Drama Digest
The Japanese male group reality competition show is back for another season. This time around, the 11 finalists will be part of the group INI. The show sees 101 prospective boy-group members as they train and fight to be part of the 11-member permanent male group. Each week the contestants are tasked with various challenges and given a grade of A-F. The grades determine where the boys will place in the final. These challenges include choreography, performance, singing, vlogging, and more. Each episode is accompanied by live voting from the audience to determine who makes it to the end. The sequel to the Japanese spin-off of the Korean show. Who will make it to the top? Who will be the next male idol sensation? Watch the drama and find out!
The Feel-Good Part
Being a pop idol is a dream many people have, so the show becomes exceptionally relatable to a broad audience and allows you to root for the characters as much as possible. The show is also a great look into what skills are necessary to become a pop idol sensation. You can also track one person’s journey into stardom, how much effort they put into it, and how they manage to make it to the top. The show has a unique structure, and while there are top performers each week, you can still root for whoever is on the show and watch them, as they could be the next idol sensation. The show also pays homage to successful boy groups such as SHINee, BTS, and more through their challenges and definitely gives them the recognition they deserve.
The Disappointing Factor
One hundred-one contestant for any show is already a lot. While it’s easy to build a connection with this band of boys, 101 contestants is a ridiculous amount that is too much for any kind of show, let alone one where you have to showcase your talents. The episodes are also extremely long. An almost 2-hour runtime is extremely difficult to watch. The 2-hour episode length could be due to the fact that there are 101 contestants, and that way, it can shed light on as many as possible. However, it is still a 2-hour episode of a reality TV show. The show might also be heartbreaking, considering the odds of winning or making it to the end. Only 11 participants make it to the end, and only 11 participants end up in a boy group, so it will be very sad to see around 90 participants go home with nothing.
In-Depth Analysis
Conceptually, the show seems to be the Hunger Games of the music industry. There’s a lot you can expect from the show in terms of quality since there are only a limited amount of spots, and everyone is on their A-game to make it to the final spot. The show can talk a lot about determination and hard work. It also gives its participants a chance that they may have never been able to get otherwise.
Star Power
The show has three main hosts; Okamura Takashi, Yabe Hiroyuki, KEN THE 390, and Kenzo. Okamura Takashi takes the role of the National Producer. He reprises his role from the first season alongside Hiroshi Yabe. The two are part of a comedic duo called Ninety-Nine. Okamura has appeared in a wide range of movies, TV shows, and dramas such as Kirin ga Kuru, Berlin, Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends, Sunshine Ahead, Surely Someday, The Mole Song: Final, A-Studio+, Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!, and much more. Yabe Hiroyuki also reprises his role as a host and National Producer this time around. Like his Ninety-Nine counterpart, he has starred in many movies, TV shows, and dramas such as Hanayome was Yakudoshi, Tenki-yoho no Koibito, No Problem 2, Messengers, Boys Be Ambitious, Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!, and more. KEN THE 390 is the show’s rap trainer. KEN THE 390 is a hip-hop and R&B artist with many albums under his belt. Kenzo is the show’s dancer trainer. Kenzo is a famous dancer and choreographer who is well known as a member of the pop group Da Pump.
Overall Opinion
The show is absolutely innovative. It has a very interesting pattern to it. It may come across as survival of the fittest, but it is a reality competition show at the end of the day. The show teaches its audience what it takes to be a superstar, and how hard you have to work to be the best. It is definitely a fun watch if you enjoy boy bands and the work that goes into them.
