[ARASHI's Diary - Voyage] Episode 2 review
SPOILER ALERT.
As with episode 1, this week's release has given me much to observe and think about. I'm sure there are fans out there who would love to chat about this episode without spoiling the rest who haven't seen it, so feel free to do it here.
Read on for more screencaps and commentary!
Despite what fans may say, this episode is very much Jun-centric because it focuses on the planning for the 5x20 Anniversary Tour. The videography is beautiful here, save for the choppy editing and the storyline seems more well developed than in episode 1.
We get glimpses of day-to-day scenes such as Arashi eating together...
Exercising together...
Hang on, is that Jun's oxygen capsule in the background!?? Can't believe that I didn't catch it in all the previous pictures with the Muscle Club on the 5x20 app.
Insert scene of Jun rattling off like a machine gun about concert logistics.
Cut to scene of Ohno slowly wolfing down his salad while gazing intensely at the camera. I think the director is starting to realize what fans want to see.
The translation here has a slight discrepancy with the original Japanese.
As Jun discusses with the staff on the logistics of projecting an image next to the members on stage, the conversation is as follows:
Jun: I don't know. What do you think? Shall we try harder? (snorts) "Shall we try?" Well, putting aside the issue of whether we can solve this by trying harder...
Jun: Why not?
Staff: It can't be hung.
Jun: Why can't it be hung? Let's try harder.
Jun's work ethic simultaneously inspires me and bothers me. Mainly because I'm an advocate of work life balance and I don't think people working under him can attain that. But at the same time, he drives his team to produce quality work for the fans, and the results are undeniable.
You see Jun holding documents with the heading "Arashi Dome Tour Production - Rhizomatiks" printed on it. Rhizomatiks Research is the media art company that oversees the technical aspects of the 6th block of Arashi's 5x20 Anniversary Tour concert. (The concert itself is divided into 7 blocks.) According to their website, "Rhizomatiks Research is accountable for all steps of a project, from hardware/software development up through operation."
Hi Sho!
Reference above comment about beautiful videography.
I love behind the scenes details like this where you can see what goes on in planning a concert.
27 Sep (Thu)
5 members: 12:30 ~ 17:00 (Aiba joins halfway)
1) Costumes --> 6th block, tentative fitting (about 30 min)
2) WOW meeting (about 1h) ~ Labo (I'm assuming it's Team Labo)
3) Set list, check orchestra's sound, check progress of other items
1 Oct (Mon)
Matsumoto + ??? --> Meeting to discuss images (one-on-one)
??? --> Around 16:00? Also check what needs to be filmed
3 Oct (Wed)
Sakurai NG
1) 12:30 ~ 17:00 Set list discussion
2) 17:00 ~ Choreography practice for Kimi no Uta (TV version)
20 Oct (Sat)
5 members: 12:00 ~ (Sakurai 17:30 out)
1) Remember A.RA.SHI
2) Choreography practice One Love
3) Remember Crazy Moon, Monster, GUTS!, Step and Go, Kimi no Uta
Hi again! Sho has piano homework and he doesn't seem pleased about it.
The guy on the extreme right in this photo is Nashimoto Takeatsu. According to Jun, he was a Johnny's Junior who now moved into choreography and directing commercials. Jun met him in his teenage years.
I couldn't quite decipher what Ohno was writing here. My best guess is a plug for the Kimi no Uta single which was posted on JWeb, but I can't be sure since JWeb already removed the members' promotions for the single.
Fun fact: Sho's holding a finger training device that trains the strength, dexterity and coordination of his fingers for piano playing.
Shout-out to the staff who did not edit the birth mark!
Poor Aiba, having to work while he's nursing a fever.
Ohmiya skinship is very much alive as Ohno ponders what to order for dinner.
Jun and Sho leave the studio at 10.55pm and Jun's happy because they ended early today.
Bless the Voyage staff for capturing Sho grooving to the rap he wrote for Brave just as Jun talked about it on VSA. It doesn't look like the title for the single had been fixed yet, so Sho just labels the lyrics as "Rugby Song Rap".
The following sequence gave me much joy because it's just Arashi bloopers during their dance practice.
I'm so glad Sho could catch a power nap in between breaks at work.
Ohno's core is amazing. I would totally fall over if I attempted this move.
There's a haphazard bunch of footage at the end and it's driving me crazy how I don't get to hear Arashi speak in complete sentences. I think the editing mostly works when you're showcasing what goes on behind-the-scenes, but I want to hear the members speak coherently during the interviews, damn it.
As with episode 1, this week's release has given me much to observe and think about. I'm sure there are fans out there who would love to chat about this episode without spoiling the rest who haven't seen it, so feel free to do it here.
Read on for more screencaps and commentary!
Despite what fans may say, this episode is very much Jun-centric because it focuses on the planning for the 5x20 Anniversary Tour. The videography is beautiful here, save for the choppy editing and the storyline seems more well developed than in episode 1.
We get glimpses of day-to-day scenes such as Arashi eating together...
Exercising together...
Hang on, is that Jun's oxygen capsule in the background!?? Can't believe that I didn't catch it in all the previous pictures with the Muscle Club on the 5x20 app.
Insert scene of Jun rattling off like a machine gun about concert logistics.
Cut to scene of Ohno slowly wolfing down his salad while gazing intensely at the camera. I think the director is starting to realize what fans want to see.
The translation here has a slight discrepancy with the original Japanese.
As Jun discusses with the staff on the logistics of projecting an image next to the members on stage, the conversation is as follows:
Jun: I don't know. What do you think? Shall we try harder? (snorts) "Shall we try?" Well, putting aside the issue of whether we can solve this by trying harder...
Jun: Why not?
Staff: It can't be hung.
Jun: Why can't it be hung? Let's try harder.
Jun's work ethic simultaneously inspires me and bothers me. Mainly because I'm an advocate of work life balance and I don't think people working under him can attain that. But at the same time, he drives his team to produce quality work for the fans, and the results are undeniable.
You see Jun holding documents with the heading "Arashi Dome Tour Production - Rhizomatiks" printed on it. Rhizomatiks Research is the media art company that oversees the technical aspects of the 6th block of Arashi's 5x20 Anniversary Tour concert. (The concert itself is divided into 7 blocks.) According to their website, "Rhizomatiks Research is accountable for all steps of a project, from hardware/software development up through operation."
Hi Sho!
Reference above comment about beautiful videography.
I love behind the scenes details like this where you can see what goes on in planning a concert.
27 Sep (Thu)
5 members: 12:30 ~ 17:00 (Aiba joins halfway)
1) Costumes --> 6th block, tentative fitting (about 30 min)
2) WOW meeting (about 1h) ~ Labo (I'm assuming it's Team Labo)
3) Set list, check orchestra's sound, check progress of other items
1 Oct (Mon)
Matsumoto + ??? --> Meeting to discuss images (one-on-one)
??? --> Around 16:00? Also check what needs to be filmed
3 Oct (Wed)
Sakurai NG
1) 12:30 ~ 17:00 Set list discussion
2) 17:00 ~ Choreography practice for Kimi no Uta (TV version)
20 Oct (Sat)
5 members: 12:00 ~ (Sakurai 17:30 out)
1) Remember A.RA.SHI
2) Choreography practice One Love
3) Remember Crazy Moon, Monster, GUTS!, Step and Go, Kimi no Uta
Hi again! Sho has piano homework and he doesn't seem pleased about it.
The guy on the extreme right in this photo is Nashimoto Takeatsu. According to Jun, he was a Johnny's Junior who now moved into choreography and directing commercials. Jun met him in his teenage years.
I couldn't quite decipher what Ohno was writing here. My best guess is a plug for the Kimi no Uta single which was posted on JWeb, but I can't be sure since JWeb already removed the members' promotions for the single.
Fun fact: Sho's holding a finger training device that trains the strength, dexterity and coordination of his fingers for piano playing.
Shout-out to the staff who did not edit the birth mark!
Poor Aiba, having to work while he's nursing a fever.
Ohmiya skinship is very much alive as Ohno ponders what to order for dinner.
Jun and Sho leave the studio at 10.55pm and Jun's happy because they ended early today.
Bless the Voyage staff for capturing Sho grooving to the rap he wrote for Brave just as Jun talked about it on VSA. It doesn't look like the title for the single had been fixed yet, so Sho just labels the lyrics as "Rugby Song Rap".
The following sequence gave me much joy because it's just Arashi bloopers during their dance practice.
I'm so glad Sho could catch a power nap in between breaks at work.
Ohno's core is amazing. I would totally fall over if I attempted this move.
There's a haphazard bunch of footage at the end and it's driving me crazy how I don't get to hear Arashi speak in complete sentences. I think the editing mostly works when you're showcasing what goes on behind-the-scenes, but I want to hear the members speak coherently during the interviews, damn it.