"Do You Wanna Feel Like Dancing," anybody? - Chibi Aimiya Bromance

This is truly a blast from the past. I'm talking about the pre-debut 1990's here. And it's Aimiya, who are my current obsession. There's just something about this combi that gets me right in the heart; it's something that goes beyond happy bromance; it's a really deep kizuna. These two have known each other and gotten along since their tender teens. They've worked off of each other's personalities since their very first days on air, when they were still young, inexperienced and with undeveloped TV images. Here, remember this little clip?

*note: Japanese parts are all done by ear, and my Japanese sucks, so I may have transcribed or translated incorrectly. Please point out any mistake you see and I shall fix it.

Aiba (loudly): HELLO!!! This is Aiba Masaki! (どうも! 相葉雅紀です!)

Nino: Hello, good afternoon, this is Ninomiya Kazunari! (どうも，こんにちわ。二宮和也です。)

Aiba: Together, the two of us are... (二人合わせて...)

Nino (in cheesy voice): ...Masaki & Kazunari!!! (...マサキand カズナリです!)

... awkward silence...

Nino (turning to Aiba): Why didn't you tsukkomi me? (なんかつくんでいなかった?)

Aiba (turning to Nino): Iya, I'm being the boke! (いや，俺ボケ出し。)

Nino: Eh? But I'm also being the boke! (え？俺もボケ出し。)

And then both boys proceed to gaze cluelessly all around them, not knowing what to do with themselves.

A random angel prances onstage, going "beebopboobeebop" like he's R2D2 from Star Wars. He twirls in front of the gaping duo and scurries off. 

No one quite understands what the point of his role was. 

Aiba and Nino look at each other quizzically, and then sink into a simultaneous bow.

Aiba & Nino: Our apologies! (失礼しました!)

They then promptly bump into each other's skinny little boy-chests as they try to exit the stage. 

End Manzaiiiiiii!!!! 

*giggles* Oh my, wasn't that a precious rare altercation? I mean, when do we ever hear Nino calling himself the boke nowadays? So young, so green, so stiff and awkward and yet utterly adorable. Ah, it's so refreshing to see what our darling Arashi members were like before they grew into their current personalities!

Anyways, that was a little tangent. I know you're all here to read about the "Do you wanna feel like dancing" song, which is just (in my mind) such a great representation of the peppy premature idol stuff that goes on in 愛Love Junior. So you'll be happy to know that the Pino CM that comes on right after this manzai features our very good-looking teen duo singing this song in hot (chest-baring) red costumes!

Cue the flames!

That flouncing ass slap. Boy, Johnny, you sure know how to train your talents to show their assets! 

And of course, while they're at it, might as well have Aiba give us a nice display of his ultra long legs, too. But my attention was more captured by his flustered boyish look as he sneaks a quick bite of Pino. Notice how Nino's dancing behind him, doing his job? Lols, I do so love Arashi CM's! I enjoy how ad makers take into account the inter-member dynamics when they script the ads (though admittedly, this short 1999 ad is not exactly the best example of that). 

Flippin' Aimiya. Ah, the classic Johnny's acrobatics. 懐かしいよ〜

Our innocent Nino-bouzu manages to steal a quick (though rather dainty) bite as well, while Aiba covers for him in the back, waving to the crowd like the Super-idol Aiba-chan that he is! I love that little look they give each other as they both stand in their bare-chested idol glory ^_^

The CM ends with a staff lady (see her in the back there?) scolding them for slacking off during their performance, and maybe for eating all her Pino chocolates, too. Those naughty little boys! 

"Do you wanna feel like dancing" is a cheery song, just the kind of teen idol pop that would get a crowd twisting their hips and hopping on their feet. Ninoai have performed it on multiple occasions during Arashi concerts and on the Johnny's Jr shows. And because my heart is currently in the state of wishing on every existing charm that some sort of miracle will induce Aimiya to revisit the past and perform this once more in this glorious year of their 15th anniversary, I hereby present you all with sparkly animated gifs of the dynamic duo in various renditions of this nostalgic song!

I think this was at an Arashi concert. I don't know which one, though. This is from the 1999 Sugao concert, which featured Johnny's Jr's (thanks to @FindAiba for that info!). Their costumes look hawt! Those striped pants... mmmmmmmm... I approve! And of course the flip ^-^ I think I've just discovered my Aimiya weakness >.<!

Nino was having tremendous fun with the image characters onstage! Haha, I wonder if it was another member in that costume... Probably not. I bet J was jealous though.

This was from July, 1999, and it looks like an episode of 愛Love Junior. They have those same cute show-costumes on. The coat tails are super adorable!

This was gif'ed solely for the merit in Nino's shimmy-shakin' legs. 

An Arashi concert, and this time the other three members join in on the fun! This seemed to have happened after an MC segment, because Nino says at the beginning of the clip, "All right, let's do this! Music Start!" (じゃあ、行ってくる! Music Start!) so it sounds like the other members had asked them to perform it for them or something. I have no idea why Yama are wearing those ridiculous black hats (lol more like overturned pots, imo) on their heads, but it's all in good fun, I'm sure. 

It was pretty funny watching the other three members do the choreo. Looks like Juntoshi were trying to mimic Ninoai during Aiba's kick over Nino. Notice how Sho points to the Ninoai combi first as they perform the kick and then he points to Juntoshi, who do a rather clumsier version of it haha. Riida is the definition of a moe!Arashi with the way he squats and clutches his ridiculous black hat. 

And the backflips come! Yama take the mics from Ninoai's hands like the good parents they are and we see beautiful streaks of yellow and green fly through the air. As the duo strike their ending pose, Sho yells into his mic: "KIRAIIII!" while Jun bows and mumbles something that sounds very MC-like to the audience (otanoshiminishite-kudasai? I couldn't hear it properly; it was barely intelligible). I suspect these were just Sakumoto's jealous reactions to the fact that Aimiya can cartwheel and flip at the drop of a mic though. Heh. Those two >.<!

Then, the five of them run off to another part of the arena and the "Do you wanna feel like dancing" part ends.

Those bakas.

Ah, my Aimiya heart ~~~(≧◡≦)~~~~ so satiated.