Even from the comfort of my home in Los Angeles – far from the glistening lights of the Kyocera Dome in Osaka – I could feel the energy of the crowd radiating through my screen as I streamed the WE ARE! Let’s get the Party STARTO!! concert.  It was fun, it was sexy, and most importantly, it was a celebration of the absolute joy some of the biggest groups in J-POP have been bringing to fans for more than twenty years. 

NEWS, SUPER EIGHT, KAT-TUN, Hey! Say! JUMP, Kis-My-Ft2, timelesz, A.B.C-Z, WEST., King & Prince, SixTONES, Snow Man, Naniwa Danshi, Travis Japan,and Ae! group all took the stage performing some of their biggest – and newest – hits. 

As the lights went down and the crowd perked up, I was glued to the screen, excited to see how each group would be introduced and waiting patiently for my favorites to appear. 

Hey! Say! JUMP was the first to grave the stage with their hit “White Love,” which – as about as bubble gum of a pop song as you can get – set the tone for the others to follow. 

“koi-wazurai” performed solely by Kaito Takahashi as his King & Prince group mate (Ren Nagase) missed the show after undergoing emergency surgery (fear not, he will fully recover). Next came Naniwa Danshi who kept the energy bright and colorful  with “Poppin’ Hoppin’ Lovin!’”

Naniwa Danshi with Kaito Takahashi of King & Prince

They were the group that introduced me to STARTO ENTERTAINMENT – so naturally – I couldn’t help but sing and clap along. I’m sure my neighbors and roommate thoroughly enjoyed –  considering it was past midnight on a work day – but when Travis Japan followed up with “JUST DANCE!” I had to keep that energy going. They would be so disappointed in me if I didn’t. 

Travis Japan LEVEL up to bring the house down!

Even though “Black Sugar” from A.B.C-Z was a new discovery for me, I instantly fell in love and added it to my Neokyo shopping list.

SixTONES appeared next, singing their hit “KOKKARA,” which they CRUSHED! “C’monova from Kis-My-Ft2 was another song I wasn’t familiar with – luckily, my Neokyo page was still open.  KAT-TUN gave a spirited performance of “Roar” and WEST. (of course) brought the house down with SHOKO.

NEWS kept the energy high with  “Chankapaana.” Thank goodness, Thursday is payday. I was very excited to learn that “Gamusyara Kousinkyoku” from SUPER EIGHT is already available online – that was an instant purchase. Of course, I already had “Brother Beat” from Snow Man, but it was still great to see everyone jam out.

The nine Gorgeous guys of Snow Man!

I loved how they introduced the Ae! group and their debut single, “《A》BEGINNING,” which has become the best-selling debut for any STARTO group in recent years, and that is a well-deserved honor. 

With the groups introduced, it was time to get the party STARTO! 

Highlights from the series included Travis Japan’s “LEVEL UP” because Genta decided to live up to his nickname of the “Sexy Tiger” and show some skin. 

Genta also joined Takahashi to dance to King & Prince’s newest track “mooove!” 

Naniwa Danshi delivered a powerful performance of their second single, “The Answer.” 

Snow Man’s rendition of “HELLO HELLO” was a personal favorite. 

SixTONES turned up the heat with “ABARERO.” 

However, the collective performance of “WE ARE” truly stirred the emotions, showcasing the unity and harmony that is the essence of these idol groups. 

As the first true digital single of many groups under STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, it is a song of hope and new beginnings. It promises that even if things are hard right now, brighter days are ahead. 

There will be more from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT soon, so… 

Stay Tuned!