My Seal of Approval Given to the Powered Up Arashi ni Shiyagare (嵐にしやがれ)

Guys, remember when I said that I had hope for the powered-up Shiyagare, despite its faults? Well, hmm... let's think, what has it delivered so far?

There was that funny Yowakutemo SP (aired 2014.04.05) where Arashi had a friendly competition on how who could take the ever-kawaii Arimura Kasumi on the best date and then spent the night trying on leather jackets, roasting meat, and singing (badly) in a smoky BBQ mise with three of the ikemen cast. 

And then, there were the two episodes (2014.04.12 and 2014.04.19 eps) where Arashi once again (seriously, they're never going to outgrow this) donned the good old high school uniforms and attended lectures from Miura Asami and Suzuki Nana, who both showed an exceptional talent at bringing out the cute, the droll and the awkward in our five boys. Not the mention that the Suzuki Nana episode had another segment which featured some sorely missed Arashi Engrish as some, um, Hollywood 'sturrs' came to visit? *hint hint, Jamie Foxx, Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield*

Correction about Nino's Family Background in the Ninomiya Member Post

So you were probably redirected here from the note in the Ninomiya Member Post regarding my error about his family background. I had previously written that Nino came from a single parent family, growing up with his mother and older sister "on the wrong side of the tracks," implying that he was from a less wealthy background. Someone kindly commented and brought to my attention that there is no definitive proof out there to suggest any of these things.

So I am extremely sorry about any false rumors I have been helping to spread around the internet. I know that the Nino post is one of the most-viewed posts on my blog, so I can only hope that everyone who was misinformed will click back here and read this correction.

To set all your minds at ease, I will assure you that when I write anecdotes or facts about our five boys, I generally know or have a memory of obtaining such information from a first-hand source like an interview or a show where the information comes from either the members themselves or other celebrities who know them. In this case, I remembered reading a magazine translation where Arashi reminisced on what their first days as a Johnny's Jr were like and that's where I got the tidbit about Nino feeling uncomfortable about being poor. But because of my sloppiness (of course), I now cannot find this translation again. Which really teaches me a lesson. So I have resolved to be more principled about internet misinformation, especially in the English J-pop fandom where first hand sources are not always readily available.

So if there is a fact or something that you read in this blog and are curious or dubious about, please feel free to leave a comment (you can comment anonymously even if you don't have a blogger account so anyone can comment!) to ask me about it and I will gladly provide whatever sources I used to get at that fact. And if I can't come up with a first-hand source, I will remove the offending fact and post a correction. Fair enough?

Now onto the details about Nino's family background... (honestly, I don't even care that much for probing into his family background, but I feel like I owe it to you all to do my research extra-properly since I misled you all before).

Love Wonderland - Arashi Song Review

I have only been listening to this song for less than a day, and yes, I already know that I want to write a review on it. The inner boost I'm feeling from this stylishly funky little number is really 半端じゃない, and absolutely warrants a few hours of sleep sacrificed (yeah, yeah, I know I just finished an exam and I have a fic that needs writing, as well as a gazillion Arashi blog posts I should have written months ago, but as of this moment, Love Wonderland takes precedence over everything).

So love truly, love truly, love truly, lo-oh-ohh!

If you're reading this now, you probably already know that "Love Wonderland" is one of the three coupling tracks to Arashi's newest single GUTS! (set to be officially released on April 30, 2014 but leaks are already out, of course. Ah, fangirl problems, sigh). The A-side, "GUTS!" is a cheerful track built squarely on the theme of "genkiness" and also serves as the theme song to Nino's drama Yowakutemo Katemasu, which I told myself I would watch, but am now probably just going to save for later since I find Riida's to be way more entertaining (because there aren't enough hours in a day to fangirl and keep up with all their activities, too). "Love Wonderland" is the third coupling track, and I personally think it's the best. It's instantly catchy, with an artful retro feel (I can't place a finger on the era, but it sounds like the kind of song you'd dance to in greased-up hairdos and wacky sunglasses), and the boys's voices sound so distinctly like them in all their imperfect glory. I'm also really loving the way the instrumentals crazily twist all over the place but still somehow remain just chic enough to give the song a smooth, polished feel.

So, without further ado...

"Oh baby what's. your. name?"

Hidamari no Kanojo (陽だまりの彼女) - Wouldn't it be nice?

Cats! Sun! Sea! Cute-but-totally-not-legal middle school versions of Jun and Juri! Lovey-dovey bike rides in the sun! Mysterious cat lady! Hilarious drunkard brother, and hilariously pathetic boss! And cats! Did I mention cats? I love cats. (As a tangent: I'm completely convinced Riida was a cat in his former life; any aye's in the crowd?)

Warning in case you couldn't tell already: this will be a post of shameless flailing in a sea of tears. I will not even attempt to sound coherent. 

MILD SPOILER ALERT for the content below!

When Arashi Watches Others Dance to Arashi Songs

So I've finally discovered the joys of making gifs! Yeah, yeah, I know I'm late to the party, but I think for a post like this, mere screencaps won't do it justice. So please enjoy!

Warning: this will be GIF heavy, so it might take a while to load for slow internet connections!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NUMBER ONE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First off, we have the 2008.09.24 episode of はねるのトびらSP 短缩铁道の夜, which is some variety show that all five members guested on to promote VS Arashi back in the day when VSA still needed promoting. One of the regular hosts of this show decided to welcome these five super idols by showing off some of his dance moves:

Of course, this comedian gets the due smacks on his wigged head from his team mates, and Arashi's reaction is one of polite amusement. Domyouji himself seems quite taken with the creative license this guy has exercised to help promote their new game show. 

スーパーフレッシュ (Super Fresh) - Arashi Song Review

Ah, it's been a while since I reviewed Arashi's music and while I have fallen in love with the new songs (Bittersweet, Sync, and Motto, Ima Yori), it's curiously their 2009 track スーパーフレッシュ (Super Fresh) that I find myself humming absentmindedly around the house. So keep your seats, ladies and gentlemen, because I'll be taking you all for a spin back to the past with this post.

My Girl is one of those singles I bought out of loyalty. I didn't think (and still don't think) that the A-side マイガール is anything all that special, but this is one of those instances when loyalty pays off, because both the B-sides (which I had not heard prior to purchasing) blew the socks off my feet and to this day still remain among the top-played on my iTunes tally. Tokei Jikake no Umbrella (時計じかけのアンブレラ)  is one of those impassioned songs that do everything you could ever want a song to do: it punches, it seduces, it sways, it lifts, and as a bonus it has some tough-ass Sakurap tossed in, too. But since my friend nekobot01 has already written her very professional review on it (linked above in text), I will now divert your attentions to the other no less sensational B-side: Super Fresh!

What can one say about Super Fresh after four years of loving it?

It never gets old. Believe me. Some songs come and go, and you can only tolerate them for a set amount of plays before they lose their flavor, and you have to forget them before you can enjoy them again. BUT such a song, Super Fresh is not. I could set it as my morning alarm clock and I'm pretty sure I'd find myself bopping along happily to its beat at whatever ungodly hour I get up at 365 days a year no fail. No lie.

Super Fresh just has this quality to it, a carefree sway in its melody, a playful riff on the steady drumbeat, an unprocessed innocence in Arashi's voices, that all make it such a relatable song. In one word, I'd probably call it "youthful" because it's just abounding with the sort of simple positivity that is so characteristic of those wide-eyed teenagers stepping out into the real world (with Arashi at their backs cheering them on, of course).

So let's countdown 3-2-1!

Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara (今日の日はさようなら) - Drama SP Review

I had been looking forward to this drama SP quite a lot. The promotional CM's showing Ohno in the beanie, looking helpless and frail as he lies on a bed or slides into an MRI machine really caught my eye because a) I'm a sucker for 24-Hour TV Specials, and b) I've always thought that Ohno had just the perfect look to star in one of these. He's not an actor with a particularly wide range of facial expressions, but it's something about the weariness in his "default" face, the lazily hooded eyes, the slight melancholy pout, and the tendency to look down at his feet that makes him so suitable to play a quiet boy-next-door character who suddenly finds himself having to deal with the arduous process of dying. Ohno has a good victimized look, which is not to say he's bad at playing villains because he did so beautifully in Maou, but the moments in which he really shines dramatically are the moments where he shows his vulnerability. Even in Maou, the best scenes were when you could see his self-loathing and the hopelessness in his eyes as he tells himself that there is no other way. (shivers). Being a fan of Ohno, I think that people like him not only for his talent, but also for his aura of innocent vulnerability; I know my maternal instincts (yeah yeah I'm only like 23 years old, but I can still have maternal instincts, okay?) tend to crush my ovaries together at the mere sight that dazed little Fishing Riida.

But back to Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara. 

I set aside some time one night to watch it. I locked my doors to ensure absolute solitude, turned off the lights, grabbed a box of tissues and pressed "play." Because hey, no one should ever interrupt the sacred viewing of an Ohno drama.