[Kame Appreciation - Day 6] Primer to Kame Slash part 3 (Pikame)
Jin's Primer to Kame Slash, part 3 (Pikame)
Revised: February 10, 2006
The usual disclaimer: This post is for those who are absolutely new to the JE fandom. The information is especially geared towards those who wish to write Kame slash.
All this information (and pictures) I gathered come from many different sources whose locations I can no longer pinpoint except for some. To be sure, however, a lot of "facts" are straight from the fans themselves so I cannot guarantee the accuracy. Moreover, when I move on to behaviour and things that are really more perceptual than anything, my love for Kame will color my judgement. But at least I'm calling myself on that.
I am not in any way affiliated with Johnny's Entertainment or any of its members.
Any pictures and links that their respective owners want taken down will be taken down upon request.
Primer to Kame Slash:
Part 1 - General Info, Timeline, and the Slashing of T-TUN
Part 2 - Akame
----------------------------------
Pikame is the combi name of Yamashita Tomohisa (Yamapi) and, of course, Kamenashi Kazuya.
In a picture Pikame is...
XD
Who the hell is Yamapi?
If you don't know Yamapi then you must be fairly new to the Japanese drama and music scene. Yamapi is likely one of the most popular Johnny's member among the younger generation of Johnny's. He has acted in many dramas. I recently found out that he was in a movie with Aiba (of Arashi) where they almost kiss. Before leading the pop group NewS, he was part of the Johnny's Jr. group called 4Tops (because they were the top Juniors and there was four of them).
My personal opinion on Yamapi...is that...he's alright. *LOL* No! I mean, I think he's very adorable. He was very endearing as Akira. I think he's a very good dancer too. I'm still undecided on his voice. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Yamapi was born April 9, 1985 so he's about a year older than Kame.
As for Yamapi's personality, I really don't understand the boy. He seems childish at times (Nobuta special 12/10). Sometimes, he doesn't seem like he's all there. While filming and his already in his place but the director has yet to say action, he tilts his head towards the sky, with his eyes closed or fidgeting from one foot to the other (NaruTomo 12/15-12/16). Is it some sort of ritual in between quick cuts?
Sometimes he seems shy around the camera. He slurs/mumbles his words often. Something that I particularly like about Pi though is that he makes this sing-song voice quite a few times. Like elongating the syllables in someone's name: "Ka~zu~yaaaa~~~" It's endearing...or it could be annoying. He doesn't raise his voice often though. When I've seen him joke around with his friends, he is one of the calmer ones. I think he's as much a professional as Kazuya (only that Kazuya is better at handling himself in a public arena than Pi).
Pikame History
Yamapi actually joined JE in September of 1999 so he and Kame must have grown up together. Does that mean they're friends? Er.... I don't know. The impression I initially got was that they were just friends because Jin was both their friend. I'm not sure. However, if you look at these pictures (taken from this post that suguishi posted at pikame), it seems that they were (at the very least) friends when they were much younger. (But my slash-vision tells me there's more going on there. XD)
Yes, that is Pi sitting on Kame's lap. Aren't they cute?
The rest of KAT-TUN (and Jimmy Mackey) are up there too.
And this...
There are more pictures from the source but these are my favorites. For more, see: the post I mentioned above.
I really have no clue though how close they are on October 2005 but certainly by November they got even closer.
Because of:
Nobuta [W]O Produce
Nobuta O Produce is one of the best dramas I've seen and, no, not just because Kame is in it but, seriously, I cannot imagine anyone else filling the role of Shuji other than Kame. That was really great casting.
Nobuta O Produce is about this girl, Kotani Nobuko (Horikita Maki), who enters a new school. She's likely the most awkward and unusual girl you've ever seen. Unkempt, oily hair. Always looking down. Walking either too fast or too slow. Stuttering. She just seems so uncomfortable around people. She gets bullied really really badly. Nobuta O Produce is also about Kiritani Shuji (Kame *pets the shiny*) who sees the world in one of the most cynical ways I know. For him, whoever gets too emotionally attached loses at life. So he pretends to be buddies with everyone. He pretends that he's the coolest and nicest guy at school, who will help you whenever you're in need but, in the back of his mind, he actually sees his classmates as immature little kids. The drama also features Kusano Akira (Yamapi *gives lolli*). Akira seems like a slacker idiot junkie. <--Yes, he is all that. He waves his arms around (as if he's some sort of bird) while he goes down the stairs. Actually, Akira has problems of his own including violent clashes with his father.
These three radically different individuals somehow band together to make Nobuko's life at school a little better. Shuji and Akira intend to "produce" her like some sort of pop idol. I won't spoil the story for you but this drama, at the core, is about emotional growth and true friendship.
*sniffles* Made me cry. There are so many poignant moments in it.
And Kame totally rocks!!! *LOL*
He was just amazing. I usually judge someone's acting by how much they can convince me of their role (and if I don't gag while watching them). Kame was Shuji...through and through. Which, now that I think about it, scares me. But Shuji was able to grow...oop! Spoilers. XDD
So Yamapi and Kame were in a Drama Together. Big Deal.
Yeah. I mean, Teppei and Kame were in Gokusen together, you don't see me slashing them...but now that I think about it.... XDD Kidding!
It would be so simple, wouldn't it? If it were just another drama. But see, in Nobuta O Produce, Akira is something of a...hmmm...hmmm...how do I describe Akira?
How's this for an explanation?
That would be Episode 5 of Nobuta O Produce. As you can probably tell, the drama forced Yamapi to be overly affectionate with Kame. I suppose in that environment--and when I say that I mean this environment...
check the hands...
Also see: Nobuta 06 animated gif
*cough* In an environment like that, you and your co-star would either have to bond (to some degree) to make the working place more comfortable to work in or just be awkward around each other.
I think Kame and Yamapi bonded because by November 13, Yamapi was waving to Kame (who was on the big screen during a pre-recorded message), saying in an adorable affectionate tone, "Kazuyaaa~~!"
Not Kame or Kamenashi. It's Kazuyaaa~~~! *LOL* See: Yuto as Mr. X (Shounen Club). Just be warned that when Kame appears on the big screen the girls just scream their heads off. I'm happy he's got lots of fans though.
*Sidenote* Interestingly enough, Ryo was...nah! I'll talk about that in the 4th and final part (rest of JE x Kame *LOL*).
By the end of their drama series, Yamapi felt comfortable enough with Kame to do this:
No, that is not part of the drama. They were being interviewed as themselves. So that's not Akira hugging Shuji. That's actually Pi hugging Kame. It wasn't really a hug (per say). He was demonstrating to the interviewer what his teacher on the show did to him out of the blue...or something. But that he would be comfortable enough to do that to Kame says something about how well they must get along.
And I suppose nothing brings two people closer than a shared success. Certainly Nobuta had high ratings but an achievement that Pi and Kame alone share is the success of Seishun Amigo.
I didn't know they were Spanish...
Seishun Amigo is the ending theme of Nobuta sung by Yamapi and Kame. As the title indicates it is about friendship (with random Spanish thrown in the lyrics). They temporarily formed the duo Shuji to Akira (Shuji and Akira), meaning it's outside of their groups. It's just them. And they released a CD single together containing "Seishun Amigo," "Colorful" (which is Yamapi's solo from NewS), and "Kizuna" (Kame's solo from KAT-TUN). The single went on to be the first and only single of the year to sell a million copies and became #1 in the Oricon charts for the year 2005. It's a pretty big thing. I personally think that this is just an indication that should KAT-TUN release an album, it'll be big. I mean, see what happens when only one of them makes a CD? How much more if it were all six? XD
More indications of their closeness occured during the Music Station Super Live (2005) where Kame makes the kon-kon sign (you'll understand what I mean when you see Nobuta but it looks something like this \m/ ) and Pi does the same afterwards. At that time they were supposed to be at opposite ends and then go to the stage together (see: Shuji to Akira @ Music Station Super Live 2005). So cute because when they finally meet up, Pi has this look like, "Oh. There you are." And proceeds to put an arm around Kame as they turn to face the camera but the video suddenly switches to the audience. Why?! Why?! You only get a split second of Pikame-ness. But it was there.
Actually, I read that this might have been a precautionary maneuver by the Music Station producers because at the beginning of the show KAT-TUN performed and there was so much yaoi fanservice (KokixJin, NakamaruXKame, KokixKame). They must have been scared that Kame and Pi would do something as...er, scandalous. Dude, Koki went down on Kame. Of course, they were clothed but he was kneeling in front of Kame, in front of his crotch area. Wanna see? XDD Here's the clip from YouTube: KAT-TUN @ Music Station Super Live 2005
Long before Seishun Amigo, however, I think people already realized that Yamapi and Kame could sing well together. Watch this clip: NewS & KAT-TUN (Baby Blue). I really want that song. No, I'm serious.
In Ojyamanpou (11/19/2005), the camera caught Yamapi resting his head on Kame's lap while Kame cleaned his ear. Purely for Publicity? I don't know but I like the way that Pi held on to Kame's leg.
In the Pikame Fanlisting, they enumerated a couple of reasons why Kame and Yamapi are so easy to pair up.
This is Akira making kissy faces at Shuji.
I just recommend that people watch Nobuta to see for themselves if Kame and Yamapi have any chemistry (as well as see a lot of Shuji and Akira glomping, hugging, touching and general slashiness). To be honest, I like to pair the two, either as Shuji and Akira or as themselves. PiKame has a couple of interpretations. It could be of two guys rekindling something from younger years that never got a chance to grow. Or they could be undergoing something new altogether. It will be interesting to see when the line between the drama and real life began to blur. When did Pi feel comfortable enough to just grab Kame like he did @ that Dec. 10 Nobuta special? Was it a conscious change? There have been few PiKame fics though. It's too bad, especially with Kame still growing up into a finer man. Seriously. I too forget that he's only 19. He still has 2 years of considerable dramatic physical change. (It's 21 for guys, right? Or did I hear wrong?)
Another interpretation, but this one I've actually read from a fic, has the two as rivals.
As for the AkiraxShuji pairing, let me just show you this:
The PiKame ship-ing seems to have stopped/slowed down considerably now that Nobuta is over. *is a little saddened by that*
Where to find Pikame
++ pikame
++ kamepi
++ Route 357 - the website of J and R, writers of Pikame (and RyoxKame XD)
++ dreamin_blood - the ficjournal of touichi who also write predominantly PiKame or AkiraxShuji
++ Johnny's Pretty Boys - this site has many, many clips. Go to the Shuji to Akira section and download the Pikame Love Packs at the very least. Look for Kame with a tiny guitar. *LOL* Adorable.
++ Nobuta O Produce Episodes @ D-Addicts - Bittorrent download of the episodes and certain specials
++ KAME APPRECIATION MONTH @ altiui
Off topic Kame Rant:
Kame was beautiful in Nobuta. In fact, I made over 60 screencaps of Kame for just one episode. I thought at first that I would hate the long hair but I so adore it now. Because, look:
*bangs head on table* I am getting worse and worse everyday. *stares at Kame's wavy locks of utter loveliness* *bangs head on table again*
More Kame screencaps... (oh you pretty, pretty little thing you)
I need to stop or this page will take forever to load. Just one more...
Kame pretending to be the girl.
And this absolute last one:
I love it when his eyes disappear when he's happy.
This is partly the reason why I'm starting to adore Yamapi. Perhaps its because I'm watching a lot of Nobuta Behind the Scenes and perhaps because it's such a sad time for Akame, but I've found out that Kame laughs/smiles a lot like that in front of Yamapi.
Well, that's it. Bicycle! Bye-Bye-cycle!
Revised: February 10, 2006
The usual disclaimer: This post is for those who are absolutely new to the JE fandom. The information is especially geared towards those who wish to write Kame slash.
All this information (and pictures) I gathered come from many different sources whose locations I can no longer pinpoint except for some. To be sure, however, a lot of "facts" are straight from the fans themselves so I cannot guarantee the accuracy. Moreover, when I move on to behaviour and things that are really more perceptual than anything, my love for Kame will color my judgement. But at least I'm calling myself on that.
I am not in any way affiliated with Johnny's Entertainment or any of its members.
Any pictures and links that their respective owners want taken down will be taken down upon request.
Primer to Kame Slash:
Part 1 - General Info, Timeline, and the Slashing of T-TUN
Part 2 - Akame
----------------------------------
Pikame is the combi name of Yamashita Tomohisa (Yamapi) and, of course, Kamenashi Kazuya.
In a picture Pikame is...
XD
Who the hell is Yamapi?
If you don't know Yamapi then you must be fairly new to the Japanese drama and music scene. Yamapi is likely one of the most popular Johnny's member among the younger generation of Johnny's. He has acted in many dramas. I recently found out that he was in a movie with Aiba (of Arashi) where they almost kiss. Before leading the pop group NewS, he was part of the Johnny's Jr. group called 4Tops (because they were the top Juniors and there was four of them).
My personal opinion on Yamapi...is that...he's alright. *LOL* No! I mean, I think he's very adorable. He was very endearing as Akira. I think he's a very good dancer too. I'm still undecided on his voice. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Yamapi was born April 9, 1985 so he's about a year older than Kame.
As for Yamapi's personality, I really don't understand the boy. He seems childish at times (Nobuta special 12/10). Sometimes, he doesn't seem like he's all there. While filming and his already in his place but the director has yet to say action, he tilts his head towards the sky, with his eyes closed or fidgeting from one foot to the other (NaruTomo 12/15-12/16). Is it some sort of ritual in between quick cuts?
Sometimes he seems shy around the camera. He slurs/mumbles his words often. Something that I particularly like about Pi though is that he makes this sing-song voice quite a few times. Like elongating the syllables in someone's name: "Ka~zu~yaaaa~~~" It's endearing...or it could be annoying. He doesn't raise his voice often though. When I've seen him joke around with his friends, he is one of the calmer ones. I think he's as much a professional as Kazuya (only that Kazuya is better at handling himself in a public arena than Pi).
Pikame History
Yamapi actually joined JE in September of 1999 so he and Kame must have grown up together. Does that mean they're friends? Er.... I don't know. The impression I initially got was that they were just friends because Jin was both their friend. I'm not sure. However, if you look at these pictures (taken from this post that suguishi posted at pikame), it seems that they were (at the very least) friends when they were much younger. (But my slash-vision tells me there's more going on there. XD)
Yes, that is Pi sitting on Kame's lap. Aren't they cute?
The rest of KAT-TUN (and Jimmy Mackey) are up there too.
And this...
There are more pictures from the source but these are my favorites. For more, see: the post I mentioned above.
I really have no clue though how close they are on October 2005 but certainly by November they got even closer.
Because of:
Nobuta [W]O Produce
Nobuta O Produce is one of the best dramas I've seen and, no, not just because Kame is in it but, seriously, I cannot imagine anyone else filling the role of Shuji other than Kame. That was really great casting.
Nobuta O Produce is about this girl, Kotani Nobuko (Horikita Maki), who enters a new school. She's likely the most awkward and unusual girl you've ever seen. Unkempt, oily hair. Always looking down. Walking either too fast or too slow. Stuttering. She just seems so uncomfortable around people. She gets bullied really really badly. Nobuta O Produce is also about Kiritani Shuji (Kame *pets the shiny*) who sees the world in one of the most cynical ways I know. For him, whoever gets too emotionally attached loses at life. So he pretends to be buddies with everyone. He pretends that he's the coolest and nicest guy at school, who will help you whenever you're in need but, in the back of his mind, he actually sees his classmates as immature little kids. The drama also features Kusano Akira (Yamapi *gives lolli*). Akira seems like a slacker idiot junkie. <--Yes, he is all that. He waves his arms around (as if he's some sort of bird) while he goes down the stairs. Actually, Akira has problems of his own including violent clashes with his father.
These three radically different individuals somehow band together to make Nobuko's life at school a little better. Shuji and Akira intend to "produce" her like some sort of pop idol. I won't spoil the story for you but this drama, at the core, is about emotional growth and true friendship.
*sniffles* Made me cry. There are so many poignant moments in it.
And Kame totally rocks!!! *LOL*
He was just amazing. I usually judge someone's acting by how much they can convince me of their role (and if I don't gag while watching them). Kame was Shuji...through and through. Which, now that I think about it, scares me. But Shuji was able to grow...oop! Spoilers. XDD
So Yamapi and Kame were in a Drama Together. Big Deal.
Yeah. I mean, Teppei and Kame were in Gokusen together, you don't see me slashing them...but now that I think about it.... XDD Kidding!
It would be so simple, wouldn't it? If it were just another drama. But see, in Nobuta O Produce, Akira is something of a...hmmm...hmmm...how do I describe Akira?
How's this for an explanation?
That would be Episode 5 of Nobuta O Produce. As you can probably tell, the drama forced Yamapi to be overly affectionate with Kame. I suppose in that environment--and when I say that I mean this environment...
check the hands...
Also see: Nobuta 06 animated gif
*cough* In an environment like that, you and your co-star would either have to bond (to some degree) to make the working place more comfortable to work in or just be awkward around each other.
I think Kame and Yamapi bonded because by November 13, Yamapi was waving to Kame (who was on the big screen during a pre-recorded message), saying in an adorable affectionate tone, "Kazuyaaa~~!"
Not Kame or Kamenashi. It's Kazuyaaa~~~! *LOL* See: Yuto as Mr. X (Shounen Club). Just be warned that when Kame appears on the big screen the girls just scream their heads off. I'm happy he's got lots of fans though.
*Sidenote* Interestingly enough, Ryo was...nah! I'll talk about that in the 4th and final part (rest of JE x Kame *LOL*).
By the end of their drama series, Yamapi felt comfortable enough with Kame to do this:
No, that is not part of the drama. They were being interviewed as themselves. So that's not Akira hugging Shuji. That's actually Pi hugging Kame. It wasn't really a hug (per say). He was demonstrating to the interviewer what his teacher on the show did to him out of the blue...or something. But that he would be comfortable enough to do that to Kame says something about how well they must get along.
And I suppose nothing brings two people closer than a shared success. Certainly Nobuta had high ratings but an achievement that Pi and Kame alone share is the success of Seishun Amigo.
I didn't know they were Spanish...
Seishun Amigo is the ending theme of Nobuta sung by Yamapi and Kame. As the title indicates it is about friendship (with random Spanish thrown in the lyrics). They temporarily formed the duo Shuji to Akira (Shuji and Akira), meaning it's outside of their groups. It's just them. And they released a CD single together containing "Seishun Amigo," "Colorful" (which is Yamapi's solo from NewS), and "Kizuna" (Kame's solo from KAT-TUN). The single went on to be the first and only single of the year to sell a million copies and became #1 in the Oricon charts for the year 2005. It's a pretty big thing. I personally think that this is just an indication that should KAT-TUN release an album, it'll be big. I mean, see what happens when only one of them makes a CD? How much more if it were all six? XD
More indications of their closeness occured during the Music Station Super Live (2005) where Kame makes the kon-kon sign (you'll understand what I mean when you see Nobuta but it looks something like this \m/ ) and Pi does the same afterwards. At that time they were supposed to be at opposite ends and then go to the stage together (see: Shuji to Akira @ Music Station Super Live 2005). So cute because when they finally meet up, Pi has this look like, "Oh. There you are." And proceeds to put an arm around Kame as they turn to face the camera but the video suddenly switches to the audience. Why?! Why?! You only get a split second of Pikame-ness. But it was there.
Actually, I read that this might have been a precautionary maneuver by the Music Station producers because at the beginning of the show KAT-TUN performed and there was so much yaoi fanservice (KokixJin, NakamaruXKame, KokixKame). They must have been scared that Kame and Pi would do something as...er, scandalous. Dude, Koki went down on Kame. Of course, they were clothed but he was kneeling in front of Kame, in front of his crotch area. Wanna see? XDD Here's the clip from YouTube: KAT-TUN @ Music Station Super Live 2005
Long before Seishun Amigo, however, I think people already realized that Yamapi and Kame could sing well together. Watch this clip: NewS & KAT-TUN (Baby Blue). I really want that song. No, I'm serious.
In Ojyamanpou (11/19/2005), the camera caught Yamapi resting his head on Kame's lap while Kame cleaned his ear. Purely for Publicity? I don't know but I like the way that Pi held on to Kame's leg.
In the Pikame Fanlisting, they enumerated a couple of reasons why Kame and Yamapi are so easy to pair up.
This is Akira making kissy faces at Shuji.
I just recommend that people watch Nobuta to see for themselves if Kame and Yamapi have any chemistry (as well as see a lot of Shuji and Akira glomping, hugging, touching and general slashiness). To be honest, I like to pair the two, either as Shuji and Akira or as themselves. PiKame has a couple of interpretations. It could be of two guys rekindling something from younger years that never got a chance to grow. Or they could be undergoing something new altogether. It will be interesting to see when the line between the drama and real life began to blur. When did Pi feel comfortable enough to just grab Kame like he did @ that Dec. 10 Nobuta special? Was it a conscious change? There have been few PiKame fics though. It's too bad, especially with Kame still growing up into a finer man. Seriously. I too forget that he's only 19. He still has 2 years of considerable dramatic physical change. (It's 21 for guys, right? Or did I hear wrong?)
Another interpretation, but this one I've actually read from a fic, has the two as rivals.
As for the AkiraxShuji pairing, let me just show you this:
The PiKame ship-ing seems to have stopped/slowed down considerably now that Nobuta is over. *is a little saddened by that*
Where to find Pikame
++ pikame
++ kamepi
++ Route 357 - the website of J and R, writers of Pikame (and RyoxKame XD)
++ dreamin_blood - the ficjournal of touichi who also write predominantly PiKame or AkiraxShuji
++ Johnny's Pretty Boys - this site has many, many clips. Go to the Shuji to Akira section and download the Pikame Love Packs at the very least. Look for Kame with a tiny guitar. *LOL* Adorable.
++ Nobuta O Produce Episodes @ D-Addicts - Bittorrent download of the episodes and certain specials
++ KAME APPRECIATION MONTH @ altiui
Off topic Kame Rant:
Kame was beautiful in Nobuta. In fact, I made over 60 screencaps of Kame for just one episode. I thought at first that I would hate the long hair but I so adore it now. Because, look:
*bangs head on table* I am getting worse and worse everyday. *stares at Kame's wavy locks of utter loveliness* *bangs head on table again*
More Kame screencaps... (oh you pretty, pretty little thing you)
I need to stop or this page will take forever to load. Just one more...
Kame pretending to be the girl.
And this absolute last one:
I love it when his eyes disappear when he's happy.
This is partly the reason why I'm starting to adore Yamapi. Perhaps its because I'm watching a lot of Nobuta Behind the Scenes and perhaps because it's such a sad time for Akame, but I've found out that Kame laughs/smiles a lot like that in front of Yamapi.
Well, that's it. Bicycle! Bye-Bye-cycle!