In the final analysis, no matter how much the members of TOKIO like music, how passionate they are about forming a band, and how many big-name musicians in the industry are willing to support them, this is just an idol band.
There is no need for Kitagawa to create a real band, and it seems that these teenagers are smart and spiritual by idol standards, but they are definitely not musical geniuses who have chosen the wrong path.
Therefore, making TOKIO appear to be a serious band is actually part of the idol packaging. What Iwahashi Shinichi and Kitagawa Suo conspired with was how to make this packaging look more natural and not be seen through by the audience.
Precisely because this is not a real band, there is no need to worry about the band era cooling down, causing TOKIO to miss the opportunity to take a step forward. In fact, the real opportunity for this group will be after the band era cools down.
Kitagawa Kao was careful with his calculations and deliberately did not give accurate predictions for the debut, but he also required the group to reach the level of debut. Iwahashi Shinichi judged in his heart that Kitagawa Kao would increase the exposure intensity of those teenagers next year and start to accumulate popularity.
In addition, Kitagawa Kao's ambiguous attitude towards TOKIO's debut made Iwahashi Shinichi think of another possibility, that is: Kitagawa Kao is hesitating about the positioning of this group.
It’s not the positioning of whether this group is an idol or a band, or what role each member has to play, but whether this group is going to be a vanguard or a reserve force – that’s the positioning.
Although this group consulted Iwahashi Shinichi's opinions when selecting members, the person who made the decision from beginning to end was Kitagawa Kao. In other words, this group is another Kitagawa Kao group after SMAP.
Personally selected, a combination with a sense of team.
The reason why the Heike faction is not worth mentioning is because it was a group that debuted in a hurry. The members were temporarily put in a basket and lacked a sense of teamwork. They were called a group, but in reality they were all in disarray.
If Kitagawa Kao pursues the promotion strategy of a group debut, he must put "team feeling" at the top of his consideration.
SMAP failed to debut, the idol era is at its lowest point, and Johnny has yet to explore his future direction. Under such circumstances, if TOKIO also debuts, the group will also join the team exploring the path.
Can Johnny afford to let two groups with high hopes enter this unknown and explore at the same time?
In other words, does Kitagawa Kao have any plans to launch two combinations at the same time?
When watching Johnny, you can't just look at a certain team in front of you. This is especially true if you want to deal with Kitagawa Kaguya for a long time.
After meeting Kaguya Kitagawa, Shinichi Iwahashi guessed in his mind that SMAP, the group founded by Kaguya Kitagawa, would enter a cruel testing ground next - or in other words, at this moment.
Let them do things that no Johnny's idol has ever done, and tasks that exclude idols. Whether TOKIO will debut or not at this time next year depends on what SMAP will be like at this time next year.
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Shinichi Iwahashi pays considerable attention to the SMAP group and believes that the future of this group is related to the future of Johnny's.
The reason for making such a judgment is that this combination has the "combination temperament" that Kitagawa Kao values and is a vanguard on the table.
Being pushed into the testing ground may sound like being a victim of abandonment, but for a firm that needs to change its marketing strategy, the combination that is pushed into the testing ground is precisely the combination that is most valued.
Shinichi Iwahashi did not intend to let Watanabe Manyumi know about his plans, so the topic only stopped at Kitagawa's hope that TOKIO can reach the level of debut as soon as possible, and did not go into details.
Or, for Johnny, the plan Iwahashi Shinichi made in his heart was something that he could never tell anyone and could only know in his own mind. Only he knew it well, so he could make adjustments anytime and anywhere.
However, if we really want to talk about it, there is only one person who is somewhat aware of Iwahashi Shinichi's thoughts.
Mitsuo Iijima who can think of setting his sights on SMAP.
Mitomo Iijima is now the representative of Shinichi Iwahashi and is fully responsible for the communication with Johnny. On the NTV side, Shinichi Iwahashi is nominally the consultant for TOKIO's programs, but in fact, Mitomo Iijima is almost all involved.
Conduct meetings on his behalf.
Keiko Fujishima, who works for NTV, also participated in that program as a staff member of NTV.
This move also has its own merits. Handling TOKIO's program has added something to Keiko Fujishima's resume. It not only proves her talent, but also proves Keiko Fujishima's contribution to Johnny's.
One stroke.
In addition, there is another important consideration. Before TOKIO’s debut, Fujishima Keiko participated in the group’s program production. This is the successor to the agency on the table. In the future, it can be legitimately said that TOKIO is the “Keiko family”.
After the defeat of the Heike faction, Fujishima Keiko turned to a low profile.
However, even if he no longer participates in the firm's business, he can openly and honestly be associated with the firm's group as a TV station staff member.
After experiencing a failure and being beaten by her uncle, Fujishima Keiko's mentality became much more stable. However, the willfulness in her personality prevented her from changing her attitude based on personal preferences when acting.
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When the Heike faction failed miserably, Fujishima Keiko treated the team she led as if it had never existed. With this personality, it seemed that as long as the failure was forgotten, the failure would not exist.
TOKIO now has high hopes. The prospects of several teenagers are good, and it is very likely that they will become another popular group launched by Johnny, sweeping away the haze of the failure of two groups in succession. Thinking of this, Keiko Fujishima is full of energy.
I hope I can contribute to this group and make them soar to the sky after their debut.
As for the SMAP group, Kitagawa Mari and Fujishima Keiko, mother and daughter, have no favorable impressions of them.
Fujishima Keiko is a little better. She can take a look at the group and feel that the kid named Kimura among the members is handsome and the kid named Nakai is smart and clever and will please people - that's all.
In the final analysis, this is a group that will remind the mother and daughter of their past failures and the beatings from Kitagawa Kagumi. Other than that, this is a group that has failed.
Precisely because Fujishima Keiko lacks a favorable impression of SMAP, in her eyes, the social interactions between Iijima Mitochi and SMAP have become particularly conspicuous.
In fact, Iijima Mitochi has never actively contacted the members of SMAP. When they met at the TV station, he would greet each other and exchange a few polite words with the members.
But in the eyes of Fujishima Keiko, it was really hypocritical for Mito Iijima to be so kind to an inferior group.
