Kanjani Eight

The group consisted of Ryuhei Maruyama, Shota Yasuda, Hiroki Uchi, Kiyohito Mizuno, and Tooru Imayama.

[4] But, when Mizuno and Imayama left Johnny's & Associates, worry had begun to creep within unit as to their fate within the talent agency.

[8] In 2003, Kanjani Eight members Nishikido and Uchi were called to go to Tokyo to become a part of NEWS, another Johnny & Associates group.

When the single made its nationwide debut on September 22, it had hit number-one on both the Oricon Enka and General Music charts.

The group had been starring in three regular programs, now being aired nationwide, and were starting to get recognition as a debut Johnny's act.

[14][15][16] But with growing success came a scandal and in 2005 Hiroki Uchi was arrested for disorderly conduct and underage drinking, being 18 at the time.

[17] Also, the drama special about the World War II Kamikaze pilots starring the group, Yakusoku, was canceled.

Named after the album's title, the F.T.O.N, Funky Tokyo Osaka Nagoya, concert tour spanned the three cities for six days and twenty performances in total.

The album was a significant departure in sound from their first release, focusing the funk and rock side of things, but still didn't stop record sales as it had debut number-one on the Oricon[21][22] and number-two overall for the month of June.

Majority of 2007 was spent on the road as the group had opened up 2007 holding a concert series as Kyocera Dome entitled Eh?!

The song had followed the style of its preceding single and album, and managed to hit number-one on the Oricon in its debut week[24] and number-two overall for the month of October.

Puzzle was a complete departure in sound compared to their previous two albums, containing more of mixture of R&B, rock, and pop songs.

This single was the theme song to Nishikido's TV Asahi drama, Inu wo Kau to Iu koto ~Sky to Waga ga Uchi no 180 Nichi ~.

The triple release project was concluded with the single titled, 365 Nichi Kazoku, which was the theme song to Ohkura's TBS drama, Umareru.

"[46] In September 2011, an additional stop was added to the tour schedule; Nagoya Dome for a Christmas Eve performance.

On the October 14, 2011, episode of Music Station, Nishikido gave his reason behind his departure, "I'm sure there's a lot of you who are shocked, but, things like scheduling between the two groups was a problem that was worrying me.

[53] Monjai Beat served as the supporting track for the album and promotion began in October and continued throughout the rest of the year.

The concert also kicked off the return of the Eight Rangers, the group appearing on stage in their suits during the final encore of the performance.

[58][59] To even further blur the lines, the entire cast performed a real wedding at a chapel which was broadcast on live television prior to the premiere of the drama.

[62] The movie would take a more grim and darker approach to the otherwise childish skits, introducing characters with alcoholism and gambling addiction.

On August 8, 2012, Kanjani Eight performed "Matsubara Shinichi Presents: Sugohachi" at Kyocera Dome Osaka, a free live to winners of a lottery raffle.

The Hasai Bokura mo Hacchai, Hacchake Matsuri was a festival with various activities for fans to take part of spanning an entire day.

[77] Open to the general population, the event split up attendees into five different groups, each assigned a different talk and live time.

The title, Hasai Bokura mo Hacchai, Hacchake Matsuri (∞祭 ボクらも8っちゃい、8っちゃけ祭) is a pun that does not directly translate into English.

"Aoppana" was the theme song to the drama, Boys on the Run, which starred member Maruyama Ryuhei in the lead.

[84] The tour continued on to Osaka for the Nagai Stadium performances but was ultimately canceled on the last day, September 30, due to Typhoon no.

Their contract with record company Teichiku Entertainment expired on the 24th and they have since launched their own independent label, to be under the umbrella of J-storm.

[90] On April 14, Kanjani Eight announced that their main vocalist, Subaru Shibutani, would be departing the group to pursue his own goals of studying music abroad.

His activities with the group were limited until the end of his contract, which expired on December 31, 2018, and he was not performing with the members for the remainder of the year.

Canjani Eight (キャンジャニ∞(エイト), Kyanjani Eito, stylized as Canjani∞) is Kanjani Eight's "counterpart sub-unit" which consists of the members crossdressing and singing like a female idol group.

The entrance to the Hasai Bokura mo Hacchai, Hacchake Matsuri at Intex Osaka on August 11, 2012
The sign board for the Osaka dome extension at Kyocera Dome Osaka on December 31, 2012