Translation: Potato March 2000・ONE of Arashi・Vol. 1 Aiba Masaki
SPECIAL Serial!!
ONE of Arashi
Vol. 1 Aiba Masaki

Every month we'll pick a member of Arashi and do a long interview with him, our new plan "ONE of Arashi". The first time is Aiba-kun's appearance. In the interview, while choosing his words he thinks and thinks... At times silent, Aiba-kun. Even so, as he wants everyone to know about himself, he answers earnestly. It's just a little bit, but don't you feel you'll get closer to Aiba-kun?


"I want to appear on TV"
From just a little bit of curiosity...

My motive for becoming an entertainer, well of course TV had a big influence. When I was in my first year of middle school [1] I saw an episode of Ai Love SMAP [2] where they played 3 on 3 basketball, and I thought "Oh, on TV you can play sports like that." At the time I was in the basketball club, and somehow from a little bit of curiosity where I wanted to appear on TV, I sent in an application myself, and a few months later a letter came saying please come to this place at this time. I only went thinking "well, I guess I'll give it a try," and at the time I didn't yet really want to seriously become an entertainer (smile).

Up until the third lesson... it really wasn't that interesting. Well, because I didn't have any friends there wasn't anyone I could talk to.... So I thought, "Maybe I'll bring a friend with me" (smile). "If it was only one, maybe they wouldn't notice." It was a joke, but around that time I started making friends with the people that lived in the same direction as me, and fit was from then on that I started having more fun. Even so, it seemed like an extension of my club activities, or another school. I had never done any dancing before, and of course I was in the row furthest back so I couldn't see how they were dancing up front... It was kind of like I somehow became able to dance, even I don't know how I did it. After a while I knew how fun dancing was, but it was incredibly difficult. Even now when I mess up the steps I get really frustrated.

Because of that, even when we danced at lessons, my club was much more fun. But, even though it wasn't like anyone was forcing me to go to lessons, I danced even though it wasn't fun. Although I still wanted to appear on TV, when I think back, I feel like some mysterious power was pulling me towards it.

I kept the fact that I was a Junior a secret even from my friends at school, and I planned on keeping mum about it until I was found out. So, as I gradually kept appearing in magazines, I was discovered at half a year (smile). I say "I've got something to do" or something as an excuse for basketball, but I was unable to come to the games, and when the coach got mad and I told him the truth he said, "Well, we'll leave a box for you, so just come when you can"... He was a good coach, I think. Although, in the end I became a member of the paranormal club (smile).

In the beginning it was difficult to do both basketball and Juniors, but I wanted to continue because I chose both of them. But when I became serious about work and that was also difficult... In the end I had to give up on basketball.

School was... I was going because clubs and lunch were fun (smile). Also, I went to cram school just in case [3]. There they taught one on one, and we went ahead of what I was studying in school, so I could understand mostly everything in class.

If I were to say something that's changed since I became an entertainer, I guess it would be that I have a sense of responsibility and self-awareness. Ah... But in actually that's recent, since we became Arashi (smile). When I was a Junior, for example I naïvely thought even if I missed a concert, someone would cover for me or things like that (smile). Of course I never did anything like that, and I was careful not to catch a cold. Even now I do that.

The first play I was in was Stand By Me [4], but I feel like I didn't yet have a sense of responsibility then....

-----

When I was told to I went to rehearsal, memorized my lines, appeared in the play... kind of. When I think back now, it's scary (smile). At the time, there was the staff that looked after us, and this is also me looking back, but I think they did a good job of looking after all of us brats. Now I can say I've become more aware of what's around me, but I'm afraid of things I don't know (smile).

I think I want to overcome
being afraid to talk to people

When I turned 17 I also thought it would be good if I could understand myself a little, but I don't really know how to understand myself (smile.)

If I'm asked what my strengths and weakness or something are, I'm really in a bind. People tell me my good point is my ability to see my surroundings gently, and my weak point is when it looks like I'm zoning out and not thinking of anything. I think, "Ah, that might be true," but I think my ability to zone out is a strength and a weakness. Because the time I spend zoning out is important to me. I guess I basically go at my own pace? Because I'm not really puzzled by people's meanings. Just, my fear of talking to people gets intense, and it troubles me (smile). I'm bad at showing myself to people I've just met.... If I'm going to be doing this kind of work, though, I'd better get over it.

Recently, since becoming Arashi, the members tell me I've become more talkative, but... I'm not the non-talkative type to begin with. Just, because I hadn't really seen Ohno-kun or Sho-kun very much, I guess they might have thought that.

I didn't talk to Ohno-kun very much when we were Juniors... The first time we met he was in a group of bigger kids so I thought he was older. But it's strange, even though he was in the group of bigger kids, when I asked their ages, there was a kid only a year older than me (smile). Oppositely, back then Sho-kun was really tiny, and I thought he was younger than me (smile). And of course he was a year older. MatsuJun was the same. He was so tiny I thought he couldn't possibly be only a year younger than me and must be younger. It was a course of events like, "So, those two aren't in elementary school, are they?" When I look at them now, I think, "haven't they both gotten bigger?" (smile). Nino was... a normal person (smile). He wasn't especially hard to get close to, and if I had to pick, I'd say he's on the side of being easy to talk to.

I haven't really thought about the future in concrete terms yet. Of course, right now I want to do concerts with Arashi, or I've thought it'd be good to do a regular television show.

As an individual, I think the best would be to be someone multi-talented who could do anything. Coordinating with that, I think it would be even better to establish a specialty. For that, now is important. I have to do lots of things, absorb everything, and make it into real abilities. And then I want to take all that and find what suits me in the future.

What I want to learn now? I wonder...? I guess it has to be mental strength. Because if I have something I'm worried about, I'm the type to concentrate on it by myself (smile). Although it's not that worrying is a bad thing, but worrying too much is... yeah (smile). Besides, even if you ask someone to help with your problem, you still have to come up with the answer yourself in the end... because there are also a lot of ways to come to that answer. I want to become a strong person who, even if I worry, rather than negative thoughts, I can have positive thoughts and turn those into something I can use as a springboard. I also want to learn discernment and adaptability... it might be difficult (smile).

Ah... I really talked a lot today. This is the first I ever talked this much for a magazine interview (smile).


I want to become a mentally strong person
who can turn worries into a springboard

Profile
Aiba・Masaki
Born on 24/12/1982. Born and
raised in Chiba Prefecture. Blood
type AB. Height 173 cm [5]. As an
acknowledged "Super idol" by
himself and others!? favorably in
the middle of growing!



NOTES:
[1] 7th grade in the US. Anyone turning 13 between Apr. 1st and March 31st the next year is in their first year of middle school. Return
[2] Ai love SMAP (what a very punny name) was a variety show that ran from 1991-1996 staring (obviously) SMAP. I mention it only because this is apparently the show that slowly built SMAP's popularity, using their uniqueness as a selling point, and it is this model other bands (like Arashi) now use. Return
[3] He says here he was going to cram school for getting into high school; in Japan high school is not mandatory and as such you have to take an entrance exam to get into one. Return
[4] Stand By Me ran in July-August 1997, and he was in it with Nino, Jun, and Ikuta Toma. Return
[5] About 5'8". Return


Many thanks to je_for8ver who is the originator of these scans.