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A Massu/Yamapi Post

Nov 10, 2011 20:36



A Massu/Yamapi Post
(because if I don't, no one else will.)


So, why do I ship this pairing so few people are interested in? Now that Yamapi left NEWS, I figured I should make a list of the reasons I ship this pairing. Especially since I can sort of complete this list if I try now, and I'll be adding stuff if I think of anything. More often than not, shipping this pairing turns into a question of why not instead of why, and instead of blatant declarations of love, all this is going to feature is the fact that they were in the same group for nearly eight years.

Still, they were in the same group of eight years, and I'm crazy enough to grasp at straws. Common sense tells me to do this with a timeline. I refused it.

(Translations may be off. That's because I had to translate some of these snippets myself, and I have never actually studied the language. Um. Sorry. Also, I think I might have to compile a list of the magazine articles I used, because this gave me a headache.)

♫ Yes, they know each other.

So, what were things like in the very beginning?



December 2003, Duet
Yamashita on Masuda: Arm strength is double my own, stronger than Jin, current champion.
Masuda on Yamashita: Amazing in how he studies for school whenever he's free.
Kato on Yamashita: A person who considers things practically and then takes action, sometimes tsukkomis* Masuda.

August 2004, Myojo
Yamashita is different from before on this aspect!
Masuda: Since NEWS, we've begun to talk.

Ah, the humble beginning of this nonexistent ship. Shige's comment may seem out of place, but it's the most interesting to me. This doesn't change in the future--after all these years, Yamapi still liked teasing Massu. Until October 2011, but we don't talk about that.

♫ Everyone is a Yamapi fan.

Everyone knows NEWS was built around Yamapi, and...well, the other members were all very open about fanboying their leader. Massu is no exception, frequently naming Yamapi as the number one coolest in NEWS (while naming himself second). Massu also constantly reminds the world that even after they debuted, he's still in awe of Yamapi.

July 2007, Potato
If you could switch places with another member for a day, who would you switch with?
Masuda: Yamashita-kun. He’s prince-like, a real celebrity (laugh)

August 2007, Myojo
I want to say something about Yamapi’s face! (translation here.)
Masuda: At first I was all 'It’s too bright~' and my heart would pound but I finally got used to it (laugh). It makes me happy that sometimes I can see his face laughing stupidly.

October 22nd, 2011, Takizawa Denpajou (towards the end of this file, until link dies.)
Which Johnny's member makes your heart clench?
Well, Yamashita-kun, naturally...When NEWS was formed, he was a huge senpai/senior to me. Even after the first two, three years, when we meet after a long time, seeing Yamashita-kun walk in the gakuya, I would think 'ah , Yamapi!'. Instead of heart-clenching, it's more like my heart would beat...
(Fail!translation alert. Massu says instead of キュン, it's ドキ...I'm not familiar enough with the Japanese to be aware of the full difference between the two phrases. :| Oh, and the 'ah, Yamapi!' phrase is said with a sense of awe that could not be put into words. Seriously, LISTEN TO IT OR I WILL FORCE-FEED YOU THE CLIPPED FILE.)

Sometime during Yamapi's solo concert tour this year, Massu went to watch. When Yamapi asks the audience questions during MC time, he told Massu to ask him a question, and Massu asked who's the second coolest guy (ikemen) in NEWS. Yamapi answered Massu. Massu took this to heart.(A concert report here!)

August 2011, Popolo
Masuda: The member I would date is myself.
Truthfully, I'm the second coolest member of the group (laugh), and I'm gentle, no matter what I have a lot of good points! Everyone has a lot of good points, everyone has their own allure, I can't choose!

However, there's also the occasions when Massu uses another word...

2005, Wink Up
How would you describe Yamashita?
Masuda: Pretty (キレイ)

July 2009, Myojo
"Has an amazing Aura. After a while of not seeing him, the first thought is always 'aah, he's pretty'." (by Masuda)
(I fail at translating this, but the original text is「ああ、キレイだなあ」.)

So Massu thinks Yamapi's pretty. Moving on!

♫ Massu smiles (and eats).

There's a reason why for a very long time, Massu's characteristics were narrowed down to eating and smiling. Mainly this is because Massu eats and smiles a lot. Yamapi knows enough of this to help sell this image.

October 2005, Wink Up
How would you describe Masuda?
Yamashita: Eating

July 2007, POTATO
Which of the members can eat the most?
Yamashita: Massu

But there was never any doubt about that. So, what about the other smile thing? (And no, Yamapi, that is still not a smile.)



December 2004, Duet
Yamashita: Whenever I see your muscles, they're amazing. Once, in the gakuya, Massu did one hundred push-ups in a minute, that really surprised me! When NEWS was just formed, that was the first time I really spoke to Massu, but now we can normally chat, that makes me happy. Your smile is amazing ♥ Please use that beautiful smile to heal Japan!

Oh, and the muscle thing? That's also Massu. Yamapi excels at summarizing Massu for us.

July 2007, Duet
Yamashita to Masuda
Massu, how are you? We haven't met recently. But if Massu sees something on TV he sends mails that says 'I watched xx!' over. I also received a mail from Massu on my birthday. Though we haven't met, we're still in contact. From now on I'll continue to send you pig emoticons (smile). Also, I always say that I like Massu's smile. That's because it's true! From now on, please don't let that smile disappear.

July 2007, POTATO
Masuda to Yamashita
After I sent Yamashita-kun a happy birthday mail for his 22nd birthday, 'Thank you. I love Massu's smile the most ♥', you replied with a mail like this right? It took me by complete surprise. My heart beat really hard for a moment. If I'm a girl, I'd probably be touched to death (smile). Aaaah! I just remembered that I haven't given Yamashita-kun my present yet...(surprise). I'll give it to you as soon as possible. Please look forward to it.
p.s. I love Yamashita-kun's smile the most too (embarrassed).

This is so important to Massu's image that they gave this theme for Massu to produce on November 13th, 2005 in Shounen Club. For the first song in the 'SMILE' medley, Yamapi and Massu sang as a duet in 'Kimi Dake wo Omotteru'. Back in those days, it was rare for them to be on equal grounds, so imagine my reaction when they smiled at each other on stage.

And then there's this one time when Yamashita thanked Massu for his smile. He also complimented Massu's memory of dance choreography, but mostly he talked about Massu's smile.

January 2008, Popolo (full translations of the whole article can be found here, but I used my own version.)
Yamashita’s Thank You Letter to NEWS
Dear Massu: You always treated me with your never-changing smile. That smile healed me. Thank you. - Yamashita Tomohisa
And then, this year, Massu's smile made me relax. In the gakuya, whenever I see Massu he's nearly always smiling. Because of that I felt 'ah, this is peaceful'. Today at Popolo too, he smiled at the staff. Speaking of gakuyas, Massu often recommends drinks to me. But I'm usually not thirsty (laugh). But I did say 'thanks' to Massu. I'm glad when Massu remembers to ask me if I want to drink anything. Later when my throat is dry, I'll be sure to properly drink that. Anyway, this year, that kind of Massu truly healed me. I'm not the emotionally unstable sort, but when I'm tired, Massu's never-changing smile makes me relax. This is truly precious. Thank you!

There are also these little bits Yamapi throws out.

March 2007, Potato
From Yamashita to Masuda: Your never-changing smile, I think it's really cute and lovely.

January 2009, Potato
How would you enter the members in a dictionary?
Yamashita on Masuda Takahisa: Fried chicken, Omusubi (not onigiri!), SMILE

July 2009, Myojo
"A smile better than Massu's doesn't exist in this world!" (by Yamashita)
(Massu replies to this here. Not including the whole thing because basically he just says he's really happy Yamashita-kun said that. :D)

September 2010, Potato
NEWSPICE (full crosstalk here)
Yamashita: Let's go to E. Let's go with 'Smile' (EGAO), please! (laugh) I like Massu’s smile. The shape of it is good.



♫ And they're in contact.

Considering how Ryo doesn't have Tegoshi and Massu's mail addresses, I find this important enough to talk about. So, evidences that they do have each others phone number, mail address and they do text! Aside from the July 2007 Duet exchange featured upward, of course. That just marks one of the first.

Before that, there was a time when Massu didn't have Yamapi's mail address.

December 2004, Duet
From Masuda to Yamashita: I don't have any particular questions to ask now because if there's anything we talk on the phone, but...I don't know Yamashita-kun's mail address, next time please tell me (^^).

But they talk on the phone? It's really hard to imagine, especially in 2004, so likely this is just one or twice and Massu's exaggerating, but still. And then there's this thing about Massu and Akanishi sharing a birthday. Yamapi helps Akanishi celebrate most years, so normal people usually ship that instead, but this also means I get to know that Yamapi more or less has to remember Massu's birthday every year.

July 4, 2008, Yamapi's J-Web 1780.
[...code blue, birthday party for Akanishi...]
I chatted a little with Massu just now, I expressed my love towards him ^0^

And at one point, they did exchange mail addresses. Now, Yamapi has two texts to send on Massu's birthday, but he still wants to be the first to do so with both. So what does he do? He sends Massu's one second early! (Except Massu also complained that Yamapi forgot his twentieth birthday.) Oh, and this crosstalk article is going to appear a whole lot of times in parts, just so you know.

January 2008, Myojo
Yamashita Tomohisa x Masuda Takahisa: It's scary when they're angry!?
[...Massu complains that Yamapi celebrated Shige's twentieth birthday but forgot his even after he got Yamapi a birthday present.]
Yamashita: The day just passed by (laugh). But, a mail message was sent!
Masuda: Your birthday messages are super fast! Once, I received it at 11:59 PM on July 3rd. Hey hey, the day hasn't changed yet (laugh). Ah, no, I'm not saying this because I hated it! How should I say this, words like this makes things more exciting...
Yamashita: (sound of thought process breaking) Alright, it's decided! For Massu's sake, a birthday party, the location will be at...[and then I got lazy.]

Yamapi you liar, lol. Another instance is right after Yamapi's epic failure on Music Station, in which he knocked over a microphone stand and told the world he was lip-syncing. So Yamapi wrote a j-web about people supporting him.



May 27, 2006, Yamapi's J-Web 1020.
[...other people mentioned includes TOKIO's Yamaguchi, Kame and Tegoshi, and a complaint that Akanishi did not send a message.]
Massu's [message] is "Live performance is the best"!

December 23, 2006, Yamapi's J-Web 1230.
Did you watch yesterday's 'Music Station Super Live 2006'?
I think I was a mess, but what did everyone think? :)
I haven't watched it.
Yesterday before the show, I received a mail from Massu saying 'good luck', so I worked even harder than usual :)
[...]
'Miso Soup' is a good song.

November 2007, Wink Up
The member you contacted the most recently
Yamashita: Probably Massu. When the show 'Machimasu' begun, I brought him water. Later, a mail that said 'thank you' came. So I replied with a mail saying 'Please work hard from now on'. This is probably recent.
Masuda: Tegoshi and Yamashita-kun. During my solo show, Yamashita-kun sent a mail saying 'Please work hard'.

In the TegoMass no Ai concert DVD, there's this MC corner in which Tegoshi and Massu confessed to not really meeting the other members after Sakura Girl was released. Massu then said that he privately mails Yamashita-kun. Somewhere in the future, Yamapi complained that Massu randomly texts him messages like 'Are you free?' with no pretext. (Interview also featured below. This is the problem with not going about this with a timeline...)

And then there's these exchanges in 2011, likely during May.

August 2011, Wink Up
Q: Who's the member you most recently texted?
Yamashita: Massu
Masuda: Yamashita-kun

August 2011, Popolo
Masuda: The one who carefully celebrates birthday's is probably Yamashita-kun.
When it's my birthday he calls to say 'happy birthday'. So I think if he treats friends like this, then if it's someone he likes, he must celebrate no matter how busy he is!

♫ The evolution of a shipper.

But what exactly turned this pairing from one I sometimes think about to my OTP? In the end, it's really the visuals. Or really, it's how Massu really likes to put his arm around Yamapi's waist.



Horrible quality is horrible, but this is honestly the moment I really started shipping them. Throwing arms around each other is normal, but it's really how natural Massu's hand went around Yamapi's waist that did it for me. Also, Yamapi whispered into Massu's ear and Massu does what Yamapi asked, all the while with their arms still around each other. And then they weren't even looking at the camera. Then Yamapi looked at the people behind them one last time before they walked off together, and I was sold.

Also there's this:




The one on the left, I just can't help but notice that not only is Massu not paying attention to the camera at all, his hand is again right where Yamapi's waist is. The one on the right? It looked like a perfectly normal group-shot until I noticed the hand around Yamapi and went WTFOMG the world is trying to tell me something. Two things, to be specific: a) Massu likes putting his arms around people, this is not entirely limited to Yamapi and b) but it does very much include Yamapi.

I think it's the shock factor. If it's anyone else from the current NEWS members, I wouldn't have looked twice, but it feels like Massu's admired Yamapi from a distance for such a long time that it's really quite a shock to see this.

...Just one more, from the front this time?



Anyway, there's this song Nantoka Narusa featuring Yamapi, Massu and Koyama. Most of the time, it's really Massu's voice above the other two, with Yamapi's voice sometimes coming through. Koyama really doesn't have much of a presence in this song. xD So, the April 20th, 2008 Shounen Club Premium performance for Nantoka Narusa (a stream here)...in which all three of them were dorks, and Yamapi rested his hand on Massu's waist. But most people remember this scene instead, and I don't blame them:



And finally, I'm very glad that at least we got the LiveLiveLive concert, because there's also this part where Massu's hands just hung there.



During the first half of the last encore song, Yamapi really just stuck to Massu and they walked around nearly together. Plus this:

December 2010, MONTHLY TV ( credit, including full members crosstalk)
Yamashita: We were all very excited during the concerts. I also hit Massu's butt during the encore! It felt kinda nice (lol)
Masuda: After that I did the same with Yamapi's butt!

...cemented my support for this ship. (But what's really amusing is the big screens at the back showing this from another angle.)

♫ Digging around.

Now that I already ship it, it's time to start digging. To me, it's easy to imagine how important Yamapi's presence was to Massu for the last few years. It's harder to tell how Yamapi saw Massu, but there's a few times when Yamapi mentioned Massu out of nowhere that gives us a small glimpse of how they interact. Perhaps I should also list the occasions when it's the other way around, but all the members of NEWS mentions Yamapi with a sense of awe, so that's hard to distinguish from other moments.



So, first up, Yamapi has been teasing Massu right from the start.

July 18, 2005 Yamapi's J-Web 708.
Just now, Massu was watching a promotion show for 'Hoshi ni Natte Shounen',
Then Massu turned around and asked me with a smile, "This character, it'll be pretty nice if I play him right?"
I also answered with a smile, "That elephant, right?"

Next is August 5th, 2007, Shounen Club. One of the NEWS wo Abake (expose) clips.

August 5th, 2007, Shounen Club
NEWS wo Abake - Within the members, is there something you want someone to fix?
Yamashita: Earlier, Massu was eating a lunch box. About ten minutes later, he asked 'Hey, I just ate lunch. Should I take my medicines now?'. How would I know? Figure it out yourself!

Massu quickly explained that he's not really asking the others if he should take his medicines, he just wanted to talk to everyone else. Then, Yamapi went "But, but...", only the host (Nakamaru) cut away so we never got to hear what else Yamapi had to say. :( Everyone else (Koyama, Tegoshi, Massu) complained about Shige.

Other times, Yamapi mentions Massu out of the blue--when he's supposed to talk about someone else.

September, 2008, Wink Up
If you woke up one morning and turned into Koyama.
First I would buy double-eyelid tape, and turn myself double-lidded (laugh). Then I would go to Koyama's old house's ramen shop. I've never been to Koyama's house. Because ramen looks tasty, I would eat until I'm very full. From NEWS members, if I could turn into a person for a day, I would pick Massu. I want to turn into Massu, and eat a lot of sweets (laugh). Koyama's fine too, that guys also likes sweets, [...Yamapi goes on talking about sweets.]

July 2011, Wink Up ( credit!)
Yamashita - My rules for putting away clothes:
My underwear, socks and shirts are in drawers. [...] Massu seems like he'd be good at doing that neatly! In Massu's case, he separates his underwear into colors and then here are the cotton ones, then over here are the organic ones...he seems like he's separate them based on material (laugh) [...]

Yamashita - Tell us about Shige's clothes:
What I think is that he seems like he likes buying clothes. [...] But when talking about clothes, you can't go past Massu (laugh) Because he's always wearing strange clothes. You can also tell that it shows his personality. There are probably lots of parts of him that that are different to what the fans think and it makes me think 'You really should show that part of yourself more'. Ah, that's right. He randomly send me texts saying 'Are you free tomorrow?' but I'm sorry that I sometimes ignore them. I don't mean it in a bad way....huh? This turned into talk that wasn't about Shige (laugh)

Personal favorite part is when he talked about how he thinks Massu should show his other sides to the fans. I think it shows that he cares, no matter how little. ♥

Also, I still can't tell if Yamapi is teasing or complimenting or both, but it's a fun snippet.

June 2011, Duet ( credit~)
Who is the strongest one in NEWS?
Yamashita: Shige. Ah...wrong. It's Massu. During the concerts when the air in the hall stops for a second he can stay calm, this strenght is amazing. When the 55000 people in the Dome stops to say "Eh!?" to Massu's words. Massu always behaves normally like nothing happened at all...I'd be heart-broken (lol). That's why Massu is the strongest. The thing in which I could win over every member...my abs (lol). Put a "(lol)" here, ok? Because it's already more than a year ago since I forged them.

Also, I take what I get:

October 2011, Myojo (taken from here :D)
Girlfriend, friend, mom, little sister, pet...match them with the members!
Yamashita: I'm not good with these things. Nishikido is a dog, Tegoshi a cat, Koyama a hamster, Shige a bunny, Massu the mom (lol).

Yamapi forever refuses to answer questions like this properly (most NEWS members don't though, except maybe Koyama), but...hey, everyone else is a pet animal! Also it's completely random and possibly damaging to think about, but at least he wants Massu in human form. :D As his mom. OMG I don't want to think about it someone write it please.

♫ Fashion is important (because Massu says so).

Unless you don't know Massu at all, you should know that he enjoys...what he calls fashion. Basically it's a passion for clothes, usually uniquely fashioned and not for the faint-hearted. But he does wear normal clothing as seen during rehearsals (and rocks them), so the only real crime is he wears clothes at all.

Let's move on to the rare occasions when--gasp--someone compliments Massu's fashion sense!

December 2004, Duet
From Masuda to Yamashita: Thank you for saying "Where did you buy those? They're cute~" to the shoes I bought last time. Everyone else said things like "What's that?! Those shoes~" or "No way~", so your words really saved me.

July 2007, Potato
Who's the most fashionable in NEWS?
Yamashita: Everyone. But the one with the most personality is Massu.
Whose clothes do you not consider fashionable?
Yamashita: Massu. He wore clothes with pumpkin patterns!

...Okay, not really. But almost!

And hey, Yamapi notices what Massu wears. On stage, but we all have to start somewhere.

LiveLiveLive Concert DVD
Yamashita: Massu, where did you buy those sunglasses at the beginning [of the concert]?
Masuda: Those, um, a fashion shop.
Yamashita: What are those parts [on the top forehead] for?
Masuda: UV-cut for people with high foreheads?

And hey, random accessories can totally be used for promotion. Sometime during the TegoMassu no Ai concert tour, Ryo dragged Shige and Yamapi (if I remember correctly) to a concert, and they went on stage during the MC segment.

TegoMassu no Ai Live DVD
Yamashita: What champion does this refer to?
Masuda: In the field of NEWS...?
Yamashita: Please answer what this means.
Masuda: I'll ask the designer later.



Massu then asked Yamapi if he wants to wear the belt, and Yamapi whined about how he wouldn't know what to do if he did. Then he does wear the belt and promoted Ashita no Joe, and I can't tell if this was scripted because it flowed so well. :P We got Massu putting on the belt for Yamapi, though, so I'm thoroughly satisfied.

♫ Common factors: dancing, food and muscles!

But on the surface, they're still two very different people with seemingly few things in common. So what do they have in common? Let's start with dancing.



December 5, 2004, Shounen Club
NEWS wo Abake - I'm the best dancer in NEWS.
Yamashita: I like dancing. If you like something it's natural that you get better at it.

This is an Abake section, so do take the content with a grain of salt. Anyway there's also this time when a ton of debuted Johnnys had to pick a Johnnys member for some categories. Some people were lazier than others and basically picked people from their own group at the time.

February, 2011, Monthly TV Guide - Johnny’s General Election 2011 (credit!)
Yamashita Tomohisa
Best Dancer: Masuda Takahisa
Most Athletic: Masuda Takahisa

And on the topic of dancing, there's this crosstalk when they go into detail about their respective dance abilities. Note that when it comes to dancing, NEWS is one of the weaker groups.

January 2008, Myojo
Yamashita Tomohisa x Masuda Takahisa: It's scary when they're angry!?
A Jr. period of dancing 5 rows behind Yamashita-kun, now we're going to show you our best dance!
Yamashita: Massu's history as a Jr. is pretty long, just behind me and Ryo in NEWS.
Masuda: That's alright~
Yamashita: Compared to now, we get stricter training during our Jr. periods. Because Massu and I went through this difficult period for a long time, there's a lot of things we ind easier the sympathize with. Speaking of this, it's a really important thing. Dancing too, there's no need to talk about the details to understand it, just saying 'do it like we did back in our Jr. days' is enough.
Masuda: Yes, receiving recognition from Yamashita-kun like this, I'm really happy!
Yamashita: You always remember the things we only did once in concerts. This year, during the long-awaited NEWS concert, it's thanks to Massu remembering, that was really helpful.
Masuda: It's because I use double the time other people use to remember things. Even though it takes more time, but I think my body remembers.
Yamashita: But, Massu's memory on dance choreography is also a talent.
Masuda: But, remembering fast and forgetting fast is also a talent.
Yamashita: Is that a compliment?
Masuda: Yes, yes, yes, it's a compliment (nervous)
Yamashita: I see ♪ (understands)
Masuda: But, Yamashita-kun's dance moves look amazing, during concerts too. People who don't dance might not understand, like how count the beats, people like us who dance understand clearly.
Yamashita: In my second year of junior high (8 grade), that's when I started dancing. I'll go home and practice till midnight.
Masuda: I dance too. But the place I practice gets scary when it turns dark, so I only practice when it's light outside (laugh).
Yamashita: Dancing is such a deep world. It changes with the clothes you wear too.
Masuda: Like tights, it looks lame right.
Yamashita: If we dance together, it'll be pretty amazing!
Masuda: That sounds good! During concerts, we haven't done that yet, so I'll like to do that.
Yamashita: Because it's Massu, even if it's only dancing I'll like to try. Like hip-hop, rock, house, a lot of different styles put together, a dance that only we can perform!

Oh, Massu's tragic Jr experience. I mean, at least Kanjani8 had each other. A.B.C. still have each other (and an additional -Z!). No one remembers the wandering juniors (especially management). By the way, three months before debut, Massu was dancing six rows behind Yamapi on Shounen Club. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at noticing this. xD

Same month, Yamapi mentions Massu's dancing again.

January 2008, Popolo (yes, I cut this article into two parts for this post. :P)
Yamashita’s Thank You Letter to NEWS
This year NEWS activities restarted, we held the live concerts in Spring we haven't had for a while. During that, 'to the waiting fans, we need to give them a good show!', all the members held ambitions like this. But, because it's been a long while since we last performed, a lot of dance choreography were forgotten. At that time, Massu properly remembered things and taught us. He remembered what everyone else easily forgot, I think that's amazing, and it really helped us. Maybe, Massu's speed at remembering dance choreography is average, but once he learns it he remembers it forever. The longevity of the memory is amazing. Me, I remember fast but forget fast (laugh) So, from now on I'll continue to need help from Massu.

Let's move on to food. Massu loves eating. Yamapi also likes his food. He doesn't need it as much as Massu does, but he likes talking about food. I don't follow his J-web, but it's been mentioned that when he doesn't know what to write, his default content is what he ate for the day.

January 2009, Potato
How would you enter the members in a dictionary?
Yamashita on himself: Lately, only eats plain rice and oolong noodles.

Sometimes this means he thinks of Massu when he thinks of food.

July 7, 2006, Yamapi's J-web 1061.
Speaking of summer it's definitely soumen!
If you eat too much, your eyes shouldn't leave glutton Masuda.
Masuda-kun, good luck in 'Dance Drill' <3
To explain this further, it's because if you leave Massu alone, he'll start eating all of a sudden, so your eyes can't leave him.

And sometimes, they share.

July 30, 2006, Yamapi's J-web 1084.
Today I met with Massu and Koyama~:D
I shared some egg rolls (dashimaki tamago) with Massu!
Very romantic, right! <3
Massu, Koyama, today I love you guys too <3
So~sweet <3

November 8, 2007, Yamapi's J-web 1544.
I split a omelette rice (omu raisu) with Massu just now :)
It's so tasty~!!<3

Anyway, last one. Muscle-training! Aside from Massu talking about how Yamapi totally surpassed him in terms of muscles after Ashita no Joe, I can't think of other instances they really compare to each other. I like to think they're both aware of it though. :)

♫ Just a little more.

Though they appear to have completely different interests, I think they're similar people. Here's one reason why.

And I promise, this is the last time! they talked a lot in this article okay D: For people interested, here's a translation of their whole crosstalk, and probably more accurately translated too. It also includes Massu fanboying Yamapi and buying the products Yamapi advertised, again mentioning how Massu always offers Yamapi drinks, and some generic NEWS stuff.

January 2008, Myojo
Yamashita Tomohisa x Masuda Takahisa: It's scary when they're angry!?
Masuda: Besides a passion for dancing, what else do we have in common?
Yamashita: Like how we both don't get mad often?
Masuda: Even if I'm feeling angry, I keep it inside and don't show it.
Yamashita: When Massu's angry, it's really easy to tell (laugh), he obviously stops talking.
Masuda: Eh!?
Yamashita: When I'm in an unpleasant mood, it's also easy to tell, I'm also unexpectedly bad-tempered. Before, when I fought with Toma and HaseJun, I grabbed their collars.
Masuda: So we're both people who turn scary when they're angry.
Yamashita: Even though 99% is gentleness, there exists a 1% chance of sudden explosion (laugh).

There's another crosstalk on the same month! This one has to do with Christmas, and they talked about presents they received in the past, want to recieve in the future, and presents they would give the other members. Massu points out that it doesn't matter what Yamapi gives him, the important thing is that it'd be a present from Yamapi.

Speaking of crosstalks, here's another one dating back to 2004, around their debut. There's Massu seeking approval, Yamapi teasing Massu, Yamapi being himself and KoyaShige being idiots.



And here's another interesting interview, in which the members are asked to exchange clothes and imagine being the other on a day off. It's actually a two part interview, with the second half having the members changing back to their clothes and describing their real day off, but I don't think it's translated. For someone who claims he doesn't know Massu well, Yamapi's guess isn't that far off at the beginning. xD He described Massu's lazy morning pretty well, but then went on to imagine Massu shopping, eating and helping people cross the street. However, Massu said that while he does have lazy mornings and thinks about shopping, he ends up staying at home because it's too late by the time he's ready to head out. :D Oh, and Yamapi wanted Massu to share information on his love life.

A few more of Yamapi's J-webs that didn't belong anywhere else:
January 4, 2007 Yamapi's J-Web 1242.
Today Massu gave me a massage.
So comfortable!
Massu~THANKS!

January 31, 2007 Yamapi's J-Web 1269.
I played freesbee in a very large park with Massu
During the photoshoot for the calendar in LA, I also played freesbee with Tegoshi and Massu!
(This is probably for the Hoshi wo Mezashita photoshoot :D)

October 30, 2007 Yamapi's J-Web 1535.
Today is a magazine interview with Koyama, Tegoshi and Massu!
There's still some time before the next job.
So we came to a karaoke place.
The first song will be sung with Massu :)

October 31, 2007 Yamapi's J-Web 1536.
Yesterday we sang karaoke for an hour!
After that it's a recording for a music show, so it's just right for opening our throats :)
Massu and Koyama had a duet in the karaoke :)

January 15, 2009 Yamapi's J-Web 1967.
Today I went eating and shopping with Koyama and Massu.
Going along with Massu's wishes, we spent a long time shopping :)
It's the first time the three of us went shopping, but it's really happy (^^)
It's been a while since I bought anything, so my tension is HIGH (^^)

Also, I think it's cute how they describe each other:

Febuary 2009, Myojo ( source)

Massu's Handbook ---> By Yamapi
1. He has a habit if fiddling with his hair with his middle finger and ring finger
2. He has a trained, muscled body which makes it seem like he could really rescue someone
3. His weak point is that he’s indecisive
4. Either way, he eats often! His favourite food is Gyoza
5. He has unique fashion and wears pants with strange patterns
6. Even if it’s freezing cold Hokkaido, he’s still sensitive to the heat to the most extreme level.

Yamapi’s Handbook ---> By Massu
1. When we’re not feeling energetic/well, he’ll do things like call out to us and has patience like a mother
2. Even though he has a macho body, he’s weak to the cold
3. He never puts the lid back on bottles that he’s drank from
4. He often keeps his own food off to a side for himself
5. The food he’s into are 1. Udon, 2. Ramen, 3. soba. In other words, noodles.

...And the backtracking ends here. :D :D :D

♫ So, why?

Everyone ship has that one crazy shipper who rarely shuts up about it and annoys everyone else with their OTP. I guess for this ship, it's me. If you're reading this or skipped here (hi!), I think there's no need to prove my obsession any further.

Warning: stepping into delusional theorizing territory here, beware.

I'm fully aware that they're not really friends, even though they worked together. I know they don't talk, and they don't hang out in private ever. As friends, they really don't work. But what I see is how they're similar people, and I can't help but think that maybe, they don't have to talk to understand each other. And I absolutely loved that idea.

I find their dynamic not as boring as most people think. For one, it's fascinating how much Massu repects Yamapi, even after all these years. Unless he's imitating someone else or proving a point, he always refers to Yamapi by Yamashita-kun, never by nickname. Even then, he seems like he's silently seeking something akin to approval, and Yamapi doesn't quite understand that so he tries to understand Massu in his own ways. They each have their own worlds, and they would never intrude each other's boundaries, and so they could both be at ease, offering comfort and support just by being there.

Well, er...and it's hot. Everyone's bound to be a little shallow in this fandom. This is particularly weird for me because I do not think Yamapi's attractive when he's alone, but oddly I find this pairing hotness quadrupled. This is subjective and I don't care if I'm the only person who thinks so. Because to a certain point? Yeah, this is why.

♫ Images?

Sadly, I don't have the habit of saving pictures. Most of the images from this post came from my various image hosting accounts all over the place, so I don't really have much left. But these days, pictures are everywhere anyway?













(lol sneaky!Shige. and this scene. for some reason I can't find where it came from.)

I think Yamapi only knows how to smile at a camera when his eyes are closed. Otherwise he's always just quirking his lips oddly.

♫ Fandom does exist! It's just tiny.

Most people don't visit pairing communities, but there's one for this ship (massu_pi), if anyone's interested. And there's a Tumblr account dedicated to this ship too, which has enough followers to help me realize I'm not completely alone.

And then there's the fanfics. Granted, there isn't much, but I do enjoy most of the ones I find. So, I'm listing nearly all the Massu/Yamapi fic I've come upon. This is still very much a rec list. I started by sorting this with posting date, until I realized it corresponded with the authors as well and went oh god, is this pairing one of those things most people write a few times to get over with and never go back to again? xDD

Some are slightly more on the implied side while others are blatantly obvious. If you're the author of any one of these and want me to take the link down, do tell me. :)

Self-pimping activated:



♫ What next?

I refuse to be pessimistic and say this is a pairing with no future. Except I totally just did. :D If you compare it to other pairings, it's actually one of the least effected ones. Plenty of rare cross-group pairings feature people who don't seem to be in contact, I'm sure fandom can tolerate one more. So nope, not giving this one up!

Lastly...no more gifs. Counting the one I linked to, that's eight in total, seven made just for this post. I am so sick of trying to make them work. :P



All translations I used should be properly credited, but it's also possible I made mistakes. Also I can't quite remember where I downloaded those scans *FAIL*. If you happened to stumble here and spotted anything of yours you want me to credit or take down, please leave a comment or PM me, thank you.

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