Talking about new song "eternal" that fits the current SCANDAL!

Episode ＃50 blog

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HARUNA: This is the 50th episode of "SCANDAL Catch up"!

All: Thanks so much as always.

HARUNA: Our new single eternal is releasing on March 3rd.
So, we're going to be talking plenty about our new song.

MAMI: Where should we start from...

RINA: It's been two years since we last released a physical single...

All: Eh?

TOMOMI: No, no, that can't be right...

HARUNA: We've been doing digital releases.

MAMI: Two years have already passed? How scary...

RINA: It's the era of subscription services.

HARUNA: This year is our 15th anniversary, after all.

RINA: Aside from it releasing on CD and streaming services, it'll also be on vinyl and cassette...and we've also made a bunch of merch for it. Having a CD release is now a special thing in and of itself, which is why when releasing something physically we'd usually be thinking of how to make it more fun such as holding events, but that's completely changed now.

HARUNA: The CD has become merch.

TOMOMI: It's for your collection.

HARUNA: When was this song made, again?

MAMI: I think last summer.

HARUNA: At first it was a demo sung and played by MAMI.

MAMI: I usually complete demos with all of our instruments in it and have everyone listen to it, but this time I pruned it down and sung to my own accompaniment.
Normally I'd then add stuff on, but since this was the opposite approach to how SCANDAL does things in a sense, I think it was a new challenge for me.

HARUNA: In the early stages we decided to have Satori Shiraishi-san do the producing.

TOMOMI: I wonder if the unique atmosphere we have with Satori Shiraishi-san was the key. We recorded it while just chatting and relaxing.

RINA: In a good way, we were able to relax while making it. We wanted to make it with a sense of leeway. We jointly contributed to how we wanted the song's image to be.

HARUNA: They were all abstract words, though.

RINA: That's right, but somehow the four of us shared the same image, such as a slightly mellow atmosphere, a gentle feeling, an image of light.
We made all of those words into a song. Also, we decided on them from the tempo.

HARUNA: That was also unusual. The way we recorded it was also done in a way we never have before.
We each went to the producer's studio and recorded individually.

MAMI: The video on YouTube of HARU-chan speaking, where she recorded vocals several times during the production process, is from the first round of recording.

HARUNA: Normally, we'd decide on one day to record everything.
Not having any direction from the other members put a good feeling of pressure on me. There was also a sense of responsibility to keep doing it until I was completely satisfied with it.
Since the way we recorded our instruments was different, I want to deliver a song like never before... I also wanted to record it as if I was speaking normally. Rather than being conscious that I was singing,
I wanted to record it as if I was reading it, but I had a hard time with that...
Also, I like the title too.

RINA: Oh! That makes me happy.

HARUNA: A recent theme of ours is to not perceive eternity as fantasy—or rather, we want to perceive it realisitically.

RINA: As we approach our 15th anniversary, we don't have any dreams that we can clearly state right now, and we don't have any easy-to-understand dreams or goals...
That may sound negative, but instead, we're just happy about this miracle of us being together for so long, and it's something that we're a bit proud of.
It doesn't mean that everything lasts forever, but that's why the present is important and why we think it's amazing we're still around today.
We're always thinking of the four of us continuing to move forward without the band coming to a halt, and these were words that came out.
We had a lot of time to do some soul-searching in 2020, so I think that's why we were able to make this song. So, it really fits who we are right now,
And I hope you like this side of SCANDAL too.

HARUNA: Although this song was created from abstract words, it became our own song.

RINA: It hits hard, even when we're performing it.

HARUNA: We also wanted to make a new wind blow.

RINA: It's been 15 years and I think we now have an image of ourselves, but this was the point in time when we thought we'd make ourselves into a song over time.

HARUNA: When was this song made, again?

MAMI: I think last summer

That's interesting, they'd written the song as early as June to September but waited till March to release it  

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 50

•The episode starts with this.

•They talk about a few more things relating to "eternal." RINA says that the title of the song was decided on after the lyrics were complete. She also says that they need to set a goal of deciding when something is finished, and that every time they work until they reach the point where it seems like something is stuffed full of what they can currently do. MAMI says that they try to push the limits of their skills. HARU says that they usually have to solve any problems within one day (the day that they're in the studio recording for a song), but since this time they took their time with recording it, they had a lot of time to let things rest. After listening to it afterwards, they had time to fix whatever they wanted, so the song was recorded over the course of several days--this as a whole was a big thing for them. Like, if they recorded vocals and then decided to redo some drum parts, they wouldn't be able to do so at a normal studio since it takes time, money, and it may not be possible to rent out a studio again at the time. They were able to record things in this way thanks to working one-on-one with Satori Shiraishi at his home studio.

•After this, they announce that they will be doing a third live broadcast of "Catch up" on TOKYO FM on Wednesday, March 4th at 8 pm JST, which is the day after the eternal single comes out.

•The next and last thing they cover are program merch ideas sent in by listeners. The message that HARU reads suggests merch such as a real-sized Apollo ring, which they say was already mentioned in episode 3. They then suggest items based on the program's segments: an Apollo ruler to draw boundary lines, an Apollo memo pad that can be used when you don't know the right answer, an Apollo "spot the basic mistakes" book (which the staff laughs at), an Apollo hand mirror that gives you confidence in your romance. They also suggest making up a character for TOMOrocco, or something lol, and also stickers of each of the members. MAMI jokingly says that the listener's greedy. TOMO says that probably not a lot of people even remember the TOMOrocco thing, and also says that she'd like to do the same thing again with other countries.

•The next message read by TOMO suggests an Apollo chopstick rest since everyone's spending more time at home. They're imagining a slightly melted Apollo for it. They also suggest an actual-sized Apollo key chain and a Fine Line Association sticker with colorful borders on it. The band thinks the chopstick rest sounds cute, but it would probably need to be really melted-looking (since Apollo are triangular shaped). TOMO says that a piece of chocolate as a rest seems a little unnatural to have when eating meals. They agree that items that can be used at home are good.

•The next message read by RINA suggests items the listener came up with when thinking about what could sell, or what uses puns. They suggest an Apollo handkerchief, an Apollo candle, an Apollo wax figure, a Catch up-plique (applique), and also a tote bag (All: "That's the best one"). MAMI says that a candle is doable and would be cute. TOMO says it could have a strawberry scent. They also like handkerchief and say that a tote is doable. TOMO says that an Apollo wax figure sounds scary, in the sense that an Apollo candy would probably be anthromorphized. She says that maybe it would be made to look like the band, which the others laugh at and say that does sound scary.

•The next one read by MAMI suggests an Apollo (guitar) pick since a piece of Apollo is triangular in shape like a pick. They say that sounds good. Before they talk further about it, HARU reads another message from a listener who also suggests an Apollo pick but calls it an "Apollo-ck pick" (Apollo + rock, since "Apollo" in Japanese is アポロ  [Aporo]). RINA wonders if they need to ask Fender to make something like that, but TOMO and HARU say that they don't necessarily need to since picks can be mass-produced by other companies too.

•They close out the episode by saying that they hope to announce what merch they'll come out with next during the live broadcast on March 4th.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):




#front-page #catchup

Reading a bunch of messages this week! Could it be that the members of SCANDAL are perhaps "non-Japanese celebrities"!?

Episode ＃51 blog

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HARUNA: We'll be reading a bunch of messages during this week's episode!

Hurry Hurry

I have been supporting you guys ever since I watched a TV program you appeared in with Ryudo Uzaki.
Since the 15th anniversary fan voting has started, I checked Spotify as a reference for ranking. It was then that I found an item called "Listeners' locations" near the end of the page,
And I was surprised to see Jakarta in 1st place, Santiago in 2nd place, Tokyo in 3rd place, and Singapore in 4th place. As I live in Japan, I'm unsure of what to refer to for voting purposes (do your best, listeners in Japan).
Could you please tell me if there is a difference in song preferences between Japan and overseas fans?
By the way, I'm thinking of centering all of my votes on "LOVE SURVIVE," "Bitter Chocolate," and "LOVE ME DO."

HARUNA: Jakarta's in 1st place...

RINA: Our main activities are of course in Japan, but half of our listeners are overseas ones.

MAMI: It's the same for Instagram, right?

RINA: 50% are overseas fans.

MAMI: I wondered which countries were checking out my IG and saw that ＃1 is Japan, but ＃2 is Hong Kong...

TOMOMI: (*Checking IG) ＃1 for me is Hong Kong...

Staff: Eh, could it be that you're non-Japanese celebrities?

RINA: We of course want to do our best in Japan too.

TOMOMI: ...but we might be reimports to Japan...possibly.

RINA: That's awesome, even though we only post things in Japanese.

MAMI: (*Checking IG) For me, ＃2 is Indonesia, then Philippines, USA, Mexico.

RINA: This is purely an inverse theme, but are we trying to do our best in Japan?

MAMI: We would like to reach those in Japan too (laughs).

HARUNA: Do your best, listeners in Japan! (laughs)

RINA: There are places where we have better concert turnouts overseas...that's true.

HARUNA: We played at a 2,000-capacity venue in Mexico...that's surprising for us too.

TOMOMI: We played at an arena in Hong Kong.

RINA: Yeah, a small arena.

TOMOMI: The capacity was close to the Nippon Budokan's [Budokan's capacity is 14,471].

HARUNA: We get a lot of comments from overseas fans on our YouTube.

MAMI: Sometimes Japan fans will write that there are no comments in Japanese at all...

Staff: This program is on Spotify too--that's probably a big factor too, right?

MAMI: I think so.

RINA: Not only Japanese fans but overseas fans too are very supportive...

TOMOMI: The 15th anniversary fan voting has begun. Since this is a popularity contest, please vote in it!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 51

•The episode starts off with them reading a message from a listener who asks each member a question relating to their instrument equipment. They ask HARU how she uses three types of her overdrive pedals (Archer Ikon, OCD, Fender Santa Ana) on her pedal board. They also say that they noticed while watching the KFTD livestream Blu-ray that HARU has commercially available pickups by Kluson on her signature Fender white Telecaster and asks why she has them on there. They ask MAMI what pedal she uses for "DOLL." They ask TOMO why she uses a pick only during the intro for "A.M.D.K.J." and how she makes that distorted sound. For RINA, they say they get the impression that she's been using drum triggers recently to add synth drum sounds and ask how/why that started. They also suggest a few program merch ideas: an Apollo pick, guitar strap, and a Flying V Apollo guitar.

•The band says that the listener's very observant and that this was a very novel message. MAMI wonders if these things were something the band mentioned somewhere. RINA says that the listener just really paid attention to stuff like their DVDs. HARU says that's impressive they even knew about the (commercially available, as opposed to fully custom) guitar pickups, and RINA asks what's with those anyway. HARU laughs and says that, to be honest, it was a budget-related issue. As you may know, HARU's Fender model is offered for sale, and since they needed to offer it at a price point that would be affordable for many people, she wanted to make the ones being sold the same as the one that she actually uses in order to produce similar tones, so using those commercially available pickups couldn't really be helped. RINA says that that's the same for any artist and instrument when making a signature model. HARU says that her pickups are a little different from the commercially available ones, but she is getting the tone that she likes. She then answers the overdrive question and says that the way she uses them depends on the era and/or the song. She's been using the OCD pedal since their major label debut (late 2008) for heavy distortion, and has been using the Archer one the past few years for crunch distortion.

•For MAMI's question, she says that she uses a Little Big Muff pedal for "DOLL" since the fuzz tone is a bit more spicy than overdrive ones and is more distorted. She mentions that when she was looking to see what fuzz pedals there were, she noticed that a lot of people making videos about pedals were using the LBM pedal. She says that it has a cute look to it, which HARU agrees with, and since she liked how it looked and that it was also compact, she added it to her board. She also says she often uses it as an accent for songs. She says that since she's playing power chords in the intro for "DOLL," she wanted to make it sound a little thicker--hence her using the LBM pedal.

•For TOMO's question, she says she plays the "A.M.D.K.J." intro with a pick to make it easier to hear how the sound is moving. Since the first thing you hear in the intro is the guitar, playing the bass intro with fingers would bury the sound of the bass. The pick makes it sound a little crisper and makes it easier to see the movements made when playing it. The pedal she uses is a Vulcan one for overdrive.

•For RINA's question, she says she's currently using triggers on her snare and kick drum, which combine raw sounds with mechanical sounds. She uses that mix on songs like "Tonight," and just the trigger is used for "Mabataki." They've come to make a lot of music with a mixture of raw sounds and different sounds. The band says how the listener must like distorted sounds and that they're a bit surprised when they get questions like this.

•This follows.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose message about stepping on a cockroach was read a few months ago and says that they have another recent scary experience that they'd like to share. TOMO goes, "Hold up--I don't want to hear it if it's about a bug again!" while the staff laughs in the background. MAMI continues reading the message. The listener says that like the roach incident, this also happened in the morning. They woke up and heard a rustling noise coming from the ceiling. They found it annoying and then a mysterious shadow appeared in the window. When they cautiously looked out the window through a gap in the curtains, there was a monkey right there. The band laughs and is surprised by that. They wonder where the listener lives. TOMO says that there are quite a few places in Japan where monkeys live, such as the mountains. RINA says there are animals like that in her hometown. MAMI says that she's never seen anything like that in Tokyo, which the others agree with. RINA says that she's lived in the countryside before, so she understands being surprised by a wild animal in the morning. MAMI agrees, but HARU says that's never happened to her. MAMI goes, "No way! Not even on the way to school?" which HARU says no to as well. TOMO says she would often seen tanuki or masked palm civets, but HARU has never seen those before either. RINA says that sometimes she would see a creature and notice that it's neither a dog nor a cat, and it would turn out to be something like a tanuki. TOMO says that someone's dog at a property near school would often bark and disrupt classes, which the others laugh at. RINA says that a swallow flew into her classroom about three times. MAMI mentions that a spider around the size of a hand was on the underside of her bike saddle, which TOMO makes a scared sound at and the others laugh. MAMI says that the color of the bike was obviously different from the previous day due to the spider's threads. RINA says that she must be glad she checked first. HARU asked what MAMI did with the spider, and she says she never rode the bike again--she gave the spider the bike. The others laugh and say they get it. RINA mentions a huge spider she saw at her parent's house on the backside of the toilet. It was scary, but of course she wasn't able to give the toilet over to the spider.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who writes in for their "GyoColle" segment. They're a blue-collared worker and have this term called "KY." There's already a term that uses those words in Japanese that means "read the room," but their term doesn't mean that: it's used in the sense of work injury prevention training and is for predicting dangerous aspects while working and sharing it with other workers to avoid danger and perform safe work. It's been quite a while since someone wrote in to "GyoColle," which makes the band laugh and say it feels so nostalgic. They say they didn't know "KY" stood for something else, and that the "KY" that they know had been a popular term to use for a while, although they didn't use it much. MAMI wonders how long it's been around, and guesses since they were in the latter half of elementary school (late 90s). TOMO wonders if it's no longer used, and RINA and HARU say they don't really hear it being used. MAMI mentions another one: "HK" (hanashi kawatte; change the subject), which HARU says right away. TOMO and RINA say that's so nostalgic. MAMI wonders if those two terms rose to popularity at the same time.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who also writes in for "GyoColle" and say they use the words "Alive" and "Dead" for their work. They work with electricity, and the terms refer to if electricty is running (alive) or not (dead). So, when they go somewhere to work, they'll often say things like, "Is it dead?" - "Yes!" TOMO says SCANDAL also uses those terms since everything they use for concerts run on electricity. They ask things like, "Is this mic live/alive?"

•They close out the episode by mentioning how "eternal" is almost out, and ask fans to vote in the song contest.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):




#front-page #catchup

The message theme for the special program airing on 3/4 is... "Eh? Seriously?"

Episode ＃52 blog

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HARUNA: To commemorate the release of eternal,
On Thursday, March 4th! On TOKYO FM at 8 pm JST...
【SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo -ON AIR-】
Will be broadcasted live...
This is our third live broadcast.

TOMOMI: It is.

RINA: We're grateful.

HARUNA: We'll be keeping the usual "Catch up" atmosphere
While having you guys learn even more about our new single eternal...
That's what we'll be bringing our special program to you with.

We're looking for messages prior to it airing...
And the message theme for the special program commemorating our new single eternal ("etaanaru" in Japanese) is...
"Eh? Seriously?" ("e soo naru")

TOMOMI: ...with you suddenly saying that, I don't get that at all.
Basically, "e soo naru" comes from "etaanaru," right?

MAMI: Yes, "etaanaru...e soo naru?" is what it is.

TOMOMI: I see... I tried to explain it carefully.

MAMI: Yeah, I didn't get it.

HARUNA: "This is completely different from what I expected! It's completely different from what I imagined!"
"An unexpected result!"...etc. etc.
Please tell us your stories that have had an unexpected endings that've unconsciously made you go, "Eh? Seriously?"!

RINA: That's really good.

MAMI: Sounds interesting.

HARUNA: By the way, our broadcast writer Ono-san's "Eh? Seriously?" story is...
When he asked the art department to order "black elevator shoes" (shoes that secretly make you look taller) to be used as props for a sketch show, what he actually received were "white platform boots"... Eh, seriously?

TOMOMI: What kind of mistake is that...

Staff (Ono): When I was an assistant 20 years ago,
We needed "black elevator shoes" for the show and I had asked the art department to get them, but there were "white platform boots" in the box when I opened it on the day of the show.
The broadcast writer master (the director of the show) got really mad at me... They were like, "What kind of order did you place?!", but the order form did in fact say "black elevator shoes" on it...

MAMI: You had been involved in sketches at that time...

RINA: Wow. Those [shoes] can't be replaced by anything else at all.

Staff (Ono): I had no choice but to spray paint the boots black...

TOMOMI: That really is an "Eh? Seriously?" moment.

HARUNA: That was lucky they were white.

RINA: Seriously.

HARUNA: This example is easy to understand.

Staff (Ono): We've already received some messages for this topic. I'd like to read some...

HARUNA: You already want to read them!? Hold on a second!
Also...for example,
"A senpai that's always been on your mind, a good friend who supported that crush...
But before you know it, that good friend and senpai are dating each other...
Eh? Seriously?"

RINA: That does happen.

MAMI: It does seem likely.

TOMOMI: That's rough...

HARUNA: At any rate, we'll be waiting for your messages until right before the live broadcast on 3/4.
Those whose messages we read might get a present...though it seems we're not sure on that yet.

MAMI: Then there might be [presents].

RINA: I'm sure there will be.

HARUNA: What kind of weird gifts will be given out this time, I wonder.

MAMI: Beethoven items were given out last time...

RINA: Can they surpass Beethoven, I wonder...

TOMOMI: Why was it Beethoven last time?

RINA: It was Beethoven's anniversary (*His 250th birthday).

TOMOMI: That has nothing to do with us, though.

RINA: We need to make sure to make the listeners happy.

HARUNA: That's right.

MAMI: We're grateful they enjoyed [the Beethoven items], though...

HARUNA: Also, following the program's popular original merch item the "Apollo pouch," we will be announcing the second round of merch during the live broadcast! Look forward to it!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 52

•The episode starts off with the band mentioning that they've been doing "Catch up" for a year now and that a lot has happened such as having to record remotely, recording outside, etc., and ask for the fans to support it for another year. They also mention that their new single eternal is releasing this week and that fans are probably wondering what the remix done by TOWA TEI sounds like. They then air it. After, they say that they're sure everyone was surprised by it since it sounds like a completely different song. They mention that this came about due to TOMO being acquainted by TOWA TEI via the DJ events she took part in and asking him to remix the song. The band talked about this in their interview with Music Natalie, but TOMO mentions that right after the remix was done and he sent it to them, the band all listened to it in the car and it basically turned into a club. HARU says that she's glad they listened to it in the car. RINA says that while they were still pumped up they went to go eat at a family restaurant. HARU laughs and says that it's a mystery as to why they went to a family restaurant. RINA agrees and says that this was their first time going to one in forever. They say that they want a lot of people to listen to this remix since gives off a new impression of the band.

•This follows.

•MAMI reads a message from a listener who suggests program merch such as a Fine Line Association sticker where you don't know if it's a seal or a sticker, which makes the staff laugh. They also suggest an Apollo-pattern bucket hat with the Apollo pattern resembling cow print (because it's the Year of the Ox), as well as some other things that MAMI reads slowly, sounding unsure of what's written. MAMI then goes, "Ah, is that it?" HARU asks what that is, but MAMI continues reading the message. TOMO interrupts and goes, "We have no idea what you just said!" while everyone laughs. RINA goes, "Why are these kinds of people always able to connect with MAMI?" MAMI reads the last suggestion again, which has to do with an Apollo pen, and which was the listener trying to do a pun with the "Pen Pineapple Apple Pen" song title lol: "Pen Catch Apollo Catch up Pen." The others go, "...oh..." and are silent for a second before laughing. They recap what the listener's suggestions were and HARU goes, "I don't want to consider any of them." The others and staff laugh and MAMI goes, "That poor listener!" They say that the ideas of a sticker and bucket hat themselves are good ideas (but not necessarily the exact ones that were suggested). They pause for a second before going, "Got it." and laughing again. MAMI says the pen's name and TOMO repeats it, which makes her go, "That feels nice to say!" The others laugh and HARU goes, "You've got to be kidding!" RINA is doubtful until she tries saying it too, which she also says feels nice to say. She doesn't think that HARU will feel the same way. The others agree. HARU tries saying it and also agrees that it feels nice to say. They laugh and HARU jokingly goes, "I'm mad!" while everyone laughs.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who suggests a towel made in collaboration with Apollo and SCANDAL. They say that many SCANDAL fans most likely like going to concerts, so if you were to bring it to a venue you'd attract attention and it could be a talking point, which could be good for those attending a concert alone, and bear new exchanges between fans. The band says that a towel sounds good.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who suggests a bunch of things including an Apollo ring case and stand, which are inspired by the Love Advice segment. They say that couples who are SCANDAL fans can use it when proposing, and say that single fans can also use it to store jewelry in. They also suggest Apollo-shaped earphones, Apollo paperweight, Apollo self-inking rubber stamps, Apollo magnet, Apollo nightcap, and an Apollo cushion. They list why their ideas could be good, but I'm not going to type all that out lol. The band mentions the ring case which they say sounds nice. TOMO says that the listener says it could be used while proposing, which makes the band laugh and go, "I don't know about that..." They say the ideas were interesting and a lot of them sound doable.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who suggests an Apollo-shaped magnetic clip and an actual-size Apollo acrylic stand. The band laughs and says that an actual-size Apollo stand would be very small. They also suggest doing "Apollo no Yama / no Sato" where the tops of made of Apollo. HARU goes, "This is it!" which the staff laughs at. MAMI suggests making the biscuit/cookie part of them chocolate instead. TOMO goes, "This isn't merch; it's product development!" RINA says it'd be a pretty high hurdle to clear, but the idea is interesting. They revisit the stand idea and say once again how small it'd be.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who suggests a mask case with an Apollo design. RINA says it's very practical. TOMO says it sounds good, and that it goes with what's going on right now.

•The band then recaps the ideas suggested during this episode as well as ones previously suggested. They like the ideas of a sticker, tote bag, towel, pick, cushion, t-shirt, magnet. HARU says she'd be interested how an Apollo nightcap would be like, and MAMI says it sounds cute. TOMO says that the sizing might be a problem, but MAMI suggests making it with elastic. They also say that it could be made with silk. HARU says that that wouldn't work out cost-wise as they wouldn't be able to give any out at all, which the others laugh at. They thank the listeners for all of the ideas and say that 5-6 items will be selected, and that Meiji will do the selection.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):




#front-page #catchup

The second TOMOrocco-like project! "MAMImume, uninhabited islands"!?

Episode ＃53 blog

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〜The usual sight. The quartet is munching on Meiji sweets.


MAMI: ...the Coffee Beat candy is delicious.

All: Yeah, it is.

RINA: It seems too delicious after becoming an adult.


〜They eat for a while...


HARUNA: It looks like we have a new project today...

All: (*A suspicious mood's in the air)

HARUNA: Let's just do it...
The "Quiz! TOMOrocco" project that previously featured TOMOMI is still a very popular one...

TOMOMI: No, I don't believe it.

HARUNA: It does seem true, though?
But since we can't do a Morocco quiz, so this new project is a relaunch!

It features MAMI...
"MAMImume, uninhabited islands!" [まみむめ、無人島; mamimume, mujintou = pun on the Japanese syllabary 'ma, mi, mu, me, mo']

All: ...!!??

MAMI: What? What?

TOMOMI: MAMI-chan, have you ever talked about unhabited islands?

MAMI: I haven't...

HARUNA: Well then, this project goes back to when we did a quiz question about the Philippines during a previous "I see - The Catch up." Do you remember what the question was?

MAMI: Let's see...

HARUNA: The question was, "Like Japan, the Philippines is an archipelago nation composed of islands of various sizes.  Japan consists of 6,852 islands. How many islands does the Philippines consist of?"

MAMI: Oh yeah.

HARUNA: And you were the one who gave the correct answer.
You answered 7431, and the correct answer was 7641.

MAMI: That's right.

HARUNA: At that time you were surprised that Japan also has a ton of islands...and so we forced this out...
Entangled with MAMI, who gave the right answer, is a MAMI-featured project... It has turned into "MAMImume, uninhabited islands!"

MAMI: ...I see. Thank you very much.

HARUNA: The script says... "It's a waste to not make use of all of your surprised reactions,
So with this MAMI feature, we're considering making it into more projects in the future"...
"This is the first uninhabited island project we're doing as an artist!", apparently.

RINA: Doing this project on the radio... Well, we wouldn't be doing this normally.

HARUNA: It's not a "MAMImume, a deserted island!" quiz... You'll look only at uninhabited island real estate sites and then talk about it...

MAMI: Got it.

HARUNA: By the way, it seems that Japan has 6430 uninhabited islands...

MAMI: There are so many uninhabited islands!

HARUNA: It seems that you can buy some...

MAMI: How are they sold? Like on a real estate site?

*Looking at an uninhabited island real estate site...

RINA: They really do sell them...

TOMOMI: Where is this island??

Staff: This is in Saga Prefecture. Three uninhabited islands are sold together.

HARUNA: Are we guessing how much it is??

Shocking "uninhabited island real estate"!
Astonishing facts are revealed one after another to the members who were confused at first.
Completely captivated by uninhabited islands! What will happen now during the new project "MAMImume, uninhabited islands!"...!?

•The band then recaps the ideas suggested during this episode as well as ones previously suggested. They like the ideas of a sticker, tote bag, towel, pick, cushion, t-shirt, magnet. HARU says she'd be interested how an Apollo nightcap would be like, and MAMI says it sounds cute. 

Lol they basically like the ideas that they already do/have done for their own Scandal merch! Except maybe the cushion  

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 51

Spoiler:

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 53

•The episode starts off with this. The title in Japanese, "MAMImume, Mujintou," is a play on the "m" syllabary order in hiragana (ma, mi, me, mu, me, mo).

•HARU says that there is only one site, Aqua Styles, that sells islands. The three-island-deal that their staff mentions is this one. The staffer says that the areas of the three islands are 1692 ㎡, 575 ㎡, and 317 ㎡. They also say that the listing says, "You can enjoy fishing on the weekends and also create your own kingdom." MAMI says that sounds tempting. They also say that it says, "Those with cruiser boats, how does this sound to you?" TOMO wonders about getting to each of the islands and if they're close to each other. The staffer seemingly repeats the part about it being your own "kingdom," and MAMI and TOMO say that you could probably build bridges to connect them. They then try guessing how much these islands would be. TOMO wonders how much rent in Saga Prefecture is. MAMI wonders if there are animals living on those islands, which the staffer says of course to, and she says that you'd have to co-exist with them. TOMO says that you can buy mountains for several millions of yen, so taking that into account she doesn't think that islands would cost hundreds of millions. MAMI says that when you buy a mountain you're only getting a mountain, but an island faces the sea and sky so you're able to get those areas too. They're shown a picture of the islands from above and notice that they're pretty close to the mainland. TOMO says that it looks like you could do SUP around them, and HARU, who likes to do SUP, agrees. TOMO then guesses the price and says 50 million yen, RINA guesses 30 million, MAMI guesses 65 million, HARU guesses 35 million. The staffer says that correct answer is 30 million ($300,000 USD), which RINA had guessed. She goes, "No way!" TOMO says that each island would then be 10 million and that it feels like 30 million is a little cheap for three islands. HARU says that it's cheaper than a condo in Tokyo, which the others agree with right away. MAMI says it might be cheaper than condos in her hometown (Nagoya) too. TOMO goes, "It's in Saga, too - The fish there are delicious!" A staff member says something inaudible, but the band laughs and says that they've taken an interest in this.

•They move on to another island that's in Okinawa, which the staff member says is the only uninhabited island property in Okinawa. RINA says that it looks really pretty. HARU says that it's likely expensive. The staffer says that you can walk to it from Iriomote Island. The band is surprised and TOMO goes, "It's an island, right?" The staffer says that you can walk to the island when the tide's low, which RINA thinks is cool. The staffer also mentions that it's 11,000 tsubo (about 40,000 sq ft). The band all goes, "Eh?!" and says that that's pretty big. TOMO says that the fact that the tide gets that low probably means that it's hard on the fish. I'm guessing that the staffer shows them more pictures of the island that illustrates what the area around the island looks like since TOMO goes, "Ah, I see." The staffer says that you can also name the island. The band thinks that this island is more expensive than the previous one. TOMO says you could even build a theme park on it. TOMO guesses 60 million. RINA guesses 80 million. HARU says that she thinks around 60 million too. MAMI says she thinks it's probably really expensive and takes a while to guess a price before finally guessing 78 million. The staffer says none of them are correct and that the correct answer is 500 million yen ($4.6 million USD). The band immediately goes "Ehhhh?!?" loudly and are surprised by the huge leap in price. They say it's a really cool island. TOMO wonders if no one has ever lived there before. RINA says that by contrast, the previous island at 30 million yen seems more attainable. They say that this site is interesting and TOMO says that she'll probably check it out when she gets home. MAMI says that she wants to learn more about it.

•The next island is one in Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture. They say it's a really pretty island. The staffer says it's five minutes away by boat and reads the description about how it's surrounded by the clear sea, has a white sand beach, and two basketball courts. MAMI asks for the area and is told it's 3,384 ㎡. TOMO guesses 15 million, MAMI guesses 9 million, RINA guesses 85 million, and HARU guesses 20 million. The staffer says they're close and says it's 22 million--but it looks like they actually got it mixed up with this other island that's in Mie Prefecture. The island the staffer described was definitely this island that is 150 million yen lol

•HARU then asks what's something they'd like to do on an uninhabited island. They list things like fishing, making a fire, grilling salted fish over a fire, SUP-ing, and building a house if they were to purchase an island. The staffer also mentions that the site has overseas islands for sale too and shows them one located in Maine in the US that has cottages already built on it and is 28,320 ㎡ (7 acres). The band says they really like this one and that it looks pretty expensive. MAMI guesses 95 million and TOMO says that that sounds right. HARU says that she thinks it's over 100 million. TOMO guesses 120 million and tries to convert that into USD and says $1.2 million (which is the right conversion). HARU guesses 200 million. RINA says that because the previous owners built houses on it and spent a lot of time and money on it, she thinks it's pretty expensive and guesses 180 million. The staffer says they were close: it's $1.5 million/157 million yen. They also mention islands being sold in the Carribean and Maldives, which HARU and TOMO say they'd like to visit the latter. HARU says that it's fun to guess what the prices are on overseas islands. TOMO says that it might be lonely to be on an island if you don't get enough people to make a small town on it. The staffer also mentions a chain of resort islands for sale in Australia.

•The band then closes out the corner with HARU seemingly reading from the program script and asking MAMI to take responsibility for making this segment exciting in the future too. The others wonder if this means a second one will be done in later episodes, which the staffer says might happen and that it might be about buying an island. RINA goes, "Ah, buying one. Wait, buying one?!" and the band laughs at this. MAMI goes, "That can't be true!" RINA says, "What a frightening segment." MAMI asks if there's anyone who's purchased an uninhabited island before to send in a message. RINA says that it might be better to broaden the horizon and also include those who have purchased a mountain. They say that people around the world listen to this program, so perhaps someone who fits the criteria might write in.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):




#front-page #catchup

【Translated Summary】
TOKYO FM - 『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 〜ON AIR〜, ＃3 + After Talk

•This third special episode was broadcast live on TOKYO FM on March 4th (the first special aired last July and the second one aired in November). This program was broadcasted in commemoration of the recent release of SCANDAL's new single eternal.

•The theme listeners were asked to send in was "Eh? Seriously?" Those whose messages were read were given Meiji sweets selected by the band. RINA chose Choco Baby, MAMI chose Coffee Beat, TOMO chose Twinkle Chocolate, and HARU chose Almond Chocolate. They talk a little how their program's segment titles are pretty punny, so the main segment for this episode was a play on "eternal" (explained in detail here).

•HARU reads the first message from a listener whose story is from when they were a first-year high schooler. They got a rather hardcore message on Christmas from a friend who suddenly called them. Their friend had been at a love hotel and the guy they had been with left and never came back, so the hotel wasn't allowing the friend to leave without paying. Since the listener was a student and didn't have any money, they and their mom had to go and rescue the friend. So, their first time being at a love hotel was with their mom on Christmas. It made them go, "Eh, seriously? How did this happen?" and was a Christmas they'll never forget. The band goes "Oh wow," and says that must have been tough.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose story is from when they were a first-year middle schooler. Their first love was a girl in the same class as them (will be referring to her as FLG, first-love girl, from here on). FLG didn't seem like they were the same age as the rest since she was very mature, good at studying, and helped out other girls in the class. One day, FLG suddenly asked the listener to meet them at the library on the fourth floor after school. The listener's heart felt ready to burst, and when they went there after school, they saw FLG standing there talking to another girl classmate. FLG asked the other classmate what she thought of the listener--this was to help the other classmate confess their feelings about the listener. The listener was happy that the other classmate wanted to confess to them, but the listener couldn't forget how disappointed they were that FLG wasn't the one who wanted to confess to them. Much after that, the listener says that FLG didn't attend a coming-of-age ceremony (which is kind of weird, since those happen when one's 20 years old--the gap between first year of middle school and then is about eight years...so I guess nothing happened between then lol) since her dad's job took them overseas. The listener wished they had confessed to FLG. However, the girl that FLG had introduced to the listener is now currently their wife. The band goes, "Ehhh?!" They wonder if the listener's currently listening in to the program with their wife.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose story is from when they were a high schooler. They liked a guy they were close with, but they didn't want to ruin the relationship they had so they decided to seal their feelings away and support their friend's love life. About six months later, he confessed to the listener, who asked him, "Eh, didn't you like so-and-so?" He said his feelings changed after wondering what to do. The listener turned him down since they had already decided to move on. The band mentions how timing is very important and that once a girl makes up her mind it's unshakable.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who had gone out shopping with a student (? didn't specify but seems likely) who's their junior to buy a present for his girlfriend. Since the listener wants to care for their nails, they said to the junior that if it was them, they'd be happy with a nail care set. The junior did end up buying it. However, one week later the junior contacted the listener and said that he had been dumped by his girlfriend and then decided to give the present to the listener. The listener couldn't believe that they got what they had been wanting in this way. The band says that's tough but was lucky for the listener.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener whose story is from when they were in college and did racewalking. They sprained their right leg about 10 days before an important match--it was so swollen that they couldn't see the shape of their ankle. They thought they couldn't heal in time for the match, but they did play in the match and was in very good shape. They even did their personal best and earned a spot in the national competition. However, they were more surprised that all that happened. RINA says that she thinks there are times when your mental strength during times when you think you're not in the best condition leads to good results. HARU says that sometimes when you try a new method you discover that it's better than your old one. They all say that mentality is important.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says they worked super hard at work on March 3rd to get off work early but didn't end up getting off until past 9:30 pm, which meant that they thought that this live program (which aired between 8-9 pm) had already finished airing. They checked the program's site to see if it had already been posted, which is when they realized that the live program wouldn't be airing until the next day, March 4th. The band laughs and says that they must have thought it was on the 3rd due to the release of the single. TOMO says that up until halfway through reading it she was wondering if this message was even okay to read. The band laughs and they also say they're glad the listener does get to actually listen to it live.

•After "Living in the city" plays, a loud zipping sound plays, which startles the band and they start laughing. HARU says that they're not really used to doing live broadcasts. RINA laughs and says that's not true as the band has been around for 15 years, which the others laugh at.

•They then announce the second round of program merch: an Apollo-shaped pick and a sticker. This means that they now they have tiers of presents they will be giving away on the program: Top, which is the Apollo pouch; middle, which is the pick; and low, which is the sticker.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose friend who went to a nearby convenience store for lunch during lunch break, so they asked that friend to get two rice balls for them: one "sea chicken" (AKA tuna) mayonnaise and one salmon. When their friend came back, they said how they thought the "sea chicken" is surprisingly big. The listener was wondering if they were talking about the size of the rice ball, but when they looked at what their friend got them, they realized they had actually picked up a piece of spicy chicken ("sea chicken" in Japanese is shii chiken, while "spicy chicken" is supaishii chiken) from the hot foods section of the store. They asked their friend why they bought chicken, and their friend went, "Eh, isn't that 'sea chicken'?" and the listener said that no, this is "spicy chicken." The friend also says that they bought the spicy chicken they first noticed when they went into the store. The band laughs and TOMO says she's worried about the friend. RINA goes, "It doesn't mean that the friend misheard, right?" The others agree and HARU wonders if it's a matter of the friend not knowing was "sea chicken" actually is. RINA mentions that the friend said it was the first chicken item that they saw when they entered the store. MAMI says that they probably just saw the words "shii" and "chicken" without noticing if it said "rice ball" or not and thought it was what the listener wanted. TOMO goes, "That's not what 'sea chicken' is, though!"

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who lives in Sapporo and has been dating their boyfriend for four months. His job is transferring him to the city of Nemuro, which is on the eastern side of Hokkaido (and the easternmost city in Japan). The distance between the two cities is as far as the distance between Tokyo and Kyoto if you were to measure it using straight line distance (about 200 miles = 6-hour train or car ride). They had been dating with the intent to get married one day, so he asked the listener to come with him and they said yes, and they are now planning to get married in May or June. They say that the bf's birthday is August 21st, the same as SCANDAL's and RINA's, which makes her feel some kind of connection there. The couple hasn't been dating for a long time yet, so the consecutive things like marriage and job transfers made both them, the bf, and their parents go, "Eh? Seriously?" The band congratulates them and HARU recognizes that the listener's been a fan of theirs for a while. RINA says that a lot of happy things have been happening to their fans recently, such as getting married or having kids.

•HARU reads the next message from a 4th-grade girl who always listens to TOKYO FM and noticed that this program took the timeslot of the usual program, looked it up, and realized that this was a special program. Since she loves sweets, she sent in a message right away (SCANDAL: "That's so cute!"). This was her first time learning about the band and wants to listen to them. She also says they're easy to listen to. The band is super happy about the message and TOMO goes, "Let's give her an Apollo pouch!" They also say this was a "Eh? Seriously?" moment for them, and that doing a special program leads to encounters like this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose story is from their birthday last year. His girlfriend surprised him with a cake while they were at a resort, and the chocolate message plate on the cake said, "Happy birthday, Kazuo!" when it should have actually said "Kazu" since that's his nickname; his full first name is "Kazuki." This was a mistake on the resort's part. He and his girlfriend laughed really hard at the mistake. He also says that, by the way, his grandpa's name is Kazuo. The band laughs and says that's pretty funny.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who ordered some takoyaki and they basically didn't get exactly what they ordered. They ordered 6 takoyaki with some toppings and sauces, but instead they got 9 with some toppings and no sauces. The band is kind of weirded out by the message but still wonders how the order turned into that.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose story is from when they went to at night market while in the Philippines and there was pork in them instead of octopus. The band wonders why that is but says that it sounds good.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener whose older sister had made a healthy and nutritious bento for their dad as a present for Labor Thanksgiving Day and went to give it to him. However, she returned a few minutes later and said that he wouldn't eat it. The listener wondered why, and when they inquired about it, their dad told them that he doesn't eat homecooked food except for what the mom makes. TOMO goes, "What kind of stubborness is that?", which the others laugh at. HARU says that maybe the mom told the dad a long time ago only to eat her cooking (RINA: "How lovey dovey").

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who had gone camping in Hokkaido when it was -25C/-13F. Even if they turned on a heater in the tent, it would still be -10C/14F. The water used for rice would freeze and take a long time to cook. In the end it was too cold so they moved to a bungalow. MAMI wonders what it would be like camping in that temperature. TOMO says that your life's in danger at that point while the others laugh. HARU says that of course TOMO, who loves camping, wouldn't do that. TOMO says that -8C/18F is doable with a campfire and is almost comfortable, but without a campfire, the only thing that camping in those temps would be is harsh. She says that camping when it's -25C really is dangerous, and that moving to a bungalow was the correct answer.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who used to apply for prizes that magazines would give out. One time there were 3 pairs of beach sandals from a snowboard brand up for grabs, and the listener ended up winning a pair. They didn't use them since they were a little pricy, but they thought it'd be more of a waste not to use them, so they took them out after a year and tried them on. One side fit perfectly, but one side was a little small. When they checked the sizes they realized they had been sent one side in an M and one side in an L. The magazine they had won it from had already gone out of business and they had applied for the prize a year ago, so there was nothing that could be done. They thought about it and realized that the other winners might have had the same problem. They then recommend that everyone should open up and check their packages when they get them. They also say they'd like an Apollo pouch, which the band laughs at. HARU says that they might be able to find the other winners if they looked for them. MAMI agrees and says they could look for them via social media. She also says that they might find them by looking on selling apps. The others laugh and HARU says she could totally picture people selling sandals in different sizes on them.

•After "eternal" plays, they talk about the song and the process behind it, all of which they've already talked about elsewhere. Things they mention: The sound is a little different than ones they've done before, they took a different approach to recording the song (they recorded at a producer's home studio instead of a studio like usual), RINA recorded her drum parts entirely on drum pads and not on an actual drum kit, nothing lasts forever which is why the present is very important, they want their listeners to live in the now while cherishing themselves.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose story is from when they were a college student and went to a guy friend's house to return a bike they borrowed from him. When they got there, the friend was sitting on a motorbike in front of the house for some reason. He told the listener that he was going to an athletic field and asked if they'd like to come along. It didn't look to them like he was going exercising and thought it was kind of weird, but they decided to go since they didn't have any other plans that day. The listener wanted to ride on the motorbike, so they sat on the back seat behind the friend. When they got to the place, they had actually arrived at a (horse) race track. According to the friend, it's an "athletic field for horses." RINA says that telling someone they're "going to an athletic field" is a pretty tricky way to invite someone, and HARU mentions going by motorbike too, which RINA laughs at. She also says that maybe they were trying to act cool, which HARU laughs at. TOMO says that maybe the friend wanted the listener to be like, "What?!", which the others seem to agree with. She says that the friend's a guy after all, which makes the others laugh.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who came across a "lucky vending machine" (basically, you can win something by buying something from the machine) on a station platform. He bought a bottle of tea, won, and got another bottle free. However, the bottles got stuck in the opening when he went to retrieve them. He pulled on the bottles with all his might for about a minute. He thought he probably looked like someone who was struggling to get his drinks since he made the mistake of buying two at once. In his head he was shouting, "I got two bottles of tea for the price of 120 yen - I'm actually a lucky boy today!" TOMO says that she's never won a bottle of tea before. The others say they haven't either.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose friend started going to a gym for health reasons a while back, and they were surprised when they saw them for the first time in a year recently. The friend had gotten muscular, tanned, and looked like a martial arts fighter. A lot of people were into bodybuilding at the gym the friend joined, they became friends with those people, and got hooked on it too. The friend has even appeared in smaller competitions. The listener was surprised at the unexpected development and was envious of their friend's muscles, so they also started going to the gym. RINA says that people definitely are influenced by things like the gym. They mention the tanning part and wonder if it's to make the muscles look better, especially if they were to apply oil. They also say that's awesome that they've even taken part in competitions.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is a firefighter and was dispatched since there was possibly a person who had fallen in their house. The entrance was locked and they couldn't enter, but they did hear a groaning noise coming from inside. They hurriedly unlocked the door and went inside. Right after entering they saw the source of the groaning: A parrot doll with a motion sensor that cries out when it detects movement. There was of course no one actually at home. The band is surprised at what happened but say that these things do happen. They also wonder why it had been set to make a groaning noise, and that maybe it was due to its batteries dying out. MAMI says that they've gotten a lot of odd messages today.

•HARU says that time's up for the program. The band says that it was a lot of fun and interesting. HARU also says that after this they'll recording an after talk segment where they'll read messages they couldn't air on this special due to "various circumstances." She wonders what the "circumstances" are, and that they're probably weird stories. The other laugh at that. HARU says that perhaps the overall winner is the "sea chicken" story. The others laugh and say it's quite mysterious. MAMI says that the latter half of the episode was filled with mysterious stories.

【Translated Summary】
TOKYO FM - 『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 〜ON AIR〜, After Talk

•The band says that their third special program was a lot of fun and that the "Eh? Seriously?" theme was a good one. RINA says that she can't believe so many people have stories that fit the theme. They also mention how a lot of people sent in messages for the first time; TOMO estimates it to be about 80%. HARU says that that's what special programs are all about: finding and getting new listeners. They then start to read stories that they weren't able to on the special.

•HARU reads a message from a listener whose story is from 15 years ago when they ordered a birthday cake for their first love. When they were asked what name they should put on the cake, the listener said, "Aki (autumn), like the season" since their SO's name was Aki. The listener waited excitedly, and when it was done, the cake had said, "To Aki, like the season" on it. RINA said that that kind of thing does happen. TOMO says that the name sounds like a nickname someone would use to write into the show with. RINA wonders if the person who was writing it didn't wonder if they had gotten the name wrong. TOMO wonders if the listener had said something like, "[Their name is] Aki. Aki, like the season." HARU says that's probably the case. MAMI wonders if the kanji that makes up "Aki" isn't the same as the one that's on makes up the kanji for "autumn," so perhaps they didn't understand. HARU says due to the listener submitting this for the "Eh? Seriously?" theme means that it's probably more due to the employee mishearing.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who lived alone in an apartment as part of dorm life when they were in high school. Two kids in the same class as them dropped by before summer vacation and asked the listener to lend them some money. They had come all the way to the dorms so the listener couldn't refuse them and lended them tens of thousands of yen (hundreds of USD). When the listener came to school after vacation, they found out that the pair had left the school and wasn't able to get in contact with them, so it resulted in the listener being robbed of tens of thousands of yen. The band groans and says that's the worst. TOMO says that she also lent money and it was never repaid. They say that that losing that amount of money is a lot of a high school student. HARU says that those two in the listener's story probably did a lot of other bad things and couldn't come to school anymore.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who talks about "Catch up" and the segments and stuff featured on it? lol it was really long so I will not be writing more about it =P

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose son decided to attend college and therefore decided to take driving lessons. Basically, during the eyesight test they told him to come back after he gets some glasses. They then had to meet up with their son to take them to an eyeglasses place. The band says there's no helping that. MAMI wonders if an eye test wasn't written about in the instructions. TOMO says she thinks it is, and MAMI thinks that it's probably because the son didn't realize that his eyesight wasn't at the acceptable level. TOMO says that everyone's eyesight is probably getting worse because of smartphones and the like, and that we need to be careful. She also mentions that there's some brand (?) of glasses that are said to improve your eyesight just by wearing it for an hour a day. The others are surprised by this. MAMI asks if it's true that they'll improve eyesight, and TOMO says that it apparently is. HARU says that there are contacts that supposedly do this too that you put in before you sleep and take out when you wake up. TOMO says that there may be a future where everyone's eyesight is at normal levels without having to do stuff like surgeries. RINA says that this is basically like Doraemon. MAMI says that it's like Doraemon's gadgets. HARU then goes, "What are we even talking about?" which they all laugh at.

•They then close out the after talk and say once more that the special program was a lot of fun.

It took several days to translate everything lol If you'd like to leave a tip, I would be very grateful!

She also mentions that there's some brand (?) of glasses that are said to improve your eyesight just by wearing it for an hour a day. The others are surprised by this. MAMI asks if it's true that they'll improve eyesight, and TOMO says that it apparently is. HARU says that there are contacts that supposedly do this too that you put in before you sleep and take out when you wake up.

Going into overtime for "Eh? Seriously?", the message theme for the live broadcast on March 4th!

Episode ＃54 blog

---

HARUNA: So, today...
We're going into overtime for "Eh? Seriously?", the message theme for the live broadcast on March 4th.
We'll be reading messages we weren't able to during the hour-long live broadcast.

According to Ono-san, "Eh? Seriously?" is apparently the original song that SCANDAL's new song "eternal" is based on.

MAMI: ...what do you mean by "original song"?

TOMOMI: You're using it incorrectly.

HARUNA: Apparently, "eternal" is a tie-in song to "Eh? Seriously?"...

TOMOMI: Yeah, a self-tie-in.

MAMI: At any rate, thanks for letting us do a tie-in...

HARUNA: It seems that messages came in even after the live broadcast...

TOMOMI: That makes me happy.

Iorin

When I was a high school student (about 10 years ago), a local tournament for the summer baseball tournaments was held during the summer. I was able to go to cheer on the teams on a public holiday. On the day I went, I skipped school with my friends and played in the fields outside of school, which is when I heard a cat crying. I searched for the source of the cry and found a kitten submerged in puddle on the field. I scooped it up and it looked like it was injured and not moving, so my friends and I were wondering what to do. We called a nearby vet clinic, but they wouldn't talk to us because we were high schoolers... We thought that maybe it belonged to someone in the neighborhood, so we decided to drop by some houses. When we were about to go up to one house, the lady of the house noticed us from the balcony and said, "Ah! That's our cat!!!" and we were able to safely return the cat to its owners. A few years passed. The president of the company I work for lives close to my old high school, so I thought, "Could it be...!?" I talked to the president's wife about what happened in high school, and yes. You may have already realized this, but she was the woman whom I gave the cat back to when I was a high schooler. Meeting her again after several years, I can't help but feel a strange connection to the fact that I had this kind of encounter. Do things like this really happen!? That's the end of my "Eh? Seriously?" story.

TOMOMI: That was in return for saving the cat.

RINA: That's crazy...

All These kinds of things happen!?

HARUNA: They've always had a connection.

MAMI: That was a nice message.

(Staff "This message was so good that it couldn't have been read during the live broadcast")

HARUNA: Too good?? Is there such a thing??

(Staff "There's not enough time during a live broadcast to react properly to these...")

HARUNA: At any rate, I'm glad we were able to introduce it.

TOMOMI: Continuing on...

Daidai Orange

This is my first time sending in a message. My story is from when I was to go on a school trip in high school. Since we would be in Hokkaido for 2 nights and 3 days, we were supposed to send our large luggages to the hotel the day before departure to avoid troubles when getting on and off the plane. I dropped off my luggage as planned, but I had been having chest pains from a few days before that, and then went to the hospital after dropping off my luggage. I was diagnosed with having air leaking from my lungs due to spontaneous pneumothorax (a collapsed lung), and due to the pressure changes in airplanes, I could not participate in the school trip. I was hospitalized on the same day. After the luggage I dropped off earlier was sent back to me, which provided me with changes of clothes for my hospitalization. I had to undergo surgery for the first time in my life and had a tough time afterwards. I didn't expect this to come of the school trip I had been looking forward to - It was a "Eh? Seriously?" occurence.

RINA: That's tough...

MAMI: I'm glad they figured it out before they got on the plane.

TOMOMI: Seriously.

(Staff "This one as well... We were tough on the ones chosen for the live broadcast in order to get proper reactions... Sorry about that")

HARUNA: The reason for these selections will be revealed today...

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 54

•The episode starts off with this.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who had inserted a 1,000 yen note into a vending machine at work and bought only one drink, which meant they got a lot of change in return: eight 100 yen coins and ten 10 yen coins which filled up their wallet. They were thinking, "Eh? Seriously?" as the change poured out and was hard to grab hold of. The band says that this kind of thing totally happens and fills up your wallet. TOMO says that wallets have been getting smaller recently, which makes it hard to put a lot of money in. The staff informs the band that this message was sent in after the live broadcast. TOMO goes, "You're making excuses again," which the others laugh at.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who had their message about boxing read on the previous live broadcast. Their story this time is about something that happened during a match of theirs. They always wear a mouthpiece to protect their mouth, and their trainer always inserts it for them just before the gong rings. However, one time their trainer did not do so. They were shouting at their trainer to put in the mouthpiece, but the trainer did not (SCANDAL: "Why?!"). The listener was thinking that they were basicallly done for, but their opponent politely waited for them to put in their mouthpiece even though the gong rang. The fact that their opponent was that kind to them, even though most would go all-out as soon as the gong rings, is basically the exact example of "Eh? Seriously?" They also mention that they were utterly defeated by their opponent. The band again wonders why the trainer did that. HARU says that they simply might have forgotten. TOMO says that maybe the traienr thought they already put it in. They say that it was very nice and sportsmanship-like for the opponent to wait, and that they're glad they realized it. The staff says that this was another message sent in after the broadcast, which TOMO laughs at and says, "Again with the excuses."

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is married and is the one who usually prepares dinner, but sometimes she'll ask her husband to make it when she thinks won't be able to do so. One time he made saba yakibidashi (mackerel served in cold broth). When she opened the container up, she saw something else besides the saba and green onions floating in it. She reconfirmed with her husband that he made saba yakibidashi and asked him how he made it. He said he looked at a recipe to make it, and after she asked him in detail, she found out that he had used panko (bread crumbs) instead of tempura batter. So, he had coated the fish in panko, cooked it, and then put it in the broth. His mistaking panko for tempura batter is what made her go "Eh? Seriously?" But she did think she should be grateful that her husband, who usually doesn't cook much, did his best to make it, and although it looked gross it was delicious and ate it up, including the panko that soaked up the broth. The band goes, "So cute!" They think it's understandable since he's not used to cooking much, but they're sure that the wife appreciated that he tried hard. They say how this was such a cute and fluffy story. HARU mentions that it was White Day recently and she saw someone tweet that their husband told them they would make curry. HARU says that she'd be happy if she was told that, and that maybe the husband thought that they'd do something for the wife that the wife normally does herself. TOMO asks what HARU means, and she says it's like they're giving you a gift by doing something for you that you normally do. RINA agrees and says that they'll both understand how hard it is to do something. The staff asks the band if they know what the dish is. HARU and MAMI don't so TOMO explains it to them and also says that eggplant is often used for yakibidashi. They and the staff members talk a little more about knowing/not knowing what the dish is which I don't think really needs to be translated haha

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who only recently became a SCANDAL fan and whose former favorite bands included ALFEE and KISS. They were talking to a friend and said how they recently started listening to SCANDAL, and the friend was surprised that they started liking SCANDAL after being a fan of bands like ALFEE and KISS. TOMO says she's happy that they recently became a fan, and that SCANDAL possibly has something in common with ALFEE and KISS (since other listeners have said in the past that they used to be fans of those bands before being a SCANDAL one). HARU says that she can kind of understand and MAMI says those are two formidable enemies, which the others laugh at. They wonder what the common points could be, and MAMI says that all of the members sing and that there's at least one flashy member in each band. They chuckle at that and TOMO says that from ALFEE it would be Takamizawa and from SCANDAL it would be MAMI.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who says they can sleep well if they sleep while listening to SCANDAL songs. HARU goes, "Ehh." RINA continues reading the message, which says, "You're probably thinking, 'Eh? Seriously?', right? It was the same for me too," and then ends. They laugh and say that was cute. They wonder what songs they listen to, and TOMO says that they don't have a lot of songs that can make you fall asleep easily. RINA says that she'd recommend "eternal" for that, which the others agree with, and says that it'd be a good one to help you dream. She also says that there are a lot of fans that use their songs to wake them up [lol I'm one of them--I use the Budokan version of "Switch" as my alarm] since they have a lot of songs that are good to wake yourself up with.

•They then close out the episode. They say how this made them want to eat some yakibidashi. TOMO says that she wants to make eggplant yakibidashi for dinner and says that the listeners should make some too.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):




#front-page #catchup

Making an original program jingle in celebration of the program's first anniversary!

Episode ＃55 blog

---

HARUNA: We're celebrating the first anniversary of SCANDAL Catch Up!
All: Thanks so much!
TOMOMI: That was so quick.
RINA: It went by in a blink of an eye.

HARUNA: And so we'll be doing a special project this week to celebrate that anniversary.

"Happy first anniversary!
Let's make an original program jingle!"

TOMOMI: Well, we've had one from the start.
RINA: Are we doing a new one?
MAMI: Are we updating it?
HARUNA: Yeah, apparently it'll be updated if we come up with a good one.
MAMI: Eh, that means it might be rejected?
HARUNA: Maybe as soon as it's completed [it'll be accepted].

(*Something appears)

All: !!??

(*Ocarinas are given to all four members)

HARUNA: Ocarinas have been prepared.
It seems that the staff was actually trying do to this "ocarina" project during the live broadcast on 3/4,
But they decided a live broadcast wasn't the right atmosphere for it, so they pulled it right before the broadcast began...

TOMOMI: Yeah, that was definitely the right call...
MAMI: We were about to give anxiety to those listening for the first time...
HARUNA: It was dropped in a haste, but we'll be doing it today since ocarinas were bought.
TOMOMI: ...I mean, why were they bought in the first place?

Staff (Ono): All of the directors decided to go with ocarinas for some reason, so they had already been bought.

TOMOMI: This shape is different from what I imagine when I hear "ocarina"...
HARUNA: It seems that this has an official name, which is "boroboro mini [Note: I think it's just called a "four-hole ocarina" in English lol]" ...
All: "Boroboro mini"??
TOMOMI: What country is it from?
Staff: Madagascar.

MAMI: What is this made of...some kind of fruit?
HARUNA: Where did you get these? Online?

Staff: Saitama.

TOMOMI: You went to Saitama to get these? I don't get this passion...
MAMI: Why did you decide on ocarinas? How did you find these?

Staff: We were thinking of giving these away as presents for listeners during the live broadcast...

HARUNA: Eh, these were going to be presents??

Staff: To go with the vibe of "eternal"...

RINA: The vibe of "eternal"...
MAMI: That's too mystical...
HARUNA: How do you play it?
RINA: Don't you do it vertically?
MAMI: But it's not a so-called recorder-type one.
TOMOMI: This is going to be a jingle??

Staff: It's difficult to play it. It's hard to produce sounds.

HARUNA: It's true that Director Kawai did it before the live broadcast,
But she couldn't play it at all. It's difficult to produce sounds...

Let's all try it.

※They make sounds right away...

Staff: ..!!??

RINA: ...why wasn't she able to play it?? This is the simplest instrument.
TOMOMI: It may not make a sound if you blow into it a little hard.
HARUNA: This is fun... You can get absorbed in playing this.
TOMOMI: I wonder if there's a music scale for it.
RINA: The right side would be the black keys.

Staff (Ono): Hold on a second. It's true that you guys are musicans, but please put a little more variety into this... We wanted to structure it all cliched-like, like, "We can't do it, we can't do it... we did it!"...

HARUNA: It's not what was expected and is easier than was expected!
RINA: It's strange that the staff wasn't able to play it.
TOMOMI: It would totally go good with a piano.

Staff: (*Director Kawai tries it)

※She can't play it and it doesn't make a sound

RINA: Why is that??
MAMI: Maybe your form's wrong?
RINA: Let's do it together.
HARUNA: I wonder why...?
MAMI: It may not make a sound unless you blow into it fairly strongly...

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

HARUNA: Where did you get these? Online?

Staff: Saitama.

TOMOMI: You went to Saitama to get these? I don't get this passion...

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 55

•The episode starts off with this. This basically takes up half of the episode and the rest is them playing around with the ocarinas and trying to figure out a jingle, which means this summary is going to be pretty short lol

•HARU asks how much each ocarina cost, and their staffer Kawai says they were 3,800 yen ($38 USD). They're also given a handheld drum to use in making the jingle.

•They decide on an order to start playing the instruments in turn and give it a try. After they finish the first one, HARU immediately says the "SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo" line. TOMO laughs and says that won't work and that there needs to be a break between when the music ends and when the line is said.

•HARU says that they probably need to all start playing at the same time. They do so and play for about 10 seconds before RINA goes, "Hurry up and say the line! This is so tough to do!" while everyone laughs and HARU goes, "But this is so much fun!"

•They try again and tell HARU to say the line earlier. After they finish, TOMO laughs and goes, "Stop it with that 'piro-piro' melody!"

•They do one more take that goes well which made it seem like it was the final take, but the staff says that those were rehearsal takes and now they're going to record the real thing. They do so and the band agrees that was the best take so far. MAMI laughs and says that was fun. HARU also says that was a lot of fun. TOMO says that she could probably play the ocarina forever and that HARU's dog Lady might be happy with the sounds. HARU laughs and MAMI says that maybe Lady might do something new if HARU were to play it in front of her. They all laugh and TOMO says that Lady might stand up or dance. HARU says that Lady might be leery of it.

•They then close out the episode. They mention how playing the ocarina is pretty fun, that they recorded three different types of jingles, that the jingle will be used starting from next week's episode, and to look forward to it.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here. I've made a guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):




#front-page #catchup