<figure id="attachment_388217" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1436px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-388217"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="aed073ee"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/f65407639c5e127b72d7bc75cdf8fc26.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-388217" class="wp-caption-text">When they left the office, the three members cited &#8220;global expansion&#8221; as one of their reasons. However, it is difficult to say that this ambition has been realized at this point in time.</figcaption></figure>
<p>On August 19, the three-member group Number_i, consisting of Shiyoh Hirano (27), Yuta Kishi (28), and Yuta Jinguji (26), digitally released their new song &#8220;INZM. The music video has been released on the group&#8217;s official YouTube page and has been attracting a lot of attention.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Jinguji produced the song, which is the lead track from &#8220;Number_i&#8217;s&#8221; album &#8220;No.I,&#8221; which was released on September 23. It is a hip-hop style song with a complex melody that modulates many times and unique words. On August 21, the third day of distribution, the music video exceeded 15 million views&#8221; (sports newspaper entertainment reporter).</span></p>
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<p>The music video was shot entirely overseas, and is structured in such a way as to move back and forth between the world in the game and the real world. The location of the location became a hot topic of conversation among fans some time ago.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In late July, information was spread on X (formerly Twitter) that &#8216;Kishi and Jinguji were at a restaurant in Taiwan with people who looked like work-related people. From this post, some fans thought that &#8220;Number_i&#8221; would be performing in Taiwan.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> (IMP.), a seven-member group belonging to the same entertainment agency TOBE as the three members, performed at a music festival in China in April and at a music event in Thailand on July 7, so they probably thought that &#8220;Number_i&#8221; would also perform music in the Asian region. However, in reality, it seems that they were shooting a music video.</span></p>
<p>Looking back, when Hirano and the other three members announced their departure from &#8220;King &amp; Prince,&#8221; they revealed that they had an overseas orientation as the reason for leaving the group. Therefore, there must have been some fans who were expecting &#8220;Number_i&#8221; to make an overseas debut. However, it seems that &#8220;overseas advancement&#8221; has not progressed very well.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="After all, &quot;Naniwa Danshi&quot; beat them to it. ......"></div>
<p>Regarding the current status of their overseas expansion, a former entertainment industry insider continues.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Although he performed at the Coachella Festival in the U.S. on April 15 (Japan time), his main activities are music programs on commercial TV and music events in Japan. Of course, domestic work is important, but some &#8220;Kimpuri&#8221; fans have asked, &#8220;Then why did you quit Kimpuri? Some &#8220;Kimpli&#8221; fans have asked, &#8220;If that&#8217;s the case, why did you quit Kimpli?</span></p>
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<p>In the midst of all this, a group from the former Johnny&#8217;s office (now known as STARTO ENTERTAINMENT), the old home of the three members, has been going abroad. Naniwa Danshi&#8221; announced that they will hold an Asian tour from November this year to January 2013.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The tour will be held in Taipei, Seoul, and Hong Kong. Shunsuke Michieda, 22, starred in the 2010 film &#8220;Tonari, Sekai Sekai ni Kono Koi ga Hareta&#8221; (Even If This Love Vanishes Tonight), which was a hit in South Korea and is very popular there, so this is an opportunity for &#8220;Naniwa Danshi&#8221; to raise its profile in the Asian region. Number_i&#8221; has fallen one step behind its juniors in terms of &#8220;overseas expansion.</span></p>
<p>With the emergence of a powerful &#8220;rival,&#8221; one wonders how &#8220;Number_i&#8221; will fare in the future, but the aforementioned TV station official speculates, <span class="strongInContent">&#8220;They will probably not perform overseas, at least not within this year</span>.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> STARTO ENTERTAINMENT has shown more willingness to expand overseas than the former Johnny&#8217;s office. In the future, there may be more groups besides &#8220;Naniwa Danshi&#8221; that will perform overseas. The key will be how &#8220;TOBE,&#8221; including &#8220;Number_i,&#8221; expands overseas.</span></p>
<p>Will &#8220;Number_i&#8221; be able to give a performance that will have an &#8220;Inazuma&#8221;-like impact throughout the world?</p>
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 Kazuhiko Nakamura (1st photo: Hirano), Yusuke Kondo (1st photo: Kishi), Ippei Hara (1st photo: Jinguji)

 The three members of "Number_i" joined "TOBE" with the goal of "going global. However, it is difficult to say that this ambition has been realized so far. On the other hand, "Naniwa Danshi," the former office's signature group, is planning to expand into Asia this fall.

Number_i’s Taiwan concert has been cancelled, while Naniwa Danshi is making progress in Asia

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