3 posts from February 2008

◎ Seems they showed the Oricon singles ranking on 2008.02.27 niji-ciao!:

Kubota Tomoko (female host): So cute!
Takahashi George (iirc he was in one of the GnoA air guitar eps): Who do you like?
Kubota: Everyone!
Megumi Toshiaki (male host): Me Nino, I like Nino!
Takahashi: For me it's Aiba, Aiba, Aiba!

Also heard that Ume Kayo (the photographer whose dream is to shoot an Arashi calendar) shot the Cooking Book that comes with the new Arashi calendar! I wonder if she shot the actual calendar too?

☆ 2008 Arashigoto schedule - started this a while back for my own ref; maybe others might find it useful. Streaming links ('cause I've sworn off dl-ing for a while) credit to their respective uploaders (thanks).

★ More drama-scene-mishmash fanvids (lol I love watching these): Doumyouji x Yoshiie-kun (← Sho-kun in Yankee bokou ni kaeru):

◎ Shukudai-kun schedule, courtesy of Date Mikio of Sandwichman:

2008.02.25 Sandwichman
2008.03.03 Satoda Mai

Only a few more days 'til Leader's exhibit...I hope he doesn't mind, but Tada Shinya's account of his premature sojourn to see it is so cute. He's the composer of Itsu made mo, Kaze, Niji, and Still..., and he's an Arashi fan. Arashi even mentioned him becoming their fan in this oricon style interview. He has said many times that Arashi changed his life by picking Itsu made mo, and as a composer he'd be perfectly happy making songs just for Arashi:

Come to think of it, my life has changed greatly
after crossing paths with the group called Arashi.
Back when I did nothing but wander about Tokyo,
riding the subway, demo tape in hand,
I never would have imagined that the day would come
when the super group known as Arashi would sing a song of mine.

To Arashi and their management, who lent their ear
to a song by an unknown singer-songwriter such as me,
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You can listen to his music here, and watch him perform live here (← I really like this song)

From rain-soaked Shibuya, I walked up the slope  to the direction of Harajuku.
To go to Omotesando.
Not that I was scrimping on train fare.
Somehow I just felt like walking in that winter town.
I'm saying it again, but I wasn't in any way scrimping on train fare (laughs)

Although it wasn't that great a distance,
that day was quite cold.
For the first time I felt so sorry
for the guys and girls handing out Hot Pepper in the streets.

Even so, I still headed there (laughs)
Yes. To Omotesando Hills.

Why, you ask!?

Speaking of Omotesando Hills...
Isn't it where they're holding the exhibit of Arashi's Ohno-san!!
But...it's so strange...
Arriving at Omotesando Hills...
There's absolutely no feeling of excitement...
Strange. This is strange.
I mean, it wouldn't be strange at all if the whole of Harajuku
is suffused with Ohno-san's color.

Why.

After wandering about Omotesando Hills for a while,
I went over to the reception area, feeling weary,
and asked with what was probably quite a disappointed expression:
"Uhm, just where exactly are they holding the exhibit of Arashi's Ohno-san?"
The receptionist then replied:
"Thank you.
That's next month, February"

"Huh!?"

The Yajiuma morning news I saw while half asleep,
after completing a song in an all-nighter, after continuing days of songwriting.
The news about the exhibit featured there.
The days (and even those I wasn't too sure about...)
and the words 'Omotesando Hills' were the only things that registered (laughs)
I was the very picture of overeagerness.

The receptionist's expression was like, "Just how much does this guy like Arashi?"
but even so, she kindly corrected me, saying it's a month away.
I really gave her a lot of trouble,
and looking back at it now I feel really bad about it (laughs)

So there you have it, I completely jumped the gun,
but I'm sure there were others like me, right!?
(Since I myself screwed up)
If there's someone who did the same thing as me,
please come forward!! (laughs)

Tada Shinya

2008-01-25 23:55

★ Yoshikazu-chan plans to release his Arashi book this spring:

Part 1: The Calm Before the Storm
Everything up until he attended their concert at Kyocera Dome last spring, after overcoming many obstacles

Part 2: Sudden Storm
He tries to figure out why he, before he knew it, became a big Arashi fan all of a sudden

Part 3: Looking Back, It's the Storm
His own personal analysis of Arashi's appeal

Can't wait 'til spring~

Best looking fanvid I've seen: Doumyouji x Nobu (Nino in Handoc!!!)

1/29, Tuesday

Entered Nippon Television, Shiodome at 1:45 pm.
Arashi no shukudai-kun taping. (scheduled to be aired on 2/18)
Together with Ogura Tomoaki,
Arashi (Ohno Satoshi, Sakurai Sho, Aiba Masaki, Ninomiya Kazunari, Matsumoto Jun).

First time to work with the members of Arashi.
For one thing, we're 20 years apart in age.
So apart that until today, I couldn't put the members' faces and names together.

But speaking of Arashi's popularity in our midst......
The writer Takeuchi Yoshikazu-san, well over 50, has proclaimed himself to be an Arashi fan,
to the point of setting up a blog where he writes only about Arashi.

Before the actual taping, the 60-year-old Ogura Tomoaki-san also praised them profusely, saying,
"There's no better group than this".

'Homework! Research and report about smelly and delicious food'
'Asakusa Kid picks their 3 most dangerous work'
'Legendary men of the entertainment world! Kusano Hitoshi, Ogura Tomoaki'
'Pushing sumo match'
Etc. etc., happily we did them together.

The pushing sumo match, where I battled against all the Arashi members,
had quite a miracle ending.

And the Ogura Tomoaki Super Athlete Legend that I revealed ---
the real thing was better than hearsay this time around.

I encountered for the first time surstromming,
the world's smelliest fermented food product.

2008/1/29 (Tue)

The members of Arashi

The 'Arashi fever' that Takeuchi-san talked so passionately about
during last summer's Psychic Meeting.

It completely got to me too.

Being thrilled even when the Arashi members who are younger
go at me saying, "Tama-cha~n"!