#nobuaki katou

[merry-go-roundo]

¿Lloras mucho?

Fue divertido hacer esto :D

[japanessie]

MY FIRST STORY on Hey! Hey! NEO! with Downtown 30 Sept 2019

MFS was so excited over this one. Must be an honour to be invited to be a guest for these famous comedians, eh?

Disclaimer: I did this with a lot of help from FujiTV onscreen captions and Google speech capture technology wherever possible. My ears can’t do this 100% on their own LOL. Not to mention listening to this a countless number of times! Hundreds! I also rephrased things liberally here and there. The photo collages only serve as a summary. Surely a lot of things were misheard too. Sorry for all the mistakes and fails 🙈 . Here, I picked some parts of the lively conversation and left out the rest that I’m so hopeless at. Words in italic or bracket are my own addition. I also selected some Japanese words to remember and left out the ones I’m not ready for. Sorry it makes things look messy.

A bit of background…..

DOWNTOWN is a popular Japanese comedy duo from Hyogo consisting of members Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. So, this means, they use a lot of Kansai-ben. I can’t even pass standard Japanese, let alone Kansai dialect LOL.

MY FIRST STORY held a lottery for Fan Club members to attend the recording at FUJI TV, Odaiba City on 23 Sept 2019. I didn’t apply because I knew I would not be able to understand things on the spot. Not to mention I had no money to go anyway 😂. Congrats to those who got picked to go!

——————————————

MFS the “handsome"band?

Hitoshi Matsumoto: You guys are kinda like "Visual Kei”.

Hiro: (surprised) Really??

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Very handsome*.

* Not sure if he mentioned someone’s name or what with it.

Masatoshi Hamada: EH? (…looking at Hiro’s face…)

Everyone: (laughs)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: But I’m sorry ok (…putting his hand on Nob…), you are the least popular, I understand that*.

* Oh my God, that’s brutal (but I’m still laughing). Sorry Nob.

Everyone: (laughs hysterically)   Nob: (smiles and nods*)

* Aww…. Nob is so gentle & accepting. It’s not like he’s ugly though. Far from it. Especially if you’ve seen him in person. But it’s hard not to look super “unpretty” when sitting next to pretty boys like Hiro, Teru and Kid'z.

Masatoshi Hamada:   But first, they debuted seven years ago.

Hitoshi Matsumoto:  Since we know nothing about it, were you guys already this good-looking from the band’s formation time?

MFS members: (… err… how to answer this one?…)

Hiro: (…awkwardly..) I guess so. Maybe.

Masatoshi Hamada: Any huge place you guys want to perform in*?

* Actually I’m not really sure what he said. Just guessing ….haha.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (putting his hand on Nob again) Any problem with him*?

* Kinda like any problem with having a not-so-handsome guy in a band of handsome guys? OMG, brutal LOL

Everyone: (laughs)

Nob: (..somewhat startled…. what, me?)

Hiro: (raises his hand and laughs) No, no. We’re not that kind of band. He’s fine.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (nudging Nob) Don’t take it to heart, eh? Don’t take it to heart *.

* Not sure if that’s what he meant. Just guessing … huhu.

Everyone: (laughs)

——————————————

Hiro is such a chatterbox, they think he should just enter a grand competition

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (to Hiro) You’re such a talker*! (pretending to look annoyed) Are you going on R-1 Grand Prix or what!

* 喋り達者 / shaberitachisha (?) / master talker, chatterbox

Everybody: (laughs)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: I can’t even talk at all (when Hiro talks)!

Hiro: (laughs) No, no! I’m not going on R-1!

*R-1 Grand Prix is a popular competition where entertainers compete with each other making jokes or whatever funny things to win the title of champion.

* LOL Do you think Hiro talks too much?

——————————————

The Downtown guys know Hiro’s parents very well and are particularly good friends with Mama Mori

Masatoshi Hamada & Hitoshi Matsumoto: (bowing to Hiro in respect to Mama Mori) Send our regards to your mother.

Hiro: (bowing back) Thank you.

* Mama Mori did background narration for the comedy duo for many many years.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: I’ve been to your father’s concerts too.

Hiro: Ah, thank you so much (bowing to Matsumoto-san)

* Sorry, I don’t really understand everything else 😕. Matsumoto-san also mimicked Papa Mori’s onstage self-introduction but I couldn’t capture what was the joke… huhu 🙈.

——————————————

MFS team’s penchant for pranks & Nob’s heart of gold

Masatoshi Hamada: You guys like pranks very much, don’t you?

Hiro: We are mischievous with each other, either with the members or the staff. We do some light-hearted* “hidden camera” thingy. Playful**. Playing stuff on each other (laughs)

* 軽い / かるい / karui / light

* *遊び心 / あそびごころ / asobigokoro / playful

Masatoshi Hamada: (pointing at Kid'z and Nob) It was labour intensive* on you two.

* 骨 / ほね / hone / labourous

* 粗大な / そだいな / sodaina / grand

Kid'z & Nob: (smiling & nodding together)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Well, keep telling. About the after party and all.

Masatoshi Hamada: You did that in Taiwan!

Everyone: (watching clips of Kid'z and Nob being pranked)

* ネタバラシ / netabarashi / spoiler

Masatoshi Hamada: (patting Nob) That’s horrible, ne~? Did you feel it was really serious, that being overseas?

Nob: Well, I didn’t know a word (of Chinese). So, I was like, “Could I have brought this powder with me or what?” (gesturing being shown a packet of powder with his hands).

* 粉 / kona / powder

Everyone: (laughs) 

* Both Matsumoto-san and Hamada-san couldn’t believe what they heard.

Masatoshi Hamada: (walking up to Nob and tapping his body)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (reaching for Nob too & repeatedly slamming his hand up & down) Then you (should) just clearly* DENY** it!

* 明確 / めいかく / meikaku / clear, firm, solid, assure, precise

**  否定する / hitei suru / deny

Nob: (looking blurred & clueless)

Everyone: (laughs)

Hiro: (astonished at how goody-two-shoes Nob can be) You don’t say, “Could this be my powder?” in that situation!! You didn’t bring that, right?! 

Everyone: (laughs)

Hiro: In order to do that hidden camera prank, we firstly had to go on a special* trip to Taiwan. Then we had to add one Live performance to it too.

＊わざわざ / waza waza / specially, doing something specially rather than incidentally

Hitoshi Matsumoto: So, you did not do that onwards from that Taiwan live show?

Hiro: Yup, it was the other way round.

Audience: Eh??!!

Masatoshi Hamada:  (referring to the clip) That (felt like) half a year…

Hitoshi Matsumoto:  (…looking at Nob…) Dang! THAT entire time you were getting nothing BUT scolded* (by those actors?)?

* 恨まれる / uramareru / get scolded, get cursed ~ from the word 恨む / uramu

Everyone: (laughs)

Nob: (smiling and shaking his head)

* OMG, Nob is unbelievably nice! He’s not bitter at all.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: You’re the stuff for Wednesday’s Downtown*! (laughs)

* Wednesday’s Downtown is their famous comedy show.

——————————————

Why Teru was never picked for pranks?

Masatoshi Hamada: (puts hand on Teru) You are the only one who has never been pranked?

Teru: Yes, that’s right. I don’t know, (…looking at Hiro….) do you hate* me or something?

* Aww 😍…. so all this time, Teru actually feels being left out by Hiro 😮? He was like, Hiro, why you never want to pick me 😕? 

嫌わる / kirawareru / be hated ~ from the word  嫌う / kirau / hate, dislike

Hiro: No, no! The thing is, if it’s him (….pointing at Teru…), it wouldn’t be as funny.

Everyone: (laughs)

Masatoshi Hamada: How is that?

Hiro: He’s like (…still pointing at Teru …), whatever that’s happening*, he is unperturbed most of the time **.

* 起きる / おきる / okiru / get up, rise, occur, takes place

** 動じる / どうじる / doujiru / move, shift, motion

Teru: (laughs)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Aah you know, my eyes can see around and filter out for certain* who’s funny and who’s not.

* 確かに / tashikani / certainly, surely

Note: I only guessed the rest of his sentence LOL

Everyone: Ok (…. anticipating Matsumoto-san’s verdict….)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (…looking at Teru “scanning” him with a very serious face…) This one so totally NOT funny.

Teru: (…covers his face in embarrassment…)

* Spot on 😄! Teru oh Teru. When he tries to be funny, he just becomes corny & awkward instead. Strangely, when he’s not trying to be, that’s when he’s accidentally downright hilarious 😂

Everyone: (laughs)

Hiro: You may stop it right there * (laughs).

* Haha, so, it basically just stops there with Teru. Pranks may not work well on him because of his non-reaction to abnormal situations 😄.  But a true bromance story 😍. Hiro spared you all these times because he knew your character so well, Teru 🤗❤️💕.

* Aww... Teru was so embarrassed to be branded unfunny 😄.

——————————————

I don’t fully understand the joke where they asked Teru if he had some prank ideas on Hiro 🙈😭

*Disclaimer: Below is my best guess.

Masatoshi Hamada: (putting hand on Teru) How about your own?

Hiro: (realizing Hamada-san’s intention) For me?

Teru: (scratching his head) Hmm

Audience: Aaahhh!!

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (to Kid’z & Nob) Do you have something good for (prank) ideas?

Teru: (pointing to Kid’z, Nob & himself) The three of us are setting it up*. (nodding)**

* 仕掛ける / shikakeru / set up

** Does that mean “Yes, we’re thinking of pranking Hiro” 😍 ?

Hiro: (wide-eyed & taken aback by Teru’s answer) Holy cow! !

Masatoshi Hamada: Ah, good (….making a hand gesture as if putting something into something else….)*

* Don’t know the words he said here. Sorry 🙈.

Hiro: That’s not even a hidden camera thing!

Everyone: (laughs)

Masatoshi Hamada: You 3 guys can (shackle) him down and ….

Hiro: (looking at Hamada-san) That’s not even…!

Nob: (pretending to …hmm…. pour water onto something?)

Hiro: Normally I would already be complaining*!

* 訴えます / uttaemasu / complain

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Maybe make it like Masako-chan’s* hair or something (gesturing 2 pointy things on his head).

* If Matsumoto-san meant Masako-chan as Mama Mori, then I guess he was saying to tie Hiro’s hair into two girly piggy tails like his mother likes to do during her comedy skits as まーちゃん (Maa-chan).

Everyone: (hysterically laughs)

Hiro: (waving his hand & shaking his head) Ehh! How are you even going to get close to doing that?!!*

* Lets’s take Matsumoto-san’s suggestion LOL 😂 😂 😂

* Hiroki, you cunning little one! You’re so NOT wiggling your way out of this LOL

——————————————

How was that, my fellow MFS fans? I hope the rough idea is there even if I couldn’t get the thing 100% right.

Help and corrections are very much welcomed. Hehe!

Would love to hear your feedback about this talk. Do you think MFS is visually pleasing to the eye? Does Hiro talk too much? Do you feel Teru has no funny bones? Do you want to see Hiro getting pranked?

Oh wow! To me, I can see why DOWNTOWN is such a popular comedy team in Japan. They truly are hilarious! Thank you Matsumoto-san & Hamada-san.

[girugamesh-chaos-and-anarchy]

LET IT DIE

When I read the translation by @japanessie I fell in love with those lines

[neonyankomaru]

Haiiiiii~~~ Karena gw baru ada waktu sekarang jadi baru bisa posting di blog lagi, huhu. Dan berhubung gw juga tadi boring jadi gw bikin meme dari screenshots video mereka aja. (Credit pictures belongs to me) *Screenshots from MY FIRST STORY 「全心」Comment Video.

[talk3tiv3]

Addiction

MY FIRST STORY is really getting into me! I really just want them to succeed. They are amazing, and they deserve more love! Not just Hiro of course! Teru, Nob, Masack and Sho are amazing contributors to MY FIRST STORY. I want to mentally and physically support them but I am out of reach . *cries* They became an addiction to me each time I hear a song from them. I look forward to their worldwide tour in the future! Just Imagine this.

[japanessie]

HUGE Nob fan here! Are there any videos of Nob solos? I really wanted to buy his one man show but it was for limited time and only if you bought their live DVD (which I had just bought their older live DVD so wasn't prepared to spend more money at that time since buying stuff internationally is SO.DANG.EXPENSIVE.). I also think in addition, you had to buy from particular place? Anyway, just wondering if you know of anywhere else where I can hear Nob solos or songs he has composed.

Hi 😊

Yes, that Nob One Man Show DVD is a one-time only pre-order bonus. The only way to hunt for that DVD now is at the used market in Japan. The easiest place to find it is at Mercari Japan. Go there and enter “my first story nob dvd” and wish yourself luck. Prices vary as it is up to the sellers to decide. As I’m writing this, there are TWO offers available there at different prices. One is ￥1500 and the other is ￥4444. It’s a limited item. Of course it’s not going to be cheap! 

© Photo from Mercari Japan listing

The problem is sellers on Mercari Japan are not exactly the people who want to deal with overseas buyers (*think language barrier) and you shall need a middleman to buy  from there. Not all proxy companies offer buying services from Mercari. Below are two companies my friends and I have liased with:

1. Japan Depot

Reasonable fee of ￥200 if I’m not mistaken BUT closed on weekends. So, you can lose the item you want to another buyer during that time.

2. VV Japan

A bit pricey at ￥500 service fee but fast reply even after 6pm Japan time which is awesome if you are super desperate to get the item.

NOB’s side projects

Besides ZING, Nob along with Sho and a bunch of musician friends are now registered under a music agency called ON MUSIC. It’s pretty new as I’m writing this and there isn’t much written under his portfolio. But you may check from time to time if they announce anything.  

By the way, I hope you also have checked out BREAKERZ’s NEVER ENDING STORY which featured Nob and Kid'z as guest musicians.

https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/never-ending-story/1298544983?i=1298544990

🤗👌

[japanessie]

Hi! I noticed a few semi-old tweets from November from/retweeted by ZiNG and was hoping you could clarify since it's in Japanese and Google Translate apparently sucks with tweets. Did all of ZiNG or just Anchor participate in the song Respawn off the A3! VIVID AUTUMN EP? I've been waiting for another song release by them so I hope it's all of them 🙏

Hi 😊

Glad you asked! This slipped my mind, I’m ashamed to admit *feeling sheepish*. Well, based on the info given by the band on their official website here, all the four members of ZiNG (Anchor, Pierre, Nob, Yoshi) were involved in the making of the song RESPAWN. Anchor is the Composer/Lyricist and the guys worked together on the music arrangement. These are credited accordingly by PONY Canyon Japan 😊.

The EP is available to purchase internationally on iTunes too. It’s available in my country Malaysia. So, I’m guessing it should be there in most other countries too. I highly recommend buying the Instrumental version to hear the music arrangement better. I personally feel RESPAWN is the most agressive-sounding song on this album. It even has that signature Nobuaki Katou bass break in the middle. It certainly lives up to the song they made for Kamurai Tribe Game in 2017 as their debut 「一芸は天道に通ずる / Ichigei wa Tendou ni Tsuuzuru / An art will lead to Heaven」.

Note:

To new MFS fans who are not familiar with ZiNG, it is a side project that MY FIRST STORY bassist Nob has been doing since 2017. Besides Nob on bass, there are Anchor (main composer, producer), Pierre Nakano (drummer of 凛として時雨 / Ling Tosite Sigure) and Yoshimitsu Taki (guitarist of 9mm Parabellum Bullet). You may check out their website to keep up on their projects time after time 😉.

[japanessie]

Hii Shelly! Been reading your blog and it's extremely informative, so thank you for that! Anyways, i was really wondering what are your favourite songs from MFS! Thank you!

Hi there!!! 😁✌️

Hmm ….. that’s an interesting question 🤔. OK, my list changes with times I must say. There was a time when I used to listen to the album 虚言NEUROSE everyday during my daily commute to work as I liked ZERO Gravity and ROOM very much. I used to like What’s My Name? from BONEDS split album a lot too. Apart from the 1st song in the following list which is a crucial song to me, the rest are songs that I’ve noticed I tend to repeat every time I listen to them nowadays.

WARNING: I will be mentioning Taka and OOR a lot here. Read on to understand why.

1. 最終回STORY [Saishuukai STORY]

This is the most important MFS song for me because THIS is the song through which they stole my heart at the height of my “love affair” with OOR back in 2013. The one that turned me into an MFS fan. Don’t get me wrong, I still am an OOR fan. It’s just that I was also looking for something else I wasn’t getting from them. A certain kind of aggressiveness. Not necessarily had to be appealing to the commercial mass market. Something more metal yet still melodic and accessible. I was in love with the song March of Mephisto by Kamelot at the time and I wanted something that leaned more towards that. Then, I heard 最終回STORY. BAM! I found what I was looking for 😍! Different from OOR. Played it on repeat that night and it became the most played song on my phone quickly. I love everything about it and the MV, which somewhat hides the band members’ faces, is just right for it. It makes us focus on the amazing music and not their pretty faces. 

* Though I feel Hiro somewhat ruined it when he swang his mic at one point in the MV (one short second of a movement that his Onii-chan is famous for is enough to tarnish Hiro’s image for life 😖), but overall especially the angles that the video was shot, more than makes up for that “oops …” moment 😊.

2. 終焉レクイエム [Shuuen Requiem]

I do love string sections anywhere and the orchestral arrangement intensifies the song’s melancholic melody. Furthermore, I like how musically, this one leans more towards the work of older rock artists from HYDE’s generation than the younger OOR kind of crowds. It reminds me a lot of my favourite song Gekoukka by Janne da Arc from the anime Dr. Black Jack.

While I understand Hiro’s intention with BLACK RAIL, this one has a lot more depth and is far more revealing of his feelings about being cyber-bullied by some of his brother’s fans. I talked a lot more about it here.

3. 君のいない夜を越えて [Kimi no Inai Yoru o Koete]

Part of Sho’s musical works for Ochanomizu Rock. Musically, it’s safe and sweet.While it wasn’t love at first listen to me but thanks to the drama series, I got drawn more and more towards it. Upon finding out that Hiro cleverly inserted a lyric line that clearly mentions “my first story” which also seems to answer why he and big bro Taka appear detached in public, the song then totally etched itself on my heart. I wrote what I thought about that “hidden” message here. Despite the crazy accusations about him hating Taka, Hiro once again wants us to decipher all the clues he left here and there indicating how he carries his big brother in his heart very much ❤️.

4. FAKE

Surprised to see this one? This one is in a league of its own to me. I wrote my thoughts on it back in 2015 here. OK, this one represents the time when I was adjusting to the fact that Hiro was no longer a boy when I first saw the trailer. How he had blossomed into a man. I remember that day very well. My hands felt cold and my heartbeat was racing, telling myself, “He’s not a baby anymore. Accept it,” 😮. 

Just look at how he flirted with the viewers through the camera lens 😍.

He ended it with alternate wink of one eye! Oh my kokoro ❤️❤️❤️

The song also has a different and sexier groove that sets itself apart from other MFS songs. Listen to those crunchy rhythm guitars 😙!! My favourite part is when they put Hiro’s voice through that “groveling” vocal effect about 1 min into the song. Come on, how can I not find that sexy 😉? You don’t often get to hear Hiro sounding masculine, thanks to his high-pitched natural voice. So, this is where the right voice effect works very well to enhance the man side of him. I also love how schizophrenic the song arrangement is. How it twists to different turns one after another. Weird but good weird 😉. Whether you like the song or not, you have to admit that this song is only one of its kind in their repertoire as they have never made another song that sounds like FAKE again.

* Some fans compared the chorus to OOR’s Never Let It Go but still the overall feels of both songs are worlds apart. The former is an arena rock anthem with a soaring chorus. The latter is just weird but a deliciously sexy groovy kind of weird.

5. The Puzzle

The song that didn’t impress me AT ALL during the trailer. Then they released the video on STORYTELLER in full. Wow! Suddenly I knew how to appreciate it. You can feel the raw feelings and vulnerability they exuded with that video. The video was recorded at their 1st public performance after the lineup change. It was a period of MAJOR adjustment especially for the 3 youngest members Hiro, Teru and Kid’z. Hiro trying to hold back his tears mid-song, Teru still playing under Sho’s shadow and Kid’z (who was still worrying about fans’acceptance) doing his best to prove his worth by elevating the song through his own style of drumming. I almost feel like Kid’z was making his drum beats “sing” with Hiro at certain parts.

* For those just joining STORYTELLER Club, you can watch The Puzzle MV only after being a member for 90 days. Be patient, OK? It’s worth waiting to see Hiro’s raw pain when he sang the line “boku dake / only me”.

6. BOOM

I love heavy sounding bass lines which this song has in abundance. TQ Nob for your awesome work! What a pity it was not made into an MV. To me, this song is a missed opportunity for MFS to show the world especially the skeptics that they really do play a different kind of music from big brother band OOR. Where the big bro is more Good Charlotte & Yellowcard, this one has Limp Bizkit running through its veins. Different leagues. Fred Durst would be proud 😉

7. 悪戯フィクション [Itazura FICTION]

It’s dark and lyrically intense!  I wrote about what I think the lyrics are about here, here and here. Also, why I think it inspired the lyrics to LET IT DIE here. Then how to not fall head over heel over that drumming ❤️? Turned out it was the most challenging arrangement to Kid’z from that album and the one he worked the hardest on to get it right. Hmm …. does that mean I can now trust my ears to detect quality work? Hehe 😁. That sounds like bragging but, from the start, the drumming had been the part that drew me to this song 😊. A song meant to be performed in large halls/arenas.

8. 不可逆リプレース [Fukagyaku REPLACE] acoustic version

The reason? My mind likes to imagine Taka singing with Hiro on this version. Somehow I think the gentler music arrangement fits to bring the two brothers’ voices together onstage. Imagine them singing the lines “… I will follow you … follow you ….“ and “keep you close to me …. close to me ….” to each other. But, I want to see them both together onstage NOT because I think it would be an explosive collaboration. Instead, I want to see the “tears fest” that would happen on that stage. My mind also likes to make a bet who from each band would cry first watching them. My bet ….. from MFS, it’s a toss between Nob and Teru. Then from OOR, it’s Ryota. Am I sadistic or what 😮? Wanting a song to be performed just to see people cry 😄? 

9. REVIVER

I love how somewhat 80′s rock and old school this song is. I talked about that in this post. Even the MV’s aspect ratio is old school! Teruki shines here 😊. Proudly wearing an Ozzy Osbourne T-shirt. Basically declaring where his musical influences came from. OK. I don’t need to repeat REVIVER because they actually made TWO equally excellent versions of it and now they added the orchestral version too. Aah …. MFS loves me 😍!

Of course, like the rest of you, I love ALONE, LET IT DIE, Missing You etc. Special mention for AWAKE which I call “the song Hiro has never screwed up Live”. An older song Warning always makes me happy too. Another special mention is If I Am which everyone else seems to find lame but I, on the other hand, think that it has an epic acoustic potential LOL. Did you all see how dead and quiet the crowd was when they performed this song in the ITSUWARI NEUROSE Tour Final DVD 😂? Yeah, I think the guys need to revive the song with a different arrangement.

Sorry this got too long 😮

[japanessie]

Hi Shelly! I was just wondering if you could help me identify in which versions of MFS' CDs and DVDs I can find their bonus content. So far, I only know that Nobrose season 2 is in Antithese LE and ごっつぁんです！！ Vol.2 is in All Lead Tracks Storyteller ver. Where can I find Nobrose season 1 and ごっつぁんです！！ Vol.1? Also, are there any other bonus content I'm missing out on in other CDs/DVDs? I'm working on completing their whole discography hehe. Thank you! :)

Hi (^^)v

First of all, I really hope you had ordered the VR Edition MMA DVD at WIZY since you’re so enthusiastic about Limited Editions.

Hmm ….. ごっちゃんです！！Vol.1 DVD was a pre-order bonus for the Budokan DVD/BD + 虚言NOBROSE combo at HMV Japan. So, it’s not really available anymore unless someone decides to sell theirs.

However, you can get ALL THREE seasons of 虚言NOBROSE if you buy the official DVD. Retails at ￥3800 I think.

It’s this one.

[japanessie]

Hi Shelly, this morning while half asleep I read somewhere (but surely written in Spanish) that there will be a MMA tour dvd version that will contain also nob solo gig, but I'm honestly don't know either where I read it and if I read it for real or if I was still sleeping... Do You know something about it?

Hi 😊 It’s official. NOB ONE MAN SHOW will be the bonus DVD for MFS MMA Pre-Order …. BUT only if you order at selected retailers before the deadlines. They announced it yesterday.

For international fans, order only from HMV or Amazon Japan at the very latest by 15th April 2018. The other stores don’t ship overseas. For those who want to order the VR version from WIZY, the deadline is 8th April 2018.

[japanessie]

MFS Mini Wiki #6 ~ MY SECOND STORY

It’s been awhile since I last made a Mini Wiki 🤔. So, here goes 😎🤗

MY FIRST STORY had a surprise “guest" band on their STORYTELLER 2018 Tour when they kicked off at ZEPP Diver City in Odaiba, Tokyo. 

Introducing ……. MY SECOND STORY!

Meet the band members 😁

Aww ….. at last Kid'z got the chance to debut his singing outside the rehearsal studio.

The band performed SECOND LIMIT during the encore 😁. What do you think 😉? 

[japanessie]

Do you think Nob's solo performance will be on DVD? I love bass and I loved Nob's performance in Zing (i've replayed it so many times) so I'd be excited to hear what he's got, especially since he seems like a man of few words. I feel like in a way music is his way of communicating and being heard so I'm excited to hear just him and his style. I hope it's legit, though, and not another prank special or something.

Hi 😊

I believe it’s going to be on a DVD. They’re obviously planningsomething with it. Those fans who won the posters of their staff memberLuka had been invited to be there. I’m thinking maybe it would be abonus DVD for early bird reservation of the MMA Tour Final BD/DVD? Ormaybe a special edition for STORYTELLERS? I doubt they’re leaving it towaste 😁.

Aah… yes. Watching Nob slaying his bass lines with ZING is sosatisfying, isn’t it 😙? I do hope along with whatever “thingy” they’replanning on him, it will still be a real showcase of Nobuaki Katou.He’s a very versatile musician. He can play heavy music, pop and sappyromantic ballads with equal aplomb.

I do believe the show will be turned into a DVD. MFS is still essentially aself-funded indie band and they’re always looking for whateveropportunity available to generate income. Look at how they practically“plastered” their names on EVERY freakin’ product all over the boothsat Makuhari Messe 😄.

Here is our Nobu with his side project ZING again to refresh our memory 🤗😎

[japanessie]

what is nob’s これがホントのALONE one man show?

From the name itself, it should mean Nob performing all by himself at Tsutaya O-East. Nob is an accomplished musician on his own. He had played for nano, BREAKERZ, that guy from Johnny Entertainment (forgot his name …. sorry 😕😓) and the latest ZING. He can sing and play the guitar besides playing the bass.

But MFS is unpredictable. The last time, they would even organize a concert in Taiwan just to prank him. So, while I hope it’s a real Nob solo concert, I wouldn’t be surprised if the band has another thing in plan.

[japanessie]

MY FIRST STORY individual New Year 2018 messages

Honestly, I have no idea whether the writings on those pieces of paper are “messages” or “new year resolution” or “motto” or “wishes” or what. I just looked at them and thought, “What on bloody earth are you guys trying to say?”

NOBU:  ヒゲ男 / hige otoko / Beard Man

HIRO:  好きな人が優しかった /  sukina hito ga yasashikatta / My favourite person was kind.

TERU:  エレガント /  ereganto / Elegant

KID’Z:  小顔になりたい /  Kogao ni naritai / I want my face to become smaller.

0_0???

Ok. Nob made sense LOL. I totally surrendered guessing Hiro’s intention or who the person is. Come on, many people had been kind to him in 2017. Is Teru self-promoting himself as “elegant”? Haha. Hmm…. based on how he looked at MMA Final, I’ll just say, “Yes”. Oh, also “Yes Teru, keep showing those sexy legs again, please,” 😊. Kid’z!! LOL 😂 . Teru really destroyed you, sweetie. He said you had a big face. Kid’z dear, your Hollywood jawline and Johnny Depp checkbones are perfect as they are 😊

[japanessie]

Nobuaki Katou’s side project ZING has been out since mid December 2017!

Watch our Nobu slaying his bass line at the middle part there!

Why didn’t I see this before? 0_0?? MFS did announce this last year but I don’t recall them showing this video.

Anyway, ZING is a 4-people unit comprising Pierre Nakano (Drums), ANCHOR (Composer, Lyricist, Arranger), Nob (Bass / MY FIRST STORY) and Yoshimitsu Taki (Guitar / 9mm Parabellum Bullet).

I wasn’t expecting the song to be instrumental. It’s a cool, uptempo song that surely belongs in any Anime or Game theme. It really was made for KAMURAI TRIBE but I think the App is only available in Japan. Check the official Twitter here. But KAMURAI TRIBE or not, you’ll enjoy this song either way (^^). 

Ahh … I’m so proud how the members of MFS are actually respected musicians in the rock music community in Japan despite being overshadowed by Hiro’s family relation and OOR comparison. I wish more and more people could see that.

[japanessie]

Getting to know Teruki ~ a man of very few words

Disclaimer: This is of course NOT 100% accurate of what they said. Far from it …. hehe! Just an oversimplified translation of what went on. I rephrased & left out what I didn’t get. I’m sure I misheard things too. Totally not sure what was the last word Teru said there. Skipped it. Hu..hu.. my Japanese listening skill is a sorry state of existence 😁.

This is just to give a rough idea of what was going on when Teru was asked to talk about the ALL LEAD TRACKS album for TOWER Record’s No Music No Life. Yes, I exagerated it a bit though 😁. Anyway, unlike the others who eloquently expressed their thoughts, Teru was like, “hmm … what to say?“. Of course his bandmates had a jolly great time laughing at him. But if you observe him in interviews, he has always been quieter and less articulate.

Me: Still can’t forget that he uttered only ONE word onstage in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Even if he’s too shy to speak English but ….. ONE word? No kidding. And that ONE word was “BOO!” :-P