[#31] ~Cherish~ Part 1.
So today is my fourth year on LJ. :D It pretty much feels like my first. *laughs* Mainly because I only started actively using this LJ near the end of 2006, when Hanadan 2 came out and my adoration for everything Japanese, the same adoration I had in high school, came rushing back - only this time with a vengeance. That led to me watching a whole lot of dramas - I had a habit of following actors so first it'd been Oguri Shun. Then somehow it jumped to Tsumabuki Satoshi (ORANGE DAYS <3333) And then... Lunch Queen.
This is a sad and kinda funny revelation, but Lunch Queen was the very first (seriously, VERY FIRST) Yamapi drama I'd ever seen. I think I was "around" when Nobuta wo Produce came out and surprisingly, I was against Yamapi. LOL. I didn't even know the boy, but I had been like - ugh. All this hype, whatever. (God I don't even know why I knew about Nobuta. I canNOT remember for the life of me!) But anyway, I totally thought he was absolutely adorable in Lunch Queen, but what cemented my adoration was this scene: Koshiro (Yamapi's character) confesses to Natsumi. It is just too cute - the little smile at the end, the peck on the cheek (and Tsumabuki Satoshi's indignation at the fact that Yamapi cut his confession short). :D
After that, I decided to stick around with Yamapi and it led me to Kurosagi. We all know how hot he is there (NNGH. Justice. ..What, it totally counts. June's Wink Up - Kurosagi ENDED in June. :D I win.) so I won't go into that. But I had no idea that Yamapi had sung the frigging theme song for the drama until the END of the 8th episode when we see this - Yamapi promoting Daite Senorita, with a wig. Not only was he hot, but he was a singer and a dancer and I was hooked!
I ended up looking up anything I could on Yamapi and found a fansite. Through it, I ended up downloading other Yamapi solo songs. But the most important song I ever downloaded in my life was I.ZA.NA.I.ZU.KI. Without it, I might've just had a fleeting crush on Yamapi (*GASP* CAN'T IMAGINE) and then moved on and never known the wonder that is NEWS. (And the rest of JE (aka Johnny's Entertainment.)) And for that, I thank that fansite for helping me to become so obsessed with that song that I just couldn't let go.
And so, to help other people to become just as sadly obsessed as I am... (Have I mentioned that I've only been a JE fan for a year now? :D My first sign of obsession --> Picspam with Oguri Shun, Yamapi and Tegoshi (another member of NewS).)
Anyway, I present:
NewS Pimp Post!!!!!!
(Also known as long-winded post, but has pretty pictures and links.)
They needed clean clothes! You wouldn't want an idol with dirty clothes.
Or you might want just no clothes period. :D Either works really.
(Disclaimer: Do not blame me if I break your brain. (Or if this really does lead you to become obsessed with NewS~) Bask in NewS love and then you can blame me. *laughs* Also, I tried my hardest to only find links to Megavideo, but sometimes, I had to dig through Youtube as well. On a side note, if you have premium, you'll able to download the original videos.
Note: There are a few .rars at the bottom, so use WinRar in order to open them up. There's also one split file - Use HJSplit in order to join the files together. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. :D
Note 2: The only reason I wrote that long winded intro? Just so I can link to the video of Yamapi's confession. *lame*)
NewS:
Now who's NewS? Other than, you know, the group that I'm crazily obsessed with to the point that it's kinda scary? *laughs*
NewS (North, East, West South) originally started out with 9 people back in September 2003 in which their single was the official song for the Volleyball team of 2003. The picture below shows all 9 members! :D
Originally, it was supposed to be a temporary group as most of them (minus Tegoshi, Masuda (better known as Massu) and Moriuchi) had separate groups of their own that they'd been pulled out of for this collaboration. But because of their popularity, they were instated as an official group with the release of their official debut single, Kibou ~Yell~, in May 2004. Lots of things happened between then and now - Moriuchi quit, Uchi got caught drinking and thus was suspended in July 2005, Kusano got caught "drinking" (he says he's innocent) and went on self-hiatus at the end of January 2006, which led to NewS going on hiatus for a year. January 2007 - NewS came back from hiatus at Countdown (a concert where all the Johnny's groups come together to ring in the New Year), but only with six members as Kusano and Uchi were demoted to trainee status (a level below the un-debuted Johnny's Junior status). Then recently, Uchi's starring role in a new drama was announced as well as the news that both Kusano and Uchi had graduated from their trainee status.
Where that leaves us? Who knows. All you need to know is that while NewS started out so strange and was haphazardly put together, they're going strong now and working hard. :D
So boring (and complicated) history aside, how about we get to the actual people! :D The fun part~ ♥♥♥♥
NewS now.
We'll go in age order, just because it's nicer. And so I don't show any biases.
The Current Members:
Koyama Keiichiro
Also known as the MC, the big brother, has one eye-lid.
Born May 1, 1984.
Koyama is the oldest of the group - even if he doesn't quite act as such. Before NewS, he was in a group with Kusano and Shige/Kato (a group called KKKity because JE is just that creative with names). And on Ya-ya-yah, him and Kusano made an awesome(ly lame) comedic pair. To this day, KKKity seems to still be friends - especially Koyama and Shige (mainly because we see them together more) who even have the duet Chirarizumu, which is still one of the funniest songs I've ever heard. I mean, they sing about panty shots. FTW Koyashige! (A namesmush that even they use.)
Out of all the members, Koyama has the most love for the group - even his J-Web has the title Member Ai (Member Love). And Koyama keeps to his title as the talker as he blabs about everything from NewS taking showers together to Koyama's adventures with Shige and no, they're not dating - he swears. During MCs, Koyama keeps up the conversation by teasing the other members (Shige most especially for being an "old man"), but that doesn't means he's immune from it as well. Koyama has one-eyelid, and gets made fun of because of them. Although... Koyama doesn't mind jokes about his eyes really - he makes them himself.
These are just Must Watch Videos. In my opinion, anyway. :D
- Koyama makes quick work of pudding. And then poses like a ballerina.
- A Skit with Koyama as an idol and a kid has his name as his ring tone... >.>
- Koyama can bowl with the rest of them.
- Koyama Cosplays - As a Police Woman, As a Cheerleader, As a Princess (and is proposed to by Jimmy Mackey)
- Koyama can shake his hips - Sayaendou, Aoi Inazuma [SC]
- Love Addiction [SC], On the NEWS DVD
- Koyama gets pranked (subbed) (Not streaming.)
Nishikido Ryo
Also known as the asshole, the back leader, the short one.
Born November 3, 1984.
Ryo actually is a member of two groups - NewS and Kanjani8 (just a pre-warning because there's a lot of Kanjani8 videos here). But he works hard for both, so we'll not harp on the matter. Ryo made the cutest kid! ...A state he was in for longer than a teenager should be. *snickers* Here are examples of young!Ryo/adorable!Ryo: Performing Secret Agent Man with Arashi (no idea the age), or Performing Angel in 2001 (Yes, he is sixteen (or seventeen) in that clip! Why do you ask?), or Performing Secret Agent Man again, only this time with Higashiyama on Music Station.
No matter how cute chibi!Ryo makes, he really really really grew up right. And then some. Mind you, Ryo grew up from a little kid to a snarky adult (bordering on just mean, depending on who you ask) who tells Kame to shut up at the beginning of an interview, or makes fun of Massu by saying that he's eating his own species, or tells Koyama to open his eyes when they actually already are, and wears very ironic hats. Nonetheless, Ryo is really just a big softie in disguise as he takes care of his group members in a way that's uniquely his. And in spite of his big words, Ryo totally shows his affection - besides "friendly" pictures, Ryo had a period where he "introduced" each member on his J-Web: Tegoshi | Shige | Koyama Part 1, Part 2 | Yamapi | Massu.
Must Watch Videos:
- Ryo has SKILLS: Billiards, Archery, Soccer, English - Love Me Tender (But not Pressure Basketball and not Swimming)
- How to Make a Nishikido Ryo, Translations are over here.
- Ryo sings Hikki's (Utada Hikaru) First Love
- Ryo Fangirling Over Leah Dizon, And again as he's chosen to be "boyfriend," Leah Dizon Part 2
- Ryo VS. Ueda Clips (subbed) (Not streaming.)
Yamashita Tomohisa
Also known as the leader, the respected one, the hottie (okay, maybe the last one is biased towards me, but I'm sure others think the same).
Born April 9, 1985.
Oh man. I am going to try very hard not to be uber biased just because Yamapi is my favorite - It is going to be very difficult though. (I TOTALLY WANTED TO PUT IN MORE.) Out of all the members, Yamapi has been a part of the company the longest (for 12 years now) and as such, has gotten to know a lot of the older JE members (debuted or not). His nickname, Yamapi, or rather YamaPink - was given to him for one reason. Because he'd worn blue one day. And his dance teacher had yelled at him "Yamashita Pink" and Takki had heard... and thus... Yes, he was given the nickname because of the color pink. Speaking of Takki though.... Kisses, Hugs on Stage, Hugs off-stage, Yamapi Cries at T&T's Graduation Concert, PPOI was just an excuse for Takki to fangirl Yamapi (All episodes are available streaming under that youtube user, available for download with subs here.) And this is just Yamapi's interactions with Takki and I don't even have all. Don't even get me started on every other member of JE. >.> *coughJINcoughTOMAcoughARASHIcough*
Er, let's get back to Yamapi related to NewS - He's essentially the group's leader, even though Shige says he doesn't do anything for them. At the beginning, Yamapi hadn't warmed up to the group (putting it mildly) because he had thought, as others had, that the group was temporary and that he'd go back to 4Tops. As we know, things didn't work out and Yamapi had to be the leader of this new group. aksldfj;alskfjd Depressing topic aside, Yamapi is admired even by members of his group - Tegoshi has no qualms about revealing his admiration (although that was more back in 2004 than nowadays) and Massu respects Yamapi. Nowadays, Yamapi tries to make it more of a habit to hang out with the members - like taking Shige out for drinks on his birthday, and then proceeding to talk about such things during interviews or, more importantly, on his J-Web. (Where he also talks a lot about food - in case you needed to know - he sure thinks we do.) And what a way to get closer than to learn his cup size. (Not streaming.)
Must Watch Videos:
- Love XXXX
- Let Me
- Daite Senorita PV
- Gomen ne Juliet
- Yamapi in a Hard Gay Outfit [Fancam]
- Yamapi on Pu-SMA (REALLY REALLY FUNNY.)
- Yamapi with Gaku and Yuuta as they talk about being victims of Masami
Masuda Takahisa
Also known as the eater, the muscle man, the smiler.
Born July 4, 1986.
More often than not, everyone adores Massu because he is always smiling - even Yamapi associates Massu with smiles. It gets to the point that when asked to keep a straight face, Massu cannot do it! (Download the entire interview here, subbed by BNS). Along with smiling a lot, Massu's known for being the best dancer of NewS, into sports (even in weird costumes), as well as working out - like doing 100 push-Ups in under a minute for Utaban (while Nakai and Ishibashi close the show). And surprisingly (to a few people), he's not really as innocent as he looks as his concert solo is about a Pumpkin that he wants to eat. ...I'm sure. Also, just on a side note, bugs + Massu do not mix.
That aside, Massu actually is part of another group within the group - Tegomass, along with Tegoshi. Where they debuted in Sweden with the song Miso Soup. (And yes, it was in English! :D And yes, there also was a Japanese version.) Together, Tegomass are the two best voices in NewS, imo, and even got a chance to perform on Music Fair with Tanimura Shinji to the song, Ii Hi Tabidachi (SO AWESOME). Massu has fun while he's doing things - coming up with a game with water bottles, or fiddling with remotes. (Click here for the subbed version.) Or Massu trying to do Tegoshi's "trick", but failing... Badly. (Click here for the subbed version.) It's no wonder he doesn't stop smiling. :D
Must Watch Videos:
- Kawai Fumito's Impression of Massu (Not ...entirely Massu, but still funny. :D)
- Massu bowls with Koyama
- It's BAD: And yes, that's the title of the song.
- AiQ (Download all the subbed clips over here.)
- [CM] Tu-Yu, Another CM.
- Hikaru asks for awkward... Massu gives him awkward.
Kato Shigeaki
Also known as the smart one, the old man... er... mature one, the "forgotten" one.
Born July 11, 1987.
Of all the members, Shige is picked on the most - from things like how he smells to how old he really is. And while he gets angry and argues with them when it happens, we all know that this is their way of giving Shige the attention he deserves. ♥ Shige's also considered the smartest - he's one of the four members that go to college (although Koyama has graduated; Yamapi and Tegoshi are the other two members) and he even chose law as his major. (He says it's because it makes him sound cool; I call bull.) Everyone seems to find their start in loving Shige by reading his writing (or because he's hot, but that comes later) - he writes essays for Myojo every month that are, more often than not, insightful and he has a J-Web like the others. ...Except his is from the point of view of his cat. ...His imaginary cat. His imaginary cat who has play dates with Koyama's real cat, Nyanta. ...Did I mention Shige's allergic to cats?
So he's either just really smart, or really eccentric, or a nice combination of the two. Seriously though, his jweb has the most insight into what makes Shige. He writes about the most random things from how much he hates caterpillars to troublesome train stories - where a girl doesn't recognize him even though he really wanted her to. OR, and this is what I think would make him an awesome fanfiction writer - A Grown Up Love Story. Guys. How is he so awesome? :D Within the group, Shige's the closest to Koyama - they spend lots of time together - take trips together, and even bring along their child Tegoshi. And ever since Shige's gotten his hair cut (GOD, it looks good), he seems to have gotten more confident and able to stand his ground. He even held his own in an interview with Ryo and Yamapi, and lord knows how much Ryo likes to pick on Shige. ♥
Must Watch Videos:
- KKKity bowl two strikes and still lose.
- Happy Music with Shige's Guitar and Massu's Drum
- Midori, Jin, Kame and Ya-Ya-yah boys wake up KKKity
- Shige-ako: Shige as a Geisha, aka what are you waiting for?
- Shige on SC - talk and performances (Kakao and Chirarizumu with Koyama) (Download a subbed version here.)
Tegoshi Yuya
Also known as the baby, the slutty one (more nowadays than before), the one with the voice (aka, he sings really well).
Born November 11, 1987.
Tegoshi, out of all the members, has grown the most since the group has debuted - or really, he just looks completely different, to the point that people wonder if he's had surgery. >.> I mean, it's not confusing when he goes from this to this in the span of a year. ...Okay, so he just got sluttier and prettier, but still. *laughs* Of the current members, Tegoshi has the best voice imo which you can hear in performances like You ~World is Yours~ or Sunadokei. And as I mentioned in the Massu section, they debuted as a duo under the name Tegomass~
Being the current youngest, Tegoshi's babied... A lot. He gets Koyama to pack his bags for him (because he may forget things) or Ryo becomes a softie to the point that he calls Tegoshi "Tego-nyan" to which Tegoshi responds back with a "Ryo-tan~" In spite of being the youngest, Tegoshi talks like he's "above" other people's ranks or as Shige puts it, doesn't care what others think about him. (And even starts calling Shige, Shige-san in an interview because of this. (Not streaming.)) For this reason, Tegoshi gets a lot of "God" jokes, which also may be attributed to this, but besides that. The other members obviously adore him, or else, they wouldn't put up with the "abuse," huh? :D
Must Watch Videos:
- Tegoshi plays soccer, along with the Ya-Ya-yah boys, Kusano, Shige, and Massu.
- Tegoshi plays Dodgeball
- Kiss ~Kaerimichi no Love Song~ PV
- Cop Tegoshi, Detective Kusano
- A Tegoshi Interview Part 1, Part 2: He gets kicked. What?!
- Tegoshi gets Pranked (subbed)
Suspended Members:
Uchi Hiroki
Also known as the girl, the princess, the one with Ryo (...what, I was running out XP).
Born September 10, 1986.
Other than Moriuchi, Uchi is the next one that I don't know a lot about, so I'm sorry if this part is sparce. >.< Along with Ryo, Uchi was part of two groups - NewS and Kanjani8 and thus, you see Uchi with Ryo a lot in both groups (they spend double the time together after all!) Unfortunately, in 2005, Uchi was caught drinking and thus was suspended from both groups. As for things we know about him? He has a love for his mom - "she's his type" don'tcha know?, he is a total girl about things as he runs from dogs, shrieking or shrieks about a fish landing... nowhere near him or cries because he fails at skiing. ...I told you.
Must Watch Videos:
- Ryo/Uchi - Gymnastics
- Uchi tries to juggle a soccer ball then tries to recover with soulful looks.
- [fancam] Ryo and Uchi nearly kiss and then Kusano becomes Ryouchi fans' biggest enemy.
- Uchi gets teary about V. West
- Uchi returns to Drama world; Him and Kusano aren't trainees anymore
Kusano Hironori
Also known as the youngest, the jokester, the all-rounder.
Born February 15, 1988.
Kusano is the biggest goof of the group, but he balances it out by just moving his hips. In the beginning of 2006, Kusano was caught drinking, and then suspended (and the entire group was put in hiatus as a result). But the actual boy? He is really just all-rounded as an idol - he can sing, he can dance, and he definitely, definitely has personality who has no qualms about much - even dancing in the middle of the street and watching himself on a television screen, plus, remember? He was in a duo with Koyama. And really, he's the youngest of the group, and thus acts as the little brother - makes pranks (see bug video under Massu's section), gets smacked by his "elders" and just has a fun time. :D
Must Watch Videos:
- Kusano gets hypnotized
(For subs: go here. It's the November 7, 2004 episode.)
- Kusano fangirls Kame: Example 1, Example 2 (THERE'S TOTALLY MORE. I just can't find them. >.< Backstage Summary (which I link below) has another example in case you wanted to see more.)
- Kusano-man! (All subbed clips are over here.)
- [fancam] Jounetsu - Johnny's World 2005, Another fancam, different angle, a little more zoomed in
- Performing One Day, One Dream and Hey!Wa [SC]
Ex-Members:
Takahiro Moriuchi
Born April 17, 1988.
To be honest, I know the least about Moriuchi out of all of them - which I suppose makes sense when he ended up quitting the group a couple of months in. He did have an amazing voice, which I think they knew when they gave him Arigatou Ima as an almost solo (with Tegomass joining halfway through the song). He moved from that to this. Is he better off? Who knows, but I hope he's enjoying himself. :D Much luck to him in One OK Rock.
[Guh, Sorry about the lack of things here. Seriously. XP]
And this is just the members THEMSELVES.
Part 2 has them together.
This is a sad and kinda funny revelation, but Lunch Queen was the very first (seriously, VERY FIRST) Yamapi drama I'd ever seen. I think I was "around" when Nobuta wo Produce came out and surprisingly, I was against Yamapi. LOL. I didn't even know the boy, but I had been like - ugh. All this hype, whatever. (God I don't even know why I knew about Nobuta. I canNOT remember for the life of me!) But anyway, I totally thought he was absolutely adorable in Lunch Queen, but what cemented my adoration was this scene: Koshiro (Yamapi's character) confesses to Natsumi. It is just too cute - the little smile at the end, the peck on the cheek (and Tsumabuki Satoshi's indignation at the fact that Yamapi cut his confession short). :D
After that, I decided to stick around with Yamapi and it led me to Kurosagi. We all know how hot he is there (NNGH. Justice. ..What, it totally counts. June's Wink Up - Kurosagi ENDED in June. :D I win.) so I won't go into that. But I had no idea that Yamapi had sung the frigging theme song for the drama until the END of the 8th episode when we see this - Yamapi promoting Daite Senorita, with a wig. Not only was he hot, but he was a singer and a dancer and I was hooked!
I ended up looking up anything I could on Yamapi and found a fansite. Through it, I ended up downloading other Yamapi solo songs. But the most important song I ever downloaded in my life was I.ZA.NA.I.ZU.KI. Without it, I might've just had a fleeting crush on Yamapi (*GASP* CAN'T IMAGINE) and then moved on and never known the wonder that is NEWS. (And the rest of JE (aka Johnny's Entertainment.)) And for that, I thank that fansite for helping me to become so obsessed with that song that I just couldn't let go.
And so, to help other people to become just as sadly obsessed as I am... (Have I mentioned that I've only been a JE fan for a year now? :D My first sign of obsession --> Picspam with Oguri Shun, Yamapi and Tegoshi (another member of NewS).)
Anyway, I present:
NewS Pimp Post!!!!!!
(Also known as long-winded post, but has pretty pictures and links.)
They needed clean clothes! You wouldn't want an idol with dirty clothes.
Or you might want just no clothes period. :D Either works really.
(Disclaimer: Do not blame me if I break your brain. (Or if this really does lead you to become obsessed with NewS~) Bask in NewS love and then you can blame me. *laughs* Also, I tried my hardest to only find links to Megavideo, but sometimes, I had to dig through Youtube as well. On a side note, if you have premium, you'll able to download the original videos.
Note: There are a few .rars at the bottom, so use WinRar in order to open them up. There's also one split file - Use HJSplit in order to join the files together. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. :D
Note 2: The only reason I wrote that long winded intro? Just so I can link to the video of Yamapi's confession. *lame*)
NewS:
Now who's NewS? Other than, you know, the group that I'm crazily obsessed with to the point that it's kinda scary? *laughs*
NewS (North, East, West South) originally started out with 9 people back in September 2003 in which their single was the official song for the Volleyball team of 2003. The picture below shows all 9 members! :D
Originally, it was supposed to be a temporary group as most of them (minus Tegoshi, Masuda (better known as Massu) and Moriuchi) had separate groups of their own that they'd been pulled out of for this collaboration. But because of their popularity, they were instated as an official group with the release of their official debut single, Kibou ~Yell~, in May 2004. Lots of things happened between then and now - Moriuchi quit, Uchi got caught drinking and thus was suspended in July 2005, Kusano got caught "drinking" (he says he's innocent) and went on self-hiatus at the end of January 2006, which led to NewS going on hiatus for a year. January 2007 - NewS came back from hiatus at Countdown (a concert where all the Johnny's groups come together to ring in the New Year), but only with six members as Kusano and Uchi were demoted to trainee status (a level below the un-debuted Johnny's Junior status). Then recently, Uchi's starring role in a new drama was announced as well as the news that both Kusano and Uchi had graduated from their trainee status.
Where that leaves us? Who knows. All you need to know is that while NewS started out so strange and was haphazardly put together, they're going strong now and working hard. :D
So boring (and complicated) history aside, how about we get to the actual people! :D The fun part~ ♥♥♥♥
NewS now.
We'll go in age order, just because it's nicer. And so I don't show any biases.
The Current Members:
Koyama Keiichiro
Also known as the MC, the big brother, has one eye-lid.
Born May 1, 1984.
Koyama is the oldest of the group - even if he doesn't quite act as such. Before NewS, he was in a group with Kusano and Shige/Kato (a group called KKKity because JE is just that creative with names). And on Ya-ya-yah, him and Kusano made an awesome(ly lame) comedic pair. To this day, KKKity seems to still be friends - especially Koyama and Shige (mainly because we see them together more) who even have the duet Chirarizumu, which is still one of the funniest songs I've ever heard. I mean, they sing about panty shots. FTW Koyashige! (A namesmush that even they use.)
Out of all the members, Koyama has the most love for the group - even his J-Web has the title Member Ai (Member Love). And Koyama keeps to his title as the talker as he blabs about everything from NewS taking showers together to Koyama's adventures with Shige and no, they're not dating - he swears. During MCs, Koyama keeps up the conversation by teasing the other members (Shige most especially for being an "old man"), but that doesn't means he's immune from it as well. Koyama has one-eyelid, and gets made fun of because of them. Although... Koyama doesn't mind jokes about his eyes really - he makes them himself.
These are just Must Watch Videos. In my opinion, anyway. :D
- Koyama makes quick work of pudding. And then poses like a ballerina.
- A Skit with Koyama as an idol and a kid has his name as his ring tone... >.>
- Koyama can bowl with the rest of them.
- Koyama Cosplays - As a Police Woman, As a Cheerleader, As a Princess (and is proposed to by Jimmy Mackey)
- Koyama can shake his hips - Sayaendou, Aoi Inazuma [SC]
- Love Addiction [SC], On the NEWS DVD
- Koyama gets pranked (subbed) (Not streaming.)
Nishikido Ryo
Also known as the asshole, the back leader, the short one.
Born November 3, 1984.
Ryo actually is a member of two groups - NewS and Kanjani8 (just a pre-warning because there's a lot of Kanjani8 videos here). But he works hard for both, so we'll not harp on the matter. Ryo made the cutest kid! ...A state he was in for longer than a teenager should be. *snickers* Here are examples of young!Ryo/adorable!Ryo: Performing Secret Agent Man with Arashi (no idea the age), or Performing Angel in 2001 (Yes, he is sixteen (or seventeen) in that clip! Why do you ask?), or Performing Secret Agent Man again, only this time with Higashiyama on Music Station.
No matter how cute chibi!Ryo makes, he really really really grew up right. And then some. Mind you, Ryo grew up from a little kid to a snarky adult (bordering on just mean, depending on who you ask) who tells Kame to shut up at the beginning of an interview, or makes fun of Massu by saying that he's eating his own species, or tells Koyama to open his eyes when they actually already are, and wears very ironic hats. Nonetheless, Ryo is really just a big softie in disguise as he takes care of his group members in a way that's uniquely his. And in spite of his big words, Ryo totally shows his affection - besides "friendly" pictures, Ryo had a period where he "introduced" each member on his J-Web: Tegoshi | Shige | Koyama Part 1, Part 2 | Yamapi | Massu.
Must Watch Videos:
- Ryo has SKILLS: Billiards, Archery, Soccer, English - Love Me Tender (But not Pressure Basketball and not Swimming)
- How to Make a Nishikido Ryo, Translations are over here.
- Ryo sings Hikki's (Utada Hikaru) First Love
- Ryo Fangirling Over Leah Dizon, And again as he's chosen to be "boyfriend," Leah Dizon Part 2
- Ryo VS. Ueda Clips (subbed) (Not streaming.)
Yamashita Tomohisa
Also known as the leader, the respected one, the hottie (okay, maybe the last one is biased towards me, but I'm sure others think the same).
Born April 9, 1985.
Oh man. I am going to try very hard not to be uber biased just because Yamapi is my favorite - It is going to be very difficult though. (I TOTALLY WANTED TO PUT IN MORE.) Out of all the members, Yamapi has been a part of the company the longest (for 12 years now) and as such, has gotten to know a lot of the older JE members (debuted or not). His nickname, Yamapi, or rather YamaPink - was given to him for one reason. Because he'd worn blue one day. And his dance teacher had yelled at him "Yamashita Pink" and Takki had heard... and thus... Yes, he was given the nickname because of the color pink. Speaking of Takki though.... Kisses, Hugs on Stage, Hugs off-stage, Yamapi Cries at T&T's Graduation Concert, PPOI was just an excuse for Takki to fangirl Yamapi (All episodes are available streaming under that youtube user, available for download with subs here.) And this is just Yamapi's interactions with Takki and I don't even have all. Don't even get me started on every other member of JE. >.> *coughJINcoughTOMAcoughARASHIcough*
Er, let's get back to Yamapi related to NewS - He's essentially the group's leader, even though Shige says he doesn't do anything for them. At the beginning, Yamapi hadn't warmed up to the group (putting it mildly) because he had thought, as others had, that the group was temporary and that he'd go back to 4Tops. As we know, things didn't work out and Yamapi had to be the leader of this new group. aksldfj;alskfjd Depressing topic aside, Yamapi is admired even by members of his group - Tegoshi has no qualms about revealing his admiration (although that was more back in 2004 than nowadays) and Massu respects Yamapi. Nowadays, Yamapi tries to make it more of a habit to hang out with the members - like taking Shige out for drinks on his birthday, and then proceeding to talk about such things during interviews or, more importantly, on his J-Web. (Where he also talks a lot about food - in case you needed to know - he sure thinks we do.) And what a way to get closer than to learn his cup size. (Not streaming.)
Must Watch Videos:
- Love XXXX
- Let Me
- Daite Senorita PV
- Gomen ne Juliet
- Yamapi in a Hard Gay Outfit [Fancam]
- Yamapi on Pu-SMA (REALLY REALLY FUNNY.)
- Yamapi with Gaku and Yuuta as they talk about being victims of Masami
Masuda Takahisa
Also known as the eater, the muscle man, the smiler.
Born July 4, 1986.
More often than not, everyone adores Massu because he is always smiling - even Yamapi associates Massu with smiles. It gets to the point that when asked to keep a straight face, Massu cannot do it! (Download the entire interview here, subbed by BNS). Along with smiling a lot, Massu's known for being the best dancer of NewS, into sports (even in weird costumes), as well as working out - like doing 100 push-Ups in under a minute for Utaban (while Nakai and Ishibashi close the show). And surprisingly (to a few people), he's not really as innocent as he looks as his concert solo is about a Pumpkin that he wants to eat. ...I'm sure. Also, just on a side note, bugs + Massu do not mix.
That aside, Massu actually is part of another group within the group - Tegomass, along with Tegoshi. Where they debuted in Sweden with the song Miso Soup. (And yes, it was in English! :D And yes, there also was a Japanese version.) Together, Tegomass are the two best voices in NewS, imo, and even got a chance to perform on Music Fair with Tanimura Shinji to the song, Ii Hi Tabidachi (SO AWESOME). Massu has fun while he's doing things - coming up with a game with water bottles, or fiddling with remotes. (Click here for the subbed version.) Or Massu trying to do Tegoshi's "trick", but failing... Badly. (Click here for the subbed version.) It's no wonder he doesn't stop smiling. :D
Must Watch Videos:
- Kawai Fumito's Impression of Massu (Not ...entirely Massu, but still funny. :D)
- Massu bowls with Koyama
- It's BAD: And yes, that's the title of the song.
- AiQ (Download all the subbed clips over here.)
- [CM] Tu-Yu, Another CM.
- Hikaru asks for awkward... Massu gives him awkward.
Kato Shigeaki
Also known as the smart one, the old man... er... mature one, the "forgotten" one.
Born July 11, 1987.
Of all the members, Shige is picked on the most - from things like how he smells to how old he really is. And while he gets angry and argues with them when it happens, we all know that this is their way of giving Shige the attention he deserves. ♥ Shige's also considered the smartest - he's one of the four members that go to college (although Koyama has graduated; Yamapi and Tegoshi are the other two members) and he even chose law as his major. (He says it's because it makes him sound cool; I call bull.) Everyone seems to find their start in loving Shige by reading his writing (or because he's hot, but that comes later) - he writes essays for Myojo every month that are, more often than not, insightful and he has a J-Web like the others. ...Except his is from the point of view of his cat. ...His imaginary cat. His imaginary cat who has play dates with Koyama's real cat, Nyanta. ...Did I mention Shige's allergic to cats?
So he's either just really smart, or really eccentric, or a nice combination of the two. Seriously though, his jweb has the most insight into what makes Shige. He writes about the most random things from how much he hates caterpillars to troublesome train stories - where a girl doesn't recognize him even though he really wanted her to. OR, and this is what I think would make him an awesome fanfiction writer - A Grown Up Love Story. Guys. How is he so awesome? :D Within the group, Shige's the closest to Koyama - they spend lots of time together - take trips together, and even bring along their child Tegoshi. And ever since Shige's gotten his hair cut (GOD, it looks good), he seems to have gotten more confident and able to stand his ground. He even held his own in an interview with Ryo and Yamapi, and lord knows how much Ryo likes to pick on Shige. ♥
Must Watch Videos:
- KKKity bowl two strikes and still lose.
- Happy Music with Shige's Guitar and Massu's Drum
- Midori, Jin, Kame and Ya-Ya-yah boys wake up KKKity
- Shige-ako: Shige as a Geisha, aka what are you waiting for?
- Shige on SC - talk and performances (Kakao and Chirarizumu with Koyama) (Download a subbed version here.)
Tegoshi Yuya
Also known as the baby, the slutty one (more nowadays than before), the one with the voice (aka, he sings really well).
Born November 11, 1987.
Tegoshi, out of all the members, has grown the most since the group has debuted - or really, he just looks completely different, to the point that people wonder if he's had surgery. >.> I mean, it's not confusing when he goes from this to this in the span of a year. ...Okay, so he just got sluttier and prettier, but still. *laughs* Of the current members, Tegoshi has the best voice imo which you can hear in performances like You ~World is Yours~ or Sunadokei. And as I mentioned in the Massu section, they debuted as a duo under the name Tegomass~
Being the current youngest, Tegoshi's babied... A lot. He gets Koyama to pack his bags for him (because he may forget things) or Ryo becomes a softie to the point that he calls Tegoshi "Tego-nyan" to which Tegoshi responds back with a "Ryo-tan~" In spite of being the youngest, Tegoshi talks like he's "above" other people's ranks or as Shige puts it, doesn't care what others think about him. (And even starts calling Shige, Shige-san in an interview because of this. (Not streaming.)) For this reason, Tegoshi gets a lot of "God" jokes, which also may be attributed to this, but besides that. The other members obviously adore him, or else, they wouldn't put up with the "abuse," huh? :D
Must Watch Videos:
- Tegoshi plays soccer, along with the Ya-Ya-yah boys, Kusano, Shige, and Massu.
- Tegoshi plays Dodgeball
- Kiss ~Kaerimichi no Love Song~ PV
- Cop Tegoshi, Detective Kusano
- A Tegoshi Interview Part 1, Part 2: He gets kicked. What?!
- Tegoshi gets Pranked (subbed)
Suspended Members:
Uchi Hiroki
Also known as the girl, the princess, the one with Ryo (...what, I was running out XP).
Born September 10, 1986.
Other than Moriuchi, Uchi is the next one that I don't know a lot about, so I'm sorry if this part is sparce. >.< Along with Ryo, Uchi was part of two groups - NewS and Kanjani8 and thus, you see Uchi with Ryo a lot in both groups (they spend double the time together after all!) Unfortunately, in 2005, Uchi was caught drinking and thus was suspended from both groups. As for things we know about him? He has a love for his mom - "she's his type" don'tcha know?, he is a total girl about things as he runs from dogs, shrieking or shrieks about a fish landing... nowhere near him or cries because he fails at skiing. ...I told you.
Must Watch Videos:
- Ryo/Uchi - Gymnastics
- Uchi tries to juggle a soccer ball then tries to recover with soulful looks.
- [fancam] Ryo and Uchi nearly kiss and then Kusano becomes Ryouchi fans' biggest enemy.
- Uchi gets teary about V. West
- Uchi returns to Drama world; Him and Kusano aren't trainees anymore
Kusano Hironori
Also known as the youngest, the jokester, the all-rounder.
Born February 15, 1988.
Kusano is the biggest goof of the group, but he balances it out by just moving his hips. In the beginning of 2006, Kusano was caught drinking, and then suspended (and the entire group was put in hiatus as a result). But the actual boy? He is really just all-rounded as an idol - he can sing, he can dance, and he definitely, definitely has personality who has no qualms about much - even dancing in the middle of the street and watching himself on a television screen, plus, remember? He was in a duo with Koyama. And really, he's the youngest of the group, and thus acts as the little brother - makes pranks (see bug video under Massu's section), gets smacked by his "elders" and just has a fun time. :D
Must Watch Videos:
- Kusano gets hypnotized
(For subs: go here. It's the November 7, 2004 episode.)
- Kusano fangirls Kame: Example 1, Example 2 (THERE'S TOTALLY MORE. I just can't find them. >.< Backstage Summary (which I link below) has another example in case you wanted to see more.)
- Kusano-man! (All subbed clips are over here.)
- [fancam] Jounetsu - Johnny's World 2005, Another fancam, different angle, a little more zoomed in
- Performing One Day, One Dream and Hey!Wa [SC]
Ex-Members:
Takahiro Moriuchi
Born April 17, 1988.
To be honest, I know the least about Moriuchi out of all of them - which I suppose makes sense when he ended up quitting the group a couple of months in. He did have an amazing voice, which I think they knew when they gave him Arigatou Ima as an almost solo (with Tegomass joining halfway through the song). He moved from that to this. Is he better off? Who knows, but I hope he's enjoying himself. :D Much luck to him in One OK Rock.
[Guh, Sorry about the lack of things here. Seriously. XP]
And this is just the members THEMSELVES.
Part 2 has them together.