桜大根

This is a fun talk with Ohno and Sho from Duet issue Feb 2000, talking about their pre-debut friendship and future ambitions as Arashi.

        

お兄さんコンビのトークバトルは、移動のタクシーの中で行われた。ボケとツッコミがほどよくミックスされてにぎやか。嵐の移動車っていつもこんななの？

大野：夜遅くなったらますますテンション高くなるね。相葉とか眠たい顔しながらも、がんばってるし（笑）。そうそう相葉がね、みんなで温泉＆スキーも行こうって言ってたよ。（ちゃんと忘れずに伝えた大野…）
桜井：いいね～。オレ、スキー得意よ。４才くらいから小６までスキーやってたもん。コブ斜はあんま好きじゃないけど。
大野：じゃ決まりだね。
桜井：突然だけど、大野くん、オレと初めて会ってときのこと覚えてる？
大野：もちろん。翔くんは、かわいかったぁ。食っちゃいたかったよ（笑）。
桜井：なんだよ！食べるもんかよ！！…オレはね、大野くんって、どっかで会ったような不思議な気がした。デジャブーっていうの？でも先輩だから、話しかけれなかったんだ。けっこう、かわいがってるもらってはいたよね。
大野：そうだったかな？
桜井：それでさ、初めてツアーに参加したとき、大野くんとまっさん（松本淳一）がオレの部屋に乱入してきたの。超ハジけてたんだ。で“あれ、大野くん、こんなふざける人なの？”って。静かなイメージだったのに…。まっさんとセットになると、異様にハジける。で、大野くんが京都に行くちょっと前から仲良くなった。そのあと、オレも京都に行って…。
大野：そう。で、そこでやっと打ち解けた。
桜井：そのときはオレが大野くんの部屋によく遊びに行ってた。デビュー会見でハワイに行ったときも大野くんとふたり部屋で、ずっといっしょに行動してたよね。ねえ、最初さ、大野くん、気まずかったでしょ！いきなり、オレら４人に混じって嵐のメンバーになって。ニノはわからないけど、松潤と相葉ちゃんとは、話したことなかったんじゃない？
大野：ストレートな質問だねー。でも、全然気まずいことなかったよ。１回もしゃべったことないわけじゃなかったし。
桜井：前からくらべると、大野くん、けっこう意欲的になったよね。前は“ダルそうオーラ”を発してたけど、最近はやる気が見える。
大野：オイオイ、前からやる気はあったんだって！それはそうと、翔くんはエライ！仕事をやってんのに学校にもちゃんと通って…すばらしい。オレだったら絶対できない！
桜井：それ言ったら大野くんだってすごいよ。あなた、なに言っても笑ってもらえるじゃない。それ、すごいことだよ。間が絶妙なの。ボソッと言ったひとこと、その一撃の破壊力がすごいんだ。

大野：それって喜んでいいのかな…。
桜井：で、ふたりでいるときはギャグばっか。
大野：いっしょにギャグを考えるってより、自然にギャグになっちゃうんだもん。たぶん、ほかの人が聞いてもあんまウケないよね。ふたりで笑って満足してるって感じ。
桜井：そんときのノリで、勢いで言ってるから、それをテープに録っといて、あとで聞いてもおもしろくないと思う。

大野：でも、ニノってオレらのギャグ聞いて、となりで笑ってるよね。わかってくれてる。
桜井：あいつも相当なアホだよ！っていうか、嵐みんなおかしい！地味におもしろい。
大野：くだらないこと言ってばっか。将来はオレらの番組欲しいよね。バラエティー系の。自分たちで作れるのがいいと思わない？
桜井：『学校へ行こう！』なんて超楽しいじゃない。いまからギャグ磨いておかなきゃ！

This "battle talk" with the Oniisan Team (Big Bros) was conducted while they're mobilizing in the taxi. The liveliness with their mixture of boke and tsukkomi, is Arashi always like this during their travels?

S: Usually whenever Ohno-kun says something, I would say something back in return for a gag. And that happens again and again, even in the resting room or while we're going from one place to another, always lively.
O: We get more and more hyper as it gets late at night. And then there's Aiba who has that "I wanna sleep" face and trying to stay awake. LOL Oh speaking of Aiba, he was all "Let's go to the hot springs or ski together!" 
S: That'll be great~ I'm actually pretty good at skiing. I started skiing from 4 years old until around 6th grade. I don't really like bumpy slopes though.
O: Then it's decided.
S: This is sudden, but Ohno-kun, do you remember when we first met?
O: Of course. Sho-kun you were so cute that I wanted to eat you. LOL
S: What's with that? Like hell I'm gonna let that happen!! ...As for me, I had this mysterious feeling at that time, like I've met you somewhere else before. "Deja vu", they call it? But since you were a senpai, I didn't talk to you about this. That's okay, because you pampered me a lot.
O: It was like that?
S: And also, when it was our first time participating in a tour, Ohno-kun and Massan actually barged into my room. Like, really just burst open. Then I thought, "Huh? Ohno-kun is actually someone who fools around?" even though you had such a quiet image... You and Massan just barged in together very eccentrically. Well, it's a bit before you went to Kyoto that we became friends. And then after I also went to Kyoto...
O: Yeah, and that's where we became totally frank with each other.
S: At that time, I often came to play in your room. Even when during the debut conference in Hawaii, I also shared a room with Ohno-kun; we did everything together, right? Hey Ohno-kun, in the beginning, wasn't it super awkward for you!? Suddenly the four of us are mingled together to debut as Arashi. I'm not sure about Nino, but you didn't talk to MatsuJun and Aiba that much, right?
O: What a straightforward question there~ But, it wasn't really all that awkward, since it's not like we haven't spoken to each other even once before.
S: Compare to before, I think Ohno-kun has become quite ambitious. Before, you had this "slugglish aura", but lately I can see some motivation.
O: Hey hey! I had motivation before too! But speaking of that, Sho-kun is very admirable! You're working, but you also properly go to school...that is wonderful. It'd be impossible if it were me!
S: If you say it that way, Ohno-kun is also amazing! No matter what you say, you'd always receive laughter [as a response]. I think that's something amazing. Is it just superb timing? Every word is like bam! I think the power of that hit is amazing.
O: I wonder if I should be happy about that...
S: And then, when we're together, there are always tons of gags that happen.
O: Rather than thinking of making gags together, those gags just happen naturally. Others who hear it probably won't find them funny, so it pretty much feels like just the two of us laughing and being satisfied.
S: Since those moments happen so spontaneously, I think if they were recorded and then listened afterwards, it won't be as funny.
O: But when Nino listens to our gags, he laughs on the side. I think he gets them.
S: That person is also a substantial fool [like us]! Or rather, I should say everyone in Arashi is strange! Or amusing in simple ways.
O: We keep saying really trivial, stupid things. In the future, we'd also want to have our own TV programs, right? Like variety shows. Don't you think it'd be great to create them on our own?
S: "Let's Go to School!" or something. That'd be really fun. We gotta polish up our gags!