The three-member unit “Number_i” is currently on an eight-city tour throughout Japan from October to December. Number_i fans have been complaining about the “short video” announcement. During the tour, a fan club video was uploaded, but it seems that fans are dissatisfied with the content. It all started with the limited-time contents of the fan club announced by Number_i’s official X on October 16. When a short video about the Hokkaido concert held on October 11 and 12 was uploaded in the fan club, many fans complained that the video was only about 30 seconds long. As for the content of the “short video” announced by the official account, X received a lot of comments such as “Really short video, hilarious FC video, too much motivation and death. It’s only 30 seconds long, and the content has no meaning at all. I was surprised that the FC video was only 34 seconds long,” and so on. The recent concert in Hokkaido also caused controversy. Immediately after the concert, many of the fans who attended were dissatisfied with the content of the live performance. In particular, the unprecedented design of the venue, with only one main stage, and the short live time, led some fans to distrust the “salty live” performance. Number_i was formed in 2023 by Shiyoh Hirano, Yuta Kishi, and Yuta Jinguji, who left King & Prince (hereafter “Kimpuri”) and the former Johnny’s Office. The “two-person team” seems to be well supported by the members of Kimpuri, which consists of Ren Nagase and Kaito Takahashi. On October 13, the official YouTube channel of Kimpuri uploaded a video of the Tokyo Dome concert held in May, which also served as an announcement for the release of the live DVD and Blu-ray “King & Prince LIVE TOUR 24-25~Re:ERA~in DOME” on October 22. The video started with Nagase and Takahashi talking about how far they had come, and then showed them singing “Cinderella Girl,” the band’s debut song, with the audience at the venue. Although the video was only about a minute long, fans on SNS were once again pleased with the two’s live performance and the free and valuable behind-the-scenes footage.” Two years have passed since the “split drama” of the five-member Kinpuri group. Kimpuri and Number_i are now working on separate paths, but it seems that the two groups are now splitting into two distinct groups. The two members of the group, Nagase and Takahashi, have been releasing new songs and performing songs from their five-member days, such as “Cinderella Girl,” “ichiban,” and “Tsukiyomi,” at their live performances and on their music programs, and their performances are well received by long-time fans. In May, they held their first two-person dome tour. On the other hand, Number_i has shifted from being idols to artists, leaning more toward hip-hop, but their live performances and contents for their fan club have been met with dissatisfaction. Number_i’s debut song “GOAT” means “the best ever,” and we hope that the three of them will be able to show such a view to their fans.
