Sometimes I wonder: why are there idols? And I couldn’t help rolling my eyes when majority of them would say that they are there to entertain, when all they do is impose their scandals on us. Not to mention the mediocre singing, bad acting, terrible hosting and self-absorption that they think are entertaining to their public, while in the process they earn millions for filling our lives with fluff and our brains with crack. Well, fans actually do get entertained enough to buy crappy albums, watch shitty dramas and forgettable movies, and hail these as the best everrrr! Of course standard is subjective and idolizing someone is personal taste.

But I do get what our idols do to us because I’m a fangirl myself. I just don’t have any illusions that they’re the closest to perfection, everything they do is right and that they’ll marry me someday. I am not into buying that fantasy but well, whatever floats your boat, honey.

Oh what a long introduction when all I want to say is, I’m glad Arashi is in my life (rrriiiggghhhhttt like they chose to be in my life) because they’ve saved me from a lot of stress that life deals sometimes. They not only make things look so easy, they show me that mistakes are part of life and that there’s nothing to be done but brush myself up and move on. Because while other idols project themselves as the incarnation of gods, these boys do not have any pretension of being perfect, and they even bank on their flaws and dorkiness as their charm. Of course don’t trust me, I’m a fangirl after all.

But consider this. After a stressful day at work, I go home to watch one of them making a mess of their game in VS Arashi, enough for the rest of the group to ostracize him if only for a moment. So what does he do? He pokes their butts, right on national TV.

Or what about two of them doing a pictorial with an actress and… a python? One acts cool as usual, but the other one shows classic scaredy cat faces that will surely make it to the hall of fame for fangirls in as far as funny expressions are concerned.

And this coming month, the one that starts tomorrow, the five of them will be releasing their first single for this year: Wild at Heart, which is the theme of a member’s drama. The preview looks like pure crack.

The single will be released on March 7, according to this report.

To be honest, I miss Arashi’s PVs that have story arcs like Aozora Pedaru, My Girl, and even Wish and Kitto Daijoubu. But I guess that would be asking too much with their busy schedules: at least three weekly TV shows, a once-a-week newscast w/ a member, an ongoing individual drama, two solo dramas coming up and an SP. Not to mention the endorsements and other appearances. So yeah, can’t really ask for much except… an Asian tour, onegashimasu, Johnny-sama?

Next time other entertainers say their job is to entertain, I won’t roll my eyes anymore. Because they may not entertain me but they may entertain other people. As for Arashi, I have seen posts of fangirls thanking them for accompanying them through exams, university life, first job, heartbreaks and life in general. I look at that and I can never underestimate the power of idols. I just hope that other idols don’t take that for granted and act as if they are doing everyone a favor, they deserve the attention, the public owes it to them, more than earning it.

Me, I just want to thank God for making Arashi as baka (foolish), imperfect and normal as they possibly could in the world of idols. To my Taiwanese popstar idol, please, just be yourself–a grown-up, extremely talented man who doesn’t need to fight the paparazzi nor act coy like a teenage pin-up idol; to my only OTP, please get out of your “idol” traps and challenge yourselves for real; and to my why-you-so-hot idol, just stay hot, you don’t have to marry me. Zhende.

Tumblr photo credits: dreamlights, a-m-n-o-s, azul3104, zittire and maryanette.

Copyright © 2012. theasianpopculturist. All rights reserved.