山下翔央, Yamashita Shoon, Ya-Ya-yah
Man, I sigh every time I look at this picture. *-* The October mags have some really nice pics of Shoon. 
This post has 2 parts. The first is about last Sunday's SC, and the second is a little surprise, some 2003 rare Ya-Ya-yah scans - an article about Autumn-, and a translation by me. =)
Okay, Shounen Club first then. ^^
Shoon's presence in this one was minimal, and I'm starting to show Shoon-withdrawal symptoms after 2 weeks without Hyakushiki (they're taking a little yet much deserved holiday), but... what can I say?, even these 3 seconds of Shoon can bring a smile to my lips every time I remember THAT look he gave to the camera. ^_~
This was during the song that closed the show, but if you notice, these days he never fails to wave at the camera or even blow a kiss to it during the opening song. ^3^ That's so sweet of him~ ♥ I guess that the abstract idea of the anonymous fan is to an idol what an idol is to us fans. =)
The anonymous fan is a reason for them to give their best, while an idol's waves and smiles give us fans wings to daydream. And who doesn't like indulging in daydreams? You can always imagine it's you and only you he's waving and smiling at, and in a way it's true, because for him, whatever your name is or wherever you are, you're the anonymous fan.
So yeah, hopefully more Shoon in the next SC. ^^v What we did get this time was one solo performance by Yabu and another by Hikaru that I was expecting eagerly... and they didn't disappoint me at all. =)
I wonder why they chose to "revive" Angel come to me and Akogare no egoist at this point. ^^ Watching Yabu and Hikaru sing these songs made me a little melancholic, but at the same time I realized how much both of them have grown as performers and it makes me glad to have seen them go from their very first steps to where they are now.
I've cut the juggling part before Hikaru's actual performance because it made the clip a bit too long. It's so nice to finally hear the full version of this song. I hope one of these days he'll sing Kuroi asa, shiroi yoru, because that's my favourite Hikaru solo. ^-^
Yabu sang a bit of My Everything (Yabucchi, you still need to work a little on this one ^^) and then Angel Come to Me. I want to remember when was the last time he sang this one, because I'm positive he sang it recently (apart from the 2005 performances, I mean), but for the life of me I can't! D: Anyway. I have some issues with this song - like the lyrics XD -, but I liked the coreography a lot better - less robotic than the old one - ...except for the hand movements in the "come to me" line. *facepalm* =_=;;; And there were some subtle differences in the way Yabu sang it that made it better too. =)
And now let's take a dive in the waters of the past, shall we? ^__^ I've scanned a 2003 article from a magazine called 小学六年生 (Shougaku rokunensei), which, as the title says, is aimed at elementary schoolers. Ya-Ya-yah appeared regularly on this magazine for several months, and they even had a manga (comic) there! I've scanned a few pages of the manga, but before scanning the whole thing I was wondering if somebody might want to help translate it and make an scanlation of it. ^^ It's a triumph for me to translate such short texts as the one in this article. ^^;;; I need to improve my Japanese. Corrections are most welcome, by the way.
Anyway. The manga on this issue is really funny and cute, as Shoon and Akama accidentally "exchange" bodies. It's hilarious to see Shoon portrayed as a tea lover, surrounded by roses, and as an excellent cook. LOL For some reason I like indulging in the fantasy that he's a good cook, and I say "fantasy" because the only time we saw him cook in the Ya-Ya-yah show he was lousy. XD Admittedly he was very young, so maybe he has improved?
Below you can find previews of the article and a couple of the manga pages, the link to the album set, and my loose translation of the article, which has all the innocence of childhood. My favourite bit is Shoon's complaint about a certain prop they gave him for the photoshoot. ;-) Poor Shoonie, he hadn't realized yet exactly how pretty hewas is. ^-^
2003.11 shougaku rokunensei - Ya-Ya-yah article and a few manga pages
Naughty boys - Ya-Ya-yah's check-it-out-yo!
Aiming at our Autumn.
[speech ballons]
Shoon: Why am I the only one with a rose? It's not that I have a problem with it, but... *laughs*
Yabu: Autumn arts. For the school's arts festival I played the role of Iwa (?).
Akama: Autumn has this typical image of red and orange hues, doesn't it?
Hoshino: I turn 16 on October 10th! Please wish me a happy birthday!
Taiyô: In Autumn you can get out in nature with your bike.
Eating something delicious? Having fun? Doing something that's a little dangerous? These five talk about what they associate the word "Autumn" with!
Yabu: I think Autumn is a heart-warming season because of the leaves turning red...
Taiyô: Yes, Autumn has the typical image of the gingko tree. And when you have to sweep the fallen leaves (on your backyard) there's so many of them, right?
Hoshino: But when you make piles with them you can have a "fallen leaves fight" with your friends.
Yabu: I love lying down on the piles; they're so fluffy.
Shoon: Autumn is the season when people roast sweet potatoes too. It's the "sports season", and of course roasting sweet potatoes is a sport too. *laughs*
Akama: True, you can make a fire with the dead leaves too.
Yabu: And Autumn is a season for being outdoors as well, isn't it?, a season in which everybody wants to have fun doing things outdoors. Mountaineering? [I think this is suggested by some of the mag staff] What do you mean?, not going up a mountain trail but actual rock climbing? *laughs*
Taiyô: You can also go fishing on a river, and grill and eat the fish you catch.
Akama: Eeh? I'm not much of an outdoors person. I'd rather go to a covered swimming pool. *laughs*
Shoon: I'd like to do something reckless, like go somewhere without a plan. Not here in Japan; I'd go to a foreign country. *laughs*
Hoshino: In other words, anywhere in the world! And speaking of Autumn... my birthday is in October! So now all of you must congratulate me. *laughs*
Yabu: That day we'll slip into your house.
Shoon: Are you planning on doing something?
Taiyô: We'll slip into his house and we'll go: "Waaah!".
Akama: Yeah, we'll be like: "Surprise!".
Hoshino: No way; even if you did that without telling me, I'd still be embarrassed. *laughs*
Yabu: Anyway. There are lots of things to do in Autumn, so (whatever we do) we'll have fun, right?
NOTES:
1. Apparently in Japan Autumn is considered the season for sports, though I'm not completely sure if Shoon is just being ironical when he says roasting sweet potatoes is a sport too, or if he means it's like the national sport. ?__?
2. Anybody knows what Yabu means by "Iwa"? (literally that means "rock/stone", but I doubt he played the role of a stone in a school festival. XD)
3. This article reminded me that Hoshino's birthday is coming up... as will Hikaru's and Shoon's in a couple of months! D: And then Taiyô's and Yabu's!
This post has 2 parts. The first is about last Sunday's SC, and the second is a little surprise, some 2003 rare Ya-Ya-yah scans - an article about Autumn-, and a translation by me. =) Okay, Shounen Club first then. ^^
Shoon's presence in this one was minimal, and I'm starting to show Shoon-withdrawal symptoms after 2 weeks without Hyakushiki (they're taking a little yet much deserved holiday), but... what can I say?, even these 3 seconds of Shoon can bring a smile to my lips every time I remember THAT look he gave to the camera. ^_~
This was during the song that closed the show, but if you notice, these days he never fails to wave at the camera or even blow a kiss to it during the opening song. ^3^ That's so sweet of him~ ♥ I guess that the abstract idea of the anonymous fan is to an idol what an idol is to us fans. =)
The anonymous fan is a reason for them to give their best, while an idol's waves and smiles give us fans wings to daydream. And who doesn't like indulging in daydreams? You can always imagine it's you and only you he's waving and smiling at, and in a way it's true, because for him, whatever your name is or wherever you are, you're the anonymous fan.
So yeah, hopefully more Shoon in the next SC. ^^v What we did get this time was one solo performance by Yabu and another by Hikaru that I was expecting eagerly... and they didn't disappoint me at all. =)
I wonder why they chose to "revive" Angel come to me and Akogare no egoist at this point. ^^ Watching Yabu and Hikaru sing these songs made me a little melancholic, but at the same time I realized how much both of them have grown as performers and it makes me glad to have seen them go from their very first steps to where they are now.
I've cut the juggling part before Hikaru's actual performance because it made the clip a bit too long. It's so nice to finally hear the full version of this song. I hope one of these days he'll sing Kuroi asa, shiroi yoru, because that's my favourite Hikaru solo. ^-^
Yabu sang a bit of My Everything (Yabucchi, you still need to work a little on this one ^^) and then Angel Come to Me. I want to remember when was the last time he sang this one, because I'm positive he sang it recently (apart from the 2005 performances, I mean), but for the life of me I can't! D: Anyway. I have some issues with this song - like the lyrics XD -, but I liked the coreography a lot better - less robotic than the old one - ...except for the hand movements in the "come to me" line. *facepalm* =_=;;; And there were some subtle differences in the way Yabu sang it that made it better too. =)
And now let's take a dive in the waters of the past, shall we? ^__^ I've scanned a 2003 article from a magazine called 小学六年生 (Shougaku rokunensei), which, as the title says, is aimed at elementary schoolers. Ya-Ya-yah appeared regularly on this magazine for several months, and they even had a manga (comic) there! I've scanned a few pages of the manga, but before scanning the whole thing I was wondering if somebody might want to help translate it and make an scanlation of it. ^^ It's a triumph for me to translate such short texts as the one in this article. ^^;;; I need to improve my Japanese. Corrections are most welcome, by the way.
Anyway. The manga on this issue is really funny and cute, as Shoon and Akama accidentally "exchange" bodies. It's hilarious to see Shoon portrayed as a tea lover, surrounded by roses, and as an excellent cook. LOL For some reason I like indulging in the fantasy that he's a good cook, and I say "fantasy" because the only time we saw him cook in the Ya-Ya-yah show he was lousy. XD Admittedly he was very young, so maybe he has improved?
Below you can find previews of the article and a couple of the manga pages, the link to the album set, and my loose translation of the article, which has all the innocence of childhood. My favourite bit is Shoon's complaint about a certain prop they gave him for the photoshoot. ;-) Poor Shoonie, he hadn't realized yet exactly how pretty he
Naughty boys - Ya-Ya-yah's check-it-out-yo!
Aiming at our Autumn.
[speech ballons]
Shoon: Why am I the only one with a rose? It's not that I have a problem with it, but... *laughs*
Yabu: Autumn arts. For the school's arts festival I played the role of Iwa (?).
Akama: Autumn has this typical image of red and orange hues, doesn't it?
Hoshino: I turn 16 on October 10th! Please wish me a happy birthday!
Taiyô: In Autumn you can get out in nature with your bike.
Eating something delicious? Having fun? Doing something that's a little dangerous? These five talk about what they associate the word "Autumn" with!
Yabu: I think Autumn is a heart-warming season because of the leaves turning red...
Taiyô: Yes, Autumn has the typical image of the gingko tree. And when you have to sweep the fallen leaves (on your backyard) there's so many of them, right?
Hoshino: But when you make piles with them you can have a "fallen leaves fight" with your friends.
Yabu: I love lying down on the piles; they're so fluffy.
Shoon: Autumn is the season when people roast sweet potatoes too. It's the "sports season", and of course roasting sweet potatoes is a sport too. *laughs*
Akama: True, you can make a fire with the dead leaves too.
Yabu: And Autumn is a season for being outdoors as well, isn't it?, a season in which everybody wants to have fun doing things outdoors. Mountaineering? [I think this is suggested by some of the mag staff] What do you mean?, not going up a mountain trail but actual rock climbing? *laughs*
Taiyô: You can also go fishing on a river, and grill and eat the fish you catch.
Akama: Eeh? I'm not much of an outdoors person. I'd rather go to a covered swimming pool. *laughs*
Shoon: I'd like to do something reckless, like go somewhere without a plan. Not here in Japan; I'd go to a foreign country. *laughs*
Hoshino: In other words, anywhere in the world! And speaking of Autumn... my birthday is in October! So now all of you must congratulate me. *laughs*
Yabu: That day we'll slip into your house.
Shoon: Are you planning on doing something?
Taiyô: We'll slip into his house and we'll go: "Waaah!".
Akama: Yeah, we'll be like: "Surprise!".
Hoshino: No way; even if you did that without telling me, I'd still be embarrassed. *laughs*
Yabu: Anyway. There are lots of things to do in Autumn, so (whatever we do) we'll have fun, right?
NOTES:
1. Apparently in Japan Autumn is considered the season for sports, though I'm not completely sure if Shoon is just being ironical when he says roasting sweet potatoes is a sport too, or if he means it's like the national sport. ?__?
2. Anybody knows what Yabu means by "Iwa"? (literally that means "rock/stone", but I doubt he played the role of a stone in a school festival. XD)
3. This article reminded me that Hoshino's birthday is coming up... as will Hikaru's and Shoon's in a couple of months! D: And then Taiyô's and Yabu's!
山下翔央, Yamashita Shoon, Ya-Ya-yahPOST A COMMENT :: READ COMMENTS