The Return of the JEDI (Just Effin’ Die, Idiot)
Yep, I’m the aforementioned idiot.
I’ve finally found time to post again after my prolonged (plus undisclosed) hiatus. KYAH?! *flails half-heartedly* I’ve gone through a lot of stuff piled up over the last two months (and a half) that the least I could do to keep track of what was going on in the Johnny’s scene was that trusty toolbar that kamichan came up with - and for that I am extremely grateful. Fangirling and working doesn’t really mix well with me so I wonder how you gals and guys do it.
So I’ve been viewing (and re-viewing) the TEN JUMP DVD like any fellow JUMPer around the world for the last two days AND nights. The boys have sure come a long way since 2007 and their subsequent debut concert. Though it’s a well-known fact in Japan that Johnny’s album sales usually suck... their DVD only served to renew my commitment as a fangirl. The JUMP No. 1 album didn’t quite live up to some of my expectations as some of their more ubiquitous songs that they perform in some of their concerts (e.g. School Kakumei, Kawaii Kimi no Koto da Mono, that acoustic version of Star Time just to name a few) were not part of the album. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not whining over spilt milk here but they were just pre-wishful thinkings about JUMP No. 1 back then. The last two days made me compile a list of stuff that I’ve come up as an HSJ fan and yeah, the list is fairly sentimental. So sue me.
So let me start off by ticking off those that are quite obvious:
1. Yamada’s sporting a slimmer physique these days. *wipes drool* I guess all that work in SUMMARY must have gotten to him. Hopefully, he (and the other HSJ members) didn’t sustain any serious injury. Personally, I think Yamada should also cut his hair a bit. I don’t want him looking like Daiki since they’re almost the same height and are also now sporting identical hair colors (well, Daiki’s is usually messy). He tends to easily bulk up when he’s involved in dramas (except in Scrap Teacher). Well, ganbatte anyway, Yama-chan!
2. YamaChii fanservice got better in the last two months. Nuff said. KYAH!!! *mega-flail and nosebleed* Never mind if Yuma, Daiki, Yūto or even Ryūtaro just happens to walk in between them from time to time in those magazine spreads/photos and random video clips.
3. And speaking of Ryūtaro, he’s better off paired with JUMP onii-san, Yabu-kun in their performances rather than with Hikaru or Takaki-kun. Their combination, height-wise and chemistry is adorable and I think Ryūtaro prefers it that way too as evidenced by his comments in the magazines.
4. And yeah, Takaki-kun is starting to perform like his admired senpai Jin Akanishi from time to time (not that I’m a fan of Jin - he’s still a Bakanishi to me - so don't bother asking why for now). Don’t take it personally, KAT-TUN fans. This feeling will blow over soon enough. P.S. His hairstyle in the DVD suits him better. KYAH!!!
5. The two Keis are still underutilized. It isn’t really enough that they know how to play instruments if in most of their live performances they aren’t actually playing the songs that they’re performing. So, honto onegai, HSJ management: please realize sooner the talents of HSJ’s budding band sub-unit composed of Keito and Yabu-kun on guitars, Kei on keyboards, Hikaru on bass and Yūto on drums. And like I’ve said before I’m really, really looking forward to them playing a live version of Romeo and Juliet and now, Dash!!. It’s by far the only songs I can think of that they can play with their kind of band composition besides Takaki-kun’s image song Kumo no Ito.
6. Oh yeah, most online polls (even those within the LJ communities dedicated to HSJ fandom) agree with me: Time is the top favorite track in JUMP No. 1. Unless some official poll begs to differ. But I can’t help thinking that their chrono-centric performance of the song in Shōnen Club a few months back had something to do with it. Okay, I’m wiping this grin off my face before it retreats into my head and ego.
7. I was hoping for Dash!! as a close second but there were other contenders. And speaking of Dash!!, I love the song where most fans would find it or even dismiss it as another monotonous feel-good song. I’m kind of hoping that it’d become an anime OP or ED. This way it’d be able to extend air play. It’d be like how the defunct Hey! Say! 7 managed to nail a double air play of Hey! Say! and BON BON from their debut release with the anime adaptation of Lovely Complex. I have to admit that Dash!! has that kind of appeal to me.
8. I’m kind of miffed at the fact that until now there’s been no confirmation of that new drama rumor concerning Yamada and Umika. But what even annoys me more is that none of the other HSJ boys are participating in dramas (or even film projects) so far. And with three more months to go before 2010 ends... it’s like I can’t get by a year without having any HSJ presence in Japanese dramas (or doramas). Can’t say I don’t blame any of the HSJ boys for being less productive in television appearances (besides YY JUMPing and School Kakumei). I’m also beginning to think that said rumor was fan-concocted. I swear I’m gonna have someone’s head for starting that rumor in the first place. Just kidding, of course. I guess it was just too good to be true in the first place.
9. But come to think of it, NYC is releasing another CD later this year. That usually spells something good with us Johnny’s fans (seeing as how Arashi’s been busy pimping all five members’ dramas all year with successive CD releases containing the theme songs of those dramas). And who knows, one of the songs in that CD could be a theme song for that rumoured drama of Yamada’s.
10. Okay, I’m saving the best for last. When I replayed the scenes unfolding at the beginning of TEN JUMP a second time, there was one thing that got past me in my first viewing: Yuma. It was like surprising for me to see him ride in the same vans as the stars of the concert. I know that he’s helping to maximize NYC appearances whenever HSJ has concerts here and there especially if they happen to be performing in the Kansai area (Kyocera Dome specifically). I admit that when I was my “evil, tactless self” some three years back I was like relatively disappointed with Keito being in JUMP because most indications tend to point out that he got in HSJ purely because of his dad’s affiliation with the Johnny’s circle. He wasn’t that great with the singing and the dancing than the rest of the members. Plus, I was even thinking back then that he’d be pressured to leave the group. Ack. Now, I’m older and wiser so I wouldn’t even dare revisit that ‘self’ again after this confession. I can’t imagine HSJ without Keito (even if his English is still atrocious). That dorky side of him is what makes him even more endearing these days. So what’s my point about Yuma? It’s actually sterling simple: if he’s going to be making frequent appearances alongside HSJ then why not simply put him in HSJ? Imagine an 11-member HSJ with Yuma nicely rounding out the already stellar roster. That would make them on par in membership with that premier Korean boy band, Super Junior. KYAH!!! But forget Super Junior! I’m more interested in HSJ’s growth in the years to come.
Well, that’s all I have to rant and rave about after a long time of not posting anything at all. I’m off to Saskatchewan for a promising job interview in a few days. So this blog’s gonna be quiet again. Hartford’s gonna be peaceful without me driving my Beetle around. KYAH!!! Kill me now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend... or whatever’s left of it. And yeah, wish me luck, people.