Carolie's V6 Pimp Post!

It's finally done, ladies (and gentlemen. HI kurowkirishima!!!).
It has been a few days in the making but it's here:
THE PIMP POST.


YESSSSSS

I tried to do my best... but I suck at writing, so I apologize if it reads like a list. >__>;
V6 fangirls on my flist: Please let me know if anything is incorrect. I wrote some of this in a daze so I wouldn't be surprised if I messed up somewhere. XD

Alright, enough talk. Are you ready for the osm that is V6?!

Many of you may not realize it, but you already know V6 is some way: Kimi wa Petto? Gokusen? Inuyasha? Eyeshield 21? Kisarazu Cat’s Eye? Tiger & Dragon? Tokyo Tower?


All of them involve V6 by either song or a member acting. This is how a good number of the younger fans came to know them, but they are much more than “Those-Guys-Who-Did-The-Inuyasha-Song” & differ a bit from the typical Johnny’s groups you see all over Myojo, Potato, & WinkUp.
ALL of V6 dances in sync (HIP GYRATION =/= DANCING), do acrobatics, & sings in tune.

V6 is definitely one of the most laid back groups, right up there with TOKIO. None of them ever come off as trying too hard or trying to be something they aren’t. They come off a normal people with multiple layers to their personality. It also may be that, because they’ve been together for so long, they have no problem laughing at themselves or putting themselves out there purely for their own enjoyment. I believe insomnikat summed up one of my main reason for loving V6 (aside from the music) very well in her pimp post (linked below):

"I guess that's one of the many reasons why I find V6 so attractive. All the members seem real. They don't try to fit their personas to any typecast. They have layers. Are complex. Are, dare I say, the most human. When they horse around, it's genuinely cute and funny because they're not doing it for the camera's benefit but their own amusement -- and it shows. When Morita falls over backwards with the most adorable lost and disoriented look, everyone bursts in laughter. But immediately at his side pulling him up and supporting his back are Junichi and Ken (with 'Mama' Nagano not too far away). Now maybe that doesn't rank high on the J-GHEI meter, but it's a kind of love that appeals to me more."

I couldn’t have said it better myself. <3

NOW, don’t write them off just because they are a sempai group (we all know those crazy fangirls who think anyone that debuted before Arashi isn’t worth the time >_>) or the overwhelming fact that there’s 14 years years of history you’ll have to go through. My best advice: Work your way backwards. ;D

There are already 4 awesome pimp posts done that do a much better & thorough job at going into the members & group history than I ever could, so my explanation on their formation will just be a summary. I’ll list the other posts here. If you want to read them first or after you read mine is up to you, but DEFINITELY go to them for the full V6 experience. XD

::Introduction & Formation::

V6 is a six member group under Johnny’s Jimusho. In the fan community it is known that the V stands for Victory, but there are theories that it stands for Volleyball because they were formed at the time to support Japan’s volleyball team, Vegetable for Sakamoto’s parent’s green shop, & Vicycle for Nagano’s parents’ bike shop. XD There are others thrown around by the members themselves but I'm pretty sure they’re all jokes lol.

The group consists of (family names first): Sakamoto Masayuki, Nagano Hiroshi, Inohara Yoshihiko, Morita Go, Miyake Ken, & Okada Junichi. Unlike other groups in JE, they are split into 2 subgroups: 20th Century (Tonisen); the older half & Coming Century (Kamisen); the younger half. The only other group to be like this was Hikaru GENJI in the 80’s.

Their label is avex trax, where the big players are: Amuro Namie, m-flo, DBSK, Koda Kumi, Hamasaki Ayumi, EXILE, AAA, Otsuka Ai, & Suzuki Ami just to list a few. avex also produces their music as well. This is why a lot of their songs, especially their earlier ones that were Eurobeat based, have a more upbeat dance & techno element to them. Of course, they have a lot that are songs outside of those genres as well like any other avex artist. (:

The road to the formation of V6 was definitely a weird one that is far beyond my explanation. ^ ^; gsama goes into much better detail in her JE history post. To simplify it a little: Sakamoto, Nagano, & Inohara were together in a group called Johnny’s Sr, Morita & Miyake were always together so they were dubbed ‘Go-Ken Combi’ (lol I can’t make this shit up), and Okada… wasn’t in the Jimusho yet lol. Anywho, Fuji TV wanted an “image group” for the volleyball world cup in 1995. A bunch of Juniors were shuffled around & in the final stages it was Tonisen, the Go-Ken Combi (seriously, I cannot type that without laughing >XD), & a Jr named Hara Tomohiro. Originally Ohno Satoshi was supposed to be in V6. He apparently even recorded ‘Theme of Coming Century’ before he quit because he thought he’d have to play volleyball all day long lol. He was then replaced with Okada who had just won a television contest to join JE (word on the street is that Johnny put him in 3 days after he came to his first day of work but I doubt that's true lol).

From there, the V6 we know & love today debuted on November 1, 1995 with their single ‘MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE’.
... not that you care, but I was 6 days away from my 10th birthday! :'D

::Music::



Ah, the real reason we are here! The music!! :D

The V6 catalog, my friends, is a large & wonderful one. Currently there are 37 singles, 12 albums (including mini albums), 2 ‘Best of’s, & 13 CDs released by Tonisen & Kamisen. To help you all out, I have made 2 .rar files with a few of my selected favorites… which is a lot. XD As I said earlier, it’s best to work your way backwards, so start with the Current Year set (2001-2009) & then the Early Years (1995-2000). They are numbered in the order I would listen to them, but you can listen to them however you’d like. ^ ^
*all the file names are Romanized but the tags are correct so don’t freak out when Japanese appears on your media player lol

CURRENT YEARS (2001-2009)::EARLY YEARS (1995-2000)

::Members::

While listening to the lovely tunes I have offered you, I will go into each member’s profile.
HOORAY FOR MAN CANDY!!

Also known a ‘Papa’ or ‘Maa-kun’, Sakamoto is the eldest & leader of V6. He’s also one of the main singers & has an alter ego called Marsa Sakamoto when he does solo work. Outside of V6, he’s an accomplished actor who does mainly stage plays, which have included Footloose, The Boy from Oz (twice!), Never Gonna Dance, No Man’s Land, & All Shook Up.

Sakamoto, in my opinion, is the MAN’S MAN of all the Jimusho. A very hot man. There is not a thing girly about him!
His dance, vocal, & theater skills have remained strong all these years, & although he didn’t think he could handle being the leader in the beginning, he pulled himself together & stepped up to every responsibility required of him. No other group in Johnny’s has more respect for their leader than V6 has for Sakamoto.

Back in the day when Sakamoto was a Jr, he swore that he would leave JE if he didn’t debut by the time he was 20… and he did, becoming a salaryman. Johnny got him to come back by asking him to play in a baseball game for them. I don’t know what made him agree, but I’m glad he did. <3

In the beginning he was very ‘serious business’ & a slight grump. Even Johnny himself was scared of Sakamoto, hated being in the same room alone with him, & never scolded him like everyone else. Now THAT, my friends, is a real JE man’s man! XD

These days he’s much more laid back but he will switch into Leader Mode when the situation calls for it. He’s deathly afraid of heights, bugs, dark places, etc… pretty much anything scary & has no problem expressing it to the world. On Gakkou e Ikou (or GeI for short. More on this show later!), they definitely love to put him in positions where he has to face his fears. It’s funny to watch his nostril flare up 3 times larger as his life flashes before his eyes while curling into a ball. XD

On the extreme opposite of the spectrum, he loves cute thing & cute girls, especially when they call him ‘Maa-kun’ or ‘sempai’. So much so, he lost the very first round of the ‘Aishiteru Game’ on GeI when one of the Gravure models said, ‘Sempai, aishiteru’, causing his nostrils to flare, face to turn red, & burst out in laughter. XDDD

In short, YOU WILL LOVE THIS MAN. GUARANTEED.

The ‘Mama’ to Sakamoto’s ‘Papa’ (not like THAT >__>), Nagano is the definitive ‘Mother Hen’ of V6. He's always laid back, friendly, & has kind words for the other members when the situation is serious. He’s like that ALL. THE. TIME. I have only even seen him get angry ONCE, & it was probably the scariest thing I saw on screen for 10 seconds. o__o; 99% of the time though he’s just adorable <3

He doesn’t take manly leads in their songs but he harmonizes beautifully & puts Koki’s rapping to shame in Precious Love. He also does acrobatics very well & the dances he does for his solo songs are awesome as well.

Nagano's biggest role outside of V6 is his role as Daigo in Ultraman Tiga. This earns him praises from tokusatsu fans of all ages. Hell, even little kids recognize him as Ultraman! XD He replayed the role again in the 2008 Ultraman movie.

Like most of the members, he’s taken the drama road very different from the rest by doing more supporting roles than starring. Remember when I mentioned Kimi wa Petto before? He’s the hot ex boyfriend! 8D I bet your mind is blown right now lol.

He’s into cars & motorcycles. Probably the only Johnny’s member to know how to ride a motorcycle properly lol. According to the other members, he’s crazy behind the wheel & shouldn’t be left alone. This may explain his character with the maniacal laugh in V6’s movies Hard Luck Hero & Hold Up Down. XD

The youngest of Tonisen & in my honest opinion, the one with the best voice (my love is only a fraction more than my love for Maa-kun’s). Inohara is almost always called by his nickname ‘Inocchi’. Kouhais, sempais, Juniors, even his Johnny’s Sports Day jersey had Inocchi while almost everyone else’s had their last names! XD He’s even said before that he feels weird when people call him by his full name.

There’s no real way to describe the awesome insanity of Inocchi. You really just need to see him in action. I’ve never seen someone so hyper all the time! o_o His energy level is always infectious (see any GeI episode where he’s involved. The rest of the members just get drawn in, even Okada!), talks a mile a minute, & like Daesung from BIG BANG, his eyes disappear when he laughs & smiles. His best known partner in crime is Domoto Tsuyoshi. Whenever they meet up, something ALWAYS happens.

He also has the tendency to lose his pants… or all his clothes. Best example is the 10th Anniversary trip on GeI in the onsen. That water is CLEAR AS HELL.

But, there’s also a thoughtful, deep side to him. He writes reflective & sometimes serious entries on his j-web. He also feels very misunderstood that people think he’s ‘insane’ because of how energetic he is. : ( I guess it’s hard to change people’s minds after all these years… These days though, he’s tried hard to “grow up” a bit & is known to bring the balance to V6. He’s the one that tries to organize things to do together as a group, even if they might turn out to be boring to the others. It’s about BONDING lol. I love him for all his efforts (aside from being very handsome in an awkward kind of way). XD Under Ken, he’s tied with Okada as my 2nd favorite.

As I mentioned before, Inocchi's voice is beautiful. I could listen to it all day. (: Dasenai Tegami is one of my favorites where he has the lead & I love watching his solos in concert. He also plays guitar & sometimes has jam sessions with Okada. His acting credits are right under Okada’s in number. He starred in the movie ‘Tengoku wa Matte Kureru’, hosted his own kids show Ponkickies 21, & is currently hosting his show Tainocchi, V6’s VivaVivaV6, & is in the drama ‘Keishicho Sosa Ikka 9 Gakari’ which is in it’s 4th season (!!!).

Morita, nicknamed Go-tsun, is the oldest of Kamisen & the shortest of V6, which is the source of his other nickname, Kobito XD

In some ways, he’s like an older version of Koki in how he has that badass air, baggy clothes, & takes care of 95% of the rap; but in reality he has his moments of where he’s like a giggly little kid & a thoughtful, soft spoken old man the next. He is just as much of a scardy cat as Sakamoto (he's scared of chickens... CHICKENS!), loves children & babies, has a soft spot for the elderly (loves to talk to them at length), & helping designing their stage clothes. STRAIGHT GANGSTA. (no really, I like him a lot!)

The voice doesn’t help the 10 year old moments either lol. When he laughs it is hiiiiigh. So is his singing voice, but its lovely. Heavenly, even! He sound nice in his solos that aren’t rap. (:

Dancing is one of his best points & he is awesome at soccer. Just watch the Johnny’s Sports Day events & try to tell me he isn’t the King of Soccer. His games of choice these days are bowling & golf.

Drama-wise, he doesn’t do many (his last one was ‘Kuitan’ with JE Chairman of the Board Higashiyama in 2006 & 2007. Yes, THAT Higashiyama) & he recently played the lead in the stage play ‘Inoue Kabuki: Go Izo’.

Alright… I need to keep myself in check.
If I go off on a tangent, I’m sorry.
I JUST LOVE THIS MAN.

Like a ridiculously cute basket full of baby bunnies, kittens, puppies, & hamsters; Ken is definitely the most “idol-like” of V6. He even puts most of the younger Johnny’s to shame *COUGH*h!s!j*COUGH* There isn't a moment where he doesn't look like an idol. It could be the end of a concert, the rest of the members exhausted & sweaty... but Ken will still look perfect, hair & all. XD

Idol status aside; the man has one of the best bodies in all the Jimusho. When it’s on display, sing your thanks to whatever god you worship because it is RARE. No air muscles involved here, no sir. It’s all the random sports he tries. Mainly, he plays tennis, runs daily, surfs, & boxes.

Also, don’t let the cute face fool you! He can be violent, loud, & very blunt, saying precisely what’s on his mind no matter how bad, even to females. It’s difficult for him to find the right tone with people & admits he can be mean but he doesn’t always mean it. I, on the other hand, LOVE this about him. It makes his pairings with females on shows all the more hilarious. I’m also a bit like that, but I can keep myself in check. XD



Ken, unfortunately, never quite hit puberty in some areas… his height is pretty average for a Japanese male & voice is of the helium variety: high & sharp. Some of his earlier solos are not the best but when he laughs it’s seriously the cutest thing in the whole world. You just can’t help but grin like a moron as it topples your cuteness limit.
He’s gotten much better through the years & his solo song ‘4U’ on the ‘Hello-Goodbye’ mini album proves that. The song also makes me think dirty thoughts. Check the translation if you don’t believe me. :x

I guess the higher powers decided to cut him some slack about the puberty issue because HE DOES NOT AGE!! Looking at his pictures is like watching The Picture of Dorian Gray play out only without the insanity & gay undertones. 8D When he starts pushing 40 in 10 years, I bet he’ll still look just as good.

... ok, I need to stop. =.=;

Like Go, his singing is compensated with awesome dancing (the way his body exaggerates moves, flows, & bends is crazy!) & great acrobatic skills. He did a lot of dramas in his earlier years. One of the better known ones is ‘Neverland’ which he costarred with Imai Tsubasa in 2001. His last drama was in 2005: Beautiful Sunday (it was part of Gekidan Engimono, a late night program where up-and-coming directors, writers, etc are given the chance to create a 4 week drama to hone their skills & televise their work) where he played a young man with HIV. In the past few years he’s stuck with mainly V6 projects & has been doing a lot of stage plays including Stalag 17 (one of my favorite old Hollywood films <3), The Graduate, Satsujinsha, Shinkaimaru32, & the upcoming ULTRA PURE

The ORIGINAL Sexy Osaka Man. :D

The youngest in V6, Okada is the most popular member hands down. This is all due to the large amount dramas & movies he’s done. SP, Tokyo Tower, Tiger & Dragon, Kisarazu Cat’s Eye, FLY DADDY FLY, & recently Otonari (the DVD should be out soon!) just to name a few. He also does a lot of endorsements as well.

Unlike the rest of the members in Johnny’s, Okada never applied to join the Jimusho. He entered (thanks to his mom) & won a contest on TV to join (desperate times I guess). He said goodbye to Osaka, moved to Toyko, & never went back.
Like I mentioned before, the formation of V6 was a very random one. Tonisen was already chosen the “volleyball image group”, Go & Ken got swapped in to replace 2 other Jrs in the original line up, & Ohno quit shortly after. That left an open spot, so Johnny asked if Okada could play volleyball & that’s how a boy who never was a Jr came to be in V6. Because of that, he holds a great love for V6 & stated in his speech on the 10th anniversary GeI special that he feels truly blessed to have met all the members. (:

He’s has a nice, deep voice that keeps Kamisen from sounding like a 3rd grade boy’s choir. Lately he’s been getting more solo lines in their singles. So far, I like his solos in ‘way of life’ the best. Aside from singing, he’s a very talented & accomplished musician, playing both piano & guitar (OkaIno Jam Sessions~). If the song calls for it, Okada will play the piano for them (no sheet music required, bb!).

A lot of times Okada gives off the appearance of being very serious & calm. This is in part to his dislike of being in situations where he feels uncomfortable & nervous. He’ll start fidgeting in his seat & mumble almost inaudibly. On an episode of Oshareism he admitted he has always been like that, even going as far as throwing up from nerves when a teacher called on him to answer a question! o_o He said it was unbelievable his even in the line of work he’s in... adding that he had the urge to throw up right then because he was on the show by himself XD

But under that calm façade, is hyper Okada that bursts out when you least expect it. When it does, it is COMEDY GOLD. It just comes out of left field & you never see it coming. One time, he ended a segment by saying, “And now, Inocchi will finish with an impersonation of Wada Akiko.” & exited. Inocchi, dumbfound, just stood there not knowing what to do. All of a sudden, Okada started walking across the camera, singing with a pretend mic. All the cast could do was either laugh or stare wondering what the hell just happened. XD
His sense of humor is definitely more of the twisted, dry variety. Inocchi brings the lulz, but I love Okada for his randomness & sarcastic, dark humor. That’s probably why he’s tied at #2 with him ^ ^

Okada is also very stubborn, determined, & headstrong. Once he’s set out to do something, he will accomplish it no matter what. Anything that gets thrown at him, he'll learn it. At one point Okada had his own segment on GeI where they had him try & accomplish random feats such a double dutch, unicycling, horseback riding, & trapeze work; but he always ended up mastering it by the end of the show. ^ ^;

By far, one of the best JE variety shows there ever was. Unfortunately, it ended late last year & was replaced with Shinchishiki Kaikyuu Kumagusu. But there are plenty of episodes to watch since the show first aired near the end of 1997! 8D

The theme was always related to school & students in some way, shape, or form. No two episodes were ever really the same due to the sheer amount of different segments & they all brought the lolz without fail. Some of my favorite segments:

I highly recommend , no DEMAND, you watch the 10th Anniversary trip that I've referenced throughout. The show sets out to make every member's dream come true in 24 hours by going through old interviews they did in magazines & hilarity ensues. XD


WOOHOO!

I believe that it truly shows every aspect of V6. You get Sakamoto's fear of heights, Go's clumsy tendencies, Okada's random funny moments & dry wit, Nagano & Go's abuse of Ken in two different parts, Inocchi's naked butt, Nagano's true love of food, a truly touching moment where they confess their feelings after 10 years together, and sooo much more. If you watch anything of theirs that isn't a PV first, WATCH THIS. It seriously cemented my love & faith in them. <3


Abuse is the highest form of member love :D

Go! It's subbed, so the Japanese-challenged have no excuse! >XD
::GAKKOU E IKOU MAX! 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL::

Their long running show that is pretty much them with guests split into 2 teams, stuffing their faces with local fare. It brings the funny & the food always looks delicious.



Oh, the envy I have for the Japanese populous being able to go out & get all the items on the show. ;__;

This was the show that replaced GeI last November... AND I WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.
It's really not bad... it just doesn't bring the funny as much as GeI did. There were some funny moments such as Okada forgetting his own song & Ken's slow descent into drunkenness for a story.

Maybe they wanted it to be more adult? idk idk!! It's not amazing but it does bring the hotness weekly. ^ ^;

If Shingo is still allowed to run rampant in the TBS studio in ridic costumes, I should be able to see more of Go's ridic fail at taking on Japan's #1 girls tennis team & Maa-kun in his underwear getting shoved by Ken into a river that's 3 degrees Celsius just because he can. >__>



V6 has 3 movies: two starring all 6 members & the other Kamisen.

"The year is 2053. Space exploration has become privatized, but with increased exploration comes higher accident rates. Therefore, the world's insurance agencies banded together to form CR, or Cosmic Rescue. It is the job of CR to save victims of interstellar accidents and clear away the dangerous debris, flying parts left over from previous crashes, that threaten other space vehicles. Nanjou Satoshi is captain of CR Ship Division 89. With Eguchi Ryo, his trusty mechanic, and Sawada Azuma, the hot-headed rookie, they spend their days doing the rather menial work of clearing debris.

But then one day, Azuma intercepts an emergency beacon from a young girl. As the crew of #89 rushes to the scene, the ship disappears from their radar, and they soon find themselves let go from CR. But what happened to the ship and the young girl? Was it all Azuma's imagination? Did the ship disappear? Or did someone hide it? But the answers to these questions may cost them more than just their jobs."

"Stars all six members of V6 as unlucky guys having a very unlucky day. Ikeyama Tadashi (Sakamoto Masayuki) and Kishimoto Kenta (Nagano Hiroshi) are two businessmen who just want to have lunch before a big presentation. Ishii Naoto (Inohara Yoshihiko) and Akai Takashi (Okada Junichi) are two coworkers who just want to throw the second round. Fujita Kenji (Morita Go) and Kudoh Yuji (Miyake Ken) are two friends who just want to pay back their debt. But through a series of events involving yakuza, police, and underground kickboxing, they all end up running for their lives."

Santa Clause Bank Robbers!!
Hobo Okada as the Second Coming of Jesus!!
A Priest Who Drives a Virgin Mary Semi Truck!!
Zombies!!
Free For All Ass Kicking!!
Aluminum Bat Man!!

OMG, this is one of my favorite JE related movies EVER. V6 pairs up with director SABU again for this dark comedy. Just... just go watch it!

:: Resources::


Great, you stuck with me to the end! I hope this means you are more than intrigued by what you've read/seen so far here & in the other pimp posts. ^ ^

And what would a pimp post be without links to assist your dark tailspin headfirst into the V6 fandom? XD Here is everything to get you started, but before I let you venture out in the shiny beautiful pastures of V6, I'd like to let you know something (and this is NOT meant to start wank between other JE fandoms. I am down with Arashi, K8, TOKIO, KinKi, HikaGen, and NEWS when I don't have to look at Pi):

In each of the Johnny's fandom you always have at least one of the fangirls who either think they are elitist, are more of a fan than the rest because they buy EVERYTHING, & think that their #1 is the best organism to fucking BREATHE on this planet (and heaven forbid you say otherwise unless you want to start a war).

Arashi has them. NEWS definitely does. KAT-TUN is notorious for it. Kanjani8... depends on the day lol.

But I have come to learn that the V6 fandom, along with the other sempai groups, has one of the most friendly, mature (with a wide age range!), supportive, & wank-free community of fans I have ever seen. They are willing to share with everyone, answer all your questions, & point you in the right direction of anything you're looking for. It's quite refreshing to be able to talk to another fan about something without them going off in illegible type for 5 minutes & ask questions without other girls making you feel like an idiot.

You know you've found the right place when the fans wish the girl interacting with the guys in the GUILTY PV had bigger boobs. >XD

So pull up a chair, get yourself a cup of jasmine tea, & kick back as we ramble on about how lovely their photoshoot in a recent mag looked. Consider yourself one of us. <3

That's it!
I really hope you guys have at least a small interest in V6 now... You won't regret it, I promise! <3
Please comment with any questions, suggestions, praises (lol), etc... I love hearing from you all >XD

Credits go out to: v6_unlimited, victory6, miyake_ken, okada_daily, boys_paper, 42detsune, insomnikat, winterkill, honeyswallow, xxgardenxx, gsama, acidae, eskarina77, thying, v6daisuki, newshfan, eve_sii, amarylliszai, eeyore_kun
*If I'm forgetting anyone, please let me know so I can properly credit. Thank you



A big thank you to the people & places listed above & in the Resource list. Without you & your contributions to the fans, none of this would be possible. Also, thank you for for keeping the V6 love strong. <3


*~V6 TYFYT~*