I’m at a loss on how to call this post and let me just say, there is no intention to compare the two groups at the expense of one or the other. In the previous post on fans (not the uchiwa kind), I mentioned that there are many ways through which we turn into fans. And one of the reasons why I am starting to really like BIGBANG is–not through their music or that GD is cool or TOP is handsome–but because they remind me of Arashi.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I was watching Happy Together when something that TOP said made me sit up:

“Our personalities are so different that we don’t have conflicts.”

I was like…damn, that’s Arashi!

Arashi is older than BIGBANG by seven years in the industry and with their ages, but I swear, I think BB members are older because they are wilder and crazier, and I mean that in a good way.

Some Twitter friends have pointed out comparisons and similarities between the groups and the members so let me draw my own:

TOP & Jun. They’re both into acting and considered as the “face” in both groups. Their good looks may be a handicap but it’s actually not. In BB’s recent Running Man outing, Top had to break his face through a cling wrap, and when he finally did, his hair went back to its form; he also looked fabulous while doing so. Matsumoto, whether he’s doing yoga moves or stunts or wearing that despicable stocking on his face, still looks imperial.

GD & Jun. They’re both cool and seemingly unflappable. In Happy Together, Seungri demonstrated how GD still acts like a superstar even when drunk. Riida once said that even when J is not doing anything, he looks cool. That was a problem too for the staff taking promo photos for AoKimi because Jun looked “too cool” while sitting on a table and that was not the effect they wanted, prompting Jun to ask “this is not how you sit on the table at home?”.

GD & Riida. They’re the leaders and both are soft-spoken. They’re also into arts. In fact, GD has an ongoing exhibit in Seoul “peaceminusone” which he curated and also features two collaborations with modern artists. On the other hand, Ohno is mounting “Freestyle II” in Tokyo this year featuring new paintings and sculptures, and bringing “Freestyle I” to Shanghai.

TOP & Riida. Speaking of art, they also have this in common. TOP is also “furniture designer” and Riida is into being a craftsman, at least as far as what the staff from Shiyagare is making him do. They’re also quite taciturn, seldom opening their mouths in variety shows (consider that Arashi has their own variety shows and it sometimes happens that several minutes into the show and Ohno has not spoken a single word). The only difference is in the effect once they open their mouths. Now I understand why TOP is nicknamed “bingu” while Riida, no matter if he looked like he wasn’t listening, would masterfully say something cutting yet hilarious.

Daesung & Aiba. They’re both hilarious and always bring out the laughs with their antics. They’re also the happy moodmakers.

Seungri & Nino. Seungri likes telling embarrassing stories about his hyungs, and even exaggerating them too, as TOP said. Nino loves embarrassing Arashi, especially Jun, with his anecdotes. Remember Junnosuke?

Seungri & Sho. They’re the “fails” in the group. Oh, coincidentally, Seungri is reportedly a Sho fanboy. He was also caught in a video watching Arashi on a variety show (someone said it was Utaban).

Taeyang & Sho. This is quite contradictory to the entry above but Sho is also the most reliable and level-headed among Arashi, in the same way that it seems Taeyang is (he’s the least i have watched in BB so I don’t know for sure, just my observation).

And while I was Googling, I found others have written about Arashi x BIGBANG here and here, while this one is a series focusing on members similar to above. I have also read others saying in terms of status, they are each other’s counterpart in J-pop and K-pop, which is open to debate of course, depending on the fans you talk to.

More than a year ago, I didn’t think I’d be writing about K-pop and even listening to their music. But I do have to thank CNBLUE because liking their brand of music opened the way to the “other side” for me. It’s been an interesting pop culture journey so far.

Credit for featured image: rainbowcrack.tumblr.com

© Orange Jasmine Purple Yam (blogging since 2001). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the contents in this site without permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Orange Jasmine Purple Yam with appropriate link to the original content.