Life is Hard だから Happy

It was an idle morning spent reading yet another hate meme in the JE fandom. It’s a mystery why so many people waste their time reading and responding to the various comments. I can never understand why people can be so nasty with so little to motivate them. Nor can I understand those who try to turn a hate meme into one full of love and good cheer. Fruitless. On both points. Extremely fruitless for me because I should have been working.

I know why I read though. It’s a vicarious thrill - an insight into the lives and thoughts of anonymous online individuals. Even more so because most people don’t realise how much of themselves they reveal through careless words and impulsive postings.

The debate (and I use this term loosely) this time round, seems to be developing on the great Japan-Korea divide: Japanese boybands (i.e. Johnny’s) versus Korean boybands (namely DBSK, Super Junior, F.T. Island, Big Bang, SS501, etc). I read with interest only because, for a while, I went over to the dark side too. Seduced by hilarious variety shows, interesting dramas and the sheer volume of pretty boys, I spent several months immersing myself in the world of SM Entertainment – home to DBSK and Super Junior – and the general Korean entertainment scene.

It’s interesting. In Korea, there is the fan and then there is the anti-fan. Simply put, a fan loves, an anti-fan hates. Insanely popular groups like DBSK have hundreds upon thousands of fans and other celebrities are deathly afraid of offending said fans. An offended fan can cause a landslide of vitriolic comments to spread across the Internet like wildfire, creating scandals - something to be avoided like the plague. It isn’t uncommon to see celebrities apologising (whether in truth or for a laugh) to fans for saying anything remotely unkind or unflattering about a member of a particular group.

There isn’t any doubt though (at least in my mind) that many of the Korean groups are far superior to our favourite Johnny’s boys in terms of singing ability. They can really sing. The best our boys can hope for is to not go out of tune.

All said, after the frenzied YouTubing, the many (and I cannot even begin to list how many) shows I managed to get hold of, the impression I was left with was that the Korean entertainment world is so much more harsh and cruel than the Japanese one. The shows are noisier, more risqué and many times, not much is held back. And, after watching one too many celebrities apologise for a perceived insult, my interest waned. I still enjoy watching the odd Korean variety show and drama and I went mad and ordered albums from various Korean artistes (so by that definition I'm still suppporting them) but I'm firmly back in the rainbow-clad, roller-skating camp. Bring on the feathers! Bring on the neon! Bring on the out-of-tuners! I'm ready. I'm waiting. I have credit cards.

2008 is a new year and so far, I’ve discovered several things:

• My brief foray into kimchi land showed me how much I love Arashi after all.
  
• The chaos at work helped me realise that I can’t keep up with everything that’s happening in the fandom, and it’s ok.
  
• Clearing my room and looking at the insurmountable mountain of magazines shoved into corners / lining the walls illustrated, in vivid Technicolor, the fact that I can (and quite likely should) live without buying so many magazines.

Nino hugging and kissing boys girls boys(?) on Jousou Paradise is quite possibly one of the best moments of 2008 so far. (Jousou Paradise . . . I reiterate: I fail as a woman.)

And now Arashi are going to be the TV personality for 24HOUR TELEVISION 2008 with the theme: 「誓い～一番大切な約束～」 / A VOW – The most important promise.

相葉
今回また２４時間テレビをやらせて頂けることは、とても気が引き締まる思いです。
知らなかった現実や目標に向かって行くエネルギーの強さを肌で感じられる番組なので、五臓六腑で感じていきたいと思います！

松本
４年前に参加した２４時間テレビは、今までの人生で最も濃い１日だったと思います。
今年、またあの感動を味わえる事を楽しみにしています。
視聴者の皆さん、参加して下さる方々が感動できる濃い１日にできるように頑張ります。

櫻井
2004年から4年。再び24時間テレビに戻ってこられました事、光栄に思います。
2008年、前回に引き続きオリンピックイヤーであると同時に洞爺湖サミットなど、様々な『誓い』が交わされる年でもあります。日本中はもちろんの事、世界中の様々な方と共に、これからの未来へ続く『誓い』を交わしたいと思います。嵐にとって、また視聴者の方々にとって前回（2004年）以上のアツい夏になりますよう精一杯頑張ります。

二宮
また24時間テレビに参加させてもらえるのが嬉しいです。楽しく皆さんと24時間を過ごしたいと思います。嵐らしい24時間を、みなさんに届けられるよう頑張ります。

大野
4年ぶりの24時間テレビ、またあの感動を味わえるのは本当に夢のようです！
今の嵐と皆様で24時間素敵な空間をつくりたいと思います。
１人でも多くの方の幸せを手伝えるよう精一杯やりたいと思います。

From: 「24時間テレビ / 愛は地球を救う」

I am excited! (Quite possibly because I might well be in Japan by then! Yay.) （⌒▽⌒）

I wandered off to kimchi land for a while, but I'm back and loving Arashi more than ever. Still, when I first watched the PV in its entirety, I must admit that I laughed so hard my stomach ached.

Don't get me wrong, I like the song quite a lot. The words mean much to me and Sakurap, as usual, is gorgeous. But the PV is really hilarious.

A summary of Step and Go:

1. Nino is a grandmother in a yellow shawl.
2. They dressed themselves in a mirror-free homeless shelter/thrift shop in the Land of Technicolour.
3. Sakurap is hot.
4. Leader looks unbelievably good in slow motion.

001

002

Then you have Ohno. Oh Ohno. It's probably because he moves so slowly all the time that slow motion comes so easily. XD But still . . I am always amazed at the difference between PerformerOhno and ArtistFishermanOhno .

003

004

006

♥ ♥ ♥

Erm.
Maybe I like this PV after all.

Reading Jen's entry on a reporter's comments on Aiba's butai and Arashi got me thinking.

I think the appeal of Arashi (which many many more are discovering every day) lies in the simplicity of their "aura".

They don't sing very well; going out of tune is normal. They aren't the best dancers in the jimusho. They don't have good skin. They aren't the most handsome, nor are they extremely popular.

The 5 members don't seem to feel that they are more special, unique or outstanding. They don't put on superstar airs, nor do they behave as if they are better than everybody else. They are surprised by their success because they don't understand what quality in them would attract fans from all over the world. They claim that they are way down the jimusho list of popular groups.

And this is why I love them so much.

It is because the 5 of them just seem like regular guys working hard together, trying to achieve their dreams. Success is incidental. Whether they succeed, whether they are popular, these factors don't make an iota of difference to how hard they work or the amount of effort they put in.

This attitude of theirs, that they are not superior to others, is rare. And I am glad that of all the groups I could have fallen in love with, I found Arashi.

What the reporter said about Arashi's 'power to heal' is true. I really feel this in my heart. Through all the different 'idols' I've liked, only Arashi has ever had the power to make me want to do my best and become a better person in my life. Walking this path of being an Arashi fan, I have developed the strong and sincere desire to work hard to make my dreams come true. When I falter, I remember how wonderful it feels to give my best and accomplish something - and I am able to move forward.

Though I would hate to see the day Arashi quits or disbands, I have a feeling that their fans will support them (most, at least) anyway. Because that's just the kind of group they are and these are the kinds of fans they have. We will wish them well, because Arashi is about working hard; about working for a greater goal or dream. And if they one day decide that their dreams lie elsewhere, I will support them with all my heart and wish them fulfilment in whatever path they choose.

I didn't cheat. Honest! XD

Which Arashi member are you compatible with?

   

Congratulations!!! You and Ohno Satoshi have gotten married and are now on your way to a special Artist's Paradise Honeymoon in Hokkaido!! Your trip includes a 2-day clay figurine making tutorial and 3 days of pampered bliss to spend alone together!!

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I have listened to Time over and over and percentage-wise, there are more songs I like from this album than from any of their previous albums. My fangirl opinion may change, but right now, this album trumps even One (which got me started on Arashi).

Sometimes, the feelings that Arashi elicit in me just can't be expressed in words. I wonder if my boyfriend understands the full extent of my obsession love. ^^;

I love the fact that they work so hard.
I love that they love each other.
I love that they are baka - on national television - all the time.
I love that they don't have perfect skin.
I love the fact that Ohno still takes the JR.
I love that they sing their own songs when they karaoke.

They make me melt in all the good ways.

I suppose the idol-fan relationship is not something that would stand up under deep scrutiny. It sometimes seems to me like we are paying for services rendered. XD

They give us love; we show our love by buying concert tickets, goods, albums. But put like that, so simply, strip all emotion from the equation. And we simply cannot do that.  A person's feelings are so hard to separate; to compartmentalise.

Just a selfish moment of introspection.

At the end of the day, I would never trade all the time spent fangirling, going to Japan, queueing for 5 hours at the Johnny's shop at Harajuku, haemorrhaging money at the daifuyas for anything. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The truly amazing thing about JE is how accessible yet inaccessible the idols are. It's insanely brilliant.

Johnny Kitagawa, I bow before your greatness.

There are J-webs where JE artistes update on their daily lives, so fans can feel close to them and 'in-the-know'. They still take the train, so fans sometimes catch glimpses of them - perhaps even stand next to them in the same carriage. (What I wouldn't give to be in the same train as the boys!) There are fanclubs, personal messages from the idols to their fans, the bangumis, all the different neta gleaned from blogs of magazine staff or backstage staff or guests on shows or hosts of entertainment shows - all writing about how close the groups are and the things they do daily. The numerous (and boy, are they ever numerous) magazine articles and interviews give us insight into what they are thinking and what they believe. Because, in our minds we rationalise, “So many interviews, so many promotions, so many activities, their true personality can surely be seen, somewhere. They can’t possibly be able to pretend/act all the time. Plus, it's what others say about them. It must be true.”

So it creates an atmosphere of intimacy, almost like voyeurism - only, permitted by the Jimusho - a peek into the lives of the people we idolise.

The thing about idols is: we never expect them to be normal. They are not allowed to be. In our minds, idols have to be different from normal people. They live glamorous lives - living in the fast lane. Expensive habits, big houses, star treatment. They behave like divas, but their behaviour is always excused or forgiven. After all, they are more groomed, more beautiful and more successful that you and I can ever dream of.

But for JE, it’s not like that. True, the debuted groups have staff that follow them around and see to their every need, but much effort seems to be put into making them as common as they can be, yet still idols. We see them eating (and boy do they love eating), playing pranks on each other, touching each other (HAHA!), or simply enjoying time spent with each other, like a group of old friends - not idols.

So when we see this - our hearts already half-won - we fall, and we fall hard. We just can’t get enough. Our minds cannot wrap themselves around this idea: Idols? Normal people? Idols? Commoners? Both? Ehhhh?

Such is the brilliance. For who can resist this strategy? I can picture General Johnny Kitagawa, planning his strategic goal: to slay millions through his army of roller-skating, rainbow-clad boys.

These days, I walk around in a perpetual haze of Arashi-induced delight. I am constantly amazed at how my love for them steadily increases with each passing day. I have absolutely never felt this way about anything, ever. I am sure ribi quite enjoys rubbing my face in the things I said last year, that no longer hold true, because of aforementioned exponential growth in obsession love. ^^;

But I am slain, and enjoying every moment of it. ♥

Since I fell in love with Arashi, my life has been a series of events, mostly culminating in frequent visits to the Japanese section in Kinokuniya and buying useless magazines there. As long as a magazine features them, I'm there, cash in hand.

This is one of the more useless magazines I bought. Not because it's a fashion mag (why have they been appearing so often in women's magazines? Demographic of fans?) but because it was expensive and there were only two pages of Arashi.

sumoboy has done a lovely translation of the article and it created such feelings of joy in me I became instantly glad I bought it. (^_~)y

So, please enjoy these scans.

On another note, ALL the Arashi singles and albums are sold out at my local HMV! Shocku!

It all began on a normal Saturday afternoon. According to our routine, no day out would be complete without a trip to a) Kinokuniya and b) HMV. Visiting Kino to browse magazines we already have and then to HMV to look at albums we will never buy (overpriced). But when we got to HMV, there was NO Arashi section. None. Not even the divider and empty space. Nothing.

So I asked the staff.

Me: Do you have Arashi singles or albums?
Staff-san 1: Arashi? Which ones?
Me: Any.
Staff-san 1: (LOUDLY, to Staff-san 2) Any more Arashi?
Staff-san 2: No, no more. Sold out.
Me: Are you bringing in new stock?
Staff-san 2: Yes.

HAH! Another happy moment for yours truly, the Arashi fan.

I indulged myself and spent what was left of my weekend solely on Arashi and fangirling. I watched crack-filled episodes and concerts, wishing I could be in the audience. I sat down and butchered my TV magazines, cut out all the Arashi pages and put them into clear folders. Now, it is a truly great joy to flip page after page after page of just the boys.

It was good. Utter bliss.

In other news, it won't be long 'til the release of their new single! Another exciting event to look forward to. (^_^)y

Because I am spending it like there's no tomorrow. And the money is ALL going towards JE. T_T

I am a poor, poor, poor but happy sod, sitting in my room, surrounded by an insane number of magazines, some of which I bought simply because there were 1 or 2 pages of Arashi. Self-control doesn't seem to exist when it comes to my boys. (x_x)

Just today alone, I bought 7 back issues of various TV magazines with Arashi on cover, The Monthly Television with Nino and Ohno making candles and the 2003-2004 Winter Concert pamphlet. Err..I think I will be eating air and grass for a few weeks.

AHHHHHHHHHH.

It serves me right for loving a group that has debuted for more than 7 years.There's so much stuff. But it's so wonderful to see them in magazines, looking happy. Seeing the number of promotions they have make me happy. It's the worst feeling to see the ones you love not given the attention you feel they deserve.

Loving Arashi has changed my life, in the best way possible.