timelesz’s New Star Daiki Shinozuka Shows Off Incredible Idol Skills, Fans Go Wild

Shuto Inomata (24), Daiki Shinozuka (23), and Masaki Hashimoto (25) joined timelesz through the general audition slots of the Netflix-exclusive audition program timelesz project -AUDITION- (commonly called :Typro”). Riding the momentum of “Typro”, the group has been on the rise, and the three members are also expanding their opportunities.

Big leap forward in variety shows and dramas

After joining the group in February this year, they quickly became stars. Inomata started regular appearances on the variety show Nika Game (TV Asahi), which began airing on October 1.

Originally, Nika Game was a popular segment within Kis-My-Ft2’s regular show 10 Man Yen de Dekirukana, starring Kis-My-Ft2’s Takashi Nikaido (35). When it became an independent program on April 1, Inomata made his solo variety debut, generating buzz among fans. Due to its popularity, the show was made a regular program despite its late-night slot.

Inomata is also set to make his drama debut in the October drama Papa to Oyaji no Uchi Gohan (TV Asahi), starring Timelesz’s Sō Matsushima (27) and actor Jin Shirasu (32).

Meanwhile, Hashimoto, only six months after his debut, is starring in the drama Hitonatsu no Kyōhansha (TV Tokyo). Shinozuka, leveraging his status as a current student at Hitotsubashi University, has appeared on quiz shows and, together with Inomata, was selected as a seasonal regular for Konya wa Nazotore (Fuji TV, from the October 28 episode).

“Shinozuka is the ‘Cinderella Boy’ chosen for Timelesz despite having no prior dance experience. While Inomata and Hashimoto had previous experience in boy groups, Shinozuka was just a regular university student before joining Timelesz Project. Yet, he already possesses plenty of idol power,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

The on-call incident that occurred during a live stream

Recently, there was an event that moved fans.

“Timelesz’s Yoshitaka Hara was celebrating his 30th birthday on September 25, so on the night of the 24th, he did a commemorative live stream on his Instagram account. In the latter half of the live stream, he tried calling the other members, but perhaps because it was past midnight, he couldn’t reach anyone. As for Daiki Shinozuka, even at that late hour, his line showed on call, which led some fans to briefly speculate that he might be with a woman,” said a source.

However, Shinozuka later clarified that he was talking to a friend on the phone and explained that he was with another friend at the time. When Hara prompted fans to say good night, Shinozuka had a male friend present say it instead, leading to a playful moment where Hara teased him.

On social media, fans praised the interaction:

“It was perfect that Shinozuka’s friend appeared on Hara’s live stream. No weird misunderstandings, and it was genuinely funny.”

“Shinozuka’s idol behavior is top-notch. Having a male friend say good night proves he isn’t with a woman—points for him as an idol.”

“Watching Shinozuka get his friend to say good night without trying too hard shows what a natural, genius idol he is. I love it.”

“For the time being, many fans felt reassured that there was nothing suspicious regarding his relationships with women, which increased trust in Shinozuka. During the call, the topic of Hara inviting him to private events came up, and Shinozuka explained, ‘Whenever Hara invites me, I’m always out drinking or playing mahjong with friends.’

Later, in the archive of Hara’s live stream posted on Instagram, the part mentioning mahjong was edited out. However, the scene where Shinozuka’s friend spoke remained intact, suggesting that mentioning late-night mahjong may have been considered ‘NG’ for his idol image,” said the same source.

Going forward, Shinozuka will likely continue to pursue his path as an idol, under the watchful eyes of his Timelesz members and fans.