Arashi: A short-lived fandom

Salam'alaik and a very good evening.

Browsed through the list of songs on my phone. Instinctively played 'Love So Sweet' by Arashi. 

Smiled as I sang along, uttering each Japanese word with clarity (mind you, I pronounced each word correctly, not just mumbling any Japanese-like non-existent words)The only Arashi song that I could memorize the lyrics from the beginning till the end. 

I smiled as I reminisced the old days, those days when I was an immature, pompous teenage girl who lamented over the fact that 'Matsumoto Jun got married' when in fact, it was that 'Nanba-senpai guy who got married'. HAHA.

I smiled as I remember those days when I would spend sleepless nights watching downloaded Japanese Dramas and getting high doses of 'Arashi variety shows' like 'Himitsu-no Arashi chan' and 'Arashi no Shukudaikun'. The latter had ended for good and I didn't watch the final episode. 

I am still smiling when I reflected on how reckless was I for skipping extra 'Biology Lab' class on Saturday (or was it Friday?) just for the purpose of going to 'My Star Shop' at Berjaya Times Square with Syau, Su'aidah, Kinah and Ummu to buy Arashi and Jun Matsumoto button badges. Pffttt..

Also, those days when I would pay several too frequent visits to my neighbours, Kinah and Nikmah whose room is two rooms away from mine to get my supplies of Japanese dramas and Arashi TV shows of which they have downloaded from Aibakaland (if I'm not mistaken).

I laughed when I remember the time when Syidah and I were watching some of our favourite scenes of 'Hana Yori Dango' when suddenly Madam Syahidah and a few of other fellows came barging into our room, doing a spot-check. I quickly switched off my laptop and when she asked me 'Cerita apa tu?' and I replied nonchalantly 'Kenapa? Madam nak tengok ke?'  thus making my roommates' mouths opened wide in shock and disbelievement.

 I didn't realize that I was being sarcastic. -____-
I meant to say 'Why? Do you want to check whether there is any inappropriate contents that are not suitable for a Muslim in this particular drama series?' Eh, it sounds sarcastic as well.

I quickly apologized to her at the cafe the next morning.

Those fruitless, non-productive days during short semester in CFS where I would read Jun Matsumoto+Inoue Mao gossips at Asianfanatics.net. Mind you, there were hundreds of pages! >_<

Spending my money on Hana Yori Dango 1, 2 and Hana Yori Dango the movie original DVDs when I could just get them from my friends! 

Writing a special blog post for Jun Matsumoto for his birthday. Pffttt...

Trashing my blog with posts and pictures of Arashi.

I was soo into this J-Pop thing starting from February 2009 till before I entered the main campus in 2010. Only one year plus of fandom then I got 'insaf'. :P

I truly wanted to be a hardcore Arashi fan. I wanted to go to the gatherings of Arashi's fans, I wanted to attend their concerts, I wanted to buy their super expensive DVDs (there were Hong Kong and Japanese edition), I swooned over the not-so-decent pictures of Arashi members. I wanted to be able to memorize all the lyrics to Arashi songs, I wanted soo much to love Arashi with all my heart. Not just Arashi, I wanted to be knowledgeable about K-Pop as well. Super Junior, DBSK, Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, etc. 

The thing is, I couldn't do it. I couldn't love Arashi as much as I wanted to. No matter how hard I tried, I could never memorize the names nor distinguish the faces of all 13 members of Super Junior. Even memorizing facts that I learned in class is easier than this!It's just too hard. How stupid was I for trying too hard to accomplish unimportant, irrelevant things like these. There was this restriction and boundary. I don't know where did it come from. From Allah, maybe?

And so, right after I entered the main campus, I have changed a bit. I am proud to say that I'm no longer an Arashi fan. I've deleted 90% of their variety shows in my hard disk. I only kept those that are educational and informative. (Oi, betul ke no longer an Arashi fan?) In fact now, I have never even watched their variety shows. Takde supplier macam dulu, mungkin. 

Deep in my heart, I still missed being an Arashi fan. Their shows are so enjoyable and entertaining. But I asked myself again 'How long would you let yourself to be embraced with this 'entertainment'? and yes, I think I have changed. Haha. It must be the guidance from Allah, Alhamdulillah.

I still have my Arashi button badges, Jun Matsumoto fan, Arashi's glossy pictures, Arashi handphone keychain (though dah rosak, but I still keep it in my purse), Hana Yori Dango DVDs and other Japanese Dramas original DVDs and I still watch some Japanese dramas, mind you.

And now, when I looked at Matsumoto Jun, I was baffled as to why on earth did I once had an immense crush on this guy?

My 19 year-old self would find him oh so cute and attractive and charming.

My now almost 22 years old self would say 'Kenapalaaa aku pernah minat mamat ni dulu? Macam perempuan pulak tu. Poyo la pulak nampak mamat ni. Heii... malunya...'

3 years of living had brought so many changes within me, and that includes the 'definition' of attractive, charming, handsome (you name it).

Jun Matsumoto equals good looking??!! Now I get it why my non-Arashian friends tergelak-gelak bila tengok muka Matsumoto Jun. >_<

Okay, enough bashing him for his looks. I gotta admit, He IS handsome. But his style is so exaggerated and overrated. A Michael Jackson wannabe. Find your own style la, Jun. T_T

Not to say that everything about Arashi is bad. Nope.
Their songs could be soothing at times and the lyrics (if you read the translations) could be inspiring as well. And just like what I said before, their variety shows could be informative/educational and entertaining at the same time. No lawak-lawak bodoh Senario.

Through Arashi, I learned about other inspirational Japanese Dramas like 'Nobuta wo Produce', 'Dragon Zakura' and 'Gokusen'. Those dramas have their own 'souls', and they talked about life instead of love. So yes, I still watch selected Japanese dramas ( I tend to make a so-called intensive research about dramas before I actually watch them, LOL). I highly recommend you who are reading to watch these inspirational Japanese dramas instead of watching 'Putri yang Terbuang' or 'Putri yang Tertukar' or 'Nada Cinta' yang meleret-leret entah apa-apa.

I got to admit that the Arashi members inspire me in some ways.

 Jun Matsumoto indirectly introduced me to Haruki Murakami, and he influenced me to read my first Haruki Murakami's novel, which is 'Kafka on the Shore'. I'm reading '1Q84' now. His exceptional cooking skills brought me to shame *covers face with hands* and thus I am determined to improve my cooking skills.

Sho Sakurai is the most inspirational member of the group. He is a high achiever, graduated from a prestigious university (Keio University) in Japan with a degree in Economics, and comes from a good, highly educated family background. Apart from singing, MC-ing, and acting, he is also a newscaster, specializing in Economics welfare of Japan, also one of the official casters for the Beijing Olympics 2010. He teaches me that whatever you feel like doing, education comes first.

All five members of Arashi have their own shares of success, and they inspire me to be successful as well.

So yes, it's quite difficult to 'leave' those people who had given positive influences on you, though it was only for a year or two. LOL. But changes for the betterment of ourselves ARE good.

What about now? Is there any specific boyband that you had taken a liking for? Or any singer?

Let me think for a moment. Urm, Not really.

I tend to listen to old songs now. Songs of the 90's and early 2000's are really nostalgic. I've always loved oldies and instrumental and classical music. 'Jupiter' by Gustav Holst is on top of my list now.

Well, here it is. My favourite Arashi song.

Also, I realized that there are bigger things in life that I need to focus on. The average lifespan of a human being is about 70 years (assuming and estimating) and you don't know whether you could reach that particular age. Someday, you're going to die when you least expect it and what happens after you died? You will be questioned by the angels in the graves, and you'll weep in sorrow upon realizing that you have spent your short life on earth doing insignificant things that do not contribute to your 'bekalan' in akhirat. Is Arashi going to help you? I bet you'll laugh before you're even going to answer this question.

On a last note, in my opinion, it is not wrong to 'like' this particular boyband or whatsoever, but keep it in moderation. Don't let your life revolves around these people. Erkk..

Okay, bye-bye Arashi! Thanks for the wonderful memories! :)

P.S. I hope I'd be able to MEET you guys one day, and proudly say 'I was once your fan, you guys were my inspiration and I memorized the lyrics of Love So Sweet!' xD

Yes, I'm no longer an Arashi fan, but I'd like to meet those people who once took several significant steps into my life, thus indirectly changed me to the way I am now.

Thank you for reading and may peace be upon us all! :)