Current mood:	complacent
Entry tags:	arashi, crack, reviews, translations

GRA #16 & Nino's grandpa's *SQUEAK*
I, I love that the colleague who eats chocolate sugar donuts in the morning, informs me that oatmeal raisin cookies is an unhealthy breakfast. I'm not saying it's healthy, far from it, but it's just pretty damn funny to hear that from someone who eats worse.

自覚ないのかよ、お前。

L-Leaving that aside.



I'm extremely pleased that they followed the same format as last week (ie, 'answer the questions from Kana-chan and the 5 boys' style), but, Nino and Jun don't seem to be too happy at all. Nino, especially.



So, Nino's question was, "What's the difference between all the rice?" There's different kinds, Koshihikari, Kirara 397, etc. Then, Aiba made poor Nino try the different rice, even though he clearly asked the question because he didn't know. Right after Nino said, "I told you, I don't know," they bring in some rice expert who can immediately tell which rice is which, just with one mouthful.

Look at Nino's face.

I mean, there's one point where he said, "Magnificent!" but I got the feeling that he said it because he was obligated to, not because he meant it. Because the shots of his expressions after that were ones of sheer displeasure and maybe even disinterest.

On one hand, I feel bad for the poor boy, because this already happened to him in the last episode, and seriously, once is cute, but a second emphasis on his ignorance on Japanese staple food just isn't kosher. On the other, for him to just show this displeasure without a care for the cameras... I don't think we've seen this since the MMA episodes with Juntoshi in them.

Of course, he broke into a grin towards the end, as he rested against Ohno's shoulder, going, "I wonder the difference is~~" But, I still wonder.

Next is MatsuJun's rage.

Leader wondered why onigiri was delicious after a long walk. Aiba tried to get everyone on the discussion, but Kana-chan said the discussion would be more lively if they could do something with it first, like eat, because then it'd be more fun. (S-She has a point.)



Aiba: Let's do it, let's do it! Everyone must've thought about why that happens, for example, Matsumoto-kun! Why do you think that happens?
Jun: WE'RE ASKING BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW.
Aiba: Just give us your own opinion...
Sho: I know, I know!
Aiba: You do? I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!

This is probably just me being crazy, but why do I feel like Jun was pissed on Nino's behalf here? Because seriously, they're asking because they don't know. |D;;

I couldn't help but find it so adorable how Ohno immediately touched Jun's wrist with his fingers, and Nino got up to defend Jun. And of course, our smart little Keio boy has an idea of what the reason is. He's like the teacher's pet in class with his hand waving vigorously in the air. "I KNOW, I KNOW!!" XD

Speaking of our chipmunk, he revealed his dork side again.



Aiba: Then Matsui-san, while teaching Sakurai-kun the right way to wash rice, will you make the juice from the washed rice as well?
Sho: Why is the talk moving forward as though I don't know how to do it?
Aiba: No no no, I'm just--
Sho: I can wash rice!
Matsui: Right?
Sho: What's with you all? Watch me!! First, you put water in.
Matsui: Yes, yes.
Aiba: We can now watch how Sakurai-kun washes his rice.
Jun: Do you usually wash rice?
Sho: I do, washing rice is the only thing I do!!
Matsui: You know... this is a little different.
Kana: Eh, already?? That's fast!!

Apparently the first time you add water to it, it'll have a smell of rice bran, so you have to immediately get rid of the water so the smell won't linger.

I don't fault Sho for this, heck, I wash out rice the way he does. (Am I wrong to think that everyone else does it that way too?) But it cracked me up how he was so insulted by their implication that he couldn't wash rice. *pats him*

Now, MatsuJun's question was, "What can you cook with the rice so it tastes better?" So they had Jun try out the rice and guess what was added in it.



Jun: I can't tell at all, please give me a hint!
Aiba: The hint is: it's something Matsumoto-kun loves.
Sho: SKULLS!
Aiba: How do you put those in?
Host: It's hard to put skulls in there.

al;skddf I love you, Sho. Look at his serious frown too, like, "Wait, it's not skulls??"

Yama pair, yama pairrr ♥

Last of all, Leader! With his promotion of "FREESTYLE". *beams* (I uh, don't know about that jacket though. Was it on sale in a magazine, Oh-chan?)



Jun: My~ it's finally been released huh!
Ohno: Yes!
Jun: Ohno Satoshi's collection of artworks, "FREESTYLE".
Ohno: The works that I took ten years to finish have been made into a book.
Sho: These are the actual things that Leader...
Nino: That he actually made.
Aiba: These are amazing... clearly each and every one of these has a concept to them right?
Ohno: No.
Aiba: There isn't??
Ohno: There isn't.
Nino: None, right.
Ohno: They're free.
Aiba: Ah, I see! That's why it's "FREESTYLE".
Sho: Ahh, I see.

There is honestly no need for Ohmiya to stand so close. Seriously. *________*



Aiba: With such a Leader, he has a personal exhibition opening!
Sho: According to the rumours, the entrance fee is...?
Ohno: Free!
All: Uwaaaa~!!!
Aiba: So this means that anyone who goes can see it?
Ohno: They can.
Nino: Amazing~
Sho: Amazing right~
Aiba: This is amazing!
Sho: Is that really alright, Ohno-san? I honestly wonder if this is really okay, you know.
Ohno: No, see, I just want the fans to take a look at it, so I don't want the money!
Nino: As expected of Leader!
Aiba: Waahh, as expected of Leader!
Sho: So there's a reason for you to treat us only to ramen huh!
Nino: There is, huh!
Aiba: Only ramen right?

Oh boys. ♥ Jun's exaggerated face of "ZOMG FREE!??" is beautiful.

And then there's Nino examining the figure of himself. According to Nino's message in "FREESTYLE", the Ohmiya-SK figures were actually supposed to be his birthday present from Ohno. Leader even took a photograph of the figures to show Nino, so Nino was all excited to get them. Instead, he got a pair of plain silver and white figures for his birthday. XDDD Oh Ohno. Nino's probably looking at it now, thinking, "This could be displaying next to the lamp on my desk right now."

ps: Is it just me, or does Ohno look so much younger with his hair like that?



Aiba: So then, Leader, please give us a message.
Ohno: Please come down!
Sho: You're way too desperate!!

Ohno-kun, you'd have a thousand more visitors at least, if all of us had the money and time to fly down and view that exhibit.

Now, random stuff...



Aiba laughing with his mouth open and full of rice. On National TV.

Never change.



Ohmiya & Juntoshi. *purrrrs*



THE INTENSITY OF HIS GAZE COULD BURN A HOLE IN THE OZONE.

I swear, Nino has a mouth fetish when it comes to Ohno.



Ohno says, "THIS IS DELICIOUS," and the ladies giggle wildly.

Yeah, that's right, Leader's the man.

... what.

I shall work on the DUET Love Psychology test, including both answers and the psychologist's evaluations. o> In the meantime, a tiny tidbit from the group interview in POTATO March 2008 -- Jun revealed that the 2008 glasses that Ohno wore in Countdown was his idea. Also, Matsuoka from TOKIO had said to him, "I think our Leader would look good in that," but Jun protected the glasses with all his might and retorted, "Our Leader would look better in it."

I can just see Matsuoka and Jun fighting over that silly pair of glasses, while Joushima and Ohno just watch on the sidelines. Beautiful.

Also, a big thanks to aishoni for pointing out an interesting bit in Bay Storm, where Nino probably said "balls" repeatedly, resulting in *SQUEAKS* that sounded like the sound a small toy ducky would make if you stepped on it. So I played it this morning while making preparations to leave for work:


"Well! Let's go with a Bay Storm corner brought to you by Arashi's Ninomiya Kazunari, "Ura-Arashi"! Okay, this is the first person! The pen name is written, "Shimoyake-san". "Around this time on Game Nikki X, there was a mention of Nino knocking into the dried persimmons in his house. Does Nino eat dried persimmons often, and what happened to the persimmons after that? By the way, the dried persimmons that I got from my grandma when I was in elementary school were so pungent, I don't really like persimmons. Does Nino like dried persimmons, please tell me!"

My older sister said that she wanted to eat dried persimmons. So, we tied dried persimmons on a string, and hung them up. On the wall. And, on the side of that wall, I had a light switch. So before pushing that, I'd hit it. It struck my elbow so, because I was hit so many times, I got frustrated, and said, "Do something about these persimmons!" I asked, "Why do we have this habit of drying dried persimmons? We've already been drying them for about a month!" I said, "Mom, please take them off!"

Then, my older sister said that she wanted to eat dried persimmons. So I told her that our mom was drying dried persimmons. Then when she actually went to the dried persimmons right, my older sister said...

"They look like grandpa's *SQUEAK*."

She said she couldn't eat them. Because of that, they've been drying this entire time. Although you know, we have to wonder, has she actually seen grandpa's *SQUEAK* before? Our mom was really pissed. When she asked my older sister, "You, have you seen grandpa's *SQUEAK* before??" they had a fight around this time.

But, I want them to hurry up and take those persimmons down, before they have that sort of fight. I keep hitting them, they're such a hindrance. What the hell is that."


There's also this entire part where Nino talks about snow and photographs of snow that he has (adding that there's one of him in Hawaii with Mori-san bwuh?) and going, "LOOK, SEE, KATSUMURA'S BALANCING A PEANUT ON HIS NOSE NEXT TO ME" and all the while I'm thinking "asldf;kj WE CAN'T SEE THEM OVER A RADIO SHOW, NINO." G-God.