A.B.C-Z
A.B.C-Z (エー.ビー.シー-ズィー, ee.bii.shii.zii) is a five-member Japanese boy band under Johnny & Associates. The group's former name was A.B.C., which stands for Acrobat Boys Club. It was changed to A.B.C-Z after Ryosuke Hashimoto was moved to the group from J.J.Express in 2008. Due to the Japanese pronunciations of their name, the fans usually refer to them as "Ebi".
A.B.C.-Z | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Pony Canyon |
| Website | abcz |
| Members | Ryosuke Hashimoto Shota Totsuka Fumito Kawai Koichi Goseki Ryoichi Tsukada |
The group was a former Johnny's Jr. unit. They debuted February 2, 2012 with their DVD Za ABC ~5 Stars~.
History
2001–2008: As A.B.C.
Members:
- Koichi Goseki
- Shota Totsuka
- Ryoichi Tsukada
- Fumito Kawai
In 2002 they became A.B.C. with Yoshikazu Toshin.
2008–2011: A.B.C-Z pre-debut
In Summer 2008, it was announced that Ryosuke Hashimoto, who was a member of J.J.Express would join A.B.C., thus the group name changing to A.B.C-Z, their name is an acronym for "Acrobatics Boys Club Z" the Z symbolizing the last member coming into the group and completing them like Z completes the alphabet. Right after that they held a concert, along with Kis-My-Ft2.
In May 2010 they were allowed to hold their own concert at Theater Crea in Tokyo. It was also the first time they produced their own concert. They had their solo live from May 11 until 19th and then other units from Johnny's Jr. will take part in, and hold four different kinds of show in total until May 31.
On July 23, during the PLAYZONE'11 musical, Fumito Kawai broke his left leg, causing him not to be able to appear for the rest of the show. After PLAYZONE'11 A.B.C-Z was scheduled to be in the stage play Shonentachi Koushi naki Rougoku. Johnny H. Kitagawa was at the opening of this show and revealed a new group of seven, ABC-xyZ, centred on the already existing four member group A.B.C-Z. He also hinted that things could get going by 2012, but for that Kawai needs to get better first.
On November 6 they held their first one-man concert at Tokyo's Yoyogi National Stadium for 26,000 fans. They also announced that in February next year they will be hosting a play, titled “ABC-za Star Kouen”, at Nissay Theater in Tokyo. Johnny H. Kitagawa commented that they may debut the next year.
On December 9 A.B.C-Z held a press conference for their upcoming stage play “ABC-za Star Kouen”. They also announced that they will be debuting in 2012 with a DVD. This would make them the first Johny's to do so. They hope to release the DVD before the opening of their stage play on February 4. It is said that the DVD will be released under Johnny's Entertainment.[1] By the end of December the release date, February 1st, 2012, was then made public, along with the content of the DVD.[2]
2012–2018: Debut and 5th anniversary
A.B.C-Z made their debut in 31st January at Shibuya AX which gathered 15.000 fans.[3] Their DVD debut got number 1 in Oricon weekly ranking.[4] In July, their variety show "ABChanZoo" starts broadcasting in TV Tokyo.
In June 2014, the first drama of A.B.C-Z members "Magical Boy Cherry's" starts broadcasting in TV Tokyo.
In September 2015, A.B.C-Z released their first single "Moonlight Walker" which got number 1 in Oricon weekly ranking.[5]
4 years after their debut, in July 2016 A.B.C-Z established their official Fan Club[6]
A.B.C-Z celebrated 5th anniversary of the group's debut in 2017 by releasing the single "Reboot!!!" and an album "5 Performer-z", followed by the "A.B.C-Z 5Stars 5Years Tour".
In 2018 A.B.C-Z celebrated their 10th year of the group formation and did a collaboration event with amusement park "Tokyo Joypolis", the event was called "A.B.C-Z 5stars CIRCUS in JOYPOLIS". The group also released a new single "JOYしたいキモチ" for this collaboration event.
2019
A.B.C-Z held their last concert of the Love Battle Tour in Yokohama Arena on January 8, they announced a new single "Black Sugar" which will be released on March 28. They also announced a new drama "Our Showtime" that will be airing in Nagoya TV on April, the theme song for the drama is A.B.C-Z song "Showtime" from the single "Black Sugar". [7]
The group released their 6th album on August 7th "Going With Zephyr", followed by the tour with the same title as their album. Their collaboration event with the amusement park "Tokyo Joypolis" continued for the second year in a row.
Current members
- Ryosuke Hashimoto - 橋本良亮 (born July 15, 1993 - red)
- Fumito Kawai - 河合郁人 (born October 20, 1987 - violet)
- Shota Totsuka - 戸塚祥太 (born November 13, 1986 - pink)
- Ryoichi Tsukada - 塚田僚一 (born December 10, 1986 - yellow)
- Koichi Goseki - 五関晃一 (born June 17, 1985 - blue)
Discography
Albums
- [2014.03.12] from ABC to Z
- [2015.05.13] A.B.Sea Market
- [2016.07.20] ABC Star Line
- [2017.06.21] 5 Performer-Z
- [2018.05.23] VS 5
- [2019.08.07] Going With Zephyr
- Compilation Albums
- [2010.07.28] PLAYZONE2010 ROAD TO PLAYZONE
- [2011.07.20] PLAYZONE'11 SONG&DANC'N.
Singles
- [2015.09.30] Moonlight walker
- [2016.06.22] Take a "5" Train
- [2017.02.01] Reboot!!! [8]
- [2017.12.13] 終電を超えて〜Christmas Night/忘年会!BOU!NEN!KAI![9]
- [2018.08.29] JOYしたいキモチ[10]
- [2019.03.27] Black Sugar
- Compilation Singles
- [2010.08.18] ROAD TO PLAYZONE
DVD
Original DVDs
| Release Date | Title | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2012.02.01 | "Za ABC ~5stars~" | 1 |
| 2nd | 2012.09.12 | "Zutto LOVE" (ずっとLOVE) | 1 |
| 3rd | 2013.03.06 | "Twinkle Twinkle A.B.C-Z" | 2 |
| 4th | 2013.07.10 | "Walking on Clouds" | 1 |
| 5th | 2013.11.20 | "Never My Love" | 2 |
| 6th | 2014.07.09 | "Legend Story" | 1 |
| 7th | 2015.01.07 | "SPACE TRAVELERS" | 1 |
| 8th | 2016.03.16 | "Hanakotoba" (花言葉) | 2 |
Music Videos
| Year | Title | DVD/CD |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Za ABC ~5stars~" Music Clip | Za ABC ~5stars~ |
| "Suna no GLASS" (砂のグラス) Dance Clip | ||
| "Zutto LOVE" (ずっとLOVE) Music Clip | Zutto LOVE | |
| "Bokura ~LOVE&PEACE~" (ボクラ～LOVE＆PEACE～) Dance Clip | ||
| 2013 | "Twinkle Twinkle A.B.C-Z" Music Clip | Twinkle Twinkle A.B.C-Z |
| "Desperado" Dance Clip | ||
| "Walking on Clouds" Music Clip | Walking on Clouds | |
| "My Life" Dance Clip | ||
| "Never My Love" Music Clip | Never My Love | |
| "Like A Blow" Dance Clip | ||
| 2014 | "Legend Story" Music Clip | Legend Story |
| "Bokura no Kotae - Here We Go -" (僕らのこたえ ～Here We Go～) Dance Clip | ||
| 2015 | "SPACE TRAVELERS" Music Clip | SPACE TRAVELERS |
| "Finally Over" Dance Clip | ||
| "Shower Gate" Music Clip | A.B.Sea Market | |
| "Moonlight walker" Music Clip | Moonlight walker | |
| 2016 | "Hanakotoba" (花言葉) Short Film x Music Clip | Hanakotoba |
| "Take a "5" Train" Music Clip | Take a "5" Train | |
| 2017 | "Reboot!!!" Music Clip | Reboot!!! |
| "テレパシーOne! Two!" Music Clip & Dance Clip | 5 Performer-Z | |
| "終電を超えて〜Christmas Night" Music Clip | 終電を超えて〜Christmas Night/忘年会!BOU!NEN!KAI! | |
| "忘年会!BOU!NEN!KAI!" Music Clip | ||
| 2018 | "Future Light" Music Clip | VS 5 |
| "Rock With U" Music Clip | ||
| "JOYしたいキモチ" Music Clip | JOYしたいキモチ | |
| 2019 | "Black Sugar" Music Clip | Black Sugar |
| "Crush On You" Music Clip | Going With Zephyr | |
| "リンネ" Music Clip | ||
Live Tour DVDs
| Release Date | Title | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2013.10.16 | "A.B.C-Z 2013 Twinkle x2 Star Tour" | 5 |
| 2015.03.16 | "Summer Concert 2014 A.B.C-Z★"Legend"" | 4 |
| 2015.10.28 | "A.B.C-Z Early summer concert" | 3 |
| 2016.12.07 | "A.B.C-Z Star Line Travel Concert" | 5 |
| 2018.02.07 | "A.B.C-Z 5Stars 5Years Tour" | 1[11] |
| 2019.01.30 | "A.B.C-Z Love Battle Tour" | 1 |
Musical/Stage Play DVDs
| Release Date | Title | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2012.07.04 | "ABC za Star Gekijyō" (ABC座 星（スター）劇場) | 1 |
| 2013.01.16 | "Johnny's Dome Theatre ~SUMMARY2012~ A.B.C-Z" | 5 |
| 2013.03.20 | "Shōnentachi Jail in the Sky" (少年たち Jail in the Sky) | 12 |
| 2013.08.14 | "Johnnys' World no Kansha-sai in Tokyo Dome" (ＪＯＨＮＮＹＳ’ Ｗｏｒｌｄの感謝祭 ｉｎ ＴＯＫＹＯ ＤＯＭＥ) | 1 |
| 2014.06.25 | "A.B.C Za 2013 Johnny's Densetsu (The Digest)" (A.B.C座2013 ジャニーズ伝説 (The Digest)) | 7 |
| 2017.03.15 | "ABC座2016 株式会社応援屋!!～OH＆YEAH!!～" | 2 |
| 2018.08.29 | "ABC座 ジャニーズ伝説2017" | 6 |
Other DVDs
- [2010.09.22] "Takizawa Kabuki" (滝沢歌舞伎)
- [2010.11.10] "PLAYZONE2010 ROAD TO PLAYZONE"
- [2011.04.13] "Shounentachi Koushi Naki Rougoku" (少年たち 格子無き牢獄)
- [2011.06.08] "Shinshun Takizawa Kakumei 2011" (新春 滝沢革命)
- [2011.11.02] "PLAYZONE’11 SONG & DANC’N."
Pre-debut songs
- A to Z
- Ashita no Tame ni Boku ga Iru
- Attraction!
- Crazy Accel
- Crush
- Daybreaker (with Kis-My-Ft2)
- Dream ~Itsutsu no Negai~
- Freedom
- InaZuma☆Venus
- Kodoku no RUNAWAY
- Let's Go!! ~Mirai he Kakaru Hashi~ (TakiCHANnel opening theme)
- Naked (with Question?)
- Sayonara Box
- Star Seeker
- Vanilla
- You&Me&Who? (Track on Shounentai's Playzone 'CHANGE' album, with M.A.D.)
Group activities
Variety shows
- Shounen Club 「ザ少年倶楽部」(2008–present)
- J Journeys A.B.C-Z Working Holiday [J'J A.B.C-Z オーストラリア縦断 資金0円ワーホリの旅] (2013.04.01 - 06.17)
- ABChanZoo 「えびチャンズ」(2013.07.21 - present)
Drama
- Magical Boy Cherry's「魔法☆男子チェリーズ」(2014.06.21 - 09.21)
Radio
- A.B.C-Z Go!Go!5 (FM NACK5) (2015.04 - present)
- A.B.C-Z今夜はJ's倶楽部 (NHK) (2016.08 - present)[12]
- ダイヤルA.B.C☆E (TBS Radio) (2016.09 - 2017.03)
Stage Play
- Shinshun Takizawa Kakumei (2009.01)
- Dream Boys (2009.09.04 - 10.25)
- She Loves Me (2009.12.12 - 2010.01.31)
- Shinsun Takizawa Kakumei (2010.01)
- Takizawa Kabuki (2010.04 - 05)
- PLAYZONE 2010 ~ROAD TO PLAYZONE~ (2010.07 - 08)
- Shounentachi with Kis-My-Ft2 (2010.09)
- Shinsun Takizawa Kakumei (2011.01)
- PLAYZONE’11 SONG & DANC’N (2011.08)
- Shounentachi (2011.09)
- ABC座 星（スター）劇場 (2012.02)
- Shounentachi (2012.09)
- ABC座 2013 ジャニーズ伝説 (2013.10)
- ABC座 2014 ジャニーズ伝説 (2014.05)
- ABC座 2015 (2015.10)
- ABC座 2016 株式会社 応援屋!!〜OH&YEAH!!〜 (2016.10)
- ABC座 2017 ジャニーズ伝説 (2017.10)
- ABC座 2018 ジャニーズ伝説 (2018.10)
Concerts
- A.B.C-Z Kis-My-Ft2 First Concert (11-13 Oct, 8-9 Nov 2008)
- Minna Crea ni Kite Kurie! (11–19 May 2010)
- 年末ヤング東西歌合戦！ 東西Jr.選抜大集合2010！ A.B.C-Z＋ジャニーズJr.選抜 VS 中山優馬＋関西Jr.選抜 (26-27 Nov 2010)
- Minna Crea ni Kite Kurie 2011 (29 March- 5 May, 13–18 May, 23–29 May 2011)
- A.B.C-Z 2011 first Concert in YOYOGI (6 Nov 2011)
- A.B.C.-Z. and Sexy Zone Johnny's Dome Theater ~SUMMARY~
- A.B.C-Z 2013 Twinkle×2 Star Tour (23 Mar 2013 - 25 May 2013)
- Summer Concert 2014 A.B.C-Z★"Legend" (2014)
- A.B.C-Z Early summer concert (2015)
- Sexy Zone A.B.C-Z Summer Paradise in TDC (2015)
- A.B.C-Z Star Line Travel concert (2016)
- A.B.C-Z 5Stars 5Years Tour (2017)
- A.B.C-Z Love Battle Tour (2018-2019)
Photobook
- [2017.04.25] Itsutsu Hoshi (五つ星)
Event
- A.B.C-Z 5stars CIRCUS in JOYPOLIS (2018)
- A.B.C-Z 5stars Festival in JOYPOLIS (2019)
References
- "A.B.C-Z to debut next year with DVD", www.tokyohive.com
- "A.B.C-Z reveals details on their debut DVD", www.tokyohive.com
- "A.B.C-Z、デビュー記念イベントでファン1万5000人に"手売り"". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "【オリコン】A.B.C-Z、デビューDVDが総合首位 ～史上初の快挙". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "【オリコン】A.B.C-Z、初CDシングルが1位発進". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "A.B.C-ZとジャニーズWEST、なぜ今ファンクラブ発足？ 新規ファン急増前の体制づくりか". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "A.B.C-Z Official Site". A.B.C-Z Official Site (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "A.B.C-Z Official Site". A.B.C-Z Official Site (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "A.B.C-Z Official Site". A.B.C-Z Official Site (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "A.B.C-Z Official Site". A.B.C-Z Official Site (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "A.B.C-Zの作品". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- 日本放送協会. "A.B.C-Z 今夜はJ's倶楽部 - NHK". A.B.C-Z 今夜はJ’s倶楽部 - NHK (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- "A.B.C-Z", Wikipedia (in Japanese), 2019-02-10, retrieved 2019-02-12