*This was a long article. Whew!*
Credits:
Scans: Jesychan@livejournal
On the cover, the interview was done simultaneously with the photo shoot. During the interview, the guys had Italian food delivered to them. Riida had [Hot (Spicy) tomato sauce pasta], Sho had [Raw ham and mushroom pasta], Aiba had [Mullet roe pasta], Nino asked for [Margherita (pizza base made with tomato, sliced mozzarella, basil, and extra virgin olive oil -- in case you didn't know coz I didn't. xP)pizza] while Jun had [Tomato mozzarella pasta]. Very likely choices. With everyone's stomachs full and while the staff change the set, let's head on to the fun part!
Part 1
Backstage stories about their nationwide concert
Opening day event: Sho's fear of heights attacks!
As per tradition, let's decide who the master of ceremony will be through the JANKEN!!!
Everyone's OK! Let's go! Saisho ha gu! Jankenpon! The MC for today based on the janken is... Nino! [A~~!] a roar came out from the guy but what was that for? Lucky? Unlucky? What kind of wail was that?
Nino: This will have 3 parts and I will be the one in charge all throughout.
Sho: (Casually) Whew! What a relief!
Nino: So shall we start? National stadium, 3 days... 1st month, how was it?
Jun: The weather was really great, right? The scene we had while the sun was setting, it was also beautiful. The feeling was great.
Nino: Yeah. We were also blessed with a wonderful weather.
Ohno: (According to weather forecasts) The first month was cloudy right?
Sho: If I'm not mistaken, the 2nd month was rainy right? The first day's forecast?
Nino: But I think it wasn't raining that time.
Jun: The original forecast for those 3 months wasn't good.
Aiba: The 1st month was really hot (sunny) during daytime.
Nino: The previous day, while rehearsing there was still grass (on the field).
Aiba: That's right. There was no stage hahaha.
Sho: The staff's great right? (Nice one Sho. ^^, Plus pogi (charm) points!)
Nino: It was impressive! The next day, when we arrived at the stadium, the grass turned into chairs! It was early! The staff checked everything out without sleeping.
Jun: Aside from being early, how many people were involved?
Nino: Whatever you say, the first day was still...
Sho: The most difficult thing on the first day was the 'air cabbage' (pechay). (^_^)
(* In the song "Allergy", all expect Sho were carrying vegetables with them while they sang and danced.) (I think, though I'm not that sure, what he meant by 'air cabbage' was like 'air guitar' wherein he acted as if he was carrying a cabbage but he didn't actually have one.)
Aiba: But that was a blast. (^_^) In the last part of the song, we all threw our vegetables out right?
Sho: Ye~s.
Aiba: There, we all threw the cabbages up in the air perfectly. (^_^)
Ohno: Then, when we looked at the pictures, we were all smiles!
Sho: I've said this a lot of times already, but the hardest time was when everybody didn't tell me. When I met Jun's eyes, he noticed that I wasn't holding anything. Somehow, my embarrassment was alleviated but during the time that no one was laughing (from the members) I went through it alone. That was pretty tough! (^_^)
Aiba: I really didn't notice when we started.
Nino: I was looking at Jun then. He was all smiles and he looked like he was enjoying what we were doing.
Sho: He likes "Allergy" that much (^_^)?
Nino: That's why I also had to join in and do it properly.
Aiba: Yes, yes. It was like he made sure that we didn't forget the objective. (*This was a performance they had even before they debuted. A lot of fans haven't seen this yet.)
Nino: Right? Jun was all smiles so I thought... There was someone without a vegetable. (^_^)
Ohno: I noticed when we were in a line already. I was thinking "Did the staff forget?". So that's what happened.
Jun: Actually, the spot where I was, Sho looked like he was holding a vegetable.
Sho: That explains it...
Aiba: It would've been better if you threw it out.
Sho: Inside me, everything was happening in slow motion... When the staff realized... I wasn't holding anything... I looked down... Nothing! Everything stopped. (^_^)
Nino: The song was playing...
Sho: I was dancing (^_^)
Ohno: (Laughs)
Aiba: (His perception is) it was that slow huh?
Sho: I'm just letting the "air" series live on. "Air Guitar", "Air Keyboard"... (in "G no Arashi's" USO corner. Acting like they were carrying instruments)
Aiba: Air drum right?
Nino: Air vocals too (^_^) (That was funny. lol) Next one, when talking about "happening", we still have Sho's fear...
Sho: (Flying, stopping while in the air) is a joke! I was saying that high places are my weakness that's why. The staff got it from that and did an improvised joke that's what it is!
Nino: It wasn't a joke. (^_^)
Sho: Huh?! Really? (^_^)
Aiba: You were really frightened weren't you?
Sho: (With a soft voice) That was... It was more frightening when I wasn't moving. What'll happen? At the back of my mind I was thinking, "what if I stayed this way til the audience left?!" I was really thinking about a lot of stuff that time. (^_^)
Aiba: That's right huh. When you weren't moving.
Sho: (Concert end) "Thank you very much for coming today. The audience may now exit starting with Block A..." If the announcer starts off with that, what'll I do?! (^_^)
Ohno: Uh-huh! It's really hard when you stayed immobile all that time.
Jun: I was Sho's symmetry (I think, again, though not that sure, they were talking about that time when they were suspended in mid-air while singing) I was saying "Let's do our best!" for him. With eyes wide open, I tried to open my arms wider. (^_^)
Sho: Impressive!
Aiba: Really impressive.
Sho: I appeciated that.
Aiba: We all did it side by side.
Jun: Due to that symmetry, whenever I looked at Sho I couldn't move. I thought that it would end. But while being helpless, I just danced til I dropped.
Sho: Everyone beside me was really dancing. I was like "I wanna dance that way too~~".
Nino: That accident was really epoch-making. Stopping right in the middle would've been great for a picture though. Then at the end, he'll go down...
Jun: It was extremely funny, Sho walks handsomely to the center then goes back (^_^). That'd be very funny.
Sho: While suspended in mid-air like that, I thought about a lot of things. Everyone was already on the stage, beautifully lined up. At that point, I was thinking "How will I go back?". Then the result: "While greeting the audience I'll walk back to the stage." (^_^) There was also one during the MC. While I was flying, I saw the staff from "Shukudaikun" right below me, they were laughing their asses off. Pointing, holding their stomachs while laughing. (^_^)
Nino: On Potato's concert memo says something like: "Sho forgets to take his costume off, Jun points it out to him"
Sho: Aa... That?! I didn't forget to take it off. I just wanted to be noticed. (Attention whore! ^^,) (^_^)
Nino: Of course, your memory's good right?
Aiba: He also has the strength not to admit (that he forgot).(^_^)
Nino: So you mean you didn't take it off coz you wanted to get noticed right? (Isn't it because of old age?^^,)
Jun: Well, he was excited.
Nino: You did it that way?! Moving on, the balloon part was beautiful.
Sho: On the 2nd month we had balloons and released them the same time as the fireworks went off. The fireworks were set up in the Jingu Stadium next to us. The timing was perfect.
Nino: The fireworks went off just behind the Olympic cauldron that's why it was a lot prettier.
Sho: That was also another one of Arashi's performances, right (^_^)?
Nino: Of course. I wished for that at the shrine. (^_^)
Ohno: Cool! The fireworks were so near.
Jun: The people whose seats were near the Olympic cauldrons had the same view as I did, they could see the fireworks, the fireworks were really beautiful, but those guys looked somewhat scared you know.
The reason why all 4 guys panicked over Matsujun's birthday present
Nino: Having the same view of the fireworks was near impossible. Ohno, what can you say about the 2nd month?
Ohno: ... The second month was cloudy.
Sho: Ohno's just concerned with the weather.
Nino: Do you want to be a weather forcaster? (^_^) I wasn't asking about the weather. I was asking about the things that we did during the concert.
Ohno: On the second month, (Ikuta) Toma came?
Jun: He came on the 3rd month? Didn't he? (Jun and Ohno sharing Toma.~<3)
Aiba: I think he was there on our 2nd month.
Ohno: No... It was on the opening day.
Nino: Aiba, what can you say? (jealous Nino~~<3>
Aiba: On the 2nd month, actually Kazama Shunsuke came.
Sho: No one knew.
Aiba: He did.
Jun: How'd you know?
Aiba: "I came to watch" he said. He called me up.
Sho: He bought his own tickets (the normal way)?(^_^)
Nino: He entered our fanclub? (^_^) (Nyahaha, Nino!)
Aiba: He didn't come to greet us. He went home without even showing his face to us.
Nino: That guy's got that kind of coolness.
Sho: He's full of aesthetics you know. In those 2 months, seniors, juniors, a lot of people came.
Nino: Yeah. Kanjani8 was there too...
Jun: Who from Kanjani8 came?
Aiba: Nishikido (yiheee!!! ~<3<3<3), Ookura, Yasuda...
Sho: Is that so...
Jun: Maru?
Ohno: Maru wasn't able to come. (Why?! He didn't want to watch his Uta no Oniisan co-star?!)
Sho: Too bad, I really wanted him to be there. Then V6's Sakamoto (Masayuki) and (Miyake) Ken came.
Jun: Chinen Yuri and Nakashima Yuuto came too. (~<3)
Sho: Everyone from Kis-MyFt2 came. We'll still have a concert at the Tokyo Dome, everyone, please come again. (^_^)
Nino: Aiba's brother came too. (Even though I saw him all the way from the stage) I knew immediately that it was Aiba's brother. (~<3)
Sho: Well, I looked at him one time then looked at the same spot again. (sakuraiba)
Aiba: hahaha.
Sho: Nino and I had a talk about this but Aiba's brother and dad are exactly the same!
Nino: Their figures right?
Sho: His dad was like saying "Hey! Do your best!" while the brother was also a bit... (^_^) "Hey, Shokun, well... Do your best k!". Even though I was already doing my utmost best.
Jun: Riida, did your parents come?
Ohno:... they didn't. (aaaaw)
Everyone: (In chorus) They didn't?!
Nino: Were they busy?
Ohno: Coz it was hot.
Everyone: (While forcing a smile on their faces)
Sho: It's likely...
Ohno: Even I was shocked.
Sho: Right? It was our 10th year and we were doing a nation wide concert but...
Ohno: They came to watch all our concerts up until last year. Maybe the concert last year was unbearably hot.
Sho: I get it (^_^)
Jun: Who? Your old man?
Ohno: My mom!
Jun: My family was really excited you know coz they went on the last day. They were really excited about the rain and the fountain but in the end they told me they had fun.
Nino: My sister also came on a rainy day.
Jun: My older sister looked like she had colds then but until the end, she was there. They told me they had fun. That's my family, you know... (looks at Riida with a smile on his face)
Aiba: My dad couldn't come because of work but my mom came.
Sho: Everyone from my family came.
Nino: My mom came on the first day while my sis made it on our last day. Riida, your sister came right?
Ohno: No... My mom and my sister couldn't make it. Coz it was hot (^_^) (Somehow I don't believe this one. I think they went to the concert.)
Sho: They should, by all means, come to the dome concert then.
Aiba: The air conditioning is better there. (^_^)
Sho: If you like, it'll be winter inside the dome. Which reminds me, Nino's mom used to give us pickled plum. Those were really delicious. But why didn't we get some when we had our concert at the Yokohama arena?
Nino: That's right...
Sho: That was the only time we didn't get some.
Nino: We also didn't have some at Tokyo Dome.
Ohno: Yeah... The pickled plum image is only for the Yokohama arena.
Jun: Well, maybe because while we were at the Yokohama arena, we really wanted to eat those. (^_^)
Nino: Then, let's go to Part 1's last theme! Jun just turned 26 last August 30 on the 3rd month of our concert!
Sho: Isn't that great? In the midst of that rain, we were able to celebrate.
Jun: Yes. But it almost didn't happen right?
Nino: Initially, we were supposed to be in the dressing room ahead of Jun.
Sho: But the first one who got there was... Jun! Of course we panicked. We were supposed to be there first but it was Jun who arrived first (^_^)
Jun: Huh?! That explains it!
Aiba: All 4 of us were in the next room. "Aa, but we don't have any other choice." I thought.
Jun: It was some kind of a backroom right? A secret room? Who was that? He went out of the dressing room with that innocent face but I felt that there was something going on in the other room. (^_^)
Sho: He smelled something fishy.
Aiba: Yeah he did.
Sho: He's so kind, pretending that he didn't notice.
Nino: I agree.
Aiba: That was really fun.
Ohno: It was funny! When we got back to the dressing room, it became totally awkward! (^_^)
Nino: We didn't talk to him (Jun). (^_^) This time, we gave him a shiny (spangled) jersey. Aiba and I saw it one time on our way home from work. There's no one else who can wear that kind of (Nino used the word "hade" which could mean "loud, gaudy, gay, flashy" and a lot more...) jersey but Jun right?! (hahahah... I think so too...)
Jun: They gave the jersey to me while we were doing the MC. I immediately wore it then wore it again during the encore.
Nino: He dried it right away in the dressing room.
Jun: When I went home, our manager dried it in the bathroom's drying room. (He/she put it in the spin dryer and the shiny stuff fell off)
Nino: That was something (^_^)
Part 2:
A member produces another member!
Ohno's "Easy Talk" show
Nino: "Producing a member's show" through "amidakuji"
Sho: O! Everyone loves "amidakuji".
Aiba: Let me do it (after writing the initials, while drawing the lines he makes the announcement) Nino will do me, Ohno will do Nino, Jun will do Sho and Sho will do Jun. (Woooh! Nice pairs!) And I will do Ohno. Who'll go first?!
Nino: It says "something original", so let's do it that way. I'll go first. Everyone's in this too, not just Aiba... Aiba's doing a home drama.
Aiba: I was given an offer, shall we go with "My Girl" (^_^)?
Nino: That's right. He chooses "My Girl" over a historical drama.
Sho: Hahahaha... It's okay!
Ohno: But while shooting "My Girl", Aiba gets an offer to do Jun's role "Bernardo" in "West Side".
Aiba: Right, right.
Nino: This must be an original concept right?!
Sho: I want to see Aiba as "Bernardo"! He lifts both his hands up in the air, lifts them higher, and does the famous dance step he'll definitely look he's about to fall.
Ohno: I'll laugh. Once he falls. (^_^)
Nino: He'll pay a fine every time he performs. (^_^)
Aiba: I'll say sorry.
Nino: That's fine, Aiba, "My Girl"'s good right?
Aiba: I haven't done it yet, that's why.
Nino: If a miracle happens, it'll be a family show. Being a show host alone is already a miracle so let's make it a family show. It'll be great if we did it like "Inaka ni Tomarou" (a show in Japan).
Sho: I want Jun to do a funny short play for me. Recently, it's become a trend right?
Jun: I think that's great. I'll do that.
Sho: You'll be bald, well that kind of image.
Aiba: Arashi's never done that before right?
Sho: It'll be like he'll be an evil magistrate "Echigoya, you're evil too aren't you?!" (^_^)
Jun: I'll do it! Everything's fine by me.
Sho: I think that'll be funny.
Jun: Afterall, (10 years ago) I was Arashi's "Owarai" (Comedy) leader right?
Nino: Thank God you changed course.
Jun: It was for the better right? (^_^)
Nino: Yeah. If you didn't, Aiba would've done "Hana Yori Dango". (hahahaha... Nino's such a funny guy isn't he?!)
Aiba: I agree.
Nino: Huh, Aiba what leader were you again?
Aiba: Idol leader. (^_^) I didn't know why though...
Sho: Coz he had this "spaced out" image. (exactly! That's why Riida's their leader right?!)
Nino: Okay let's do it the other way around. Jun, you try thinking of something for Sho.
Jun: Okay it'll be a photobook.
Sho: Is nude alright? (Sho?! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT ^^,)
Jun: Ok (^_^). I'll be the cameraman. And I'll be like the art director.
Sho: (Insistent) With my clothes off? (^_^) (I said yes! Sho! Yes!)
Jun: Well, it's okay if you showed just half of your bum. (O men!)
Sho: But they've seen that in "Kiiroi Namida"... (that's why I said take it off! Take everything off!)
Aiba: That's why it should be a whole butt exposure! (^_^) (See... Even Aiba agrees with me!)
Nino: I agree! The whole butt! (Naughty guys!)
Jun: Sho's got a lot of sides, right? That's the reason why I wanna see the unseen side of Sho. (The whole butt?!) I want the world to see that through the photobook.
Sho: Yes! I'll do my best! I think it'll be fun (^_^) (Jun's pretty creative don't you think? And I do want to see an artistic photoshoot of the 5. I think that'd be awesome!)
Nino: Sho, you'll do Ohno...
Aiba: Riida huh... What do you want to do? O, I know! What about a talk show?!
Sho: I want to see that! It'll be like "Satoshi no Heya" (Patterned after the famous Japanese one-on-one talk show "Tetsuko no Heya") right?
Aiba: Ru-ruru ru-ruru (hums "Tetsuko no Heya's" theme song). What do you think, Riida?
Ohno: ... The conversation won't go smoothly you know! (^_^)
Nino: Hey, do you have someone in mind, someone you'd like to do a one-on-one with?
Aiba: Hey, Riida, do you like conversations?
Nino: What do you think about having a one-on-one with someone?
Ohno: One-on-one? I don't hate that!
Sho: You don't. You don't hate it right?
Ohno: But if I'm not interested with the guest, that'd spell trouble. (^_^)
Nino: I know. That's why we'll think of something new. You're the host of your own show but... the guest will be the one who'll do the talking. (^_^)
Sho: That's right! The guest will think of ways on how to entertain him.
Aiba: That'd be awesome! Let's do it with Ohno very near to the guest.
Jun: It'd be great if they did it in a food stall.
Aiba: Great! Later it'll be inside a car.
Jun: It won't be allowed if you don't have a driver's license. (Ohno doesn't have one, I think.)
Aiba: The guest'll drive? (^_^)
Sho: Yeah! It'll be entitled "Inside Satoshi's Car" with a subtitle "Satoshi at the passenger's seat". (^_^)
Ohno: Sometimes I'll be at the back seat. (^_^)
Nino: While you're there, the guest will be talking to you from the driver's seat.
Aiba: I wanna see that!
Nino: Do you have any new concepts in mind?
Ohno: An experiment on Nino... (Ohmiya!!<3<3<3)
Everyone: (Choral) What do you mean?!
Ohno: Nino's the most seasick person so...
Nino: (has a doubtful expression on his face while holding his laughter)
Ohno: After being seasick, I wanna see how stressed he's become...
Sho: So it's an experiment on the human body...
Ohno: That's right. We'll take his picture and make him smile despite of the stress he just went through. (hidoi yo Ohnosan! Poor Nino!)
Nino: Hey, Ohno, that concept's really interesting you know. (^_^) (I'm sensing some sarcasm in that.)
Ohno: That'll be the first stage.
Sho: Well, before that let's think of a title. We'll be able to construct a framework from that.
Jun: Yeah. The concept is?
Ohno: (Ohno struggles to think for an answer) It won't be "Iyagaru Nino" but it'd be "Iyagari-no" (Riida+Nino=ri-no? Just a product of my Ohmiya crazed mind).
Nino: If we'll go with that... my name changes to "Riino"! (See... Riida+Nino=Riino)
Ohno: We're aiming for... ill humor. (^_^)
Nino: Okay. So the first one would be about my seasickness, you'll be taking a picture of me after that... The 2nd one would be?
Ohno: If the 1st one gets aired people will think "He did great! Of course! It's Nino!". The 2nd one will be... I can't think anymore so I'll try to think of it later.
Part 3
A thourough analysis according to the members
"Despite being a performer, still a middle-class"
Nino: Finally, the last part. A thorough look at Arashi, everyone, what do you think?
Sho: It's about the "Best" album we recenlty released. My mom went to the CD shop to buy one but "There's no first press eidition..." she said through text. (^_^). I told her I had no idea about that.
Jun: She can't buy her son's CD. What sort of thing is that? (^_^)
Nino: I heard the same thing from friends.
Jun: Yeah, me too. I received a lot of mails asking where to buy the album. That's why I already made a template saying "I think they're selling it at the CD shop" (^_^)
Sho: I heard that from a lot of people.
Jun: The first press limited edition was... (I had a hard time getting a copy myself!)
Ohno: My family told me they bought a copy.
Nino: We sold a million copies... 1 million people bought our album! I'm very grateful! When you hear that we just crossed the million record, how did you feel?
Ohno: I was honestly happy.
Sho: I was happy.
Ohno: I was happy when I read that we just passed the million mark from a certain newspaper.
P: Today's (September 15, Hawaii time) the day you were presented to the public as Arashi. right? In Hawaii?
Jun: That's right. 10 years ago. When I think of that, I can't help but be amazed. We've been together for 10 years huh? (speaking with deep emotions)
Sho: If I'm not mistaken, we were here in this very studio when we got back from Hawaii.
P: Through simple calculations, 365 daysx10 is 3650 days.
Sho: When you say it that way, it feels so short.
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