OPINION: How do I feel about V6 breaking up?

I have pretty much grown up watching SMAP, TOKIO, KinKi Kids. V6 and Arashi.

If there is one thing I have learned about Johnny’s Jimusho groups, the magic didn’t last long, may it be with Shonentai or Hikaru Genji.  But with the ’90s, it ushered in groups that have managed to stay popular for decades, not just through music, but through television variety shows, magazines, commercials, dramas and film.

But as strong as these groups and its members remained throughout the ’90s, SMAP stayed strong and members are still popular through their own solo activities, TOKIO hasn’t really focused on music and each member has focused on television or film, KinKi Kids have diversified and kept strong musically and on television and with Arashi, they remained popular through their goodbye before going on a hiatus.

But as for V6, the group started out strong musically and had a strong presence through “Gakkou e Ikou” variety show years but they were known for having interesting paths as the three oldest members were known as 20th Century (Tonisen) which consisted of Sakamoto Masayuki, Nagano Hiroshi and Inohara Yoshihiko.  While Coming Century (Kamisen) featured Morita Go, Miyake Ken and Okada Junichi.

And its members would go on to focus on their own careers and also as husbands or fathers.

Leader Sakamoto Masayuki has focused on stage. While Nagano Hiroshi would marry actress Shiraishi Miho and have two children and would focus on working on stage and “Ultraman Diga”, Inohara Yoshihiko would marry popular actress Seto Asaka and would have a son and would pursue a career as an MC and hosting.

As for the youngest members, Morita Go would go on to focus on acting on stage and marry Miyazawa Rie, Miyake Ken would  focus on acting and Okada Junichi would focus on acting and marry actress Miyazaki Aoi.

But despite each member’s successful solo careers, they managed to come together once or twice a year to release a single.  For V6, their last single “It’s my life/PINEAPPLE” was #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts back in Sept. 23, 2020.

But the end of V6, pretty much is the end an era for the Johnny’s groups of the ’90s.  SMAP has been gone for years now, TOKIO has not been the same with the departure of Yamaguchi Tatsuya and now Nagase Tomoya, and while KinKi Kids still remains and Arashi has not broken up but are on hiatus (for who knows how long), SMAP, TOKIO and V6 never had an opportunity to go out as a music group.

SMAP went out on “SMAPxSMAP” with members barely able to look at each other, TOKIO while continuing in name with the three members, musically the band TOKIO felt it was over when bassist Yamaguchi Tatsuya left the group and vocalist Nagase Tomoya, left afterward.

And V6, they have been wanting to say goodbye since 2019 but continued for their 25th anniversary in 2020 but due to the pandemic, they will be able to give their final goodbye on November 1, 2021. And for me, I felt the writing was on the wall.

Each member has grown older, some became fathers and have children, while others focus on the next chapter of their lives on television or on stage.  With Morita Go leaving V6 and Johnny’s on November 1st, that literally seals the deal of probably never seeing the six members together ever again.

Johnny’s rarely has any ex-members coming back to do things with current Johnny’s members.  For SMAP, many dream of seeing Kimura Takuya (the lone Johnny’s member) somewhat reunite with the other members but it seems that may never happen (the best you will get are Inagaki Goro, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and Katori Shingo who are known as Atarashii Chizu, getting together with former SMAP member turned Moto GP racer, Katsuyuki Mori together.  But neither are affiliated with Johnny’s anymore). So, there is no way we will ever see all five members together again.

As with TOKIO, as fans were excited in 2020 when “Tetwsuwan! DASH!!” showed an image from the distant past with all six members together.  And with V6, we may see five members but all six, after November 1st, it’s probably never going to happen.

So, enjoy the ride to the end if you are a V6 fan, with what time is left and support the group and their accomplishments.

 

 

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