Born on 23 August, my next Man Crush Monday has appeared in television shows such as The Files of Young Kindaichi and Hideyoshi Works at a Start-Up Company, as well as theatricals like TONKATSU ROCK. He’s currently leading the Japan revival of the Disney Classic Newsies. He’s a lover of languages and is known by his seniors as one of the brightest and most friendly personalities in STARTO. 

So, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Taisho Iwasaki (岩﨑大昇)

One of the centers of the 6-member STARTO JR. unit is Bishonen (美 少年), which translates to Beautiful Boy in English – precisely what Iwasaki is.

Not only have I been lucky enough to interview Taisho (and the rest of Bishonen) after their run in the beloved stage play SHONENTACHI but I had the distinct honor of getting to watch him perform live in TONKATSU ROCK when I was in Japan earlier this year.  He’s a wonderful actor with great comedic timing.

Joining  the agency when he was twelve, Iwasaki was originally placed as the fifth member of HiHi Jets before being moved to Classmate J with Fujii Naoki (this was done before any official performance by HiHi Jets). Once Classmate J disbanded, he was moved to Bishonen. Originally, he was orange but was changed to yellow after trading with group member Ukisho Hidaka.

Bishonen recently released “Flicky” from their Arena Tour 2024 Gates+, which was choreographed by the one and only Hikaru Iwamoto – leader of the most popular group in J-POP,  Snow Man!

With his angelic charm and devilishly good looks, Iwasaki is a talent to watch. I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of this cutie soon, so… 

Stay Tuned!