I had thought of doing one for NEWS last year but didn’t know much about the members.
Formed as a temporary group in 2003 and released a single that only can be sold in the 7-11 convenient store. Then, officially debuted a year after.
The name of the group stands for the initials of the four directions (north, east, west, south). (Although, I like “Never Ending Wonderful Story” better ^.^) Members from different junior groups (4Tops, K.K.Kity, and Johnny’s Juniors. And Kanjani8 if it counts.) are chosen. They are from different prefectures: Tokyo, Chiba. Osaka, and Kanagawa.
The group went on hiatus on 2006 because two members got suspended for underage drinking. While on hiatus, each member did solo work (YamaPi with Kurosagi, Nishikido with Kanjani8, TegoMasu, etc) until the end of the year. The group reappear during the Countdown of 2006-2007.
They don’t look as close compared to other groups but they work hard, and each member combines the skills he acquired during hiatus. When the group began, they didn’t really communicate with each other. They were thrown together so suddenly and they hardly knew each other. But their relationship became much better now.
Their songs are cheerful. Some of them encourage people to do their best to move forward, like Kibou ~Yell~ and weeeek.
Yamashita Tomohisa
The leader of the group because he’s the most popular out of the group. He’s popular ever since during his junior days. He used to be the host of Shounen Club.
He’s the kind of person who is quiet around strangers but is active around people he’s comfortable with. Other than that, he’s a silly person. Some of the things he does make us laugh. He cherishes his friends and life itself. He says how much his friends meant to him. He tries to encourage people.
One of his hobbies is surfing. He received an autographed surfboard from a famous surfer (The surfboard is seen in the SUMMER TIME PV). He’s also into boxing.
He’s like a perfect idol. He good-looking, can act well, and sings really good.
My first time seeing him was in Nobuta wo Produce. I liked his acting and wanted to find out more about him. After finding more stuff about him, I started to like him.
Nishikido Ryou
The poison tongue. He picks on the people he likes, especially his kouhai’s. But he can be a shy person and get embarrassed easily. He couldn’t look at the girl he likes. He bugs people to cut their hair until they do so XD He had bugged YamaPi and Shige before.
Recently, he’s building up muscles. He’s still skinny though…
Koyama Keiichirou
Has the most experience on being the host out of the group. He is currently hosting Shounen Club with Nakamaru Yuuichi. He also hosts other TV programs. He seems easy to talk to. He’s like the mother of the group, a really kind person. He cares for the members and is willing to do stuff for them without hesitation. He mentions a lot about other members in his J-Web. It’s very interesting to read.
I first saw him in Kurosagi. I thought he was very cool looking. Then, I saw him in old Shounen Club episodes. I was soo surprised that he’s from the same agency as YamaPi. <–Was a Johnny’s newbie back then.
Masuda Takahisa
Obsesses with xiao long bao (meat buns) and dumplings in general. He loves to eat. He likes playing soccer and swim. He usually go swimming during free time. He wants to go to a swimming pool as a date XD His charm point is his smile; it’s cute. He’s short but he has a really deep voice. I was surprised when hearing his voice the first time. But I really like his deep voice.
Katou Shigeaki
The smart one. He’s studying law as a major. His J-web is written on a viewpoint of a cat named Wagahai. Other members tease him since he doesn’t stand out as much compared to them. He doesn’t have a lot of solo work. He’s into photography. Err.. Sorry, I don’t know much about his personality…
Tegoshi Yuuya
Self-centered with no evil intention. He sits on people’s laps XD The way he talks sound like he’s a superior, looking down from high up. He’s a clingy person. There are evidences in Ya-Ya-yah, like the times when he played that hiding from Oni game. He always tagged along with another person (one time with Massu, another time with Yabu).
He entered the agency ten months before the debut, amazingly. His face changed so much when growing up. Looks like he had a plastic surgery.. He still looks innocent but he looks cooler. He’s the best singer out of the group. He practices singing at karaoke. He has soothing voice, which adds another plus.
I first saw him in My★Boss My★Hero and started to like him immediately.
Uchi Hiroki
Got suspended on 2005 for underage drinking. But he just started to appear in public again. He first appeared in a drama special and then got to be in a regular drama.
I don’t know anything about him as a NEWS member.. He left shortly after the group officially debuted.. Well, not that short, but not long enough to get to know him better.
Kusano Hironori
Same situation as Uchi. But he has yet to appear in public for official work. He and Uchi went on stage in NEWS’s concert during the beginning of this year. They both graduated on being trainees.
Kusano is an active person. He talks a lot. He’s energetic. Hm…don’t know much about him. Only learned about him when watching Ya-Ya-yah so far..
Moriuchi Takahiro
Left the agency before the official debut and joined a J-rock group, ONE OK ROCK.
