Arashi dorkery again.
I feel spammy posting so much all of a sudden, despite that I know that's silly. Guess that's what I get for ignoring this journal for awhile. orz
P.S. I was looking at girigiri's summer projects list and they said that Hancho may go on for fifteen episodes?? Does anyone know if that's confirmed or anything? Because asld;kfjaslkj that is seriously one of my favorites from this season and I would love more of it!
Anyway. Onto more Arashi stuff. Spoilers for anything listed under the cut:
→ VS ARASHI #62 [2009.06.27] subbed
→ Music Station 2009.07.03 - Minisute + opening + talk subbed
→ Himitsu no Arashi-chan #051 [2009.05.28] - Mannequin Five subbed
→ Himitsu no Arashi-chan #048 [2009.05.07] subbed
→ Music Lovers [2009.07.05]
→ Duet 2009.08 magazine scans
♥ - VS ARASHI #62 [2009.06.27] subbed - So, I only picked this one up because it's a recent sub and it's Toma and it's VS ARASHI, so I figured I'd probably like it. And then it starts off with Jun being all fidgety and adorable, because there's a big sempai he wants to meet and I wonder who this could be.
And then. a sdl;fkjasl;kj another Matsumoto Jun comes out, a woman with the same name and I just. asl;dkfjasl;kj oh, show, why are you so good to me? Especially with the conversation about how Toma considers himself not very athletic, despite that the usual Johnnies requirements mean you should be sporty, but, well, there are types like that. And Jun helpfully points out, yeah, they're the Sakurai-kun type, which spins them off onto the whole, "If you're the bottom of the middle, then I'm the top of the bottom!" conversation and, yeah, still twelve over here. :|b
So, Toma manages to get 260 points by climbing to the top and asdl;kjfaslk shit. I haven't watched VSA in awhile, so I forget that I find it kind of vaguely attractive when people are good at this game and he was smart to head up to the top after about 30 seconds because it's kind of difficult to get up there. And I love that Sho plays right along, staring up in shock after Toma reaches the top and Sho realizes that he's the "bottom of the bottom of the bottom" if that's what Toma means by "bottom of the middle".
a;sldkfjasl;kj still twelve.
Then it's Nino's turn to do Cliff Climb! And he's doing a dramatic dejected pose on the mats in front, but why~? Itou-san asks. And then the camera pans over to see Aiba as his support and ;alsdkjfalskjalskj shit, I love this show all over again. Because Aiba/Nino is such an amazing combination, Nino can totally make fun of Aiba by saying, AW MAN AND I WANTED TO SHOW MY COOL SIDE, TOO and then Aiba just picks right up on it and seriously says OKAY THEN YOU DECIDE HOW WE'LL DO IT! o/ and a;slkdj they have such great chemistry. Seriously, Nino's face when Aiba says he'll go along with Nino's plan. You can tell how much they just feed each other.
Naturally, little spider monkey Nino manages to juuuuust barely get the 270 points they need to get ahead and asdjkf; lks their arguement about the tosses (Nino missed the first one, then Aiba accidentally threw the second one too wide) was the most adorable thing ever! And then it's on to Rolling Coin Tower and as;dlkfjas;lkjaslkj oh my god, I know it's just a dumb stacking game, but I still get so wound up while watching it. The tower was almost as tall as they all were! Everyone had to stand on two boxes to reach the top of it it! a;lsdkjfal;skj it's a dumb stacking game, why do I get so wound up about it?? But it finally collapses before Kato Ai can touch it, which means that Ohno was the one who didn't clear it, so the other team gets the 100 points.
asd;flkjas;lkjs stupid Rolling Coin Tower, I feel so ridiculous afterwards. At least Falling Pipe Catch was cute enough to distract me from my ridiculous feelings, with Matsumoto-san being super adorable and Jun cannot tell what she's thinking at all and she's just this free-spirited granny type and I kind of love her. She could have been so random and she obviously wasn't the main attraction with the guests, but she still managed to steal a moment or two.
I was worried--because I am also deeply stupid when it comes to Falling Pipe Catch--that Jun gave up on one of the pipes that was going to fall, he turned his back on it to concentrate on the other three, and I prepared to wince a little if he did badly. And then he catches on the gold on the other one, seriously, Jun is kind of amazing at catching! And Sho was actually pretty good at choosing the two that Kato Ai gave up on, having chosen them while everyone was talking so that no one could see which ones he chose. Then doing an adorably dorky finger waggling pose.
Which, naturally, his bandmates totally gave him shit about. Sho explains that the finger wiggling was to say that he moved so fast you couldn't even see him and the audience goes, "Ahhh~!" when they get it. Sho responds with STOP THAT, IT'S EMBARRASSING.
So, what does Arashi do? Obviously the only thing to do is wiggling their fingers like Sho did and go, "Ahhh~!" as a group. Because they LOVE Sho.
After that, next round of Falling Pipe. Aiba catches while Toma chooses and Toma's like, man, it feels like none of these are the right ones to choose! So, helpful person that he is, Jun says, "Don't worry about it, it's just Aiba." and Nino adds, "Right, remember how it used to be?" and I just had this massive explosion of dorky love for the MAIN boys. Like, I hadn't even thought of that until Nino piped up with the comment about how things to used to be and I went, OH RIGHT THOSE FOUR WERE IN A GROUP TOGETHER. I LOVE YOU GUYS FOREVER.
(Now I totally want M.A.I.N.-era fic, you guysssss.)
Then, Aiba totally fails at catching anything (as he usually seems to do, Aiba is a terrible catcher) and we get the interesting bit of info from Toma--that Aiba keeps plants and complains to them a lot. I-- I kind of find that ridiculously adorable.
I also LOVE the looks on everyone's faces after Aiba fails to catch anything. Sho's kind of half amused and half sighing. Ohno's just sort of floating along in vague amusement. Nino is totally >:| faced. And Jun has the biggest, stupidest grin on his face at Aiba's antics.
I love it because that just sums everything up right there.
And then the show loved me even more by putting Toma up against Ohno while they played truth in the background and, honestly. Honestly, VSA, I don't know how the hell you made that work so well, but something about the bright and cheerful background and this silly game show contrasted against that dark, dark show was just... LOL. Especially when Toma managed a double catch that put them way, way over the top!
The tag at the end with Toma sitting around and talking about practicing techniques while Ohno's like, BUT WHAT ABOUT CHOOSING TECHNIQUES, WHAT DO YOU PRACTICE FOR THEM? and a;sldkfja;lsjk oh man I want Toma to hang out with Arashi FOREVER.
Awesome episode, totally worth the time to watch it. VSA is always a good bet, but this one was really charming and a great watch. Everyone is adorable and if you're not filled with love and happiness after this, there is something wrong with you.
♥ - Music Station 2009.07.03 - Minisute + opening + talk subbed - I was all set to watch this one raw and then yuckie_chan subs it! \o/ I picked this one because, well.
You take pretty much any screencap from this appearance and you will see Jun staring dreamily at Aiba. Or see him grinning hugely at Aiba. Or playfully teasing Aiba by sticking a hand in front of Aiba's face to block the camera while Aiba swats his hand back down.
Oh, Matsumoto. Your crush is so subtle.
I was a little "...." over the MiniSte host being either really hyper or really nervous or something, you could tell there was a little awkwardness when the other performers were trying to slide on by. Though, there were some serious lolz when Gackt literally tried to slink along the wall to get by them.
And the interview was pretty great, talking about Nino's birthday party and how it was Aiba's idea because he felt Nino was too lonely by himself, so he invited everyone out for yakiniku. Of course it was yakiniku. BUT THEN. They had to get Ohno to come along, but it was tough!
Because Ohno had a traumatic experience previously!
And then they tell the story: Ohno and Aiba went out for yakiniku one time and Ohno said he'd pay. Aiba's response? To call up Sho and go SHO-CHAN, SHO-CHAN, OHNO'S PAYING, COME OVER QUICK! and apparently Ohno had to pay a lot.
LOL. JUST. LOL. I will love Aiba forever.
And they ordered the most expensive things on the menu and then Ohno whines SEE, THEY'RE TERRIBLE PEOPLE and al;sdkfjaslkj oh my god his voice kind of cracks with the remembered trauma and I will love Ohno forever.
I also watched the performance of Everything and the most coherent thing I took away from it was, "I love Jun and his fabulous jeans." I mean, this performance does sort of... lack inspiration, but it's not bad or anything. I like that they're actually dancing around again and I like the outfits, but they're kind of... normal outfits? I'd expect to see them on Shukudai-kun in these clothes.
Though, I totally forgive them for the Ohno/Jun solo bit that actually sounded really good and was so pretty omg. Also, I was trying to cap that solo to see if I could get that ridiculously fond look Jun shot Ohno briefly and I swear to god. Every time I stopped on any given frame, Jun either had one hand on his cocked hip or was standing in some sort of slinky pose. This is endlessly endearing to me, shut up.
♥ - Himitsu no Arashi-chan #051 [2009.05.28] - Mannequin Five subbed - Once again, laziness pays off! I was originally planning to watch this the other night, but put it off and then there were subs! o/ And it starts out all right, I'm watching through the reveals and kind of feeling a little badly that the segment leaves someone out each time and they're kind of giving Aiba shit about his style and then... Sho goes and calls Nino's outfit (and Nino?) "pretty". I lolled really hard and loved Himitsu again.
(And the Aiba teasing was totally good-natured. ....plus, yeah, okay, I'm not a big fan of the medium-length pants so I can't feel too badly for Aiba's first date get up. :| )
I did kind of start to feel badly for Aiba when the first girl out said his first date outfit was like, "What happened here?" The top half is perfect, but then you get to the medium-length pants and she wondered if he ran out of time and rushed through the rest of it. And I feel badly. Except he was cracking up, too, and I hate those pants, to. :|
Also, I kind of love the girl. She keeps poking them, just to be playful. And I have to admire her for withstanding the STARING Nino did at her when she cutely asked, "To Ginza...?" in this really adorable WTF voice and he stared at her.
And then. asdl;fkjaslkj dying. Jun practically HOVERING behind her when she says he's TOO stylish. And then she turns around because she can feel him LOOMING/trying to make her head explode with the power of his mind and he's like: *RADIATES INNOCENCE* It was adorable and hilarious as all get out. Bless Jun for being able to dork it up again.
So, Aiba gets chosen first (MANIAC POWER! o/) and they start bitching talking about their outfits. Nino stands up for Sho's pink undershirt that got him in trouble, Nino thinks it doesn't look so bad. Jun wonders if he should adjust his outfit, maybe ditch the vest to make it a little more simple, since he got crap for being TOO stylish.
And Ohno casually reaches over and says, "Plus your hat, taking off the shirt is okay, too...." and asd;lfjkaslkj I seriously just about choked with laughter. Ohno is a little fucker on purpose, you guys, and I love him when he does shit like this, especially to Jun.
Seriously, Jun wonders, hmm, should I take off the vest?, and Ohno's response? You could take off your shirt, too~~ and the others rightly yell at him by calling him a pervert.
And, Matsumoto. You can smack Ohno's hand away from yourself and tell him to go screw himself, but your big as hell grin kind of really gives you away.
So, Aiba gets chosen first, then it's Nino and Jun and Sho and Ohno who are up again. The girl is having trouble choosing between two of them, which was sort of implied that it would be Jun and Nino, since she reacted most favorably to them and they both had accessories that she liked.
And was it just me or did Nino totally give Jun a dirty look when it seemed like the second girl was trying to choose between Nino and Jun? I like to think so because their bitchy rivalry of love is one of my favorite things just about ever. And then Jun's lilting, "Do your best~~" as he left was just. a;lsdkfjasl;kj I love Jun being a bastard, too.
..................wait, did Sho's pink t-shirt say MAGICAL DESIGN on the front??
I also love that Sho has to get his tiny BFFs to hide him from the camera while he changes t-shirts and they actually do it and a;sdlkjfaskl I love how shy he still is even after all he's done as part of Arashi. And then HE FORGETS A BUTTON SO THE GIRL WONDERS ABOUT IT when they're posing again. a sd;lfkjasl;jk LOLZ. And Sho's FACE while she talks about the WTF of the tank top inside.
Also, Nino being a little shit about how SOOOOOO HAPPY!!! he is to be chosen and even when he gets off the stage to the side, he shrieks at the top of his lungs, to make sure Sho and Ohno can hear him, I'M SOOOOOO HAPPY!! and a;sdlkfjalsk I love the little bastard for being such a dick.
I was also watching Aiba and Jun as they sit at a table and it's not just me, right? Jun is kind of seriously sliding halfway off his chair and into Aiba's lap, right? Seriously, there's all this space between him and the girl next to him, yet he's practically oozing into Aiba's lap. It's kind of hilarious.
It's hard to capture it in a cap, but when you see the camera moving around a little bit, it really looks like Jun is practically leaning into Aiba's side there and like he'd slide right into Aiba's lap if he could. ....man, I want that fic now. *wistful sigh*
It's also just. A girl on one side, Aiba on the other. It's totally surprising and not at all obovious that Matsumoto would sidle away from her and practically onto Aiba.
Anyway, so Ohno wins even in a plain yellow t-shirt and asdl;fkjasl;j I kind of start to suspect that the contest was rigged, that Sho was destined to be chosen last on purpose, especially because the way he reacts by crumpling to the floor and crying about why he was left over, it just... it goes hand in hand with the way you can kinda tell that Sho loves being able to be funny on purpose like this.
Every time I watch him do something like this, I think of those old MMA episode tags, where Sho was trying so hard to be funny and it just didn't quite work. And now he's found his niche and he's rocking it and it's so hilarious and just. He's rolling around on the floor and his voice is cracking as he promises not to wear pink anymore and a;sldjkfasljk LOLZ.
Totally a great episode, I love the Mannequin Five corner and I'm so delighted it got subbed. o/
♥ - Himitsu no Arashi-chan [2009.05.07] subbed - I'm not sure how long this post will be unlocked, but I grabbed the file while I could and I just picked it up because it was a sub and then as;dlfkjaslkjs Arashi playing Super Mario! I have been pining to watch them all play video games and it's just as awesome as promised.
It is kind of nerve-wracking to watch them go through the levels (Nino shouting encouragements at Jun about how there was a pattern to the hammer-throwing koopa was pretty adorable, though) and then Jun pushes the pause button and I just had to lol.
I also had to lol at the whole thing where, well, if they all cleared this level, then everyone would just have to start over from the beginning, and Nino and Daisuke both screamed in unison, WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!? LOLZ.
The whole thing is just hilarious and fun, especially because it's Nino, Jun, and Ohno who make it to the final level, but then the other defeated players get to play MarioKart to decide who will make it back to the semi-finals and the ONLY downside of this is that I don't get my treasured Nino vs Jun MarioKart game, I WANTS THE PRECIOUSSSS.
I-- I actually really don't have that much to say, but this was DELIGHTFUL to watch, I completely and totally recommend it.
♥ - Music Lovers [2009.07.05] - I wasn't planning on adding anything to this post before I posted it Monday morning (that was the idea, anyway) but then Hoface kept telling me about the awesome of this performance and, despite that it was only avaiable in LQ at the time, I caved and watch it. as;dlkfjaslkj I swear, Music Lovers always gets the best multiple performances like this and they're just so much gold to watch. Wasn't the last time we watched ML when Nino wore the little black dress, too?
This one starts off with Step And Go and asdl;fkjasljk shit I still love this song ridiculously and it's ridiculous dancing and Ohno's ridiculously wonderful voice during his solos. Seriously, EVERY TIME he sings by himself when I listen to this song, EVERY TIME I re-realize just how much I love Ohno's singing.
The talk part is awesome, I missed a lot of the conversation this time (I dunno if it was the audio quality or I'm just getting to be crap at getting the gist of the conversation) but caught enough to know it was beautiful. I know they get the ranking question almost as often as they get the, "If you were to date one of the other members of Arashi, which would it be?" question. I know they've got to be sick of it.
I DON'T CARE. I LOVE IT.
Especially when Ohno says Sho! Who is like, "EH, REALLY?" And Ohno's answer is because Sho's hot!
asdfl;jkase;lkjaslk; SHO'S FACE. I knew it was coming and yet still. SO MUCH LOL. It's like Sho is feeling all full squishy, warm ~*emotions*~ right back at Ohno.
And I don't care that Sho's obviously playing it up for the fanservice or that that's why Ohno said it. I STILL LOVE THEM FOREVER AND WANT MAKEOUTS.
You add all this on top of Jun being a total cuddlewhore for this appearance and Ohno being a cuddlewhore magnet to Ninomiya over there as well and Jun's TOTALLY STRAIGHT ~*fabulous*~ crushes on his entire band, but especially Ohno and Aiba and well. Seriously, just about a couple of weeks ago (or less? idk) I was saying that Jun's squishy crush on Ohno seemed to be dying down, that I hadn't seen Jun be a total goober for him lately.
Then along comes the Music Lovers performances and I swear there were at least THREE moments where Jun is practically plastered to Ohno's side while he is a total cuddlewhore for Ohno. There are at least two points where Jun is practically bent over double to get up close and personal while they're singing and there's the Ohmiya-inspired snuggling (while Nino actually looks totally fine with it! I'm with Hoface, clearly Jun and Nino are banging each other to take the jealousy out of their respective relationships with Ohno!) and then!! *flails* As if a Hadashi no Mirai performance wasn't enough, JUN JUST ABOUT CUDDLING WITH NINO WHILE SINGING!
I-- I have ridiculous amounts of love for this song. I know Kitto Daijoubu or truth are probably the songs that most people have that convert them or are their favorites and I totally get that. It's hard to beat the rainbow explosion or epicness of them. But Hadashi no Mirai was the original snugglepile of boybanders song and it's my baby. I cannot listen to this song or watch this performance without thinking of them all snuggled onto that couch while they goof off or piled onto that bed and flopping all over each other. It's my happy song.
I love it every time it comes up in concerts or on performances like these. It's just all the better when you can see that the boys are totally into it, too. The hand motions are always epic and this is the one song I just cannot resist singing along with, no matter how many times I listen to it.
Then back to the talk portion! And I knew it was coming, when they were ranking who was the biggest pain in the ass of the group! And yet. OHNO'S FACE. I cannot even tell you how hard I LOL'd and you could hear/see everyone dying of lolz around him and yet Ohno continues to just NAIL the perfect SUPREME TRAUMA expression! as;ldfkjas;lj how does one little dude have so much talent like that? And then the forced smile. as;dlfkjasljk crying with laughter.
Oh, and, like just about everyone else who watched this performance, when they finally get to Season, just before the song starts? I totally did not notice Jun making dramatic cow eyes in Aiba's direction. Not at all. It was totally subtle, Matsumoto, really. :|b
A+++++ tv apperance, though, I might suggest waiting until a better quality version comes out or until the talk parts get subbed, but it was FABULOUS all the way around. Everyone looks gorgeous and it's got some ace moments, totally recommended watching.
♥ - Duet 2009.08 magazine scans - Oh, speaking of Ohno and Jun cuddlewhoring. alexiela linked me to this and I have to admit, I've been kind of skimming a lot of the magazine stuff lately, but. Well, she roused my curiosity. And then:
Jun's legs in Ohno's lap, with Ohno's arm around Jun's shoulder? While Jun is practically beaming at Ohno? And wearing totally straight clothes?
Super, super manly and v. v. heterosexual, there is no doubt in my mind.
It is certainly not ~*fabulous*~ or the most adorable thing in the world or making me want Ohno/Jun porno because clearly Jun is in love with Ohno and I am certainly not thinking filthy thoughts about what they could be doing on that very nice white sofa.
Not at all. :|b
P.S. I was looking at girigiri's summer projects list and they said that Hancho may go on for fifteen episodes?? Does anyone know if that's confirmed or anything? Because asld;kfjaslkj that is seriously one of my favorites from this season and I would love more of it!
Anyway. Onto more Arashi stuff. Spoilers for anything listed under the cut:
→ VS ARASHI #62 [2009.06.27] subbed
→ Music Station 2009.07.03 - Minisute + opening + talk subbed
→ Himitsu no Arashi-chan #051 [2009.05.28] - Mannequin Five subbed
→ Himitsu no Arashi-chan #048 [2009.05.07] subbed
→ Music Lovers [2009.07.05]
→ Duet 2009.08 magazine scans
♥ - VS ARASHI #62 [2009.06.27] subbed - So, I only picked this one up because it's a recent sub and it's Toma and it's VS ARASHI, so I figured I'd probably like it. And then it starts off with Jun being all fidgety and adorable, because there's a big sempai he wants to meet and I wonder who this could be.
And then. a sdl;fkjasl;kj another Matsumoto Jun comes out, a woman with the same name and I just. asl;dkfjasl;kj oh, show, why are you so good to me? Especially with the conversation about how Toma considers himself not very athletic, despite that the usual Johnnies requirements mean you should be sporty, but, well, there are types like that. And Jun helpfully points out, yeah, they're the Sakurai-kun type, which spins them off onto the whole, "If you're the bottom of the middle, then I'm the top of the bottom!" conversation and, yeah, still twelve over here. :|b
So, Toma manages to get 260 points by climbing to the top and asdl;kjfaslk shit. I haven't watched VSA in awhile, so I forget that I find it kind of vaguely attractive when people are good at this game and he was smart to head up to the top after about 30 seconds because it's kind of difficult to get up there. And I love that Sho plays right along, staring up in shock after Toma reaches the top and Sho realizes that he's the "bottom of the bottom of the bottom" if that's what Toma means by "bottom of the middle".
a;sldkfjasl;kj still twelve.
Then it's Nino's turn to do Cliff Climb! And he's doing a dramatic dejected pose on the mats in front, but why~? Itou-san asks. And then the camera pans over to see Aiba as his support and ;alsdkjfalskjalskj shit, I love this show all over again. Because Aiba/Nino is such an amazing combination, Nino can totally make fun of Aiba by saying, AW MAN AND I WANTED TO SHOW MY COOL SIDE, TOO and then Aiba just picks right up on it and seriously says OKAY THEN YOU DECIDE HOW WE'LL DO IT! o/ and a;slkdj they have such great chemistry. Seriously, Nino's face when Aiba says he'll go along with Nino's plan. You can tell how much they just feed each other.
Naturally, little spider monkey Nino manages to juuuuust barely get the 270 points they need to get ahead and asdjkf; lks their arguement about the tosses (Nino missed the first one, then Aiba accidentally threw the second one too wide) was the most adorable thing ever! And then it's on to Rolling Coin Tower and as;dlkfjas;lkjaslkj oh my god, I know it's just a dumb stacking game, but I still get so wound up while watching it. The tower was almost as tall as they all were! Everyone had to stand on two boxes to reach the top of it it! a;lsdkjfal;skj it's a dumb stacking game, why do I get so wound up about it?? But it finally collapses before Kato Ai can touch it, which means that Ohno was the one who didn't clear it, so the other team gets the 100 points.
asd;flkjas;lkjs stupid Rolling Coin Tower, I feel so ridiculous afterwards. At least Falling Pipe Catch was cute enough to distract me from my ridiculous feelings, with Matsumoto-san being super adorable and Jun cannot tell what she's thinking at all and she's just this free-spirited granny type and I kind of love her. She could have been so random and she obviously wasn't the main attraction with the guests, but she still managed to steal a moment or two.
I was worried--because I am also deeply stupid when it comes to Falling Pipe Catch--that Jun gave up on one of the pipes that was going to fall, he turned his back on it to concentrate on the other three, and I prepared to wince a little if he did badly. And then he catches on the gold on the other one, seriously, Jun is kind of amazing at catching! And Sho was actually pretty good at choosing the two that Kato Ai gave up on, having chosen them while everyone was talking so that no one could see which ones he chose. Then doing an adorably dorky finger waggling pose.
Which, naturally, his bandmates totally gave him shit about. Sho explains that the finger wiggling was to say that he moved so fast you couldn't even see him and the audience goes, "Ahhh~!" when they get it. Sho responds with STOP THAT, IT'S EMBARRASSING.
So, what does Arashi do? Obviously the only thing to do is wiggling their fingers like Sho did and go, "Ahhh~!" as a group. Because they LOVE Sho.
After that, next round of Falling Pipe. Aiba catches while Toma chooses and Toma's like, man, it feels like none of these are the right ones to choose! So, helpful person that he is, Jun says, "Don't worry about it, it's just Aiba." and Nino adds, "Right, remember how it used to be?" and I just had this massive explosion of dorky love for the MAIN boys. Like, I hadn't even thought of that until Nino piped up with the comment about how things to used to be and I went, OH RIGHT THOSE FOUR WERE IN A GROUP TOGETHER. I LOVE YOU GUYS FOREVER.
(Now I totally want M.A.I.N.-era fic, you guysssss.)
Then, Aiba totally fails at catching anything (as he usually seems to do, Aiba is a terrible catcher) and we get the interesting bit of info from Toma--that Aiba keeps plants and complains to them a lot. I-- I kind of find that ridiculously adorable.
I also LOVE the looks on everyone's faces after Aiba fails to catch anything. Sho's kind of half amused and half sighing. Ohno's just sort of floating along in vague amusement. Nino is totally >:| faced. And Jun has the biggest, stupidest grin on his face at Aiba's antics.
I love it because that just sums everything up right there.
And then the show loved me even more by putting Toma up against Ohno while they played truth in the background and, honestly. Honestly, VSA, I don't know how the hell you made that work so well, but something about the bright and cheerful background and this silly game show contrasted against that dark, dark show was just... LOL. Especially when Toma managed a double catch that put them way, way over the top!
The tag at the end with Toma sitting around and talking about practicing techniques while Ohno's like, BUT WHAT ABOUT CHOOSING TECHNIQUES, WHAT DO YOU PRACTICE FOR THEM? and a;sldkfja;lsjk oh man I want Toma to hang out with Arashi FOREVER.
Awesome episode, totally worth the time to watch it. VSA is always a good bet, but this one was really charming and a great watch. Everyone is adorable and if you're not filled with love and happiness after this, there is something wrong with you.
♥ - Music Station 2009.07.03 - Minisute + opening + talk subbed - I was all set to watch this one raw and then yuckie_chan subs it! \o/ I picked this one because, well.
You take pretty much any screencap from this appearance and you will see Jun staring dreamily at Aiba. Or see him grinning hugely at Aiba. Or playfully teasing Aiba by sticking a hand in front of Aiba's face to block the camera while Aiba swats his hand back down.
Oh, Matsumoto. Your crush is so subtle.
I was a little "...." over the MiniSte host being either really hyper or really nervous or something, you could tell there was a little awkwardness when the other performers were trying to slide on by. Though, there were some serious lolz when Gackt literally tried to slink along the wall to get by them.
And the interview was pretty great, talking about Nino's birthday party and how it was Aiba's idea because he felt Nino was too lonely by himself, so he invited everyone out for yakiniku. Of course it was yakiniku. BUT THEN. They had to get Ohno to come along, but it was tough!
Because Ohno had a traumatic experience previously!
And then they tell the story: Ohno and Aiba went out for yakiniku one time and Ohno said he'd pay. Aiba's response? To call up Sho and go SHO-CHAN, SHO-CHAN, OHNO'S PAYING, COME OVER QUICK! and apparently Ohno had to pay a lot.
LOL. JUST. LOL. I will love Aiba forever.
And they ordered the most expensive things on the menu and then Ohno whines SEE, THEY'RE TERRIBLE PEOPLE and al;sdkfjaslkj oh my god his voice kind of cracks with the remembered trauma and I will love Ohno forever.
I also watched the performance of Everything and the most coherent thing I took away from it was, "I love Jun and his fabulous jeans." I mean, this performance does sort of... lack inspiration, but it's not bad or anything. I like that they're actually dancing around again and I like the outfits, but they're kind of... normal outfits? I'd expect to see them on Shukudai-kun in these clothes.
Though, I totally forgive them for the Ohno/Jun solo bit that actually sounded really good and was so pretty omg. Also, I was trying to cap that solo to see if I could get that ridiculously fond look Jun shot Ohno briefly and I swear to god. Every time I stopped on any given frame, Jun either had one hand on his cocked hip or was standing in some sort of slinky pose. This is endlessly endearing to me, shut up.
♥ - Himitsu no Arashi-chan #051 [2009.05.28] - Mannequin Five subbed - Once again, laziness pays off! I was originally planning to watch this the other night, but put it off and then there were subs! o/ And it starts out all right, I'm watching through the reveals and kind of feeling a little badly that the segment leaves someone out each time and they're kind of giving Aiba shit about his style and then... Sho goes and calls Nino's outfit (and Nino?) "pretty". I lolled really hard and loved Himitsu again.
(And the Aiba teasing was totally good-natured. ....plus, yeah, okay, I'm not a big fan of the medium-length pants so I can't feel too badly for Aiba's first date get up. :| )
I did kind of start to feel badly for Aiba when the first girl out said his first date outfit was like, "What happened here?" The top half is perfect, but then you get to the medium-length pants and she wondered if he ran out of time and rushed through the rest of it. And I feel badly. Except he was cracking up, too, and I hate those pants, to. :|
Also, I kind of love the girl. She keeps poking them, just to be playful. And I have to admire her for withstanding the STARING Nino did at her when she cutely asked, "To Ginza...?" in this really adorable WTF voice and he stared at her.
And then. asdl;fkjaslkj dying. Jun practically HOVERING behind her when she says he's TOO stylish. And then she turns around because she can feel him LOOMING/trying to make her head explode with the power of his mind and he's like: *RADIATES INNOCENCE* It was adorable and hilarious as all get out. Bless Jun for being able to dork it up again.
So, Aiba gets chosen first (MANIAC POWER! o/) and they start bitching talking about their outfits. Nino stands up for Sho's pink undershirt that got him in trouble, Nino thinks it doesn't look so bad. Jun wonders if he should adjust his outfit, maybe ditch the vest to make it a little more simple, since he got crap for being TOO stylish.
And Ohno casually reaches over and says, "Plus your hat, taking off the shirt is okay, too...." and asd;lfjkaslkj I seriously just about choked with laughter. Ohno is a little fucker on purpose, you guys, and I love him when he does shit like this, especially to Jun.
Seriously, Jun wonders, hmm, should I take off the vest?, and Ohno's response? You could take off your shirt, too~~ and the others rightly yell at him by calling him a pervert.
And, Matsumoto. You can smack Ohno's hand away from yourself and tell him to go screw himself, but your big as hell grin kind of really gives you away.
So, Aiba gets chosen first, then it's Nino and Jun and Sho and Ohno who are up again. The girl is having trouble choosing between two of them, which was sort of implied that it would be Jun and Nino, since she reacted most favorably to them and they both had accessories that she liked.
And was it just me or did Nino totally give Jun a dirty look when it seemed like the second girl was trying to choose between Nino and Jun? I like to think so because their bitchy rivalry of love is one of my favorite things just about ever. And then Jun's lilting, "Do your best~~" as he left was just. a;lsdkfjasl;kj I love Jun being a bastard, too.
..................wait, did Sho's pink t-shirt say MAGICAL DESIGN on the front??
I also love that Sho has to get his tiny BFFs to hide him from the camera while he changes t-shirts and they actually do it and a;sdlkjfaskl I love how shy he still is even after all he's done as part of Arashi. And then HE FORGETS A BUTTON SO THE GIRL WONDERS ABOUT IT when they're posing again. a sd;lfkjasl;jk LOLZ. And Sho's FACE while she talks about the WTF of the tank top inside.
Also, Nino being a little shit about how SOOOOOO HAPPY!!! he is to be chosen and even when he gets off the stage to the side, he shrieks at the top of his lungs, to make sure Sho and Ohno can hear him, I'M SOOOOOO HAPPY!! and a;sdlkfjalsk I love the little bastard for being such a dick.
I was also watching Aiba and Jun as they sit at a table and it's not just me, right? Jun is kind of seriously sliding halfway off his chair and into Aiba's lap, right? Seriously, there's all this space between him and the girl next to him, yet he's practically oozing into Aiba's lap. It's kind of hilarious.
It's hard to capture it in a cap, but when you see the camera moving around a little bit, it really looks like Jun is practically leaning into Aiba's side there and like he'd slide right into Aiba's lap if he could. ....man, I want that fic now. *wistful sigh*
It's also just. A girl on one side, Aiba on the other. It's totally surprising and not at all obovious that Matsumoto would sidle away from her and practically onto Aiba.
Anyway, so Ohno wins even in a plain yellow t-shirt and asdl;fkjasl;j I kind of start to suspect that the contest was rigged, that Sho was destined to be chosen last on purpose, especially because the way he reacts by crumpling to the floor and crying about why he was left over, it just... it goes hand in hand with the way you can kinda tell that Sho loves being able to be funny on purpose like this.
Every time I watch him do something like this, I think of those old MMA episode tags, where Sho was trying so hard to be funny and it just didn't quite work. And now he's found his niche and he's rocking it and it's so hilarious and just. He's rolling around on the floor and his voice is cracking as he promises not to wear pink anymore and a;sldjkfasljk LOLZ.
Totally a great episode, I love the Mannequin Five corner and I'm so delighted it got subbed. o/
♥ - Himitsu no Arashi-chan [2009.05.07] subbed - I'm not sure how long this post will be unlocked, but I grabbed the file while I could and I just picked it up because it was a sub and then as;dlfkjaslkjs Arashi playing Super Mario! I have been pining to watch them all play video games and it's just as awesome as promised.
It is kind of nerve-wracking to watch them go through the levels (Nino shouting encouragements at Jun about how there was a pattern to the hammer-throwing koopa was pretty adorable, though) and then Jun pushes the pause button and I just had to lol.
I also had to lol at the whole thing where, well, if they all cleared this level, then everyone would just have to start over from the beginning, and Nino and Daisuke both screamed in unison, WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!? LOLZ.
The whole thing is just hilarious and fun, especially because it's Nino, Jun, and Ohno who make it to the final level, but then the other defeated players get to play MarioKart to decide who will make it back to the semi-finals and the ONLY downside of this is that I don't get my treasured Nino vs Jun MarioKart game, I WANTS THE PRECIOUSSSS.
I-- I actually really don't have that much to say, but this was DELIGHTFUL to watch, I completely and totally recommend it.
♥ - Music Lovers [2009.07.05] - I wasn't planning on adding anything to this post before I posted it Monday morning (that was the idea, anyway) but then Hoface kept telling me about the awesome of this performance and, despite that it was only avaiable in LQ at the time, I caved and watch it. as;dlkfjaslkj I swear, Music Lovers always gets the best multiple performances like this and they're just so much gold to watch. Wasn't the last time we watched ML when Nino wore the little black dress, too?
This one starts off with Step And Go and asdl;fkjasljk shit I still love this song ridiculously and it's ridiculous dancing and Ohno's ridiculously wonderful voice during his solos. Seriously, EVERY TIME he sings by himself when I listen to this song, EVERY TIME I re-realize just how much I love Ohno's singing.
The talk part is awesome, I missed a lot of the conversation this time (I dunno if it was the audio quality or I'm just getting to be crap at getting the gist of the conversation) but caught enough to know it was beautiful. I know they get the ranking question almost as often as they get the, "If you were to date one of the other members of Arashi, which would it be?" question. I know they've got to be sick of it.
I DON'T CARE. I LOVE IT.
Especially when Ohno says Sho! Who is like, "EH, REALLY?" And Ohno's answer is because Sho's hot!
asdfl;jkase;lkjaslk; SHO'S FACE. I knew it was coming and yet still. SO MUCH LOL. It's like Sho is feeling all full squishy, warm ~*emotions*~ right back at Ohno.
And I don't care that Sho's obviously playing it up for the fanservice or that that's why Ohno said it. I STILL LOVE THEM FOREVER AND WANT MAKEOUTS.
You add all this on top of Jun being a total cuddlewhore for this appearance and Ohno being a cuddlewhore magnet to Ninomiya over there as well and Jun's TOTALLY STRAIGHT ~*fabulous*~ crushes on his entire band, but especially Ohno and Aiba and well. Seriously, just about a couple of weeks ago (or less? idk) I was saying that Jun's squishy crush on Ohno seemed to be dying down, that I hadn't seen Jun be a total goober for him lately.
Then along comes the Music Lovers performances and I swear there were at least THREE moments where Jun is practically plastered to Ohno's side while he is a total cuddlewhore for Ohno. There are at least two points where Jun is practically bent over double to get up close and personal while they're singing and there's the Ohmiya-inspired snuggling (while Nino actually looks totally fine with it! I'm with Hoface, clearly Jun and Nino are banging each other to take the jealousy out of their respective relationships with Ohno!) and then!! *flails* As if a Hadashi no Mirai performance wasn't enough, JUN JUST ABOUT CUDDLING WITH NINO WHILE SINGING!
I-- I have ridiculous amounts of love for this song. I know Kitto Daijoubu or truth are probably the songs that most people have that convert them or are their favorites and I totally get that. It's hard to beat the rainbow explosion or epicness of them. But Hadashi no Mirai was the original snugglepile of boybanders song and it's my baby. I cannot listen to this song or watch this performance without thinking of them all snuggled onto that couch while they goof off or piled onto that bed and flopping all over each other. It's my happy song.
I love it every time it comes up in concerts or on performances like these. It's just all the better when you can see that the boys are totally into it, too. The hand motions are always epic and this is the one song I just cannot resist singing along with, no matter how many times I listen to it.
Then back to the talk portion! And I knew it was coming, when they were ranking who was the biggest pain in the ass of the group! And yet. OHNO'S FACE. I cannot even tell you how hard I LOL'd and you could hear/see everyone dying of lolz around him and yet Ohno continues to just NAIL the perfect SUPREME TRAUMA expression! as;ldfkjas;lj how does one little dude have so much talent like that? And then the forced smile. as;dlfkjasljk crying with laughter.
Oh, and, like just about everyone else who watched this performance, when they finally get to Season, just before the song starts? I totally did not notice Jun making dramatic cow eyes in Aiba's direction. Not at all. It was totally subtle, Matsumoto, really. :|b
A+++++ tv apperance, though, I might suggest waiting until a better quality version comes out or until the talk parts get subbed, but it was FABULOUS all the way around. Everyone looks gorgeous and it's got some ace moments, totally recommended watching.
♥ - Duet 2009.08 magazine scans - Oh, speaking of Ohno and Jun cuddlewhoring. alexiela linked me to this and I have to admit, I've been kind of skimming a lot of the magazine stuff lately, but. Well, she roused my curiosity. And then:
Jun's legs in Ohno's lap, with Ohno's arm around Jun's shoulder? While Jun is practically beaming at Ohno? And wearing totally straight clothes?
Super, super manly and v. v. heterosexual, there is no doubt in my mind.
It is certainly not ~*fabulous*~ or the most adorable thing in the world or making me want Ohno/Jun porno because clearly Jun is in love with Ohno and I am certainly not thinking filthy thoughts about what they could be doing on that very nice white sofa.
Not at all. :|b