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transitions101Yoshi Rei, who wrote this column, is one of my favorite interviewers. Some of you might recognize her as the author behind Nino's slew of MORE articles.
The photoshoot takes place in a meadow. As you cast your eye in the distance, you can see oleander trees. Everyone strolls towards the trees where the peach-coloured flowers are in full bloom. Nino whispers something into Ohno’s ear, making him chuckle. Matsumoto smiles as he takes in the sight of the two of them. Sakurai walks slightly ahead of the others and Aiba falls in step next to him. The guys walk at a natural pace and at a comfortable distance between each of them. There’s a great atmosphere which encompasses the five members. That same atmosphere is seen in their concerts and variety programs, which makes their audiences and the people who come into contact with them come away with a happy feeling.
The photoshoot takes place in a meadow. As you cast your eye in the distance, you can see oleander trees. Everyone strolls towards the trees where the peach-coloured flowers are in full bloom. Nino whispers something into Ohno’s ear, making him chuckle. Matsumoto smiles as he takes in the sight of the two of them. Sakurai walks slightly ahead of the others and Aiba falls in step next to him. The guys walk at a natural pace and at a comfortable distance between each of them. There’s a great atmosphere which encompasses the five members. That same atmosphere is seen in their concerts and variety programs, which makes their audiences and the people who come into contact with them come away with a happy feeling.
Nino: Even when I’m asked, “What do you think is the secret to Arashi’s popularity?” I totally have no idea. We neither planned nor analysed [why our fans like us]. Nonetheless, the only thing I can say is that whenever [we do our concerts or shows], it’s a great deal of fun.
Aiba: People always say that we’re really close, but that’s really the norm. It’s a bond that is neither classified as friendship nor kinship, but a new genre that can only be called “Arashi”.
Of course, life for them wasn’t without its hardships. When they first debuted ten years ago, they didn’t know each other well. On top of that, three out of the five members were ready to quit the entertainment industry.
Ohno: Although I already told the office that I wanted to quit, the president said, “Go to Hawaii!” I thought it was a final reward of sorts and went, but somehow along the way I ended up on a boat and we had our debut conference! (laughs)
Aiba: We were a group which was put together for the sake of a debut, so our initial conversations were very hesitant and probing.
Nonetheless, slowly but surely, you’ve grown closer to each other.
Ohno: After we debuted, there were many months where we only had 30 minutes or 1 hour of sleep each night. I thought that it was absolute craziness if we had to keep up at that frantic pace, so Nino and I devised an escape plan! (laughs) However, somehow or other, Arashi just became a way of life… Now that I think about it, it’s because of Arashi that we made it this far. Everyone’s really kind!
Jun: We all have very different personalities, so if you actually put us in the same class, we wouldn’t be in the same clique. However, everyone demonstrated care and concern whilst looking out for each other. We truly cooperated.
Sho: It seems like we’re your normal everyday person. Even when we’re on the streets, we hear stuff like “Oh, Sho-chan!” and “Ah, Nino,” rather than girls going “Kya~” over us. People call out to us like they see us every day, so that makes us really happy.
Nino: We’re a reserved bunch. (laughs) Because we’re not people who will shove others aside in order to get into the limelight, you could say that we’re not a very pushy group. Therefore, although it took time before we were understood by the people around us, in that way, we were able to have various experiences and that increased our exposure.
“We think that if Arashi were to cause a miracle, it would be these five people.”
Sho: I think we’re a group that took quite a detour to get to where we are today. However, we’re now proud to say that we didn’t take any shortcuts.
The five of them have starred together in movies, late night variety programs, 24 hour TV , concerts, etc. As you observe these scenes one by one, you’ll see that they’ve been fostering the bonds of Arashi.
Sho: There have been many unforgettable moments, but I vividly remember the scene we saw when the curtains first opened for our premiere Asia tour. Each of us was lined up in a row on stage. Although we didn’t exchange glances, in our hearts we had engaged in a scrum*. At that time, everyone felt like we had overcome the first obstacle.
* Translator’s note: a scrum, in typical rugby terms, is a play in Rugby in which the two sets of forwards mass together around the ball and, with their heads down, struggle to gain possession of the ball. Oh Sho, you just can’t forget your rugby experience, can you.
Jun: I share the same sentiments with Sho-kun. After that Asia Tour in 2006, we started to gather a momentum which culminated to what we have today.
Aiba: It was also amazing when we managed to stand on my dream stage, the Tokyo Dome. It was a special feeling to see it packed with audience members from the top to the very bottom of the place. I said, “This was as amazing as I thought it would be,” and was so moved that I cried.
Arashi now has a primetime program and each member has come to star in their own dramas. Be it in the office, train or café, everyone seems to be talking about Arashi happily. As the members welcome their tenth year anniversary, they have thoughts which they want to voice out anew. That would be that Arashi has helped make them into who they are now, and more than anything, the feeling of wanting to cherish Arashi.
Nino: If there was a miracle that Arashi has caused, that would be the five of us here. There were many Juniors who were of the same age as us, so there were countless choices in terms of the group formation. And in spite of that, it came down to the five of us. That was a momentous event for us, and it will still remain an important milestone within the group.
So the miracle wasn't some special drama, but something that had been by their side all along – it was something which had unknowingly begun along the way.
Jun: We say it’s because our horizons have been broadened that we stay the same. We want to be able to stay at the same level with the people who have supported or helped us all this while. We don’t want to aim for records or numbers, but to just appreciate the things we have now.
Sho: The year before last, we had a live performance at the Tokyo Dome – a dream I didn’t think would come to pass so soon. Last year, when [we performed] at the Kokuritsu Yoyogi Stadium, we came to realise that this was just the beginning of an awesome dream come true. We were ecstatic. This year’s live performances and even those in our 11th year will take us into uncharted waters. Although there’s this uncertainty of not knowing what will happen next, we’re all in this together, so we’ve got no choice but to enjoy the ride.
We carried out the photoshoot in front of oleander trees where flowers were in bloom. The flowers symbolise “beautiful kindness, a friendship for life”. We only came to know about it way after the interview was over. Even on that day, the miracle of Arashi bloomed with a nonchalant air.
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Date: 2013-02-04 12:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 01:00 am (UTC)I thought it was a final reward of sorts and went, but somehow along the way I ended up on a boat and we had our debut conference!
so typical of riida! ^^ gave me a good laugh.
it's funny and amazing that these five have melded together in a friendship. like jun-kun said, they would never be in the same school clique. (part of me wishes i could travel back in time and put the five of them in a classroom full of students and see how they would interact.)
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Date: 2013-02-04 01:06 am (UTC)i also don't know why i like this group because this is the first time i interested in idol group. it has never happen before.
and the mysterious choice johhny-san made back then, why these five? hmm, perhaps the person himself didn't know what kind of group these five boys will create.
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Date: 2013-02-04 01:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 01:16 am (UTC)I saw their friendship is normal: respecting, understanding and accepting each other.
Because of these, I love them.
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Date: 2013-02-04 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 01:26 am (UTC)Thank you so much for this!
Repost??? I don't remember reading it before xD
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Date: 2013-02-04 03:16 am (UTC)•°•♡ⓣⓗⓐⓝⓚⓢ♡ •°• for translating this ^o^
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Date: 2013-02-04 03:21 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2013-02-04 06:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 08:21 am (UTC)This translation is great. I can see why they can come this big by this conversation ^^
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Date: 2013-02-04 08:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 09:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 12:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 12:21 pm (UTC)Thanks for this^^
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Date: 2013-02-04 01:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 02:01 pm (UTC)thank you! :DD
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Date: 2013-02-04 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 03:10 pm (UTC)I'm so proud. :']♥
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Date: 2013-02-04 03:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 03:59 pm (UTC)this is how we love them ^^'
Thanks so much +++
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Date: 2013-02-04 05:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-04 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-05 01:09 am (UTC)What a beautiful way to end the article. Thanks for the translation!!
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Date: 2013-02-05 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2013-02-06 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-07 11:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-07 03:56 pm (UTC)It's interviews like these that make me love these five guys even more. <3
Thanks so much for translating this! =)
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Date: 2013-02-09 10:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-12 04:03 pm (UTC)You can totally sense the harmony between the five of them -
and the interview, too, I guess? ::D
Thank you so much! ::D
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Date: 2013-06-15 09:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-05 04:34 am (UTC)