^He's so naive, isn't he?

I'm glad everyone in Arashi hung on there although they were reluctant. Such fate, isn't it? And kaori + Karen's right - each person in Arashi are popular for who they are... and it's really rare in a boyband. And gosh, Karen, Mago Mago Arashi - it's their best tv show ever!

G no Arashi is my favorite show from arashi. i just love how they support people. why did it have to end...:weep shouldn't AnS be over soon, anyway? it's like over 120 episodes so far :P i mean, i love AnS sooo much, but i want a new different show from arashi.

I didn't know that Arashi didn't get along at first, either. Though it's to be expected, when you have to spend so much time with the same people, who might have completely different personalities, interests etc. But it shows that it IS possible to overcome it and create a strong bond.
As was already said in some way or another, a reason for Arashi's popularity is that they're quite balanced as a group. I could imagine that though many are (were) Jun-baited, once they get more into Arashi, their interest may switch. There aren't so many awkward situation when Arashi are together. I thought about it today, and I wondered how well some JE groups would fare without the "fan magnets", meaning that they weren't members of the initial group to begin with.

KAT-TUN without Akame
NEWS without RyoPi
Kanjani8 without OhkuRyo (lol?)
Arashi without MatsuJun

KAT-TUN and NEWS probably wouldn't fare as well. Though I'm not questioning the individual members value (the "fan magnet" is hardly ever a favourite of mine)!
Kanjani8 would probably do quite well (they don't have a look-based image to begin with).
Arashi would probably do 'well, too (they're a round package).
Both, Arashi and Kanjani8, have great group interaction. They don't say CONSTANTLY, how they argued with the other members during their early days or whatnot. Even though a certain amount of negativity was involved, they've overcome it, while with KAT-TUN and NEWS it still shows. When KAT-TUN or its members are on talkshows, either the members or the MCs come up with talks about arguements. While with NEWS it's usually about them being unable to communicate with each other comfortably. KAT-TUN produces a rather cold atmosphere, while NEWS seems to just follow along their daisenpai (RyoPi). I guess the division from JEs side also doesn't help NEWS to be a group. They should get a variety show to further develop their group bond. Also GIVE EVERYONE A SOLO. I don't understand what's so difficult about doing so.
It's like everyone has his place when it comes to Arashi and Kanjani8. OhkuRyo are the "fan magnets", but hardly talk, as talking is generally done by YokoMura. MatsuJun, though being the most popular, also doesn't do the MCing for their variety shows, which is done by Sho, who's good-looking and graduated Keio, but poor in sports. They all have qualities that someone else lacks more or less, so they kind of "make up" for it and support each other. Though that also to some extent applys to KAT-TUN and NEWS, it isn't made so apparent.

Sorry for my rant. ^^; I don't know if I make sense. lol I probably have to think it over. lol

nahh, your "rant" was perfectly explained, aga-chan. but i never knew ohkura was popular with ryo in kanjani8. i thought it was subaru and ryo, or just ryo alone, lol.

Although I'm not a fan of Kanjani8 nor keep up with their news frequently, I constantly hear about how Kanjani8 has great group dynamics from my friend who's a fan. And I feel that Ryo's much more comfortable in Kanjani8 as compared to NEWS.

Arashi's really balanced, I have to agree. You have a leader who's unlike a leader at all, a Keio graduate who's a sports loser, a DoS, a smartass, and a natural idiot. :laugh That recipe apparently makes a good group.

From their guesting at talk shows, Arashi members often mention how they don't mail each other or call each other much, or even eat meals with each other that much. So that kinda distance in the sense is also good. There won't be any chance to clash horns.

LOL let me guess.....aiba? :laugh i love him soo much! :tipsy

speaking of him, this is the cutest thing ever :smitten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw7bAkfIuyQ

:thud

^Omg you know, Aibababai became a vocab which I use with my friend who's also an Arashi fan! When we say goodbye to each other in mails or parting we say Aibababai instead of bye. :laugh

:laugh sooo clever! i'm gonna start doing that too, and then my mom will think i'm crazy :tipsy but if i had some real life arashi friends, it'd be so much fun :weep

very well made, Aga. :yes

however, i just do like to add in from watching KAT-TUN & NEWS (well, JE in general) since 2005, i've seen tremendous growth from both groups dynamically. they're not KANJANI8/Arashi levels, but it's in small steps.

imo, KAT-TUN's still trying to transition from Johnny's Juniors to the national level. even though they've been in the game for so long, things change a lot after debut. & i think they're trying to lessen the cold atmosphere they give off. if any indication "QOP" tour was that. however, they've never been the ones to give off member ai~ or be dorky. their harsh/rock image might stimulate the whole cold atmosphere as well, but i do think they get along well, professionally. & i like how honest they are...they don't sugarcoat anything, really. i guess being idols, fans would be turned off to that, though. and i will say that the other members are getting out of Akame's shadow (with more lines in songs & solo projects). they're still not Akame status, but hey, Ueda got a solo con before those 2, LOL.

NEWS...well, it's the hardest for them, right? i know i complain about them (...quite a lot, LOL), but i do feel sympathy for them. it's hard shifting from 9 to 8 to 7 to now 6 members and having a fanbase sympathetic to 8 members and those who do not wish to see those 2 ever again, lol. i do think JE is at fault for NEWS sometimes. i don't think they're giving them as much recognition? as KT, Arashi, & even K8...they could be marketed better, like you said with the TV program & solos for they have potential. but as for group dynamics...WAY BETTER than when i first saw them together...way better. xD

but all in all, they're both works in progress. and it does take time to get there.

i think Arashi (& KANJANI8 too! they've gone a long way) is a great example of how that work in progress made them the group we see today with their fame, group dynamics, & work. i may criticize their music, lol, but i can never talk down on their success.

yeah Aiba's quite a blockhead , just like Taguchi somehow :laugh but both of them add life to ARASHI & KAT-TUN respectively

bottomline's , each group are respected in their each unique individual right :yes

have you guys seen the latest VS ARASHI episode ? I don't know why Kendo Kobayashi is doing there AGAIN (he's that HEYx3 enquiry guy during when the guys appeared when they promote We can make it !)

he's like an extra man :laugh

Alice did you manage to order the LE Type B from http://hmv.com.hk/search/search_2008...arashi&fmt=Any ? It's already deleted from their website :thud

I'm still deciding if I want to order both LE's when the OS press is out in Taiwan in 2 weeks's time but until then I already asked my friend Cliff to reserve both copies for me & Ohno said my surname in KNK :laugh

Believe / KNK sales updates

1st day sales : 214,618
2nd day sales : 135,103
3rd day sales : 51,063
4th day sales : 27,343
5th day sales : 38,015

Total sales: 466,142

OMG just 1K+ more before they overtake truth / Kaze no Mukou e :thud (467,288)

:D

we can make it! :laugh

:laugh nice one Lisa

I'm just completely stunned at the sales , they already have the biggest 1st week sales for 2009 & also for total overall too

I'm so proud :weep

i'm proud, too :weep is the oricon week over yet, btw?

erm not yet Lisa , I think there's still 1 more day before it ends or is it 2 more ?

not so sure but 1 thing's for sure , Believe / KNK's officially their best 1st week sales opening for a single now :D

Fast, right? Well after much deliberating I just decided to buy the OS version. Budget's really quite tight right now and I need money for other stuffs too (like books since uni started recently). I guess it's okay with OS version...there's not much difference.

ok I understand , I let you know once the OS presses for the CD + DVD's are up & running via HMV HK then :yes . When that happens , I will PM you straightaway :yes

& you get the chinese translation sheet , OS press wise . You don't get that at all for Japan press & quality wise it's equally as good so no worries & the region code for the DVD's 3 & not 2 (for Japan's case)

I already told my friend Cliff to reserve both copies for me when it's out in Taiwan 2 Fri's later :laugh because I don't want to be like the time when truth / Kaze no Mukou e came out in Taiwan & I didn't orderd the CD + DVD from him & I kinda regret it :weep (even though I have the Japan press of it) , I know I'm such a weird sod

Thanks a lot, Karen! You're so sweet. ^^

I guess I don't have to be that particular and get the Japan press all the time. As long as I get a physical copy of the LE, thats good enough for me.

I 2nd that on what you said , Alice & thanks for the compliment :D

It's always good to help a fellow ARASHI fan in need for sure :yes

Believe / KNK just need 1,146 to overtake truth / Kaze no Mukou e in which I'm very sure that will happen :D

did anyone watched the latest VS ARASHI ? OMG , Sakurai totally blew it T_T although I'm surprised that the rules for Jumping Shooter has been revert back to when it originally started :O

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Believe/KNK will overtake truth/Kaze no Mukou e sometime soon. :yes

I haven't watched the latest VS Arashi, my internet's acting up on me these few days. Anyway, I would very much prefer the old rules of Jumping Shooter. You mean that they just shoot as many balls as they can into the goal right? Although that would be tiring to play, it's more exciting to watch!

really? i didn't know about an AnS SP! :P

ARASHI ON CRACK! :laugh http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXEj8GaI68Q

i'm getting scared :scry

jun's b-day song :weep http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFWwhVk6-MQ

yeah that was the original set of rules laid down for Jumping Shooter , Alice .

It's so tiring man , Nino & Ohno were :dead2 by the time the game finished

DID SOMEONE SAID POPEYE MAGAZINE ?! :thud :P

I'm still having nosebleed withdrawal after Kame , Nakamaru & most recently Ueda posed for POPEYE

@_@

preview of ARASHI AROUND ASIA DVD:

i might be late on this, but i saw this Arashi beatbox thing (i think it was from Arashi no Himitsu-chan) & it was the greatest thing i've seen, LOL. w/ Aiba's sneezes & all~ xD [THIS VIDEO RIGHT HERE].

there's no more indicators for the sales right? pretty awesome sales for Arashi! i think i prefer this single over "truth / Kaze no Mukou e", so it's well deserved. :D

Thanks for the preview of ARASHI AROUND ASIA DVD , Lisa & oh wow it's open air ? that's really cool

I can't wait to get the OS press next month when it's out in Taiwan :D

my younger sister kept on playing that video , it's just so funny :roflmao . Nakamaru should go & teach them properly how to beatbox :bchuck

there's 1 day left , sales wise Eirynne since usually for 1st week sales , Oricon count 6 instead of 7 days

at least you prefer this single over truth / Kaze no Mukou e , Kaori will be glad to know it & so's Lisa :laugh

1st day sales: 214,618
2nd day sales: 135,103
3rd day sales: 51,063
4th day sales: 27,343
5th day sales: 38,015
6th day sales: 31, 214

Total sales: 497,356

Almost pass the 500k mark!

OMFG , almost 500K for the 1st week :weep

I'm so happy :weep :weep :weep :weep

a HUGE congrats guys , you have made everyone so proud & made us think on why we support & love you all in the beginning :D & it has officially overtaken truth / Kaze no Mukou e's 1st week sales (467,288)

OMG almost half of a million in just one week? damn :weep

believe @ HEYHEYHEY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZEIcs0JmW4

HOTNESS :smitten jun actually looks good with his hair, LOL.

haha i know kaori! but sometimes his hair gets in his face too much, but in this live, it was perfect. i can see his face clearly :luv2

yeaaa, definately the best performance! :D

Omg awesome but why we can't x1.75 ?

the oricon chart changed, so thy only show the actual sales now, i think.

Maybe we will have a great surprise tomorrow to see that the real sales will be a little bit higher, i doubt this new system is really exact in real time...

Also the stadium is the Kokuritsu Stadium, i really can't wait to have this dvd and also hope for a release of Dream'A'Live dome tour dvd, but it will be logical to be released before this one, so i think we can forget about it :(

FIRST WEEK SALES!

502k
http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/confidence/63924/

I didn't realise it was open air til I saw the preview

thanks at least now I know where it took place , I still want the DAL tour on a DVD :grumpy

:thud , this's SO amazing :weep , 1/2 a million within the 1st week

it can crossed 600K by next week or so

congrats guys :D

===

can someone do me a solid & download & reupload this file ? It's a HQ performance of their Believe performance @ Utaban

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=48DW7E11 , if you have HJ spilt can you spilt the file/s up & reupload the parts via Sharebee for me ?

are those the highest 1st week since "Real Face"? if so, well, damn congrats Arashi! :D

yeah it looks like it Eirynne , at least Seishun Amigo's mentioned on there too alongside with Real Face :laugh , the right end corner of the column's the total sales accumulated for each single

I saw the performance of Believe earlier on when I downloaded via http://community.livejournal.com/las...ays/43455.html , great performance

I love the part when Sakurap came on & all of them look fantastic & that goes for MatsuJun (YAY :lmfao)

yea, it's a miracle that jun actually looked good with that hair for once :laugh

speaking of jun, still no info on "smile"? :(

1st day sales: 214,618
2nd day sales: 135,103
3rd day sales: 51,063
4th day sales: 27,343
5th day sales: 38,015
6th day sales: 31, 214
7th day sales: 10, 165

Total sales: 507, 521

such good sales :weep

Wow, these sales are amazing!

EDIT:
I`m not really into Arashi.
Are their sales always high as that?

^Not really. Their debut sales usually range from 100k or 200k to 300k. This is their first single that sold pass the 500k mark in its first week.

amazing :weep

no their sales were bad , be it for singles or albums . They only managed to sell like 100K+ initally for each release when they debuted 10 years ago (except for their debut single which almost cracked a million copies in total)

They only started to gather in sales since last year's from Step and Go onwards & from that onwards , they have been getting singles sales from 300K+ onwards

Step and Go's their 1st single since then to sell 300K+ & above (1st week sales onwards) , they weren't able to do so in the past & barely do squat .

Before that , Love so sweet was their 2nd best selling single until truth / Kaze no Mukou e , One Love & of course now Believe / Kumorinochi , Kaisei overtook its place

OMFG GOD ANSWERED MY PRAYERS. :thud

http://i41.tinypic.com/11lppxt.jpg (tenjostyle @ vox)

MY SEXY HOT JUN IS FINALLY BACK OMFG :smitten i'm crying right now, LOL.

and kaori, yui aragaki has her koizora hairstyle! :laugh i love her with bangs!

i totally didn't recognize his tan, i was focusing on the hair, lol. it's not too tanned, right? i don't want him to look bad with a tan when he FINALLY gets a new haircut :scry

i suppose your right, kaori. oh well, i'm just happy for the fact that he changed his hair, so everything's all good, LOL.

YUPPP, Filipinos are tan as hell. but i guess the upside is that i'm tan in every season. like...i honestly don't fade in winter. xD

cute haircut though! i likey. :D

:eyes :eek , he looks awesome & yeah kinda filipino-ish in this case

sorry Kaori but it's just a figure of speech on my part . I apologise if somehow I offended you in 1 way or another :dead2

I don't know if it's a natural tan on MatsuJun's part , if not I blame it on too much fake tan spray :laugh

:laugh

===

April mag scans of them in Myojo , Potato & Wink Up - http://zetastarz21.livejournal.com/20620.html

Omg that almost didn't look like Matsujun on first glance!!!!!! Not until I read what you wrote below did I realise that it's Matsujun. I love his new hairstyle!!!

Believe / KNK's official sales figures - 501,988

Source - http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/js/w/

so it's 12 copies lower than 502K as what Lisa posted a few posts back lol but it's still awesome :D

Arashi makes Japan forget that it's in a recession? - http://community.livejournal.com/arashi_on/1470141.html

so it's their 2nd best selling 1st week sales figures attained since A.RA.SHI , great :D

Those first week sales are amazing, I'm so happy for them!!!

Thanks Karen for explaining.
So their sales were always quite good, but since last year sale numbers explode like that?
I`m impressed, Japan truly loves Arashi.

@Corvina: It's about time they do! They're such a loving bunch of guys~~~~

their sales weren't impressive (100K+ at max during the early 2000's - 2004's)

except for Love so sweet which cleared about 400K+ 2 years ago , their other singles & albums only managed to clear about 200K+

it was only until last Feb , their sales really exploded . Like the 1st week sales of Step and Go outsold the whole total that's of their previous single Happiness :thud

phew thank goodness & yes , the 1st single since KT's Real Face to clear 1/2 million in the 1st week :D

so what's today's sales? :D lol.

Don't know they are at number 5 though. So they must have at least sold 30k. Basing this of the fact that #3 is Tohoshinki with 52k.

:grumpy i hope they beat tohoshinki, lol. but it's understandable since KAT-TUN released today. i forgot :P

:P

yeah they dropped to #5 , kinda understood on why so . I do hope by next week they can crossed 600K+ since they already sold 1/2 a million in the 1st week which's insane

but i think it's awesome to sell 500 in week

but arashi's albums make me sad cause their album can't sell well

even japan love the boybands much more than girl artists

every JE album dosen't sell as much as a single would sell, so it's not just arashi. compared to regular artists, though, at least their albums break over 100k or 200k.

it always has been the norm for Johnny's bands's albums to sell less than its singles counterparts because

1) less extensive promo done on albums
2) it's not cheap for fangirls to buy an album which cost about 3-4 times more than a single
3) you can put multiple versions of a single , unlike an album (even though it's possible to have 4 editions :dead2 , see NEXT LEVEL & BREAKERZ's BIG BANG !)

I probably can think of more reasons but these're the main ones

& Dream"A"live crossed the 300K mark so it's already fantastic :D

& Kaori - there're 9 new entries in the top10 this week in the Oricon singles chart so :thud

so PIKA**NCHI DOUBLE was really their lowest selling single? because i watched the PV on YT and the description says that. now that's just sad, since the song and PV are just :smitten

I don't know for lowest selling single but I think it got the lowest 1st week sales ? :shrug

but yeah it's a pity because that song's ace & so's for PIKANCHI

dammit , I want them to release another rock influenced single :weep & I'm talking in the same vein as Jidai , PIKANCHI , Sakura Sake

T_T (sorry am having a rock withdrawal moment now)

Didn't Hikki's Flavor of Life sell like 600 or 700k in 2007? :x


Aw I like PIKA**NCHI DOUBLE, too bad it sold so low. On the subject of old pvs I just watched the pv for "A Day in Our Life" and I think it's their worst pv to date...so cheesy :weep

Akame was on cartoon KAT-TUN last night - http://community.livejournal.com/kat...e/4530722.html

heh , cute :laugh

I watched the 7th episode of Uta no Onni-san earlier on & Sakurai appeared as himself in the beginning of the show , a few mins only as himself

it's funny when Ohno's character interacted with him & that Sakurai said that Yano Kenta looked like their group leader Ohno :laugh

^Yeah, they've shown that part in that one news clip. Their conversation was ad-libbed. ^^
"I... I guess even I can't beat Yatterman." xD LOL

I know it's already OT, but thank you girls(?) for the nice comments on my "rant". ^^

Like Irene said, it has gotten better when it comes to KAT-TUN and NEWS, but there are these little details that can make a big difference. Though Ohno is lead vocalist in Arashi, other members get lead vocals or more vocals than the other members at times, too. Specially when they have the tie-in. Like MatsuJun sings in the beginning of "We can make it!" and Nino has more solo lines in "Beautiful days" than the others. While with KAT-TUN it's mostly Akame who sing the first part, so it's mostly them who are shown/heard during short version PVs and shortened performances.

ohhh, i forgot about FoL...but i think it sold 600-700k overall, not 1st week.
& LOL IA on "A Day in Our Life" PV. that song is freaking genius, but for heaven's sake that PV is an embarassment. D:

yeah, PIKA**NCHI DOUBLE is freaking boss. sad about the sales.

& yeah, i like the member focus in the songs like "We can make it!" :)

LOL I love that part :roflmao

unfortunately but true especially with regard to what you said about KAT-TUN

I just wish the other 4 get equal singing/screen time unlike Akame because it's not fair

it's not like ARASHI , each of them get equal spotlight & not all of them are unpopular/popular as the next one which I admire in the group

^The guys are doing so great. It's unbelievable.
I'm glad that it's Arashi who is doing so well and not KAT-TUNsomeone else. :P

I liked "Tobira" since first listen. They're singles are really consistent lately, for both A-sides and B-sides. ^^

i've loved tobira since first listen, too :D and yay, #5 is still amazing!

ME !!!! & no it's not because I like GReeeeN that's why so :roflmao

:grumpy *must throw Aga into a padded room & blast KT music in her face 24/7 til she go mental*

kidding :D

March Popolo scans of the guys & KAT-TUN while you're at it - http://juninodaisuki.livejournal.com/3928.html

^I really really like Tobira! I think a bit more than the A-sides. Tobira's got a connection to GReeeeN?

not really Alice , it just so happened that GReeeeN released a single which's titled Tobira last Dec & then now ARASHI has the same song title

maybe both groups exchanged song titles notes on the sly ? :laugh

Owh, :laugh I thought maybe GReeeeN wrote the song for Arashi or something like that, like for NEWS?
I've listened to GReeeeN before but they didn't really strike my fancy...

yeah, i like Arashi's "Tobira" too. but i prefer the B-sides on "Beautiful days" out of their recent slew of B-sides.

i liked them 10000x better than the A-side. ughhh, i totally did not like "Beautiful days".

NAH , the guys didn't wrote Tobira for ARASHI unfortunately & aw bummer , I like GReeeeN's music so ...

GReeeeN's Tobira was trashed big time by KAT-TUN's White X'mas T_T & that goes for Ayumi & then now Setsuna :dead2

I sometimes felt that the B-sides should have been the A-sides instead. :laugh
This is a guilty confession; I don't much like Beautiful Days as much as the other songs on the single because of the opening music. It's weird. I just like the B-melody..

haha , I probably am so easily satisfied with music because I like Beautiful days & the PV's well beautiful too

Nino's :smitten in there (don't worry Alice , I'm not taking him from you anytime of the day :laugh) & that goes for Sakurai too

:laugh I probably share him with loads and loads of other fangirls. But so far around me in real life there's only Sho-chan fan (my friend) and Nino fan (me) so it's ok.

Aiba's so hot in Believe PV! Why is he so hot nowadays~

:laugh & Aiba - I know :eyes , he has been up there recently when comes to magazine pics & etc

he's not really the most photogenic in the group but in recent times , man the photos he took for magazines are :thud

Get your eyes checked. Aiba was always hot.:P

:laugh I just never realised so! I think he shone the most in Believe PV.

I think I better post this in case I forget tomorrow :dead2 but if you want to hear Believe being played on the local chinese radio station here , you might do so via the net :D

The radio station which's called YES 933FM plays the top5 k/jpop hits every Sun night from 10-11pm & an encore broadcast of it can be heard the following Sat afternoon from 2pm onwards

Because Believe / KNK is #1 this week on the Oricon singles chart , I have a feeling that either 1 of the songs might be played this coming Sun night during 10-11pm . I can't find a definite answer as to when it might be played on the show because the 2 radio DJs also play kpop as well

so if you want to listen to it online , go to http://yes933.sg/portal/site/yes933/...00e101000aRCRD . The page will be refreshed every few mins so that you can see what song's currently playing on the net & followed by the next 1-2 songs after that

if you're not living in S'pore but wish to hear either Believe / KNK being played on the net , check http://www.worldtimeserver.com for the time difference

I'm tuning in this coming Sun night for sure :D

there's always that rush of feeling when you hear or see your fave act's songs/PVs on the radio/tv if you ask me

For me it was truth PV. he looked sooooo sexy. Hmm... Having second thoughts about Koki.....

:P , as long as you don't cross over to Kame & Ueda , it's good for me :laugh

you can download scans of the Yatterman Visual book via http://winkychan.livejournal.com/37129.html

@_@ @_@ @_@ at Sakurai without his Yatterman outfit

so hot so hot so hot

Sakurai to be on a new drama show ? :eyes - http://community.livejournal.com/ara...71.html#cutid1