this time when it comes back itās just Koichi and Tsuyoshi. Tsuyoshi talks about interacting with the juniors more and tries to encourage Koichi to talk to them because heās apparently so intimidating off-stage that heās too difficult for them to approach. Koichiās like, āIn that case, you try talking to Fukada Kyoko!ā and Tsuyoshi starts laughing. Heās like, āNo, we did talk to each other, it just never went anywhere!ā He gives some examples of conversations heās attempted with her and they all trail off after two or three lines. Kind of sad but really funny. In the end they both resolve to try to come forward more in the new year. Hahaha good luck with that one.
Koichi decides itās time to move on with the concert, so he leaves the closing of the MC up to Tsuyoshi, which is never a very good idea if you actually want to get something done, lol. Tsuyoshi starts giving a drawn-out, deliberately overdramatic speech about love (what else is new?) I think the audience is starting to get restless here ā random fans keep calling out, āKo-chan!ā āTsuyoshi!,ā a practice which I will never understand and find distracting and rude outside of very specific situations. What is it meant to accomplish? In any case, this is something theyāve been doing through the whole concert but itās feeling particularly prominent in this section, presumably because Tsuyoshiās talking soooo slowly.
Then one of my favorite things ā the camera focuses on Koichi during a pause, and heās not doing much beyond standing around looking a bit awkward, but of course the fans start laughing, leading Koichi to realize that heās being filmed and start playing it up. Soon after he grabs his bottle of water and very deliberately sits down on the stage, then gives a āKanpai!ā to the audience. This is going to become a common pattern for the birthday concerts in particular, and itās always fun to watch. Eventually Koichi crouches down below stage and sends Ikuta Toma out to say to Tsuyoshi, āItās getting long!ā
Tsuyoshi sends Toma back to stand-by with the promise that heāll be done very shortly⦠and then he starts singing. This bit and the exchanges between Koichi and Tsuyoshi afterwards were so entertaining (and kind of⦠historic?) that I gave in and decided to subtitle the whole thing (see the video at the top of the post.) Please forgive me for the few bits I either couldnāt catch at all or may have gotten wrong ā itās a little tough to hear in places. But in any case, itās incredible to be seeing the first time a KinKi MC has passed the one hour mark. It feels a little like an entry into a new era, appropriate for the start of a new millennium, hahaha.
The next song up is Burning Love, another one that hasnāt left much of an impression on me. I donāt even know it well enough to recognize it. The composer for this song is Ooyagi Hiroo, who has written a few other album or B-side songs for KinKi and seems to do a lot of his composing for Johnnyās groups, but nothing heās done is jumping out at me. It looks like a pretty unremarkable career, sadly. Thereās a little bit of spinny dancing in this number, but the biggest stand-out is probably Koichi doing yet another backflip off a platform at the end of it.
Iāve been working off a setlist that has Rocketman and Ano ko wa So Fine up next but this recording doesnāt have them, so either they didnāt get filmed or they were cut because the MC went so long, hahaha. I suspect itās the former though, since there was a significant jump forward in the video. Then again, Tsuyoshi did seem to run off a little early before Koichi did his backflip, so that could easily have served as a segue into Tsuyoshiās next solo section.
Tsuyoshi sings Panic Disorder here. The performance itself is in line with what I assume fans would have come to expect from Tsuyoshi over the last few years, if with a little more messing around on the electric guitar than heās done in previous performances (and at this point itās still pretty rough, hahaha.) Iād like to talk about this song though, because itās a pretty big deal. In retrospect, with the knowledge that Tsuyoshi legitimately has struggled with panic disorder, itās clear that this song served as a confession of sorts, and I have to admire the courage it must have taken to perform it. I donāt think many fans recognized that at the time though ā a lot of them seemed unsure of what the title even was, let alone what it meant and that it applied to Tsuyoshi literally and personally.
I have a feeling that this lack of clarity was precisely what allowed Tsuyoshi to get away with singing this song in the first place. I know he was pulled aside and given a talking to when he submitted the lyrics for Machi, but Iām honestly surprised it didnāt happen sooner. For the first few years post-debut Tsuyoshi stuck to writing love songs, albeit often gloomy ones, but Purity (followed soon after by Panic Disorder) marked a major turning point in content. Itās possible these songs were able to fly under the radar because he wasnāt recording them at the time so they wouldnāt get as much circulation and would have less of an impact on his public image. I canāt imagine what the fans must have thought when Tsuyoshi first started writing lyrics like this though. Anyone keeping up with his interviews where he talked about wanting to be more honest with the fans and was very open about the personal nature of his music must have realized there was something wrong.
Now we have Koichiās Melting Snow to lighten the mood a little! ā¦hahaha just kidding, this song is slightly more upbeat musically but the lyrics are super depressing. I feel like both Koichi and Tsuyoshi have a tendency to write lyrics you wouldnāt expect to see from idols ā Koichiās are actually more consistently dark than Tsuyoshiās, IMO. But I think everyoneās learned by now not to expect KinKi to fit the idol mold ā the fact that theyāre writing music at all is testament to that. Itās great to see Koichi playing the guitar for this one. I do really love to see him dance and I can understand why he chooses to do so for most of his solos, but precisely because he does it so rarely it always feels really refreshing to see him just stand on stage with a guitar and a microphone stand.
We return to joint performances with Kotae wa kitto kokoro no naka ni, the Dojima Kohei song I mentioned earlier. The first thing that struck me here was Tsuyoshiās outfit ā the coordination (or lack thereof) is kind of awful but also inexplicably adorable, hahaha. The sleeveless look is cute on Koichi too. The song itself, despite never being a stand-out for me, is actually pretty nice! It has some long continuous solo sections in the beginning, which gives a good opportunity for hearing what stage Koichi and Tsuyoshiās voices are at. IDK if itās the key of the song or if this has been happening in other places and I just havenāt noticed, but Tsuyoshi is definitely singing quite a bit higher on this one than he has been in earlier concerts. It felt a little jarring at first ā it took me a second to even realize it was him when he started ā and itās a little more nasally than Iād prefer, but otherwise he still sounds good. As for Koichi, I am again impressed by the power behind his voice here ā itās something I take for granted with Tsuyoshi but early Koichi is often pretty shaky, so Iām pleased to see him beginning to come into his own. Heās got a season of Mask and a season of Shock under his belt at this point and I imagine those must have played a large role in his vocal development.
Here it looks like they have the prototype for the giant descending staircase they used in KinKiYou! This one is far less impressive, but I was surprised to see it. (They were definitely using it earlier in the concert as well, I just managed to miss it somehow.)
Next up are Garasu no shounen, Suki ni natteku aishiteku, and Flower. Suki ni natteku aishiteku gets the shortest rendition out of the three, which I find a little odd given that it was their first and only joint composition at this point, but maybe they figured people were already hearing enough of it on Love Love Aishiteru, hahaha. While itās not a bad song, I do think itās one of their weakest collaborations, possibly in part because they were forced into writing it.
Iām a bit relieved to see Tsuyoshi taking off his hat as they head into Angel (another song that I⦠donāt really remember, whoops.) As cute as I thought it was, I like his hair this concert and itās nice to be able to see his face better.
After another impressively quick change into new outfits while the juniors pile on stage as a distraction, KinKi reappear to give their closing remarks and sing Happy Happy Greeting, which Koichi introduces but then was largely cut from this recording. ;_; We do get to see Koichi thanking their band at the end though, who for this concert are FiVe, a junior group created in 1999 to play for KinKi. We should be seeing quite a bit of them prior to the Font con.
There are a couple encore songs in here that also seem to have been cut (Zenbu Dakishimete and Flying People ā99 according to this setlist), though there is a brief clip of KinKi waving goodbye to the audience. They come back out for a double encore performance of Ame no Melody, minus most of their clothing. Thereās a whole lot of screaming going on in the audience, lol. At some point Tsuyoshi changes into rollerskates? I donāt even know.
Is this not the cutest thing ever? HELP.
At the very end Koichi thanks everyone for an amazing birthday. <3 And on that note, weāre done!
Concluding thoughts: Despite the shaky fancam quality, the press conference during the MC, and my lack of enthusiasm for D Album, I liked this concert quite a lot! What impressed me most was the pacing and the variety of performances. While I can find it a little disappointing when songs I love get short shrift, Iām a big fan of the medley performance style ā it keeps things from dragging or getting boring at any point, and it allows for a greater number of songs in the setlist. Itās also extremely refreshing to watch a concert with minimal to no lip-syncing ā finally I can really hear Koichi and Tsuyoshiās voices and it feels like thereās a point to listening to them. Iām even tempted to go back and listen to D Album again to potentially reevaluate my opinion on some of its songs. Overall, very nicely done.
Things should be mostly uphill from here! Until next time~
20th Anniversary Concert Rewatch WeekĀ 6 Bonus - King of Summer (2000)
Sorry for the very long break between posts! Iāve been travelling over the last few weeks, but Iād already fallen behind a bit before I left and while Iād originally had a plan for while I was gone, I ran out of time for that as well. There may be a small flood of posts over the next few weeks as I attempt to get back on schedule, but weāll see how well that goes. In any case, I have by no means given up!
For this week Iām doing a bonus post before the main one since this concert series comes first chronologically. I wanted to cover the summer stadium tour KinKi did in 2000 because it seemed like I had juuust enough material to do so, but it ended up getting a little out of hand, hahaha. Still, this was the last stadium tour KinKi did before the one theyāre in the middle of right now, so this feels like an appropriate time to talk about it.
First up is a small documentary that was aired on Pop Jam. Itās largely Koichi-focused since, as Iām sure most of you are aware, this was a show that Koichi hosted for two years starting in April of 2000. (Also notable the birthplace of KAT-TUN, and overall a great learning experience and growth opportunity for Koichi as a TV host, a performer, and a stage director.)
After a performance of Jetcoaster RomanceĀ under a dramatic-looking sky, the video cuts to Sapporo rehearsal footage, which features Koichi with stubble! This is a look we very rarely see on him, though it seems to be his default for off days. At the time this was filmed I might go so far as to say this would have been the first time fans were seeing him like this. This is one part of his public image that Koichi has been habitually conscientious about, particularly in contrast to Tsuyoshi, so I canāt help wondering a little how he felt about having this broadcast.
As usual, these two seem slightly hellish to interview, lol. The announcer whoās been following KinKi over the course of this documentary remarks on the size of the venue, but Koichi tells her itās small compared to the domes. To Tsuyoshi she asks if thereās anything heād like to try specially for this stage, but he says there isnāt really ā he just does what he wants on each day. If he were to decide too concretely then that would become the only option. When she asks for an expression of enthusiasm Koichi wonāt give one because he says those donāt suit them. Ultimately he just says, very casually, āItāll be fine!ā Then he talks about the importance of the audience in sharing their excitement and creating the atmosphere of the concert ā itās something they canāt replicate in the rehearsal, so even if parts of the rehearsals donāt seem to be going well he has faith that the real thing will be better.
Now we go back in time a bit to the July 19th rehearsal one week before the start of the tour. Apparently KinKi arenāt able to make it to the studio until evening. D:
As Koichi works on his solo choreography, there is some more butt touching. The announcer remarks that the serious expression Koichi had on earlier has completely disappeared all of a sudden, and I am reminded once again of the backstage footage from that very first concert they did. This seems to be a theme in their relationship, hahaha. <3Ā
Itās interesting to see Koichi interact with this announcer, because even though this footage is being filmed for his own TV show he seems to have very little patience for the whole thing ā understandable, since theyāre only a week away from holding concerts and the planning isnāt complete yet. Thereās a bluntness to some of his responses that feels much more natural than the DoS personality he puts on sometimes for TV shows and concerts. I donāt think he has any intention of being rude or hurtful here, but watching this helps me to understand why a lot of people have talked about being intimidated by him or hesitant to talk to him in private.
I always find it interesting to see Koichi wearing rings and bracelets in his late teens and early twenties ā he doesnāt do it nearly as often now, but he used to wear them a lot, apparently of his own will.
Omg I love that they have a little model of their set - itās adorable. KinKi get asked if they ever have different opinions when it comes to concert planning, and Koichi says that Tsuyoshi doesnāt have much to say. Tsuyoshi adds that Koichi comes up with the initial plans and then Tsuyoshi looks those over along with the staff and they give their opinions on anything that seems like it might be a problem.
They throw a couple jokes in about spending their entire Sendai concert talking, and about the lighting personās cell phone ring tone being the theme for a different TV station, and itās a lot of fun to watch because theyāre so in sync with each other. Tsuyoshi will start a joke and Koichi will pick up on it immediately and expand it. Itās all very smoothly done.
Then we skip forward a few days to the July 22nd rehearsal, when things seem to be coming together a little more (see the video at the top of the post.) Just look at how cute these two are, itās killing me.
Of major note is that we see a fair bit of Sanche in this documentary, a man who has worked for Johnnyās as both dance instructor and choreographer for years. I believe heās been credited as the primary choreographer for all of KinKiās concerts up until the last few, for which the baton seems to have been passed on.
There are apparently ten outfit changes in this concert. Yeesh. Koichi says the fastest heās changed everything has been about ten seconds. And thatās a little slow. What the actual fuck.
Koichi says heās best able to express himself in concerts. Everything on TV is LIES, lol. Because heās at his most honest during rehearsal, he says they really shouldnāt be filming him ā he doesnāt like having people see him like this. I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable hearing this tbh. As much as I enjoy seeing rehearsal footage, Iām suddenly like, āJust leave him alone already!ā hahaha. It is kind of interesting that Tsuyoshi has talked so much about wanting to share himself honestly with the fans, whereas Koichi seems to feel the exact opposite.
And then Koichi talks about how even though he does get tired during concerts he refuses to show it. āI do it with the sense of, āI can collapse once itās over.ā ⦠Iām so cool!ā Bless.
The documentary finishes with some more clips of the finished product, and theyāre fun to watch if only for the novelty of seeing KinKi perform outdoors. While Tsuyoshi has been holding outdoor shrine concerts since 2009, KinKi havenāt held one of the their own concerts outside in many years, as far as Iām aware. I think the closest they came to it was the Hanabi Taikai with Takki and Matchy in 2013, and the reports of that were gorgeous. Thereās something really special about the outdoor concert atmosphere, and Iād love to see some more of it in KinKiās future.
After the documentary, I decided to translate some bits of concert reports - mostly dialogue transcripts, but some other little things as well. All the reports I worked off of were from this site, since I liked its format best, but Iāve seen the information in them backed up in other places so I know theyāre reliable. I only translated the bits that I personally found most entertaining or interesting (so... lots of gross flirting - Iām revealing my priorities, hahaha), but Iāve barely scratched the surface. There were a lot of other fun interactions that I simply didnāt have the time to cover, so if you know Japanese and youāre curious, please do check it out!
7/27 (Osaka Dome) ā 11:30Ā
Koichi says that he wanted to have a coke but the refrigerator in his hotel room was locked so he ended up drinking tap water instead.
Tsuyoshi: Be careful ā weāre starting to wear out. If germs enter your body, whether youāll be able to cope with them⦠Thatās something to worry about, in a duo.
Koichi: Oh? Youāve been worrying about me?
Tsuyoshi: In Hong Kong too, we were told to be careful of the ice, but you went and drank it didnāt you? That was extremely worrying for me.
Koichi: I was pretty nonchalant about it though. I mean, if they hadnāt said anything about it we wouldnāt notice.
-
Apparently at this point in time Tsuyoshi wrote his song lyrics in a blue notebook with a blue pen, whereas Koichi wrote his on hotel notepads. *weeping*
-
Re: A kiss scene in Koichiās drama (Tenshi ga Kieta Machi)
Koichi: Thereās a scene where I push down a woman, butā¦
Tsuyoshi: EEEH!!
Koichi: Why are you overreacting to that?
Tsuyoshi: Youāre having an affair⦠Thatās what it isā¦
Koichi: You-! Hang on, stand up! Havenāt you realized youāre having an even bigger affair? Oi?
Tsuyoshi: Thatās not true~
It turns out that Tsuyoshi had cut out a picture of Inocchi and stuck it on his wristband.
Koichi: Youāre not just having an affair, youāre serious, arenāt you?!
-
Upon asking what time their audience members woke up and discovering that one of them got up at 3am:
Koichi: What are you doing?
Tsuyoshi: What are you doing, waking up at three? Your makeup?
Koichi: You put on makeup? Donāt worry, nobodyās looking at you!
(Some things never change, lol.)
7/27 (Osaka Dome) ā 17:30
Re: Koichiās solo number, Falling
Tsuyoshi: Itās cool, so you might fall in love with him all over againā¦
Koichi: Thank you. I didnāt expect you to call it cool!
Tsuyoshi: Really, I honestly think itās cool.
Koichi: Th-thank you~
-
As a regular part of this concert tourās lineup, Koichi comes out dressed as Pikaichi and plays around with a forklift for a little while.
Tsuyoshi: What do you mean, youāre intimidating?
Koichi: Oka~y, I intimidated.
Tsuyoshi: Youāre intimidating me?
Koichi points the forklift towards Tsuyoshi.
Tsuyoshi: Itās like a peacockās feathers⦠Owah! Look out! Look out!
Koichi starts moving forward.
Koichi: Oka~y. Tsuyoshi-kun, get on.
Tsuyoshi climbs on, Koichi lifts him up, and he starts to sing.
Tsuyoshi: āAkiyama~ Used to be fat~ He wore pantaloons~ā
Koichi starts singing too.
Koichi: āHe used to be fat~ Tsuyoshi too~ Used to be fat~ Heās still fat~ā
They finish with the forklift, and Tsuyoshi stands still next to it.
Koichi: Hm? Whatās wrong? Tsuyoshi-kun.
Tsuyoshi: What am I supposed to do?
Koichi: Ah, thatās enough. Bye bye!
Tsuyoshi: (Laughs and starts speaking in feminine language) Fine. Iāll leave! I wonāt have any regrets over a man like you⦠Never come back here again!
Koichi: Hahaha⦠(To the audience) But actually, you know, Tsuyoshi, heās having an affair right now. Tsuyoshi~ Tsuyoshi, come here a sec.
Tsuyoshi: What?
Koichi: Show them your arm.
Tsuyoshi: Youāre saying this is my affair (uwaki), or my life buoy (ukiwa) or something?
Koichi: Youāre having an affair right now, arenāt you! Camera-san, please film Tsuyoshiās arm.
Koichi shows the audience the photograph of Inocchi again.
Koichi: Why are you wearing Inocchi? You should wear me~
Koichi: Did you pull Hirosue Ryoko by the hand during your drama?
Tsuyoshi: Yeah. Like thisā¦
Tsuyoshi takes Koichiās hand and the audience flips out. Then, while singing Summer Snow, he puts his arms around Koichiās waist and they sway back and forth for a little while like theyāre dancing. Koichi pulls away eventually with a slightly embarrassed smile. <3
-
Later, they get on the topic of the will-they-wonāt-they near kiss scenes in the drama.
Audience: Try it~!
Tsuyoshi: Try it?
Koichi: Whoās he going to do it with?
Audience: Both of you!
Tsuyoshi: No, no. If we do that, some strange tastes are going to develop.
Koichi: In which of us?
Tsuyoshi: You.
Koichi: What the hell?
Tsuyoshi: Donāt you have some romantic feelings for me?
Koichi: Itās possible~
Tsuyoshi: Donāt say that!
7/31 (Yamagatashi Sougou Sports Center) ā 13:00
Tsuyoshi has been sunbathing outside the concert venue.
Koichi: In only his underwear~
Audience: EEEH?!
Koichi: Whatās that about? Does the, āEeeh?ā mean you want to see?
Audience: We want to see!
Koichi: In that case, heād better show you~
Tsuyoshi: If you want me to show you, I will.
Koichi: I donāt want to see it though.
Tsuyoshi: You get to see it as much as you like.
Koichi: I do. In the past when we were sharing a hotel room I started tossing and turning in the middle of the night and I woke up to see Tsuyoshi sleeping in just his underwear with a huuuuge wedgie. It was like, āUwaaah, I really didnāt need to see that when Iāve just woken up!ā
Tsuyoshi: You shouldnāt have been tossing and turning then!
Koichi: Like, āUwaaah, Iāve been done in!ā
Apparently Koichi came across Tsuyoshi while he was sunbathing and when he asked what he was doing Tsuyoshi immediately started patting the ground next to him and saying, āHere! Here!ā so Koichi ended up joining him for about five minutes.
-
Koichi and Tsuyoshi start teasing the audience members.
Koichi: Are you all in love?
Tsuyoshi: Is there someone you have feelings for?
Koichi: Aah, looks like there isnāt, I seeā¦
Tsuyoshi: Ah, the same goes for me.
Koichi: You!! You should fall in love with me~!
Tsuyoshi: I canāt do that~
Koichi: I donāt feel any love from you lately!
Tsuyoshi: Oi, hang on. Iāve been giving you lots of love! I might not give it to you onstage, but. When weāre onstage itās all I can do to handle myself. Iām flounderingā¦. You know, when you werenāt feeling well I told you, āThis is what you should do,ā didnāt I?
Koichi: But that was just you repeating things you heard from Mino Monta-san. But lately this guyās put a sticker of Inocchi on his suitcase⦠Make that a picture of me!
Tsuyoshi: Why do I have to use your picture~?
Koichi: See! He doesnāt like me!
Tsuyoshi: Fine. Then stick a picture of me on your car.
Koichi: Thatās the one thing youāll have to let me off on. (Laughs)
8/2 (Sendai Gymnasium) ā 18:00
Koichi mentions that there was a data leak reported on the news recently and that his data was apparently part of it. He says heās going to laugh it off, but the person who wrote this report mentions that he seemed pretty angry.
Koichi: You know, for me!! When something makes me sigh, Iām the type of person who spits that sigh out!! ⦠So cool~! Before I can go, āHaaah,ā I go, āHah!!ā
Tsuyoshi: Ah, I see~
Koichi: ā¦thatās what I wrote the song āChangeā about a little while back.
Tsuyoshi: (Sings) āYou gonna change a mind, woo~ā
Koichi: Thatās it! Speaking of which, you know that song is meant for you?
Audience: Oooh~
Tsuyoshi: No no, thatās a lie, isnāt it?
Koichi: No, not at all.
Tsuyoshi: Itās meant for people LIKE me, right?
Koichi: Well⦠I guess so. (Laughs)
Tsuyoshi: (Laughs)
Koichi: Mm, anyway. Youāre included too~
Tsuyoshi: In that case, Iāll write a song for you next time.
Koichi: No, itās fine!
Tsuyoshi: I will, I will.
Koichi: Itās fine!
Ā 8/20 (Nagoya Dome) ā 11:30
Tsuyoshi wasnāt in good shape for this concert, so during the MCs he was very quiet and low energy and mostly looked at the ground. To make up for this, Koichi was extra energetic and went into TV host mode ā lots of fast talking and standard Japanese.
Koichi struggles along for a while accompanied by some minimal responses and off-beat boke attempts from Tsuyoshi, before he finally asks,
Koichi: Tsuyoshi, are you okay?!
Koichi puts a hand on Tsuyoshiās shoulder but Tsuyoshi brushes him off.
Tsuyoshi: Donāt touch meā¦
Koichi keeps trying and Tsuyoshi keeps avoiding him.
Koichi: Lately⦠You wonāt let me lay a finger on you⦠(Sighs)
Tsuyoshi: Letās just move along.
Koichi: Lately⦠Youāve even started doing love scenes in dramasā¦
Tsuyoshi: I donāt want to hear that from you. Youāve been doing them all over the place!!
Koichi continues trying to touch Tsuyoshi and Tsuyoshi brushes him away.
Koichi: Even that instant when we touched as you brushed me away makes me happy.
Next, Tsuyoshi adds in a kick.
Koichi: Iām happy that the foot you kicked me with touched me for an instant.
Tsuyoshi: Any time!
Koichi: Youāll hit me any time?
Tsuyoshi: Yeah.
9/15 (Yokohama Stadium)
Koichi: Since this is an outdoor concert and there are lots of buildings around, over there!! (Points) There are people watching for free! Oi!!
Tsuyoshi: Oi~!
Koichi: You shouldnāt be doing that~!
Tsuyoshi: Hey!
They talk about how nice the venue is and how close they are to the audience.
Koichi: Right? The people in the arena of course, but the people in the stands tooā¦
Tsuyoshi: And of course the people on the building over there!
Koichi: You know, they can hear us, so if we tell them to theyāll wave to us! (Laughs)
Tsuyoshi: Are you fired u~p?!
Tsuyoshi waves and the people on the building wave back.
Tsuyoshi: Ahaha, they are, they are.
Koichi: Thatās not fair~!
Re: Their latest album release
Koichi: Did you go out and buy it everyone?
Audience: Yeeees!
Koichi: (To the people on the building) Did you buy it? Ah. Theyāre not interested in this conversation at all.
Tsuyoshi mentions that Imai Tsubasa came to his house recently to show him a video of one of the juniorsā concerts and it turned out that a bunch of the juniors were wearing KinKiās old outfits.
Tsuyoshi: I was like, āOi, those are our outfits!ā āThat oneās mine!ā āThat oneās Koichiās!ā āThose are from Tell Me!ā
Koichi: Oh well. We used to wear Hikaru Genjiās outfits too.
Tsuyoshi: Right, right. But you know Tsubasa, we was wearing my outfit and singing like, āThis is mine!ā (Laughs)
Koichi: We were like that too.
Tsuyoshi: Ehehehe.
Koichi: Anyway, Tsubasa and I are going to be on stage together.
Tsubasa: Aah, Mask.
Koichi: No! Mask was the year before⦠last? No, last year?
Tsuyoshi: Sho⦠Sho, Shock!! George Shock. āMm, George Shock~ā
Tsuyoshi: So apparently itāll be Captain Tsubasaās first stageplay.
Koichi: Ah, Tsubasa-kun, right?
Tsuyoshi: He said heās nervous about it.
Koichi: (Starts singing the theme song to the Captain Tsubasa anime)
Tsuyoshi: ā¦Thatās āmildly funnyā too~
The two of them start making Captain Tsubasa references for a little while.
Koichi: (To the audience) Sorry~ Only the two of us are having fun~
Tsuyoshi: (Re: Shock) Right? Youāll be doing it right? In the midst of everything, youāre going to be the Zachou (troupe leader)!
Koichi: No, no!
Tsuyoshi: Right. Youāre basically the boss!
Koichi: No, noā¦
Tsuyoshi: If it were a company youād be the boss!!
Koichi: Iād rather say, well⦠All of us are one.
Tsuyoshi: But I mean, the other day, you said you were the Zachouā¦
Koichi: No no! All of us are one!
Tsuyoshi: But seriouslyā¦
Koichi: No!! All of us are one!!
Tsuyoshi: At our concert, you said you were the Zachouā¦
Koichi: All of us are as one!!
Tsuyoshi: But you said⦠(Muttering)
Koichi: Aah, enough! You should come see it too!
Tsuyoshi: Iām going! Iām going to go with Ken-san and Takebe-san and Toriyama-san and Takuro-sanā¦
Koichi: Oh! The Love Love All Stars.
Tsuyoshi: And if sheās free, with Shinohara~. Iāll bring everybody there with me! Weāve all decided to watch wearing sunglasses.
Koichi: When I was doing Mask as well, all the Love Love members came to watch, but when I came out on stage I was startled ā they were all wearing sunglasses.
Tsuyoshi: Itāll be scary~. And then as you look down the line theyāll get bigger and bigger until the last person looks like Finger Fiveās Akira!
Koichi: (To the audience.) Please come and watch. Ah, but the theater isnāt very large, so tickets will be difficult to get.
Tsuyoshi: (To the people watching from the building) Itās at the Imperial Theater! (To Koichi) You know, Iām seriously going to go see it.
Koichi: Oh, please do!
-Ā
Apparently thereās a section after the second MC where Koichi rides a motorbike around the stage, and since the stage was slippery from rain he ended up having an accident during this concert and falling off the stage along with the bike. He came back and carried on like nothing had happened, but reading this report itās obvious how shaken the person writing it was, along with a lot of the other fans Iām sure. Everyone knows Koichi carries on performing and doesnāt let on to any injuries unless he truly has no other choice, and while thatās extremely impressive, it can also have the unintended effect of making the audience even more worried. It sounds like he came out of this one all right, though, as far as anybody knows at least.
9/16 (Yokohama Stadium)
On the second to last day of the tour, the concert had to be stopped partway through due to a typhoon. They had to cut a number of songs and hold back on certain performance elements in order to reduce any risk of accident. Iām sure this was really frustrating for everyone involved, but to be fair, it looks like they put up a good fight. Itās at times like this that you can really see the love between KinKi and their fans.Ā
The audience members filled the arena despite heavy rain, knowing theyād be getting soaked. Koichi and Tsuyoshi were both very high-energy to combat the elements. They expressed a lot of gratitude to everyone who showed up and warned them to watch out for their health and take proper precautions against catching cold. Partway through the middle section of the concert Koichi spent a good deal of time backstage before his first solo song while Tsuyoshi did his best to entertain the audience on his own ā the writer of these reports speculates that Koichi was probably negotiating with the staff on how they should proceed. Then, when Tsuyoshiās microphone started cutting in and out during his first solo section, the audience members who knew the lyrics sang for him.Ā
Even after repeated announcements that the concert had to be cancelled due to potential danger and requests to leave the venue (Koichi asked the audience not to blame the staff member giving the announcements, since it wasnāt his fault <3), KinKi were reluctant to cut things off so abruptly and fought to be allowed to perform a little longer. Eventually, without any apparent confirmation from the staff, Koichi and Tsuyoshi agreed between themselves to do their second set of solo songs at the very least, and Tsuyoshi asked Koichi to take care of the audience while he ran off to prepare. In the end, they not only did their solo songs but managed to pull off a two-song encore as well.
And then, at the very end, KinKi came out onto stage one more time to see everyone off, claiming that it wasnāt right if their audience was still getting wet but they werenāt. At one point the staff tried to give Koichi an umbrella, but he said, āI donāt need it!ā
The audience members were eventually given their money back, but the fan who wrote this report was so moved by the whole experience that she didnāt feel it was necessary.
Two solo performances from this concert were recorded and released with the KinKi KISS Single Selection, Koichiās Falling from halfway through the concert, and Tsuyoshiās Purity from close to the end. Iād seen these videos before with a vague idea of what the situation was, but this was my first time watching them with full knowledge of what was going on and it makes them really moving tbh. I wish I could post them here but youtubeās copyright restrictions are determined to thwart me at every turn, so screencaps it is.
According to the report, Koichi asked the audience to forgive him if he slipped and fell while dancing for this song, and while Iām sure he said it lightly, itās no small concern. The sheer volume of rain both on the stage and coming from the sky is incredible. Itās not always apparent on this recording, but you can see it very clearly when the lights are on it. It visibly flies off of Koichi whenever he spins around and by the end of the performance heās completely soaked. Iām slightly appalled to see that he even included the backflip at the end, but thatās his āShow must go onā spirit for you.
Tsuyoshiās solo is even more appalling to me though, because playing electric guitar in a thunderstorm seems HUGELY ill-advised. He didnāt even have to do this one! They already knew the concert would be cut short! It does make for a hell of a performance ā both he and Koichi have thunder and lightning in the background, and it suits the raw emotion of this song very well. But still. The lengths these two went to trying to put on a good show despite the weather are unbelievable.
9/17 (Yokohama Stadium ā last concert of the tour)
Near the start of the concert, KinKi mention that their staff pulled an all-nighter fixing up the stage so it would be operational after all the rain. ;_;
-
Koichi: Ah! You know, this guy, he sent me phone mail yesterday~
Audience: Hyuuu~
Koichi: Honestly~, I was shocked~ I thought maybe thereād been some kind of incident!
Tsuyoshi: No, no, that was⦠(mumbles)
Koichi: Eh?
Tsuyoshi: (in a small voice) I said I wonder if that was okayā¦
Koichi: Hahahaha, seriously, I really was shocked. But, well, I did send a reply, right?
Tsuyoshi: Yeah.
Koichi: Did it reach you okay?
Tsuyoshi: It did!
Koichi: Ah, thank goodness! You hadnāt changed your numberā¦
-
This happens to be the infamous concert during which Tsuyoshi announced that his blood type was not type B, as previously believed, but actually type AB. I remember him mentioning years later how some of the fans were really upset because they were worried he was going to announce that he was leaving KinKi or something similar, and reading this report itās easy to see why. Koichi and Tsuyoshi tell the fans in their first MC section that they have a grave announcement to make regarding Tsuyoshi, and while Koichi was mostly excited and kept saying what a big deal it was, Tsuyoshi did his deadpan thing and treated it all very seriously. ā¦and naturally they then carried on with the concert without saying what the announcement would be. The author of this report said the only things she could think of were retirement, disbanding, and marriage, and I imagine a lot of the other audience members were thinking along the same lines.
And then the announcement itself is BRUTAL. Like⦠holy shit, I am so glad I didnāt have to sit through this. They both have waaay too much fun torturing their fans, lol.
Koichi: Well then, isnāt it about time we made the grave announcement?
Audience: Nooooo!
Koichi: ā¦.
Tsuyoshi: ā¦. Ehā¦.
Koichi: This is, honestly, itās inexcusable!
Audience: Eeeeh?!
Koichi: This is⦠Itās about Tsuyoshi but⦠Iām going to apologize with him.
Tsuyoshi: Eh, I⦠Eh⦠Since around the time I was in sixth grade I entered this agency called Johnnyās Jimusho⦠Then the group called KinKi Kids was formed⦠Before that there was also some talk that weād form a four-person group called āJipangā with Inocchi and Nagaseā¦.
Koichi: Jipang⦠Right, I remember that rumor.
Tsuyoshi: Without becoming Jipang, as KinKi Kids, this person called Domoto Koichi⦠(looks over at Koichi) ā¦. Are you okay? You were dancing a two-step just now.
Koichi: Eh? Hehehe. Iām fineā¦.
Tsuyoshi: ā¦. I met this person called Domoto Koichi, along with many other people, and many fans⦠Eh, Iāve made it to age 21. And then, for all of you, thereās one thing⦠Honestly, this is⦠Itās something that canāt be helped, butā¦.
Koichi: Youāve been a huge liar!!
Tsuyoshi: Well, Iā¦
Koichi: You have an illegitimate child, right?
Tsuyoshi: What the hell?!
Koichi: Thatās not it! If that was it, youād be really shocked right? (laughs)
Tsuyoshi: (sighs and wipes some sweat from his forehead)
Koichi: Oh! You wiped off some sweat just now!! Have you been found out~?
Tsuyoshi: Nfufufu.
Koichi: Thereās nooo way!!
Tsuyoshi: Well, certainly! I certainly have aged, butā¦
Koichi: No, not at all!
Tsuyoshi: Itās not like Iām getting worn out from raising a child.
Koichi: But it seems like there really are rumors about you having girlfriends in various regions.
Tsuyoshi: Thatās right.
Koichi: Thereās no way~
Tsuyoshi: In Nagoya tooā¦
Koichi: There was a rumor you had a child in Nagoya right? Tsuyoshi-kun!! Hahahaha!
Tsuyoshi: Um~, due to certain circumstances I sang Ozaki Yutaka-sanās āI Love Youā only in Nagoya. So then people were saying, āHe sang it because he has a wife and child in Nagoya.ā
Koichi: But what youāre going to announce now is the truth!
Tsuyoshi: Itās the truth⦠Eh, for all this time⦠Thank you for everything.
The audience starts freaking out. Tsuyoshi looks behind him to see that Koichi has taken off his shoes and knelt in front of them with his head bowed. For anyone who isnāt aware, at the end of Hikaru Genjiās final TV appearance before splitting up they all took off their roller skates and left them in the middle of the stage.
Tsuyoshi: Oi. (Laughs) Thatās Hikaru Genji. Thatās Osawa-kun. Thatās wrong, wrong, wrong. We donāt use roller skates. Those are just normal shoes. You canāt do it without the, what do you call them, tools of the trade?
Koichi: Ah⦠So theyāre normalā¦
Tsuyoshi: Fufufu. We donāt have anything, for times like this~
Koichi: Sorry, sorry. I made a mistake.
Tsuyoshi: Mmm⦠As I was saying, for all this time, thank you all so much for supporting this person called Domoto Tsuyoshi. Eh, Domoto Tsuyoshi, as of todayā¦. Ehā¦. Iād like to be reborn!
Audience: ???
Tsuyoshi: Eh⦠I⦠Am actually⦠Type AB, Iām so sorry!!
Koichi: He wasnāt actually Type B~! (Laughs)
Audience: Eeeeeh?!Ā
Then Tsuyoshi explains that when he heard he was AB he called up his dad because heād always thought his mom was type B and his dad was type O, but apparently his dad discovered during a surgery a while back that he was type A and just didnāt tell anyone about it, lol. Tsuyoshi also mentions that his mother often said how similar he was to his grandmother, who is also type AB, and that heās always gotten along well with type AB people.Ā
As heās explaining all this, Koichi comes up from behind him and suddenly takes his hand and lifts it in the air.Ā
Koichi: With that said, please keep supporting this KinKi Kids!!
Audience: (Cheers and claps)
Finally, I decided to include some bits from the section on this concert in the Domoto Mode book (summarized because Iāve spent too long on this already, haha⦠ha.)
Koichi says heās been interested in stage production from the time he was backdancing for his senpai, and having learned a lot over the years, heās become able to get involved with it himself. He decides on a loose song order first (trying to keep a good mix of fast and slow but in a way that doesnāt feel disconnected or random) and then as they enter rehearsals the order will get shifted around if anything doesnāt seem to work. This concert was particularly difficult because itās centered on their past singles so itās hard to make things seem fresh. If Tsuyoshi has any suggestions heāll speak up, but there are times when he waits a little too late to say them, hahaha.
Tsuyoshi says that he lets Koichi take care of the planning because Koichi likes to do things himself, but if he left it at that it wouldnāt match his own style so he suggests changes once things have been decided. If the staff members agree with Tsuyoshiās suggestions then theyāll go through with the changes. Tsuyoshi describes their roles in this planning method as āseme and uke,ā lolol, helllp, I am weeping.
This goes without saying, but they have to adapt their concert structure to whatever venue theyāre in. The methods they use to move closer to the audience, the positions they need to stand in for various numbers, etc. are all things that might change depending on where theyāre performing.
For the outfits, Koichi first looks at sample drawings and chooses whatever best fits the tone of the concert, then to make the final choices he considers whether they can be changed quickly and/or in parts. He says that the approximately ten outfit changes they have in this concert are a lot less than in past concerts, and they now wonāt go beyond wearing three layers at a time because theyāre heavy and make it difficult to dance. Tsuyoshi says he doesnāt have much of a preference regarding what they wear ā he used to not like outfits like this but heās come to see the value in them. Even so, he doesnāt think the princely stuff fits his character and he doesnāt like wearing things that are so heavy, so heās been moving in a simpler direction, particularly for his solo performances.
Regarding the MC sections, Koichi says that aside from a couple topics they want to touch on every concert, they donāt decide what to talk about beforehand ā they just try to match the mood and go with the flow for each individual day. Because they talk so much, itās very important for them to able to read their audience well and figure out whatās working and what isnāt. Depending on what region and what type of venue theyāre in, the responses can be completely different ā if theyāre in a large venue itās difficult because the audience reactions always come a couple seconds late. He says that Tsuyoshi is easily influenced by the atmosphere of each venue; the place they performed in Hiroshima was on the small side so it was easy to get direct reactions from the audience, and Tsuyoshi ended up talking so much that the concert went for almost three hours even though they cut two of the songs.
Regarding the solo songs, Koichi says that he wrote his pretty last minute ā itās easier for him when heās running out of time. He wanted to have a lot of English in the lyrics for Falling so he didnāt write those himself. He finds lyrics more difficult to write than music ā he doesnāt really want people to know his feelings, so he always chooses his words very carefully.
As in many other things, Tsuyoshi is the opposite of Koichi here. He really doesnāt like being driven into a corner and he much prefers to prepare things far in advance, so he completed his songs in the spring during some downtime in drama filming. Purity was meant to express the frustration Tsuyoshi feels over finding that lies have become a necessary part of his life, and the disappointment he imagines his younger and more idealistic self would feel looking at the way he is now. He has a lot of moments when heāll end up crying for no apparent reason and he thinks this might be why. (This is tough to read, geez.)
According to Koichi, Johnny-san scolds them a lot when he sees them lounging around in their dressing room(s) before the concert starts because their attitude is so different from what youād expect of performers, but Koichi likes being able to switch completely off when heās not on stage. He says the difference between his āoffā and āonā states is clearest when heās doing concerts.
Finally, Koichi and Tsuyoshi each have a section in which they reflect on the tour as a whole.
Koichi talks about how he doesnāt want to show any exhaustion on stage or bring his own personal affairs into the performance. He thinks it would be rude to the fans, who may have had trouble acquiring tickets or may be seeing them for the first time, and who in any case want to see a good show, if heās inconsistent with the quality of his performance. He doesnāt mind if he gets hurt on stage or if he falls from one of the cranes, and he thinks heād probably stay on stage even if he broke a bone.
We all know by this point that these are not idle words. Koichiās work ethic is certainly admirable and beyond impressive, if perhaps verging on too extreme. Iām sure Koichi didnāt intend to make any subtle digs at Tsuyoshi in this interview, but it is hard to read it without thinking of the difficulties Tsuyoshi had during their first concert in Nagoya this tour, and in other concerts since. For better or for worse, Tsuyoshi is habitually more open with his feelings and he has had a number of times when he canāt help bringing his health issues and his personal life on stage. While at this point itās easier to accept this as simply a different approach, back in 2000 I would imagine it was still a point of contention.
None of this is new information though. Funnily, what I find most interesting in this interview is what Koichi has to say about their time as juniors. He explains that he sees concerts as KinKiās origin, because while juniors today will participate in interviews and TV shows, in their era all they did was dance behind their senpai. I find this statement HILARIOUS, given that KinKi had more pre-debut coverage (this includes appearances in magazines, talk shows, and dramas, as well as a massive volume of regular TV shows ) than I have seen for any other junior group. This comes back to my perpetual question of whether KinKi can really be considered juniors past 1993 or so, and Koichiās answer seems to be a pretty clear no.
In Tsuyoshiās interview he explains that while he enjoys making people happy, heās not good at being in front of an audience and prefers being in the background rather than being the center of attention. Itās difficult for him to run around and dance in concerts because he gets nervous and has trouble breathing. Some concerts are worse than others, and he never knows what itās going to be like until heās already up on stage. He brings up their first concert in Nagoya, and apologizes a couple of times for not being able to fully perform, and for receiving courage and power from the audience rather than giving it to them.
Tsuyoshi mentions that he knows there are a lot of fans who want him to dance during his solo sections, but heās more into guitar, and he feels like if he writes songs just to please those fans then he wonāt feel satisfied or confident, and heāll feel like heās lying to the audience. He knows the professional thing to do is to preserve the fansā dreams regardless, but his personality wonāt allow him to fully embrace that ā heād rather show the fans who he really is.Ā
Again, I doubt it was done on purpose, but this reads almost as if Tsuyoshi is rejecting Koichiās performance style. The two interviews are in direct contrast with each other. Itās remarkable that Koichi and Tsuyoshi have been able to avoid arguments and work together as smoothly as they do, given such huge differences in philosophy. I think it speaks a lot to the love and respect theyāve maintained for each other over the years ā actions are louder than words, in the end. KinKi really is something special. <3
Youāre the One Thing I Wonāt Let Go of Anymore
Japanese Lyrics: Shusui
Music: canna
Note: You may notice that this song has some similarities to Mou Kimi Igai Aisenai. This is because they have the same lyricist and partial composer, and this is actually intended as an answer song to that one. :D
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Machi no akari ga tomoru chiisana mado
Yorisoinagara, butsukarinagara
Kimi to sogoshiteta ne
A small window illuminated by the lights of the town
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hello~ can you translate this kinki kids song for me? ććåć ććÆé¢ććŖć (from their m album). i've been looking for the translation everywhere but to no avail. thank you
Iām sorry I only noticed this message now! I hope you havenāt been waiting on a reply for too long. Song lyrics are one of the things Iām least confident about when it comes to translation - Iām bad enough at interpreting songs in English, let alone in Japanese, and I worry that however I portray the lyrics wonāt do the song justice. I do like this one, though, and the lyrics are simple enough that Iām willing to give it a shot. Iāll try to get to it within the next day or two. Thank you for your request!
Hereās another video I subbed ages ago but never actually did anything with until now. Itās from an episode of a radio show that aired in late 1999 and involves Koichi and Tsuyoshi asking each other a series of questions, mostly regarding their relationship with each other.
Highlights include Koichi telling Tsuyoshi he loves him (about five times in total lol), Tsuyoshi saying that the only reason he wouldnāt want to date Koichi is because heād want to be with him constantly, and both of them talking about how much theyād like to visit each otherās houses. Itās all a lot of fun!
Please forgive any rough patches in the translation, and enjoy~
This recording was filmed on January 1st, 1999, and itās significant in that itās from KinKiās first series of year end concerts in Tokyo Dome, a tradition that theyāve kept up for the following eighteen years. Also of note is that this was Koichiās 20th birthday, which means heād just come of age! I consider this to be the first ārealā official concert release in my lineup since all the ones before it have felt more like concert digests, but IIRC this one does cut out any MC sections so itās still not entirely complete. They rarely are though.
Iāll leave the rest of my general thoughts for the conclusion, so letās get right to it!
I find it hilarious that this title screen looks far more retro than any of the others did. WHY.
The concert opens with hordes of juniors circling the area around the stage, some of them in cars, while VERY cheesy music plays. Bringing cars into Tokyo Dome is a practice I had completely forgotten about since itās disappeared from KinKi cons. Itās always struck me as strange, but I suppose it is a good way to cover all that ground. You can see Kanjani8ā²s Subaru and Yokoyama here with Takki.
And now here they are, KinKi Kids in FULL IDOL MODE, lol. They come out singing Cinderella Christmas, which is definitely one of their most idol-typical singles, and theyāre in these flying cages wearing sparkly capes, clearly lip syncing (or singing to a very strong backing track) while doing their very best to appeal to the audience as much as possible. I feel a little like my soul is dying here tbh, but I have seen this concert before so I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. None of these things are all that surprising given that itās their first Dome con and theyāre still pretty far from developing the performance style they have today.
Iād hoped their outfits would be better once the capes were off but nooope, no luck there. Though I am a little fond of the snowflakes at their collars ā theyāre cute.Ā They transition straight into Suppin Girl, which is even more soppy than Cinderella Christmas lyrically (plus bad English to boot) but I find it nicer to listen to just because itās suuuuper catchy, hahaha.
Both Koichi and Tsuyoshi are in top form on the idol front here, but itās particularly noticeable with Tsuyoshi simply because of the contrast with the last video release I watched where he seemed so worn out. Heās much more energetic here ā lots of waving to the fans and smiling and his eyes are SPARKLING. I know that a lot of this must be an act, but heās very very good at it. Tsuyoshi is still good at this, actually, but I get the impression he only does it when heās in the mood to. Thereās something reassuring about seeing him this way now since I can believe that heās legitimately having fun, whereas here⦠not so much.
The next song is Happy Happy Greeting. I already talked a little about how much Iāve come to enjoy this song in the context of Koichiās birthday, but why not, Iāll say it again. I think itās great that KinKi were given a song that celebrates both New Yearās and birthdays, especially since they started completely cutting out the wedding and Valentineās bits shortly after its release, transforming it from an incredibly cheesy song about holidays to a slightly less cheesy song that actually fits the occasion on which they sing it. Of course for this concert theyāre still doing the original.
I am faced with a very unusual situation here in that Koichiās shirt is actually buttoned for once whereas Tsuyoshiās is not! Iām sure Koichiās will come undone before long though, itās only a matter of time.
I know I beat up on the juniors a lot but I canāt help it. Watching them flail around on rollerskates while swamped in giant orange jackets is aesthetically so terrible I canāt imagine why anyone would approve it.
KinKi hop into a pair of cars to sing Zenbu Dakishimete. The first verse is very obviously sung fully live (Koichi has the audience sing a bit of his part and Tsuyoshi changes the lyrics of his a little) which is refreshing in the midst of a concert where most of the songs sound identical to their CD recordings, lol. This song was, of course, composed by Yoshida Takuro, one of the largest influences on Koichi and Tsuyoshiās growth as both people and musicians. It started out as the theme song for Love Love Aishiteru back in 1996, and since Takuro-san released it on an album of his a year before KinKi released it as a single, KinKiās version is technically a cover! I never realized until now that he didnāt do the lyrics, though. Those were written by Kan Chinfa, who also wrote the lyrics for Ame no Melody and Natsu no Ousama (as well as Shounentaiās Kimi Dake ni, among other things.)
Suddenly, Takki! Thereās a break for Koichi and Tsuyoshi to get ready for the next number, so the juniors have appeared to fill in, but rather than a junior performance interlude it mostly looks like a Takki solo interlude. You can tell what a huuuuge deal he was becoming at this point.
KinKi come back on stage to reveal that the music the juniors were dancing to was part of a new arrangement for Distance. Itās kind of fun to hear a new take on one of their older songs this early in the game. This version is darker than the original and has a harder beat, plus some breaks for dance interludes.
They transition from Distance into Aisareru Yori Aishitai, and I believe there have been a few dance segments added in to this arrangement as well. You get to see Koichi and Tsuyoshi do some flipping around, though of course Koichiās the only one doing actual flips.
Tsuyoshiās shirt just came open again. WHAT IS HAPPENING? ITāS LIKE IāVE SLIPPED INTO ANOTHER DIMENSION. Ah, but here he fixes it almost immediately, okay.
The firework finish is pretty cool. I have to add that even though I find this stage setup a bit gaudy, itās still impressive. Lots and lots of moving lights!
Next up is Garasu no Shounen. Koichi finally gets to have his shirt open (Iām surprised he lasted this long!) and theyāre both wearing something I can accept a lot more easily than everything else weāve seen so far. For the first time I can hear both Koichi and Tsuyoshi (though mostly Tsuyoshi) singing underneath the backing track, but itās mostly drowned out. This feels like such a waste, tbh; theyāre clearly giving it their all and while I can understand why theyād need recorded vocals for the more dance heavy songs, for this one and a lot of the others I just donāt see the point.
While Tsuyoshi prepares for the first of his solo songs, we see Koichi at a piano playing (?) the introduction to it. I really enjoy this trend of Koichi opening Tsuyoshiās solo bits. Iāve always had a lot of questions about this though because⦠Koichi playing piano??? Itās filmed so that we donāt see his hands and I canāt help thinking this is deliberate and heās just miming it, but I also would like to believe that heās actually playing. Itās simple enough that he could be so Iām torn. Since I donāt recall him ever so much as touching a piano after this concert though Iām very skeptical. In any case, itās still a sweet introduction.
The song Tsuyoshi performs here is Shiroi Sekai e, which is one that Tsuyoshi wrote himself but never recorded anywhere. Thereās a simplicity to the melody thatās characteristic of a lot of Tsuyoshiās early work and that Iām actually pretty fond of. Itās a lovely song and I think itās a shame he didnāt do anything more with it. The performance itself is a little bit cheesy tbh ā the whole angelic thing going on and the spread-armed gesturing that both Koichi and Tsuyoshi seemed to be fond of during this period. Some childrenās voices come in at the end and those are really starting to cross the line, but it turns out theyāre actually a transition into Koichiās solo song. Since this is the only format Shiroi Sekai e exists in that means itās permanently linked to Koichiās Peaceful World in that ending. A cheesy link, sure, but I enjoy it nonetheless.
Koichiās performance of Peaceful World is very over the top, but thereās a theatricality to both the performance and the song itself that is characteristic of some of Koichiās songwriting and fits in nicely with his entry into major stage acting during this time period. There are certain songs of Koichiās ā and Iāll try to point them out as they come up ā that feel like theyād be most at home in either musical theater or a Disney movie, and this is one of them. Unfortunately everythingās too melodramatic and heavy-handed for me on this one, especially coming from a twenty year old. I donāt intend to rag on Koichi here though, because there are a number of aspects of this song that I like a lot, and Iām fond of the part of his personality that produces work like this. Thereās something unexpected about it, in a good way. Itās also worth noting that while this performance may not fit my tastes, Koichi is going at it full throttle and executing it magnificently for what it is.
Thereās a very odd transition in here where Koichi pretends to get into a fight with the juniors who are onstage and then gets surrounded by a biker gang?? I canāt help wondering how these juniors felt about the situation ā were they excited to be more in the spotlight or were they slightly terrified to be fake-fighting Koichi? Everyone likes to talk about what scary senpai KinKi are so Iād assume there was at least a little of the latter, hahaha.
Koichi then takes one of the bikes for himself and they have a bike chase around the Dome. Iām not even kidding. It should be utterly ridiculous but Koichi actually makes it work somehow. Heās going at a good clip and it honestly seems a bit dangerous but he looks very cool. It ends with an impressive jump and faked fall from the bike, after which thereās a siren. Then the lights go up and they very briefly play the cliched pre-show sound of instruments tuning. Iām laughing so much right now, I didnāt remember any of this. Whoever planned this part of the concert is a huge troll. Iām willing to bet Koichi had a hand in it somewhere. I wouldnāt be surprised if it was just an excuse to get him on a motorbike tbh.
The next song up is Nemuranai Yoru and Iām just like⦠this again? Really? Of all the senpai songs you could have kept around? ā¦okay. This is also the first appearance of the large floats (?? IDK if this is the right terminology) that usually get used at some point during Johnnyās concerts. These ones seem more stable than a lot of the others theyāve had, so Koichi and Tsuyoshi are able to do legit choreography on them. Tsuyoshi does a fair amount of popping in this section which is really what he excels at when it comes to dance IMO ā I keep forgetting until I see him do it and Iām like⦠OH. RIGHT. YES THIS IS GOOD.
After that they sing Baby Love, a song whose existence I tend to forget about because it was the B side for Yamenaide Pure and B sides almost never get any attention in concerts (or anywhere else really.) [Edit: I just discovered that this is not actually a B side but part of a double A side! WHO KNEW.] This is another one thatās kind of silly and very idol-like, but itās disgustingly catchy so I do enjoy it to a certain extent. It turns out that the person who wrote the music for this song was Iida Takehiko, who was also responsible for Suppin Girl, go figure. His more well-known contributions to KinKi are Gekkou and KinKi no Yarukimanman Song.
Tsuyoshi playing up to the cameras is one thing that hasnāt changed a bit over the years, lol.
The question is⦠Why are there juniors skating around the stage holding flags from different countries? What precisely is the theme here? JOHNNYāS I guess, hahaha.
WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS.
Iām trying to let this super cute high five heal my soul but I donāt know if Iāll ever fully recover from what Iāve just seen⦠and am still seeing. HELP.
The next number is Innocent Wars, which Koichi and Tsuyoshi sing while dressed in new terrible outfits. At one point theyāre waving green pieces of cloth around and I just⦠I donāt know what the intended effect was but itās all just bad. I am beyond ready to escape from the 90s. Also I could have sworn this song had something to do with Miman City because the lyrics are super appropriate for it (and not in a way I enjoy very much) but it looks like it wasnāt actually used for the drama? Hang on, I am turning to google for help.
Innocent Wars was composed and arranged by Sakamoto Ryuichi (HOLY SHIT!!!) and Iām seeing rumors that it was originally intended to be Miman Cityās opening song and KinKiās second single but Koichi spoke out so strongly in favor of Aisareru Yori Aishitai that they went with that one instead. I donāt have a solid source on this information so please take it with a grain of salt (or possibly an entire shaker) - Iām always very wary of believing in rumors. With that said, if this story is true then Iām really impressed. I know KinKi have a lot of input in the music they release now and itās been that way for a number of years, but Iām sure it took them a while to reach that point. To argue against the release of an intended single - especially one written by a big name composer - at such an early stage in their careers would have taken a lot of balls. But it was also 100 percent the right choice to make. If this really was Koichiās call then I have nothing but gratitude towards him because I feel like Aisareru Yori Aishitai is far more marketable and has a much wider appeal than Innocent Wars would have had.
Oh no, now we have really awkward chair dancing for Kebyou wo Tsukaou. This song had never stood out to me in the past, but Iām finding that I donāt dislike the melody. Itās kind of difficult to listen to these two sing it though because the lyrics are all about not working yourself too hard and Iām just like⦠THE IRONY.
Truly, truly, I am in a different dimension. How does this keep happening? I feel like Iāve lost the right to make fun of Koichi for having his shirt open all the time because heās really doing very well in this concert.Ā Theyāre performing Tell Me here, by the way, and thereās a very nice dramatic pause they added in to the middle that I liked a lot, but for the most part Iām still extremely ready to put the 90s behind me.
Koichi emerges for another solo performance next, and heās doing Dou Nattemo Ii, the same Higashiyama song he covered back in the 1994 con. I decided to rewatch that performance before watching this one to see what kind of effect it would have, and let me tell you it was a little bit painful to sit through again but it was an EXCELLENT choice. Koichi has grown so much in the four years between these two concerts, and heās so much better and easier to watch here that I canāt stop smiling. Sure, between the outfit and choreography I still find it kind of hammy and embarrassing, but I honestly donāt care at this point ā heās doing great and Iām having fun.
As a shallow side note, can I just mention that I LOVE Koichiās hair in this concert? It looks so soft and pretty. *_*
And of course, the big finish ā a backflip off a raised platform. Is this a signature Higashiyama move? Iāve always had the impression it is but I think thatās just because he and Koichi did it together in the 2003-2004 Countdown concert, lol.
Tsuyoshi comes on after to sing Samazama na Ai. He gets slightly obscene with the microphone in a couple places, but I am in love with this song. This is probably my favorite out of all the solo songs Tsuyoshiās released on KinKi albums. I enjoy the way it builds on itself gradually to a really satisfying conclusion, and I especially love how the lyrics feel 100 percent pure Tsuyoshi. Heās spoken so many times over the years about love and self-identity and his general life philosophy, and while I know that his current world view and view of himself is something that took a long time to settle, I feel like this song is an amalgam of all of it. He was still struggling with a lot at this point, but he clearly had the pieces already there in his head, even if he couldnāt fully embrace them until later on.
Koichi opens Ano Ko wa So Fine by doing some call and response with the audience. I was groaning a little inside when the intro started up because Iām feeling very done with A Album songs at this point, but Iām actually enjoying this. Itās cute to see some audience participation going on, the singing is unquestionably live (Koichiās voice is finally starting to get deeper for real!!), and Koichiās exposing his chest again, which is not yet something I can appreciate aesthetically (give it a few more years), but it just makes me feel like balance has been restored to the universe. Plus I know Koichi and Tsuyoshi will be wearing outfits I actually enjoy for the rest of the concert, so Iām very pleased about that (PRIORITIES.)
Iām impressed by how energetic Koichi and Tsuyoshi are after all the dancing theyāve been doing. Theyāre both running around all over the place and they look like theyāre having a lot of fun with it. This is exactly the kind of energy level you need when there arenāt any other real performance elements going on.
Kiss Kara Hajimaru Mystery is next, and I found it really enjoyable. The choreography is nice and suits Koichi in particular very well, though they both do well with it. Overall itās super cute? IDEK, itās incredible how much happier I am watching this stuff when theyāre wearing adorable color-coded clothing lol.
Now they transition into Kono Mama Te wo Tsunaide (see the video at the top of the post.) This has always been the most memorable performance from this concert for me and I knew right from the start that itās the one Iād be uploading. The song has become an end-of-concert classic, and this version in particular not only has the cute outfits but THE HANDHOLDING!!! Itās brief but itās beautiful. I love the way Koichi just takes off while still holding Tsuyoshiās hand and kind of pulling him a little before letting go. Granted I could do without the masses of juniors on stage, but handholding is all it takes. When it comes to some things I am very easy.
This is one of the least convincing goodbyes Iāve ever seen though, omg. I canāt stop laughing. Itās like, āOh yeah, the concertās totally over we swear - weāre just going to hop into our little sky carriage that serves no other purpose than for us to float away in it. BYE~ā
They come back of course. But not before pretending the carriage blew up and Koichi and Tsuyoshi fell to their deaths. THIS IS BECOMING A PATTERN. WHAT IS EVEN THE POINT? I WANT TO KNOW WHO THE HELL THOUGHT THIS STUFF UP. WAS IT KOICHI??? I bet it was Koichi. He is the one who voluntarily flings himself down a flight of stairs every year after all.
Theyāre singingĀ Jetcoaster RomanceĀ now, which is never terribly appropriate for winter concerts, but what the hell, itās fun. Iāve become particularly fond of this song after Koichi and Tsuyoshi turned it into a running joke on Donnamonya by playing it every episode for days on end. And at some point they just started referring to it as, āNami waaaa~ā instead of using its proper name, lol.
The last song is Cinderella Christmas, and as much as I was complaining about it before, I do enjoy the circularity of having the same song at both the beginning and end of the concert. Theyāre also bringing down a big ā1999ā banner from the ceiling and it suddenly reminded me that we have now officially entered the J-Friends era. I am going to cover J-Friends and the Countdown cons when we reach the appropriate time of year for it (when I said I was planning to do all the concerts, I really did mean ALL the concerts!), but for now Iāll just mention that Countdown as we know it today began as a J-Friends event. The first official Johnnyās Countdown concert was the 1998-1999 one and it took place on KinKiās stage, setting up the tradition for the years to follow.
Thereās a montage of clips over some parts of this performance and theyāre mostly made up of MC bits, which I find FRUSTRATING AS HELL. As I went along Iād kind of forgotten that the MC sections are completely absent from this recording, but now itās being shoved in my face and Iām angry about it. THERE WAS HANDHOLDING. LET US SEE THE HANDHOLDING. Iām dying to know the context.
What is this, some kind of consolation prize? ...okay fine, Iāll take it.
I swear there is an entire portion of this montage dedicated to Koichi taking his clothes off. I am weeping.
And one final handhold for the bow. This is one thing that I really miss. I understand that the older they get the more silly it might seem, but I love the handholding so much I canāt help it. I donāt think theyāve done this since... 2008? 2009? Itās just not the same. ;_;
Look at the difference in bowing posture here omg this is too cute.
They hop into their cars again to do one last round of goodbyes, which is probably a good idea at this point because Iām sure theyāre tired of running around. Tsuyoshiās not even bothering to stay upright, lol.
Ooo credits! This is something Iād like to try to remember to keep an eye on for all the upcoming concerts. Iāll be curious to see if changes in staff correspond to any significant changes in staging and choreography.
Theyāre setting off legit fireworks on stage now. The scale of Tokyo Dome is really something else.
Concluding thoughts: As I mentioned towards the beginning of this post, Koichi and Tsuyoshi are playing perfect idols for all theyāre worth here, through nearly the entire concert. This is the closest to a traditional idol concert I think Iāve ever seen (and ever will see) from KinKi ā itās far more about putting on a flashy show and wooing the audience than it is about the music, and thereās very little about it that feels honest or personal. The lack of any real MC footage in this recording makes it even more generic. There were definitely aspects to it that I enjoyed though! I donāt think I have ever seen Koichi and Tsuyoshi make sweeter faces all through a concert than they do in this one, and while theyāre certainly manufactured to a certain extent, theyāre also convincing enough that theyāre fun to watch. Plus Koichi is gorgeous at this age and Tsuyoshi is adorable, so as long as they donāt look like theyāve been put through a bad fashion blender they make for a lovely picture.
Iām feeling very shallow right now because all Iām talking about is aesthetics, but thatās what it boils down to because thatās almost entirely what this concert was about. I did find it interesting to see all the methods they used to fill up the massive space they were in. Itās something all Johnnyās groups have to take into consideration for Dome cons, but KinKi are a special case since there are only two of them so theyāre left with more responsibility and fewer options. They handle it admirably here though, and theyāll continue to do so - the image of them coming together or moving apart across that vast space is always striking.
I think that wraps it up for now. Until next time~
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The video quality on this was so bad it was hardly worth watching, but there was a fair amount worth listening to so Iām glad to have sat through it. My thoughts are below, this time in setlist format.
Suppin Girl
Right from the start, I can see that Koichi is really milking his āprincelyā image - the way he waves at the audience was making me laugh a lot.
Jetcoaster Romance
Ano Ko wa So Fine
MC (8 minutes)
What struck me here was how little the tone and content of this MC differed from their more recent ones. Iām going to translate/summarize a few bits and youāll see what I mean.
Koichi: āThere are a lot of people coming to these concerts and seeing us for the first time. People seeing us for the first time, raise your hands!ā
Audience: Lots of screaming, hand-waving, etc
Koichi: āPeople who feel like theyāve seen us so many times theyāre tired of us, raise your hands.ā
Audience: Slightly less screaming and hand-waving, but still a lot.
Koichi: āThen why donāt you go to a V6 concert instead?ā
They do a little bit of album/single sales talk, which is a relatively new topic for them given theyāre only a year out from debut.
Koichi: āIn another 10 days [B Album] is predicted to surpass 1 million. So if you each buy one more copy on your way home itāll go up by 15,000!ā
Koichi has trouble pronouncing āB Albumā and Tsuyoshi makes fun of him.
Koichi teases the audience for being late to cheer when he and Tsuyoshi announce theyāve written new solo songs.
Koichi makes at least one pun.
Then Koichi announces that theyāre going to introduce the juniors and the crowd cheers.
Tsuyoshi: āThis is Johnnyās Junior, not Johnny Kitagawa.ā
Koichi: āWhat if that actually happened and we were like, āNow then, here he isā¦ā
K&T: āāJohnny Kitagawa!āā
*audience laughs*
Tsuyoshi: āAnd then he comes out doing some kind of guitar solo.ā
Koichi: āYou idiot, if you say stuff like that weāre going to get scolded later! Donāt be stupid.ā (to audience) āBesides, you guys are at fault too for laughing at this!ā
Tsuyoshi: āWhy do you start laughing when we say the presidentās name?ā
Tell Me/Zutto Dakishimetai/Kebyou wo Tsukaou
Hana (Tsuyoshi Solo)
Koichi came out first as the beginning of this song played and he did a nice dance introduction before Tsuyoshi appeared on stage. This is such a lovely song and of course it did eventually get released on Tsuyoshiās Rosso E Azzurro album along with several other songs Tsuyoshi wrote in the late ā90s/early ā00s, but itās kind of amazing to me that both Tsuyoshi and Koichi composed a number of solo songs for these early concerts that never actually got released anywhere. Itās a bit of a tragedy IMO.
Crazy Funky Down (Koichi solo - Hayashida Kenji cover)
Yukiguni (Tsuyoshi solo ā Yoshi Ikuzo parody cover)
Uchuu Keiji Gavan (Koichi solo ā Kushida Akira parody cover)
Tsuyoshi comes on partway through with a broom and plays air guitar on it while Koichi sings. Somehow I feel like Iāve seen this in better quality⦠No idea where though. I could just be imagining it.
MC (18+ minutes)
Tsuyoshi uses his broom to sweep up the confetti left on the stage floor from his Yukiguni performance, lol.
Koichi: āWhy are you singing Yukiguni (snow country) even though itās summer?ā
Koichi got too fired up and his contacts slipped so now he canāt see anything. He asks for five minutes to fix them and dashes off stage (these days he'd just fix them on stage ahahaha.) Tsuyoshi suggests that the audience members sit down because itās going to be a while.
Koichi comes running back on and hugs him?!?! This is too cute, helllp.
Tsuyoshi does a fake guitar solo on his broom while Koichi picks up the confetti left on the ground on throws it over him.
Koichi takes a turn on the broom guitar next and the music changes from the electric guitar Tsuyoshi had to what sounds like a ukulele, hahaha omg.
Koichi: āWhy have I been becoming the punchline lately? It feels so weird! But I guess times change, right?ā
Then Tsuyoshi brings out an actual electric guitar.
Koichi: āWhat are you bringing out the real thing for?ā
Tsuyoshi strums a little bit on the guitar and then thereās a pause.
Koichi: āYou know, youāre standing there talking to yourself but you donāt have a mic so no one can hear you.ā
Koichi puts his microphone stand in front of Tsuyoshi so he can use it.Ā Tsuyoshi starts talking in a funny voice while Koichi screws around on the side ā Tsuyoshi pretends to be a teacher and calls him āDomotoā while scolding him (āIām going to have to call your mother.ā)
Tsuyoshi says heās going to sing a song thatās very optimistic ā thereās nothing depressing about it ā so he hopes everyone will listen to it while theyāre having lunchtime (I think weāre still in the school setting here?) The song he plays is one I recognize but I canāt for the life of me remember what it is. In any case, he just plays the guitar for a bit and then sings a single note at the end, while laughing. And Koichiās just like, āTHAT WAS DEPRESSING.ā
Tsuyoshi puts the guitar away again and Koichi says, āYouāre putting it away already?ā Tsuyoshi: āYou want to do more?ā Koichi: āNo, I donāt.ā (Lol.)
Tsuyoshi says heās got a theme in mind now so heās going to make up a song on the spot. This is monumental for me, because Tsuyoshiās improvised songs are one of my favorite things and I think this is the earliest recording Iāve seen of one, so Iām super excited about it.
The guitar gets passed over to Koichi so he can play while Tsuyoshi sings. (See the video at the top of the post.) Tsuyoshi opens by saying that the song is going to be about an incident that occurred before the concert started, and he gives it the title of āSessa Takumaā (Diligent Application.) And then he ends up singing about having bowel problems, omg. (āMy partner said to our manager, āDo you have any Seirogan?āā) I love that he canāt sing the punchline without laughing a little ā itās really cute. After itās over Koichiās like, āStop using me in your jokes!ā Lol good luck with that one.
Thereās a break in the recording here so I donāt know how much time passed, but when it comes back Koichi and Tsuyoshi have three juniors lined up on stage and theyāre thanking them for acting in a drama with them and asking the fans to give them support. I would assume this means the juniors are Kohara Yuki, Aiba Masaki, and Matsumoto Jun, who all played roles in Miman City. I canāt help being reminded of the story Koichi and Tsuyoshi have told a few times about watching SMAP on the monitor from backstage and hearing Nakai ask the fans to support KinKi. It seems like that had a really large impact on them, so Iām sure they knew here just how important it was to do the same for their own kouhai.
Memories(?? I have no idea where this song came from ā google is turning up nothing helpful)/Innocent Wars/Distance
Nukumori (Koichi solo)
This is one of the lost songs I mentioned above ā it was written by Koichi but never officially recorded anywhere. It didnāt leave much of an impression on me, tbh (Iām sure the quality of the recording isnāt helping any), but Iāve uploaded it here because songs with both music and lyrics by Koichi are rare enough as it is and Iām sure most people havenāt heard this one before.
Konna ni Boku wo Setsunaku Saseru no ni (Tsuyoshi solo ā SMAP cover)
Rocks
Aisareru Yori Aishitai
Garasu no Shounen
Ao no Jidai & Farewell Speeches/Bows
Thereās something Iāve forgotten to point out until now - the fans sing along to most of the songs performed in this concert. You can hear it faintly in some of the official video releases as well, but in this fancam itās very blatant. From what Iāve gathered, this sort of concert culture has disappeared over the years, at least when it comes to KinKi cons. I get the feeling it was largely a ā90s (and probably earlier) phenomenon, but in terms of KinKi cons specifically it makes a lot of sense to me. In these early concerts they were still lipsyncing or singing with a backing track for a lot of the songs, so there wasnāt anything new the fans could get out of listening to them. I can imagine having everyone sing along made it a more fun experience in general. (Tbh, I canāt actually tell whether theyāre lipsyncing in this recording or not because the fans are so loud, lol.) Once KinKi started doing everything live, though, it became a lot more worthwhile to actually listen to them, not to mention their amazing band.
Zenbu Dakishimete (Encore)
As a final note, if anyone is curious about other performances from this concert and would like me to upload them, just give me the name of the song(s) and Iād be happy to. I know it can be a pain to download and/or search through an entire fancam looking for just one or two songs. The video quality would be very poor of course, but I figured Iād leave the option out there just in case.
20th Anniversary Concert Rewatch WeekĀ 4Ā - Us (1997-1998)
Iāve finally arrived at the first post-debut concert! KinKiās debut was announced on May 29, 1997, and officially occurred on July 21, 1997 with the release of their first single (Garasu no Shounen) and first album (A Album). This concert recording was released on May 20, 1998. It samples a variety of performances from mid ā97 to early ā98 and intersperses them with interviews and behind the scenes footage.
While Iām happy to be leaving the junior period and this is a fun release overall, I canāt help bringing the mood down a bit by taking a minute to talk about Tsuyoshiās mental health. This is the period when he began to struggle with panic disorder, hyperventilation syndrome, and the sense that he was sacrificing himself to meet the expectations of others, and the worst of it lasted for about five years. Later in his life heās said that he wanted to die but wasnāt able to go through with it. Having this information lends a completely new perspective to the next few con recordings Iām going to watch. Itās difficult to fully enjoy them knowing that Tsuyoshi was going through all of that, Koichi was doing his best to cover for him but probably feeling pretty helpless, and both of them were hellishly busy. Tsuyoshi claims to have almost no memory of his teens, and itās easy to believe that because KinKi had more on their plates than anyone could handle well, let alone a couple of teenagers ā they still had to go to school on top of everything else and they were only getting around three or four hours of sleep a night.
The upshot of this is that Tsuyoshi is ultimately a huge success story. Heās found the freedom to explore his identity and be himself, and heās come to legitimately enjoy his work. The experiences of his late teens and early twenties helped to foster his love for music and shape his current life philosophy, and they helped to turn Koichi into the excellent TV host and entertainer he is today. This painful history is a huge part of the people theyāve each grown into and the bond they have with each other, and while itās difficult to witness at times itās also good to acknowledge, because it makes the place theyāve reached now all the more precious and impressive.
Iāve been following your concert reviews from day 1. Iām so glad that you are doing them since for the life of me, I could never find time to do their concert reviews properly since I ended up typing so much and I never do editing for the reviews that I wrote. :P Plus, it helps that I kinda feel the same as you in almost everything (fave songs, horrible costumes, and etc..) except that Iām not too harsh on them haha! (esp on their performances before they made their debut). But I appreciate your honestly since it really made me lol everytime youāre being skeptical about their pre-debut works esp Ko-chan and his shirts lol. ā„Ā
About Tsuyoās panic disorder and depression, I like that you brought it up in this review since I want to say a thing or two about it too. Honestly, I didnt know how much he suffered while watching all his past works since he was always so professional and happy. This is the time that he was acting in many dramas (BTW, I LOOOOVE Tsuyoās dramas with passion since he always choose amazing dramas with nice plots and scripts. I always regards him as one of the very best actors that ever come out from J&A since he always give me different vibe everytime he acts in new projects ā you dont see him as Domoto Tsuyoshi but you see as the characters he is playing. That is why it breaks my heart when he decided to focus more on his music since Tsuyo as an actor had always been one of my favorite things. ā„), they were releasing singles and albums left and right, he always look so happy and joking around in their BTS clips and not to mention he is still as hilarious as ever in their TV show. Its only when he and Ko-chan talked about it then I know the severity of his depression. Its sad to know that while he is doing his best works and when they are at the top of their career that he feels the most depressed. But many happy thing come as well in that period like their J-Friends project and their opportunity to work with some of the best musicians in the industry so its kind of a relief to know that despite fighting his inner demons, Tsuyo still managed to enjoy the moments as well.
Again, Ko-chan proved again and again how strong he is mentally in facing all of this and become Tsuyoās main support during his darkest times. Tsuyo has always been known to be the talented one of the group (be it in singing or acting) so to know he is the one suffering from this actually pretty bizarre to me since he basically has everything to be successful (be it looks, talents or personality). While Ko-chan actually has to work really hard to master his crafts be it at singing or performing SHOCK. Koichi will forever be one of the celebrities that amazed me the most ā how he can turn his weak singing to his singing as per today is just super amazing (he is now seriously one of the best singers from J&A without a doubt!). He deserved all the adoration from the juniors since he is after all a really amazing performer. I always joke that he is responsibled in recruiting like half of the Johnnysā Juniors since the amount of juniors who adore him is really a loooooooot. 8D
Another thing, I sooo agree that Tsuyo really have this boyish attractiveness about him when he was young. At one point, I personally feels think he is like the most handsome idol from J&A ahaha. But his past sufferings made him who he is today which is free from other peopleās expectations and projections. I think he started to stop caring about what other people think of him when he started sporting ridiculous hairstyles and fashion in the early 00ā²s ā it reached a whole new level during his ENDLICHERI ENDLICHERI phase. XD But one thing for sure, he is able to gather supportive and loyal fanbase over the years. Despite he sometimes will break our heart with his bizarre hairstyles and fashion (haha :P), we still love him as HE IS and not as someone we want him to be (our own projection of him). I think he knows this too that is why heās in a much happier place in the last 15 years.
I think one of the most proud thing I managed to dodge while Iām in this fandom is my ability to ignore āKoichi Only Fansā and āTsuyoshi Only Fansā fights and bitterness. I love how Ko-chan and Tsuyo always bring down this type of fans too so Iām happy to ignore anything they have to say as well. :D :D :D
You seem to feel the same way I do about so many things, itās like youāre living inside my brain, hahaha.
Iām glad to hear you donāt mind me being a little harsh sometimes. I hope it doesnāt put anybody off because I really donāt mean any harm by it.
It is incredible how well Tsuyoshi managed to cover up his depression and panic disorder and push through. In a way it makes it all the more difficult to watch these older videos because whenever he seems to be having fun it can be hard to tell whether heās genuinely enjoying himself or just pretending. Youāre right about the happy moments though - I do get the sense from things heās said and from general observation that he had a lot of positive experiences in these years as well. (And YES Tsuyoshi is definitely one of the best actors in Johnnyās and heās done some wonderful work. Home Drama is always going to be one of my top favorite dramas. I saw you mentioned in one of your replies that youāre doing a Tsuyoshi drama rewatch. How has that been going? Iād love to hear some of your thoughts but of course I understand that doing detailed reaction posts is very time consuming, so no pressure. Iād really like to do a rewatch of my favorites for both Tsuyoshi and Koichi, and of course their joint dramas as well, though I donāt know if I actually have it in me to watch Ningen Shikkaku and Wakaba no Koro again.)
I looooove everything you said about Koichi. Heās come so so far, and the majority of that progress is through sheer hard work and determination. There are times when I listen to him singing and I get overwhelmed with emotion because heās improved so much!! Especially when he sings songs that suit his voice really well - his part in the bridge of Hakka CandyĀ is divine. He may have a huuuuge gap between his performer personality and all the rest of him (lol), but when heāsĀ āonā he fits the quintessential idol image perfectly, so itās no wonder so many juniors look up to him.
Yessss, Tsuyoshi has said that fans supporting him for who he is and encouraging him to be himself and do what he wants to do was a huge part of overcoming his depression. There are times when I truly donāt understand a thing heās doing, but as long as it seems like heās content then Iām okay with that. But yeah, I think the Endlicheri period in general and particularly the fluffy blue hat he started wearing at the end ofĀ ā06 (lol) was the last straw for some people.
I feel like whenever I go to look up anything KinKi-related on the Japanese part of the internet I run right into at least a couple of Koichi-only blogs and it drives me up the wall because they are just BRUTAL and seem to be completely devoid of logic or human feeling. The Tsuyoshi-only people seem to be more under the radar, or at least I never see them around for some reason. But even aside from the really extreme stuff, thereās always been a general climate in Japan that you HAVE to pick one or the other, and I get the impression that this has been going on since before KinKi debuted. All this stuff can get hard to ignore after a while, so Iām always really happy when Koichi or Tsuyoshi decide to address it (though I wish they didnāt have to deal with it in the first place.) Have you seen the 2015-2016 concert DVD yet? Tsuyoshi goes off on the only fans right near the end, and itās AMAZING, because he manages to do it in a way that feels pragmatic and gentle and just.. perfect. <3 <3
20th Anniversary Concert Rewatch WeekĀ 4Ā - Us (1997-1998)
Iāve finally arrived at the first post-debut concert! KinKiās debut was announced on May 29, 1997, and officially occurred on July 21, 1997 with the release of their first single (Garasu no Shounen) and first album (A Album). This concert recording was released on May 20, 1998. It samples a variety of performances from mid ā97 to early ā98 and intersperses them with interviews and behind the scenes footage.
While Iām happy to be leaving the junior period and this is a fun release overall, I canāt help bringing the mood down a bit by taking a minute to talk about Tsuyoshiās mental health. This is the period when he began to struggle with panic disorder, hyperventilation syndrome, and the sense that he was sacrificing himself to meet the expectations of others, and the worst of it lasted for about five years. Later in his life heās said that he wanted to die but wasnāt able to go through with it. Having this information lends a completely new perspective to the next few con recordings Iām going to watch. Itās difficult to fully enjoy them knowing that Tsuyoshi was going through all of that, Koichi was doing his best to cover for him but probably feeling pretty helpless, and both of them were hellishly busy. Tsuyoshi claims to have almost no memory of his teens, and itās easy to believe that because KinKi had more on their plates than anyone could handle well, let alone a couple of teenagers ā they still had to go to school on top of everything else and they were only getting around three or four hours of sleep a night.
The upshot of this is that Tsuyoshi is ultimately a huge success story. Heās found the freedom to explore his identity and be himself, and heās come to legitimately enjoy his work. The experiences of his late teens and early twenties helped to foster his love for music and shape his current life philosophy, and they helped to turn Koichi into the excellent TV host and entertainer he is today. This painful history is a huge part of the people theyāve each grown into and the bond they have with each other, and while itās difficult to witness at times itās also good to acknowledge, because it makes the place theyāve reached now all the more precious and impressive.
Title screen~ Just look at that video quality! Nice.
The first thing they come on stage wearing are these terrible zebra coats OH NO. Their opening song is Rocks, which was written for A Album and is notable for being one of the few songs KinKi chose to self cover and release on their M album. It didnāt show up much in the years in between, though, and it never left much of an impression on me tbh.
There are some very abrupt cuts that go back and forth between concert footage and interview footage, and the editing isnāt really working for me, but I appreciate the interviews regardless. Koichi mentions that the only things he tends to remember from concerts are things that bother him, which heāll later mention to the staff and suggest changes for. He says he likes being a part of the production process, which isnāt surprising. I seem to recall that Koichi took charge of a lot of the stage management and concert planning on his own until F Con, when Tsuyoshi started getting more involved as well. Iāll be curious to see if thatās something that I can track just through these concert videos, or if Iāll have to find more information somewhere else. I have the impression that Tsuyoshiās involvement in concert planning has fluctuated over the years, but I donāt recall where Iāve picked this up from so if anyone knows more and/or has some sources they can throw at me Iād be very grateful for the help.
Tsuyoshi talks about how when heās singing he has to have a similar mindset to when heās acting because theyāre singing about a lot of things he hasnāt actually experienced. He also mentions how long itās been, and I have no idea if heās talking about their latest series of concerts, everything theyāve done since debut, or the entire span of their career, but in any case he seems really tired.
Next up is Garasu no Shounen, and both Koichi and Tsuyoshi talk about the song a little before we get to see the performance. Tsuyoshi mentions his weak stomach (which we know he was taking loads of medication for since Koichi kept mentioning it in interviews) and apparently Yamashita Tatsurou, who wrote the music for Garasu no Shounen, had the same problem, so he said Tsuyoshi reminded him of his past self, aww. Tsuyoshi also expresses his gratitude to the people who bought the single and says he was really happy to learn that older people were singing it at karaoke, which I think is cute. Koichi says that rather than trying to sing well, he focused more on capturing the atmosphere of the song. Iām not entirely sure what to think of that, but itās an interesting sentiment. Obviously the ideal is to do both, but in terms of priorities it does seem more considerate to the songwriters to put the mood of the song first.
The importance of this song to the development of KinKiās image cannot be underestimated. Theyāve talked about it time and again, so I donāt feel the need to go into too much detail here, but the fact that their debut single was a song in the minor key with depressing lyrics was career-defining. All Johnnyās artists seem to have a strong attachment to their debut singles, but KinKi are one of the few that have a debut song that can stand on its own as a quality piece of music and that theyāve been able to continue to perform seriously into adulthood. As for the actual performance (see above video ā there was no question of what Iād put up this time), itās decent. I like their shirts a lot (theyāre far better than some of the atrocities these two are shown wearing in their other numbers), but they both look soooo skinny that itās a little painful. These poor children were working way too hard.
You can see TakiTsuba in the background again ā they seem to be the lead backdancers here.
Tsuyoshi talks about his first impression of Koichi and he gives a little more information here than he did last time. He says that even though Koichi seemed really fragile at first and he thought they wouldnāt get along at all, as time went by he realized that Koichi actually had a lot of determination. Koichi talks about how natural it was for him and Tsuyoshi to be together, and how heād thought it would be nice to form a group with just the two of them. They both talk about how much they hated their group name at first, lol, though theyāre used to it now. Itās cute how they end up saying almost exactly the same thing even though these are separate interviews.
Thereās some off stage footage now, and omg, between Koichiās sweatshirt (what on earth) and Tsuyoshiās hair, they make quite the pair. Thereās also a bit where it looks like Koichiās discussing concert plans while Tsuyoshi stays to the side and plays his guitar, which backs up my speculation about their respective involvement in the planning process.
A small cut of Setsunai Koi ni Kizuite is next. These outfits are a bit much for me, but I do like the reversed color schemes on them - it makes for a nice sort of yin/yang effect.
Then they do a song calledĀ Nemuranai Yoru, and apparently this was originally performed by a Hikaru Genji subunit named āSAYāSā? IDK, Iād never heard of it before. This song has a pretty brisk rap intro, which is awkward to watch because I feel like the lipsyncing is most obvious when theyāre doing rap, but for the record they both do surprisingly well with it, pre-recorded or not. (Also please note: Yet again Koichi is the only one with his shirt open, lolol.)
Next up is My Wish, the first song Koichi ever wrote. :D I have plans to talk about each of their first compositions in detail a few weeks from now, so Iām going to save my extended thoughts on this song for that post. Regarding this performance specifically, itās definitely not one of my favorites. Koichiās guitar playing is very rough ā heās clearly still getting used to it ā and there are a bunch of juniors flailing around in the background, which just feels out of place and distracting (I usually tend to feel that way about the presence of very young juniors in concerts, no offense intended ā I understand the logic behind it but I donāt have to like it.) I do have some fondness for this performance though, which comes from the same place as my love for Koichi covering Holiday. Itās kind of a rarity to see Koichi singing solo with just an acoustic guitar so thereās something refreshing and satisfying about it every time it happens.
Koichi talks a bit about his song-writing process, and how the chord progression often wonāt come together naturally the way he wants it to so he ends up throwing a lot of stuff out. This wouldnāt be surprising to hear from him now, but at this point in time it feels strange to hear Koichi talking this way because as far as I know the only song heād released was My Wish. It makes me wonder just how many potential songs heās ended up trashing over the years. Tsuyoshi is a lot more prolific than Koichi, but Koichi is definitely more selective with his compositions.
Koichi mentions the bit in the lyrics about frolicking on the bed and heās like, āWhat kind of frolicking could that be? Iāll leave that up to your imagination~ā Ahahaha, wow. Heās a nineteen year old boy all right.
Kohara Yuki opens the next number with some very dramatic dancing. Moments like this are interesting because itās clear he was one of the favorites and it seems like heād be a shoe-in for debut, but his career never took off. Does anyone know what actually happened to him? I could just look it up I guess, but Iām doing enough research as it is.
The song KinKi are performing now is a cover of Otokogumiās Mihari. I discovered this song through this cover, and Iāve been in love with it ever since. The juniors are distracting again and the performance is a bit overdramatic for my tastes (Koichi I am looking at you), but they sound good at least!
I really shouldnāt be too hard on Koichi here since Iāve been heaping praise on his skill as a performer and a lot of that involves dramatic staging, but at this age he is still learning and I am feeling slightly embarrassed. But mostly really amused. I actually kind of love this. At the end of the song they have some firework-style sparks shoot up and Koichi points at each one as it goes off so it very effectively looks like heās directing them. Then thereās a bunch of smoke and naturally his jacket comes open. OF COURSE. You can actually see the moment when he pulls it open. I am just sitting here snickering ā itās fabulous and terrible at the same time. It doesnāt help that he just looks vaguely confused while all of this is happening.
Next is Aisareru Yori Aishitai. This song has never suited my personal tastes, but I know it was super popular at the time and is still very well-loved now, so Iāve developed a lot of appreciation for it (plus I enjoy its choreography.) Iām sure that the release of another dark minor key song as their second single was a huge factor in developing their image and setting the tone for the rest of their musical career. BUT MORE IMPORTANT. Please look at Koichi, his goddamn jacket is open again. (Not that any of his fans minded Iām sure. I am just too old to appreciate this. He is a skinny teenage boy, come on.)
Thereās Aiba Masaki in the background! Itās cute to see him backdancing for this song since he appeared in Miman City, which this was the theme song for.
Thereās some more behind the scenes footage of a photoshoot while Koichi and Tsuyoshi talk about the nature of their relationship in voiceover. This has always been one of my favorite parts of this DVD, because the photoshoot atmosphere feels really sweet and the things they say are also very telling. Tsuyoshi says that they donāt really interfere with each other - their personalities are completely opposite and they each have their own merits so itās not a big deal. Koichi says they eventually run out of things to talk about because itās just the two of them, so when theyāre together they each do their own things and it feels very natural, like being in the same room with a sibling. Itās really just a lot of what Iāve been saying in other posts (Itās possible that about half my thoughts on KinKi Kids are repetitions of things theyāve already said themselves, tbh. I donāt like to make too many assumptions.)
This signboard for the fans to write on is really cute. I love the giant HAPPY BIRTHDAY on there, presumably for Koichi.
IT BEGINS. The elevator groping is something thatās apparently been going on for years, and theyāve both talked about it a number of times (Though I guess usually it happens inside the elevator when itās just the two of them? Lol.) Koichi just goes for it very casually, though tbh it looks a lot like Tsuyoshi was waiting for it too. Bold, very bold.
This set of clips is from Tokyoās Takarazuka Theater and these performances are a little different from the others because theyāre part of a large Johnnyās event in which KinKi appeared alongside other artists, and they seem to be largely a reprise of the numbers they performed in the Kyo to Kyo musical. Kyo to Kyo lasted for a couple of years, and from what I can gather it largely featured juniors, with sporadic appearances from members of debuted groups. Please correct me if Iām wrong though ā itās difficult to find detailed information about it. KinKi only participated in Kyo to Kyo for a week in August of 1997, but it would have been a very intense week because they were doing five shows a day. FIVE SHOWS A DAY. Whoever made that decision should have been fired, tbh.
Koichi does Sennen Medley again here, but this time we get to see him come out in a mask at the beginning. IIRC this is something that he did in the early days of Shock as well, but my memory of early Shock is veeeery rusty so Iām not 100 percent sure. The different versions of Shock will be a part of this rewatch though, so Iām going to remedy that eventually. Sennen Medley fits in perfectly with Koichiās image at this time, open shirt and all, hahaha.
Then thereās Tsuyoshi with Aishiteru Aishitenai. The opening staging for this again feels very Koichi, reminiscent of the graveyard scene in Shock. The rest of the performance continues with this theme ā itās possibly the most Koichi-style performance Iāve ever seen Tsuyoshi do. Itās become clear that this really isnāt his style but it has to be said that he is good at it. Over the years Koichi has become known as the dancer in the group, and he fully deserves that reputation, but Tsuyoshi is also a talented dancer in his own way, and thatās particularly easy to see when they were younger.
Koichi and Tsuyoshi do some screwing around in the middle of Tayori ni Shitemasse in lieu of the intense dance portion, which was definitely a wise decision to give them a bit of a break. You can also see Tsuyoshiās deadpan comedic style emerging here, and though itās become a trademark of his now, I canāt help wondering if maybe it came about because he simply didnāt have the energy for anything else. D:
Next is a performance of Tell Me, another song from their A Album thatās managed to stick around for a number of years afterwards. Itās not one of my personal favorites, so the most notable thing about this for me is that Tsuyoshiās jacket comes open partway through so he and Koichi finally match now, lol. Thereās also a bit where Koichi at least (heās the only one on camera but I would assume they both do it) tosses his microphone in the air and catches it again, and it looks extremely smooth but Iām wincing while it happens because theyāve talked about how ridiculously expensive their microphones are so this really doesnāt seem wise.
Speaking of microphones, I completely forgot to mention this in any of my previous posts (I forgot to even look for it when I was watching the concerts), but their microphones are color coded! Tsuyoshi always has blue on the end of his and Koichi always has red. This has stayed consistent over the years, so Iām sure everyone already knows about it by now, but I wanted to mention that I just went back to check the earlier concerts and it looks like theyāve been marked that way from the very beginning.
Hearing the opening notes of Slowly comes as a bit of a relief for me after that last performance, hahaha. This is a Tsuyoshi solo and itās one of his earliest compositions. Itās a little interesting that Koichi sang My Wish and released it on their B Album, whereas Tsuyoshi left his first composition unrecorded and put this song on B Album instead. It seems fair to me though, because Iāve always felt like My Wish was quite a bit more advanced than Yasashisa wo Mune ni Daite, and part of that might be a natural difference in songwriting styles or Koichiās selectiveness that I mentioned earlier, but Iām sure Koichi also learned a few things from witnessing Tsuyoshiās first composition before unveiling his own. In some ways the melody of this song reminds me of Samazama na Ai, Tsuyoshiās song from C Album, and since I like that one better I havenāt paid much attention to Slowly, but itās still a nice song and very well written for an early composition. I also find it interesting that Tsuyoshi chose to play the electric guitar for this performance rather than acoustic, even though KinKi had very little experience playing electric at this point.
Tsuyoshiās thoughts on the song-writing process are: itās easy to write break-up songs. Lol, oh honey⦠It gets a little sad though - he mentions that he has no experience with asking someone out or spending time walking around with someone he likes because heās not allowed to do those sorts of things, so theyāre really difficult to write about.
Then thereās Kiss Kara Hajimaru Mystery. Some more, uh, interesting costuming choices here.
I looooove Happy Happy Greeting, but this performanceā¦. HELP. Please never again. This reminds me of what they did with J-Friendsā People All Over the World and I didnāt like it there either. The hordes of small children thing never works for me, honestly. This is one of the cheesiest things Iāve ever seen. Tsuyoshi does ask everyone to celebrate Koichiās birthday during a break in the song though, which is kind of cute, since thatās one of the main reasons I love this song in the first place. Itās also really cute to see Koichi mouthing along to Tsuyoshiās solo parts.
Next there are some clips of Koichi and Tsuyoshi recording for KinKira KinKi World, a radio show that ran from 1995 to 2007. I love seeing radio recording clips because Iāve always felt like the radio is the closest we ever get to Koichi and Tsuyoshi in true off-mode. Theyāre much more casual about what they say and how they act when theyāre on the radio than when theyāre anywhere else. (You have not had the true KinKi radio experience until youāve heard the Donnamonya episode were Koichi is drunk off his ass and getting his hair cut at the same time. Or, one of my personal favorites, the one where Koichi starts eating in the middle of the recording and talking with his mouth full, and then Tsuyoshi decides to read a message from a listener about dog poop and emphasizes the word āpoopā every time it comes up to screw with him.)
Koichi is adorable here, but thereās something about Tsuyoshi I find very striking. He had a lot of boyish attractiveness in his teens, and with the right hairstyle he comes off as extremely handsome and charming. I know there are a number of āfansā (mostly Koichi-only people) who will refer back to this period and talk about how Tsuyoshi has completely ruined himself and what a waste it is. Even if these opinions werenāt phrased as cruelly as they usually are, itās 100 percent impossible to support them knowing how miserable Tsuyoshi was at this age and how much happier he is now, but to a certain extent I can understand where theyāre coming from. Young Tsuyoshi had a more universal, if more shallow, appeal and a tremendous amount of potential, whereas in later years he has a niche appeal but with much greater substance behind it. I canāt start talking about this in too much detail though, because if I end up going off on the KO people things are going to get scary soooo ~moving on~
I feel like I always end up losing steam towards the end of these posts and then all I have the brainpower to comment on are the terrible outfits, but HOW CAN I NOT?? Just look at these things. THE GIANT BLUE POCKETS ON THE SLEEVES OH MY GOD.
Ah, this is something I donāt recall seeing in any of the earlier concert recordings, but it could just be that Iām so used to it I didnāt notice. Koichi and Tsuyoshi are throwing signed boards out to the audience members, and while it always looks a bit silly, Iām sure itās super exciting for the few people who manage to catch one.
Awww, and right after that thereās an interview with Tsuyoshi where he mentions that he canāt help favoring young children when heās waving and throwing signboards because he remembers going to a couple of Hikaru Genji concerts with his family as a kid and getting super excited whenever they waved in his direction, even if they werenāt waving at him specifically. (I remember another interview where he said that he and his sister used to get into fights over which of them was being waved at, lol.)
Coincidentally, the next song is a Hikaru Genji number, Mikazuki no Yori ni. Itās a really fun song and Koichi in particular seems to be having a good time with it, playing around with the mic stand. Thereās another cute bit where heās kind of singing along to one of Tsuyoshiās sections and he makes the sweetest, grossest face. <3 This song also gets Koichi singing in a lower tone than he has been in other performances, which is nice to hear.
Ahaha oh wow, Iād heard about this but never really noticed it before. Thereās Tsubasa right behind Tsuyoshi and he has a giant TSUBASA written on his back, which apparently is a strategy juniors would use to try to gain more recognition and build up a fanbase. They have a little junior performance section in the middle of the song, and you can see that theyāre all doing it. This makes my junior-spotting a whole lot easier!
There are a couple more clips here of Koichi and Tsuyoshi talking about each other and theyāre super cute. Koichi says that he thinks Tsuyoshi is skillful, but heās worn out a lot during their concerts so Koichi worries about him. Then Tsuyoshi mentions that Koichi wasnāt interested in comedy at first so Tsuyoshi had to play the fool on his own for a while, but lately Koichiās been getting more involved with it and his natural airheadedness is a lot funnier than anything Tsuyoshi does himself. (This is true - Tsuyoshi has a very quick comedic mind and his execution is amazing, but thereās something about Koichiās general attitude andĀ the spontaneity and naturalness of his bokeĀ moments that makes him the most hilarious person to watch.)
Next KinKi sing Shounentaiās Boogie Woogie Cat, which Iāve become very familiar with from various Countdown cons. This is another song thatās easy to have fun with, and this performance of it is kind of a mess, but thatās all right because theyāre in encore mode now so anything goes. Messy performances are also a lot more watchable now that theyāre a bit older.
Back to some interview here, in which Koichi says heād like to do a musical with Tsuyoshi. This is something Koichi will bring up again a couple times over the next few years, before I assume he completely gave up on it because Tsuyoshi was very much against it. This may be telling of the different experiences they probably had doing Kyo to Kyo. This is before Koichi had done Mask or Shock, so Kyo to Kyo would have been his main stageplay experience, and he came away from it wanting to do more. I think to a certain extent Koichi thrives under pressure ā Iām sure itās still difficult for him, but he throws himself into work a lot more intently than Tsuyoshi and seems to get more out of it, especially in these early years. Tsuyoshi on the other hand was asked to do a musical before he was given the proposal for a solo singing career and he turned it down because being on stage in that capacity was something he didnāt think he would enjoy or handle well. I do feel kind of bad that a KinKi musical never happened ā there are times when I look at the rival role in Shock and think wow, wouldnāt it be something if Tsuyoshi played this part, even just once? But of course if itās something heās not comfortable with then Iām glad he never pushed himself to do it.
The last song is Ano Ko wa So Fine, which is kind of a ridiculous song, but itās upbeat and makes for another good encore number. For this release, theyāve edited together a whole bunch of clips from various concerts to create a montage of sorts. There are a lot of fast cuts in there, but theyāre done so smoothly it ends up working really well.
Parting words from Tsuyoshi: He says he doesnāt want to become too idol-like, and while in retrospect I know that this is true, the way he says it makes it sound like a joke. He does say he hopes people will keep supporting KinKi into their 30s and 40s and Iām getting a little emotional over that. ;_;
Parting words from Koichi: ā¦confused silence, followed by pantomime. I found this completely bewildering, if in line with teenage Koichiās usual method of expressing himself, but Tsuyoshi somehow manages to interpret it correctly from the sidelines (āDonāt let your muscles get too stiff from cheering us on too much.ā)
Koichiās smile after heās done with the interview is too cute. I kind of get the impression he just wanted to make Tsuyoshi laugh at the end here, and in any case he succeeded, so job well done.
Concluding thoughts: I enjoyed watching this recording more than any of the ones preceding it. Weāre heading into a period where KinKi will be singing more songs I enjoy and am familiar with, plus theyāre becoming better and better at what they do. The video quality is also improving by leaps and bounds (I think this was a remastered DVD rerelease?) so that helps a lot too. There is a general sense of exhaustion from Tsuyoshi in particular that can be difficult to watch, but from what Iāve heard this period immediately following debut was the most grueling for them so that should get a little better soon. Overall, I had fun and Iām looking forward to the next one!
Thank you for this. Thereās a lot of their old concert and video i havenāt watched yet, and i love your review. Bcs most of the times i donāt understand what theyāre talking about XDD
Aaah thank you so much! Itās always so nice to see the tags and comments on your reblogs - it makes everything more rewarding for me. :) Thereās still a lot of their older stuff that I havenāt seen either, and they keep coming out with new things! Itās great but it can be hard to keep up.
tsuyoi-hikari replied to your photoset ā20th Anniversary Concert Rewatch Week 3Ā Bonus - 1997.01.01 Fancam I...ā
I agree! KinKi's MCs are one of the best things of their concerts since they just shamelessly talking to each other non-stop without regards that 55,000++ people are actually watching them lol. Even until now, I'm still bitter that they never release an official DVD for G con. Do you happen to have good G con fancams? The one that I saw are very low quality. :(
I am SO bitter over those lost concerts, especially since they released performances from them on the 39 DVD, so we KNOW they have recordings somewhere. I would trade away some of these really early concerts in a heartbeat for a DVD release of G, H, or I.
My G fancams are definitely better than the one I just watched from 1997, but thatās not saying much. I doubt I have anything higher quality than what you saw. For reference, the dates I have are 12/13/03, 12/27/03, 12/28/03, 12/30/03, and 01/01/04. They might vary in a quality a little but I donāt have them on my hard drive right now so I canāt check. Please let me know if youād like me to take a look at them for you though! Iāll be posting about them when I get up to G Con, but Iād be happy to take some sample screencaps for you in advance.
tsuyoi-hikari replied to your post ātsuyoi-hikari replied to your post āBunbuboon 2016.08.14āI love them!...ā
Ahh you made take out my KinKi harddisk and I ended up watching their Utaban appearances the whole morning. *\o/* I'm so sad when the show ended since Nakai is like one of their biggest fans that love to make them do embarrassing and ridiculous things together. ā„ I love that Utaban episode. First because of the ridiculous things they give Taka-san for his birthday. More like what they want for their birthday lol esp Ko-chan's present.
& during the quiz, its kind amazing how I also know Tsuyo's preferences right to the girl that he likes. But Nakai's choice of the yankee girl had me lol since it was a shock but somehow expected at the same time. And the rings!! Its not like it is cheap rings you get from the candy machine but expensive pair rings lol. XD And they wear it at their wedding ring fingers too. Ohh KinKi! ā„ā„ I love the Utaban team, they always do things that fans actually want to know&watchĀ
I donāt know whether to say Iām sorry or youāre welcome, hahaha. It sounds like a very fun way to spend the morning though! I completely agree with you about Utaban - KinKi spending time with Nakai always feels so special since heās been taking care of them since they were tiny tiny things on Idol On Stage. He and Taka-san made a fabulous hosting team. It was really sad to see the show go. And now SMAP is breaking up. ;_; Itāll be interesting to see what Nakai ends up doing in the future. I hope there will still be opportunities for him to interact with KinKi.
And omg I know, those were some seriously nice rings. It really ended up looking like a low-key wedding ceremony. I wonder if they still have those rings hanging around somewhere, lol.
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I have a love/hate relationship with fancams. They can have very low quality sound and video, in which case theyāre extremely difficult to sit through, and their content is entirely dependent on what the person behind the camera chooses to or is able to film. These older ones in particular are a bit of a trial.
But I still have a huge amount of love for fancams in general. Itās hard not to be as a KinKi fan - when the MCs make up a substantial part of their concerts, that means thereās a lot of different content every night thatās never going to be officially released. Iām so grateful to the fans who have taken the risk to film these concerts and allow the rest of us to experience them. Without fancams, the G, H, and I cons would be completely inaccessible. There are some beautiful Phi con fancams out there as well, and IMO anyone who hasnāt seen them is missing out.
All that said, this is one of the more difficult recordings. The sound quality is poor, the fans are not quiet, and Iām using a crappy set of headphones to boot (I just ordered better ones, so those should be here by Thursday :D) I wanted to watch it primarily for the MC bits - itās hard to see how KinKiās MCs have developed over the years if theyāre not included on any of the early con videos - but I hadnāt actually seen any of it yet so I decided to tackle the whole thing. My thoughts are below.
Iāll start off with the MC sections, since those were the main event for me. Unfortunately I canāt be much help in summarizing the contents because I could barely hear anything but Iāll do my best.
The first MC segment starts about fifteen minutes into the concert, and it is sooo much smoother than what they did three years ago. Thereās a flow to the conversation and they bounce it back and forth with no trouble. Their way of speaking feels professional, which Iām sure is largely thanks to all those regular TV shows theyād started. Itās definitely not scripted, though they probably planned out what to talk about in general terms; it feels more guided than a lot of what they do now, but itās still natural enough that it works.
They talk a bit about Koichiās birthday since he just turned eighteen, and Tsuyoshi leads the fans in singing happy birthday to him. According to my very official source of wikipedia (hahaha) this was the start of the tradition of celebrating Koichiās birthdays during concerts. After that Tsuyoshi plays around a bit inventing āproperā ways for the audience to show their support rather than just screaming, which involves him coming up with ridiculous dance moves for them to do for himself, Koichi, and various members of V6. They talk about a couple of the dramas theyāve done, notably Ginrou and Kindaichi.Ā At the end they segue into a Junior performance segment and run off stage.
The total length was about seventeen minutes.
From what Iāve seen, this is about the amount of time that most debuted groups spend on their MCs. I donāt want to call it an ideal length because KinKiās ridiculously long MCs are my favorite thing about their concerts, but in practical terms itās great ā it allows enough time for substantial and varied conversation to take place, but it doesnāt go on so long that theyāll run out of things to talk about, the audience will get bored, or the concert will run into overtime.
I find it very impressive that theyāve reached this point already. I think itās worth pointing out that neither of these kids were natural talkers and that there are only two of them. With the larger groups, chances are there will be at least a couple of outgoing members who can carry the conversation, and they always have a larger number of people to chime in and keep things moving, whereas with Koichi and Tsuyoshi they can truly only rely on each other. If one of them canāt come up with something to say, the conversation is going to stall.
I was almost hoping theyād be a little more rough here. I wanted to really see the growth happening on this front, but it feels like theyāre already complete. Itās so hard to believe that this recording is from before their debut ā they really do seem to have it together, even moreso with the talking than with their performances.
Thereās a second MC section closer to the end of the concert. KinKi open it by coming out on stage in their bean costumes from Daihousou, but that doesnāt last very long, lol. Miyake Ken was visiting so he comes up on stage to talk with them for a little while, but funnily they seem to do better once he leaves. Koichi actually does a run-down of all the shows theyāve started at one point, and they talk about their guitar lessons. Thereās some kind of fuss in there over something but honestly I have no idea what anyone is saying. If anyone else has seen this fancam and knows what was going on, please tell me. Otherwise Iāll see if my new headphones will help me decipher it a few days from now.
MC number two is about fifteen minutes long.
The rest of the concert is largely the same as what was in the Lawson Presents video, though there were a few notable additions to the setlist that Iād like to mention.
Midnight Shuffle is in there, and aside from it being a great song and an eventual staple of Johnnyās Countdown, itās also always fun to hear KinKi sing it because it was the theme song to Ginrou Kaiki File, so it feels like Koichi has a special right to it.
They also perform Hana ni Mizu Yaru Love Song. This was my first time hearing this song and I enjoy it a lot. It turns out that the original performer of this song is Hayashida Kenji, who would later compose a number of songs for KinKi, most notably Biroodo no Yami and Natsumoyou, plus some of my favorite non-single songs (Parental Advisory Explicit Content, Yume Hajime Hana, Houseki wo Chiribamete.)
The final song Iād like to mention is Zenbu Dakishimete. Iām going to talk about this one some more once it pops up in an official concert recording, but I enjoy seeing it here because it serves as a reminder that this is one of their oldest songs. Itās easy to forget since they didnāt release it as a single until a couple of years later, but it has been with them since before debut.
Oh! Also, I finally got to see a full version of Koichiās HolidayĀ in this fancam, so Iām going to be predictable and post that here to finish off. If all goes well I should be back with my thoughts on the Us DVD very soon. :)
tsuyoi-hikari replied to your post āBunbuboon 2016.08.14ā
I love them! They seriously so funny that they sometimes put comedians to shame with their humour. Tsuyo is excellent with his funny one liner whole Ko-chan has many hilarious expression (his face is the best to make reaction gifs). Tsuyo laugh since he knew he cant recognize Ko-chan once he is blind-folded. Who is he trying to fool, actually? And KinKi is never good at matching answer game. Their personalities are too diff to have the same matching answers.
Thank you for doing this. It took lots of time to comment and to screen captures everything so I appreciate your efforts. I'm rewatching lots of their old stuffs lately and I love it everytime they're playing this kind of 'love testing games' and their reactions to the game. It reminds me the Utaban episode where Nakai were asking lots of important questions that fans want to know like 'If they like each other', 'Will they continue being KinKi Kids for life' and etc. 8DĀ
Thank you so much for these lovely replies! <3 <3 It does take a lot of time to make these posts but itās also loads of fun so itās well worth it. :D
That Utaban episode you mentioned is definitely one of my favorites, and youāre right about them usually doing badly with these games, although funnily enough I just remembered a different Utaban episode where they did something like this and completely dominated it. Have you seen the one from 2002.10.24? Iād be happy to post a link and/or make a summary post for it if you havenāt, but basically they end up doing a few of these games where Koichi has to guess Tsuyoshiās answers and he gets literally every one correct. Theyāre all multiple choice style, which makes it a bit easier, but for one of them Tsuyoshi was given a plate of five food items and Koichi had to guess what order heād eat them in, which is RIDICULOUS, but he somehow got it right. And then in the end they were given wedding pair rings as a prize, lol.