December 19, 2023

Happy 35th birthday, Sean!

(It's the 20th in Japan already, but I'll change the entry date tomorrow.)

In 2010, when the Shoon LiveJournal community I managed reached 1400 members, to celebrate, I made the banner on the left, with the text "The world is your stage. Shine on".

Even though he's no longer in the entertainment business, Shoon is so versatile that, with his energy and drive, I'm convinced he will be able to demonstrate his many talents in any field.

Also, just like he brightened the lives of so many people as a talent and actor, I'm sure he will continue to brighten the lives of those around him.

The image below is part of a header I made for my own blog some years ago, after Ya-Ya-yah disbanded, Taiyo quit and Shoon was forced to keep going on his own.

Surely it was a tough time for him, but he braved the odds, giving his all and he shone brighter than ever. That's why I used that quotation by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: "People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within".

Many old churches have stained-glass windows. During the day, sunshine lights up the windows. It’s pretty to see! But at night, the windows are dark... unless there are candles inside the church. The candles create a magical glow. The windows seem to come alive. The colors are richer and brighter. The stained-glass windows are even more beautiful at night than they are during the day.

This quote reminds us that true beauty is like a stained-glass window. In other words, true beauty is only revealed when darkness falls, when we face sadness or trouble. That is when your spirit must shine like a candle from inside. Your inner light reveals your true beauty.

Dear Shoon, please don't lose sight of the light in your heart and keep shining forever.

November 27, 2023

thoughts upon returning to the fandom

(note: I stopped updating this blog in July of 2011 to focus on the Shoon Yamashita fan community I was a moderator of, and left the fandom in 2016)

I've decided to come back to the place where it all started. It's been a long hiatus: almost 7 years, I think, though it feels as if they passed in the blink of an eye. The passing of time scares the hell out of me. I hate calendars, clocks and planners.

I did not make a conscious decision to step away from the fandom. It was something gradual, as I found myself losing interest in everything when Shoon left. I started feeling detached, as if I was standing in the middle of a fairground where everyone except me was having fun.

Some of my Shoon fan friends turned to other idols and fandoms, but nobody/nothing else sparked my interest, so I ended up focusing on real life, which got busy and complicated (as the German proverb says "Kleine Kinder, kleine Sorgen, grosse Kinder, grosse Sorgen" - - while we're young our problems are not that big, but they become bigger as we grow older).

And life is still busy and complicated for me, but a few months ago, because of a problem with my computer that forced me to back up all my files, I ended up digging out the USB hard drives where I kept all my fandom files (Shounen Club, Ya-Ya-yah show, Hyakushiki, all of Shoon's Internet broadcasts...). And there started my fandom revival.

July 27, 2011

Akama Naoya is back too!!!

Stupid LiveJournal is down, and I shouldn't be making a post right now, but this is big news, and I just learned about this, and I'm very happy and excited.

A Japanese friend posted a picture and linked a blog entry on my Twitter list yesterday, and while the pic was really funny, I didn't know what that was all about, and I just dismissed it. Today though, checking for something else, I came across the news on a Japanese blog: Akama Naoya is back.

Only now his name is not Akama Naoya. He changed it to Kumano Naoya (熊野直哉). Apparently he's working for the same agency as Asaka Kodai, A-Team, in a sub-group called A-Light, and he has an Ameba blog, in which he made an introductory post I still need to read fully, and a YouTube account. You can find his profile on the Japanese Wikipedia as well.

Now we only need Hoshino to come back and we'll have all of the old Ya-Ya-yah members back in the entertainment business. ;) Taiyô came back in January, Shoon in June, Naoya now in July... Hoshino, it's your turn! :D Awww... I want a Ya-Ya-yah reunion!! ^3^


直哉くん、おかえりなさいよ! 

I will add a post on our LiveJournal account as soon as LJ is back. :(