<figure id="attachment_236314" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5472px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236314"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cc350fc7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/NKKZ2413.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236314" class="wp-caption-text">Front row, from right: Tatsuya Fukazawa (29), Ryohei Abe (28), Koji Mukai (27), Ren Meguro (25), Raoul (18), Teru Iwamoto (28), Shota Watanabe (29), Daisuke Sakuma (29), Ryota Miyakata (29).</figcaption></figure>
The most popular Japanese group of the moment, &#8216;Snow Man.&#8217; On March 25, &#8220;Osomatsu-san,&#8221; a movie starring all the members of the group, was released, drawing 237,000 viewers and earning 330 million yen at the box office on its opening day alone. The number of people who have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami is estimated to be about 1,000.
The secret to their popularity is the high quality of their performances and the close relationships within the group. Their close friendship can be glimpsed at various events.
<figure id="attachment_236302" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5472px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236302"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c6c6f1d0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/527A4134.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236302" class="wp-caption-text">Raoul (center right) and Teru Iwamoto joking around with each other at a stage greeting to commemorate the opening of the movie &#8220;Osomatsu-san&#8221; on March 26. 10 years apart in age, Iwamoto and Raoul are as close as brothers.</figcaption></figure>
Originally a six-member group, three members, Raoul (18), Ren Meguro (25), and Koji Mukai (27), joined the group just prior to its debut. The nine members, including three younger members than the original six, are now a lively group that is often featured in various TV programs.
Some of the old fans did not like the addition of the three members at first.
 They had been rooting for the six members who had worked so hard together over the years, but when a young member just popped up, they didn&#8217;t feel good about it. I felt like the idols I was rooting for were being told, &#8216;You guys can&#8217;t sell on your own. But with the addition of the three younger members to the six members whose ages had been evenly matched, the group has become more like brothers than classmates, and I think the range of talk and variety in their behavior has expanded.
<figure id="attachment_236328" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3648px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236328"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="000ffdbe"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/527A5085-1-e1648360252268.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236328" class="wp-caption-text">At the Mos Burger new product launch on March 14. Raoul, the center, just graduated from high school this spring. He is a 190 cm tall rookie who was recruited from the Jr. group &#8220;Shonen Ninja&#8221; for the debut of &#8220;Snow Man.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_236289" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3648px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236289"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4c61bac8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/NKKZ0315-e1648346172833.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236289" class="wp-caption-text">Ren Meguro is the most popular in the group. Meguro is a serious and taciturn character, and this is a rare smile shot of him.</figcaption></figure>
Mukai, who is also a member of the new group, originally gained experience in location shooting and variety shows mainly in the Kansai area as the organizer of Kansai Jr. He spent his childhood in Thailand and was scouted by Janie Kitagawa when he was attending Muay Thai classes. Today, Mukai and Fukazawa, who has supported the group in terms of talk since the six members were together, are the mainstay of the group&#8217;s laughter.
<figure id="attachment_236143" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4928px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236143"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a318d557"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/TD2_5377-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236143" class="wp-caption-text">At their debut press conference. From upper right: Daisuke Sakuma, Ryota Miyakata, and Ryohei Abe. Bottom row, from right, Tatsuya Fukasawa, Koji Mukai, and Shota Watanabe.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Attractive interaction among members with rich personalities"></div>
<figure id="attachment_236139" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236139"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="28e654cf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/TD2_5579-e1648195288989.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236139" class="wp-caption-text">Hikaru Iwamoto. He is the leader of the group. He maintains an athlete-like body with 4% body fat. His hobby is collecting &#8220;Sylvanian Families&#8221; dolls.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_236694" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3648px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236694"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3e57645b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/04/527A4224-e1648527264523.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236694" class="wp-caption-text">Shota Watanabe. Also known as &#8220;Shoppi. He is a beauty geek, and his work in cosmetics and beauty treatments is increasing, including solo covers of &#8220;anan&#8221; and other beauty magazines for women.</figcaption></figure>
Recently, as the group has become more well known as a group, so has their individual visibility. Many members are maniacs of some sort, and their individual work is also increasing. Teru Iwamoto has become a regular on &#8220;SASUKE&#8221; (TBS) because of his physical beauty. He also writes a series of articles for Tarzan magazine. Daisuke Sakuma is an anime fan who even anime otaku recognize as &#8220;the real deal. Combined with his innocent character, he has been appearing in more and more corners related to manga and anime.
<figure id="attachment_236320" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3648px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236320"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b5eabd77"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/NKKZ0214-1-e1648357930729.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236320" class="wp-caption-text">Member Daisuke Sakuma. He cuts into the talk in a loud voice, performing one-liner gags. The gap between his occasional calm expressions and his personality is popular among fans.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_236693" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236693"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="57113516"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/04/TD2_5331-e1648527047452.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236693" class="wp-caption-text">Ryota Miyakate (center). Fans call him &#8220;Mr. Tachi&#8221; because he acts like an aristocrat, clapping his hands modestly when he laughs.</figcaption></figure>
Raoul and Shota Watanabe appeared at the Mos Burger new product launch on March 14. The two are an unusual pairing among the group, but they drew laughter from the press as they challenged each other to a three-question quiz about Mos Burger, making fun of each other and making fun of each other.
 The group has a large number of members (nine), but the production team appreciates the fact that they can work well with any of the members, no matter who they are. It makes it easier to match schedules, and it naturally increases the number of opportunities for them to perform. If they can enjoy a variety of combinations, it is easier for them to have their own programs that they can plan and produce on their own.
<figure id="attachment_236128" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5472px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-236128"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="758be463"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/03/527A4716.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-236128" class="wp-caption-text">Mos Burger has a good eye for us! Watanabe (right), who is 11 years younger than Raoul, says, &#8220;You have zero humility! He was broken-faced when it was pointed out to him that he had been</figcaption></figure>
Many of their fans became fans not only because of their performances on music shows, but also because they bought their CDs after watching the official music videos uploaded on Youtube before their release. In addition, &#8220;Snow Man&#8221; is popular for its crown program &#8220;Sore Sono Snow Man ni Yasasemasu&#8221; (TBS), in which all the members wacha wacha and do location work together. Their close friendship and the teamwork they have cultivated over the years will surely lead them to further success.

 Kazuhiko Nakamura

 Snow Man" is the most popular Japanese group of the moment. On March 25, the fan club was launched in November 2007 and has grown to 650,000 members in just three years, the fifth largest among all the Japanese groups.

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