Around 11pm in May 2017. He enjoyed yakiniku with Yutaka Yokoyama and Junta Nakama, his junior, at Azabu Juban, and left the restaurant looking happy.  The next “Arashi” will be “King & Prince”. Mei: “Among them, Alasic (13) often becomes Tiara (14). In terms of fan club members, King & Prince is now second only to Arashi.”   Shino: “When King & Prince debuted, Sho Hirano (25), the center of the group, was in the drama “Hana-no-chi-hare” (TBS). Moreover, he played the role of a sergeant who admires Domyoji, who was played by Jun Matsumoto in “Boys Over Flowers”. The theme song is also “Cinderella Girl” by King & Prince. Since he has done exactly the same thing as “Arashi” in the past, you will get the image of his successor.” Yuka: “Recently, Jun Matsumoto’s role as a producer has been getting more and more recognition, but everyone loves Matsumoto as Domyoji. People are looking for someone similar.”   Mei: “Jun Matsumoto was a surprise guest in “Hana-no-chi-hare” and King & Prince was often seen in Arashi’s shows and events during that period.” Shino: “Also, like Arashi, King & Prince’s songs are about a bright future or a wonderful love story, things that anyone would universally like to hear. The high key makes it easy to sing at karaoke. There are the same number of people in the group of five, so maybe they are trying to make it easier for the original fans to feel sympathy.” Yuka: “Recently, there has been an increase in the number of people who are cross-channeling between King & Prince and “Naniwa Danshi,” which debuted last year. If King & Prince is Arashi’s son, Naniwa Danshi is their grandson. Even with such a big loss, there are successor groups, so once you become a fan, it’s hard to stop (laughs). “Tens of thousands of people apply for the auditions at Johnny’s every year. Of those, only a few are successful. Currently, there are about 200 Jr. members, but only a handful of them make their CD debut in this tough world. Those who have broken their dreams and left the office have gone on to various careers. Many of the most successful celebrities on TV are actually former Johnny’s Jr. How do these girls view them?” Mei: “Even if they say they quit and become Jr. (15), there are those who stay in the entertainment industry, those who change jobs, and those who go behind the scenes.” Shino: “Some get arrested (16) and some put pearls in their manhood (17).” Aya: “Generally, when a new group debuts, they quit. When Sato Shori (25) debuted as “Sexy Zone” at the age of 15, less than a year after joining the group, he quit. When Shimofuri Myojo became the youngest winner at M-1, a lot of comedians quit. It may be similar to the phenomenon of a string of people quitting as comedians when Akira Shimobori became the youngest winner of the M-1.” Mei: “People like Kemio (26) are active on the stage after quitting.” Shino: “Recently, there was a lot of controversy over the resignation of a member of Johnny’s WEST in Kansai who left the group after its debut.” Aya: “There’s Kaneuchi Toma who published his autobiography right after he announced that he would give up his title of Johnny’s and work hard as a hairdresser, or Hayashi Matori who quit Jr. and stayed in the office as a choreographer.” Mei: “He was called ‘yakitori’ (grilled chicken) and ‘barbecue’ because he’s always “on fire”.” Shino “In the past, it was common for Jr. members to have graduated from high school or junior high school, so after quitting, they often started their own idol groups like Johnny’s grasshoppers, and it was often disastrous. Nowadays, people try to use the title of Jr. to get buzz on social networking sites or try to become YouTubers. But kids these days are also studying hard.” Aya: “I have a friend who is in the same university circle as my classmate who left high school after graduation (laughs). When I went to a job offering ceremony, I found out that my former classmate had joined the company as a member of the same group.” Mei: “I hope Jr. members can go back to being ordinary people, but it may be more difficult for debutants after they leave the group.” Shino: “Shibutani Subaru (40), Nishikido Ryo (37), and Tegoshi Yuya (34) are entertainers for life even after leaving the group. Even the fans cannot know whether they can support them or not until they leave the group.” Aya: “If I had to say so, I would say that one of the most important things are: if you are going to use the title of “Johnny’s,” be honest, don’t continue to be an entertainer just to make a little money, and don’t touch the fans after you leave the group.” The big sign that says “Johnny’s” will always weigh heavily on both the talent and the fans.