【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 93

•The episode starts with this.

•The next thing they talk about are the different editions (info on them can be found here). They first talk about the DVD Edition and say that they talked a lot during the interview. Next, the Magazine Edition. They say they also talked about a lot of things and that each member was photographed in different locations for their solo interviews (most likely like Vol.1). After that, they talk about the DVD+Merch version. They say the long-sleeve shirt is really cute, and taking the time of year into account, they went with a long-sleeve shirt this time instead of their usual short-sleeve one. The design is one where they want fans to use a mirror to take selfies in while wearing the shirt.

•Their upcoming tour in support of the album is talked about next. HARU says the Japan dates run from March to June, which is a pretty long time. After that they'll head out on their first world tour in forever. They say they feel like they're coming back little by little. HARU mentions how it says "and more" in the tour promo image and that more info will be coming soon. She says that their overseas listeners must also be looking forward to this tour (RINA: "We finally will get to see them"), and that they always get a bunch of messages from overseas fans sent in to the program. RINA says that they've never gone this long without going overseas before (since they had been going overseas at least once per year from 2008-2019), and that the fans must have been passionately waiting for this to happen. They say they're looking forward to it, and that they'll keep talking about info related to MIRROR on "Catch up."

•They then start the seventh "Kyoukai-sen Kyoukai" (Fine Line Association) segment. HARU reads the first message from a listener who asks them what the fine line is between autumn and winter. TOMO says that the period of time when it felt like it was autumn felt very short this year, which the others agree with. RINA starts to say something but her voice is all scratchy. The others laugh and TOMO asks her if her voice is okay. RINA laughs and says that her voice is gone due to the several days in a row they've been doing interviews. MAMI says that RINA's hoarse voice surprised her, and then says that it feels like winter when baked sweet potatoes are offered for sale at the market or convenience stores. HARU says that it feels like winter when you have to break out a coat. RINA agrees and says that it feels like winter when it's so cold you can't bear it anymore and have to wear a coat. TOMO says when she has to bring out a futon. RINA says a big part of realizing when it's winter is when your skin feels it, like, "It's so cold right now--it feels like winter." They also talk about how it's kind of hard to tell when autumn starts and begins. It's kind of like a transition period that happens in September-October and between summer when it's really hot, to winter when it's really cold. RINA says it's completely different now than how she remembers it when she was a child in her hometown, which the others agree with. MAMI says that the Halloween decorations at Disneyland or Universal Studios Japan changing to Christmas ones makes it feel like winter's. HARU says that Halloween might have a big deal to do with the transition from autumn to winter; as soon as it's over, it's like everything's in Christmas mode. That's why from November onwards it's like it's winter. TOMO says that not being able to visit theme parks recently may attribute to the fact that it's hard for them to tell what season it feels like. They also talk about packaging for products, such as limited edition ones for winter. HARU says it's like December onwards = winter, June-August = summer, September-October = autumn. They say it's kind of vague, though.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who asks the band what the fine line is between cool and cute, and if something can be both at the same time. HARU says it's also vague, and that both words are both compliments. TOMO says the meaning differs between each person, which the others agree with. She then asks the others if they think SCANDAL has any "cute" songs. They wonder if they do. RINA starts saying, "If it's starting from when we started 'her'...", but HARU goes ahead and says that she thinks "Kinenbi" is cute. The others agree. TOMO says that the rhythm's cute. HARU says that lyrics are cute (TOMO: "They're very cheerful"). RINA says that she thinks "Mabataki" is cute as well. TOMO says that there are also moments when you're listening closely to the music and will think it sounds cool, and asks what they think their "cool" songs are. TOMO says "Masterpiece." RINA says "Ceramic Blue." HARU says "Saishuuheiki, Kimi." RINA says "A.M.D.K.J." Both HARU and TOMO agree that "A.M.D.K.J." is cool. RINA wonders if you could also call it cute, which the others laugh at. TOMO says that the music video for "Saishuuheiki, Kimi" is an example of something that's both cute and cool. They say that it's difficult to say what the fine line is between the two. TOMO combines the words "kakkoii" (かっこいい; cool) and "kawaii" (かわいい; cute) in Japanese into "kakkokawaii." RINA says that there are clothes that are both cute and cool, and gives the example of lolita fashion. HARU says that it can be the opposite where a thing that someone thinks is cool may be considered cute by someone else. TOMO says that there are people in Germany who come to their shows dressed up all punkish and with mohawks that do look cute. MAMI says that there are people who dress coolly but their faces look all cute/dolled up. HARU says that in general the word "cute" is used for women, which the others agree with.

•RINA says that the word "cute" transcends its meaning; for example, you could even refer to a microphone as being "cute," or if they weather's nice, you could say that the sky looks "cute." HARU laughs and agrees. TOMO says that the sky can look cute at times. RINA says that the sky at 5 pm looks super-cute. TOMO says that the sky can also look cool. HARU says that times when you think something's nice, you'll just inadvertently end up saying it's "cute." TOMO says there's not much of a difference between the two words. MAMI says that there might be a difference when it comes to guys, though. RINA asks for an example, and MAMI says that there's probably a difference in calling a guy "cute" and calling a girl "cute." She then says, "Everyone's cute and cool!", which they all laugh at. RINA says that you consider a lot more things to be cute when you grow up, which they all agree with. She says that when you're a kid you think that things that are soft or have a soft vibe to them are cute, but when you grow up, the range of things you consider to be cute expands. An example would be considering the people who enjoy wearing punkish fashion to be cute, but everything in general is cute. She also says that SCANDAL's fans are the cutest in the world.

•TOMO says that it feels like you do use "cool" in its actual meaning. HARU says that people say their long-sleeve FEEDBACK shirts are cute but the actual print on them is cool. TOMO says that a lot of the time people who think something is nice will call it "cute." RINA says that it's usually used to refer to something that a person likes, and that it's a word that doesn't hurt/offend anyone. HARU says that there are people who might not like it if a friend called them "cute," though. TOMO says that there are definitely people who don't want to be called "cute." RINA is surprised at that since she thinks "cute" is such a complimentary word. A staffer seems to ask them if they prefer being called cute or cool. They say that either makes them happy. HARU says that "cute" has more of a charm to it. RINA says that a lot of people seem to call SCANDAL "cool" when they first become fans, but she wants them to first realize that they're cute. The others laugh at this. RINA says that people at first think they're sharp/prickly likely due to their music, but then realize via listening to "Catch up" and the like that they're pretty soft/gentle. HARU talks how on Twitter she saw recently saw her name mentioned in a convo that involved at least one person who wasn't a fan, and that someone said that their "favorite rascally female vocalist" is HARU. It made her go, "Rascally??" She says that it's probably from the impression of herself that she gave off previously. RINA says that it's probably due to their previous music. TOMO says that SCANDAL never really had that kind of era, though. They laugh, and RINA says that there probably was a time when she/the band came off as being more prickly. TOMO says that the word for "rascally" (やんちゃ; yancha) is cute, which the others laugh at and agree with. HARU says that it is cute but doesn't fit the impression she gives off now, but that being talked about now makes her wonder if she still gives off a "rascally" impression. TOMO again goes, "The word 'yancha' is so cute!", making them laugh again. MAMI says that it probably just means she gives off the image that she has a lot of freedom to do what she wants.

•They then close out the episode. They talk about BEST Xmas and TOMO says that it's their first one in two years, since their Christmas concert last year was the "SEASONS" one. They say they're looking 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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Someone wants to be scolded by SCANDAL!? The band members give a pep talk to a listener's waivering feelings!

Episode ＃94 blog

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HARUNA: Since it's almost Christmas, our recording location is also Christmas-themed.

All: Yayー! Thanks so much!

RINA: There's a tiny Santa...

Staff: That's not it!

HARUNA: Ah, um...let's see. A 3-meter Christmas tree, and balloons that director Kawai-chan blew up with all her might: A 4-meter snowman and a 5-meter Santa.

MAMI: The Santa that RINA-chan mentioned is two inches high...

RINA: Its head and body are a combined two inches. Adorable.

HARUNA: We'll be reading lots of messages amidst this Christmas mood.

O-Sushi-san

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

I've sent in this message because I want you guys to get mad at me.
I have a significant other that I live with.
It's been almost three years since I was told we should get married.

Also, I currently am having an affair with a co-worker.
It's not that I love them, though.
But since my SO and I are dating under the premise we'd get married, he keeps hounding me about marriage.
As long as I have accepted that, it's almost like an affair from his point of view.

My SO is a very nice person who works and also does housework, so I want him to be happy. I hope he meets someone good for him.
He also knows that I'm having an affair.
But I love him. I don't want to inconvenience him, but he wanted to be with me.

It's not that things aren't going well with him,
But no matter how tired I am, I will do the housework--our rhythms don't match. I can't really see a future with him.
We're together because he loves me, right? But he never says he loves me.
I want him to pat my head but he never tries to.

But cheating is bad.
If it was the other way around, I'd be very sad to be cheated on.
Please give me, whom he accepts despite me having an affair, a pep talk.

RINA: I see... They feel guilty and sent in this message.

TOMOMI: Are they saying that they don't yet love their partner?

MAMI: Isn't it that their feelings of guilt are beating the other feelings out?

HARUNA: But do they not like that?

MAMI: If they break up with the person they're currently dating, they might be able to fall in love with the other person...

TOMOMI: If they think there's no future with him, isn't it better to break up? Do they love him?

RINA: I think there are times when three years' worth of time comes with attachments, stability, is something you can't really separate from. In situations like that, I think that they may be under the illusion they might like the other person because they feel a thrill for this new person.

HARUNA: You're told to get married, so if you want to get married I feel like you can leave things as is.

MAMI: Isn't it better to face him now with this as an opportunity?

...they're quite heated up.
Love consultations and heavy content are also welcome. The four band members give serious thought together.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 94

•The episode starts with this. MAMI suggests they talk things over and then reconsider things. TOMO says that maybe they could live apart for a bit, and if the listener misses their SO/realize they do love their SO, then they should stay together. If not, then they should go for the other guy or perhaps someone else entirely. She says they could rethink things in a more broader sense. RINA says that they could try figuring out what's most important to them and what would make them feel most satisfied. They discuss things a little more, but basically conclude that they should try talking with their SO more and figure out what their future will be like.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says they got their first girlfriend this year. They are interested in both men and women, and although they've dated men before, this is their first time dating a woman and each day feels fresh and fun. However, it's a long-distance relationship--far enough that flying would be the only option to see each other--and they actually haven't met in person yet since they met on Twitter. But they do fall asleep talking to each other every day. They're planning to meet each other next year--they're both SCANDAL fans and hope to go to the band's upcoming tour together. They end their message by saying they love both SCANDAL and their girlfriend. The band goes, "That's so adorable!" They say there are a lot of things to look forward to. RINA mentions the long-distance thing, but if they're both in the same country then that's totally doable. TOMO says that it's possible they're in different countries. RINA says that it's a pain to travel right now, but if they really care about each other then distance shouldn't be too much of an issue. They say it's so cute that they fall asleep talking to each other every day, and that the band will put on a good concert for when they see them.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who got married this past October and had their ceremony in early December. They were unsure if they should hold the ceremony since there were no signs that COVID infections would be decreasing, but they were able to hold the ceremony safely and with a limited number of guests in attendance. They say that "eternal" played when their wive gave them a letter as a surprise, and they used "Chiisana Honoo" as their exit song. The band congratulates them and says they're happy that their songs were used. TOMO says that she attended a friend's wedding recently where they played "Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY" during the toasts. She demonstrates by saying they said "Cheers!" immediately followed by the intro to TaiKimi. She says that made her really happy. MAMI says that when her older brother got married, they used "Kinenbi" and "Yoake no Ryuuseigun." They say hearing all of these make them happy. RINA talks about the listener's message and jokes that it must have been really emotional during those times they played the songs. The others laugh and HARU mentions the "Make this moment last eternally" line. They say that they can tell how happy the listener is.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is a teacher (SCANDAL: "Hey! Teacher!") and writes in about dialect onomatopeia related to "rock paper scissors" and how you singsong the chant when you're a kid in Akita Prefecture where they're from. I will not be translating this into English since it doesn't really translate well lol but the band all had different ways of saying it when they were kids. They do talk quite a lot about this and say at the end of it that they really love talking about things like this.

•They then close out the episode and decide to give Apollo Pouches to the second and third listeners to as Christmas presents.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

This thing of a listener's got squished flat! Was this a premonition of dramatic happenings during the "Debriefing session of things that happened this year"!?

Episode ＃95 blog

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HARUNA: Now then, this is 2021's last "Catch up" episode.

All: Ohー!

HARUNA: This is the last one, and we're recording it in a studio for the first time in forever...

RINA: We are.

HARUNA: It's been over a year and a half...

TOMOMI: Not since the very first episode...

RINA: Yeah...

HARUNA: ...right?

TOMOMI: We do come here for when we do live recordings of special programs, but aside from those... The last time really was the first episode...

RINA: So this is our second time recording it in the studio? And today's episode is ＃95?

HARUNA: That's right.

TOMOMI: We usually record it at our office.

RINA: Yeah.

HARUNA: True...

RINA: It feels kind of fresh.

HARUNA: I think it'll be relatively easy to hear our voices today.

RINA: Train sounds and the like won't be included in it.

MAMI: That's right!

TOMOMI: And director Kawai-chan is making her "mixing debut."

All: Congrats!

※Explanation: For radio directors, recording a program while giving instructions in front of the mixing board in the studio's control room is a sign that they're a fully-fledged director. This happened for this episode.


TOMOMI: Today, she'll be giving us instructions from the control room and playing songs.

HARUNA: She's all fluttery.

TOMOMI: She said she's excited.

RINA: So cute.

TOMOMI: She's all dressed up, too.

RINA: Right? She's so adorable.

MAMI: She really is.

RINA: I mean, it's the equivalent of a band's major debut day. It's quite a big thing.

HARUNA: It's wonderful.

TOMOMI: Let's take a photo later.

RINA: Yeah, we should.

HARUNA: This is a great way to wrap up 2021.

MAMI: It is.

HARUNA: So, we'll be doing this project at the end of 2021.
"A year-end party! A debriefing session of things that happened this year"
We'll be talking to listeners on the phone for the first time in a while.

TOMOMI: We're at the studio so that we can do the calls.

HARUNA: That's right. We've received many entries. They will be telling us via a phone call what happened for them this year. Although we'd love to call everyone who entered, due to time limits we will be calling three selected people.

Let's get right to it. First, we'll be talking to "Kapoko." from Fukushima Prefecture. Helloー?

Kapoko.: Hello! This is Kapoko!

RINA: Ah, it went through!

TOMOMI: Thank youー

Kapoko.: I always have fun listening to this program!

MAMI: Thank youー!

HARUNA: Let's get right to it. Please tell us what happened for you this year!

Kapoko.: Okay. My beloved light-blue car got squished flat...

All: Ehー!?

TOMOMI: Flattened??

RINA: What happened!?

TOMOMI: Did a meteorite fall on it??

RINA: What happened??

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 95

•The episode starts with this. The listener says that it happened in a parking lot of a theme park, which surprises the band. She had had a good time at the park, but as she was going back to leave, she saw that her car was sandwiched together with the cars next to her. TOMO asks if there weren't any people hurt since it happened in a parking lot. The listener says that there weren't (TOMO: "So glad about that"). She says that her parents bought a car catalog and everything for her to choose a new car, but she loved her old one so much that she was unable to choose a new one. The band laughs hard at this. HARU says that the listener's love for that old car sure is something. The listener then says that she did end up buying the same model car in a different color. HARU asks what color she got. She says she got it in navy blue, which gives it more of a grown-up feel. TOMO asks how she got back from the theme park. She says that it was in the same area as where her parents live and so they came to pick her up. The band says that 2022 will probably be a good year for her, and she says that she already feels rewarded getting to talk to the band. MAMI wonders how the car got crushed and where; "From the side? From the top?" They laugh and RINA says that it being crushed from the top probably wasn't likely. The listener says that two cars were speeding and crashed into a few cars, which sandwiched her car between the ones next to her. TOMO gives a PSA and says when you're in a parking lot you should only go as fast as you're able to abruptly stop safely. The listener asks the band to be careful as well, which they thank her for.

•The listener then starts talking about a different topic and says that they had actually read a message of hers before on the program about how she became a fan of SCANDAL's because of her ex who really liked SCANDAL. She watched the 15th anniversary concert livestream and found the determination to contact her ex and settle things once and for all. Her ex told her that they had gotten married. It was really tough for her to hear everything, and she thought she wouldn't cry but she couldn't stop crying. However, hearing her message read on "Catch up" really helped her out, and SCANDAL's music has really cheered her up ever since the breakup. She's currently moving forward and says she's really grateful she gets to say her thanks to the band directly. The band is really touched by this and say this is making them tear up. RINA says that she seems like a lovely woman with the way she talks and thinks about others. HARU brings up how she says she started playing the guitar earlier in the year. The listener says there were so many bad things that happened this year for her that she wanted to try out something new and hopes to one day be able to play "Koe," one of her favorites. HARU says that her being positive is great. She says that she used to always borrow her ex's SCANDAL CDs, so MIRROR will be the first SCANDAL album that she purchases. She also says that 2021 being SCANDAL's 15th anniversary and this being their 10th album really makes her feel like this album will be special for both her and the band. HARU, in a hoarse voice, says that this is about to make her cry. TOMO jokes and says that they should just end the episode right now. HARU says that she wants to give her an Apollo Pouch, which the others say they should do. RINA says she's really happy that people like her listen to their music. TOMO says to come out to one of their concerts in her navy blue car. They thank her and end the call. MAMI says that they always read others' messages about stuff like saying thanks to the band or happy messages, but it's a lot more emotional when they hear it from the people themselves.

•They then contact the next listener. The listener says that they have two things: that they're soon going to be a Japanese language teacher, and that they're going to be obtaining a working holiday visa. TOMO asks where she's going, and she answers Vancouver, Canada. The band congratulates her and says she must have worked really hard. TOMO asks if being a "Japanese language teacher" is different from teachers teaching Japanese in Japan, and instead are teaching Japanese to foreigners. The listener says yes and the band says that that's cool. TOMO says it seems like it'd be difficult to do. RINA wonders from what point do you start to teach [foreigners] Japanese. They mention that Japanese has a lot of nuances and also things like sound effects and onomatopoeia, which they had previously talked about on the program before. They ask the listener if she'll be teaching things like that. She says that she'll actually be doing the opposite and will not be using words like that as they won't really be conveyed properly. HARU reads that the listener decided to become a Japanese teacher after learning that overseas fans of SCANDAL study Japanese and wanted to be of help in some way, which surprises the band. RINA asks when she started studying for this. She says October 2020; the band is surprised that she's been doing this for a year now. MAMI asks if she decided to do so because she already speaks a foreign language and wants to help people learn Japanese. She says that she can't really do so, but she does like K-Pop and really understands the want to understand foreign languages. She realized that overseas SCANDAL fans feel the same way, which made her start down this path. HARU reads that she's already going to head out in January. TOMO goes, "Is she...going to our...overseas tour?" HARU says that it says she is going and already has tickets to dates in Canada and the US. TOMO is surprised and goes, "Eh?? No way!" RINA asks if teachers are allowed to teach stuff aside from what's in textbooks, like stuff about music, for example. She says yes and that she wants to teach using SCANDAL's music as an example. RINA says that it might be difficult with their music because it's music that's filled with a lot of Japanese heart and soul. They say they'd love to take a lesson. The listener says that it's her goal to run into a SCANDAL fan overseas by coincidence. The band tells her to stay safe and do her best, and also to send in a message telling them what it's like for her overseas.

•Next, they call the last listener who says the top thing that happened to her this year is that she discovered SCANDAL. The band is really surprised and goes, "That's so cute!" She says that she watches and anime and did know of SCANDAL through their anime-related songs, but they only knew those songs and didn't know what the band's names were nor what they looked like. She says she grew up and starts mentioning that she was originally a fan of the rapper Rude-α (Rude Alpha). When she mentions his name, the band, whom are friends with Rude-α, get excited and go, "Rude-α!!" She says that two years ago she saw a picture of SCANDAL and Rude-α [most likely this one] and went, "Oh, that's SCANDAL, and Rude's a fan of theirs!" Then, in April 2021, she was renting CDs and saw that they had a special if you rented 5 of them. She already had 4 picked out and was wondering what other CD she should get. It was then that she remembered that photo from two years ago and decided to rent a SCANDAL CD. Because they have so many releases she was unsure of which to go with, but she ended up going with BEST ALBUM "SCANDAL" (TOMO: "That rental system's amazing!"). She says that she thought their music was really cool and ended up renting all of their CDs as well as buying live DVDs, watching all their videos on YouTube, listening to all of the past "Catch up" episodes, and is now a SCANDAL MANIA PREMIUM member (the highest tier of their fan club). The band laughs and says that that's awesome.

•They thank her and say they're really happy to hear that. She says she also went to their joint-concert with Hump Back in June and "INVITATION" in August. They're really surprised that the listener turning into such a big fan happened in such a short amount of time. She also says that she won a signed sticker when she purchased eternal and then a signed t-shirt when she did the stamp rally at "INVITATION." The band is also surprised at this, considering how few of those they had signed. RINA asks her what song really hooked them in. She says that it was "Kagen no Tsuki" as she listened to their best-of album. RINA goes, "That's so chic!" TOMO says there probably aren't many people who like both Rude-α and KNT. She also wonders why the listener suddenly remembered SCANDAL at that time when renting the CDs; the listener also doesn't know why. TOMO says that it was fate. The listener also says that they're also attending BEST Xmas. The band laughs really hard and RINA says that her ability to get tickets is amazing; TOMO agrees, since BEST Xmas is their concert with the highest applicant-to-acceptance ratio (AKA the concert that gets the most ticket requests). A staffer also mentions her luck with this phone call as well. The listener says that she was really lucky when it came to SCANDAL this year. HARU says that they'll be touring next year and the listener says she hopes to get tickets to that as well. RINA laughs and says she thinks she will get them. The listener also mentions that MIRROR is coming out on her birthday. MAMI says that there's so much overlap when it comes to them and her. They tell her to send in more messages in the coming year. RINA says that their fans are awesome. TOMO says they're really interesting.

•They say this episode was fun and that talking to listeners on the phone makes them happy. HARU again says that this is the last episode of 2021 and asks how this year has been. She says that they recorded this show remotely, mainly in their office. RINA says that despite having to do the show in different forms, she's really glad that they were able to do continue to do this show. She also says that their fans are way too awesome and that they really support the band. HARU says they did a bunch of segments and received many messages from overseas fans, the latter of which inspired people like the second caller/listener during this episode. MAMI says that next spring will mark their second full year of doing this show. They all go, "So fast!"

•Finally, they close out the episode with a recording of them right after finishing their BEST Xmas concert on December 24th. They thank everyone and say it was a lot of fun. TOMO says that this might have been the most fun BEST Xmas they've ever had. They say this year they wrote an album, wrote new songs, played a lot of concerts--they really worked hard this year. TOMO says that this was the 10th BEST Xmas and that she saw people wearing shirts from the past BEST Xmas's over the years, which made her go, "This really is our 10th one, huh?" HARU says that they recognized a bunch of people there who came to the first one/have been coming out to see them for over 10 years, which made her realize that the band has been around for quite a while. HARU says that she wants to keep playing BEST Xmas's forever and the others agree. TOMO goes, "Let's only continue playing BEST Xmas's!" There's a pause before they laugh and MAMI goes, "That's it?!" They say they're looking forward to seeing everyone on tour in 2022.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

A barrage of quotes? Odd remarks? Holding "SCANDAL Catch up Power Word Awards 2021"!

Episode ＃96 blog

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HARUNA: Happy New Year, everyone!

TOMOMI: The year's begun.

RINA: The year's begun!

HARUNA: It has begunー! Please continue supporting "Catch up" as well as SCANDAL in 2022.
Now then, for the first "Catch up" episode of the new year, we'll be looking back on 2021 while talking about our 2022 resolutions and plans.

A new project!
"SCANDAL Catch up Power Word Awards 2021"!

TOMOMI: Power word...awards?

HARUNA: We had the listeners choose "power words"--remarks the band members have said that have stuck with you, emotionally-touching comments, etc.--among the episodes that came out in 2021. We will present them in an awards-show format! Thank you very much for the many entries!

RINA: I see.

HARUNA: We asked listeners to send them in!

RINA: You can see a red carpet since this is an awards show after all.

MAMI: The words are walking over.

RINA: Yeah, they are.

TOMOMI: The words are walking over!?

HARUNA: It feels like the players have entered the ring.

RINA: That's right.

MAMI: Yeah, the words will first be interviewed on the red carpet. It's being streamed around the world, after all.

HARUNA: Let's get right to it.

"SCANDAL Catch up Power Word Awards 2021"!
This is from the HARUNA category.
Listener Tomatoma entered this power word from episode ＃49!
Please listen to these words HARUNA said at 18:54 while reading a message about a proposal:
"He'd better do it properly!"

MAMI: "You better do it properly"? Why did she say that?

HARUNA: Let's just listen to it.

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→Let's all listen to episode ＃49.


HARUNA: I want to ask a little more about the boundary line when it comes to [marriage] proposals...

RINA: What?

HARUNA: Can you call it a proposal when a conversation like that comes up, or is it when you officially get an engagement ring?

TOMOMI: I wonder...

MAMI: If that's the case, then just wanting to talk about marriage means that it's not an official proposal yet.

RINA: It's not yet. It's like a provisional proposal, like the boyfriend is suggesting he'll propose later.

MAMI: It basically means that he will propose at some point.

TOMOMI: He's confirming that he will do it at some point.

RINA: Yeah.

HARUNA: He'd better do it properly.

TOMOMI: ...did something happen??


→Going back to the studio.

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MAMI: Ahー! So that's what it was.

RINA: That did happen.

TOMOMI: It did. It was in regards to a provisional proposal from a boyfriend and wonder what'll happen with that. On the other hand, HARUNA suddenly "You better do it properly" started pressing on him with that.

MAMI: Yeah.

RINA: ...but we sounded like we were having so much fun!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 96

•The episode starts with this. Also, you can hear a better version of new song "Ai ni Naranakatta no sa" during the episode here (from 1:39).

•The next one suggested is from the 20:28 mark of episode ＃54, related to something MAMI said about agebitashi and that she says something about putting eggplant the broth? lol not entirely sure. The clip is only a few seconds long, which makes the band laugh at how short it is (RINA: "It's so short and it's funny!"). TOMO laughs and says that the way she said something in it feels gross to her now. HARU wonders why they were talking in that kind of way and sounding excited. TOMO says that she remembers that a staffer didn't know what the subject was about (yakibidashi/agebitashi) and therefore she started talking about it, but she's like, "Why did I say it in that way??" MAMI says that she still feels the same: that agebitashi is the most delicious, and that she still wants to try adding eggplant to it.

•The next one suggested is from the 20:50 mark of episode ＃55, related to something that TOMO said. That episode was in commemoration of the one year anniversary of "Catch up" and the band was trying to play ocarinas for new program jingles (they did 3 in total). The clip is of them playing one of the finished jingle. As it plays, the band starts laughing and saying, "This is so scary!" They also say that HARU's voice suddenly coming on to say "SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo" was also scary. TOMO says that she's glad this is an online show; if it was on the actual radio, it would probably scare listeners who have just decided to tune in. HARU asks the others if they still remember how to play the jingle they made. The jingle is played and they again go, "That's so scary!" MAMI says that they have no idea if what they're playing is good or not. The second jingle is played and they crack up while again say it's scary. MAMI says that it sounds like music for when a ghost appears. The third one is played as they crack up again and say that this one is really fast-paced. RINA says that she wants to do a new jingle this year. HARU asks she means she wants to do a properly-done one. RINA says that she wants to do one that would be easier on the ears of new listeners.

•The second-to-last one suggested is from episode ＃44, related to something that RINA said during this first episode of 2021. HARU says that they got a lot of entries for this one. The clip features the band introducing themselves normally aside from RINA, who says, "Drummer RINA-chan! Hey! Why does my program script say this?? This is so embarrassing, having this happening in the beginning [of the year]!" They're surprised that this episode was about finding "basic mistakes," and this happened a year ago already. HARU says that they all like things like that. RINA jokes and says that everyone likes doing things that relate to pranking her. She also thanks everyone for sending in a lot of entries for this one. HARU says that that must mean that everyone was really focused on finding stuff for this segment.

•The last one suggested is from the 11:05 mark of episode ＃61, related to something RINA said about the fine line between having a lot of hobbies/interests vs. being fickle, and says that fickleness can be wonderful. RINA says that she does clearly remember saying that. HARU then reads a message from the person from episode ＃61 that RINA said had a wonderful kind of fickleness. They say they were able to pass an employment exam and thinks that what RINA said was a message from the gods. The band congratulates the listener on becoming employed.

•The band then talks about their plans for "Catch up" for 2022. They say they'll first be starting off with their new album MIRROR that comes out on Jan. 26th, and then will be starting their world tour in March. HARU says they're glad that they're starting to look forward to touring again. RINA says that it feels like little by little they can start doing again things they used to do. She also says that because they weren't able to tour when it was first scheduled, they feel more strongly about conveying all the things that they need to whenever they're able to see their fans. That's also why they consider that time when they weren't able to do activities like touring to be important to them. She thinks that this truly will be a great tour. TOMO says that when this upcoming tour was announced, they really could tell that the fans had been waiting so long for this. She too thinks that this will be a good tour and that they're really looking forward to it. HARU says that like the album itself, there are songs on it that they were able to make by stopping for a while and stopping themselves, which led to new ideas. She says she's really looking forward to being able to tour around the world after having that time frame when time had stopped for them and is now a part of who they are. She also wonders what they'll be like standing in front of everyone in so long, and hopes that fans can come out and see the new side of SCANDAL. TOMO says that she wants to do more on-location recordings for "Catch up" (like this episode where they played Mölkky). They mention the listeners who have written to the program before who own apple orchards or even mountains. HARU says that they hope to go out to places mentioned by listeners and record episodes there. She also hopes that their fans listen plenty to their new album and come out to see a concert of theirs.

•They then close out the episode. HARU says that she's sure many new things will come about on the program thanks to listeners' messages. She also says that perhaps those who attend their concerts overseas will send in messages with their thoughts on the ones they've attended. TOMO says that the band should get souvenirs from overseas and then send them to listeners as presents. The others say that's a great idea and that they should do that. They also say that maybe they can record the program while they're overseas. They say they're excited for everything's that to come. And at the end, RINA calls herself "RINA-chan" again while the others laugh.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

MAMI takes a step forward with punch perms!?

Episode ＃97 blog

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HARUNA: We'll be reading messages this week.

Biwasshiー

Good evening, SCANDAL. Have you tried Melty Kiss's new Tahitian vanilla flavor? I'm eating right now and it's insanely delicious. When I gave it to my wife, she seemed to like it very much and was happy to eat it, saying "It's so delicious!"

Suddenly, my wife got all weird and went, "This charred garlic (kogashi niniku) flavor is the best!" I corrected her, saying, "Tahitian vanilla (tahichi banira) flavor." She said she didn't realize she made a mistake and was surprised by herself, saying, "I said 'charred garlic'!?"

I think the reason for the mistake was that she was preparing dinner while eating Melty Kiss. The Tahitian vanilla flavor is so delicious that it derails peoples' trains of thought.

The vanilla scent is very distinct and it does taste of vanilla, so I'm kind of worried if it's okay for Meiji to use this vanilla at this price point.

At any rate, it's insanely delicious. SCANDAL, do you have some? If not, please buy some after this recording's done.

TOMOMI: That's such a warm and fluffy story.

RINA: And we're eating it right now!

MAMI: It's really good!

TOMOMI: The packaging's cute, too!

MAMI: I've already eaten half of mine...

RINA: We're just gobbing it down.

TOMOMI: Tahitian vanilla is said to be the most strongly flavored kind of vanilla.

RINA: Yeah...

HARUNA: Anyway! You guys should try it as well!
We'll be giving an Apollo pick and a program sticker to Biwasshiー.

TOMOMI: Yeah, let's do that.

HARUNA: Let's give lots of presents this year.

MAMI: Here's the next message...

Poporo

Good evening to SCANDAL and the staff. I always enjoy listening to this program.

I listened to episodes 90-92 yesterday. This is the listener whose message about punch perms was read in 91. I'm sending this message since you were worried if this style would damage your hair.

Punch perms damage your hair!!! Since your hair is treated at a high temperature with a chemical solution, it may cause protein denaturation and make the hair stiff, coarse, or brittle. (Protein denaturation turns egg whites transparent to white and hardens them)

We pre-treat and post-treat the hair to prevent as much damage as possible. As such, your hair won't get worn out if it's permed once. However, you need to be careful when it comes to hair that's already been damaged by coloring it.

So, if MAMI decides to get a punch perm, I think it would be perfect if she gets it done only on the lower half of her head (like an undercut) and hide it with hair from the top part of her head. If she likes, it, try getting it done in the back as well! haha. (Or, you could get your hair rolled like a Daibutsu without using chemicals)

Even if MAMI does get a punch perm, I'll still love SCANDAL and will continue to be a fan!! haha

I'm looking forward to the new album.

MAMI: ...get a punch perm underneath only, huh.

RINA: It'll probably just make MAMI look stylish...

MAMI: Wait, wait, wait - Can you picture it??

HARUNA: Actually, are there any hairstyles that wouldn't suit MAMI?

MAMI: Yeah, so, picture it!!

TOMOMI: Yeah, I think it'd be insane...

MAMI: Right??

TOMOMI: I think it would be... But I think it'd be nice. Anything suits her.

HARUNA: I think you should do it if you want to.

MAMI: Would it be okay?

TOMOMI: Don't you think it'd be insane??

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 97

•The episode starts with this. TOMO says that MAMI could try doing a punch perm once and she might end up liking it. RINA says that an undercut would suit MAMI. MAMI says she's still unsure. RINA says to just keep thinking it over, and the staff and other band members chuckle at this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says that they and their husband are elementary school teachers (SCANDAL: "Hey! Teacher!"). They say that they want to talk about what happened for them in 2021 (it was originally sent in for this segment), and for them that was getting married on Aug. 22nd, the day after SCANDAL's "INVITATION" concert. They say it was originally scheduled for March but had to be postponed due to the state of emergency. Things got worse and worse as August got closer and so they and their families were unsure whether or not to hold it. They did end up doing so, though, after deciding to take plenty of preventative measures. They say they played SCANDAL's songs "Uchiagehanabi" and "LOVE ME DO" during their reception and that they're happy they got to use their songs. The band congratulates them and TOMO says that it really makes them happy when fans use their songs at weddings. She then says that a phone number is listed and asks the others if they want to try calling them. RINA enthuastically says they should to congratulate them. They decide to call, even though they're not sure whether or not the listener will pick up. TOMO says that they might not pick up a call from an unknown number. MAMI laughs and says that also wouldn't pick up. They do try calling the listener. It rings a few times before playing a "This number is not available right now" message and automatically hanging up. MAMI says that it is Thursday at 3 pm when this recording is happening, after all. They again congratulate the listener and TOMO goes, "We just tried calling you! Sorry we couldn't reach you!"

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who is also writing in for the same segment. She says that 2021 was a year where everything changed for her, such as moving to a new area where she didn't have any friends, but she was grateful that her message was read during the live broadcast to celebrate the release of eternal. She says that she also has another thing to report: On Aug. 10th, HARU's birthday, she found out that she was pregnant and that the baby is due some time in spring 2022. She says that it's looking like her life is going to change yet again next year. She says that a dream of hers is to attend concerts with her kids and so is having the baby listen to SCANDAL songs while it's in the womb. She doesn't know what the baby's name will be yet but is hoping to get a hint from SCANDAL's songs, including ones on the new album. She says she doesn't know the baby's gender as of the time she's writing the message, but if the band calls her and she knows by then what the gender will be, then she will tell them. The band congratulates her and decides to call her. She also does not pick up, but the band leaves her a voicemail congratulating her and saying to send in another message when she knows the gender of the baby.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is also writing in for the same segment. He says that he turned 26 last year and, like his girlfriend, didn't have any dreams and was worried about the future, including their jobs. He then starting having a sort of vague dream about making things and began liking candles in particular recently. He wants to try making them and is current looking for candlemaking classes. He's always like to make things and so wants to make and sell candles one day, or convey the charm of candles in some day. Although it first started out as a hobby, he's happy that his dream is currently growing. The band decides to call him but it also plays a "This number is not available right now" message and automatically cuts off. They again mention how trying to call people at 3 pm on a Thursday afternoon is too difficult to do as it's after peoples' lunch breaks and are currently in the middle of working. TOMO says that she's tried candlemaking a bunch of times and that it's a lot of fun. RINA says that the candles she made are really cute and are good enough to sell. The band says that they'd love for TOMO to make them some candles if she decides to make some in the future. TOMO says she totally will and still has a bunch of ingredients to make them, which the band says they're happy about. HARU says that it's nice when you can turn your hobbies into a job. RINA says that it's pretty easy right now to advertise your stuff online such as on social media.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is also writing in for the same segment. They're an engineer and passed several exams that they were striving for last year. Several times while studying they felt like giving up, but listening to SCANDAL's songs helped them out and get through it. When they'd feel down, they'd listen to "Image." When they needed to get fired up, they'd listen to "FREEDOM FIGHTERS," etc., etc. They also mention that they found out about SCANDAL was via RINA's solo exhibition. They were really impressed with how RINA views the world and then got really hooked on SCANDAL. They also say that they were crying as they watched "INVITATION." RINA thanks her and says that it makes her really happy to hear, and also that the listener became such a big fan that they even listen to this program. The band is surprised that the listener found out about them only in July and then watched "INVITATION" in August, and even knows older songs like "Image." And not to mention that they were studying for exams as well (HARU: "That's impressive"). MAMI says that it's impressive how people who start liking SCANDAL end up delving into the band's history like this. They laugh and HARU says that they do have over 10 years worth of history after all. TOMO says that there still manages to be new and different ways people find out about SCANDAL. They all laugh and say it's true; HARU says that people don't necessarily find out about them via their music. MAMI jokes and says that they've been growing at the rate of about 1 cm these past 15 years.

•TOMO reads the last message from a listener who is also writing in for the same segment. Their message had previously been read in episode 81 (the one at the very end). They say they felt encouraged by that and kept practicing on the bass little by little. Last fall, they decided to form a band and play at their college's school festival. They felt really moved when they played loudly at a studio the band rented out. A month before their performance, however, the festival was changed to an online streaming event because the situation with COVID didn't allow it and they had to record their performance for the stream. It was a pity the festival was changed to an online one, but they say they had a lot of fun playing with their band members and their goal is to play in front of an audience in person someday. They say they feel that their bass playing improved during the pandemic and that they'll continue to play bass at their own pace this year. TOMO says that she's glad that they were still able to at least technically perform in front of an audience. HARU says that it must have been a good experience to be able to record for that. TOMO says that there's a different kind of nervousness that you feel compared to when you're playing in front of a live audience, which the others agree with. HARU says that there's likely a small number of college students who have gotten to experience that. RINA says for them to keep playing and preparing to play in front of a live audience someday.

•The band then closes out the episode. The band says that they unfortunately weren't able to talk to any listeners on the phone this time, though they were able to leave a voicemail for one of them. RINA says that that listener's sure to be surprised when she hears it. MAMI wonders if you need to set up the voicemail function in order for it to work. RINA says that people probably don't usually leave voicemails in general anyway, even if that function's set up on someone's phone. MAMI says that even if someone can't reach someone by phone, they could reach them other ways such as messaging apps. TOMO says that listeners should register Tokyo FM's phone number just in case. The others laugh and HARU says that they should register the number when they send in a message. They say that they will call more listeners in the future and that they're hooked on doing episodes where they do so. HARU says that they do need to be in an official radio recording room in order to do so [as opposed to their office where they've recorded a majority of their past episodes]. RINA says that they should increase their studio visits this year. TOMO goes, "This really should always be done in a studio!", while the others and the staff laugh. RINA jokes that their goal for this year is to come more frequently to record in the studio.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

SCANDAL's concerts can be enjoyed across all ages! Reading impressions about "BEST☆Xmas 2021" held at the end of last year!

Episode ＃98 blog

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HARUNA: "Catch up" has been released in 2022, but this is our first time recording it this year. So, again, Happy New Year!

All: Happy New Year!

HARUNA: Best regards this year as well!

All: Best regards!

TOMOMI: This is our first job of the year!

HARUNA: That it is. It's our first job of the year and we're already bursting into conversation...

RINA: But it might good for "Catch up."

HARUNA: That's true.

RINA: ...it's because we can start off leisurely.

HARUNA: Yeah.

MAMI: In a good way!

All: Yep.

HARUNA: Now then, let's eat some snacks while we start off leisurely.
We'll be reading a bunch of messages this week as well.

Kurukuru Hitsuji

Hello, SCANDAL! Good work on your first Christmas concert in two years.

From the start the setlist made me feel that you guys were hating on your fans, who weren't able to vocalize, and I was desperate to avoid vocalizing (haha)

Today, I'm writing in about the line "SCANDAL is an odd band" that HARUNA said during the concert.

I was sitting in a middle seat, and to my left was a white-haired older man, while on my right there was a young girl who looked to be elementary school-aged (who came with her dad). Once the show began, we, of all different ages and genders, put our arms up and had fun in the same way. I did think that SCANDAL certainly is an odd band, but at the same time it hit me that SCANDAL's music is enjoyed by people of all ages. Thank you for the amazing Christmas concert. I'll definitely go next year, too!

RINA: What a happy message.

HARUNA: We got a lot of messages about our Christmas concert "BesuKuri" [Japanese abbreviation for "BEST Xmas].

RINA: Thanks!

TOMOMI: But BesuKuri really was funー

RINA: It wasー

HARUNA: It was our first "BesuKuri" in two years.

RINA: As written in that message, SCANDAL certainly might be a band with a wide range of fans or live audiences.

HARUNA: That's always been the case.

RINA: That's true.

TOMOMI: There's also been a big increase in people coming with their families.

MAMI: There has.

HARUNA: Isn't that something to be proud of, that this is something that families across generations can enjoy?

RINA: That's so true. It makes us happy.

HARUNA: It's a happy thing that people of different generations can have fun in the same way at live music clubs or halls.

RINA: We are happyー

MAMI: Does that go beyond happy??

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 98

•The episode starts with this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says that although the New Year season's about to end, you can catch glimpses of calligraphy being done on TV (like this). The listener had gone to BEST Xmas and brought merch as gifts to their workplace. It was then that a coworker said that they were involved in an event around the time that SCANDAL first debuted. The listener asked what kind of event, and the coworker told them that it was one where they did calligraphy as SCANDAL performed. The band all goes "Ah!" The listener asks if they remember that event. They say that they all remember that event very clearly. TOMO says that they were girls who did calligraphy. HARU says that they wrote out the lyrics to "Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY" as the band performed it [and you can actually watch that here!]. MAMI says that it took place in Hakodate (a city in Hokkaido). A staffer seems to ask them more details on the performance. They say that it consisted of a bunch of girls in a calligraphy club who did calligraphy along to the song--a calligraphy performance that combined calligraphy and music. They again say that it was really cool.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says that BesuKuri was a lot of fun. They say that they consider SCANDAL to be their "first love." When they were little, they used to copy their older brother who's six years older than them and like the same music, manga, etc., and so didn't have their own favorites. However, when they were in their second year of middle school, they happened to see SCANDAL performing on TV and was shocked, but at the same time they realized that they really liked what they were seeing/hearing. It's been 10 years since then, and they've realized that every day is a lot of fun simply because they have something that they personally like. That's why for them they call SCANDAL their "first love." RINA says that this is such a great message. MAMI, who has an older brother, says that that does happen when you have an older sibling, and says that the same thing happened with her. She also says that she gets the sensation of finding things that you like after your older sibling's grown up. HARU says that among the band, MAMI is the only one with an older sibling. They say messages like that make them happy and they thank the listener.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who's a nursery school teacher and went to BesuKuri. They say they sent in this message because they want to thank RINA for something she did during the concert. When there was a video being played on the screens in the back during an MC, RINA was concerned that the fans near the front of the stage couldn't see the screen and so moved down from her platform, which made the listener very happy with how considerate RINA is of the fans. On the way back home the listener and their younger brother talked about her kindness and it made them feel all warm and fuzzy. RINA says that this message was very polite and courteous. HARU says that if this had happened during normal times [when the audience would be able to vocalize], there probably would have been fans that have shouted out something like, "Thank you for getting out of the way!" They all laugh and agree. TOMO says that they forgot to say "Hey! Teacher." They laugh and RINA starts reading the begining of the message again and then do the bit.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who also went to BesuKuri and says that the most surprising thing during it was the band performing "SCANDAL IN THE HOUSE." They say that they haven't heard them perform it since their SCAFES, their 5th anniversary. The band is confused by that and wonders if they meant their 10th anniversary. The band also says that it was tough performing that song since the audience wasn't allowed to vocalize, especially during the parts when each member's name is called out. HARU says that when they'd perform it previously before the pandemic, for some reason her name would be the only one not shouted out all together. The others laugh and say that maybe the audience was exhausted by then and ran out of breath. TOMO says that this was their first time performing the song at BesuKuri since they usually do a singing+dance cover. She also says that they're unsure of what they should do for this year's. HARU says that this past one was their 10th one and so wanted to do something different (thus, they did "SCANDAL IN THE HOUSE"). MAMI says that as soon as the concert was done, they were all wondering what they should do for the next one (RINA: "We're too stoic!").

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who had someone they liked for a year and was planning to confess to them on Christmas. However, they were not able to meet up because they were both busy with going to different concerts. After the listener returned to their hotel room, they checked social media and found out that the person that they liked had posted something saying that they were now going out with someone else. The listener was confused for a moment before realizing that they were suffering from a broken heart. Since they liked that person for a year and was their second-ever love interest, it doesn't feel like they can recover from this. They ask SCANDAL how they can get back on their feet after a broken heart, and that they're listening to SCANDAL's music in hopes to recover. RINA says it's definitely hard to find out about things like this via social media. TOMO wonders if the other person never mentioned that they had someone they were interested in. They say this situation is a really sad one and wonder what can help the listener. They're all silent as they try to think of something. TOMO then goes, "Have you guys ever had a broken heart...oh, that has happened," as they all laugh. RINA says that whenever that happens she talks to the other band members, usually over a meal. She also says that HARU takes her on a lot of drives after those meals, and that one time a medley of a bunch of Hikaru Utada's songs [many of which are very emotional and about love] was playing over the speakers. They laugh and HARU asks if she's the one who played those songs; RINA says no, and it was on the radio and HARU was like, "Of course there's nothing but these kinds of songs playing on a night like this one." They laugh and MAMI says that would been something if it had been HARU playing those songs. Going back to the listener's question, RINA says that talking to someone is a pretty good thing to do; if you're alone, your thoughts will just keep expanding. HARU says that you'll rediscover how important it is to have friends and have them being there for you. RINA says that continuing to be in love with someone for a year is wonderful in and of itself. She also says there will be more and better things to look forward to in the future and that the band will keep putting out good music, so just take things slowly. HARU says that music is your ally. TOMO says that the band members are allies as well.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is a hairdresser and talks about how a customer asked to color the underlayer of their hair and that they wanted it to be flashy but not loud. The listener proposed a vivid color, but the customer said it was a little too loud. The example image the customer showed them had light pastel colors of pink, purple, and blue--AKA "unicorn colors." The listener says they were surprised since the customer's perception of flashy and loud colors were the opposite of theirs. They ask the band what the fine line is between flashy and loud colors, and if there's a standard for recognizing the two. They also say that the band's hairstyles and colors are always wonderful and that they love them every time they change them up. The band says that it's difficult to say what the fine line is. They talk back and forth about the subject, but they ultimately end up saying that it really depends on each person and that hairdressers + clients need to communicate with each other so that they're on the same page.

•They then talk about how this is episode 98 and that episode 100 is almost at hand. RINA says that SCANDAL's good at continuing things, no matter what it is. TOMO says that for this program, it's thanks to Meiji for helping it continue on.

•Lastly, they close out the episode. They say they covered a lot of different topics this episode such as thoughts about BesuKuri and even a Fine Line Association question at the end. HARU then says that to celebrate 100 episodes, they'll be doing a live broadcast on Tokyo FM on Wed. Jan. 26th (the day the album comes out) from 8-8:55 pm JST. As this is to commemorate 100 episodes, they're asking for listeners to send in messages with the theme "My 100." It could be about anything related to the number 100 for you; examples would be something that you've continued to do for 100+ days, or something that you've liked so much that you spent over 1 million yen ($10,000) on it. The band wonders if there's anything they have an example of for this. RINA says that when she was in elementary school, she'd only keep tests she got 100 on in a plastic file. They all laugh and say they could totally imagine her doing that. HARU says that that must have been good motivation to keep working hard. TOMO says that side of RINA hasn't changed at all.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

In response to a listener's surprising way of discovering SCANDAL, HARUNA says, "We're grateful. That's so moving...!"

Episode ＃99 blog

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HARUNA: This is the 99th episode! TOMO is eating Yan Yan.

TOMOMI: ...yes, I am. It's so delicious. I can't stop!

HARUNA: Next up is our milestone 100th episode! Along with that, it's also the day that our new album MIRROR comes out! We're doing a special program to celebrate the two, which will be aired live on Tokyo FM on Wed., Jan. 26th from 8 pm JST. At any rate, it's auspicious!

TOMOMI: It's a bit complicated...but it doesn't mean that we've done 100 live broadcasts.

HARUNA: That's right. The special program is just a special program to celebrate it, and the episode that will be posted on Jan. 31st will be the official 100th episode. Please partake in the live broadcast on Jan. 26th by sending in messages!

All: Please do!

HARUNA: Now then, we'll be reading a bunch of messages this week as well!

Payapaya

Good evening, SCANDAL. This is the first time I'm sending in a message.

I learned about SCANDAL when I watched season 2 of "Start Your Journey!" on Fender Japan's YouTube channel, which was a series done in collaboration with my favorite band KEYTALK. When I looked up which band the woman next to [the KEYTALK members] was, I learned that she was in the band SCANDAL. I looked up your YouTube channel, and when I watched the live videos of "Tonight" and "eternal" first, I got hooked enough to be like, "Is there really such a cool and cute band that exists?", and now I'm completely hooked. My favorite songs are "Winter story" and "Saishuuheiki, Kimi."

The reason why I'm sending in this message is because I now have a girlfriend as of a few days ago. She is someone I was in a PE class with in college, and when we exchanged contacts and started talking, we told one another that we liked each other and started going out.

Ever since I fell in love with SCANDAL, I had been wanting to tell her about your song "Kinenbi" [Anniversary, but can also generically mean commemorative day] and make it a special song for us. When it came true, I felt very grateful to SCANDAL. Thank you very much. I will try to have her like SCANDAL, and I hope we'll go to a concert of yours one day!

Please take care of yourselves as it's getting cold out. Apologies for the long message. Thank you very much.

MAMI: I'm so happyー!

RINA: That's crazy!

MAMI: "Kinenbi" on a kinenbi!

HARUNA: Before that, to have found out about us via Fender's YouTube channel is so moving...

TOMOMI: We're also grateful to KEYTALK.

HARUNA: We've also done a joint-band concert KEYTALK. I'm grateful that the first place the listener learned about us was via Fender's YT. You never know how someone will find out about us.

TOMOMI: Fender must also be glad.

RINA: We're grateful, at any rate.

TOMOMI: My heart also skipped a beat...

HARUNA: Please tell your girlfriend about SCANDAL's songs too!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 99

•The episode starts with this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who sent in this message the day that the album tracklist was announced. They say that she and her boyfriend she lives with have a habit of finishing their sentences with "no sa." She showed her boyfriend that one of the songs on the album is called "Ai ni Naranakatta no sa" and he laughed. The band also laughs and says that's funny.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says they listened to episode 94 and found out that the band has a segment where they "give people pep talks" [probably because of this message]. The band laughs and says that they unfortunately don't quite have a segment like that. The listener basically says that when their boss gets mad, they kind of find it amusing and smile when it happens. They don't think their boss knows they know they find it amusing and they don't worry about other people in their company finding out, though they are a little worried about being scolded by someone not in their company if they were to see them smiling/laughing. They ask the band to give them a pep talk for this. The band again laughs and says they don't have that kind of segment; RINA says that she could totally see a "pep talk segment" becoming an actual thing, though. There's a pause for a bit before RINA says that the listener really shouldn't be smiling/laughing at times like that, which the others laugh at. MAMI says, "Have a keener sense of tension. And you'll win," which the others laugh at. RINA says that by the listener writing this, they're aware that they know they should work on this. HARU jokes and says don't go around creating segments on your own.

•Next, HARU says they're going to call a listener that unfortunately didn't pick up when they called in episode 97. The listener answers and is the one who said that she and her husband are elementary school teachers. The band asks if there's anything good or bad/tough about being a teacher. She says that's been hard to figure out what to do due to the pandemic. HARU says that it's important to take care of childrens' mental health in these kinds of situations, and that a teacher needs to have a strong mentality as a teacher. HARU then says that it said in the message if they could say "Hey! Teacher" and they do so. HARU echoes what they said around the time the program started off: they'd like to know why so many teachers happen to like the band. The listener says that SCANDAL has a lot of songs that'll cheer you on, and that her husband was a SCANDAL fan before she was and became a fan when he was in middle school, and their songs seemed to have helped him out a lot ever since then. HARU says that someone being a fan for that song makes it like they grew up along with the band, and asks the listener what she thinks of SCANDAL right now. She says that she really loves "one more time"; she first heard it played during "INVITATION" (the day before her wedding) and it made her cry. She was then trying to not cry during the wedding the next day. The band thanks her, and HARU asks her one more question: Why did she become a teacher? She says that one of her relatives had a young child and realized while staying with them that she likes teaching younger kids things, and thought it'd be something that she could try pursuing. HARU says that a lot of their fans are really eloquent in their messages to them, such as her. She laughs and says, "But I'm really nervous right now!" They laugh and HARU continues, saying that they're really happy people like that are fans and wondering if their fans have naturally started becoming like that, or if they've always been like this from the start. The listener says that they've learned via this program and RINA's YouTube channel that conveying things really is quite important. The band says that it makes them happy to hear, and that they'll be sending her a program sticker plus an Apollo pick.

•After the call ends, the band says that they're glad they got to talk to the listener after not being able to the first time, and also that they're glad they got to congratulate her directly on getting married. HARU says that it always makes them happy to hear that their positive lyrics help people out. RINA says that they as a band and as people have gone through a bunch of changes/transformations over the years, but for those who have been fans for a long time to still understand, accept, and like them really makes them happy. She says that it's nice to have people who enjoy change. HARU says that they're very grateful that there are fans who enjoy changes because they love the band and are still able to see the root of the band despite the band changing and evolving. The others agree and say thanks.

•They then close out the episode. HARU says that they enjoy doing these phone calls and will try to come to the studio more often so that they're able to things like this. RINA says that they already talked about this in a previous episode and how coming to the studio more often is one of their goals for the year. TOMO says that they ordinarily should be coming to the studio to record for this but got too wrapped up in recording at their management company's office instead. HARU clarifies that they had to given the pandemic and all. She then mentions their live episode that'll be aired on Tokyo FM to celebrate 100 episodes of "Catch up" [which will air in approximately an hour and a half from the time this summary was posted!]. HARU says that she still can't think of any stories of hers that involve the number 100. RINA recalls the time when they ate wanko soba and asks if HARU had eaten 100 bowls then. HARU goes, "Ah!" and remembers that she did eat 100 of them. She talks about them while on tour and deciding to take on the challenge because she wanted the wooden plaque. She says that people can still send in their messages about what your "100 story" is even as late as the middle of the live broadcast because it will be live after all. She then says that the actual 100th episode of "Catch up" will be posted on Jan. 31st and will be about them doing a special project.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

【Translated Summary】
TOKYO FM - 『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 〜ON AIR〜, ＃4 + After Talk

•This fourth special episode was broadcast live on TOKYO FM on January 26th (the first special aired July 2020, the second one aired in November 2020, and thethird one[/i] aired in March 2021.

•The theme listeners were asked to send in was "My 100," which is anything related to the number 100 that you've experienced. The band says that those whose messages are read during the show will be getting either 100g of Meiji sweets or 100 pieces--the amount you get will be determined via lottery done by the band. TOMO says she can imagine what 100 pieces would look like, but she wonders how many pieces would make up 100g. HARU says that a box of regular Apollo Chocolates weighs 46g and the My Style version of it is 41g. TOMO sees that a box of limited edition Melty Kiss Mont Blanc weighs 56g. They determine that one box of Apollo plus one box of Melty Kiss would weigh in at around 100g. They then talk about the 100-piece prize and say that it's sure to look pretty crazy. RINA says that they're pretty good when it comes to pulling good lottery prizes; HARU says that they'll do their best to pull the 100-piece prize.

•HARU reads the first message from a listener who says that their "100" story is from when they ran 100 meters 100 times during summer camp for track and field club activities during their first year of high school. They say they ran 100 meters with a force of around 80% and repeated intervals of 30 seconds 100 times. It was really hard and painful in the hot summer sun, but everyone was able to finish doing them. They say that that sense of accomplishment is still the best one they've had in their life so far. RINA says that that's totally something special to a sports club. HARU mentions that RINA was also in a sports club in school. RINA says that she tried the same kind of thing during summer vacation (relay race) when she was in elementary school and that it was really tough. She also says that even after growing up she still remembers how hard she worked at that time. The band talks about how running 100 meters 100 times is not only tough physically but mentally as well. HARU then pulls the prize for the listener and draws a 100g slip. She says that she was excited for a second because the slip said "You won!" and thought it could have been the 100-piece one, but all of the slips apparently have that phrase on them. They decide to give them one box of Melty Kiss and one box of Apollo My Style.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener whose story is related to their smartphone. If they don't constantly keep it at 100%, they feel uneasy. They start panicking when it gets below 90%. They ask the band at what percent do they start worrying. The band laughs and goes, "90?! That's too fast!" MAMI wonders if the listener has their phone plugged in all of the time. TOMO says that she has an iPhone and starts to get worried when it goes from yellow to red, which is when it hits 30%, and that she does panic a bit when goes to red and falls under 20%. 10% is when she really starts to panic. HARU says that she always wants to have her phone in the green. RINA says that HARU does always carry a portable battery with her. HARU says that she also used to have a battery case for her phone. TOMO says that portable batteries these days have fast charging capabilities, which may make people worry less about low percentages on their phones. TOMO then pulls the prize: also 100g. They go with two Yan-Yans.

•After "Prism" plays, they mention that their new album MIRROR is out as of that day and so are doing a new project: "100 things that make you want to listen to the new album MIRROR." HARU says they'll be talking about those things all throughout the episode. MAMI says the first thing: The covers are stylish. She also says that the lyric booklet is high quality. TOMO says that the bonuses are extravagant. HARU says that a long-sleeve t-shirt comes with one of the editions. They talk about how the print on the sleeve is mirrored so that it'll show up the right way if you were to take a mirror selfie while wearing it. They say that the 'goal' is to list 100 things but they technically won't be counting, but they are the type to give things a lot of thought and so they don't do well when they're suddenly told to think about something. RINA says that she's feeling at around 90% charged right now. The others laugh and jokingly ask her if she's panicking. RINA then talks about the album a little more: "It truly turned out to be an interesting album. We're already in our 16th year, huh. This album makes us really excited because we feel like we're entering unknown territory for all-girl bands, so we'd love for all kinds of people to listen to it."

•RINA reads the next message from a listener whose story is when they got 100 points on a social studies test when they were in 5th grade. They say it was special for them because it related to them trying their best in order to get their parents to buy them a Pokemon Diamond/Pearl game. At that time they were not good at studying. They saw their friends playing the game and wanted it too. When they asked their parents to get it for them, they said they would if they got 100 points on a test. The listener says that social studies is more about memorization and thought they could get 100 if they worked hard to memorize things. As a result, they got 100 points and got Pokemon Diamond. They say they'll never forget how happy they were at the time. The band says that the listener did work hard, and that everyone was playing Pokemon back when they were kids. HARU says that you can work hard when you're motivated, and that you'll likely get 100 points if you're really striving for it. RINA goes to pull a prize but isn't able to read what it is right away (likely due to the "You won!" text). The band laughs and says that gap between pulling the prize and reading it is too long. RINA pulls the 100g prize. They decide what sweets to give. They say that maybe they'll go with Takenoko no Sato, which is 70g. They try to find something that weighs 30g. MAMI says that each packet of Melty Kiss Rum & Raisin weighs 15g, so they could theoretically give two of them (out of a box of 4). They all laugh and MAMI says that it probably isn't good to give a box that's opened. They find something else (Hazelnut Chocolate) that's 35g instead and decide to give that one along with Takenoko no Sato.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener whose story is related to a "satsukan test." The band is unsure of what that means. The listener says that they're a banker and they had a "satsukan test" in their first year. "Satsukan" is short for "satsu kanjou" = counting bills, so a test related to counting bills. The test was to make a bundle of 1 million yen within the time limit of 10 minutes. They say it might seem easy at first, but you have to count them from a pile of badly arranged bills in the register, align them all the same way, and then put the currency strap over them. They practiced at home every day at home using fake money and the number 100 was drilled into them. They did successfully pass the test and have been a banker for four years now, though they still remember the pressure they felt from 100 back then. They tell the band to try counting bills if they'd like. The band is impressed and says it sounds really difficult to do. HARU and TOMO say that they'd like to try it. MAMI pulls the prize and again there's a lag between pulling the slip and reading it off, which RINA comments on. The 100g prize is pulled again. They decide on Melty Kiss Mont Blanc and Fruit Gummies.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener whose story is related to the distance they have to travel to get to their college: 100 km (62 miles), which takes about two and a half hours one way. The band says that's pretty crazy and praises the listener for doing so and for working hard. HARU pulls the prize of 100g. They say that maybe they could give out some Coffee Beat now and check the weight. It's 105g, which means that they could only give out one of them. They say that it is pretty big, though. MAMI wonders if it could be eaten within a two and a half hour span, which they laugh at.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener in India [an SH user!] whose story is related to their kitten they've had for about 100 days. They also ask the band if they like cats, and also that if it's too complicated to ship their gift to India then to give it to MAMI (MAMI: "Are you sure you didn't make the wrong choice?!"). They all laugh and TOMO says that she'll try getting the 100-piece prize for MAMI. She pulls it and gets the 100g prize. HARU asks if MAMI likes cats. MAMI says that she loves them and has thought about getting one several times, even telling the other members that she wants one, but she hasn't taken that step forward yet. HARU says that one of the nice things about "Catch up" is that they get messages from fans overseas. TOMO mentions that they have a segment based on overseas messages ("I see - The Catch up"). She also says that they'll choose MAMI's sweets later and will choose the ones that she likes, though they absolutely cannot go over 100g.

•HARU reads the last message from a listener whose story is related lottery tickets. They bought some for their family for New Year's and their eldest daughter won 100-man yen (1 million yen; $8,700 USD). That daughter said they should spend the money by going on a family trip that's also in celebration of the marriage of the second daughter who got married last year. The listener says that the excitement was at 100. The band is surprised and say that there really are people who have won 100-man yen lotteries (that was one of the examples they had given when asking listeners to send in their "100" stories). MAMI says that she also feels excited just by hearing the story. The band also praises the daughter for deciding to spend the money on a family trip. MAMI says that she wants for them to get the 100-piece prize. HARU pulls the prize of 100g and they decide on sweets that can be shared among family. They choose Melty Kiss and Apollo.

•They then close out the episode. HARU says that this felt like the shortest live episode they've done. They say it was a lot of fun. HARU says that the 100-piece prize never appeared and checks to see if there was one slip that has it written on it. The first one she pulls out is a 100g one, which they laugh at. A few seconds later she does find the 100-piece one. They also say that they'll try reading a few more 100 messages during their regular episodes of the program.

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

•They talk about the live broadcast and how it goes by so fast, but this time it felt especially fast. HARU asks if there were any memorable messages that were read. RINA says that after the broadcast ended, they immediately started discussing that there really are people who have won 1-million yen lotteries. She asks if anyone in the band has bought lottery tickets before. TOMO says that she bought them for the first time last year and had fun. RINA says that she's never bought one as she didn't know how to buy them. They laugh and go, "Really?" She says that in the group LINE they were all talking about lottery tickets around New Year's, which made her think, "How did this suddenly happen??" HARU says that they bet on horse racing for the first time at the end of 2020 and that it kind of carried over to lottery tickets. TOMO says that around New Year's she and a friend bought 9,000 yen ($78) worth of lottery tickets and they ended up winning 14,000 yen ($122), and says that stuff like that is fun. They talk about how you can buy lottery tickets online now.

•TOMO asks the others what they would do if they won a 700-million yen ($6 million) lottery, but then changes it to 1-million yen. MAMI says that she would tell her mom that she'd buy her anything she wanted. They all agree and RINA says that winners probably would want to use it on their families after all. TOMO says that the state of things isn't ideal right now, but she'd like to spend it on a family trip. HARU says that she'd like to do something for her family, like purchase something for them. RINA says that this is all so practical, which they all laugh at. TOMO says that you probably would want to use 1-million yen on buying practical things. RINA circles back to TOMO's original question and asks what they'd do with 700 million yen. They all agree that they'd buy houses and laugh again at how practical that is (RINA: "We're so grown up"). A staffer asks them about buying an uninhabited island. They all go "Ahh!" TOMO says that they totally could buy an island with 700 million yen [since all of the island that they previously looked at were well under that amount]. RINA says, "So, we're buying houses and an inhabited island?" TOMO says that that's totally doable. MAMI wonders if they could rent out the Fuji-Q theme park. The others says they could, which gets MAMI excited. HARU says that if she'd be really scared if she really were to win the lottery and suddenly gain that much money. The others agree and TOMO says that she'd be scared that something equally as bad might happen [which is actually a common theme in real life]. MAMI says that in that case she'd might want to return half of it.

•Next, they mention the kitten and how your life gets richer after gaining a new family member. They then realize that they didn't choose which sweets to give to MAMI. RINA jokes that MAMI's already eaten 100g or more during the recording. MAMI chooses a Melty Kiss Rum & Raisin at 60g. They try to find one that's around 40g. TOMO says that Galbo Chocolates weigh 38g. MAMI says that she ate an entire bag of those already, which they all laugh at. She then finds a bag of Almond Chocolate, strawberry-flavored and decides to go with that one too. They all say that it sounds delicious and that it's their first time seeing this flavor. It's 47g, which is slightly over 100g along with the Melty Kiss but they allow it. They thank the listener for letting MAMI have the sweets and HARU says that that was the first time a listener said to give their present to a band member.

•They then mention the bill-counting story and say that they want to try counting bills. RINA wonders how it must feel to have all those bills/money in your hands. TOMO says that they can understand it visually since you see stuff like stacks of 1 million yen on TV shows and such. HARU wonders if it would be a little bigger than a box of Melty Kiss. They say they're interested in what other stories related to 100 have been sent in and will read more of them during episode 100.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

That su〜〜〜per laidback project returns for the monumental 100th episode of "Catch up"!?

Episode ＃100 blog

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All: *A big round of applause*

TOMOMI: That's crazy it's the 100th episodeー! We're thankful.

RINA: Oh my god!

MAMI: Thank you!

HARUNA: Today we'll be bringing you a special project to commemorate the 100th episode! "Celebrating 100 episodes! Let's make an original jingle!"

TOMOMI: There it isー!

RINA: It's hereー!

TOMOMI: ...what episode did we do the first jingle on, again?

(*Note: It was during episode 55, titled "Happy first anniversary! Let's make an original program jingle!")
〜The four of them played ocarina-like instruments called "boroboro mini" [four-hole ocarina]

TOMOMI: It's been a while.

RINA: Does that mean we're updating the current jingle?

HARUNA: It's an odd jingle.

TOMOMI: Yeah, boroboro minis.

HARUNA: We made the jingle with all of us playing boroboro minis. The instruments this time have been powered up... We'll make an even odder jingle.

RINA: That makes me happy.

HARUNA: There are four types of instruments this time. We all have different ones.

RINA: Nice.

HARUNA: Our director Kawai-chan prepared them.

MAMI: Thanks!

HARUNA: We'll introduce them one at a time.
...First we have a kashaka.

TOMOMI: These were pretty popular.

MAMI: It was.

RINA: Kashakas...were popular??

TOMOMI: They were. Who was it again who brought it to a recording spot?

RINA: Ahー!

HARUNA: It was Honma.

TOMOMI: They always did that.

RINA: Ahー! That was a kashaka, wasn't it.

HARUNA: It's an instrument that originated in Africa, and when you hit two hard balls to make a sound, it also makes a shaking sound like maracas. This seems difficult to play.

MAMI: It's pretty large, the ball portion.

HARUNA: Next, a slide whistle with a bird on it. From Bali! When you blow into it and stretch and contract the handle, a cute tone that sounds like a little bird comes out. All made of bamboo!

RINA: This seems easy to play.

HARUNA: Next, a "7-key coconut kalimba." An African folk instrument that's known as a "thumb piano" and is handmade from palm fruits! You can also tune it.

TOMOMI: I love the sound of the kalimba.

MAMI: You play it like a steel keyboard. You can tune it?

HARUNA: Lastly, a genggong.

TOMOMI: I've never seen that before...

HARUNA: It's also from Bali like the slide whistle. "Bring it in front of your mouth and flip the edge a little hard to make a mysterious sound"...

TOMOMI: Eh, what do you mean?

MAMI: Eh, I don't get it...

RINA: The definition makes it sound difficult...

HARUNA: ...those are the four types.

RINA: I've never used any of them before...

HARUNA: Now then, let's decide who plays which.

TOMOMI: Are we doing jan-ken (rock, paper, scissors)??

MAMI: Let's just do that...

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 100

•The episode starts with this.

•HARU gets to choose first but says "It's so difficult to choose, I don't really want to!" TOMO says that the kashaka seems the hardest to play and the others agree. HARU says that maybe she'll go with the coconut kalimba, which she says is cute. She tries it out and RINA says that they'll probably center the jingle around that. MAMI says it'll act as the melody. HARU tries it out further and RINA says it sounds really pretty. MAMI chooses next and says that she wants to try the genggong, which she says seems kind of mysterious as she's never heard nor seen it before. TOMO chooses third and says that maybe she'll leave the kashaka to RINA since it's a rhythm instrument, so she'll choose the slide whistle.

•Next, they all start practicing with their respective instruments. RINA goes, "What kind of form do I need to play this??" [for reference, this is how you play them] They laugh and TOMO says to bounce them off of each other. RINA tries it out and they say her form's not right. She tries it out again and MAMI goes, "Ah, that one you just did!" HARU says that that's difficult. TOMO tells RINA she thinks she should put the string between her fingers and play it in a certain way. RINA tries it and says it's really difficult. MAMI says that the gourds seem a little too big. RINA tries it out some more and still doesn't seem to get the hang of it. MAMI says that she thinks the string should be in the middle [probably between the middle and ring fingers, but it should really be between the index and middle fingers] so that there's an equal amount of distance between the gourds. RINA wonders if she has to clack the gourds together while also shaking them occasionally. TOMO says that she probably needs to do something like "clack-clack, clack-clack, shake-shake-clack-clack."

•They all resume practicing their instruments and RINA laughs at how TOMO's whistle breaks their rhythm. HARU says that it still sounds cute, though. RINA says that MAMI seems to be playing her instrument properly. MAMI says that the pitch doesn't sound quite right, but she thinks it could be changed if you change how much you open your mouth [here's an example of how you play it]. She tries it out again and RINA says that it seems like she's really good at playing it. They keep practicing. HARU says that TOMO's whistle sounds really cute. She also says that the keys on her own instrument are pretty tough and she isn't sure how to tune it.

•RINA wonders at what point they should start actually recording the jingle. HARU says that last time they each just kind of went with it. TOMO then asks them to guess what song she's playing on her whistle. Right away, RINA goes, "Ah, I know! 'MIRROR,' right?" The others laugh and MAMI goes, "Seriously?! That's crazy!" HARU says, "That was so fast!" TOMO keeps playing it and RINA starts saying the lyrics, which makes them laugh again. TOMO continues playing it and RINA says that they should center the melody on the whistle. They then all try to play "MIRROR" together starting from the beginning of the chorus ("Kitto kurikaeshite yuku..."). They play a bit before they all start laughing and say that it was going too fast. They try playing it again and laugh while saying that it seems like it's going well. They decide to try it out for real, playing "MIRROR" while HARU says the "SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo" line. They finish with the kashaka doing a "clack-clack" at the end. RINA goes, "That went really well!" HARU laughs at the "clack-clack" at the end. TOMO says that they definitely leveled up from last time. HARU laughs that they finished doing it in just one take. RINA goes, "As expected! We've improved."

•The staff seems to tell them to do one more jingle. The band wonders what song they should do next. RINA wonders what would be easy to play. MAMI suggests "one more time" and RINA says that that seems difficult to do. TOMO tries playing the start of the chorus on her whistle, which makes the others laugh. RINA says that it seems like it'll turn out well. They start doing a take of it and HARU goes, "SCANDAL Catch up...Mei--," messing it up a bit and laughing. The others all start laughing as well. TOMO starts playing the start of the chorus again and they laugh again. They try it once more and all stop at the same time. There's a slight pause before TOMO plays the whistle again because she thought they were going to play the "uh uh uh" part and they burst out laughing. MAMI asks the staff if that take was good; they say it was. MAMI says that was tough and HARU says that was funny. MAMI says it got kind of chaotic. They laugh and say they've brought to everyone two songs from their new album. HARU laughs and says that it seems like they'll be updating the jingle every year. TOMO says that there are lots of instruments all over the world, after all. MAMI says that maybe they should make that a subject you can send in a message about, where you'd tell them about different instruments they could use. They laugh again and say that this was really funny.

•They then close out the episode. MAMI says that doing the jingles was all they did during this episode. They laugh and say that they did do a commemorative thing for episode 100 after all. They say it was a lot of fun. HARU says that they laughed enough to lose their voices. After they do their closing remarks, RINA, MAMI, and TOMO start playing their instruments again a bit while HARU laughs and says that time's up, but then plays her instrument one last time as well.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

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Wow, I honestly can't believe I've been able to stay caught up with translating every single episode of this program released so far! Those who read these summaries, thanks for doing so!


And if you enjoy my translations, please consider leaving a tip!

Valentine's special! Meiji sweets and program merch given away based on SCANDAL's swee〜〜〜t criteria!

Episode ＃101 blog

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HARUNA: Now then, it's the 101th episode of "Catch up"!

All: (*applause*)

HARUNA: For this 101th episode, we will be doing a "right before Valentine's Day" special since it'll be posted in February!
We're celebrating with chocolate in gratitude to our listeners!
Chocolate and sweet presents!
"My Boundary Valentine"!!

TOMOMI: Valentine's Day is exactly a week after this episode comes out...

HARUNA: That's right.
Our popular segment "Kyoukai-sen no Kyoukai" is now called "Boundary Boundary" in English.
We'll mainly be reading messages sent in to "Kyoukai-sen no Kyoukai,"
And since it's almost Valentine's, there will be more chocolate and sweetness than usual...
We'll be giving away Meiji sweets and program merch!
Let's read some messages!

Takemaru

Good evening, SCANDAL. Congrats on 100 episodes of "Catch up"!

Where I live, we say "100 percent" as "hyappa." In many areas it's often shortened as "hyakupaa," right? My intent to talk about 100 got kind of dialect-ish or borderline-ish.

HARUNA: They're from Niigata. They say "hyappa," huh.

MAMI: We do say "hyakupaa."

HARUNA: Yeah, "hyakupaa."

TOMOMI: Yep, "hyakupaa."

RINA: Then let's give them a "hyakupaa" gift.

TOMOMI: Let's give them something sweet.

HARUNA: What should it be?

RINA: Apollo Chocolate and an Apollo pick.

MAMI: Sounds good.

HARUNA: All sorts of Apollo.

TOMOMI: On to the next message...

Gorori

Good evening, SCANDAL. Congrats on 100 episodes!

My "100" story is "wanting to make 100 friends." And so, I'll combine it with "Kyoukai-sen no Kyoukai": How do you consider someone to be a friend?

There was a time when I had a little more than 100 friends on LINE. However, I only had about 10 people who'd I hang out with and talk to. I don't stay in touch with my classmates from when I was a student, but if I meet up with them and can converse happily, are they considered friends? Then what's the boundary when it comes to acquaintances? I sometimes think about that. Since I'm a teacher...

All: Hey! Teacher!

When I talk to my students about their classmates, sometimes I get a little confused about whether they're just classmates, or friends, or acquaintances.

Hey! SCANDAL! What do you think is considered an acquaintance, and what's considered a friend? And can you really make 100 friends?

TOMOMI: The boundary between "friends" and "acquaintances" is hard to say.
...maybe it's whether or not you'd talk about matters of the heart. I've been thinking that recently.

RINA: I see.

TOMOMI: If someone's an acquaintance, you might not talk that much to them. Like, "The weather's nice today..."

MAMI: Yeah, that would be an acquaintance.

RINA: Even if you have their contact info, there's still a borderline.

HARUNA: That totally happens.

TOMOMI: Sometimes you exchange contact info and then never actually contact one another.

HARUNA: You're not like, "I need to be active about this - let's hang out!"

TOMOMI: If you think of it like that, all of your friends from when you were a student would always be your friends.

HARUNA: You were all somehow all together every day, back then.

TOMOMI: Even if you don't get in touch that often, once you meet it's like you've gone back to those days.

RINA: The thing that TOMO first said about talking about matters of the heart or not might be close to the right answer.
All right, let's give them a present.

HARUNA: Teacher Gorori has sent us quite a few messages in the past. It feels like there have been quite a few.

RINA: That's right.

TOMOMI: We often read them.

HARUNA: All right, let's give them an Apollo Pouch!

TOMOMI: Shall we?

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 101

•The episode starts with this.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who works as the head of a prep school for university extrance exams, and that their "100" story is that 100% of their examinees passed, which happened two years ago. They say that college entrance exams are pretty fierce competitions and that it's about that season right now. The band is surprised by this message and HARU goes, "They're the head of a prep school, right? So..." They then all go, "Hey! Teacher!" but at slightly different timings. TOMO says that they completely forgot to say that. They say they're hoping that the listener's school gets 100% of examinees passing again. Next, they wonder what to give the listener. RINA suggests that they give them sweets, a program sticker, and Apollo pick. They agree, and MAMI says that a package of Cola Up gummies weigh exactly 100g. TOMO says that that technically isn't chocolate, so they decide to give that plus Apollo My Style Chocolates.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who says that their "100" story is that they made it their goal to make 100 friends after moving to Tokyo, and they fulfilled it within two years. They also say that it's now been four years since they've moved there, and their LINE friends have gone from 100 to 500. They ask the band if they've ever had a hard time making friends. The band is really surprised that they have 500 friends on LINE. RINA says that she barely has any friends on LINE. MAMI wonders if that's not counting the "official accounts" you've added (i.e. music artist accounts like SCANDAL). HARU wonders if it's possible to even disable that feature. MAMI seems to be looking at the app on her phone and says that it is possible. She says that she has around 300 friends in total. HARU says she has around 250 excluding official accounts. MAMI then says that she has around 280 excluding official ones. RINA says she has 220. HARU says that TOMO has a lot. TOMO confirms this, but she says that a lot of accounts have the same display names and doesn't know which accounts are new/updated ones. HARU then goes back to what the listener said and says that having 500 LINE friends is impressive. They decide on presents: a pick, a sticker, and a few sweets. TOMO says that a large box of Coffee Beat would give the listener the energy to keep up with their many friends. They also decide to include Apollo.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who works in the delivery service and says that their "100" story is that feel like they've done their best when the number of deliveries with barcodes exceeds 100 in one day. However, their original dream was to work in music and is currently wondering whether or not to change jobs to work in concert production. Since they're unsure, they ask the band to give them a scolding. The band laughs and says that that really did seem to turn into a segment. They say that changing jobs isn't something you should be scolding someone for. MAMI wonders if they should be like, "Go for your dreams!" They all say that going for your dreams is a good thing to do. RINA says that delivering things is very physically demanding, so it's very impressive that they're able to do 100+ deliveries in one day. HARU says that age doesn't matter and to pursue your dreams whenever you want. They say they're rooting for them. Next, they pick out presents. They choose Galbo Chocolate, Apollo My Style, a sticker, and a pick.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener [sounds like this one from episode 97] who says there are 100 days left until they give birth to their child. They say they're full of excitement and anxiety, and hope that their child is born healthy. RINA says that they've done well to do so well so far. HARU wonders what the listener must be feeling right now. MAMI says that babies develop a lot during this time. TOMO wonders what it'll be like 100 days after the baby's born. They wish the listener luck and hope that the baby's born healthy. For the presents, TOMO says that they need to pick out two peoples' worth of sweets. They choose Kinoko no Yama, Takenoko no Sato, sticker, and pick. They close out the segment by saying that their listeners are really good at incorporating more than one segment into their messages. TOMO says that there weren't any Valentine's-themed messages, though.

•They then close out the episode. They say that the next episode will feature stories of Valentine's Day experiences from the listeners. HARU says that there's actually one more message they'd like to read. The listener says that they have a 4-year-old daughter, and when she saw TOMO on the clear file that came with copies of MIRROR (the one with the entire band on it), she said, "That person's surprised!" Then, when she saw the photo of TOMO on her solo file, she said, "That person is not surprised!" The band goes, "That's so cute!" The listener says that their daughter now keeps repeating "Surprised! Not surprised!" TOMO says to send them a video of that to them somehow. The listener closes out their message by saying that they'll be attending SCANDAL's concert in Nagoya as a family. MAMI says that they should say "Surprised! Not surprised!" at that concert, which the others agree with. They decide to send them Yan-Yan, Apollo, a sticker, and a pick.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Impressions of new album MIRROR are here! The band is thrilled by the reaction from someone who listened to SCANDAL's songs for the first time in 10 years...!

Episode ＃102 blog

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HARUNA: Since this episode comes out on Valentine's Day, there are a lot of new sweets.

MAMI: We've never seen them beforeー

RINA: Are they new products?

TOMOMI: All of them are centered on chocolate.

HARUNA: The lineup's been renewed!

RINA: "Strawberry Chocolate Sandwich Cookies"?? ...that sounds really good.

HARUNA: It's definitely bound to be good.

TOMOMI: It says "Rich Strawberry" on it.

MAMI: It seems like the strawberry flavor is strong.

TOMOMI: It says it's 70% strawberry fruit...

HARUNA: This is getting us excitedー! We'll be bringing you this episode while eating sweets.
Now then, as we're surrounded by sweets, this time...we will be reading impressions from the listeners about SCANDAL's new album MIRROR that came out last month.

All: Thanks!

HARUNA: It's titled..."Kimi-ra no Miraa" (Your Mirror)!

TOMOMI: It rhymes.

RINA: It's kind of haughty...

HARUNA: Kind of. This is kind of the norm here...
At any rate, we received a lot of them! Impression messages!
Let's get right to it.

Poporo

Good evening, SCANDAL and staff. Congrats on 100 episodes! I work as a barber. Best regards this year as well.

On 1/26, the day MIRROR came out, my second son was born!! I'm grateful to my wife who gave birth safely while taking care of her health the entire time during this pandemic. I'm glad that my wife is doing well, too.

I make sure to listen to MIRROR every day! I love all of the songs. Among them, my favorite is "Ai ni Naranakatta no sa."

At first I thought it was a breakup song, but the more I listen to it, the more I think it's saying "I really want to be with you."

HARUNA's gentle, sad and ephemeral singing voice is endlessly repeating within me.

All: Congrats! Thanks!

MAMI: ...they said they're a barber, right?

HARUNA: Yeah.

RINA: Ah, one, two...

All: Hey! Barber!

TOMOMI: That was close; we almost forgot to do it.

HARUNA: I also forgot... This program promises that we'll say "Hey! Barber!" to barbers who send in messages, and "Hey! Teacher!" to teachers who send in messages.

MAMI: With "Ai ni Naranakatta no sa," it's been interesting that peoples' impression of it changes from the first time they hear it, and that more and more people are thinking positively about it, as well as envisioning the story beyond it.

TOMOMI: It's interesting that there are all kinds of ways of perceiving it.

Ohagi

Hello, SCANDAL! Congrats on releasing MIRROR! I listen to the album on repeat every day, but this time I'm sending a message to tell you the reaction of my friend who listened to SCANDAL for the first time in about 10 years.

Her first impression was: "I felt so satisfied after listening to the second song 'eternal' that I wondered why they didn't make that the last track of the album. But I ended up thinking that after every song up until 'Prism.'" haha

After that, she enthusiastically said, "All of the members are still singing lead vocals on songs, and there are so many different kinds of songs. I didn't get tired of listening to it at all. SCANDAL as they are right now are cool!"

Right now, she's listening to HONEY.

You guys have always said that you want to "move time forward" [for those who listened to you in the past], and it made me happy that I was able to update a friend's image of SCANDAL^ ^

I'm in Tokyo while my friend's in Shikoku, which makes meeting up right away difficult, but I'd love for us to go to a SCANDAL concert together someday.

First, I'm looking forward to the MIRROR tour that starts in March! Please take good care of yourselves.

RINA: That makes me happy...

TOMOMI: We're grateful.

RINA: Comments like these, or rather, real words like these are amazing. We really cherish them.

HARUNA: We also really cherish the tweets about it. Casual tweets can spread.

RINA: We're thankful.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 102

•The episode starts with this.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who says that there are so many fresh songs on the album, enough to make them think that there are still sides to SCANDAL that they don't know about. They also mention that they apologize if they're reading too much into it but they got a little excited when they thought that the phrase in the intro to "MIRROR" might be the reverse playback of "eternal"'s reverse delay. They say they're probably wrong, but thinking about it makes them sleep at night. MAMI says that it's actually not, and to please sleep. They all laugh and RINA says "Goodnight!" They say that it's probably because those songs are back to back that it made them think that, that it makes them happy to hear about such deep thoughts like this, and that they kind of wish they had actually done that as that's a good idea. HARU says that while they did decide to make a title track for the album, they didn't imagine that "eternal" would come after it and so didn't make the song "MIRROR" while thinking about that. They say they're thankful for fans telling them things like that, and joke that they'll be taking everyone's ideas in the future.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says that they sent in this message because the album helped them out a lot. Right after getting the album she and her boyfriend broke up, and so was listening to it while crying. She couldn't stop crying while listening to "Ai ni Naranakatta no sa," which was as if her emotions were being sung about as is. She also says that she thought about her ex when listening to that song, and then got in the mood to listen to "Awanai Tsumori no, Genki de ne" after it. She says that after that she watched the studio live and was surprised that TOMO actually said to try listening to AwaTsumo after AiNara (she ends this sentence with "lolol"). She really wanted to put her selfish feelings on these two songs and send them to her ex. She thanks the band and says that their songs really support her, speak for her, and encourage her. She ends it by saying that it'll be Valentine's Day soon and that she'll be eating chocolate alone while listening to "Bitter Chocolate" and also ends this sentence with "lol." The band laughs at all of the "lol's" in the message and says that it's true that the only thing to do during times like this is to laugh. TOMO says that after the studio live, she saw a lot of people saying to listen to "Switch" after AiNara. MAMI says that there's also "OVER" to listen to. HARU goes, "Too many sad songs!" RINA says, "Too heart-breaking!" They laugh and say that this isn't quite the right vibe for Valentine's Day. HARU says that they forgot to give out presents for the first few listeners and they say that they will give sweets to everyone whose messages are read.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who says this story comes from when she was listening to "eternal" at home. During the line "Kono shunkan eien ni shite," her boyfriend suddenly started chanting the words "Colorful Town!" during it. Colorful Town, she explains, is a shopping mall in Gifu Prefecture, and her boyfriend thought the theme song sounded similiar to that line in "eternal." She listened to the song and, though the key is different, thought the two do sound a little similar. She says that HARU and MAMI are from Aichi Prefecture (which is right next to Gifu) and thought they might get it, and so they sent this message. RINA asks HARU and MAMI if they know about Colorful Town; they say they don't, but HARU says it's possible that she might have heard it before. MAMI says that there's a big mall in Gifu but doesn't recall the name. HARU says it's MALera. MAMI wonders if that's what Colorful Town is, but HARU doesn't think so. They then listen to a commercial containing the theme song. TOMO says that they do kind of sound similar. HARU and MAMI say that they had no idea it existed, despite the mall being around for the past 20 years. They listen to it again and HARU goes, "That's crazy!" TOMO says, "I really get what [the listener] meant." There's a pause before HARU laughs and goes, "We do get it, but we don't at the same time!" TOMO says that speaking of similarities, the bass line in the second verse of "Yoake no Ryuuseigun" sounds similar to the Anpanman theme song. The others are surprised and MAMI and TOMO start vocalizing it. They all laugh and say that it kind of does. TOMO says that that's what she's always thought. HARU laughs and goes, "Even though it was a Pokemon-related song?" TOMO laughs and says yes. They joke and say that this seems like it could be a new segment.

•A staffer says that that's it for impression messages. The band laughs and goes, "That's it?" The staff then says there's a message from an "official" person. The band is confused about what that means. HARU then reads a message from a listener who says their name is Megumi Kojima from "Nihon Koukin Kyoukai" (Japan Jew's Harp Association). She was told by someone who participates in their regular meetings the other day about SCANDAL's program and the episode about the band writing a jingle with folk instruments, and was sent a news article about it. She mentions the genggong, the instrument that MAMI played from Bali, and that as far as she can tell from the photo, it's actually either a kubing from the Philippines or a whistle from people living in mountainous areas such as Vietnam or Laos. She says that the genggong is very similar to the kubing but with a string attached to the end of it, and that you play it like a mukkuri jaw harp. She's currently inquiring at the association, but if the mouth harp that they have really is a genggong from Bali, then she thinks it is a rare one without a string. She mentions that the article says that it is a genggong that was prepared by director Kawai, and asks them if they can tell if that mouth harp really is from Bali and if they know what kind of ethnic group it belongs to, then to please tell her. Kawai says that the site that she purchased it from listed it as a "genggong from Bali" [Note: I'm pretty sure that this is the one purchased - funnily enough, the description mentions the mukkuri being hard to play due to the string, and says that this one is easy to play because there is no string...]. MAMI seems to look up the instruments online and says that the one they have does look a lot like a kubing. The band confirms with Kawai that the site doesn't say what ethnic group the instrument purchased is from. TOMO says that when they saw the instruments for the first time, she and MAMI did think that it looked like a mukkuri, which has been used in kaiju (monster) movies before. MAMI looks up a site that gives a little history on the genggong and says that there's a theory that it entered Bali in the 8th century, but there's another one that it was still relatively new in the 1930s. HARU then seems to look up the Association and what they do. They say they're impressed that this program reaches so many different people and that they also send in messages. They also ask the listener to give listening to SCANDAL a go. HARU says that they're welcome to use this recording for reference if need be [for meetings with the Association], which the band all laughs at.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

An ex-boyfriend that a listener met for the first time in forever actually had a girlfriend whom he lived with on the premise of marriage... What advice did they give to the gloomy listener?

Episode ＃103 blog

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HARUNA: This week...we'd like to make a segment related to this prominent increase in messages recently...

RINA: What could it be...

HARUNA: This is it. Titled, "Consult SCANDAL!"

RINA: I don't really get it, but I kind of like it. It sounds really interesting!

HARUNA: Basically, it's a consultation segment.

TOMOMI: Yeah.

HARUNA: There's been a recent increase in "I want SCANDAL to give me a pep talk" messages...

MAMI: They want us to give them a pep talk, huh...

RINA: Everyone's unsure.

HARUNA: Consultation messages have suddenly increased in number. Actually, the messages are long.

RINA: Everyone's serious.

HARUNA: Let's get right to it.

Yurina

I want SCANDAL to give me a pep talk--or rather, I don't know what to do about these uneasy feelings, so I've sent in a message for the first time!

During my three years of high school, I was dating a senior at my part-time job who was five years older. We broke up in the winter of my third year of high school, and for the next four years we weren't in contact with each other.

He contacted me for the first time in four years and asked if I could meet him. I felt like I couldn't do it because we had a relationship together and there might be something he'd be looking for at this reunion.

Actually, I was shocked to learn that he was living with a girlfriend on the premise of getting married. (And what's more, she was traveling outside of the prefecture on that day)

We didn't break up because I hated him, and I even thought that it would be nice to have a sincere person like him if I were to get married.

After that, I told him honestly with mixed feelings, "It's not good to do something like that," and drew the line there. He contacted me several times after that, and I refused to contact him back.

And recently, I got together with my former coworkers for the first time in forever, and my ex came as well. (My former coworkers don't know that he and I met recently)

I was of course prepared, but since my coworkers back then were all getting married, the convo turned into one about marriage and catching up with each other. Sure enoough, my ex said, "I'm going to marry my current girlfriend." Of course, I don't really want us to get back together, but it did make me feel kind of lonely...

At that time, I of course smiled and congratulated him because everyone else was excited, but I was irritated. He said, "I will never be unfaithful." He likely said it for convenience, or it was likely to be misanthropic.

To be honest, it was pretty hard on me, but I thought of how it was the correct choice to break up with this person lol. I definitely want to be happier than this guy〜!! lol

HARUNA: Yeah, I'm glad you broke up!

TOMOMI: I really am glad you broke up.

RINA: I hate it when things like that happen.

TOMOMI: Those who contact their ex-girlfriends even though they're going out with someone else on the premise of marriage are the worst.

RINA: They are.

HARUNA: They're the worst.

MAMI: They are.

RINA: You liked each other once, so thinking that the magic won't be broken no matter how much time passes by is the worst...

MAMI: They'll think that they're forgiven and accepted.

HARUNA: Men will think that you've always loved them.

RINA: That does happen often.

TOMOMI: It does.

HARUNA: I hate that...

MAMI: There definitely are cases where you're still friendly after breaking up. But it doesn't mean that you still love them. He's thinking, "I feel differently from back then, but she might still love me..." You can't do that...

TOMOMI: What kind of positivity is that, seriously...

MAMI: It happens often.

RINA: For him to say "I'll never be unfaithful" and pretend to be all cool with the listener knowing that he was going out with that girl while dating her, that's really tacky.

MAMI: Yurina is probably thinking, "Don't say that"... She went easy on him...

RINA: If he says that again, be like, "Oh really? You're not the type to cheat, you say〜!"

MAMI: Yeah, say that!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 103

•The episode starts with this. HARU says that the guy definitely doesn't think that was he did was considered as cheating. MAMI says he probably thinks he was just having some fun. TOMO says that he probably thought, "I'm getting married so this is the last time I can do something like this." MAMI says that that'd be really condescending. They say that this guy must have felt 'confident' in a lot of different ways, and that it's a waste for the listener to feel lonely. They say that they know she'll definitely end up happier than the guy. RINA says that there are a lot of good people out there, and if she focuses on herself right now and just lives her life well, she's sure to meet someone even better. TOMO says that she feels sorry for the woman that's getting married to the guy. The others feel the same. RINA says that the guy is sure to fall into the pits of hell, which a staffer laughs at. She also says that he'll get some kind of divine punishment. MAMI agrees with this. HARU gives a warning and says that if people live honest lives, they'll be exposed on the radio like this. They laugh and MAMI says that's totally true. RINA says, "This is broadcast all over the world, after all!"

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who is writing in for some love advice. He is 22 years old and fell in love with someone for the first time ever. The other party is someone they met on a dating app. They started communicating about a month ago and the listener expressed their feelings on the fourth date. The other party said that they already had a significant other and that the listener was just their 'playmate' to have fun with. They also said that since they like the listener as a person, they want to continue having fun together. The listener says that the other party seems to have a indifferent relationship with their SO; on the contrary, they call the listener every day. They meet up so often that he can't help but feel that they're just someone who's convenient for the other party. He says he's mad at himself for thinking he's happy and doesn't know what he should do or wants do, and asks the band for advice. The band all goes, "Ahhh." TOMO says that all of the listeners are having hard times with love. They say that even if the listener were to eventually start officially dating the other party, the same thing might happen to them and they'll get cheated on. They basically suggest to drop the other party and try looking for someone new.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who has sent in a very long message about how MIRROR has resonated with them [I'll do my best to summarize it]. They say that they like "Prism" the most and really sympathized with the lyrics. They also felt that they were able to affirm the delicate and fragile parts that are weak like glass inside of them. They say they often solve worries/troubles on their own, and therefore are told by others that they're 'positive' or 'odd.' They've felt that their personality and way of living can be difficult for others to understand. Looking back on their life, they say they've often taken a position like a permanentally neutral country and do not ask others for help. That's the way of life they chose, and it's one that they love and are comfortable with. They also say that moments that they've felt lonely have grown after turning 20. And although MIRROR isn't an album that snuggles right up to you and encourages you, they say they think it's a work that cheers you on powerfully. They feel a reassurance as if it's helping each person get ready for tomorrow by gently illuminating each person's life like the sun at sunrise or sunset. They love SCANDAL's past and present music, but they always think that SCANDAL is coolest in the present. They'd like the band to be confident and stay healthy without being overwhelmed by the voices around them, and it would make them happy if they could continue playing music.

•The band comments on how lovely the message was. MAMI says that she totally gets the "permanentally neutral country" comment that the listener made. She's still like that now, but thinks there's nothing wrong with being like that. RINA says that she put exactly those feelings into "Prism" and is really happy that they were directly conveyed. The listener's mindset is very similar to theirs, and it's something they've reached after being around for 15 years. She thinks it's nice that there are fans who feel the same way. TOMO says that everyone tends to hide things such as when you're feeling down but act as though you're super positive--that's why she thinks that everyone's probably very tired. Like with friends, it can be very difficult to talk to friends about something deep when all you've ever had with each other is fun. But she thinks that it's okay to show the depths of your heart without being afraid. HARU says that after establishing "her," they started to want to properly express themselves as SCANDAL via music. She says it's very important to have the support of others; if you don't talk about yourself with others, you probably won't understand yourself. She says it might be good if the listener could break their shell a little more. TOMO agrees that there are a lot of things you can understand about yourself by talking to others. RINA says that you'll surprisingly find that a lot of people will support you and stand by your side. HARU agrees and says that being in SCANDAL really made her think that. TOMO says that they were told at a fortune-telling that it's not good to be spoiled by anyone. HARU says she thought it was 'correct' to only show a positive side, and that she was unconsciously thinking that she didn't want to bother others or have others worry. At times when she wanted to help others, she thought that she couldn't say anything unless she talked about herself first. That's why recently she's been trying to try about herself to others, even she's bad at it, because she thinks it's important.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says that his alarm tone is "Platform Syndrome"--HARU's guitar in the intro is refreshing and is able to wake him up immediately. However, when he sometimes stays over at his girlfriend's place and sets his alarm, it's pretty loud and surprises her. The band laughs at this. He asks if there's another SCANDAL song they could suggest that he could use instead. TOMO goes, "Why not just use the standard alarm sound?" MAMI laughs and agrees. RINA says that you can tell from this message that the couple's pretty lovey-dovey. TOMO again says that they should just wake up to the sound of a standard alarm.

•They then close out the episode. They say that they really like this "Consult SCANDAL' segment and hope that it gives the listeners hints on what to do. They tell everyone to send in any kind of question that you may have. HARU talks about how their tour is starting soon and that the setlist will contain songs from MIRROR, of course, and will also be one where you can experience who SCANDAL has been so far during these past 15 years.

*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):

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*A list of all episode summaries can be found here

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