MORE Sept 2009 - The Scenery as Seen by Arashi - Sakurai Sho
The miracle that is right by your side - the scene as seen by the five members
Arashi welcomes their tenth anniversary this year. They are featured prominently in dramas, commercials, variety shows and performances. There are many who have said that they admire or feel comforted by the trust and friendship displayed by the five members. The older they become, the greater the popularity and attention they gather. “It’s definitely not a group which took short cuts. However, we’re proud to say that we took a detour in order to become who we are today.” Whilst every member has a charming personality, when the five of them come together they weld, with exquisite balance, an irresistible power. [lit: to split a bamboo all the way] The miracle which they chanced upon on the path which they travelled together and the scenery which they gazed upon is…?
As always, jesychan provides the most wonderful HQ scans.
SAKURAI SHO
Sakurai-kun - the mediator whose speech exudes intellect and whose eyes hold no doubt. On his own volition, he took on the role of a newscaster and a rapper, and it can be said that he is a “hard worker” [lit: a person who tries his best] who has opened up the path to a new idol. Could he be the “ideal boyfriend” for the readers of MORE?
Do you feel the growth that you and Arashi have experienced in the past ten years?
I think that the members and myself are too close such that I can’t realistically see how much we’ve changed. However, the growth we’ve experienced as a group will probably be equivalent to our growth as a person. For me, it was [the transition] from 17 to 27 years. As a kid who has turned into an adult, there were more things which I could do.
You’ve certainly taken on various challenges, especially in news casting and writing lyrics for your raps. That’s unlike anything we’ve seen from other idols so far. Was it very tough in the beginning?
It was something I wanted to do. When we first debuted it was because I wanted to do something which wasn’t typical of a Johnny, but now I’m able to ignore that and just do it for the sake of enjoyment. It’s precisely because we’re doing various projects like acting and singing that we can’t afford to cut corners in our work. There’s a strong desire to excel in what we do. We hope to not disappoint or lose out to the professionals in those fields.
Continuing from your role as a caster for the Beijing Olympics, it was interesting how you went into interviewing athletes!
Although the Olympics served as the impetus, I’m a person who hates doing something for the sake of doing it. So without being restricted by the situation, even if my schedule is really packed, I wanted to hear from them as best as I could. When I meet the athletes, I receive a stimulus in a positive way. They battle in an unforgiving field where victory and defeat are clearly defined, so even though they are of the same age they feel more grown up to me.
Although you have the image of being level-headed, you’re unexpectedly punished a great deal in variety programmes. (laughs)
That’s a side of me too! (laughs) I’m one of the older members, so I had to pull myself together. For now it’s alright, so I can afford to be natural and let that side of me come out. (laughs)
Well, to change the topic, do you have any thoughts of marriage now that you’re 27?
Of course. Recently my classmates have been getting married every month. However, more than marriage, I hope to have a family. As a man, I want to have the responsibility of looking after my wife and child. Although the time isn’t right now, I hope to do it someday.
Well, Sakurai-kun is the ideal boyfriend to our readers!
Really? But why doesn’t this [popularity] translate back to my personal life? (laughs)
Aiba-kun talks about Sakurai’s 10 years
It’s really presumptuous of me (since I’m younger) to talk about Sho-chan’s growth… (laughs) If I may say so, I really think it’s amazing of Sho-chan to affix his eyes on his goal with an unwavering attitude. He’s achieved his dream of being a news caster with an incredible spirit. I always think that it’s great how he shows a different face from the Sakurai Sho of Arashi in his news programmes.
Translator's note: Someone please tell me if this translation has been done by someone else already, if it hasn't I'll go on to translate the interviews for all the other members.