* Photos here as shared on ARASHI's official social media channels - I didn't take screenshots as they requested in the pre-viewing instructions. So it was very surprising to see these nicely-taken, high-resolution shots shared just hours after the show ended.
It's over...and yet not exactly the end, both in reality and psychologically.
This probably sums up best how I am feeling after watching the final concert of ARASHI last night while physically located about 5,300km / 3,300 miles away from Tokyo, Japan, where the action was unfolding. Boy, as expected from Matsujun's perfectionist dedication to delivering only the best, the quality was top-notch and the whole event was so well-planned:
* The biggest surprise for me was that the connection to the live stream never once faltered during the entire 3.5 hour show (and even during the pre-show content section) despite so many people in Japan and beyond watching at the same time! My Internet connection is probably mid-range at best and I was on the highest resolution possible so I was preparing myself mentally that there might be some hiccups somewhere and somehow.
In order to test out the connection and check out what was the pre-show content they were showing, I even logged in to the streaming portal pretty early in the afternoon. I think the intention of the pre-show was also meant to test out traffic loads on the servers and take remedial action if needed. Brilliant move, I would say. Taking pre-emptive action is better than waiting for things to happen and it requires a certain level of foresight and well-thought plans to do this.
On hindsight, I shouldn't have doubted Matsujun's attention to detail and ability in doing his best for ARASHI's last show. There was not a single moment when I had to wait for the video to buffer and the video and audio were never out of sync. Most importantly, the connection was never lost. Now that he's set the benchmark so high, I think other artists will have a hard time matching this kind of standard if they want to do online events or concert streams of a large scale.
* To be honest I was sort of expecting that the pre-show content would be just a medley of old MVs but there were some "ancient" concert footage included as well. I see this at least as having the sincerity to put in some effort to keep the fans engaged while they waited for the concert to begin. If it was just the MVs, I already have their DVDs. Perhaps one intended effect of seeing the compilation of the clips was also to prepare fans for the finale and take them down memory lane.
* The cinematography was really quite unseen for live-streams. Usually, the camera angles would be quite static since it would be quite difficult to introduce fanciful stuff in live content. However, there were many moments during the concert when I kept thinking that this must be post-edited DVD-level footage and not a live show. This was partly due to the never-disconnected live stream but the varied shots and precise camerawork just showed how much planning was put in to deliver the best viewing experience for fans who couldn't be there in person. And for those who were there, I'm sure that they would be amazed at how the venue looked like in some of the aerial shots - simply breathtakingly beautiful and grand. Fitting for a farewell concert of a national idol group!
Of course...there were things which could be improved:
* The microphone audio during the MC segment and when the members took turns to speak was a bit lacking because it was barely inaudible at some junctures. Hope that this can be refined in the on-demand video coming up soon.
* I saw on social media that there were lyrics onscreen but this functionality seemed to be missing from the livestream for the general public viewing. Was that a function reserved for fanclub members or for all on the Japanese site? If so, it was a pity because I was so looking forward to doing my sing-alongs but I have to admit that I don't know the lyrics to all the songs. Would be good if this is made available to all in the on-demand video.
* The sale of the concert goods was only made available to the general public after the final concert began. Which meant that there was a mad rush online to purchase these for those who chose to concentrate on the concert first rather than split their attention between this and grabbing the concert goods. It might have been better if the start time of the general sale began after the concert ended.
And so...it was sort of expected that there would be a huge traffic jam online to purchase the goods on the Family Club website. I was waiting for my turn since 10pm (JST) and finally got in around 1am (JST). Luckily, I was able to get in to place my order before they closed the site for maintenance from 2am...phew! And thankfully, I placed my order for the concert DVD and photobook one day before the concert because I got kicked out of the site after placing my order for the concert goods. There were some regular merchandise which couldn't be ordered together with the concert goods so I had to log-in again today to place my order for these.
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Much has already been said about ARASHI's achievements in the media and on social media in the days leading up to this concert and after it. As such, what I'll like to pen here is more about my personal memories with the group rather than repeat what amazing things they've done over the past 26.5 years.
I knew nothing about Johnny's Juniors prior to ARASHI. Neither did I come to know about ARASHI by seeking information about them proactively or come to like them knowingly.
Everything, as they put it, came down to destiny.
Back in 1999, there was this TV show from Japan showing weekly on a channel in Singapore. During those times, access to Japanese shows was very limited. Not to mention, this show was in English which made it all the more rare. While I don't exactly remember the title of the show other than it being from NTV, there was a segment at the end of each episode which featured the top 5 singles on the Oricon chart. Viewers were asked to write in with their views on the show which gave them a chance to win the singles from that week when they were picked as winners. And so, I gave that a shot and happened to win the top 5 singles in the week which ARASHI was No.1 with their debut single.
Even so, I still didn't become their fan. I did find the song catchy but my level of Japanese proficiency back then wasn't good enough to comprehend what they were singing.
Something probably happened in 2000 that sparked my interest in the group. I believe one huge contributor was their first concert on VCD format which I saw in HMV. Japanese CDs and visual media releases were very expensive in that era, especially the imported ones for a poor student like me. While I don't think that VCD was from Japan, it was probably an official version meant for overseas markets like Taiwan since DVDs were not so prevalent then as compared to video tapes and VCDs. The short story is that, I bought that VCD and watched it so many times with the scratches that still can be seen to this date until I could remember the order of the songs and remembered the names of the members. And since that VCD came with Chinese subtitles, I could finally understand what they were saying and singing.
Around that time, there was an increase in the avenues where people outside of Japan could gain access to Japanese content along with the development of the Internet. In those early days, I remembered wondering why ARASHI was always on Music Station since they were releasing songs every quarter in the early years. And they sang the same song for at least three consecutive weeks before they came back again in a month or so to promote the next song. The longest record should have been "Kansha kangeki ame arashi" which I recall to this day, was sung for at least 5 weeks in a row! I was seriously hoping for them to stop singing that song again and again at that time. Of course, decades later, that song has a totally different ring to it now with feelings that were not as strong and heartfelt when they were just teenagers.
While I wasn't quite besotted with all of their songs at that time, I recalled how I found them to be quite endearing and there was a strange sense of camaraderie that arose from "seeing" them often. Perhaps it was also because I was about the same age as them - it felt like seeing them as friends who were going through the same life stages as me rather than idols who you fantasize or adore from afar. Maybe this was why I never saw ARASHI in a romantic sense. ^__^
However, there was something which kept bothering me in the first two years or so since their debut. I could feel that their music was getting somewhat repetitive and self-replicating that boredom was brewing. While I got that idol songs could be bubblegum pop, I was looking for more substance and variety in their music. Much as I still liked ARASHI, that wasn't enough for me to say blindly that I liked their music in the same way. I was still a student at that time so every dollar spent on their CDs was really hard-earned from my part-time job. And to buy these imported CDs was such an arduous task back then. Was the effort and money which I was putting in coming back in a way which satisfied me? The answer then was no.
By the time I got to "Boku no tame ni kimi ga iru", I was on the verge of giving up on their music. I told myself that I wouldn't buy any more of their singles after "Jidai" got me pretty disappointed but "a Day in Our Life" convinced me that ARASHI was trying a new direction which I liked. Then again, "Nice na kokoro iki" broke my faith. As such, I stopped buying their singles after "a Day in Our Life". And somewhere around that time, I had to sell off part of my ever-growing CD collection due to space constraints - that was when I sold most of these singles then. Including the very first ARASHI single (first press somemore!) which should be very valuable now...haha!
While I did listen to their releases on and off whenever they appeared on Music Station, I didn't buy every single nor album as like before. My feelings for the group were the same and grew as they appeared more on TV in dramas and variety shows and slowly became entertainers who could hold their own. Even so, I derived joy in seeing them in their comfort zone whenever they were together - you just couldn't fake being happy with your fellow members for such a long time unless you were truly feeling so. And to be honest, the early struggles ARASHI had with their music career turned out to be good for them in the long run - they were driven to succeed but never let that success get into their heads. As they kept saying, whatever they did was ultimately for the sake of ARASHI - to let more people know about the group and that without any of them, the group would not be complete. This was quite rare because in many groups, personal egos, rivalry and personality differences were often the triggers that prevented the longevity of groups. It's hard to love all of your colleagues, what's more - most of the groups didn't get a choice to decide who would be working with them. And as people grew up, it was inevitable that differences would arise.
Many people would probably attribute the resurgence of their popularity and rise to national stardom to Matsujun's appearance in "Hana Yori Dango" and the songs used as themes in the series. However, even before that, what pulled me back to their music world was the song "Pikanchi Double". Although the movie itself was more fun entertainment rather than meaningful for me, that song's lyrics really hit me hard at a juncture in life as a fairly new working adult. The key theme of how the blissful days of being young, ignorant and fearless were gone all of a sudden as reality set in really resonated with me. However, dreams and ideals were actually not lost but stored away somewhere in our hearts so it served as a timely reminder that not all was lost. And that was a signal for me - ARASHI's songs had "grown out" of standard idol fare.
Since then, I became more selective with what I bought. While I could not be considered a "consistent" fan who bought everything or watched everything, I supported in a way which was sustainable for me and in line with my preferences. I think that sort of coincided with my "growing up" along with their "maturing" - rather than supporting them blindly, I chose a way which was comfortable for me.
When the news of the hiatus came, it was not exactly a surprise. To do the same job for decades is already not easy for anyone. What's more, with the constant public scrutiny and the pressure of having to maintain an "idol persona" plus not being free to do what you want including fall in love, date, marry and have kids - it's really not easy. To me, I always thought that if that day came, it would be "all or nothing". Either they all continue or they all leave. So as expected, the decision was to take a break for a while, let Leader do what he wants and keep the options open. And since they prepared a year's worth of programmes to say a proper goodbye, I thought that it was good enough - in fact even more than what I would expect them to do. Then again, life is unpredictable and COVID-19 spoiled their plans. On hindsight though, if it was not because of that, the end of ARASHI might have been in 2020, not in 2026 so the past 5.5 years were "borrowed time" in a sense.
With the utmost sincerity and a proper avenue to say goodbye for real this time, the ARASHI chapter closes. From teenagers back then to being "middle-aged" in our 40s, there were so many memories and enjoyable times over these 26.5 years for me. It didn't matter if they didn't hit the right pitches or were struggling to sing "FIVE" after crying and choked with emotions. Or that they no longer looked like or danced like the idols they were in their 10s, 20s or 30s. The fact that they bothered to come back to close the chapter properly was just commendable. With the concert DVD and photobook only to be out in another 6 months times, the final closure for everyone will probably be at the 27th anniversary.
In the years I've supported various artists/groups, there were some which ended so abruptly e.g. SPEED and sometimes due to unforeseen or uncontrollable circumstances e.g. SMAP and TOKIO. Back then, when SPEED ended, I didn't feel too much because it was sort of expected as they started dabbling in solo music careers. And honestly speaking, it didn't feel like they were best pals anyway. For SMAP, it also didn't hit me much although I felt sorry for their fans for the hardly harmonious way it ended. For TOKIO, I think it was so regretful and there was a bit of anger I had about how it turned out.
In contrast, I don't have any hard feelings at all towards ARASHI and see it as an inevitable development as people grow up and move in different directions. Just like the friendships we developed as kids, students which take on a different form as we become older. We don't get to see each other that often but whenever we meet up, we can always catch up with each other's lives as if the absence or distance never really matters. As for sadness, I guess I felt it more at the pre-hiatus concert in 2020 than now because things were uncertain then and nobody knew what would happen during the hiatus. Since ARASHI gave ample time for everyone to prepare for this new stage in their lives and they had already given their best while they were ARASHI, it's fine. Just move on and be happy, no matter what you do.
Ending this tribute with these lines from "Typhoon Generation" which seems fitting for this situation:
じゃあ行ってくるから
OK, I'm heading off now
あっ、さよならじゃないよね
Ah, this isn't goodbye, is it?
また会えるから
We'll meet again
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