11 boys, zero confidence, one pandemic — somehow they opened the door anyway.
The documentary covers the first two years of JO1, an 11-member Japanese boy band formed from the audition television program Produce 101 Japan. The group was promised a spectacular career, but they were not confident they could make it. Selected based on votes by viewers, each member of JO1 has different experience in performing, including members who had never taken any vocal or dance lessons before. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world not long after the release of their debut single, Protostar, on March 4, 2020, and forced them to restrict their activities. Despite these difficulties, JO1 grew through daily vocal and dance lessons, promotional activities, and program recording. The film closely follows the group from the early stages of their debut to their long-awaited first live concert with an audience, titled 2021 JO1 Live "Open the Door", in November 2021.
Editing
Seamless pandemic timeline that hits different post-2020.
Production
Empty venue to screaming crowd — the payoff lands.
Director
Tetsuro Inagaki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
JO1 was Japan's first Produce 101 group, launching right as K-pop's global dominance made Japanese idol infrastructure look ancient. The documentary unintentionally captures an industry in existential panic.
Their debut single 'Protostar' dropped March 4, 2020 — literally days before Japan's first state of emergency. The members spent their 'debut week' in lockdown learning TikTok dances instead of performing.
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