NEWS Live Diamond DVD highlights
Will probably add more to this as I watch it again. And again. And again. And again. And one more time. Massive spoilers everywhere.
- The opening film looks great. Way to go Takki! (I can never bring myself to call him Tackey. It's just so... tacky.) I think he did a great job of showing the cool and elegant NEWS, and then destroying it all by having them make funny faces. I love all of their expressions!
- I like the whole billiard table/bar/jukebox setting for Why. And the gorgeous smile Shige gave Massu when the latter succeeded doing the break shot.
- On Say Hello they did an impressive performance with hats, chairs and walking sticks. I've never heard this old song before, but the jazzy arrangement was nice. I was afraid one of them would drop his hat or stick, but no one did. Awesome, boys!
- The trademark sexy song in this DVD is Bambina. Complete with hip-thrusting movements and come-hither looks. My oh my.
- Their dance moves still don't match. LOL.
- Tegoshi sang Ai no Matador with a different arrangement and choreography. But the infamous "ima wa" dance move lives on, especially in the hearts of Yamapi and Koyama.
- Koyama got tattoos. Not just one, but two tattoos. I'm not sure if they're permanent, but perhaps he should tone up a little more before branding himself on his skinny chest? But I still love you, Kei-chan.
- "Kuchizuke wo" makes a return. I have no words to describe this. You have to see it for yourself.
- Really, Johnny-san, prepubescent boys should not be allowed to backdance for such a perverted song as Murarisuto. You're tainting their innocent minds!
- The KoyamaPi love is strong in this DVD. Their duet, Ginza Rhapsody, somehow reminds me of Takki & Tsubasa, but they really do match well together. They almost look like brothers! Koyama also loves to strip Yamapi of his shirt during encores, while Yamapi finds pleasure in spanking Koyama's butt.
- Shige's Shalala Tambourine is a catchy song. Even Ryo likes to sing a slow version of it during sound check.
- Massu is my new superhero. He can do backflips. Haha.
- In the MC, Koyama + Shige = (in their own words) "Yes, fall in love".
- I like the casual outfits they wore during Forever. Ryo's shirt was so small and tight I was afraid he might rip it when moving around. I was surprised to see Yamapi doing the rap part in this song, because I was so sure it was Shige's voice in the album.
- Tegoshi Yuuko made Koyama go "muramura", barged into changing rooms to scare juniors and donned a female Santa costume - with a skirt which Ryo gladly lifted up for fun.
- Shige is very expressive. During the MC, even when I don't understand what everybody's saying (and my sister is too lazy to interpret for me) I can laugh just by seeing his animated face. On the other hand, Yamapi also seems more expressive and fun when he's around NEWS.
- Yamapi and Ryo imitated Tegoshi's trademark hand gesture. "Yamapi desu! Ryo-chan desu!"
- A surprise birthday party was held for Ryo and Tegoshi in November. The two looked so happy! Ryo was again surprised when during the next concert the members got the audience to sing him NEWS' Happy Birthday. His stunned, disbelieving face was so cute. He couldn't even say anything but "arigatou, arigatou".
- The boys also had a Christmas party in which they ate spaghetti, drank red wine and exchanged presents. Among those presents are bags of rice and numerous pairs of socks.
- Possibly my favorite moment in the whole DVD: Koyama got the audience to scream Shige's name repeatedly between the lyrics of NEWS Nippon. Shige responded by hugging him fiercely from behind.
- Yamapi got watery-eyed during the last song.
- Numerous other stolen glances, sudden embraces, stupid jokes, funny faces and various heartfelt moments in the NEWS universe.
As for the PVs...
- Superman: This is probably my favorite video of all along with Shige's. Massu is amazing! I think the video is a good combination of the cute (his adorable self), the cool (the dance) and the silly (the Superman costume). The song is really catchy too. My immediate reaction to this video is just like what Massu said in the lyrics: "Oh my God!"
Edit: After I listened more closely, it seemed he was singing "Oh my girl" instead of "Oh my God". But I still think "Oh my God" is the proper reaction when seeing this PV. ^^
- Ai Nante: Tegoshi sits around in a hotel room looking angsty and then goes out to drench himself in the rain. This video didn't leave much of an impression for me, except that it features Faceless Female Model #1. Among the Tegoshi-centered songs I actually prefer Kesenai to Ai Nante, but his voice is superb as usual. "Sankyuu!"
- Shalala Tambourine: Shigemi is the new babe in NEWS! Shige cosplays as a karaoke attendant, a host, a salaryman, a hippie, a metal rocker, a foreigner and a schoolgirl. The big-nosed foreigner is the weirdest, but the sexy host and pretty schoolgirl are the bomb. By making this video Shige seems to be positioning himself as the comedian in NEWS, which I think is a fitting role for him.
- Love Addiction: When I first saw Koyama, I thought he looked really weird. Single eyelids, stick-thin body, odd face, effeminate dance moves. How a guy like this became a member of a boyband was beyond me. And then as I got to know him better I grew to appreciate him more because he seems like a genuinely nice guy. Then he started looking better in my eyes. In fact, nowadays he is almost good-looking and, dare I say it, hot? Koyama seems to be aiming for that hot and sexy image in this video, and while I was afraid I would be put off by it, it didn't turn out so bad - although the sight of ero-Koyama on the bed still makes me want to laugh. He seriously needs to put on a few kilos (an advice from Yamapi on how to get man-boobs, perhaps?), but I do love his biceps. Oh, and the video also features Faceless Female Model #2, which Koyama hugs in the end.
- code: Featuring Faceless Female Model #3. Just as in Tegoshi's case, I also prefer ordinary rather than code. But I think the CG in this video is better than in MOLA. If Ryo was aiming for long-lastingness in this video, I think he succeeded as this is the kind of video that probably won't look outdated in years to come.
- MOLA (R-midwest REMIX): No faceless female models here, but Yamapi does have female dancers (apparently if they're dancers we're allowed to see their faces). I don't like the boxy CG much. The dance is super cool, but as a result it makes Yamapi look boring when he's not dancing and just standing there. I also like the original MOLA better than the remix.
......Man, that was long. ;P
- The opening film looks great. Way to go Takki! (I can never bring myself to call him Tackey. It's just so... tacky.) I think he did a great job of showing the cool and elegant NEWS, and then destroying it all by having them make funny faces. I love all of their expressions!
- I like the whole billiard table/bar/jukebox setting for Why. And the gorgeous smile Shige gave Massu when the latter succeeded doing the break shot.
- On Say Hello they did an impressive performance with hats, chairs and walking sticks. I've never heard this old song before, but the jazzy arrangement was nice. I was afraid one of them would drop his hat or stick, but no one did. Awesome, boys!
- The trademark sexy song in this DVD is Bambina. Complete with hip-thrusting movements and come-hither looks. My oh my.
- Their dance moves still don't match. LOL.
- Tegoshi sang Ai no Matador with a different arrangement and choreography. But the infamous "ima wa" dance move lives on, especially in the hearts of Yamapi and Koyama.
- Koyama got tattoos. Not just one, but two tattoos. I'm not sure if they're permanent, but perhaps he should tone up a little more before branding himself on his skinny chest? But I still love you, Kei-chan.
- "Kuchizuke wo" makes a return. I have no words to describe this. You have to see it for yourself.
- Really, Johnny-san, prepubescent boys should not be allowed to backdance for such a perverted song as Murarisuto. You're tainting their innocent minds!
- The KoyamaPi love is strong in this DVD. Their duet, Ginza Rhapsody, somehow reminds me of Takki & Tsubasa, but they really do match well together. They almost look like brothers! Koyama also loves to strip Yamapi of his shirt during encores, while Yamapi finds pleasure in spanking Koyama's butt.
- Shige's Shalala Tambourine is a catchy song. Even Ryo likes to sing a slow version of it during sound check.
- Massu is my new superhero. He can do backflips. Haha.
- In the MC, Koyama + Shige = (in their own words) "Yes, fall in love".
- I like the casual outfits they wore during Forever. Ryo's shirt was so small and tight I was afraid he might rip it when moving around. I was surprised to see Yamapi doing the rap part in this song, because I was so sure it was Shige's voice in the album.
- Tegoshi Yuuko made Koyama go "muramura", barged into changing rooms to scare juniors and donned a female Santa costume - with a skirt which Ryo gladly lifted up for fun.
- Shige is very expressive. During the MC, even when I don't understand what everybody's saying (and my sister is too lazy to interpret for me) I can laugh just by seeing his animated face. On the other hand, Yamapi also seems more expressive and fun when he's around NEWS.
- Yamapi and Ryo imitated Tegoshi's trademark hand gesture. "Yamapi desu! Ryo-chan desu!"
- A surprise birthday party was held for Ryo and Tegoshi in November. The two looked so happy! Ryo was again surprised when during the next concert the members got the audience to sing him NEWS' Happy Birthday. His stunned, disbelieving face was so cute. He couldn't even say anything but "arigatou, arigatou".
- The boys also had a Christmas party in which they ate spaghetti, drank red wine and exchanged presents. Among those presents are bags of rice and numerous pairs of socks.
- Possibly my favorite moment in the whole DVD: Koyama got the audience to scream Shige's name repeatedly between the lyrics of NEWS Nippon. Shige responded by hugging him fiercely from behind.
- Yamapi got watery-eyed during the last song.
- Numerous other stolen glances, sudden embraces, stupid jokes, funny faces and various heartfelt moments in the NEWS universe.
As for the PVs...
- Superman: This is probably my favorite video of all along with Shige's. Massu is amazing! I think the video is a good combination of the cute (his adorable self), the cool (the dance) and the silly (the Superman costume). The song is really catchy too. My immediate reaction to this video is just like what Massu said in the lyrics: "Oh my God!"
Edit: After I listened more closely, it seemed he was singing "Oh my girl" instead of "Oh my God". But I still think "Oh my God" is the proper reaction when seeing this PV. ^^
- Ai Nante: Tegoshi sits around in a hotel room looking angsty and then goes out to drench himself in the rain. This video didn't leave much of an impression for me, except that it features Faceless Female Model #1. Among the Tegoshi-centered songs I actually prefer Kesenai to Ai Nante, but his voice is superb as usual. "Sankyuu!"
- Shalala Tambourine: Shigemi is the new babe in NEWS! Shige cosplays as a karaoke attendant, a host, a salaryman, a hippie, a metal rocker, a foreigner and a schoolgirl. The big-nosed foreigner is the weirdest, but the sexy host and pretty schoolgirl are the bomb. By making this video Shige seems to be positioning himself as the comedian in NEWS, which I think is a fitting role for him.
- Love Addiction: When I first saw Koyama, I thought he looked really weird. Single eyelids, stick-thin body, odd face, effeminate dance moves. How a guy like this became a member of a boyband was beyond me. And then as I got to know him better I grew to appreciate him more because he seems like a genuinely nice guy. Then he started looking better in my eyes. In fact, nowadays he is almost good-looking and, dare I say it, hot? Koyama seems to be aiming for that hot and sexy image in this video, and while I was afraid I would be put off by it, it didn't turn out so bad - although the sight of ero-Koyama on the bed still makes me want to laugh. He seriously needs to put on a few kilos (an advice from Yamapi on how to get man-boobs, perhaps?), but I do love his biceps. Oh, and the video also features Faceless Female Model #2, which Koyama hugs in the end.
- code: Featuring Faceless Female Model #3. Just as in Tegoshi's case, I also prefer ordinary rather than code. But I think the CG in this video is better than in MOLA. If Ryo was aiming for long-lastingness in this video, I think he succeeded as this is the kind of video that probably won't look outdated in years to come.
- MOLA (R-midwest REMIX): No faceless female models here, but Yamapi does have female dancers (apparently if they're dancers we're allowed to see their faces). I don't like the boxy CG much. The dance is super cool, but as a result it makes Yamapi look boring when he's not dancing and just standing there. I also like the original MOLA better than the remix.
......Man, that was long. ;P