#article translation

SUGA is a member of the group BTS that debuted in 2013. In the group of seven, he is in charge of rapping together with RM and j-hope. Fair and bright face with buccal corridor (the space on both sides of the teeth) that opens every time he laughs refreshingly gives out a cute impression, but the low tone that's contradictory to the anticipation given by his appearance creates another different vibe. This kind of paradoxical charm of his shines even more on stage. Through his charisma-overflowing rapping to his perfect lyric delivery he captivates spectators and audience.

SUGA, who has been interested in making music since elementary school, has his named listed as lyricist, composer, and producer for most of BTS albums. In 2016 when BTS started to gradually make their name known, under the pseudonym ‘Agust D’ he released his first mixtape with the same title. The following year, he provided other singers with songs he wrote himself, and he took charge of the producing too. Even in between BTS activity, he was not slacking off on his personal growth, along with the name SUGA who is a member of the group called BTS, he fostered another name with its respective identity. He is hip-hop artist ‘Agust D’ who lets people listen to a little more honest voice of himself that couldn't be released under the group, and he is producer ‘Prod.SUGA’ who does the external work outside of BTS and his own song.

While so far those have been the other names of SUGA for his external activity, there is yet another name that only ARMY (the BTS fandom name) knows. It is SyubD (DJ SUGA's pet name) who officially debuted(?) as a host through the content ‘BTS HoneyFM 06.13’ that was released in 2013 to mark the 100th days since BTS' debut. Since then, SyubD has shown off his outstanding hosting skill, in the ‘HoneyFM’ held to celebrate their first Christmas under the name BTS, in addition to the content of the same name that was released every year on BTS' debut day.

With his distinctive low tone, in a calm and yet skillful hosting he led the program among 6 members who are full of energy all over the place and as the years went by his hosting skill improved by leaps and bounds. As a result, many ARMYs even wished for him to be a host of an actual radio program and get a job as ‘real SyubD’.

Due to the cross-border busy schedule, it is not known when this expectation will come true, but at least there is one point where his hosting ability that's built up through ‘HoneyFM’ meets ARMY's wish. It is a Youtube content called ‘Suchwita’.

‘Suchwita’, which is released in BTS official Youtube channel ‘BangtanTV’, is a talk content where SUGA, who became the host, drinks together with a guest and has a sincere conversation. The title — that brings ‘Daechwita’, the title song of ‘D-2’ the second mixtape released by Agust D in 2020, to mind — is short for ‘time to get drunk with SUGA’. The difference from various drinking contents is that the invited guest brings their favorite liquor and as they have a drink, they have a talk. SUGA, the host, wholeheartedly prepares snacks that go well with alcohol and welcomes the guests.

The charm of ‘Suchwita’ is that it is one step away from the stereotypical talk show format. BTS SUGA, who on any show would be chosen as an invited guest, hosts and invites someone. Accommodating the guest, the host SUGA's flexible and yet stable hosting gives you the feeling of seeing a new program every time. On December 5th last year, ‘Suchwita’ — which announced its beginning meeting with RM who was releasing his first solo album in 9 years after debut — has since invited stars with each different profession and taste, including broadcaster Shin Dong-yeop, actors Lee Sung-min and Lee Na-young, and singers Tablo and Taeyang. Facing these people, SUGA is all ears listening to the guest's story, and sometimes leads the conversation in a comfortable atmosphere. You can also see him sometimes expressing his curiosity or concerns outside of the questions prepared in the script.

In particular, it is a big harvest for the BTS members, who announced their ‘Chapter 2’ and started their individual activities, to visit ‘Suchwita’ with a new start. This is because there were not enough channels to listen to their individual's thoughts, since BTS was rarely seen on broadcasts other than K-Pop music programs. RM and Jimin, as well as host SUGA as Agust D, appeared as a guest on ‘Suchwita’ ahead of the release of their solo albums (RM was the host when Agust D guested). Jin's honest story, which was recorded three days before his enlistment, is a special gift that can only be heard in ‘Suchwita’. They unwrapped a bundle of their stories in a comfortable atmosphere as they were talking to someone familiar and friendly. On it, they honestly expressed the pressure to fill in each person's time with their own strength alone after the seven of them had spent such a long time together, about the alienation in the past, and the expectation for greeting each other in 2025 after spending time on their own names.

The members of BTS say that SUGA may be grumpy and indifferent on the outside, but out of sight, he is attentive in taking care of other people. As if to refute this, in the first episode of ‘Suchwita’ SUGA made it clear, “I'm just aiming for a talk show that is accompanied with alcohol”, adding, “I don't want a show that gets carried away under the influence of alcohol”. Even then, he said that if there is a guest who can't drink alcohol, they can drink tea instead (in fact, Taeyang prepared sikhye (traditional rice punch) and sujeonggwa (traditional cinnamon punch) on his appearance). Although it has the color of drinking content, alcohol is used as an accompaniment to create a comfortable and soft ambience, not as an essential element.

Therefore, for those who are new to ‘Suchwita’, the program may feel smaller than expected and may seem trivial. However, it is a content that allows you to lend an ear to someone's words and to simply enjoy a conversation without forced laughter, and that is enough reason to get curious about ‘Suchwita’. What is certain is that SUGA's natural charm is reflected in the program as it is. Like tvN's ‘You Quiz’, which he thinks of and is aware of as a competitive program, I hope it will be a content that is consistently unburdened, consistently warm, and we can see for a long long time. Let's get drunk with SUGA who is drinking, and get drunk on SUGA's new charm that is revealed every time, I highly recommend it to those who don't know ‘Suchwita’ yet.

—fin.

A little note as I just feel like it may get confusing, the article uses two particular "drunk" phrases:

1. to get drunk with; as in being drunk together with (in this case SUGA)

2. to be/get drunk with/on; as in getting intoxicated with (SUGA) as if he's the alcohol

Asano Yumi || 2022/10/07

Chukyo University’s Uno Itsuki, who takes part in various activities. (Photograph by Asano Yumi)

He’s actually someone who’s multi-talented. Sometimes he’s Chukyo University’s field hockey athlete, and sometimes he’s the manager of his brother Uno Shoma (Toyota Motor Corporation), who’s a World Champion in figure skating, and sometimes he’s a YouTuber who features daily life with his beloved dogs. A free man who’s out of the box. That is Uno Itsuki (3rd year, Nagoya International Junior & Senior High School)

1.  A Carefree Smile

Whether they’re wearing make-up or not, if they smile purely, it seems like we can have a genuine relationship. I’m not good with strangers, so if my first impression of someone is their smile, there’s a high possibility that I would fall for them easily (laughs). A natural smile like that of the actress Arimura Kasumi’s is nice. For example, when I play sports like futsal, their natural smiles when they cheer me on with “You can do it!” and when they get happy seeing me score a point and go “Yay!”. A carefree smile is something that attracts me.*

2.  Girls tying their hair

This is simple, but I’m weak to someone’s nape when they tie up their hair. (Points to the underside of his upper arm) And this too! These parts are usually hidden when clothed, and are revealed only when they tie their hair. It’s a double blow with napes (laughs). That’s why, I used to like girls with long hair, but now, I think it’s also think short hair is also nice. But if I see a girl tying their hair, I’d be like “oooh” and look over unconsciously (laughs).

3.  Deliciously eating food

I like honest people, so never letting go of one’s child-like heart regardless of age really touches me. When I think of this, I think of someone eating food deliciously. Such as when going to a fancy high-end restaurant we don’t usually go to together, being clueless together like “Which do we use first, the knife or the fork?” or “Where do we put the napkin?” And when tasting the food for the first time, we’ll exclaim “Deliciouss!!” to the food we’re eating. A naivety like this is nice.

Source:  http://www.fukkomiyagi.jp/report/【いわたかれん復興フォトVOL.9】「海が見える街」/

【Iwata Karen Reconstruction Photo VOL. 9】「The city where the sea can be seen」

Everyone, my greetings were late, but happy new year! This is Iwata Karen ^ ^

Thank you for seeing my series this year, too! I will continue to devote myself to tell you about the present Tohoku this year, too, so please read it!

I went to the first Tohoku in 2018 right away! This time it’s Matsushima City and Higashimatsushima City. Well, it’s cold!! (laughs)

This time, not only the top, but I also wore Heat Tech for the bottom as well. I looked like a walking hand warmer.

But it’s still cold! Along the coast of Tohoku! (LOL) (LOL) But I feel nostalgic about this coldness, isn’t it calming? (LOL)

So then, the first place that I went to was Nobiru Coast in Higashimatsushima City.

The torii was watching over the sea.

Before the earthquake, as a beach resort, Nobiru Coast was crowded. Currently there’s no weir construction, the reopening schedule hasn’t been decided yet.

This torii that worshipped sunrise from the Nobiru Coast, was built to pacify the souls of the people who were victims of the earthquake and in hopes for the reconstruction of the area.

People who have been running sea houses were the center of the Nobiru Coast It seems that by using local cedar tree, they made the handmade torii. 

Torii is limited every year from the end of December to late January. Please come and see it next year.

Next place that I went to was Matsushima City. Matsushima is one of Japan's three scenic spots. The height of the seawall is 2.1m (altitude).

The scenery of Matsushima were considered to be a special scenic spot, it seems to adopt 「Akiu stone」 on the side of the seawall as it blends into the landscape more naturally.

The Tohoku Sea is beautiful whenever I come. Again, that’s how it feels when I was gathering the report ^ ^

2016年4月23日更新  / source :  http://ciatr.jp/topics/15814

Actor・All About Kanata Hongo

Ever since he was young, Kanata Hongo is active as a kid model while he was still in kindergarten. After that, he signed a contract with Stardust Promotion, became a main protagonist and his activities in showbusiness continued. There was even a topic spreading on how he and Ryunosuke Kamiki, also a child actor and is currently active, looked alike.

He made a screen debut in 2002 in the movie『Returner』when he was 12 years old. In 2005, he got a starring role in『HINOKIO』when he was 13 years old and gained positive feedbacks for his performance. The protagonist, Iwamoto Satoru, is a gradeschool student stuck in a wheelchair who refuses to go to school. He strived hard no matter how broken he is and his journey to overcome his struggles also gave the viewers courage. 

Ever since he acted in the 2015 movie『Attack on Titan』, Kanata Hongo became a popular actor and he appeared in various TVs and dramas. I will introduce below more about his projects and profile.

Acting career・Kanata Hongo’s road / 『Returner』(2002)

Kanata Hongo’s first movie appearance when he was 12 years old. It is a Sci-Fi movie that used a lot of VFX and was directed by Takashi Yamazaki of『Eternal Zero』. Human beings are invaded by an alien called「Daggra」and is on the brink of extinction. Hongo plays the child role of a「Returner」worker, Miyamoto, who recovers money from the black market and return it to his client. He has a lot of portrayals of cool characters but the innocence of his childhood is still there.

『HINOKIO』(2005)

It is the first movie where Kanata Hongo portrayed as the main protagonist when he was 15 years old. Using a remote-controlled robot to represent himself, he portrayed the role of the boy Satoru who uses a robot called 「Hinokio」to go to school in his stead. Because it is a robot-themed movie, they used CG. He co-starred with Mikako Tabe in this work.

『Prince of Tennis』(2006)

He played the role of Ryoma Echizen in Takeshi Konomi very popular manga turned into live-action『Prince of Tennis』. While being surrounded by musical casts, he also did a performance where he draw out the charm of the character itself.  

『Blue Bird』(2008)

Attempted suicide in Junior Highschool. As soon as Murauchi (Hiroshi Abe) was transferred to teach to another school, an attempted incident happened (Kazuya Yamazaki). He was then drawn into a complicated with Hongo who played a difficult character named Shinichi Sonobe and was suffering from complicit bullying.  

『GANTZ』(2010)・『GANTZ PERFECT ANSWER』(2011)

Divided into two movies, from Hiroya Oku’s popular sci-fi action manga turned into a live action movie, 『GANTZ』. Hongo plays as the veteran highschool fighter who was fighting in the world of GANTZ earlier than the hero, Kurono (Kazunari Ninomiya). As far as Hongo’s casting work is concerned, this is the biggest and most expensive epic movie.

Kanata Hongo is a picky eater? Learn more about his unusual lifestyle

Fans are concerned if whether or not Kanata Hongo is eating properly because of his thing visuals. In fact he doesn’t seem to like eating and said that there are times that he doesn’t eat anything throughout the day. Even Kiko Mizuhara who co-starred with him in the movie『Attack on Titan』shared,

Kanata said,『If I can only live without eating rice, I won’t eat it』. 引用：http://www.excite.co.jp

Also, he seemed to like sweets, he is said to be eating gummy and potato chips always. He also prefers staying indoors, spending the whole day in bed or making a Gundam Plamodel for 20 hours. Because he’s very keen with cleanliness, he prefers to stay at home and not go out because he thinks that there a lot of dirty things such as breath, exhaust gas and dust of people.

He’s also not good with ultraviolet rays so when going out, a sunshade is a commodity. From his slim appearance to his conviction, his unique lifestyle is really surprising.

He wants to have a normal love relationship

People were able to hear about him from his work as an actor but in private life, he’s really a nice guy. When asked about his love life, his type of girl is someone who’s 「smart and elegant」「cute and kind」.

Since he likes sweets, he wants his girlfriend to make sweets for him！Isn’t it a cute love affair? Also, he wants to date in the Aquarium and prefers a normal relationship, away from being an actor.

Almost like Ryuunosuke Kamiki

The image above is Kanata Hongo while the image below is Ryuunosuke Kamiki. Growing up, their slim appearance both look the same but they have always been regarded as 「look-alike」ever since childhood.

Also, the both of them are actors ever since they were kids so they are good friends. They even have nicknames「Kanati」「Ryuu」for each other. They both co-starred together in the drama『Aikurushii』last 2005.

Attack on Titan, a new big step as an actor!

It is not an exaggeration to say that he’s one of the biggest actors that played many roles ever since his debut, including the 『Attack on Titan』live action project. Drawn into a unique closed world surrounded by walls, this work is the largest among all of Hongo’s appearances. 

And, he played the role of Armin who supports the main character, Eren, in both the first and second movie. Making judgments on what to do in the future in a calm manner, the role is perfect for his appearance.

He appeared in the popular manga turned into drama『Akagi』！

Started broadcasting in SKY PerfecTV! last July of 2015, he appeared for the starring role of Shigeru Akagi based on a Mahjong manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto who has fans worldwide. He is enthusiastic about this project and dyed his hair silver as soon as it was announced.

Appeared in Keigo Hagashino’s original drama『Whose is the cuckoo’s egg?』

Always popular everytime his novels are turned into dramas, another of Keigo Higashino’s novels was brought into life. The drama『Whose is the cuckoo’s egg?』is a sports drama that started airing last March of 2016.

The story is about the Father, Hiromasa Aketa, and daughter, Kazami, who came from a family of top skiers for 2 generations. However, special genes showing high exercise capacity are found from Kazami. Eventhough the research institution requested for them to cooperate on the research of genetic genes, Hiromasa refused. That is because Kazami has a secret in birth...

Kanata Hongo played as a boy who has leukemia , Fumiya Kamijou. Though it hasn’t been revealed much, he seemed to be the key person of the story.

With『Akagi』which was premiered to 150 countries and regions and 『Attack on titans』which has a lot of fans worldwide, because of his appearances in large projects, Kanata Hongo’s popularity will definitely spread from Japan to the whole world.

In this essay Hizuki Hana fangirls all over the 2013 production of The Rose of Versailles: Fersen.

Since Saki's first retirement ceremony is today, here is a feature where she presents a few of her early foundational roles.