KAT-TUN 2 Me

I’ve decided to do a feature on Masaki Aiba today. This is to make sure that Aiba gets his due, because he’s my least favorite Arashi member, so I’m not usually inclined to write about him very often. I still do love him though. It’s just that he can be kind of…annoying sometimes with his hyperness and his speaking voice. His singing voice is not unpleasant, but it is disconcertingly feminine, so that’s a whole ‘nother problem right there. Plus, he’s the least attractive Arashi member, at least to me. All of that aside though, it’s impossible to hate Aiba. He’s so like a child in so many ways: enthusiastic, sweet, ditzy, emotional, clumsy, and naive. Hating Aiba would be like kicking an unusually cute puppy. Let’s start this off with an attempt to find a decent picture of him.

Now, some quotes!

Aiba: I’d like to try riding on a whale’s spouting water
Interviwer: Is that even possible?
Aiba: Probably not, but isn’t it dreamy?

source

Matsujun: These guys (sho and nino) were shooting a drama, so the other three of us were doing various things to prepare for the concert. Riida was working on choreography and I was planning various things like staging and song order, and Aiba-chan… Aiba was just eating.
Aiba: Yes! In order to keep everybody’s energy up!
Nino: Ohno used his body and Matsujun used his brain, but he didn’t do anything, did he?
Aiba: If I’m not eating, I can’t give energy to everyone!

Interview Question: A song you always sing at karaoke?
Aiba: Arashi’s live song list for two and a half hours. It’s fun! It’s like, “Ah. Just as I thought. I am in Arashi!”

source

Interviewer: How long do you want to keep doing concerts?
Sho: We can still do them right up to the last minute, can’t we?
Aiba: I can still dance, even with a cane!

Eep. Lost the source. Sorry.

Interviewer: You and Aiba-chan have known each other for 11 years now. What is the most unforgettable thing about him?
Nino: Basically, he is a BAKA. (laughs) He can’t do 2 things at the same time. I was talking to another member about that and he got mad and said, “I can so! I can eat newspaper and read breakfast at the same time” I remember I said “That’s amazing. I can’t do that”.

He tells this story too often…
Aiba: When I was in high-school on a class trip I was in the bathroom and a woman came in. I thought, “Oh crap!” and I couldn’t decide whether to hide my crotch or my face.

Aiba: Every day I have a feeling of thankfulness for all of the members. That’s basically because I like everything about all of them. Since we did lots of solo activities, whenever we are together as Arashi I can feel that “sensation”. I think about that kind of thing a lot, but I can’t quite find the words to explain it.

Finally, videos! First, a clip of a concert MC that mostly focuses on Aiba. Subbing credits are in the clip. The subs are in the boy’s image colors (Aiba=green, Jun=purple, Nino=yellow, Sho=red, and Ohno=blue) so you can tell who’s saying what. After you get past the Arashi “YAY!” stuff (they really like to say ‘yay’) it’s pretty much all Aiba trying to make the scoreboard light up, falling on the ground naked, empathizing with birds, and making Matsujun pissy because he’s talking too much. More importantly, it’s a really good sample of Aiba’s personality. really funny.

And a Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi performance. It’s not only Aiba, but there’s lots of Aiba in it. It’s the fake-out ending to last year’s concert tour (there’s still the encore) and he is already just bawling. To be fair, I’m pretty sure I see tears in the eyes of several of the members, but Aiba is definitely the worst.Isn’t he just the cutest thing? I also enjoy this clip because of Matsujun’s facial expression at 3:17 or so (could he be any happier?), Sho patting Aiba on the butt around 2:52 (I’m surprised! usually sho is one of the least gropy members), and because of their costumes. I get the impression that they’re covered with stickers advertising something. Just like racecars!

Now Exiting AibaLand,

~Celestia~

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