Tell me about the beauty of the world..

Do friends look at each other like that?   

*me and my friends*

Lol boy when you were glaring at him all that time

Looking so grave and put upon

Did you ever consider the possibility

That there will come a time

When your entire world would shake and realign

So that things matter only where he stands

And the world moves only when he breathes?

Wang Yibo being obvious Wang Yibo

Watching The Untamed now, and how Wang Yibo seems to have a good understanding of at least the Lan Wangji he is playing (given that I do find his acting unexpectedly solid for a character who outwardly gives us so little), I wish someone would ask him when he stopped acting angry with Wei Wuxian. We still got a genuine angry/irritated face in episode 7

but then it was also in this same episode that we got a really soft look from him, when he heard Wei Wuxian's wish as they shared a floating lantern

and I don't think I remember another angry face from him towards Wei Wuxian after that?

Even when Wei Wuxian tied him up with the string in episode 8, he was only mildly exasperated at best.

I think at the time Lan Wangji was just glad for his company. We knew (heck, even big bro Lan Xichen knew) he wanted Wei Wuxian to come, but he probably couldn't justify asking to himself nor did he know how to ask. Oh, Lan Zhan. ‎(´∇｀)

They then share even more adventures after that and Lan Wangji just gets softer and softer like

And don't even get me started when they met again in Qishan. Lan Wangji just lost his home and did not know how his family was doing. The only thing that could get a rise out of him was if Wei Wuxian was in trouble. So then, I think, by that point, our good boy was already in love.

Right, so. Between episodes 7 and 13, yes? WHEN DID YOU START LOVING HIM LAN ZHAN???

Bonus post-falling in love!Lan Wangji

I just lost my home, my leg is broken, I am fast sinking into depression and you still pushed my future husband down a steep slope did you really want to join your ancestors so fast

I can't believe you just suggested I could be in love with someone else you glorious dumbfuck

He touched my forehead ribbon again but that's okay I guess since we're getting married anyway

Pic: Koichi 2018.04 - from a review of some upcoming episode of Bunbuboon on some magazine

Source: Amb @架音 and on pic

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The type to express himself in a thoroughly stoic way

2018.04.25

There’s a short tease about Koichi’s upcoming reality show with GYAO on ザ・テレビジョン magazine:

光一の素 (Simply Koichi)

The type to express himself in a thoroughly stoic way

“We are in discussion with Koichi-kun himself about his show (scheduled to be aired soon), including the contents. “No one would be interested in my talk”, he said. But he is just the type that wants to express himself in a thoroughly stoic way. Were he not, “Endless SHOCK” surely could not have become what it is today. In the past, when he was on “PIKAICHI” (1999-2001), a show where he was sent to take various certifications, he also gave it his all. I think his boiler operator certification is still valid. Maybe we should have him operate the boiler again (laugh).” (Saegusa).

(”in a thoroughly stoic way” is such a clumsy translation but can’t think of any better wording at this hour >_<)

So Saegusa Takaomi-san is the producer! Saegusa-san was also the producer of PIKAICHI - wonder what he has in mind this time. Documentary type, with Koichi at work?

Also, is the title 光一の素 official? If it is, then it’s a bit strange, cause using only his first name like that makes it much more intimate than Tsuyoshi’s 堂本剛の素. Maybe it’ll focus more on his “Ko-chan” side rather than his “Koichi-kun” side? Hmm….

Really really really looking forward to this! And I hope it’ll be something that he enjoys, or at least not having a hard time to do, like wandering outside when pollen is abundant or eating things he can’t eat… ( -_-  talking about you BBB)

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2018.04.26 - Fukuda’s JWb

How to catch Domoto Koichi’s interest?

Someone sent this question to Fukuda on JWb, and his answer was:

People hardly ever get mad at him, so try doing so.

Of course no one is able to get mad at Ko-chan! XD Well, the onlies, maybe…

But try telling this to KT and they might accuse you of blasphemy =]]

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2018.04.26 (probably) - Matsuzaki’s JWb

“It’s KOICHI, not Koichi-kun”

In SHOCK, there’s a scene where MATSUZAKI passes a cane to KOICHI, but KOICHI almost never takes it properly - he always fools around a bit before accepting the cane. A fan asked Matsuzaki if he finds it annoying, and Matsuzaki answered yes. He corrected the fan though:

But after all, isn’t it because it was KOICHI and not Koichi-kun? (laugh)

CDTV 25th year special - 2018.04.07

Collection of fans reports from the letter, “N”

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At the opening when Kinki Kids was introduced, Koichi went to Nakai-san’s side with a really bright smile on his face.

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KK huddling together before Tsuyoshi went backstage. 

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During Koisuru Fortune Cookie, Koichi was dancing along while Nakai-san was clapping only. Seemed like Koichi asked him to dance too, and he did.

Nakai-san then moved to his position to start the program, and when Koichi noticed there was no one next to him, he gazed after Nakai-san. Koichi was by himself for a moment, then the two Yuzu started talking to him and he replied smiling.

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After their performance ended, Koichi got a bit confused going off stage, and Tsuyoshi guided him XD 

Some other instances where Tsuyoshi guided Koichi, even when he didn’t actually need it. Probably their habit XD

Lost in restaurant

Guests: Takahashi Hideki, Takahashi Maasa (father and daughter).

Driver: Koichi

Activity: 迷い店. Tsuyoshi and Koichi would compete to see whose orders the guest liked better. The one who lost would pay for the entire meal. Koichi won this time!

Highlights:

1. Tsuyoshi’s red purse and Koichi’s black wallet

While everyone was surprised at his red purse, saying it was a really rare choice of color, Tsuyoshi explained:

Tsuyoshi: It’s really rare, right? Red means “burning money”.

Koichi: Isn’t that not good?

Tsuyoshi: Usually people prefer black or gold, right? That’s how it is shown on TV. But I’m the type that don’t believe in what’s broadcasted on TV at all.

*Everyone, especially the guests, laughed*

Maasa-san hosts the talk show Merengue no Kimochi btw :))

Then Koichi showed off his rather plain-looking black wallet:

Tsuyoshi: How long have you had it?

Koichi: How long hmm… I’ve used it for about 20 years.

The guests: Woah!

2. Who got to drink beer?

Maasa-san wanted to have some beer to go with the food. Tsuyoshi and Koichi wanted to drink some too, but one of them still had to drive after this and couldn’t drink. So, they asked Maasa-san to choose the person she wanted to drink with, and she promptly chose Tsuyoshi!

When asked why, she said up until then, Tsuyoshi had been more fun to talk to. Koichi protested that he was driving (so had to stay focus and couldn’t talk freely)!

Koichi: It’s all the driving’s fault!

The guests: *died laughing*

Based on their clothes and Koichi’s comment about still had to drive after, this episode was filmed on the same day, before the filming of episode 3, where the guest also complained about how Koichi seemed scary and not easy to talk to :)) That’s probably why Tsuyoshi kept glancing at him while the guest in ep3 was saying her comment :))

3. Affectionate Koichi???

They were talking about how the announcer (of Bunbuboon) was such a hot-and-cold type (tsundere), and Maasa-san asked Kinki Kids what types they were, cold (tsun) or affectionate (dere). Tsuyoshi said he was both, and Koichi said he was kinda both too, but leaning more on the affectionate side. Everyone was surprised by this, especially Tsuyoshi.

Tsuyoshi: So Koichi is the affectionate type?

Koichi: Yes, so what? (he said it in a funnily defensive way, which made the guests burst out laughing)

Tsuyoshi: Eh???

*Screen caption: New discovery after 21 years working together*

Tsuyoshi said that Koichi being affectionate was totally unexpected from his image, which Maasa-san agreed. Koichi (a bit flustered now) replied that he only showed that side to special people. Tsuyoshi then asked Koichi if he wanted to be affectionate, and Koichi went “Mmm…”, then “OK let’s stop here.” without answering :))

4. What kind of girl would be Tsuyoshi’s type?

Maasan-san said Tsuyoshi seemed to like the artistic, a bit older type, someone like Yashiro Aki san (who is 29 years older than him).

Tsuyoshi: Wait, well, age is not the problem, but isn’t she married?

Tsuyoshi then went on the ask the other guests at the restaurant what type of girl they thought he should marry, and one of the guest pointed at her friend. The friend was a bit flustered, but then asked Tsuyoshi “Am I good?”

Tsuyoshi: (to the guest) Aren’t you going too fast? Don’t you find it weird? Koichi: You should go over there and sit next to her!

The show explored Kinki Kids’ music from different points of view: from the artists who’d worked with them, from a close friend who’d witnessed their growth and struggles, and from Kinki Kids themselves. Very interesting to watch (no subtitle).

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Part 1 - Kinki Kids’ music from other artists’ points of view

The show interviewed four different artists who had worked with Kinki Kids to ask for their opinions on the duo’s music. All these four are quite well-respected in the Japanese music scene.

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The first was Oda Tetsuro. He was the one who wrote Yume Miru Shoujo ja Irarenai for Aikawa Nanase, which I really love! Boku no senaka ni wa hane ga aru (which I also like a lot) was written by him.

To Oda-san, the keywords to describe Kinki Kids’ music are “sorrow” and “refinement”.

Oda Tetsuro: They fundamentally carry a sense of sadness and refinement. I think these two points are their unchanging characteristics.

At that time (when he was writing Boku hane), I thought the sorrowful feeling of Andean music would match them well.

Tsuyoshi seemed pleasantly surprised by this comment, like that was how he had always felt but couldn’t put words to.

By the way, in a segment of the Ousama no Brunch show (2016.09.14), Koichi chose Boku no senaka ni wa hane ga iru as a turning point in Kinki Kids’ music career. He said up until then, their music had always had an oriental feel, and with this song, he felt that Kinki Kids’ music had started to branch off to different directions (meaning become more diverse).

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The second artist interviewed was Kubota Toshinobu, the number one artist in Japanese R&B scene who has produced numerous hit songs. The red light is his works.

To him, Kinki Kids’ charm is the combination of the funk quality from Tsuyoshi and the rock quality from Koichi.

Kubota Toshinobu: Tsuyoshi-kun is funky-funk, while Koichi-kun is very rock. A combination of funk and rock - a very rare chemistry!!

About The red light, he said:

Kubota Toshinobu: This time, I wrote a rather “rough” song for them, a wild song. The “red light~” part is something that has never been sung in a Japanese song up until now.

The part he mentioned.

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The third artist was Yoshii Kazuya from The Yellow Monkey, who wrote Bara to Taiyou for them. Kinki Kids went to greet him and The Yellow Monkey at their dressing room during Kouhaku (SONGS - Kinki Kids spin off). Surprisingly, he’s a big fan of JE!

To him, their charm lies in the romantic appeal of the 70s era they carry.

Later in the episode, Koichi mentioned that they had some difficulties singing Bara to Taiyou at first. They were troubled at how to express that unconcerned, nonchalant feeling in the first verse. There have been many difficult songs like that, and they feel grateful to have such songs to challenge themselves over, even at this age and after so many years into the industry.

Interestingly, I remember reading some song review (from A r a m a ?) saying the song was a failure to the reviewer because Kinki Kids sounded bored and tired singing it.

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The fourth artist interviewed was Dojima Kohei, a music producer who has written 16 songs for Kinki Kids, including Kanashimi Blue.

Dojima Kohei: Kinki Kids are formed by two individuals, but Kinki Kids as a whole has its own individuality. Sometimes, the two of them can be heard as one.

An example of their two voices blending so well that they can be heard as one is this part in Kanashimi Blue.

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And the fifth artist interviewed, surprisingly, was Nagase Tomoya.

To him, the dramatic feeling of Kinki Kids’ music is their charm.

Nagase Tomoya: Kinki Kids’ songs are somehow quite dramatic huh. I can’t express this well but since long before, I’ve felt that they have a very “Kinki Kids-like” world view.

Nagase also talked about how Kinki Kids has so many good song, and how he’s a bit jealous of them. To him, they’re comrades, but also rivals. Since the three of them has gone through the same eras at the same place, he feels touched watching Kinki Kids.

(Nagase then strayed away and talked about some memory with Koichi that has nothing to do with music - the topic at hand - at all :)). There’ll be a special Nagase part to cover this :)) ).

Koichi said normally their songs are not viewed as being dramatic, so he was happy to hear Nagase saying that, implying that was how he himself view their songs. Nagase really knows Kinki Kids (especially Koichi) well.

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Part 2 - Kinki Kids talking about their own music (TBC)

If Koichi had made mistake on their performance, what happen to him?

1. Hugging his guitar tightly (if he with his guitar)

2. Laugh embarrassingly, speechless, uncontrollable

3. Looking for his aikata, Tsuyoshi immediately for help and sorry(perhaps?) XD

4. Apologies many times, embarrassed but still look so cute and helpless 

5. Still speechless, embarrassed and seems lost for a moment 

6. Looking at Tsuyoshi again for support while answering the announcer and the others that keep on teasing him

7. Feel relieved when Tsuyoshi start covering him with jokes and laugh

8. Add more excuse and jokes while still look a little bit embarrassed but more confident now with Tsuyoshi covering on him.

Garasu no Shounen was something unprecedented to JE at that time. It was strongly opposed, and many (in JE) were saying that it wouldn’t become a hit. 

However, when it did become a hit after they debuted, those attitudes completely changed.

Tsuyoshi: As smoothly as turning over one’s hand (*it’s a saying, so can’t really translate…), they’d say “Ah, I’ve always thought it’d sell well!” 

*Koichi LOLed* 

Tsuyoshi: They were really mean.

Guest: Takamizawa Toshihiko

Activity: Theme park!

The Kinki duo are very familiar and comfortable with Takamizawa-san, so it’s always cute seeing them together!

One of Takamizawa-san’s biggest wish was to ride the roller coaster. He’d tried to do it twice on Bunbuboon before (forgot which episodes, but the first time was when Bunbuboon just started), but failed both times due to the weather (rain). Then, he passed the age limit for roller coaster ride (60 years old), and thought he could never get to experience the ride :( But somehow, the age limit was extended to 64 years old this year, and Bunbuboon invited him to go on the ride this time! This is literally his last chance, since he’s 63 this year! Tsuyoshi jokingly said that they extended the age limit for Takazawa-san’s sake.

As it tends to rain on Bunbuboon filming days (it really does!!!), the whole staff, including the producer, went to a shrine to pray for nice weather on this day’s filming. Everyone was given charms to ward off rain, including the Kinki duo and Takamizawa-san. One camera man even stuck the charm on his camera! 

Their efforts were paid off, and it was indeed a sunny day! Koichi noted that the producer was not present that day, and jokingly said that maybe it was the producer’s fault that it rained before (ame no otoko).

The chosen park was Fuji-Q Highland theme park. They could see Fuji Mt. from the park! When Tsuyoshi was MC-ing, there suddenly a notice that some outside action activities would be cancelled due to strong wind. Everyone was like, “Eh? Wind too?” Luckily, the roller coaster ride was not affected.

Tsuyoshi decided to play staff that day. He even got a name card! He was giving some excuses about playing staff, when Koichi just cut him off saying “Isn’t it because you don’t want to go on the ride?”

Koichi spotted some rather interesting (scary actually) looking ride. Tsuyoshi commented that only idiots would pay money to get on sth like that.

Everyone: Aren’t you a staff here? How can you say such things?

Tsuyoshi: *bowed deeply” I’m really sorry. *attitude changed 180o* This ride is totally worth your money!

Tsuyoshi said it wouldn’t be fun if they just went on the ride (Takamizawa-san: “Let’s just go on the ride and get back.”), so he’d made a plan for Takamizawa-san and Koichi to try out some other entertainments first.

The first entertainment Tsuyoshi picked out was a roller coaster ride for kid. Koichi complained about this of course.

As expected, the seats were small, and the two grown men had to squeeze in.

Koichi: If only the one beside me was a girl…

Takamizawa-san: Same here!

As expected, it was an easy ride, though rather bumpy. Both Koichi and Takamizawa-san kept shouting “It hurts!”

Tsuyoshi: How was it?

Koichi: Nothing to say except it hurt!

They managed to get a nice pic though!

The second entertainment Tsuyoshi picked was a 4D flight simulation - the limited Attack on Titan ride. Koichi hadn’t watched the anime before, so Tsuyoshi tried to explain it to him:

Tsuyoshi: It’s about giants fighting with little humans.

Koichi: …That’s way too vague!

Tsuyoshi was scared so he didn’t join this ride either - he said he’s afraid of big things. While Koichi and Takamizawa-san enjoying the ride, Tsuyoshi went around taking silly pictures:

Koichi and Takamizawa-san enjoyed this one, especially Koichi. Takamizawa-san said it seemed more scary than the roller coaster ride though hahaha. Hearing this, Tsuyoshi was like: “Eh??? Will you really be OK?”

Finally it was time for the long-expected roller coaster ride!

Takamizawa-san said he was so nervous he couldn’t sleep the night before. Koichi said he couldn’t sleep either, cause filming started too early (6am - when he usually goes to sleep LOL). 

Tsuyoshi tried to introduce the ride like a real staff, but failed spectacularly - Koichi pointed out that he introduced the ending part of the ride as the starting. Everyone had a good laugh! 

Koichi teased Takamizawa-san that if his heart stopped up there, they would lower the age limit again. Takamizawa-san protested “Am I a guinea pig? I’m not a guinea pig!”

A picture to commemorate~

The ride went on quite smoothly. Takamizawa-san kept shouting excitedly, but Koichi didn’t at all! Tsuyoshi was kinda worried until he heard Takamizawa-san’s excited shouts, which he compared to a fire spirit.

They had to censor Koichi’s and Takamizawa-san’s faces during a particularly thrilling part of the ride though LOL

Before getting on the ride, Takamizawa-san said he’d shout “I rode the roller coaster!” once they reached the highest point of the ride, but in the end he couldn’t (he just started shouting Uwa- LOL).

Unfortunately, they couldn’t take a decent picture of the ride, cause the helmet obscured their faces. Koichi commented that he looked just like Takamizawa-san like that! 

All in all, it ended quite well, and everyone seemed happy! 

Koichi’s outfit today suited him really well! I want a coat like that too! 

Tsuyoshi totally looked like a staff - which I’m not sure whether I want to laugh or cry about… He should have worn the jacket he received from Takamizawa-san though!

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