【Translated Summary】"her" Diary 2018-2019

From Kiss from the darkness DVD Edition

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Opening
•The video starts off with SCANDAL and their managers holding a meeting at the ROOFTOP office. The audio isn't very good, so it's hard to make out what they're saying.

•Next, HARU is shown driving in her car. She ponders what kind of year 2018 was. She finally decides that it was a very weird year. Things happened that they weren't expecting, such as starting their own imprint label and feeling like a new wind was blowing for them after 10 years. "It was weird," she concludes.

•RINA is then shown walking while saying "It's really cold." MAMI is shown next and also says it's cold as she meets up with RINA at an elevator. RINA says that they've changed into different outfits from earlier. MAMI says their outfits are pajama-like. RINA shows off her outfit while saying, "It's so cold! I'm shaking!" They say they're looking forward to their new song and their label, because they can now do even more things.

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2018.12.28 - "her" Photo Shooting
•The band is seen shooting promo pictures for "her."

•RINA: "Since these are our first promo pictures after establishing 'her,' we wanted to shoot something evenly leveled, went with all-white outfits, and wanted to shoot in a space where you couldn't discern the location. We wanted to make it feel fresh and evenly leveled."

•HARU comments that it's a very natural location that they're shooting at.

•TOMO jokes that the house they're using for the shoot is her house.

•MAMI is filmed doing kung fu-like poses.

•TOMO and HARU are shown inside wearing heavy jackets with blankets draped on their laps. TOMO mentions that it's so cold she doesn't want to go back outside, and that she's kind of afraid at how cold it'll be by the ocean where they're taking their next pictures.

•MAMI gets her lip makeup touched up as the band stands in front of the ocean. The makeup artist holds a mirror up to her face and the reflection of the sun in the mirror sends a glare into MAMI's eyes. The MUA quickly goes, "Oh, that's too bright!" and brings the mirror back down. They, HARU, and RINA laugh hard at what just happened.

•As footage of the band shooting along the beach is shown, TOMO and HARU are heard discussing their thoughts. They mention that a year ago, starting an imprint label isn't something they thought would happen.

•TOMO: "Sticking around [as a musical artist] for 10 years isn't an easy thing to do. When we saw how artists and bands who debuted around the same time as us were disbanding one by one, we thought about how great it is to be able to continue to be a band even one second longer. It's not always about the good things."

•HARU: "That's certainly true. And that being said, since we're only just getting started, there are still a bunch of mysteries for us to figure out."

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2019.02.14 - Recording "Masterpiece"
•The band arrives at the studio to record their song "Masterpiece."

•Before they record, RINA gives the band their customary Valentine's chocolates. Every year, the band does a rock-paper-scissors showdown to figure out who will be giving the rest of the band chocolates. RINA was the winner of the game that year, and you can actually see them doing the game during their LINE LIVE Special last year.

•RINA says she will give an explanation as to what the chocolates are, prompting the band to laugh. She says there are four different pieces of chocolate in each box, and each piece is inspired by floriography. HARU reads the pamphlet included in the box and notes that one of them means "passionate," and laughs that the heart-shaped one means "I'm crazy about you." RINA says that the "passionate" one is passionfruit-flavored, and the "I'm crazy about you" one is a rich praline; she also reads the description: "Like a merry-go-round spinning round and round, it is filled with dazzling emotions." MAMI goes, "Floriography...to include it in chocolate...that's...awesome," and she, HARU, and RINA laugh. RINA jokingly replies, "That's so heavy." (These are the chocolates RINA gave them)

•The band is then shown recording the song.


2019.02.16 - Shooting the "Masterpiece" Music Video
•Next, the band is shown shooting the MV on February 16th, only two days after recording the song.


2019.05.01 - "HUSH!! Full Music 2019 in Macau"
•A small portion of footage is shown from the time when SCANDAL played a festival in Macau.

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MAMI at a super-spicy foods festival
•Filmed by her photographer friend Amiri Kawabe, MAMI is shown attending last year's Gekikara (super spicy) Gourmet Festival and eating some of the many super-spicy foods offered there. Based on the foods she ate, it looks like she attended the last week of the festival held between September 13-18.

•The first tent MAMI visits is Akai Tsubo (Red Vase), which has three levels of spiciness: uma-kara (mildly spicy), geki-kara (very spicy), oni-kara (demon-level spicy). She tells Amiri that she's decided she won't go for the oni-kara spiciness because she's a little scared of it, and goes with the geki-kara garlic shrimp instead.

•They both sit down at a table and MAMI starts her taste testing. Amiri says it looks spicy. MAMI wonders if the thing that makes the dish spicy is the sauce. Amiri disagrees and thinks it's the peppers that are added in. MAMI eats one and says it's delicious. Amiri asks if it's spicy, but MAMI doesn't seem to think so.

•Next, MAMI is shown visiting a second tent and getting what looks to be a geki-kara gapao rice from Asian Tawan. The color of it gets darker as she mixes the sauce into the rice. They both say how insane it looks. MAMI takes a bite but doesn't say anything. Amiri is confused and asks if it's not spicy. MAMI thinks for a second and says it's delicious. MAMI then says she's hot, and Amiri says, "It's getting hot in here!" MAMI keeps eating her dish and eventually starts to look like she's in pain, very similar to what happened here.

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2019.06.01 - 07.11 - SCANDAL TOUR 2019 "Fuzzy Summer Mood"
•SCANDAL is shown waiting in the dressing room for a staff member to come get them before the very first show of the tour. It's almost time for them to go on, and RINA wonders where their staff is since it's already 6:04 pm and the show was to start at 6. Just as she says that, the door opens and their producer Eisuke takes them to where the other staff members are waiting just before the stage. All of the staff are wearing black FSM tour shirts, which RINA says is adorable. The staff and the band gather round in their customary circle before starting the show, and Eisuke asks for everyone to challenge themselves from the start of this tour.

•As the montage starts, RINA mentions that a highlight of this tour is that they're changing the setlists for every show on the tour, which makes everything feel really fresh. She says that the audiences on this tour are awesome and are very tough, which makes it feel like things are getting cooler and cooler, which is training the band emotionally.

•A montage of MAMI and TOMO eating at shave ice places is shown, as well as TOMO shopping for servingware (here's more info on both of those).

•RINA talks about how starting "her" was such a big thing for them as well as a good challenge. It's not about showing a flashy side nor explaining things even more with words, but putting everything out in the open without hiding anything because communicating who you are can go away before you know it.

•HARU talks about how about two and a half years ago when they started to get invited to more festivals, her, the band, and the staff's feelings weren't meshing together at all. She knew that things weren't going very well, and it was a really rough time for them. They needed to put an end whatever was going on.

•HARU then talks about how, for the past 10 years, she had been living her life for others—for her job, her private life, etc. However, about a year ago, she started living for her ownself. She felt that she, as a musician, could convey all sorts of things through SCANDAL to many people. Even since then, her life has gotten easier.


2019. 07.11 - SCANDAL TOUR 2019 "Fuzzy Summer Mood" Finale at Zepp Tokyo
•HARU: "We're having a lot of fun. Thanks so much. We've said this a thousand times today, but 15 performances later and we're at the finale of the tour. It honestly has been so, so much fun. 15 shows went by so fast, didn't they? (RINA: "They did!") This tour went by in no time at all. This isn't meant to be patronizing at all, but our audience has really evolved with this tour! It isn't meant to be patronizing, honestly. It's because we've seen all kinds of audiences in the past 10 years that there have been all kinds of changes, but the audiences on this tour have truly been outstanding and really, really cool. As we're creating these live shows together, we can very clearly tell from up here on stage that everyone's feelings keep growing and evolving. We've always wanted this kind of audience to watch our live shows. You guys truly have been the best. Be at ease and follow us. All of that was what we've seriously thought about during this tour. After all, you guys all lead super busy and varied lives, but you've made time to come and see us. There are fun things in life, of course, but there are many tough and painful things as well. Even so, everyone who comes to see our shows really does act as support for us as well. So, we want to continue to play music for everyone who takes the time to come see our shows. We thought about that all throughout this tour. It's so much fun when we're playing a show. Today has been super fun too. Right? That's why it's okay to for you to have all kinds of feelings. It's perfectly fine for you to bring along sadness, enjoyment, happiness with you—everything—to a show because we'll blast them away, accept them, and return that happiness to you a hundredfold. Let's have a good time at a show together again!"

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•TOMO is shown going to "Fender Music Backstage," a showroom that only pro musicians or press can enter, and trying out+going with a black bass (the Fender Made in Japan Modern Jazz Bass used in the "A.M.D.K.J." music video).


2019.05 - "Tsuki" pre-production
•The band is shown in the studio doing pre-production for the song "Tsuki." After playing through it, they're shown sitting down on the couches discussing what to do next. TOMO verbalizes bass playing, but when they get back up to go back in the studio, she says, "I forgot what to do."

•TOMO is shown driving in her car. She talks about how when SCANDAL first formed and were wondering what kind of live show to put on, they wanted to have their own style but also have a bunch of different styles as well. They thought that what was would make them strong, and as they continued on, they thought they should change it up. It wasn't that they wanted to stop playing with their current style or change it out—expanding their style was cooler and more fun.

•TOMO then talks about how she asked Yusuke Takeda from RADWIMPS to arrange the song she wrote ("Laundry Laundry"), and that was exactly the right thing to do. He improved what she had been imagining. The timing for it all worked out just right. It was a challenging song for her to write, but the completed song made her realize that it is a cool song, and that her range has expanded. It was the first step to solving a problem that was taken at the right time.

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2019.05.10 - "Kiss from the darkness" Recording
•The band is shown playing songs like "Ceramic Blue" and "A.M.D.K.J."

•The 16-year-old track maker SASUKE (arranger of "Tonight") enters the studio and helps with the arrangement for "Tonight." He tells TOMO to make it sound as complex as she can. Everyone in the room starts laughing and TOMO goes, "Complex?! I'll do my best!"

•Next, Chiaki Sato (arranger of "NEON TOWN ESCAPE") is shown in the studio with the band. She gives HARU directions on how to sing a part of the song. She is then shown telling RINA to make a drum phrase more bouncy at the end of the first line of the song, which would help it fit the guitars and singing even better.

•The following scene shows Yusuke Takeda of RADWIMPS (arranger of "Laundry Laundry") in the studio with the band. They discuss things like RINA playing a part of the song on a snare drum, which they then cut to her playing it. MAMI is then shown practicing the solo on an acoustic guitar.

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•The video then picks up from where it originally started: a meeting held between SCANDAL and their managers at the ROOFTOP office. They are picking the official name for the album.

•Some of the words written down on the whiteboard are "anarchy" and "brink," but RINA says that she doesn't think one word for the album would work well.

•MAMI says that as each song on the album was completed, the more the title "Kiss from the darkness" seemed fitting. This album sounds like what SCANDAL has sounded like so far, but it's also a step above that.

•The band decides that the album title will be "Kiss from the darkness" and posts a piece of paper containing the name on the whiteboard.

•The tentative tracklisting for the album showed this:
1. Tonight
2. Ceramic Blue
3. Fuzzy
4. Laundry Laundry
5. Kinenbi
6. Saishuuheiki, Kimi
7. NEON TOWN ESCAPE
8. Mabataki
9. A.M.D.K.J.
10. Tsuki
11. Masterpiece

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2019.11.09 - SCANDAL TOUR 2019 "SCANDAL's Joint-Band Tour"
•SCANDAL is shown in the dressing room before the first show on their joint-band tour.

•RINA says that touring alongside recording makes her head feel like it's going to explode. MAMI jokes that it's painful and hard to breathe. RINA jokes back and says she wants to go home and cry. HARU and MAMI laugh, and MAMI says that she totally gets that. RINA then says it's like she goes home, questions what happened, and then all of a sudden it's morning.

•TOMO practices on her bass while RINA says it's been a while since she's felt this way (due to not having played a concert in a while before this one). HARU, laying back on the couch, says she wants to hurry up and head out on stage.

•The scene ends with the band being led to the stage.

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