[Arashi] FC Pamphlet #46 Anniversary Issue
#46
Arashi Anniversary Issue
presented by ARASHI
If we absolutely had to put into words,
emotions so strong that words aren't enough,
then from the bottom of our hearts, with overflowing love and gratitude,
Thank you.
The ARS Times
Special issue volume. 03 Free talk about ARASHI Anniversary Tour 5x10
--The tour has begun! First, let's begin with memories of your 3 days at Kokuritsu.
M: The rehearsal on the day before made the biggest impression on me. Tons of people came to the merchandise stand on the day before, and the flags were first things we saw when the car got closer to the concert hall. "Ahh, it's starting again," I thought... and I got all excited because of that.
S: I like those flags, too. It's like we're seeing them from the outside, not the inside. This isn't a medieval battle, but... the way those flags flutter above us gives me a thrill.
AON: Ahh, I hear you!
S: And, this is off-tangent but... on the last day, I had that election special to attend after the concert. When I returned to the dressing room after a shower, Matsujun said, "Have a good time." And I said, "I'm off~" When I asked where the other 3 were, he said, "They've already left." (laughs) I was so surprised that you guys left so fast.
A: What? Did we leave that quickly?
N: Ah~ that's right! I went home without showering, so... I left early. I said to give my regards to Sho-chan. (laughs)
A: That's true. (laughs) When we're in Tokyo, we don't have to shower before leaving. Because we can shower at home. That's the difference between our performances at other prefectures, huh.
O: I see... yeah, that's true.
N: We can return to reality, right? When we shower at home and stuff...
M: I agree, I agree (laughs)
N: People were just cheering for us a few minutes ago... concerts are really like a fantasy world.
S: Kuhaha. For us too, right? "We want to return to that world!"
AMNOS: LOL
M: Also, it was great that the weather was completely different over the 3 days. Because each day was different, we can remember all of them vividly. The only thing was... the rain on the last day was so heavy. The minute we came out, the rain fell so hard we were like, "What the hell is this!"
O: It really did. It stopped for a bit before we came out, didn't it?
S: You know, it's because of last year, too. Although the weather report predicted rain, we had a dramatic experience of the weather remaining sunny until the encore. Just when we thought it wouldn't rain on us, too.
A: We were like, we must be clear weather guys... got cocky, didn't we.
AMNOS: LOL
O: It was weird singing a ballad so seriously and passionately in the rain. (laughs)
M: We had to sing it passionately anyway. (laughs) To be honest... I couldn't keep my eyes open before the MC and stuff. The rain was so strong. So I'm really glad the concert ended well for all 3 days.
N: Despite the rain... no one left, too.
AMNOS: Yeah... we really appreciate it. (sincerely)
--Having had a great start with the Kokuritsu tours, how was the first Dome tour at Fukuoka? (This talk was arranged before the Osaka concert)
S: It was fun~ We had drinks together in the hotel room at night. It's been a while since we've done that sort of thing, hasn't it? Like gathering at Leader's room, I mean.
P: We ate, drank and slept in that room. (laughs)
S: We don't really do that often. At the moment, anyway. It's a long tour, so it'd be great if we could share that sort of time together.
M: You're right. Also, the penlights at Fukuoka were pretty. Like when we appear on stage, you know, it's still bright outside at Kokuritsu because it's outdoors. Because of that, and because Fukuoka was our first indoor concert hall, the red light from the penlights were beautiful.
S: That's true. This might be inappropriate, but... on their own, the Domes are really big, aren't they? They were huge.
O: Yeah. We could see the Fukuoka Dome from our hotel. I kept thinking, "It's huge. I can't believe we're holding a concert in there." (laughs)
N: It's a tour that will continue until January next year. I'm just really excited that we can do a full national tour again. The time we spend together increases too, doesn't it? We can have twice the fun with concerts and spending time together. At the other prefectures, we all gather for drinks too, right? We move together, have concerts together... we can't quite wake up from this dream, can we? (laughs) I really am enjoying this. Concerts are really awesome. I think we're really lucky to have this opportunity every year.
A: It's fun to be able to hold concerts, right? This time, we're holding concerts over a long span of time, so every concert is fresh, too. Especially since there are months like October where we don't have a concert at all.
M: ... are you okay?
S: ... you're worried, aren't you?
A: You're right... I'm actually worried!! That's why I think I should have another concert rehearsal (laughs)
AMNOS: LOL
O: But really... the atmosphere in the concert hall is great. It's really warm... and I feel so touched every time we sing "5 x 10". And those confetti things would explode and fall around us, right? But when I looked at the audience wondering if they're as touched as I was... they were so engrossed by the confetti things that they weren't watching us at all (laughs)
S: Yeah, yeah! Nino, you said that too, didn't you? That they weren't watching us... (laughs) It's like, "Hey, we're over here~!"
N: "Arashi is over here, you know~!"
AMNOS: LOL
O: But somehow... I kind of like that, too (laughs)
S: Yes! That's so fitting for us somehow (laughs)
M: It really is a tour of gratitude. It's precisely because of that simplicity that we can have fun even if there was a lull in the festivities, and as a group, we can enjoy it even more. I think it'd be great if those feelings of gratitude, as well as our message of "Please continue to support us!", could be conveyed through this tour.
[back page]
THANK YOU.
They're in the middle of their concert tour, so they brought up concerts in their talk, but... it really makes you smile to know that even Arashi feels like they're shoved back into reality after a concert, doesn't it? (laughs) This time, we'll leak the unpublished conversation they had regarding that topic.
N: Washing the bathtub, setting the washing machine... we're forced back into reality.
M: You know, that's not so bad. After Kokuritsu ended last year, I had to wash the swimming trunks Leader wore, you know? I was like, why I am washing swimming trunks...
S: "I must wash Satoshi's swimming trunks"... you think like a mom (laughs)
A: That's right, it was Matsujun's swimming trunks. I wore it on the first day, Leader on the second... so in the end, Matsujun didn't wear them at all.
O: Ah, that's right. That's right... sorry! (laughs)
M: Exactly. I just bought it, so... I only tried that in the fitting room!
A: We've done a bad thing.... we're sorry.
AMNOS: LOL
S: After the second day at Kokuritsu this year, I went to a Korean restaurant by myself. While I was frying samgyeopsal (boned rib), I thought, "What world was I in a few minutes ago..." Then I got all lonely (laughs)
A: What? You went for a BBQ on your own? That... takes a strong force of will.
N: You have strong emotional strength, as we expected.
S: Nah... (laughs) I had the election special on the next day, so I felt like having BBQ meat.
N: I see. Still, we split up, right? And return to our real lives. We wash the bathtub, do the laundry... watch the ZERO election special without sleeping. Think, "Ahh, Sho-chan... he looks like he's going to die." (laughs) I really thought you were amazing. When I got home and turned on the TV, you were right there.
A: It makes you want to say, "You can do it, Sho-chan!"
O: Yeah. I watched it while thinking just how amazing you were.
M: Me too. I watched it while eating dinner.
S: All of you watched it... that makes me super happy.
AIBA MASAKI topics/tv drama
"My Girl" Progress Report
Aiba Masaki has taken on the challenge of playing his first ever role as a papa on the Friday night drama, "My Girl". For the interview this time, we crashed the busy filming location just before the airing of the first episode, but the Aiba-chan we all know and love was ready for us.
I saw the first episode just a little while ago. I watched it, but I found it hard to be objective... It felt more like a video check. Instead of watching it as a story, it felt like I was watching my own acting. I hope I can watch it objectively when it airs, but who knows (laughs). This time, I have to practise "restraint" for my role as Masamune. I'm not really trying to create the character or anything, but I'm always trying to perform "restrained acting". The atmosphere on set is great! Mood-creator? No, I'm not doing that intentionally (laughs). I'm just being my usual self, so the great atmosphere on set is most likely thanks to everyone else I think (laughs)? I deal with filming in a great mental state, so it's not too difficult.
I think you can watch this drama in many different ways. Whether male or female, whether children are present or not... depending on the viewer's situation, they can enjoy different aspects of the show. There isn't any real "villain" in the show either. I don't have any kids so I can't really tell, but I've heard from people with children that they understand Masamune's feelings very well. The way he's so busy he can't care for the child, how he tries so hard to be a good father but finds it hard to communicate with her... It's not like a lot of big problems come up; more like, he has to deal with each and every tiny issue in their life... that's the kind of drama it is, I think. For me, I really like the "melancholy but positive" feel. Masamune is kind of childish, and has quite a few bad qualities, but he's very human because of those things. Of course, that's just how I see it. Viewers may have a different interpretation, so I hope that the people reading this report can enjoy the drama in their own way.
Lately, people have been asking if it's tough with the concert tour and drama overlapping, but I'm totally okay! I can naturally switch my emotions, and on the contrary, I feel more refreshed doing all sorts of different things like this. Performing and acting are completely different, but in terms of expressing myself, they're actually the same. That works for variety shows too, because there, too, exists the hope that viewers will smile, feel better, or feel more optimistic. That's why "My Girl" isn't special because it's a drama. Rather, if viewers could be inspired by Masamune's efforts or feel motivated to move forward, then I'd feel like there was a purpose to this role. We can't imagine what's coming in the future, but if something does happen, we may only see it when it ends. There's two months left to this year... at this rate, this will be over before we know it (laughs).
OHNO SATOSHI topics/tv drama
"Guests of Room #0" Filming Report
The omnibus drama with a relay system of 4 episodes in which the main character's personality will change in a month - "Guests of Room #0" - has begun on October 23rd. Having heard about the rumoured machine that calculates people's worth, people gather in a certain hotel's "room #0". This drama depicts the gradual changes in relationships and human design caused by the machine's results. The first main character will be played by Oh-chan, in the story called "First Story: The Man We Yearn to be". Elite businessman Hiroyuki (Ohno) hears the rumours about Room #0, and brings his lover, a cabaret hostess (Tanaka Miho) to the room. His objective was to announce a break-up, should their scores be over 20 points apart; after all, his score was definitely going to be amazing. However, the results were... That's the story. Oh-chan had a tough filming schedule, as he had to finish shooting 4 episodes within 4 days. We paid him a visit in that studio.
Before I read the script, I was told that the character was an elite like the one in "Maou"... and I wasn't happy (laughs). But, when I read the script, I discovered that he had some comedic moments. There are parts where he snickers to himself too... so, I was okay with that. I was worried that it might've been a lot more serious (laughs). I keep playing the role of a capable man in a business suit lately... and to be honest, I don't like that (laughs). Why am I playing these characters, I wonder. Why am I in a suit? A while back... I played silly characters like Haru in "Pikanchi", you know? This time, I'm an elite businessman, and I had English lines... that was tough, you know! Even though they wrote the lines in katakana for me, I had a hard time reading them. So I had to memorize the lines by ear. I listened to an English tape for the longest time. Plus, I was told to tap at the computer at the same time... I was like, what!? I panicked (laughs). But well... when I first read the script, I had an idea of what Hiroyuki was like. I played that character according to the image I had. I tried it out on set, and since the director didn't say anything, I figured it was all right. Director and cast director Shiroishi-san was the assistant director of the movie "Kiiroi Namida", so it was great that I could meet him like this, too. It was... kind of emotional. We talked about old times, going, "We haven't seen each other since 'Kiiroi~', have we?" Shiroishi-san is really easy to work with. He's kind of like Kidacchi (Stage play Puu series cast director / Kida Tsuyoshi-san)... maybe it's because their heights are kind of similar too? (laughs) That guy's pretty strange, too (laughs). I mean, he laughs at his own lines. He'd explain, "Do it like this over here..." while snickering to himself. It was fun. It was a great filming venue. Instead of shooting over 3 months like a drama series, we had to finish shooting within 3 ~ 4 days, so that was great. I'm the type who likes to focus! and finish this! real quick (laughs). For a drama series, the script changes with the filming, so you never know what's going to happen, 'cause the content and even your lines may change. Like for "Maou", my lines were especially difficult, so when they changed it, I was like... I worked so hard to memorize this and you want me to change it? Give me a break... (laughs) That's why this kind of filming was fresh and interesting. It makes me think of "performers". "Performers", because I had to memorize my lines and gestures within 3 days for the filming. But, there were lots of cameras, and they shot each and every scene without stopping. It was so intense... that I'm kind of traumatized (laughs). But this time, they filmed this drama in small cuts. That was good. Still, there were days where I had to be on set the entire day, so it was tough anyway (laughs). But it was fun. I had the satisfaction of working hard! (laughs) I did my best, so please watch the show. I think you can watch it with a light heart, and at the same time, it'll make you think at the end, too. What is my score, you ask? If I calculated my score with that machine... probably about 18, I guess? I think my score definitely won't be good (laughs).