An

Otohana 2010.08.10

change417 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:51:27 GMT

Translation of Sho's Otohana 2010.08.10 :) Couldn't resist the temptation to translate because it's such an amusing entry XDD

Arashi 'bullying' the interviewer...? xD

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Hello.

It's me.

Our new album "Boku no Miteiru Fukei" was released just a few days ago.

Amongst the interviews that we did to promote the album, there was such a conversation.

Interviewer:
"I would like to ask about Sakurai-san's solo..."

Members:
"That question...

is a little...

It's...

taboo."
LOLLL

Interviewer:
"No no, that's not... Sakurai-san's solo..."

Members:
"It's taboo."

↑That was how the interview started.

A few years ago...

Interviewer:
"I would like to ask about Ninomiya-san's solo..."

Member:
"Sorry,

that's a little...

It's himitsu (a secret)."

Interviewer:
"No no, not that... Ninomiya-san's solo... Erm..."

Member:
"It's a secret."

This conversation has happened before.

It's like deja vu.

(Of course, it's a coincidence that our song titles are like that. But we did answer the Interviewer's question properly.)

So, that's that...

Our concerts are going to start very soon.

For this year's rehearsal, we're going with

"Aso"
(It's a japanese surname)

Ah!

I'm sorry (laughs)

It's

"A.S.O"
(He writes it in alphabets here)

....That's right.

Aiba.
Sakurai.
Ohno.

The three of us.

We are also called
"Curiosity".
(Righttt~ They used to call themselves "Team Curiosity". They went out together during concert tours or something... Where did it come from again?)

(↑This is nostalgic)

"Hey, hey. If it's just these three guys, won't the rehearsals be a mess..."

YOU RIGHT THERE! You were thinking of that, right?

That won't happen.

It's not time to fool around, we're very serious about it.

(That's how it is normally.)

Everyone, as you're listening to our album, do you imagine how the concerts will be like?

If yes, then you're just like me.

I do a lot of image training and imagine how it'll be like.

Let's work hard together.

Well then,

it won't be long.

2010.08.10
Sakurai Sho

Original Japanese text credits to anj.

TV Guide 2010.07.10-16 (Ranking)

change417 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:47:49 GMT

Translation, or rather, scanlation of TV Guide 2010.07.10-16! (Because the little illustrations that come with it are so cute!<3) So, TV Guide asked 3000 readers various questions about Arashi & they did a ranking thing, like Himitsu no Arashi-chan's Ranking Derby XD

Scans credit to sng :) Scanlation done by snow<3 Translated by me.

Examples of some of the questions asked:
Who do you want as you husband?
Who do you want as your lover?
Who do you want as your distant relative? (Er, wha? Lol)
Who do you want to see acting as a doctor?
Who do you want to see acting as a criminal?
Who has the best fashion sense? (We all know who doesn't xD *coughs*)
Who is a good liar? xD
...and more!!

Warning: Image INTENSIVE!

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

I want to be Ohno for a day too! ~~For the second reason XDD~~

"...because he has really pretty hands" -> THIS. YES. PLEASE.

Furuhata Ninzaburo is a character from a police detective drama (Wiki)

For the next few pics, you can click to view a bigger version if the words are too small^^

HAHAHAHA. The readers have really good imagination XD

Only Star blog 2010.08.03-07 (x6)

change417 — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:04:12 GMT

I suppose most of you have seen the pretty scans from the recent Only Star with Arashi on cover (the 2010.08.16 issue). So here's some behind-the-scenes snippets from the Only Star staff blog! They are all so cute! I kept going aww~ and I kept smiling when I was reading the blog :)) There are 6 entries, dates ranging from 2010.08.03 to 2010.08.07 :)

Scans credit to sng :)

1. Why did Ninomiya-kun burst out laughing?
2. The solo song highly recommended by Sakurai!
3. A small hiccup happened during the interview!
4. Sakurai Sho asked Ninomiya for advice.
5. The Arashi members unconsciously want to be beside him!?
6. They are close even when they’re on the move♪

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

The paragraphing might seem a little strange because I followed the format of the original entries. Including all the colours, emoticons etc! xD

Entry on Nino (2010.08.03)
Why did Ninomiya-kun burst out laughing?
The good working relationship of Team Arashi.

Ninomiya-kun was doing his solo interview.
He was talking excitedly. “It’s time to do your make-up”
His manager came into the room to call him for his make-up
This is what I’m going to talk about in this entry

Manager : Ninomiya-san, it’s time to do your make-up.
Ninomiya: It’s still fine, isn’t it~~ (Sounding like a spoiled child)
Manager : Please don’t say that (laughs)
Ninomiya: You shouldn’t rush things. Nothing good will come if you’re always rushing through things~
Manager : Let’s go together! [Held out his hand towards Ninomiya-kun]
Ninomiya: Wait! What’s with this hand!? You want to shake my hand!? (laughs) [Shakes his manager’s hand]
Ninomiya-kun laughed for a while.
Then he makes his way to the make-up room with his manager
The members and staff have a good relationship. Team Arashi
Hahaha. Nino's interaction with his manager is so funny xD

Entry on Aiba (2010.08.04)
The solo song highly recommended by Sakurai!
Aiba is embarrassed ♪

Arashi did their solo photo shoot
while listening to their new album “Boku no Miteiru Fukei”.

Sakurai-kun said “I want to request song #11 from disc 1!”
He made a request for Aiba-kun’s solo
While Aiba-kun’s solo “Magical Song” was playing,
“This, really, when you listen to this song, it makes you feel HAPPY!
This is a really good song~”
Sakurai-kun was smiling when he said this.

Later, during Aiba-kun’s solo photo shoot , we told him about what Sakurai-kun said.
“Really? I’m happy to hear that” He seemed a little embarrassed about it.
Aww~ So cute! The members really like Aiba's solo a lot xD

During Aiba-kun’s solo photo shoot,
the first song from the album “movin’ on” was playing in the background.
Aiba-kun was counting to the rhythm and he started singing along.
He was in high spirits and the photo shoot was completed in a very fun atmosphere

Entry on Jun (2010.08.05)
A small hiccup happened during the interview!
We saw Matsumoto-kun’s gentleness!!

For today, Matsumoto-kun’s solo interview
will be conducted by the window sill.
But the sunlight was really strong and it was very hot,
so we thought of lowering the blinds,
but Matsumoto-kun said “It’s fine, I like the warmth”
“Let’s get some fresh air, shall we~”
He opened the curtains…

Suddenly, there was a strong gust of wind
“Ah!” The interview documents were all blown away.
Matsumoto-kun and the staff panicked
The other members came over to see what happened
Matsumoto-kun said “Sorry! My bad!”
He picked up all the documents
and helped us organise them.
Hmm~ He’s so nice!

Speaking of which, amongst the documents,
there was one with information on Matsumoto-kun’s Fasio commercial
We talked about the commercial during the interview,
“The commercial really has a world view.
This time, I’m like the researcher”
If you haven't seen it, link from the Fasio site :)
He told us how he felt about the commercial.
The staff said “Fasio mascara is really smudge-proof! It’s really good!”
“That’s what it says~ But I’ve never used it before (laughs)”
Matsumoto-kun said this with a laugh!

Entry on Sho (2010.08.06)
Sakurai Sho asked Ninomiya for advice.
He challenged something!?

This day, Ohno-kun was filming his KFC commercial,
so the menu for today is Kentucky chicken, salad etc
Sakurai-kun entered the room,
“Wah, there’s a lot of food. What should I eat first”
He stood in front of the table for a while.
Then his lips turned into a smile
“Ah, Satoshi-kun ate this for his commercial”
He wanted to take a piece of the chicken but he seemed hesitant
He turned to Nimomiya-kun who was sitting on the sofa.
“Is this spicy?”
He asked this question
“It’s okay. Ah, but it might be a little spicy for you”
“Is that so? What should I do”
He was hesitant but in the end, he challenged eating one piece of the chicken

Entry on Ohno (2010.08.07)
The Arashi members unconsciously want to be beside him!?
Ohno Satoshi’s gentle calming aura!

(Related to Sho’s entry)
Sakurai-kun asked “Is this spicy?” He was concerned the spiciness of the ‘red hot chicken’
Later on, Ohno-kun and the staff were saying “The chicken is not spicy”
Sakurai-kun happened to pass by,
and he said “Eh!? That is very spicy!”
“……Well, to Sho-chan, that is” Ohno-kun said with a smile.

Ohno-kun seems to really like Kentucky chicken
During interview breaks, he kept eating the bite-size chicken

On the day of the interview, the weather was very good.
The sunlight shone into the studio
Ohno-kun sat by the window,
and it seems like he enjoy bathing in the sunlight.
Ohno-kun always gives off a gentle calming aura no matter where he goes
The Arashi members all came over to sit beside Ohno-kun
And they basked in the sun together
This made me go 'aww~' too ♥

I think the staff was talking about this scene (?) xD This picture is so pretty ♥

Entry on Arashi (2010.08.06)
They are close even when they’re on the move ♪
Arashi gather together in the elevator!

After the interview , Arashi made a move to the elevator
to proceed to the next studio for their next job
The first one to be ready was Sakurai-kun
He was the first one to enter the elevator
Next, Matsumoto-kun entered the elevator too
At this point, they wanted to close the elevator doors,
but from afar, Ninomiya-kun’s voice could be heard “Sho-chan! I’ll take the elevator too~”
To which, Sakurai-kun said “What? You want to take the elevator?” (Mimicking their manager’s voice)
Matsumoto-kun laughed out loud and they waited for Ninomiya-kun.
Ninomiya-kun said (to Sho) "You sound like him!”
He entered the elevator while laughing
“I’ll take the elevator too! Riida says he’s coming as well!”
Aiba-kun and Ohno-kun entered the scene too
So in the end, all five of them took the elevator together.
Thay said “Thank you for your hard work~”
And they made a move to another studio for their next job
Arashi is a really close-knitted group

That's all~! I'll translate the interview for this Only Star later on xD

Seventeen 2005.03 - Arashi no honjitsu soukan Vol.53 feat. Sho

change417 — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:07:13 GMT

Bringing an old translation today~ Arashi used to have a regular column in Seventeen magazine called "Arashi no honjitsu Soukan" (roughly translated as "The first issue of Arashi is out today"). This column lasted for about 3 years, from 2002 to 2005.

The translation that I'm bringing today is from Seventeen's "Arashi no honjitsu soukan" Vol.53 featuring Sho (I don't know the issue date, but I'm guessing it's early 2005, sometime around March). Sho was asked: If you were to study for an exam with another member, how would it be like? The answers he gave are really amusing xD Lol.

Scans credit to ladysakurai :) Scanlated by me.

"I can imagine him doodling, drawing a portrait of the examiner or something."

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Studying with Ohno...

For his posture, I think he’ll be slouching, lying on the table or something (laughs). I can't imagine him sitting at the table with a perfect upright posture. And he’ll keep mumbling things like "When will this end~" and before you know it, he falls asleep. But I think his study notes will be very neatly written. He seems like the type who will erase even the smallest mistakes and re-write the whole thing again. He is particular about details like that. And he doesn't like to depend on others for help, so I believe he can make it through by himself at his own pace. He has taken the kanji exam before, so I think he can do it as long as he works hard! But what I'm worried about is that he’ll forget to fill in his name on the exam paper (laughs). I can imagine him doodling, drawing a portrait of the examiner or something.

Studying with Nino...

Nino will end up playing video games~ He plays video games whenever he has time - in the car, in the green room etc. But I have no interests in video games, so in a sense, studying with Nino might be good because I can concentrate on my own work. And Nino is the type who can memorise his lines just by reading the script once. So even if he plays video games all day long, I think there is no need to worry. While I'm asleep, he'll just do some quick revision and he'll be able to pass. Wait, am I praising him too much? Another good thing about Nino is that he'll give me his cup noodle soup (laughs). I like the soup more than the noodles. So I often drink the soup left over by Nino ♥ So I guess the menu for our supper is confirmed too (!?) I think I can look forward to studying with him!

Studying with Aiba...

Aiba-chan...... I can't imagine how it'll be like studying with him. I can't picture him holding a pen and sitting at the desk. But I think he'll be really noisy/annoying. He'll keep asking me questions "Sho-chan, I don't understand this part~”. Like for every three lines he read, he'll ask me one question (laughs). Though I may not be able to get any work done myself, but I guess I can also kind of revise while I’m teaching him. If I think of it that way, it's not bad studying with Aiba-chan. But he doesn't read instructions. He even refers to the “instruction manual” as the "function explaining booklet” (Er, there is no 'proper' translation for this, but basically, he means Aiba makes up his own words/terms xD) (laughs). So if the exam requires answering questions on an answer sheet, that may spell trouble because I get the feeling that he'll just fill in the answers in his own way without reading the instructions......

Studying with Jun...

MatsuJun will pile lots of reference books on the table, creating a boundary between the two of us. Though we're studying together, he'll create space for the two of us individually (laughs). Though I might think "You don't have to be that serious......" but I probably wouldn't dare to talk to him or ask him questions...... Because he has amazing concentration. Then sometimes he'll ask me a question and we can have a conversation that way. Though there are lots of reference books on the table, but it's faster to ask me and get the answer instead of flipping through all the books. He emphasizes on efficiency. And he is really knowledgeable about health and nutrition. So he'll bring lots of supplements and nutrient drinks. He'll be like: "This vitamin is good for your memory" or "If your eyes feel tired, eat this".

Arashi JFC Pamphlet #48 2010 Spring

change417 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:34:52 GMT

Translation of Arashi's interview in Johnny's Family Club Pamphlet #48, Spring 2010 issue!

Scans credit to sng :)

Aiba is the supervisor for Ohno's new drama "Daibutsu-kun"!?

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Interviewer: The April issue is here!
Sho: It's springtime!
Aiba: Speaking of which, in April…
Sho: Ohno-san will be in the drama “Kaibutsu-kun”.
Jun: That’s great~, I’m looking forward to it!
Nino: How is it going to turn out? I can’t wait!
Ohno: Thank you (smiles). But I couldn’t get into the role……
Aiba: Get into the role… Eh, you mean you actually practised for it!?
Nino: You practised stretching your arms or something?
Ohno: Yeah, I tried doing it and I put in a lot of effort……
Sho: Your arms didn’t stretch?
Ohno: They didn’t… I’m really sorry. I don’t think I can do the live-action version of “Kaibutsu-kun”.
Aiba: (laughs) What about the other one? The face changing one? The one where you do many funny faces.
Ohno: I practiced that too but…
Aiba: You practised that too!?
Sho: You’re really serious about it.
Jun: You’re really stoic.
Nino: He is stoic when it comes to getting into his role.
Ohno: Somehow, I only end up as “someone who looks like Kaibutsu-kun”…
All: (Burst out laughing)

Aiba: Well… there's nothing you can do about that. So how much time do you have to go back to Kaibutsu Land? Within 1 hour of the show time?
Ohno: Hmm…
Nino: It will be around 20 minutes, right?
Jun: How’s the story like? When he’s in Kaibutsu Land, he’s a monster?
Aiba: That’s right, a monster. When he comes to the human world…
Jun: He becomes that cute character?
Aiba: Yes, yes, yes.
Sho: You know, I think I should tell you guys… Aiba-kun is really knowledgeable about Kaibutsu-kun. Right?
Aiba: Yeah! I used to watch the anime a lot. I like it very much. I watched a lot of the anime and manga by Fujiko Fujio (A)-san.
Sho: You should just join the drama production team as the supervisor. As “Ohno Satoshi’s supervisor” or something.
Aiba: So my name will be in the ending credits?
LOLLLLL. Ohno Satoshi’s supervisor: Aiba Masaki!
All: (Burst out laughing)
Jun: I saw the list of your co-stars and I’m really looking forward to the drama. Looks like it’s going to be really interesting.
Ohno: Ueshima Ryuhei-san as the Werewolf, Yashima Norito-san as Dracula and Choi Hong Man-san as Frankenstein.
Jun: It’s like it’s too good to be true… The choice of cast members is really great.
Nino: Yes yes (He looks really smug)

Interviewer: Why does Nino look so smug?
Sho: Because he’s the producer (laughs).
Jun: We give our opinions on many aspects of the production (laughs). Casting adviser/Arashi, Supervisor/Arashi…
Sho: Haha! We’re such a troublesome group!
All: (Burst out laughing)

Interviewer: Oh-chan will be appearing in his third lead role drama.
Sho: That’s right. It’s called “Dai Maou” (The Great Devil)…
Ohno: It’s “Maou” (The Devil).
Jun: And “Taisou no Oniisan” (Exercise/Gymnastics Brother) right?
Ohno: It’s “Uta no Oniisan” (Singing Brother)...
Aiba: And this time it’s “Daibutsu-kun”? “Daibutsu-kun” huh…
*Daibutsu: Literally means “Large Buddha”. Refers to large statues of the Buddha such as this one:

Nino: Daibutsu… A main character that doesn’t speaks. That’s interesting.
Aiba: All you do is just sitting down right?
*Because most of the Daibutsu are in a seated position, like the picture above.
Nino: Just sitting down? That’s amazing.
Ohno: Hey~ It’s Kaibutsu. Kaibutsuuuu~
Hahaha. They just love bullying Ohno huh xD
All: (Burst out laughing)
Jun: It’s “Kaibutsu-kun” right?

Sho: And there’s one more thing. “Arashi ni Shiyagare” will start from this April, on every Saturday at 10pm… Ohno-san, doesn’t this mean that you will be on TV for 2 hours straight?
Jun: That’s right. It’s like “NEWS ZERO” and “Arashi no Shukudai-kun”.
Sho: That… it’s one and a half hour. For the next 3 months, it‘s really going to be Ohno Satoshi’s Saturday!
Jun: People will get the impression that we’re appearing on TV a lot.
Nino: Yeah, that’s right!
Ohno: And then if we’re going to be on Music Station too… That is really a lot.
Jun: From Thursday’s “VS Arashi” and “Himitsu no Arashi-chan” till Saturday, we’re going to be on TV every day.
*Music Station is on Friday.
Ohno: That’s amazing right…!
Aiba: Yeah, amazing!
Jun: I don’t think we’ll be able to go to Music Station that many times though… (laughs)
Aiba: It’s fine even if we don’t appear as guests, we can just sit beside Tamori-san (the host for Music Station).
Sho: In that case, then we’ll really become “Daibutsu-kun”.
All: (Burst out laughing)
Sho: But being able to appear on TV for 2 hours on Saturday nights, that is quite amazing.
Ohno: And “Arashi ni Shiyagare” is just right after “Kaibutsu-kun”!
Nino: Amazing. Who do you hope will watch the show?
Ohno: I hope the kids will watch it. But it’s on Saturday night at 9pm… Is it a little too late?
Aiba: That’s true, kids usually stay up till about 8pm or so.
Ohno: But for the kids who like Arashi, I hope they would be allowed to stay up a little later.
Jun: Let’s hope the mothers would be a little more lenient (laughs).
Nino: And there is no school on the next day too, so please allow the kids to do whatever they like on Saturdays (laughs).

Interviewer: The “Himitsu no Arashi-chan” 2nd anniversary special and the “VS Arashi” special have both been decided, right? (This interview was conducted in February)
Sho: So “Himitsu no Arashi-chan” has gone into its second year huh (earnestly). In “VS Arashi”, we will have a three-way battle with the “Wagaya no Rekishi” team and the Yazima Beauty Salon team. That’s really some amazing guests.
Nino: The number of guests who are coming is huge.
Aiba: So we could just join the “Wagaya no Rekishi” team…
Jun: If we join them, then it’s no longer VS right? (laugh)
Sho: I see… So we can’t join them huh? Can we be supervisors then?
Jun: Haha! I don’t think there’s such a position… (laugh)
Nino: We’re such a troublesome group!
All: (Burst out laughing)
Aiba: But it’s a 3-hour special. I wonder how it’s going to turn out?
Nino: It’s going to be a grand show. And there are new games too.
Sho: I’m looking forward to it.
Jun: What’s more… it’s the first time all 5 of us get to meet the Tunnels duo, even though we have worked with Taka- san on “Utaban”, and a few of us have been on “Shin Kuwazugirai Ou Ketteisen”… I’m really looking forward to playing against them.
*Tunnels is a comedy duo consisting of Ishibashi Takaaki (aka Taka-san, the host from “Utaban”. The one who sits beside Ohno xD) and Noritake Kinashi. They are the hosts for “Shin Kuwazugirai Ou Ketteisen”. Nino & Sho went on the show in 2007 and Jun in 2008.

Interviewer: The broadcast time for “Wagaya no Rekishi” has also been decided!
Jun: Yeah. It’s the day right after the “VS Arashi” special.
Sho: We talked about this just now. When did the filming start? September (last year)?
Jun: For me, it’s from September… to November.
Sho: Somehow… even though I’m not in the drama, but when I heard about the broadcast time, I thought “It’s finally going to be on air” (laugh).
Aiba & Ohno: Yeah. We finally get to watch it!
Jun: So you guys have been waiting for the drama huh (laughs). I’m happy to hear that. Thank you. 2½ hours, 2½ hours and 3 hours – It’s going to be on 3 consecutive nights. Please watch it.
Nino: Ah… my hard disk is going to be full again!
All: (Burst out laughing)
Jun: That’s true, if you’re going to record the whole show…
Nino: Exactly! “Wagaya no Rekishi” alone is going to take up 8 hours.
Sho: And there is “Kaibutsu no Oniisan” too!
Jun: Wow… you’re mixing all the names together (laugh).
Ohno: It’s “Kaibutsu kun”!!
All: (laughs) We’re going to be on a lot of shows lately. Please watch them. And remember “Kaibutsu-kun” too!
LOL. They finally said the right name.

Translations x4

change417 — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:14:35 GMT

Hi everyone~! *waves* Ah, I haven't posted any translations in a long long time~ To "compensate" for that, I'm bringing 4 translations today! :D Some have been lying around in my journal for a long time (you can tell from the dates. lol) because I never got around to editing/finishing them^^;

I put the links to all the translations in this post to avoid spamming your friends page :p So enjoy! ^_^

+act mini vol.7 feat. Aiba [Link!]
Aiba talks about his work, acting, his childhood etc. He also talks a lot about Miyata Keiko-san & Shimura Ken-san. Very insightful interview. But it's also very long :p

Monthly the Television 2010.03 Gekkan Arashi 10th Anniversary Special [Link!]
Arashi making sushi! Recipes included, so you can make your ichiban's sushi xD

Myojo 2010.07 (Sho & Aiba) [Link!]
Welcome to Arashi Land! There is a quiz on Arashi :D

Harappa tsushin (Nara-san's blog) 2009.10.28 [Link!]
Nara-san talks about his impression of Ohno after the News Zero interview (during last year's Challenge Week)

Myojo 2010.07: Welcome to Arashi Land! (Sho/Aiba)

change417 — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:09:53 GMT

For the interview in the Jul 2010 issue, Myojo came up with a theme park called "Arashi Land" and the Arashi members are in charged of guiding you through the various attractions in the park.
Sho: The Quiz Show
Aiba: Zoo
Ohno: Art Gallery
Nino: Game Corner
Jun: Fashion Room

The translation is divided into 2 parts:
- Sho/Aiba in this post
- Ohno/Nino/Jun will be in another post ~~(Coming soon) xD~~ Here!!

Scans credit to sng :)

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Attraction: The Quiz Show
Guide: Sakurai Sho

“The five of us have come up with some questions for you. As an Arashi fan, I’m sure you can answer all the questions correctly and get a prefect score! Isn’t that right!? So, well then, without further ado, IT’S SHOW TIME!”

MATSUMOTO JUN

Q01. What kind of hairstyle do you want to try out next?
(a) Silver hair (b) Short hair (c) Brown hair

Q02. How long can he stay balanced on the balance ball?
(a) 10 secs (b) 15 secs (c) 20 secs

Q03. What did he buy recently?
(a) T-shirt (b) Earphones (c) DVD

ANSWERS

A01. (c) I have tried hair extensions, put my hair in mesh and etc. But it has been a while since I last dyed my hair. The last time I dyed my hair was in Kimi wa Petto, that was more than 5-6 years ago. I also want to try tsuburokku (It's a type of hairstyle. I couldn't find a English translation for it. Here's how it looks like: pics) and "hamaotoko" (referring to people who imitate the hairstyle and fashion of MC Hammer, a popular American artiste in the 1990s) (laughs).

A02. (a) Initially, we only requested him to sit on the balance ball. But he said “Balance ball? I can sit on it for a very long time!” And indeed, he pulled it off easily and it seemed too easy for him. So we changed the challenge and had him lie (on his stomach) on the balance ball instead.

A03. (b) "I listen to music when I’m exercising in the gym. So I bought a pair of earphones that was a perfect fit for my ears so that it wouldn’t come off or anything when I’m exercising."

AIBA MASAKI

Q04. His stage play "Kimi to miru sen no yume" (A thousand dreams with you) is almost over. What kind of dreams did he have recently?
(a) A dream where he was flying in the sky
(b) A dream where he dancing
(c) He didn't have any dreams lately

Q05. He is playing with the jump-rope and he has to a double under (Wiki: To perform a double under, the participant needs to jump up a bit higher than usual while swinging the rope twice under his feet). How many times can he do it consecutively?
(a) 2 (b) 3 (c) 5

Q06. Though he has come across many animals in "Tensai! Shimura Dobutsuen", but what is one animal that he wants to see but haven't got the chance to do so yet?
(a) Okapi (b) Whale (c) Toki/Japanese Crested Ibis (pics below)

ANSWERS

A04. (c) "Do I dream? I wonder. I probably forgot them after I wake up."

A05. (c) “It has been a while since I last played jump rope! I was better at it last time. I should have been able to do a few more…” On the first try, he only managed to do it once. On the second try, he managed to do it 5 times. Aiba got hit on the leg by the jump rope and he was jumping around in pain.

A06. (b) "Though I have seen a lot of animals, but most of them are animals in the zoos. I want to see a wild whale."

SAKURAI SHO

Q07. If he were to be a salaryman, what kind of job would he choose?
(a) Magazine editor (b) TV producer (c) News reporter

Q08. How many macarons can he stack up?
(a) 5 (b) 8 (c) 12

Q09. He met with a 'crisis' recently. What happened?
(a) He dropped his phone
(b) He forgot his wallet
(c) He fell asleep in the bath tub

ANSWERS

A07. (b) “I guess a variety show producer. Besides being an idol… I don’t have much chance to think about this lately.”

A08. (a) "As Mr. Rolling Coin Tower (from VS Arashi), this result is disappointing. I thought I could go up to 10 metres~"

A09. (c) “The other day, I was feeling very sleepy when I entered the bath tub. I really fell asleep and I thought I almost drown. It was really dangerous (sweat drops).”

OHNO SATOSHI

Q10. Ohno loves fishing. What is his favourite sushi?
(a) Hirame (Flounder) (b) Amaebi (Sweet shrimp) (c) Awabi (Abalone)

Q11. The theme song for "Kaibutsu-kun" is "Monster". Which of the following is the scariest to him?
(a) Shark (b) Aliens (c) Ghosts

Q12. He was in the badminton club in his junior high school days. He is balancing the racket on his finger. How long can he last?
(a) 24 secs (b) 37 secs (c) 51 secs

ANSWERS

A10. (a) "I like whitefish. The other day, I went fishing with Shige (from NEWS) and I caught a hirame. It was really delicious…"

A11. (a) “When I go fishing, I might encounter one right? Bears and lions are also scary! You don’t know when you’ll see one.”
Lolll. These are not animals you see on the streets or something you know~ *pinch*

A12. (b) “I can keep this up for an hour” Ohno said this with a confident smile before he began. But after he heard his timing, he said “I’m very sorry!”

NINOMIYA KAZUNARI

Q13. How many marshmallows can he grab in one handful?
(a) 1 (b) 7 (c) 15

Q14. He likes manga very much. How many manga books does he have at home?
(a) 27 (b) 80 (c) 150

Q15. He challenged jidageki ('period drama' - a genre of film and television in Japan based on the Edo period of Japanese history which was from 1600 to 1868) in the movie "Ohoku" (premiering on 1st Oct). Which period in the past would he like to go back to?
(a) Warring States period (b) Edo period (c) Showa 58th year (1983)

ANSWERS

A13. (a) Ninomiya put his hand into the jar of marshmallows and he grabbed --- only 1 marshmallow. What!? “This is really vexing! I thought I could grab more (laughs).”
What!??

A14. (a) This was surprising. And the reason is “I only have ‘GANTZ’ now, 27 volumes of it.”

A15. (c) "Even if I could time travel into the past, there isn't any particular period of time that I want to go back to. If I had to choose, maybe the year that I was born. Or even last year is good too (laughs). Even if I go back to the Edo period, there are no cellphones, video games or cars over there. It’s really inconvenient. Isn’t that kind of life kind of troublesome?"

ARASHI

Q16. These are the silhouettes of the five members. Can you tell who they are?
I got tricked by (e) >.< Lol.

Q17. These are the member’s brain chart. Can you tell who they belong to?
(The pie chart labels are listed in descending order. Largest proportion -> the smallest proportion)
(a) Food
(b) Work / Leisure / Food
(c) Work / Others / Music / Exercise
(d) Work
(e) Work / Radio-controlled models / Fishing / Art

Q18. The members put on the glasses shown above. Which pair of glasses did each member choose? (You may choose the same pair twice)

ANSWERS

A16. (a) Aiba (b) Nino (c) Ohno (d) Sho (e) Jun

A17. (a) Aiba (b) Sho (c) Jun (d) Nino (e) Ohno

Their explanation/comments:
Aiba: Of course I do think about work. But besides that, what else is there? Food I guess (laughs).

Sho: Work takes up about 50%. The remaining 50% is divided into: leisure 30% and food 20%.

Jun: Work is about 60%, music 10%, exercise 10%. The “others” category include things like food, drinks, movies, books and etc.

Nino: Because recently, I have been doing nothing else but work, work and work. Besides the days where I have record Arashi’s regular programmes, for the rest of the days, I’ll be in Kyoto filming “Ohoku”. During the bullet train ride, I sleep throughout the whole journey. And I have no interest in food either. During filming breaks, I chat with the staff.

Ohno: 3-4 days ago, I got really hyped up with my manager and I ended up buying a radio-controlled car. It’s the type where you have to assemble it yourself. But the parts are really small and intricate, I’m having difficulties with it (laughs). I made one before a long time ago, so I thought I could do it this time. But apparently that’s not the case. If I don’t do it seriously, I can’t get it done. So I shall put it aside for now, until I finish filming my drama.

A18. (a) Ninomiya/Matsumoto (b) None (c) Aiba (d) Ohno/Sakurai (e) None

Why did they choose that particular pair of glasses? Please tell us the reason!
Ohno: It’s the most flashy pair ☆
Sho: It looks really cheerful/merry ♪
Aiba: For some reason, this pair of glasses caught my attention at the first glance!
Nino: For me, well, basically anything looks good on me (laughs).
Jun: Surprisingly, it feels kind of different…

Attraction: Zoo
Guide: Aiba Masaki

"I shall introduce some strange and bizarre animals, er, no, I mean, I shall introduce four of my good friends to all of you. They are all very good-looking guys with unique personalities. Let’s observe their special features and their living conditions!"

OHNO SATOSHI
Habitat: Southern seas
Blood-type: A
Personality: Hates troublesome things, Gets obsessed easily
Likes: Ramen (Any flavor ♥), Curry (Extra spicy), Fishing magazines (He can read it for hours)
Habits: Picking his nose, playing with his fingers
Sleeping hours: 4 hours
How to communicate with him: You can talk to him about art or fishing. Basically, if you talk to him, he’ll listen to whatever you have to say!
He wants to do this everyday: Fishing (Currently banned from it because of his drama)
Special abilities: He can sleep at anywhere, at anytime

SAKURAI SHO
Habitat: In all the different prefectures of Japan
Blood-type: A
Personality: Kind of untidy/messy, Laughs at anything & everything
Likes: Soba, Music
Habits: Likes to plan things/work out details
Sleeping hours: 6 hours
How to communicate with him: Talk to him about travelling, show him photographs that you took during your holidays
He wants to do this everyday: A good breakfast. I had some toast and scrambled eggs at a golf course the other day, it was really delicious ♥
Special abilities: He perspires a lot when he eats curry

NINOMIYA KAZUNARI
Habitat: His own house
Blood-type: A
Personality: I think I’m a good & honest person
Likes: Soup de Okoge, Chocola BB, Tongari Corn. Other than food, I like to play Mario (laughs). Basically, I like games & manga.
*smacks Nino* xD
Habits: Touching his chin
Sleeping hours: 4-5 hours
How to communicate with him: Just approach him normally
He wants to do this everyday: Nothing in particular
Special abilities: Magic

AIBA MASAKI
Habitat: Chiba prefecture
Blood-type: AB
Personality: Idiot (laughs)
Likes: Manga “Ike! Inachu Takkyubu”
Habits: Eats a lot! Laughs a lot!
Sleeping hours: 5 hours
How to communicate with him: With lots of gestures and sound imitations/onomatopoeia
He wants to do this everyday: Afternoon break. It’ll be great if I can have some time to take a short nap after lunch.
Special abilities: He can talk to animals. The animals understand what he is trying to say!

MATSUMOTO JUN
Habitat: Downtown area
Blood-type: A
Personality: Always very curious
Likes: Japanese cuisine, Ramen (Any flavor will do, but if he had to choose a favourite, it would be shouyu), Music (Classical, Jazz, Any genre ♥)
Habits: Touches his nose very often.
Sleeping hours: 5-6 hours
How to communicate with him: Chat with him while drinking
He wants to do this everyday: Water, Music
Special abilities: Has a keen intuition

harappa tsu-shin: Ohno-kun~

change417 — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:42:06 GMT

Ohno had a talk with Nara Yoshitomo (a contemporary artist - wiki) on News Zero during last year's challenge week. I'm sure most of you have already watched the video... But recently, I stumbled upon Nara-san's blog (harappa tsu-shin) & he talked about Ohno in one of his entries. Here's a translation of what he said about Ohno :)

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Title: Ohno-kun~
Date posted: 2009.10.28

I had a talk with Arashi's leader, Ohno Satoshi-kun~

I guess I still have the longing to become a teacher after all, because I ended up giving him a lot of advice. Come to think of it, I did receive job offers to be a lecturer from a couple of universities, but I thought it would be too presumptuous of me to take on the job, so I declined.

What surprised me most about Ohno-kun is - although he is a very popular idol with an extremely packed work schedule, he still managed to find the time & motivation to create so many art pieces. And it also seems that there were a couple of occasions where he went to work with resin on his hands because he was making figures the day before. He looked really happy when he was talking about art. I could tell that he does not treat it (art) as work, but as something that he genuinely likes, something that he is serious about. And I ended up answering his questions seriously too. Ahh~ We had a really great conversation! I was surprised that he knew a lot about my artworks & my history as an artist!

After the filming (of News Zero), his manager drove me to the train station & Ohno-kun saw me off. I wound down the car window & said to him “If you face any difficulties while working on an art piece, feel free to call me~” I gave him my cellphone number & just a few minutes after leaving, my cellphone rang (Ohno called him). I felt youthful again. It kind of reminded me of the time when I was in Germany alone when I was 28 years old. Somehow, it felt nostalgic. Thank you.

duet 2010. 04 - Group interview

change417 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 08:20:47 GMT

Long time no see~! ^-^

Bringing the translation of duet Apr 2010! It's the group interview, with the 5 of them chatting about Troublemaker & Ohno's new drama "Kaibutsu-kun" xD I'll do the solo interviews later :p

Scans credit to sng :) And a special thanks to my 'daughter'! xD

Arashi composed the theme song for Ohno's new drama!?

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

The first single of 2010 has been released.

Sho: Ehh~ On 3rd Mar.
Jun: "Troublemaker".
Sho: It's a very fun song, right from the beginning.
Nino: It's a VERY catchy song. Anyone will get hyped up listening to it.
Aiba: Yeah, yeah. And the other day, we were practising the dance steps.
Sho: No, we didn’t [laughs]
Aiba: Fufufufu~
Jun: We did, but we couldn't remember the steps [laughs].
Aiba: We will perform it for the first time in Music Station (aired on 12/02/2010). Sho-chan’s filming was done separately (because he was in Vancouver).
Sho: Fufufu~ I'm a troublemaker by myself [laughs]. Doing that alone, you really need a lot of concentration & you have to be mentally strong...
Aiba: But the choreography this time is very fun. That is, if you can remember them.
Sho: Right, IF you can remember [laughs].
Jun: This is unsettling~
Ohno: I can remember the steps, but I forget them immediately.
Nino: Isn't that equal to not remembering?
Jun: Yeah. It means you haven’t memorise it completely yet.
Sho: So every time we dance, it's like a game, whether we can remember the dance steps or not.
Jun: And this time, we're not sure how many music programmes we'll be appearing in.
Nino: Yeah.
Sho: As long as we do it properly during the actual filming, it’s fine. Though we say we'll be performing it for the first time on Music Station, we have already performed this song in Nagoya Dome, on the last day of our concert...
Nino: At that time, the song hasn’t been released yet.
Jun: Right, right. That day happened to be the day when the first episode of ”Tokujo Kabachi” was on air. The audience probably only got to hear a small part of the song during the promotions, CMs & etc. But I’m glad they were still very hyped up when they heard the song in the concert.
Sho: "Sweet sweet" [laughs]
Jun: This proves the song is really good~
Sho: The chorus right. It's very catchy. You can remember it easily.
Nino: The "Moving now, moving now" part?
Sho: Yeah yeah. It gets stuck in your head.
Nino: [Whistling the song]
Aiba: As for "Yurase, Ima wo", I hear it on TV very often lately. Since it's the song for the Olympics.
Nino: Yeah, me too~
Sho: How about you, boss?
Ohno: It’s really a suitable song for the Olympics. It has a very sporty feel.
Jun: Did you memorise the song properly? How does it go?
Ohno: "Yurase yurase yurase" ♪ [sings]
Sho: Perfect! And this time, the single comes with the PV & making.
Jun: How is the making like?
Nino: We played shiritori (Japanese word game) when filming “My Girl”.
Sho: I saw a little bit of the making (it’s still unfinished). It's really like a making.
Jun: This time, we got hyped when Sho did the ‘swan’.

THIS! xD

Sho: And when Ohno-san was pushed away at the end of the song.

Ohno: The filming was tough.
Nino: The PV right?
Aiba: It was tough.
Nino: Using screenshots to make an animation.
Sho: We still haven't seen the complete PV yet. So I'm really curious as to how it will turn out.

Ohno-san will be appearing in a new drama in April.

Jun: Eh~?
Nino: What drama is it? Tell us.
Aiba: What is it? What is it?
Sho: "Maou Returns" [laughs]
LOLLLL. (I'd really love that!)
Aiba: Really?
Ohno: Maou is already... dead [laughs]
Nino: Ah, he is? Sorry, sorry.
Sho: Can't he be revived?
Nino: Yeah, he's a Maou (devil/demon) right?
HAHAHA. Sho & Nino are hilarious xD
Ohno: Fufufu~
Sho: So for the new drama, do we have someone else from hell?
Ohno: Yep, from hell... kaibutsu-kun (mr. monster) [laughs]
Sho: Eh~?
Nino: Really~?
Jun: So you're acting as a monster [laughs]
Sho: "Kaibutsu-kun", we've all seen it when we were young right?
Aiba: Yeah, I did.
Jun: I watched it, but I can't really remember the story.
Nino: It was always aired together with "Doraemon" movies.
Sho: Isn't it amazing that Fujiko Fujio-san's manga is being made into a live action drama?
Ohno: It is.
Nino: We really didn't expected it [laughs].
Jun: You don't seem very excited about it.
Ohno: No such thing~ The other day, I received a letter from Fujiko Fujio-san...
Jun: Really?
Sho: That's amazing.
Jun: What did it say?
Ohno: ‘I heard Ohno-kun will be acting as Kaibutsu-kun, I'm looking forward to it’, something like that.
Sho: That's really nice~
Aiba: Yeah, yeah!
Nino: Hee~ So how far can your arms stretch now? (In the manga, Kaibutsu-kun's limbs can stretch freely)
Ohno: This much? [laughs]
Nino: Ah, so you have progressed that far already? [laughs]
Ohno: Yeah, for my role.
Jun: What about filming? It's going to start soon right?
Ohno: Yeah, very soon.
Nino: So you have to change your face too (Kaibutsu-kun can change his face freely).
Jun: That's tough.
Nino: What about your hair? In the manga, he has fringe right?
Jun: He wears a cap.
Nino: You’re wearing a cap?
Aiba: A colourful one?
Ohno: Yes, a colourful one. Like "Uta no Oniisan".
Jun: It does feel that way [laughs].
Aiba: And what about taking a mould of the shape of your face? You were talking about it the other day. What's that for?
Ohno: That's when I'm in Monster Land. I took a mould of my hands too.
Aiba: Hee~
Nino: It seems really interesting! I want to watch it!
Jun: Yeah!
Sho: Everyone has high expectations for the drama & we're really looking forward to it.
Aiba: I'm really looking forward to it!
Ohno: I'm glad to hear that ♥
Aiba: Who is acting as Hiroshi-kun?
Sho: This person (Aiba) really knows a lot about Kaibutsu-kun [laughs].
Nino: How old is Kaibutsu-kun?
Jun: What does he do? Saving people?
Aiba: He's the prince of Monster Land right.
Ohno: That's right. And he wants to become the Monster King?
Nino: And he went on a journey to train for that.
Ohno: Right. He went to the human world.
Nino: And he was caught by Hiroshi.
Aiba: Hiroshi's house is connected to Monster Land.
Nino: From the fridge right. He can go to the Monster Land from the refrigerator.
Ohno: Why are you guys so knowledgeable about this? [laughs]
Jun: You guys really remember a lot. I can't remember anything...
Nino: [laughs] I'm really looking forward to it. Like, who will be acting as Franken.
Aiba: And who will be acting as Wolfman. And Dracula.
Ohno: The cast has already been decided. It's amazing & it'll be really interesting [satisfied smile].
Nino: I want to watch without knowing any other information or 'spoiler'. So please don't tell me anything before the drama starts. I won't read the magazine interviews on Kaibutsu-kun either.
*smacks Nino*
Aiba: That's right. I wonder how the story will be like.
Sho: Won't you be appearing in lots of TV magazines?
Nino: Ah, looks like I can't read magazines for a while [laughs].
Aiba: "Ka-i kai kai" ♪ [Suddenly starts singing Kaibutsu-kun’s anime theme song]
Nino: So Riida will sing this theme song.
Sho: Kaibutsu-kun starring Satoshi Ohno [laughs].
I wonder if he'll be doing a solo again~
Aiba: "Yukaitsu~ Kai kaibutsu-kun wa~" ♪ [Continues singing]
Sho: [To the tune of Kumorinochi Kaisei] "Ka-i kai kai" ♪
Sho is such a dork! So cuteeeee! xD
Aiba: It's "dan dan dan" [laughs]
Nino: You could do a collaboration [laughs].
Sho: So "Kaibutsu-kun" will be released this Spring. Together with "Troublemaker" that is already on sale. Please support us.
Jun: That's right.
Nino: Excellent!
Ohno: [satisfied smile]

+act mini Vol.7 feat. Aiba

change417 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:49:13 GMT

Super long overdue (Gomen, nu er :p) translation of +act mini Vol.7 (released on end of 2009) featuring Aiba xD He talks about his work, acting in dramas/stage plays, his childhood etc. And he also talks a lot about Miyata Keiko-san & Shimura Ken-san, the two very influential people in his life~ Quite a lengthy interview (15 pages in Microsoft word o.O), but it's worth a read =)

Scans credit to sng :)

"I do think that the most unnecessary feeling/emotion is jealousy."

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Straightforward, honest, simple, natural etc – These are some of the many words that describes Aiba Masaki’s charm. But none of them describe him perfectly, how should I put it… “Immeasurable gentleness ” - I think that is Aiba Masaki’s charm. He always reads the mood and observes the situation carefully; he looks out for the people around him and puts himself in their shoes before acting. So it feels good being around him, because he will never make you feel uncomfortable/uneasy. And it doesn’t feel like he’s just patronizing you either. It’s amazing how he does that. In this interview, he said, “The most unnecessary feeling is jealousy”. And I thought these words represent Aiba Masaki very well. He doesn’t compare himself with other people and he doesn’t want to compete with anyone. What’s most important to him is that he is “Arashi’s Aiba Masaki” and he knows that if he thinks in this way, things will be much simpler. This rare disposition and ability is Aiba Masaki’s ‘power’. To maintain this ‘power’ at a constant level is definitely not an easy task. You need tremendous amount of perseverance and determination to be able to do that… That is why I think Aiba’s “gentleness” is something precious; that is why he is liked by people; and that is why he is everyone’s “Aiba-chan”. So as the interviewer, I will put up not any pretence as well. I’ll express my thoughts and feelings honestly. I have been looking forward to this interview - “Once again, I’d like to know more about Aiba Masaki” - I put my thoughts about this in a 13,000 words long interview.

- The readers have been eagerly anticipating this issue of +act mini with Aiba Masaki on the cover. Aiba Special! They are really looking forward to it… The other 4 Arashi members have appeared in ‘+act’ and ‘+act mini’ previously and now it’s Aiba Masaki’s turn. Of course we’ll talk about your lead role drama “My Girl”… But I hope Aiba-san will also talk about some of things that you rarely talk about.

Okay (laughs).

- Amongst the many different types of work you do, I’d like to ask you what you think about acting.

Sure, let’s do it!

- Thank you! First of all… Aiba-kun, do you like acting?

Do I like acting…? Hmm, let’s see.

- Do you think acting is difficult or is it something you don’t particularly like…

No, nothing of that sort...

- I have seen you act on various occasions and my impression is that you think hard about your role and you take on acting in a straightforward manner. But… You don’t really talk much about the hard work you put in and you don’t really talk about yourself either.

Yeah…

- Like your own thoughts, how you approach your role, what you think about acting… you don’t really talk about these things.

Yeah… That’s true. How should I put it? I do like acting. Well… I don’t really know how to explain what I like about it. Because there is more than one answer. So yeah, I don’t really talk about it.

- Speaking of which, do you remember the first time you act?

In the stage play “Stand by me”.

- That’s right. How was it like? Your first time acting.

How… Well, I didn’t really think much at that time (laughs). I just memorised the script & recite my lines…

- Was it very tough for you at that time?

Tough huh… Not really, it was more like: is this really okay? I didn’t know how to act and I didn’t know what is right or wrong. Since it was the first time I act, I had nothing to compare with…

- After that, you have been acting regularly, every year.

Yeah. But… meeting with Miyata-san (Director, Miyata Keiko-san) was something big/significant for me.

- For the stage play “Tsubame no Iru Eki” (Sept 2005)?

Right. It was around that time… She was very strict with me, with my acting. It was around that time that my way of thinking changed.

- I see… So looking back upon your acting up till then (before meeting Miyata-san), it’s kind of...

Yeah… I guess I was too naïve/immature then.

- I see. Up till that point in time, you have worked on “Mukoudono”, “Shonen Taiya”, “PIKANCHI LIFE IS HARD dakedo HAPPY”, “Kaigo Kazoku”, “Engimono”, “PIKANCHI LIFE IS HARD dakara HAPPY” and… “Tsubame” (Tsubame no Iru Eki). So in all these works, you were more of still in the stage of exploring, trying to find out what acting is. Is that right?

Yeah… That’s… right.

- You said meeting with Miyata-san has changed you. How so?

I learnt that there are many different ways to do things.

- Seems like “Tsubame” has made an impact on you and on the way you act.

Yeah. But I was really scared at first (laughs). Well, maybe not really scared, but it was very tough. But thanks to this encounter, my way of thinking has changed. But it’s hard to explain how it has changed…

- You just feel that it has changed.

Yeah. I thought it’s about time for me to learn some acting skills/techniques. I worked with Miyata-san 3 times but she doesn’t really talk about the… technical part. She always says “It’s fine, it’s fine”.

- Maybe it’s because you have already understood what you’re supposed to do.

So… How should I put it? But somehow, I feel like she’s saying “You don’t need it at all”… You don’t need techniques.

- That’s true. You can’t act with just techniques alone…

Yeah… But as an actor… I think having the skills/techniques would make it easier for me to get into the role/get the right expressions. So that, you know, I will feel more secure and less fearful when I’m acting. But I also think it’s good to have some amount of insecurity or “fear”.

- Maybe she thinks that it isn’t time for you to depend on techniques to act.

Maybe… Yeah, that may be true.

- So… you worked with Miyata-san in 3 stage plays (“Tsubame”, “Wasurerarenai hito” in 2007, “Greenfingers” in 2009). I know you two have established a strong relationship, but I didn’t know that she is such an influential person to you.

Because I don’t really… talk about it.

- But it’s a very good story. Acting in a stage play is tough huh, since you have to do it live.

Yeah… that’s true. But… I like doing stage plays. Though it does get really tough and difficult sometimes.

- Erm… This may sound like a belated comment, but when I saw you in “Tsubame”, I thought you made a breakthrough.

Really? That story… I really like it a lot.

- In all 3 stage plays, there were crying scenes. The way you let your feelings out & cry left a deep impression on me.

…I don’t really… like crying scenes.

- Is that so?

Yeah.

- Why is that?

I don’t know… If you don’t keep an objective point of view, you won’t be able to control your emotions. And if you do that, you’re just satisfying your own ideals. I got scolded by Miyata-san once. It was during a crying scene. She said “You couldn’t control your emotions” & I said “I can’t…” In “My Girl” too, I had to cry in the first episode. That was… So I have been very careful since then.

- I see… A certain actress once said “No matter what kind of strong emotions I have to express, I have to maintain an objective point of view”…

Yeah yeah… That’s right.

- I’m sure that’s what she (Miyata-san) meant.

Yeah. That’s why I got scolded (laughs). At the beginning… in “Tsubame”. That’s why I don’t like it (crying scenes). Because I can’t keep an objective point of view… sometimes.

- I see… Your encounter with Miyata-san is really significant.

Yes. She is an amazing person… Of course, she is “the director - Miyata Keiko ”, but when we’re not working, she is just “Miyata Keiko-san”. And Miyata Keiko-san… How should I put it? She really looks out for me…

- She guides you along.

That and… She is really different when we’re not working together. Recently, she probably heard that I was busy with my drama… She contacted me. But I couldn’t find time to reply her. And I think she got worried… She actually came to the studio to visit me. With gifts. She wasn’t directing the show or anything yet she came over. “This is not my show & there is another director doing the work, so I will not say anything about it”… She just came to visit me & brought me some gifts…

- Wow… That’s very nice of her.

Yeah… She does this sort of things. She doesn’t just guide you in acting, but she looks out for you in other areas too. She is like my “Tokyo Mom”…

- She really understands you.

Yeah… She has helped me a lot & I’m really really grateful for that…

- Being able to have such a close relationship with a director, that’s rare.

But… For me, I think either way is fine. A director who only thinks about his/her work is good too. How should I put it…? For the sake of ensuring that the show turns out good, I think it’s okay even if the director is a little fiercer or stricter. I think this kind of working relationship is fine too. But… it’s just that for Miyata-san, the working relationship is different. When I first met her in “Tsubame”. I don’t know… But I think there are different ways of interacting with people. Like in a drama, it’s different. There is no one month rehearsal like in a stage play and you film different scenes at different locations.

- And most of the time, you start off with “Nice to meet you!” (i.e. in a drama, you mostly work with people whom you have not met before)

Right. In some aspects, dramas are totally different from stage plays.

- Are both stage plays and dramas interesting to you?

Hmm… Let’s see. It’s not just acting, I have done many different things in these 10 years. So… In variety programmes, I was given the chance to host my own corner and when I’m doing it… I’ll tell myself “My character for today is this” or “This is how I should act like today”. And when I’m talking to the common people (as in non-artistes/celebrities), I’ll think about how should I portray myself? So, in this sense, I’m creating a character, I’m “acting”. People say I could just do it naturally… But I don’t think that would be very interesting. Though it’s not really acting per se, but I’m showing a different me, I’m adding different character elements to myself. Yeah, so in that sense, it (doing variety shows) is similar to acting.

- Talking about variety shows… Around the time when you were acting in “Tsubame”, you started doing “Shimura Dobutsuen”.

Yes yes.

- And from what you have just said, I’m guessing you learnt a lot in the show…

Yeah, that’s right... I learnt a lot from Shimura-san.

- Shimura-san has a lot characters (referring to the characters in his comedy skits) too.

Yeah! I think Shimura-san is really good in acting. He can do anything. Well.... He is good in sports too.

- Eh… Sports?

I was surprised. His stamina… He is good in golf too.

- He has lots of energy & vitality.

Yes yes. I… There is something that I hope Shimura-san can teach me.

- What is it?

Erm… I want ask him how to go about acting drunk, how a drunkard moves etc. Because I can’t learn that when I’m really drunk (laughs). But Shimura-san knows how to do it. And that’s why he can do the “drunken old man” act. It has got to do with intensity too. Because if you go overboard and act too drunk, it won’t work… I had to do such a scene… acting drunk (in “My Girl”). When I know I had to do that scene, I really wanted to ask him to teach me.

- In this sense, acting techniques are important.

Yeah. I wanted to ask him to teach me… But nowadays… I don’t really get to see him.

- That’s right…. Just now, you said “I’m dying” (laughs). Concert, drama, regular variety shows plus location shooting… You’re really busy nowadays.

Yeah… I’m almost dead (laughs). The other day, in the “Dobutsu” special, I thought I could finally meet Shimura-san, but I was asked to go for location shooting instead (laughs).

- You went on a location shooting alone?

With Yamase (Mami)-san. We were filming the entire day… And I thought: Ah, so I can’t meet Shimura-san today (laughs).
Aww~ But he did finally managed to learn from Shimura-san in Arashi ni Shiyagare :)

- So you didn’t get him to teach you in the end… What a pity (laughs).

But… I like that family. Yamase-san and Shimura-san…

- You guys have a really close relationship. I can tell just by looking.

Yeah… And Becky etc.

- Everyone is part of the ‘team’.

When you work together for 5 years… you establish a kind of relationship… And my relationship with Arashi too. The Aiba in Arashi is different from the Aiba outside Arashi. It’s not like I do it on purpose, but when my surroundings change, I’ll adjust automatically. But basically, I want to be “Arashi’s Aiba Masaki”. When I introduce myself, it’s not “Aiba Masaki of Arashi” but it’s “Arashi’s Aiba Masaki”… Yeah. That’s my core… Because of that, I can do what I do now.

- You have been getting a lot of jobs recently. It’s amazing you can think of it this way…

Surprisingly huh? (laughs)

- No, not that (laughs). It’s like… You act like you can’t read the mood, but you’re actually very good at it.

But that… In my heart, I think that’s how I want people to see me.

- That may be true.

How should I put it? I don’t mind being an idiot. Being an idiot is fine (laughs).

- Idiot… (laughs).

Yeah. When people call me an idiot, I don’t particularly hate it or anything. Though I’ll retaliate & say “Hey!”, but I don’t hate it at all (laughs).

- I see (laughs). So Miyata-san & Shimura-san has made a big impact on your life. Are there any other directors, actors…

That… There are many~ Like this year, Hira (Mikijirou)-san (From “Greenfingers”)… I think he’s really amazing.

- I see…

How should I put it… I don’t know (laughs). Even if you ask me what is amazing about him, I don’t know! During the stage play, many people asked me “What is amazing about Hira-san?” I don’t know even if you ask me (laughs). Though I don’t know how to put it into words, he’s amazing.

- But you do know the fact that he is amazing!

Yeah (laughs). It’s a kind of feeling. But it’s difficult to explain why I feel that way... But I really treasure the time we spent working together.

- Do you look back upon the past?

Me? Not really. When I think it’s time, like if I think it’s time to quit, I might reminisce the past everyday. For me, reminiscing the past and going “Ah~ Those were good times” is something you do when you are about to quit. So before I have such intentions, I don’t really look back…… But recently (because it’s Arashi’s 10th anniversary), we're often asked to look back upon the past 10 years. For instance, in interviews, we always get questions like: “Looking back upon these 10 years, what were 3 most important events?” (laughs). I’ll do it when I’m asked to…

- You guys did a lot of that this year.

That’s right. If I didn’t get a chance like this, I probably won’t look back, even if it’s the 10th year anniversary... Not that I dislike it or anything, just that I don’t usually do it on my own free will.

- Aiba-kun, can I ask you a question? Just answer it as best as you can…

Okay. We have been talking about a lot of things which I have not talked about before (laughs).

- Yes… I’m really grateful for that (laughs). But I want to ask you more… You said after you met Miyata-san, the way you act has changed. So I want to ask you about how you handle acting now.

Okay.

- Firstly. You receive a script when you act right?

Yes yes.

- How do you read your script?

After I get the script… Hmm~ You mean when I read it for the first time? Or like around the 5th episode? (laughs)

- No… The first episode (laughs). The first step you take.

…I wonder. I don’t really think about anything when I read the scripts.

- So you read it to get a gist of the story.

Yeah. I read the whole story, then I look at my own lines… It’s pretty normal I guess.

- Do you do any image training? Or do anything to get into your role…

Hmm~ This time I didn’t do anything much.

- Do you have an image that you want to work towards to…?

That I have. Like in my head… I’ll try to picture myself, “It’s like this”.

- So when you’re reading your script, do you imagine how your character laughs, how your character talks?

Yeah, I do.

- So you try it out on the set.

Yeah. But I’ll make adjustments when I’m on the set, like “I should be a little more or a little less...” And when you’re acting with the other actors, the image may change too… Let’s see, at the set… I always listen to what other people are talking about (laughs). That’s about it… I often listen to other people’s lines. While doing that, I remember my own lines, how I should react etc… So I make an effort to listen to their lines. As for the technical aspects, I don’t know… I give up (laughs). I don’t know… It’s tough.

- So when the image that you have of your character changes when you’re on the set, can you switch immediately?

Yeah. That happens quite a lot.

- When you’re reading the script, trying to visualise your character, is that interesting for you? Or is it troublesome? (laughs).

Well… I don’t think it’s troublesome, but interesting…? I wonder… The script comes one after another, but… I haven’t really read them all yet.

- You prefer to do it this way?

The script is up till about episode 6 now… But I haven’t read the script for episode 5 yet. I’m filming episode 3-4 now. I know I better start reading soon but… That’s why I think my manager knows the script better than me (laughs).

- Is it because you don’t want to know what happens next, you don’t want to do ‘backwards acting’? From what you’ve said, it seems to me that you want to concentrate on acting ‘now’.

Yeah, I guess so…

- You don’t want to read your script lightly.

I guess so. I can’t read if I’m not prepared.

- So that’s why you can’t get on to reading. You need to prepare yourself, like “Okay, let’s read!” (laughs)

I do say that… “Okay, let’s read!” (laughs)

- On another occasion, when talking about “My Girl”, you said “I’m grateful that I get to do many different kinds of jobs now (dramas, stage plays, variety shows, CMs etc.). But even when I’m busy, I still want to keep doing what I usually do (Arashi shows), I’d hate losing that…” Were you referring to yourself as Arashi’s Aiba Masaki?

Yes… That’s right. Though I have opportunities to do more things now, but I want to keep doing the things that I have been doing all along. For instance, location shooting for variety shows. I want to do them myself. Location shooting is something you can’t do if you don’t have time… But I’ll say “Please put it in my schedule”…

- Because it’s what you have been doing all along.

Yeah, so I want to go. The other party will say “Since you’re busy, I’ll…”, but I’ll say “I want to go!” ……I’ll say that.

- Aiba Masaki-san, you’re really… I’m sorry I can’t find a better word, but you’re a really “good-tempered” person. You are honest & you work harder than everyone else… And I don’t feel any form of dissatisfaction from you, that’s amazing. That… For instance, Sho-kun said it in a jokingly manner that it’s because of his “parent’s teachings”. As for Aiba-chan, is it because of your upbringing?

I wonder…

- How were you like when you were a child?

When I was a child?

- Yes.

But… When I was a kid, I got lost very often.

- Lost!?

Yeah. Like in the department stores. I was always at the child-care area or something (laughs). I remember that very clearly.

- Were you scared or lonely? Or were you relatively calm?

It was like “Ah, I got separated…” (laughs).

- Ah~ So you weren’t scared.

I got separated… But I was excited & I kind of enjoyed it.

- Enjoyed it… That’s amazing (laughs).

Somehow, it’s like you’ve ventured into an unknown world, like an adventure, so it’s kind of fun! I remember these experiences very clearly. I’ll be like “Where is the toy store?” And when I can’t stand it anymore, I’ll just go up to a shop assistant and say “Excuse me, I’m a lost child” (laughs). And then I’ll be taken to the child-care area/lost kids station.
“Excuse me, I’m a lost child” -> Hahaha. Oh, Aiba is so cute~

- You report yourself as a lost child (laughs). I thought getting lost would be scary & traumatic for a child, but it wasn’t like that for you.

When I’m overseas… I go overseas pretty often for “Dobutsu” location shooting. It was fun. I would sit beside total strangers & we would have drinks together… I’m perfectly fine with that (laughs).

- Seems like you like trying out new things.

Yeah, I feel excited & I think it’s fun. Since it’s overseas, I can’t speak their language at all, and I’ll just go “Ok, ok!” all the time… (laughs).

- I see… So that’s what makes Aiba Masaki.

Somehow… I have been like this since young. Maybe it’s because I don’t have much bitter experiences/painful memories (laughs).

- Even if you did, you might not have thought it’s ‘bitter’ (laughs).

Ah… (laughs). But really… I have been surrounded by many good people.

- You aren’t afraid of new things. That is not going to change.

Yeah, it won’t… Somehow, new things make me feel excited & happy.

- Were there times when you’re really scared? Arashi-san has done some really extreme stuff (laughs).

Right, right (laughs).

- Experiments like “Can humans fly on a kite?”… That’s outrageous! (laughs) You enjoy doing that too?

I always think… it’ll turn out fine.

- That’s impressive.

And… Even if an accident happens… I won’t hate anyone or blame anyone for it…

- Really…!?

Yeah. No regrets! (laughs)

- You’re really… “good-tempered” is a very fitting description for you. It’s easy to work with you. Do people tell you that often?

Hmm… Really?

- Though you said you’re surrounded by good people, but I think it’s because you attract good people to you.

Hmm~

- Though you might not be conscious of it, but you’re really good tempered…

I am?

- Yes, I think so. It was written in the “Pikanchi” photobook - Even though you were already very tired, you still said “I’m fine. Listen to me! The location shooting was very fun.” …I was really touched. I thought: this person will never make another person unhappy.

Is that so…? I don’t notice that. But… I do think that the most unnecessary feeling/emotion is “jealousy”.
This is probably my favourite part of the interview, where he is talking about jealousy/envy. It really make sense~

- Impressive… When did you start thinking like that?

Hmm, I don’t know. But it’s the most unnecessary feeling.

- Jealousy is a source of motivation for some people…

It doesn’t motivate me at all.

- What is Aiba-chan’s motivation then? The heart-pounding excitement, the fun?

Yeah. I’m don’t really understand… But so long we have food to eat, we can live, that’s good enough right. But people keep wanting more and more… How should I put it? I do want to enjoy life.

- Yes yes.

But in the end, we’ll all die. Wasting time being jealous of somebody… That’s really unnecessary. To me.

- You don’t want to waste your time like that.

Yeah. It’s a waste of time & it might destroy relationships too. I don’t like that. I’m fine being me…

- Did you… have any bad memories related to jealousy?

When I was a student…

- Because you had a bad experience, so you thought: I don’t want to be jealous anymore…

Yeah. When I was young… I’m still very young now! (laughs)

- If the world is made up of people like Aiba-chan, then there would be no wars.

If the world is made up of the same person, of course there would be no wars (laughs).

- That’s true… (laughs). Previously, when we were talking about wars, we said “How about we do away with wars & just get the leaders involved to fight it out in a boxing ring!”

Yes yes. We just said that so lightly. Or how about rock-paper-scissors? You can get the outcome immediately (laughs).

- And we said if our leaders were to fight it out in a boxing ring, they’ll all become very macho.

We’ll have a very macho prime minister (laughs). And if you aren’t macho, you can’t become the prime minster… our values and mindset will really change huh (laughs).

- But I think Aiba Masaki is someone who is capable of changing people. With your honesty and uprightness.

It’s not that I take people’s lives lightly or anything…

- Yes, I understand. Everything in the world is too pretentious. It’s better to be simple.

Yes! It’s better to be simple. I want to be simple.

- Well, well. I got to hear really interesting things from you. Thank you. Let’s talk a bit about the drama now…

“My Girl” is simple too. It has a very simple storyline.

- Ah… You connected our conversations really well (laughs). But that’s true. It’s a simple story about how Koharu-chan & Masamune-kun get along as father and daughter.

Yeah, it’s really… straight forward. The role that I’m playing now, Masamune-kun is a simple character too… So I like it.

- You like acting as Masamune?

Yeah. I like Masamune-kun. In this complicated world, it is in times like this that you need things to be simple. I hope people will watch it this way.

- When you were reading Murakami (Shingo)-kun’s script, you said it was a good script. And you also said something very interesting – “I think men and women have different ways of thinking about things”

Right… I think it’s different.

- To be able to say that and feel that way, I think Aiba-chan is a very sensitive guy.

Because… Guys are guys after all. The way they see/feel things is different from girls. That’s what I thought when I read Hina-chan’s (Murakami) part. Really… it’s different.

- When you were reading the script, were that any scenes that touched you?

There were…

- Between episode 1 to 3, which were the scenes that left an impression on you?

Hmm~ It depends. The first two episodes were more on Koharu-chan. In the third episode, there was some interaction with my mom. Masamune’s mom (Muroi Shigeru-san) said “Not being able to take care of your own child…”, “Why did you take the child in!”… I understand both views. Though I understand, but I am put in a very difficult position. But she is saying all these because she’s my mom. We’re mother and son. Though her words may be too harsh, but she’s right... That kind of interaction between a mother and son touches me. And Masamune-kun has no choice but to become a parent/father… It has elements of human nature in it.

- Did your views change?

Somehow, it’s not something tangible or concrete… But I think family is really important. Because they are the ones who will be with you till the very end, no matter what happens. And they are ones who will scold you when you make a mistake…

- It’s your first time acting as a father. Isn’t it hard? Since you don’t have a child.

Yeah. That’s true…

- So I’m really interested in seeing how this father-daughter relationship turns out. Will Masamune-kun and Koharu-chan be all right?

I don’t know… I don’t know what a proper father-daughter relationship is like. But so long both of them are happy, I think that’s good enough. Even though it may not be something in the material sense. Really… Koharu-chan’s lines really touched me. Though it’s sad, but it’s a very heart-warming drama. Please watch it.

Weekly the TV 2009.10.24-30

change417 — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:02:41 GMT

Wah, my translations are so irregular nowadays~ Sorry about that^^ Haha. But I'm finally clearing the cobwebs on my lj because my 'daughter' requested this fun/cute interview :p From Weekly the Television 2009.10.24-30, Arashi’s secret behind-the-scenes talk! Compilation of interesting unpublished bits from past interviews xD

Scans credit to sng :)

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

2002 was the magazine’s 20th anniversary & Ohno suggested this - “When we’re taking pictures for the cover page later, let’s bite the lemon & do a sour expression”. (Note: Artistes who appear on the cover page of this magazine always hold a lemon) In the 12/08/2009 issue, this topic was brought up.

Sho: Doing a sour expression for the cover [laughs]
Aiba: Wahahaha.
Jun: We’re just fine the way it is! Don’t need to do that!
Nino: Hmm~ Let’s have Ohno-san do it by himself! We’ll just hold the lemon & do it the normal way.
Ohno: Okay, no problem at all!
Sho: Well then, let’s do it right now.
Ohno: [speaking softly] I don’t want to do it after all [cries]
[Everyone burst out laughing]
Jun: Ohno-san should be the ‘comedy leader’.
Nino: That doesn’t change [laughs]

In last year’s “24-hour TV” special issue (released on 27/08/2008), Arashi was asked about “Sarai”, the touching song that everyone sang at the end of the show.

Reporter: Did you practise singing “Sarai”?
Jun: We sang “Sarai” yesterday!
Nino: At five in the morning [laughs]
Sho: We had a staff meeting yesterday & when we finished, it was about 5 o’clock in the morning. So it was like “That’s all for today!” and then we began singing “Sakura fubuki no~♪” Yesterday’s meeting ended in a very touching manner [laughs]
Aiba: It was very touching!
Ohno: We sang that song~!

They sang “Sarai” at the end of a staff meeting right before the start of “24-hour TV”. And because of their practice, we got to hear a wonder performance of the song during the show [laughs]

In “The Arashi Vision” special, Arashi was reflecting on 2004’s “24-hour TV” & they talked about Aiba who cried while reading the letter…

Nino: I didn’t really cry.
Jun: Yeah. I wasn’t that touched anyway.
Sho: Hey! [laughs]
Jun: I just thought it would be more touching if I cried [laughs]
Aiba: You planned it!?
Nino: Yeah, like maybe I should cry a little here?

Of course, MatsuJun was joking to hide his embarrassment. Nino’s quick follow-up was great too!

And this next one is my favourite XD

In the “Beauty Special” (published on 05/11/2008), Arashi was talking about skin care products during the interview & Aiba said something shocking!?

Reporter: Do you guys take special care of your skin?
Nino: If we do, then we wouldn’t have had so much fun playing with these skin care products.
Aiba: Yeah, we would have been like “I know that already”.
Jun: Do girls have all these stuff?
Sho: But when we were trying them out just now, it actually feels quite good. But I usually don’t do anything for my skin either. How about you, Aiba-san?
Aiba: [speaking softly] Just some facial lotion I guess.
Ohno: Urine!? (LOLLL. He misheard Aiba. Facial lotion=keshousui & Urine=oshousui)
Jun: You apply it on your face?
Ohno: What kind of skin care method is that?
Sho: When did you start using it?
Aiba: I said I didn’t!!
HAHAHAHA.

In the “Beauty Special”, Arashi was talking about the ratings for Nino’s lead drama “Ryusei no Kizuna” (TBS)!

Jun: It was amazing. Getting that kind of ratings!
Sho: I thought it was about 60%.
Nino: Me too. I thought it definitely higher than 68%.
Jun: I heard it even went up 84%! But after that, it was around 5% [laughs]
Nino: Yeah. What a pity. Well, that is that [bitter laugh]

In the 01/07/2009 issue, Arashi talked about the filming of “Everything” PV.

Ohno: It’s the first time we sang while standing in a circle.
Nino: It was really embarrassing & we didn’t dare to look at each other’s eyes at all [laughs]
Sho: But I thought Arashi was really cool & good-looking [laughs]
Aiba: Ahahaha.
Jun: You really thought so?
Sho: I didn’t really feel that embarrassed, but I really felt that “Ah, everyone is really cool & good-looking”.
Nino: Thank you~ [bitter laugh]

The interview for the article published in the 01/07/2009 issue took place on Nino’s 26th birthday.

Everyone: Happy Birthday~
Nino: Thank you very much!
Aiba: 26 years old. Let’s work hard to make this a great year!
Sho: Not you! (As in you aren’t supposed to be the one giving the speech)
Jun: Though I’ve already said it my text message, but all the best for your stage play!
Nino: Yeah, I received text messages from everyone. At the very moment the clock strike 12!
Aiba: We went shopping the day before, so I was with him until it was almost the 17th. And after shopping, I texted him immediately [laughs]
Nino: Yeah, so that’s why Aiba-san was the first to wish me happy birthday this year ♪
Sho: Wow, that’s rare!

From “The Arashi Vision” in the previous issue. When Arashi just debuted, MatsuJun said that he was an “Ohno fan”…

Jun: I don’t like him at all now.
Ohno: Hey.
Sho: That’s the only thing that has changed during these 10 years.
Nino: [While comforting Ohno] Things have changed after 10 years.
Jun: I have finally come to my senses!
Ohno: What a pity…
Sho: So you prefer Hey! Say! JUMP! Yamada Ryosuke-kun or something?
Jun: If I had to choose, I would say Nakayama Yuuma-kun [laughs]
Nino: w/B.I. Shadow [laughs]

MORE 2010.01 feat. Aiba

change417 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:16:53 GMT

Long time no see! Wow, I didn't realise it's been almost 2 months since the last time I posted a translation O.o Haha. Well, here's my 'coming back' translation - MORE Jan 2010 feat. Aiba!! Requested by my 'daughter' xD The post consists of 2 parts: Scanlation of the captions + Translation of the interview :)

Scans credit to sng :)

Imagine you're living with Aiba... ♥♥♥

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Scanlation done by snoew =)

If she wants the curtains to be pink, then we need to hold a meeting to discuss about it [laughs].

The two of you are living together, it's a lovely morning & you don't have to work today. Aiba-kun acted out many different scenarios for us. We were able to see his gentle & warm-loving side.

- This time, you were told to imagine that you're living together with your girlfriend for the photoshoot. How was it?
It was fun! It's like when you just moved in with your lover, for say only a month, and everything feels very new to you [laughs].

- If you were to live with someone, what type of housing would you prefer?
I suppose an apartment of the same size as when I'm living alone should be sufficient. A one-room apartment, a slightly bigger one of course, is fine too.

- In "My Girl", you & Koharu-chan stayed in very nice apartment.
That apartment is awesome. The design is very modern & the rent is cheap. Well, that was the setting of the story [laughs].

- If your girlfriend says she wants the whole room to be pink, what would you do?
Eh!? That depends on how pink it is~ If it's just the cushion or some small items, that's fine. But if she wants the curtains to be pink, then I think we need to hold a meeting to discuss about it [laughs].

"Tadaima" & "Okaeri" - I think this is the best thing about living together.
Common everyday greetings used by Japanese when they come home. The person who comes home would say "Tadaima (I'm home)". Family members at home would respond to the greeting with "Okaeri (Welcome back)".

- When living together, is there any 'rule' that she must obey?
I think it's alright even if we don't decide on the rules, no need to be too concerned over little things. So long we're a little more considerate towards each other, things will work out fine. Let's say for housework, whoever is free can just do it.

- Is it okay if your girlfriend has no make-up on & has messy bed hair in the morning?
No problem at all. If she is already all dressed-up & has her make-up on, I'll be surprised. Like, what time did you wake up!? [laughs]

- If she is working about in the kitchen, would you prefer to watch her from the front or from the back?
Either way is fine [laughs]. But if I'm the one doing the work in the kitchen, I would prefer an open kitchen, so that I can cook and watch television at the same time.

- Do you like using matching cups, cutlery, utensils etc?
Yes. We could buy them together when we go on holidays. Though it may not look very nice or anything [laughs], but it comes with good memories memories, like: "Hey, remember we bought this when we went to..."

- Lastly, what is the best thing about living together?
When you say "Tadaima" & come home to a house where the lights are already on. And when someone welcomes you back with an "Okaeri".

Wink Up 2009.11: Individual Scene Vol.5 (Aiba)

change417 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:12:18 GMT

By ~~demand~~ request from my 'daughters' & the other An-chan XD Here's the translation of Aiba's solo interview from Wink Up 2009.11! =)) This is the last of the WU solo interview series~

Scans credit to oomontyoo :)

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

I wondering what kind of theme would be suitable for this photoshoot… I looked at the other members’ photoshoot & I really thought hard about it, since I’m the last one. And because I’m the last one, I thought I have the privilege to do something totally different. The sea, park and children… [laughs] The other 4 had really natural/simple photoshoots, so I suggested something more colourful for mine. Strangely, the location of the photoshoot is at my hometown, I was surprised [laughs]. And it’s at the place I used to visit very often when I was a child. Since we’re coming to this location for the photoshoot, I thought it would be good if I can get staff whom I have never worked with before. Though people who have worked with me before/know me well might be able to show the different sides of me better, but I thought staff that are new to me could do something totally different, something new. I thought that would be good.

15th Sept, the day Arashi was formed. We celebrated that day together. We opened a bottle of Dom Pérignon. In the rehearsal room [laughs]. There was no filming, no cameras or anything… Ah, I did take some blurry pictures with my cellphone though [laughs]. And the 1999 Dom Pérignon! We received it from a VS Arashi staff. We celebrated by drinking wine. It was almost 12 midnight, really dangerous (the day was almost over & they nearly missed the chance to celebrate it) [laughs]. How was the Dom Pérignon? I don’t drink wine that often, so I don’t really know… The wine had a rough, puckery taste? We were saying things like: “1999 was a rough year eh?” & “It has been 10 years?” when we were opening the bottle of Dom Pérignon [laughs]. Really… It has been 10 years & we’re right in the middle of celebrating our anniversary right now. These 10 years… has been really great. I think so every single day. Especially when we’re doing concerts. Of course we can’t just reminisce about that alone, we have done a lot of other things too. But I don’t really have big dreams… How should I put it… I’m not that type of person [laughs]. I just do whatever is in front of me, one by one. And this isn’t going to change in the future either.

What have I gained or lost in these 10 years? Wah… I wonder what is it. Perhaps… I guess we threw away our pride [laughs]. Maybe not ‘throw away’, but how should I put it… We’re artistes after all. It’s difficult… Pride is important but there are also times when we think it’s something worthless/trivial. We’ll just go “Let’s do it”. Well… We really struggled a lot/put in a lot of effort [laughs]. Though we don’t show it, but we really struggled a lot. Even till now. And as for what I’ve gained, I think it’s relationships with people. We got do various kinds of jobs… And we learnt a lot from the people around us. We learn a lot from our juniors, seniors & even people from other companies… I got to know a lot of new people since our debut & they have really taught me many things. I’m very grateful for them. I want to continue to keep learning & hold on to this forward-looking attitude. Because if I lose it, then it’s probably time that I quit this job… It’s not a job where you can do out of habit… I don’t really think of it as a job either. Because everything we do is related to our work & it’s not just about making money….

We have experienced a lot of things & come to achieve what we have today. So for Arashi’s 11th year, let’s see… I want things to be just as it is. Change is good, if it’s in the right direction. But I want the things which are important to us to stay the same.

Pride... Sometimes my heart aches, seeing them do all those ridiculous & embarrassing segments^^;;; I think they're amazing for being able to do all that XDD Aiba is such a sweet guy~ "I want things to be just as it is" → ♥! And his idea of doing the photoshoot with entirely new staff is really good! :D

Bonus :p Cuz this issue's Wink Up message board is too cute! XDD

From Nino to Riida
(Note: Last month, Ohno said he watched Nino's stage play. He was very hyped up & he almost wanted to go on stage. Nino's reply to this is...)

You should have come on stage. I thought that Riida would come on stage, so I was waiting for you the whole time. But you didn't come on stage, I was disappointed/sad. I waited for you... I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed.
LOL. Nino is like whining to Ohno XD

From Toma to Arashi
Happy 10th anniversary. The concert was very enjoyable. Please stop mentioning that I went the concert 2 hours before it started on the days that I'm not at the concert [laughs].

From Toma to Maou
[Looking at last month's Wink Up cover page] This, you totally look like a fisherman! [laughs] And you got darker again [laughs].
I love how Toma still calls him Maou even after one year ♥

Cut 2008.08 (Ohno)

change417 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:04:46 GMT

Translation of Cut 2008.08 feat. Ohno! Yes, the one with the gorgeous shoot ♥ *points below* This was a request from a friend as she mentioned that this interview hasn't been translated yet. But that was like a LONG time ago (I'm sorry I delayed this translation for so long ;__;), so I don't know if it has been translated since then^^; But I went ahead with it since I promised I would do it :p And my "daughter" also said she wants to read this anyway XDD Lol. It's a pretty long interview btw^^

Scans credit to Supia :)

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Erm, before you go on reading, let me say this... This interview was quite difficult to understand at times, so pardon me if some parts of my translation sounds strange^^;;; I tried my best to translate, but this one is probably not as accurate as my usual translations :p

Though I have complicated feelings that I’m getting so much attention, but I’ll just continue to do my best.

The reporter's comment on Ohno:

I cannot forget the impact that was left on me when I first watched his stage play. His movements were so agile, as if he was in a weightless environment; his elocution was controlled & well-paced; and his facial expressions conveyed his feelings & emotions to the audience very well…… It was so different from the usual relaxed/calming aura that he gives off, so I was shocked by the gap in his character. I was fascinated & charmed by his amazing acting skills & physical faculties. I think people who have seen him act, sing & dance or have come across his paintings & figures, something which he does as a hobby, would understand this – Ohno Satoshi is not only good at everything he does, he is capable of charming us with everything he does, a born performer.

This February, he held his first art exhibition entitled “FREESTYLE” & it was a great success. And now, he is filming his first lead drama, Maou…… Up till now, people weren’t really aware about his talents, but now, this veil is gradually being lifted. On top of that, all the people who have come into contact with him are surprised by his character – His persistence in seeking his own style & doing things in his own way; how he is not trapped by prejudice; and his neutrality whereby he never excludes anyone. He is in such a competitive industry, yet he only sees himself as a rival. This disposition of his is pretty original.

In the drama “Maou”, Ohno plays the role of a lawyer named Naruse Ryo, a vengeful devil who wants to avenge his brother’s death. Maou is the remake of a Korean drama. It’s a drama riddled with mysteries & suspense and it illustrates the conflicting emotions experienced by humans. Everything in the drama foreshadows what is going to happen in the end, allowing the viewers to have a cathartic* experience. So in this sense, it is quite an ambitious piece of work. This interview was conducted before the filming of the drama was finished, so there are many parts where he still seemed to be groping for his way. But we get to hear him talk about his thoughts, what goes through his head & how he felt when he was acting as Ryo.

*Catharsis: The term in drama refers to a sudden emotional climax that evokes overwhelming feelings of great sorrow, pity, laughter or any other extreme change in emotion, resulting in restoration, renewal and revitalization in members of the audience.

My impression of Ryo is that he is a guy behind a mask.

Ohno-san, I kind of have the impression that you don’t really watch dramas.
Yeah, I don’t watch anything. I rarely watch TV [laughs]. And yet, I play the lead role in a drama. That’s…… problematic eh? [laughs]

[laughs] But your performance in stage plays is amazing, so we’re all looking forward to your drama.
It’s really tough. The scenes are not filmed in sequence, they’re done in a random order & we have to race against time too, so you really need to focus on the set. You have to pay attention of the camera’s position & you have to take note of the flow of the story, I’m getting confused [laughs]. In stage plays, I can get into my role & express my feelings/emotions naturally. But now, to be honest, how I should I put it… I am not satisfied with my acting.

It’s frustrating when you’re not completely satisfied with your performance right.
That’s right [laughs]. I do try my best & put in all my effort in doing it…… but I still think it’s difficult.

You play the role of Naruse Ryo. What kind of impression did you have of this character when you first read the script?
A person who wants to takes revenge because of the death of his brother…… In a sense, he is sick. Coming up with schemes to make his targets suffer & doing this kind of thing in the red room [does the pose of using a knife to mark a cross on the photographs], isn’t he sick? [laughs] But it’s not entirely his own fault that he became like that. An incident changed him & he has been living behind a mask since then. That was my impression of Ryo. So even though he wants to take revenge, he cannot show it on his face. Then how am I supposed to convey how he feels? [laughs] So though I think that his facial expressions should be mainly emotionless, but I’ll follow the script when I act. And my speech, though it’s not till the point that it’s monotonous, but I try not to modulate my voice so much & speak in a indifferent manner [laughs].

It seems difficult to find a good balance to achieve that.
Yeah, because usually, if you see the guy you want to take revenge on, you would be glaring at him or something. But in Ryo’s case, he stays calm & keeps his composure. So I cannot put in too much emotions & that is difficult. So I recreate the mood in my mind before the filming starts & when they say “Action!”, I’ll go into a dazed condition [laughs]. Because if I don’t it in an indifferent manner, I’ll have too much expression on my face.

So you get into the mood till the point right before the filming, then you do the emotionless expression, so there is just a slight hint of the emotions that you were feeling before.
Yeah, something like that. But I think it’s more than just hate, it’s past that point already. Because he smiles when he sees the guy he hates, like I’m going to make you suffer even more from now on.

For the scenes where you have to act with your eyes, how do you approach them?
I just do it in my own way [laughs]. I don’t look at the other characters…… How should I put it, I don’t look at them in the normal way, it’s like there is a thin film in between. Because Ryo wears a mask, he is behind that mask.

Recently, actors put themselves in their characters’ shoes, imagine how their characters’ past are like & they’ll make notes on their scripts. Do you write notes about Ryo’s past as well?
Nope, I don’t. Because Ryo is a character who controls everything, so I need to know everything. The script itself, what Ryo did in the past & how he thinks, everything has to be in my head.

Is there any part of Ryo that you can identify with?
Hmm~ I can’t say for sure, but if I to be were in his position, maybe I would become like that too. The moment I lose someone important to me, the trigger (to take revenge) might be pulled. Though it’s something you won’t really know until it really happens to you, but I definitely do not want to become like that [laughs].

[laughs] So for the role this time, instead of trying get into your role by identifying with him, you recreate everything from zero.
Yeah, through imagination. This is a flawless plan, so if I do this, this will happen & things will turn out the way as I expected. And when things go exactly as planned, Ryo knows exactly how his targets would respond & when they really do react that way, he feels… how should I put it, should I say happy? I don’t understand that feeling [laughs].

How did you feel when you first read the script?
This has become really complicated. I couldn’t just simply say “This is an interesting story!”

What was complicated about it?
Because of one incident, he hurts all the people that are related to it…… And in the process, good people turn evil/bad. I think that’s really scary.

You feel like “What? I have to do this in the drama?”
Yeah [laughs]. Hahahaha. That’s why it’s complicated. But Ryo is not totally evil either. Though his scheme proceeds as planned, but as he comes into contact with people, the good & fragile side of him comes out. And if this drama can, well... I won’t say teach a lesson, but if it can convey something about the meaning to live, that would be good.

How was it like having to deal with such a role?
Ah, you know, to say the truth, I don’t know what I’m doing [laughs]. During concerts and variety shows, that is on the days when I don’t have drama filming, I leave the role of Ryo right. Then though I want to hang out & go drinking with my friends, but I make it a point to go home right after work & hide myself in my room.

Are you waiting for Ryo to ‘come back’?
Not so much of that…… More like I think I should be alone [laughs]. It’s not really about getting into the role, but I think it’s better to do that.

I think everything that happens in life has a meaning.

Talking about Ohno-san’s solo activities, the exhibition you held this year got a lot of attention.
Ah~ I just wanted to show the fans what I’ve been doing, but in the end, it turned out to be such a big event [laughs]. But I’m grateful that more people got to see my artwork. And if they felt something from it, then I’m really happy. I’m glad I did the exhibition.

People’s attention has suddenly all gathered on Ohno-san. How do you feel about it?
Well, the feeling is complicated but I’ll just keep doing the best I can. So in a sense, I’m not really conscious about it. Like for this drama, though everyone set high expectations [laughs], but I don’t feel much pressure.

The television is a valuable form of media as a majority of the people use it & hence, it has a wide reach. So isn’t it good/meaningful that Ohno-san is appearing in a drama now?
Hmm~ From the point I was told that I would be doing a drama & I’m in the process of filming it now, there is no way that all these would be meaningless because I think everything that happens in life has a meaning. And well, since I’m already doing it, I want this to be something memorable.

What do you want the audience to get from this drama?
What it means to live on… no, maybe not that, but it would be good if it has a positive effect. Though it’s quite a complicated story, but if it makes you re-think about how fragile & scary human beings can be, I’ll be glad. And also, if you watch the drama & learn that you shouldn’t take revenge, that would be good [laughs].

The five of us are really ordinary. And I think that’s good.

Drama, concerts & all the Arashi’s jobs, you are in a situation where you have to put in 120% of your efforts, how is it that you can so single-mindedly focus on your job, on being an idol?
……….Eh…… Well…… I can’t tell you [laughs].

[laughs] It’s a secret?
Well, I do think about various things everyday. What should I do from now on, what does the situation that I’m experiencing now means & etc. I think about various things.

Now, everyone is saying this is Arashi’s moment because you guys are getting so popular. How do you feel about this?
I wonder what do they mean by it’s our moment? I don’t get it [laughs]. We’re just doing what we’ve been doing all these while.

[laughs] The world has notice how awesome Arashi is.
And it seems like there are 5 people who haven’t [laughs]. We all think it’s unbelievable, because we’re just been doing what we’ve been doing all these while [laughs]. But well…… Though I don’t get what people mean when they say it’s our moment, but I guess…… they don’t just see us as idols, they see us as 5 different individuals. The five of us are really ordinary & I think that’s good. I guess that’s why our fans follow us.

What does Arashi mean to Ohno-san?
Something like “Thank you” [laughs]. Becoming Arashi is definitely something big in my life. And I am who I am today because the five of us have worked really hard & we have come a long way. So Arashi is really like…… my treasure.

What is the most important task to you now?
Do whatever that is assigned to me. The drama as well as all the other Arashi’s jobs, I’ll do my best in all of them & clear them one by one. And it’ll be good if I can do something big, something that will be remembered by the people.

This interview is really insightful eh? We rarely get to hear him talk about things so seriously^^ It's interesting to hear how he goes about acting as Naruse Ryo~ And I admire how how he believes that everything that happens in life has a meaning. "Whatever it is that I am experiencing now will definitely have some meaning in my life." -> This is a quote from him in another magazine. I think it's really meaningful & I once had it on my sidebar for quite a while :)

Oh, one more thing. I just posted subbed Maou DVD extras (the Maou fun meeting with unseen footage) in [info]tsuribaka ! *in Maou mood now* xD So go over to get it now! :D Watching Maou again after reading this interview is just... ♥!

Wink Up 2009.06: Individual scene Vol.2 Sakurai Sho

change417 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:25:52 GMT

As promised, here's the translation of Sho's solo interview from Wink Up 2009.06! :D

Scans credit to SNG :)

"The joy of being in Arashi."

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

In order to commemorate Arashi’s 10th year anniversary, Arashi members take turns to appear on Wink Up’s cover page. In volume 2 this time, it’s Sakurai Sho. The theme of the interview is decided by the Arashi members themselves & Sho said “I want to do a photoshoot with kids.” The reason is very ‘Sho-like’…

The image for this photoshoot… In the past, Arashi did a photoshoot with kids on a field/grassland. I liked it a lot, so I wanted to recreate that atmosphere. And also, I’m filming a drama called “The Quiz Show” now and by doing a photoshoot with the kids, I feel that I’m returning to the beginning/origin. Because I worked with kids in my first lead drama, “Yoiko no Mikata”. And I’m returning to the Saturday 9pm time slot once again (Both dramas mentioned here were aired on Sat 9pm). So, I wanted to do a photoshoot with kids. Not that kind of photoshoot where I have to look cool & all... It may be strange, but because of “Yatterman”, I have seen lots of those photos for the past 3-4 months. So, I thought: Maybe I should do something that I haven’t seen much of recently? Something more natural… I thought that would be good.

Being able to be on the cover page like this, I never thought that my future would be like this when I was their (the kids’) age. Entering Johnnys, debuting at 17 & it has been 10 years since then… I never thought that I would be like this at 27. In “10 years”, the fans who got married around the time when we debut, their kids would be about 10 years old by now. And if the kids were in primary school back then, by now, they would be university undergraduates right? Everyone has their own “10 years”. The 10 years experienced by us, the 10 years experienced by the fans… “Arashi’s 10 years”, you can see it in many different ways.

What have I gained in these 10 years? That… Many things I guess. “Joy”… “The joy of being in Arashi”. 10 years ago, when Arashi was formed, it was just 5 different parts. What is this? I didn’t understand that… We worked our way up from there & I feel happy now. That’s what I feel about these 10 years. I really feel very happy now. Just the fact that we’re able to do this for 10 years, isn’t that already something to be happy about? I won’t ask for anything more than that. Somehow… Us being able to do this job happily, and bringing joy to the people who support us, I think that’s good enough. And there’s more to the 10th anniversary, there is “the future”. All the members said they are looking forward to “the future”. For me, after entering 2009, things suddenly changed. When we were saying “We’ll be approaching our 10th year” in 2008, I was really looked forward to that 3rd Nov. But now, I look forward to the 11th year after the 3rd Nov more. Because it’s a new beginning. I wonder how things will go from here… I’m really looking forward to that now.

This is so sweet ♥♥♥

Aww~ I like this interview too~ This series of interview is really sweet & touching~ (Ohno's one is here, if you haven't read it^^) And I love the photoshoot! Sho looks like the perfect handsome papa & the kids are so damn adorable ♥

Wink Up 2009.10: Individual Scene Vol.4 Ohno Satoshi

change417 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:50:16 GMT

Here's the translation of Ohno's solo interview in Wink Up 2009.10.
(The members take turn to appear solo on Wink Up's cover page as part of their 10th year anniversary special)
Ohno talks about his past, how he has changed over the years & about the filming of Pikaichi =)

Scans credit to SNG :)

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

I thought it would be nice to take a walk in the old downtown area of Tokyo & to ride on a houseboat, so I requested it for today’s interview. Somehow… I think people have such impression of me [laughs]. The houseboat reminds me of “Pikaichi”. That movie was filmed when Arashi was in its 3rd year. It has already been 6 years since then huh, this kinda surprised me. The houseboat scene was mostly shot in the studio, so we only got to ride the houseboat once. We did a location shooting for the scene where we jumped into the water. But… We took a separate boat to get to the houseboat... So we only got to ride on the front part of the houseboat. It has been 6 years since then & it’s only now that I get to ride on a real houseboat [laughs].

These 6 years… time flew by really fast. The houseboat was really something memorable to me, so being able to do my solo photoshoot for the cover page of Wink Up at the same place… It’s amazing. Because… my first photoshoot was with Wink Up. Till today, I still remember what happened on that day. It was the first time I had such a hairstyle [laughs]. We were made to wear sweaters that were all the way up to here [points at his chin]… And our hair was like this [use his hands to part his hair from the centre]. And when I went to school, a girl from my class threw that Wink Up on my desk & said “I saw it”… I got found out [laughs]. But after that, there was a long period of time that I didn’t appear anymore… When I was in Kyoto (For KYO TO KYO), I did appear a couple of times, but for about 3 months… I didn’t have any job at all. And they wrote “Long time no see!” when I next appeared on the magazine [laughs]. But ever since Arashi is formed, we have been on Wink Up for every single month. It’s really amazing when I think about it like that.

He's so cute in the 2nd pic ♥

What have I gained or lost in these 10 years…? I wonder. What I’ve lost is… (the characteristics of a) blood type-A. I lost some of it [laughs]. Initially, I was a typical blood type-A. Being a worrywart… Always feeling insecure. Being punctilious & a little obsessed about cleanliness. But now, these traits are gone [laughs]. When did it happen? I don’t know. I supposed it’s because I have been through a lot of things. And also the way I think, that has probably changed too. Even I myself really think that I have changed. When I think about it, I can’t help but wonder why did I feel so worried & uncertain back then? Isn’t that stupid? [laughs] I have become a bit more relaxed now.
I don't know much about the personality traits of each blood-type~ I went to read up a bit cuz I was curious :p If you're interested too, you can take a look at this article, here :)

So I lost the characteristics of a blood type-A & as for what I have gained… it has got to be that right? Encounters with new people. It really increases a lot if you’re in this industry. Normally, in 10 years, you would have met many people. Plus being in this industry… it’s really a lot. We have done many different kinds of jobs & we have met lots of people, good people. Especially recently, I often feel this way. The staff that I met during my exhibition or dramas/stage plays, I still go out for drinks with them even till now. And I enjoy going out with them. This is a change for me too. In the past, I don’t really do this (drinking with colleagues). Because… I don’t really like hanging out with people in the industry [laughs]. But now, I do enjoy that. And when they say they enjoy working with us & hope to work with us again, I feel really happy. Being able to hang out together as drinking buddies even after the job is over, how should I put it… I think that’s really a blessing.

Yeah, these 10 years has been really fulfilling! In the later half… especially these 2-3 years, time passed by really quickly. In order to celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’ll be having concerts from this August till next January. I’m looking forward to that. And what is my goal for the 11th year? Hmm… I want to lead a life of ease [laughs]. I want things to be simple. Too much trouble is not good. Peaceful & simple! That’s the best! [laughs].

My fav pic ♥♥♥♥♥

I like this interview :) Ohno talking about trivial/ordinary things like the hairstyle he had for his first photoshoot, how his classmate reacted to it, grateful for being able to have drinks with the staff etc. Simple things... but I think it's kinda heartwarming<3 And how he has changed over the years, it's just so...... Awww~ *getting sentimental from reading too many 10th year anniversary special interviews* XD
......And omg! I just realised... He didn't talk about fishing! XDD Hahaha.

As for the other members' solo interview, Jun & Nino's ones have been translated. So I might do Sho's one next^^ (Aiba's one is not out yet)

Monthly The Television 2009.06: Arashi's memories (Part 2)

change417 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:32:22 GMT

Continuing from yesterday's post, here's part 2 of the Monthly the TV 2009.06 translation! =) Can be read separately though^^ Because they're not linked anyway :p In this part, Arashi talks about the Ashita on Kioku/Crazy Moon single, their experiences when they were still juniors, how to stop Riida from fishing etc xD It's a pretty long interview :p
(Part 1 is a short Q & A on Arashi's variety shows. Here, if you haven't read it yet^^)

Scans credit to SNG :)

"In order to prevent Riida from fishing too much, Arashi must work more & take up more job offers! [laughs]"

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

What does "Ashita no Kioku" (Tomorrow's memories) mean?

Arashi's double-A sided single is about to be released soon! First up, let's talk about "Ashita no Kioku", the theme song for Sakurai-kun's drama, “The Quiz Show” (NTV).

Sho: The title is interesting. It’s kinda mysterious & you can’t help but wonder what kind of song is it.
Nino: That’s right! Because memories belong to the past, not “tomorrow”.
Sho: That’s true. The title is unusual. Maybe it means something like: What hopes you have for tomorrow. Using ‘what hopes you have for tomorrow’ as the title is kinda strange too [laughs].
Jun: What do you think about it, Riida?
Ohno: The title? I think it means something like: will my memories last till tomorrow?
Nino: Like there are times when you'll go: what did I eat yesterday?
Sho: Yes, yes, I experienced that before too.
Ohno: Basically, I can’t remember things that happened more 3 days ago.

We played the song during the interview.

Sho: The chorus is really easy to remember. It’s like the tune keeps ringing in your head.
Jun: Like meguri meguru (The first 2 words of Ashita no Kioku's chorus)
Aiba: It sounds sad~ The melody is more melancholic than the lyrics.
Sho: Ah, right. For me, the lyrics sound pretty sad too.
Aiba: The lyrics sound quite optimistic to me though.
Jun: If you know what the drama is about, the lyrics will sound kinda sad.
I went to look at the lyrics after reading this :p Haven't really read it before~ If you're also interested, here is the translation of Ashita no Kioku's lyrics that was posted on arashi_on :)
Sho: So that means Aiba-kun hasn’t watched the drama at all.
Jun: You got found out [laughs].
Aiba: It’s just that I haven’t watched it yet. Of course, I do want to watch it.
Jun: It’s not like the drama is filmed especially for you, you know.
Aiba: Ahhh~ (You’re teasing me) Again~ [laughs]
Sho: But this means the song can be interpreted in many ways.
Jun: To me, this song is a challenge. Like Arashi is making a new move. The impression that Arashi’s songs are happy/cheery is quite strong right? So “truth” was something new. And now we’re releasing another song of a different genre as a single. So I feel like Arashi is doing something new.
Ohno: This is the first of its kind? Ah, “Beautiful Days” too.
Jun: For me, “Beautiful Days” is slightly more cheerful than “Ashita no Kioku”.
Nino: Come to think of it, all the theme songs for Sho-chan’s dramas are all melancholic. Like “Tomadoi nagara” or “Aozora Pedaru” though it’s a movie theme song. They are all kinda sad/serious.
Sho: Indeed [laughs]. But “Believe” for “Yatterman” is a very fast-paced song. Though in the end, it went back to being sad/serious again huh [laughs].

Since we’re talking about memories, is there someone who has changed & is different from how he is in your memories?

Sho: Ohno-san’s skin colour has changed as compared to 2-3 years ago. I’ve already forgotten how the fair Ohno-san looks like!
Jun: Compared to his skin colour now, he is considered really fair back then. Have you ever thought that you would be so obsessed with fishing?
Ohno: 2 years ago eh… [thinks back]
Sho: He's totally ignoring our question.
HAHAHA. Oh Riida♥ Trying to recall how fair you used to be? :p Or reminiscing about your last fishing trip? -_-
Nino: Totally.
Aiba: And his expression was like: “Yeah, I got darker, what about it?” [laughs]
Ohno: My interests/hobbies have increased.
Nino: What has changed most since you got hooked onto fishing?
Ohno: Hmm~ I wonder what is it?
Jun: [Said it like he was preaching] When you fish, you can go into the state of “nothingness” right?
Ohno: Yeah, my hobbies has increased ♥
Nino: How many times do you want to say that!
Jun: Nino is mad [laughs].

It’s about time we get promoted to 'section chief'!?

Nino: Isn’t that because we have all become adults?
Sho: I think so too. When there are 16-17 years old kids around, I don’t know how to talk to them.
Nino: And also, as compared to 10 years ago, don’t you think we have a lot more juniors now?
Sho: That, I always feel that way during the year-end countdown.
Nino: If we go according to the order in which we debut: Tackey & Tsubasa, NEWS, Kanjani 8, KAT-TUN, Hey! Say! JUMP!... Wow, 5 groups.
Jun: We’re finally in the 'section chief' rank in Johnnys? [laughs]
Aiba: At the end of the year, when we were in Tokyo Dome’s green room, memories start coming back to me. In the past, there were a lot of seniors, but now the number have decreased~ (Because some of the older Johnnys groups don’t really appear in the countdown anymore) Nowadays, we just crash into TOKIO’s green room or something. It’s something unimaginable in the past~
Jun: We were too nervous in the past & we didn’t dare to approach the seniors.
Ohno: Now when I see the junior kids around, I understand how they feel because I’ll think about how I felt when I was their age. They must really nervous around us.
Aiba: Agreed. We know how they feel now~
Nino: And there’s even a junior who says he likes & admires Riida a lot ♥
Ohno: ……It’s kinda hard to believe.
Sho: When you listen to the songs which you did backup dancing for as a junior, don’t you feel hyped up?
Nino: I get what you mean! When I went to watch V6’s concert, that’s how I felt.
Sho: Like Kinki Kids’s “Aisareru yori aishitai”
Jun: And “Garasu no Shonen”!
Sho: Whenever we listen to the song, we feel like dancing to it [laughs].

“Crazy Moon ~Kimi wa Muteki~” is the CM song for KOSÉ Esprique Precious.

Nino: It IS crazy.
Aiba: We were really hyped up~
Sho: We danced a lot for this song~
Nino: Really muteki (unbeatable)
They kept using the word muteki in this interview because it's part of the song title^^ So I shall just keep it in the romanized Japanese form :p It means unbeatable/invincible/unrivaled. And if I were to use it very loosely, it can also mean amazing/fascinating.
Aiba: It was really refreshing, singing & dancing like that~ It was fun!
Nino: If the tempo of the song is this fast, Aiba-san’s mistakes in the dance steps won’t be too noticeable.
I just LOVE Nino's witty comments XDD
Aiba: Hey. I didn’t make that many mistakes~ It went on quite smoothly~
Jun: Like the way the guitar chords were edited, such a cool song, we don’t have many singles of this genre. So I thought releasing it as a single is a very nice change.
Sho: A cool song by the very same people who were stuffing balloons into their t-shirts. (Referring to the oppai game in Arashi no Shukudai-kun)
Nino: An oppai(breast)-bursting game [laughs].

Men are weak to gaps. Muteki make-up is good ♥

Since it’s a cosmetic CM song, we want to know your preference when it comes to a girl’s make-up. Do you prefer light/natural or heavy make-up?

Nino: Arashi prefer the muteki type.
Sho: Well said! There are girls who go for eyelash extension or put on those fake eyelashes etc. Putting aside whether we like it or not, I think that makes your eyes look really big. That is really muteki [laughs].
Nino: Because they have to withstand that weight & use a lot of energy when blinking.
Aiba: I saw a lot of that when I was doing location shooting with the agejo (those girls in HnA with "pale skin, large eyes and over-the-top hairdos"). It was amazing. With the protection of such eyelashes, dirt can’t get into your eyes [laughs].
*LOL* Hearing them talk about fake eyelashes is so amusing XDD
Nino: It’s really multi-functional~ When the make-up a girl puts is different from her usual one, won’t you feel curious & excited? Like, what’s the special occasion?
Sho: Like how she is different at work & in private.
Nino: Even my elder sister, when she puts on make-up, I’ll ask her about it. That kind of gap is a girl’s weapon.
Ohno: Usually, the girl is full of confidence when has make-up on, but when she removes them, she suddenly becomes shy. I like that gap.
Aiba: Ah, so the shy part is good.
Sho: That’s adult-like~ [laughs].
Nino: Ah~ You’re such a pervert!
Jun: But I get what he means. It’s good that you get to see a side of her that you don’t usually see.
Sho/Nino: Erotic~♥
Jun: Well, make-up serves the purpose of making you look better & feel better. And you do it because you want people to notice you. I think having that as a goal is important.
Ohno: You’ll become muteki if you have confidence.
Everyone: Ohh~!
Aiba: That’s right. If you feel beautiful, that is already muteki! Even if the end result isn’t… Well…You know...
Jun: Hey!
Nino: The result is GOOD right!!
Sho: We were just onto saying something good.
Aiba: Good result, good result.
*Lol* Poor Aiba~ XD

Caption: "In order to prevent Riida from fishing too much, Arashi must work more & take up more job offers! [laughs]"

What plans do Arashi have this summer?

Jun: Wait, wait. It’s only May, isn’t it a bit too early to be asking about this?
Sho: It’s still too premature [laughs].
Nino: If there is any autumn special programmes or other any other events, please make appointments with Arashi as soon as possible.
Sho: Contact our company.
Ohno: We’ll be waiting for jobs offers~
Jun: Because if there is no work, Riida will go fishing immediately.
Aiba: It would be a big problem if he starts casting fishing nets (as in become a fisherman for real) [laughs].

So before Riida starts casting fishing nets, Arashi will wait for job offers patiently!

Monthly The Television 2009.06: Arashi's memories (Part 1)

change417 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:56:48 GMT

Hi! *waves* Long time no see~ It's been a while since I posted a translation eh?^^;; Well, here's one now: Monthly the Television 2009.06! To commemorate the release of Arashi's new single "Ashita no Kioku" (Literally "Tomorrow's memories"), the interview this time is themed "Arashi no Kioku" ("Arashi's memories")!

Scans credit to SNG :)

I'll split this interview into 2 posts.
Part 1: Short Q & A on the 3 Arashi variety programmes (HnA, AnS & VSA).
Part 2: Main interview where Arashi talks about the single, their experiences when they were still juniors, how to stop Riida from fishing etc xD

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Questions

Q1. Happy 1-year anniversary to “Himitsu no Arashi-chan”! Which segment made you envious/wished that you participated in it? Which segment was the toughest?

Q2. “Arashi no Shukudai-kun”: What was the stupidest game you played in the "Shiodome Aibaland" segment?

Q3. “VS Arashi”: Which game are you the weak at? Which game would you go “Just leave it to me!”?

Q4. Who do you want as guests in Arashi shows?

*If you're not reading this translation for the first time, you may notice that it looks kinda different... This is because I had to change the format of this post due to the change in layout ^^;; (02/01/ 2010)

Ohno Satoshi

A1: Sho-kun & MatsuJun’s “Leading everyday life in a cool way” (The bakakkoii video) is amazing. That’s definitely tough! But well, I’m not envious. I don’t want to do it [laughs].

A2: Roller-skating tug-of-war. That was an absolutely stupid game, but I like it.

A3: All the games are tough. I’m bad at all of them. It depends on my condition for that day. Like “Falling Pipe”, in the beginning, I used to be able to catch it pretty well. But recently, I can’t catch them anymore. I lost my quick reflexes.

A4: I find rich celebrities interesting, since we don’t get to meet them very often in our daily lives. Like Ishihara Gundan. I was surprised by their rules & the relationship between seniors & juniors. It was interesting~

Sakurai Sho

A1: I wanted to go for more agejo location shooting. Aiba-chan did a good job for this segment!

A2: [Immediate answer] The oppai(breast)-ballet game that we played when Ayase Haruka-chan was the guest! That was awesome. We were so crazy. On the day it was on-air, I recorded it & watched it after I got home from “NEWS ZERO”. I was really beat that day but after watching it, I felt energized. We were really like a bunch of idiots.

A3: I can’t catch both pipes for “Falling Pipe”. The one which I’m good at would be “Rolling Coin Tower”. I only failed twice for this game.

A4: The athletes that I have interviewed individually so far. I’m interested to see how Arashi members would interact with them.

Aiba Masaki

A1: Childminder. The kids are really cute. It’s tough being parents, looking after the children everyday. But looking after them for 1 day is fun [laughs].

A2: All of them are stupid [laughs]. It’s a corner testing how serious can you get when playing such lame games. Like the oppai-bursting game, that was the best!

A3: I’m not weak in any of them! But I’m not good at any of them either [laughs]. The one that I like is “Falling Pipe”. I like how playing such 'high risk high return' games makes you nervous & excited.

A4: Professional boxer Kameda Kouki-san. He was amazing in VSA SP. As expected from someone who does sports/moves his body as a profession. I hope he comes again!

Ninomiya Kazunari

A1: The one where Riida & Jun-kun went fishing for sharks. That was good. They seemed like they had fun. But I won’t say I’m envious. Because I can’t go out to sea anyway (Note: He gets sick-sea easily).

A2: There are too many stupid games, I can’t specify a particular one~ I don’t particularly look forward to the games in the future either. But as long as Aiba-kun does this segment happily, that’s good enough.

A3: There isn’t any game that I’m good at~ But I do like “Falling Pipe”. When I catch the pipes, I’ll go “Yay~! I caught it” in my heart.

A4: The guests that have come so far are all interesting. It’s a pity we don’t get much time to have casual chats with them during the show.

Matsumoto Jun

A1: Riida’s Guinness Challenge. If it’s me, I think I can break the Guinness World Record [laughs].

A2: That, the one where we throw the slippers with our feet. That was absolutely stupid. The one which I thought was interesting is “Sky Gesture”.

A3: Choosing the pipes in “Falling Pipe”. Finding the right timing to press the button is difficult. There isn’t any game which I can say I’m good at~ Though I have played these games for a year, I still can’t master any of them.

A4: Riida’s father [laughs]. It’s been 10 years since Arashi debut, but we still haven’t met Riida’s family members before.
HAHAHA. Riida's father as guest!! Awesome idea! XD

Wow, I didn't know they like Falling Pipe so much XD And they sure LOVE the oppai game *Lol*

Part 2 will be posted as soon as I'm done editing it... Er, probably tomorrow I guess xD

So many August babies xD

change417 — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:33:13 GMT

To Angel (angelyrique ) & Cindy (happydaysx )

2 special people whom I share the same birthday with!
Both are wonderful people whom I enjoy working with
Hope you guys had a wonderful birthday today & may all the wishes you made come true!

A big THANK YOU to everyone for all the birthday posts/PMs/comments! I really really appreciate them!
I hope I replied to all of them If not, nudge/kick me because I want to thank all of you properly
LOVE ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL FOLKS *muackz* I had an absolutely wonderful birthday this year!

HnA Navi 2009.06.27 + AneCan 2009.01

change417 — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:28:06 GMT

Bringing 2 translations today! :)

1. Requested by lalazor15 , translation of Himitsu no Arashi-chan Navi aired on 2009.06.27.
It's a short 5-mins clip where they introduce the "Mote Arashi! Dame Arashi!" segment (The one where they get thrown into the icy water :p) The members also commented on Sho's constant failing in all the HnA segments XDD If you're interested in watching the clip, someone uploaded part of it to YouTube. Here!

2. AneCan 2009.01
This has been sitting in my project list for too long -_-" And I think it has been translated by someone else long ago^^;; But I want to finish what I've planned to do, so I went ahead with it :p It's a very good article! Sweet & heart-warming<3 A good read since it's their 10th anniversary now :)

Scans credit to 다키님 :)

If you were a girl, which Arashi member would you want to date?
If there is reincarnation, which member do you want to be in your next life?
What’s the secret to Arashi’s close friendship?
When do you feel “I’m so fortunate to be in Arashi?”

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

HnA Navi 2009.06.27

[Before the recording of “Himitsu no Arashi-chan”]

Narrator: Arashi’s Sakurai Sho seemed troubled.

Sho: This is bad. If I fail in this new corner, I'll get thrown into the water as a punishment.

[Insert description of “Mote Arashi! Dame Arashi!” (Literally it means “Popular Arashi! No-good Arashi!”)]
We’ll find out who is the most hopeless/no-good in Arashi & that member will get thrown into the icy waters.

Sho: Wah. This is… [puts his hand into the icy water] Wah! This is bad! No one can take this!

Narrator: But why does Sakurai feel so pressurised? It all began with this segment (Referring to “Mannequin Five”).

[Insert description of “Mannequin Five”]
At a certain clothing store in Tokyo’s Akasaka. There are 5 unique mannequins who wear clothes according to their own style.

[Question: What do you think of Sho-kun failing in all the segments?]

Ohno: Though we were all kinda scared... But Sho-kun was the most uncool. If I think about it now. When I think about it now, he does look like he’ll lose.

Aiba: I got first place (In the first “Mannequin Five”). How should I put it? Well, it may just be a coincidence. Since everyone has their own preference. But Sho-kun was really bad. It’s like that for “Mannequin (Five)”. And for “Host Royale”? He was bad in that segment too.

Narrator: Not only was Sakurai the leftover mannequin in “Mannequin Five”, his performance in “Host Royale” was bad too...

Jun: To say the truth... I pity him. I really do. Why does he have to show the unglamorous side of himself? I really feel sorry for him. And when we thought these segments would end... They will never end right?

Narrator: Yes, his failure continued in the second Mannequin five too...

Nino: What is amazing about him is that... And this applies to all the segments, what is amazing is that he has the most screen time. Personally, for me, I think that people who have the most screen time should be people who performed well. But when he is on TV, it's always about his weakness or about him failing. Is that really okay? It would have been better if he kept that part of him a himitsu (Himitsu=secret. You know, since the show is call "Himitsu no Arashi-chan" :p). And now we have "Mote Arashi! Dame Arashi!". I think he'll become the dame (hopeless/no-good) Arashi...

Sho: I cannot leave this to chance! Because it will affect my other jobs, news, acting & etc. So I cannot lose for this segment.

Anecan 2009.01

If you were to come up with a catchphrase for yourself, what would it be?
Ohno: "FREESTYLE". It’s the title of my exhibition & art book too. “Anything will do!” It’s great [laughs]
Sakurai: ”To make a headlong rush”. Eh? Isn’t 2008 the year of the boar!? I thought it was & hence I thought this phrase would be suitable. Well, no matter! It means I’ll keep moving forward [laughs].
The kanji for "to make a headlong rush" consists of the kanji for boar/pig. So he thought it would a suitable catchphrase for the year of the boar. But 2008 was actually the year of the rat :p
Aiba: It’s good being able to feel/experience lots of things, so “the internal organs”.
Yep, internal organs. He used a 4-character idiom which literally means "all the internal organs of a person". But it could also refer to a human body in general.
Ninomiya: “Active & Happy”. AneCan’s catchphrase will do. I rearranged AneCan’s catchphrase “Happy & Active” [laughs].
Matsumoto: In no matter what I do, I want to “enjoy freedom & stay worry-free”.

What do you think an ideal male should be like?
Ohno: Fisherman! Someone who is able to do something for a long time.
Sakurai: Someone who achieves results in his career, but also does not forget about play. Someone with a stylish way of life. There are some seniors/elders around me who are like that & I hope I can grow old like that too.
Aiba: Someone who feels young. Though he may be a very knowledgeable & sophisticated adult, but he is also able to accommodate & communicate with people younger than him. I think that’s very cool.
Ninomiya: There isn’t really an ideal, but if there is one, I guess I would want to become like that~
Matsumoto: Someone who can forgive. Because you need to have experienced a lot of things & widen your perspectives to be able to do that.

If you were a girl, which Arashi member would you want to date?
Ohno: I’m not a girl, so I don’t know… But if I had to choose, I guess it’s Aiba-chan. Why? Because our eyes just met [laughs].
Sakurai: It’s me right! Work hard, play hard & eat well. These are my selling points [laughs].
Aiba: I want to try dating all 4 of them for one week each [laughs]. I want to go fishing with Riida, get Sho-chan to teach me about politics, play video games with Nino & go shopping with MatsuJun.
*rofl* I LOVE his dating plan XDD
Ninomiya: If I had to choose, I guess it’s myself? But dating with me might have lots of disadvantages [laughs].
Matsumoto: I want to see sides of myself that I don’t know about, so I would choose myself [laughs].

If there is reincarnation, which member do you want to be in your next life?
Ohno: Myself! Being yourself is good!!
Sakurai: Ohno-san. Because his drawings are of completely a different genre from mine. I want to be able to draw like him~ [laughs].
Aiba: Sho-chan. Because I want to go to university & experience campus life!
Ninomiya: I don’t want to become anyone~ [laughs]. Because… We know too much about each other.
Matsumoto: No one… Because it’s more fun to be with the 4 of them [laughs]. So I want to be myself.
Awwww~ I love Jun's answer<3 It's so sweet~

What’s the secret to Arashi’s close friendship?
Ohno: I don’t know [laughs].
Sakurai: I haven’t really thought about that, but I guess it’s because we have been together since we were kids.
Aiba: We’re close? People see us that way? Doing the same things at the same time, eating together & all. I guess it’s because we’re always together.
Ninomiya: How to become close with people, isn’t it better if you don’t think about it? (As in, it should be something that happens naturally)
Matsumoto: We didn’t do anything special. It just became like this naturally.

When do you feel “I’m so fortunate to be in Arashi?”
Ohno: During concerts.
Sakurai: At the end of a concert, when the five of us hold hands together & wave to the fans. This moment is the best!
Aiba: During concerts, when our eyes meet & we smile each other.
Ninomiya: I wonder when is it? All the time I guess.
Matsumoto: After a concert, when we return to the green room. Somehow, I like that moment.

Popolo 2009.09 Comics

change417 — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:04:35 GMT

Translation/scanlation of Popolo 2009.09 'comics' which talks about some behind-the-scenes happenings during the photoshoot XD All I can say is... They are SOOO ADORABLE! o(>_<)o

Scans credit to SNG :) Scanlating was done by snoew *chuuus*

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Aiba Masaki
He is indeed stylish! We discovered a cool Aiba-chan!!

(Click to see a bigger version)

Different from his on-screen personality, he is very mature!
Aiba-chan gave off the aura of a mature man. He was calm & collected, very different from how he usually is in variety programmes. Our eyes were fixed on him while he was moving around making preparations. He had a very natural posture & he looked relaxed. We were charmed by him!
Aiba is so damn cool *___*

Ohno Satoshi
Everyone was calmed/soothed by him! Our attention was fixed on the conscientious/serious Ohno!!

(Click to see a bigger version)

Everyone is calmed by the shy prince!
Ohno-kun turned up for the photoshoot looking kinda tanned. The staff members all teased him about it & he seemed very shy/embarrassed by it. He is indeed the shy prince! Since such a calm/gentle guy is the leader, it must be nice to be in Arashi!
Gah~ Why is he soooo endearingly adorable? ♥ *cuddles him*

Ninomiya Kazunari
He is actually a very shy guy!? We were entranced by his wide range of facial expressions!!

(Click to see a bigger version)

A young boy & a professional actor in one body!
During the interview, Nino was like a really pure-hearted young man. But when it comes to the photoshoot, he immediately became an actor! He did all the expressions & poses requested by the photographer. He is full of life!
Awww~ Putting his head on the table~ So cuteeeee~ *pats pats*

Sakurai Sho
Sho-kun is very lively & eloquent! We were knocked out by his intellectual charm!!

(Click to see a bigger version)

A very intellectual city boy!
As expected from a newscaster, Sho-kun is a very sociable person. During the interview, answering of questions was crisscrossed with hand gestures, he looked very intellectual. But when he was stuck on question, he would hug the cushion very tightly, like a kid…… He got us with that gap in his personality!
Hugging the cushion when he's stuck~ So cute! ♥ *hugs him instead* XD

Matsumoto Jun
MatsuJun was all smiles! Location shooting under the blue sky!!

(Click to see a bigger version)

Calm yet playful, we were charmed by the contrasting sides of his personality.
During the photoshoot where we used the water hose, MatsuJun had a mischievous smile on his face & he was in a very good mood. But when it’s time for the interview, he immediately put on a serious face. He is calm, yet playful. This contrasting sides of him is awesome!
Gosh, Jun is so cute! Spraying water in the air & then running away from it himself XD *Lol*

Monthly the TV 2009.07: Gekkan Arashi No.85

change417 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:55:59 GMT

Translation of Monthly the TV 2009.07: Gekkan Arashi No.85 featuring Jun & Ohno designing caps for themselves & for the other 3 Arashi members XD

Scans credit to SNG :)

Our boys decorating caps with smiley faces & iron-ons... Cute!<3

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

From left to right:

Black cap for Sho
(made by Ohno)

Green cap for Nino
(made by Ohno & Jun)

Red cap for Ohno
(made by himself)

Blue cap for Jun
(made by himself)

Purple cap for Ohno
(made by Jun)

Colourful cap for Aiba
(made by Jun)

Translation of the captions

(Left) First of all, you have to choose your materials. Ohno looks at the rhinestones & studs with much interests, picking them up occasionally.

(Middle) On the other hand, Matsumoto stuff the cap with newspapers & he starts spraying various colours on the cap.

(Right) He didn’t hesitate at all. But it seems he didn’t plan ahead [laughs].

Ohno came up with the idea of hanging a very thin chain on the cap. “This looks like Sho-chan’s style right?” [laughs]. He draws an ‘S’ on the front & decorated it with rhinestones.

(Left) Matsumoto ironed the smiley face onto the cap. And he starts drawing on the empty space beside it.

(Right) A double ‘Smile’ cap is complete! “I kinda like this” He seems satisfied with the cap.

For Ninomiya’s cap, they came up with the design together. “For Nino, it has got to be this.” Matsumoto sticks a poker card iron-on on the cap. After which, Ohno adds some hand-drawn poker cards to it.

With regards to the multi-coloured cap which Matsumoto has given up on, Ohno said “Don’t worry, if it’s Aiba-chan, he’ll wear it!” He seems very positive. They decided to cover it up by sticking a skull on it (?).

Ohno took the ‘I ♥ NY’ iron-on & cut out the ‘N’ & the ‘♥’. So it becomes a ‘N♥ (Nino loves) poker cards’ design. Matsumoto carefully irons them onto the cap. He is becoming an iron-on expert.
Awww~ This is so cuteeee~

Original caps fashion show
In the end, they finished 6 caps!
(1) Matsumoto's ‘Smile’ cap, which he put all his efforts in making.
(2) For Aiba. After it was completed, Matsumoto said “I definitely will not wear this~” They burst out laughing.
(3) The first cap that Ohno made. He used felt cloth & rhinestones to make Tamo-san’s face.
(4) Ohno’s hand-drawn poker cards & Matsumoto ironed on poker cards. For Ninomiya.
(5) Matsumoto used a gold pen to write “Chicken Chilli” on the cap.
(6) “For the concert this year, Sho-chan will wear this during his solo!” Both of them seemed very happy ♥

Great design ideas popped up! All of them are of excellent workmanship.

Matsumoto: We made some really nice caps~!

Ohno: Chicken Chili (referring to the words on the cap that Jun made for him), thanks [laughs].

Matsumoto: Riida loves Chicken Chilli Curry.

Ohno: Times 5 the level of spiciness. I always order this when I go to a curry restaurant.

Matsumoto: The one that Riida made, is that a ‘Tamo-san’ cap? (Tamo-san: Tamori-san, the Music Station host)

Ohno: I didn’t really think about it. I just stick the lips-shaped iron-on on the cap.

Matsumoto: It can be used in Music Station [laughs].

Ohno: MatsuJun made a ‘Smile’ cap. That’s nice.

Matsumoto: This is really well done!

Ohno: It looks good. Really well done.

Matsumoto: The design just came to my mind [laughs]. Initially, I wanted to stick the smiley face iron-on & a Jack Daniel iron-on. But after I stick the smiley face iron-on, I think they won’t go well together. So I was wondering what to do with the empty space. Then I thought I could draw it myself.

Ohno: A personal touch!

Matsumoto: It’s No.1 [grins].

Ohno: It’s No.1.

Matsumoto: Amongst the collection of caps, this is out! A model could wear this in a fashion show.

Ohno: Nino’s one is too nice.
(I suppose they meant too 'normal' looking XD As compared to the rest :p)

Matsumoto: The shade of colour looks nice~ I think Nino can wear this out normally.

Ohno: He can use it when he performs magic tricks. I hope Sho-kun would really wear his cap too. This is quite fashionable.

Matsumoto: It’s like you don’t have to wear the necklace, you can also use it to accessorise your cap.

Ohno: I hope he wears it during the concerts.

Matsumoto: I’ll use my ‘Smile’ cap for the drama [laughs]. Or I could give it to Aragaki Yui-chan too. Then, Aiba-chan’s cap…

Ohno: [Stifles his laughter]

Matsumoto: Aiba-chan often buys clothes with this kind of pattern when he goes overseas, so it should okay right? He can use it during variety programmes. I definitely won’t wear it though [laughs]

Ohno: The colour is amazing [laughs]. MatsuJun ironed the skull on the cap perfectly.

Matsumoto: But this skull is kinda ugly~ [laughs]. But anyway, we did really well today ♥

Ohno: I look forward to giving the caps to everyone~

Extra snippet:
The original caps made with love & laughter by Ohno & Matsumoto. We received comments on the caps from the other 3 members.
Sakurai: “I might get strangled by this” *ROFL*
Ninomiya: “This is great! Thank you very much!”,
Aiba: ”The caps suit everyone [laughs]. Next time, let’s do a Masaki style cap.”
That day, everyone wore their respective caps during the staff meeting [laughs]. Awwww~ So sweet<3

Monthly the TV 2008.11: Gekkan Arashi Vol.81 Jun + Ohno

change417 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:58:57 GMT

Bringing an older translation today~ Monthly the TV 2008.11 Gekkan Arashi Vol.81 featuring Jun & Ohno cooking curry!

Scans credit to Supia :)

"Let’s see~ Well, if they beg me, I'll think about it."

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Translations of the captions

So according to Ohno & Matsumoto’s wishes, we have decided to make 2 types of chicken curry. They’ll be working together with Tokyo Curry Bancho (A travelling culinary unit who specialise in making curry). Let’s start cooking!

"The sweetness of the curry is determined by the onions." Upon hearing this, Matsumoto carefully stir-fry the onions till they turn brown.

Prepare the chicken by marinating it with seasonings. “1 level cup of curry powder” but Ohno didn’t understand that. “Riida, do you know what ‘level’ means?” Matsumoto patiently taught him. After that, yoghurt, spices & other ingredients were added & mixed together.
Awww~ So cute (>_<) I love it when Jun mothers Ohno<3333

Ohno is marinating the chicken with the seasonings. He seems to be having fun ♥

Matsumoto is making butter chicken curry. He puts cashew nuts & milk into the mixer. “This is really the real thing (real as in authentic way of making curry). Really fun~” He is absorbed in cooking.

They added onions, mango chutney & other exotic spices and stewed the chicken. “It smells really good! It already looks very delicious ♥” (Ohno), “Can we call our friends here today? [laughs] I want to hold a party~ ♪ ” (Matsumoto)

(Left) Ohno is grilling the breast meat used for the chicken curry. “It’s nice & brown ♪ I want to eat it with white rice just like this [laughs]”
(Right) As expected from Bambino~ Matsumoto. He is pan-frying the leftover chicken & tending to the curry stew.

The chicken curry that Ohno is making is almost done. Add some water, black pepper & spices.

The two curry dishes are completed. Matsumoto made butter chicken curry while Ohno made spicy chicken curry with cabbage & radish!

Matsumoto is meticulous in whatever he does. He scoops the rice nicely into the bowl & he helped Ohno with his too. The two of them standing side-by-side scooping curry like this, it’s feels like it’s school lunch [laughs].

Well then, it’s tasting time! They tasted the curry that they made. “This is the best!” (Matsumoto)
“Ahh~ Curry does make you really hyped up!” (Ohno) “I’ll bring this home today!” (Matsumoto) Both of them had satisfied smiles on their faces ♥

Though it's hot, it's very delicious! The wondrous taste of the authentic spices ♥

Matsumoto: Ah, really~ Delicious!!

Ohno: …… [Overwhelmed with emotions]

Matsumoto: Actually, 1.5 years ago, Sho-kun & Aiba-chan also made curry with Curry Bancho-san. But at that time they only focus on making the roux. They worked really hard.

Ohno: Previously, it was ryoku-cha (green tea) & it ended with ‘ya’. We’re really absurd (forcibly linking ‘ya’ to curry) [laughs].
It's like a word chain, the theme for each interview must start with the last character from the previous interview's theme :p So from ryoku-cha (ends with 'ya'), they link it to curry through yappari kare (it has got to be curry).
And I translated the green tea issue he was talking about a year ago :p If you're interested, click here :)

Matsumoto: It’s my first time cooking authentic curry. I always had the impression that it’s very difficult to cook authentic curry.

Ohno: It’s also my first time cooking curry so seriously.

Matsumoto: Our first time cooking curry was really fun! Recently, there is a curry boom in Arashi.

Ohno: During concert rehearsals, we always eat curry together.

Matsumoto: Yeah. I thought really hard about how I can link ‘ya’ to something related to curry. Like yasai takusan kare (vegetable curry), yasashii kare (mild curry).

Ohno: Yappari kare! (It has got to be curry!) So I added radish & vegetables and made vegetable curry. Ahh~ It was really good. And during the cooking process, it smelt really good & fragrant. I enjoyed cooking it.

Matsumoto: Let me try the one that Riida made… Ah, hot!

Ohno: You think it’s hot!?

Matsumoto: Yeah, but it’s good!! I’m not good with hot/spicy food. So this time I made butter chicken curry, which is not so spicy. But I should have made it spicier. [He adds some cayenne pepper & he was wiping the sweat on his forehead while eating]

Ohno: You’re perspiring a lot [laughs]

Matsumoto: My metabolism is too good [laughs]. But if we can cook such authentic curry at home, it will be fun.

Ohno: If you make this at home, let it stew for a day before eating it, it’ll taste good.

Matsumoto: Yeah. And making it together is fun. Curry Bancho-san, you & me, the 5 of us were all very excited when cooking curry.

Ohno: It was great! It was really fun. Should we make some for the other 3 (Arashi members)?

Matsumoto: Let’s see~ Well, if they beg me, I'll think about it [laughs].
*smacks Jun* LOL

Myojo 2009.08 Arashi no Kentei-kun (Quiz)

change417 — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:02:56 GMT

Translation of Myojo Aug 2009 requested by arum14 !!! It's a SUPER DUPER LONGGGGGG quiz O.o Don't say I didn't warn you :p Go get a pen & paper to jot down your answers XDD

Scans credit to SNG & sanita :) And special thanks to snow for editing the pics :D

Arashi no Kentei-kun 2009 (Kentei means certificate examination)
*tries to make this sound 'exam-like'* XD *Lol*

Instructions to candidates:

This examination consists of 59 questions.

There are 6 sections in this examination:
   Q02 to Q11: Sho
   Q12 to Q21: Ohno
   Q22 to Q31: Jun
   Q32 to Q41: Nino
   Q42 to Q51: Aiba
   Q52 to Q59 + Q01: Group

Question types: Multiple-choice & Open-ended.

Each question is worth 2 marks each, unless otherwise stated.

Calculate your scores & check your results at the bottom.

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Sakurai Sho

Q02
Sakurai’s special skill, he can balance & spin a basketball on one fingertip. In today's attempt, he was able to do it for how many seconds?
A: 1 second
B: 8 seconds
C: 60 seconds

Q03
How did the name “Sho” came about?
A: From his mother’s favourite athlete
B: From his mother favourite author
C: From his mother’s favourite comic character

Q04
His first love (first year in junior high school) was with a girl from which country?

Q05
Sakurai managed to do a back flip, just once. When was it?
A: During a dance lesson, while jumping off a platform
B: As a challenge in a TV programme
C: During a concert when he was hyped up

Q06
In “Yatterman”, he played the role of No.1. What is his character's full name?

Q07
People always say Sakurai's bag is very heavy. Which of the 2 items are NOT in his bag today?
A: PET bottle
B: Toothbrush
C: Laptop
D: Script
E: Diary

Q08
Sakurai likes to visit heritage sites all over the world. He HASN’T been to which of the following heritage sites?
A: India’s Taj Mahal
B: Cambodia’s Angkor Wat
C: Nara’s Horyu-ji

Q09
What did he eat during the break time today?
A: Oyakotoji Soba (Chicken, egg, green onion & other ingredients simmered together in a sauce and served on top of soba noodles)
B: Sansai Soba (Soba noodles with wild forest vegetables in broth)
C: Yamakake Soba (Cold served soba topped with a quail egg)
Click on the if you want to see how the food looks like :p

Q10
Please choose a piece of news for newscaster Sakurai.
A: Bumping into Aiba at the restaurant he frequents!
B: Bumping into Matsumoto at the sports gym he frequents!
C: Bumping into Ohno at Asakusa’s festival!

Q11
Sakurai used to be in which soccer team when he was a child?
A: Yomiuri Verdy
B: Nagoya Grampus Eight
C: Gamba Osaka

ANSWERS

A02
B. “I used to do it a lot when I was a first year in junior high school, so I became quite good at it. Though I think I was a lot better last time~”

A03
B. “It was from an author called Shibata Sho. I think it probably means something like flying high & far.”

A04
Hungary. It was love at first sight with Karakó Gabriella-chan, who was a choir member. She visited Japan during a school event. “I thought I should ‘chase’ her while she is in Japan [laughs].”
I'm quite sure her name is translated wrongly xD *Lol* Sorry^^; I looked up Hungarian names & managed to find Gabriella. But I couldn't find anything that sounds/looks like 'Karako', so I just left it in it's romaji form :p If you guys know anything about it, please enlighten me :D Karakó Gabriella is most probably correct. Seems to be a common Hungarian family name. Thanks for the info, slashbabe :)

A05
B. “It was on “Hachi-ji da J” (04/1998 – 09/1999), they gathered the juniors who couldn’t do back flips & conducted special training. I only did it once. A very long time after that, the members told me that I looked like a dead frog at that time… Now I can’t do back flips at all!”

A06
Takada Gan. He is the only son of the Takada toy store & his weapon is a kendama.

A07
B & C. Even then, the bag weighs about 6kg. He has a big bag so that he can stuff all the work-related documents inside. When other people carry his bag, their arms get cramped!? (It’s a lie) “Today, my bag is considered pretty light already.”

A08
B. “There are a lot of heritage sites that I haven’t been to yet~”

A09
A. “This is rare, you know. I usually eat Sansai(vegetables) soba or Kinoko(mushroom) soba, but today I felt like eating Oyakotoji soba. It was very delicious ♥ I usually eat hot ones rather than cold ones. And actually, yesterday’s dinner was soba too.”

A10
A. “I heard from the staff that Aiba-kun frequents that restaurant. But it’s the first time I bump into him there [laughs]. I said ‘Fiinally, we meet.'”

A11
A. “I have always liked Verdy.”

Ohno Satoshi

Q12
Which of the following is NOT Ohno’s nickname?
A: Samii
B: John
C: Oh-chan
D: Satoyan

Q13
When Ohno was in primary school, what is the title of the manga series that inspired him to draw?

Q14
In the 2001 stage play “PLAYZONE”, he did a ‘triple cast’ with 2 other people. What are their names?

Q15
Ohno likes fishing very much. What did he catch in Okinawa recently?
A: Wakasagi (Japanese smelt)
B: Katsuo (Skipjack tuna)
C: Maguro (Tuna)

Q16
How did Ohno become Arashi’s leader?
A: He was nominated by the members because he was the oldest
B: A game of rock-paper-scissors in Shonentai’s progamme
C: Through an election!

Q17
What is the title of Ohno’s art exhibition?
A: “FREESTYLE”
B: “HAPPYSTYLE”
C: “SPECIALSTYLE”

Q18
Ohno likes fishing very much. So how many kanji with the fish radical (魚) can he write in 30 seconds?

Q19
He did NOT participate in which of the following stage play?
A: “Bakumatsu Banpu”
B: “Tensei Kunpu”
C: ”WEST SIDE STORY”
D: “Wasurerarenai hito”

Q20
How does Ohno buy his clothes?
A: He buys them himself
B: His stylist chooses it for him
C: His Mom buys it for him

Q21
Amongst the dishes that his Mom cooks, which one is his favourite?
A: Cream stew
B: Miso soup
C: Nikujaga (a Japanese dish made up of meat, potatoes & onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce)

ANSWERS

A12
B. There are also other nicknames such as ‘Captain’ & etc. Ohno has lots of nicknames. By the way, B is the nickname that the “Smile” cast members gave to MatsuJun.

A13
“Dragon Ball”. He was influenced by a friend who was very good in art in Primary 3.

A14
TOKIO’s Matsuoka Masahiro & V6’s Inohara Yoshihiko. At that time, Ohno wasn’t good in acting because he was too nervous & shy. At that, Inohara said “If you don’t get rid of your shyness, you can’t do well. I was shy when I first started too.” And because of this word of advice, he dispelled his worries & was able to enjoy acting.

A15
B. “I caught a lot of fishes, one after another, so I couldn’t remember how many I caught in total [laughs]. But it has been 1.5 years since I went to Okinawa, it was fun ♪”

A16
B. “I thought I don’t have to be the leader since I won, but they said ‘The winner will be the leader’…”

A17
A. To commemorate the release of his art book, he held an exhibition at Tokyo’s Omotesando. Approximately 200 art pieces were on display & they include graffiti, figures etc. After that, the exhibition travelled to 5 other locations in Japan.

A18
3 kanji: 鰆Sawara (Sierra), 鯖Saba (Mackerel), 鯵Aji (Horse Mackerel). And there was also a mysterious word with the kanji for fish beside the fish radical (Like this - 魚魚? *Lol*). “If it’s katakana, I can write a lot more [laughs].”

A19
D. “Bakumatsu Banpu” was in 2005, “Tensei Kunpu” was in 2006 & “WEST SIDE STORY” in 2004. By the way, D is the title of Aiba’s stage play.

A20
C. “Even till now, my Mom buys them for me. She knows my preference, so it’s okay.”

A21
A. “And I like Croquette too ♥ It’s nothing special, but I guess it’s because I've been eating them since young.”

Matsumoto Jun

Q22
MatsuJun likes fashion. Which of the following top did he pick?

Q23
During a location shooting overseas, which one of the following did he eat?
A: Insect’s larva
B: Centipede
C: Soil/Dirt

Q24
In 2003, on his 20th birthday, what present did he receive from the members during their concerts?

Q25
James Dean played the lead role in this movie. It was also the first lead role that Matsumoto got in a stage play. What is the title of this movie/play?

Q26
After MatsuJun got the lead role for “Hana Yori Dango”, he re-read the manga. Where did he do it?

Q27
MatsuJun performed this during his 2007 solo “Yabai-Yabai-Yabai”. What is this called?

Q28
MatsuJun is sensitive to the cold. The cooler in his room is set at what temperature?

Q29
MatsuJun has black hair & he has been in his own hair colour for quite a while, why doesn’t he dye his hair?
A: Brown hair doesn’t suit him
B: Because of what the fortune teller said
C: No particular reason

Q30
What animal does he want as a pet?

Q31
During the filming of “Smile”, what does he usually eat at the cafeteria?
A: Tanmen supu (Tokyo style salt flavor noodle dish, topped with sautéed vegetables)
B: Bara-chirashi (A type of sushi whereby ingredients are diced, flavoured and mixed into the rice)
C: Zaru udon (Chilled udon topped with shredded seaweed & served on a zaru, a sieve-like bamboo tray)

ANSWERS

A22
A. He checks the mirror & made the choice very carefully. “This is kinda like Aiba’s style. Not bad, isn’t it?”

A23
C. “It was during the location shooting for “Tanken! Homunkurusu” (Explore! Homunculus), when we went to Lithuania. It’s something you rarely get to experience.”
The first thing that came to my mind was FMA xD *Lol*

A24
The present is a song. Nino composed the song & the 4 members recorded the song into a CD secretly. This footage can be found in the “How’s it going” DVD ♪

A25
“East of Eden”. He was the lead character, Cal, who desperately wants his father's love & attention. At that time, he commented “It was a really good company, when it ended, I felt lonely.”

A26
Manga café. MatsuJun has read the series before. He read it again with a guy friend at the manga café & they finished 36 books within 11 hours. By the way, when he first read the manga, he wanted to play the role of Hanazawa Rui.

A27
“MJ Walk”. It was a daring performance where he walked on the ceiling upside-down. The audience was thrilled by this!

A28
28°C. “I don’t like it if it’s too cold.” It’s a mild temperature, good for the body & the environment. Very eco-friendly.

A29
C. “I did do hair extensions & stuff like that, but I can’t remember when was the last time I dyed my hair. I have been in my original hair colour for a long~ time.”

A30
A dog. “A Shiba Inu would be good.”

A31
A. “I was wondering what Tanmen supu is. You can have it without the noodles too, so it’s just like vegetable soup. I eat it very often & I have become acquainted with the cafeteria staff.”

Ninomiya Kazunari

Q32
When he was in America filming “Letters from Iwo Jima”, what did he do during his days off?
A: Sight-seeing
B: Went for a walk
C: Laundry

Q33
Ninomiya is left-handed, but he uses his right hand for which of the following items/actions?
A: Chopsticks
B: Pen
C: Pitching

Q34
Nino is famous for being a gamer. What was the first game he got hooked on?
A: Dragon Quest
B: Final Fantasy
C: Winning Eleven

Q35
In Arashi, Nino is charge of riposting. Who gets it the most in Arashi?

Q36
Nino is good at card magic. How many tricks are there in his repertoire?
A: 10
B: 20
C: 30

Q37
What filling does he like for his Okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients)?
A: Pork & cheese
B: Seafood
C: Natto (Fermented soybeans)

Q38
Nino played baseball when he was in primary school. Who was his favourite Giants member at that time?
A: Hara Tatsunori
B: Kiyohara Kazuhiro
C: Nakahata Kiyoshi

Q39
Nino is having fun playing with the dog. How long did it take for him to get the dog to obey his instruction & give him its paw?
A: 1 second
B: 8 seconds
C: 60 seconds

Q40
What is the name of Nino’s Shiba Inu?
A: Haru (Spring)
B: Natsu (Summer)
C: Aki (Autumn)
D: Fuyu (Winter)

Q41
Which of the following is Nino’s debut drama?
A: “Amai Goe”
B: “Akimahende!”
C: “Abunai Houkago”

ANSWERS

A32
C. He went to the coin laundry to wash his clothes. “I’m not a Hollywood star, someone who just came from an audition. So I have to do everything by myself.”

A33
B. “I use my right hand for holding the pen. For chopsticks, I use my left hand.”

A34
A. “I like all the Dragon Quest games.”

A35
Everyone. ”Rather than riposting, it’s teasing. It doesn’t matter whether it’s during filming or in the green room, I do it to all the members. So you're right no matter who you have chosen for your answer ☆”

A36
A. “I bring my cards with me wherever I go. Because sometimes there are tricks that I can't master no matter how many times I practise & then suddenly, I'm able to do it out of the blue.”

A37
A. “I went to eat Okonomiyaki during my day off recently. It has to be this when I eat Okonomiyaki!”

A38
A.”Because my friend invited me to a match.” He is the current manager for the Yomiuri Giants. He is also the coach for this year’s World Baseball Classic.

A39
A. “This dog is smart.” He got along with the dog very well.

A40
A. “Recently I saw the record about the oldest dog in the Guinness Book of World Records, but it’s about the same age as my own dog. My dog has been around for about 21 years, she is a grandmother already.”

A41
A. To play the role of the young Nishiura Takichi, Nino shaved his head for the very first time in his life! And because he wasn’t used to the rough straw texture of his shoe, he got blisters on his feet. And during a very cold scene in the rain, in order to prevent puffing out white breadth when he speaks, he drank lots of ice water. He put in his all for this role.

Aiba Masaki

Q42
Let’s go for a picnic today. Which lunch box did Aiba pack?

Q43
Aiba has done a lot of location shooting with animals. But he HASN'T ridden on which of the following animal?
A: Camel
B: Elephant
C: Rhinoceros

Q44
Recently, he wants to go to this place for leisure. What place is it?
A: Theme park
B: Barbecue
C: Outlet mall

Q45
Which of the following is Aiba’s favourite drink?
A: Mineral Water
B: Tomato Juice
C: Milk

Q46
He took lessons in which of the following activity until he was primary 3?
A: Calligraphy
B: Tennis
C: Swimming

Q47
The dance steps that Aiba is doing belong to which Arashi song?

Q48
Which of the following is Aiba’s family business?
A: Bicycle shop
B: Grocery store
C: Chinese restaurant

Q49
He does NOT have which of the following license/certification?
A: Large motorcycle license
B: Small boat Class 4 license
C: Kanji Aptitude Test Level 2

Q50
Why did Aiba join Johnnys?
A: He wanted to play basketball with SMAP
B: He wanted to dance
C: His Mom submitted his CV/resume without his consent

Q51
Aiba works together with Shimura Ken-san in “Tensai! Shimura Dobutsuen”. On the first day they met, what did Aiba do to him?
A: Hugged him
B: Made Shimura-san piggybacked him
C: Slept on his lap

ANSWERS

A42
A. “If you mix the gravy with the rice, it’s tastes good. And the meatball should be put on top of the rice [laughs].”

A43
A. “I rode a elephant in Thailand & a rhinoceros in Izu Bio Park. The elephant was very steady but I was worried that I would fall when I was riding the rhinoceros. Next time, I want to try doing an obstacle course while riding on a horse.” Really?

A44
C. “I like outlet malls. It’s not that I want to buy anything in particular, it’s fun just looking at them, like ‘Why did it become so cheap!?’ I want to go to the outlet malls in the suburbs to look for golfing clothes & equipments.”

A45
A. “I like water. I drink about 2 litres a day.”

A46
C. “Because my body was weak when I was young, so I took the bus with my brother & we went for lessons together. I can swim most of the styles, but I'm best in breaststroke I guess.”

A47
“Believe”

A48
C. “Recently, when we had a live programme in Chiba, I called my parents & asked them to deliver food to the studio. They were very delicious!”

A49
C. “I got the boat license because my father recommended it to me. I had to learn about ocean currents & how to tie the ropes etc. As for the motorcycle license, my Dad wanted to buy a Harley & I wanted to ride it after I got my license. But in the end, he just bought a local motorcycle.”

A50
A. “Though till now, I still haven’t got to play basketball with them”

A51
C. “I was very nervous when I recorded the show for the first time. Then after work, we went to eat together with all the staff members & we went to the karaoke too… Then suddenly, I realise I was sleeping on Shimura-san’s lap! When I think about it, I feel shocked too [bitter laugh].”

Group

Q01
The five of them dressing up as teachers. Well then, amongst them, who are the two members that wanted to be a social studies teacher? *4 marks*

Q52
The members took a vote. Who is the most popular in Arashi?

Q53
The members took a vote. Who is the neatest/tidiest person in Arashi?

Q54
The members took a vote. Who is the most filial in Arashi?

Q55
What songs are the members listening to recently? Match the songs with the respective members. *10 marks, 2 for each member*
A: Elephant Kashimashi
B: Ando Yuko
C: Ariamaru Tomi by Shiina Ringo
D: R&B
E: Raining by Cocco

Q56
Below are 5 emoticons used by the members. Who uses which emoticon? *10 marks, 2 for each member*

Q57
Below are close-up shots of Arashi members’ face/body parts. The parts belonging to the same person are lined up in a straight line (may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal). Who is it?

(Click to see the bigger version)

Q58
The 5 domes tour took place in 2008. What is the order of the concert venues?

Q59
Arashi went overseas to 3 countries for their 2008 Asia tour. Name them in order.

A01
Ninomiya & Matsumoto.
Reasons: “Because I like history” (Matsumoto) & “It just came to my mind” (Ninomiya).

A52
Aiba & Sakurai has the same votes, so either one is correct.
Those who chose Aiba said:
“Because he said: I don’t need tickets to get into zoos.” (Sakurai)
“He seems fun to be with.” (Matsumoto)
And the two who chose Sakurai said:
“He is responsible/steady.” (Nino)
“Somehow I think it’s him.” (Ohno)
The remaining vote went to Matsumoto, chosen by Aiba.

A53
Matsumoto.
“He dislikes untidiness.” (Nino)
“Everyone is about the same, but if I had to choose, I guess it’s me?” (Matsumoto)

A54
Aiba with 3 votes.
“He always seems to be with his parents.” (Nino)
“Everyone is filial in their own way, but the most filial is me I guess [laughs].” (Aiba)
“Somehow I think it’s him.” (Ohno)

A55
A: Ninomiya
B: Aiba
C: Matsumoto – MatsuJun chose his own drama’s theme song. “I listen to it pretty often ♪”
D: Ohno – “I can’t really remember the titles [laughs].”
E: Sakurai – “This song was playing during the scene at the lake. I got hooked onto it.”

A56
A: Aiba – “I use the smiley face pretty often.”
B: Ninomiya – “It has got to be this one.”
C: Ohno – “It adds some force/enthusiasm.”
D: Matsumoto – “I use it at the end of a sentence, to add some force/enthusiasm.”
E: Sakurai – “Because it’s safe/easily acceptable.”

A57
Sakurai. From the top left to the bottom right, all parts belong to Sakurai.

A58
Osaka (Kyocera Dome) → Nagoya (Nagoya Dome) → Tokyo (Tokyo Dome) → Fukuoka (Fukuoka Yahoo! JAPAN Dome) → Sapporo (Sapporo Dome)

A59
Taipei → Seoul → Shanghai

Results

0-34 points: Certificate of Participation
You have worked hard. Did your love for Arashi grow while doing the quiz? Train by reading Myojo regularly ♪

36-68 points: Bronze Medal
Your love for Arashi is still growing. Please read more magazines & watch more of their TV shows/concerts.

70-98 points: Silver Medal
Not bad. But you can love Arashi even more right? Continue to work hard!

100-136 points: Gold Medal
Excellent!! You love Arashi a whole lot. Please continue to love Arashi ♥

They even have a "certificate" *LOL* You can fill in your name (on the line) & your rank (in the box) XD

So how did you guys do? XDDD I didn't calculate my score -_- I did it while I was translating it so... ^-^;

Extra question! (Not part of the quiz)

Below are pictures of Arashi members when they were still a baby/child.

A: His downward sloping eyebrows haven’t changed. And from the picture, you get the impression that he is calm/gentle. This impression stays till today.
B: The 2-year-old him munching on his favourite french fries. He used to be very naughty when he was in kindergarten.
C: Standing in front of his birthday cake, with a big smile on his face ♪ But he used to be a cry-baby.
D: This picture was the 2nd shot & he finally smiled. Apparently, he just had a fight with his older sister before this.
E: During his kindergarten days, he often went to the candy store with his grandmother.

From pictures A to E above, which one matches the baby in the picture below?

Answer:
A: Ohno | B: Sho | C: Nino | D: Jun | E: Aiba
The baby in the picture above is Matsumoto Jun, so the correct answer is D. Though it’s kinda unbelievable now, MatsuJun used to be quite plump when he was a child.

Finally~~~~ It's done!!! *drops dead*

Only Star 2009.07.27 feat. Ohno + Blog entry

change417 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:58:25 GMT

Long time no see! Sorry I haven't been posting much, rl has been tough :/ And I haven't translated anything for almost a month O.o But I'm back to translating now :D I have a couple of articles in mind & there have been a few requests coming in. I'll get to them soon XD

But for now, here's a very short coming back translation from the recent Only Star, 2009.07.27 issue, feat. Ohno! :)) I just picked a few questions to translate, mainly the questions related to Arashi, Nino in particular XD Ohmiya fans!!! *waves* Oh, and I also translated the Only Star blog entry related to this interview too! :p

Scans credit to SNG :)

What would Ohno do if he can be Nino for 1 hour? XDD And Ohmiya stickers<333333

☆ Words in grey: my side-notes/comments. Please do not repost my translations & credit if using. Thank you :)

Only Star 2009.07.27 Secret of Arashi

All the questions asked are sent in by the readers.

If you could be Ninomiya-san for just 1 hour, what would you do?
Erm... What should I do? I'll get a boat & go fishing. If I'm Nino, I wonder if I'll really get seasick [laughs]. And I'll get to know how tough it is for Nino when he is seasick.
Fishing again -_-" You want to turn Nino into a piece of charcoal too? XD

Ohno-san, you get a lot of questions related to Ninomiya-san [laughs]. Please tell us how much you like Ninomiya-san!
Oh, I love the readers XDD Lol.
I like everything about him. What am I saying [laughs].
[Ohno-san shows us one of his personal belongings which has a Nino sticker on it]
Nino pasted this [laughs].
[Pointing to Ninomiya's video game device beside him, it has a Ohno sticker on it]
I pasted this [laughs].
We paste stickers on each other's things.
Awww~ These two are so cuteeee o(>_<)o

You two are really close~ [laughs]. "I have not told you this before, but actually..." Do you have such thoughts with regards to Arashi members?
I don't think so. Because we can talk about anything together, yeah.

If there were to be an assistant leader in Arashi, who do you think would be a good choice?
But there isn't really a leader's job or anything [laughs]. But, as usual, I would choose Sho-kun. He is responsible, steady & you can rely on him.

Only Star blog 2009.07.19

The paragraphing may seem weird... cuz I chose to follow the the blog entry's structure entirely :p

During the photoshoot, the photographer made various requests,
Ohno-san did many poses accordingly.
Halfway through, the photographer said: “Please show us a troubled expression”
He froze momentarily.
At that, we asked:
“Are you, by any chance, feeling troubled now?”
Smiling, he said: “Troubled expression, it’s how I normally look like~”
After that, he did the expression that was published in the magazine (the pic above).
LOL. Yes, Ohno does look troubled/confused/teary-eyed all the time XD *squishes him*

During the interview, Ohno-kun talked about some incidents related to Ninomiya-kun.
Because they are so close, we said:
“You two are really close!”
He looked very happy.
“Yeah! We are close. Ah, is that weird?”
He was worried.
“Nothing of that sort! It’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
Ohno-kun had a wide smile on his face.