【Translated Summary】
TOKYO FM's Sunday Special - 『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 ＃2

•This second special episode was broadcast live on TOKYO FM on November 22nd (the first special aired back in July). This program was broadcasted in commemoration of the recent release of SCANDAL's live DVD.

•HARU reads the first message from a listener who is writing in about "kinenbi" (anniversaries/commemorative days). They say that their "kinenbi" are full of SCANDAL, such as the first time they saw them live. HARU then says how the main segment of the show today is "Watashi no Kinenbi" (My Anniversaries/Commemorative Days), and that November is actually the month with the most commemorative days; the day they're broadcasting this show, November 22nd, is coincidentally "Good Couple Day" as well as "Button Day," the anniversary of conveyor belt sushi, and "Carpenter Day." HARU also mentions that they have a song called "Kinenbi" on their most recent album Kiss from the darkness. She asks listeners to send in any messages regarding "kinenbi" of any kind--important days, days when something big happened, etc. TOMO says that they will be giving out presents drawn from slips picked out of the all-black box they have called the "Present from the darkness" box (All: "That's so scary!") to listeners. She gives out some examples of potential presents: snacks from Meiji, as well as presents chosen by the members (things they've bought this year that they've liked). They're surprised by the latter present option since they had not been told that would happening, and wonder why it was kept secret from them. TOMO also mentions that there are presents selected by the program's staff. Nothing was written on their papers as to what those presents could be (RINA: "Just as the name implies, they're probably pretty dark stuff"). HARU asks the staff if it's okay to say what it is, which the staff says yes to. She explains that this year is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven. TOMO goes, "Congratulations," which the other members and the staff laughs at. As such, the staff's presents involve Beethoven items. The band says they're interested to know what they are.

•RINA says that she thinks they should give a present to the first listener. TOMO, while yelling, "Catch and up!" (they were asked by the program's producer to do so), draws a slip from the box which happens to be the "RINA Prize" present: A Blu-ray copy of the film "Eighth Grade." RINA explains that it's a movie she recommends. It's full of energy and is about middle schoolers spending their last week of middle school, and she thinks it's a movie that does well to depict the melancholy and frustration that kids have at that age. She says that those who are currently 13 years old are part of a generation that's had social media since they were born, and this movie unfolds a story that's unique to this kind of generation. She also mentions how the director is a 30-year-old of the same generation as the band and was originally a YouTuber.

•After "Ceramic Blue" plays, HARU says that they had originally planned to air the KFTD album versions of their songs, but they decided at the last minute to air the livestream versions of their songs instead. Then, after they eat some snacks, MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is March 27th, the day that they had their debut pro boxing match. The band is surprised and goes, "That's awesome!" They unfortunately suffered a crushing defeat, but they were happy that one of their dreams came true. The band decides to give a present to them. MAMI also yells "Catch and up!" while pulling a slip out (RINA: "Are you transforming or what?"), and draws the "Beethoven clear file" prize. The band laughs and wonders if they'll be okay with this present (RINA: "They'll probably be surprised when they receive it!").

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is November 11th, the day that they broke up with their ex-girlfriend. On that day they went to the movies at the request of their little sister who was in middle school. As he was sitting next to his sister and looking at her side profile, he noticed a girl who looked just like his girlfriend at the time with a muscular, macho man. She noticed the listener and was fidgeting throughout the movie. Afterwards, she gave him an absurd reason as to why she was there with the guy and then dumped the listener. They say it's a funny story they can tell now, but at the time they loved her so much and was so depressed that they couldn't swallow any food. They also say that the movie they watched was a romantic comedy, but they don't remember any of it at all. The band is touched by the story and TOMO goes, "Poor them!" and then says that they'll give them a present (TOMO: "Something that's not Beethoven would be good"). She says the phrase and pulls out the "HARUNA Prize": a "rinser cleaner," which is basically a fabric vacuum cleaner that sprays water as it cleans. RINA mentions that HARU has a dog at home, and HARU says that this helps out with cleaning messes and it gets rid of any odors. The band thinks it's a nice item.

•After the Oasis song "Wonderwall" plays, RINA talks about how she took part in a special feature about the 25th anniversary of Oasis's (What's the Story) Morning Glory? album. HARU then starts talking about "kinenbi" and mentions that SCANDAL has another "kinenbi" in October, which the others then quickly remind her that the current month is November. HARU laughs and goes, "What month did I just say?" TOMO says that sometimes HARU will get stuff wrong and won't notice it, and will just keep going. HARU corrects herself and says that another "kinenbi" that they have in November is now the release of their live DVD.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is November 9th, the day that their favorite soda was replaced by a different, warm beverage in the vending machine. The band laughs and RINA compliments their writing ability. She draws from the prize box and pulls out the "Beethoven memo pad" prize. The band laughs and wonders if that's a real thing. The staff shows it to them and they all go, "Oh wow!" RINA laughs and goes, "What's up with these presents?"

•HARU reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is the day that they were proposed to, which also happens to be their birthday. They also remember the day that they were confessed to, and say that Meiji snacks go great with listening to SCANDAL's songs. The band congratulates the listener and HARU pulls another "Beethoven memo pad" prize. The band goes "Ehhh! There are two of them?!" HARU says that there are several of the same prize, which TOMO guesses that there are probably a high number of Beethoven prizes. The band is disappointed that they weren't able to give the listener the Apollo prize instead and apologizes (MAMI: "Please forgive us! Sorry!").

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is the 15th of odd-numbered months because "kinenbi" between them and the person who confessed to them and dated coincidentally have all happened on the 15th of odd-numbered months. They're grateful that they never forgot anniversaries, but since they've broken up with that person, the 15th of odd-numbered months is a date that they now want to avoid. TOMO then draws from the box (HARU: "Now I'm looking forward to seeing what Beethoven items there are") and pulls the "TOMOMI Prize," which is a 3.5L hot water bottle. TOMO often goes camping and this is an item that essential to bring during winter months. If you put it by your feet in your sleeping bag, it'll keep you warm even in the middle of winter. MAMI says that she expected it to be a lot bigger for something that holds 3.5 liters.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who has a 24-year difference between them and their partner, and it's been almost two years it's been since they stopped doing a LDR between Tokyo and Nagoya and started living together. Their "kinenbi" is November, which is when they started cohabitating. HARU says that something sweet for the two of them would be nice to give. MAMI draws the "Beethoven mug cup" prize. They're disappointed they didn't draw one of the Apollo prizes. They see the mug and RINA thinks it's cute; MAMI says it's kind of stylish and is a portrait of Beethoven she's never seen before. They also realize that Beethoven's holding a cup in the photo of him on the mug. TOMO says for the couple to use the cup together. MAMI says they're only sending one cup, so make sure to be civil with using it and to use it carefully.

•After the U2 song "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" plays, HARU explains that this year is U2's 40th debut anniversary and that November 22nd is the 37th anniversary of their first performance in Japan. An ad for Meiji's My Style chocolate voiced by HARU is then played (they most likely chose My Style for the ad because of instances like this).

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose 27th birthday is today. They received a birthday present for the first time from their five-year-old son who gifted them chips and soda (All: "That's so cute!"). The band says they hope they can pull a Meiji prize for them. RINA pulls out another "Beethoven mug cup" prize and the band laughs. RINA says that this mug is probably a good size for the listener's son since it's on the smaller side. They congratulate the listener, but TOMO says they can't honestly congratulate anyone who's winning the Beethoven prizes; it's more like they should be apologizing. They say they'll try pulling the Apollo prize next.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is December 25th, which is the day that they were supposed to go to year-end rock festival with a girl from school that they liked. They were planning to meet up with the girl in the afternoon, but they never did meet up with each other. When they saw her on the way back home, she was holding hands with a guy from school. They grew apart after that. It was hard at the time since they felt like she liked them, but now it's a good memory. HARU reaches into the box, pauses, and laughs as she says she's pulled a "Beethoven t-shirt" prize. The band laughs and is amused by the "Da da da daaa" text on the shirt (MAMI: "You can go to a festival in this shirt!").

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is November 19th, which was when they first received words of gratitude from a customer while working at a clothing store after graduating college, and they learned how wonderful it is to put feelings of gratitude into action. They say that if this message is read, they're hoping for any other presents besides the Beethoven ones. The band laughs and HARU goes, "Oh, the pressure!" TOMO says she's going to draw anything else but the Beethoven ones, pulls one out, and immediately starts laughing and goes, "Sorry! It's a Beethoven t-shirt!" HARU goes, "How did we pull the same prize twice in a row?" MAMI recaps that they've pulled Beethoven t-shirt, memo, and mug prizes already. RINA goes, "Why haven't we pulled the Apollo prize yet?!"

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is November 14th, which is when while on a trip to Hokkaido they ran into a woman they had secretly liked when they were in school. They got back in touch and then started dating. The band is surprised and RINA goes, "It's just like a drama" while TOMO goes, "This perfectly describes fate!" The others immediately start loudly talking over each other while laughing and going, "Wait, wait; it's too soon to say!" TOMO also laughs and goes, "Sorry! Keep reading the message!" MAMI continues. The listener says that they later found out that the lady had also liked them when they were in school, and this miracle is still continuing on. The band goes, "Ahh! That's so nice!" MAMI goes, "We kind of jumped the gun a bit," and the others laugh and agree. MAMI pulls the "Beethoven train pass case" prize. They're shown the case and they laugh hard at it. RINA goes, "Wait, isn't this kind of awesome?" since it's an extendable case. MAMI says that they'll pull a different type of prize for sure next time. TOMO and HARU say that there are too many Beethoven prizes to begin with.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who says that they don't know if this could be called a "kinenbi," but their parents' house has been set to be demolished on the 24th. They say that it's a little sad that proof that they've lived there for years will be gone, but a new point in their life will start. TOMO says that the number of Beethoven slips have gone down, so it's possible they could draw a different prize. RINA pulls a slip out and says that it's a "Beethoven clear file" prize (TOMO: "Didn't the number of those go down?!"). One of their staff says to pull another slip. The band is surprised and RINA goes, "Really? Can I?" (TOMO: "Pull all of them out!"). She pulls another one, which turns out to be...an Apollo prize! The band cheers and goes, "Yay!" They're shown the prize and they say that even the bag it comes in is cute. It contains a bunch of different kinds of Apollo and other Meiji sweets.

•After "Kinenbi" plays, the band closes out the episode. They say that it went by really fast. HARU says that she was really interested in the Beethoven pass case that MAMI pulled earlier and took a picture of it. They say that messages they didn't yet read during this episode will be read on future episodes of "Catch up." They also say that they will be doing an after talk shortly after this and wonder if they will be able to read more messages. MAMI mentions that her prize still hasn't been drawn. They say that recording this episode was great and that it was nice to give out presents. They also mention the overabundance of Beethoven presents. HARU says that they'll do their best to do a third live broadcast of "Catch up."

1. Roppongi Shinjuu (六本木心中; Roppongi Double Suicide) (Original: Ann Lewis)
   
2. Koibito ga Santa Claus (恋人がサンタクロース; My Lover Is Santa Claus) (Original: Matsutoya Yumi)
   
3. SINKY-YORK (Original: JITTERIN' JINN)
   
4. Rock 'n' Roll Widow (ロックンロール・ウィドウ) (Original: Yamaguchi Momoe)
   
5. DAYDREAM (Original: JUDY AND MARY)
   
6. Sunny Day Sunday (Original: SENTIMENTAL BUS)
   
7. secret base ~Kimi ga Kureta Mono~ (secret base ~君がくれたもの~; secret base ~Things You Gave Me~) (Original: ZONE)
   
   
   

Steadystate wrote:It seems November 17 is the 10th year anniversary of Scandal's R-Girl's Rock! mini album too   

November 17 

tonymiller wrote:@Steadystate

Yes that came out in 2010 and I have it in my car, my favourite track is still "Secret Base"

【Translated Summary】
TOKYO FM's Sunday Special - 『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 ＃2 - After Talk

•The band talks about the live episode and the Beethoven prizes. TOMO says that every kind of Beethoven prize was given out, and she and RINA say that they started to want the prizes too after pulling so many of them.

•TOMO reads a message from a listener who bought a new tent last July and says that TOMO, who likes camping, should understand how exciting is it to buy a new tent. They also say that they're currently listening to the program while camping in that tent. The band goes "Ehhh??! That's so nice!" TOMO wonders if they're camping in a certain area, to which HARU replies, "You know where they are?" TOMO also mentions Ogawa tents, which she says are pretty expensive, and says that she's jealous that they're camping right now. MAMI says that it'd be nice to eat sweets while camping. TOMO agrees and says that she hopes they'll pull that prize. After a few seconds of silence, MAMI goes, "Ah, you aren't going to say it?" TOMO goes, "Ah, sorry! Let's do that again." HARU says that they're kind of in a daze after the live broadcast. TOMO pulls out a "HARUNA Special" prize. HARU goes, "Eh, we're giving that away?" The rest are confused and wonder what she thinks the prize is (TOMO: "Could you quit being so airheaded?!"), and she laughs and says she thought it meant they were giving away another "rinser cleaner." Directed at their staff, RINA says, "You should give us an explanation as for what the prizes are!" The staff shows them the actual prize, which is this set of 32 Meiji sweets dubbed the "HARUNA Special" that they had originally given away for HARU's birthday. MAMI says that you can eat this with everyone you're with when camping. She also mentions that her present still hasn't been chosen.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is the day the bring out their kotatsu for the colder seasons. MAMI says her present isn't related to kotatsu, but she hopes she pulls it...and she does! The band goes "Yay!" The item is a diatomaceous earth bath mat (like this). MAMI asks if the others know what it is. HARU and TOMO say yes and that they both own them. Essentially, when you stand on the mat after bathing, the diatomaceous earth in it absorbs all of the water dripping off. MAMI says that she didn't use to use one because she didn't believe they were that absorbent, but after seeing it in variety shows and on shopping sites, she decided to go ahead and buy one online. Now, it's something she basically can't live without. TOMO says that it's a pretty unbelievable item, which HARU also agrees with. RINA is interested and says that she'll buy one too. MAMI says that the water evaporates as soon as the mat absorbs it. RINA says that's nice, and that it's a practical item. The band says they're glad this present was finally pulled at the end.

•RINA reads the last message which is from a listener whose "kinenbi" is 10 years ago when their quit their job at a paint shop they worked at for 15 years and started an independent company. They and two junior workers worked hard, and now they have eight artisans and one clerical worker. The band congratulates them. RINA then pulls the last prize, which is a Beethoven pass case. The band bursts out in laughter and goes, "There were still Beethoven prizes left?!" They jokingly talk about the pros of the case such as it being reflective and able to stretch far. They then close it out and say it was fun.

Going into overtime for the "Watashi no Kinenbi" message theme from the 11/22 live broadcast! Anniversaries not found on the calendar are created one after another!

Episode ＃39 blog

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HARUNA: A pop-up special program was aired on 11/22 on TFM...
On that we asked for messages with the theme "Watashi no Kinenbi" (My Anniversaries / Commemorative Days), and since we got a bunch of them that we still would like to read, we'll be going into overtime.

All: Nice〜

HARUNA: You mustn't waste food, so in the same vein we shouldn't waste any mail/messages...

RINA: It certainly would be a waste. We're being eco-friendly.

HARUNA: Yes. We gave away special presents during the live program, but today we will be giving out Apollo pouches to messages that wow us, as per our usual "Catch up" rules. There are no more Beethoven items.

TOMOMI: It's safe.

HARUNA: We don't have the "Present from the darkness Box" either.

RINA: That's good.

HARUNA: We also will not be shouting "Catch and up!"

RINA: Thank you very much.

TOMOMI: It's so subdued...

HARUNA: I'll read a message.

Good evening, SCANDAL.
This is my first year being a teacher!
My "kinenbi" is October 24th.
It's a bit of an exaggeration to call it a "kinenbi," but on 10/24 of my first year of high school, I started texting a female classmate of mine. Back then LINE didn't exist and smartphones had just come out, so everyone was texting each other. I had a flip phone at the time. It's already been eight years since then, but we still talk to each other every day. We switched from texts to LINE about two years ago, and we keep in touch in some way or another every day. Even when we're both dating other people, our boyfriends/girlfriends were accepting of it. We talk about random stuff, though lol. Stuff like, "My futon hasn't been letting go of me in the mornings recently." - "I totally get that." Things like that.
At this point, we also mysteriously have a common understanding where we aren't able to date anyone who tells us we can't talk to each other.
I don't know how long it will last, but this is my texting "kinenbi."

RINA: We're getting more and more unusual stories... That's awesome, and it surprised me. Eight years--that's pretty awesome!

HARUNA: That is.

MAMI: Are there really people who keep in contact for eight years straight?

RINA: Do they talk that much each day??

HARUNA: They said they talk about random stuff.

RINA: That's still awesome.

TOMOMI: Isn't it like moral support now?

HARUNA: That means they're like best friends, right?

RINA: I wonder if it's like their wavelengths are inseparable.
But there really are people like this, people who are good friends with the opposite sex and have no romantic feelings between them.

HARUNA: There are. It's like childhood friends.

MAMI: If either of them tells [a new partner] they've been talking for eight years, I wonder if the partners aren't bothered by it...

TOMOMI: Isn't that totally possible?

HARUNA: They might not like it at first...

MAMI: Well, maybe they're like, "Please continue."

TOMOMI: Even if they looked at their messages, they would only see things like, "My futon wouldn't let go of me today," wouldn't they?

RINA: But I'm sure there are those who would be a little bothered by because that exchange has been going on for eight years, right? They have a special relationship that allows them to talk about random stuff.

HARUNA: They totally do. It's not something they need to do.

(Staff: Wouldn't you think [as a boyfriend/girlfriend], "Talk to me about random things"?)

TOMOMI: I don't need that at all, wanting to be told about every single random thing like about futons.

RINA: I wonder if they'd understand it if their partners think that they should be the ones they're talking about random stuff with.
That would mean that their daily conversations would increase.

HARUNA: I get that.

RINA: Wouldn't it be a pain to be sent all these things that have meaning to them because of a boyfriend like that?

MAMI: There are times when that's not the case. They wouldn't need to be told about the random stuff...

RINA: I feel that you connect more when you have silly conversations.
There's something special about it.

HARUNA: A type of friendship between men and women.

TOMOMI: Either might get married someday.

RINA: Yeah, they know all about each other.

MAMI: Even if they get married to other people, they'll still text each other...
If they ultimately don't get a boyfriend or girlfriend, then maybe they should go out with each other...

Overtime is exciting! They continue to read more messages that were not able to be read on the live broadcast. After this, there's a tiny incident where TOMOMI will not be able to read emails ...?

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

•TOMO reads a message from a listener who bought a new tent last July and says that TOMO, who likes camping, should understand how exciting is it to buy a new tent.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 39

•The program starts with this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is December 26th, the day that they proposed to their girlfriend last year. So that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime proposal and that she would be happy from the bottom of her heart, they proposed to her at Disneyland. They went to Disneyland on the 25th, and although they were planning to propose to her that night after heading to a Disney hotel, the timing didn't work out and they ended up proposing in the afternoon of the 26th. The band says that's wonderful. TOMO says that it'll soon be Christmas and that the first anniversary of their engagement is coming up. They congratulate them and wish them happiness.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose "kinebi" is the day that she and their boyfriend she's currently dating consolidated their debt. October 23rd of this year was their first anniversary. They didn't plan to do anything special, but her boyfriend gave them a cake and flowers as a surprise, which made her happy. However, he then confessed that he was in a lot of debt. The listener's head went completely blank after hearing the high amount, but they then made sure to talk things over and decided to consolidate their debt. She says a special kind of "kinenbi" where it was a day that all kinds of feelings intertwined with each other. MAMI says that calling it a "kinenbi" is very positive-thinking. RINA says that their love must be very strong. MAMI says, "Don't become his guarantor," which the band laughs at and agrees with. She also says that it's great that they talked it out and accepted the facts positively. RINA says that she hopes the boyfriend will work hard to repay the listener.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is October 3rd, the day they opened their own osteopathic (bonesetting) clinic. Their 9th anniversary was this year, so they are currently in their 10th year. They also say that since they got the national qualification of judo therapist the same year as SCANDAL debuted (2008), they think to themselves how they're in the same grade as SCANDAL. The band says that's great they've been in business for so long. RINA says that being a musician is also a job that makes full use of one's body, which is why there are many times when they rely on doctors/physical therapists. She also mentions how she had a doctor come on tour with them, which she had previously talked about in this video, and says she's grateful for people like that. The band also talks about how continuing something for 10+ years is pretty awesome, and TOMO says that SCANDAL is also pretty awesome for doing the same. The others laugh, and RINA says that they recently realized that being a band for so long is the thing that gives them the most confidence and that it's important to recognize how hard they've been working.

•After "Masterpiece" plays, HARU reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" in a sesne is March 31st when they decided to quit their job at a photo studio they worked at for five years. Since their company was going to be downsized due to a downturn in business, they told the listener to quit. It was so sudden and they're still unemployed. When they talk to others about how them quitting their job, the reason almost always gets confused with a COVID-related reason since it happened right around when it started getting bad. They say they'll patiently wait to get a new job, and that they're looking forward to SCANDAL's upcoming concert, which they've secured tickets for via the fan club lottery. RINA says that even though they're in this situation, they're still in their fan club and are going to attend their show. She says that they need to make this day an energetic one, which the band agrees to. They also hope that they find a new job soon.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is October 6th, the day they stepped on a cockroach. TOMO goes, "I might not be able to read this!", which the band laughs at. HARU says that she'll read it instead since TOMO also can't stand the word "cockroach." When the listener arrived at school that morning and took off their loafers, they noticed insect legs stuck to the white socks they were wearing. A friend looked inside their shoe and said, "Oh, there was a cockroach in here," which meant that they had been stamping on a cockroach for the past hour and a half they left their house to the time they got to school. They say they were at least happy to have contributed a funny memory to their friend. RINA goes, "They are way too positive." They wonder if the listener really didn't notice it when they put their shoes on. RINA says that maybe they're the type that's okay with insects. HARU says that she might be more of that type. RINA asks what type, and HARU clarifies that in this type of situation the others would be surprised/scared while HARU would of course be surprised, but she'd also be like, "Well, I guess that happened." TOMO says that she'd probably faint. RINA says that the listener should make sure the same thing doesn't happen twice.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is the moment she found her pet cat 12 years ago. When her husband had said that there was a cat under the stairs of the apartment they lived at the time and she crouched down to take a look, that was when the cat ran out and jumped on her shoulders and wouldn't move for the next 30 minutes. The cat was still a palm-sized kitten so they waited for the mother cat to show up. It never did, so they decided to adopt the kitten. Even now they still talk about how the cat was "born" from her shoulders. She thanks the cat for leaping out to her 12 years ago, says that she's happy they chose her to be their mother, and for it to continue living a long and happy life. The band goes, "That's so adorable!" RINA says that the cat got adopted by such a loving family, and HARU says that it's living a great life. HARU also mentions that there are a bunch of happy "kinenbi" that people are sending in. The others agree, and RINA says that "kinenbi" usually do refer to a happy happening.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose "kinebi" will be their 10th anniversary of taking drum lessons, which they started in 2011. Every year from 2011 to 2018 they had appeared in recitals but have not been able to since 2019 due to COVID. They hope that they will get to do it next year. RINA says that to play an instrument for 10 years, and drums at that, takes a lot of physical strength and energy, so it's great that they apparently really like playing the drums. They talk about how you need to work hard for recitals, which they liken it to the four of them always going to the studio.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose unforgettable "kinenbi" is January 8, 2018: their coming-of-age ceremony. They didn't want to go because they had few friends in their hometown, but as it was a once-in-a-lifetime event; their grandparents were looking forward to it; and they wanted to wear their mother's beautiful furisode, they decided to take part in it. Their older sister also helped them practice doing hairstyles and manicures that would match the furisode. However, the night before the ceremony they came down with a fever and was not able to attend it. They're sorry that they made it an unforgettable "kinenbi" in a sense for their mother and sister. They then decided with their friends to wear furisode at their college graduation party, but due to COVID the party was canceled and they were not able to wear the furisode. They are, however, glad that they got to wear it for a photo shoot preceeding the coming-of-age-ceremony, and hope that they're able to wear it again one day. They also tell the band that they'd like to be given an Apollo pouch. The band laughs and says that they completely forgot that they're to give out a pouch to a listener. They go back to the story and say that that's good that they at least had a pre-shoot where the listener wore the furisode. MAMI says that she wasn't going to do one of those before her own ceremony since she didn't think it was necessary, but her mom thought she should so she did one unwillingly. RINA mentions that MAMI had taken pictures of her holding a guitar, which probably turned out to be like promo pictures of a solo artist. They also wonder what the next event in the listener's life would be where she'd get to wear the furisode, and HARU says that perhaps it could be for their wedding. The rest agree and think that might be nice. They decide to give the pouch to them since they asked for it. TOMO says, "I wonder if the pouch will go with the furisode."

•The band then closes out the episode. HARU wonders when they'll get to do another special program again. MAMI says that for better or worse everyone's so positive about their "kinenbi," which she thinks is awesome. RINA goes, "That's why they like SCANDAL's music, right?" They laugh and MAMI goes, "Yeah, since we've been doing a band for so long."

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose "kinenbi" is the moment she found her pet cat 12 years ago...

Fine Line Association ＃2! The members agree with the fine line between "geniuses" and "eccentrics" as contrived by the listeners!

Episode ＃40 blog

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HARUNA: We have Meltykiss chocolates today too...

MAMI: I ate two of them beforehand.

RINA: These are new kinds.

HARUNA: It's the "Butter Caramel" flavor.

RINA: I really want you guys to try this.

TOMOMI: It's really delicious.

HARUNA: You can't stop eating them.

TOMOMI: It's also pretty reasonably priced.

RINA: It's also high quality.

TOMOMI: It costs 1,500 yen depending on the serving size...

The four of them were captivated by Meltykiss's Butter Caramel flavor... This episode was recorded as they ate.

HARUNA: Today we're holding the Fine Line Association. People will be joining one after another.

So let's hold the second meeting.
There's a fine line among all things that seems like it does not exist.
The line is different depending on the person and area.
Let's seriously consider this "fine line."
That will be the "Catch up Fine Line Association."

This is our first regular meeting with our listeners.
There are three items on the agenda this time.

① Introduce opinions from new members in regards to previous themes
② New "fine line themes" brought up by new members
③ Examination of new "fine line themes" by the four directors

RINA: We're directors... When did that happen?

TOMOMI: Thank you very much.

HARUNA: Let's start with the first item. I'll read a message.

Tadayasu-san

Good evening, all
I really enjoyed the Fine Line Association the other day. I have my own idea of a fine line between "geniuses and eccentrics," so I would appreciate it if I could present it and get permission to join the organization.

If you consider it in a school setting, it's accurate that a "genius" is at the top of their class in all subjects and teaches their friends. This person will solve problems that others don't understand. An "eccentric" is very average in most subjects. They're at the top in one subject only and are a bit nosy--if a friend asks them one question about that subject, they'll get 10 in return. I do not think either of them have bad relationships with others. When both of them join society, I think they will become professionals in their respective ways, so I could sympathize with what you said about how they're people you can respect.

That is all. I hope you grant me permission to join the Fine Line Organization.

RINA: It seems that they gave us the correct answer about "geniuses and eccentrics"...

TOMOMI: We grant you permission to join.

All: Welcome to the Fine Line Organization.

TOMOMI: We have another applicant.

Nonbiri Necklace to Kiiro Down-san

I'd like to join the Fine Line Association!
This is what I think about the fine line between "geniuses and eccentrics."
Both of them are eccentrics.
However, how is a "genius" different from your average "eccentric"?
I thought that the "eccentric" would jump over the line and become a "genius" the moment when they're "recognized by society," and would contribute to society + those around them and have a great impact.
Take great people currently recognized as a "geniuses"--they were acknowledged by society after their death,
But were thought of as "eccentrics" while they were alive.

RINA: Yes, they've got a point.
Steve Jobs, too, I think he was far too ahead of everyone and many people around him weren't able to catch up with him. But we're living the way we do now because of his genius...

HARUNA: It's the same for Einstein.

TOMOMI: Edison and Van Gogh too.

RINA: But as a musician, I want to be evaluated while I'm alive.

HARUNA: You want to experience it for yourself.

RINA: Yeah, I want to be loved forever, though that may be a little greedy...

I thought that the "eccentric" would jump over the line and become a "genius" the moment when they're "recognized by society,"

RINA: But as a musician, I want to be evaluated while I'm alive.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 40

•The program starts with this. TOMO adds that she sawHiroto Komoto on TV the other day and that he's an eccentric but a genius, and that everything he says makes you tear up. RINA agrees and says that everything he says sounds like they could be lyrics of a song. TOMO then apologizes for digressing, and says that what he said words that she wants to hear right now--many people, she adds, were probably helped out by those words as well. She says that things are a little gloomy right now, but having someone who thinks like that can give hope to the world. HARU wonders if he's someone who has a high level of sensibility, which is why he can consider things from different angles. She also says that both geniuses and eccentrics are both positive thinkers, which is why there's a paper-thin difference between them.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who asks them to draw the line between something they've always wondered about: Being "more than a friend but less than a lover" is pretty common (AKA the friendzone), but how far do you have to go in order to be considered more than friends? They understand the boundary between friends and lovers, but they think that if someone says that you're more than friends but not in an intimate relationship, then you're considered a friend. HARU goes, "They're not wondering whether or not Person A views Person B as a love interest, right?" MAMI says that it's probably that Person A thinks of Person B as a friend, but Person B now thinks of Person A in a romantic light. So in Person B's mind they view Person A as more than a friend, but they're not dating Person A so they're more than friends but not in an intimate relationship. HARU says it's someone who likes someone else but they don't necessarily have a need/want to date them. TOMO says that maybe they're being pulled in the direction of getting married without actually agreeing to date, which could mean that their relationship is basically "more than friends but less than lovers" until they'd get married. In that case, they're still not considered lovers. RINA says that not a lot of adults actually have a "Will you go out with me? - Okay" discussion. MAMI says that if two people think that they are more than friends and less than lovers, they may already be lovers. HARU says it's hard to draw the line. TOMO says that they're not necessarily thinking that they want to be with this person forever, but instead are thinking that they want to kiss this person now, which in that case they would be more than friends since friends don't usually kiss friends. They're not considering the future but the present. RINA says, "That's such a sad relationship to have!" The others laugh and agree. HARU says that there are people who don't want to be bound by a relationship. RINA says that if there's someone who you'll only show a certain side of yourself to, then your relationship might be more than friends. The band says this is pretty much where they draw the line, and that they hope their listeners can make progress in their relationships.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who asks about the line between menchi-katsu and korokke (Japanese croquettes), and that they also didn't care about the difference as well as what hashed beef curry/hayashi rice is until recently, so they thought that they were all the same dish. The band laughs and goes, "That's so cute!" MAMI goes, "The first two are completely different from hayashi rice!" As for menchi-katsu and korokke, MAMI says that the latter has potatoes in it while the former only has meat and onions in it. The others agree and RINA says that the ingredients differ. They burst out in laughter again at how simple the difference is between those two. TOMO says that appearance-wise they're both similar, and RINA and MAMI say that from the same angle they might look the same. They also talk about how they're typically shaped differently, although one could shape them to look the same. RINA says you could try to deceive someone and the others laugh. TOMO says that you could make it a quiz and have someone guess which is which, but once you cut into one you'll know which one it is. HARU says they probably must never think something like, "Oh, I want to eat menchi-katsu/korokke" since they don't know the difference between the two. TOMO says they're probably like, "I want to eat something deep fried and covered in panko," which the others laugh at. HARU goes, "So it's like they try eating one, and they're like, 'Oh, I suppose I'm eating this one today'?" MAMI thinks it's more like, "'Oh, I want to eat korokke but I can't tell which is which just by looking at them,' and when they pick one and taste it, they're like, 'Ah, I guess it's menchi-katsu today' (HARU: "How random!")." RINA and TOMO remind them that the listener says they didn't really care about the difference between the two, so they probably don't care which they're eating; they just think it's delicious. HARU wonders if it's like a scenario at a restaurant such as when you order a specific dish like curry but something you were not expecting comes out instead. TOMO disagrees, and it's probably like if they ordered curry but they were given beef stew instead, they'd probably be like, "This is delicious!" HARU says, "Is that because they think there's three different types of curries?" They say they don't think so, and that they just think that they're all the same dish. RINA says the listener should try to tasting the dishes a little more seriously. The staff laughs and MAMI chuckles and goes, "That's funny." HARU says that there are different kinds of korokke such as ones made with kabocha squash. TOMO goes, "This isn't the topic to be spending this much time discussing!", which they laugh at. RINA says that the listener should try savoring the tastes of them more than usual starting from tomorrow. TOMO mentions again how cute they found this message and RINA says it surprised her. The staff says this came from a 25-year-old male listener, which the band is surprised at. TOMO goes, "This would have been cute if they were 14 years old, but 25 years old..?!" RINA goes, "25 years old...that's not very cute," while the other members and the staff laugh. They say the topic was interesting and thank them for it.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who's curious about the line between musicians and artists and asks the band what type they are, and also asks them if there's anyone who've they've worked with who they've thought are the top musician/artist among musicians/artists. MAMI says that artists can be found in all kinds of different arts, and that if someone plays an instrument then they're a musician. However, there can be people who do things like dance and also be a musician. HARU says that there's no real line between the two, and TOMO says within the big umbrella of "artists," the people who play music are musicians. RINA says that musicians are very diverse, and that there are times when someone might feel more comfortable being called an artist. MAMI says that she thinks she feels more comfortable being called an artist. TOMO says that when she writes down what her profession is, she writes "musician" and has never written "artist." MAMI says that people in bands probably feel that "musician" fits them best.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who asks what they think is the line between koi and ai. The listener thought about it in their own way, and they think that "koi" is when you don't seek something in return, and "ai" is when there's no concept of getting something in return. They give an example: They love ramen (koi), but they're not in love with ramen (ai). In that sense, "koi" is when there's something given in return but it's not something you seek; "ai" is when something given to you in return doesn't exist. They chuckle at the ramen example. RINA says she wouldn't think that ramen would be given as an example for this kind of topic, and that it's scary to think that someone would want something in return from ramen. HARU says she thinks there are people who are in love with ramen have a different form of emotion than others, which the others agree with. TOMO gives an example that people overseas fall in love with things like buildings and get married to them (RINA also gives a roller coaster as another example). HARU says that for example, a ramen dish someone has tried for the first time recently and the feeling of them wanting to eat it every day is the same kind of uplifting feeling as "koi." They don't want to eat it every day for a year, but they really want to eat it for a week - that's kind of like "koi" (RINA: "What a short romance"); you can keep eating the same thing. TOMO goes, "This turned into a discussion about ramen," which they laugh at. RINA says that they're taking the example in the wrong direction. MAMI thinks that establishing a want for something in return although you're not seeking it could be considered "ai." HARU says that "koi" is more about passion and "ai" is a little more reserved. RINA says it's like the difference between dating and being married, and TOMO says it's like the difference between 100°C/212°F boiling water and comfortable 30°C/86°F water. MAMI asks if the boiling water is "koi," and TOMO says yes, but then says she needs to rethink it over again because of all the ramen talk clouding her head.

•HARU then says that they'll be drawing another topic from other themes they've been sent to have listeners send in their thoughts on the topic. TOMO draws a card that says "cafe vs. kissaten." The band laughs and says that's an interesting topic. As they close out the episode, MAMI asks what they should do about giving out an Apollo pouch. TOMO says that they shouldn't give any out this week, which they laugh at. HARU says that if the listener who sent in the menchi-katsu/korokke one can properly remember the difference between the two, they'll give them a pouch.

At what timing is seldom-seen (?) Apollo pouch given out?

Episode ＃41 blog

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HARUNA: We're bringing this week's "Catch up" surrounded by tons of Meiji sweets today too... Here's one message.

Yuka

Good evening, SCANDAL! Since "Catch up" means "What's been going lately?", I will be writing about what's been going on with me lately. I was curious about the Meltykiss Butter Caramel flavor that you mentioned the other day and immediately bought one♡ It really is melty and makes you happy. I then suddenly thought about how many Meltykiss pieces would fit in the Apollo pouch. Maybe 3 or 4 of them? I'd like to try, so please give me an Apollo pouch!!!!
I'll definitely let you know the results via the program's message page♪

RINA: I see...

TOMOMI: How skillful...

MAMI: Yeah, skillful at begging...

HARUNA: This is the first message of the day--are we really going to give away the pouch with the first message?

RINA: Yeah, wasn't that a good one?

TOMOMI: Hm? What should we do... What about deciding after we've read the other messages?

RINA: Can't we just give it to the first one?

HARUNA: It's not like we've decided to give out one pouch per episode; what we decided was that if a message is good then we'll give them it...

TOMOMI: We did say that we wouldn't be giving them away so easily.

MAMI: But you're the only one who has that stance, TOMO-chan.

TOMOMI: Eh, really?

HARUNA: Wondering how many Meltykisses would fit in an Apollo pouch and letting us know the results...that's pretty skillful.

RINA: Also, I think this was the first time someone's followed the "Catch up" title properly...

HARUNA: Yeah, for sure.

MAMI: On episode 41...

HARUNA: Yeah...

RINA: Let's give it to them!

HARUNA: All right, we're giving them an Apollo pouch!

TOMOMI: I wonder how many will fit...

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 41

•The program starts with this.

•After "Living in the city" plays, HARU says that this episode will be a "cleaning out the mail" one. MAMI reads the next message from the listener from the previous episode that didn't know the difference between menchi-katsu and korokke. The next day they went out and got some menchi-katsu pan (bread) and a gratin korokke sandwich. The band laughs and TOMO goes, "That's not exactly the right item," and RINA goes, "They're a goofball." MAMI reads the next part of the message, which said, "Both of them were delicious!" (RINA: "Baka"). The listener then says something about different types of korokke, and after they finished eating them, they suddenly had some doubt and then ask the band where the line is between gratin korokke and potato korokke. The band laughs and HARU goes, "Cut it out already!" RINA jokingly says she's ticked off and wonders if the listener's making fun of things now. This conversation kind of goes on for a bit more and I'm not interested in translating the rest of it lol

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is answering their question from last time about "cafe vs. kissaten." They looked into it and it seems that both of them have different legal business forms. A cafe operates as a restaurant and a kissaten operates as a coffee shop, so the line between the two is whether you can or cannot drink alcohol at the establishment. They think, however, that that line's not satisfactory for people in Aichi Prefecture, which has a firmly-rooted kissaten culture, so they the line is that kissaten will give you mamegashi (a snack consisting of peanuts, among other things) while cafes do not. The reason for that is because a peanut company in Nagoya proposed mamegashi to coffee roasters as a kissaten product. Since those sweets and coffee go hand in hand, it spread to kissaten. MAMI says that it's definitely a cultural thing in the Tokai region where Aichi is (and where MAMI is from), and that a standard set in the morning would be bread, a hard boiled egg, and mamegashi. HARU, who is also from that region, confirms that mamegashi really does come with orders of coffee at kissaten and used to think that that was a given for any part of Japan. TOMO says that that may be the fine line for Aichi, but it's completely different for the rest of the country.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who is also answering the cafe vs. kissaten question. In their mind, the image they have of a kissaten is a place that has an old-fashioned, retro atmosphere and serves melon soda ice cream floats. The image they have of a cafe is a place that has a modern and pop atmosphere, and its specialty is a hamburger with thick meat. They also say that they think this theme will bring out a lot of personal differences. The band agrees that it's easy to understand those differences and that they image they personally have of kissaten are about the same.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who sent them four "fine line" topics: full album vs mini album, mini album vs EP, EP vs. single, and rojiura vs uraroji (they both basically mean "back alley," but according to some sites on Google, "rojiura" also includes any place facing a back alley, while "uraroji" just refers to the back alley itself). RINA says that the difference between a full album and mini album are the number of songs and the length in minutes of it. EPs are about how many songs are on a release, which she thinks is six. Anything below that would be considered a single. Basically, the difference between all of those different types of releases are song counts and how long in minutes a release is. As for rojiura vs uraroji, HARU says that it's kind of complicated. RINA mentions that the only difference in spelling between the two is that the location of "ura" is different (路地裏 rojiura - the "ura" is the third character; 裏路地 uraroji - the "ura" is the first character). TOMO says that she's never used the word "uraroji." MAMI talks about what she thinks is the difference between the two (basically the same thing I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph) and reads it to the others. They go, "Ah, I see. I get it now" and say that these were good topics. TOMO then Googles the differences between the two and says that MAMI was correct, which MAMI is happy about.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is a 61-year-old bike rider living in Ishikawa Prefecture and is a rhythm guitarist in a band made up of older guys at his work. Sometimes he can't hear what he's playing and makes mistakes. He asks SCANDAL if they mistakes while playing on stage and to tell him if they have a story to go along with it, and also asks them how to recover from mistakes like that. TOMO says that she doesn't really want to talk about how they cover up mistakes. HARU laughs and says that they'll be found out. RINA asks the guitarists how they recover from mistakes, and if there are any mistakes they've made that they remember doing. MAMI says that rather than mistakes, there are a lot of things that happen to her such as her falling down a lot. She doesn't make mistakes then because she literally can't play the guitar when things like that happen, and that all you can do is laugh it off. TOMO says that when HARU sings the wrong lyrics, HARU will yell out that she made a mistake. HARU says that's true, and that her yelling out she's made a mistake depends on the song. RINA says that something she remembers happened during their first time playing at Yokohama Arena. They had played "Haruka" for the first time in forever, and during the very last lyrics of the song where it's just HARU singing, she sang the completely wrong lyrics. She says it surprised her, and HARU says it surprised her as well. They laugh, and HARU says that she was like, "What am I going to do?!?" and she doesn't really remember the rest; only that she needed to finish the song up. They talk about missing chords and RINA says that even if they mess up one, they can basically just cover it up with no one the wiser, unlike singing. They then talk about the bass and that if TOMO were to mess up then it would be noticeable, though MAMI says that TOMO barely makes mistakes. RINA talks about drum mistakes and that she made mistakes during the outro of "Sunday Drive" during their 2016 Europe tour, and that she probably confused the audience a bit. She also talks about the mistake she made during SCAFES where she forgot to countdown (RINA: "I was done in by the heat"). MAMI mentions that HARU had a wet towel on her neck the entire time (TOMO: "Even though she had such a cute outfit made" - RINA: "Our stylist was in tears"). HARU laughs and says that she felt like she was going to die, and that it was pretty hellish [Note: I was there and it definitely was hellish lol]. RINA says that that was probably the best show they've ever done, which the others agree with.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who drives a 1.5 ton truck in the delivery industry. They passed the company's qualification trainer this summer, and just the other day they were teaching newcomers for the first time. However, since it's their first time teaching, they're not sure how to teach. They ask SCANDAL if there's something they try to be careful with or aware of when teaching others how to do something. HARU wonders if there have been times when they've taught others, and RINA mentions things like seminars (she's held a few drum seminars before). HARU says that she's bad at teaching others. RINA says it's difficult to do since a lot of time you learn via feeling stuff out for yourself. HARU agrees and says that it's difficult to verbalize that. MAMI says that trying to play/teach guitar you can verbalize sounds and strokes, and that their knowledge on how to teach things is limited to music. As for the listener, RINA says that learning by example visually is important, and that the more detailed things can be taught verbally. The staff asks the band if they've been taught about music. TOMO says no, so they probably wouldn't be good at teaching others. MAMI said they didn't have a teacher so they would copy songs and stuff by ear. HARU says that not being taught formally means that music terminology isn't one of their strong suits. RINA says that they don't know the rules, which they all laugh at. MAMI says that they play it by ear when making songs. RINA says that this advice probably isn't good for the listener, so she says that they should teach others visually and also explain important parts to them in words.

This is definitely one of the most interesting Catch Up episodes   

She also talks about the mistake she made during SCAFES where she forgot to countdown (RINA: "I was done in by the heat").

I wonder if the Scandal members watch clips of themselves on YouTube... cos if they do, Rina might be amused to know that the one minute clip of her mistake at SCAFES has already garnered 1.4M views   

MAMI said they didn't have a teacher so they would copy songs and stuff by ear. HARU says that not being taught formally means that music terminology isn't one of their strong suits.

A special right before Christmas! Answering tons of love advice questions from listeners! Can they become saviors?

Episode ＃42 blog

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HARUNA: Well then, this week...

Midwinter clearance mail!
A special right before Christmas!
What is the fine line between "ai" and "koi"?
"A huge release! Inventory clearance of love advice messages 2020!"

RINA: That's a long title.

HARUNA: It's already a midwinter clearance sale??
Even though just the other day it was a "midsummer clearance sale."

TOMOMI: That's true. That was fast.

HARUNA: What's more, since Christmas is this week and we received a bunch of love advice messages, we're going to do a huge release and get through them all at once.
Here's the first one.

RINA: It's so long!!

MAMI: It is!!

O-uchi [home] Chef (Living alone)

Good evening, SCANDAL. I always enjoy listening to this program.

My "kinenbi" is December 1st, when I met the woman who gave SPICE to my life.

I belonged to the light music club when I was a college student, and she was a junior student a year below me. We have been on good terms since she enrolled, but it never developed into a romantic relationship because she was already dating someone.

However, I saw her again for the first time in a few years when I participated as an alumnus in the last concert put on by graduates on December 1st last year. I asked her, "What's been going lately?" When we both arrived at our own homes that day, she revealed that she broke up with her boyfriend. Hearing that made my feelings start to change.

Until then I had thought of her as a "cute junior," but from that day on I thought of her as a "wonderful woman."

I couldn't keep my emotions in check and contacted her at a later date, telling her that I wanted us to meet up. Her response was good and we decided to do so.

And on that day, our conversation was more exciting than I expected it'd be--it was so nice that it made me forget about everything else. After that, due to how far away I lived from her and our jobs, we could only see each other once a month. However, we sometimes talked for more than an hour at night. Honestly, I felt that things were going well and it was smooth sailing, but...

Due to the orders to refrain from going out due to the spread of COVID, we no longer had plans to meet each other.

At first, even though we couldn't see each other in person, we continued to talk. However, those opportunities gradually decreased and we lost contact. It might have been due to my inadequacies, but I think it was due to COVID and feelings that I cannot explain.

Many months have passed, but I still can't forget the day when I was able to see her smile again. It was due to COVID that we couldn't see each other.

Should I contact her again when the COVID situation dies down someday?

SCANDAL, please let me know what you think.

TOMOMI: I see. I'm sure there are many people in the same boat.

RINA: But he says that felt a good response and thinks they both liked each other.
So even if they can't see each other, I think it's better if he contacts her right away.
Don't wait to contact her until after you guys can meet again. It's better to keep telling her how you feel right now.

HARUNA: It's not like their relationship was that deep, but it's difficult to keep calling for more than an hour every day. That can be a burden. So, it's okay to call once a day.

TOMOMI: You don't have to decide on any rules. You don't have to feel guilty when you can't [talk on the phone].

RINA: They can't meet but they want to date each other. She'd probably be happy if you told her [you'd want to go out]; why not try saying that?

MAMI: She wouldn't say she broke up with her ex to someone she's not interested in. She was interested in the listener too, and since she probably did so because she wanted him to be interested in her, I don't think she doesn't want him to contact her. She won't mind it no matter how many times you send her messages.

RINA: I think she'll be happy. Contact her right away.

HARUNA: You don't have to wait.

MAMI: Yeah, you don't.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 42

•The program starts with this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who is talking about their female friend. Basically, they say that their friend works in a place where it's mainly men, and that the men often invite the friend to after-work functions. However, she hasn't been able to say no to going out to one-on-one things despite having a boyfriend since she wants to talk about work and such with her coworkers. TOMO goes, "There are no periods in this at all!" The band laughs and TOMO says she'll keep reading. The listener says that it then became a matter of determining when something like that is considered a date instead. According to the friend, it's not right to go out to eat with someone of the opposite sex whom you've recently met, and it's also not right to go eat somewhere trendy with a coworker or friend since it'll be like a date (MAMI: "Oh no" [in English]), but it's fine if it's a place like a ramen shop since you're there for a short amount of time and that you're mainly there for the food. The listener asks SCANDAL what they think is the fine line between a date and not a date. MAMI says that it's kind of difficult to tell where it is in this case, but it should be fine for them to go if they tell the boyfriend that it's a work socialization thing. TOMO says that it's more of a matter of the bf being aware of what's going on, and if the bf doesn't like the situation then he could go along, and/or they could invite others along as well. HARU says that going to eat after work isn't really something you would consider a date anyway. RINA says that, like what the message said, the place you go out to matters; if you were to purposely go out to a hip/fancy place, then that's kind of unusual. HARU agrees that you usually wouldn't go somewhere like that with a coworker. The staff asks them if going to a ramen place would be okay, like what was mentioned in the message. The band agrees that somewhere like that would be fine, and that it's for sure something that happens with coworkers. TOMO says that however much they're willing to allow is up to the two of them.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who's a 25-year-old guy who looks rugged but likes cute things and food that girls tend to like, and is often told that he's strange. He also mentions that he never gets a reply back from RINA when he comments on her YouTube videos. The band laughs and HARU goes, "He suddenly put up a wall between us." He then asks the band for love advice. The girls he likes don't see him as a man and see him more as a little brother. His friends tell him that it doesn't seem like he doesn't want to be any more than just friends. He asks the band how he can be seen as a man. RINA addresses the first part of the message and says that she thinks it's best to live your life according to the appearance and gender that suits you. You like what you like, and that's totally fine. She also talks about gender-related stuff that's been mentioned in the news recently like with how toys are gendered, and the same goes for fashion. She thinks that everyone should wear what they really want to wear and live their lives happily, and that if, for example, she had a child who was a girl and the child wanted a toy car, she would absolutely give it to her. They then address the love advice part. MAMI says that she thinks if a guy simply wants to be seen as a man by the women around him, then he's probably being too passive. She thinks that they should appeal themselves a little more. HARU says that she thinks this is likely to happen to her own little brother since he's so kind to everyone and treats them all the same, whether it be his friends or someone that he's romantically interested in, which is why she thinks that whomever he's interested in probably doesn't feel that they're being treated in any special way and they don't realize that he likes them. She says that he's so kind and super attentive to detail, and that he's not mysterious enough to make you want to find out more about him. Going back to the listener, TOMO says that she thinks he should show his romantic interests that he's interested in them in that way, and to not pay attention to what his friends think. They basically all agree that the listener should appeal themselves more and be a little more assertive.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says that they looked for but can't find the Meltykiss chocolate in the Butter Caramel flavor. They also talk about the snow in Hokkaido and reference the lyrics to SCANDAL's song "HELLO" ("Midwinter ballerinas floated down to the city"). They planned to spend Christmas with a wonderful boyfriend, but they remained single this year too. They're currently 21, and ever since they were dumped by a boy in their third year of high school, they've been traumatized and are scared of love. As they put up a barrier so that they wouldn't get hurt, they lost sight of what love truly is. They ask the band at what moment have they thought, "Oh, I like/love this person." They want to be more honest with themselves while referring to what the band says. They also say that since they don't have an SO that can be Santa for them, they ask the band to give them an Apollo pouch as a Christmas present. The band laughs and says that they will give them a pouch. They also wonder what love truly is. HARU says that that's something she's really been wondering recently. RINA says that to put it simply, it's kind of like being so excited that you can't control yourself. MAMI agrees and says that you think about the person 24/7. TOMO says it's when you think about what you can do for or give to that person, and when you want to make the other person to be happy instead of wishing for own happiness by being with that person. RINA agrees that that's what love is for adults. MAMI wonders if the listener hasn't felt that way about someone since they were in their third year of high school since they wrote they're scared of love. TOMO thinks that they've basically stopped in their tracks in that regard. She also thinks that if you stay in the same place, you won't be able to forget exes. That's why if you keep evolving and growing, someone new will likely turn up for you in the future. MAMI agrees says that it's important to take a step forward instead of standing still. RINA says that it might be better to deal with love by thinking of it as a new experience, like "Oh, this person might be *the* one." They think the listener will be fine and say they should experience various types of romance.

•HARU reads the next message from a 34-year-old listener who asks a question about love. They confessed to a woman at their work whom they fell in love with at first sight and who is also a SCANDAL fan. She told them that she's sorry but she has a boyfriend. The listener sustained trauma from that and says it's painful to see couples. They ask the band how they should meet new romantic interests. TOMO goes, "How about not falling in love at first sight?" The others laugh and agree. TOMO also says they should get to know people a little deeper. MAMI says that falling in love at first sight is okay, but one should confirm some things before you tell a person that you like them. HARU agrees, referencing how the listener confessed to the woman without knowing that she already had a boyfriend. TOMO does agree that falling in love at first sight is okay, but if they had learned about the boyfriend and still continued to like the woman, then they could have tried continuing to appeal to her. If they still wanted to say that they like her, then they should consider the fact that they're trying to steal her away from her SO. MAMI says that the listener should think about things for a longer period of time. TOMO says that the listener was too hasty, and RINA comments on the fact that the listener confessed without knowing anything about the coworker's relationship status at all. MAMI puts on an old man-sounding voice and goes, "It's like they went, 'This girl is cute, she likes SCANDAL, we have the same interests--I love her!', right?" The others laugh and RINA says understands their feelings and thinks that having that kind of passion is important, but they should have spent more time trying to appeal themselves. MAMI says that maybe this listener would do well with the previous listener and would break down their barrier. They laugh and TOMO says that they should match them up. HARU laughs and disagrees, saying that their types are a little too different from each other. For this current listener, the band says that they should slow down and not be in a hurry. They're only 34, and supposing they live until 100, they still have a lot of time left.

Looking back by doing a Q&A at the end of 2020! They also do a Q&A for themselves in the future!?

Episode ＃43 blog

---

HARUNA: This is the last episode of "Catch up" for 2020.

This week we will be bringing to you "Catch up 2020, SCANDAL's Q&A"
And SCANDAL's "Parallel Q&A"
Conducted directly after the "SEASONS" concert on the 24th.

TOMOMI: That sounds difficult...

MAMI: A parallel Q&A??

HARUNA: Today, we'll first be doing a Q&A. That'll consist of us looking back on this year.
And, the day we're recording this episode is December 10th... We haven't yet held our concert.
So, the episode today combines this "2020 Q&A" we'll now be doing,
As well as the "Q&A" that will be recorded after our concert.

RINA: I see.

TOMOMI: Yeaーh, that's complicated.

RINA: Well, hopefully everyone just has fun listening to it...

HARUNA: We're the only ones who are confused...

RINA: Basically, we're recording today and the day of the concert.

MAMI: Understood.

Sorry for making things complicated.
In other words, there will be two Q&A conducted over two days.

Let's get right into the "2020 Q&A."

---

MAMI: Starting from HARUNA.

What did you learn how to do this year?

Waking up early


What moved you most this year?

I wonder... Our livestream on August 21st


Is there anything this year that you don't need to say but want to say since it's the end of the year?

I tried to qualify as a dog rearing specialist by the end of the year, but I wasn't able to... I'll carry it over to the next year


How would you describe 2020 in words?

Healthy


What do you want to praise yourself the most for this year?

I wonder... Ah, I became fond of speaking thanks to the radio. Maybe I want to be praised for knowing I'm not good at it


Which moment was it that your dog made your heart twinge the most this year?

Ehー... She makes my heart twinge every day, but she does make it twinge when she learns something I taught her...

---

HARUNA: Next up is TOMOMI.


What did you learn how to do this year?

I can now eat a little bit of cilantro


What was your loudest moment this year?

The song I sang [lead on] during our August 21st livestream.


Is there anything this year that you don't need to say but want to say since it's the end of the year?

I bought a laptop but I can't set it up...


How would you describe 2020 in one word?

Unusual (珍; chin - short for 珍しい; mezurashii)


What do you want to praise yourself the most for this year?

I made a ton of meals


What was the most delicious dish you cooked this year?

Cabbage rolls!

---

TOMOMI: Next is RINA.


What did you learn how to do this year?

Edit videos


Is there anything this year that you don't need to say but want to say since it's the end of the year?

I want some houseplants,
But since it's hard for me to choose, please come along with me, TOMOMI.
(TOMOMI: Okay)


How would you describe 2020 in one word?

Living (暮らす; kurasu)


What was your most useful item this year?

My computer


What do you want to praise yourself the most for this year?

I blogged a lot


What was your favorite outfit this year?

A blouse I bought at a secondhand clothing store in Osaka. It would have been great to wear it after a long time

---

RINA: Lastly, MAMI!


What did you learn how to do this year?

Well...
I don't really remember this year...
Ah, I can now draw on my eyebrows


What moved you most this year?

This is super recent, but I was so moved by setting up my TV so that I can watch video streaming sites too


Is there anything this year that you don't need to say but want to say since it's the end of the year?

Hーm, HARU-chan, when should we go eat budae-jjigae next?


How would you describe 2020 in one word?

Quiet (静か; shizuka)


How many hours did you sleep on your most sleepiest day of this year?

20 hours!


What do you want to praise yourself the most for this year?

When writing a song, I can now make it by singing and playing to my own accompaniment


What was your favorite hair color this year?

Pink!

MAMI!
What did you learn how to do this year?
Well...
I don't really remember this year...

How many hours did you sleep on your most sleepiest day of this year?
20 hours!

TOMOMI.
How would you describe 2020 in one word?
Unusual (珍; chin - short for 珍しい; mezurashii)

GT wrote:Tomomi did a lot of cooking (I want to try the cabbage rolls please) but she doesn't do tech, Rina got techy but doesn't know plants 

Steadystate wrote:

GT wrote:Tomomi did a lot of cooking (I want to try the cabbage rolls please) but she doesn't do tech, Rina got techy but doesn't know plants 

This part actually tickled me a lot because Rina is the "tech noob" of the band, but yet this year she learned how to be a YouTuber and edit videos.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 43

•The program starts with this.

•The band mentions that this is the last "Catch up" episode of 2020, and that time's flown by since the program started in March. This then happens.

•This entire episode is basically them expanding on the answers to the questions asked.



•HARU's Q&A:

Spoiler:

•TOMO's Q&A:

Spoiler:

•RINA's Q&A:

Spoiler:

•MAMI's Q&A:

Spoiler:

•The next segment is the "Parallel Q&A" conducted directly after the "SEASONS" concert on December 24th. Before closing out the first Q&A, HARU says that they will each need to think of any kind of question to ask the asker of their personal Q&A. They each write down a question which will be asked in the "Parallel Q&A."

•It starts off with the band reminiscing over "SEASONS." TOMO says that she isn't sure what kind of faces she made, and that she's scared to find out. RINA says there was an air of tension since the audience was all masked up and couldn't shout/could only clap their hands, but they felt a sense of security by having a live audience to begin with. She also felt like tearing up when the lights went on. HARU says that the applause they received when the first went on made her teary. The others agree, and TOMO says that that applause felt so warm. They say they're glad they decided to see everyone at the end of the year, how grateful they are that everyone came out in the midst of everything going on, and that everyone followed the rules (note: no cases have been linked to this concert). They also mention how photos and videos were allowed during "Tsuki," and that those who weren't able to come can check out users' photos/videos, as well as the stream of the concert.

•One staff member then asks them if they remember the questions asked to each other. TOMO says that she doesn't. The staffer then asks them if they're okay with him deciding which member to kick things off with. The band says that's fine and he starts with RINA who asked a question to MAMI. The question is, "What was the best thing you bought in 2020?" MAMI isn't sure at first, but eventually decides on a ceiling light that looks like a glass sphere with a lightbulb inside.

•Next is MAMI's question to HARU: "What did you eat for lunch?" HARU says KFC and sushi (MAMI: "It is Christmas after all").

•Next is HARU's question to TOMO: "What was the best camping equipment you bought in 2020?" TOMO says a mini portable gas stove from the brand Iwatani. HARU asks if it's just for using when she's solo camping. She says that she did buy it for solo camping, but it's pretty big that it'd also be great to use if others were to come with her. MAMI says that these stoves and gas canisters are about half the size of regular ones. TOMO says that it does fit large pots and can serve four people, and tells them to tell her if they would ever like to go camping. RINA says that she would like to go. TOMO says that they shouldn't go in winter since they'd likely die, but maybe when it gets warmer.

•Lastly is TOMO's question to RINA. She doesn't remember the question at all so she has to get help from the staff. The question is, "What will be your first meal in 2021?" They all laugh and say that that's a future future question. RINA says that since she's been at home by herself all year and will not go visit her parents, she'll probably eat something like chikara udon, which they say sounds very RINA-like. They again all laugh at how TOMO's question was meant for something even further in the future.

•They close out the episode by reminiscing more on "Catch up": This program was the only thing that was a constant this year, and it started right around the time they had to postpone/cancel their tour and no longer had a place where they could see everyone, so it feels like everything was linked to each other. They say they were saved by it, and that they'll be waiting for everyone's messages in 2021 too.