Former KAT-TUN Member Taguchi Rides on Junior’s Popularity in Video, Boosting His Favorability?

His attempts to ride on the popularity of his juniors to go viral have become a hot topic!

Former KAT-TUN member Junnosuke Taguchi (38) uploaded a cover dance video of the song “INZM (Inazuma)” by the unit Number_i on his TikTok and Instagram.

Number_i consists of former King & Prince members Yuta Kishi (29), Yuta Jinguji (26), and Sho Hirano (27), who have moved to TOBE after leaving Johnny’s Entertainment. For Taguchi, they are his juniors from his former agency (now known as STARTO ENTERTAINMENT). While many expressed their delight at the unexpected song choice, there were also some slightly sharp comments made.

Taguchi left KAT-TUN on March 31, 2016, and departed from the agency. He announced his return to entertainment activities on his official website on September 1 of the same year and released his first single “HERO” in November.

“Taguchi was supported by enthusiastic fans from his group days, but in May 2019, he was arrested on charges of violating the Cannabis Control Act (possession) along with actress Rena Komine, with whom he had been in a reported relationship. He received a six-month prison sentence (with a two-year suspended sentence) and appeared before fans at a fan meeting in December of that year,” reported a sports paper journalist.

In recent years, he has also showcased his skills as a professional mahjong player and poker player. In 2022, Taguchi passed the professional test for the Japan Professional Mahjong Association and is involved in work as a professional mahjong player, as well as participating in poker tournaments.

Additionally, in January of this year, he opened a bistro restaurant called “Junno’s Table,” which he produced, in Shibuya, Tokyo. He is also reportedly serving as the director of a show club called “A-MEN’S TOKYO” in Shinjuku, expanding his activities to such an extent that it has become difficult to identify his main profession.

On September 25, Taguchi updated his TikTok and Instagram, posting a video of himself dancing to “INZM,” which was released digitally on August 19. “INZM” is a mixture of rock and hip-hop, featuring a catchy repeated phrase of “Inazuma, zuma, zuma,” and has gone viral on social media.

On the day of its release, the official music video for “Number_i – INZM” uploaded to YouTube surpassed 40 million views, garnering significant attention.

Among the fans of Number_i, there are those who have shown sharp reactions.

 

“Taguchi likely filmed the dance video to ride the wave of popularity surrounding ‘Number_i’ and ‘INZM.’ He showcased dance moves just as sharp as those from his ‘KAT-TUN’ days, and the comments on TikTok and Instagram include remarks like, ‘It’s interesting to see you dance to a song by your former juniors,’ ‘You’re definitely a pro. Your way of presenting yourself is amazing,’ ‘Taguchi-kun, you’re great at dancing and so cool,’ and ‘Thank you for dancing to ‘INZM’”, showing a generally positive response.

However, there were also some negative comments. The dance for the chorus of “INZM”, features a choreography where you make a circle with your thumb and index finger, while expressing lightning movements with the remaining three fingers. However, in Taguchi’s version, he kept his index, middle, and ring fingers upright while dancing. As a result,

“‘It looks cool, but the fingers are wrong. The thumb and index finger should be a circle.”  

“The pose for ‘INZM’ has become original.”  

“He’s really clinging on~”  

“Is he really hanging on this much to the dances of his former juniors?”

This led to some harsh criticism.

“Coincidentally, on August 19, the release day of ‘INZM,’ Taguchi announced on his X (formerly Twitter), ‘This Sunday, August 25, I will be making my first pachinko appearance!’ (original text preserved, same below). He also stated, ‘A sign event is planned from 2 PM! It will be limited to 10 lucky winners by lottery.’ It seems he has even started pachinko sales, something that would have been unimaginable during his time with Johnny’s.

Additionally, on October 26, a bus tour will be held where participants can enjoy grape picking with Taguchi, with a high fee of 38,000 yen, which has been highlighted by some online news. It is clear that he is expanding his work widely, and this is undoubtedly for his livelihood.”

His attempt to buzz on social media by riding the popularity of his former agency’s junior group, “Number_i,” might be seen as somewhat admirable. Taguchi’s TikTok has garnered about 6,000 likes, which is doing well compared to previous videos, but unfortunately, his Instagram likes are around 1,000, indicating it hasn’t spread as much. One can hope for further growth in the future.