#myreallyweirdossanobsession

[pixiepond]

Nishikido Ryo asks Taiwanese fans to please ignore Murakami Shingo

PSA: please avoid this post if you can’t take some saltiness, I’m still mad about the tour dates

The undersized sprig of spring onion that is the new KJ8 main vocalist gave a surprisingly frank press conference in Taipei today. The main points are:

1. The gig is not meant to mark Subaru’s “graduation” but to celebrate new beginnings for Kanjani8 as a band of 6

2. They like Lin (the Taiwanese singer that was on Shiwake a bunch of times). They’d invite him to perform with them in Taipei, but then they would be too embarrassed to sing afterwards (good to see he has some self awareness mwahaha)

3. Being in Johnnys for 20 years has afforded him many opportunities that he is thankful for but sometimes a guy just want to take his girl to Disney without breaking random strangers’ hearts y’know? (what is this obsession grownups have with Disney I will never understand)

4. He had a good experience in Taipei when he came 11 years ago with NEWS, which is why he suggested it to the others when they were thinking of going abroad. Although same as last time they are coming in typhoon season so that’ll be a gamble.

5. There is some kind of no-jumping rule in the Taipei Arena (probably because our construction sucks ass lol). He says he’ll pass this on to the other members. Murakami in particular likes to get people to jump during concerts, if that happens in September, please everyone just don’t look at him.

okay that’s enough Eito stuff for one day I will now go ogle Giancarlo Stanton like the superficial person I am while I try to get over missing out on Eito’s first overseas gig (again)

[pixiepond]

He gone!

OK I’ve had 24 hours to stew about this loss. Somewhat surprisingly had trouble sleeping last night, but I feel slightly more articulate now.

I am terrified of seeing the 6 remaining members together for the first time in his absence. I don’t know how that dynamic will be like and how big that vacuum will be, and for a group that has always provided solid and consistent entertainment through that very group dynamic, it’s very disconcerting.

It is all well and good to blame JE for being the evil entertainment empire that they are, to blame the bizarre concept of ‘idols’ in Japanese entertainment. But I think it’s disingenuous to pretend that most of us weren’t drawn to a JE-produced group/product in the first place. Most of us ate up something he doesn’t want to be a part of anymore. That’s the reality, and it will be hard to move on without accepting that.

As for Subaru, he has been an idol for 21 years. He knows how this will affect his fans more than anyone. This is a decision he made while fully aware of all of the consequences, so there is really no point in saying “I will support you” or “I look forward to your future work” before that initial emotional response is over. It’s okay to feel betrayed. He left knowing what that meant to us. So he will have to work that much harder to win us back. On my part, I’ve always given him allowances because he was an idol - he’s a good singer for an idol, he’s a good songwriter for an idol, he’s a good instrumentalist for an idol. Not anymore. Build your brand from zero again Subaru, and convince me you are a good musician, if you can.

I will probably continue to support Kanjani8 after this - if it doesn’t prove too painful -  not least because I’m a sucker for tragic origin stories. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by Ohkura’s candor at the press conference, and I have high hopes that they will deal with the transition well and will be able to incorporate this into their self-deprecating humor in the future. I mean, they kept this under wraps through at least 2 months of talks and took all of us by complete surprise. If that’s not professionalism I don’t know what is.

[pixiepond]

Kanjani8 2018 plans

They are calling it “201∞” - there is as of now no pronunciation guide, but most likely it has something to do with them getting their fans to rack up an ∞ of debt.

As part of their just-because-the-number-eight-is-there, not-quite-20th-anniversary-but-close-enough celebrations, newspapers reported that they are doing a tour of the 5 domes (their 7th tour in consecutive years) and releasing a best hits album called GR8EST (no bets there how to pronounce it).

GR8EST will be released on May 30th, and will include all singles from Aoppana to Ootoseyo, including two bonus tracks: Musekinin Hero jam with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and Osaka Romanesque feat. violinist Hakase Taro. The limited deluxe version will include 31 music videos, also there was mention about a 60-minute non-stop mix with DJ Kazu (who? Please enlighten me) and a special movie or something.

[pixiepond]

Day 4 post-announcement

Listicle time!

1. I agree with the assessment that this seems to have been happening for a while now. As time progresses I find myself less inclined to be angry at Subaru (five steps?) I wonder if it was because his second solo endeavor never came to fruition. I wonder if management was pushing Kanjani8 to become Arashi beta and making moves for the Tokyo Olympics, and he saw the chances for solo activities dwindle. We’ll never know for sure I guess.

2. Subaru did the right thing for Subaru and that’s great. I can admit now that understand. I’m 11 years younger than him, but I know what it’s like to feel trapped. I made the decision to pursue this degree myself and I can’t fault Past Me for that, but knowing there is an end keeps me sane. It must have been a difficult decision and he must be keenly aware of all the pain it is causing. But I believe that there is liberation in doing the right thing for yourself so he’ll be alright.

3. I think they should just get on with it. And it looks like they are. Honestly everything Kanjani8 does between now and 2019 will be colored by the knowledge that Subaru is leaving. The shows, the concerts, everything. Fans (including me) will read volumes in every little glance and choice of word. In that sense I want this to be over already and for them to just appear as 6. Kanjani8 is important to me in a large part because they help me cope with the stress and anxieties of my work - as a fan I just want them to get back into the business of doing that. Although it would mean so much if they did one last live band performance together. Closure is the name of the game.

4. I’m still sad! Aside from the change in their sound (tbh I only like 1 in 5 of their singles and none of their albums as a whole. I much prefer to cobble their good efforts into playlists by myself), I am sad because Shinjitsudo Shoten was one of my favorite projects on Chronicle. And of course the concerts. I hope they don’t snap back to 100% idol mode once he’s gone but we’ll find out soon from the GR8EST tour. I hope the jam sessions on Kanjam will be as interesting without Subaru there (his duet with Sakamoto Fuyumi though...T_T). It’s just not going to be the same.

Side note: this time last year the person who I thought would help me get over the finish line with this PhD abruptly announced that he found a new job and left academia for good. What is it with 36 year-olds leaving me?????

5. Subaru’s legacy. I really, really hope they keep the band going. In my opinion pushing Kanjani8 in that direction will always be his greatest contribution, and how his presence will always be felt.

[pixiepond]

Pekojani 180319

ToshI (X JAPAN) is going to create a café with Kanjani8.

[pixiepond]

3Baka on Yakai is worth watching

For the location section where they are talking to female high school students in Machida - 

it’s worth watching just to see Subaru give. zero. shits.

And also Subaru being not okay with Arashi debuting on a yacht almost 2 decades later

[pixiepond]

JE joins us in the 21st century...?

Johnny’s Entertainment announced today that they have given up their battle against modernity by reluctantly allowing photos of their talents to be published online.

And the first Johnnys to have his face plastered across the interwebs?

Our very own Mr. Nishikido Ryo of Hitsuji-no-ki fame.

See the groundbreaking tweet here.

[pixiepond]

Eito tidbits

Ohkura got angry on live radio

A 15 year-old listener called in to talk about being a two timer. Apparently Ohkura’s voice got really deep and he said something to the effect of “I don’t want to comment on how you choose to live your life but you are hurting people, and it’s not right to be so blasé about hurting people.”

Somebody tried to cast Murakami as a high school student

Kitagawa Eriko (a famous screenwriter, she wrote Long Vacation and a bunch of love story-based tv dramas that were very successful back in the day) recently tweeted that she tried to cast “the guy from Getsuyou kara yofukashi” in a show she was working on, and was told “no he’s 35 he can’t possibly play a high school student!” To which her reaction was “meh, I don’t know much about Johnny’s.”