STARTO’s Countdown Return Sparks Backlash: Why Fans Aren’t Happy

“I want a refund”

The New Year’s Eve live concert “COUNTDOWN CONCERT 2025-2026 STARTO to MOVE” (commonly known as “Kaucon”), featuring artists from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, was held at the Tokyo Dome from December 31, ’25, to January 1, ’26. While there was no live broadcast on Fuji TV as was once customary, it was streamed live on “FAMILY CLUB online,” but a wave of booing erupted among viewers.

This was the first “Kaucon” in three years since the days of the former Johnny & Associates office, and the first held since becoming STARTO. This time, a total of 12 groups gathered together: NEWS, Hey! Say! JUMP, Kis-My-Ft2, timelesz, Kento Nakajima, A.B.C-Z, King & Prince, SixTONES, Snow Man, Naniwa Danshi, Travis Japan, and Ae! group.

Viewing tickets were sold on “FAMILY CLUB online,” priced at 3,900 yen for Family Club (fan club) members and 4,400 yen (including tax) for the general public. Fans who unfortunately could not make it to the venue likely purchased viewing tickets and waited for the performance to begin.

“This time, veteran acts such as DOMOTO and SUPER EIGHT were absent, as was WEST., who were holding their own solo ‘Kaucon’ at Kyocera Dome Osaka. However, the opportunity for STARTO artists to gather on the same stage like this is precious, and when the live stream was announced, SNS was overflowing with voices of joy.

Speaking of ‘Kaucon,’ one of the highlights is the planning, such as the shuffle medley where you can see collaborations that transcend group boundaries, and the group change medley where they sing other groups’ songs. Many fans were likely looking forward to the interactions between talents that are unique to ‘Kaucon'” (Entertainment writer).

However, immediately after the live stream started, voices of dissatisfaction appeared one after another on X (formerly Twitter):

<The ‘Kaucon’ connection is such garbage, it’s at the level where I want a refund.> <The connection is dead. What was the point of paying money? I haven’t been able to watch even one song properly. I worked hard looking forward to ‘Kaucon.’> <Either make the connection much better right now, or give the money back. I hate a ‘Kaucon’ that feels this stressful to watch.>

Since a significant number of people were posting similar complaints, the cause was likely not the viewers’ own devices or poor internet environments. It appears that the surge in access created a situation where it was difficult to connect.

From around the midpoint, posts stating that the stream was becoming stable began to appear little by little, but “this time, harsh comments were also surfacing one after another regarding the content of the performance” (mentioned above; same source).

STARTO Issues a Warning

“Voices of doubt erupted over the fact that the song selection for the shuffle medley was not a string of standard hits everyone knows but was somewhat niche, as well as the non-participation of NEWS and Hey! Say! JUMP, and the disparity in screen time between various groups and talents.

Additionally, during the shuffle medley, a total of six members—including Ren Meguro (28) of ‘Snow Man’ and Yoshitaka Hara (30) of ‘timelesz,’ who were members of the same group during their Junior days—performed the Arashi song ‘Still.’ While there was an emotional moment where the two stood face-to-face and sang together, negative feedback was received, such as: ‘The direction for Hara-Megu (Hara & Meguro) made the other four look like backup dancers, which was pitiful’ and ‘I don’t think that’s something you should do at a joint agency live.'”

Furthermore, according to information revealed by the performers during the MC segments, Fuma Kikuchi (30) of ‘timelesz’ was in charge of the direction for this event. Fans watching the live stream voiced many harsh opinions, such as:

〈He just did what he wanted to do. I felt like he wasn’t trying to entertain all “Johnny’s fans.”〉

〈I hope Fuma never directs ‘Kaucon’ or an agency joint live ever again.〉

〈To be honest, this ‘Kaucon’ wasn’t worth paying money to see.〉

〈This was the first time ‘Kaucon’ wasn’t fun; it was the worst.〉

Amidst this, on January 2 after the New Year, STARTO updated its official website. Under the title “Regarding Slander Concerning ‘COUNTDOWN CONCERT 2025-2026 STARTO to MOVE’,” they commented: “We cannot overlook slander or speculation based on facts different from reality that causes pain to our affiliated artists and the fans who support them.” They stated that the performers themselves are suffering from heartless and cruel posts and warned that they may consider legal action against slander on social media.

Furthermore, on the 3rd, “FAMILY CLUB online” uploaded a notice titled “Apology for Delivery Malfunctions of ‘COUNTDOWN CONCERT 2025-2026 STARTO to MOVE’ and Notice of Archive Streaming Period Extension.” They apologized, stating, “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and trouble caused to some customers due to concentrated access.” The archive streaming period, originally scheduled from 10:00 PM on January 7, ’26, to 11:59 PM on the 11th, will reportedly be extended until 11:59 PM on the 17th.

If there is a “Kaucon” again this year, one would hope that next time it ends on a more peaceful note.