(no subject)

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

 I see and hear a lot of horror stories about other bands on their fandoms, be they American, Japanese, or (especially) Korean bands. Fans who hate new members, fans who hate certain members, fans who attack other fans - it's craziness all around.

Now I don't know about the Japanese fanbase, but you guys are six ways to awesome. I've seen know bashing of Ohno from this so-called scandal; just concern and a lot of laughter over how silly he looks while drunk. I've seen very little 'so-and-so sucks' and a whole lot of love, no matter what band member you like best.

So I have to wonder, what, in your mind, makes Arashi fandom different? Is it the crack rainbows? The members? The crazy things they do? What makes you guys so cool, seriously?

 Edit: I usually try to reply to everyone to be sure they know I've read what they posted, but there's just so many replies, wow. @_@ I really appreciate how much feedback you guys have given me, even if I can't reply to everybody!

Comments

[coathangerwings.livejournal.com]

i think most arashi fans take their cue from arashi themselves. the guys are such a peaceful group (for the most part) that their fandom behaving otherwise just doesn't compute.

and, of course, there's always the crack. ;)

[patziepiva.livejournal.com]

I agree with what you said.
If i wasn't wrong, i think Jun said once that if Arashi were animals, they would be those who eat only vegetable as they are not harmful to others. I think most of us fans take that cue as well.

and yes, not to mention the raibows :)

[thefrug.livejournal.com]

to me, they just seem really outgoing and they all have their own individuality which I really like. I was into boy bands when they were the big thing in the US and I never got this kind of feeling from them. You can really see that not only do they enjoy their work with Arashi and their own projects...but they all support each other in their own projects. Like Jun giving Riida boosts of confidence when Maou was starting and Sho being at the Letters from Iwo Jima premiere to support Nino. They just have a great bond which I don't with other groups or bands for that matter.

And the rainbows.
<3
Shan

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

I really admire how hard they work, yet still retain their individuality. Nino is a gamer, and manages to focus on that, yet he still accomplishes so much.

[loller-pop.livejournal.com]

"Fans who had new members, fans who hate certain members, fans who attack other fans - it's craziness all around."

I know what you mean!! Just the other Day a HUGE Fight broke out at this one comm!! NOt Naming!! But I checked your user info and you're part of that comm too!! XD Are you talking about something similar to that!! XD

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

Ha, it's probably one I don't check anymore. XD; In those cases, I just want to like the band, and have nothing to do with the fans. It's sad to say, but so much negativity isn't worth it.

[arashic0804.livejournal.com]

arashi is diff from others boyband as i c them as a humble group despite their popularity and their success esp this year(2008 is really their year)..and the relationship between the members made me like them most coz i think they act more like a brothers and family to each other instead of co-workers..and thats made them different...its hard to hate one of the member...hehe..and which group do more baka things together compare to this group and enjoyed being a baka..XD

[manonpikamishi.livejournal.com]

If anything, it's probably because the guys have a stronger relationship, so the fans get along better with one another too. The fans will usually be attracted to the group that most appeals to them...so the group that is most like themselves?

[hakka-candy.livejournal.com]

Arashi's so amazingly good-natured that you just can't help but be the same. The shiny rainbows and sparklies are a plus. :D

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

Positive attitude is catching! XD

[mee-goreng.livejournal.com]

Arashi is a tight group.

The crack and rainbows are bonus of course.

(http://photobucket.com)
"We are Arashi!" ♥

Above all, we, fans are very supportive of them.

[dvampyrlestat.livejournal.com]

simple.

Arashi's bond rubs off on us.

Plus they put a whole new spin to 'friendly competition' in the fact that they are not competing. You can see how, instead of outdoing one another, they unite to support each other instead. In short, they lend their strength to each other.

Ohno said it best: "We are best with 5 of us."

And us fans take our cue from them. :)

[violomana.livejournal.com]

I agree with all of the above. ^^

It also helps that Arashi can make fun of themselves A LOT and know when they're being completely ridiculous. Which in turn, allows us to make fun of them. I notice that most of the time Arashi fandom icons and things are full of good humour rather than sex-appeal, cuteness, and whatnot.

Besides, it's hard to get much hate around with so many rainbows being spouted in your face. xD

[coathangerwings.livejournal.com]

exactly. =) i think that no matter what kind of scandal arashi gets into (as long as they're within ethical reason -- i draw the line at murder), we all can get over it precisely because we, arashi and fans, can look back, see how absurd the whole thing was, and laugh at ourselves.

...hopefully.

[spikiegirl.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with everyone but I wanna add that it may also have to do with the fact that Arashi debuted 9 years ago (yes time flies so quickly) so the fans grew up, they are more mature and don't feel the need to "fight" between each other or to bash any member, that's what makes this fandom so peaceful and even if a new fan only like one member at the beginning, I think that after watching all kind of Arashi's stuff they can only grow to like the rest of the band ... that's the power of Arashi XDD

Oh and I know how are korean fandoms, it's pretty scary sometimes but I'd rather stay out of all the mess and simply enjoy the music and videos ^____^

[violomana.livejournal.com]

lol, it has been a while, hasn't it? For me, 3 years. And I'm sure there are others who have been around longer.

[kamelli.livejournal.com]

it's definitely all about the LOVE!!! not from fangirls, but from arashi themselves...though the love from the fans makes it more reachable (meaning that I can join them)...I'm actually a fan of another JE band (clue:*points at my icon*) earlier but I somewhat realized that I just loved a specific person there (clue again:*points at my icon*) and the other members as a bonus...but with arashi...I just love them all!!!Sometimes, I can't choose who I like more from arashi...Because I love it the most when they are together and not just individuals...I hope I explained the love with this...

[bigmow.livejournal.com]

I've been looking around in alot of fandoms, and Arashi is the one I like the best. Because I am usally a pretty calm, but cracky person who hates when alot of drama is caused, and things like fights, I don't really go there, if I don't have to. And in my concern, fights in the fandom aren't necessary.
And according to me, The arashi fandom is pretty calm, but cracky.
So I'd have to agree with Manonpikamishi. "The fans will usually be attracted to the group that most appeals to them...so the group that is most like themselves?"

This is what I feel. Since we all know how Arashi are. :D Just lovely. You always want to be a little like your idols, right? You like the qualities of your idols, otherwise you wouldn't admire them. :D

[zedstar.livejournal.com]

As everyone has been saying, we take the cues from Arashi themselves. While when you look at stuff they were doing when they first debuted you can see that they weren't really that close, they've become very close.

What attracted me to them was entirely their silliness, how they have that affection for each other and tease each other at the same time. While I know that most people have their favourites, and some people don't really like one member, I think the fact that Arashi value every member so much makes it really hard to really dislike a part of them. It's like it would be offensive to the rest of Arashi (at least, that's how I feel about if I said "oh I wish x would leave, the band would be so much better!") They also all have their own strengths and weaknesses, which they're all aware of. ^_^

It's really hard to be negative towards anything that's just so positive.

[zedstar.livejournal.com]

Oh- I should say that I think this is more for the foreign fans of Arashi. At the concerts, I just find a LOT of the girls there really bitchy towards other fans. Some are nice and awesome, but considering how BITCHY the fans were to me at the last concert- AUGH. However, the first two fans I met (in 2006 at Arashic Cool and Soul concert) they were LOVELY.

I think the Japanese fans often tend to think of other fans as being competition.

[rachie241282.livejournal.com]

This fandom was a totally different fandom I've been into years ago! Actually though I'm still a very new fan (about 9 months) of arashi, they make me come back for more all the time! They have this very boyish, next door boys feeling which I can't seem to find in any other je groups.

They boys teach us values, teach us friendship. They are natural in front of cameras, they don't try to compete with any of their members for fame or popularity and I really love how humble they really are. True or untrue, from what I observed from watching tons and tons of arashi's videos, I feel their strong bond in friendship. That's probably why Johnny-san values this group so much and wants to protect them from the ugly side of entertainment world. I heard johnny-san gave them a reward for being some united group. :DDDDD

I was getting naggy up there. LOL

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

They have this very boyish, next door boys feeling which I can't seem to find in any other je groups.

Yes, that's it! I always get a 'little brother/neighbor boy' vibe from them, even though all of them are older than me. XD;

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

I might be the only one that's sort of different, but idk, concerning fandoms over bands and stuff, I don't see a lot of that hate in the American bandoms that I'm in. but I think it DOES have a lot to do with the fact that they - and Arashi - put themselves in a light that makes it so difficult to hate, because you have five wonderfully different guys with an amazing bond! and I think what makes them different is that you can tell they actually LIKE each other; bands, be it boybands or regular bands, always fall apart at the seams when there's member in-fighting, and fans can really zone in on that and we're an impressionable lot. there isn't going to be loyalty if the members can't even, first and foremost, be loyal to each other.

but anyhow, Korean fans are terrifying. it's why I dropped out of Korean fandoms a looong time ago; now I just stick to my FBE/Decaydance and Arashi and it's so much happier! idk how people in Korean fandoms do it. D: and sorry about all the edits, my mind is clearly not up for srs fandom bzns at 7 AM, esp not after spending all day at Warped Tour yesterday. @_@

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't want to paint all American band fandoms with the same brush; there are a lot of bands with great fandoms, and who have great energy themselves. It's just that I've seen a lot of cases where even those fandoms have That Crazy Fan, or group of them, that just embarrasses the rest of them. (This happens in a lot of other fandom types too.)

I've yet to see any example of that with Arashi so far, and it's really awesome! I had to drop out of Korean band fandoms too, it just got too much. :/

Oh man, you went to Warped Tour? How was it? I'm going to be working at there when it comes to my town, I hope it's a good show. XD

[booksandsarcasm.livejournal.com]

I think that even though at times our opinions vary on the severity of the issues and whether it's a big deal or not are there, we all remain at least from what I've seen, pretty civil towards one another. I've to date only seen about three instances where better manners were required. I think it's because in the end we all really care about them in our own way and just want the issue resolved in the best way. I'm glad many of us can remember that.

[mainichi-muri.livejournal.com]

♥
Well, my two cents is that Arashi really love each other (too much xD) and it really affects the fans as well. AHAH. okay, so, this isn't entirely an original thought but truly! Arashi is the only group that puts me in such knots whenever people ask who I like best.
Also, like zedstar mentioned, the way they go on about each other, one does feel such offense if they were to say that they disliked any particular member. Arashi is one of the only groups I know that have such such harmony.

And, though this may seem a little immature and unrelated (pardon me ne XD) but I have to say, if you were to look at all the fanfics [I know I know, bear with me?] written by the fans, Arashi is the only group I know that has unlimited pairings. In other words, everyone with anyone. You know what I mean? HAHA. And since these fics are written by the fans themselves, it does show how much they (we) respect Arashi's strong bond. :D


whoops. got a little lengthy there XD

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

Ha. XD I don't read fanfics about real people; it just doesn't suit with me, although I'm find with other people writing/enjoying them, but that's pretty funny.

On a slightly related topic, I get the feeling that if one of them were to find someone they wanted to marry, we would be the first to cheer him on. Even if it was not in one of those ships. XD;

[katzichan.livejournal.com]

I've seen this too. I think it's really amazing.

I'm going to agree with everyone else. Taking our cue from the band themselves... it's the rainbow-flavored crack. The member-ai. The mutual respect and sincerity that permeates the group is part of what draws their fans, and people who find that attractive about the band are more likely to treat their fellow fans with respect.

What draws people to Arashi, in my opinion, is something really sincere... and that brings about sincerity in the fans. ♥

[miduhyo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and I think, like people have pointed out, Arashi have been together for a long time and a lot of us have been fans for a long time. Like, for me, it's only been... four years, and I know a lot of people have been fans for even longer. If, after four years, something like this could actually change my opinion of any one of them, then something's wrong.

I kind of weirdly feel like I've grown up with them or something, having learned so much from their friendship and their respect and love for each other, so it's like... stuff like this isn't even important.

Also, it sort of makes me love Oh-chan more. <3

[woelvs.livejournal.com]

I think it's the fact they I respect them. Because of their tv shows and such it's much easier for us to see them as who they might really be, as opposed to american celebrities where most of our contact with them is on the red carpet and it gives us the illusion that they are elegant and fancy or better than us.
Arashi never does stuff like that, they are just their dorky selves all the time.
Bascially they are one of the few things that can always make me happy and for that I will love them no matter what happens.

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

And American celebrity scandals compared to theirs... I mean, a tabloid with pictures that could have been taken off of facebook and a lot of hearsay, compared to actually being busted with drugs and given jail time? I hope this all gets cleared up for Ohno soon, but it's hard to think of it as shocking in comparison.

[nicefinalbeam.livejournal.com]

I love Arashi because Arashi loves us. They have to in order to be working so hard. They give us music, television shows, act in dramas, have some really fun fan service... they honestly try to please everyone, or at least as many people as possible.

I, personally, feel as if it would be unfair to drag them down by not letting them make mistakes. Choosing to hate a member or yell at another fan for their opinion.

Arashi time is happy time! Everyone loves them so much, I can't really see what there would be to fight about anyway.

[misazgraffito.livejournal.com]

So so agreed. heh, I know of friends who look at this ONE band that I really like (yea, I'm quite serious) and they are like, "wth do you like about them??? They look so..normal!"
I guess the thing everyone likes about them is the fact that although they are a group, they are also really really close friends. At least, that was what drew me to them as a group. ... I'm not sure if I make sense. xD
The fact they are so open makes us feel close to them? I really agree with morimoli here. They aren't glam-kings like those from hollywood, but they just act like a bunch of normal guys.

as for other groups going crazy...well. I've heard of them, but never really seen them (i'm quite new to fan-stuff anyway- arashi is the first group i've really liked) .. But isn't it a case of maturity? ._. Pick a fight for what? haha!

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

I love the fact that they're so normal looking!

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

we should set up some large internet bzns so everyone with webcams can stream all of us doing the "A.RA.SHI" dance at the same time. how's THAT for support, JE. D:

[a-monchan.livejournal.com]

after reading through these, i pretty much agree with everything.. the fact that this fandom can put everything aside to compliment each other and the boys is a perfect example, isn't it? =D

but i just wanted to say, this made my day. all the love and crack in the middle of this "scandal" is exactly what i needed<33

HOORAY FOR RAINBOWS!!

[steelthorns.livejournal.com]

XD Hooray for rainbows indeed!

[mswhittacker.livejournal.com]

I think what makes Arashi so great is that each of them has their strengths. No two members are the same. Sho's got his newscasting skills as well as his university smarts, Aiba's a variety-TV-man and likes to do his own weird thing, Jun's got all the ladies checkin' Arashi out because of his dramas, Nino's busting into Hollywood getting international attention, and Oh-chan's got his art and now Maou. They've each got their distinct personalities and they don't treat any member like they're unwanted or unequal. They're all BFFs like you ladies have said.

I think Arashi fans love each and every member because they're all so different. It's not like "I've got everything I need with *so and so*, and those other members, whatever."
They ARE the best with 5. (Which is a perfect number, unlike 10 which is too many! D: Still love those boys though)

About the scandal with Ohno, I don't think this sort of thing would even hold it's own in America/Canada. Maybe it's because of the cultural differences between Japan and North America that makes it alright with us. While the fans in Japan are like D: "Oh noes~!"