Basically, this is just an excuse for Arashi picspam, I know.
ARASHI/Jpop news catchup:
♫ - I can't lie, I lolled REAL HARD at (supposedly) Sho and Maki are dating and: According to a restaurant manager in Shinjuku, "I don't have the slightest idea why, but somehow Sakurai-kun and Maki-chan have been appearing frequently at a gay bar, and it's also curious that Endo Kenichi is also with them. [....]"
I just-- I mean-- I-- I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I don't know if I'm laughing at the idea of Sho gay or if I'm laughing because it's so very Oh, Japan, You Crazy Kids (at a gay bar, crying forever) or if I'm laughing at the complete wtf of this, but whatever the reason. I am laughing super hard.
(I have no real feelings on Sho/Maki either way. I didn't sense chemistry, but if they like each other, they certainly would be super pretty together! And I like the idea of celebrity couples--REAL LIFE DRAMAS, I AM ONBOARD WITH THIS. ....assuming any of this is true, which I'm always skeptical about. Sho is SUPER careful about these things, for serious.)
♫ - I love Oricon Star polls like this and that might just be because Arashi totally did amazing, but still. It's interesting to see what groups are really popular in Japan right now.
♫ - The Music Hour (formerly Utaban) is ending and that makes me sad, but I can't say I'm terribly surprised after I heard about the revamp and that it apparently wasn't doing so well in the ratings after that? I am going to miss it, though. :<
♫ - ..... Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on VS Arashi. ..............I think my brain just exploded. I'm just not quite sure how to process this! I know it's not like Tom Cruise is a stranger to Japan and yet... there's still this whole feeling of two worlds clashing terribly.
ARASHI performances/news reports:
I was cleaning up my files the other night and decided to start watching some stuff, just for a little fun... and, suddenly, I found myself screencapping a crapload of stuff again and just. orz Sorry for the picspam? At least it'll all be thumbnailed.
♫ - Music Station [2010.10.01] - Dear Snow: What caught my attention about this performance--and what dragged me into capping it, despite that it doesn't cap that well--is that moment about halfway through when they release the fluttery "snow" down on the guys and I originally thought it was just a video effect, because it looked too much like a rush of water coming towards them. And then no! Little paper snowflakes! That fluttered all over them and made it look like it was snowing!
Up to then I'd been enjoying the silver/white/gray/black outfits more than I should have, considering that they should have been boring, but instead just looked very classy. I think it's the contrast against the usual garishly bright eye-searing colors we usually see on them, so it's nice to occasionally see something without colors not found in nature or sequins and glitter all over everything. ....not that some of them weren't still wearing rather odd outfits, but at least they were subdued odd outfits. I approve of this once in awhile!
To be honest, I'm surprised I liked this whole performance as much as I did because it's not like Arashi really did much of anything, but. The effects were so darling and charming that I was totally won over! Classy outfits! The boys standing around and lookging ~*dramatic*~! Ohno's total fail at it! Ngl, I laughed probably in the way I wasn't supposed to, but at the same time it just makes me love them even more without irony. (It's non-ironic ironic laughter at them. Yeah, that totally made sense.)
But snowglobe effect! Gently drifting paper snowflakes! Settling in Arashi's hair as they sing dramatically in pretty gray clothing! It's like they knew what would make me weak!
I also really loved how happy Nino looked during the performance. I just assumed it was because he was fucking with everyone but Ho says that she thinks this song is to Nino what One Love was to Jun. ("His Big Gay Wedding song?" I asked. PRETTY MUCH, she replied. Look how he's looking at all of them! ....I had to concur.)
♫ - Kokuritsu concert MC reports: I love these things! Sure, you hear A HUNDRED TIMES how much water they used, how high the water jets go, how many fireworks they used, ohhhh they're going to have some wire action stuff this time, there's a crowd of 70,000 people, etc. And it's really exciting at first, but after awhile it's just the same footage over and over, so I stopped expecting much out of these.
At least until I snagged the subbed versions of the MC snippets and. asl;dfkjasl;kjalsk;j it was kind of beautiful because, well, this is Aiba Masaki for you.
So, I'm watching one of those Kokuritsu reports on Sukkiri and they show a clip of one of the MCs, where Aiba's sweating so much that his shirt turns see-through and, uh oh, you can see his nipples. And Nino's comment? "With Aiba-san, it's always about nipples, isn't it? Like, 'Oh, crap, everyone can see my nipples!'"
I never, ever get tired of the rest of Arashi's tone being like, WHY IS AIBA SUCH A PERV? I love that, yes, once again, Aiba is totally the cheerful perv of the group! Though, man, with Aiba's hair all damp and in his eyes? ....yes plz. ♥__♥
I think all these thoughts before I watch another one of these.
So then one of the other news report shows had more of that MC, where Sho starts ganging up on Aiba as well, like, is your degree of excitement determined by how much your nipples are showing? Aiba says, hey, don't make me sound like some kind of perv! Sorry, sorry, but you're really soaked! Go change! And Nino keeps teasing him, you'll only just catch a cold, so-- as he walks right by Aiba.
Aiba's response? TO CHASE NINO AROUND THE STAGE for a bit, probably to hug him while soaking wet, to just sweat all over him. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOUR FRIEND IS A LITTLE SHIT.
Nino laughing as he runs away, just the sheer adorableness of the two of them is fantastic.
And now I want Aiba+Nino antics forever, Japan! ;____;
And, yes, I did have to cap all that. Look how adorable they all are when Ohno tells Aiba that he'll get a cold if he stays like that or when Jun tells him to go get changed or when Aiba comes back out with his DREAM OUTFIT, aka JACKET WITHOUT A SHIRT THIS TIME, or when Nino helpfully twists a towel around his neck to hide that he's not wearing a shirt because that's what you do when you have a silly boyband member friend! You go along with his antics! I LOVE THEM ALL, OKAY.
♫ - [CM] Kirin Green Label - Fishing [Aiba, Ohno, Jun]: I don't really have any real comments about this cm, other than, LOOK SQUISHY AND THE TWO MEMBERS HE'S WEAKEST TO IT'S LIKE JAPAN WANTED BOTH ME AND SQUISHY TO BE HAPPY.
Also! Fishing!
Also! HOMG THIS IS A GORGEOUS COMMERCIAL!
Also! NOW I HAVE CAPS OF AIBA AND JUN AND OHNO FISHING TOGETHER YOU BETTER BELIEVE I AM KEEPING THESE FOREVER!
Also! SHARING A BEER TOGETHER AT THE END WHILE THEY EAT THEIR FISH! I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a dozen different fanfic ideas over that moment.
Also! Ohno's face as he's pouring the beer to drink while he's fishing = A+++++++ for serious.
(So, yeah, basically, this was just an excuse to post these caps. >_> If it were even better resolution, that first one would so have been my new wallpaper like that.)
♫ - I can't lie, I lolled REAL HARD at (supposedly) Sho and Maki are dating and: According to a restaurant manager in Shinjuku, "I don't have the slightest idea why, but somehow Sakurai-kun and Maki-chan have been appearing frequently at a gay bar, and it's also curious that Endo Kenichi is also with them. [....]"
I just-- I mean-- I-- I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I don't know if I'm laughing at the idea of Sho gay or if I'm laughing because it's so very Oh, Japan, You Crazy Kids (at a gay bar, crying forever) or if I'm laughing at the complete wtf of this, but whatever the reason. I am laughing super hard.
(I have no real feelings on Sho/Maki either way. I didn't sense chemistry, but if they like each other, they certainly would be super pretty together! And I like the idea of celebrity couples--REAL LIFE DRAMAS, I AM ONBOARD WITH THIS. ....assuming any of this is true, which I'm always skeptical about. Sho is SUPER careful about these things, for serious.)
♫ - I love Oricon Star polls like this and that might just be because Arashi totally did amazing, but still. It's interesting to see what groups are really popular in Japan right now.
♫ - The Music Hour (formerly Utaban) is ending and that makes me sad, but I can't say I'm terribly surprised after I heard about the revamp and that it apparently wasn't doing so well in the ratings after that? I am going to miss it, though. :<
♫ - ..... Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on VS Arashi. ..............I think my brain just exploded. I'm just not quite sure how to process this! I know it's not like Tom Cruise is a stranger to Japan and yet... there's still this whole feeling of two worlds clashing terribly.
ARASHI performances/news reports:
I was cleaning up my files the other night and decided to start watching some stuff, just for a little fun... and, suddenly, I found myself screencapping a crapload of stuff again and just. orz Sorry for the picspam? At least it'll all be thumbnailed.
♫ - Music Station [2010.10.01] - Dear Snow: What caught my attention about this performance--and what dragged me into capping it, despite that it doesn't cap that well--is that moment about halfway through when they release the fluttery "snow" down on the guys and I originally thought it was just a video effect, because it looked too much like a rush of water coming towards them. And then no! Little paper snowflakes! That fluttered all over them and made it look like it was snowing!
Up to then I'd been enjoying the silver/white/gray/black outfits more than I should have, considering that they should have been boring, but instead just looked very classy. I think it's the contrast against the usual garishly bright eye-searing colors we usually see on them, so it's nice to occasionally see something without colors not found in nature or sequins and glitter all over everything. ....not that some of them weren't still wearing rather odd outfits, but at least they were subdued odd outfits. I approve of this once in awhile!
To be honest, I'm surprised I liked this whole performance as much as I did because it's not like Arashi really did much of anything, but. The effects were so darling and charming that I was totally won over! Classy outfits! The boys standing around and lookging ~*dramatic*~! Ohno's total fail at it! Ngl, I laughed probably in the way I wasn't supposed to, but at the same time it just makes me love them even more without irony. (It's non-ironic ironic laughter at them. Yeah, that totally made sense.)
But snowglobe effect! Gently drifting paper snowflakes! Settling in Arashi's hair as they sing dramatically in pretty gray clothing! It's like they knew what would make me weak!
I also really loved how happy Nino looked during the performance. I just assumed it was because he was fucking with everyone but Ho says that she thinks this song is to Nino what One Love was to Jun. ("His Big Gay Wedding song?" I asked. PRETTY MUCH, she replied. Look how he's looking at all of them! ....I had to concur.)
♫ - Kokuritsu concert MC reports: I love these things! Sure, you hear A HUNDRED TIMES how much water they used, how high the water jets go, how many fireworks they used, ohhhh they're going to have some wire action stuff this time, there's a crowd of 70,000 people, etc. And it's really exciting at first, but after awhile it's just the same footage over and over, so I stopped expecting much out of these.
At least until I snagged the subbed versions of the MC snippets and. asl;dfkjasl;kjalsk;j it was kind of beautiful because, well, this is Aiba Masaki for you.
So, I'm watching one of those Kokuritsu reports on Sukkiri and they show a clip of one of the MCs, where Aiba's sweating so much that his shirt turns see-through and, uh oh, you can see his nipples. And Nino's comment? "With Aiba-san, it's always about nipples, isn't it? Like, 'Oh, crap, everyone can see my nipples!'"
I never, ever get tired of the rest of Arashi's tone being like, WHY IS AIBA SUCH A PERV? I love that, yes, once again, Aiba is totally the cheerful perv of the group! Though, man, with Aiba's hair all damp and in his eyes? ....yes plz. ♥__♥
I think all these thoughts before I watch another one of these.
So then one of the other news report shows had more of that MC, where Sho starts ganging up on Aiba as well, like, is your degree of excitement determined by how much your nipples are showing? Aiba says, hey, don't make me sound like some kind of perv! Sorry, sorry, but you're really soaked! Go change! And Nino keeps teasing him, you'll only just catch a cold, so-- as he walks right by Aiba.
Aiba's response? TO CHASE NINO AROUND THE STAGE for a bit, probably to hug him while soaking wet, to just sweat all over him. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOUR FRIEND IS A LITTLE SHIT.
Nino laughing as he runs away, just the sheer adorableness of the two of them is fantastic.
And now I want Aiba+Nino antics forever, Japan! ;____;
And, yes, I did have to cap all that. Look how adorable they all are when Ohno tells Aiba that he'll get a cold if he stays like that or when Jun tells him to go get changed or when Aiba comes back out with his DREAM OUTFIT, aka JACKET WITHOUT A SHIRT THIS TIME, or when Nino helpfully twists a towel around his neck to hide that he's not wearing a shirt because that's what you do when you have a silly boyband member friend! You go along with his antics! I LOVE THEM ALL, OKAY.
♫ - [CM] Kirin Green Label - Fishing [Aiba, Ohno, Jun]: I don't really have any real comments about this cm, other than, LOOK SQUISHY AND THE TWO MEMBERS HE'S WEAKEST TO IT'S LIKE JAPAN WANTED BOTH ME AND SQUISHY TO BE HAPPY.
Also! Fishing!
Also! HOMG THIS IS A GORGEOUS COMMERCIAL!
Also! NOW I HAVE CAPS OF AIBA AND JUN AND OHNO FISHING TOGETHER YOU BETTER BELIEVE I AM KEEPING THESE FOREVER!
Also! SHARING A BEER TOGETHER AT THE END WHILE THEY EAT THEIR FISH! I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a dozen different fanfic ideas over that moment.
Also! Ohno's face as he's pouring the beer to drink while he's fishing = A+++++++ for serious.
(So, yeah, basically, this was just an excuse to post these caps. >_> If it were even better resolution, that first one would so have been my new wallpaper like that.)