David Farnor | On 16, Dec 2019

Netflix is marking the 20th anniversary of the band ARASHI with a new documentary series.

Since its 1999 debut, ARASHI has achieved unprecedented success, racking up a total CD sales of 40 million and performing in concerts in excess of 14 million people. It has broken record after record and cemented its place as Japan’s top boy band. In January 2019, the band – Masaki Aiba, Jun Matsumoto, Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Ohno and Sho Sakurai – announced that it would pause group activities after 2020, 20 years since the group was formed. After the announcement, ARASHI has been more active than ever. For the first time, ARASHI started social media accounts on five platforms and released all of its singles for worldwide streaming online. The band also recently completed a two-day Jet Storm tour to four Asian cities, including Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok, and Taipei.

Titled ARASHI’s Diary – Voyage, Netflix’s series will combine archive footage with giving viewers a look at ARASHI’s historic final year before the hiatus. The series will offer an in-depth look at the band’s rise to fame, what it takes to be Japan’s biggest boy band and a revealing look behind the scenes as their hiatus edges closer.

Episodes of the show will follow ARASHI up until their hiatus on 31st December 2020, and are scheduled for monthly release for 12 months. Episode 1 will premiere on 31st December 2019. It will be directed by Yosuke Harada.

Matsumoto says: “Why did we decide to stop the band at the end of 2020, which marks the 20 year anniversary of the start of ARASHI?
We’d like to tell, as well as show, what we’ll be thinking and feeling when that moment arrives for every fan through the next year. I can’t imagine how this next year will unfold as this journey comes to an end. However, I know the series will depict us, in the flesh, in a way fans have never seen before. Teaming up with Netflix means the show will stream in 190 countries. I think it’d be great if people who aren’t familiar with us can see the kind of entertainment that exists in Japan. Hopefully, it’ll give them the chance to come in contact with the culture and humanity you see in Japan.”

 

ARASHI’s Diary – Voyage: Season 1 is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

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