Second Chances: KAT-TUN

Surprisingly, it took me some time to like and accept Japanese pop music. I enjoyed a handful of jpop songs, but when it came to Johnny’s Entertainment, I was enamored by Jun Matsumoto through his acting and cute face. I looked into his group Arashi and labeled myself a fan, although I was extremely casual about it. Later I got involved with KinKi Kids through Domoto Koichi’s acting and handsome features. Both of these groups I stuck by because of the music. There wasn’t a purely shallow connection for me.

I remember talking to one of my former role play partners about her love for KAT-TUN. Similar to MBLAQ, I kinda teased her a little about it and, I believe, her favorite was Kamenashi Kazuya and in return she teased me for picking Arashi over KAT-TUN and the slightly contagious MatsuJun love. For the longest, I could not understand KAT-TUN’s massive appeal other than their good looks and Jin Akanishi and Kame’s acting. At the time, I only knew their skill set in Gokusen Season 2. Later, I developed an attraction toward Kame over Jin through a drama called Suppli. Before Jin left the group, I was addicted to “RESCUE”, a track used for Yuichi Nakamaru’s drama with the same name. If you were part of Muddy Cult since the beginning, you would have seen my first music video comparison between KAT-TUN and DBSK, before the split.

One day, I decided to give the group another chance as the title suggests and slowly their music and charm grew on me through “Love Yourself”. I wasn’t able to listen to LANDS, but I tried to listen to as much of Jin’s solo work before his major involvement in the U.S. I still kinda regret skipping out on his first solo tour in the U.S. It was saddening that his stops on the second tour consisted of only locations on the usual west and east coasts. Like everyone else, I mused myself with the fanfiction-like reports concerning him and his wife Meisa Kuroki. As for the rest of the group, I casually follow them. I even developed a love or attraction toward the other members over Jin. A strong emphasis on Koki Tanaka and Ueda Tatsuya somehow.
I’m not sure whether Jin will recover from his slump, but it’s interesting to follow both sides. I don’t think I’ll be a hardcore fan of KAT-TUN’s, but I have found the appeal of these young men. I might even like them a little more than Arashi.