[JPN] Johnny’s Entertainment expansion into Korea

Housewife Mrs. Choi has gone to war on the internet twice, in order to buy concert tickets.

It was for the Japanese idol group, "Arashi" which she had never heard of before. She furiously pounded on her keyboard on the 15th and the 24th for first come tickets in place of her daughter who had gone to prep school. In order to raise her chances she also asked help from her relatives but in the end it was ZERO. They say the chances of getting tickets were 1/10, so it was understandable. Her daughter who said, "I need you to get me the tickets no matter what," in which Mrs. Choi replied, "Who in the world is Arashi for me to be going through all this trouble?!"

If one is a parent that wants to be on the same "chord" as their children by memorizing the members' names from groups such as TVXQ, Big Bang, Shinee, then it seems one must add in Arashi as well. The "Arashi Commotion" that arose this time shows how popular Arashi is in Korea at the moment.

First round ticketing which started on the 24th of last month at 8pm was was completely sound out whithin 30 minutes, all 15,000 tickets. 15,000 people all signed on at the same tme. Even the 1,000 seats that were added, were compeltely sold out within 5 minutes. In order to appease fans' irritation another concert was added on the night of the 15. Although there was an additional 6,600 seats, within approximately 10 minutes everything was sold out again. Basically, this concert for 4 shows of 26,000 seats, sold out within an hour. Even though the concert business has come to a deadly stop, this concert was able to sell out without any promotion. During the 2006 Arashi Korea concert ticketing was also a war. 12,000 seats sold out within an hour. The illegal dealing of tickets sold for approximately 300,000WON ($300) to 400,000 ($400).

Arashi is one of Japanese best idol groups. They are under the management of Johnny's which specializes in all male groups such as SMAP. Starting with leader Ohno Satoshi (28 ), Matsumoto Jun (25), Ninomiya Kazunari (25), Aiba Masaki (26), Sakurai Sho (26), all five members are prospering in dramas and movies. Debuting in 1999, just about all the songs they debut reach 1st place on the Oricon charts. This year they were able to successfully finish 5 dome concerts as well. In order to finish a dome tour which houses approximately 40,000 people each, it means they are the best of best amongst Japanese singers. The Arashi Tour that already started last month has already gathered 222,000 people.

The fact that the Arashi Commotion is happening amongst youngsters is sign of the Japanese boom getting larger. Although Japanese movies and novels have been gaining popularity within Korea, and Japanese remakes have been gathering attention, in the commercial business sense they were not able to make a big hit. Because of this the success of Arashi's concert this time around, it cannot be denied the potential and the definite success of the Japanese Boom.

MBS Radio's Nam Tae Jung PD said, "Just like the Japanese animation convention that was able to be held in Sung Hwang Ri, it's proof that the Japanese Boom is rooted deeply within the younger generation."

The department chief of Pony Canyon Korea Jo Ji Hyun said, "The way a Japanese idol matures along with their fans starting from their junior days, is an amazing thing. There are many Korean fans that prefer Japanesese idols instead of the Korean idols that debut perfected."

It is estimated that there is more than 200,000 fans in Korea. There are also many fans that go all the way to Japan in order to see Arashi in concert. The age range of fans is very diverse from anywhere in the teens to 30's. It seems Johnny's has been encouraged by Arashi's popularity in Korea therefore they will be seriously entering the Korean market. A Johnny's Korean company will open their doors shortly.

Credit: arashi.vox.com