Written exclusively for Tokyohive by Sabina Lindström

Ae! group’s Taisei Fukumoto plays the role of Kiseki Iwatsuki, an unexpectedly recruited host in Saitama Host Club, the latest Japanese drama to join the worldwide streaming revolution on Netflix!Kiseki turns out to be just what it takes to save the club from being bought by an unscrupulous rival from Kabukicho, despite things not always going as easy as they might at a first glance…

Saitama Host Club is now streaming worldwide on Netflix, available for everyone to see the charms Taisei displays as the shy farmer boy turned star host! Time to get yourself comfortable and hold tight to your snacks because Saitama Host Club will take you on a ride filled with delight that only Saitama’s peculiar hosts can serve.

The show is a refreshing drama, focusing on character development with a dash of romantic spice. We still get a lot of humor and comedy (certainly a staple in Japanese dramas) but it’s not too over the top and ends up full of characters that are easy to love and support. 

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To celebrate the worldwide streaming release, Taisei Fukumoto sat down with Tokyohive to share a few thoughts about the occasion.

“First of all, I’m really happy that people all over the world are able to see this drama,” Taisei said. While various Japanese dramas have been emerging globally through streaming, this is certainly a first for him. “It’s really something special because when I open Netflix myself and see Saitama Host Club in the recommendations, I think about how other people can also see it, especially people overseas.”

Taisei plays his role of Kiseki wonderfully, embracing every little detail of the awkward farm boy, and it’s hard not to grow attached as he develops throughout each episode. Kiseki relatedly struggles with social interactions and eye contact, and observing his efforts to overcome these hurdles makes you want to cheer him on. Whether it's his subtle actions like nervously playing with his fingers during conversations or expressing affectionate glances toward the host club's plants, Taisei has even the smallest details down to a “T.”

To get himself ready for the role, Taisei started simply by liking Kiseki. He then immersed himself in the script, making an effort to read it multiple times to thoroughly absorb its contents. In addition, he had an intriguing approach to embodying the role beyond the script.

“Something that really helped me was to create a correlation chart with Kiseki in the middle surrounded by his characteristics spread all around,” Taisei explained. “I also thought of things like ‘What does Kiseki really mean to me?’ and what do I need to work on.”

This kind of correlation chart helped Taisei orient himself around his character and think about how he could show all these different characteristics. He then considered how he could add to it himself, thinking back to when he was shy and couldn’t talk to people either.

“I also talked to the director directly about it, too,” he added. “The director was very enthusiastic about how onboard I was with what I wanted to bring to the role. Together, we were able to bring Kiseki to life in more ways than just reading lines on a page.

Like a shining star, Taisei himself has plenty of charming aspects, one of them being his so-called “angel wing” (天使の羽) – a unique patch of differently colored hair on the left nape of his neck.

“I actually didn’t know about it until after I joined the agency, when one of the hairdressers pointed it out,” Taisei explained with a smile. “I consider it a fateful encounter, kind of. Although it’s a charm point, it’s still a little embarrassing because it stands out and catches a lot of notice.”

The little patch of hair seems to be dyed white at first glance, but as he himself attests it is actually silver and a totally natural phenomenon. Depending on his hair color and style, you can occasionally see a glimpse of it during their YouTube videos or recorded performances, so check them out and see if you can spot it!

Despite his shy exterior, Kiseki possesses the charm of being absolutely and adorably lovable. No matter who he meets, he’s able to draw them in with his honest and straightforward feelings. 

“Kiseki is very cute. Not necessarily in a physical way but more in an internal way,” Taisei said. “A lot of the other members of the cast have pointed that out as well.”

Throughout the show, Kiseki is also quite clumsy; but he really tries his best to change that. You can see he’s trying even though things don’t always work out. That kind of cuteness among all of Kiseki's endearing qualities is something that really stood out to Taisei. “Hopefully, everyone who watches Saitama Host Club will be able to pick up on that as well!”

In the drama, Kiseki loves vegetables and plants more than anything else, and it’s clear he prefers them over humans. During the show, we get to see Kiseki interact with his beloved flora from time to time in the background or as a topic starter, and with that in mind we simply had to know what kind of vegetable would best represent each of the members of Ae! group, and the results were quite surprising!

“Masakado (Yoshinori Masakado) would be a radish because it’s white and plump,” he said immediately with a devious smile. “He’s the kind of person who is doing his best at the gym, but it’s not quite paying off. It’s getting there, but his tummy is still a bit soft. Though to be clear, that’s a charm point to his fans, so no need to change that too much!”

“Also, just like how a radish is an indispensable part of hot soup and makes every bento box complete, Masakado brings a similar sense of security as the glue that holds Ae! group together.”

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Their youngest member, Masaya Sano, would be burdock root because he’s tall and thin. Taisei based his decisions mainly on physical appearance but explained that burdock root is also full of nutrients. Masaya is someone who is able to fit in nicely with many things, just like how burdock roots have various nutritional values and pairs well with lots of dishes.

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Richard Keita Kusama would be a bitter gourd. If cooked properly, it has no bitterness and makes a good dish, but if you eat it as it is, it tastes bitter, even the juice. This reflects on Richard's personality, as he’s usually mild-mannered and gentle, but can be quite sharp with his jokes when teased.

“Just like how bitter gourd will be bitter if you eat it the wrong way, Richard will lose his temper if you handle him wrongly,” Taisei said.

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Seiya Suezawa, their tiniest member, would of course be a cherry tomato; both for their shared size and his red member color. Seiya's explosive personality and his infamous nickname “the Kansai Mad Dog” also relates to how cherry tomatoes are the hottest in the pot when cooked and burst in your mouth when bitten, so you have to handle them gently, just like Seiya.

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“Kojiken (Ken Kojima, interviewed previously by Tokyohive) would be okra because, just like him, it’s stylish and nicely shaped,” Taisei decided after some deep thought about the group's handsome keyboardist. “Though while he has a refreshing personality, Kojiken tends to not forget a slight very easily, jJust like how the taste of okra can linger and stay longer than other vegetables. Kojiken will remember things that have happened to him many months after, even when others have forgotten."

"But I still love okra, just as much as I love Kojiken!” he quickly added.

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Taisei himself would be an egg. Though not a vegetable, it’s definitely something that would be in the basket coming from any farm. As for the reason? "Seiya always says my head looks like an egg when I puts my hair up because of my round, often pale, face. Additionally, I'm rather muscular, protein is essential for muscles to grow, and eggs are protein." Quite eggcellent logic, don't you think?

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Throughout the show, we get to see every character develop and grow as individuals and together as the cast of "Club Eichi." They continue to tackle problems stemming from their rivalry with Kabukicho's "Love 2000," as well as plenty of personal things that pop up along the way.

Within the group, Taisei is known among fans as the one with the brightest smile and seemingly unlimited gags, but beyond that, he's also hardworking and determined. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Osaka City University (currently Osaka Public University) and his hard work does not go unseen. To juggle work, studies, and personal life is something that many today struggle with, and Taisei did that as well.

“Overall, I didn’t think it was that difficult. Not because it was easy per se, but because it was something I really wanted to do, and I have to take responsibility for what I commit to,” he replied.

He continued to explain how it’s important to be aware that you have made your own choice rather than being forced to do something.

One of the things he always made sure to do was get a good night’s sleep and have time to himself to relax. He went to school in the morning and then to cram school and lessons, but despite the tight schedule--especially during exams--he always took an hour for dinner and to chat with friends; a sort of detox. 

“More than that, I had a lot of fun and a great sense of fulfillment,” Taisei continued. “I didn’t think it was hard when I was doing it, or maybe I forced myself not to think of it as being that hard. I just felt that I was doing my best and having fun.”

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Ae! group is sweeping through the country, catching everyone in the so-called “Ae! wind”. The success of their nationwide tour earlier this year serves as undeniable evidence of that impact. As a group, they will have been together for five years come next February 18th, placing their beginning right at the start of the slide toward the global pandemic and denying the standard slate of concerts, live performances, et cetera critical to launching a new idol group. But in spite of all the setbacks they have not only prevailed but are stronger than ever with a bright future surely yet to come.

When asked about what they really hope to do as a group in the coming years, Taisei mentioned that he wants to do a dome-class concert tour.

“Ever since Ae! group was formed, I've dared to say so openly,” he said. “Surprisingly few senior groups have done one, and you have to be a truly nationally-recognized star to do it.”

It’s certainly true that a dome tour requires making a name for oneself beyond the scope of your own fans, but the opposite is also true. When a name is known and announced alongside a dome tour, it draws people in with curiosity, and this level of cyclical recognition is what Taisei strives for Ae! group to achieve one day.

“Beyond our ambitions here in Japan, what I would also like to do is to go overseas, even if it’s just to small livehouses,” Taisei continued. “When I look at other Japanese artists who are active in foreign countries, I see what they experience can be applied in Japan too, so it’s a win-win for growth.”

The Sphere in Las Vegas is also a place he dreams to perform in one day. “Seeing footage of U2 play in such a beautiful venue made my heart skip a beat, and I really wish I had been there to experience it.”

“Also, I want to do something that I can't do in Japan, such as one-man gigs or our very own outdoor festival,” he continued. Festivals like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival are also places he indicated he'd like to perform at one day, especially having had a taste with the INAZUMA ROCK FES. 2023 not too long ago. 

“We want people from all walks of life to know about us,” Taisei said. “We want to challenge ourselves to expand throughout Japan, but not be limited by our own borders.”

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When Ae! group is playing their band segments, Taisei takes charge of the bass. The underlying tones and supporting chords echo through each performance and are often overshadowed by intricate guitar chords or melodic keyboard tunes. However, that does not stop Taisei from giving it his all, often seen running from one side of the stage to the other.

To be as expressive as he is on stage, he’s doing his best to practice. Among the things he does to get better is to go back to the basics, like playing the same part over and over again with increasing tempo to teach himself to keep up, as many of their songs are rather fast. He also pays special attention to the drums.

“I can play one song without a problem, but if I play about 10 songs in a row, my hands get so tired, which is my current biggest issue,” he said. “I can tell how fast or slow I am by listening to the drums, and if I’m slightly ahead of the drums, I am able to slow myself down. It’s not an easy thing to do, but I hope I’m able to improvise more on the spot.”

Taisei doesn’t just concentrate on playing the bass well but on the performance and group dynamic as a whole. Whether you’re watching him or anyone else closely in Ae! group, they aim to be entertainment for all.

It’s hard to not get captivated by his passionate playing as you watch him shine on stage.

Their original song PRIDE has been viewed over 10 million times on YouTube and is considered one of their strongest weapons as a rock band. It’s their pride, and just that is enough for them.

The worldwide release of Saitama Host Club brings with it a modest yet significant step towards realizing his and Ae! group’s dreams. People all over the world, their fans and strangers alike, will be able to join together on a journey filled with passion, determination, and pride. Where there's a will, there's a way, and Taisei is the definition of just that.

“When I first started my idol activities, I never thought that people from all over the world would watch me,” Taisei said. “I never imagined a world where this kind of entertainment would spread like it has.”

He loves to see people engage with and enjoy their YouTube videos, even if it’s in languages he doesn’t know. What brings him happiness is the fact they are delivering entertainment to all over the world. “I am happy to realize that we have global fans even after only a few years of activity. It's a warm feeling. It is a moment when I am glad that we do what we do.”

And for all the fans who weren't able to see them during the national tour, they hope to reach them one day. “We want to work harder and expand the scale of what we can do in Japan, and at some point through a world tour as well. Although there’s never any guarantee we will be able to do all that, we will definitely try out best, and appreciate your support toward that end,” Taisei said.

Ae! group treasures their fans, and the bond between them is something very special. They want their fans to keep asking for them, to keep asking them to do things. They want to hear everyone’s voices, respond to them, and go even further.

“We would like to become a group that moves,” Taisei said.

Certainly, a group that will go with PRIDE.

Enjoy their live performance cover of senpai group Kanjani∞’s T.W.L, now available on the Junior CHANNEL on YouTube! Don’t miss their weekly variety videos as well, uploaded every Tuesday at 8:00pm JST!