<figure id="attachment_463882" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463882" style="width: 5472px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ff4048d4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/724c6417af6d5b69994fe43ef4fe31b3.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-463882" class="wp-caption-text">Monaki&#8221; has been a big buzz on social networking sites even before its debut. From left to right: Jin, Oyone, Kenken, and Sakai Jr.</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> Their video has over 600 million views!</span></h2>
<p> The four-member singing group &#8220;Monaki,&#8221; which will make its major label debut with Nippon Crown on April 8, has been creating a &#8220;huge buzz&#8221; even before its debut.</p>
<p> In fact, events that were to be held in Osaka, Ibaraki, and other cities were cancelled for safety reasons due to the anticipated larger-than-expected crowds. The group is the younger sibling of &#8220;Super Sento Idol&#8221; Jun-ryu, but it is surprising to learn that their events are also flooded with junior high and high school girls.</p>
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<p> The oldest member is Jin (39), a former member of &#8220;Resshusen Sentai Tokkyu Jar&#8221; (Resshusen Sentai Tokkyu Jar) who played the role of Tokkyu No. 2 and the musical &#8220;The Prince of Tennis. In addition to the two former members of the Sentai series, Kenken (29), who played the role of Jew Elephant in &#8220;Zoological Sentai Jewo Jar,&#8221; and Oyone (28), a company employee who &#8220;loves singing&#8221; and was a member of an a cappella club at university. Sakai Jr. (37), who graduated at the top of his class from the graduate school of Chiba University&#8217;s Faculty of Engineering and worked for a developer as a first-class architect, are two other members who have lived in completely different worlds from the world of entertainment.</p>
<p> The power of social networking has made &#8220;Monaki,&#8221; which had not even made its debut, so popular.</p>
<p> In particular, the power of TikTok to spread their music has been unparalleled, and videos related to their debut song &#8220;HONMA YADE☆WHYYANNEN☆SHIRANDAI&#8221; have received over 600 million views. The number of &#8220;likes&#8221; on TikTok has also exceeded 11.1 million, making the promotion a huge success that has shattered conventional concepts in the music industry.</p>
<p> In order to get a &#8220;naked&#8221; look at the true face of &#8220;Monaki&#8221; in such a &#8220;buzzy&#8221; state, this website conducted a direct interview with the singer. We asked him about the explosive popularity of &#8220;Monaki,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I thought it was going to be a buzz (laugh),&#8221; said Jindo.</span></p>
<p> (laugh)&#8221; said Jindo. (Laughs)&#8221; As one would expect from the oldest member of the group, he was full of confidence,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Yone said it was going to be a hit!</span></p>
<p> (Jin). Yone, who was suddenly pointed out by name, replied.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> She smiled and said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t think so.</span></p>
<p> (Jin), and the four of them were immediately in a friendly mood as soon as the interview began.</p>
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<p> Sentai heroes, a song-loving businessman, and a first-class architect. The producer of &#8220;Monaki&#8221;, Kazuyoshi Sakai (50), the leader of &#8220;Junrei&#8221;, is &#8220;amazing&#8221; to have such a combination make their debut.</p>
<p> The public has fallen for Sakai&#8217;s trickery, but what do the members themselves think of this diverse lineup?</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" What did the members say about their impressions of the &quot;first meeting&quot;?"></div>
<figure id="attachment_463883" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463883" style="width: 5472px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5b2e524c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/ed7cfb65f74b9dbe51dddf59bd6fcf9a.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-463883" class="wp-caption-text">Monaki&#8221; answers interviews in a friendly manner</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> Like a boy from the countryside</span></h2>
<p> So, when I asked him about his impression when he first met the members, he said, &#8220;I thought I would never sell,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I thought they wouldn&#8217;t sell well (laugh).</span></p>
<p> (laugh),&#8221; said Jindo.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> It&#8217;s a bit of a lie to say that they don&#8217;t sell well, but I thought they were soft.</span></p>
<p> Jin has been active in the entertainment industry as an actor since his early twenties, appearing in such series as Sentai. In his early 20s, he began working in the entertainment industry as an actor, appearing in such series as Sentai,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Oyone and Sakai Jr. are types I have never met in the entertainment world. They don&#8217;t come forward. This might be a good personality in a normal life, but in the entertainment world it would be a negative. As friends, they are perfectly nice, kind, and wonderful people. But I couldn&#8217;t imagine &#8220;doing show business&#8221; with these people. I was like, &#8220;What should I do?</span></p>
<p> He revealed, &#8220;I was like, &#8216;I don&#8217;t know what to do.</p>
<p> Three members passed the audition: Jin, Oyone, and Sakai Jr. Kenken then joined them. At first, Jin was the only one who knew about the entertainment industry. That must have put a lot of pressure on him.</p>
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<p> Kenken joined later.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> As Jin said, &#8220;I thought, &#8216;Can Oyone and Sakai Jr. survive in the entertainment world? I wondered if they could survive in the entertainment world. Especially Oyone. At the time, he really looked like a boy from the countryside (laughs). (laughs). They were not the type of people I would have friends with, but I was looking forward to seeing what would happen if I worked with them.</span></p>
<p> I was looking forward to seeing what would happen if I worked with these people.</p>
<p> Those who had &#8220;experience&#8221; in the entertainment industry were apprehensive about the two. Oyone commented on the other members,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> When the three of us (excluding Kenken) were first called in to meet, my first impression was that they seemed serious. I thought it would take time to communicate with them because of their seriousness. Then Kenken joined us, and I was glad that he came. He has a serious side to him. He is a naughty boy (laughs).</span></p>
<p> He is a mischievous boy (laughs). However, it seems that the way they look at him is gradually changing.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Oyone&#39;s presence has changed dramatically since before his debut."></div>
<figure id="attachment_463884" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463884" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="65aaf586"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/4eb032830d3e4f1731549b9b3b194837.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-463884" class="wp-caption-text">Monaki to hold debut event on April 8 at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> The four of them are really disjointed.</span></h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Oyone looks delicate, doesn&#8217;t she? In fact, she is the most &#8220;thick-skinned&#8221; of the four. She is the best at adapting to changes in the environment. Of all the members, Oyone is the one who has the most fun.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> We are very sensitive (laughs).</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> With these members, I can be myself.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Oyone is probably the most suited for the entertainment industry.</span></p>
<p> (JIN) &#8220;Oyone is probably the most suited for the entertainment industry.</p>
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<p> The intellectual Sakai Jr. has joined &#8220;Monaki,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Both of you were in the entertainment business, and Oyone sang in an a cappella club in college. But I have never sung or done anything in front of a crowd. So when the four of us got together, my first thought was, &#8216;Am I allowed to be here?</span></p>
<p> I wondered if I was allowed to be in the group,&#8221; he said. When Sakai Jr. auditioned, everyone around him said, &#8220;I&#8217;ve been a company employee for a long time,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I had been working as an office worker for a long time, and there were many office workers who wanted to do something other than their current job, but they didn&#8217;t have time to try it. Since I was able to do what I wanted to do, many of my friends and colleagues reported to me that they had decided to try something new, or that they had started doing something similar, following their own example. However, I have a strong sense of fear and anxiety that my abilities (in the group) are not up to par. I would like to practice the basics without resting on my laurels.</span></p>
<p> He says humbly.</p>
<p> From the time he passed the audition in June 2012 to the time just prior to his debut, the evaluation of the group has changed dramatically. The members have certainly grown, but the biggest change, including their &#8220;looks,&#8221; has been in Oyone.</p>
<p> Kenken says that she is &#8220;a boy from the countryside,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The staff at the office gave me advice on my hair style, and I tried various hairstyles using AI samples and so on. For example, I tried shaved head, blonde hair, and perms. After trying various hairstyles, I thought the current one was good, so this is the one I chose. Actually, I was thinking of Masaki Suda (laughs). I can shake it up when I dance, and I like it a lot.</span></p>
<p> He transformed into a handsome guy with long hair. He has been the center of attention even before his debut.</p>
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<p> Even before their debut, &#8220;Monaki&#8221; has been attracting a lot of attention. What is it that they are aiming for?</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I hope to sublimate my way of life as a piece of entertainment, and I hope that the audience will find it cathartic, project it, relive it, and be encouraged by it. I believe that the most beautiful form of human beings is the way they sweat and work hard. It is good for people to see that and think, &#8220;I have to work hard, too,&#8221; as if it were a pick-me-up, but it is also good for people to laugh at the ridiculousness of these old men&#8217;s antics, as if they were taking vitamins. I would be happy if people could enjoy it all together as a kind of entertainment show.</span></p>
<p> Finally, Oyone said, &#8220;Monaki is really a group of four people.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I want the audience to see that the four members of Monaki are truly a group of four different people. Sometimes their dancing is also disjointed, but that disjointedness is also their individuality. I would like to show that the four of us are all together in this kind of unmixable way. We are like N and S of Magnet.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> If we were N and S, we&#8217;d be stuck together perfectly.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> S and S. They don&#8217;t mesh. S and S. They don&#8217;t mesh (laughs).</span></p>
<p> According to producer Sakai, the probability of success for &#8220;Monaki&#8221; was zero. The chemical reactions of the four &#8220;nameless&#8221; members, from which the group&#8217;s name is derived, are expanding endlessly.</p>
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<p> On the FRIDAY Digital YouTube channel, an original message from &#8220;Monaki&#8221; to the readers of this site was posted just before their debut. This website has &#8220;stripped them naked&#8221; to reveal their true faces. &#8230;&#8230;</p>
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<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="フライデーが『モナキ』を丸裸に!!" width="422" height="750" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wgQWT8wzJVg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
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<figure id="attachment_463890" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463890" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b9921fdf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/ffdae467d71c8d35def5f95b02f2193f.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-463890" class="wp-caption-text"> Jin Formerly known as &#8220;Tokkyu No. 2&#8221; from &#8220;Resshutsu Sentai Tokkyu Jar&#8221;. Also appeared in the musical &#8220;The Prince of Tennis.</figcaption></figure>

<figure id="attachment_463891" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463891" style="width: 5472px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="953f835b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/1393204a1d04374a52a2fff70b73c3b2.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-463891" class="wp-caption-text"> Ken Ken Formerly &#8220;Jew Elephant&#8221; of &#8220;Zoological Sentai Jewo Jar&#8221;. Once left the entertainment world, but made a comeback as a member of &#8220;Monaki&#8221;. His appealing point is his &#8220;jawline.</figcaption></figure>

<figure id="attachment_463892" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463892" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7e1dce18"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/663ddd1b8edc4ef287ed22b6594e900c.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-463892" class="wp-caption-text"> Sakai Jr. graduated at the top of his class from the Chiba University Graduate School of Engineering, and is also a first-class architect. From an office worker to &#8220;Monaki</figcaption></figure>

<figure id="attachment_463893" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-463893" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ceb500b4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/7d7c0703a7b2a448fb6af0c26b270977.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-463893" class="wp-caption-text"> Oyone: In college, she honed her singing ability in an a cappella club. She has the most &#8220;brawn&#8221; of all the members. Her long hair is a sight to see when she dances. Kenken says, &#8220;It hurts. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>


 Norifumi Arakida (FRIDAY Digital Entertainment Desk)

 Takehiko Kohiyama

 The four-member male singing group "Monaki" will make their major label debut on April 8. When they hold an event, even high school girls rush to the venue. Behind this is an exquisite social networking strategy. ......

Interview] “Really! We take a “naked” look at the popular 4-member singing group “Monaki”!

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