Jin Akanishi

Infobox musical artist |

Name = Akanishi Jin


Img_capt = Akanishi Jin in the Making of Keep the Faith
Background = group_or_band
Born = birth date and age|1984|7|4
Died =
Origin = Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Genre = Japanese Pop
Occupation = Singer/Actor
Years_active = 1998-present
Label = J-One Records
Associated_acts = KAT-TUN
URL = [http://www.johnnys-net.jp/ johnnys net] , [http://www.j-storm.co.jp/kattun/ KAT-TUN - J-One Records]

nihongo|Jin Akanishi|赤西 仁|Akanishi Jin (born July 4, 1984) is a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, seiyū and television personality. Akanishi is a member of the popular J-pop boy band, KAT-TUN, and one of the group's main vocalists. Since the group's debut in 2006, it has achieved 10 consecutive number ones (including studio albums) on the Oricon charts. [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-3364 Charts: KAT-TUN, GReeeeN still hot] , Tokyograph, Uricon; retrieved on July 29, 2008.]

Akanishi is also a budding actor with roles in the second season of popular NTV school drama, "Gokusen", and "Yukan Club". He is also a co-host of KAT-TUN's own variety show, "Cartoon KAT-TUN", and used to host a radio program called "R-One KAT-TUN" with bandmate Junnosuke Taguchi from October 2007 to March 2008. Akanishi is also arguably one of the more popular members of the group being frequently cited as one of the most appealing male celebrities in Japan today. [ [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-1882 Oricon: high school girls want to date Shun Oguri] , Tokyograph, Oricon; retrieved on July 31, 2008.] [ [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-3392 Oricon: sexy men] , Tokyograph, Oricon; retrieved on July 31, 2008.] [ [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-2193 Oricon: who do you want as your lover?] , Tokyograph, Oricon; retrieved on July 31, 2008.]

Early life

Born in Chiba Prefecture on July 4 1984, Akanishi is the eldest child. His family consists of his parents and a younger brother, Reiho. His given name, Jin ("benevolence"), comes from one of the five Confucian virtues. He is also the childhood best friend of Tomohisa Yamashita and the two remain close today. When he was still in grade school, a classmate sent in a photo of him to idol magazine, Myojo, and he was featured in the "Cool Classmates" corner of the issue. Akanishi's interest in the entertainment industry was piqued after seeing then-Johnny's Jr. member Ryo Nishikido singing on television and his mother sent in an application to Johnny's Entertainment on his behalf. Though he technically failed his audition on November 8 1998, he was told to stay when he tried to return his number plate to a man who happened to be Johnny Kitagawa himself.

Recording career

2001-present: KAT-TUN

After he was made a Johnny's Jr. member in 2000, Akanishi was part of a number of groups like Musical Academy Dancing, J2000 and B.A.D. before being drafted into a six-member unit in 2001 with other juniors Kazuya Kamenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda and Yuichi Nakamaru. Though the group was originally meant to only be backup dancers for Koichi Domoto of KinKi Kids, the sextet's unexpected popularity led their agency to allow them to expand into a separate group called KAT-TUN, an acronym formed by the first letter of the members' surnames. Despite the group's popularity (they even released DVDs of their live concerts in 2003 and 2005 -- a first for JE groups that hadn't debuted), they were not allowed to make their bow until five years later.

KAT-TUN's debut on March 22 2006 was marked by a tripartite release of their debut single, debut album and a DVD chronicling the making of their first music video. All three releases were immensely successful on the Oricon charts with "Real Face" and "Real Face Film" certified as the best-selling single and domestic music DVD of 2006 respectively. The group's next single, "SIGNAL", was also a massive hit debuting at number 1 and selling more than 500,000 copies.

Much to the Japanese public's surprise, Akanishi announced in a press conference on October 13 2006 that he was leaving the country to study English abroad for an indefinite amount of time. [ [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-187 KAT-TUN'S Akanishi takes a break] , Tokyograph, Sponichi Annex; retrieved on August 1, 2008.] Despite his absence, KAT-TUN were obliged to continue its activites and released their third single and second studio album, "Bokura no Machi de" and "Cartoon KAT-TUN II You", which both topped the charts. [ [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-192 Details of new KAT-TUN single announced] , Tokyograph, Sponinchi Annex; retrieved on August 1, 2008.] Akanishi finally returned from Los Angeles after six months on April 19 2007 and quickly resumed work by joining his bandmates on their nationwide tour on April 21. [ [http://forums.tokyograph.com/showthread.php?t=952 Akanishi back in Japan] , Tokyograph, Sports Hochi; retrieved on August 1, 2008.] All of KAT-TUN's subsequent singles and albums have since debuted at number 1 and the band has sold more than 5 million records in just over two years. [ [http://wiki.theppn.org/KAT-TUN KAT-TUN] , Wiki.theppn; retrieved on August 1, 2008.]

Akanishi is also a songwriter having written songs for KAT-TUN and for himself, including "care", "Hesitate", "Love or Like" and "Lovejuice". He can play the guitar and has composed both music and lyrics for "nihongo|Murasaki|ムラサキ", "ha-ha", and "Pinky". He also collaborated with bandmate Ueda to create the song "Butterfly".

Acting career

Akanishi made his debut as an actor in 1999 in a cameo appearance in the second episode of NTV's romance comedy, "P.P.O.I.", and also had small roles in TV Asahi's "Best Friend", "Omae no yukichi ga naiteiru" and in NHK series, "Haregi, Koko Ichiban". He also started appearing in musicals from 2000 taking on supporting roles in "Millennium Shock" (2000), "Show Geki Shock" (2001-2002), "Dream Boy" (2004) and "Dream Boys" (2006). Akanishi returned to the small screen in 2005 in the second season of the award-winning and popular NTV school drama, "Gokusen", starring opposite Yukie Nakama and bandmate Kazuya Kamenashi. The show won "Best Drama" at the 44th Television Drama Academy Awards and ended its run with an average viewership rating of 27.8%. [ [http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Gokusen#Season_2 Gokusen: Season 2] , Wiki.d-addicts; retrieved on August 1, 2008.] He also had a supporting role in NTV's romance series, "Anego", the same year. In 2007, Akanishi starred in his first lead role in "Yukan Club", a school comedy series, alongside bandmate Junnosuke Taguchi and was voted "Best Actor" at the 11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix. [ [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-3078 Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix: Akanishi wins Best Actor] , Tokyograph, Nikkan Sports; retrieved on August 1, 2008.] He made his debut as a voice actor in 2008 for the Japanese dub of "Speed Racer", providing the voice for protagonist Speed played by Emile Hirsch. [ [http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-3176 Jin Akanishi becomes Speed Racer] , Tokyograph, Sankei Sports; retrieved on August 1, 2008.]

Filmography

Dramas

* [http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Yukan_Club/ Yukan Club] as Shochikubai Miroku (NTV, 2007)
*Anego as Kurosawa Akihiko (NTV, 2005)
* [http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Gokusen Gokusen 2] as Yabuki Hayato (NTV, 2005)
*Xmas Nante Daikirai as Kitagawa Sho (NTV, 2004)
*Omae no yukichi ga naiteiru (TV Asahi, 2001)
*Haregi, Koko Ichiban (NHK, 2000)
*Taiyou wa Shizumanai (Fuji TV, 2000)
*Best Friend (1999)
*Kowai Nichiyoubi (1999)

Voice acting

*Speed Racer (2008)

Musicals

*Dream Boy 2004
*Dream Boys 2006
*Shock

Commercials

*NTT Docomo [FOMA902i series]
*SKY PerfecTV!
*Lipsbalm Rohto Mogitate
*Nintendo Gamecube Dance Dance Revolution (together with Kamenashi Kazuya)
*Oronamin C
*Lotte Gum +X (Green Apple, Blue Citrus, Pink Berry)
*Crunky Chocolate
*OXY ( with Koki of KAT-TUN)

Awards

* [http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nikkan_Sports_Drama_Grand_Prix#11th_Nikkan_Sports_Drama_Grand_Prix_.28Autumn_2007.29/ 11th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Autumn 2007)] : Best Actor for [http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Yukan_Club Yukan Club] ^{[http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-2430]}

References