Translation: Potato May 2000・ONE of Arashi・Vol. 3 Ninomiya Kazunari
SPECIAL Serial!!
ONE of Arashi
Vol. 3 Ninomiya Kazunari

"ONE of Arashi", an interview centered on upbringing, memories for being a Junior, and "me in the future". This time we asked about Ninomiya Kazunari-kun's slightly painful, slightly surprising story.


My rival is my older sister!?
Thanks to that, my grades were okay.

I'm one of those people who remembers a lot from when I was little, and at the preschool I attended for 3 years and 11 months I was bullied the entire time. In addition, all the bullies were girls (smile). The reason I was bullied was I was a pretty weak kid (smile). I didn't cry, but in the second half even reacting to them became bothersome, so I wouldn't. It's since then I guess, that I've had a tetchy personality. That, and it seems like I was also off somewhere. People around me often said, "You're weird."

When I entered elementary school, at the beginning I was bullied again (smile). Somehow, it was like I had been sent a life where I would be bullied (smile). My friends didn't mean to bully me, more like they just wanted to tease me a little, though. For example I'd get stabbed with the end of a broom or something... One time 3 ganged up on me. But when that happened even I couldn't just take it. On the way home I got into a fight with the three of them... As you might expect, when I beat the three of them I was exhausted (smile). Well, it was a kid's cute fight, and from then on I became strong mentally!?

And, I could study, if I do say so myself! I never got below a 70 in any subject. Oh, one time I got a 0. That's because I forgot to write my name (smile). I think I was able to understand what the teacher was saying in class very quickly, and just [by going to class] I was able to study. My sister was extremely good at studying, so my frustration at losing when compared to her also helped. On my report card there were three levels, "Let's work harder," "Let's try our best," and "Well done," and I only had one or two "Let's try our bests"s, the rest were all "Well done"s. "Let's work harder" was in tidiness (smile). Even now I'm not good at that. I put all my might into playing also, so I think I was just a snot nosed brat, a stupid kid (smile). I was also foolishly honest and believe things that were a lie any way you looked at it... I was simple. [1]

Even though I was that stupid, in fifth grade I announced my candidacy in the class representative elections, and surprisingly I was elected. That wasn't me, but a friend recommending me, so I had no choice. Fifth graders had a class suffle [2], so it was difficult to get the new class to acknowledge me, but I think it was a good experience. Later, when we were deciding the representatives to the student council, I also helped cheer on friend who had announced [his] candidacy. Next to the the friend saying "OO-kun is a good guy, so please vote for him" I was the one saying, like, "that's right, that's right" (smile).

Because I was like that, I had popularity as an interesting kid, but as I cool kid I wasn't popular at all.

My first love? When I was in third grade. She was in another class, and her smile was cute. I'd make up stupid reasons to go and see my male friends in that class so I could go and see her (smile). We probably graduated without her even knowing I liked her... Ah, unrequited love, it's somehow nice, isn't it (smile).

Then, just before I entered middle school, my cousin out of the blue said "let me take your picture" without giving a reason. I sort of messed with [her], saying "Well, if it's in front of the butsudan [3] and from the side, okay." I was also in my pajamas and I looked like I had just woken up (smile). And it was just the one picture. That changed my life. That picture was sent to the company. ...I thought, in this world, you never know what will happen.

-----

"I can't keep doing this"
With this determination I became an entertainer

In June even when the company contacted me, I didn't know what they were talking about, and I thought maybe my sister wanted to join an acting troupe or something (smile). At the time, my [mother] said it was a once in a lifetime experience, so go to the interview. But I wanted to continue the baseball I'd been playing since I was little. So when I was about to refuse because I didn't want to go, my [mother] said she'd give my some pocket money, so I said, "Well, I'll go then." It looks like the key to me going to the interview was my wanting pocket money (smile). At the audition all I did was kind of shake at the back (smile). After that, everyone introduced themselves in front of a camera... Everyone was cheerfully and livelily saying in a loud voice, "Please treat me favorabl~y!" But I was only really there to net a little pocket money, so I only said my name normally. So, in this world once again you can never tell what will happen, and three days I was doing a magazine interview and going on Music Station. Although I had baseball practice myself, since they went to the trouble of calling me with work, I went. But, from the time I entered, I seriously thought, "I have to do this responsibly." Because, since I was just a snot-nosed brat, I felt strongly that it was a world I definitely wouldn't be equal to if I stayed that way. That and, it was tough running the snot-nosed brat road (smile). So, I guess I somewhere thought entering the harsh entertainment world would be better, it's a serious subject.

When I entered the company, I was told by one of the company's people something like, people who didn't want to do it could quit whenever. But when I was told that, because of my personality that hates to lose, I had extraneous motivation. [4]

After the play (Stand By Me) [5], when I was doing the drama Amagi Goe (broadcast 1/1/98) by myself, I thought, "why am I doing this kind of thing with a buzz cut?" (smile). It was a mysterious sensation. So, on the first day of filming I had a scene by myself, and when I looked around there were cameramen, lighting people, sound people, costuming people, tens of people working just to help me. Once I thought that, my sense of responsibility came out even more. Thinking back on it, at the beginning I was able to have a lot of good experiences.

Something I think is interesting when as I'm working is that there's a self watching the "performing self." I think that's something a normal person can't experience, but it's mysterious that there's a me performing, and a me watching that. Besides, I'm a complicated person I can't really explain in a sentence, speaking roughly, there's the working me, the private me, the me who's still a snot-nosed brat, the Arashi's me, the weirdly adult me, lots of mes. But I like myself that way. Because if I rejected myself, I couldn't live.

From that day my life changed, 4 years have passed this way, this world where the more you try, it's a world where when you think you can see what's ahead, you can't, I think. So, I guess I might want to see what's ahead, the parts I don't know yet. If people could see everything it would be boring, and there are things you can and can't come to conclusions about if you think about them, so I'm deciding there's no need to think about things too deeply. Just, my curiosity isn't half hearted, so I'd like to try to do this and that and everything. I want to get loads of experiences I can only do now. I'm always thinking this, and the fact is, even though right now I'm gaining a great experience... I guess I might be greedy (smile).

I'm a complicated person with a lot of selves
But, I like myself that way

Profile
Ninomiya・Kazunari
Born on 17/6/1983. Born and
raised in Tokyo Prefecture. Blood
type A. Height 168 cm [6]. Starting
April 15th, the new version of the
Eskimo Pino commercial has been on air!


NOTES:
[1] I mean the kind of dumb "simple." Return
[2] Apparently this seems to be, for some reason they elected him representative at the end of the year before but in fifth grade that old class was split up between different teachers? Or, for some reason, in the middle of the year they had to switch all the students into new classes? It's kind of unclear, sorry. Return
[3] A butsudan is a household Buddhist altar where you put pictures of deceased relatives and stuff. Most young people don't have proper butsudan in their homes, but the stores where they sell them are really awesome. Return
[4] This is, he didn't want to do it in the first place, but he certainly didn't want to *give up*, so sort of against his will he really became motivated to succeed. Return
[5] Stand By Me ran in July-August 1997, and he was in it with Aiba, Jun, and Ikuta Toma. Return
[6] About 5'6". Return


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