Hideaki Takizawa Takes the Most Important Thing from Johnny’s to TOBE After the Collapse of the Dominant Force

In the previous article, ” [No longer a young officer…! Hideaki Takizawa’s Vision of “World Reform” and the “Radical Ideology” to which He Devotes Himself,” we discussed where the roots of the “radicalism” that Hideaki Takizawa conceals within him lie.

Clearly a “Special”.

Where is Hideaki Takizawa going?

This will be related to who he really is. He joined Johnny’s at the age of 13, became the leader of Jr., and was called “Little Johnny.” In other words, he is Johnny’s child.

Johnny’s, established in ’64, has seen hundreds, no, thousands of male idols and their trainees pass through its doors over its nearly 60-year history. Hideaki Takizawa is an outstanding idol. However, there are those in Johnny’s who were more popular, broke sales records, attracted larger audiences, and had longer tenures.

So, what makes Tackey a special existence?

At 36, he retired from show business and became the vice president of the company. Moreover, he received the founder’s endorsement. “I was so happy that I almost cried with joy,” Johnny Kitagawa expressed his gratitude.

The following year, Johnny passed away. Yes, it was Hideaki Takizawa who inherited Johnny’s legacy.

Then, three years later, Tackey left Johnny’s. Why? He has not publicly spoken about the reason. Various speculations arose.

But, however, what happened after that? That alone is clear.

 

 

A “shocking feature” was broadcast.

Shortly after Takizawa left the agency, sexual abuse allegations against Johnny Kitagawa were exposed by the BBC. Victims began to speak out one after another, leading to a major scandal that shook the entertainment industry. Eventually, Johnny’s agency was forced to dissolve. Around the same time, Takizawa launched a new company, TOBE, and welcomed those who transferred from Johnny’s.

In this series of events, I can’t help but feel a sense of fatefulness. In other words, just before Johnny’s agency vanished from the world, he took something with him. Something very important.

Let’s remember. On that day of the funeral, he was seen sitting in the front passenger seat of the hearse, firmly holding the portrait. Yes, Hideaki Takizawa took Johnny’s soul outside.

What is this “soul of Johnny”? Born as an immigrant child in Los Angeles, USA, and after experiencing the Pacific War, he arrived in distant Japan. There, he began the entertainment business by gathering boys. Eventually, it became the largest, most influential, and successful entertainment agency in the country.

After that, where was Johnny heading? It must have been his homeland, America. In a late radio appearance, he lamented about the missed opportunity for the first generation of Johnny’s to release a number one hit song in the U.S.

I wanted to ask Johnny Kitagawa something. What did he think of BTS?

The seven-member Korean idol group, also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan. The globally popular BTS achieved number one on the American Billboard charts with their album LOVE YOURSELF 轉‘Tear’ in May 2018.

Johnny Kitagawa passed away in February the following year, so he must have witnessed this achievement by BTS. Idol pop with Asian boys singing and dancing. Although they might seem similar, it was the neighboring Korean idol group that realized the dream Johnny’s could not achieve.

Was Johnny deeply frustrated?

Johnny’s and BTS

Such a headline appeared at the beginning of a golden time television program. It was shocking and groundbreaking. Johnny’s disliked and rejected competition with idols from other agencies. It was NHK’s Close-Up Gendai. Broadcast on August 31, 2022. By then, the founding siblings Johnny and Mary had already passed away (If both were still alive, would they have allowed this program?).

The program was titled Idol New Trend: Following the Behind the Scenes and narrated, “The dominance of Johnny’s is collapsing.” The global success of BTS was introduced. The Korean production company behind BTS revealed their strategy to launch a new group aiming for global success from Japan. The latest technology developed with BTS is their weapon.

Fan events are streamed online to 250,000 people worldwide. The events are translated into multiple languages using a specially developed app, and the popularity trends are continually quantified by region. It is a thoroughly scientific approach.

On the Johnny’s side, Tadayoshi Okura appeared. A member of Kanjani∞ and producer of Kansai Johnny’s Jr., he discussed the strategy surrounding the debut of Naniwa Danshi.

 

Hideaki Takizawa’s Gaze

However,

Okura is in distress. Perhaps due to the burden of balancing being an idol and a producer, he developed hearing loss and went on a break. He joined the agency at age 12 and has lived as an idol for 25 years.

He grapples with the question “What is an idol?” on top of an experience-based approach to life. Struggling to reach the “intuition” that should lie at the end of that path, he endures pain that is both poignant and beautiful, and moving.

The world of BTS, with its latest technology and scientific approach, contrasts sharply with the experience-based and intuitive approach of Johnny’s. 

And that intuition is something built up by the lost legend in a single generation. Can such intuition be inherited? After the founder’s death, perhaps Johnny’s agency was destined to follow the path of decline.

But, however, If it is him. If it is that man to whom the now-deceased person entrusted everything in the end.

The chosen one, Hideaki Takizawa.

His mission is to achieve Johnny Kitagawa’s unfinished dream.

“I’m completely absorbed in turning Johnny-san’s ideas into reality. (Omitted) He is truly more than a parent to me. So, I feel a strong sense of needing to give something back. (Omitted) I wonder how much of my life I have poured into the talents. That’s why I sincerely want to emulate that as a man” (Weekly Shincho, October 4, 2018).

Having said that, the Johnny’s agency, where he was appointed vice president, no longer exists in this world. The name “Johnny” has vanished as something cursed.

Yet,

The group King & Prince, which Johnny Kitagawa last debuted, had three of its members taken on by President Takizawa’s TOBE and sent out into the world as Number_i. They performed an impressive show on the stage of Coachella in California, Johnny’s hometown, astonishing the world.

This is only the first step.

Johnny’s soul—taking on all its light and shadow, Hideaki Takizawa is now aiming for the world!!