Can you believe there's stuff I left out of this?
[Warnings for this post: Some picspam, some 'spoilers' for the 8/01 Yokohama fancam'd concert, some 'spoilers' for Mago Mago Arashi #120 & #122, and G no Arashi #20. Please don't read on if you want to be surprised by the beautiful tardery or the fabulous gay. Also, this post is very long.]
- I may have been up far too late the other night, zombifying myself for the next day, but it was totally worth it for this video right here. Dane Cook! Has a single out! It's a serious song! Best Week Ever made a music video for it! I shrieked with laughter! So totally worth it.
- Why, why, why am I looking for scans/translations of Koisuru Boukun volume 4, chapters 4 and 5? Do I hate myself? Am I tired of not beating my head against the desk? Do I like being full of rage?
Apparently, the answer is 'yes'.
Aside from that, more boyband tardery.
♥ - This is so adorable. It's not even anything particularly huge, it's just Arashi being silly and yet hard working before their appearance, almost seemingly like they're goofing around as they all hang out together, but then you can see how much work they really do put into everything they do.
Part of the reason I find it so interesting, I think, is that I'm fascinated by what Arashi does with most of their day, when they're not in front of the cameras or actively working on something. They spend so much time just waiting around for something to start and you'll hear stories now and then (like how they'll make up dumb thumb games <3) but not a whole lot. Little glimpses like this are kind of fascinating to an uber-nerd like me. :<
♥ - TVPia 2007.09.05 interview translation from nyanchan and:
Q1. Please tell us about your XX Time!
Jun: I guess lately my daily routine is going home and watching the tv shows I have saved on my hard drive ne (laughs). It's relaxation Time, through and through. I record and watch various things, like [Yamada Tarou] and variety shows.
Aiba: Lately it's extremely long baths. Half-body bathing doesn't satisfy my anymore, so I'll take full body bath and be in there for about an hour. Conversely, it makes me feel tired, but the kind of sense of achievement is fun (laughs), it's refreshing Time.
.........................I'm sorry, did Aiba just say he's gotten into taking long baths lately?
Th-that's totally subtle, y-you guys.
a;sldfkjasdlkj TAKING EXTREMELY LONG BATHS AND, GOSH, I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE WOULD PICK UP AN IDEA/HABIT LIKE THAT.
It's like they're reading my mind. The only way that could be more awesome is if there were bathpuppets invovled. Or pictures. Lots and lots of pictures of Aiba and/or Jun in the bath. Pictures would be really, really nice. *___*<3
Oh, also:
Ohno: Lately it's always the live shows, other than that...sleep Time I guess. When I feel like sleeping I have the kind of constitution where I can sleep anytime, but the other day I was surprisingly able to do 2 live performances on only 2 hours of sleep (laughs).
Jesus Christ, Ohno. I know that your schedule gets insane sometimes, but only TWO HOURS OF SLEEP? N-not that that's your fault, I know. Just... jesus christ. ;____;
(Also, that photo shoot is one of my favorites for obvious reasons. Hello Aibajun fanservice and pinching in suspect places and Ohno's head in really suspect places on Matsujun.)
And from the Ginza 2007.09 interview with Jun, from a series of questionaire-type questions (they're all worth reading for more information on what Jun's like, nyanchan's right that he really does put a lot of thought into his answers, they're always really... well, they have a certain style to them that you can always tell is him, you can feel how he's searching around for the words to use because he has trouble expressing himself) and:
Q9. What is your current modest dream?
- I want to increase my book-reading speed.
A:SLKJASLASLKJ AHAHAHAHA JUN, YOU NERD. ILU.
A little further down the page, there's a summary of the Utada Hikaru Music Station thing (I've also seen on Jen's blog. <3) and it still charms me every time to read about Jun STARING at her to try to make her do the cute/embarassing move and she keeps comparing him to a manga character and how she felt like a mouse caught in the gaze of a snake and then as;dlfkjasld he says he thought it would help her and as;dlfkjaalkjs ILU MATSUJUN SO MUCH.
♥ - ....what the hell? I've read that twice now and I still don't get how the hell Arashi can be such a bunch of dorks over ice cream. But, god, I love them. Also, Ohno's entry is just... so adorable and cute. <3
♥ - I swear, I just get ridiculously excited about fybabe's picspam posts, she puts up some of the most fantastic scans, especially because a) she's a Jun fan and b) they're fairly rare images that hardly anyone else shares. I love her.
Especially when she posts concert picspam images with Aibajun, Ohno/Jun, and more Jun. alskfjalskfalsk *VIOLENTLY HEARTMARKS SO HARD*
(I've seen some of the images on Arashi@Vox's journal before, but fybabe tends to have more and slightly brighter colors, so I dearly love being able to see both. ...I-- I love fandom so much right now.)
♥ - asdflkjasdlasld MAGO MAGO ARASHI #120 SUBS. SO SO EXCELLENT. I was in the middle of the Yokohama fancams, but I had to put those on pause for this one omg. And watching that kid utterly destroy Jun's hair is just as great as the first time around. a;sldjasldkj the kid screaming YOU'RE A PANDA, then LEAPING ONTO JUN, and then DESTROYING HIS HAIR and I'm crying with laughter again.
Also, what the hell kind of games does Japan think up? "Hey look over there"? alsdjalsdfsd *cracks up*
For the most part, you can understand the gist of what they're doing if you've watched a few Totsugeki no Bangohan episodes before, but the subs do clear a lot of things up or make some things even funnier. I really liked the conversation the guest had with Jun during his turn to cook, since she didn't really have much to help him out with (which I love, because you can tell he really is good at cooking), so they talked about what kind of restaurants Jun would occasionally go to, that he liked the stand-eating soba place and then she asks, well, isn't that kind of a lot of trouble since you'd get recognized? That kind of life you lead.
And a;sdjasdlkj I love Jun because it's not like he's denying that he would get recognized (because of course he would and--I think?--he used to try to hide with the hat/sunglasses thing, but it was completely in vain because it was still obvious who he was) but that he considers it a happy thing and you can just tell how he doesn't consider it an incovenience because it means he has fans/supporters.
And then JUN. MATSUMOTO JUN. He said "I don't feel like losing today." and so he MADE THE KITCHEN SUPER MESSY. as;dlfjasldsklj JUN, NEVER EVER CHANGE, DO S-BANCHOU THAT YOU ARE.
AND OHNO.
*CRYING*
While cleaning the dishes, "I've gotten used to losing. I guess cha-han is no good. I've never won with cha-han."
"What are you going to make next time?" one of the staff asks.
"Cha-han!" Ohno immediately answers. I start crying with laughter. Of course. "I'm going to do cha-han until I win with it!"
.....n-never change, Ohno.
And apparently Jun's in a good mood after having won dinner, so he PINS THE KID DOWN AND TICKLES HIM WHILE THE KID TRIES TO WRIGGLE AWAY.
Y-yes.
That's what Jun does when he's in a good mood.
Excellent.
And OH MY GOD the talk afterwards was just as hilarious as I thought it would be. Aiba's acting out what he thinks is a really cute moment and so his scenario is, of course, a punishment game (at a school reunion where there's drinking) and a girl has to do an embarassing dance and which should she try to hide, her crotch or her face and asd;lfkjasdlj Aiba's all YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIDE EITHER. :D
*DYING*
I LOVE AIBA SO SO MUCH.
♥ - I was still making my way through the fancams (about 2/3rds of the way through the concert--I love Arashi and I love fandom for putting everything out, but sometimes it really is a bit much to keep up with and yet I LOVE IT ALL SO MUCH) when I had to stop for Mago Mago Arashi #122. (aatash has a summary up here that helps a lot. ♥) I always feel badly when the kids cry because they're unhappy and they're scared and they're not really sure what's going on and it's kind of uncomfortable to watch Arashi have no idea how to handle this, except...
Ohno is laughing at the poor kid wailing his lungs out and asdlfkjasldkj it wouldn't be funny except that he really is trying to get the kid to stop crying and the laughter is nervous laughter like HAHAHA OH MY GOD WHAT DO I DO MATSUJUN YOU ARE NOT HELPING and I kind of die with laughter.
(Also, Jun looks really, really pretty in this episode. I still miss his Bambino hair, but if he's going to keep looking like the prettiest girl in the world with the extensions, I suppose I can continue living with them. <3)
AND AND AND. OHNO DOES MAKE CHA-HAN AGAIN IN THIS EPISODE? ILU OHNO NEVER EVER CHANGE. ♥ (Not like there's much worry on that front.)
Then Ohno won't let the little girl help out with the food so she bursts into tears and Jun picks her up to go crowd into the kitchen with her and the little boy and they all start kicking Ohno because he wouldn't let her help. as;dlfkjasdlkfjsdlkj I want Ohno/Jun so badly.
I love Jun. He is such a terrible influence, especially when the little boy kicks Ohno really hard while Jun stands around and keeps kicking him too and then laughs about it. a;sdlfkjasl I love him so much. I love that Ohno doesn't even smack Jun back, that's totally why Jun loves Ohno right there, because Ohno tolerates his weirdness.
And you just know Jun was proud of that little girl for crying until she got her way.
And then a little kid BEATS UP MATSUJUN YET AGAIN. OH MY GOD I DIE SO HARD AT HOW LITTLE KIDS JUST TOTALLY OWN JUN SO HARD. SHE WAS JUST WALKING RIGHT BY HIM ON THE BACK OF THE SOFA AND JUST TOTALLY KNEED HIM IN THE FACE. *CRYING*
And he just makes adorable >_o faces as they destroy his perfect composure. I would seriously watch an episode every week of little kids crawling all over Jun and messing up his hair and SERIOUSLY ARASHI WHY WON'T YOU GUYS GO TO A PRESCHOOL TO TEACH LITTLE KIDS FOR A DAY? IT'D BE SO AWESOME.
They could stick glue in Jun's hair to destroy it and piledrive him onto the floor and make him play tea parties while the rest of Arashi alternately cooed at the cute scene or--if you're Nino--laugh themselves into a seizure in the corner.
The show is totally a tease this episode, too, because Ohno gets one vote (finally someone liked the cha-han!) and Jun gets one vote, so... who did the dishes this episode? I really want to know!
....god, Jun's pretty in the talk at the end of the episode. and a;lsd;alsjk WHAT THE HELL, NINO. *CRYING* Bu... but I'll hand it to Nino, Ohno DID stop crying after that. I mean, now I'm crying, but at least Ohno stopped.
♥ - Team STORMY also released G no Arashi #20 last night and it's one I'd seen raw before and I loved it because it basically goes like this: The G no Arashi staff decides it's a GREAT IDEA to give Aiba FIRECRACKERS to try to crack open an ostrich egg.
And when it doesn't work? They get MORE.
And when that doesn't work? They get EVEN MORE. So that the egg is completely taped up with firecrackers over every surface.
And then they give Aiba a lighter.
It's SO GREAT.
However, before they get into that, they have a studio experiment to do involving food. I was wondering if this was the episode where Aiba boiled eggs in various liquids and then made the rest of Arashi eat them, but no! Instead it's one where he's soaked a bunch of stuff in rice bran, I think? And one of them was a sort of sweet jelly paste thing. And when asked why the hell he chose that, Aiba answered, "No, see, sweet or salty, I wondered what kind of humming we'd get." (Humming is said in English, by the way.)
Jun gives him the most beautiful expression I have seen in ages:
I think Jun says, "Harmony?" in English like he CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE Aiba just said that and while I suspect Aiba did it on purpose, that the whole thing was staged, I still laughed out loud for, like, a minute and a half because I had the file paused on Jun's expression and it's SO GREAT.
I love Arashi so much sometimes. Aiba decides to grind some rice into a fine powder, then boil it, and make the rest of Arashi eat it. And it looks sort of like mochi and maybe it won't be so bad, despite that you should already know that anything ground up into a power and then boiled will NEVER taste good, but they try it anyway.
It's SO BAD that Jun can't get through a single bite of it without laughing so hard that Nino says he's crying and of course the rest of Arashi STILL TRY IT, Aiba making the most adorable OH MY GOD SO GROSS I AM DYING HERE XDDD face as he hands the bowl over to Nino while Jun bitches that it's SO BAD that if a professional ate this, he'd die with it sticking in his throat and asdlfkjasldj it still doesn't end there because Ohno takes a bit of it and everyone turns to look at him and he makes this great face as he tries to get the taste of it out of his mouth despite that Nino says it smells delicious and at this point I have to just give up, hit pause, and cry with laughter.
ILU ARASHI. I MISS THE G NO ARASHI DAYS NO MATTER HOW AWESOME YOU ARE NOW.
Especially when, having eaten the ground up boiled rice and knowing that it was the most god-awful thing ever, the VERY VERY LOGICAL NEXT STEP?
GET SOME DRIED SEAWEED, GRIND IT UP, POUR WATER INTO IT, AND EAT IT.
A++++++++++++ YOU GUYS.
(WHAT THE HELL, YOU GUYS. YOU LIKED IT? ....YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF DUMB, DUMB BOYS AND I LOVE YOU.)
And I love Sho's reaction to the remote experiment (wondering if the beam will reflect off a bald head and turn the television on/off) because it's like he's re-realizing these are his bandmates. When Aiba first introduces the experiment, Jun doesn't really even try to keep a straight face, he just cracks right up, while Sho's trying to be supportive at first--It's a very A no Arashi style experiment! Really!--and then they start talking about it and Nino very seriously says, well, of course it'll work and you can just kind of see Sho realizing OH MY GOD YOU GUYS YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SERIOUS OF COURSE IT WON'T WORK and it's beautiful, really. ;___;<3
AND THEN IT WORKED and Jun's got his arm around Ohno (shut up, I can fangirl that moment if I want to) and OHNO GETS GOOSEBUMPS and Sho's all OH MY GOD HOLY CRAP THAT'S AMAZING and I'm crying with laughter again. ;__;<3
You know, looking at these pictures, Nino looks kinda pissy and deliberately not looking at where Jun's got his arm around Nino and it really seems like Nino only gets pissy like that when it's Jun hanging all over Ohno. Partly because Jun's the only other one that hangs off Ohno regularly (or has Ohno hanging off him), but partly... well. >:D One wonders why Nino's bothered by Jun touching Ohno, but not the others. >:D
BUT THEN.
MY FAVORITE.
THE OSTRICH EGG AND THE FIRECRACKERS.
To demonstrate how hard the ostrich egg is (because it's much harder than a regular egg), he knocks it against his own head.
Jun lights up like a Christmas tree and goes to take the egg from Aiba's hands. Aiba sort of looks at him like a deer in the headlights while Jun goes :D :D :D :D at him.
Jun starts to lift the egg up and Sho's screaming NO NO IF MATSUMOTO DOES IT IT'LL BE TOO DANGEROUS! while Aiba can't quite seem to decide if he wants to back away, to protect his forehead, or try to grab the egg away from Jun. Mostly he puts his hands up in front of his face/head and blocks the egg as best he can.
Nino comes over to take the egg away from Jun and Jun reluctantly lets go of the egg until Aiba has Nino hold the egg while Ohno tries to punch it with his hand, since it won't break that way, either. Ohno does and hurts his hand and at this point I'm on the fucking floor because I'm not making any of this up or exaggerating it.
But awww COME ON GUYS THAT'S JUST HOW JUN SHOWS HIS LOVE FOR AIBA, BY TRYING TO CRACK ROCK-HARD EGGS OVER HIS HEAD. :D<3?
After that, I still can't believe they put Aiba anywhere near firecrackers and let him light the fuse. And I love it because Aiba tries to run away, slips on the floor, doesn't get nearly far enough away, and Jun and Ohno are practically giggling with laughter at this point (seriously, Ohno looks like he's going to start peeing his pants with laughter any minute now), and the very, very best thing that makes me shriek with so much laughter that I stopped making noise about ten minutes ago?
THEY LET HIM TRY AGAIN.
At least they gave him a longer fuse this time and asdfljasdlj of course Jun's giving him shit the entire time about having to wait and Aiba's about two seconds away from snapping IT'S FINE THIS WAY and then they finally go off and oh my god I love Arashi because they are giggling with laughter like a bunch of little school boys. This is why I love Arashi so much.
And finally they put THREE HUNDRED FIRECRACKERS ON THE EGG. THIS IS AIBA'S "FINAL WEAPON" AND OH MY GOD SERIOUSLY I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE YOU GUYS.
Especially not when even that didn't work and it barely scratched the egg, so they went to get a hammer and broke it open and then MADE A SUNNY SIDE UP FRIED EGG. Naturally, Arashi eats it.
And thinks it's delicious.
*gives up on them*
♥ - So far I've only watched the TIME 2007.08.01 Yokohoma concert fancam, but it was about three hours worth of footage and it took me a couple of days to get all the way through it. Between this and Mago Mago Arashi, I may need a short break for a bit.
I don't think I would recommend these files to anyone who's not a hardcore Arashi fangirl (since most of the stuff I talk about is usually stuff I'm sort of "recommending" in the sense that I found it interesting enough to talk about) because they're really good for a fancam, but they're still nowhere near DVD quality. I was actually really impressed with them, there was a remarkable amount of variety in the focus, the images were clear enough to almost always tell who was whom, and it gave a good idea of what being at one of the concerts was like. Not for the casual Arashi fan, but I'm really glad I watched this.
General thoughts/comments:
→ I love the black and yellow outfits. I love Jun's half-shirt, I love that Aiba is apparently now wearing a black sparkly feather boa, too. (Well, Sho's now looks more like a scarf. But I swear I saw Jun still wearing the black sparkly feather boa.)
→ I love Jun dancing around with his shirt open. While he still needs another sandwich and a basket of chilli cheese fries before I'm truly comfortable with him shirtless, it was just so damn fabulous that I fell in love all over again. (Seriously, that's some awesome gay, Matsujun. <3)
→ The rainbow ruffle ouftits are SO MUCH MORE AWESOME when you can see the whole thing OMFG.
→ The pink camoflage outfits and dancing were fantastic and so high energy and why I love Arashi. Especially Ohno and Jun dancing together and yes plz. They looked really, really good together and the twin backwards cartwheels were so great. Plus Nino + Sho + Aiba dancing together with the splits? Excellent. All of it was so much FUN.
→ One of the things I like best about the fancams is that you can hear the audience singing more than you can on the DVDs, it's kinda cool to get that perspective sometimes.
The MC:
[towards the end of part 2:] Did... did Nino just kiss Ohno's hand like a lady's? ...okay, I may ship that pairing more quietly, but holy crap, Ohmiya. Though, of course I've heard about way more gay things they've been doing lately, but it's different when you actually see it.
[towards the middle of part 3, about 19 minutes in:] I have no idea what the hell they were talking about in part three (what little I can usually glean from conversations was difficult for me here because it's so hard to hear what they're saying) or what Jun was demonstrating with Aiba, but when he scooted his chair over to be flush up against Aiba's side... well, I had to break out the screencaps for that. (Which I'd been trying to avoid because as good as a fancam as this is, they're not great for quality caps. But with this, I HAD to. ♥_♥) And Jun trying OH-SO-HARD to be TOTALLY CASUAL REALLY as he moved his chair back kind of cracked me up. Right. He's totally casual about touching Aiba and it's not like it affects him at all or anything.
Of course not.
Yabai Yabai Yabai:
Jun's solo is a thing of girly, sparkly, egotastic BEAUTY and really grows on me the more I hear/watch it. VIVA MYSELF is still so, so super-great.
And every time I see him perform it in concert, I get more impressed. It's just so... Jun. And, I mean, Jesus Christ, it looks so goddamned dangerous, no matter how safe I'm sure it actually is. He's just looping his arm and foot through ONE wire as he swings across the stage! I do love the Juniors dacing below as they worship their fairy princess leader swinging back and forth, though. It's AWESOME.
I know Arashi was kind of disappointed at all the attention on Jun this tour, but after seeing this, I kind of don't blame the press. This was really kinda impressive, it really had a tremendous impact/punch. (I still feel badly for Jun a little, though. It's not like he asks/wants to take attention away from the others.)
Song For Me:
This is another solo that's really growing on me. The song took awhile to seep into my brain, but it's getting there and Ohno's performance of it is the same way. The first time, I liked it a lot, but it didn't hit me that hard. The second time I saw it, maybe it was a clearer angle so I could better see him, but... yeah, it's sort of a given that Ohno's dancing will be fantastic, but it really is. I love Ohno lots and lots. <3
Cry For You:
This one is awesome and I love Arashi ridiculous amounts. There's not much else I can really say to that. ♥ Except. As if it weren't great enough, Jun's got a fabulous headwrap for this performance. Purple outfits and green lasers and red lights and Ohno & Nino doind backflips and it's not like it's a revolutionary performance or concept (actually, I've seen this kind of performance many times with a lot of groups), but I love it dearly anyway.
Sakura Sake:
Sakura Sake was a really great song for me to watch in this because you can just feel the energy and how much they rev up the crowd. And, as much as I like (or LOL at) the more elaborate performances, there's something really great about watching them on a moving stage with a bunch of backup dancers as they bop along to the music and get the crowd singing along.
We Can Make It:
[towards the end of part 4, at about 26:15:] Reasons why it pays off (for me) to always pay way too much attention to Jun in any given setting, even if he's in the background: During the very beginning of We Can Make It, just after Jun sings the opening solo (rather badly--ILU anyway Matsujun! to ridiculous amounts!) and Ohno starts the next part, a couple of moments later, Jun sidles over to kick Aiba in the leg for something. Whatever Aiba is laughing at (he seems to find something in the audience funny? but I would also accept him laughing at Jun, who kicked him for it--except that Jun's laughing, too, when he turns back to the audience/Ohno, which makes me think they were laughing at something else) and THAT is what being a TINHAT is all about.
That five seconds of Jun looking over at Aiba, going over to kick him in the ankle for whatever reason, and IT IS A SIGN OF THEIR TRUE LOVE because that's how Jun shows affection to the ones he loves--beating on them, but not actually killing them. ♥ And then totally using that as ~*~PROOF~*~ of their totally, totally ~*~TRU GAY LUV~*~. XD
Also, Nino dorking out over to the side is HILARIOUS.
- I may have been up far too late the other night, zombifying myself for the next day, but it was totally worth it for this video right here. Dane Cook! Has a single out! It's a serious song! Best Week Ever made a music video for it! I shrieked with laughter! So totally worth it.
- Why, why, why am I looking for scans/translations of Koisuru Boukun volume 4, chapters 4 and 5? Do I hate myself? Am I tired of not beating my head against the desk? Do I like being full of rage?
Apparently, the answer is 'yes'.
Aside from that, more boyband tardery.
♥ - This is so adorable. It's not even anything particularly huge, it's just Arashi being silly and yet hard working before their appearance, almost seemingly like they're goofing around as they all hang out together, but then you can see how much work they really do put into everything they do.
Part of the reason I find it so interesting, I think, is that I'm fascinated by what Arashi does with most of their day, when they're not in front of the cameras or actively working on something. They spend so much time just waiting around for something to start and you'll hear stories now and then (like how they'll make up dumb thumb games <3) but not a whole lot. Little glimpses like this are kind of fascinating to an uber-nerd like me. :<
♥ - TVPia 2007.09.05 interview translation from nyanchan and:
Q1. Please tell us about your XX Time!
Jun: I guess lately my daily routine is going home and watching the tv shows I have saved on my hard drive ne (laughs). It's relaxation Time, through and through. I record and watch various things, like [Yamada Tarou] and variety shows.
Aiba: Lately it's extremely long baths. Half-body bathing doesn't satisfy my anymore, so I'll take full body bath and be in there for about an hour. Conversely, it makes me feel tired, but the kind of sense of achievement is fun (laughs), it's refreshing Time.
.........................I'm sorry, did Aiba just say he's gotten into taking long baths lately?
Th-that's totally subtle, y-you guys.
a;sldfkjasdlkj TAKING EXTREMELY LONG BATHS AND, GOSH, I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE WOULD PICK UP AN IDEA/HABIT LIKE THAT.
It's like they're reading my mind. The only way that could be more awesome is if there were bathpuppets invovled. Or pictures. Lots and lots of pictures of Aiba and/or Jun in the bath. Pictures would be really, really nice. *___*<3
Oh, also:
Ohno: Lately it's always the live shows, other than that...sleep Time I guess. When I feel like sleeping I have the kind of constitution where I can sleep anytime, but the other day I was surprisingly able to do 2 live performances on only 2 hours of sleep (laughs).
Jesus Christ, Ohno. I know that your schedule gets insane sometimes, but only TWO HOURS OF SLEEP? N-not that that's your fault, I know. Just... jesus christ. ;____;
(Also, that photo shoot is one of my favorites for obvious reasons. Hello Aibajun fanservice and pinching in suspect places and Ohno's head in really suspect places on Matsujun.)
And from the Ginza 2007.09 interview with Jun, from a series of questionaire-type questions (they're all worth reading for more information on what Jun's like, nyanchan's right that he really does put a lot of thought into his answers, they're always really... well, they have a certain style to them that you can always tell is him, you can feel how he's searching around for the words to use because he has trouble expressing himself) and:
Q9. What is your current modest dream?
- I want to increase my book-reading speed.
A:SLKJASLASLKJ AHAHAHAHA JUN, YOU NERD. ILU.
A little further down the page, there's a summary of the Utada Hikaru Music Station thing (I've also seen on Jen's blog. <3) and it still charms me every time to read about Jun STARING at her to try to make her do the cute/embarassing move and she keeps comparing him to a manga character and how she felt like a mouse caught in the gaze of a snake and then as;dlfkjasld he says he thought it would help her and as;dlfkjaalkjs ILU MATSUJUN SO MUCH.
♥ - ....what the hell? I've read that twice now and I still don't get how the hell Arashi can be such a bunch of dorks over ice cream. But, god, I love them. Also, Ohno's entry is just... so adorable and cute. <3
♥ - I swear, I just get ridiculously excited about fybabe's picspam posts, she puts up some of the most fantastic scans, especially because a) she's a Jun fan and b) they're fairly rare images that hardly anyone else shares. I love her.
Especially when she posts concert picspam images with Aibajun, Ohno/Jun, and more Jun. alskfjalskfalsk *VIOLENTLY HEARTMARKS SO HARD*
(I've seen some of the images on Arashi@Vox's journal before, but fybabe tends to have more and slightly brighter colors, so I dearly love being able to see both. ...I-- I love fandom so much right now.)
♥ - asdflkjasdlasld MAGO MAGO ARASHI #120 SUBS. SO SO EXCELLENT. I was in the middle of the Yokohama fancams, but I had to put those on pause for this one omg. And watching that kid utterly destroy Jun's hair is just as great as the first time around. a;sldjasldkj the kid screaming YOU'RE A PANDA, then LEAPING ONTO JUN, and then DESTROYING HIS HAIR and I'm crying with laughter again.
Also, what the hell kind of games does Japan think up? "Hey look over there"? alsdjalsdfsd *cracks up*
For the most part, you can understand the gist of what they're doing if you've watched a few Totsugeki no Bangohan episodes before, but the subs do clear a lot of things up or make some things even funnier. I really liked the conversation the guest had with Jun during his turn to cook, since she didn't really have much to help him out with (which I love, because you can tell he really is good at cooking), so they talked about what kind of restaurants Jun would occasionally go to, that he liked the stand-eating soba place and then she asks, well, isn't that kind of a lot of trouble since you'd get recognized? That kind of life you lead.
And a;sdjasdlkj I love Jun because it's not like he's denying that he would get recognized (because of course he would and--I think?--he used to try to hide with the hat/sunglasses thing, but it was completely in vain because it was still obvious who he was) but that he considers it a happy thing and you can just tell how he doesn't consider it an incovenience because it means he has fans/supporters.
And then JUN. MATSUMOTO JUN. He said "I don't feel like losing today." and so he MADE THE KITCHEN SUPER MESSY. as;dlfjasldsklj JUN, NEVER EVER CHANGE, DO S-BANCHOU THAT YOU ARE.
AND OHNO.
*CRYING*
While cleaning the dishes, "I've gotten used to losing. I guess cha-han is no good. I've never won with cha-han."
"What are you going to make next time?" one of the staff asks.
"Cha-han!" Ohno immediately answers. I start crying with laughter. Of course. "I'm going to do cha-han until I win with it!"
.....n-never change, Ohno.
And apparently Jun's in a good mood after having won dinner, so he PINS THE KID DOWN AND TICKLES HIM WHILE THE KID TRIES TO WRIGGLE AWAY.
Y-yes.
That's what Jun does when he's in a good mood.
Excellent.
And OH MY GOD the talk afterwards was just as hilarious as I thought it would be. Aiba's acting out what he thinks is a really cute moment and so his scenario is, of course, a punishment game (at a school reunion where there's drinking) and a girl has to do an embarassing dance and which should she try to hide, her crotch or her face and asd;lfkjasdlj Aiba's all YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIDE EITHER. :D
*DYING*
I LOVE AIBA SO SO MUCH.
♥ - I was still making my way through the fancams (about 2/3rds of the way through the concert--I love Arashi and I love fandom for putting everything out, but sometimes it really is a bit much to keep up with and yet I LOVE IT ALL SO MUCH) when I had to stop for Mago Mago Arashi #122. (aatash has a summary up here that helps a lot. ♥) I always feel badly when the kids cry because they're unhappy and they're scared and they're not really sure what's going on and it's kind of uncomfortable to watch Arashi have no idea how to handle this, except...
Ohno is laughing at the poor kid wailing his lungs out and asdlfkjasldkj it wouldn't be funny except that he really is trying to get the kid to stop crying and the laughter is nervous laughter like HAHAHA OH MY GOD WHAT DO I DO MATSUJUN YOU ARE NOT HELPING and I kind of die with laughter.
(Also, Jun looks really, really pretty in this episode. I still miss his Bambino hair, but if he's going to keep looking like the prettiest girl in the world with the extensions, I suppose I can continue living with them. <3)
AND AND AND. OHNO DOES MAKE CHA-HAN AGAIN IN THIS EPISODE? ILU OHNO NEVER EVER CHANGE. ♥ (Not like there's much worry on that front.)
Then Ohno won't let the little girl help out with the food so she bursts into tears and Jun picks her up to go crowd into the kitchen with her and the little boy and they all start kicking Ohno because he wouldn't let her help. as;dlfkjasdlkfjsdlkj I want Ohno/Jun so badly.
I love Jun. He is such a terrible influence, especially when the little boy kicks Ohno really hard while Jun stands around and keeps kicking him too and then laughs about it. a;sdlfkjasl I love him so much. I love that Ohno doesn't even smack Jun back, that's totally why Jun loves Ohno right there, because Ohno tolerates his weirdness.
And you just know Jun was proud of that little girl for crying until she got her way.
And then a little kid BEATS UP MATSUJUN YET AGAIN. OH MY GOD I DIE SO HARD AT HOW LITTLE KIDS JUST TOTALLY OWN JUN SO HARD. SHE WAS JUST WALKING RIGHT BY HIM ON THE BACK OF THE SOFA AND JUST TOTALLY KNEED HIM IN THE FACE. *CRYING*
And he just makes adorable >_o faces as they destroy his perfect composure. I would seriously watch an episode every week of little kids crawling all over Jun and messing up his hair and SERIOUSLY ARASHI WHY WON'T YOU GUYS GO TO A PRESCHOOL TO TEACH LITTLE KIDS FOR A DAY? IT'D BE SO AWESOME.
They could stick glue in Jun's hair to destroy it and piledrive him onto the floor and make him play tea parties while the rest of Arashi alternately cooed at the cute scene or--if you're Nino--laugh themselves into a seizure in the corner.
The show is totally a tease this episode, too, because Ohno gets one vote (finally someone liked the cha-han!) and Jun gets one vote, so... who did the dishes this episode? I really want to know!
....god, Jun's pretty in the talk at the end of the episode. and a;lsd;alsjk WHAT THE HELL, NINO. *CRYING* Bu... but I'll hand it to Nino, Ohno DID stop crying after that. I mean, now I'm crying, but at least Ohno stopped.
♥ - Team STORMY also released G no Arashi #20 last night and it's one I'd seen raw before and I loved it because it basically goes like this: The G no Arashi staff decides it's a GREAT IDEA to give Aiba FIRECRACKERS to try to crack open an ostrich egg.
And when it doesn't work? They get MORE.
And when that doesn't work? They get EVEN MORE. So that the egg is completely taped up with firecrackers over every surface.
And then they give Aiba a lighter.
It's SO GREAT.
However, before they get into that, they have a studio experiment to do involving food. I was wondering if this was the episode where Aiba boiled eggs in various liquids and then made the rest of Arashi eat them, but no! Instead it's one where he's soaked a bunch of stuff in rice bran, I think? And one of them was a sort of sweet jelly paste thing. And when asked why the hell he chose that, Aiba answered, "No, see, sweet or salty, I wondered what kind of humming we'd get." (Humming is said in English, by the way.)
Jun gives him the most beautiful expression I have seen in ages:
I think Jun says, "Harmony?" in English like he CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE Aiba just said that and while I suspect Aiba did it on purpose, that the whole thing was staged, I still laughed out loud for, like, a minute and a half because I had the file paused on Jun's expression and it's SO GREAT.
I love Arashi so much sometimes. Aiba decides to grind some rice into a fine powder, then boil it, and make the rest of Arashi eat it. And it looks sort of like mochi and maybe it won't be so bad, despite that you should already know that anything ground up into a power and then boiled will NEVER taste good, but they try it anyway.
It's SO BAD that Jun can't get through a single bite of it without laughing so hard that Nino says he's crying and of course the rest of Arashi STILL TRY IT, Aiba making the most adorable OH MY GOD SO GROSS I AM DYING HERE XDDD face as he hands the bowl over to Nino while Jun bitches that it's SO BAD that if a professional ate this, he'd die with it sticking in his throat and asdlfkjasldj it still doesn't end there because Ohno takes a bit of it and everyone turns to look at him and he makes this great face as he tries to get the taste of it out of his mouth despite that Nino says it smells delicious and at this point I have to just give up, hit pause, and cry with laughter.
ILU ARASHI. I MISS THE G NO ARASHI DAYS NO MATTER HOW AWESOME YOU ARE NOW.
Especially when, having eaten the ground up boiled rice and knowing that it was the most god-awful thing ever, the VERY VERY LOGICAL NEXT STEP?
GET SOME DRIED SEAWEED, GRIND IT UP, POUR WATER INTO IT, AND EAT IT.
A++++++++++++ YOU GUYS.
(WHAT THE HELL, YOU GUYS. YOU LIKED IT? ....YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF DUMB, DUMB BOYS AND I LOVE YOU.)
And I love Sho's reaction to the remote experiment (wondering if the beam will reflect off a bald head and turn the television on/off) because it's like he's re-realizing these are his bandmates. When Aiba first introduces the experiment, Jun doesn't really even try to keep a straight face, he just cracks right up, while Sho's trying to be supportive at first--It's a very A no Arashi style experiment! Really!--and then they start talking about it and Nino very seriously says, well, of course it'll work and you can just kind of see Sho realizing OH MY GOD YOU GUYS YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SERIOUS OF COURSE IT WON'T WORK and it's beautiful, really. ;___;<3
AND THEN IT WORKED and Jun's got his arm around Ohno (shut up, I can fangirl that moment if I want to) and OHNO GETS GOOSEBUMPS and Sho's all OH MY GOD HOLY CRAP THAT'S AMAZING and I'm crying with laughter again. ;__;<3
You know, looking at these pictures, Nino looks kinda pissy and deliberately not looking at where Jun's got his arm around Nino and it really seems like Nino only gets pissy like that when it's Jun hanging all over Ohno. Partly because Jun's the only other one that hangs off Ohno regularly (or has Ohno hanging off him), but partly... well. >:D One wonders why Nino's bothered by Jun touching Ohno, but not the others. >:D
BUT THEN.
MY FAVORITE.
THE OSTRICH EGG AND THE FIRECRACKERS.
To demonstrate how hard the ostrich egg is (because it's much harder than a regular egg), he knocks it against his own head.
Jun lights up like a Christmas tree and goes to take the egg from Aiba's hands. Aiba sort of looks at him like a deer in the headlights while Jun goes :D :D :D :D at him.
Jun starts to lift the egg up and Sho's screaming NO NO IF MATSUMOTO DOES IT IT'LL BE TOO DANGEROUS! while Aiba can't quite seem to decide if he wants to back away, to protect his forehead, or try to grab the egg away from Jun. Mostly he puts his hands up in front of his face/head and blocks the egg as best he can.
Nino comes over to take the egg away from Jun and Jun reluctantly lets go of the egg until Aiba has Nino hold the egg while Ohno tries to punch it with his hand, since it won't break that way, either. Ohno does and hurts his hand and at this point I'm on the fucking floor because I'm not making any of this up or exaggerating it.
But awww COME ON GUYS THAT'S JUST HOW JUN SHOWS HIS LOVE FOR AIBA, BY TRYING TO CRACK ROCK-HARD EGGS OVER HIS HEAD. :D<3?
After that, I still can't believe they put Aiba anywhere near firecrackers and let him light the fuse. And I love it because Aiba tries to run away, slips on the floor, doesn't get nearly far enough away, and Jun and Ohno are practically giggling with laughter at this point (seriously, Ohno looks like he's going to start peeing his pants with laughter any minute now), and the very, very best thing that makes me shriek with so much laughter that I stopped making noise about ten minutes ago?
THEY LET HIM TRY AGAIN.
At least they gave him a longer fuse this time and asdfljasdlj of course Jun's giving him shit the entire time about having to wait and Aiba's about two seconds away from snapping IT'S FINE THIS WAY and then they finally go off and oh my god I love Arashi because they are giggling with laughter like a bunch of little school boys. This is why I love Arashi so much.
And finally they put THREE HUNDRED FIRECRACKERS ON THE EGG. THIS IS AIBA'S "FINAL WEAPON" AND OH MY GOD SERIOUSLY I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE YOU GUYS.
Especially not when even that didn't work and it barely scratched the egg, so they went to get a hammer and broke it open and then MADE A SUNNY SIDE UP FRIED EGG. Naturally, Arashi eats it.
And thinks it's delicious.
*gives up on them*
♥ - So far I've only watched the TIME 2007.08.01 Yokohoma concert fancam, but it was about three hours worth of footage and it took me a couple of days to get all the way through it. Between this and Mago Mago Arashi, I may need a short break for a bit.
I don't think I would recommend these files to anyone who's not a hardcore Arashi fangirl (since most of the stuff I talk about is usually stuff I'm sort of "recommending" in the sense that I found it interesting enough to talk about) because they're really good for a fancam, but they're still nowhere near DVD quality. I was actually really impressed with them, there was a remarkable amount of variety in the focus, the images were clear enough to almost always tell who was whom, and it gave a good idea of what being at one of the concerts was like. Not for the casual Arashi fan, but I'm really glad I watched this.
General thoughts/comments:
→ I love the black and yellow outfits. I love Jun's half-shirt, I love that Aiba is apparently now wearing a black sparkly feather boa, too. (Well, Sho's now looks more like a scarf. But I swear I saw Jun still wearing the black sparkly feather boa.)
→ I love Jun dancing around with his shirt open. While he still needs another sandwich and a basket of chilli cheese fries before I'm truly comfortable with him shirtless, it was just so damn fabulous that I fell in love all over again. (Seriously, that's some awesome gay, Matsujun. <3)
→ The rainbow ruffle ouftits are SO MUCH MORE AWESOME when you can see the whole thing OMFG.
→ The pink camoflage outfits and dancing were fantastic and so high energy and why I love Arashi. Especially Ohno and Jun dancing together and yes plz. They looked really, really good together and the twin backwards cartwheels were so great. Plus Nino + Sho + Aiba dancing together with the splits? Excellent. All of it was so much FUN.
→ One of the things I like best about the fancams is that you can hear the audience singing more than you can on the DVDs, it's kinda cool to get that perspective sometimes.
The MC:
[towards the end of part 2:] Did... did Nino just kiss Ohno's hand like a lady's? ...okay, I may ship that pairing more quietly, but holy crap, Ohmiya. Though, of course I've heard about way more gay things they've been doing lately, but it's different when you actually see it.
[towards the middle of part 3, about 19 minutes in:] I have no idea what the hell they were talking about in part three (what little I can usually glean from conversations was difficult for me here because it's so hard to hear what they're saying) or what Jun was demonstrating with Aiba, but when he scooted his chair over to be flush up against Aiba's side... well, I had to break out the screencaps for that. (Which I'd been trying to avoid because as good as a fancam as this is, they're not great for quality caps. But with this, I HAD to. ♥_♥) And Jun trying OH-SO-HARD to be TOTALLY CASUAL REALLY as he moved his chair back kind of cracked me up. Right. He's totally casual about touching Aiba and it's not like it affects him at all or anything.
Of course not.
Yabai Yabai Yabai:
Jun's solo is a thing of girly, sparkly, egotastic BEAUTY and really grows on me the more I hear/watch it. VIVA MYSELF is still so, so super-great.
And every time I see him perform it in concert, I get more impressed. It's just so... Jun. And, I mean, Jesus Christ, it looks so goddamned dangerous, no matter how safe I'm sure it actually is. He's just looping his arm and foot through ONE wire as he swings across the stage! I do love the Juniors dacing below as they worship their fairy princess leader swinging back and forth, though. It's AWESOME.
I know Arashi was kind of disappointed at all the attention on Jun this tour, but after seeing this, I kind of don't blame the press. This was really kinda impressive, it really had a tremendous impact/punch. (I still feel badly for Jun a little, though. It's not like he asks/wants to take attention away from the others.)
Song For Me:
This is another solo that's really growing on me. The song took awhile to seep into my brain, but it's getting there and Ohno's performance of it is the same way. The first time, I liked it a lot, but it didn't hit me that hard. The second time I saw it, maybe it was a clearer angle so I could better see him, but... yeah, it's sort of a given that Ohno's dancing will be fantastic, but it really is. I love Ohno lots and lots. <3
Cry For You:
This one is awesome and I love Arashi ridiculous amounts. There's not much else I can really say to that. ♥ Except. As if it weren't great enough, Jun's got a fabulous headwrap for this performance. Purple outfits and green lasers and red lights and Ohno & Nino doind backflips and it's not like it's a revolutionary performance or concept (actually, I've seen this kind of performance many times with a lot of groups), but I love it dearly anyway.
Sakura Sake:
Sakura Sake was a really great song for me to watch in this because you can just feel the energy and how much they rev up the crowd. And, as much as I like (or LOL at) the more elaborate performances, there's something really great about watching them on a moving stage with a bunch of backup dancers as they bop along to the music and get the crowd singing along.
We Can Make It:
[towards the end of part 4, at about 26:15:] Reasons why it pays off (for me) to always pay way too much attention to Jun in any given setting, even if he's in the background: During the very beginning of We Can Make It, just after Jun sings the opening solo (rather badly--ILU anyway Matsujun! to ridiculous amounts!) and Ohno starts the next part, a couple of moments later, Jun sidles over to kick Aiba in the leg for something. Whatever Aiba is laughing at (he seems to find something in the audience funny? but I would also accept him laughing at Jun, who kicked him for it--except that Jun's laughing, too, when he turns back to the audience/Ohno, which makes me think they were laughing at something else) and THAT is what being a TINHAT is all about.
That five seconds of Jun looking over at Aiba, going over to kick him in the ankle for whatever reason, and IT IS A SIGN OF THEIR TRUE LOVE because that's how Jun shows affection to the ones he loves--beating on them, but not actually killing them. ♥ And then totally using that as ~*~PROOF~*~ of their totally, totally ~*~TRU GAY LUV~*~. XD
Also, Nino dorking out over to the side is HILARIOUS.