FF#2: The Most Beautiful Moment In (a Fan’s) Life Pt. 1

Taking liberties with this post’s title, which is inspired (or should I say, infires?) by the title of one of my favorite album releases recently, by Bangtan Sonyeondan (aka Bangtan Boys, aka BTS, aka Bulletproof Boy Scouts if we’re going to be literal about it), “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 1”. I think it’s most fitting, since (a) that EP is the BOMB and (b) I am highly anticipating their follow-up, “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2”, which will finally be dropped on November 30. That’s just a couple of days away! And also my belated way of saying belated Happy Birthday to a certain fish-loving space cadet who goes by the name of Ohno Satoshi.

One adjective that can describe a fan’s day-to-day “existence” is COLORFUL. Things just seem more vibrant and vivid, whether it’s because you just heard a song from your favorite artist, or you saw a photo of this celebrity that you like appearing on your Facebook feed. Personally, I cannot help but feel that there are rainbows everywhere when an Arashi song comes on. Yes, even to this day.

This Fangirl Friday post will look into possible answers to the question: “What is the most beautiful moment in a fan’s life?”

Defining the Moment

Ask a fan – any fan, not necessarily a rabid fangirl – that question, and you’re likely to face a barrage of (mostly incoherent) answers; something like:

• the first time I watched them live in a concert, and I was on the front rows. I swear he looked straight at me FOUR TIMES!
• when I was stalking them at the airport and laid eyes on them – even with their faces covered in masks, I knew it was them and woot! Eye contact, baybeeeee~!
• when I got into a fanmeet and I met him/her up close, talked and *gasp!* even got to shake their hands! SO. UNREAL.
• when I was watching a random video of them and saw the teddy bear I sent them on top of their bed. Ohdeargawdthefeels~~~
• when the official hard-to-get concert goods finally arrived on my doorstep, never mind that I blew an entire month’s allowance or pay for a CD and a couple of clearfiles that I probably will never get to use anyway~ Not that I want to, it might get dirty and we absolutely can’t have that, CANWE.
• when I visited the country where they are from and had to stop myself from kissing the ground because what’re the chances they also stepped on it at one time or another? HUGE, I tell ya.

I confess to having gone through most of the zaniness of being a fangirl. Granted, I never stalked (I don’t have the patience to do a stakeout), never got to go on fanmeets, never sent gifts, and I don’t really picture myself kissing the ground. But the other usual stuff, I’m guilty as charged.

Many memories stand out for me: When my friend and I flew all the way to Taipei, Taiwan to watch Arashi in concert. That was… whoooo~ I swore I could hear my heart pounding when they were about to come on the stage. And what about when, in Westlife’s audio interviews for the Westlife Official Fan Club members – yes I was a member – Mark (Feehily) picked my name and the postcard I sent to the Fan Club? The prize (I think it was supposed to be a drawing that he did) never got to me, but hey, just hearing him say my name that time gave me the feels. And he wasn’t even my favorite member (it was Nicky)!

Looking at the big picture, it’s easy to understand why many would be conflicted on picking out the best moment of being a fan. But I would have to say that, for me, the most beautiful moment of my fangirling life would be the beginning – when everything is still new, and you’re on that period of “discovery”.

The Period of Discovery

It starts with a HOOK, or that singular moment when something pinged at your consciousness, telling you to “hey, pay attention”. For some, it would be when Jon Snow first appeared onscreen in HBO’s Game of Thrones, or Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s gravity-defying scene on Inception.

While others got into the Arashi fandom because of Matsumoto Jun‘s iconic turn as Domyouji Tsukasa in Hana Yori Dango (thus coining the term ‘Jun-baited’), I was Nino-baited. My hook was the movie “Letters from Iwo Jima” and Ninomiya Kazunari blowing me away as the footsoldier named Saigo. From there, I realized that dorkery is actually good for you. And rainbows. Never leave out the rainbows. Soon, I was sucked into one of the most colorful fandoms EVER. And the next years became a continuous period of discovery, because these five Japanese guys never failed to surprise us with their dorkery.

Every true-blue Arashi fan knows what I’m talking about when I say “nipple shirts”, “balloons for boobs”, “hand porn”, “YamaPair”, “sloping shoulders”, “habanero”, and “Danger! Danger! Very Danger!”, to name a few. I have to say, one of the best parts of my Arashi period of discovery was the Arashi no Shukudaikun (Arashi’s Homework) era. That show WAS GOLD. I mean, just look at some of the caps below (all credits to STORMY team sub – ohgawdimizzyousomuchlaydeezzzz).

(This is an excuse for me to reminisce on some of the finer moments of AnS. Indulge me. I am no longer as kept up to date with them as I used to be, but I do still check in from time to time.)

How ’bout some nipple talk?

Or are you up for some boob action?

And they are partly responsible for many minds being in the gutter. Even if they didn’t mean to.

Arashi won’t be Arashi without some role-playing.

With the many games they play. Or try to play.

And they are good actors. Promise.

With personalities (or personality disorders, take your pick) that baffle and shock EVEN THEM.

But, at the end of the day, what makes them imperfect is what endears them to the fans. (These caps are thrown in, because it is a prerequisite for fans to have a bias. *clearsthroat* And he just turned 35 yesterday! This time, I gotta thank your parents for meeting. Period.)

One other fandom that I was lured deeply into was Big Bang, and the hook was the music video for Lies (Geojitmal). I liked music videos that tell a story, like a short movie, and this one did. I gotta admit what drew me was the angsty and angry acting shown by the group’s leader and rapper, G-Dragon.

That was already shortly before they released “Tonight”, so that was 2011, and I had to backtrack to 2007 for their previous releases. What followed was a period of marathoning their music releases and music videos. To date, I still am, and will always be, a VIP at heart.

I made a recent confession of getting hooked to BTS. I remember it clearly. It was a Saturday afternoon, I was working on some of my freelance projects at home, and I turned my YouTube playlist to random, for some sounds, then this song came on. I stopped working, listened and, halfway through, clicked to watch the video. The hours just passed, and I ended up burning the midnight oil to beat deadlines since I put some writing projects on hold. Heee~

It was BTS’ “I NEED YOU”, the Original version (aka non-violent version). Even without having seen the video, the melody and the overall sound sure caught my interest. I listen to quite a lot of kpop and some jpop, but this time, I was really intrigued. Then I went back to their older releases, and WHOA. Loved it.

This was a classic case of me loving the songs even before I realized that the singers are actually some of the most fun and funniest characters I’d ever come across. I even heard of Rap Monster before and seen him in some variety show guestings, but I was never curious enough to check out his music. Thank goodness for random and shuffle plays, eh?

It’s safe to say that I am smack dab in that period of discovery with them, and I am having a ball. Fortunately, I only have, like, 2 years to go back to, since they debuted just in 2013. I seriously cannot get enough of watching their dance practice videos and get annoyed at some live performances, with all my irritation directed at the camerawork because they are missing out on some of the key points of the intricate and highly technical choreography.

They sure got one of the best dance choreography, it’s easy to forget that two of them cannot dance. 🙂 (I think it’s a huge credit to their choreographers, and the main dancers, who effortlessly make it look like the entire group is a dance machine which, in effect, as a cohesive unit, they are.)

Most of my free time is now spent watching all their Bangtan BOMB videos and other backstage videos. I even marathoned their reality show “American Hustle Life” in one afternoon and did not feel at all like I just wasted several hours reading miniscule subtitles and watching a bunch of Korean guys be lost in LA, awkwardly chanting “turn it up!” and going “actually, I don’t speak English”.

I seriously want these seven as my little brothers, honest. They are very young (eldest is 23, and youngest is 18), and it helps that their music (hiphop genre) covers topics about being young, like having crushes, rebelling against the system, pursuing your dream, etc. I think they are yet to fully delve into topics that tackle serious relationships and undying love and whatnot. Maybe in this next album?

And I must have a soft spot for dorks and weirdos, because that’s another thing to appreciate about these guys. When a lot of things in K-pop-land is all about image and maintaining it, they just seem to go, “Image? What’s that?”

Let me take a moment to appreciate Big Hit Entertainment providing fans a peek at how these kids have fun, via their Bangtan BOMB videos. Through them, we got a treat of their knack for picking up girl group dances (while the other members just stand by and JUDGE. And when they could not stand it anymore, they JOIN IN.)

Living in close quarters almost all the time, and doing everything together, is bound to do one of two things: make you grow closer, or tear you apart. With these 7, you can tell they’re tight.

When they are on stage, they are so explosive that it is easy to forget that they are kids. And then their stage personas come off, and they’re back to being youngsters who are just having fun while working hard to achieve their dreams.

And I sometimes can’t get over how they go from this… (swaaaaag)

…to this…. (….sweeeeeeg)

Or from this….

….to this….

And I cannot end this litany of images without indulging my bias. Of the 4D alien, V. (Although, even I am conflicted in this, since it is safe to say that all 7 are my bias.)

So what makes this period so beautiful?

Imagine that time you came across your favorite type of food. You saw it, thought it looked good, so you had a taste. And then another. Then you reached for another serving. Heaps of it. You could not get enough of it, so you try to have it every chance you get. You’ve developed a curiosity for it. Where can you get more of it? What does it have? Why does it taste so da*n good?

It’s kinda like that, although I admit that it’s a pretty weak analogy. That’s not saying that everything that follows that period do not count, because they do (oh yes they do). But you have to admit that, without this period of discovery, you will never get to those later, supposedly better, parts of your life as a fan.

Photo/Image/Scaps credits to: STORMY team sub of Aibakaland, Big Hit Entertainment, YG Entertainment, BangtanTV on YT, BangtanSubs on YT, ArmyBaseSubs on YT