Otanjōbi omedetō! A Once-In-A-Year YamaShi Treat
Yamada's and Shida's birthdays are a few hours away... it got me to thinking that if their birthdays ever fell on school days I wonder if they simply celebrated it together in class. (^o^)y. Oh, I'm sorry... my drool wishful thinking got in the way. I love cakes and I love celebrating birthdays even if they're not even mine. But before I go on my YamaShi treat, I have to get this Iron Man chest piece off my... chest. Figuratively speaking, of course. Hehe.
Well, Iron Man 2 didn't turn out that bad. I think Mr. Favreau and the production has still Robert Downey Jr. to thank for keeping this die-cast iron boat floating through unpredictable Hollywood waters. Well, I have to hand it to Favreau too for making sure that some of Marvel's beloved characters had enough screen time. Honestly, I was also half-expecting to see Gwyneth Paltrow's character (Pepper Potts) get hurt in the film but I was relieved as all those fan predictions turned out to be hokum. But still I anticipate as to how they'll come up with a good box-office performance for Part 3. I'm so excited about that too as the Avengers are on their way to the silverscreen albeit in a one-by-one fashion. Yatta! Finally, Marvel's on a roll here. I'm not much of a DC fan since there are only a few characters that interest me. So, Mr. Favreau-sir, my hat's off to you for pulling off a sequel splendidly.
Okay, back to my Yamada fandom.
First of all, my apologies to all the YamaChii fans out there who might find this tribute a form of betrayal. I'm guilty as charged and I'll stay that way for the next two days. If you want to un-friend me, go ahead. I'll understand. (T_T)
Most people who follow the Japanese entertainment industry don't give a damn at how special May 9 and 10 are in my calendar. That's right, MY calendar. Well, these were the days that I coincidentally fell in love with Gunpla and started watching my very first pieces of Japanese dorama. One of the dramas that caught my eye at that time was the live-action Tantei Gakuen Q Special. It was May 9 (a Wednesday). Well, I was technically a year late in watching it and you'd guess it by now that I immediately crushed on not only Yamada but also Shida as well. WTH, I think I just confessed that I'm a pedo there. It's not exactly like that. I found the gangly Kamiki-san depiction of Kyū just too hyper for my taste at that time. Well, the very first that I did was look up their names online and since I was just beginning to get to know my Nihongo via my crude romaji at that time it took me quite awhile to retrieve their bios and such. It was a good thing that I was watching the whole unsubbed thing with my dad who liked the detective work in the drama. He even recommended that I watch Galileo with him when it began airing later in October of that year. So after scouring many Japanese sites and some English fan sites, I was rewarded with both their bios. If I recall correctly I was still up at 3 AM the following day which was already Thursday - May 10! With my energy spent from watching and researching about the drama, I simply slept through the whole day when I was supposed to go jamming with some friends later that day. Well, the significance of May 9 and 10 were purely coincidental but back then I had still yet to realize that Yamada was part of a whole collusion that was out to bring more fans to the Japanese entertainment industry. It's name being Johnny's. KYAH!!!
I'm not a fan of the whole YamaShi thing but the rest of the Yamada and Shida fandoms beg to differ like it's some star-crossed phenomena that's inexplicably hard to do away. I was genuinely happy to see both kids reunite and star again in a full-length TV series of Tantei Gakuen Q and even nonplussed when I found out that they were attending the same high school AND in the same class and section. I guess, fans back then felt that it was too much unmei at work to be ignored. It was like every thing was conspiring to put Yamada and Shida together. Not that I won't be happy for them. But eventually, reality sunk in for both fans and well-wishers alike. We all know how both Johnny's (Yamada's agency) and Horikoshi Gakuen (their current school) is like strict with their talents/students getting into relationships. And so far, as of this writing, Yamada and Shida have still not starred in or worked in another project together. Sure, they're classmates but I think their class has enough A-level members to give off a very professional attitude with each other and constantly remind them to not cross the line. And isn't that just a little sad? And now we have the Mariya hullabaloo going on about online in the past few days. Makes us wonder if people like Yamada and Shida will eventually have to choose between their career and a normal life. And they say being a superhero is already complicated enough. Hehe.
I am sorry though for ranting more rather than raving more in anticipation of Yamada's and Shida's upcoming birthdays but I sincerely pray for their well-being and continued presence in the Japanese entertainment industry. Otanjōbi omedetō to two of the most talented 17-year olds in Japan.
P.S. And no, I didn't forget about Yokoyama-san's birthday... it's just that I'm more of an HSJ fan these days rather than a Kanjani8 fan. Gomen, Kanjani8! Hehe. But all the same: Otanjōbi omedetō to you too, Yokoyama-san. And thank you very much for taking care of and taking Yamada under your wing these past few months. You are one sexy chameleon, i.e. if ever there was one... I'd name it after Yū. KYAH!!!
