[translation] KAT-TUN in Popolo (2016; May)
So it's official, KAT-TUN is really on hiatus. I still find myself looking for group-related news, so imagine my sheer joy when Maru posted about their dinner outings together... Sigh, come back soon, KAT-TUN! In the meantime, I shall rewatch every single release and drama or whatever I can get my hands on. :P
And in recent bouts of attempts to anchor myself to the KAT-TUN fandom through finding every single related thing I could contribute, I found myself volunteering to translate this article, with scans provided by Lyza Kamenashi on Facebook. So here I present to you the translation for KAT-TUN's Popolo interview :)
KAT-TUN: Popolo feature, 05.2016
Members’ Famous Quotes Playback!
In this talk, we will look back at famous quotes said by the members on Popolo! Members will also talk about their feelings and attitudes for the dome tour in spring!
Quote Playback 1: Kamenashi, July’11 - “Skirt!? Pants!? Make it clearer!”
K: I’m still the same, even now (laughs). Those things look like skirts, yet it’s connected on the inside and are in fact pants!
U: Aah, I don’t like them too~ (laughs)
K: “I was looking forward to it and it’s so disappointing~” - something like that, right? (laughs)
U: It’s still trending this year.
N: I think nothing of it.
U: Really? No way, nope. (laughs)
K: But we do really look forward to it though.
U: For me, regardless of what, I still think it’s bad to disappoint people.
N: No, that's because you were wilfully expecting something.
K&U: Ahahahahahahahahaha!
U: If you want to lie, it’s still bad to lie about something so disappointing!
N: But is that really a lie? (laughs)
U: Welllllll, the point of it is to make it look like you are wearing a skirt right? It’s like, “You were so happy and then suddenly, too bad!” - something like that! (laughs)
N: For me, hmmmmm… Furballs*. (those small balls on knitted clothes and things)
K&U: Ah~ I get it!
K: In this season, when we put on sweaters or something, we tend to be conscious of it right.
N: If a furball is attached, it becomes kind of disappointing right.
U: Because then it would become as if you were “scruffy and untidy” right.
K: Surprisingly, men do take notice of it, so girls, do be careful! (laughs)
Quote Playback 2: Ueda, June’05 - “(What is Ueda Tatsuya?) A man like the collarbone”
N: Didn’t he just make a lame joke and failed? (laughs)
K&U: Wahahahahahahaha
U: This would take me 2 hours to finish explaining. It’s something of that kind of depth.
N: Don’t lie! (laughs) It must be something you said on impulse because you were young and had wanted to say something interesting right?
U: Maybe it was something that was asked so suddenly that I couldn’t understand and so I made that statement.
K: But your fans then did think of you as “a man like the collarbone” just like you wanted them to right?
U: …… So what did Nakamaru answered (to the same question)?
K: “Ueda Tatsuya is… an eggplant.”
U: Even you were trying so hard to make a terrible joke, weren’t you! (laughs)
N: No way! That remark was properly linked to the comments I said after making it! (laughs)
K: Even if you linked it, it was still a terrible one, wasn’t it. (laughs)
N: Well, anything you read after 10 years would be terrible and lame after all (laughs).
U: What did Kame said then?
N: He said, “A person who can carry himself well. In a way, I can respect him.”
K&U: So earnest!
K: See, I had always been serious in my work from those times (laughs).
N: No way, we did do it in a way that was true to ourselves, properly really.
U: But it’s eggplant, an eggplant! You try being the one who was said to be like an eggplant and see what happens then!
N: Then again, what did Ueda said about me?
K: “Nakamaru Yuichi is… a jime*!” (someone who is gloomy/dark and not cheerful)
N: What is this! Isn’t it at the same level as you then! (laughs)
U: Ahahahahahaha!
K: Well, you guys just can’t help it, can you. And I guess I have been quite earnest, both then and now as an adult.
U: Well then Kame, we will ask again. What kind of men are we?
K: Eggplant! Jime!
U&N: Ahahahahahaha!
N: What, you just returned to being a kid! Is this like some “return to our roots” thing!?
Quote Playback 3: Nakamaru, November’02 - “I had thought that the human structure was fascinating ne.”
K: He made this remark during our meeting after our Okyakusama wa Kamisama concert at the International Forum.
N: Eh, I made comments such as this. It’s because we had remained standing due to sheer willpower then at the end of the concert. I had thought then that people who could remain standing through willpower were fascinating.
U: And even though you said that “If the KAT-TUN now were to do concerts at domes, at least two of us will collapse”, in actual fact, it really was hard during our first dome tour.
N: I really collapsed due to anemia.
K: Yeah, it was really bad because of the anemia. Well, even now it’s still as hard and we would collapse.
U: Even now, we are still doing our best with the same feelings of doing it till we collapse.
K: Still, as we gained more experiences, we were able to remember the importance of regulation.
N: That is quite true.
K: At that time, it seemed like we had to bring out the best performances right from the start.
U: So of course, it would surely kill our stamina.
N: While our feelings have not changed much, for things like efficiency, we did gain experiences in those areas. However, the basis for most things did not change much, such as the things we want to showcase, or how we do certain things.
U: I felt really touched when I heard the applause at our first dome concert. It was unforgettable.
K: Well, to put it in Pokémon terms, I was Squirtle then and Ueda was Charmander, and Nakamaru was Magikarp*!
U: Magikarp only splashes around usually though (laughs).
K: Well, it was like how Pokémon had evolved steadily. Gradually, we had evolved into the “us” today. If it’s like this, then Popolo-san had let us experience many things. Counting from our first appearance, it has been more than 13 years ago.
U: I can somehow remember those times. Unlike other magazines, it was rare for Juniors to appear in Popolo. I remembered that as KAT-TUN had appeared in it even though we had not debuted, I was so happy that I brought one home.
N: Yes, compared to now, there were more actors who had appeared in it. Even then, don't you think we had few programmes where we wore clothes? In many ways, we had completed many challenges.
K: Please continue to feature us when various opportunities arise ok~
*Playback 3:
Kame mentioned that he was Squirtle while Ueda was Charmander and Nakamaru, Magikarp. For those who aren’t familiar with these puns and jokes, there are reasons behind these chosen Pokémon.
Squirtle: otherwise known as Zenigame, and one of the starter Water-type Pokémon. It has a blue turtle appearance and well, “Kame” appears in the name so naturally Kame would call himself a Squirtle.
Charmander: also one of the starter Pokémon and a Fire-type. It’s probably because Ueda is rather passionate about boxing, so much so that Kame chose a fire-type to match his passion. It is also one of the more popular Pokémon alongside Squirtle.
Magikarp: Magikarp is one of the most useless Pokémon before its evolution into a Dragon-type Gyarados. As a Magikarp, it is only capable of a few useless attacks, one of which is “Splash” - hence Ueda’s remark of him just splashing around.
Passionate and Serious Talk: Comments about the Spring Tour
K: We hope that the Spring Tour will become a happy party that celebrates our 10th anniversary. Experiencing the last 10 years with joy and happiness, enjoying it to the max with a “Thank you for the 10 years! Please continue supporting us from now!” kind of feeling.
U: The first thing really is the feeling of gratitude. And then it’s to go all out! I’m looking forward to the songs the fans had chosen too as they would have different perspectives compared to us. Girls seem to like songs that are fashionable and a little playful/flirty.
N: Right now, we are having meetings about the costumes but I do have the feeling that from the ideas we had, something interesting will happen.
K: This time, it won’t be like before where the performances we did will link to the next live performances. It will be more than that, as we want to make this a performance “that will allow everyone to reminisce about the past 10 years, where we had our ups and downs. But even so, we can still enjoy today like this”. After the performance, while KAT-TUN, as a group, will enter a recharging period, it would be great if this live can become one that allows us to relook at ourselves, and to also reassure and reaffirm our bonds.
U: We have a lot to convey, so it would be like a live performance that is full of meaning right.
N: We will look back at the past 10 years through the songs, so we will be picking songs from different periods and I think that fans will experience many nostalgic moments through them. A live performance is a place where everyone can have fun, so I do want everyone to just let go and enjoy themselves.
U: Yes, it’s a place that is being enveloped by a happy atmosphere.
K: These 10 years have accompanied KAT-TUN and our history. For the 3 of us, we are thankful that even after 10 years, we are still members of KAT-TUN, and at the same time, we want to be able to stand proudly on stage proper as well.
N: Therefore, for us to be able to do our best in creating the best live performance with the new us after the recharging period, I feel that we will need to get through this recharging period properly and strongly.
U: So enjoy the live performance as you would a festival, and take those unforgettable memories with you while moving on and waiting for the day we meet again!
K: And when the time comes where the 3 of us are ready to set sail once more, I would want to gather everyone, because at the time, we will be able present a new KAT-TUN in a new 3-person form.
Photoshoot Off-shots:
1. (Both of them are eating Kamenashi’s cake!) Looking at Kamenashi’s cheesecake, both exclaimed, “It looks just like those cheesecakes that would appear in animes!” and proceeded to sneak some one after the other.
2. Sweets-man Nakamaru eats a cute macaroon just like a man!
3. (Ueda: Hey, no sharing of tea!) Nakamaru mistakenly drank from Ueda’s cup of tea. But Ueda just waved it off with a “Well, no big deal”.
4. (Ueda: If you rub it, who will appear?) Ueda asked, “Who do you think will appear if we rub this?” while rubbing the teapot. “Maybe it’s something like this!”, said Kamenashi who tried to picture it.
5. A continuous 3-shots with the chocolate-coloured teddy bear! Each shows a different type of cuteness.
Latest News about Me:
Kamenashi: I’m in the midst of filming a drama! Everyday after work, once I return home I would take a bath as my relaxation time. Depending on my mood that day, I would change the fragrance of my body soap.
-- Profile: Kamenashi Kazuya. Born in Tokyo, 23rd February 1986. Blood Type B.
Ueda: During the recording, we sang a medley of the songs UNLOCK and GREATEST JOURNEY. As both songs were of opposite tastes, the weird feeling was quite interesting! (laughs)
-- Profile: Ueda Tatsuya. Born in Kanagawa, 4th October 1983. Blood Type B.
Nakamaru: I am into cooking lately, so I made doria yesterday. I had made it from the white sauce onwards but it was delicious. Recently, I had also had great success with making stew and curry doria dishes.
-- Profile: Nakamaru Yuuichi. Born in Tokyo, 4th September 1983. Blood Type O.
from Nakamaru: “A live (performance) that will convey our feelings of gratitude”
Firstly, as always, I want to thank everyone. Even during live performances when I hear everyone’s voices, or when producing the best of album this time round, I would look back at the 10 years and think that, really, it’s all thanks to everyone’s support all these times and these places are the best chances to reassure ourselves of that support. Regrettably, after this live performance, we will be entering a period of recharging. However, it would be great if we can look back at the 10 years of KAT-TUN and convey our feelings of gratitude with a memorable live performance.
from Ueda: “To all the fans who have been with us this far”
It has been 10 year since we have debuted, and from the formation of KAT-TUN, we have received so much support from everyone. However, we have met with obstacle after obstacle, and I am sure that to many, it was unfortunate that some have left us. That is why, to fans who have continued supporting us till this day, I have many words of gratitude that just cannot be expressed simply. Thus, for the 10th anniversary programmes, through the best of album and our live performances, we want to convey our feelings of gratitude and it would be great if they are received by the fans.
from Kamenashi: “Please look forward to the new us from now on”
It is with great gratitude and pleasure for us KAT-TUN to have welcomed our 10th anniversary since our debut. While this year is a year where we would like to convey our gratitude to everyone, we will be entering a period of recharging. However, everyone, please do look forward to a new us in a good way. As a group, we are recharging, but that does not mean that we are at a standstill, instead, please think of it as a period where we power up. This is why, as individuals, we will brush up our skills and widen our possibilities, so that we can return to everyone proper this time.