I was hanging out with Takizawa-kun the other day, and he played me a special version of “A・RA・SHI” that he edited and made. The arrangement was pretty cool. It even had the movie “Saving Private Ryan” (Editor’s note: If you don’t know what he’s talking about, read Hideaki’s page), he’s really into everything. The members of Arashi are really interesting. Just looking at the five of them makes me think, “Wow, there are all kinds of people in the world” (laughs).
Oh-chan looks like that, but he’s like that (laughs). He sleeps a lot, anyway. He’ll fall asleep in the car on the way. But he memorizes lines for dramas faster than anyone. He’s not a particularly lively guy, but he’s really funny. I’m sure he’ll pioneer a new genre of comedy in the future.
Sho-kun hasn’t changed at all. When he has fun, he has fun to the fullest, but when he has to do things properly, he’s strict. He’s a very sharp person. He’s the one who brings the group together, but he’s not strict at all and is a really nice person you can rely on.
As for Nino… (staring at Nino in front of him) I can say this because he’s not here, but he’s cute ♥ The two of us act as if we’re always together, but in fact we’re not together that much at work (laughs). I have been together more often with MatsuJun thanks to movies and the drama Bokura no Yuuki. But we take the same car home. Come to think of it, we haven’t had a long chat recently. But we know each other well, so it’s easy to be around him. I want him to become known as “the most energetic member of Arashi”. 。。。
What, me? Well, let me say it in a speech-like way (laughs). Well, I’ve been living on Earth for 17 years since I was born, and I believe it’s all thanks to my mother that I’ve been able to live this way. And the warm support of all my fans, and above all the people around me, and… (“That’s enough, that’s long,” says Nino). I get it. Anyway, I plan to make the most of each day so that I have no regrets, so I look forward to your continued support. That’s all!
The announcement of our debut really came out of the blue, so even now a month later, it still doesn’t feel quite real (laughs). I wonder what will become of Arashi’s color. Personally I don’t think we need to have a clear color right now. If you look at senior groups, even after years of debuting, they don’t fully have their set color. So I hope fans will continue to watch over Arashi as they slowly move forward without rushing.
Ohno-kun is just an incredibly funny guy! He’s incredible, seriously. And it’s a shame he can’t show that side of himself yet (laughs). But I’m sure everyone will find out soon. Look forward to it.
Aiba had a high fever during the drama filming the other day. But he didn’t tell anyone around him, and at the end, when we were alone, he muttered, “My temperature was 39°C today.” Hearing that, I thought of Aiba in a new light. Judging by his looks, I thought he’d be the kind of guy who’d give in easily (laughs). But he’s a really manly guy.
Ninomiya and I have become much closer since we went to LA and Las Vegas, and what I’m looking forward to from him in the future is his conversation. He’s usually a really passionate guy, but when he’s on TV, he suddenly becomes very down-to-earth (laughs). He’s not trying to act cool or anything, it’s just that he loses track of how to start a conversation. Considering that, it seems like a lot of Arashi members are shy (laughs).
Matsumoto is… eh, you say he gets upset if you criticize him too much? Yeah, after spending the past month together, I perfectly understand how far I can push him to get upset (laughs). There used to be a bit of a hierarchical atmosphere, but now it’s not like that at all. Our relationship is like that of dogs or siblings, where we play around and fight and get closer. He’s like the second son, or rather, he finds someone he can rely on, and that person’s opinion is absolute to him… That’s one of his cute points, but I think if he believes in himself and stands on his own two feet, he’ll turn into an even bigger person.
Oh, what’s my role in Arashi? When these members are excited, they soar to new heights, but once they get sluggish, they stay that way (laughs). We can’t let that happen, so when it looks like that’s going to happen, I think I’ll be the one to give everyone a rousing “Yes, let’s go!” and give them a boost. But when we’re working on dramas, Ninomiya teaches us a lot, and I think each member definitely has their own “role.” I think it’ll be great if the five of us can support each other like that.
Arashi performed a dome concert. How was it? Was it cool? I’d heard domes were big, but it wasn’t as big as I thought it would be. Maybe the stage looks small from the higher seats, but from the stage, I could clearly see everyone’s faces in the back. So, what if Arashi were to do a live concert? Hmm, it might be good to have a lot of people watching, but personally I’d like to do it in a venue where there’s not much distance between the audience and us, maybe like a live house show. I’ve started learning to play musical instruments. After watching live videos of various people, I’ve been interested in vivid performances. I have a lot of ideas. I hope I can show it to everyone one of these days.
So, how are the members doing lately? Yeah, I never knew Ohno-kun was such a cheerful guy, and I think everyone thinks the same (laughs). I thought he’d be more strange and nervous, but this guy is so funny! Ohno-kun and I often walk hand in hand. Yes, I like physical contact (lol)! But I recently realized that there’s a 12-hour time difference between Ohno-kun and us (lol). By 3pm, when we’re at our peak, he’s already sleepy. We’ve been talking on the phone a lot since Ohno-kun was in Kyoto, and he’ll fall asleep while on the phone (lol).
Apparently, Sho-kun often has a normal expression, but people mistake him for being angry (lol). I think it’s because of his lower lip. His lower lip sticks out a little more than a normal person. I think you can try it in front of a mirror and see for yourself, but when you make a normal face…oh my goodness, you’ll look angry (lol). So you can see he’s not mad at all.
Aiba-chan and I have been in a relationship for four years now. I think it’s about time we started thinking about marriage (laughs). Oh yeah, the other day we were on the train together on the way home from a dome concert and Aiba-chan fell asleep. At first he was wearing sunglasses, but as he turned over, they kept sliding up and down, and on top of that his mouth was half-open and he looked super ugly (laughs). “Yeah, it was definitely not cool. When I woke up my mouth was bone dry,” Aiba-chan said.) But I still love him even with that ugly face (laughs).
Matsujun is so driven. (“Well, I’m trying my best to liven up everyone,” Jun said.) Sorry, sorry! What I expect from you is a backflip! The key to success is to just be mischievous (laughs). Sho-kun also has a sense of mischief, so I hope he will do his best together with Matsujun (lol)!
Since becoming a member of Arashi, I’ve had more opportunities to appear on TV, and people often tell me I look bad on TV. Do I really look that weird on TV? (lol) But my life has really changed completely over the past month. Before, I’d just wander around the neighborhood on my days off. But everyone in Arashi is such a nice guy, and it’s a really comfortable group. You can really see that on-screen too.
Sho-kun hasn’t changed at all since the old days. Amazing. He has a great personality. He’s honest, and I don’t think he’d ever betray anyone. I’ve never been annoyed with him in the last few years. But if we’re going to continue working together as Arashi, I wonder if we should have a disagreement at least once. It’s not something I consciously do (lol). He and I have a similar sense of humor. Lately, we’ve been coming up with jokes together in our free time during the drama.
Aiba-chan is like an older brother to me (lol). He just doesn’t look younger than me. When we’re together, I can’t help but want to call him “Big Bro!” Maybe he’s just a big-hearted guy. We’re both pretty quiet, so it’s nice to be around him without having to worry . One time, I was in a van with him for a long time, and we were both either fast asleep or in a daze, and didn’t say a word. But it wasn’t awkward at all. He’s the type of person who makes people feel at ease.
What’s wrong with Ninomiya? (laughs) Just now, he suddenly pretended to kiss me (laughs). But when I playfully tried to fight back, he ran for his life. He’s such a brave guy (laughs). He really loves physical contact, doesn’t he? And that’s with people of all ages and genders. I’m kind of that type too, so we often walk around holding hands (laughs). Huh, is that really weird (laughs)?
Matsujun laughs at the smallest things. Since we haven’t really talked much up until now, I’ve discovered a lot of new things about him. I also didn’t realize he was the kind of person who would lose his temper so easily. Earlier he was smiling, and then all of a sudden he was like “Ah, over there! Ah, I’m about to lose my temper!” and got mad, over something so silly (laughs). Watching Matsujun like that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
At first, I had this cool role as “dance leader,” but recently, everyone seems to have completely forgotten about that (laughs). Hmm, I wonder… Hey Sho-kun, can you say something for me? I don’t know anything about myself. (“How many years have you been alive?” says Sho, with a valid point.) Anyway, not only me but all the Arashi members are still pretty quiet on TV, so I want them to be even more lively. Please support us!
Since we started our activities as Arashi, we’ve been invited to appear as guests on variety shows and film programs, starting with V no Arashi, and our lives have changed completely. I’ve used the phrase “I’m busy” a few times before, but I’ve recently come to realize I wasn’t even really “busy”. There really is so much to do every day, and on top of that, it overlaps with school exams, so now I can confidently say “I’m busy!” (laughs). But this is really a happy thing, isn’t it? Not only just Arashi members, but the staff involved with Arashi are feeling it even more so. It’s what they call a “scream of joy.” By the time this magazine goes on sale, the debut event will already be over. I’m really excited to see how it will turn out. Because this will be Arashi’s first face-to-face meeting with all of their fans. Rather than being excited, I’m feeling really anxious about whether people will actually come (laughs)..
I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to Ohno-kun until now, so we’re still feeling each other out (laughs). What I’ve learned over the past month is that he’s a pretty perfect leader. No matter how well people think of him, if he thinks he’s not good enough, he won’t accept it. I think he’s really hard on himself.
Sho-kun is still messing with me (laughs). I’ve only just realized that I’m the “foolish character”, but sometimes it gets me down if I hear that too much, so please be gentle with me (laughs).
Aiba-kun really doesn’t changed. The biggest change lately is probably him catching a cold (laughs). Everyone’s usually so noisy, so when Aiba-kun is around, it’s a relief. I hope he stays that way from now on.
I recently realized that Nino actually has a fiery side to him. I always thought he was a laid-back person, but it turns out he can get pretty depressed sometimes. We haven’t had much time to hang out together privately until now, so I’m looking forward to getting to know him better.
These members all have really different personalities. I think we’ve put together a really great group of people, but there are still many challenges. I realized when we appeared on a talk show that unlike other groups, there’s not a single person who speaks up on their own. They’re all “one-liners” (laughs). I’ve been missing Subaru a little bit (lol). So I’ve noticed that I’m the one doing the talking, but I’m not the cleverest, so I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up (lol). But I think everyone will get used to it and be able to talk a little more fluently. Normally we are all have very interesting things to say, so please wait a little longer!
