More 2011.10 - Nino's 'It'
I've had this in my drafts for years now, good to get it out!
It's always fascinating to hear Nino's views on Johnny's.
- - - - -
It {一途}
Even for Nino who freely walks his path alone with an earnest heart, there is a tree on which he can perch to rest his wings. Where is the place where he shapes his life?
Chapter 034
Homing
Nino has a secret hideout. It’s a restaurant that he’s been frequenting for some years now. He finds himself automatically heading to that shop both when he dines alone and when he invites trusted friends to dinner. “The guy who was a part-timer here when I started frequenting this place is now the shop manager. Time flies, huh?”
Just by saying that, his expression softens.
"For guys, as long as you have one favourite place, that’s enough. Drinking carefree at a familiar joint is bliss. But it’s different for women, isn’t it? They want to go to a variety of places (laughs)”
A homing instinct particular to men? Flying free, being a slave to nothing; but he’s no exception either. He’s constantly aware that he’s in Arashi, subject to Johnny & Associates.
"It’s because I’m grateful. If I hadn’t joined Johnny’s, I seriously don’t think I would have gotten on in life. But I don’t know when that awareness sprouted. To begin with, even though I was allowed to be a regular on a show in my Junior years, it wasn’t something stipulated by the agency or my contract. It wouldn’t have been odd for that opportunity to vanish at any point.”
'Johnny's' have, for many years, shouldered the axle of Japan’s idols and the world of entertainment. It’s one company that has surpassed its genre and brand.
"I think what people call 'Johnny's-ness’ does exist, but that changes depending on the generation and the individual talent. From the eye of the beholder as well, depending on which generation of Johnny's they first come in contact with, they’ll have a different impression. It’s the same with how the groups are formed. At the time Arashi was formed, it was the norm for an impromptu collection of members to debut, but for our juniors like KAT-TUN or Kis-My-Ft2, they’re members who have been working together since their Junior years. That itself is a big change. It’s not like anyone can be popular just by being in Johnny’s, and that applies for being able to debut, too. I mean, I never acted in popular dramas like ‘Kinpachi Sensei (Teacher Kinpachi)’ or ‘Gokusen (Gangster Teacher)’. My first drama was ‘Amagi Goe (Crossing Amagi Pass)’, a sombre historical drama; I’ve never personally had my popularity explode (laughs). Still, I managed to debut and I was given the chance to appear in dramas and films. That wasn’t ability or effort, just luck. It’s not humility. I did work diligently, but whether I really put in effort compared to other people, I wouldn’t know. Ultimately, I think it’s nothing but luck.”
What makes fans happy are probably the things that aren’t superficial
If he says everything is due to luck, then there’s not much one can do about it. Popularity and debuts both are impermanent worldly things. Everything changes; we experience things that we can’t control in all settings.
"It's because I’ve seen all sorts of situations and people. But in this sense, being able to experience all sorts of things is also thanks to Johnny’s. Like being able to do a movie or drama at the same time as a concert. As such, all I can do is give my utmost to whatever job is given to me. So though there’s gratitude, there’s no dissatisfaction. Right now, I can tell that the people that I work with are incredible people in their respective fields. Besides, for me it’s when I’m drinking beer after work that’s sheer bliss (laughs). When I’m amongst people who think about the job or the production around the clock, I don’t think I could so easily disregard those people while casually butting in to pick and choose my jobs. Of course, my life is based on work. I can feel that it’s worth doing, I’m serious and enjoying it. But ever since learning to understand my own part in it, no matter what the job is, however busy it gets, I suppose I no longer have the intent to sacrifice myself the way I did when I was young.”
He has humility and a sense of balance from going through much experience and thought. So it is with this non-egotistical side that he’s able to do his job. The earnest feeling of wanting to please fans with everything he does is how he has lived as a Johnny's.
"Whenever I’m creating something, I’m always thinking about the people supporting or watching me. What would please everyone? I wouldn’t say it’s unconditionally so, but if you present superficial things, things that people have seen before, it won’t attract fans and there’d be no desire for it. The same goes for dramas, concerts, even this series. No matter what theme, however precisely crafted, what’s important is doing something that nobody’s seen before. Well, we can’t tell you everything there is to know about idols on just our pages, try as we might! (laughs)”
The concert rehearsals continue every day. Though his eyes look sleepy, his chattiness belies the time of night. To him, the workplace is yet another place to go back to.
“Right now, I’m only thinking about what’s here. But that doesn’t meant that things have quietened down here (laughs)”
- - - - -
Kazunari Ninomiya
Born 17th June 1983 in Tokyo. Arashi’s album, ‘Beautiful World’ is currently a huge hit. His drama ‘Freeter, Ie wo Kau SP (Part-timer Buys a House)’ is airing this autumn. When asked about his friends within Johnnys, he says, “There aren’t that many people I go for meals with. Like Kanjani’s Murakami (Shingo) or Nishikido (Ryo), or if it’s my seniors then it’s pretty much just (Kokubun) Taichi-san, whom I’ve done a show with.” Speaking of Johnny's, it’s a well-known rule that they address their seniors with a ‘-kun’ suffix... “It’s not an absolute rule. If it’s an ignorant 17-year-old, it’s not so bad, but once you’ve turned 28, right? (laughs) But I tend to use ‘-kun’ for seniors I’m not that close to, and for the seniors I know well, like Taichi-san or Matsu-nii (Matsuoka Masahiro), it might become something more original.”
|| Words / Yoshi Rei || Photography / Emori Yasuyuki ||
|| Hair & Makeup / Hattori Yukio || Stylist / Iga Daisuke ||
- - - - -
f o o t n o t e s
The chapter title refers to homing instincts. For consistency, I've translated:
「ジャニーズ事務所」 as 'Johnny & Associates'
「ジャニーズ」 as 'Johnny's' (Even when referring to plural talents, I've kept the ['s] since that seems to be the official term) I've used literal English translations for the drama titles mentioned as I couldn't find official English translations of them.
It's always fascinating to hear Nino's views on Johnny's.
- - - - -
It {一途}
Even for Nino who freely walks his path alone with an earnest heart, there is a tree on which he can perch to rest his wings. Where is the place where he shapes his life?
Chapter 034
Homing
Nino has a secret hideout. It’s a restaurant that he’s been frequenting for some years now. He finds himself automatically heading to that shop both when he dines alone and when he invites trusted friends to dinner. “The guy who was a part-timer here when I started frequenting this place is now the shop manager. Time flies, huh?”
Just by saying that, his expression softens.
"For guys, as long as you have one favourite place, that’s enough. Drinking carefree at a familiar joint is bliss. But it’s different for women, isn’t it? They want to go to a variety of places (laughs)”
A homing instinct particular to men? Flying free, being a slave to nothing; but he’s no exception either. He’s constantly aware that he’s in Arashi, subject to Johnny & Associates.
"It’s because I’m grateful. If I hadn’t joined Johnny’s, I seriously don’t think I would have gotten on in life. But I don’t know when that awareness sprouted. To begin with, even though I was allowed to be a regular on a show in my Junior years, it wasn’t something stipulated by the agency or my contract. It wouldn’t have been odd for that opportunity to vanish at any point.”
'Johnny's' have, for many years, shouldered the axle of Japan’s idols and the world of entertainment. It’s one company that has surpassed its genre and brand.
"I think what people call 'Johnny's-ness’ does exist, but that changes depending on the generation and the individual talent. From the eye of the beholder as well, depending on which generation of Johnny's they first come in contact with, they’ll have a different impression. It’s the same with how the groups are formed. At the time Arashi was formed, it was the norm for an impromptu collection of members to debut, but for our juniors like KAT-TUN or Kis-My-Ft2, they’re members who have been working together since their Junior years. That itself is a big change. It’s not like anyone can be popular just by being in Johnny’s, and that applies for being able to debut, too. I mean, I never acted in popular dramas like ‘Kinpachi Sensei (Teacher Kinpachi)’ or ‘Gokusen (Gangster Teacher)’. My first drama was ‘Amagi Goe (Crossing Amagi Pass)’, a sombre historical drama; I’ve never personally had my popularity explode (laughs). Still, I managed to debut and I was given the chance to appear in dramas and films. That wasn’t ability or effort, just luck. It’s not humility. I did work diligently, but whether I really put in effort compared to other people, I wouldn’t know. Ultimately, I think it’s nothing but luck.”
What makes fans happy are probably the things that aren’t superficial
If he says everything is due to luck, then there’s not much one can do about it. Popularity and debuts both are impermanent worldly things. Everything changes; we experience things that we can’t control in all settings.
"It's because I’ve seen all sorts of situations and people. But in this sense, being able to experience all sorts of things is also thanks to Johnny’s. Like being able to do a movie or drama at the same time as a concert. As such, all I can do is give my utmost to whatever job is given to me. So though there’s gratitude, there’s no dissatisfaction. Right now, I can tell that the people that I work with are incredible people in their respective fields. Besides, for me it’s when I’m drinking beer after work that’s sheer bliss (laughs). When I’m amongst people who think about the job or the production around the clock, I don’t think I could so easily disregard those people while casually butting in to pick and choose my jobs. Of course, my life is based on work. I can feel that it’s worth doing, I’m serious and enjoying it. But ever since learning to understand my own part in it, no matter what the job is, however busy it gets, I suppose I no longer have the intent to sacrifice myself the way I did when I was young.”
He has humility and a sense of balance from going through much experience and thought. So it is with this non-egotistical side that he’s able to do his job. The earnest feeling of wanting to please fans with everything he does is how he has lived as a Johnny's.
"Whenever I’m creating something, I’m always thinking about the people supporting or watching me. What would please everyone? I wouldn’t say it’s unconditionally so, but if you present superficial things, things that people have seen before, it won’t attract fans and there’d be no desire for it. The same goes for dramas, concerts, even this series. No matter what theme, however precisely crafted, what’s important is doing something that nobody’s seen before. Well, we can’t tell you everything there is to know about idols on just our pages, try as we might! (laughs)”
The concert rehearsals continue every day. Though his eyes look sleepy, his chattiness belies the time of night. To him, the workplace is yet another place to go back to.
“Right now, I’m only thinking about what’s here. But that doesn’t meant that things have quietened down here (laughs)”
- - - - -
Kazunari Ninomiya
Born 17th June 1983 in Tokyo. Arashi’s album, ‘Beautiful World’ is currently a huge hit. His drama ‘Freeter, Ie wo Kau SP (Part-timer Buys a House)’ is airing this autumn. When asked about his friends within Johnnys, he says, “There aren’t that many people I go for meals with. Like Kanjani’s Murakami (Shingo) or Nishikido (Ryo), or if it’s my seniors then it’s pretty much just (Kokubun) Taichi-san, whom I’ve done a show with.” Speaking of Johnny's, it’s a well-known rule that they address their seniors with a ‘-kun’ suffix... “It’s not an absolute rule. If it’s an ignorant 17-year-old, it’s not so bad, but once you’ve turned 28, right? (laughs) But I tend to use ‘-kun’ for seniors I’m not that close to, and for the seniors I know well, like Taichi-san or Matsu-nii (Matsuoka Masahiro), it might become something more original.”
|| Words / Yoshi Rei || Photography / Emori Yasuyuki ||
|| Hair & Makeup / Hattori Yukio || Stylist / Iga Daisuke ||
- - - - -
f o o t n o t e s
「ジャニーズ事務所」 as 'Johnny & Associates'
「ジャニーズ」 as 'Johnny's' (Even when referring to plural talents, I've kept the ['s] since that seems to be the official term)