~Goodbye 2012~
It's the end of year 2012.
I got up this morning to watch the end of Kohaku and the entire Johnny's Countdown! I must admit that I was having a little too much fun this morning (flailing in front of the computer while my parents stared at me lol) XD
Anyway, this year actually went by really quickly. I don't even remember some of the stuff that happened. Well, let me try...
In my personal life, I became a senior in high school, became a certified lifeguard, started driving, passed my grade 8 piano exam, started taking Japanese classes, made new friends...
As for my fandom life, let's see...
First of all, NEWS's comeback! Best album, Chankapana and World Quest/Pokoponpekorya single and a tour! They've had a busy year. I am so happy for them and I am glad that they are doing well. Today I got my World Quest cds in the mail. My mom played a trick on me and told me to put my dishes in the dishwasher (which is where she had hid my package that contained the cds). When I opened it, it took me a second to realize what the package was and then I burst out laughing. It was a great surprise and I'm so happy to have them now. I officially own all of NEWS's 2012 releases.
But I have to admit, at one point this year I felt myself slowly losing interest in them. Maybe I was getting bored of re-watching the same videos over and over again and had grown tired of waiting for something new. I thought for sure my love for NEWS was fading and that I would no longer be in this fandom for much longer. This was around the time when I started having an interest in other Johnny's, particularly Hey! Say! JUMP.
But when the countdown (in April) was announced, my excitement grew and I was once again flailing over my beloved idols. I told myself that I would support them 100% and therefore buy all of their releases. Once their Best album came out, I knew I had to have it so I got both editions. But then Chankapana came out soon after so I once again had to re-open up my piggy bank and go digging through it. And then I had to do the same for World Quest and I will probably be doing the same for their Live Tour DVD (though for this I'll only get one edition). I realize that I don't have to buy everything single thing that NEWS releases but I feel like it's my job as their fan. NEWS has given me so much and I want to give them something back in return (even if it means me going broke lol). Now I know I won't ever lose my love and appreciation for them.
So good job NEWS on such a wonderful year. This year made me realize how special and important you really are :)
But I'm not done yet...
Something else happened this year. While NEWS was still inactive, I discovered another JE guy who I would soon fall for: Yamada Ryosuke. I had known about him before but didn't know or like him much. I just knew that he was the frontman of Hey! Say! JUMP, which kind of annoyed me. Back then I wasn't a fan of HSJ but I did have my eye on Chinen Yuri. He was my favourite, originally. I loved him when he was chibi because he was just so cute but now he really grew up and completely changed. At the beginning of the year, I was curious to see what had become of Chinen so I ended up watching NYC's Wonderful Cupid pv. But the funny thing is, he wasn't the one to catch my attention. When Yamada appeared, I was a little shocked. I never noticed or realized before how cute he was and how nice his voice was. I think it was towards the middle of the pv when he sang his line and smiled nicely that I grew more interested. After that, I started looking up just a few videos of him and that's when "the dreams" began. I wasn't even a fan yet but somehow he showed up in my dreams numerous times always saying that he loves me lol. After that, he hasn't left my mind since. If it weren't for these dreams, I probably would have forgotten about him, which honestly wouldn't have been a bad thing. Seriously, this guy drove me crazy!!! I went through so many stages of denial and hate but in the end I couldn't forget him. I didn't want to be another one of his fans because I already knew he had tons but somehow that didn't stop me from falling for him. *Sigh* I can't explain my love for him but all I know is that I've never felt this way about any guy before. This is probably just a crush but sometimes I feel like I'm actually in love with him haha >.<.
I still wonder if I should get Yama-chan's new single Mystery Virgin but I need to save up for NEWS's Live tour DVD.
So, NEWS or Yamada Ryosuke......hmmm......tough decision for me. In the end, I'll probably just end up getting NEWS's DVD since I have been waiting for it even before it was announced. Sorry Yama-chan :(
Anyway, those are just the main things that happened in my fandom life this year. I've gotten to know a lot more Johnny's and now I appreciate all of them. Now that I pretty much know everyone, watching the countdown was much more enjoyable. I was able to recognize everyone and sing along to their songs :) I've grown to like KAT-TUN a lot more and Arashi, Kanjani8 and maybe even Kis-my-ft2 are slowly creeping up too. And then there's of course Hey! Say! JUMP/NYC who now hold a special place in my heart :)
Looking back over the past couple of years, there seems to be a pattern in my fandoms. They change or add on every year. I'm expecting to have yet another new one in the year 2013. Johnnys - Who knows? Maybe it'll be a new group. Or maybe my fandom will be completely different. Who knows. But I'm kind of expecting myself to fall for another JE guy. In 2011 it was Massu. This year was Yama-chan. I wonder who it will be next year.
Anyway, that's it for my 2012 wrap up. Hope everyone finds success and happiness in the new year.
Happy New Year everyone ～明けましておめでとう！！！～