[Arashi] H - 04/2012 - Part 3 of 3 (end)
Last part to this long group interview from H! They talk about 2009 to present, and also talk about the future.
I hope you guys enjoyed their talk as much as I did. Enjoy!
H - 04/2012
Q&A survey | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (end)
H - 04/2012 - Part 3 of 3 (end)
Septmber 15th and November 3rd of 2009: the days on which Arashi comemmorated their 10 year anniversaries since the creation of the group as well as its debut. The cumulative sales for their singles, best album, and DVD all topped the yearly charts; they hijacked various programs at NTV during "Arashi CHALLENGE Week" for a total of 50 hours in one week; they held a collaborative event with Tokyo Disneyland; they made their first ever appearance on NHK's Kouhaku Utagassen... and more. With one piece of surprising news after another, Arashi had become a pop icon that is representative of this era.
2010 onwards also saw their inauguration as tourism navigators; airplanes called Arashi JETs in flight; their designation as the hosts for Kouhaku Utagassen... and this immense momentum continues on. How does the five of them perceive themselves now that "Arashi" has become such a tremendous phenomenon in this period of upheaval?
---The world was gripped in a huge Arashi fever as 2009 was the 10th anniversary of your debut.
Matsumoto: (laugh) Was it a huge fever?
---Practically not a day went by without seeing Arashi on television or in magazines or advertisements, after all.
Matsumoto: But that's the thing, I think we're a super lucky group to have so many people celebrating our 10th anniversary with us. It could have come to an end with the five of us just celebrating it with a "Happy Anniversary!" amongst ourselves, right?
Sakurai: Yeah.
Matsumoto: Plus, maybe our closest staff would celebrate with us, or maybe it'd end up within the group only. Yet different magazines collaborated with us, and different TV stations gave us the opportunity to do many different things. All the people who ever gave us any work were so happy for us and congratulated us. I'm really happy that things turned out this way.
Ninomiya: Yeah, that's right.
---Now that the "Arashi is coming" period has passed, it was also the year in which the average person became acquainted with Arashi's existence and appeal, wasn't it?
Matsumoto: Yeah. It seems like from sometime during the second half of 2005 till now, things have just kept right on going. Though they're all individual little points, all of them come together to form the shape of a line.
Sakurai: Yeah.
Matsumoto: When you take another look at it, it's not so much you'd think "Ahh, the points are all connected in a line", as it that each and every point seem to be connected to the last.
---And they're still connected to the present?
Matsumoto: I don't know anymore, personally. I haven't been sure for years now.
---Why is that?
Matsumoto: I guess it kind of feels like I can see the results of everything we've done to get to this point, in a sense. Of course, every single thing we've done had all been different, but... how should I put this... it feels like we've reached a point where our path isn't charted anywhere. It's like we've been using GPS to see the path via satellite all along, and we've gotten as far as it can possibly show now. I started feeling that way a few years ago, I guess.
---"Let's be pioneers for idols". "Let's broaden the field of possibilities for Arashi". You've been working with these thoughts in mind and now you've finally gotten to the point where it is truly impossible for anyone else to copy you. Do you yourselves also get that sense of achievement?
Sakurai: Hmmmm...
Matsumoto: I don't think we're that overambitious.
Ninomiya: Yeah, same here.
---So more like "We just did our thing and it turned out like this"?
Matsumoto: ...it was by chance? (laugh)
Sakurai: Oh, but that's just it (laugh). That's it.
Matsumoto: It really was all by chance. If people can get the same results by doing things the same way, then anyone can produce another Arashi. But that's impossible. It was by chance that these five people happen to work together, and that these staff are working without. I don't think you can describe it any other way except "by chance". Because nothing would be the same if even a single member was different.
Ninomiya: Like two different eras.
Sakurai: So I don't think it's a matter of being an "Arashi that no one else can copy" as it is more "Arashi's kind of hard to mimic, huh?" (laugh) Even if we were asked to write out ten or so things in response to the question "How can we be like Arashi?", we wouldn't be able to. (laugh)
Matsumoto: "First things first, be together some way or other..."
Aiba & Ohno: Hahahaha.
Matsumoto: "For the time being, try to go out for dinner together whenever you can..." (laugh)
Sakurai: Hahahahahahaha!
Matsumoto: "Try to take baths together as often as you can too..."
Ninomiya: And if that doesn't work out we bear no responsibility whatsoever, right? (laugh)
Matsumoto: Yeah. If you were to ask me whether that would work, I don't think so. (laugh)
Ninomiya: Hahahaha. That would be impossible, huh.
Sakurai: That's right. We may have been the ones who came all this way without change, but we weren't alone in it.
Aiba: Yeah.
Sakurai: Sometimes it was our own staff, sometimes staff from the television programs, sometimes production staff. Those were the people who had a hand in shaping us, don't you think?
---From Ohno-san's perspective as the leader, what is the shape that the current Arashi has taken?
Ninomiya: Let's hear it!
Matsumoto: Leader is his nickname, after all.
Ohno: Hmm, what is it. Well, getting to our 10th anniversary wasn't really the goal, so now that our 10th year is over, it seems... I don't feel accomplished so much as I feel really apologetic, personally.
Matsumoto: (laugh) What do you mean by feeling apologetic?
Ohno: So many people were congratulating us, and it felt like we were being pampered from beginning to end. You'd go somewhere for location filming and the store you're filming at would go "Please take this with you!" and stuff. [T/N: He's referring to places randomly giving them gifts] "Things weren't really like that," I thought. People never went through such lengths before.
Ninomiya: (laugh) If only it was like that from the start? It'd be normal?
Ohno: Yeah. And now, at this point, it kinda feels like we've gone beyond that.
Aiba: Ahh~ I understand.
Matsumoto: Gone beyond that?
Ohno: In a good way, I mean. It's not about whether or not people give us things but, what is it... we've always been in this one spot all along, and now it's like we've overcome that. Now that we're beyond it, we're just looking forward to the unknown future.
Sakurai: Aiba-san went "Ahh~" just now, though.
Aiba: Yeah. It's like... there was a time when people treated us really well... or rather, they treated us too well, right?
Ohno: Yeah.
Aiba: I honestly did feel that. We've been doing our thing as Arashi all this time, and to us it was like nothing was going to come out of it. It made me happy to have everyone come rally around us like that, but I guess it does feel like we've gone beyond that now.
---What is it like now that you've gotten past that?
Aiba: I guess that's just how it feels. Having everyone suddenly rush to watch over us-- well, maybe not watch over, but offer their support-- it's not something we've ever really experienced before, so it felt a little out of place... so now we've started to do things while properly showing our gratefulness towards that.
Sakurai: Ahh~ I see.
Ninomiya: We didn't have the time before.
Aiba: Yeah, maybe. I mean, there was an obvious increase in the number of people who supported us all of a sudden.
Matsumoto: So what you mean is that we know how to manage that now?
Aiba: Yes, yes. Now that we have some time. That's how I feel about it.
Sakurai: It's not that we've gotten used to it in a bad sense. It's that we're starting to work out the balance of taking in what's going on while we keep on going from here on, right?
Aiba: Yeah. And I know that's only normal too.
Sakurai: At this point in time?
Aiba: Right, right.
---What do you think, Ninomiya-san?
Ninomiya: Well, I do think there was a time like that. But when you look back on it now, I think things have settled down too. I think it was a good thing that we were all nervous about it, not haunghty. That we actually thought it was a little scary. I think we're a pretty solid group.
Aiba: Everyone's so earnest.
Ninomiya: Yeah, we're earnest.
Sakurai: We're worrywarts. (laugh)
Ninomiya: Yeah, we're worrywarts.
Matsumoto: And everyone felt like something or other was out of place. (laugh)
Sakurai: (laugh) Like, "This isn't real, right?"
Aiba & Ninomiya: Ahahaha.
Matsumoto: We were taking a negative attitude. Like, "There's no way in hell!" (laugh)
Ohno: Hahahahaha.
Ninomiya: We were totally aiming for that at the time of our debut, yet now we're like, "No way, this has to be fake". (laughs)
Sakurai: Hahahahahahahaha.
Matsumoto: (laugh) Couldn't even tell if it was straight or curved.
Aiba: (laugh) We had no idea.
One of the activities that has been announced in the current year of 2012, your 13th year since debuting, is your third time around at being the main personalities for "24jikan terebi". They declared on the first of January: "We'd like to visit the disaster areas as many times as possible."
With more and more of society coming to know who Arashi is, and the as the five members continue to mature, it is also only Arashi that can give off a definite sense of ease that "Leaving it up to these people is the right thing to do". As icons who are representative of the times, as idols who brighten this era up, what kind of future will they be showing us?
---And lastly, what do you think lies ahead for Arashi? We would like each of you to give your thoughts on the matter.
Sakurai: At this point, with the increase of people who know us, and the people who support us, I think the image of Arashi in each person's minds are extremely varied.
---Yes, that is true.
Sakurai: Depending on which aspects they like, or which parts they're looking at, I think it's different for everybody. This might be different from what we we've just talked about, but Matsujun added a song called "Dekirudake" to the list of encores for our tour in 2009. Part of the lyrics go: "Why are we afraid of change / when we laugh at things that never change?" and I think that's exactly it. It's not that we particularly want to change, but I personally want Arashi to be a group that keeps on going without being afraid of things changing. If you were to ask why, that would be because everyone sees Arashi differently. It's difficult to keep on matching up with any one person's image of Arashi, after all. I'm sure Matsujun also had his own reasons for adding the song [T/N: to the set list], but there's something about the lyrics for "Dekirudake" that I really identify with.
Matsumoto: It's a good song. It's just the first verse that's disappointing (laugh). "The cake from that store".
Aiba: "Has less strawberries". (laugh)
Matsumoto: "Even the black tea had no more essence to it". (laugh)
Ninomiya: (laugh) Isn't that a complaint!?
---Hahahahaha.
Aiba: (laugh) But that's a good thing too, isn't it?
---What do you think, Aiba-san?
Aiba: I wonder? I guess it doesn't matter if it's the group that changes or the things around us that changes, and the same goes for the present, but above all else each of us cherish Arashi very much. As long as we have that, I don't really care what shape we take. No matter what happens. That's what I think.
Sakurai: Yes yes yes, that's it.
Ninomiya: Yeah, I think that's exactly it. When we're working on our own or doing something else, we're working hard so we can return back to Arashi as a group. The shape of the group might keep on changing, but I want us to stay humble and be serious about doing our job. We get to talk about the past pretty often on TV lately, but you really get the sense that we've been seeing (the same places) somehow or other ever since we were Juniors. I think it's because we're not a group that started from nothing that we've turned out this way. I just want the people who are watching us to be able to see what we see without much effort.
---What do you think, Matsumoto-san?
Matsumoto: For the most part, I'm the type that wants to change. Of course, there are times when you absolutely have to change, but I'm against trying to stop change from happening. I want to keep that up from here onwards, and if we end up finding something that we really, really want to do, I think we should do it with no hesitation. But in terms of what we want to do, I think it's better to talk it out and come to an understanding within the group. Since I'll have time after "Lucky Seven" wraps up, I plan to grab hold of someone who's busy and go out for a meal together. (laugh)
Ninomiya: Aiba-san likes eating meals after all. (laugh)
Aiba: Everyone likes meals! (laugh)
Sakurai: That's how we stay alive. (laugh)
---And lastly, Ohno-san if you please.
Ohno: Oh, it's really just what everyone else said.
Sakurai: I knew you'd say that! (laugh)
Matsumoto: Those words are so comforting. (laugh)
Ninomiya: (laugh) Then, why not talk about our goal?
Ohno: Won't that just be to stay as-is? The atmosphere within the group probably won't change much anyway. Even if we eventually lose fans because of that, the five of us still won't change, right?
---Then, is Arashi important to you?
Ohno: To say that "it's not important" here would be kind of... right?
Matsumoto: (laugh) It's not appropriate to say it at this time and place.
Ohno: Since it's not appropriate to say it at this time and place, I'll say that it is important. (laugh)
Other four: Hahahahaha!
Ninomiya: Your family is what's most important, right? (laugh)
Ohno: It would be my family. (laugh)
Other four: Hahahahaha!
---(laugh) I see.
Aiba: Yep!
Everyone: Thank you very much!
I hope you guys enjoyed their talk as much as I did. Enjoy!
H - 04/2012
Q&A survey | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (end)
H - 04/2012 - Part 3 of 3 (end)
Septmber 15th and November 3rd of 2009: the days on which Arashi comemmorated their 10 year anniversaries since the creation of the group as well as its debut. The cumulative sales for their singles, best album, and DVD all topped the yearly charts; they hijacked various programs at NTV during "Arashi CHALLENGE Week" for a total of 50 hours in one week; they held a collaborative event with Tokyo Disneyland; they made their first ever appearance on NHK's Kouhaku Utagassen... and more. With one piece of surprising news after another, Arashi had become a pop icon that is representative of this era.
2010 onwards also saw their inauguration as tourism navigators; airplanes called Arashi JETs in flight; their designation as the hosts for Kouhaku Utagassen... and this immense momentum continues on. How does the five of them perceive themselves now that "Arashi" has become such a tremendous phenomenon in this period of upheaval?
---The world was gripped in a huge Arashi fever as 2009 was the 10th anniversary of your debut.
Matsumoto: (laugh) Was it a huge fever?
---Practically not a day went by without seeing Arashi on television or in magazines or advertisements, after all.
Matsumoto: But that's the thing, I think we're a super lucky group to have so many people celebrating our 10th anniversary with us. It could have come to an end with the five of us just celebrating it with a "Happy Anniversary!" amongst ourselves, right?
Sakurai: Yeah.
Matsumoto: Plus, maybe our closest staff would celebrate with us, or maybe it'd end up within the group only. Yet different magazines collaborated with us, and different TV stations gave us the opportunity to do many different things. All the people who ever gave us any work were so happy for us and congratulated us. I'm really happy that things turned out this way.
Ninomiya: Yeah, that's right.
---Now that the "Arashi is coming" period has passed, it was also the year in which the average person became acquainted with Arashi's existence and appeal, wasn't it?
Matsumoto: Yeah. It seems like from sometime during the second half of 2005 till now, things have just kept right on going. Though they're all individual little points, all of them come together to form the shape of a line.
Sakurai: Yeah.
Matsumoto: When you take another look at it, it's not so much you'd think "Ahh, the points are all connected in a line", as it that each and every point seem to be connected to the last.
---And they're still connected to the present?
Matsumoto: I don't know anymore, personally. I haven't been sure for years now.
---Why is that?
Matsumoto: I guess it kind of feels like I can see the results of everything we've done to get to this point, in a sense. Of course, every single thing we've done had all been different, but... how should I put this... it feels like we've reached a point where our path isn't charted anywhere. It's like we've been using GPS to see the path via satellite all along, and we've gotten as far as it can possibly show now. I started feeling that way a few years ago, I guess.
---"Let's be pioneers for idols". "Let's broaden the field of possibilities for Arashi". You've been working with these thoughts in mind and now you've finally gotten to the point where it is truly impossible for anyone else to copy you. Do you yourselves also get that sense of achievement?
Sakurai: Hmmmm...
Matsumoto: I don't think we're that overambitious.
Ninomiya: Yeah, same here.
---So more like "We just did our thing and it turned out like this"?
Matsumoto: ...it was by chance? (laugh)
Sakurai: Oh, but that's just it (laugh). That's it.
Matsumoto: It really was all by chance. If people can get the same results by doing things the same way, then anyone can produce another Arashi. But that's impossible. It was by chance that these five people happen to work together, and that these staff are working without. I don't think you can describe it any other way except "by chance". Because nothing would be the same if even a single member was different.
Ninomiya: Like two different eras.
Sakurai: So I don't think it's a matter of being an "Arashi that no one else can copy" as it is more "Arashi's kind of hard to mimic, huh?" (laugh) Even if we were asked to write out ten or so things in response to the question "How can we be like Arashi?", we wouldn't be able to. (laugh)
Matsumoto: "First things first, be together some way or other..."
Aiba & Ohno: Hahahaha.
Matsumoto: "For the time being, try to go out for dinner together whenever you can..." (laugh)
Sakurai: Hahahahahahaha!
Matsumoto: "Try to take baths together as often as you can too..."
Ninomiya: And if that doesn't work out we bear no responsibility whatsoever, right? (laugh)
Matsumoto: Yeah. If you were to ask me whether that would work, I don't think so. (laugh)
Ninomiya: Hahahaha. That would be impossible, huh.
Sakurai: That's right. We may have been the ones who came all this way without change, but we weren't alone in it.
Aiba: Yeah.
Sakurai: Sometimes it was our own staff, sometimes staff from the television programs, sometimes production staff. Those were the people who had a hand in shaping us, don't you think?
---From Ohno-san's perspective as the leader, what is the shape that the current Arashi has taken?
Ninomiya: Let's hear it!
Matsumoto: Leader is his nickname, after all.
Ohno: Hmm, what is it. Well, getting to our 10th anniversary wasn't really the goal, so now that our 10th year is over, it seems... I don't feel accomplished so much as I feel really apologetic, personally.
Matsumoto: (laugh) What do you mean by feeling apologetic?
Ohno: So many people were congratulating us, and it felt like we were being pampered from beginning to end. You'd go somewhere for location filming and the store you're filming at would go "Please take this with you!" and stuff. [T/N: He's referring to places randomly giving them gifts] "Things weren't really like that," I thought. People never went through such lengths before.
Ninomiya: (laugh) If only it was like that from the start? It'd be normal?
Ohno: Yeah. And now, at this point, it kinda feels like we've gone beyond that.
Aiba: Ahh~ I understand.
Matsumoto: Gone beyond that?
Ohno: In a good way, I mean. It's not about whether or not people give us things but, what is it... we've always been in this one spot all along, and now it's like we've overcome that. Now that we're beyond it, we're just looking forward to the unknown future.
Sakurai: Aiba-san went "Ahh~" just now, though.
Aiba: Yeah. It's like... there was a time when people treated us really well... or rather, they treated us too well, right?
Ohno: Yeah.
Aiba: I honestly did feel that. We've been doing our thing as Arashi all this time, and to us it was like nothing was going to come out of it. It made me happy to have everyone come rally around us like that, but I guess it does feel like we've gone beyond that now.
---What is it like now that you've gotten past that?
Aiba: I guess that's just how it feels. Having everyone suddenly rush to watch over us-- well, maybe not watch over, but offer their support-- it's not something we've ever really experienced before, so it felt a little out of place... so now we've started to do things while properly showing our gratefulness towards that.
Sakurai: Ahh~ I see.
Ninomiya: We didn't have the time before.
Aiba: Yeah, maybe. I mean, there was an obvious increase in the number of people who supported us all of a sudden.
Matsumoto: So what you mean is that we know how to manage that now?
Aiba: Yes, yes. Now that we have some time. That's how I feel about it.
Sakurai: It's not that we've gotten used to it in a bad sense. It's that we're starting to work out the balance of taking in what's going on while we keep on going from here on, right?
Aiba: Yeah. And I know that's only normal too.
Sakurai: At this point in time?
Aiba: Right, right.
---What do you think, Ninomiya-san?
Ninomiya: Well, I do think there was a time like that. But when you look back on it now, I think things have settled down too. I think it was a good thing that we were all nervous about it, not haunghty. That we actually thought it was a little scary. I think we're a pretty solid group.
Aiba: Everyone's so earnest.
Ninomiya: Yeah, we're earnest.
Sakurai: We're worrywarts. (laugh)
Ninomiya: Yeah, we're worrywarts.
Matsumoto: And everyone felt like something or other was out of place. (laugh)
Sakurai: (laugh) Like, "This isn't real, right?"
Aiba & Ninomiya: Ahahaha.
Matsumoto: We were taking a negative attitude. Like, "There's no way in hell!" (laugh)
Ohno: Hahahahaha.
Ninomiya: We were totally aiming for that at the time of our debut, yet now we're like, "No way, this has to be fake". (laughs)
Sakurai: Hahahahahahahaha.
Matsumoto: (laugh) Couldn't even tell if it was straight or curved.
Aiba: (laugh) We had no idea.
One of the activities that has been announced in the current year of 2012, your 13th year since debuting, is your third time around at being the main personalities for "24jikan terebi". They declared on the first of January: "We'd like to visit the disaster areas as many times as possible."
With more and more of society coming to know who Arashi is, and the as the five members continue to mature, it is also only Arashi that can give off a definite sense of ease that "Leaving it up to these people is the right thing to do". As icons who are representative of the times, as idols who brighten this era up, what kind of future will they be showing us?
---And lastly, what do you think lies ahead for Arashi? We would like each of you to give your thoughts on the matter.
Sakurai: At this point, with the increase of people who know us, and the people who support us, I think the image of Arashi in each person's minds are extremely varied.
---Yes, that is true.
Sakurai: Depending on which aspects they like, or which parts they're looking at, I think it's different for everybody. This might be different from what we we've just talked about, but Matsujun added a song called "Dekirudake" to the list of encores for our tour in 2009. Part of the lyrics go: "Why are we afraid of change / when we laugh at things that never change?" and I think that's exactly it. It's not that we particularly want to change, but I personally want Arashi to be a group that keeps on going without being afraid of things changing. If you were to ask why, that would be because everyone sees Arashi differently. It's difficult to keep on matching up with any one person's image of Arashi, after all. I'm sure Matsujun also had his own reasons for adding the song [T/N: to the set list], but there's something about the lyrics for "Dekirudake" that I really identify with.
Matsumoto: It's a good song. It's just the first verse that's disappointing (laugh). "The cake from that store".
Aiba: "Has less strawberries". (laugh)
Matsumoto: "Even the black tea had no more essence to it". (laugh)
Ninomiya: (laugh) Isn't that a complaint!?
---Hahahahaha.
Aiba: (laugh) But that's a good thing too, isn't it?
---What do you think, Aiba-san?
Aiba: I wonder? I guess it doesn't matter if it's the group that changes or the things around us that changes, and the same goes for the present, but above all else each of us cherish Arashi very much. As long as we have that, I don't really care what shape we take. No matter what happens. That's what I think.
Sakurai: Yes yes yes, that's it.
Ninomiya: Yeah, I think that's exactly it. When we're working on our own or doing something else, we're working hard so we can return back to Arashi as a group. The shape of the group might keep on changing, but I want us to stay humble and be serious about doing our job. We get to talk about the past pretty often on TV lately, but you really get the sense that we've been seeing (the same places) somehow or other ever since we were Juniors. I think it's because we're not a group that started from nothing that we've turned out this way. I just want the people who are watching us to be able to see what we see without much effort.
---What do you think, Matsumoto-san?
Matsumoto: For the most part, I'm the type that wants to change. Of course, there are times when you absolutely have to change, but I'm against trying to stop change from happening. I want to keep that up from here onwards, and if we end up finding something that we really, really want to do, I think we should do it with no hesitation. But in terms of what we want to do, I think it's better to talk it out and come to an understanding within the group. Since I'll have time after "Lucky Seven" wraps up, I plan to grab hold of someone who's busy and go out for a meal together. (laugh)
Ninomiya: Aiba-san likes eating meals after all. (laugh)
Aiba: Everyone likes meals! (laugh)
Sakurai: That's how we stay alive. (laugh)
---And lastly, Ohno-san if you please.
Ohno: Oh, it's really just what everyone else said.
Sakurai: I knew you'd say that! (laugh)
Matsumoto: Those words are so comforting. (laugh)
Ninomiya: (laugh) Then, why not talk about our goal?
Ohno: Won't that just be to stay as-is? The atmosphere within the group probably won't change much anyway. Even if we eventually lose fans because of that, the five of us still won't change, right?
---Then, is Arashi important to you?
Ohno: To say that "it's not important" here would be kind of... right?
Matsumoto: (laugh) It's not appropriate to say it at this time and place.
Ohno: Since it's not appropriate to say it at this time and place, I'll say that it is important. (laugh)
Other four: Hahahahaha!
Ninomiya: Your family is what's most important, right? (laugh)
Ohno: It would be my family. (laugh)
Other four: Hahahahaha!
---(laugh) I see.
Aiba: Yep!
Everyone: Thank you very much!