#we are smap

[matsuganemite]

Protectors ☆ We are SMAP!

[lunar-gl1tch]

popuko slammin that para para like it's awakened the childhood bakki programming

this is a really important comic that i couldn’t believe not one typeset yet

translation from danbooru

[ner1ahh]

Smapo. Rotat e. Smap o. Rotato FASTER Smapo. Go. g O. Can you FEEL it, Sma am po? YES FEEL THE SPED. WE HAVE REACHED MAXIMUM VLELOCIPY.

[amayaonly1]

Verses Unwritten: A Rap Odyssey

Eminem x Rapper!OC

Verse 12

About: Eminem is unable to shake his thoughts of Genji after she visits his house. But after a conversation with Hailie about Genji's genuine nature, he is forced to confront his growing fascination with her as he starts questioning the walls he has built around himself, perhaps hinting at a shift in his perspective.

*Italics: Speaking in Japanese

"Verses Unwritten: A Rap Odyssey" Chapter List: Verse 1 | Verse 2 | Verse 3 | Verse 4 | Verse 5 | Verse 6 | Verse 7 | Verse 8 | Verse 9 | Verse 10 | Verse 11 | Verse 12 | Verse 13 | Verse 14

Disclaimer: This work is a work of fiction, and any involvement of the character Genji is purely fictional and not representative of any real person.

The hum of the studio equipment filled the air, broken only by the occasional scratch of a pen or the faint shuffle of papers. Eminem sat back in his chair, the faint glow of the computer monitor casting sharp shadows across his face. His mind wasn't on the beats loaded in the DAW or the lyrics he'd been scribbling earlier. It was somewhere else — on Genji. Specifically, on the memory of her at his house with Hailie.

He rubbed a hand over his face, the scene replaying in his mind like a tape stuck on rewind. Hailie had taken to her instantly, and watching Genji patiently guide her through that school project was something he couldn't shake off. He barely acknowledged it at the time, brushing Genji off like she was just another fleeting collaborator.

"Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath.

It hadn’t even been that long since they’d worked together, but it felt like a lifetime. Genji wasn't like anyone else in the business: no pretences, no drama. When they were in Dre's studio, she had this laser focus, diving into her work with such quiet determination. She didn't expect him to be anything other than himself, and that unsettled him.

He hadn't let anyone in like this for years. Trust wasn't something he gave freely, but with her, it felt different. Her calm and collected interactions with others were contrasted with his usual whirlwind of frustration and sarcasm. Even that night, she didn't back down from him, never taking his anger personally. That should've pissed him off; instead, it drew him in more. The more he tried to push her out of his head, the more she crept in; the more she occupied his thoughts, the more irritable he became. He was starting to resent how much of his focus she was stealing, how her presence drove him up the wall.

He now realised the problem — it was too easy to be around her.

He reached for his phone, his thumb instinctively hovering over her Twitter profile. He caught himself before pressing it, tossing the phone onto the desk like it had burned him. What the hell was he even doing? Checking on her? She wasn't some high school crush. He didn't even do this kind of thing.

Without thinking, he opened YouTube and typed her name into the search bar. A few music videos popped up, along with interviews he'd already seen. But then something else caught his eye — "Genji on SMAP×SMAP (with ENG Subtitles)". The thumbnail showed her mid-laugh, her smile lighting up the screen as she sat among the five hosts. His thumb hovered for a second before he clicked.

Curiosity won. He clicked.

The screen filled with a brightly lit studio set. The hosts greeted her with theatrical enthusiasm, their exaggerated bows earning laughs from the audience. Genji stepped into the frame, composed and graceful. She wore a white button-up shirt styled casually with light blue distressed jeans, paired with black ballet flats. Her luscious black hair was tied into a ponytail, and a gold pendant necklace added a touch of elegance. Her smile wasn't flashy, but it lit up the room.

"Welcome to Bistro SMAP!" the subtitles read.

Eminem turned up the volume.

"Do you have any special requests?" one host asked, grinning. "We can make anything!"

"If you say that, I might get my hopes up," Genji replied, her tone light.

The banter was quick and sharp, the kind of back-and-forth that usually bored him. But not with her. She held her own with the hosts, neither shrinking back nor trying to dominate. They joked about her music, her time abroad, and even her love of handwritten letters, a detail that struck him as oddly intimate.

"Letter writing? That's kind of romantic!" the host teased, his eyes twinkling.

Genji tilted her head slightly. "I'd say it's more about the sentiments with the people I miss back home."

Eminem's jaw tightened. He didn't even realise it until his teeth ground together. Her voice, her laugh, her way of making everything seem effortless; it all grated on him in a way he couldn't explain. Not because she was doing anything wrong. Quite the opposite. It felt like everyone else could see this side of her that he'd ignored or pushed away.

And that pissed him off even more.

The host leaned closer. "You're really amazing, Genji-san. Is it alright if we keep you here in Japan forever?"

The audience laughed, and she smirked faintly. "We'll see," she quipped.

The faint glow of the screen reflected in his eyes as he stared at her frozen image. Her smile lingered, taunting him with its warmth. Why did this bother him so much?

A knock at the door broke his reverie.

"Dad?"

Hailie's tentative voice pulled him back to reality.

"Yeah?" he called back, trying to sound casual.

The door creaked open, and Hailie peeked in before stepping into the room. She crossed her arms, shifting her weight like she wasn't quite sure how to start. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's up?"

She hesitated momentarily, then blurted out, "Are you mad about me bringing Genji here?"

He blinked, caught off guard. "Mad? No. Why would I be mad?"

"You didn't really talk to her," she pointed out, her tone measured. "You were kinda... weird."

"Weird?"

"You barely looked at her. And when you did, it was like..." She scrunched her nose. "I don't know. Like you didn't want her here."

Eminem rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not that. It's just... complicated."

"Complicated how?"

He sighed, searching for the right words. "She's different. I don't know how to deal with that sometimes."

Hailie tilted her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You know I'm the one who reached out to her, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You did?"

"Yeah." She stepped closer, her voice gaining a little confidence. "You remember I mentioned that my project is about how songs reflect people's culture, right? I thought she'd be perfect to talk to, so I sent her an email. She got back to me right away. She didn't even make a big deal about it."

Eminem's lips pressed into a thin line. "So… you just emailed her, and she showed up?"

Hailie nodded. "Pretty much. We were supposed to meet at a diner, but…"

"But what?"

"Well, it was kind of noisy there, and I didn't want her to get swarmed by people. I figured it'd be easier if we worked here. Plus, I thought it'd be cool for you to meet her too."

He stared at her, his expression unreadable. "You thought it'd be cool for me to meet her?"

Hailie shrugged, her smile small but sincere. "Yeah. I mean, she's really nice, Dad. And she talks about music in this way that makes it sound like… like art, you know? I thought you'd get along."

He blinked, his chest tightening at the idea that Hailie had thought so much about it. "I didn't know that."

"Would you believe me if I said she didn't even know who you were?"

Eminem's eyes widened, startled. "What d'ya mean?"

"I mean, she didn't know you were my dad until she saw the family photos," Hailie explained, her tone both incredulous and amused. "She didn't say anything, but I could tell she figured it out right then."

He didn't know how to respond to that. It was almost laughably unbelievable, someone in the industry not knowing who his daughter was despite the numerous times he mentioned her in his songs.

Hailie gave him a small, knowing smile. "She's not what you think, Dad. I mean, she's famous and whatnot. But she's not, like, all caught up in it. She's just... real."

Eminem had to admit. His daughter was more perceptive than him. Like she said, it made sense with Genji. She wasn't like anyone else. She didn't seem to care about the fame or the reputation. In a way, it actually unsettled him more than anything else. For a moment, neither of them said anything. He stared at his phone, the video of Genji laughing with the hosts still paused on the screen.

Eventually, Hailie broke the silence. "You're not mad, though, right? About me bringing her here?"

He shook his head, his voice softer now. "No, Hailie. I'm not mad."

She smiled, now seemingly satisfied, and turned to leave. But before she stepped out, she glanced back at him. "Maybe you should talk to her again. You know, when you're ready."

Eminem didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the screen. His mind was racing, but one thought kept cutting through the noise: maybe Hailie was right.

Eventually, he gave up trying to push Genji out of his mind. But as much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to realise that maybe, just maybe, she was occupying more space in his head than he cared to acknowledge.

Maybe it was time to let the walls fall.

[lilacsolanum]

God this is so niche but Dropout TV clips and the emerging 2nd Try shows give me so much nostalgia because of the like. It's a tight knit group of people making obscure content for a relatively niche audience, there's like 3 people on staff and you start to know their individual laughs, it's just a camera on funny people with no budget. You wanna know what this is? Fucking Japanese idol shows that air at 2 AM on a Wednesday. It's giving Hello Morning. It's giving Mago Mago Arashi and their other one they had in the late 00s before they KO'd SMAP and became the it girlies of the decade. G no Arashi? Not VS Arashi, that had a budget. The aesthetic of a 2 AM idol show is a set of a whiteboard and some Ikea furniture. It's three staff members laughing at teenaged theater kids putting on bad skits they openly hate doing. In fact Mago Mago Arashi's concept ended up being these 20-something fuckboys would go babysit some random kids and be forced to cook a meal with the kid's least favorite food. Is that not like 3 different separate Try Guys video. No one understands this parallel but me. It's so specific. These shows are 3 AM on cable TV idol shows. Please. Does anyone out there hear me. Does anyone else understand. If so we might be soulmates idk idk wanna make out

[lunar-gl1tch]

much earlier than that!

all three are in super early showa idol cosplay, since they're having an idol-off!

i made a post about their looks when the first images came out bc i was like FINALLY my niche knowledge of oyajibando is relevant to kamen rider!! LMAO

it's also, in retrospect, very funny that

keiwa isn't quite an idol and he has kind of hope-punk ideals and pulls off getting considered an idol through being cute

and the two main guys who the showdown is about...

michi is otokogumi (the "man troupe") a much more rock and roll oriented group in their debut single that means MASQUERADE and he's shown clearly a lot softer and funnier than the angry mask he wears in the show

and

ace is hikaru genji in one of their most iconic looks- hikaru genji were one of the first TRUE johnny's successes and one of the first boybands period - and they take their name from the tale of Genji - an 11th century work broadly considered the first novel about the titular Hikaru Genji and his passionate, emotionally fraught life and romance, generally considered the first depiction of the bishounen (beautiful, cultured, sensitive, noble etc)

oh and it was written by a woman :) interesting :)

I need this whole sequence to be on tumblr for everyone to see

[reso-music]

Hi, how was your day today? Thank you for working hard 4 days this week. Do you always think of old songs from 1990s? Or even 2000s. Some people like me, the admin will like that. But how about 90s or 00s of Jpop? Maybe not many people have heard of it, but my recommendation today will make you fall in love with Jpop especially johnny’s Jpop.

1.SMAP - Lion heart

When we talk about the most famous boy group last century in Japan, it must be “SMAP”. This song called “lion heart” is not their most famous song but always the most unforgettable song for me. The soothing music flows by your ears, as if you are in the night of Sumida River Town.

2. Arashi - One love

Arashi is the most successful boy group in 00s there’s no doubt. Even those who don't know much about Jpop must have heard this song. There are even English and Chinese versions. One Hundred Years of Love Will Never Change. This song “One Love” is for everyone.

3. Takki&Tsubasa - 卒業～さよならは明日のために～（Graduation ~ Goodbye for Tomorrow）

The end of the year is also the season of farewell. In this song, graduation is for seeing each other again tomorrow, and leaving is for each other to be better when we meet again.

4.KinKi Kids - 雨のMelody（Melody of Rain）

KinKi Kids has their usual soft and magnetic voice. The song is both affectionate and slightly sad. It is suitable for listening on rainy nights.

5. NEWS - SNOW EXPRESS

This is a song that is very suitable for listening to in winter. The coldness of winter and the warmth of love are intertwined, making it light and pleasant.

6.Arashi - Troublemaker

The lyrics say "Keep smiling even when you encounter difficulties, and face them together." If you are also experiencing a low point, this song is very suitable for you, and it can cheer you up at any time. The song has a brisk rhythm, full of Arashi's unique youthful atmosphere, giving people a warm feeling of sunshine shining into their hearts.

7.NEWS - I · ZA · NA · I · ZU · KI

With a classic Flamingo style, a mysterious atmosphere is blowing. This song is a classic style of J labels.

8.KAT-TUN - KISS KISS KISS

If you like songs with emotional tension, sexy and urban feel, this song "KISS KISS KISS" would be a great choice. Full of mystery, a bold romance quietly happens, suitable for listening while taking a walk at night.

[solarwynd]

Not only is a 2025 reunion a pipe dream bc both the company and the fandom is in shit, but the whole industry is losing its relevancy where these 4th gen idols can’t even stay at the top before they get replaced bc these new fans have zero attention smaps

They’re getting back together even if it’s just for a throw away album and a tour, but it’s just beyond grimey the blatant favoritism they’re giving JK all while still upholding BTS as a group. Like they could let that man be a soloist like they so obviously are portraying him as and free the other members from this husk BTS is turning into, but I know everyone involved knows there’s more to lose if they do that. It’s a hostage situation.

And why should I care about these promises they keep giving fans about the future if we all know nothing is gonna change and they’re gonna keep prioritizing one member over the other 6?

[im-literally-so-dun]

Curious, how didya meet the other half of your iconic online duo?

(Send this to your fave tumblr duos!)

welp, she ( @encre-sanguine ) had just joined a writing forum I'm on. I noticed she had tøp art/lyrics for her avvie and banner, and Smol Missy, who'd just been introduced to tøp was like "!!!! can make new tøp fren !!!" and statused inky basically the whole time during that first conversation I kept thinking "wow she seems so cool and comfortable online—" and "she knows so much about the lyrics and tHERE'S LORE??????" I later found out that she'd been thinking I seemed Too Cool for her. want an accurate picture of our frenship?…. there you go XD so yeah uh it kinda spiraled from there now we just smap each other about anything at all hours and it's amazing luv ya, bestie <33

[sunlightfeeling]

he had him in the first half……

We Are SMAP: MC (2010)

[matsuganemite]

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi ☆ We are SMAP!

[aro-luigi]

IN LIKE 7 MINUTES WE NEED TO STOP SMAP BOOPING EACHOTHER CUZ I'M AT SCHOOL, AND I CAN'T HAVE MY PHONE

I will keep booping you when you're in school

I never stop booping >:]

[lunar-gl1tch]

i need you to know that there's this japanese language immersion summer camp i've both been to as a camper and worked at as a counselor and we just sort of inexplicably have mr brain both as a dvd and as a fansub that some counselor downloaded ages ago and when i was a camper we would watch it when we had to take a long bus ride and when i was a counselor last summer the fansub was one of the few things we could show the kids during media time because we did not have a dvd player and the kids went feral for it. to the point where when we did get a dvd player and could no longer show them mr brain because the dvds did not have subs, i heard the kids in my cabin making plans to make a discord server *specifically to watch the rest of mr brain* because one of them had gotten the fansub files from one of the leadership staff. its just part of this camp's culture somehow. and we were talking in the staffroom one time like 'no one in the world cares about this show as much as we care about this show' and someone was like 'well the lead actor was in smap so theres gotta be people in japan who care about it' and someone else was like 'OH THAT'S WHY GACKT WAS A CANNIBAL IN THAT ONE EPISODE' and i was sitting there like THAT WAS GACKT?? THE GUY WHO SINGS THE DECADE OP?? also oh huh i follow someone on tumblr who really likes smap. and now every time you reblog something about mr brain i'm like whoa. mr brain jumpscare. also weird little connection between this 7 episode long show i watched at camp when i was 15, and the kamen rider i'm the most insane about

THIS IS THE BEST STORY im so happy these kids went feral for the weird ass takuya procedural it feels like the kind of thing that shapes your media consumption in a permanent way

the fact that hiro mizushima is tsukumo's long suffering assistant is even funnier

thank you for this i laughed really hard

[semothekat]

We are winnign i added subtitles to smap 1

[waitingforminjae]

came across this small opinion piece and they just said what i've been thinking so well:

In the episode of the podcast I just posted, one of my guests says that, traditionally, one of the important elements of Kpop was the intertextual relationships. We see group members on variety and dramas and commercials and get to know them through these lenses, adding another dimension to our enjoyment of their songs and performances. These media appearances also bring in new fans to the group. [...] This is a very traditional way for idol groups to become popular.

So, let’s circle back to Cha Eun Woo. He’s not a dance, rap, or vocal ace but he has something equally valuable to Astro--numerous and popular drama roles and brand endorsements. Cha Eun Woo is known the way idols used to be known. His extremely handsome face isn’t just some random idol on a birthday advertisement in the subway, it’s recognizable by normal people. Cha Eun Woo is a huge asset to a group like Astro. His popularity not only brings new fans to Astro but also helps open doors for other members. “Oh, he’s in Cha Eun Woo’s group” is a much more compelling hook for the average viewer than “Oh, he’s in one of the dozens of idol groups I’ve never heard of and have no connection to and whose name goes in one ear and out the other like a puff of smoke.”

I’ve written about this before but views, streams, physical album sales, etc. are transitory measurements. These numerics that the young generation of fans have been trained to see as the ultimate prize are just numbers. It’s understandable that fans are being encouraged to value numerics by the big Kpop companies because it keeps fans engaged on the fandom treadmill, buying and streaming and spending hours voting on music show apps like their lives depended on it. But it’s not all that valuable to the idols themselves--certainly not as valuable as having a member who is known by the general public for his drama roles and handsome face. I don’t know where the idea that every group needs to have attention evenly divided or that one member can’t have solo work if others don’t have solo work entered into fandom but I have my suspicions. While there’s nothing wrong with fans advocating for their favorite member to have more solo work, I do think there’s something wrong with fans advocating to hold a member back as I’ve sensed has been the case from certain corners with Cha Eun Woo. The long term health and success of a male idol group in the mold of SMAP--which is what very much Astro is--depends on the members having strong individual images and brands outside of the group. The idea that the members have to do everything together at all times is unworkable in the long run just as the idea that a group can rely completely on the obsessive streaming and viewing and buying of a core group of fans is unworkable in the long run. This new generation of foreign fans has lost those intertextual connections. “KPop” has increasingly become isolated not just from old subculture spaces where fans mixed with anime and Jpop fans but even from mainstream dramas and variety shows and Korean show business, generally. It’s led to this odd bubble where the most popular groups among stans barely even have name recognition in Korea outside of Kpop fandom. It wasn’t always like this.

[405blazeitt]

hooray we can listen to the new smap songs in my time zone now