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The story
It was reported on November 8 that the four-member boy idol group Aぇ! group is set to make its first appearance on NHK’s 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen (the New Year’s Eve song contest). The members, who came up through the Kansai Johnny’s Jr. ranks, endured more than a decade of training before debuting in May 2024, building their profile through variety-show appearances and a band format in which all four members play instruments. Reactions on 5ch were split: many voiced doubts about the group’s name recognition — “Never heard of them, are they actually popular?” and “I don’t even know their debut single” — while others praised their live vocal skills.
Sun, Nov 8, 23:45
It was learned on the 8th that the four-member boy idol group Aぇ! group is set to make its first appearance on the “77th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen” (airing from 7:20 PM) on New Year’s Eve. This year’s Kohaku theme is “Koete Ikou, Uta to Tomoni” (“Moving Forward, Together With Song”), and Aぇ! group — whose activities go beyond the conventional idea of an idol group — will add color to the year-end spectacle.
Aぇ! group is a four-member unit out of the Kansai Johnny’s Jr. ranks. Most members endured over ten years of hard training before finally debuting in May 2024. Drawing on variety-show skills honed in the Kansai entertainment scene, they’ve won over households nationwide and grown rapidly as idols. But they don’t fit neatly into the “idol” box — they also work as a band, with every member playing an instrument.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Were you in prison or something?
Same, never heard of them either. Honestly I don't keep up with Johnny's groups at all anymore.
Same as K-pop idols — nobody outside the fandom knows them.
Masuo: "A-eh!" (a pun on Masuo's catchphrase from Sazae-san and the group's name)
You mean Yayoi-chan?
Still, what a terrible group name. So lame.
They were on Kohaku last year too, you know? A bit late to be asking that.
Honestly, nobody knows the songs from any current Johnny's group these days. About the only ones people vaguely recognize by name are the group with the Meguro guy, and the group with the member rumored to be dating Ayase (Haruka) or Arimura (Kasumi).
It's precisely because they're not popular that they're being pushed so hard.
The Kohaku producer must be getting some serious kickbacks.
There's no way they're not going to be on.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Aぇ! group is a four-member unit that came up through the Kansai Johnny’s Jr. ranks and debuted in May 2024 after more than a decade of training. According to the original article, part of the reasoning behind their Kohaku appearance is that they go beyond the typical idol format, with all four members also playing instruments as a band. In the thread, one surprised comment asking “When did NHK lift its ban on Johnny’s talent?” was met with a reply pointing out “They were on Kohaku last year too, weren’t they?” — showing that Johnny’s-affiliated talent appearing on Kohaku isn’t actually new. Much of the skepticism about their name recognition comes from a gap: the group’s name and songs haven’t really caught on through TV music programs, even though their live vocal performances on shows like CDTV have been highly praised. Several comments also questioned the appearance over a member’s arrest record, but these remarks simply point to facts that are already public.
*This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Male Idols] Aぇ! group Set for First NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen Appearance“.
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