In Japan, like most places pop bands are popular. Usually many Japanese band members won’t stop at the singing, the group may have their own variety TV shows, star in dramas and movies or do commercials. The boy band Arashi (meaning Storm), do all of the above and more.
The band consists of five members, Ohno Satoshi, Sakurai Sho, Aiba Masaki, Ninomiya Kazunari and Matsumoto Jun. They are just one of the many groups signed under Johnny’s Entertainment, who are known for finding good looking or talented young men. Arashi started out in 1999 and their popularity has grown rapidly ever since.To date, Arashi has released 41 singles (37 out of the 41 reached number 1 in the singles chart) and 11 albums (9 of which reached number 1 in the album charts).Here is the PV for their 2008 single, Truth.
The members of Arashi certainly lead a busy life while recording their songs, touring, making music videos, hosting their own TV shows and acting in movies and dramas.
In 2002, band member Matsumoto Jun gained a huge amount of popularity starring in a the high school drama, Gokusen. But it wasn’t until 2005 that he landed his biggest role to date, playing the leading man, Tsukasa Domyōji in the hugely successful Hana Yori Dango (Boys over Flowers).
The story followed a poor schoolgirl, Makino Tsukushi, who enters a High School for rich and privilidged teenagers. After seeing how materialistic they all are, she decides to keep her head down and stay out of everybody’s way. But after a run in with the school’s notorious group, F4, leaded by Tsukasa, her life begins to change.As well as Matsumoto Jun playing the leading man, Arashi also provided the theme song for the series. Due to the shows popularity it was renewed for a second season and had a theatrical movie.Also in 2005, Sakura Sho, played the leading role in a movie adaptation of another popular manga series, Honey and Clover.
At the end of 2010 band member Kazunari Ninomiya, was cast as the protagonist Kei Kurono, in the hit movie, Gantz. The film is again based on a manga, which we recently posted an article about here . The movie follows a university student, who is mysteriously transported as he is about to be hit by a train, to a room with a mysterious black orb. He learns that he must battle aliens and attempt to gain 100 points in order to be revived and return to his old life.
These are just some of the popular series and movies the band have been involved in over the last 14 years and with their latest album reaching number 1 in 2012 and already having two number 1 singles in 2013, their popularity and success doesn’t look to be going away anytime soon.