On July 28, 2021, the official announcement of Naniwa Danshi’s CD debut was made during the MC section of their performance at Yokohama Arena for their Naniwa Danshi First Arena Tour 2021 #NaniwaDanshiShikaKatan. For some members, it was the realization of a decades-long dream, and for the group as a whole, it marked the beginning of something bright and beautiful.

⭒Debut Publicity Shot⭒

❣️BEGINNER’S LOVE MIX-UP💖

On October 9, 2021, the Saturday morning dramedy My Love Mix-Up! (消えた初恋) debuted on TV Asahi. A few days later, the series debuted for international audiences on Rakuten Viki, an app that brings the best of Asian entertainment to the rest of the world. 

Based on the manga of the same name written by Hinekure Wataru (ひねくれ渡) and illustrated by Aruko (アルコ), the series was a smash success.

Group member Shunsuke Michieda (Prince Charming in Pink) stars as Aoki, a cute but clumsy high school student who has a crush on the beautiful Hashimoto, the girl sitting next to him. However, his love dream is crushed when he discovers that Hashimoto has a crush on the handsome Ida – played by Snow Man’s Ren Meguro (目黒蓮)- who sits in front of Aoki. To complicate matters, Ida sees Aoki holding the eraser with a cute message and thinks Aoki has a crush on him! As the series continues, Aoki discovers Ida developing feelings for him, and he himself develops feelings for Ida.

In addition to having a group member as one of the stars, Naniwa Danshi provided one of the theme songs for My Love Mix-Up!, their debut single, UBU LOVE (初心LOVE / English: BEGINNERS LOVE).

⭒Publicity shot for My Love Mix-Up!⭒

As a debut track, “UBU LOVE” was the perfect choice for Naniwa Danshi. Its sunshine-sweet lyrics and bubblegum pop beat are a candy-coated sugar rush, and the video encapsulates everything the group represents musically.

Dressed in starched white and pastel outfits, the group members play service station attendants, and the audience is their client. However, they’re not suited for manual labor, so things quickly go awry. But their adorable persistence pays off, with a few dance breaks and romantic moments, everything works out.

✨MAXI-SINGLE MAGIC ✨

The CD Single for  UBU love released on 12 November 2021 in 5 different versions. 

🎶The Regular Edition (CD Only)🎶
1. UBU LOVE (初心LOVE)
2. NANIWA’n WAY
3. Yume Watashi (夢わたし)
4. Starting Bell

⭒Regular Version of UBU LOVE (初心LOVE)⭒

🎶Limited Edition 1 (released with a Blu-Ray or DVD)📀

  • 1. UBU LOVE (初心LOVE)
  • 2. Yume Watashi (夢わたし)
  • 3. What a funky time!!
  • 4. UBU LOVE (Original Karaoke)
  • 5. NANIWA’n WAY (Original Karaoke)
  • 6. What a funky time!! (Original Karaoke)
    • This version includes both the music video for 初心LOVE and a “Making Of” featurette.

🎶Limited Edition 2 (released with a Blu-Ray or DVD)📀

  • 1. UBU LOVE
  • 2. NANIWA’n WAY
  • 3. Kimi Dake Wo Nigasanai (君だけを逃がさない)
  • 4. UBU LOVE (Original Karaoke)
  • 5. NANIWA’n WAY (Original Karaoke)
  • 6. Kimi Dake Wo Nigasanai (Original Karaoke)
    • This version includes both the music video for NANIWA’n WAY and a “Making Of” featurette.
⭒Limited Edition Version 1 and 2 of 初心LOVE)⭒

🎶Johnnys’ ISLAND STORE Edition (released with This set also came with individual posters and trading cards)🌴

  1. UBU LOVE
  2. NANIWA’n WAY
  3. BOKURA NO I LOVE YOU (僕らのI LOVE YOU)

🎶Lawson Loppi / HMV Edition🎶

  1. UBU LOVE
  2. UBU LOVE (Original Karaoke)
⭒Johnnys’ ISLAND STORE online and Lawson Loppi Editions⭒

The B-Side rack Naniwa and Way was also released as a music video – and if you look closely there are some pretty sweet easter eggs about the history of the group. 

In addition to My Love Mix-Up!, 初心LOVE was featured in the video game Just Dance 2022, a dance rhythm game developed by Ubisoft for multiple platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The inclusion of 初心LOVE in Just Dance 2022 introduced the song and Naniwa Danshi to a global audience, increasing their popularity. The group even made a YouTube video where they tried to dance along with themselves.

“As a group, we’re happy that our debut song ‘UBU LOVE’ has been listened to not only in Japan but by people worldwide!” Michieda has said in previous interviews. “Of course, we’re happy that our fans enjoy it, but also, many kids listen and really seem to like it. It’s a great feeling.”

The debut painted Naniwa Danshi as a cute and creative group poised to color the world with their unique style of bright pop. Selling 1.14 million physical copies in Japan, the single achieved triple platinum status, and according to Oricon charted for 115 weeks after its release. Even with all the accolades and success, this was only the beginning for Naniwa Danshi. There’s more to come, so…

Stay tuned!