Their European tour where they were touched by the kindness of overseas fans has successfully been completed! Looking back on 『WORLD TOUR 2022 “MIRROR”』 right after returning home!

Episode ＃136 blog

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HARUNA: We as SCANDAL have returned back home after successfully completing our European tour. So, this episode will be a special where we'll talk about all three cities we went to on the tour!

TOMOMI: We're back home.

HARUNA: It really does feel like it.

RINA: Did you guys get over jet lag right away?

TOMOMI: No, I'm still jet lagged...

RINA: I can totally relate. There's a general 7-hour time difference between Japan and Europe. It's the toughest when the difference is 7 hours or so.

HARUNA: I think so.

RINA: Since it was basically the total opposite time in the US, it actually made it easier.

HARUNA: By the time I went to bed I was getting really hungry...

RINA: Totally relate.

HARUNA: I can't sleep at all.

TOMOMI: Thinking that not being able to sleep would be bad for my body, at around 3:30 in the middle of the night I ate melon bread and donuts...

RINA: The first night I got back home I ate yakisoba.

TOMOMI: Otherwise you won't be able to sleep.

HARUNA: Surprisingly, I stay up until morning.

TOMOMI: After all, jet lag comes from the internal organs, right?

RINA: Yeah, it's the food cycle.

MAMI: Even if you ate plenty while in Japan time, you'd still be hungry in the middle of the night...

HARUNA: Yeah.

MAMI: Why is that?

HARUNA: The speed of digestion is really something.

MAMI: I guess my body is adjusting to European time.

HARUNA: That's right.

RINA: We were fine in the US, though...

HARUNA: Let's do our best little by little and live our lives in JST.
So, we've safely returned back from Europe, and our MIRROR tour that we've been doing since spring in Japan and overseas has ended. We played in Japan, Canada, the US, Europe...

RINA: It's like, "Good work!"

TOMOMI: Thanks so much!

MAMI: Thanks so much!

HARUNA: We're really happy that people from all over the world came to see us live! But it feels a little lonely--or rather, it feels like we haven't made it all the way through yet...

RINA: That's amazing!

TOMOMI: Eh, we still haven't done it at all yet.

HARUNA: It's not about stamina, but about wanting to put on more shows.

TOMOMI: We didn't want it to end.

RINA: Yeah, it was a great tour. It was tough, but we want to keep cherishing the songs from MIRROR from here on out as well when we perform them.

HARUNA: It made us think again of how we were able to create a good body of work.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 136

•The episode starts with this.

•HARU says that they'll be discussing each of the three cities one at a time. First up is Berlin, Germany. HARU says that that was their first time playing in Berlin, and asks the others what they thought. RINA says that the audience was really close to them since there was no barricade--close enough that the audience could see the setlists taped on the ground. TOMO says that people were probably pretending not to notice. RINA says that they really felt like everyone had been waiting a long time for this concert. HARU says that they got to sightsee a bit, and that they really liked the city. She mentions again that it was their first time in Berlin, though they've been to Cologne and Hamburg before (lol they totally forgot about Essen, the first city in Germany they played at on their first world tour). TOMO says that they thought of Germany as being a cool country based on the past cities there they went to, and that Berlin was very bright and cheerful. The others agree with this. RINA says the vibe was different. MAMI says that it has an impression of being a city comprised of people from all kinds of countries--this is why she feels that everyone was very accepting and welcoming. TOMO says that they basically only ate sausages and potatoes there. HARU says that everything was really delicious, and that they walked around while snacking. RINA says that they rode the train as well. HARU says that they'd love to go back again.

•A staffer seems to ask them what the audience was like. RINA says that the usual fans were there as well as first-timers. Everyone was really upbeat and pumped up, which made for a good atmosphere. She says that she's glad this was day 1 of the European tour. HARU says that everyone was so enthusiastic that it didn't seem like day 1. RINA says that they changed the M&G rules a bit due to what happened during their North American tour (as in them testing positive for COVID) and implemented rules such as masks being required and being a little further away. She says that all of the thoughtfulness was good.

•The second city they performed in was London, UK. HARU says that they played at the venue they've played at several times before (RINA: "It's now a total of 3 times"), which is why it felt like, "Ah, we're back!" to them. She asks how the concert was. RINA mentions that all 3 performances were sold out; HARU goes, "Wasn't London the first one to sell out?" The others say that it was. TOMO says that a lot of people there were first timers. HARU says that the previous time they were there six years ago, there were people who were teens at the time; this time, those teens were grown up and attending as adults. That also made the band happy. TOMO says that the number of females in attendance had grown a lot. HARU mentions they got to see the venue elevator that artists take to go to the stage, which has shutter-like doors and is pretty loud (you can see it in the HELLO WORLD documentary; it refuses to work as they were going back to change for the encore), for the first time in forever, too. RINA and TOMO say in unison, "Ah, we're back!" as they laugh. TOMO says that they couldn't find their setlist from last time on the wall where performers would stick their setlists on. She mentions that for the longest time ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION's setlist has been the highest one up on the wall. SCANDAL wanted to put theirs right next to it but forgot to do so. RINA wonders if the setlists are actually put up by the staff since they were the ones to tell the band to stick their setlist on the wall. MAMI wonders why AKFG's setlist is the highest one; TOMO says that it's probably too much of a hassle to try and put one all the way up there. They say that they'll stick one up there next time. They also mentioning coincidentally running into fans at the hotel they stayed at.

•The third and last city they performed in was Paris, France. HARU says that it had also been six years since they were last there. TOMO says that a 5-year-old girl had come to the show along with her dad, and that apparently she had become a fan three years ago and had always wanted to see them live--that means she's been a fan for over half her life so far. They say that she was really cute and that they sat in the front row of the balcony. A staffer asks how the Paris venue was set up. They say it was at a fairly big venue, had a balcony, is used as a venue for Fashion Week, and had an LCD screen in the back of the stage. MAMI says that it felt similar to the live music clubs in Japan. RINA says that that concert was really awesome. MAMI says that they really gave it everything they had. HARU says that they were pretty overcome with emotion. RINA says that on stage they don't usually cry as much as they did then. TOMO says that HARU cried even during the finale in Japan. HARU says that during the Paris encore as she was speaking her thoughts, TOMO was crying next to her--seeing that also made HARU cry. HARU says that the tour really was a good one, and it made them realize again how much they love to perform on stage. Although what she said was in Japanese and was probably difficult for those in France to understand what she was saying, she thought that she ought to say what she was thinking. She says she hopes that her sentiments at least were conveyed.


Here is my summary of the entire encore MC they did in Paris:

-They're really sad that the MIRROR tour has come to an end. MIRROR's a really important album to them, and so they're really happy they a lot of people in Japan, North America, and Europe got to listen to it. Though they're really sad, seeing everyone having fun made them think of how much they enjoy performing on stage.

-The band members talked a lot with each other while touring around to all these places. A lot of things happened within this past year--tough things included, of course--but days like this day make them realize that standing on stage is where they're meant to be. Moments like these make them very happy, and them being able to be this happy is all thanks to the fans. SCANDAL is supported by all of their fans, which is something that makes them feel very blessed and happy. Feeling this happy not only in Japan but in France as well makes them feel like SCANDAL is the best all-girl band in the world.

-At the end of the MC, HARU says that they had thought it'd be good to let everyone know today how happy they are to be the band SCANDAL, and that they love their fans.

•Getting back to the program: MAMI talks about how the concert environment is different from Japan vs. overseas, with overseas being more liberal right now (i.e. vocalizing at concerts is still mostly not allowed in Japan). She's really happy that they were able to play overseas due to things like getting to hear the audiences cheers/voices and being close to the audience. Since those things are still difficult to do in Japan, for them they really felt how these three years have passed of not being able to do/experience those things. It was a pretty big thing for them. It made her really want to hear the voices of audiences in Japan as soon as possible. HARU talks about how having the crowd sing the bridge of songs like "Shunkan Sentimental" or "SCANDAL BABY," like they usually do in Japan, is kind of difficult to do overseas (as in it's difficult to do because it's sung in Japanese). Due to this, they were totally fine if they weren't able to do it overseas, but a lot of people surprisingly did sing along. They also understood and listened to what she was saying in Japanese during the MCs. The band really felt how compassionate everyone was, and they were glad to have been able to go overseas after such a long time.

•RINA says that just by the act of going overseas requires a lot of energy + stamina and can tough physically, especially when bringing over stuff like instruments all the way from Japan and traveling with a lot of people. They thought that it wasn't enough to just put on good concerts like usual--that's something they felt strongly before the tour started. Just doing it with the strength that they had wasn't enough, and they really wanted to surpass that. That's why the four of them wanted to cherish what they could leave behind with more strength than they had. They don't know for how long the pandemic and such will last, and they feel that they need to give more than everything they've got when they're able to. They don't know for how long people will stay fans. So for this tour they felt like they needed to do more than what they usually do. Feeling that they were able to do that and feeling a sense of accomplishment made them realize again that they want to show something a little more awesome to everyone, and that they want to express who SCANDAL is even more.

•TOMO says that they truly felt happy, and that they basically had to make the fans overseas wait due to the pandemic and all, though they of course didn't want to make them wait. Seeing the fans shouting out in excitement and even crying really made the band feel truly happy. She says they'd love to do it again. RINA says that they pulled it off. HARU says that it made her think how great of a band they are. TOMO goes, "That MC was so great!" They laugh and HARU thanks her. MAMI says that when they were all crying, it was HARU that was most flustered. RINA goes, "All four of us crying on stage shouldn't happen! We're in our 17th year, after all!" HARU says while laughing that she was so emotionally moved as well as sorry for making their fans wait for so long. RINA says that it wasn't like the atmosphere was bad, nor were they openly wailing or anything, and MAMI adds that it wasn't anything negative. RINA says that it was more that they pulled the tour off and went all out, and that the audience was cheering them on. They were so happy that they were able to be in that venue overflowing with euphoria. TOMO mentions that people were able to take photos + video at the shows. Videos of HARU's MC in Paris were uploaded to social media and the like, and when TOMO got back to Japan, friends contacted her and told her that they watched those videos and cried. HARU says that it seemed like a lot of people there likely didn't understand Japanese and therefore misunderstood why TOMO was crying at first (they thought she was sad rather than happy) and told her to stop crying. They laugh at that and RINA says that the Paris show was interesting one. They conclude by saying that it was a great tour and thank everyone.

•They close out the episode by talking about how they'll be appearing on SiM's joint-band tour this month, and that while the concert in Nagoya will not be allowing vocalizing, the one in Sendai will allow it. They also mention that they'll be playing a free outdoor concert at Osaka Castle Park in between the dates. HARU says that they'll probably be remembering Shiroten Street (the street inside of the park that leads up to Osaka-Jo Hall, and where they had performed when they were first starting out as a band). RINA goes, "HARU will cry!" They all laugh and HARU goes, "That's enough of that! I don't want to cry!" TOMO goes, "We'll be like, 'This is where we got our start!'" RINA says that that would all be embarrassing. TOMO says that it really was where they got their start, and that they're grateful to be returning.

*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 struggles to all answer the same in an association game!?

Episode ＃137 blog

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HARUNA: Today, we'll be doing part 2 of "Smental"...

TOMOMI: ...Smental?

RINA: Was the title actually "Smental"??

HARUNA: Yes.

RINA: I remember doing something that was really exciting.

HARUNA: We're doing part 2 relatively fast. To explain what it is again...

It's a project that tests our unity--our shared mentality--through an association game for the four of us who have deepened our bonds during our European tour.

We'll read each other's feelings and thoughts so that we can give the same answer to a question.

"Smental" is a combination of "SCANDAL/Sukyandaru" (スキャンダル) and "mental/mentaru" (メンタル).

RINA: S-Mental - I'll remember that.

MAMI: When I saw today's script, I thought, "What is Smental?"

HARUNA: Yeah... I actually thought that.

TOMOMI: Me tooー

RINA: I was like, "I think I've heard of that before... What was it, again?"

Staff: Please don't forget what Smental is!!

HARUNA: Yes, we'll all remember what it is. The goal is to get everyone to have the same answer. We are not writing down our own preferred answer. If we don't get it in the first round, the second round will be based on the answers from the first round. We'll keep going until everyone gets there!

RINA: Huh, it says this on the script... Everyone will show their answers, and if they're all the same, we go, "Smental!!" If they don't match, we go, "Non-Smental!! Try again!!"

Staff: It was written on the previous one as well...

RINA: It was? This is my first time learning about it.

MAMI: Eh? We're not saying "Non-Smental!", are we?

Staff: We'd like you to, if possible... This is audio only, after all.

RINA: So it's better to say it. Okay, let's do that.

HARUNA: All right, let's get right to "Smental."
Question 1! What kind of white-colored thing do you think of when you think of winter...??

TOMOMI: Eh, what kind of white-colored thing...?

MAMI: We just need to match answers, right??

RINA: It's asking us what we associate with "white," right? ?

TOMOMI: White as in "白" (shiro; 'white' in Japanese)??

RINA: As in, what do the four of us associate with white.

MAMI: Yeah, got it.

HARUNA: Ehー!! Is there even something that the four of us commonly associate with white!?

RINA: There are a lot of white-colored things.

MAMI: A typical white-colored thing, right?

TOMOMI: Yeah, something typical.

RINA: What's the most classic thing?

HARUNA: Eh!? Classic??

RINA: Yeah, like the most classic, large-scale one.

TOMOMI: Yeah, let's go with that.

RINA: A large-scale one.

TOMOMI: Something that'll happen in about two months.

MAMI: Ahー, okay, that's fine.

HARUNA: Eh!? A global-scale thing??


※Everyone writes down their answers on a piece of paper


RINA: Let's all match.

HARUNA: Ah, okay. I think we can do it, right?

RINA: Can we?

HARUNA: So, let's reveal our answers all at once! One, two, three!!


※Everyone reveals their answers all at once


All: Ehーーーー!!!!

RINA: Ehー, no way!

HARUNA: Non-Smental!

TOMOMI: But, but, it's basically all the same... MAMI and HARUNA wrote "snow," RINA wrote "Christmas," and I wrote "White Christmas"... They're all about a snowy Christmas, so it's Smental! Right??

RINA: You're right! Smental!

Staff: It's a non-Smental...

TOMOMI: It can't be a Smental?

HARUNA: Ehー. "Snow" is the biggest large-scale one!

MAMI: Yeah, we mentioned doing the biggest large-scale one.

RINA: "Large-scale" is not the same as snow!

TOMOMI: It's different...

MAMI: Christmas is an event.

TOMOMI: Yeah, it's a large-scale event.

MAMI: Snow is...on a global scale!

HARUNA: Yeah, it's worldwide! It's the top one!

TOMOMI: Snow is not an event; it's a phenomenon!

MAMI: Then you should have said to go for an eventー!

TOMOMI: At any rate, we were close!

RINA: Yeah, it was close!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 137

•The episode starts with this.

•They continue trying to give the same answer. RINA says that they should go with the answer that's the most "homey." The others are confused and go, "What??" HARU asks if that means that they should go with something that they all like. RINA says yes. MAMI is still confused and doesn't know what that could be. RINA and HARU say that they should go with something that gives you warm feelings. TOMO asks if it has something to do with giving back. RINA says no, and that it's something that fits in with everyday life. MAMI is still confused, and HARU then says she's now confused. RINA then says it should be something family-oriented. TOMO goes, "What are you talking about?" HARU laughs and says that RINA's leading them on. MAMI still says that she doesn't know. HARU says that she thinks she has an idea, and that RINA probably likes it. RINA says that she does when it's cold. MAMI then goes, "Maybe this is it? I don't know, though..." RINA says that she doesn't think that she's the one that likes it the best. TOMO then goes, "Ah, I think I might like it the best!" and that she knows. HARU goes, "What??" TOMO says that the others probably didn't realize that she likes this the best. Then HARU says that all of them probably do like it. There's a pause before MAMI goes, "What?? I don't get it!" HARU asks if it's in line with New Year's. The others say it's not. RINA says that it's really something that goes with everyday life, and that you do this several times when it's winter. MAMI is still confused. TOMO says that it's something that you don't do in summer. RINA says no, but you could do it then as well. It's good to eat in the summer but even better in the winter. TOMO says that you want to be particular about the vessel in which you eat it from. RINA says both she and TOMO like it equally. HARU says that she doesn't get it. MAMI says that she thinks she knows what it is, and just to go ahead and see what everyone wrote.

•They reveal their answers and laugh hard--they didn't give the same answer. RINA says that they were all so close. HARU says that everyone else but her wrote Japanese cream stew; she had written mochi. TOMO and RINA say that RINA does in fact like mochi. HARU goes, "Right??" and mentions that TOMO also likes mochi. TOMO says that she does like it, but she doesn't LOVE it. HARU says that she thought it could be mochi because RINA loves it and she also started talking about it. RINA apologizes for everything, which makes them laugh. MAMI says that when she thinks of cream stew, she thinks of RINA. RINA says that though they didn't all match, it was 100% amusing. They basically say that they should just move on to the next question because they probably can't all match up on this. A staffer tells them they should all match for this question. RINA says that it wouldn't be interesting/funny anymore, and that she thinks it's really funny to her that HARU answered mochi. HARU sounds incredulous when she asks why, and RINA says while laughing that it was just cute and not something that she'd think of. She also says that though mochi is colored white, she didn't think HARU would go in such a Japanese-oriented direction. HARU says that she was panicking, which makes them laugh.

•They again try to give the same answer. TOMO goes, "A return gift for Valentine's Day, okay?" (in reference to White Day). The others burst out laughing. MAMI says that she gets it. HARU says that she guesses that's the only option they have. RINA jokes + wonders if mochi would count. They then reveal their answers. There's a pause before they cheer and HARU sighs in relief. They go, "Smental!" They all wrote down White Day. HARU says that she's worn out. The others laugh really hard at this.

•Before HARU reads the next question, she goes, "There it is..." The next question is: "What katakana character do you want to hold in your hand?" MAMI goes, "Another question about holding [a character]?" HARU goes, "Eh???" MAMI laughs and says that it's basically the same question as before. A staffer says that it's different. HARU asks what the hiragana character they all answered with was; TOMO says that it was あ (a). MAMI says that the katakana character she'd choose would be for the same reason as the hiragana one. They wonder if they should try matching their answers from the get-go. MAMI says that they'll not likely match during the first round, so first they should just write what character they'd actually want to hold and state the reason why. RINA and HARU both aren't sure which to go with. They then all reveal their answers. Of course they don't all match, but HARU and RINA both answered the same: コ (ko). TOMO answered ヘ (he). MAMI answered ク (ku). MAMI asks why they chose コ. RINA says that her and HARU's answers are probably the same, but RINA picked it because it looks like a bag. HARU agrees right away. RINA says that the shape of it looks like it could be a bag. There's a pause before MAMI goes, "...what?" HARU says that it looks like you could put something inside of it. They must have turned the drawing on the side because MAMI goes, "Oh, like that?" TOMO says that you'd have to hold it with both hands, though. TOMO says that she chose ヘ for the same reason she chose く (ku) last time: it looks like it'd come back if you threw it. MAMI says she chose ク also for the same reason she chose て (te) last time: you can cut down plants with it. RINA says that they didn't reflect on their answers at all. MAMI says that she was just thinking of how they're basically the same kind of characters. RINA laughs and says that they're not trying to match up at all.

•Taking their answers into account, they wonder what they should do about answering the same. RINA says that all of them chose their answers based on things they could actually use, so maybe they should focus on how could they use them. TOMO decides to talk about the "using a character as a bag" aspect that コ has, and says it could have separate compartments for stuff like your phone and another for cosmetics/etc. The others are confused at first with how TOMO was trying to explain it but RINA and MAMI then start to understand what she's getting at. HARU goes, "Wait a second!" and doesn't seem to understand it. There's another pause before she goes, "Ah," and seems to start getting it. TOMO goes, "You can carry mochi in it!", which makes everyone laugh. They write down their answers and reveal them. They still fail to all answer the same. RINA goes, "What happened??" TOMO says that everyone except for HARU answered ヨ (yo; it looks just like コ except for the extra line in the middle, which TOMO was hinting at by mentioning compartments). HARU answered エ (e). RINA says that HARU must have been thinking about the Chanel logo since エ looks like two コs back to back.

•They wonder how they could actually try to match up this time. TOMO says that the most easy-to-hold character is probably one consists of only one stroke, and one that could be used as a sword. MAMI goes, "A sword??" TOMO says that it could also be a wooden sword. MAMI says that there are two choices that look like that. TOMO goes, "Two choices??" and that what she's thinking of looks like a bent stick. They all seem a little confused but write down their answers. HARU says that she thinks they got it this time, though the rest don't seem that confident. They reveal their answers, but again, it's a Non-Smental. RINA answered ヘ while the rest answered ノ. RINA says that she thought they'd go with a character that someone had answered before. She also says that ノ does in fact look like stick/sword. MAMI says that ナ could work as well.

•They go, "This is bad!" TOMO says that this'll never end. MAMI says that they should do what they did before. They laugh and agree to go with the classic/standard character. HARU says that they could have done this from the start. They reveal their answers and finally get a Smental. They all answered ア (a), like they did for the hiragana question before. HARU again says that they should have done this from the start while the staff laughs in the background. HARU asks if they're done with this segment. There had been four questions prepared, but she says that they've done enough. They say that doing this is difficult. HARU says that Smental takes a lot of stamina to do, which they all agree with and laugh at. HARU says that it makes them laugh and think a lot.

*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

Presenting the impressions of overseas listeners who attended the European tour! What's the overseas M&G situation that's totally different from how it is in Japan?

Episode ＃138 blog

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HARUNA: This week we'll be reading a bunch of messages.

～This week's episode will be focused on overseas listeners who attended the world tour!

Joe from Seattle

I am writing to tell you how much I enjoyed your concert in London. I had a dislocated toe that made it difficult to walk, I had severe jet lag, and I wasn't doing my best. I'm sorry if I couldn't participate as a decent scandal fan. Believe me, I was dazzled, amazed, and overjoyed. Everyone was so interested that they didn't know where to look, and their heads were spinning. My favorite song is "Prism." The melody is the best. I'm sure you're one of the best bands I've ever seen. I like MAMI's guitar in the chorus of "Tonight." Her true talent is like the secret she keeps from her enemies, waiting for the decisive moment in her fight to reveal it. Thanks for a great show.

All: Thanks!

TOMOMI: I mean, is he doing okay?

RINA: To go in that condition...

MAMI: Take care.

RINA: I wonder if it's gotten better already... He was having fun in the front row.

HARUNA: Thanks for your continued support.

Gary from England

I'm Gary and I live in a seaside village near Brighton, England. I discovered your music during the pandemic and became an instant fan. I recently saw you live in London. It was also the first concert I attended. I was lucky enough to get a VIP ticket and have a picture taken with you. You lit up London with your performance and smiles. Finally, I got the pick that TOMO threw to the audience. I was very happy. It is a treasure that I want to cherish forever. As someone who likes to hide in crowds, when I looked back at the official photos from London, the green "Saishuuheiki, Kimi" shirt that I was wearing stood out because it seemed to glow in the dark (laughs). An unforgettable night full of memories. For these two and a half years, SCANDAL has been a very meaningful existence to me. Thank you for giving me the strength to overcome my fears and helping me smile even in the worst of times. I am happy to meet such four people. Thank you for your hard work.

All: Thanks!

RINA: I wonder how he found out about us...

TOMOMI: Maybe something like YouTube.

HARUNA: The last two and a half years have been tough, haven't they... I'm glad we were able to help even just a little.

RINA: We're also supported.

Torin from Paris

To my favorite band, I went to your show in Paris and it was a lot of fun.

I've been a fan since I was in middle school, so I'll never forget that moment during the meet & greet. You are even more beautiful and cute.

All: Thanks!

HARUNA: They took part in the M&G and took a picture with us, is what they're referring to.

RINA: Happy to hear. Thanks so much.

(Staff: When are the M&Gs held?)

MAMI: We hold the M&G with VIP ticketholders before the concerts. So when doors open, they are able to go to the front.

(Staff: How many people buy VIP tickets?)

TOMOMI: Maybe between 100-300.

RINA: It depends on the size of the venue.

HARUNA: We asked them to form groups of five and take a picture together. We're not able to talk to each other for a long time, but we're able to say greet each other.

TOMOMI: You can chat a bit.

RINA: In Japan there isn't anything before a performance. This is how it's done overseas.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 138

•The episode starts with this.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener from Japan who attended the London performance. They say that was their first time seeing SCANDAL live in nine years since their STANDARD tour in 2013, which was when they were a second-year high schooler. Seeing SCANDAL now brought back memories from when they were in high school. RINA says that it's impressive that the listener has continued to follow SCANDAL all these years. HARU says that getting messages like this one makes them think once more about how touring overseas is really great. She says that it used to be a yearly tradition for them to go overseas at least once per year before the pandemic hit.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is a middle school teacher. The band all goes, "Hey! Teacher!" and laugh, saying that this the first time they've done that in a while. The listener tells them about a recent happening where a student of theirs said to them that the "Poallo" chocolate was delicious. After asking them about it, they realized that the student was actually talking about Apollo Chocolate. They told the student such, but the student kept saying that it was "Poallo" (SCANDAL: "How cute"). The listener wants to show them what a piece of Apollo actually looks like, so they ask the band for an Apollo pouch and say that they'll make sure to fix that student's thinking. The band laughs, says that's cute and that they'll give them a pouch. TOMO says that this might be a made-up story. They laugh and say that that might be true.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who is also a teacher (SCANDAL: "Hey! Teacher!"). They talk about looking up real-life places that SCANDAL has visited around Tokyo and brings along their boyfriend with them, though he hasn't realized that they've taken him to these spots because they're SCANDAL-related. They want him to realize this, though. Another thing they mention is that MAMI takes a lot of roadside photos, with some being taken in front of public toilets in the Koenji area of Tokyo. This makes the band laugh hard. MAMI says that those photos are probably the ones that her photographer friend takes of her. HARU asks if MAMI writes in her captions that the photos were taken in Koenji. She says no, and HARU says that that means the listener looks up/finds that info out on their own. They say that that's pretty impressive. MAMI seems to look up what photos the listener was referring to, and apparently she didn't even realize herself that those were public toilets. Another thing that the listener mentioned was that they plan to attend SCANDAL's joint-band concert in Sendai with SiM. TOMO says that maybe MAMI should take some photos in a weird place in Sendai, which makes the others laugh. She also says that it could be a game to see whether or not the listener can find the place. MAMI says that the boyfriend will probably wonder why they're going to a weird spot.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who is a fourth-year college student who has been a fan since they were about 13, and says that SCANDAL has helped them out/supported them through hard times while in school and work. RINA says that it's crazy to think how much of an impact they've had on peoples' lives like this. HARU says that they've changed some great peoples' lives in a big way. TOMO says that it really makes them happy. RINA says that it really makes them glad that they've dedicated everything to the band when they hear things like this. HARU says that hearing things like this makes them realize that they do need to keep working hard as well.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is from the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture. In their 20s they lived on an island but wanted to live in Tokyo, but in their 30s they say they've finally realized the appeal of living on an island. They ask the band if they've had the same kind of thoughts. HARU says that they've been getting a lot of messages lately regarding places to live. TOMO says that she'd love to live in the Goto Islands in the future, which makes the others laugh. RINA says she left the rural area she was from to move to Tokyo for the band, and she longed for Tokyo so much that she had really thought that once she visited, she'd never want to leave or live anywhere else. However, she's grown to learn about the merits of her hometown over the years, and going back to visit has made her realize that the way people lives their lives there really does fit her. HARU says that that's really surprising to hear. RINA agrees and never thought that that kind of day would come, and also says that since learning how to drive she's been having stray thoughts like how she might live in Nara or Osaka one day in the future.

•MAMI says that she is definitely not returning to her hometown. HARU also says that she won't be either. RINA goes, "The pair from Nagoya is so harsh about their hometowns!", which makes all of them laugh. MAMI says that she does love Nagoya, though. TOMO says that it does seem like everyone from Nagoya is the same way--they love Nagoya but will not go back to live there. A staffer says something to them and MAMI + HARU say that they do like Nagoya. HARU says that once you go to Tokyo, you realize how much better Tokyo is. TOMO asks what she means. HARU talks about the commercial aspect and it's because the number of trendy food places have increased in Nagoya that Tokyo is so much better. MAMI says that it's that Nagoya is always one step behind in the trends; it's like, "Why is this older trend so popular here now?" HARU laughs while wholeheartedly agreeing. TOMO says that that aspect is cute. HARU says that that lag was actually something frustrating when she was in high school. MAMI again says that she does love Nagoya, but it is a little frustrating to be there. HARU says that food from Nagoya such as miso is something that you can buy there and bring back with you, but there's really nothing else. Anything else you could just buy in Tokyo. RINA wonders what their families who have always lived in Nagoya think. MAMI and their staff burst out laughing at this. HARU says that it's not really about that, and that their families and friends do seem to enjoy living there. It's just that HARU herself doesn't want to--that's something she's felt since she was a kid and would say that when she was grown up, she'd definitely go to live in Tokyo. MAMI says that her family lives pretty far from any bus or train station, which always makes her think of how much of a pain it must be for them.

•They then close out the episode. They say that they're recruiting messages for a new segment related to Yan Yan day (November 11, since 11/11 looks like four Yan Yan sticks next to each other), which encourages listeners who have never sent in a message to the program before, to send in a message about anything they'd like. Those whose messages are read will get some Yan Yan sent to them. They say that the message could be really short like a tweet if you'd like.

•Another thing they talk about are their recently-announced upcoming live performances. HARU mentions the MERRY ROCK PARADE that will take place in Nagoya, which makes the staff laugh. HARU asks what's up, and the staff seems to say that they laughed because Nagoya was mentioned. MAMI says that she's happy when they're able to play a show in her hometown. HARU says that she doesn't want people to get the wrong idea, and that she does love Nagoya. MAMI also says that she loves it. TOMO goes, "There's something wrong with you guys! You're contradicting what you said before!", which makes everyone laugh. MAMI again says that they love Nagoya, and that they're happy to be able to perform at the festival there.

*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

GT wrote:Thank you TGE  

I couldn't believe it when Tomomi read my message out and now thanks to you I know what was said in reply to it, I was scratching my head as to why she mentioned YouTube.

Tomo was right as I did find SCANDAL through YouTube, I bet she can't guess which song though, LOL!

CanardPlayer wrote:Do you know if they accept message written in english or its only japaneese ?

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

CanardPlayer wrote:Do you know if they accept message written in english or its only japaneese ?

You can send your message written in English. They run all messages written in another language through a language-translation program (like Google Translate) into Japanese.

hogradish wrote:

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

CanardPlayer wrote:Do you know if they accept message written in english or its only japaneese ?

You can send your message written in English. They run all messages written in another language through a language-translation program (like Google Translate) into Japanese.

This of course does not guarantee your message comes out the other side as you intended. I can attest to that, lol. For example, Japanese doesn't do well with words like she and he, so it you send something like "I like Haruna. She is wonderful" it might come out as "I like Haruna. It is wonderful".
Mostly though, the sentiment gets through, so definitely go for it.

Using different methods when you're alone vs. when you're with someone? Where is the fine line between when to use electronic money vs. cash?

Episode ＃139 blog

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HARUNA: We will be holding the fall 2022 meeting of "Catch up Kyoukai-sen Kyoukai" (Fine Line Association).

Zakitasu

This isn't about the fine line between words, but do the SCANDAL members have a fine line between when to use cash and when to use electronic money?

I'm a cash person, and when I went to a botanical garden cafe the other day, I couldn't pay cash and so I couldn't order from the café. I'm glad it wasn't a date lol. If this was a date, I'd have definitely been dumped, wouldn't I?

RINA: You wouldn't get dumped.

HARUNA: This topic makes sense in today's society, the fine line between cash and electronic money.

RINA: Yeah, it seems that many people pay with electronic money these days.

HARUNA: The number has grown.

MAMI: I certainly do use electronic money when I go shopping alone or to a cafe, but I do need to carry cash when I go out to eat with others.

HARUNA: Yeah, when you split the bill.

MAMI: Yeah, you can also send money (via an app), but it is better to go with cash.

TOMOMI: Not everyone can send money.

HARUNA: Sending money (electronically) is getting more common.

RINA: It is.

TOMOMI: On days when I have a lot of coins, I really want to use them because they're heavy...

HARUNA: Maybe if it's over 1,000 yen.

RINA: What do you mean by that?

HARUNA: If it's over 1,000 yen, you should go with cash. When you buy a bottle of water at a convenience store, should you use electronic money?

MAMI: With the spread of electronic money, people tend to forget to carry cash.

HARUNA: That does happen. You may not even know your cash balance.

MAMI: You might not even know how much you have in your wallet...

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 139

•The episode starts with this. RINA says that electronic money is becoming the norm all around the world. HARU also mentions that overseas it's all about using credit cards. TOMO says that the use of electronic money has increased since the pandemic began to limit physical contact between people. RINA says that it's probably good if you use both cash and electronic money.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who asks what the fine line is between "oishii" (おいしい) and "umai" (うまい) is (both words essentially mean "delicious"), and ask if the band uses the two differently. They also ask when they're eating with friends which word they would use. RINA says that she basically never says "umai," which HARU agrees with. RINA also says that she might have never used it even once, but TOMO says that she has heard her say it before, and that it comes out naturally quite a bit. They agree that all of them do frequently say "Umaaa!" HARU says that she does say that a lot. MAMI says that they don't usually go, "Umai naa!", though. HARU says that they do say "Oishii" as well. TOMO wonders what the difference is between the two for them, anyway. She then says that it's faster to say "Umaaa!" the moment you eat something that tastes good. She says that perhaps "umai" is used more for B-class foods while "oishii" can be used for really anything. HARU says that you tend to use "Umaaa!" when you're eating something for the first time and it's so delicious that it surprises you, and for "oishii," you tend to use it when you eat something you know is delicious but experience it again--kind of like, "Ah, this food really is delicious." MAMI says that your first reaction to something that's good is "umai," and that you say something is "oishii" after you've had the chance to bite into and savor it. TOMO says that it does seem the difference might be related to speed (initial reaction: umai - later reaction: oishii). The staff talks about something in the background that is pretty inaudible, though it does seem to be related to generations since RINA says that differences could be a generational thing.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who asks them what the fine line is between the "red thread of fate" belief vs. the "red line (? lol) of fate" belief. Basically, they say that the former is about the person you're fated to be with while the latter is about personal connections.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who asks them what the fine line is between what "okashi" (お菓子) and "dagashi" (駄菓子) is (both essentially mean "candy" or "sweets," though the latter usually refers to inexpensive sweets). They also mention how they heard someone on the radio list their favorite dagashi and said that Yan Yan was one of them. The listener thought that was odd since they don't consider Yan Yan to be dagashi. TOMO says that she doesn't consider it as dagashi either--rather, it's a "luxury item" (since she really likes it). The staff laughs at this and MAMI says that she agrees. HARU talks about how she considers dagashi to be something that's small and can get a large quantity of for fairly cheap, and so she also does not consider Yan Yan to be dagashi. MAMI says that nostalgia is also a factor; if you see something that you used to buy when you were younger and it makes you feel nostalgia, then that could be considered dagashi. Yan Yan doesn't give off that factor for her. They conclude that Yan Yan isn't dagashi; it's okashi.

•To close out the segment, they try to decide what the topic should be for the next Kyoukai-sen Kyoukai meeting by looking at pieces of paper that have topics written on them. They decide to pick one about what the fine line is between the different types of Kansai dialect there are. An example would be how, despite both TOMO and RINA being from the Kansai region, their dialects are slightly different since they're from different parts of the region.

*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

What color is Osaka?? Their answers to a "Smental" question finally all match up!?

Episode ＃140 blog

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HARUNA: We'll be reading messages this episode. Let's get right to it!

Rinati

If you were to express Osaka as a color, what color would it be?

TOMOMI: What was "Smental," again?

MAMI: It's that one, you know...

HARUNA: The one where all have writing paper and try to give the same one answer to a question.

TOMOMI: Aah...

RINA: The one where we match our answers.

Staff: Hey! Make sure you remember it since it's a popular segment!!

MAMI: Shall we try it?

TOMOMI: Let's try it. Smental! "What color would Osaka be?"

HARUNA: Eh? What would it be...

MAMI: Hm...

RINA: Well, it does have an image of it being energetic and lively.

TOMOMI: Doesn't "Osaka" already have a color in its name?
(Staff note: What she meant by this is a little unclear)

MAMI: I do picture Osaka as having a color... But are there any colors that represent that atmosphere?

RINA: Yeah, it's the color of the symbol of Osaka.

HARUNA: What is "the color of the symbol"??

MAMI: Ehー

RINA: In any case, let's go for it.

HARUNA: Let's say it outloud. But what does that mean? I don't understand.

MAMI: I picture Osaka as being three colors.

HARUNA: True...

RINA: What colors is MAMI thinking of...

HARUNA: At any rate, let's go for it. One, two, three!

All: (*All answer verbally in unison)

RINA: Eh, what did you guys say?

TOMOMI: Did we all answer the same?

HARUNA: I said red.

RINA: I also said red.

TOMOMI: I also said red.

MAMI: ...I said orange.

TOMOMI: Ah... Yeah, it was basically all the same.

RINA: I totally get answering with warm colors.

MAMI: Yeah. I was unsure between orange, red, and yellow.

HARUNA: I was unsure about going with [orange or] yellow.

RINA: Orange basically is red.

TOMOMI: A reddish orange.

HARUNA: So, we all got the correct answer for "What color would Osaka be?"!

Staff: You did not - Game-wise, it's a "Non-Smental"!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Apollo』 - Episode 140

•The episode starts with this.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who says that they started listening to SCANDAL because of their girlfriend and has become a big fan. Their job has gotten pretty hard due to the pandemic, but their girlfriend and SCANDAL's songs help them do their best. They say that they hope to one day go with their girlfriend to a SCANDAL show. The band thanks them. RINA says that it was a simple message but made them happy, and that a lot of couples attend SCANDAL shows in general.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is writing in as part of that "one sentence" message topic where they encouraged listeners who have never written in before to write in for the first time. The message simply goes: "The other day I boiled some eggs at my new house." The band laughs and says that was a good message.

•They then say they're going back to the regular messages. TOMO asks if only one message for that topic was sent in. A staffer says that wasn't the case, which makes the band glad. HARU says that those messages are spread out across the ones they'll read today, and then reads the next message from a listener whose previous message was read during episode 134 about how they asked them to play SCANDAL as background music when they had surgery. They also mention the "playing songs while giving birth" topic and says that they were told that most mothers who request that don't actually have the leeway to be listening to the songs. Another thing they mention is that children's heart rates are fast (100-ish), so it's easy to get a feel for that by listening to a song like "Anpanman no March," which is 96 BPM. They say that a SCANDAL song close to that would be "one more time." RINA talks about how she listened to a click track when she took her driver's license test, and laughs that that was something she could have done forever. HARU says that listening to/doing something along to a click track is basically what she does for a living, anyway. They also say that it's good to keep in mind that "one more time" is good for what the listener mentioned.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who is writing in for that "one sentence" topic. They say: "I broke up with my girlfriend of 7 years because of SCANDAL. Give this a listen: 'Ai ni Naranakatta no sa.'" The band goes, "What??" since the message isn't worded very clearly. MAMI wonders if it's because of SCANDAL that they broke up with their gf. HARU says that it's more likely that they had originally met their girlfriend because of SCANDAL. They're still unsure of what exactly the listener meant: Is it thanks to SCANDAL that the couple met one another, or is it because of SCANDAL that the couple broke up? RINA says that they're sorry if it's the latter, which makes the others laugh. MAMI says that maybe they should take it that it's because of SCANDAL that they broke up, since they mentioned "Ai ni Naranakatta no sa." HARU says that perhaps they saw the lyrics and realized that what they had wasn't true love. RINA says that that could be possible. TOMO says to send in a reply telling the band exactly what they mean.

•RINA then reads the next message from a listener who is writing in for the Smental segment and asks the band, "What number seems like it would be [physically] slippery?" The band says that all/a lot of them seem slippery. HARU says that there aren't any that don't seem like they would be. They then say their answers all at once. MAMI, TOMO, and RINA answer "0" while HARU answers "9." MAMI, TOMO, and RINA seem to think that maybe they all answered the same, but HARU says that they didn't. TOMO asks who answered differently. HARU says that she thinks it's herself. TOMO goes, "Did you say 'mochi'?!" (in reference to episode 137), which they all laugh at. HARU says she didn't, and that she answered "9." TOMO and MAMI go, "Nine??! It's gotta be zero!!" They try to guess/wonder why she would choose 9, but HARU just says that she can't really answer that; she just went by feeling. HARU says that the more they do Smental, the more the realizes that she'll be off the mark when answering. TOMO says that she doesn't get her explanations at all. RINA says that her answers are good ones, though.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is writing in for that "one sentence" topic. They ask the band what their top 3 oden ingredients are. TOMO says that she definitely knows what her top one is. RINA says she thinks she knows what her own ones are but is unsure of their rankings. RINA says that they probably don't need to match up their answers since it's supposed to be about their own top 3 ingredients. MAMI says that one that she always has to have is mochi kinchaku, which might rank ＃1 for her. Eggs are also on her list. RINA says that eggs are ＃1 for her. TOMO says that she definitely has to get daikon, which HARU and MAMI also agree with. TOMO says that jagaimo (potatoes) are also on her list. HARU says that wieners are good. Another ingredient MAMI lists is ganmo. Another ingredient RINA lists is atsuage.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is writing in for the first time and mentions stuff like how they'll be attending BEST Xmas. The band says that they are deciding on things for that a little at a time. TOMO then reads the next message from a listener who basically asks the band how you tell someone that you love them without outright telling them you love them. The band is unsure and tries to think. RINA says that this is kind of the same as when you're racking your brains when writing lyrics. MAMI says that nothing's coming immediately to mind. RINA says that they might need six days in order to figure it out, which makes the others laugh. TOMO says that this will be their homework for the next episode. HARU says that they might like to hear from other listeners what they think. TOMO then asks their program director what he thinks about the question. He also is unsure how to answer. They again say that this is difficult to answer.

*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