rosdrise | Arashi P.I.M.P! (Reply)

Once upon a time... seven (?) years ago, the Inuyasha anime began. Having been a fan of the manga, I had to check it out. And lo and behold, it was good (before it, like the manga, became a never ending circle of the same freaking thing, and I stopped watching it). And there was theme song. "Change the World" by V6, a group from Japan. I liked the song, so I bought a V6 cd at my first anime convention. It's a decent CD, I liked the majority of the songs well enough, but I haven't listened to it in years. Little did I know that V6 was part of the entertainment giant that is...

Johnny's Entertainment, Johnny and Associates, Johnny's Jimusho, JE... Many a name for the company that controls every boy band in Japan. Nay! Controls the majority of the idol market in Japan. Which... is... a lot

So, for the uninformed, how about a history lesson? JE was started in 1963 by Johnny Kitagawa (Johnny-san. Creepy, creepy Johnny-san) and his sister Mary. They recruit little boys, usually pre-teen to tween, and train them to become the ultimate Japanese entertainers. Dancing, singing, acting, etc, etc, etc. JE boys are schooled in everything. Many form groups, act as back-up dancers for the older boys, make various appearances in magazines, tv, and concerts, etc. And when Johnny decides the time is right, age or what group they are in at the time has nothing to do with it, - they are 'debuted' - either as a solo, duo, or group (new or old). Yes, like a southern belle. Yes, it's weird.

And Johnny controls every single aspect of their lives. EH-VER-EEY aspect (ie - NO GIRLS). Yes, it's wierd. And, yes, it's very creepy. Especially when you here about the molestation charges from back in the 70's and 80's. I don't believe there have been any problems recently, so... that's good?

But enough of the bizarre, totally un-fun stuff. Let's focus happy, colorful, sparkly, dorkiness that is Arashi!

Why Arashi, you ask? First answer: WHY NOT?! Second answer: A comes before K (KAT-TUN) and Arashi debuted first, by seven years. And technically I heard about Arashi first, because I looked into Matsujun when I first started watching Hana Yori Dango, but I didn't download any of their stuff at the time. Third answer: It was either Arashi or KAT-TUN, because trying to learn about more groups might make my head explode, and that's messy. So.... Arashi wins! We'll save the ridiculousness that is KAT-TUN for my next post.

Lets do this!

Arashi: Debuted in 1999 in Hawai'i. From what I understand, they were kind of tricked into it. Basically, JE was like, wanna go to Hawai'i? And the boys were like, SURE! And they got there and JE was like, GUESS WHAT! YOU'RE A GROUP NOW! HA! And the boys were... wtf? okay! :D

I get the impression this was done so as to secure Ohno, since he turned down the possibility of another group earlier and was actually thinking about freeing himself... I mean, leaving JE. But, regardless, Arashi is born! And everyone is happy.

Now, let's step through the members...

Ohno Satoshi - Official Leader... because he's the oldest and lost at janken (rock, paper, scissors. I'm serious).

Ohno is the oldest, but until recently looked like he was about twelve. I swear. I know Japanese boys look young, but it was ridiculous (especially when he wakes up). He's still tiny, but not in a middle-schooly way, just a tiny-way. He also has, what I believe to be, the best voice in the group and thus takes the lead on the majority of songs. He's also the best dancer and choreographs a lot of Arashi's amazing (and hilariously dork-tastic) dance moves. And they all call him "Leader" or "Captain" which is awesome. OH THE ENGRISH!

Sakurai Sho - The Rapper... and sole higher degree holder of the group

If I were to describe my perfect husband, it very well could be Sho. Seriously, I don't see how any girl could not adore him. He's cute, he's goofy, he's sweet, and he's smart. Seriously. He got a B.A. in Economics from Keio University (Japanese Ivy League, basically) - while he was still in the band... so he could stay in the band (and he thinks everyone else should go as well). His parents (a government official and daughter of a huge corp, I believe) told him he had to go to school if he wanted to stay in Johnny's. So he did.

He's kind of a scaredy-cat, and the other boys give him crap for it. But who isn't going to be afraid of being flung head-first down a waterfall? Or the potential of having a knife jammed through your hand? Or a giant rubberband aimed at your FACE

And he fails at drawing. OH HOW HE FAILS

And though Ohno is called the leader, Sho pretty much takes care of all leader-type duties, like MCing the shows billion shows they are on, etc...and then gets molested by the guests

Aiba Masaki - The one that gets mauled by animals, but is completely adorable while it happens.

Ah! I've intrigued you with the whole "mauling" thing, haven't I? You awful people. Okay, so there isn't any actual mauling, but there is a great deal of manhandling by big cats, with Aiba on the receiving end. There is also a considerable amount of manhandling by his own group members

Did you notice the AMAZING engrish sprinkled throughout that South Africa clip? Did you find it as hilarious as I do? Did you fall in love with Aiba like I DID? Then, you'll appreciate this!

To be honest, I think there could just be a channel with Aiba doing all the random crap that comes into his head. And I would watch it. All. the. time.

And why is Sho, the college graduate, Aiba's accomplice in these random acts of 'education'? Because he has to keep Aiba in-line, of course. Aiba has lots of energy, but he's prone to getting sick. A few years ago he was hospitalized for a collapsed lung (!) and has since stopped playing saxophone, for which I am not sad, because I hate the damn instrument.

I only put the last one up because 'music=refrigerator' makes me lol

Ninomiya Kazunari - Mr. Serious Actor/Musician, only not really

Nino can come off as a little cold, always pointing out the stupid things the other members do. In one of the posts I read about Arashi, they described him as the 'emo-boy' of the group, disdainful and stand-offish at times. He writes his own lyrics, plays instruments, and was in the Clint Eastwood movie "Letters to Iwo Jima" - not half bad for a Japanese idol! But that exterior is only a portion of who Nino is - the rest of him is just as goofy (just wait until the bus footage comes up) as the rest of them... Only, Nino plays pranks, sometimes really mean pranks (at least watch for the blood one - you'll know what I'm talking about).

And I should probably mention 'Ohmiya' - the name for the pairing of Ohno and Nino. These two have an interesting relationship, to say the least. It's one that involved a lot more touching than any two heterosexual male friends I've ever met.

And the fangirls love it.

Matsumoto Jun - Capable of both geek and cool at the drop of a hat.

You never know what you are going to get with Matsujun. Sometimes he can look so attractive and be so cool, then the next thing you know, he's Domyouji in the first season of Hana Yori Dango and he has the perm from hell or he's wearing sparkles and dancing like, well... you be the judge. Or he can FRIGHTEN YOU. He's the youngest of the five (so they pick on him) and he has appeared in the most dramas I believe (Gokusen, Kimi wa Petto, and HYD 1 & 2 are the ones that I've seen. But he's been in a bunch more) and he's pretty darn good.

He's also considered an 'elite' because Johnny invited him to join without an audition (oooooh~). And he tries to act cool, but he loves his group, and even writes and sings sappy songs about said love.

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So, those are the members of Arashi. The five pieces that make up the cracktastic whole

But what do they sound like, you ask? Here are some PVs for you to watch and listen. Enjoy!

A.RA.SHI - Their first ever single. Complete with kicked-puppy looking Ohno, mini-rapper Sho, and EYEBROWS Matsujun. Honestly, I didn't like this song when I first heard it, but I really like it now.
- Years later they have to perform it while suffering from very little sleep
- And another time they do it with headphones and blindfolds. Oh, Matsujun

Love So Sweet - In which they are mannequins and there are flying hearts and a creepily life-like bear costume.

We Can Make It - This reminds me a Greer because she was the first person to show it to me. It has dancing and fake walking, so how can you not love it?

Happiness - Their latest single and theme for Yamada Taro Monogatari. It basically consists of them being the dorks they are. And therefore AWESOME.

Kitto Daijoubu - THIS IS WHY I LOVE ARASHI. It wasn't until I watched this PV that I truly appreciated all that Arashi was. The dancing, the fun song, the RAINBOWS. THE DANCING ON RAINBOWS. Love it, love it, love it.