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mayoraaseiI thought I’d use the opportunity of their 18th anniversary to write something just as a marker in time.
I took the long way to becoming a fan of Arashi. I can’t say when I turned a fan. I got into the JE fandom via the ill-fated KAT-TUN, but I learned of Arashi at the same time. My first J-drama that I followed was Gokusen 2, so of course I knew MatsuJun was in Gokusen, Kimi wa Petto (possibly the first shoujo manga I can honestly say I liked the female protagonist), and Kindaichi Shounen Jikenbo, none of which I ever ended up watching…
I did watch HanaDan as it came out, and we laughed at how short the guys were compared to the Taiwanese version. But as with many stories, it is best told in the culture that brewed it, and I still think HanaDan is the best adaptation of the lot once you get used to the guys’ facial features.
I didn’t love HanaDan or Doumyouji enough to make me marathon MatsuJun’s dramas, but it did make me take note of Arashi. I then watched the flawed but riveting Maou, initially for Toma, but ended up being impressed by Ohno’s first starring role.
I’m someone who gravitates towards familiar faces when it comes to drama picks, so for the next decade, I’d always check out something that a member of Arashi is in. 99.9 I absoluteley adored. Ryuusei no Kizuna I sat through and ended up mysteriously disappointed. Quiz Show 2 and Kazoku Game I watched to their incoherent endings. Nazotoki wa dinner no ato de and Lucky 7 I got through at least half but never finished. Uta no Onii-san, Kaibutsu-kun, Kagi Heya, Sekaiichi Muzukashii Koi, Freeter, Yowakutemo Katemasu, Bambino, Smile, Yokoso, Wagaya he, Kizoku Tantei…I can remember trying most of them.
Might have been about 2 years ago when I started watching Arashi’s variety shows regularly. I must have been seeing VS Arashi on and off for years now, but like Gintama, Arashi has turned into my happy place. They’re my go-to place when the day’s gone to hell and you feel like you hate the world.
It’s only in the last few months that I’ve really paid attention to their personalities and interactions. Leader the quiet achiever, Sho who directs the flow of the program, Aiba full of weird ideas and unexpected sweetness, Nino the hidden atmosphere maker, and the perfectionist Jun who has a surprising comical streak.
Throughout the years, I’ve heard a little of their struggles before they suddenly hit the popularity pot in late 2000s, and I’ve come to appreciate how 5 intelligent, resilient and passionate people have created a brand that continues to last. They capitalise on their individual strengths and bring it to the group in a way that balances the team dynamic - there’s 2 smart people, there’s 2 “models”, there’s 2 tennens, there’s 2 do-S pranksters…I can’t think of any other group that knows how to play the variety game better than them.
Here’s to Arashi, for showing us that when strangers become colleagues, they can sometimes become friends and almost like family. Thank you for the warmth.
I took the long way to becoming a fan of Arashi. I can’t say when I turned a fan. I got into the JE fandom via the ill-fated KAT-TUN, but I learned of Arashi at the same time. My first J-drama that I followed was Gokusen 2, so of course I knew MatsuJun was in Gokusen, Kimi wa Petto (possibly the first shoujo manga I can honestly say I liked the female protagonist), and Kindaichi Shounen Jikenbo, none of which I ever ended up watching…
I did watch HanaDan as it came out, and we laughed at how short the guys were compared to the Taiwanese version. But as with many stories, it is best told in the culture that brewed it, and I still think HanaDan is the best adaptation of the lot once you get used to the guys’ facial features.
I didn’t love HanaDan or Doumyouji enough to make me marathon MatsuJun’s dramas, but it did make me take note of Arashi. I then watched the flawed but riveting Maou, initially for Toma, but ended up being impressed by Ohno’s first starring role.
I’m someone who gravitates towards familiar faces when it comes to drama picks, so for the next decade, I’d always check out something that a member of Arashi is in. 99.9 I absoluteley adored. Ryuusei no Kizuna I sat through and ended up mysteriously disappointed. Quiz Show 2 and Kazoku Game I watched to their incoherent endings. Nazotoki wa dinner no ato de and Lucky 7 I got through at least half but never finished. Uta no Onii-san, Kaibutsu-kun, Kagi Heya, Sekaiichi Muzukashii Koi, Freeter, Yowakutemo Katemasu, Bambino, Smile, Yokoso, Wagaya he, Kizoku Tantei…I can remember trying most of them.
Might have been about 2 years ago when I started watching Arashi’s variety shows regularly. I must have been seeing VS Arashi on and off for years now, but like Gintama, Arashi has turned into my happy place. They’re my go-to place when the day’s gone to hell and you feel like you hate the world.
It’s only in the last few months that I’ve really paid attention to their personalities and interactions. Leader the quiet achiever, Sho who directs the flow of the program, Aiba full of weird ideas and unexpected sweetness, Nino the hidden atmosphere maker, and the perfectionist Jun who has a surprising comical streak.
Throughout the years, I’ve heard a little of their struggles before they suddenly hit the popularity pot in late 2000s, and I’ve come to appreciate how 5 intelligent, resilient and passionate people have created a brand that continues to last. They capitalise on their individual strengths and bring it to the group in a way that balances the team dynamic - there’s 2 smart people, there’s 2 “models”, there’s 2 tennens, there’s 2 do-S pranksters…I can’t think of any other group that knows how to play the variety game better than them.
Here’s to Arashi, for showing us that when strangers become colleagues, they can sometimes become friends and almost like family. Thank you for the warmth.
