I want to say that I am still, 100%, an Arashi fan.
I think, in all likelihood, I probably am.
It still doesn’t mean One Love is going to get it easy from me.
July 3, 2008
April 6, 2008
In which we are lucky I don’t review with grades of any sort.
No excuses this time. Fact is, lately blogging hasn’t appealed as much to me. (Probably because I’ve been using up my weekly allotment of bullshitting on English homework.) Which is sad, because as of two (almost three!) Sundays ago, this blog became a year old. A year ago, we opened with a post on AAA’s then-latest PV, Get CHU!. It’s rather belated now (it always is with me), but let’s kick the next year for this blog off with a post on a not-so-recent release that also marks another transition for me.
Welcome back to the Arashi section of Kimitsu’s brain. I know it hasn’t been that long since we came here - in fact, I think we make a trip about every other week. I hope you’re getting comfy - is that seat cushion actually conforming itself to your butt?
With one barrier passed (Step and Go), time to tackle the other one! SAKURA Sake was the first Arashi song I’d ever heard that stuck with me, and so it’s become something of a starting point for me whenever I mentally deal with Arashi. Except now I have to go past that, and tackle what will probably be coming up again soon anyways - a best of/single collection album. In this case, 5×5: THE BEST SELECTION OF 2002←2004.
February 29, 2008
Let’s rewrite THIS story.
Since officially giving myself up to the lovefest that is Arashi on this blog, I’ve done a number of reviews on their releases - a grand total of three, actually, but work with me here. Though I got into Arashi around the release of Happiness, I never actually did a PV/single review here. (Perhaps someday. It’s another one of the fun, busy sort that Johnny’s should really make more of.) And come to think of it, I haven’t reviewed a single new thing of Arashi’s at all. So with the release of Step and Go, what better way to officially mark my somewhat-new fandom obsession of 2008?
Basically, if you didn’t see this coming, you haven’t been reading this blog lately, have you? Though I can’t say I blame you. (In retrospect, I could’ve totally used the title for a post on Hamasaki Ayumi’s MY STORY. Damn.)
February 16, 2008
The Pretty Boy in his natural habitat.
Today… well, today I says to myself, “Kimi, what is it about media blogs?” I hate them and yet I admire them. I don’t mean the download-sharing kind, of course, but the ones that get by solely on posting pictures and YouTube/Dailymotion/Veoh/imeem/what have you links.
I hate that all their content is mostly based off what they’ve probably leeched from the Internet. (But if it comes from their own wallet, all the more power to them.) I hate that there is little actual thought behind the decision other than “I like this, people might like this, so here you go”. Insert smiley or one-liner on the media in question, press “Publish/Post”, watch the comment and hit counts fly.
Perhaps a great deal of it is because while I value a pretty face and watching choreography, a good deal of my music fandoms are not visually based. I’ve never found much merit in photobooks, partially stemming from some disappointment with my collection of artbooks that sit gathering dust on my bookshelf and the fact that I’d rather have them sit pretty than do anything to them. Trading cards, too, are considered more as a collectible item (going back to my days in high school where I amassed over 300 booster packs of Japanese Yu+Gi+Oh! cards for the sole purpose of having the collection). And while I like looking at pictures, I am not the person with several gigs in pictures of their favorite artist(s).
No, my music fandoms develop because of that same music, and rarely go further. I’m perfectly content to listen to people like Younha or Gackt or even, say, AAA without wondering what sort of person they are, or being obsessive about how they look. (Sure, Shuuta being hot helps. Urata’s body helps even more. But I got into them because I liked their music and I liked their dancing. Not how they looked. Thankfully, because they looked pretty bland early on.) Only recently has this changed, as my purchases of Japanese magazines increase, but I’m still fairly selective about the magazines I buy, preferring to preview the photoshoot before deciding on any actual purchase. (But we chalk this up to how expensive buying said magazines in this country is. My poor wallet.)
And I suppose to some extent, the download blog earns my ire as well. I’m grateful, sure, because they widen the ways to get your Japanese media. But when I know that they get over hundreds of hits solely for the downloads, it kind of hurts. Especially because this little blog, no matter how much I pour into it, barely averages about 100 hits overall a day, but half of them for nonsensical google searches or what lyrics I’ve color-coded for my amusement. I say this with a sad confidence, you know - let it beat! was a download blog too and it averaged 100 hits for whatever my latest post was… until the next one came along.
But I feel justified - even the teeniest bit - in knowing that I fleshed out those same downloads with hopefully interesting text. Whether or not people read it was up to them, but at least I wasn’t completely relying on the allure of Koda Kumi’s pumping hips, Domoto Koichi’s angsty face, or AAA’s way-too-many releases to draw people in. I had my own opinions and ideas to share, at least.
For that same reason, I admire them. I admire the gall those same media blogs have in doing that. And of course, their success. Because not only do I think I could ever do that, just post a picture or a video link, but my head might possibly explode if you ever put me in front of a keyboard and blogging program and told me I wasn’t allowed to type under pain of everyone in the world collectively crying “Bullshit!” and stoning me to death. Actually, I’m a bit surprised it hasn’t happened yet - the latter part, that is.
…it might be hard to tell, but this post wasn’t supposed to be a criticism of media blogs. Oops.
No, this post, with great pains, sends me temporarily joining the legions of media-sharing blogs once more. With your weekly dose of fangirl rambling, of course.
January 19, 2008
There were just Two many puns for One.
Yes, I know, I’m behind schedule on the Arashi album reviews. (I wasn’t even aware that I had a schedule.) But if there’s anything that the guys at Rockstar Games have taught us, it’s that there’s got to be better ammo out there to use against me. What is this you’re hitting me with, a suction cup foam dart? C’mon, you guys can do better than tha- ow. A shotshell? Okay, fine, you win.
Next stop on our ever-descending journey into Arashi music - no, you can’t get off while the train is moving, sir, please stay in your seat until we come to a full stop, and have we mentioned that the engineers love cries of personal torture? - is their One album, and the first to contain solos from the 5 members.
January 12, 2008
Kimi will self-destruct in 4…
…this took way too long. Now I remember why I never tried to make a post on Kouhaku last year.
In light of the New Year, and the sudden turn my listening habits took for the few months prior to the New Year, I decided to switch up my Year-End programming and do what would’ve been unthinkable just a year ago.
Rather than Kouhaku Utagassen, I went for the Johnny’s Countdown.
This really isn’t a big deal, not like being a diehard Ayu fan but ignoring her own Countdown in favor of watching… I dunno, an Amuro Namie concert on DVD. But though I have a general knowledge of the pretty boy jimusho, the only Johnny’s groups whose songs I know are KinKi Kids, Arashi, and NEWS - and Arashi’s only up to their One album (from Happiness going backwards in their discography, of course) while KinKi is more of a “barely know”.
And so I can only blame my watching this on the fact that Arashi was hosting this year (the 10th anniversary, apparently). Readers take note - when I find a new obsession, I fall into it deeply (this is amusing in contrast to my normal lack of attention towards everything else). Please refrain from recommending things to me unless you’re a bitch like Raid (and will put up with my griping for months on end) or willing to take responsibility for my sudden lack of a life.
In the meanwhile, thanks to the countdown, Johnny’s has pretty much completely won me over. Raid’s never going to be forgiven for this.
December 1, 2007
ARAS[H]ICK.
I was referred to as “Arasick” as I complained about Arashi working their way into my life to the extent that they have. While I can’t really deny it, somewhat appropriately, the next Arashi album for me to work through is ARASHIC.
November 23, 2007
“I pity the foo’ who…” - Wait, that’s me.
Johnny (and sister Mary) Kitagawa know exactly how they’re taking over first Japan, and then the world. Not only that, but it’s working pretty well. And spearheading the effort at the moment is a successful Arashi - they attack and latch on with ferocity, but they also subtly invade lives without their targets realizing it, and oh, pity the poor fool who realizes it too late. By the way - I accept pity orders, credit cards, and PityPal. Just in time for Christmas, please and thank you.
The deeper into Arashi fandom I go, the more I find out that they were wriggling their ways into my life before I even gave them any notice. I’ve recounted how I came across their early videos with PONY CANYON while looking up w-inds.; how PIKA☆☆NCHI DOUBLE was an inflight movie during one of my trips in Hong Kong; how Sho starred in the Honey & Clover movie, a series that perked my interest before it became popular enough for a movie; how Jun was host for Minna no Terebi (which I loved before it became Utawara Hot Hit 10 despite his presence)… wait, did I ever talk about that last one? Oh well, and now you know.
I also heard the news when Nino was going to star in Letters from Iwo Jima, because at that point I was looking up Japanese actors in American films, but back then I paid it no heed. Likewise, Aiba apparently slipped into the Kuitan drama special - and actually, for the life of my sister (yes, I’m sacrificing her), we can’t remember seeing him at all. We remember Kame of KAT-TUN being a random anorexic street punk near the end of the special, but Aiba’s face and Kuitan do not click. This disturbs us because we greatly love Kuitan in all its crack-filled ridiculousness, and so I will have to clear out another gig of space to make room for the special once more. Just for probably a minute with Aiba. Who made absolutely no impression on me at the beginning of my dive into Arashi fandom.
Oh, but wait, this just keeps getting better and better.
It seems like there’s a bunch of Arashi fans on facebook priding themselves about knowing of Nino before his Hollywood stint - something that I can’t really empathize with since Arashi finally endeared themselves to me several months after the movie’s release. Not that I’d really want to, but hey, someone’s gotta be the voice of the rational Japanese boyband fandom and explore the nastier side to counter all the H!P-related fanblogs. (I… clearly am not rational. Okay, I failed already. Stick the fork in me.)
Well, turns out I did know who Nino was before Yamada Taro Monogatari and also Iwo Jima. Y’see, I watched Ao no Honoo, my first Japanese movie (Waterboys and Battle Royale didn’t come until several months later), back in 2004 - I think three-fourths of the readers of this blog, presumably coming from International Wota, know it as the movie in which Matsuura Aya starred. And until recently, that’s all I knew about it too. I liked it well enough, burned it onto a disc for future watching, and moved on to two movies in which Goto Maki starred. (But for all this introduction to J-cinema involving them, no, I’ve never quite gotten into H!P. Watch, I’ll be hopping onto the bandwagon in a year or two if Arashi is any indication.) Um, surprise, surprise, guess who the male lead in that movie was. Face, meet palm. Head, meet desk. Brain, go splody.
It’s getting to be slightly sickening how they seem to be there every step of my dive into Japanese entertainment. I’m almost afraid to look into my past exploits for fear that they’ll be there. Taunting. With their grins and some pretty bad haircuts and STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT I WILL NOT BE SUCKERED AGAIN… who am I kidding? I mean, c’mon boys, at least Jun was blatant about it so I could openly hate him. The rest of you… this isn’t invasion or guerilla warfare or sabotage. It’s pure conditioning and brainwashing. (With a side dose of shampoo if that’s really necessary.)
There is one exception, though. Captain (Ohno) has been absolutely nowhere in sight (save for the aforementioned PIKA☆☆NCHI DOUBLE), but to be honest, that sort of scares me even more. How subtle has his workings been? When I finally find out his role in my past with Japanese entertainment, how deep or shallow will it be? He maybe a baby-faced artist, but he’s every bit like that skeleton who pops out in front of you in a haunted house attraction. You know it’s coming and you’re still freaked when it finally happens. Yes, scary stuff and I don’t agree. Shut up.
This has been an affirmation that I was doomed all along.
They’re talk show hosts, they’re singers, they’re dancers, they’re actors, they’re models. And they’re at their prime in Japan. It’s hard to turn a corner without crashing into them at some point, even if your interests lie a secure distance from boyband pop. That just means you’re less likely to join the fandom. Still seeing them is a different story. You can run, you can hide, but they will find you. Now start running, for all the good it will do you.
November 16, 2007
What Time is it?
Some things get better with the passage of time. Wine, cheese, music. And fandoms.
So I’ve been waiting until my Arashi fandom was securely developed before choosing to delve into their latest album, Time. It is one thing to like a group because of its music, it is something else to like their music once you like the group. (For example, I like MiniMoni - Yaguchi-era - but can’t stand the pink and cutesy of their songs. In contrast, I like HINOI TEAM’s music, but I’ve yet to find myself really liking the group for who they are.)
So my distaste of Matsumoto Jun has waned slightly, but all the members of the group have risen at least some distance in my books (Okay, so Ohno/Nino/Aiba shot up so quickly it’s ridiculous.) so it doesn’t count for much. His face still pisses me off and I laugh every time a kid does something to him in Mago Mago Arashi. And as I told Raid - this review would take me longer than NEWS’ pacific (despite the fact that I started this post before that one) just because I had to tolerate Jun. (By the way, Raid’s started his own fanblog because I’m awesome and he wants to imitate me and the amount of stuff he buys is insane. So go check it out because without him this post wouldn’t be here. Go. Go go go go GO.)
Um. Moving on. I’m too lazy to dig up the flame extinguisher this time. Go away, flaming fangirls. Flame off for you today.
October 31, 2007
My Five Favorite Men in Japanese Pop
Partially inspired by Randi’s Top 20 Asian Females post over at pink_wota, partially because after a recent JE-fandom wankfest post that sprung up on LJ I need to remind myself who I love and why I love them, and also just because.
Also because I’m procrastinating on the other 19 posts I have waiting to be written on this blog. (Some go back to… March. When I started this version of the blog. Ouch.)
Unsurprisingly, you will see Johnny’s on here. Very unsurprisingly, you will see AAA on here. (At least, I would hope that’s very unsurprising to you. If not, you haven’t read this blog much, have you?) Because this is a list of only 5 men and all of them in primarily music-based careers. If we were to throw in actors, the list would be longer, include a variety of ages (including one Terajima Susumu and one Yamamoto Taro), and be somewhat less personal and pretty. If we were to throw in males in Japanese music who I feel admiration towards (Kimeru, Gackt, and Miura Daichi being three of them) then this would be a lot less personal, and only slightly more pretty. Hopefully what you want from me here is the personal and a bit of the pretty.
