We've hit my third lucky number! 8D
Er, no, sorry. As of this moment, there are only 30 official Arashi PVs. And by official I mean, according to the little list I wrote up one day. Until Arashi get off their lazy* butts and make a new PV, we are hereby halfway through.
*Such slackers. When I was a kid, we sang, danced, modeled, acted in movies and dramas, presented three variety shows, did promotional performances, traveled to other countries, made videos and albums, gave countless interviews, maintained status as popular culture icons, prepared for stage plays, updated our blogs, had weekly radio shows, AND made biscuits from scratch every morning before 5. But in all seriousness, Arashi. MatsuJun has this nasty habit of dying every New Year's Eve. Could you maybe slow down a bit and give him a break? He's being ever so pretty right now and I'd hate for him to get completely worn out and come down with a case of puberty.
So what is lucky number 15? As if you didn't know from looking at the title?
Why, the 22nd PV, Aozora Pedal.
Aozora Pedal has the unique distinction of being the only Arashi PV that is in fact a mini-drama. It has dialogue and everything! Since it's a song from the Hachimitsu to Clover movie, Sho, the lead, is the primary focus of our no-longer-a-girl-not-quite-a-woman drama. The short summary is that Aozora Pedal is about friendship, cafe building, and unrequited love.
But you never check in with PVS for the short story, so, I give to you
Aozora Pedal!
Arashi are a group of five friends who, along with some other friends, at some point in their history got together and worked really hard to restore this place so that they could open a cafe. At least I think it's a cafe since they provide drinks. If it's actually an amateur host club, then my entire reading of this video needs to change...
Also, are they the owners? Was it a community beautification project? They were running it until the health board shut them down for putting sparkles in the sandwiches? These questions need to be addressed, Arashi.
Point being, that was in the past, this is the present. And in the present, the boys are having a little reunion at the ole Aozora.
Let us join in, as the last member shows up...
Sho: I think I'm supposed to turn the corner and...
Sho: Was it Aozora or Ao Sparkle Pretty Fun Time?
Nino: Oi. Keio Boy is lost at the front door again. Anyone want to help him find his way inside?
Ohno, MatsuJun, and Aiba: Meh.
Sho: I'm so lost...
Some time later, though, everyone manages to find their way into the building and the boys hold their mini-reunion. And like any reunion, you can't help but start to reminisce...
Sho: Do you guys remember that one time we all worked together to get this place open-
Sho: -and there were girls who helped?
Ohno and Aiba: Giiiiiirls....
Nino: Ah. Good memories. That was one of the best times of my life...
Nino's Memory
Ohno: It's going, it's actually going in!!
Ahem. Back when they were working very hard on renovating this property, the gang was all there. Sho. Ohno, Nino, Aiba. And of course, Mat-
No.
NO!
NOT- *gasp* My arch nemesis, Puberty #13!!!!!
You see, folks, after filming Kiiroi Namida, the movie all five members of Arashi starred in, things were a little ugly. By that I mean everyone's hair had to recover from being 1963 appropriate. To be honest, though, no one really suffered from having early 60s style, save maybe Aiba whose personal kryptonite seems to be short hair. But when you're used to having currently stylish cuts, with longer lengths and varying colors, the growing out process can be a touch painful.
MatsuJun, for whatever reason, decided to bypass the ordeal completely by getting extensions. Maybe because he had spent the year prior in Poodle Perm Domyouji Disaster hair for Hana Yori Dango? All we know is, the decision to go for extensions signified the 13th, and worst, MatsuPuberty.
It would have been an otherwise fine time, but nooooooooo. He had to get the Maleficent Extensions of Doom and then not brush or wash them for like two months straight.
Oh sure, some of you may think MatsuJun with long hair is pretty cool. But it's a known fact that he gets a little too involved with his roles. And when he slapped the Maleficent Extensions of Doom on his head, the DoS blossomed into a full fledged Uber Super Duper Extreme Sadist Minion. Darth Fabulous broke away from Emperor Neenotine's calculated influence and gave into the full Evil Clip-ons side of the Force here.
I'll get you for this, Puberty #13.
But enough ranting on that. Let us think of more pleasant things.
Like Arashi's contributions to their community. Everyone helped restore this property...in their own particular ways.
Naturally, Ohno got involved with the artistic side of things, offering to do the bulk of the painting.
In fact, have a bonus cap of Ohno playing with paint. I feel bad that Ohno seems to get less and less exposure as these things go on, but that's what happens when you do all of the singing and only star in one drama - Nino, Sho, and MatsuJun are going to trample all over your screentime.
Aiba, being Aiba, volunteered to be helpful but got in way over his head.
Waaaaaaaaaay over his head.
Sho, being Sho, came as Sho Weasley.
There's a making of this video which reveals that Sho in no way acted during this scene; the look of OMG I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING is real.
Apparently Sho had forgotten not only how to put a car in reverse, but how to drive a car completely.
I so wish I had made that up.
Captain Failboat - stealing my PVS jokes before I can even make them...
And lastly MatsuJun took his life into his own fabulous
Perhaps you've noticed by now that the entire Aozora group here consists of Arashi, 5 males, and their friends, 3 females. While 5 and 3 does make a nice even number, 8, it certainly does not work out so that every guy has a girl. If they start pairing off, you know what that means...
Nino: ....pu????
....pu.
Though, Nino...
Call it a hunch...
If there's ....pu going on, I don't think it's ....pu that involves you.
Sad times.
This is what the KazNeener thinks of your illicit ....pu!!
Sho, if you're mocking Ohno for either his hair or his illicit Aiba ....pu, I think I'd stop if I were you.
After they moved everything in, the boys and girls started working hard on the actual labor portion of opening a cafe.
I have to imagine that during this part of the video, Sho was quietly saying "Chesto!" over and over.
Chesto! for those who haven't seen G no Arashi is Sho's war cry and mantra to get him through all things scary and sports related.
The Maleficent Extensions of Doom smell blood.
Noooo! Maleficent Extensions of Doom, what did Sho's puffy squish butt ever do to you?! LEAVE IT BE!!!
Too late. The Maleficent Extensions of Doom have already noticed that Girly here has a thing for squish butt. Don't accept help from the Extensions, Girly! Run! RUN!
Sho: Oh hey there. Would you do me a favor since I'm up on this ladder? Will you grab my manhood and bring it to me?
Sho: ...that's not what I said...
And alas, Girly missed her chaaaaaaaaaAUGH!
DAMN YOU PUBERTY #13!!!!
LOOK AT WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN!!! CRY! I HATE YOU PUBERTY #13!!!
Ehn, it wouldn't have worked out between them anyway, surely.
I mean, sooner or later she would have realized that Sho's hand had moved on to greener pastures...
And that the Maleficent Extensions of Doom weren't interested in Girly x Squish Butt in order to help Girly land Sho...
The Maleficent Extensions of Doom have already marked their territory.
(Guys. Never give a DoS a paintbrush and some paint and your head. Honestly.)
Aiba: Whatever happened to that girl, Sho? I thought you both liked each other.
Sho: Remember that picnic we had...
Of course they remember it, Sho. You made Nino precious the memory with your new camcorder.
Oh, typical. Making the women do all of the work.
...my bad. That's MatsuJun.
*shakes a fist* Puberty #13!!!
Two guesses as to what Aiba's thinking right at this moment.
I will give you a hint. "Nipples" is incorrect but on the right track.
Sho: Waaaaaait. If there are more guys than girls but MatsuJun is easily mistaken for female, then...
Ohno: ...technically everyone gets a girl, right?
Sho: No! I get all three girls and the rest of you can pair up evenly!
Nino: DIBS!
But I suppose we should get back to Sho's story about what happened with Girly.
Sho: We were having a lot of fun...
Sho: But apparently I misunderstood what she meant by peel the shrimp...
Ohno: Ouch. But wait, I thought things worked out later that day. Remember, after the fireworks-
Can I just interrupt to say, holy dingo wars. Whose brilliant idea was it to give the most likely flammable Maleficent Extensions of Doom fireworks?? Let's give the explosive stuff to someone flame retardant and responsible like Ni-
Nevermind. MatsuJun can keep them.
Ohno: ANYWAY. After we decided who was going to buy more fireworks-
Oh come on. I know you're all boys, but is wanking really the solution to everything?
Sho: ...we were playing jan ken pon.
Oooooooh. My bad again. Sorry.
Ohno: After you lost, MatsuJun went and encouraged her to go with you.
DUN DUN DADUN DRAMATIC REVEEEEERB!!!!
Sho: Yeah. She caught up with me. And confessed that she liked me...
Sho: You like me?
Sho: Huh.
Sho: What would I need a girlfriend for, though?
Sho: . . .
Sho: Oh yeah!
Sho: And then she dumped me.
Nino: Wait, she dumped you? What did you do to make a girl dump you less than a minute after she confessed?
Sho: Well, earlier that night, when Aiba got up from the group...
Aiba: Male bathroom break!
Pfffft, I know. Men. Always going to bathrooms together in big groups and taking forever. The roast weenies are sure to get cold now.
MatsuJun: ...remember the movie we watched earlier?
MatsuJun: Use it.
Nino: You actually quoted the movie we watched that day?
Nino: You idiot. That was a porno.
Sho: . . .
Maleficent Extensions of Doom: *evil cough*
Sho: ...this explains so much.
And so, Aozora Pedal wraps u-
Nino: I still have that porno, actually.
Oh please, Nino. Arashi's not like that. They aren't interested in watching stuff like por-
MatsuJun: You still have it??
Sho and Ohno: That means we could go and...
Nino: Quick! Everyone to the NeenCave!
Augh, boys! What did I say? You can't solve everything this way!
Sho: ...also...jan ken pon...
......my bad.
Part 3.
*cough*
And thus, Aozora Pedal ends for real.
As always, you can search for the video in your stream of choice. However, I know that if you go poking around Veoh, there's a subbed version to be found. You know, in case you want to know what they're actually saying if you're not fluent. Of course, if you want to trust me and assume that the entire PV is really about wanking, porn, failure, and evil hair, that's just fine. You'd be missing out on the gentle sentiment of it all, but you won't ever hear me complain. XD
MWA!