“M!LK” Taichi Shiozaki’s Romance Rumors and the “Perfect Timing” of Senior Member Mei Nagano’s Announcement of a “Hostess” Drama

A “golden egg” that brings in profits

On August 16, Bunshun Online reported that Taichi Shiozaki (25) of the hugely popular five-member dance-vocal group “M!LK” and actress Rina Koyama (23) are dating. Koyama was spotted frequently visiting Shiozaki’s apartment.This marks the first romantic scandal involving an M!LK member, and it has sent shockwaves through the fanbase.

Formed in 2014, M!LK debuted in March 2015 with “I Can’t Drink Coffee.” Although they struggled to gain traction for some time, their song “Iijyan,” released digitally in February of last year, went viral—especially on social media—and catapulted them to stardom.

The single featuring the song “I Love You Too Much to Live!”—released digitally last October—was a smash hit, selling approximately 615,000 copies in its first week. A music industry insider commented:

“They’re one of the groups with the most momentum right now. Their flexibility—which allows them to handle variety shows—is their strong point, and among them, Shiozaki, with her cheerful personality, serves as the group’s mood-maker,”

said a music industry insider.

His partner, Koyama, is a former member of the female idol group “Magical Punchline” and is currently working as an actress. What does the future hold for the two of them?

M!LK is signed to the major talent agency “Stardust Promotion.” The agency represents Takako Tokiwa (54), Keiko Kitagawa (39), Takayuki Yamada (42), and Yuya Yagira (36), among others, and is widely regarded in the industry as an “acting agency.” A source from the agency spoke to this site.

“It seems even the agency didn’t anticipate M!LK’s massive breakthrough. While ‘Momoiro Clover Z’ is a successful example of an idol group that came out of Stardust, that wasn’t something they were aiming for from the start either. Stardust just occasionally has that ‘something’—they can sometimes become incredibly popular out of nowhere (laughs).”

M!LK is now a “cash cow” bringing in massive profits for the agency. With the news of Shiozaki’s romantic relationship breaking just as the group is taking off, attention is focused on how the agency will respond; however, Stardust has always been known for respecting the individuality of its actors and talents.

“It’s hard to imagine they’d impose disciplinary actions like dismissal or suspension just because a romantic relationship was reported, as has happened with the AKB Group or the former Johnny’s Associates. After all, even Erika Sawajiri (40) was with them for a long time. They value autonomy—their stance is likely to let the group members discuss and resolve the matter among themselves, rather than having adults step in,” said the same entertainment industry insider.

The “hints” that idol fans hate

What’s causing concern regarding this latest romance report is that the two had been posting “hints” on social media for some time. According to long-time M!LK fans,

“I knew it…”

such reactions have been seen.

On August 17, the day after Shiozaki’s scandal broke, it was announced that actress Mei Nagano (26), also signed to Stardust, would star in the “DMM TV” original drama *The Queen of Himachi* (exclusively streaming this winter) and serve as its producer for the first time.

The series is based on the manga of the same name by Kuresu Chihara. Set in Asahi-cho—a red-light district in Tottori Prefecture commonly known as “Himachi”—the story follows Ayane Ichijo (played by Nagano), a former top hostess in Kabukicho, as she works her way up as a “black-suited staff member” to make her club the number one hostess club in Japan.In addition to starring in the series, Nagano reportedly served as a producer, participating in script meetings, casting decisions, and filming schedules.

Nagano is still fresh in people’s minds following reports last spring in *Shukan Bunshun* alleging an extramarital affair with actor Kei Tanaka (42). Her “innocent” image vanished, and all her commercials were canceled. The entertainment media had been closely watching her future. A sports newspaper entertainment reporter points out:

“Given the timing, rumors did circulate that the news of Nagano’s production was released to ‘dilute the impact of Ms. Shiozaki’s scandal in *M!LK*.’In fact, even their ‘hints’—which usually draw criticism from fans—didn’t generate much buzz this time. More than that, the fact that Nagano herself chose a project set in a hostess club has sparked a huge reaction on social media, with comments like, ‘This looks promising,’ ‘It fits her image perfectly,’ and ‘She’s mentally too strong.’”

Either way, the news of Nagano’s project became a major talking point, and coverage of Shiozaki’s scandal diminished. Since the backlash was kept to a minimum, we can only say the outcome was for the best—