oh no 言わせたいよ baby now
Okay, so erm. Junsu. Yupyup. I'll try to get this out as (in)coherently as possible. (Note to f-list: I'm sorry I've been failing in this updating thing like whoah lately, but erm at least have this one entry before I get busy with uni stuff, srsly hating my final paper and its glooming deadline already, ack.)
Anyway, on with the report.
Girls Award 2010 Spring/Summer at National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium
I have to say that at first I wasn't quite sure whether to go or not, in the end when I checked the website a couple of days after the official announcement and they still had cheaper free seating tickets (5,500 yen) left (1st floor was reserved seating but 2nd floor free seating), I decided that the Intoxication PV was cool enough to be checked out live too and bought tickets to the event. I went with my Japanese friend Nao (from Ochanomizu University) who also likes TVXQ, we met by chance when I saw her balloting for JYJ live tickets at the public entrance hall computer. Gotta love random dorm encounters. (No, I didn't mean it as an RP pun, sorry. XD)
The event was held at National Yoyogi Stadium's First Gymnasium which has the capacity of around 12,000 and is located like a 1 min walk from the JR Harajuku station. At first I thought we could just line up in advance to get better seats in the free seating area but then it turned out they were holding a balloting for the all standing arena/live area which is usually seated during normal lives but this time the runway and press area took so much space it probably wouldn't have a lot use to try to arrange seating in the arena area. So we headed to Harajuku in the morning and arrived around 10.30, half an hour before the balloting was supposed to start. We lined up for the balloting queue and at 11am they started the balloting, one by one people got to draw one slip of paper from the boxes and then the slip said whether you hit or not.
The First Gymnasium from the balloting queue (I forgot my camera so only crappy cellphone pics this time):
It took maybe 45 mins until it was our turn and I drew first, HITTING, I was totally sure I wouldn't 'cause I've been incredibly unlucky in every single ballot I took part after Feb's JE ticket application for Takizawa Kabuki and Kansai Jrs live. XD Then it was Nao's turn and of course the worst case scenario would've been that only either one of us would've hit but we hit both! After a tiny "kyaa~!" fangirl moment, we waited as the staff exchanged our tickets to the arena ones and then headed out from the Stadium area for lunch.
[CM break]We went to eat to one Nepalese curry restaurant that is located in Ura-Harajuku, maybe 15 mins from Yoyogi Stadium and Harajuku Station and the reason why I'm shameless advertising it is because their curry is just absolutely great and during lunchtime even very affordable. Chai drinks also highly recommended. ♥ The place is called café 1930 and here's one pic from their blog:
I've been there enough many times for the Nepalese waiter to recognise my face. Whoops. XD; I suggest looking up the address from Google Maps or alternatively finding an UraHara map from the shops in the area if you want to check the place out, it's quite far away from the main shopping streets.[/CM break]
After lunch we headed back to the Stadium and lined in front the arena area entrance. Our arena tickets were from B1 block which was located on the south side of the venue closest to the main stage (ie. below the runway on the left end, scroll down this page for the seating layout) and we were finally able to enter, the tickets were numbered and ours were 130 and 172, we made our way to the designated area and it turned out we were around 20 meters away from the main stage and the runway = CLOSE. Totally worth paying 5,500 yen if the alternative would've been a random 2nd floor seat. 8D The only minus was the 5-hour wait, many people were sitting down on the floor during the intervals and some even slept. :D Also many people around us were carrying Junsu or TVXQ uchiwas and other concert goods, some Bigeast members on the 2nd floor also hanged their Bigeast bathtowels on the handrails so that you could see them from the arena. ♥
Some pics from the venue before it turned out that it was actually forbidden to take pictures, many people still took pictures after that too. XD
The main stage, the led screens rose during the live perfs to reveal a bigger stage behind them:
The view from the front to the back of the venue:
The whole event had 5 separate fashion shows with different concepts and between them the live performances and one random vocal audition, they had 5 finalists and then the winner got a recording contract with Universal Japan (her voice was really nice but sadly I already forgot her name XD well I guess she'll appear from somewhere again soon XD). The MCs for the event were Kawase Ryoko, ia and Brother Tom, I personally was the most excited about Tom-san 'cause he's regular at KinKi's Shin Domoto Kyoudai and such a great personality, too. ♥ The two female MCs I didn't know before the event.
The first live was by BENI, who sang three songs and all of them very nicely and well, after her and one fashion show was a surprise from IKKO which was quite hilarious. XD IKKO had two male dancers in the perf but I wasn't quite sure if the dancers really wanted to be there or more like just to run away from the whole situation. There was something forced in the air. XD After the vocal audition and another set of catwalking came three more live perfs, from Juliet who sang the theme song for the event, Kuroki Meisa who I've never been able to come to like even after 3 or so years of trying and she didn't convince me yesterday either (sorry but just NO, the perf was awkward XD) and then with the better performance and vocal quality Aoyama Thelma and SoulJa, singing three songs together.
We were wondering before the shows about going back to the second floor seats after Junsu had performed but it turned out to be in vain (XD), the 5th live out of 6 in the pamphlet was Nishino Kana, which we sort of expected, to be honest. I guess the event arrangers knew that half of the crowd would disappear after Junsu anyways so they made him last. XD Before Junsu there was only one more perf to go, a special live perf from Sawajiri Erika who is more known as a model and an actor. The perf sure was flashy cool but I can't still understand what was the point of having her perform playback without even headset mic, it was just plain weird. By the end of the perf one of the dancers got her a mic and all she said into the mic was "thank you!" before she disappeared backstage. XD; After Sawajiri Erika's perf it was time for the last fashion show before Junsu's live and it was how half way the show people suddenly started almost to shout Junsu before they realized that it was just the next brand coming, there were total 5 brands in the last show.
When the show then ended, it was like the atmosphere in the arena had changed totally. People started shouting Junsu (we obviously did too XD) and then one by one here and there throughout the whole arena tiny red penlights started glowing, which I actually found very touching that one little moment. ♥ Then the intro movie started showing and the following "kyaa~!" was quite unbelievable and when the dancers and at last, Junsu, appeared on the stage, it was-- I just don't quite have words to describe the intensity of the moment. First notes of Intoxication started playing and screams grew so load it was partly hard to make up the melody and then the perf, *sigh* I'm still speechless when I think it but the dance, the singing, everything, there was such intensity present on stage right then and emitting from Junsu, I really need to think hard for another live I've seen that would've been as good performance-wise. The accurancy and the musicality when Junsu and the dancers hit every note during the choreography was almost flawless, and like usually when you have backdancers in a perf you can clearly see that the main performer doesn't quite rise to the same level of dance as the professional dancers but from Junsu, I couldn't sense that at all. He was giving his everything to the moment and it was amazing. I didn't really notice him missing any higher note or stuff like that either. At some point his necklace got entangled with his headset but you couldn't really see any change in his performance, he removed it slightly afterwards during a slower part in the routine and I noticed yesterday night that I had totally forgotten about the whole thing, it just suddenly surfaced in a "oh right! his necklace!" way. XD
When the song (and the screaming/clapping) ended Junsu had a tiny bit of MC time and then he just said that he was very happy to be there and thanked everybody for coming. He seemed sort of overwhelmed with the enthuasiastic response after the perf, and maybe a tiny bit emotional, Nao commented to me after the perf that it seemed like he was about to get teary-eyed, oh Junsu~ ♥
After the little MC he performed Xiahtic which pretty much made everybody faint (at least from inside), it was quite scream-inducing if I may say. XD I had expected him to do either Kanashimi no yukue or Kimi ga ireba but I guess Intoxication and Xiahtic were easier to combine mood- and setting-wisely. Of course the female dancers appeared too and erm yeah, those who've seen either the Dome or Mirotic live now what happens in detail. It was hot to say the least. XD Of course the "floor action" during Intoxication, too, the scream then was umm, loud. XD Oh, and his jacket disappered at some point between the two songs, according to the Tohoshinki staff Twitter it was unplanned. XD
All in all the whole perf was like from another world compared to the other perfs before it. さすが。
Intoxication was using only the main stage but during Xiahtic, Junsu and the dancers moved along the runway to the smaller stage and Xiahtic perf ended there with Junsu's tiny dance solo (check the forementioned live DVDs). After that Junsu returned back to the main stage, thanked everybody bowing, waved and then left the stage with his dancers.
The event still had the finale left where all the models came on stage and even though some people left right after Junsu we stayed there for a little waving with the rest of the crowd and then headed for the exits before they would get crowded. In the main lobby there were the congratulatory flowers, mainly from differents entertainment companies and so on, also one from Avex's CEO, Matsuura Masato. :D Then just when were about the exit the building we saw these flowers addressed to Junsu:
I couldn't recognise the leftmost one but all from fan communities/blogs, the center one from angel xiah and the rightmost one Xiahful, the text says "from all Japanese fans". I went aww when I saw them. ♥
Along the way back from the venue to the metro station it was amusing how everybody around you in the crowd talked only about Junsu. XD ♥
Matsuura-shachou's Twitter got updated after the event with this (w/ my free translation):
「ジュンス、やべぇ！かっこよすぎ！このイベント、全部、持ってっちゃった感じ。すごかった！」
("Junsu, incredible (lit. dangerous, risky)! Too cool! This event, it was like he stole the whole show. It was amazing!")
Which pretty much sums up the whole thing. Another usable words (that we were going through with Nao after the perf) could include "半端ない" among many others. XD As the English equivalent I'd love to use Mia Michaels' "A-MA-ZING". If you have no idea what I'm talking about check back to SYTYCD seasons three or four, I think it surfaced there. 8D
Tohoshinki's manager at Avex also updated on his Twitter with the following:
「唄って踊れる人で一番好きなアーティストはアッシャーでしたけど今日でかわりました。仕事抜きで、XIAH junsuだと思いました。久々に興奮しました！」
("Among the artists who can sing and dance, I liked Usher the most, but from today on, it changed. Without the work aspect and anything, I [honestly] thought it was XIAH junsu. It's been a while since I've been this excited!")
So no matter how you feel about all this 3+2 thing and solo activities, be at least damn proud of Junsu (he deserves it!) for getting these comments 'cause even though they of course are affiliated through the company I don't think they're being this generous with their words too often. (Sorry I just wanted to let that out. XD I'm not saying I'm pro solo over group, of course not.)
As a personal comment I think this two-song performance ranked pretty much in my top 5 live perfs, performatively speaking. Junsu isn't my number one fave among the five (it's Yoochun) so I think I'm actually stating this more unbiased than usual but it really was GOOD. For those who happen to know who Yara Tomoyuki is (or Machida Shingo for that matter, both from Johnny's Jr unit Musical Academy) it was perf-wise their level and probably above even though dance technique maybe wasn't but I don't care. :D And Junsu's sharpness and accentuation were sort of surreal. And then there's also the tiny fact that he sang all along and quite frigging well (as we all know he's capable of doing :D).
If anyone's interested Oricon Style HP has a nice range of live pics from all the artists, including Junsu. ^^
It seems the whole show will be broadcasted on 10th June (Tue) 22：00-24：00 on fashiontv channel which can be viewed through at least some cable channels (there's a list on their website). Let's hope somebody records it. ^^ You might be able to see it through the HP too (said so in the event pamphlet but I can't find any info from the HP right now).
Then we can just wonder whether it's Junsu or AKB48 who's taking next week's rank 1 at Oricon charts. I think there weren't anyone else potential who could get past these two. So far I know that Junsu had around 160,000 preorders for his single, I have no idea about AKB48 but they've been selling quite well lately.
Sorry the report turned out quite long but I thank everyone who read all the way until the end. :D Hopefully it gave you some general idea. ^^
-----
Not related at all but: Miyavi CM song Congrats, dude! :D
Oh yeah, I sort of came to like Mate (see for example this or this) after some listening. There's something nice about their singing voices especially. I wonder if I should get their CD from YesAsia along with Korean version of Mirotic. (Yoochun, can you stop recommending good music on CYWorld 'cause I don't have money to be spent on it, PLEASE?)
And right, yes I'm pretty much overjoiced about this. 8D
Anyway, on with the report.
Girls Award 2010 Spring/Summer at National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium
I have to say that at first I wasn't quite sure whether to go or not, in the end when I checked the website a couple of days after the official announcement and they still had cheaper free seating tickets (5,500 yen) left (1st floor was reserved seating but 2nd floor free seating), I decided that the Intoxication PV was cool enough to be checked out live too and bought tickets to the event. I went with my Japanese friend Nao (from Ochanomizu University) who also likes TVXQ, we met by chance when I saw her balloting for JYJ live tickets at the public entrance hall computer. Gotta love random dorm encounters. (No, I didn't mean it as an RP pun, sorry. XD)
The event was held at National Yoyogi Stadium's First Gymnasium which has the capacity of around 12,000 and is located like a 1 min walk from the JR Harajuku station. At first I thought we could just line up in advance to get better seats in the free seating area but then it turned out they were holding a balloting for the all standing arena/live area which is usually seated during normal lives but this time the runway and press area took so much space it probably wouldn't have a lot use to try to arrange seating in the arena area. So we headed to Harajuku in the morning and arrived around 10.30, half an hour before the balloting was supposed to start. We lined up for the balloting queue and at 11am they started the balloting, one by one people got to draw one slip of paper from the boxes and then the slip said whether you hit or not.
The First Gymnasium from the balloting queue (I forgot my camera so only crappy cellphone pics this time):
It took maybe 45 mins until it was our turn and I drew first, HITTING, I was totally sure I wouldn't 'cause I've been incredibly unlucky in every single ballot I took part after Feb's JE ticket application for Takizawa Kabuki and Kansai Jrs live. XD Then it was Nao's turn and of course the worst case scenario would've been that only either one of us would've hit but we hit both! After a tiny "kyaa~!" fangirl moment, we waited as the staff exchanged our tickets to the arena ones and then headed out from the Stadium area for lunch.
[CM break]We went to eat to one Nepalese curry restaurant that is located in Ura-Harajuku, maybe 15 mins from Yoyogi Stadium and Harajuku Station and the reason why I'm shameless advertising it is because their curry is just absolutely great and during lunchtime even very affordable. Chai drinks also highly recommended. ♥ The place is called café 1930 and here's one pic from their blog:
I've been there enough many times for the Nepalese waiter to recognise my face. Whoops. XD; I suggest looking up the address from Google Maps or alternatively finding an UraHara map from the shops in the area if you want to check the place out, it's quite far away from the main shopping streets.[/CM break]
After lunch we headed back to the Stadium and lined in front the arena area entrance. Our arena tickets were from B1 block which was located on the south side of the venue closest to the main stage (ie. below the runway on the left end, scroll down this page for the seating layout) and we were finally able to enter, the tickets were numbered and ours were 130 and 172, we made our way to the designated area and it turned out we were around 20 meters away from the main stage and the runway = CLOSE. Totally worth paying 5,500 yen if the alternative would've been a random 2nd floor seat. 8D The only minus was the 5-hour wait, many people were sitting down on the floor during the intervals and some even slept. :D Also many people around us were carrying Junsu or TVXQ uchiwas and other concert goods, some Bigeast members on the 2nd floor also hanged their Bigeast bathtowels on the handrails so that you could see them from the arena. ♥
Some pics from the venue before it turned out that it was actually forbidden to take pictures, many people still took pictures after that too. XD
The main stage, the led screens rose during the live perfs to reveal a bigger stage behind them:
The view from the front to the back of the venue:
The whole event had 5 separate fashion shows with different concepts and between them the live performances and one random vocal audition, they had 5 finalists and then the winner got a recording contract with Universal Japan (her voice was really nice but sadly I already forgot her name XD well I guess she'll appear from somewhere again soon XD). The MCs for the event were Kawase Ryoko, ia and Brother Tom, I personally was the most excited about Tom-san 'cause he's regular at KinKi's Shin Domoto Kyoudai and such a great personality, too. ♥ The two female MCs I didn't know before the event.
The first live was by BENI, who sang three songs and all of them very nicely and well, after her and one fashion show was a surprise from IKKO which was quite hilarious. XD IKKO had two male dancers in the perf but I wasn't quite sure if the dancers really wanted to be there or more like just to run away from the whole situation. There was something forced in the air. XD After the vocal audition and another set of catwalking came three more live perfs, from Juliet who sang the theme song for the event, Kuroki Meisa who I've never been able to come to like even after 3 or so years of trying and she didn't convince me yesterday either (sorry but just NO, the perf was awkward XD) and then with the better performance and vocal quality Aoyama Thelma and SoulJa, singing three songs together.
We were wondering before the shows about going back to the second floor seats after Junsu had performed but it turned out to be in vain (XD), the 5th live out of 6 in the pamphlet was Nishino Kana, which we sort of expected, to be honest. I guess the event arrangers knew that half of the crowd would disappear after Junsu anyways so they made him last. XD Before Junsu there was only one more perf to go, a special live perf from Sawajiri Erika who is more known as a model and an actor. The perf sure was flashy cool but I can't still understand what was the point of having her perform playback without even headset mic, it was just plain weird. By the end of the perf one of the dancers got her a mic and all she said into the mic was "thank you!" before she disappeared backstage. XD; After Sawajiri Erika's perf it was time for the last fashion show before Junsu's live and it was how half way the show people suddenly started almost to shout Junsu before they realized that it was just the next brand coming, there were total 5 brands in the last show.
When the show then ended, it was like the atmosphere in the arena had changed totally. People started shouting Junsu (we obviously did too XD) and then one by one here and there throughout the whole arena tiny red penlights started glowing, which I actually found very touching that one little moment. ♥ Then the intro movie started showing and the following "kyaa~!" was quite unbelievable and when the dancers and at last, Junsu, appeared on the stage, it was-- I just don't quite have words to describe the intensity of the moment. First notes of Intoxication started playing and screams grew so load it was partly hard to make up the melody and then the perf, *sigh* I'm still speechless when I think it but the dance, the singing, everything, there was such intensity present on stage right then and emitting from Junsu, I really need to think hard for another live I've seen that would've been as good performance-wise. The accurancy and the musicality when Junsu and the dancers hit every note during the choreography was almost flawless, and like usually when you have backdancers in a perf you can clearly see that the main performer doesn't quite rise to the same level of dance as the professional dancers but from Junsu, I couldn't sense that at all. He was giving his everything to the moment and it was amazing. I didn't really notice him missing any higher note or stuff like that either. At some point his necklace got entangled with his headset but you couldn't really see any change in his performance, he removed it slightly afterwards during a slower part in the routine and I noticed yesterday night that I had totally forgotten about the whole thing, it just suddenly surfaced in a "oh right! his necklace!" way. XD
When the song (and the screaming/clapping) ended Junsu had a tiny bit of MC time and then he just said that he was very happy to be there and thanked everybody for coming. He seemed sort of overwhelmed with the enthuasiastic response after the perf, and maybe a tiny bit emotional, Nao commented to me after the perf that it seemed like he was about to get teary-eyed, oh Junsu~ ♥
After the little MC he performed Xiahtic which pretty much made everybody faint (at least from inside), it was quite scream-inducing if I may say. XD I had expected him to do either Kanashimi no yukue or Kimi ga ireba but I guess Intoxication and Xiahtic were easier to combine mood- and setting-wisely. Of course the female dancers appeared too and erm yeah, those who've seen either the Dome or Mirotic live now what happens in detail. It was hot to say the least. XD Of course the "floor action" during Intoxication, too, the scream then was umm, loud. XD Oh, and his jacket disappered at some point between the two songs, according to the Tohoshinki staff Twitter it was unplanned. XD
All in all the whole perf was like from another world compared to the other perfs before it. さすが。
Intoxication was using only the main stage but during Xiahtic, Junsu and the dancers moved along the runway to the smaller stage and Xiahtic perf ended there with Junsu's tiny dance solo (check the forementioned live DVDs). After that Junsu returned back to the main stage, thanked everybody bowing, waved and then left the stage with his dancers.
The event still had the finale left where all the models came on stage and even though some people left right after Junsu we stayed there for a little waving with the rest of the crowd and then headed for the exits before they would get crowded. In the main lobby there were the congratulatory flowers, mainly from differents entertainment companies and so on, also one from Avex's CEO, Matsuura Masato. :D Then just when were about the exit the building we saw these flowers addressed to Junsu:
I couldn't recognise the leftmost one but all from fan communities/blogs, the center one from angel xiah and the rightmost one Xiahful, the text says "from all Japanese fans". I went aww when I saw them. ♥
Along the way back from the venue to the metro station it was amusing how everybody around you in the crowd talked only about Junsu. XD ♥
Matsuura-shachou's Twitter got updated after the event with this (w/ my free translation):
「ジュンス、やべぇ！かっこよすぎ！このイベント、全部、持ってっちゃった感じ。すごかった！」
("Junsu, incredible (lit. dangerous, risky)! Too cool! This event, it was like he stole the whole show. It was amazing!")
Which pretty much sums up the whole thing. Another usable words (that we were going through with Nao after the perf) could include "半端ない" among many others. XD As the English equivalent I'd love to use Mia Michaels' "A-MA-ZING". If you have no idea what I'm talking about check back to SYTYCD seasons three or four, I think it surfaced there. 8D
Tohoshinki's manager at Avex also updated on his Twitter with the following:
「唄って踊れる人で一番好きなアーティストはアッシャーでしたけど今日でかわりました。仕事抜きで、XIAH junsuだと思いました。久々に興奮しました！」
("Among the artists who can sing and dance, I liked Usher the most, but from today on, it changed. Without the work aspect and anything, I [honestly] thought it was XIAH junsu. It's been a while since I've been this excited!")
So no matter how you feel about all this 3+2 thing and solo activities, be at least damn proud of Junsu (he deserves it!) for getting these comments 'cause even though they of course are affiliated through the company I don't think they're being this generous with their words too often. (Sorry I just wanted to let that out. XD I'm not saying I'm pro solo over group, of course not.)
As a personal comment I think this two-song performance ranked pretty much in my top 5 live perfs, performatively speaking. Junsu isn't my number one fave among the five (it's Yoochun) so I think I'm actually stating this more unbiased than usual but it really was GOOD. For those who happen to know who Yara Tomoyuki is (or Machida Shingo for that matter, both from Johnny's Jr unit Musical Academy) it was perf-wise their level and probably above even though dance technique maybe wasn't but I don't care. :D And Junsu's sharpness and accentuation were sort of surreal. And then there's also the tiny fact that he sang all along and quite frigging well (as we all know he's capable of doing :D).
If anyone's interested Oricon Style HP has a nice range of live pics from all the artists, including Junsu. ^^
It seems the whole show will be broadcasted on 10th June (Tue) 22：00-24：00 on fashiontv channel which can be viewed through at least some cable channels (there's a list on their website). Let's hope somebody records it. ^^ You might be able to see it through the HP too (said so in the event pamphlet but I can't find any info from the HP right now).
Then we can just wonder whether it's Junsu or AKB48 who's taking next week's rank 1 at Oricon charts. I think there weren't anyone else potential who could get past these two. So far I know that Junsu had around 160,000 preorders for his single, I have no idea about AKB48 but they've been selling quite well lately.
Sorry the report turned out quite long but I thank everyone who read all the way until the end. :D Hopefully it gave you some general idea. ^^
-----
Not related at all but: Miyavi CM song Congrats, dude! :D
Oh yeah, I sort of came to like Mate (see for example this or this) after some listening. There's something nice about their singing voices especially. I wonder if I should get their CD from YesAsia along with Korean version of Mirotic. (Yoochun, can you stop recommending good music on CYWorld 'cause I don't have money to be spent on it, PLEASE?)
And right, yes I'm pretty much overjoiced about this. 8D