Jr.EXILE×NEO EXILE take over the front and back covers of the September special edition of "JUNON"

■The September issue of “JUNON” will have two different covers: a regular edition and a special edition!

The September issue of “JUNON” will be released on July 22nd. The September issue will be published with two cover patterns, a regular edition and a special edition. Each edition will come with a luxurious special supplement.

The regular version features a large gathering of characters from the September issue on the cover. It also comes with a double-sided cardboard pin-up featuring photos of Aloha and Haru from Bullet Train.

And for the special edition, the members of Jr.EXILE x NEO EXILE will be featured on the front and back covers! The appendix will be profile cards of 65 members that can only be obtained here.

“JUNON” September issue regular edition cover

■Jr.EXILE x NEO EXILE. 65 people who inherit the EXILE spirit will clash across generations!
“BATTLE OF TOKYO (commonly known as BOT)” is a comprehensive entertainment project produced by LDH.

In 2024, the fifth anniversary of the launch in 2019, the four Jr.EXILE groups (THE RAMPAGE, FANTASTICS, BALLISTIK BOYZ, PSYCHIC FEVER) will be newly dressed and four new generation NEO EXILE groups (LIL LEAGUE, KID PHENOMENON, THE JET BOY BANGERZ, WOLF HOWL HARMONY) will participate. 65 people who inherit the EXILE spirit will clash across generations.

In the magazine, in addition to asking each group about their enthusiasm for this project, it also focuses on personal aspects, such as “What is the one thing that no one else has among these 65 people?” This is a must-read page.

The special profile card includes basic information about each member, as well as questions like “What is your motto?”, “Which BOT member would you like to get along with?”, and “What do you want to do this summer?”, giving fans a glimpse into the relationships between the BOT members and their true expressions. It’s a must-have for fans. There are endless ways to enjoy it.

“JUNON” September issue special edition cover

“JUNON” September issue special edition back cover

■ Miyano Mamoru looks back on his high school cultural festival. “What I do there isn’t that different from what I do now.”
Miyano Mamoru is not only a voice actor, but is also active in many areas including dramas and variety shows. He will talk extensively about the animated film “My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: Your Next,” in which he will be appearing, and look back on his own high school cultural festival!

◇ “I was ready to jump into the world of ‘My Hero Academia'”
Many of my fellow voice actors appeared in “My Hero Academia” (Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV), and I thought it would be nice to appear in it if I had the chance. As the original is a boys’ manga serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump”, in addition to the classic story structure that boys and girls long for, the message of “what is a hero” that only “My Hero Academia” has captured the hearts of many people, which is why I think it has been loved for so long. The movie version of the anime “My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: Your Next” that will be released this time is a so-called original story supervised by Mr. Kohei Horikoshi. In this film, I play Giulio Gandini, a butler who serves the Scelbino family. It is very difficult to follow the atmosphere and worldview of the original in a story that is not depicted in the original. I feel a sense of responsibility in playing an original character that appears only in the movie version, and I wanted to jump into the world of “My Hero Academia” with a sense of resolve while recognizing my position.
◇ “There was no time to get off the stage during the school festival.”
“My Hero Academia” is the story of fertilized heroes studying at U.A. High School. When I think back to my own school days, I was the one who was dedicated to livening things up. In high school, my best friend was the student council president, and he was the leader. I was the cheer leader at the sports festival, so I looked like the leader, but the student council president was next to me, like that (laughs). We did a lot of different things at the school festival too. Dance performance, dance vocals, bands, comedy, etc. I was always on stage, and I didn’t have time to get off (laughs). Thinking back, what I do now isn’t that different from what I do now. Maybe that’s what I was cultivated there (laughs). My best memory from the school festival was being chosen as the No. 1 in a vote to choose the school’s No. 1. Until then, the name for the No. 1 was “Mr. XX”, but from our generation it suddenly became “Signboard Man” (laughs). When you are chosen, you get a “Signboard Man Gym Suit” (gym clothes with the word “Signboard Man” written on the chest), so you wear that to the sports festival. I did wonder for a moment, “Is it really No. 1? Maybe it’s just a mascot-like popularity?” (laughs)
*Excerpt from the interview

■If Toshinobu Kubota, who is approaching the 40th anniversary of his debut, were to speak to himself at the time of his debut…
Toshinobu Kubota’s debut was undoubtedly sensational. He was the one who brought a new wind to the Japanese music scene and taught us the coolness of soul and R&B. 39 years have passed since his debut. The thoughts written in his new song “The Beat of Life” resonate in my heart. His back still teaches us that life is wonderful.

–You made your debut in 1986 with “Disappointed Downtown,” and next year will mark the 40th anniversary of that. What are your thoughts looking back on those years?
Kubota:The number 40 is a big number indeed. I feel “I’m glad I was able to do it for so long, that I was able to do it for so long,” and more than that, I feel very grateful. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to come this far thanks to all the good fortune I’ve had, and the encounters I’ve had with the staff and people who listen to my music.
–If you could speak to yourself when you first debuted, what would it be?
Kubota:“You’ve been doing this for that long? That’s amazing!” (laughs) I never thought I’d do it for decades. But I was so happy to have made my debut that I just wanted to do what I wanted to do from now on. I remember someone at the time telling me, “It’s been a while since I’ve found an artist who can work hard for 10 years,” and I was like, “Can he really do it for 10 years?” (laughs).
–You made your US debut in 1995, and the following year your song “LA LA LA LOVE SONG,” which was the theme song for the TV drama “Long Vacation,” became a huge hit in Japan, so you were doing very well in both fields.
Kubota:I’m really grateful. Looking back, it’s not something you can calculate, and I think it was all just timing. However, back then the Internet wasn’t widespread, and not many people had computers, so you didn’t know what was going on across the ocean. I heard over the phone that “LA LA LA LOVE SONG” was the theme song for a TV drama and was a big hit,” but I wasn’t able to watch the drama at the time.
*Excerpt from the interview

■ Tsuyoshi Kusanagi looks back on the turbulent 2024. “I was popular with older men in the first half of the year.”
Starting with the release of the movie “Gobangiri”, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (the official spelling of “nagi” is “naki” with the character for bow, front, and sword) was “a popular celebrity” in the first half of 2024. This interview is full of his unique honest thoughts!

◇ “I wonder if Tsuyo-chama has no more female fans left… (laughs)”
In the first half of the year, I was shooting a few dramas and had a movie coming out, so I was really busy and hectic. I was always reading scripts and on the move, so it was fulfilling, and I think that’s the greatest joy of being a celebrity. I think I was a really popular celebrity, recognized by both myself and others (laughs). I gave a lot of interviews and appeared in a lot of things (laughs). It’s a business based on popularity, so if I lose work, my schedule becomes blank and my future becomes bleak, so it’s really a blessing to get work.
But I want to take a break (laughs). I think that when you get tired, your efficiency decreases, so you need a break, and it’s important to have a good balance in your day. That’s why having time for yourself is very important, and for me, the guitar is a great mental switch, and I think it helps me a lot. Even if I play it for even two minutes, it refreshes me and helps me get my work done. It’s a big deal, but even 30 seconds can change your mood, and even more so, it takes just one breath to change your mind, humans. Even if you’re doing one thing after another, just taking a deep breath to calm down can help organize your mind.
I did about 30 stage greetings for the movie “Goban-giri”, so it was like a stage performance! (laughs). But I was able to go to places I can’t usually go to, and I was able to see the older men who had just finished watching the movie applauding with tears in their eyes, and when I left the theater, I felt their excitement and surprise, like when Kakunoshin appeared in the period drama they had just watched, and that was something I can’t describe. Yes, the cinema was really full of older men, and I was really happy to be popular with them in the first half of the year (laughs). I wonder if Tsuyo-chama has no female fans anymore… That’s why I have to appear on JUNON to gain more female fans (laughs).
*Excerpt from the interview

■[Special feature “Midsummer ASOBIBA MAP 2024”]Atsuki Masuko (GENIC), KAIRYU×NAOYA (MAZZEL) and others enjoy various ASOBIBAs!
The popular “Midsummer ASOBIBA MAP” from 2023 is back again this year. Atsuki Masuko (GENIC), KAIRYU×NAOYA (MAZZEL), Aloha (Bullet Train), Hayato Ichinose, and Soya Kurokawa enjoy the zoo, Chinatown, theme parks, and the great outdoors of the sea and mountains! Be sure to use it as a reference for making summer memories.

Atsuki Masuko (GENIC)
◇ “Of all the animals I saw today, the rhino was the best.”
The stage play “Spirited Away” is nearing the end, and the London performance will be running by the time JUNON goes on sale. I met a lot of animals at Ueno Zoo and it gave me energy, so I think I can work harder on the stage from now on (laughs). I used to come to Ueno Zoo with my grandma, and it’s been since I was 3 years old. At that time, my grandma carried me on her back while we looked around at the animals. The pandas were popular again today. They were really cute eating bamboo. There were many animals that I don’t usually encounter, and I was moved to think, “They really exist on Earth!” (laughs). Of the animals I saw today, the rhino was the best. It was cool to see it standing there motionless. Also, the gorilla felt like a human, and I never got bored of watching it move, and I thought it was full of romance.

KAIRYU×NAOYA (MAZZEL)
◇ “Chinatown feels like walking through a theme park.”
NAOYA:Live performances are the most fun, but today’s job was the second most fun (laughs). It felt like I was having my picture taken while hanging out with KAIRYU.
KAIRYU:The weather was cloudy, so it wasn’t too hot and was perfect for strolling around town.
NAOYA:I was happy to be able to enjoy Chinatown cuisine, such as fruit candy and cute pork buns. I was surprised when a big deep-fried squid was served!
KAIRYU:Is this NAOYA’s first time visiting Yokohama Chinatown?
NAOYA:This is my second time here. The first time was 2-3 months ago, but it was late at night and the shop was closed, so I guess you could call it my first time.KAIRYU:This is my second time here, but I only came here on a family trip when I was in the first grade of elementary school, so I barely remember it (lol). Today, I was able to browse the general stores, go to the temple (Kuandi Temple), and enjoy Chinatown to the fullest, so I’m very satisfied.
NAOYA:There were people walking around in lovely costumes and some wearing panda headbands, so it felt like I was at a theme park.KAIRYU:It was really fun just walking around.