How time flies. The cute boy with the chubby cheeks and the bucktooth will turn 30 soon.

Gone are the chubby cheeks and the bucktooth. In its place is a beautiful, elegant man (and somehow, the eyebrows didn’t go away too, so).

Matsumoto Jun — Matsujun, Jun-kun, Matsumoto-kun, Jun-pon, Junnosuke, Nino’s “J” or… can I borrow, Sho? Macchan — is the youngest in Arashi and somehow, his turning 30 is like a milestone not only for him but for the group as well. They’re all officially… MEN. No longer kids, definitely not boys, and not man-boys.

And I love how Sho recently said that they all want Arashi’s craft to grow up along with their age. Does that mean no more sparkly outfits, among others? Well, we have seen them grow up over the years from the fumbling idol-wannabes to awkward teenagers and to young men becoming more confident of their place in the world. They can’t be idols forever. But they can be icons when they right time comes.

The birthday countdown for purple begins!

Copyright © theasianpopculturist. Blogging since 2001. All rights reserved.