Ohmiya: The who, the why, and the gratuitous cute.
EDIT: May 8th, 2007. Updated some info and added new "evidence"! :D
So, karinberry asked me to write up an Ohmiya pimp post. And... I sort of got carried away. A little. Maybe. Aaaaaanyway, here it is, in all its nine-pages-in-Word-single-spaced glory. This post will stay public for the public to enjoy.
Once again, as with the Arashi Pimpost: Feel free to link this entry!
Ohmiya: The who, the why, and the gratuitous cute.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In that sense, ten pictures are worth ten thousand words, one hundred, one hundred thousand words. So how many words can be said about people who have had thousands upon thousands of photos taken of them?
Ohno Satoshi and Ninomiya Kazunari met in 1997 or 1998, presumably during work for 'Kyo to Kyo'. Ohno was Arashi’s wild card; he’d spent most of his Juniors years in Kyoto, a member of Musical Academy, while the other four had high visibility spots on TV in Tokyo. Nobody really knew Ohno. EDIT: Though apparently Nino did know him enough to be pinned down by him. ♥
EDITx2: Nino finally cleared it up some. Back in the day, they did work on the '97 'Kyo to Kyo' together, but didn't interact much. Around this time, he and Sho ran into Ohno at a Jrs volleyball event, and they ended up talking. Nino admits that he was drawn to Ohno because neither of them really wanted to be in Jrs, and they talked about what they wanted to do once they left Johnnys. Then they all ended up playing volleyball together. He refers to it as "playing with my two best friends".
And yet, in this clip, mere months (maybe even weeks?) Nino has already progressed to calling Ohno by a rather intimate nickname: Oh-chan. This is odd for a number of reasons. First, he doesn’t know Ohno that well. Two, Ohno’s older than him. Three, Ohno is his senior in terms of Johnny’s hierarchy. Normally, Japanese rules of formality would dictate that Nino call him ‘Ohno-kun’, like everyone else does. But Nino calls him ‘Oh-chan’.
Since that time, Ohno and Nino have actually teamed up and formed the comedy duo, Ohmiya SK. They perform funny skits during the concert runs, and are never recorded. This is where the pairing name came from; how many of your pairings made their own name?
In this essay, I’m going to try and explain why I’ve come to believe that there is something between these two men. I’ll show you examples of closeness and intimacy between them, in interviews, TV, photos, and Nino’s own blog. From there, I hope you’ll be able to draw your own conclusions, and I welcome any additional sources you may have.
Much of the evidence involving words, such as text and TV appearances, are from Nino’s side of things. You are welcome to accuse me of a bias towards Nino (which admittedly, I have), but the honest truth of the matter is that Ohno is a quiet man and more often than not doesn’t say a hell of a lot. Fortunately, Nino is more than chatty enough to make up the difference.
Verbal/Written Evidence
Casefile #1: Nino’s Game Nikki
Nino is first and foremost an idol. But secondly, he is a gamer. The kind of gamer that frequently takes his PS2 (or PS3 now, I suppose) with him when he has to leave town for something. The kind of gamer that spends all day on his day off trying to beat that one last boss in order to get the sixth ending. The kind of gamer that referred to finding the last PS3 in Akihabara (eg. Tokyo’s Nerd Captial) as “Destiny”. Nino is a tech geek at heart, and has a Nikki (translations courtesy of this lovely lady), a sort of blog that he updates from his cell phone, and other people read from theirs. His is called “Game Nikki” for rather obvious reasons, but games aren’t the only things he writes about. Sometimes it’s about work, or about something interesting he saw on TV, or about what he did that day.
And frequently, he mentions Ohno.
Take, for example Nino’s entry on September 9th, 2006:
It’s the first time！
First time in my life.
clothes…giving that to another person
[…]
the name of that person is…。
Ohno Satoshi
very happy (;^_^A
he looked very happy too
I’ve read back several months, and been a frequent follower of the translations of Nino’s Nikki. And from what I’ve seen, he rarely mentions any of the members by name… except Ohno. Whenever he talks about Arashi getting together as a group, he always singles Ohno out and makes some comment, be it that Ohno seems “genki” (energetic, hyper, excited) [October 10th, 2006] or how hard Captain was working [November 11th, 2006]. Occasionally, he will mention Ohno with seemingly little connection to his topic. For example, take this entry from October 1st, 2006:
Surprise！
Because yesterday was a long awaited break
I was wondering where I should go.
in the end, I stayed at home the whole day
It has been a long time since I watched the real-time broadcast of『Mago Mago Arashi』
Went to Kyoto ne
Went to the hotel that Captain stayed before ne
As you can see, mentioning that he stayed in a hotel that Ohno had been to seems a bit random, even for Nino. The only explanation is he was excited to discover that connection. Another example, from November 11th, 2006 (during the Korean concert series):
I am hoping for that tension will be high.
I didn’t play with Captain but was working hard during rehearsals ♥
Or this October 10th, 2006 entry, where he was discussing going to see a play an acquaintance was in:
Everyone.
has worked hard
Before it started.
《The next time I come and watch is probably Captain’s stage play》
this was what I thought.
So what does all this tell us? Well, clearly Ohno means a great deal to Nino, because he mentions him and thinks about him fairly consistently. He singles Ohno out when mentioning group activities, and when discussing MagoMago shootings, he only mentions the ones he is in with Ohno. If you want to be cynical (which I tend to be on the subject of slash, as it keeps me from becoming one of those ‘rabid’ yaoi fangirls we all love to hate) you can say that it shows what very close friends they are. They hang out, they ‘play’ together, and they give each other gifts for no reason.
EDIT: Another recent Nikki entry refers to Ohno's appearence on the show 'Hanamaru Cafe'. It's a sweet nostalgic piece, I think, that really shows off Nino's appreciation of Ohno.
But if you want to get a little more theoretical, it’s not very hard. Look at Nino’s entries, and compare his mentions of Ohno with that of someone you know who has a very big crush. The random mentions, the excitement to be around them, the excessive use of hearts, the somewhat out of character generosity (Nino is a notorious cheapskate, and yet, bought Ohno an entire suit, one of the most expensive kinds of clothing for men). It’s very similar, isn’t it? His attitude towards Ohno seems almost ridiculously adoring.
As I’ve said: I do ship them, and therefore will make these “leaps”. Feel free to draw your own conclusions from the Nikki. But we’re not done with text evidence yet!
Casefile #2: Interviews
I had the incredibly good fortune in summer of 2006 to actually see one of Arashi’s concerts, on the Arashic tour. July 22nd, in the Yokohama Arena, second show. Yes, I remember that specifically. You would have too. But we’ll get to that later; first I want to talk about the concert pamphlet.
Besides being an absolutely gorgeous little book, it featured extensive interviews, with the members individually, about themselves and how they saw the others. It was really interesting to read about, partially because it gives a very clear picture of how close these guys really are (despite Nino insisting it would be bad if they got too close; I don’t understand what he means by that yet). Now, I read little to no Japanese. I can recognize the members’ names, a few basic kanji, and the kana. That’s… pretty much it. So imagine my frustration to be scanning over the ‘What you think about the other members’ section and not being able to read what they thought about each other!
But my attention was draw instantly to Nino’s section. Why? Because just like in his Nikki, Nino singles Ohno out. Everyone else’s paragraphs were divided, one little section for each member. Nino’s, on the other hand, was divided into two pieces: “Captain” and “Members”. Curious, isn’t it? Why would Nino break from the mold? (And “because he’s Nino” is probably a good answer.) A kind soul on livejournal translated:
Let's start off with Captain, shall we? Captain is a very kind person. Even if it's the most unpleasant job... we will do it when it needs to get done. That's the type of person he is. Also... he keeps on telling me these days that he wants a chainsaw... but I don't get him at all (laugh) He's kind but he's also a weirdo...(laugh) It's not like I understand everything about him.
The rest of the paragraph is a tangent about the members and how they are all well-mannered people. But again, the fact that Nino singled Ohno out is curious, to say the least. Let’s look at Ohno’s on Nino, shall we?
Nino never changes... I was really happy when I noticed that he hasn't changed a bit since he came back from LA. I think he has this "core" self and that never changes. He still plays games all the time. And his actions never change either. I'm sure he's changing inside. He's going through a lot and maturing while he experiences a lot of different jobs, but that doesn't show on the outside. So when you just see his actions, he’s not changed since he was a kid. But I’m sure he has grown a lot inside.
Rather deep for Ohno, don’t you think? Ohno is very much a quiet observer, watching the people around him and noticing things that might be missed by other people. At first glance, he seems kind of slow and spacey, but in truth, I think he’s one of the smarter members. Ohno recognizes things in people, changes and growth. It’s these qualities that make him actually a pretty good group leader!
It’s also worth noting that the other members sometimes offhandedly mention Ohno and Nino being together. For example, MatsuJun’s section about Ohno:
[...] But he gave me a text message two minutes before the last day of my play. I think he wrote it with Nino...
The next thing I want to draw your attention to is really a crossover with photoshoots, but I think it’s worth noting. During interviews, the boys are notorious for chatting with each other. Some of my favorite moments are things they’d said offhand, and it was recorded by the staff. For example, this picture:
To translate, Nino’s bubble says, (roughly, again, my Japanese is amateur at best) “If [we’re talking about] SEXY, then it’s got to be Ohno Satoshi.” Meaning, if you want to know who the sexiest is, then the answer is Ohno. Now, I find Ohno very hot. But out of all five? He’s definitely not the first one people think of when you say ‘sexy’. Unless you’re Nino, in which case, he is. Apparently. And for the curious, Aiba’s bubble says, “That’s definitely not a mistake!" (Correction of my failure Japanese thanks to Cheri. ♥)
As Alice says, curiouser and curiouser.
Casefile #3: Television
TV moments are also excellent places for shippers to get fodder. For the moment, I’m going to focus on what they said rather then what they did, because that’s an entirely different section. So.
MagoMago Arashi, August 19th, 2006, in the group talk at the end, Sho asked the group what they would like to do before the end of the summer. I have transcribed the conversation for your convenience! (The clip can be seen on youtube here.)
Sho: In this summer, is there something that you really want to do? Which Arashi member do you want to do it with, and where would you go?
Aiba: Ehhh, it’s hard to choose.
Ohno: I want to go to an uninhabited island with Nino.
Nino: *covers face in embarrassment*
Ohno: I want to make a start.
MatsuJun: Start what?
Nino: *laughs hard*
Sho: No one moves there?
Ohno: That’s why I want to go!
Sho: I see.
Ohno: There’s no one there. I won’t move there! Or else I’ll die!
All: *laugh*
[...]
Nino: I want to… go with Matsumoto-kun… to BBQ.
Ohno: I just said I want to go with Nino! *broken heart image on screen* Why’d you wanna go with Matsumoto!
Aiba: Wait, wait, wait, everyone we aren’t in a one-sided love by the way.
Ohno: Why don’t you want to go make BBQ with me! Why are you so mean to me!
Nino: *laughing* Okay, then I can make BBQ with this one.
Ohno: No, no, no way it’s too late. *laughing*
So what’s worth noting about this exchange? Well, first of all, the completely random nature of Ohno’s scenario. An uninhabited island, with just Nino? Smells a bit like a lovely little gay tropical retreat to me. But that isn’t the main point. When viewing this clip, pay attention to Nino’s expressions. As a general, Nino tends to hide what he’s actually feeling, and only present a rather snarky, silly kind of persona. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion. But here, you can clearly see his embarrassment. He hides his face when Ohno announces his plan (something he usually only does when being complimented), and his laughter is a bit forced. And then he states he wants to BBQ with Jun, as if to negate the close nature of Ohno’s plans. But Ohno uncharacteristically bursts out with various hurt statements (and a joking puppy-dog face), until Nino corrects himself.
So, we have: Ohno being very talkative on the subject of Nino, Nino being shy about Ohno’s idea, Nino attempting to change the subject, and Ohno refusing. The broken heart image is cute, but not really something worth analyzing as it is fanservice-y in nature. The conversations are not scripted or even really planned beyond what Sho is supposed to ask. This was an actual half-joking exchange.
On Kodomo no Bangohan, as well as being ridiculously adorable, we are given a glimpse of what Ohmiya are like in a situation where they have to rely on each other. Nino appears to have a phobia of diapers, because as soon as one needs to be changed, he runs to Ohno. Even more interesting, while Ohno has no idea what to do either, he doesn’t protest and tries anyway. Recently they used a teamwork-style of changing; Nino got it off (then ran to the hallway to breathe) and Ohno cleaned up and got a clean one back on. Nino checks in on Ohno’s cooking, complimenting and encouraging him when it seems like it’s going well.
Nino generally takes on the ‘wifely’ duties (I mean no disrespect when saying that; I mean, the role the Japanese wife is expected to fill) by keeping an eye on the kids, folding laundry, and cooking. Ohno takes the father role, playing with the kids, disciplining when necessary, and bathing the boys (when there’s a girl involved, she is either not bathed, or old enough to do it alone.) As a unit, considering they have pretty much zero experience with kids, seeing as they are both the babies of their families, they work remarkably well. Aside from nearly losing a little boy the first time they were on the show, they’ve had no mishaps. And to be fair, four kids at once is a lot, even for the experienced babysitter.
EDIT: On a recent episode of 'Utaban', Nino told a rather amusing anecdote. Apparently, Ohno had been out drinking with a friend and friend-of-friend, and discovered that FoF was a fan of Nino's. Being the... semi-drunk and helpful person that he is, Ohno called Nino up right away. At 1am. When Nino was trying to sleep. Even more, when Nino didn't answer, Ohno kept calling. Finally on the third try, Nino picked up because he thought it might be something important, but Ohno just said, "Nino-chan, aishiteruyo~♥" (Quick Japanese lesson; there are varying degrees of ways to say 'I love you'. Most common is 'suki', translating roughly to 'like'. A little above that is 'daisuki', 'big like/love'. Couples use this one, as do parent/child relationships and such to show a very strong, semi-permanent bond. But Ohno used 'aishiteru', a very very very strong 'love', as in the forever-and-ever kind of strength. Some married couples don't even say this, ever. It's too strong for most people to say comfortably. Admittedly, Ohno was drunk here, but alcohol has the tendency to give quiet/shy people a little more courage, yes? XD)
Visual Evidence
Casefile #4: Television
“Now wait a minute!” I hear you all cry. “We already covered TV!” Not so, my young slasher friend, not so. We covered what they said on TV, not what they did. I promise, there will be gratuitous capspam. Prepare to squee.
PDFs: Public Displays of Affection
Perhaps the strongest evidence for Ohmiya is how they behave around each other. They are ridiculously physical with each other and seem to have no care as to where they do it. Most of the time, neither even seem fully aware of the motions. What do I mean by PDFs?
I’m glad you asked.
PDFs between Ohmiya include, but are not limited to: hugging, arms over shoulders, arms around waist, holding hands, chin on shoulder, hair petting, ear petting, hand-on-thigh, sleeping wrapped tightly around each other (see clip below), full-blown ass molesting, kissing.
You think I’m exaggerating. You’re thinking, “She’s taken perfectly innocent friendly gestures and misinterpreted them for her evil, boyband-slashing ways!”
Well, little slasher, I’m going to be honest with you. I squee shrilly and flail my arms in glee whenever these two so much as look at each other. Every bumped knee is another notch on my fangirl belt. However! I am also a dreadful cynic, especially where real men are concerned, and am the first to admit that most “pairings” have got nothing every remotely beyond platonic going for them. This may get me lynched, but in KAT-TUN fandom? I think Akame is a load of crock.
Note to self: once this report is finished, finalize your will.
But Ohmiya, Ohmiya has basis! Ohmiya has evidence! Ohmiya sleeps in the same, one-person futon in their underclothes, wrapped tightly around each other only to spring suddenly apart when a camera is noticed! Suspicious, say I. Suspicious.
“You whore!” You cry. “I want to see the boys in bed together!”
Fear not, little slasher. It is here on youtube. Watch, and you will understand what I’m talking about.
While we’re on the subject of this clip, I’d like to point out a few things. Firstly, Ohno wasn’t even supposed to be in that room. It has no English subs, so let me explain. Sho is telling Aiba (who is holding the camera) about how he was late eating dinner. Nino volunteered to share a room with him so he wouldn’t be alone when he finished. Sho leads them to his room, and sees in his futon, Ohno and Nino woven together. Ohno sees the camera and leaps to the other futon, as if whatever he was doing he really shouldn’t have been. Nino, noticing Ohno’s sudden disappearance says groggily, “Ah, is it morning already? Morning.” (Note: Nino is not a morning person, and rarely aware of his surroundings after he’s woken up.) Laughing, Sho and Aiba make a beeline for MatsuJun’s room (who is sleeping alone) and tell him what they’ve seen. Ohno appears, and MatsuJun says, “Again?” Ohno laughs awkwardly, almost flinching when they turn towards him, and they say their goodnights.
Now, I’m a really touchy-feely person. I like to hug my friends, cuddle with them, sit in their laps, flop on them, etc. I have no problems with getting close to people. But there are only two people I would snuggle with like that, and one is my dear cousin, the other my best friend. And even then, I’m not sure I could handle being that close.
This was the second clip of Arashi I ever saw. Ever. A year ago was the first I’d heard of them, and I have literally spent this entire time trying to come up with a platonic reason for that embrace. And I can’t find one. Admittedly, Japanese boys are far more comfortable touching each other than American ones, but the point remains. This pair seems to completely ignore personal space when it comes to each other. And I love it.
Arashi no Shukudai-kun is Arashi’s newest variety show, and it is fairly ripe with PDFs. Ohmiya sit on a couch alone with each other, and even though they have an entire couch, they are almost constantly sitting hip-to-hip. Aiba and MatsuJun also have an entire couch to themselves, but they sit at opposite ends, and almost never touch. Ohmiya often put an arm around the back of the couch, and if you’re watching, it’s not hard to catch Nino playing with Ohno’s hair on the back of his head. Ohno sometimes puts his hand on Nino’s thigh, and my favorite episode showed him patting said thigh soothingly after Nino start wailing about being teased.
The most recent example of Ohmiya being touchy-feely on National television? The camera panned to them, and Nino was quite clearly rubbing Ohno’s ear. And Ohno looked for all the world like a sleepy, pleased, fat cat. He even had a smug little smile on his face. Here, have a screencap!
Another example of closeness on Shukudai-kun? In the five second clip they run after the ending notes for the show, those of us that were still watching were treated to Nino sitting right up against Ohno with an arm around him, and Ohno not minding one bit.
On MagoMago Arashi, there’s even more ridiculous cuteness.
(Moments after the above cap, Nino kisses Ohno on the tip of his nose. No, I'm not kidding.)
I think what draws me to these PDFs is the totally unselfconscious nature of them. Half the time, Nino is touching Ohno without noticing he’s doing it. Ohno will move closer to Nino without realizing it. They are pulled to touch each other in a completely non-fanservice-y way. When Arashi does fanservice, it’s all very obvious and deliberate. These moments are almost accidental, leaving the viewer feeling a bit like they’d been peeking in on a private moment. Part of what I adore about them is how genuine all these gestures seem.
And how they never seem to mind giving people “the wrong idea”.
Casefile #5: Pictures
Photoshoots are by their very nature somewhat inorganic. You are told perhaps an overall theme, and given props to work with, but not actually posed like most people think. A truly good model never has to be told how to move; they just know. You pick a starting point and keep moving, changing ever so slightly, pausing with each shift, until the roll is empty.
Arashi have been doing shoots for a very long time, and have gotten to the point where they can chitchat as they work, hence the bright smiles and laughing faces mixed in with serious smoldering looks. The members are often split up (because five guys on one page can be a bit of a squeeze), and Ohmiya gets paired up a lot. It’s the way they act when paired up that interests me most. Observe the following picspam!
(For more images and these in HQ, feel free to poke around in my Ohmiya gallery.)
You see? I can’t even quite explain it the way I’d like, because it’s something… intangible. There’s an energy there between them, a relaxed comfort with each other that speaks of a very good relationship outside of work.
Conclusion: Friends, or more?
I have in this essay given you all the obvious pieces of the puzzle. But there are gaps of course; I will never be able to definitively say whether they really are ‘together’. And I certainly can’t decide for you. It’s up to you to put this puzzle together and choose which picture you think fits best. Even more important, there are always more pieces to find and examine; this game isn’t finished yet. All I can do is tell you what I think.
Personally? I think there is something between them. I think there’s an attraction, feelings beyond the platonic. Whether or not they’ve acted on this obvious chemistry, I haven’t decided yet. And neither do I believe it’s as clear as “gay or not gay”; sexualities don’t work like that. It isn’t black and white; it’s a continuum that’s based on who you love, not what. As a bisexual female, I can tell you it’s not that easy to just say “I like these kinds of people.” There are always exceptions to the rule.
Nino has had girlfriends. We know this for a fact. So he clearly likes females. But I actually suspect Nino is bi, and I can’t really tell you why except my intuition suspects it. In my mind, it’s not a very unlikely jump to make. Ohno doesn’t seem to really like anyone that way (although he did have an on-and-off again dancer girlfriend in his late teens) and is really only close with Arashi and childhood friends.
Even if Ohno and Nino are just very good friends, it’s still damn cute, and I hope they never, ever stop.
My final word?
(It reads "Baka uke", which I feel doesn't need to be translated. XD)
So, karinberry asked me to write up an Ohmiya pimp post. And... I sort of got carried away. A little. Maybe. Aaaaaanyway, here it is, in all its nine-pages-in-Word-single-spaced glory. This post will stay public for the public to enjoy.
Once again, as with the Arashi Pimpost: Feel free to link this entry!
Ohmiya: The who, the why, and the gratuitous cute.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In that sense, ten pictures are worth ten thousand words, one hundred, one hundred thousand words. So how many words can be said about people who have had thousands upon thousands of photos taken of them?
Ohno Satoshi and Ninomiya Kazunari met in 1997 or 1998, presumably during work for 'Kyo to Kyo'. Ohno was Arashi’s wild card; he’d spent most of his Juniors years in Kyoto, a member of Musical Academy, while the other four had high visibility spots on TV in Tokyo. Nobody really knew Ohno. EDIT: Though apparently Nino did know him enough to be pinned down by him. ♥
EDITx2: Nino finally cleared it up some. Back in the day, they did work on the '97 'Kyo to Kyo' together, but didn't interact much. Around this time, he and Sho ran into Ohno at a Jrs volleyball event, and they ended up talking. Nino admits that he was drawn to Ohno because neither of them really wanted to be in Jrs, and they talked about what they wanted to do once they left Johnnys. Then they all ended up playing volleyball together. He refers to it as "playing with my two best friends".
And yet, in this clip, mere months (maybe even weeks?) Nino has already progressed to calling Ohno by a rather intimate nickname: Oh-chan. This is odd for a number of reasons. First, he doesn’t know Ohno that well. Two, Ohno’s older than him. Three, Ohno is his senior in terms of Johnny’s hierarchy. Normally, Japanese rules of formality would dictate that Nino call him ‘Ohno-kun’, like everyone else does. But Nino calls him ‘Oh-chan’.
Since that time, Ohno and Nino have actually teamed up and formed the comedy duo, Ohmiya SK. They perform funny skits during the concert runs, and are never recorded. This is where the pairing name came from; how many of your pairings made their own name?
In this essay, I’m going to try and explain why I’ve come to believe that there is something between these two men. I’ll show you examples of closeness and intimacy between them, in interviews, TV, photos, and Nino’s own blog. From there, I hope you’ll be able to draw your own conclusions, and I welcome any additional sources you may have.
Much of the evidence involving words, such as text and TV appearances, are from Nino’s side of things. You are welcome to accuse me of a bias towards Nino (which admittedly, I have), but the honest truth of the matter is that Ohno is a quiet man and more often than not doesn’t say a hell of a lot. Fortunately, Nino is more than chatty enough to make up the difference.
Verbal/Written Evidence
Casefile #1: Nino’s Game Nikki
Nino is first and foremost an idol. But secondly, he is a gamer. The kind of gamer that frequently takes his PS2 (or PS3 now, I suppose) with him when he has to leave town for something. The kind of gamer that spends all day on his day off trying to beat that one last boss in order to get the sixth ending. The kind of gamer that referred to finding the last PS3 in Akihabara (eg. Tokyo’s Nerd Captial) as “Destiny”. Nino is a tech geek at heart, and has a Nikki (translations courtesy of this lovely lady), a sort of blog that he updates from his cell phone, and other people read from theirs. His is called “Game Nikki” for rather obvious reasons, but games aren’t the only things he writes about. Sometimes it’s about work, or about something interesting he saw on TV, or about what he did that day.
And frequently, he mentions Ohno.
Take, for example Nino’s entry on September 9th, 2006:
It’s the first time！
First time in my life.
clothes…giving that to another person
[…]
the name of that person is…。
Ohno Satoshi
very happy (;^_^A
he looked very happy too
I’ve read back several months, and been a frequent follower of the translations of Nino’s Nikki. And from what I’ve seen, he rarely mentions any of the members by name… except Ohno. Whenever he talks about Arashi getting together as a group, he always singles Ohno out and makes some comment, be it that Ohno seems “genki” (energetic, hyper, excited) [October 10th, 2006] or how hard Captain was working [November 11th, 2006]. Occasionally, he will mention Ohno with seemingly little connection to his topic. For example, take this entry from October 1st, 2006:
Surprise！
Because yesterday was a long awaited break
I was wondering where I should go.
in the end, I stayed at home the whole day
It has been a long time since I watched the real-time broadcast of『Mago Mago Arashi』
Went to Kyoto ne
Went to the hotel that Captain stayed before ne
As you can see, mentioning that he stayed in a hotel that Ohno had been to seems a bit random, even for Nino. The only explanation is he was excited to discover that connection. Another example, from November 11th, 2006 (during the Korean concert series):
I am hoping for that tension will be high.
I didn’t play with Captain but was working hard during rehearsals ♥
Or this October 10th, 2006 entry, where he was discussing going to see a play an acquaintance was in:
Everyone.
has worked hard
Before it started.
《The next time I come and watch is probably Captain’s stage play》
this was what I thought.
So what does all this tell us? Well, clearly Ohno means a great deal to Nino, because he mentions him and thinks about him fairly consistently. He singles Ohno out when mentioning group activities, and when discussing MagoMago shootings, he only mentions the ones he is in with Ohno. If you want to be cynical (which I tend to be on the subject of slash, as it keeps me from becoming one of those ‘rabid’ yaoi fangirls we all love to hate) you can say that it shows what very close friends they are. They hang out, they ‘play’ together, and they give each other gifts for no reason.
EDIT: Another recent Nikki entry refers to Ohno's appearence on the show 'Hanamaru Cafe'. It's a sweet nostalgic piece, I think, that really shows off Nino's appreciation of Ohno.
But if you want to get a little more theoretical, it’s not very hard. Look at Nino’s entries, and compare his mentions of Ohno with that of someone you know who has a very big crush. The random mentions, the excitement to be around them, the excessive use of hearts, the somewhat out of character generosity (Nino is a notorious cheapskate, and yet, bought Ohno an entire suit, one of the most expensive kinds of clothing for men). It’s very similar, isn’t it? His attitude towards Ohno seems almost ridiculously adoring.
As I’ve said: I do ship them, and therefore will make these “leaps”. Feel free to draw your own conclusions from the Nikki. But we’re not done with text evidence yet!
Casefile #2: Interviews
I had the incredibly good fortune in summer of 2006 to actually see one of Arashi’s concerts, on the Arashic tour. July 22nd, in the Yokohama Arena, second show. Yes, I remember that specifically. You would have too. But we’ll get to that later; first I want to talk about the concert pamphlet.
Besides being an absolutely gorgeous little book, it featured extensive interviews, with the members individually, about themselves and how they saw the others. It was really interesting to read about, partially because it gives a very clear picture of how close these guys really are (despite Nino insisting it would be bad if they got too close; I don’t understand what he means by that yet). Now, I read little to no Japanese. I can recognize the members’ names, a few basic kanji, and the kana. That’s… pretty much it. So imagine my frustration to be scanning over the ‘What you think about the other members’ section and not being able to read what they thought about each other!
But my attention was draw instantly to Nino’s section. Why? Because just like in his Nikki, Nino singles Ohno out. Everyone else’s paragraphs were divided, one little section for each member. Nino’s, on the other hand, was divided into two pieces: “Captain” and “Members”. Curious, isn’t it? Why would Nino break from the mold? (And “because he’s Nino” is probably a good answer.) A kind soul on livejournal translated:
Let's start off with Captain, shall we? Captain is a very kind person. Even if it's the most unpleasant job... we will do it when it needs to get done. That's the type of person he is. Also... he keeps on telling me these days that he wants a chainsaw... but I don't get him at all (laugh) He's kind but he's also a weirdo...(laugh) It's not like I understand everything about him.
The rest of the paragraph is a tangent about the members and how they are all well-mannered people. But again, the fact that Nino singled Ohno out is curious, to say the least. Let’s look at Ohno’s on Nino, shall we?
Nino never changes... I was really happy when I noticed that he hasn't changed a bit since he came back from LA. I think he has this "core" self and that never changes. He still plays games all the time. And his actions never change either. I'm sure he's changing inside. He's going through a lot and maturing while he experiences a lot of different jobs, but that doesn't show on the outside. So when you just see his actions, he’s not changed since he was a kid. But I’m sure he has grown a lot inside.
Rather deep for Ohno, don’t you think? Ohno is very much a quiet observer, watching the people around him and noticing things that might be missed by other people. At first glance, he seems kind of slow and spacey, but in truth, I think he’s one of the smarter members. Ohno recognizes things in people, changes and growth. It’s these qualities that make him actually a pretty good group leader!
It’s also worth noting that the other members sometimes offhandedly mention Ohno and Nino being together. For example, MatsuJun’s section about Ohno:
[...] But he gave me a text message two minutes before the last day of my play. I think he wrote it with Nino...
The next thing I want to draw your attention to is really a crossover with photoshoots, but I think it’s worth noting. During interviews, the boys are notorious for chatting with each other. Some of my favorite moments are things they’d said offhand, and it was recorded by the staff. For example, this picture:
To translate, Nino’s bubble says, (roughly, again, my Japanese is amateur at best) “If [we’re talking about] SEXY, then it’s got to be Ohno Satoshi.” Meaning, if you want to know who the sexiest is, then the answer is Ohno. Now, I find Ohno very hot. But out of all five? He’s definitely not the first one people think of when you say ‘sexy’. Unless you’re Nino, in which case, he is. Apparently. And for the curious, Aiba’s bubble says, “That’s definitely not a mistake!" (Correction of my failure Japanese thanks to Cheri. ♥)
As Alice says, curiouser and curiouser.
Casefile #3: Television
TV moments are also excellent places for shippers to get fodder. For the moment, I’m going to focus on what they said rather then what they did, because that’s an entirely different section. So.
MagoMago Arashi, August 19th, 2006, in the group talk at the end, Sho asked the group what they would like to do before the end of the summer. I have transcribed the conversation for your convenience! (The clip can be seen on youtube here.)
Sho: In this summer, is there something that you really want to do? Which Arashi member do you want to do it with, and where would you go?
Aiba: Ehhh, it’s hard to choose.
Ohno: I want to go to an uninhabited island with Nino.
Nino: *covers face in embarrassment*
Ohno: I want to make a start.
MatsuJun: Start what?
Nino: *laughs hard*
Sho: No one moves there?
Ohno: That’s why I want to go!
Sho: I see.
Ohno: There’s no one there. I won’t move there! Or else I’ll die!
All: *laugh*
[...]
Nino: I want to… go with Matsumoto-kun… to BBQ.
Ohno: I just said I want to go with Nino! *broken heart image on screen* Why’d you wanna go with Matsumoto!
Aiba: Wait, wait, wait, everyone we aren’t in a one-sided love by the way.
Ohno: Why don’t you want to go make BBQ with me! Why are you so mean to me!
Nino: *laughing* Okay, then I can make BBQ with this one.
Ohno: No, no, no way it’s too late. *laughing*
So what’s worth noting about this exchange? Well, first of all, the completely random nature of Ohno’s scenario. An uninhabited island, with just Nino? Smells a bit like a lovely little gay tropical retreat to me. But that isn’t the main point. When viewing this clip, pay attention to Nino’s expressions. As a general, Nino tends to hide what he’s actually feeling, and only present a rather snarky, silly kind of persona. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion. But here, you can clearly see his embarrassment. He hides his face when Ohno announces his plan (something he usually only does when being complimented), and his laughter is a bit forced. And then he states he wants to BBQ with Jun, as if to negate the close nature of Ohno’s plans. But Ohno uncharacteristically bursts out with various hurt statements (and a joking puppy-dog face), until Nino corrects himself.
So, we have: Ohno being very talkative on the subject of Nino, Nino being shy about Ohno’s idea, Nino attempting to change the subject, and Ohno refusing. The broken heart image is cute, but not really something worth analyzing as it is fanservice-y in nature. The conversations are not scripted or even really planned beyond what Sho is supposed to ask. This was an actual half-joking exchange.
On Kodomo no Bangohan, as well as being ridiculously adorable, we are given a glimpse of what Ohmiya are like in a situation where they have to rely on each other. Nino appears to have a phobia of diapers, because as soon as one needs to be changed, he runs to Ohno. Even more interesting, while Ohno has no idea what to do either, he doesn’t protest and tries anyway. Recently they used a teamwork-style of changing; Nino got it off (then ran to the hallway to breathe) and Ohno cleaned up and got a clean one back on. Nino checks in on Ohno’s cooking, complimenting and encouraging him when it seems like it’s going well.
Nino generally takes on the ‘wifely’ duties (I mean no disrespect when saying that; I mean, the role the Japanese wife is expected to fill) by keeping an eye on the kids, folding laundry, and cooking. Ohno takes the father role, playing with the kids, disciplining when necessary, and bathing the boys (when there’s a girl involved, she is either not bathed, or old enough to do it alone.) As a unit, considering they have pretty much zero experience with kids, seeing as they are both the babies of their families, they work remarkably well. Aside from nearly losing a little boy the first time they were on the show, they’ve had no mishaps. And to be fair, four kids at once is a lot, even for the experienced babysitter.
EDIT: On a recent episode of 'Utaban', Nino told a rather amusing anecdote. Apparently, Ohno had been out drinking with a friend and friend-of-friend, and discovered that FoF was a fan of Nino's. Being the... semi-drunk and helpful person that he is, Ohno called Nino up right away. At 1am. When Nino was trying to sleep. Even more, when Nino didn't answer, Ohno kept calling. Finally on the third try, Nino picked up because he thought it might be something important, but Ohno just said, "Nino-chan, aishiteruyo~♥" (Quick Japanese lesson; there are varying degrees of ways to say 'I love you'. Most common is 'suki', translating roughly to 'like'. A little above that is 'daisuki', 'big like/love'. Couples use this one, as do parent/child relationships and such to show a very strong, semi-permanent bond. But Ohno used 'aishiteru', a very very very strong 'love', as in the forever-and-ever kind of strength. Some married couples don't even say this, ever. It's too strong for most people to say comfortably. Admittedly, Ohno was drunk here, but alcohol has the tendency to give quiet/shy people a little more courage, yes? XD)
Visual Evidence
Casefile #4: Television
“Now wait a minute!” I hear you all cry. “We already covered TV!” Not so, my young slasher friend, not so. We covered what they said on TV, not what they did. I promise, there will be gratuitous capspam. Prepare to squee.
PDFs: Public Displays of Affection
Perhaps the strongest evidence for Ohmiya is how they behave around each other. They are ridiculously physical with each other and seem to have no care as to where they do it. Most of the time, neither even seem fully aware of the motions. What do I mean by PDFs?
I’m glad you asked.
PDFs between Ohmiya include, but are not limited to: hugging, arms over shoulders, arms around waist, holding hands, chin on shoulder, hair petting, ear petting, hand-on-thigh, sleeping wrapped tightly around each other (see clip below), full-blown ass molesting, kissing.
You think I’m exaggerating. You’re thinking, “She’s taken perfectly innocent friendly gestures and misinterpreted them for her evil, boyband-slashing ways!”
Well, little slasher, I’m going to be honest with you. I squee shrilly and flail my arms in glee whenever these two so much as look at each other. Every bumped knee is another notch on my fangirl belt. However! I am also a dreadful cynic, especially where real men are concerned, and am the first to admit that most “pairings” have got nothing every remotely beyond platonic going for them. This may get me lynched, but in KAT-TUN fandom? I think Akame is a load of crock.
Note to self: once this report is finished, finalize your will.
But Ohmiya, Ohmiya has basis! Ohmiya has evidence! Ohmiya sleeps in the same, one-person futon in their underclothes, wrapped tightly around each other only to spring suddenly apart when a camera is noticed! Suspicious, say I. Suspicious.
“You whore!” You cry. “I want to see the boys in bed together!”
Fear not, little slasher. It is here on youtube. Watch, and you will understand what I’m talking about.
While we’re on the subject of this clip, I’d like to point out a few things. Firstly, Ohno wasn’t even supposed to be in that room. It has no English subs, so let me explain. Sho is telling Aiba (who is holding the camera) about how he was late eating dinner. Nino volunteered to share a room with him so he wouldn’t be alone when he finished. Sho leads them to his room, and sees in his futon, Ohno and Nino woven together. Ohno sees the camera and leaps to the other futon, as if whatever he was doing he really shouldn’t have been. Nino, noticing Ohno’s sudden disappearance says groggily, “Ah, is it morning already? Morning.” (Note: Nino is not a morning person, and rarely aware of his surroundings after he’s woken up.) Laughing, Sho and Aiba make a beeline for MatsuJun’s room (who is sleeping alone) and tell him what they’ve seen. Ohno appears, and MatsuJun says, “Again?” Ohno laughs awkwardly, almost flinching when they turn towards him, and they say their goodnights.
Now, I’m a really touchy-feely person. I like to hug my friends, cuddle with them, sit in their laps, flop on them, etc. I have no problems with getting close to people. But there are only two people I would snuggle with like that, and one is my dear cousin, the other my best friend. And even then, I’m not sure I could handle being that close.
This was the second clip of Arashi I ever saw. Ever. A year ago was the first I’d heard of them, and I have literally spent this entire time trying to come up with a platonic reason for that embrace. And I can’t find one. Admittedly, Japanese boys are far more comfortable touching each other than American ones, but the point remains. This pair seems to completely ignore personal space when it comes to each other. And I love it.
Arashi no Shukudai-kun is Arashi’s newest variety show, and it is fairly ripe with PDFs. Ohmiya sit on a couch alone with each other, and even though they have an entire couch, they are almost constantly sitting hip-to-hip. Aiba and MatsuJun also have an entire couch to themselves, but they sit at opposite ends, and almost never touch. Ohmiya often put an arm around the back of the couch, and if you’re watching, it’s not hard to catch Nino playing with Ohno’s hair on the back of his head. Ohno sometimes puts his hand on Nino’s thigh, and my favorite episode showed him patting said thigh soothingly after Nino start wailing about being teased.
The most recent example of Ohmiya being touchy-feely on National television? The camera panned to them, and Nino was quite clearly rubbing Ohno’s ear. And Ohno looked for all the world like a sleepy, pleased, fat cat. He even had a smug little smile on his face. Here, have a screencap!
Another example of closeness on Shukudai-kun? In the five second clip they run after the ending notes for the show, those of us that were still watching were treated to Nino sitting right up against Ohno with an arm around him, and Ohno not minding one bit.
On MagoMago Arashi, there’s even more ridiculous cuteness.
(Moments after the above cap, Nino kisses Ohno on the tip of his nose. No, I'm not kidding.)
I think what draws me to these PDFs is the totally unselfconscious nature of them. Half the time, Nino is touching Ohno without noticing he’s doing it. Ohno will move closer to Nino without realizing it. They are pulled to touch each other in a completely non-fanservice-y way. When Arashi does fanservice, it’s all very obvious and deliberate. These moments are almost accidental, leaving the viewer feeling a bit like they’d been peeking in on a private moment. Part of what I adore about them is how genuine all these gestures seem.
And how they never seem to mind giving people “the wrong idea”.
Casefile #5: Pictures
Photoshoots are by their very nature somewhat inorganic. You are told perhaps an overall theme, and given props to work with, but not actually posed like most people think. A truly good model never has to be told how to move; they just know. You pick a starting point and keep moving, changing ever so slightly, pausing with each shift, until the roll is empty.
Arashi have been doing shoots for a very long time, and have gotten to the point where they can chitchat as they work, hence the bright smiles and laughing faces mixed in with serious smoldering looks. The members are often split up (because five guys on one page can be a bit of a squeeze), and Ohmiya gets paired up a lot. It’s the way they act when paired up that interests me most. Observe the following picspam!
(For more images and these in HQ, feel free to poke around in my Ohmiya gallery.)
You see? I can’t even quite explain it the way I’d like, because it’s something… intangible. There’s an energy there between them, a relaxed comfort with each other that speaks of a very good relationship outside of work.
Conclusion: Friends, or more?
I have in this essay given you all the obvious pieces of the puzzle. But there are gaps of course; I will never be able to definitively say whether they really are ‘together’. And I certainly can’t decide for you. It’s up to you to put this puzzle together and choose which picture you think fits best. Even more important, there are always more pieces to find and examine; this game isn’t finished yet. All I can do is tell you what I think.
Personally? I think there is something between them. I think there’s an attraction, feelings beyond the platonic. Whether or not they’ve acted on this obvious chemistry, I haven’t decided yet. And neither do I believe it’s as clear as “gay or not gay”; sexualities don’t work like that. It isn’t black and white; it’s a continuum that’s based on who you love, not what. As a bisexual female, I can tell you it’s not that easy to just say “I like these kinds of people.” There are always exceptions to the rule.
Nino has had girlfriends. We know this for a fact. So he clearly likes females. But I actually suspect Nino is bi, and I can’t really tell you why except my intuition suspects it. In my mind, it’s not a very unlikely jump to make. Ohno doesn’t seem to really like anyone that way (although he did have an on-and-off again dancer girlfriend in his late teens) and is really only close with Arashi and childhood friends.
Even if Ohno and Nino are just very good friends, it’s still damn cute, and I hope they never, ever stop.
My final word?
(It reads "Baka uke", which I feel doesn't need to be translated. XD)