Oen-High also as Oen-High: The Starting Line of Dreams (応援-HIGH 〜夢のスタートライン) is survival show created by YX LABELS. It will premiere on February 15, 2025. It will air every Friday at 14:30 PM (JST) on Nippon TV and Hulu. In the first episode, it was revealed that the debut group will consist of 7 contestants.[1]
Background[]
Hikaru and Gaku were contestants on HYBE Labels Japan's survival show &AUDITION - The Howling - but did not make the final debut lineup. Through videos uploaded to HYBE LABELS+ YouTube channel, it was revealed that Gaku and Hikaru were in the final stages for preparing to debut in a future group.[2]
On September 24, 2023, HYBE Labels Japan announced their upcoming boy group through the opening of their social media accounts on various platforms under the tentative name 24kumi (24組).[3] The first three members were revealed to be Gaku, Hikaru and Kyosuke.[2][4]
On October 12, it was announced that Hikaru would be changing his stage name to Haku.[5] On October 24, the members Kaiji and Reo were revealed through Twitter.[6][7]
On November 24, Ruka was revealed as a member.[8]
On December 24, Shin and Yuju were revealed as members.[9][10]
On February 2, 2025, YX LABELS has announced the launch of a new project to form a next-generation J-Pop boy group. To achieve this, an audition program titled "応援-HIGH ～夢のスタートライン～" will air starting February 15, 2025, every Saturday at 14:30 PM (JST) on Nippon TV. The show will consist of 8 episodes, each lasting 30 minutes. In this program, 11 participants between the ages of 15 and 22 will compete while also supporting each other as they pursue their dream of debuting in the music industry. Singer Jae Joong will serve as a mentor, and the hosts will be Kazuya Kojima from the comedy duo Unjash and Naoki Yasumura, a Nippon TV announcer. Additionally, after the TV broadcast, a full version of the program with exclusive unseen footage will be available on the streaming platform Hulu. Before the premiere, participant profiles and other content will be shared on the show's official social media accounts and the HYBE LABELS + YouTube channel. The eight trainees previously introduced as 24kumi will be participating in this program. The three remaining participants are Haru, Sota and Narumi.[11]
On February 6, individual profile photos of the contestants have been published on their SNS accounts. The following day, a profile video of them was released.[12]
On February 13, the trailer for Oen-High was released.[13]
On March 5, it was announced that Honda Hitomi had been added as an additional mentor. The show refers to the mentors as "pacemaker".[14][15]
Cast[]
Mentors/pacemakers[]
- Kim Jae Joong (Mission 1)
- Honda Hitomi (Mission 2)
MCs[]
- Kazuya Kojima
- Naoki Yasumura
Judges[]
- Kim Hyeon Ju (YX Labels A&R)
- Kim Su Rin (Creative Director)
- Yoon Jeong In (Performance Director)
- Cho Min Ji (Performance Director)
Contestants[]
| Name | Age | Prefacture | Position(s) | Training period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaku (雅久) |
20 | Nagano | Dancer | 4 years | Former &AUDITION - The Howling - contestant. |
| Haku (ハク) |
19 | Gunma | Visual & Dancer | 3 years and 6 months | Classical ballet background. Former &AUDITION - The Howling - contestant. |
| Haru (晴) |
19 | Aichi | All-rounder | 6 months | Finalist in MEN'S NON-NO MODEL AUDITION 2023. |
| Kaiji (海志) |
18 | Hokkaido | Dancer | 1 year and 4 months | N/A |
| Kyosuke (京助) |
19 | Kanagawa | Performance | 1 year and 11 months | N/A |
| Narumi (成満) |
15 | Hokkaido | All-rounder | 6 months | Youngest contestant. |
| Reo (礼央) |
17 | Miyagi | Vocalist | 4 years | N/A |
| Ruka (琉楓) |
21 | Miyazaki | Performance | 2 years | Trained at EXPG Miyazaki. Former iCON Z ~Dreams For Children~ contestant. |
| Shin (シン) |
21 | Chiba | All-rounder | 2 years | N/A |
| Sota (颯太) |
19 | Tokyo | Vocalist | 6 months | N/A |
| Yuju (優樹) |
22 | Saitama | Vocalist & Visual | 1 year and 8 months | Oldest contestant. Former member of the Jpop boy group VOYZ BOY. He graduated from the group on November 30, 2021. Actor on the "1518! Ichi Go Ichi Hachi!" stage play adaptation. |
Missions[]
Mission 1: Singal Song MV Race[]
The contestants compete to get the highest rank in the singal song and the music video.
| Rank | Part | Contestant | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 2 | Episode 3 | ||||
| High Rank | A (Center) | Yuju | Kyosuke | Mid-ranked Runner | |
| B | N/A | Ruka | Mid-ranked Runner | 2nd Ace | |
| C | N/A | Sota | Mid-ranked Runner | ||
| D | N/A | Gaku[n 1] | Mid-ranked Runner | Ace | |
| Mid Rank | E | N/A | Yuju | Mid-ranked Runner | |
| F | N/A | Haku | Potential Dropout Runner | ||
| G | N/A | Shin | Potential Dropout Runner | ||
| H | N/A | Narumi | Potential Dropout Runner | ||
| Low Rank | I | N/A | Reo | Mid-ranked Runner | |
| J | N/A | Kaiji | Mid-ranked Runner | ||
| K | N/A | Haru | Potential Dropout Runner | ||
Mission 2: Legend J-Pop Cover Race[]
In the second mission, units were formed, divided into a five-members team performing "DESIRE -Jounetsu-" by Nakamori Akina and a six-members team performing "Body & Soul" by SPEED. The ace and 2nd ace from the previous mission will be the leaders and will choose the members of their teams.
| Song | Unit Name | Contestants | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| "DESIRE -Jounetsu-" by Nakamori Akina |
TBA | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | TBA | ||
| "Body & Soul" by SPEED |
TBA | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | TBA |
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Gaku performed in the center position for the breakdance, which was originally of part C (Sota).
References[]
- ↑ Oen-High: Episode 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 YouTube: [24組] 하쿠 & 가쿠! 데뷔 멤버로 뽑혔습니다!
- ↑ @24kumi_hlj on Twitter (September 24, 2023)
- ↑ @24kumi_trainee on Twitter (September 24, 2023)
- ↑ @24kumi_hlj on Twitter (October 12, 2023)
- ↑ @24kumi_hlj on Twitter (October 24, 2023)
- ↑ @24kumi_hlj on Twitter (October 24, 2023)
- ↑ @24kumi_hlj on Twitter (November 24, 2023)
- ↑ @24kumi_hlj on Twitter (December 24, 2023)
- ↑ @24kumi_hlj on Twitter (December 24, 2023)
- ↑ (JP) Kstyle: HYBE LABELS JAPAN、新世代J-POPボーイズグループプロジェクト始動！2月15日より日本テレビでオーディション番組スタート
- ↑ @Oen_High_ on Twitter (February 7, 2025)
- ↑ @oen_high_ on TikTok (February 13, 2025)
- ↑ Nippon TV: Oen-High
- ↑ @hnd_htm__1006 on Twitter (March 8, 2025)