Snow Man’s New Album Signals Commitment to Agency Traditions, Fans Praise the Gesture
Snow Man Releases New Album Ongochishin (Photo taken: January 2020)Songs Full of Agency Inside Jokes Draw Attention
Snow Man released their new album Ongochishin on November 5. The regular edition, which includes unit songs, features “ART” by Ryohei Abe (32) and Ren Meguro (28), a track that has become a hot topic among STARTO ENTERTAINMENT fans.
This is Snow Man’s fifth album. Drawing inspiration from music and culture across different eras, the album explores a wide variety of genres under the theme “What if Snow Man sang this?”
The CD-only regular edition includes the Abe & Meguro song “ART,” Symmetry by Hikaru Iwamoto (32) and Tatsuya Fukazawa (33), Chikyu Shiteruze by Ryota Miyadate (32) and Daisuke Sakuma (33), and the unit song Sunshine Dreamerby Raul (22), Shota Watanabe (33), and Koji Mukai (31). The Limited Edition B DVD/Blu-ray includes four music videos (MVs).
Among these, the Abe & Meguro track “ART” has drawn particular attention from STARTO fans. Some scenes in the MV feature five-member junior unit ACEes and former members of Shonen Ninja (disbanded November 30)—Sota Uchimura (22), Waku Motoki (24), and Wataru Vasaiyega (22)—as backup dancers.
“In the YouTube video ‘Unit Song MV Viewing Party’ (released October 28), when members watched the MV for ‘ART,’ comments included ‘This is so our company vibe’ (Raul) and ‘This is irresistible for fans who love the agency’ (Watanabe), showing their excitement. For the creation of the unit song and MV, Abe and Meguro incorporated elements inherited from the former Johnny’s agency, resulting in a track that truly embodies ‘Ongochishin’—honoring the past while creating something new,” said an entertainment writer.
Meguro explained the concept, saying, “We wanted to create it with the cool vibes of our seniors and the traditions of the company, the things we saw when we were juniors.” Abe added, “If you look at it cut by cut, it’s packed with agency inside jokes,” highlighting the notable points.
Additionally, this is the first time Snow Man has included juniors in a MV. Meguro said, “Those members said they wanted to participate, and they really gave it their all while dancing.” Abe added, “They really delivered an amazing performance,” praising the juniors’ enthusiasm.
Praised by Fans
Fans who watched the MV commented:
〈I love everything about the ‘ART’ MV. MemeAbe (Meguro & Abe)’s visuals, the crazy lyrics, the unsettling atmosphere of the MV, and having juniors in the background—I love everything too much〉
〈It has that classic ‘THE Agency’ vibe, and I love MemeAbe’s expressions and costumes〉
〈The two of them, carrying on the agency’s tradition and pride, are the best〉
〈As a fan who has loved the agency since childhood, the ‘ART’ MV was the best〉
These voices of praise have been pouring in.
“Now that Snow Man, who are among the top-tier popular members of STARTO, have expressed their intention to carry on the agency’s traditions, fans supporting the agency as a whole seem pleased. Also, fans of the juniors who participated in the MV are buying Snow Man’s album for the footage included on the DVD/Blu-ray. This collaboration may also have a synergistic effect, where each fanbase discovers the appeal of the other,” said the same entertainment writer.
In an interview published in Weekly TV Guide (Tokyo News Tsushinsha) on November 5, Meguro mentioned, “Since we wanted the song to have a feel that reflects the agency’s traditions, we had juniors participate in the MV. I also think that being in the background of seniors is itself a tradition,” touching on the agency’s customs including those from the former Johnny’s era.
The eight juniors who appeared were not personally selected by Abe and Meguro. They simply specified, “Any juniors who will give their all in dancing will be fine.” They shared behind-the-scenes stories, saying, “Honestly, I was surprised that such a luxurious group of juniors came that day (laughs).”
Having experienced various stages and now becoming a million-selling artist, Snow Man is likely able to pass on valuable lessons to their juniors. Fans are surely looking forward to this fruitful exchange between seniors and juniors.
PHOTO： Takero Shigumura