[TRANS] Daily Shincho - The reason for the continuing "Living room feeling" and "ordinariness"

[karened]

Also on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/arashickarened/status/1345944451118579712?s=20

Translation of this thought piece. It resonated well with me - the sense that Arashi is my youth and how they have never changed. The environment has majorly changed, the form of things has changed, but at their core, Arashi has not changed.

THE REASON FOR THE CONTINUING "LIVING ROOM FEELING" AND "ORDINARINESS"
- SEARCHING FROM ARASHI'S HIATUS

Arashi went on hiatus at the end of 2020. For 20 years, they have continued to run at the top of the entertainment industry. We search for the secret tactic from their words.

"People change quickly. But there are 4 persons who continued at it without changing anything."

On New Year's Eve on 2020, Ohno Satoshi said this during the final greetings at the last concert before Arashi's hiatus.

To think of it, Ohno Satoshi also made such a comment during the 5 persons' vacation location shoot for Arashi ni Shiyagare's last episode.

"We are unchanging"

Although it was a casual comment, I think it clearly shows the reason why Arashi could continue to be the national idol.

Yes, Arashi is "unchanging". It can be showed that they have a strength that doesn't change. Let's consider how amazing that is, as we see it together with Arashi's history.

Wavering between "Changing" and "Unchanging"

Arashi had their CD debut with A.RA.SHI in 1999. Although the debut song was a hit, they entered into a sluggish period and faced the situation of "Although they are Johnny's, they couldn't get the 1st place on the Oricon chart".

In the midst of that, they sang a song called "Dekiru Dake" (T/N: To the extent possible), recorded in their album released in 2003.

"I wonder why we are afraid of things changes although we laugh at things that don't change"

The lyric that wavered between "changing" and "unchanging" is a masterpiece that overlapped with the Arashi who was wandering around in their early twenties. During the chorus, they sang this:

"To the extent possible, I want to stay as I am, although I can't tell if that's being willful or if that's being myself"

The song ended without an answer to the question they asked themselves: "Is the thought of wanting to stay as they are, to the extent possible, being willful or if that's being themselves"?

  

"It's the hardest to be ordinary".

After that, Arashi's situation changed completely.

Following the hit drama Hana Yori Dango, a 2005 drama in which Matsumoto Jun acted as lead actor, the entire group received attention.

In 2006, Sakurai Sho took up the newscaster position for NEWS ZERO. Ninomiya Kazunari continued to leap forward individually through the Hollywood film Iwojima Kara no Tegami. In 2007, the sequel to Hana Yori Dango aired and their popularity soared.

Their popularity from that point onwards till now is well known, but surprisingly, Arashi hasn't changed.

Of course, there are improvements in their skills and such, but their appearances on variety shows were surprisingly unassuming and they didn't become conceited. The members continued to get along well with each other as can be seen in the broadcasts.

After a period of sluggish popularity, they became national idols.

Honestly speaking, in the midst of an environment that is changing rapidly, the harder route is to remain unchanging.

In the few months of taking up the newscaster role, Sakurai Sho continued to take the role of an interviewer rather than watch from the studio.

On Arashi ni Shiyagare, VS Arashi etc, the 5 of them didn't put up airs and unassumingly welcomed all guests regardless of who they were.

When describing Arashi, the frequently used phrases are "Living room feeling" and "Ordinariness", so that are present for sure.

However, please consider this.

How difficult it must be to maintain that "Living room feeling" and "Ordinariness" over 20 years?

Aiba Masaki said this in 2002:

"It is the hardest to be ordinary." (Monthly Asahi Graph person, Dec 2002 issue)

For them, who were chosen to be idols, it's difficult enough to continue producing ordinariness. On top of them, they continued to maintain that even when they sold well.

Arashi's "unchangingness" was not them being willful, but them being themselves.

Two releases were close to the million sales mark

It is a great achievement to be unchanging.

Looking at the sales figures for their singles, two of them were close to the million sales mark.

With over a million copies sold, the highest sales achieved among all of Arashi's singles is their latest and the last single before hiatus - Kite.

And in second place is A.RA.SHI, their debut single which sold 970,000 copies.

In other word, the starting point and the destination are the same. Their debut single and their last single 21 years later are producing similar sales. This "unchangingness" is a great achievement too.

"Even though the initial speed of their debut was good, it gradually lost momentum" - this was once the form for idols. For reference sake, Hikaru GENJI had 8 years from the start to the end.

A world where boys do not change

There are many videos at the end of 2020 looking back at Arashi's history and in a good way, their appearance has not changed either.

Of course, with their life experience, their sex appeal has increased. However, they had grown up bearing the remnants of their teenage years during debut.

If you were to think about it, it appears that Johnny Kitagawa had considered "a world where boys do not change" as an ideal world.

"13, 14, 15, 16! Because I like the sound!"

There was such a line included in the Johnny's World series, a stage play written and directed by Johnny Kitagawa.

Johnny Kitagawa captured the beauty that the boys could radiate precisely because of their age, and sent them out to the world as idols.

Although it's not uncommon to make debuts in their twenties these day, J&A's idols used to debut in their teens.

Following that rule, Arashi was also a group formed by 5 persons who were 16 (3 persons), 17 (1 person) and 18 (1 person) at that time.

Johnny's idols from SMAP onwards had longer lifespan as idols. 

Unlike the times when group disbanded in less than 10 years, Johnny's idols since then has had to handle their extended idol lifespan.

I think Johnny Kitagawa was afraid that the artistes he saw as his "children" would no longer be "boys". Actually, there are cases of disappointment at artistes after their debut: "He used to be cute".

Above that, humanity

Appearance isn't the only thing that we "want you to be unchanging" for.

Actually, before Ohno's greeting at the start where he said "People change quickly", there were these words:

"I have been together with these 4 members for over 20 years, and what I think most about, what I am most thankful for, is the humanity as a person. Attentiveness, care, and sense of gratitude. When being treated well by people, we have to say "Thank you". Think about people first before acting. It appears to be easy, but I don't think it's easy to do that.

Actually, Johnny Kitagawa spoke about the selection criteria for Johnny's Jrs.

"It doesn't matter if one is good or bad at dancing. If one can dance well, there's no need to take lessons right? Above that, humanity." (Views, August 1995 issue)

If you add that to what Ohno said, that probably means "the humanity that doesn't change no matter how well one sells".

At least, these 5 person continued to maintain their sense of gratitude and humanity since they became chosen by Johnny Kitagawa, to the formation of Arashi, and even when they were made national idols.

What is the charm of Johnny's? If I had to answer that in summary, I think it's "the continuing existence of the youth of boys". In order for youth to continue to exist, it's not just the external appearance, but also the inner humanity that has to be maintained.

Arashi has continued to show us the unchanging youth of boys for 21 years.