The Introduction
Smap is one of the most phenomenal, long-lasting, and legendary Japanese group, successful in group and individually. SMAP stands for Sports Music Assemble People, it was Johnny Kitagawa(Smap's producer/founder) who created the name.
They MAY have started out as a boyband, but they are NOT one anymore....their talents has developed, thus they are in all entertainment sections: acting/dramas & movies, variety shows, television CMs, even doing parodies(they are great comedians!!^^). To sum it up, they're just a group of pure entertainers!
I, sometimes, think...SMAP is a bomb that continually and constantly explodes. You know, how some famous groups or some artists only had their peaks in a very short of time? Let's say......1-2 years? For those 1-2 years, people in the city or country are all talking and all hyped up about the group/artist.....but after that....their name will just vanished.....slowly..... We usually calls that booming, desho? Artists or groups that shines and rapidly goes up to the peak in a short amount of time....usually, goes downhill also in a short time.....
Amazingly, its not the case for Smap. Well, indeed...they didnt go up in a short amount of time, they've experienced really hard and rough times and they need about 10 years to crawl up to the peak. And they're still as big as ever, after 7 years now... Something hard to believe myself......why not people getting bored with them? What is it with this neverending popularity of Smap?
They keep setting up trends in Japan(e.g: Shingo Mama's OHA~!). And even made their single Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana, up on the #1 position in Oricon Chart for almost 1 year! If you live in Japan, I'm sure you're tired already with this song(unless, you're a huge fan of the song yourself =P), because people are singing and humming it everywhere along the year 2003....for karaoke, for amateur singing contest, even elementary school teachers teach their students to sing this song.......arienai!(ironically, I'm not a fan of this song myself x))
This season, SMAP's bomb have another explode.......double, triple explode, as each members dramas has been the talk of the Tokyo city^^ Kimura's ice hockey drama, PRIDE, got 28% rating for its first episode and still got the #1 average rating for 6-7 episodes...(Toshiaki Karasawa's Shiroi Kyoto is a VERY close 2nd^^) Shingo's Shinsengumi!(NHK Taiga Drama 2004) got 26.3% rating for its first episode, and seems people still have high interest on this popular historical drama as it got the #3 position for average ratings so far. Nakai's Suna no Utsuwa (co-starring is the Oscar nominee, Ken Watanabe) is at 4th spot, and Tsuyoshi's Boku to Kanojo... got 5th. Goro's supernatural show(real horror stories) got 14.3% rating for its first episode, and it is considered a very good rating for a horror show....at Saturday night!
Again....I think, this is such an amazing thing....this season, all Japanese watching and have most interest in all Smap members' dramas..... This is not a brag, these are facts.....and I keep wondering myself, why....why are these stars keep constantly shining...... Its not too much, if I associate the word phenomenal to Smap, deshou?
I feel that, for those who has always like Takuya Kimura as an actor....should get to know Smap more. And dont ever call yourself a true fan of Kimura, if you're not a fan of Smap!! =P heehe... Coz Kimura is the 20% of Smap, and he is doing all of his solo career/jobs by bringing along Smap's name and spirit. So if you think you're a Kimura fan, but not a Smap fan, or at least dont know anything about Smap....that means, you dont know anything yet about Kimura ;) (-> this is true, yoh! i'm not kidding!!^^)
The History
It all begins from a successful agency, Johnny's Agency/Office/Entertainment found by Johnny Kitagawa, which is popular for having produced successful idol boybands in Japan since the 1970s, e.g: Four Leaves, Shibugaki-tai, Otokogumi, Shonentai, Hikaru Genji, and Shonen Ninja. Yup! Believe it or not, before boybands became a trend in America, before New Kids on The Block was booming.....boybands are hot in Japan already!!^_~
Hikaru Genji was the most popular idol boyband in the 80s in Japan, and they were famous with their rollerskates everytime they perform on stage. Hikaru Genji had a group of backdancers, called Skateboys, consists of 12 little boys(elementary and junior high ages).
In 1987, Skateboys divided into two, 6 boys became a group named SMAP and the other 6 boys became TOKIO(including Tomoya Nagase).
So, there you go! SMAP! Which is Nakai(15 yrs old), Kimura(15 yrs old), Goro(14 yrs old), Mori(13 yrs old), Tsuyoshi(13 yrs old) dan Shingo(10 yrs old). Nakai as the eldest, appointed as the leader of Smap. Kimura is only 3 months younger^^;
It was not easy for Smap to climb up the popularity stairs and reach its peak.....they have to crawl up for about 10 years for that. For a year, they practice dancing, singing and gain their performance skills.
In 1988, Smap perform(accompanied by Johnny) in front of a recording company's producer(Victor Ent.), to make an album, but was rejected completely and the producer said, "Cant sing, cant dance, dont have the looks.....dame,". Kimura who tends to get emotional easily, snapped, "So if we can improve all that, you promise to give us a chance?!?!?".
Three years later, 1991, at last Victor willing to release their debut single. Precisely, September 9th, 1991, Smap released their very first single, "Can't Stop~ Loving~!". But the selling record was not impressive, only sold for 19.000 copies. So, in the end of 1991 to the beginning of 1992, they held their first concert, "1st Smap Live". Their live concert in Tokyo was a success and got a lot of supports from fans. With full spirit, Smap flew to Nagoya...just to find such a mean reality.....only the arena seats were full, no one is on the stand seats. Smap was really dissapointed, but they still did their best for those fans who has come. By the end of the concert, Nakai promised, "Kondo Nagoya ni kita toki wa, motto dekkaku natte iru youni gambaru yo!" (We'll do our best to become bigger stars, the next time we visit Nagoya!).
Things are just more difficult for Smap, that between the late 80s and the early 90s, the entertainment industry in Japan was having a transition. People are getting bored with pin-up idols. Thus, artists with their each individual style attracted viewers' attentions more. By that time, most popular music programs ended their broadcast on TV and as replacement, comedy programs are getting more popular.
Unlike the previous Johnny's groups, Smap didnt have any more music programs for them, to promote their songs and attract viewers. So Johnny decided that the only way for Smap, is to appear on those comedy programs, where they have to wear silly costumes and have to show their comical ability(which apparently, it goes till now xD)
"How hard it is to make Smap popular," that's what Johnny thought. Thus, he decided to disband the unsuccessful group. And, getting ready to focus on the next group's debut, TOKIO. But, the U-turn for Smap's history, happened around Oct-Dec 1993, when Asunaro Hakusho drama, or more well-known as Ordinary People showed on FujiTV. Lots of female viewers attracted to the cute face with glasses named Toride in the drama. "He's Takuya Kimura of SMAP!", after the news was spread, Kimura and Smap's faces can be seen on magazine covers for almost every month till 1994.
March 1994, Smap's 12th single, HEY HEY Ookini Maidoari reached #1 position on the Oricon Charts. This is such an unexpected thing for Johnny. Thus, he has to postpone TOKIO's debut and focus to Smap again. Eventually, Smap became a successful popular boyband and gathered lots of female fans!(But not quite there yet...this popularity level, I'll put on par with Arashi's popularity level now ^_~).
In 1995, Smap broadcasted their own variety show, Ganbarimashou, which has 15 mins duration. But only lasted for a year. Each member already have their own thing, Nakai and Tsuyoshi with varieties, Mori and Goro with their theatrical plays, Kimura with his dramas...also Shingo start to get supporting roles in dramas.
January 1996, their variety, SmapXSmap, broadcast for the first time on TV. And still lasted till the present time ^-^ AND, still got Top5 or at least Top10 Best Ratings show in Japan!
...May 1996...
It was the time when dark clouds surrounded Smap for the first time. Mori decided to leave Smap, to achieve his dream since childhood to be an autocar racer. Everyone was so sad, they have been together for 9 years, and now they have to say goodbye to Mori. However, with this incident, Smap is getting more united and strong, with 5 members, they decided to form a new image of Smap.
Smap reached their popularity peak in 1997!!(I told u it took them 10 years!^_~) Where Nakai, Tsuyoshi and Shingo starts to get the leading roles in TV dramas. And, Smap became the talk of the town! Better yet....the talk of the COUNTRY!! Not even a single person in Japan who dont know SMAP. Even guys are buying their albums.
SMAPxSMAP's rating got the 1st spot along the year 1997! Also in the next years, always in TOP 10 Rating^^ SMAP became one of the most popular and most successful group in Japan....and no sign of fading away even up to this year. Proof? DrinkSmap 2002 concert involved 1,000,000 staffs! And every concert venue have the capacity of 40-60,000 people, and it is always FULL! May 5th last year, SMAP released their single "Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" which sold more than 1 million copies less than a week, and become the first artist who sold a single more than 1 million copies in the year 2003. Last year, this achievement was achieved by Ayumi Hamasaki ^_^
