♪ NEWS ♪

Sorashige Book (23 July)

• The first message was from a reader who congratulated him on his stage play, and said they were happy at all the good Shige news there’s been recently.
  
  
  The second message was from a listener who became a NEWS fan last year, so they haven’t had a chance to see a play yet. They said they’ve seen the movie version on Green Mile before but they’re looking forward to what the play version will be like.
  
  
  Shige talked about how the paperback version on ‘Burn’ would be released on the 25th, and that the cover was different and featured a comic-like illustration and that he liked it. He encouraged people to read it and said that he thought that it was the easiest to read out of all of his books.




• Next he talked about The Green Mile, how it would be starting from September and show in both Tokyo and Kyoto. He said that it’s less common to have a play in Kyoto, and he’s looking forward to being able to go there since he doesn’t have many chances to. He said that he was surprised when he learned that the play would do was The Green Mile and that there’s a certain amount of pressure [since it’s such a famous work]. He said that since he hasn’t received the script yet he doesn’t know if it’ll more closely follow the book or the movie version. He talked about how famous the movie is and that there are a lot of scenes that leave a big impression. He said that lately people have been teasing him by calling him ‘ Shige Hanks’.




• The next message was from a listener who wrote in to Shige about Calvin Harris’s new album ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1’. They said how they really love it and have been listening to it on repeat and talked about the various parts they liked about it, and asked him to play a song from it.
  
  
  Shige said that he’s been looking forward to it to and that he would play the song ‘Slide ft. Frank Ocean and Migos’. He talked about how he was excited about the combination of people who collaborated on this album, like Frank Ocean and Migos. He said that many people think first of the fact that he’s Taylor Swift’s ex first, but that he makes really fun songs. He talked about how he agreed with the listener and how much he liked the whole album.




• The next message was from a listener who wrote in about The Music Day, and how 3 generations of Shiges [Shige, Shigeoka Daiki (Johnny’s West), Joshima Shigeru (Tokio)] came together for ‘Musekinin Hero’. They also commented on how at one point Shige and Fuma overlapped and so they wanted to know who it was that messed up.
  
  
  Shige said that actually it was because Hatori and the other MC, were too far back which messed up their formation, and that it wasn’t Fuma’s fault at all. He joked that it was Hatori’s fault.




• The next message from a listener who congratulated him on the stage play and said that The Green Mile is one of their favorite movies so they were really excited.
  
  
  Shige commented on how it’s a really popular movie, like Shawshank Redemption, and how he first watched it when he was in highschool. Since he’s forgotten parts he wants to rewatch it.




• The next message was from a listener who said that they haven’t seen the movie or read the book of The Green Mile, but that they are excited to see how Shige will play with the themes of the work.
  
  
  Shige said since he heard, he’s been wondering how they’ll make it into a play.  He said that he’s gotten a lot of message from people who haven’t seen the movie, and commented on how it must be a generational thing because he feels like everyone in his generation saw it.




• The next message was from a listener who asked if it was better to read the book or the movie before seeing the play, or to go in totally blank.
  
  
  Shige said that he gets a lot of these messages every time. S: Let me say it clearly, do whatever you want!
  
  
  He said that there are many kinds of ways to enjoy it, but he’s the type to watch [the original] before he goes so he can’t really understand the feelings of those who don’t but that you should do it the way you prefer. He also commented on how generally plays do not get filmed, none of the ones he’s done in the past have. So he really wants people to come and see the play. He said he’s really excited and pumped up for his first play in a long time.

Kchan NEWS (25 July)

• Tegoshi was the guest again this week.




• K: The guest this week is Tegoshi-kun! T: Hello, this is Daniel Radcliffe. K: Who’s that? T: The main actor in Harry Potter. K: Ah, I see. T: Thank you. I graduated from Gryffindor University. K: Oh, it’s a university… T: Yup! K: I see. Try to do some magic. T: Ok, let’s go~!! Expecto Patronum!!




• The first message was about the anecdote NEWS told during their appearance on The Music Day about Tegoshi sneakily taking photos of the others and posting them to the NEWS group chat. The listener wanted to know what his best shot so far was and encouraged him to take more.
  
  
  K: Recently Tegoshi’s been taking pictures of me, silently. T: Yup.
  
  
  Koyama talked about how during rehearsals Tegoshi will suddenly come up to him and start taking a bunch of photos. He also takes pictures of staff, including people that are really important in the middle of meetings. Koyama added that Tegoshi likes to take pictures looking up from a low angle and pictures that are really zoomed in, and then will send it to the other members.




• The next message was from a listener who became a university student this year, and isn’t sure about what club they should join, if they should continue with the racket sports they’ve done up till now or try a new sport. They said that they’re currently leaning towards futsal, but they’re worried because they don’t have much experience with that kind of sport and aren’t very good.  They asked if girls who join futsal come off as just trying to get guys.
  
  
  Koyama and Tegoshi both agreed that it doesn’t come off that way at all. Koyama said that that’s often said about the tennis club, and Tegoshi added that he didn’t think there was anything wrong with being thought of like that. He reasoned that that’s the motivation behind trying to act cool or dressing cutely, and Koyama agreed. Koyama then asked Tegoshi what he thought of someone trying to start playing futsal in college, and he said that he thought it was fine. Even if you can’t play well at first, guys will pass the ball to you and you’ll be able to become better.




• The next letter was from a listener who has a part time job working as a camera assistant. They said that one time they were taking photos near a graveyard, and a shrine, places where ghosts seem likely to appear around midnight. Then their camera’s flash suddenly stopped working and shut off on its own. They said they were really scared and asked if NEWS has ever experienced anything like that before.
  
  
  T: How scary… K: AHHH AHHH!!! T: AHHH!!! … What the hell! K: Who did that!
  
  
  Koyama explained that one of the staff members had turned off all the lights in order to scare them. Koyama then complained that there was cable down by their feet, that they could trip over it and fall.
  
  
  Koyama then asked Tegoshi if he’s ever had any scary experiences, for example when he stayed in hotels overseas. Tegoshi said he’s never had an experience like that and that he can’t sense anything supernatural, though he’s been told by someone who can see ghosts that he should get an exorcism done, because there’s a ghost haunting him and that he should place salt near the entrance of his home. He added that he puts salt out even now, and was told that he’d injure his knee.




• The next message was from a listener who said that they wanted to ask about the state of Koyatego’s underwear. They brought up how when Shige was the guest on Kchan NEWS, they said that Tegoshi has the same kind of underwear as Koyama and they wanted to know what happened.
  
  
  Koyama explained that Tegoshi had taken home his underwear that were having up to dry after a concert. Since they looked the same, Tegoshi saw them and took them thinking he had just left them there, then when he got home and saw that he then had two pairs of the same underwear took a picture of them and sent them to the group chat. Koyama commented on how Tegoshi was wearing blue underwear today, and then they both laughed and Koyama complained that he couldn’t keep talking in this kind of situation and that people outside the radio booth can see. [presumably Tegoshi took off his pants again.]




• At the end they read a message for the new “Solving your problems, Summertime!” corner. The message was from a 16 year old girl who said she had a complex about her height since she’s 174cm (~5’8”) tall. She wanted to know how she could become more positive about her height. Tegoshi said that all the beauty contest contestants are tall, and that people from other countries probably consider ‘Japanese beauty’ to be someone tall with dark hair, and that she’d probably be more popular with them than someone with a smaller stature. While she may be considered tall by Japanese people, but most models and tall and people probably think that she has good style. He added that he’d want to be spoiled by someone tall like that.




• At the end they brought back a summer version of the bit where Tegoshi says a romantic line before signing off. T: You know, the fireworks are really pretty aren’t they? Ah but... what might be really great… Afterwards if we go off on our own just the two of us, we might be able to see an even better view. Why don’t we set off our own fireworks? [kiss sound]

Tegomass no Radio (26 July)

• They continued doing the phone calls this week. The first listener’s problem was that she’ll always react very loudly when her friends scare her, so she wanted to find out ways of not making noise when people scare her. Tegoshi said that was a tough one to answer, as he makes lots of noise, especially at haunted houses. He also mentioned how when they took turns to shower after concerts, he’d enter one of the shower cubicles with one of the members still inside. And all three of them would go, “Whooaaaa!”. Sakura: Masuda-san too? M: I think I only got scared once, saying something like, “Oh my, you scared me!” (T: Uh huh) I could feel somebody around, but I happened to be shampooing so I couldn’t open my eyes. So quite some time passed, and when I turned over, there he was, with an expression of like he’d been waiting for me to turn back. (T: HAHAHAHA) I was like, “Whoa!” T: On the contrary, does anybody not make any sound when they get scared by other people? It’s impossible, isn’t it? Sakura said she’s also the kind to make loud noises, and Tegoshi concluded that it is natural to do that. Massu agreed and said that it’s fine to just scream under such circumstances. (T: [in Cantonese] No problem, no problem!) They asked her to pick a song, and she picked “Sayonara ni Sayonara”




• The second listener’s 18 years old (T: Oh so you’re of age to get a driver’s license! But please hold on another 2 years before you drink alcohol!). Her problem is that she’s a freshman in university and put on a pretense when she first started school. Now, some of her friends have the impression of her being a little fluffy, but she’s not actually like that. As such she’d like some advice on how to show her true self without turning friends off. M: But isn’t it awful to have to try very hard to pretend to be someone you’re not around friends? Listener: But aren’t I the one who did something bad? T: But you were just being shy at the beginning, weren’t you? M: It’s usual. T: Like when NEWS first got formed and there were 9 of us, I barely spoke. Listener: So how did you turn into someone who can go “Po, po, po”? T: Well, as you age, some of your screws turn loose and you can just go “Po, po, po” Sakura: To put it simply, he is a bad example. Tegoshi said that when you feel like you can’t be yourself, you tend to become very serious, and doesn’t that tire you out? T: That’s why I decided, well heck it, I’m just going to be who I am, and get people to like me for my character, and that’s how I started saying things like “Po, po, po” But as I’m who I am, the same at both work and in private, so it doesn’t get tiring anymore. M: (in a small voice) Well Tegoshi doesn’t get tired, but everyone around him does. Sakura: Plus he has such a loud voice, the ears hurt. They told her it’s okay to just show her true self bit by bit, and asked why it is that she’s hiding from people. She said she’s just tried to be smiley all the time, and is afraid that people will get turned off when they see her usual face. They told her it’s really okay not to be like that all the time, and people who leave her just because of that aren’t worth being friends with anyway. After they ended the call, Tegoshi mentioned that most people have troubles concerning relationships. T: That’s what Adler said. M: From “Kirawareru Yuuki”? T: Everyone’s problems are mostly about human relationships. M: Like how the partner has a loud voice, for example? T: Apa. Sakura: That’s right.




• The following call was to a male listener. They praised him for his good handwriting, and asked why he listens to Tegomass no Radio. He said he’s a fan of NEWS, and apparently went to the NEVERLAND concert, for the first day of Osaka and both days of Tokyo. They asked which part left the strongest impression and he said when there were tears. M: Well, both days for Tokyo means he’s talking about both of us (sheepish laugh). T: Masuda-san cried? M: Yeah, on the first day. T: Well for me, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Sakura: Where did your memory go? T: Eh? What? No way. M: EHHHHHHH! T: Stop imitating me! They thanked him and finally moved on to his problem. His problem is that there are too many things he wants to do in the future and he can’t choose. His options are, teaching, doing audio for concerts (all 3: oooooh!), doing social work, and acting. M: So you’re learning on all of these now? The listener said he has the most interest in becoming a teacher as of now, so that’s where he’s putting the most effort in but he’s also reading up on the other occupations. He can’t seem to give up on any of them and that’s his problem now. Tegoshi suggested him to do all, as there is no fixed rule on a person having to stick to one occupation for life. So he could just start off with what he can do only while he’s young, and slowly work his way through the rest. A lifetime is long, anyway. Massu said that for some occupations, you need to really start doing it in order to find out that it’s wasn’t quite what you expected, so if he decides to do all 4, he just has to work 4 times as hard as other people and he’ll be fine. Tegoshi then added that for him, he had wanted to become a soccer player and he auditioned for Johnny’s while he was still aiming to become a soccer player, and then his priorities changed. (M: You sure you’re not still somewhat aiming to become a soccer player now?) They told him it’s great he has so many dreams as there are some who write in because they have no aspirations. So as long as he tries his best and don’t give up halfway he should be able to find something that suits him most. (Sakura: And he sounds like someone who’s really serious. M: That’s like me. T: And like me too. Sakura: Hmm? What’s this?) They talked about how they’re happy to have high school boys watching their concerts and wanting to ask them for advice, as if they were older brothers they can count on.




• The final call was to a someone who’s 20. T: It means you can drink! You can go to izakayas. And bars. Massu shared how even till now, he gets asked for his ID when he tries to buy alcohol at convenience stores. T: Serious!? M: It’s not about how I look younger than I actually am, but more like, “Come on, tell that it’s me already!” T: That’s true. M: IT’S ME! Sakura then reminded them they’re on a call and went back to her. Tegomass then tried to start the conversation in the exact same way they started again and Sakura prompted the listener to just ignore them and talk about her problem. She said that while she likes her friends very much, she starts seeing their flaws when they start hanging out more, and would end up feeling like putting a distance between them. Some friends would just say, “But that’s just the way that person is” but she just can’t seem to think that way. Massu said that because people tend to think themselves as “normal”, so other people will come across as weird. Like how he’d find Tegoshi weird, but Tegoshi probably finds him weird too. It’s just differences in characters, so it’s important to be accepting of other people. T: Everybody has their flaws. M: It’s probably harder to find their strengths. T: It’s like how bad news spreads so much faster than good news. So it’s not very nice to strike somebody off just because you see a flaw. He then added that he understands, like how sometimes you get close to someone real fast, go for a trip together and find out things that irritate you. Everybody has similar feelings, but you just need to find traits of that person you like to weigh out that feeling of irritation. Massu agreed, and that maybe they just got too close from the start. M: How’s it? Whose advice was more helpful? Listener: Tegoshi-san. (studio bursts into laughter) Sakura: I think it’s just a matter of vocabulary. T: This came up again after such a long time, the thing she says about our vocabulary. M: I thought I answered pretty properly. Sakura: With a serious face. T: Vocabulary. They told her it’s okay to feel that way and to not be sad about that.




• They then talked about how there were also many mails about “NEVERLAND loss”, “Liking Tegomass so much they can’t fall in love”, “How to become confident”, “Advice on singing”, “How to communicate with foreigners” etc. They said they would have really wanted to answer all of them if they could, and would read them properly later. They will continue again next week with the phone calls.

Masuda Takahisa no Master Hits (28 July)

• Songs played: “FOREVER MINE”, “Lis’n”




• He said he went for Yamashita Tatsuro’s concert a while back and it was amazing, whether it was his voice, the songs… everything. The concert lasted for about 3.5 hours, and he said if he had to sing that way for 3.5 hours straight, his voice would probably be gone. Going to the concert made him feel like he wants to work hard at singing all over again




• The first listener was a mother to a daughter who’s in grade 2 of elementary school, and said that her daughter’s indoor shoes for school have been so dirty recently that having the scrub them through has become her weekend routine. She asked if Massu washed his own shoes or his mother washed them for him. He can’t remember if they were washed once a week, and commented that it’d probably be more convenient if those shoes were made in black instead. He can’t remember about the washing, saying that they probably weren’t that dirty to begin with, and his mother probably handed him the brush and told him to wash them himself. But his mother probably washed them for him as he doesn’t have much memories of having to wash them himself. He then suggested placing washable insoles, but then concluded that the outsides of the shoes were dirty too. Since the shoes are so white, there’s motivation to wash them because you can tell how clean they’ve become. So please do her best!




• The second listener wrote about how her favourite jeans is entering their 5th year with her, and she only realized there was a pocket on the inner side that day. She had mixed feelings, as she was happy but apologetic that she didn’t discover it earlier. So would Massu please name it? He shared a story of this pair of bottoms he owns, which is something like a pair of pants with a wrap around skirt above it, with a zipper. He’d been wearing it pretty frequently and only realized after about a year that there was a zipper and it was open. He didn’t remember having unzipped the zipper so it must have been unzipped from the start. He then wondered aloud why they didn’t have the zipper properly zipped up as a default a the shop. He named the pocket “Marnie”




• The following person said she’s been wearing her hair up these days as it’s so hot, and asked if Massu prefers half ponytails or pigtails on high school girls. She also included that her hair is about 15cm past the shoulder. He said that his favourite style is actually having the hair worn down, or all worn up, in a loose manner. The next in line would probably be ponytails? He doesn’t really have a preference for half ponytails or pigtails, and as some people suit one or the other better, so he’d need to see before he can decide. He shared an episode from the MC of one of their NEVERLAND tours, when they were talking about common things for NEWS fans. He can’t remember if Koyama or Shige pointed this out, but Tegoshi’s fans tend to come in pink clothes and pigtails. Massu then said that’s like the Mother of Ultra, thinking everybody would burst out laughing, but the venue went dead silent. At which the Johnny’s staff recording the making-of burst out laughing. It was that silent, that he could hear the staff laughing. After the concert, the staff went up to him and told him he was super funny at the MC, but they also realised that no one else other than them were laughing. The staff probably tried to make him feel better by telling him, maybe the fans are just too young to know that the Mother of Ultra had pigtails, but then Massu felt a little disappointed that the staff made the comment with the assumption that Massu wasn’t young anymore. He said it probably also depends on the character whether or not pigtails are suitable, but please try experimenting all sorts of hairstyles and have fun!




• The fourth listener said Massu mentioned he likes people working at cake shops, and she’s working part time at one. She’s always looking forward to the day when he would go to her cake shop, and asked how often he goes. Massu first got confused and wondered if he ever said that. He’s pretty sure his official profile has “bakery” as his favourite occupation, and not quite cake shops… but well, they are similar. As for how often he goes, he doesn’t really buy cakes himself. He then talked a little about “a piece of cake”, of how he saw a cake tool named that recently, how it’s part of the lyrics for “Lis’n”, and also the literal and metaphorical meanings. He went back to the question of how often he goes to cake shops, and he said he doesn’t! (sheepish laugh) As he receives them very often. It’s nice of course to give people cakes, so he’d like to try buying cakes as a gift to the staff when they’re working. He then told her to try her best.




• For this week’s Brainmaster, the question was why monks hit the wooden drum, other than to sync the rhythm. He got it right at the second try, which is so that people won’t fall asleep.The listener also added in another piece of information - the reason why the wooden drums are shaped like fishes is so as to convey the message of being like fishes, who don’t close their eyes even at night, and do their best for the practice.




• At the end, he said he’s doing a little reflection on himself today, as he’d been pretty negative in his replies, saying things like he doesn’t go to cake shops, or he’s not interested in pigtails. He said they’re both cute in their own ways and to please do their best.