angelembryo’s blog

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Cnaaiba1

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...C no Arashi, I take back all the mean stuff I ever said about you. In one little episode, YOU HAVE REDEEMED YOURSELF.

Now if only more of the episodes actually existed somewhere. *sigh*

Ah. It was a pretty crappy day. Been feeling sore, tired, unproductive, uncreative, underachieving, lazy, left behind, and all manner of negativity. It's been a long, tiring week and I still didn't accomplish what I had been planning for months to do... I have four unfinished fansub projects sitting here mocking me and reminding me how full of fail I am for being unable to finish them... it's been over a week since I did any kanji study... and we won't even go into the personal stuff. And I've just spent the whole day, if not the past couple weeks, asking myself why I even bother trying.

Then I popped in a DVD of old Arashi no Shukudai-kun episodes and mere minutes later, I'm smiling, motivated to study kanji, inspired to translate lyrics, and even the aches and pains are gone.

Arashi. Where would I be without you?

What a geek I've turned into. But you know what? I'm smiling. I'm ready to try again. Because of them.

THIS is why I love these five dorks so much. THIS is why I became a follower and remain as such. I owe every day of the past two years of my life to them. They saved my life - not physically, as I was never suicidal or anything, but mentally. Because when I was ready to give up on myself, they showed me that life wasn't something to throw away. And they continue to remind me that there's more out there to find if I just keep trying.

...I blame this post on sleepiness. Wow, what a bunch of nonsensical mush. I'll try to be more entertaining and less creepy next time. *shuffles off to fall asleep with kanji book in hand*

Wow. It really doesn't take much to make my day, does it?

Tonight I finally watched Himitsu no Arashi-chan #8, the weird animals special. Now, keep in mind that I'm a TOTAL animal lover, so this episode was jkfgjakdskautomaticlove to me. Yet, what was my favorite part? When Nino was introducing the episode and held up that book with a few unusual animals on the cover, and Aiba exclaimed "Ooh, it's an okapi :O!"

I swear, I rewound that moment more times than I rewound Jun's little "Ohmygod, THIS IS SO FUN :DDDD" spazzfest over the giant rabbit. I'm such a geek. No, 'cause see, I always liked okapi... the nearest zoo to me (which is still 2 hours away) has an okapi that I love to stop and look at for a while on the rare occasions when I'm there. They're so gorgeous, and so rare, and so similar to yet utterly different from their nearest living evolutionary relatives...

And maybe I was just making unfounded assumptions, but I had the idea in my head that these poor sheltered showbiz-blinded city folk, some of whom have never even seen a cow before, would have no idea what an okapi was. But then there's Aiba piping up with "Ooh, it's an okapi!" and my kindred spirit sense starts a-tingling. That was EXACTLY how I would've reacted. >.<

Ok, yeah, that concludes my Weird Moment of the Week. Well, maybe. It's barely Tuesday yet...

I am officially disturbed.

I had a Chinen dream last night. No... TWO Chinen dreams last night. *flail*

It makes no sense. I never even THINK about him or Hey!Say!JUMP, except the other day when I was translating some of Arashi's Time tour MC and got to the Ultra Music Power performance... and all I know about Chinen is that he's irritatingly adorable and an Ohno fanboy (which makes him instant win, but that's beside the point). So WHYYYY? *resume flail*

They weren't anything particularly worth remembering though, and I only remember bits and pieces anyway. I just know he was there and I woke up twitching and questioning my sanity. What's happening to meeeeee D:

...blasted adorable little pixie boy.

First post. :O So um. This is my Arashi-and-other-Japanese-entertainment rant blog. Yay!

So I admit, even though I've been doing Arashi fansubs and translations for a year and a half now, I don't really keep up with their latest news very well. Used to check my friends list at Taiji Project now and then for that kind of thing, but then it grew to such massive proportions I just couldn't really keep up anymore. O_o I'm even worse at keeping up with their appearances and whatnot...

Ok, before I get any further, I should probably explain my relationship with the five Sparkly Rainbow Men of Dorkness. I'll come out and say it now: I don't generally like J-pop, and I can't stand the kind of music Johnny's groups are known for. Of course my initiation into the Japanese music scene was through artists like Ayumi Hamasaki and Maaya Sakamoto - the kinds of things you'd hear used in anime themes - but then I was introduced to Gackt, and my tastes were never the same again. From Gackt came Malice Mizer, X Japan, Dir en grey, Miyavi, etc. I did maintain my J-pop "roots" through a slight remaining interest in anime and growing interest in J-dramas, but on the whole, I have pretty much always been a J-rock fangirl. Particularly visual kei.

I first heard of Arashi through the J-drama world. Which, by the way, I got into when I stumbled across a drama airing on the International Channel, which no longer exists *pout*. I then found the wonderful J-drama resource Jdorama.com, where I learned what dramas I wanted to see next and all that. And at some point, on the front page in the randomized "Featured Artistes" section, Matsumoto Jun popped up, and in the description I read that he was a member of a group called Arashi. I didn't do anything with that knowledge for several years, but for some reason it stayed in my head.

A couple years later an acquaintance randomly sent me a torrent for the drama Kimi wa Petto, which I looked up and saw that the very same Matsumoto Jun starred in... but again I thought nothing of it. Ages later, probably a year or  more, I found that torrent and decided to finally download the series... but of course the torrent was long dead. So I found another one and finally watched Kimi wa Petto. AND I WAS HOOKED. Two years later, it's still my all-time favorite drama. And finally I could no longer resist finally looking up this Matsumoto Jun and the Arashi thing he was part of.

...But honestly, at first, since his feature profile at Jdorama.com wasn't very detailed, I expected Arashi to be a rock group. And I was thoroughly embarrassed when I learned the truth. >.>;; Still, his look and his acting were just too big a draw for me, so I started poking around Youtube. We all know where that leads, right? I learned of the other members, some of their TV shows and appearances, a bit of their history... somehow I discovered a site where essentially every Arashi video that ever existed was available for download... and the rest, as they say, is history.

However, I never really did get into their music. As a J-rock fangirl, I wasn't about to go out of my way to listen to any of it, but I happened to hear some clips and stuff through some of the videos I saw on Youtube. Over the course of several months I got brave enough to check out a few full songs, and actually found a couple that I liked. By now, two years later, that "couple" has increased to several dozen and I'm well on my way to becoming a rabid fangirl. D: Well, not really. Their music has gradually grown on me, but I'm mostly a fan of their TV shows, acting skills, and overall personalities. I always listen to their songs in the car when I go anywhere though. They keep me awake. +_+

So why did I grow so fond of Arashi, a group that should've been such a perfect example of all the things I hate in music? As I said, it's all based on their TV shows and acting and all that... but I think it's also the chemistry they have as a group, their unique personalities, and they way they so openly share themselves with the world in their TV shows. They don't reveal everything, obviously, but unlike other idol groups, they're not afraid to show that they're human. They make mistakes, they dance out of step, they sing off-key... and sometimes, sometimes, they're *braces self for thrown objects* just plain ugly. Those are the times when I like them the most. Not when they're dressed in perfectly crisp colorful shiny outfits and dancing on a brightly lit stage like any trained monkey; not when they're singing in perfect harmony like anyone who can afford a few years of voice lessons (though those times are always a plus too) - but when they're a little off-key, when the makeup is melting off, when the hair is mussed, when they're making weird ugly faces, when they're doing embarrassing things and making themselves look utterly ridiculous. I love the human element.

But then, there's also the fact that they're multitalented. Don't misread that last paragraph as a string of insults - I totally agree that they're good singers and dancers in general. I admit Ohno's Top Secret dance usually results in my face glued all over my monitor, and Nino's voice in Niji and Kako occasionally creates a lump in my throat. But they're so much more. Jun and Nino are internationally renowned actors, and for incredibly good reason. Ohno is an AMAZING artist, a master on the butai stage, and the most sharp, precise dancer I've ever seen. Nino's skilled at various instruments, and considering my J-rock roots and my belief that a "band" isn't a band without real instruments, that's a huge plus for me. Sho is a college graduate and is making a name for himself through not only his looks, but also his intellect, which I respect like crazy. And Aiba... is Aiba. ^___^;; Don't get me wrong - Aiba-chan's my favorite. Maybe he's not the best actor or singer or dancer or intellect in the group, but he has such a beautiful personality (and he's so hopelessly childlike and adorable) that he'll always come first in my mind.

And, um. I guess that concludes the story of how and why I got into Arashi. I won't always be this long-winded and rambly, I promise. :X

BUT ANYWAY. Back to the original point. >.> I'm not good at keeping up with their latest news, latest appearances, etc. So I often find out about things later than everyone else, which means I may post things on this blog that seem days or even weeks delayed. I'll try to keep most stuff here limited to general, timeless babbles and comments on things that actually are still new, but you know. Fair warning. :P

Now I'm done for real, and all that remains is to remind myself to use this thing now and then...