■&TEAM takes on the challenge of “What’s in the box?”
The one-hour extended special of the music program “Otodoraku √” (Yomiuri TV) will be broadcast on August 23rd. The artists who will be appearing have now been announced.
■ List of performing artists and songs ※In alphabetical order
Ayumu Imazu “Superstar”
&TEAM “Aoarashi”
Da-iCE “I wonder”
ME:I “Hi-Five”
&TEAM takes on the challenge of “What’s in the box?” in order to overcome the weakness of being easily scared, which is common among the members. If they get it wrong, they have to say something that will make your heart flutter and show off their best face as a punishment, so all the members take it seriously. However, HARUA and TAKI, who pride themselves on being easily scared, scream out loud!
In ME:I, the “unknown faces of the members” that were collected in a pre-show questionnaire will be revealed one by one, and they will actually go into the studio to verify whether these unexpected sides are true.
Da-iCE and Ayumu Imazu teamed up to compete against the five members of Otodoraku HOST in a game called “Dance de Gesture,” in which participants communicate a given theme to their opponents using only dance. The gesturers were Wada Hayato and Ayumu Imazu of Da-iCE. The two groups, both well-known for their dancing, showed off their skills to the fullest, and the studio was in a frenzy.
Among the songs that are expected to be performed are Da-iCE’s smash hit “I wonder,” which has been played over 800 million times on TikTok, and Kudo Taiki’s special performance with a Shinobee (Yomiuri TV’s mascot character) plush toy. Ayumu Imazu will perform his new song “Superstar,” released in August, for the first time on TV with six dancers, and &TEAM will perform a special version of the energetic summer number “Aoarashi” with seven members. ME:I will perform the summer tune “Hi-Five,” which is also a hot topic as a CM song.
Comment from Ayumu Imazu
Q. What were your impressions of the recording?
I was really nervous about the talk (laughs). It was my first time to have a serious talk on a variety show. But I had collaborated with Da-iCE on songs with Hanamura-san and we have a lot of exchanges, so that was really reassuring.Q. Are there any places you would like to go or things you would like to do in Kansai for future filming of “Otodoraku√”?
I like black bass fishing, and Lake Biwa is where the world record black bass was caught, so I’d like to try bass fishing there!Q. Message to viewers of the program
It was also my first time doing a TV recording in Osaka, and at such a memorable occasion I was able to perform the song “Superstar,” which is very important to me, so I hope you will check it out!■&TEAM Comments
Q. What were your impressions of the recording?
JO:I usually hear YUMA-kun speak in Kansai dialect, but it was my first time to experience such an environment, and it was refreshing to see all the hosts speaking in Kansai dialect. There was a lot of laughter and it was a lot of fun!HARUA:This was my first time trying out “What’s in the Box?” I think there was a surefire scenario that I’d often seen on TV, but when it came to actually doing it, I didn’t know what was in it so it was really scary (laughs). But it was really fun to see the reactions of the members who were trying it!
TAKI:I’m also a very scaredy person, so it was a very scary and unknown experience to stick my hand into something I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I don’t want to do it again! (laughs)
Q. Are there any places you would like to go or things you would like to do in Kansai for future filming of “Otodoraku√”?
FUMA:Every time I come to Osaka, I always eat takoyaki, but I’d like to try different takoyaki. I’m a big eater, so I think I could probably try every shop in Osaka (laughs).YUMA:I want to take my members to Sankaku Park in Osaka. There are lots of clothing stores and food shops, and it’s a really fun place, so I’d like to take everyone there.
MAKI:In Osaka, okonomiyaki and takoyaki are really delicious, so I want to eat a lot of them. But I’m not good at seafood, so I’ll have TAKI eat the octopus from the takoyaki. (K says, “That’s already ‘yaki'”).
Q. Message to viewers of the program
K:We want to come to Kansai more and more, so please look forward to it. Next time, we want to appear on a show with all nine of us, not just seven! We love everyone in Kansai~~♡Comment from Da-iCE
Q. What were your impressions of the recording?
Yudai Ohno:It was fun! I especially enjoyed the gesture game that we did while dancing. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get as many hits as I had hoped, but it was still fun!Hayate Wada:I was the one who made the gestures and conveyed the theme in the dance, but when I get nervous, I can’t come up with anything. Now that it’s over, there are a lot of things that I’d like to do like “I should have done it like this!”, which is a bit frustrating, but it was fun.
Kudo Taiki:I performed “I wonder” with Shinobee. Shinobee said he wanted to perform. Shinobee took me backstage and proposed to me, which I readily accepted. (Iwaoka agreed, saying, “It’s true.”)
Q. Are there any places you would like to go or things you would like to do in Kansai for future filming of “Otodoraku√”?
Toru Iwaoka:I want to go to Universal Studios Japan. I’ve only ever been to the original Universal Studios Hollywood, so I’d like to go to the Japanese one too (laughs) (One of the other members retorted, “Don’t say such offensive things!”)Q. Message to viewers of the program
Sota Hanamura:Many people know “I wonder” from the dance at the beginning, and many also know the chorus from “sing-along videos,” but there are also people who don’t know that it’s the same song, so I hope that after watching this program they will make the connection and realize, “It’s the same song!”■ME:I Comments
Q. What were your impressions of the recording?
COCORO:I was really happy that host Sato Anna was YOU:ME (ME:I’s fan name, Sato Anna is such a big fan that she joined the fan club and frequently goes to concerts). Just knowing that there are people close to us who support us like that made us even more passionate about our performance!MOMONA:This was the first time we were able to appear on a show in Osaka as a group, and I was really happy about that. Nishikawa and the other hosts really got the crowd excited, and I think we were able to convey the appeal of ME:I.
RINON:I decided to try my hand at tongue twisters after receiving a tip from a member, but to be honest, I don’t feel like it was very successful…um…I don’t (laughs). When I saw announcer Sato attempting the same tongue twisters, I thought that I might not be able to compete with someone who does them as a professional.
Q. Are there any places you would like to go or things you would like to do in Kansai for future filming of “Otodoraku√”?
MIU:I’m not an expert on Kansai food, so it’s really just standard stuff, but I can’t forget the taste of the okonomiyaki I had when I came to Osaka for a club tournament, and I’d love to eat it there again.SHIZUKU:When I came to Osaka for a concert before, I ate takoyaki and other things, but I don’t really have an appetite for sweet things. I personally love sweets, so I’d like to try some of the delicious sweets Osaka has to offer.
AYANE:When I lived in Kyoto, I didn’t go to many tourist spots because I was living in Kyoto, and I liked to wander around places like Umeda in Osaka, so I’d love to go shopping in Umeda with the other members and coordinate our outfits together.
KEIKO:I want to go to a theme park with everyone and scream on a roller coaster. I want to go to a famous theme park in Osaka with everyone. I want to record our screams on video.
KOKONA:We went to Kyoto once on a school trip and had a lot of fun eating our way around the city, so since all of our members love to eat, we’d like to go on a food tour again.
SUZU:I like castles, so I’d like to go to Osaka Castle and do some sightseeing. I also like takoyaki, so I’d like to try takoyaki from various shops in Osaka!
Program Information
Yomiuri TV“Otodoraku√”
Friday, August 23rd, 24:35-25:35 *Time subject to change
Catch-up streaming: Available on TVer/ytvMyDo! after broadcast (1 week)
Performers: Ayumu Imazu, &TEAM, Da-iCE, ME:I *In alphabetical order
Otodoraku HOST: Takanori Nishikawa, Shinnosuke Yokota, Elf, Taiki Higuchi, Kana Sato
“Otodoraku” project site
https://www.ytv.co.jp/otodoraku/
“Otodoraku√” program site
https://www.ytv.co.jp/otodoraku_root/
