[Arashi] Pia - 08/27/2009 (5/6)
To celebrate a total of 900 (!) people friending this journal, I spent the entire day slaving away at the computer to bring you a translation of the entire Pia article. It is seriously one amazing interview, and I really do recommend anyone who's a fan of Arashi to read it. I will be posting it in parts, so sorry to everyone for the spam!
All comments are appreciated, and before I forget, thank you for following and/or enjoying my translations ♥ Enjoy!
1980-1984 | 1985-1989 | 1990-1994 | 1995-1999 | 2000-2004 | 2005-2009
Pia - 08/27/2009 (5/6)
2000-2004
With the accomplishment of a CD debut,
There was also gradual unease over an inability to live up to expectations
"When my friends from class in my third year of high school began talking of their plans for the future, I once again felt a sense of 'Ah, I already decided on my future in my first year (of high school)'. Since I had already decided for myself, I listened to my friends' worries and offered them support instead." - Matsumoto
"In the very beginning, what made me a bit worried was the distance between Aiba-kun and Leader, who hadn't even spoken to one another before the group was formed. Aiba-kun tried his hardest to meet him halfway, but you know Leader, he's a super laidback sort of person (laugh). But now they probably rival the top spot or two for being the closest in Arashi, don't you think?" (Ninomiya)
Their thoughts on being chosen from among the crowd of Jrs. are all varied. For Matsumoto, who had no contemporaries from the same period, "The ones closest to the same period as me were Ninomiya and Aiba, so being together with them made me stronger". Ohno was Ohno in his straightforward explanation: "Quite a lot of the people who joined around the same period as I did all ended up quitting... I probably sensed that I was overstaying there too."
If this was, for example, the story of a rock band, there would for sure be tales of someone inviting someone else, of forming the band and giving it a name, but there was no such purpose to Arashi when the group was first formed.
But the uncertainty of their existence was also an important item in uniting them with the times. It can also be seen here and their in their music as well, the value of their inexperience and a sense of life that gave them a sensitive impression, to the extent where it became a great help in their offensive turnover as the other side of "the finer details of work". What's miraculous is that even now, they still have not lost all traces of that moratorium. With ability and assessment placed on different levels, they continued to seek out what they lack, like the contours of a youth that will never be complete. The contours are faint and somewhat lonesome.
The transferring of record labels and self-motivation
Arashi took "words" into their hands
...though we say that, Arashi's tone was always cheerful, to the point where one might begin to suspect that they had been misdirected (and this multi-layered structure once again goes deeper). On the New Year's Eve of 1999, they took on the challenge of a televised project where they welcomed the new year twice in two different countries by crossing the International Date line. "We discussed it, going 'There's even rumours about airplanes not being able to fly thanks to the Year 2000 problem, will we really be okay!?' (laugh)" (Matsumoto)
Their anticipated 1st concert was held in April of 2000. "Though we had no songs of our own, there was still quite a lot of people who came often. If I was the one watching I wouldn't be able to help feeling uneasy myself either." (Ninomiya) The 2~3 years following that were just like samurai drilling as they took in numerous concert experiences. Spring, summer and winter-- and of course, with the menu changing each time. Sakurai would later recall his frustration at the time at seeing unfilled seats, but Ohno, who had such experience in Kyoto before, was magnanimous: "It was enough to just have half the seats filled." That was also the period when they spoke to each other about all their thoughts, when "we understood that the five of us were all doing this with the same feelings." (Ohno)
The year 2002 was an enormous turning point for Arashi's music. First of all, they transferred to J-Storm, a record label established specifically for them; and, starting with the single "a Day in Our Life", were able to release experimental and ambition-filled music and movies one after another. "'Even if it might turn out a loss in terms of business, let's give it a try!' With a strong sense of purpose like that, I think (director of the movie "Pika*nchi") Tsutsumi Yukihiko-san was truly suitable for the role. We were lucky to meet him." (Ninomiya)
Also, it is definite that starting with a song produced this year called "ALL or NOTHING", Sakurai himself began to write his own rap lyrics. In the later years (2006) as well, their story was hidden between the lines within their message song "COOL & SOUL" for which he had written almost all of the rap; one can detect the profound significance of this turning point.
"For those who have listened to 'COOL~', it was a strategy to see who had listened to raps in the name of 'Arashi's Sakurai Sho' from our album in 2002 onwards. The mystery of why I was responsible for rapping when we first debuted still remains as is, though. (laugh)" (Sakurai)
"It was different with 'COOL~', but when we were asked to write about Arashi itself, we all sent what we wanted to say to Sho-kun in the form of mails. Then, he took all five parts and put it all together." (Aiba)
"Everyone is important," "We love everyone," both back then and now, those are the killer words of an idol. But, only Arashi is capable of properly conveying their own words by means of letters with things such as "It's important in this way," or "We love these points". In addition to that, they are poetic letters worthy even of adult admiration. The "finer details of work" mentioned earlier was particularly striking here.
Variety, stageplays, dramas
Discovering personalities at various scenes
In the March of 2002 when Ninomiya and Matsumoto graduated from high school, Aiba was involved in a lung-related illness and underwent both surgery and a stint at the hospital. "Actually, I haven't said this to the other members or people at the agency before, but I was first told that I would have to stay at the hospital for a month. In the end I insisted on leaving after five days, but when they told me that I thought 'I might not get to stay in Arashi'. There was a high risk of recurrence too." (Aiba). "When I woke up, there an incredible amount of missed calls from our manager, then I found out about the hospital stay, and we discussed what to do with our upcoming work. Everyone here is kind, so no one would speak badly about it at times like that. Instead, we thought that we would have to substitute properly in his place no matter what." (Ninomiya)
Happily, not only did Aiba make a complete recovery, "C no Arashi!", the program to which Arashi owes a great deal of gratitude towards, began in July of that same year. With a team of staff that has since then followed onto the current "Arashi no Shukudai-kun", it was a masterpiece series whose selling point was its surrealism and enthusiasm. They met their objective of hooking people through Arashi's sensitivity, and the laughter and newness of the show was able to grip the susceptible late night viewership demographic. Responsible for making retorts to the other four members, Ninomiya also held the role of being Arashi's user manual: "In the beginning, I thought that I was going to be the boke when we divided up boke/tsukkomi roles. Because the ones to do the retorting would be those watching us on TV." With a thorough knowledge of the good subject matters about the other members and how to put to use what fans wanted, he was able to succeed in his work. "'The top of Arashi fans'? It's an honour. (laugh)"
On the other hand, what shocked the fans during that time was Matsumoto's unexpected character change! His magnificent change from being the "bullied one" within Arashi to the "manly one" was distinct even to the person himself: "It was something I did consciously. (laugh)" "I remember that, the instant he changed. When I came into the dressing room and greeted Matsujun with the usual call, he was super curt. It took quite a while to get used to it~ (laugh)" (Sakurai)
Isolated no matter what the times were, Ohno also did a steady number of stageplays after debut, and continued to display his wide expressiveness as an actor, singer and dancer. In 2004, when he received serious voice training for the first time for the stageplay "West Side Story" in which Sakurai and Matsumoto also took part in, he could actually feel the change in his voice. "Don't you think it sounds higher and thinner than before? It's usually the other way around," he laughs.
From 2002 onwards, all of the members acquired their own radio shows, and in 2003 Ninomiya's starring movie "Ao no Honoo" was opened to the public. Through "Kisarazu Cat's Eye" (2002), "Kimi wa Petto" (2003), and the popular program that is still airing now, "Tensai! Shimura Doubutsuen" (2004), one can see that their individual activities have also steadily broadened. Sakurai graduated from university and was able to achieve the goal of maintaining the double life between work and school that he had defended to the end. However, they still needed a bit more time before they could sweep the world up by "storm".
All comments are appreciated, and before I forget, thank you for following and/or enjoying my translations ♥ Enjoy!
1980-1984 | 1985-1989 | 1990-1994 | 1995-1999 | 2000-2004 | 2005-2009
Pia - 08/27/2009 (5/6)
2000-2004
With the accomplishment of a CD debut,
There was also gradual unease over an inability to live up to expectations
"When my friends from class in my third year of high school began talking of their plans for the future, I once again felt a sense of 'Ah, I already decided on my future in my first year (of high school)'. Since I had already decided for myself, I listened to my friends' worries and offered them support instead." - Matsumoto
"In the very beginning, what made me a bit worried was the distance between Aiba-kun and Leader, who hadn't even spoken to one another before the group was formed. Aiba-kun tried his hardest to meet him halfway, but you know Leader, he's a super laidback sort of person (laugh). But now they probably rival the top spot or two for being the closest in Arashi, don't you think?" (Ninomiya)
Their thoughts on being chosen from among the crowd of Jrs. are all varied. For Matsumoto, who had no contemporaries from the same period, "The ones closest to the same period as me were Ninomiya and Aiba, so being together with them made me stronger". Ohno was Ohno in his straightforward explanation: "Quite a lot of the people who joined around the same period as I did all ended up quitting... I probably sensed that I was overstaying there too."
If this was, for example, the story of a rock band, there would for sure be tales of someone inviting someone else, of forming the band and giving it a name, but there was no such purpose to Arashi when the group was first formed.
But the uncertainty of their existence was also an important item in uniting them with the times. It can also be seen here and their in their music as well, the value of their inexperience and a sense of life that gave them a sensitive impression, to the extent where it became a great help in their offensive turnover as the other side of "the finer details of work". What's miraculous is that even now, they still have not lost all traces of that moratorium. With ability and assessment placed on different levels, they continued to seek out what they lack, like the contours of a youth that will never be complete. The contours are faint and somewhat lonesome.
The transferring of record labels and self-motivation
Arashi took "words" into their hands
...though we say that, Arashi's tone was always cheerful, to the point where one might begin to suspect that they had been misdirected (and this multi-layered structure once again goes deeper). On the New Year's Eve of 1999, they took on the challenge of a televised project where they welcomed the new year twice in two different countries by crossing the International Date line. "We discussed it, going 'There's even rumours about airplanes not being able to fly thanks to the Year 2000 problem, will we really be okay!?' (laugh)" (Matsumoto)
Their anticipated 1st concert was held in April of 2000. "Though we had no songs of our own, there was still quite a lot of people who came often. If I was the one watching I wouldn't be able to help feeling uneasy myself either." (Ninomiya) The 2~3 years following that were just like samurai drilling as they took in numerous concert experiences. Spring, summer and winter-- and of course, with the menu changing each time. Sakurai would later recall his frustration at the time at seeing unfilled seats, but Ohno, who had such experience in Kyoto before, was magnanimous: "It was enough to just have half the seats filled." That was also the period when they spoke to each other about all their thoughts, when "we understood that the five of us were all doing this with the same feelings." (Ohno)
The year 2002 was an enormous turning point for Arashi's music. First of all, they transferred to J-Storm, a record label established specifically for them; and, starting with the single "a Day in Our Life", were able to release experimental and ambition-filled music and movies one after another. "'Even if it might turn out a loss in terms of business, let's give it a try!' With a strong sense of purpose like that, I think (director of the movie "Pika*nchi") Tsutsumi Yukihiko-san was truly suitable for the role. We were lucky to meet him." (Ninomiya)
Also, it is definite that starting with a song produced this year called "ALL or NOTHING", Sakurai himself began to write his own rap lyrics. In the later years (2006) as well, their story was hidden between the lines within their message song "COOL & SOUL" for which he had written almost all of the rap; one can detect the profound significance of this turning point.
"For those who have listened to 'COOL~', it was a strategy to see who had listened to raps in the name of 'Arashi's Sakurai Sho' from our album in 2002 onwards. The mystery of why I was responsible for rapping when we first debuted still remains as is, though. (laugh)" (Sakurai)
"It was different with 'COOL~', but when we were asked to write about Arashi itself, we all sent what we wanted to say to Sho-kun in the form of mails. Then, he took all five parts and put it all together." (Aiba)
"Everyone is important," "We love everyone," both back then and now, those are the killer words of an idol. But, only Arashi is capable of properly conveying their own words by means of letters with things such as "It's important in this way," or "We love these points". In addition to that, they are poetic letters worthy even of adult admiration. The "finer details of work" mentioned earlier was particularly striking here.
Variety, stageplays, dramas
Discovering personalities at various scenes
In the March of 2002 when Ninomiya and Matsumoto graduated from high school, Aiba was involved in a lung-related illness and underwent both surgery and a stint at the hospital. "Actually, I haven't said this to the other members or people at the agency before, but I was first told that I would have to stay at the hospital for a month. In the end I insisted on leaving after five days, but when they told me that I thought 'I might not get to stay in Arashi'. There was a high risk of recurrence too." (Aiba). "When I woke up, there an incredible amount of missed calls from our manager, then I found out about the hospital stay, and we discussed what to do with our upcoming work. Everyone here is kind, so no one would speak badly about it at times like that. Instead, we thought that we would have to substitute properly in his place no matter what." (Ninomiya)
Happily, not only did Aiba make a complete recovery, "C no Arashi!", the program to which Arashi owes a great deal of gratitude towards, began in July of that same year. With a team of staff that has since then followed onto the current "Arashi no Shukudai-kun", it was a masterpiece series whose selling point was its surrealism and enthusiasm. They met their objective of hooking people through Arashi's sensitivity, and the laughter and newness of the show was able to grip the susceptible late night viewership demographic. Responsible for making retorts to the other four members, Ninomiya also held the role of being Arashi's user manual: "In the beginning, I thought that I was going to be the boke when we divided up boke/tsukkomi roles. Because the ones to do the retorting would be those watching us on TV." With a thorough knowledge of the good subject matters about the other members and how to put to use what fans wanted, he was able to succeed in his work. "'The top of Arashi fans'? It's an honour. (laugh)"
On the other hand, what shocked the fans during that time was Matsumoto's unexpected character change! His magnificent change from being the "bullied one" within Arashi to the "manly one" was distinct even to the person himself: "It was something I did consciously. (laugh)" "I remember that, the instant he changed. When I came into the dressing room and greeted Matsujun with the usual call, he was super curt. It took quite a while to get used to it~ (laugh)" (Sakurai)
Isolated no matter what the times were, Ohno also did a steady number of stageplays after debut, and continued to display his wide expressiveness as an actor, singer and dancer. In 2004, when he received serious voice training for the first time for the stageplay "West Side Story" in which Sakurai and Matsumoto also took part in, he could actually feel the change in his voice. "Don't you think it sounds higher and thinner than before? It's usually the other way around," he laughs.
From 2002 onwards, all of the members acquired their own radio shows, and in 2003 Ninomiya's starring movie "Ao no Honoo" was opened to the public. Through "Kisarazu Cat's Eye" (2002), "Kimi wa Petto" (2003), and the popular program that is still airing now, "Tensai! Shimura Doubutsuen" (2004), one can see that their individual activities have also steadily broadened. Sakurai graduated from university and was able to achieve the goal of maintaining the double life between work and school that he had defended to the end. However, they still needed a bit more time before they could sweep the world up by "storm".