Yamashita Tomohisa

[strawberry]

I decided to start a thread on Yamapi after coming across some good links on him.

Here they are :

http://yamapi.snow-wings.net/

http://jdorama.com/artiste.1299.htm

http://usagibun.blogspot.com/

http://www.tbs.co.jp/kuro-sagi/index-j.html

Added


http://www.yamapi.com.cn/


For Yamapi's fans, pl feel free to post here and have discussions on him

[tanteun]

i like him but mostly when he's acting not singing not to mention he's so baka with his best frenz, my luvely Akanishi Jin hehehe

[strawberry]

i like him but mostly when he's acting not singing not to mention he's so baka with his best frenz, my luvely Akanishi Jin hehehe

You feel he does not sing well?

[Lady Zhuge]

I'm not familiar with him at all, but he's cute harboring that serious look as seen in the first and third links strawberry provided.

[strawberry]

I'm not familiar with him at all, but he's cute harboring that serious look as seen in the first and third links strawberry provided.

I got to know him through this Jap drama...Nobuta Wo Produce recently. The link provided below

http://www.spcnet.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=16559

Apprently, Yamapi as he's affectionately known and called by his close friends has always been popular is very big in Japan now, togther with Kamen who starred in this serial with him. They are both from Johnny Entertainment, the biggest boy-band generating company in Japan. Yamapi fronts the group News as the leader of the group while Kamen is from Kattun. Nobuta was a hit serial in Japan last year, apparently, it went on to win a bunch of awards last year.

Even with all the mania over Korean dramas, songs etc, its Jap stuff that appeal more to me, esp after enjoying Nobuta.

[strawberry]

Beansprouts,

btw, in reponse to one of your earlier post, I went on to watch Dragon Zakura after Nobuta. its so much more boring and I think Teppei has such a kiddie voice! anyway, I definitley prefer Nobuta Wo Produce over Dragon Zakura. btw, I am only at episode 3.

[strawberry]

If you click on this link, you'll see the picture of the group Yamapi is from - NEWs. and can you believe it? its a French website.....

http://teppen.free.fr/news.html

[tanteun]

by hearing his voice, u should know but admitted, he's getting better now. Add info, not Kamen but Kame (Kamenashi Kazuya)

[strawberry]

Repeat message deleted

[strawberry]

by hearing his voice, u should know but admitted, he's getting better now. Add info, not Kamen but Kame (Kamenashi Kazuya)

I have only heard his recent songs and he does not sound too bad...I quite like his voice though his vocals are not that strong, can hear him struggling with the higher notes. its Kame, I see. thanks. I quite like Kame's voice as well...both have distinctive voices.
Actually, Yamapi's voice is really not bad, i was informed that he's the lead singer of NEWS. I also think each member of NEWs can sing too.

[tanteun]

like i said, he's getting better lately
He's not really the 'lead singer' but he's the NEWS leader tho. Usually in NewS the leads is given mostly to Tegoshi Yuya.

If u want comparison, watch his old performance in Shounen Club and Kame, he's okay but not that good either , but like u said, when it's a high note, he seems to struggling a lots.

[strawberry]

Honestly, I think yamapi is looking better and better. He looks really good in the last commercial he did..more mature and grown up now as compared to the high school boy image projected in nobuta and Dragon Zakura.

[beansprouts]

Ah... I can't believe I almost miss this thread about one of my favourite guys from Johnny Entertainment.

I do think that Yamapi doesn't exactly sings very well, a passable voice, nothing too special but not crappy either. He has been improving though, his recent single Daite Senorita sounds much better than some of his solos in NEWS songs. His acting is not that great either, his recent appearance in Kurosagi was not very good, I find him better in Nobuta wo Produce when he was such a ditz. Then again, compared to how he performed in old shows like Stand Up!!, he has improved leaps and bounds.

Yamapi is in a temporary formation Kitty gYm for the upcoming volleyball tournament in Japan. NEWS were the official supporters for the past two times but since this time round, they are suspended, Yamapi + two thai Jrs + 4 Johnny juniors were put together to form a unit. More news can be found at random NEWS forums, and a quick youtube search on Yamapi should turn up with videos of gYm performing together.

For somebody for who doesn't really excel in anything, Yamapi is sure popular; one of the hottest young stars in JE alongside that Kame (whom I don't like, whom I shall refrain from making insulting remarks). I didn't watch Dragon Zakura, from the sounds of it, I don't think I ever will. Not even for Teppei.

[strawberry]

Ah... I can't believe I almost miss this thread about one of my favourite guys from Johnny Entertainment.

I do think that Yamapi doesn't exactly sings very well, a passable voice, nothing too special but not crappy either. He has been improving though, his recent single Daite Senorita sounds much better than some of his solos in NEWS songs. His acting is not that great either, his recent appearance in Kurosagi was not very good, I find him better in Nobuta wo Produce when he was such a ditz. Then again, compared to how he performed in old shows like Stand Up!!, he has improved leaps and bounds.

Yamapi is in a temporary formation Kitty gYm for the upcoming volleyball tournament in Japan. NEWS were the official supporters for the past two times but since this time round, they are suspended, Yamapi + two thai Jrs + 4 Johnny juniors were put together to form a unit. More news can be found at random NEWS forums, and a quick youtube search on Yamapi should turn up with videos of gYm performing together.

For somebody for who doesn't really excel in anything, Yamapi is sure popular; one of the hottest young stars in JE alongside that Kame (whom I don't like, whom I shall refrain from making insulting remarks). I didn't watch Dragon Zakura, from the sounds of it, I don't think I ever will. Not even for Teppei.

Ha ha...but at least you are here now.

I think part of his popularity came from his looks. ..

Thanks for the update about the temp unit. I find JE very strange. they like to
put their artists in different units just like that..flexible yes but still strange.
and I never understood why they were given the names they were giving..its like the group and the name has a random connection. Is Yamashita leading this new unit?

I really don't mind hearing your comments about Kame though. I don't like Kattun very much but some of their songs are ok. But in the group, I definitley think Kame is the more likeable member. While Kattun's CD are readily available for sale in Singapore, NEWs CD is not in existence except for that latest Single which I kind of like a lot. Believe it or not, I have no idea how NEWs only and first complete CD look like since I can't find it anywhere. thus, I don't really know the complete set of songs that they have sang. The songs I have heard are those they have randomly sang on programmes they appeared in.

Any idea what's Yamashita really like in private? i mean his real -life character?

[beansprouts]

Thanks for the update about the temp unit. I find JE very strange. they like to
put their artists in different units just like that..flexible yes but still strange.
and I never understood why they were given the names they were giving..its like the group and the name has a random connection. Is Yamashita leading this new unit?

I see JE temp units as a way to churn out even more money for them, given that Shuji to Akira sold close to 2 million copies of Seishun Amigo at current count, it's certainly lucrative to set popular folks up and release a single.

As for Kitty gYm, the name is made up of the initials of the members, I can't really remember all but I think it goes like this ---

Kitagawa
Inoo Kei
T ---> I forgot
Yaotome Hikaru

Golf (Thai guy)
Yamashita Tomohisa
Mike (Thai guy's brother who is also Thai guy )

Of course Yamapi is leading the group, he's the most famous out of the lot, I don't even know who the rest of the guys are other than Yaotome Hikaru. I saw their video for the new single "Fever & Future", hmm... it's really not my kinda music really. Check it out at youtube. The promotional video was kinda weird as well, especially the costumes, I don't understand why JE likes to dress their pretty boys up in hideous costumes, it's one thing to have flashy costumes, its quite another to have horrendous outfits. T

The new temporary unit got the NEWS fans up in a frenzy, since NEWS are currently suspended, many fans are worried that they'd be gone for good since Yamapi keeps taking up major individual projects while the rest of the members are going around doing random shows and having small roles in drams. Kinda difficult to keep a group going when the popularity varies so greatly between individual members.

I am going to split post, long posts are hard to read...

[beansprouts]

I really don't mind hearing your comments about Kame though. I don't like Kattun very much but some of their songs are ok. But in the group, I definitley think Kame is the more likeable member. While Kattun's CD are readily available for sale in Singapore, NEWs CD is not in existence except for that latest Single which I kind of like a lot. Believe it or not, I have no idea how NEWs only and first complete CD look like since I can't find it anywhere. thus, I don't really know the complete set of songs that they have sang. The songs I have heard are those they have randomly sang on programmes they appeared in.

Any idea what's Yamashita really like in private? i mean his real -life character?

NEWS latest single, are you referring to Sayaendou? I really like that song as well, so far it's their best song to date next to Cherish, I am not a fan of their other songs, it's either too genki or too common sounding. I saw NEWS Touch album in HMV the last time I went, I supposed since it's been released for more than a year and there aren't that many JE fans here, the shops don't really stock up. Whereas KAT-TUN just had a smashing debut this year, their singles and CDs would naturally be much easier to find.

As for Kame and AT-TUN, I just don't find them likeable, there are fans around and I don't want to offend folks, and since this is a Yamapi thread, I shall not dwell too much on them.

Yamapi in real life... I wouldn't really know, what the fans see on screen is how he, or rather, JE wants him to be seen as a person. Fans can speculate, but at the end of the day, nobody really know what he is really like. From what I can glimpse on screen and various expert fans who have been following JE for years, Yamapi is probably somebody who values friends and family alot, a really likeable guy who makes friends easily and certainly very hardworking. He's also somebody who's competitive and is determine to excel in what he's doing.

[strawberry]

I see JE temp units as a way to churn out even more money for them, given that Shuji to Akira sold close to 2 million copies of Seishun Amigo at current count, it's certainly lucrative to set popular folks up and release a single.

As for Kitty gYm, the name is made up of the initials of the members, I can't really remember all but I think it goes like this ---

Kitagawa
Inoo Kei
T ---> I forgot
Yaotome Hikaru

Golf (Thai guy)
Yamashita Tomohisa
Mike (Thai guy's brother who is also Thai guy )

Of course Yamapi is leading the group, he's the most famous out of the lot, I don't even know who the rest of the guys are other than Yaotome Hikaru. I saw their video for the new single "Fever & Future", hmm... it's really not my kinda music really. Check it out at youtube. The promotional video was kinda weird as well, especially the costumes, I don't understand why JE likes to dress their pretty boys up in hideous costumes, it's one thing to have flashy costumes, its quite another to have horrendous outfits. T

The new temporary unit got the NEWS fans up in a frenzy, since NEWS are currently suspended, many fans are worried that they'd be gone for good since Yamapi keeps taking up major individual projects while the rest of the members are going around doing random shows and having small roles in drams. Kinda difficult to keep a group going when the popularity varies so greatly between individual members.

I am going to split post, long posts are hard to read...

yes, JE's strange..some of Arahi's earlier costumes are scarey too.
This new unit's name..its again strange! I mean, I don't know why they come up with these strange names. I thought Kat-tun was strange, this one even worse. I thought OmiyaSK and Arashi sounded good though, not that I am baised or anything. but I really think they make more sense and sound good. I don't know, I am comparing Arashi with News and Arashi does not seemed to have that much issues with them other than in 2002 when I heard it was their low point because they didn't seemed to find themselves appealing as artists and felt the need to reinvent themsleves, to find and have their own styles. How's the popularity line down for the rest of the NEWs group, other than Yamapi being at top spot? I don't think Arashi has this problem of uneven popularity. Hmm... I wonder if that happens for Kat-tun?

and something random, is it just me or has Yamapi's voice deepened quite a bit over the years? it sounds a little husky to me even..ha ha..

[strawberry]

NEWS latest single, are you referring to Sayaendou? I really like that song as well, so far it's their best song to date next to Cherish, I am not a fan of their other songs, it's either too genki or too common sounding. I saw NEWS Touch album in HMV the last time I went, I supposed since it's been released for more than a year and there aren't that many JE fans here, the shops don't really stock up. Whereas KAT-TUN just had a smashing debut this year, their singles and CDs would naturally be much easier to find.

As for Kame and AT-TUN, I just don't find them likeable, there are fans around and I don't want to offend folks, and since this is a Yamapi thread, I shall not dwell too much on them.

Yamapi in real life... I wouldn't really know, what the fans see on screen is how he, or rather, JE wants him to be seen as a person. Fans can speculate, but at the end of the day, nobody really know what he is really like. From what I can glimpse on screen and various expert fans who have been following JE for years, Yamapi is probably somebody who values friends and family alot, a really likeable guy who makes friends easily and certainly very hardworking. He's also somebody who's competitive and is determine to excel in what he's doing.

I am not sure if its Sayaendou because the title of the songs are in Jap. its the first track on the CD single cover where the guys are dressed in flamboyant red hawaiian shirts. i think part of the title has the chinese words 'luo zu' or what i think it is. I think this song has got power! better than their first song, that fly away song. Initially, I found that flyaway song too cheesy esp because I heard that fly away part mostly but when I saw them performed at the JE stars sport days 2003, I realize the rest of the song was nice. The second track is also nice., plus I think the cover is cheerful. I have not heard Cherish before though....the 2 songs I like are Ima shock me and something 'horray horray'. I like another song they perfomed at Shouen Club but don't know the name ..could be rainbow something, I heard its not their song.

I guess JE would package them in certain ways but like Arashi, I feel that the Arashi we see on TV could be just what they are like in person. like Aiba being baka and all that, or is it an act? but if its an act, one can't keep up for long thus I think that could be their real selves. As for Yamapi, because I just got to know him, so I still can't catch his basic personality, thus I am curious. One thing is for sure, based on the few variety shows I have seen, he is definitlely competitive, which I read somewhere as well. He has the typical Aries trait and hates to lose at games esp. I find him very quiet too as compared to Koyama who seems to be the unofficial leader of the group.

[strawberry]

I have notice that the JE stars do not have much negative news as far as love life goes. Its like the paparazzi in Japan is not as aggressive. like eg, Yamapi and his co-star from Nobuta have acted in 2 serials opposite each other but you don't hear rumours that they are seeing each other that sort while the in Hong Kong and taiwan, such rumours would have been widely speculated. In fact, I would think some of these guys are attached but the papparazi does not have a field day sensationalizing these information. I am impressed if this is indeed the culture of the Japanese media, that they leave the guys alone and work is work while personal matter is personal matter.

Another related observation, it seems that the Japanese are very suportive of their own celebrities esp the JE stars! I wonder why? I am always amazed at that since its the totally opppsite situation here in Singapore. Its no wonder that their groups do not have to venture outside of Japan as far as concerts go since they are worn out just doing concerts within Japan itself.

[beansprouts]

How's the popularity line down for the rest of the NEWs group, other than Yamapi being at top spot? I don't think Arashi has this problem of uneven popularity. Hmm... I wonder if that happens for Kat-tun?

and something random, is it just me or has Yamapi's voice deepened quite a bit over the years? it sounds a little husky to me even..ha ha..

Isn't it natural for guy's voice to deepen over the years as they grow up?? Haha, I guess he's not as girly as he was before, he speaks and sings more like a man now?Arashi is definitely one of the better sounding names out of the various JE groups. NEWS is just... blah, North East West South, but not as bad as KAT-TUN though.

NEWS's popularity line - I think the focus of the group currently is more on the older members, namely Pi, Nishikido Ryo, Koyama Keiichiro, and Uchi Hiroki as well if he was not suspended for underage drinking last year. Pi and Ryo are given many chances to star in high profile dramas and solo projects; Koyama is given alot of hosting roles as well. The rest of the members kinda fade into the background, since, one - they are still pretty young, two - not outstanding enough. I do think Arashi members have a slight difference in popularity, but certainly nothing as bad as NEWS huge gigantic difference in popularity. I find the younger members really lacking in confidence, it could be due to the fact that they have a mega star among them, and the fact that Pi wasn't happy to be in NEWS initially as he had to debut without his pals in his previous group 4TOPS.

As for KAT-TUN, their popularity problem among members is as bad as NEWS, perhaps even worse since the two most popular members, Kame & Akanishi Jin, always feel like they are on bad terms with each other. The four other members of KAT-TUN are not given many chances in acting and stuff as well, and they do fade into the background as well.

I do think having too many members in a group is quite a big problem, looking at SMAP, V6 (split into 2 groups), Kinki Kids and Arashi. It feels like 5 members and below are more ideal since overcrowding is much of an issue.