We wantses the preciousssss.
I want to be BFF with this person. ;___;♥
And also if the last part of MAOU 3 doesn't come out soon, I'm going to claw my own face off here, you guyyyyyyyys. ;___; I was going to wait for it to come out before I posted but I HAVE BEEN WAITING A REALLY LONG TIME, IT'S BEEN HOOOOOURSSSSSS. ;____;
Anyway. Usual blah, blah, blah, and then on to Kamen Rider Kabuto ep 20, with SPOILERS for the episode listed at the very least (and very likely into the 30s and possibly the whole series), I don't plan these things in advance, we'll see from there.
Kamen Rider Kabuto episode 20: The episode starts off with an aborted Kabuto vs Sasword fight and I have to laugh yet again, because how much did the cliffhangers have to suck if you were watching this as it came out? Then Tendou and Tsurugi have dueling quotes from their older caretakers and I just. The first time through, I was kind of annoyed at this little snot who was apparently possibly as good as Tendou, but the second time it's kind of great.
(I do wonder if it was Tsurugi that was awesome at all these things or if it was the Worm in him that allowed him to be faster and learn everything so quickly. Obviously his mental state/programming was all wonky, but given their ability to mimic memories and their superior speed/hearing/power to humans, maybe that was what was fueling his brilliance in all the things he did?)
I also wonder how much Tendou suspects. I don't recall him having any idea about Tsurugi, but he does give him some strange looks and is surprisingly non-bitchy about Tsurugi saying that all Worms are his enemy, that he will defeat them all, and that Tendou should stay out of the way. Given how hard they were going at each other earlier, it's interesting that Tendou is suddenly not as competitive at him. Probably just that he's curious, but it's interesting that he stopped fighting back after they both transformed.
(It's frustrating to know so little about how Worms and the Zecters work. I think the Zecters probably have some sense of when a Worm is nearby, but... wouldn't they be set off by Tadokoro and Tsurugi? Why does no one know about them for a long time? Is it just that the Zecters only ping on the Worms/Native that are going to hurt innocent people? And Tsurugi's Worm was trying to hurt people, both Tsurugi's sister and Tsurugi himself. So, I could buy that the Kabuto Zecter was pinging on Tsurugi, so Tendou was curious because Tsurugi was saying that he would defeat all Worms. Except I really don't think that's what they were going for.)
Anyway, after that scene, Kagami's all excited about joining Phantom Thief Shadow and how he'll do his best as part of it, then Tendou comes out from behind a tree and says, oh, you finally got employed, too? And Misaki explains that Tendou is part of this as well, and it's not like Tendou is being outright mean, but I swear there's a note of... something in his voice. That something is not entirely to his liking here.
Kageyama also seems to be stumbling over the whole thing, asking Kagami if Misaki-san is the Phantom Thief Shadow, while Kagami tries to say that she would never do such a thing, but is obviously kind of twitchy about it. It's kind of interesting how Kagami doesn't seem to hold a grudge against Kageyama here, especially so recently after little bitch set him up to draw out the real traitor in Shadow and what he did to Gon. (Did Kagami know that it was Kageyama that did all that? I would think so, it was obvious that it was TheBee who did it, but I can't remember if any of the others saw him or if only Daisuke interacted with him and didn't mention who it was. Tendou has to know at least, I think? And, you know, he liked Gon a lot, but it's interesting that he didn't go after Kageyama again and bitch him out for it, like he did when Kageyama was willing to let Kagami die to expose the traitor.) In this particular scene, I think he was probably just too busy trying to act natural, but he does seem to forget that Kageyama is a little bitch.
I also really like that, in this episode, Kagami is the thief and this time Masaki is the one who gets to save him, a reversal of what happened the last time, when Kagami originally found out. This scene makes me happy for two reasons: 1) Tadokoro with the flash grenade launcher. Yes plz. Not quite as hot as when Kagami used it last time, but not at all bad, mm. 2) It's been a long, hard wait for Kagami to get Gatack again, so even if he's a bit of a spaz here, he's still fighting and not doing too badly. It makes the wait easier.
The next scene is of Mishima saying that he's received information that the Phantom Thief Shadow is one of ZECT's and both he and KagamiSr seem surprised by this, so it must have been purely Misaki and Tadokoro's idea, I guess? I suppose it's possible the Native knew about it, I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility, but it seems like something they cooked up on their own. I have no idea what the hell KagamiSr's ramblings are supposed to mean ("eartly desires"? "the lion has shown its true nature"?) but sometimes I get the impression that they do that on purpose. :<
So, after that, Tsurugi goes shopping. And, you know, it's a testament to how much the Universe really does sort of love Tsurugi that the rest of the moms in that line he cuts through don't tear him to shreds. Same for how he just keeps walking right on through the car crash around him, including the car that Juka was in. Which, you know, I wonder about Tendou's reaction. He seems to know that something's wrong even before he actually sees the bandage on Juka's head, but he can't have known about the accident, she tells him when she gets home and also he would have flown out of that house if he'd gotten a call that she was hurt. Is he just flipping out that she's late? I actually sort of love that scene, because you can tell Juka really loves her brother a lot, but she's kind of trying to slide on by him without making a big deal of it, because she knows him.
I also kind of want to smack Tsurugi sometimes, because he didn't even notice the accident around him, because Jiiya bows and scrapes for him so much and Tsurugi doesn't do or say anything. But then he's walking out of the police station and apologizes to Jiiya, sorry that he caused some trouble with this "Oh crap." look on his face. And you kind of see why Jiiya still follows the little spoiled brat around so much. (And also because Jiiya doesn't want to lose that last bit of the family he clearly loved so much. ;__; )
Also, Tendou not even saying or explaining anything, just slugging Tsurugi across the face is kind of awesome, he's really so much more aggressive and angry when it comes to protecting his little sisters. And that scene is also part of what makes me like Tsurugi, when he realizes that Tendou is reacting to a sibling being hurt, he realizes that he was wrong and apologizes for it. Tendou is still obviously a little unsettled (and I really do like the way Mizushima Hiro plays the character) but that he understands helps me with Tsurugi a lot, too.
Another interesting note is that Tsurugi refers to Kagami as "a friend of Tendou Souji, right?" in the next scene and Kagami doesn't really react to it, which seems like they're past that whole hurdle, I guess. Also, you can see that Kagami's hair is getting totally fluffy and messy lately, which I've been noticing for a few episodes, but it always makes me smile because I kind of like it. (It's not as bad as Tendou's artfully messy hair, but it's certainly heading in that same direction. SHUT UP, I CAN MAKE UP "TENDOU GROOMS KAGAMI TO HIS LIKING" FIC IDEAS IF I WANT TO.)
One thing I often wondered about with all of Tsurugi's teachers is whether or not he was actually way beyond them or if they were just getting so fed up with him that they would leave and Tsurugi would take it that way (or later on if they were being let go because they couldn't pay for the lessons anymore) but when you see Tsurugi and Tendou playing piano together (Tendou using it as an excuse to get inside the house because he wouldn't send Misaki and Kagami up against a Rider--I can't recall, I don't think they know Tsurugi is a Rider at this point?) I think it probably was that he really was better than what they could teach.
When Misaki is caught by Kageyama, she explains that it was a plan to lure the Worm who attacked criminals out (I remember thinking that something more had to be going on with this plot the first time I watched it, but the second time here it seemed really obvious that that's what was going on, so I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention the first time or if I just knew about it the second time) and he looks... honestly surprised that it was a plan to lure a Worm out, like he was thrown off-balance by not having caught them in something underhanded. I also love that YET AGAIN the show has the Worm and Kabuto Clock Up and fight next to something where they can show off how time has slowed down for them, this time by a conveniently placed river, of course the Worm runs far enough to show them fighting next to it and I love that the show is so gleeful about it, they don't even try to hide that that's what they're doing.
The episode ends with Tsurugi not feeling very well, stumbling off (still as Sasword) and crumpling against a wall, something building in him that he's trying to fight off, something about the Worm that killed his sister still being there, then he transforms back briefly. Huh, I didn't think they started that in Tsurugi's second episode, but I guess that makes sense, since they vague it up for awhile and then Kagami spends a long time knowing and not sure what to do about it.
And, whoa, Gatack's mentioned in the preview for the next episode? Eh, I guess that's not surprising, Kagami's had it for awhile by the 30s, but still. I would have thought mid-20s. ....my sense of time for this series is totally screwed up. .__.
And, of course, more Arashi stuff. Spoilers for anything listed under the cut:
→ Ryusei no Kizuna drama news
→ Potato 2000.08 interview
→ Himitsu no Arashi-chan #001 [subbed]
♥ - So, news has come out of Nino and Ryo having a drama together this fall! [ here and more here.] I was really excited about this for about five entire minutes! Two actors I like in a drama together! Think of the promotion they will do! I even like this idea better than the idea of Ryo and Jun starring in a drama together, because I know I'd have to kill fandom for the least bit of criticism they piled on that (and, also, I do not think insane Jun fans would mix well with insane Ryo fans), so I might actually be able to be sane about this one! I am already eagerly awaiting the snarking bitching they could do at each other! The tv interviews omg. And that's all even before the actual drama itself starts!
And then I thought, well, crap. This is kind of the last thing both fandoms need, given how people already seem unable to let it go. Like, I love everyone a lot, but, jesus, there are a lot of people who need to take a chill pill and stop trying to compare them or go on at length about how the other fandom annoys them so much. It's made it hard for me to get into K8 and sometimes kind of embarrassed to be an Arashi fan. (Not that I'm perfect either, mind. I used to be kind of really bad about this. S-sorry. >__> I suppose this is my karmic revenge.)
Oh, well, it could be worse, I guess.
It could have been Jun and Kame in a drama together.
That would have been. Uh.
Interesting.
XD
(I might pay to see one with Jun and Jin in it, though. It would be beautiful, seriously. And a Pin one, but that one I would love without the evil cackling of glee at fandom's meltdown, that one I would love just for itself.)
I'm still going to be cautiously excited about the Nino/Ryo drama and all the time they'll be spending together for it. I'm just going to be in my bunker until it's announced who's getting to do the theme for the drama. >____>
(I'm sort of not sure--the article seems to imply that Nino's the lead actor, so it'd make sense that Arashi would get it, much like they got the theme for MAOU. But would that be kind of soon coming on the heels of One Love and truth? Either way, I exepct someone to blow up in a truly spectacular fashion! I had the brief thought that maybe they'd just stick Nino and Ryo in a special temporary unit for it, but I actually think that's kind of unlikely.
Actually, Meg suggested they let KAT-TUN do the theme song and I took two seconds to picture the total fandom meltdown to that and just started shrieking with laughter. Oh my god, I'm going to hell, but it would be so worth it.)
But I also like Toda Erika and hey! In a strange twist of weird fate, I was watching the Nagase Oshareism interview tonight and he was talking about Kankuro Kudo and Wolfie mentioned that she liked his scripts a lot and now I see that he's also penning this one. So, I expect good things! I'm actually kind of excited to see the two bitchy midgets in a drama together!
♥ - Potato August 2000・Let's talk together!・Vol. 1 Aiba Masaki→Matsumoto Jun - Another interview from back in 2000 that really highlights a lot of interesting things about both Aiba and Jun, some things that are still true and some things that have changed so much. It's interesting that you can still tell how easily Jun gets lonely, how it's not precisely that he feels left out or ignored, but like he's trying to form a connection with these people and it's not quite working. Aiba's really shy and probably doesn't quite know how to deal with the others yet and you can see that he did have a lot of problems talking to people about those kinds of thing.
This is, of course, way, way before they started talking to each other more and before they both dealt with those issues to some degre. Jun you can tell still gets lonely too easily, I think it was late last year in some interview where he said that nobody comes to visit him when he gets sick (where you just know he's all, "But it doesn't count if they're just calling or texting and okay maybe I told them not to bother me when I'm sleeping, but still. :<" and MATSUMOTO JUN, THAT DOES SO COUNT). Aiba seems to have come a lot further, he's probably still a lot more shy in real life than he lets on in front of the cameras, but he's actively worked on that and I think being in a group like Arashi has probably done him a lot of good, too.
It's also interesting how there's this complete disconnect between them here, they don't really see eye to eye yet, but Jun was still kind of WHY ARE YOU NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO ME? that I have to be kind of ".... ♥" over. Of course, I don't think Jun really ~*noticed*~ Aiba until about 2005 or 2006, so this is more about how he probably would have been the same with any of the other members. Well. There was that whole thing of how Jun wanted to spend his 17th birthday with Aiba or whatever that was, but I still think this was way before Jun's stupid totally-not-a-crush on Aiba.
Also, Aiba's first opinions on Jun? NEVER NOT FUNNY. I've seen them discussed before a little (something about how, the first time he saw tiny little chibi Jun, he thought, wow, this guy wouldn't even be able to ride on rollercoasters, would he??, and oh how did I ever LOL) but they're still as A+++ as ever here.
♥ - Himitsu no Arashi-chan #001 [subbed] - So I finally sat down to watch this because I've meant to for ages. I never properly watched the full first episode because, well, it seemed kind of boring. >__> But I kind of wanted to watch it subbed and it would be interesting to compare the show as it used to be to how it's progressed over the last few months. And it does start off with a fun note from Matsushima-san when she said that Matsumoto-kun and Sakurai-kun look totall reliable, but the rest of them... eh.... And also the lawyer woman hitting on Jun! I had to lol.
I'm glad I waited for subs with this one because it was back when the segments were reeeeeally long and while I lol at the idea of how of course Jun would do thesegment on Disney World and the Cinderella Castle, it's kind of... well, dull. It got better once it got onto the other secrets of Disney World and that's when Himitsu is at its best, when it's keeping things moving at a good clip. I'll admit to some interest in the behind the scenes things, like the way they grow Mickey-shaped cucumbers or the underground tunnels or the way they change all the flowers or where they've hidden the speakers.
Arashi arguing about who would contine to go investigate Disney World was cute, but, man do I still hate that whole "let's judge how well you did your secrets report!" bit. While I'm glad Jun got a perfect score the first time around (and liked to pretend that he and Nino were totally bitchy at each other behind the scenes over who could get the best scores and then made out a lot), I'm still really not sorry to see it go.
The convenience stores segment wasn't too bad with subs this time and I have to admit that I lol'd a little when Kusano-san was trying to open his heated onigiri and doing it badly, so Jun practically just grabs it away from him and DOES IT FOR HIM, because you know his OCD was going nuts, especially after two of the other guests spilled as well. But the Big Storm thing was totally worth it for Nino bitching about it the whole time and then saying there was no meaning to it. XDDDb
The segment about the teeth in the eyes was kind of interesting and I really adored Ohno's presentation of it, especially when he wrapped it up with, "And Fukuda-sensei's wife... is a big fan of Matsujun's! *points*" "a;sldfkjas;lkj LIKE WE NEEDED TO KNOW THAT." I was kind of dying. Also, I love that Jun and Nino's hair was all over the place while Ohno's right in the middle of that big storm and his hair HARDLY MOVES AT ALL. I also loved them teasing Aiba about being in charge of the unexploded bomb segment, which Nino said would have fit Sho better. asdlkfj I love them.
So, overall, it was worth watching, but a lot of that comes from reminding myself how much more awesome the show has gotten since then. XDDD
And also if the last part of MAOU 3 doesn't come out soon, I'm going to claw my own face off here, you guyyyyyyyys. ;___; I was going to wait for it to come out before I posted but I HAVE BEEN WAITING A REALLY LONG TIME, IT'S BEEN HOOOOOURSSSSSS. ;____;
Anyway. Usual blah, blah, blah, and then on to Kamen Rider Kabuto ep 20, with SPOILERS for the episode listed at the very least (and very likely into the 30s and possibly the whole series), I don't plan these things in advance, we'll see from there.
Kamen Rider Kabuto episode 20: The episode starts off with an aborted Kabuto vs Sasword fight and I have to laugh yet again, because how much did the cliffhangers have to suck if you were watching this as it came out? Then Tendou and Tsurugi have dueling quotes from their older caretakers and I just. The first time through, I was kind of annoyed at this little snot who was apparently possibly as good as Tendou, but the second time it's kind of great.
(I do wonder if it was Tsurugi that was awesome at all these things or if it was the Worm in him that allowed him to be faster and learn everything so quickly. Obviously his mental state/programming was all wonky, but given their ability to mimic memories and their superior speed/hearing/power to humans, maybe that was what was fueling his brilliance in all the things he did?)
I also wonder how much Tendou suspects. I don't recall him having any idea about Tsurugi, but he does give him some strange looks and is surprisingly non-bitchy about Tsurugi saying that all Worms are his enemy, that he will defeat them all, and that Tendou should stay out of the way. Given how hard they were going at each other earlier, it's interesting that Tendou is suddenly not as competitive at him. Probably just that he's curious, but it's interesting that he stopped fighting back after they both transformed.
(It's frustrating to know so little about how Worms and the Zecters work. I think the Zecters probably have some sense of when a Worm is nearby, but... wouldn't they be set off by Tadokoro and Tsurugi? Why does no one know about them for a long time? Is it just that the Zecters only ping on the Worms/Native that are going to hurt innocent people? And Tsurugi's Worm was trying to hurt people, both Tsurugi's sister and Tsurugi himself. So, I could buy that the Kabuto Zecter was pinging on Tsurugi, so Tendou was curious because Tsurugi was saying that he would defeat all Worms. Except I really don't think that's what they were going for.)
Anyway, after that scene, Kagami's all excited about joining Phantom Thief Shadow and how he'll do his best as part of it, then Tendou comes out from behind a tree and says, oh, you finally got employed, too? And Misaki explains that Tendou is part of this as well, and it's not like Tendou is being outright mean, but I swear there's a note of... something in his voice. That something is not entirely to his liking here.
Kageyama also seems to be stumbling over the whole thing, asking Kagami if Misaki-san is the Phantom Thief Shadow, while Kagami tries to say that she would never do such a thing, but is obviously kind of twitchy about it. It's kind of interesting how Kagami doesn't seem to hold a grudge against Kageyama here, especially so recently after little bitch set him up to draw out the real traitor in Shadow and what he did to Gon. (Did Kagami know that it was Kageyama that did all that? I would think so, it was obvious that it was TheBee who did it, but I can't remember if any of the others saw him or if only Daisuke interacted with him and didn't mention who it was. Tendou has to know at least, I think? And, you know, he liked Gon a lot, but it's interesting that he didn't go after Kageyama again and bitch him out for it, like he did when Kageyama was willing to let Kagami die to expose the traitor.) In this particular scene, I think he was probably just too busy trying to act natural, but he does seem to forget that Kageyama is a little bitch.
I also really like that, in this episode, Kagami is the thief and this time Masaki is the one who gets to save him, a reversal of what happened the last time, when Kagami originally found out. This scene makes me happy for two reasons: 1) Tadokoro with the flash grenade launcher. Yes plz. Not quite as hot as when Kagami used it last time, but not at all bad, mm. 2) It's been a long, hard wait for Kagami to get Gatack again, so even if he's a bit of a spaz here, he's still fighting and not doing too badly. It makes the wait easier.
The next scene is of Mishima saying that he's received information that the Phantom Thief Shadow is one of ZECT's and both he and KagamiSr seem surprised by this, so it must have been purely Misaki and Tadokoro's idea, I guess? I suppose it's possible the Native knew about it, I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility, but it seems like something they cooked up on their own. I have no idea what the hell KagamiSr's ramblings are supposed to mean ("eartly desires"? "the lion has shown its true nature"?) but sometimes I get the impression that they do that on purpose. :<
So, after that, Tsurugi goes shopping. And, you know, it's a testament to how much the Universe really does sort of love Tsurugi that the rest of the moms in that line he cuts through don't tear him to shreds. Same for how he just keeps walking right on through the car crash around him, including the car that Juka was in. Which, you know, I wonder about Tendou's reaction. He seems to know that something's wrong even before he actually sees the bandage on Juka's head, but he can't have known about the accident, she tells him when she gets home and also he would have flown out of that house if he'd gotten a call that she was hurt. Is he just flipping out that she's late? I actually sort of love that scene, because you can tell Juka really loves her brother a lot, but she's kind of trying to slide on by him without making a big deal of it, because she knows him.
I also kind of want to smack Tsurugi sometimes, because he didn't even notice the accident around him, because Jiiya bows and scrapes for him so much and Tsurugi doesn't do or say anything. But then he's walking out of the police station and apologizes to Jiiya, sorry that he caused some trouble with this "Oh crap." look on his face. And you kind of see why Jiiya still follows the little spoiled brat around so much. (And also because Jiiya doesn't want to lose that last bit of the family he clearly loved so much. ;__; )
Also, Tendou not even saying or explaining anything, just slugging Tsurugi across the face is kind of awesome, he's really so much more aggressive and angry when it comes to protecting his little sisters. And that scene is also part of what makes me like Tsurugi, when he realizes that Tendou is reacting to a sibling being hurt, he realizes that he was wrong and apologizes for it. Tendou is still obviously a little unsettled (and I really do like the way Mizushima Hiro plays the character) but that he understands helps me with Tsurugi a lot, too.
Another interesting note is that Tsurugi refers to Kagami as "a friend of Tendou Souji, right?" in the next scene and Kagami doesn't really react to it, which seems like they're past that whole hurdle, I guess. Also, you can see that Kagami's hair is getting totally fluffy and messy lately, which I've been noticing for a few episodes, but it always makes me smile because I kind of like it. (It's not as bad as Tendou's artfully messy hair, but it's certainly heading in that same direction. SHUT UP, I CAN MAKE UP "TENDOU GROOMS KAGAMI TO HIS LIKING" FIC IDEAS IF I WANT TO.)
One thing I often wondered about with all of Tsurugi's teachers is whether or not he was actually way beyond them or if they were just getting so fed up with him that they would leave and Tsurugi would take it that way (or later on if they were being let go because they couldn't pay for the lessons anymore) but when you see Tsurugi and Tendou playing piano together (Tendou using it as an excuse to get inside the house because he wouldn't send Misaki and Kagami up against a Rider--I can't recall, I don't think they know Tsurugi is a Rider at this point?) I think it probably was that he really was better than what they could teach.
When Misaki is caught by Kageyama, she explains that it was a plan to lure the Worm who attacked criminals out (I remember thinking that something more had to be going on with this plot the first time I watched it, but the second time here it seemed really obvious that that's what was going on, so I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention the first time or if I just knew about it the second time) and he looks... honestly surprised that it was a plan to lure a Worm out, like he was thrown off-balance by not having caught them in something underhanded. I also love that YET AGAIN the show has the Worm and Kabuto Clock Up and fight next to something where they can show off how time has slowed down for them, this time by a conveniently placed river, of course the Worm runs far enough to show them fighting next to it and I love that the show is so gleeful about it, they don't even try to hide that that's what they're doing.
The episode ends with Tsurugi not feeling very well, stumbling off (still as Sasword) and crumpling against a wall, something building in him that he's trying to fight off, something about the Worm that killed his sister still being there, then he transforms back briefly. Huh, I didn't think they started that in Tsurugi's second episode, but I guess that makes sense, since they vague it up for awhile and then Kagami spends a long time knowing and not sure what to do about it.
And, whoa, Gatack's mentioned in the preview for the next episode? Eh, I guess that's not surprising, Kagami's had it for awhile by the 30s, but still. I would have thought mid-20s. ....my sense of time for this series is totally screwed up. .__.
And, of course, more Arashi stuff. Spoilers for anything listed under the cut:
→ Ryusei no Kizuna drama news
→ Potato 2000.08 interview
→ Himitsu no Arashi-chan #001 [subbed]
♥ - So, news has come out of Nino and Ryo having a drama together this fall! [ here and more here.] I was really excited about this for about five entire minutes! Two actors I like in a drama together! Think of the promotion they will do! I even like this idea better than the idea of Ryo and Jun starring in a drama together, because I know I'd have to kill fandom for the least bit of criticism they piled on that (and, also, I do not think insane Jun fans would mix well with insane Ryo fans), so I might actually be able to be sane about this one! I am already eagerly awaiting the snarking bitching they could do at each other! The tv interviews omg. And that's all even before the actual drama itself starts!
And then I thought, well, crap. This is kind of the last thing both fandoms need, given how people already seem unable to let it go. Like, I love everyone a lot, but, jesus, there are a lot of people who need to take a chill pill and stop trying to compare them or go on at length about how the other fandom annoys them so much. It's made it hard for me to get into K8 and sometimes kind of embarrassed to be an Arashi fan. (Not that I'm perfect either, mind. I used to be kind of really bad about this. S-sorry. >__> I suppose this is my karmic revenge.)
Oh, well, it could be worse, I guess.
It could have been Jun and Kame in a drama together.
That would have been. Uh.
Interesting.
XD
(I might pay to see one with Jun and Jin in it, though. It would be beautiful, seriously. And a Pin one, but that one I would love without the evil cackling of glee at fandom's meltdown, that one I would love just for itself.)
I'm still going to be cautiously excited about the Nino/Ryo drama and all the time they'll be spending together for it. I'm just going to be in my bunker until it's announced who's getting to do the theme for the drama. >____>
(I'm sort of not sure--the article seems to imply that Nino's the lead actor, so it'd make sense that Arashi would get it, much like they got the theme for MAOU. But would that be kind of soon coming on the heels of One Love and truth? Either way, I exepct someone to blow up in a truly spectacular fashion! I had the brief thought that maybe they'd just stick Nino and Ryo in a special temporary unit for it, but I actually think that's kind of unlikely.
Actually, Meg suggested they let KAT-TUN do the theme song and I took two seconds to picture the total fandom meltdown to that and just started shrieking with laughter. Oh my god, I'm going to hell, but it would be so worth it.)
But I also like Toda Erika and hey! In a strange twist of weird fate, I was watching the Nagase Oshareism interview tonight and he was talking about Kankuro Kudo and Wolfie mentioned that she liked his scripts a lot and now I see that he's also penning this one. So, I expect good things! I'm actually kind of excited to see the two bitchy midgets in a drama together!
♥ - Potato August 2000・Let's talk together!・Vol. 1 Aiba Masaki→Matsumoto Jun - Another interview from back in 2000 that really highlights a lot of interesting things about both Aiba and Jun, some things that are still true and some things that have changed so much. It's interesting that you can still tell how easily Jun gets lonely, how it's not precisely that he feels left out or ignored, but like he's trying to form a connection with these people and it's not quite working. Aiba's really shy and probably doesn't quite know how to deal with the others yet and you can see that he did have a lot of problems talking to people about those kinds of thing.
This is, of course, way, way before they started talking to each other more and before they both dealt with those issues to some degre. Jun you can tell still gets lonely too easily, I think it was late last year in some interview where he said that nobody comes to visit him when he gets sick (where you just know he's all, "But it doesn't count if they're just calling or texting and okay maybe I told them not to bother me when I'm sleeping, but still. :<" and MATSUMOTO JUN, THAT DOES SO COUNT). Aiba seems to have come a lot further, he's probably still a lot more shy in real life than he lets on in front of the cameras, but he's actively worked on that and I think being in a group like Arashi has probably done him a lot of good, too.
It's also interesting how there's this complete disconnect between them here, they don't really see eye to eye yet, but Jun was still kind of WHY ARE YOU NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO ME? that I have to be kind of ".... ♥" over. Of course, I don't think Jun really ~*noticed*~ Aiba until about 2005 or 2006, so this is more about how he probably would have been the same with any of the other members. Well. There was that whole thing of how Jun wanted to spend his 17th birthday with Aiba or whatever that was, but I still think this was way before Jun's stupid totally-not-a-crush on Aiba.
Also, Aiba's first opinions on Jun? NEVER NOT FUNNY. I've seen them discussed before a little (something about how, the first time he saw tiny little chibi Jun, he thought, wow, this guy wouldn't even be able to ride on rollercoasters, would he??, and oh how did I ever LOL) but they're still as A+++ as ever here.
♥ - Himitsu no Arashi-chan #001 [subbed] - So I finally sat down to watch this because I've meant to for ages. I never properly watched the full first episode because, well, it seemed kind of boring. >__> But I kind of wanted to watch it subbed and it would be interesting to compare the show as it used to be to how it's progressed over the last few months. And it does start off with a fun note from Matsushima-san when she said that Matsumoto-kun and Sakurai-kun look totall reliable, but the rest of them... eh.... And also the lawyer woman hitting on Jun! I had to lol.
I'm glad I waited for subs with this one because it was back when the segments were reeeeeally long and while I lol at the idea of how of course Jun would do thesegment on Disney World and the Cinderella Castle, it's kind of... well, dull. It got better once it got onto the other secrets of Disney World and that's when Himitsu is at its best, when it's keeping things moving at a good clip. I'll admit to some interest in the behind the scenes things, like the way they grow Mickey-shaped cucumbers or the underground tunnels or the way they change all the flowers or where they've hidden the speakers.
Arashi arguing about who would contine to go investigate Disney World was cute, but, man do I still hate that whole "let's judge how well you did your secrets report!" bit. While I'm glad Jun got a perfect score the first time around (and liked to pretend that he and Nino were totally bitchy at each other behind the scenes over who could get the best scores and then made out a lot), I'm still really not sorry to see it go.
The convenience stores segment wasn't too bad with subs this time and I have to admit that I lol'd a little when Kusano-san was trying to open his heated onigiri and doing it badly, so Jun practically just grabs it away from him and DOES IT FOR HIM, because you know his OCD was going nuts, especially after two of the other guests spilled as well. But the Big Storm thing was totally worth it for Nino bitching about it the whole time and then saying there was no meaning to it. XDDDb
The segment about the teeth in the eyes was kind of interesting and I really adored Ohno's presentation of it, especially when he wrapped it up with, "And Fukuda-sensei's wife... is a big fan of Matsujun's! *points*" "a;sldfkjas;lkj LIKE WE NEEDED TO KNOW THAT." I was kind of dying. Also, I love that Jun and Nino's hair was all over the place while Ohno's right in the middle of that big storm and his hair HARDLY MOVES AT ALL. I also loved them teasing Aiba about being in charge of the unexploded bomb segment, which Nino said would have fit Sho better. asdlkfj I love them.
So, overall, it was worth watching, but a lot of that comes from reminding myself how much more awesome the show has gotten since then. XDDD