barbosa2007 | CUT - Arashi: Here, there and Everywhere (Reply)

I'm back!

Well, not really. But I was itching to translate something and lo and behold, found this treasure of a magazine in my magazine folder. The scans are credit to jesychan, once again.

The people of the year 2009 were the five members of Arashi.

No matter whose perspective you assume, you couldn’t very well say that it was an understatement. There isn’t a single day where you wouldn’t see the members of Arashi on any type of media; be it television, commercials or magazines. Their record-breaking singles, albums and DVDs came out tops in the charts. Moreover, they were the only group which was granted the permission to open the year with a consecutive three-day concert at the Tokyo Stadium, collaborated with Nihon TV on the Arashi Challenge Week and held a combined event with Tokyo Disney Land. No one could have imagined what other surprising news awaited them.

Eleven years after their debut, they made their first appearance in Kohaku. Although we wonder if Arashi is able to press on with their current vigour, it is worth noting that the group’s gentle atmosphere and its sincere attitude towards their work doesn’t change one bit. What has changed is the circumstances surrounding the group. In order for their unique sentimentality and camaraderie to not be ostentatious, it could be said that they need to be highly emphatic idols. It is precisely because of their empathy that they are able to reach out to a large number of people without placing more demands on their time. In the span of the past ten years, Arashi has steadily gained supporters who have begun to see their good qualities, and they’ve become an icon of our generation, using methods which cannot be mimicked by others. Although it’s rare that a group comprising of such natural personalities would be favoured the way it is, surely this is what is required in the turbulent times of the 21^st century.

We asked the members of Arashi what the year of 2009 has meant to them.

CUT: Introducing Arashi, the faces gracing our “Men of the Year” special issue!

Arashi members: Thank you very much!

CUT: When the list of performers for Kohaku was announced, there were many people who said that Arashi was unbelievably active this year.

Jun: On the contrary, I wonder what we’ve been like up till now… (laughs)

Sho: We were regularly active. (laughs)

Nino: Were we operating as per normal? We did work quite a fair bit. (laughs)

Aiba: Hahahaha.

CUT: That being said, we would like all of you to recap the various things which you have done in the year of 2009. Firstly, what kind of year was 2009 to all of you?

Sho: At the start of the year, it didn’t feel like the year had begun.

Nino: Our first single of the year was “Believe”, right?

Jun: “Believe” came out in March, yes?

Ohno: It felt like “Believe” was released last year.

Jun: That’s right. We had activity after activity, our schedule was just packed.

CUT: It was a big thing for you guys that you were able to stage a three-day concert in the Kokuritsu stadium, a first for the stadium. To each one of you, what role does Kokuritsu play in your heart?

Jun: It probably was a historical first for us that we were able to hold our concert for three days in a row at the Kokuritsu. However, more than that, the very fact that we were able to hold our concerts there for two years in a row registered deeply within us. Furthermore, it had been a long while since we last came together for a live performance.

Sho: That’s true.

Jun: I had the impression that in the first half of the year, we were all busy with our solo activities. When we entered into the second half of the year, we had the mentality that we were making a fresh start, given that we’ve finally come to our 10^th year anniversary. I really identified with that a lot at the Kokuritsu.

CUT: How about you, Ohno-san?

Ohno: Personally, I didn’t remember much of Kokuritsu in 2008.

Nino: You say that a lot.

Jun: (laughs) What do you mean by that?

Ohno: I was extremely busy! (chuckles)

Sho: You were also filming the drama “Maou” then, right?

Ohno: That’s right. However it’s our 10^th year anniversary this year, and I don’t think another opportunity like this will come by again where we get to hold our concerts in Kokuritsu for two consecutive years. Therefore, I made it a point to remember this concert.

Jun: And then, when you put your heart and soul into it, you ended up crying on the first day. (laughs)

Ohno: Hmmm. I have no idea how that happened! (laughs)

CUT: Did any of the other four members notice something different about Ohno-san’s spirit in 2009?

Jun: I absolutely did not feel any difference at all. (laughs)

Aiba: I felt that it was Ohno Satoshi being his usual self. (laughs)

Sho: He was noisy before the actual show! (laughs) On the last day of the concert, the weather forecast said that it would rain. Whilst it was possible to see the stadium from our dressing room, if we opened the curtains a crowd of fans would swarm towards it immediately. Matsujun went outside, Aiba-kun slept in another room and I inadvertently fell asleep on the sofa. However, when I did that Nino and Satoshi-kun did a short skit where one of them played a celebrity who wanted to open the curtains no matter what, whilst the other acted as the manager who was trying to hold him back. They kept doing it! I couldn’t sleep at all! (laughs)

Jun: Hahahaha.