【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 53

•The episode starts with them eating some yogurt, and then this happens. And like the previous episode, HARU is absent for this one as well.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who likes to enjoy their time alone. They spent two days with friends last week and it was a bit exhausting. They aren't very good at speaking, and even when they try to convey something to others, they can't find the words to do so. They ask the band if it's okay to say no if they say no to hanging with friends if they feel too tired to do so, though they do want to hang out. They say it hurts to be alone, but it's difficult when there are times they feel lonely. The band says that they totally what the listener is saying. RINA says she thinks it's totally fine to say no to hanging out, and that there's nothing wrong with that at all. She doesn't think they need to force themself to see someone, so if for example they don't feel like they're in the mood the day before, she thinks it's okay to be honest and say so. MAMI says that, as her bandmates are well aware, that there was a time when she almost never asked them if they wanted to go out to eat together. TOMO says that that did happen a lot in the early days. MAMI says that she likes being alone and spend time alone, so there are times when she says no. That's why she's the kind of person who doesn't think anything of it when someone else turns her down. She thinks it's not good to be too cautious about it and end up feeling uncomfortable. TOMO says that it's natural to have days when you're tired and you don't have to force yourself to do something you don't want to. But, for example, if you made plans to go to the movies and tickets have already been bought, it would be better to go. RINA says that she has a friend who lived overseas for a few years and that you don't need to be as cautious in such situations compared to Japan. Many of them live by their own standards, so they can just tell each other things like they're not feeling it today and will be canceling their plans to hang out. She thinks it's really nice to be able to say yes or no to each other casually without leaving each other feeling bad. TOMO says it takes courage to say no at first, but your friends will come to understand eventually. So even if it takes time, it's a good idea to take care of yourself first. RINA also adds that being alone is not a negative thing at all.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who found someone they like and was wondering if they might be interested in the listener since they were very close when they talked, and talked to them when hanging out with a group of friends. And even though they like different types of music, the listener recommended SCANDAL to them and they got hooked, and asked the listener to go to their next tour with them, which made the listener very excited. This person had a girlfriend a little while before, which they didn't know until a mutual friend told them, so although the listener didn't confess their feelings, they knew how they felt about them and it made things awkward. They're now sure that they'll be attending the SCANDAL concert alone. The band basically says that it's a learning experience to know that there are people like this, and that they're sure they'll meet someone else that they like.

•TOMO then says that a "Quminous" (Queen of LUMINOUS) message has arrived. The listener says that their Quminous is their big sister who's 13 years older than them. When they were little, they used to make sweets and stuffed animals together; she would praise the listener no matter what picture they drew; etc. They hadn't seen or heard from her in 8 years, and the reason why they were able to see her again was because the Nagoya concert for Kanshasai Vol. 2 was on her birthday. She was kind as ever and praised them a lot, even though they're all grown up. They say that they want to properly tell her one day that she admires her more than anyone else in the family. The band says that's wonderful. TOMO says that it's really wonderful that they're able to say they love their big sister so much. They say that the listener is only 23 years old, so they might be embarrassed to say things like that to their sister. TOMO says that they might be able to say it when they're in their 30s. RINA says that relationships can change suddenly. She has 4 siblings, and there was a time when she didn't contact any of them for several years. They didn't speak a single word for many years, but somehow they became very close, and now three of them are adults and they've become more like friends. RINA thinks that the same kind of moment may come for the listener, and it would be wonderful if they could talk about what they've been thinking all this time.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is writing in for the "godlike powers" segment. They say that their godly person is their husband. There's this kind of negative ion atmosphere around their husband that makes them feel very safe and peaceful when they're near him. Even their sister said the same exact thing when she was around him. MAMI says that maybe the husband is emitting negative ions, which the others agree with. TOMO says that they should bask in it a lot. MAMI says that when they're feeling down about something to just go and sit next to him. TOMO says that it's impressive when these kinds of people are part of your family; it's like coming home to a spiritual hot spot every day. She also says that they should do a whole episode of just these kinds of messages since she's really interested in them.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the 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 from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

The jellyfish on the cover of LUMINOUS... What are jellyfish anyway??

Season 2, Episode 54 blog

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TOMOMI: This time... actually, "one problem" has arisen regarding the new album...
It's about the covers.

All: ...!

TOMOMI: So, we'd like to solve this "problem."

MAMI: ...yes.

TOMOMI: The title is... "Kurage wo Furage"!! ("Flying Get the Jellyfish"; kurage = jellyfish; furage = flying get, which refers to getting something like a CD one day it before officially goes on sale)

RINA: Isn't it way past furage time (for LUMINOUS it was March 19)?

MAMI: What? What does that mean?

TOMOMI: The covers of LUMINOUS feature jellyfish, but how much do we, SCANDAL, know about jellyfish? I don't think we know anything at all. This is a big problem.

RINA: I see.

TOMOMI: What about you guys? Do you know anything about them?

RINA: I heard that there are a lot of jellyfish in the ocean during obon season and it can be dangerous, so you shouldn't go near them.

TOMOMI: I heard that the end of summer is scary.

RINA: Because they're poisonous.

MAMI: They sting you. Does that mean they have spikes?

TOMOMI: When you get stung, you get a tingle and it swells.

MAMI: Like a cut.

TOMOMI: I wonder what it is. Electricity? I don't really know.

*Staff remarks: It's a big problem that you have only vague knowledge about jellyfish even though your album covers feature jellyfish!

TOMOMI: ...So, we ought to know the basics of jellyfish. We'll be studying them today. First, jellyfish are apparently plankton.

RINA: I see... When I think of "plankton," I think of something much smaller.

TOMOMI: Like a red tide, right?

Staff: They're the same as water fleas.

TOMOMI: Water fleas, huh?

MAMI: Does that mean that they're big plankton?

TOMOMI: Microorganisms?

RINA: Plankton that doesn't need to be seen under a microscope?

TOMOMI: Well, if that's the case, wouldn't it be really scary?

RINA: I'm suddenly feeling scared...

MAMI: Isn't "plankton" the oxygen for fish?

TOMOMI: Oxygen for fish?

RINA: Food?

MAMI: Don't they eat plankton?

TOMOMI: Oh, that's right.

RINA: Whales and stuff do too, right?

TOMOMI: So are there creatures that eat jellyfish?

RINA: Are there? I wonder.

TOMOMI: Humans eat jellyfish.

MAMI: Yeah, they're in Chinese dishes. Are those real jellyfish?

TOMOMI: Those are delicious.

MAMI: Yeah.

TOMOMI: And there are over 3,000 types of jellyfish in the world.

RINA: There are that many??

TOMOMI: That's what it says.

RINA: I didn't know there were that many.

TOMOMI: They have roughly the same shape. They're divided into so many different types.

RINA: I wonder what the differences are.

TOMOMI: I like going to aquariums and looking at the jellyfish area...

MAMI: They're cute, aren't they?

TOMOMI: I was thinking that the shapes and colors are slightly different from each other...

MAMI: Wouldn't it be hard to tell if you were in the sea?

TOMOMI: The shapes are similar.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 54

•The episode starts with this. And like the few previous episodes, HARU is absent for this one as well since, as TOMO says, her voice is very nasal right now.

•TOMO then reads that there are 200 types of jellyfish in Japan. MAMI interrupts a bit and reads off a few jellyfish-eating animals, which include sea turtles, sunfish, penguins, thread-sail filefish, and chub mackerel. TOMO wonders if they eat tiny jellyfish. MAMI thinks that it means they eat jellyfish that are small enough to fit in their mouths. Kawai (a staffer) is heard in the background wondering if the animals eat jellyfish for the taste. The band doesn't think so. Kawai then wonders about penguins. RINA wonders if they eat jellyfish that don't have a taste. MAMI wonders how they eat jellyfish; perhaps they slurp them up. They laugh and say that sounds probable.

•The next jellyfish fact TOMO reads is that they're 95% or more water. They say they get that, and that they are like jelly. TOMO then reads that they don't seem to have a cerebral cardiovascular system. TOMO wonders what that means, and if they are considered a living thing. MAMI wonders what the definition is of a living thing. TOMO wonders if it means that something has a life force, and what is life if there's no heart? She goes, "Is this now a philosophical discussion?" The others chuckle. TOMO then wonders how they're able to move. The staff says they move using nerves alone. MAMI wonders how that works without a brain, and then reads a fact that says that instead of blood vessels, jellyfish have "water vessels" that carry nutrients throughout their bodies. TOMO says that they do sound like they're closer to plants, and that plants are living things. They then all laugh at this. TOMO wonders if that when they sting humans, it's not to protect themselves from being attacked but because their neres were touched. MAMI says that they probably can't control them since they don't have brains.

•TOMO then reads that jellyfish have existed for about 500 million years, and some say that they've been around for 1 billion years. TOMO wonders how long humans have been around. Ohno says 5 million years. TOMO says jellyfish are greatly their seniors, and that if you really go back to the source, there might have been a time when humans were jellyfish. She also mentions how in textbooks it says how life came from the oceans, after all. RINA says that at the museum in the Tower of the Sun in Osaka, there's a section on the history of life, and at the beginning there is a jellyfish-like creature on the bottom floor. TOMO says that they're like family to humans. Ohno mentions something about how ascidians (sea squirts) are closely related to humans. The band is surprised by this. MAMI says that humans eat ascidians, so wouldn't that make it cannibalism? They laugh. TOMO says that she gets humans evolving from primates, but starting as an ascidian is a bit too unexpected.

•TOMO then seemingly reads how jellyfish are nothing but mysteries. Ohno says something about how they sleep. TOMO and RINA say that's really cute. TOMO says that humans sleep to rest their brains, so why do jellyfish sleep? Ohno says to rest. MAMI goes, "Even though they just float?" TOMO then reads what is a bit of a scary fact about jellyfish: It's said that there's a jellyfish that is immortal. TOMO says, "What is an 'immortal' jellyfish anyway?" MAMI wonders if it's one from a billion years ago. Ohno seems to explain it but it's pretty hard to hear him, so instead you can read this page about that jellyfish instead lol. TOMO wonders if there are male and female jellyfish. MAMI reads that with moon jellyfish, it's a female if the underside of the body of a mature individual has a frilly skirt. They say that's cute. TOMO says that it's kind of scary that jellyfish will probably survive until the earth dies or the oceans dry up.

•Another jellyfish fact TOMO reads is that there was a jellyfish that was 37 meters long. She laughs while reading it and says that's scary. MAMI wonders if the person who found that jellyfish is in the Guinness World Records for it. The staff laughs and says that's a good question. Another fact is that a fishing boat capsized under the weight of jellyfish in 2009.

•Ohno asks the band to explain why they put jellyfish on the album covers. TOMO explains that the word luminous means "to emit light" or "to shine bright," and since jellyfish also shine brightly, they decided to go with them. They're also cute. But they didn't expect them to be such scary creatures. MAMI chuckles.

•Next, they play a game where they have to guess the name of jellyfish based on pictures shown to them. They're shown the first one and they say it's cute. TOMO says it looks like a wind chime and Ohno says that's a pretty good guess. MAMI guesses a bell jellyfish, which is not correct. TOMO guesses a blown glass jellyfish. Ohno pauses and says that they're right about the jellyfish being name after something made by humans. TOMO then guesses chocolate and then glass, which are both incorrect. MAMI guesses tea cup jellyfish. Ohno says that the name of this thing itself is a bit difficult, and that it appears in period dramas at night. MAMI guesses paper lantern jellyfish. Ohno says that's a good guess but it's called something else. TOMO guesses bonbori (another name for paper lantern), but it's still not quite it; it starts with 'an.' TOMO guesses "andon jellyfish (jimble jellyfish)," which is correct. TOMO wonders if the jellyfish pictured is a male since it doesn't have frills.

•The next jellyfish is shown. MAMI guesses a fan jellyfish. RINA guesses flower. TOMO guesses rose. MAMI guesses marguerite daisy. TOMO guesses chrysanthemum. Ohno says that it's not named after a flower. MAMI guesses typhoon, then hurricane. TOMO guesses windmill (fuusha). Ohno says that this one is also named after a man-made tool. TOMO guesses wheel and says it a bunch of times, which makes the others laugh. Ohno says its name contains a Japanese word. MAMI guesses sharin (which means 'wheel' in Japanese). Ohno says that that's kind of close. RINA guesses fuusha (windmill), which TOMO had already guessed earlier, though lol. Ohno says that it's something that all of them have right now. TOMO says motor. Kawai asks if she has a motor on her right now, which makes them all laugh. TOMO says she doesn't. MAMI guesses battery. Ohno says that again it's something they all have on them right now. RINA goes, "What could it be? An iPhone?" They all laugh. Ohno again says that it's something they all definitely have that you can hold in your hand. RINA guesses kasa (umbrella). Ohno says that answer does make sense since it's raining today, but that's not it. TOMO guesses bag. Ohno says that it's something that you have every day, especially when you go out. TOMO shouts out kagi (key) jellyfish. Ohno says it's key something. TOMO says kagi no ana (keyhole), which makes him laugh. They go back and forth a bit before they guess "kagi no te jellyfish (clinging jellyfish)."

•The last jellyfish is shown. They say it looks pretty. MAMI says it looks like a Tangela. RINA guesses hanabi (fireworks). Ohno says that it is named after something spectacular, and that it does contain the word 'hana.' He says that it may have been used at obon festivals in the past. MAMI guesses hanakazari (floral decoration). Ohno says that 'kazari' is a good guess. TOMO guesses hanakanmuri (flower crown). MAMI guesses hanakaza, which is close enough to be the correct answer: hanagasa jellyfish (flower hat jelly). Ohno mentions that it's located in Japan as well as South America, and TOMO wonders how that even happened for them to pop up in two very different locations at the same time. MAMI says that maybe a bird took it with them. TOMO goes, "It took a trip inside of a bird??" They laugh and RINA says that birds are amazing. They mention the jellyfish on the LUMINOUS covers are CG and even though there could be actual jellyfish that resemble them, they're original jellyfish specifically made for the covers.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

---

*A list of all episode summaries from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

---

#front-page #catchup

TOMOMI's legs are like the ocean?? What unusual incidents have occurred because of someone's godlike powers?

Season 2, Episode 55 blog

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TOMOMI: This time...we'll just be reading messages. We've received a lot of them.

MAMI: Thank you!

TOMOMI: Let's get right to reading them.

RINA: Yes, please do.

Nekojarashi, 28 years old

Regarding the theme of "godlike powers," I would like you all to decide whether I myself am a "god" or "not a god."

For a long time, I have had a lot of trouble wherever I go, and things often don't go as planned.

When I go to the supermarket in a hurry, I end up taking the one cart from among many carts that contains items that the previous person left in their eco-bag after paying for it, and I have to look for an employee to explain.

When I take the shinkansen to my destination, delays due to bad weather are a given...

Whenever Russian roulette takoyaki is ordered at an izakaya, it's always me [that gets the one filled with wasabi].

If it suddenly rains while I'm out and I buy an umbrella, the rain will stop the moment I leave the convenience store.

When I bought a full-length mirror online, it arrived at my house broken.

Three or four times in my life, I've found a lost wallet while walking and took it to a police box.

I often feel sorry for causing trouble to those who work with me, but I have come to the conclusion that perhaps this is because I am a "god."

I'm a god who takes care of the people around me who are "a little unlucky! If my taking care of the "not-so-lucky" moments increases the number of "happy" moments for the people around me, then that is an act of God, isn't it?

If I were a god,  I would take all the "not-so-lucky" moments of SCANDAL's and increase the number of moments of joy and happiness as much as possible. And above all, the members of SCANDAL, who always save me when I feel sad and depressed, will always be my "gods."

RINA: Hmm, what beautiful writing! ...Yes, you are a god.

TOMOMI: A god...I guess they're a god.

RINA: Aren't they a "god of absorption" who can become a kind person?

TOMOMI: If the number of moments when people around them are truly happy is increasing, then they really are a god.

RINA: It's great that they have the ability to accept things like Russian roulette and umbrellas. That's amazing.

TOMOMI: Yeah, they're positive.

MAMI: They're eating the spicy takoyaki and thinking that they're glad they got it.

RINA: Yeah, they got it, and they're enjoying it.

TOMOMI: Instead of thinking that they're unlucky.

MAMI: That's positive and wonderful.

TOMOMI: The reason they think they might be a god is because they are a god.

RINA: Good thought process.

MAMI: Our slightly unpleasant things might be heavy... for 4 people.

TOMOMI: There's enough for four people. We have our share of bad luck, too.

MAMI: As we've said before, a lot of stores...

TOMOMI: We're gods who destroy stores.

RINA: I don't like it. I hate it the most.

MAMI: We absorb everything up.

Staff: What kind of "bad luck" have you had?

TOMOMI: Twice in two days, bird droppings fell on me.

RINA: That's amazing. Amazing probability.

TOMOMI: It happened was when I was in middle school. On the way home, my friends and I would always sit in the middle of the road, chatting, and stretch our legs. I was sitting there, legs outstretched, and it hit me right on the leg. At first I thought, "Gross! Why is it warm?" Then I wiped it off, and a little while later, more droppings fell on the same leg...it was hilarious.

RINA: Maybe the bird thought it was their house.

MAMI: Right here!

RINA: Maybe it was where their toilet was.

TOMOMI: I heard that when birds see something shiny, they think it's the ocean and drop their feces. My legs were probably glowing.

RINA: How positive!

MAMI: Godlike...

TOMOMI: They were truly divine legs.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 55

•The episode starts with this. And like the few previous episodes, HARU is absent for this one as well.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who has been recently wondering about their problems and where their boundaries really lie. They're currently in a relationship with someone who, to put it nicely, is a calm person who accepts their opinions. To put it badly, they're also a person who doesn't have the will to express their own opinions. When they go out to have fun, it's almost always up to the listener to decide where to go. Even when they want to make a decision together, the listener always makes the final decision. They're grateful to their SO in the sense that they respect their wishes. But there will be more and more moments in their lives when they will have to make more important decisions. They end up thinking that they might end up being more like a mother where they ask their SO what they're doing, what they're thinking, and ask them to complete tasks. They ask the band where the fine line is between kindness and irresponsibility.

•The band says that they really get that. RINA says that you feel lonely when too much is left up to you. TOMO says that kindness is an action based on consideration for the other person. If the SO is living this way with the intention of going to placed that the listener really wants to go to, and the listener will definitely find it fun, then maybe it's kindness. MAMI says that rather than asking where they want to go or what they want to eat, or what they're thinking about, she thinks it would be better to ask them why they're doing what they're doing. RINA says that the next time they decide to go on a date, it might be good idea for the listener to say they want to go where their SO wants to go. MAMI thinks it would be a good idea to start by making a decision by consulting with each other. RINA says to try speaking in a way that allows them to come up with ideas. TOMO says that, for example, when it's the listener's birthday, the listener can tell their SO that they're leaving the planning up to them. If you give them the task of planning something once in a while, it should become a habit. RINA says that it'd be good to talk to each other properly about this.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who has had a crush for three years on a younger person they met in college and is the same gender. During the time they've had a crush on her, she's had two boyfriends and seems to be doing well with the second one. After noticing that there was a mutual understanding between the two of them, the listener decided to stop thinking what they wanted to do about her. However, it doesn't mean that their feelings for her will disappear, and also don't know how to get rid of them. They don't get to hang out often due to living in different regions now, but when the listener had some time to spare where her crush was, they happened to find out that they were in the same area and decided to meet up. When they got to the meeting place, the girl and her boyfriend were there since they were out on a date. The bf knew they were good friends and wanted to meet the listener. They went to have tea and the friend + bf sat next to each other with the listener across from them. While she and the listener were having a good time talking about trivial things, the bf was sleeping peacefully next to her the whole time. She smiled at him, which made the listener's emotions get all jumbled up. When they parted, the two of them stood side by side while waving the listener off, and as soon as the listened got on the train, they burst into tears and cried silently for a while. They didn't know what they were about at the time, but they cried the next day and the day after that, and then they realized that they were tears of self-pity. If they told her they loved her, she might be more considerate, and they might have less chance of getting hurt. But they don't want to mix that kind of trouble into their relationship with her. They tell the band they want to reach a place where they can go as far as they want, even if they have to suffer in a gray area that is not black or white. They always are empowered by SCANDAL's songs, words, and attitude.

•RINA says that she's sure everyone means well, including the bf, but what a love triangle this is. TOMO says that it's sad. RINA says that the listener feels so much for the girl that it makes them cry. MAMI says that they probably didn't know what to do because their feelings are so strong. TOMO says that it's a really lovely thing to fall in love with someone and that it's not easy to find a love that makes you cry for three days straight, though it is painful. RINA mentions the song "Watashi-tachi" on LUMINOUS and that she wrote the lyrics with exactly these kinds of feelings in mind. If you have a relationship that doesn't have a name to it, or if you're in a situation like this, it might not be possible to date that person right now. But when you feel like you love someone, it's painful, but it can also be a very happy thing, like what TOMO just mentioned. When you become an adult, even that is a form of happiness, even though it is painful and warped. RINA wrote this song while thinking about having someone that you care about, so she hopes it'll give them a moment of peace when they listen to the song. She thinks it'd be better if the listener could be in a special position while supporting her and her bf. MAMI says that it would be great if they could continue to have fun together. RINA says that while cherishing the person important to them, the listener should also keep an eye on a new kind of world and hopes that they'll find people who will make them happy.

•They end the segment + episode by talking about how they received all sorts of messages today: godlike powers, fine line, and love advice. They were all long messages, too. TOMO says that she hasn't seen many other radio programs that get lengthy messages like the ones they get, which is something unique to their program. RINA agrees. They say they welcome all kinds of messages, though, whether it be lengthy messages or one-line long messages.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

---

*A list of all episode summaries from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

---

#front-page #catchup

Caless Vocal & Dance School in Osaka is moving!? The truth is...

Season 2, Episode 56 blog

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HARUNA: This time...we'll just be reading messages!

Yacchi

Hello, SCANDAL!

I'm afraid this is just me doing some chit-chat and not as part of a segment, but I was moved by something so I had to send this in.

I live in Tokyo, but the other day I went to Osaka for an acquaintance's wedding. The venue was near Kyobashi Station and there were many stores, so my friends and I were hanging around trying to find a place to have the after-party in the area when suddenly "Caless Vocal & Dance School" appeared in front of us!

I thought to myself, "This is the legendary school...!" and was so excited, but since I was with my friends, I just passed by it. But I thought I might not have this opportunity again and explained the situation to one of my friends who was nearby. They said, "Oh, you mean it's a sacred place? You should definitely take a picture! Everyone is still around here, so you should go!" I thanked them and went back the way I came.

As I went back and took pictures of SCANDAL on the signboard of Caless and the artists from the area, people passing by said, "What is this place? Is this place famous?" It was kind of embarrassing, but I was very happy to be able to take pictures of the sacred place.

Since I'm not familiar with the area, I didn't expect to end up so close to the venue by chance, and I was very moved!

TOMOMI: Wow! It seems that Caless is moving to a new location...

MAMI: Ehー!?

HARUNA: Really!?

RINA: Is that so?

MAMI: Where? Somewhere other than Kyobashi?

TOMOMI: I don't know.

HARUNA: Eh, seriously?

TOMOMI: I haven't heard the details.

RINA: I wonder where it will be.

TOMOMI: The building has gotten old, and they have been operating there for a long time, so they have to move. So Yacchi was lucky.

HARUNA: Indeed.

MAMI: That's trueー.

TOMOMI: It was probably the last minute.

MAMI: Does that mean they're working on relocating now?

TOMOMI: I wonder.

MAMI: So it's like a last look?

TOMOMI: Yeah, I wish I could have been there.

MAMI: Oh my.

HARUNA: So, if you're planning on making a pilgrimage to the sacred place of Caless, we recommend that you do it as soon as possible.

RINA: That's right.

HARUNA: Not that there's anything in particular...

TOMOMI: No, nothing.

MAMI: We can say that we used to go there.

TOMOMI: There's a calendar with our autographs on it.

HARUNA: It may have just been a coincidence, but we're happy for Yacchi.

RINA: Your friends are so kind.

All: Thanksー!

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 56

•The episode starts with them eating yogurt for the first 5 minutes, then HARU reads a message from a listener writing in for the "godlike people" segment. They say that the band probably has experience that moment when you walk into a restaurant and a crowd gradually grows behind you, and by the time you leave, a line has formed, and you feel lucky to have gotten in at the right time. That's happened to them a lot since they were a child. They often get a window seat, and they don't know if it's the divine aura they emit or the fact that the food they're eating looks so delicious, but they feel a little lucky when they go out to eat. They ask the band what they think. TOMO says that this often happens to MAMI's mother. MAMI says that it also happens to HARU's mother as well. HARU agrees and says that she also feels that way sometimes. TOMO says she might as well, which makes the others laugh. She also says that there's been many times where band has gone out to eat and says that they came at just the right time. HARU agrees and says she thinks she likely thought that when they recently went out to eat udon while on tour. The band agrees that the listener does have godlike powers. MAMI says that while this is unrelated but is still on the topic of the divine, when she went to see a palm reader recently, they told her that God resides in her fingertips. The others say that's impressive. HARU says that MAMI's playing guitar with God's hands. MAMI says that she was also told she's an alien, which makes the others laugh. Another thing she was told was that she's a human spiritual hot spot. She shows the band her reading presumably on her phone, and they say that it's very detailed. HARU says that MAMI is also a person with godlike powers.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says there's a video they'd like SCANDAL to watch about Nagoya. They've recently gotten hooked on Robert Akiyama's videos on YouTube, which a lot are about Nagoya. They say that they thought it might be fun if people who know Nagoya well, like the band, could watch them. Both TOMO and RINA say that those videos are the best. HARU asks if they've watched the videos about Nagoya. RINA says of course, and TOMO also says yes. She mentions that he did a fake commercial song about the snack Bisu-kun, and also does videos like that for different kinds of cities/prefectures. They talk about this guy for a bit, but since people that aren't from Japan will probably not find it interesting/probably find it hard to follow along, I will not be translating the rest lol

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who is also writing in about Nagoya. They'll be attending the Nagoya performance of the tour, and regarding the special page on the MANIA site where people can leave tips/suggestions for the cities that the concerts will be in, they say that there's nothing that they can think of to recommend. The band laughs. The listener says that like what's been mentioned on "Catch up" when talking about Nagoya, they have many places that they like but do not have many recommendations. They thought they had to write something to make Aichi Prefecture more exciting, so they wrote down Sukiya (basically the equivalent of Yoshinoya). The band laughs again. They ask HARU and MAMI, who are from Nagoya, what they should write. TOMO says that there are plenty of Nagoya food specialities that everyone's likely tried before, but you could write something like a good cafe that you like. Basically anything that's good that's not necessarily a Nagoya specialty. MAMI says she follows Instagrammers who post about gourmet food in Nagoya. RINA asks if there's been anything good posted recently. MAMI thinks about it and says that she thinks they did post about some bakeries. RINA says that cafes would be good to recommend. MAMI seems to have found it on her phone and says that they had posted about the bakery Petit Pont L'eveque Noda and that the food looks good. TOMO says that stuff like that would be good to write about.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who mentions another listener who mentioned in a recent episode that the person they're in a relationship with doesn't speak their mind, and it's exactly what their own husband is doing. Sometimes they get angry at him for not speaking his mind, but sometimes he looks them straight in the eye and says that what the listener wants to do is what he wants to do, so they've given up on trying to change that. The band brings up how they're married and the husband has probably been that way ever since they started dating; they're sure the two got married because they wanted to be together, despite the husband being that way, so it's okay to think of it as just their way of doing things. The fact that he looks the listener in the eye and tells them that what they want to do is what he wants to do is probably because he really loves them. RINA says that sending messages like this in to vent a bit is something that's good since it can be stressful to deal with. They bring up how they mentioned last time that they suggested to have the SO plan the listener's birthday or such, and it might be good to have this listener's husband do the same or plan a wedding anniversary.

•Then this happens, and the episode is closed out.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the 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 from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Interim report on the "LUMINOUS" tour! A spoiler-free recap!

Season 2, Episode 57 blog

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HARUNA: This time...since we're on tour for our new album: "The real story! LUMINOUS, Katarimasu! (Talking About LUMINOUS)"
The LUMINOUS tour started on April 2 and will continue until May 25, so without giving away too much information...we'd like to give you a look back and an interim report from the four of us.

By the way, as of this recording, the last concert we played was on April 13 in Takamatsu.

RINA: First, we played in Hiroshima on the first day. The first day was amazing, wasn't it?

All: Yeahー.

RINA: We were really energized.

TOMOMI: We felt at ease that the first day was in Hiroshima.

All: Yeahー.

HARUNA: It was our first time having Hiroshima as opening day of a tour, right?

TOMOMI: It might have been.

RINA: Even though it was a weekday, we were so happy that the venue was filled to capacity.

HARUNA: Also, the crowd was so pumped up that it was hard to believe it was the first time people heard this setlist...

TOMOMI: Everyone was so vocal.

RINA: It was a good groove, or rather, a good opening.

HARUNA: It was good, and it was fun! If you have a good first day of the tour, you feel different afterwards, don't you?

RINA: That's true. The beginning is important.

HARUNA: We fell in love with Hiroshima all over again.

RINA: Yeah, we did.

HARUNA: Oh, by the way, I took a break from this program, but my nasal voice has not returned.... I was still dragging it out after the first day, up to around Fukuoka and Kumamoto. But I still had a great time in Hiroshima. I was just trying to do what I could do at that time, but really, it is best to be in good spirits. But even so, the fans were warm, and we were able to put on a great concert.

RINA: When you've been doing this for a long time, it's normal to have days with various situations. It's normal as a human being. But you have to give 100% on that day, right? It was a great day, and I felt that we were really able to do that at the concert.

HARUNA: After Hiroshima, we went to Fukuoka the next day. How was Fukuoka?

RINA: Fukuoka was also scorching hot... We last played at that venue on our 47-prefecture tour. It had been a long time since we'd been there, and I thought the two days had completely different vibes.

HARUNA: Yeah. I like the Fukuoka venue (*DRUM LOGOS). The atmosphere, that is.

RINA: You can see all the way to the back.

HARUNA: It's important to be able to see the audience's faces.

RINA: It is important!

TOMOMI: Very important.

HARUNA: Fukuoka was fun too. Did you go anywhere in Fukuoka? After the concert?

RINA: Yes, I went to the Fukuoka Prefectural Art Museum by myself on the day before the concert, where various Fukuoka-related artists' works were exhibited. I enjoyed the exhibition, and after the concert, the staff and I went out to eat at a zosui specialty restaurant that served zosui in a lunchbox...

HARUNA: I didn't know there was such a place.

RINA: It was my first time there, and it was a wonderful restaurant.

HARUNA: You're pretty active this time, aren't you?

RINA: Yeah. I'm trying to go to places where I can see many things. I hope to be able to talk about my memories of the place each time I do an MC.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 57

•The episode starts with this.

•RINA then mentions how, until recently, the four of them had often been together on travel days and such, and this is the first time they're spending so much time apart. She says it's fun to hear what each member has been up to during the concert MCs. HARU brings up how she had mizutaki soup delivered to her. She felt that she shouldn't go out to eat too often due to her recent sickness, and when she said she wanted to eat something good for her body, their staff had mizutaki delivered from a mizutaki restaurant.

•They talk about Kumamoto, which happened on April 7, next. HARU says it was their first time playing there in 7 years (not since their 47-prefecture tour). RINA says that it seemed like the audience really listened a lot to the new album and were following along well. HARU says that it was also great that it seemed like everyone was having fun in their own way. RINA mentions how the band WANIMA had given them dumplings backstage (they were playing at the same venue the next day). HARU says they ate them on stage. RINA says that the bands have a connection with each other with having the same photographer. MAMI says that SCANDAL gave a lot of bread to WANIMA when they played there the next day. TOMO says that she was actually sick but started to feel better around the time they were in Kumamoto, and she was finally able to go outside. She did a lot of walking around and went to coffee shops, clothing stores, etc. and had fun doing so. She also played Pokemon GO and beat a lot of Pokemon, caught a lot of Pokemon, and beat a lot of gyms so that her team (Valor) was now in control of them.

•After Kumamoto was their concert in Okayama on April 12. HARU says it had also been 7 years since they last played there. TOMO says that they were going to play there for their KFTD tour that unfortunately never happened. HARU says that TOMO's relative came to see the show. TOMO says that her relative had been coming to see them for a long time and thought that she was still in elementary school, but she's all grown up and working in the bridal industry now. She hadn't seen her in 7 years and now she's taller than all of the SCANDAL members. HARU says that the concert was also really good. TOMO says that everyone was really loud. RINA says that she could hear the audience even with her in-ears in, which doesn't happen often.

•Following that was their concert in Takamatsu on April 13. MAMI says that there was udon in the dressing room for them to eat as soon as they entered. There were also inari sushi and tempura. They also went out to eat curry udon after the concert and ending up eating next to a bunch of fans. RINA says it was like an after-party. They say that the concert was really hot. MAMI mentions that the breaker for the air conditioning in the venue tripped about halfway through, so it was literally really hot. TOMO says that that was something that often happened before the pandemic. RINA says that Takao, the drummer of UNISON SQUARE GARDEN, came to see the concert and it made them really happy how complimentary he was. HARU says that he said his band would love to do another joint-band concert with SCANDAL. She then mentions that their program director Kawai is coming to the Mito concert and so will record audio after it.

•The audio recorded after the Mito concert is then played. They say they were close enough to the audience that they really could have shaken hands with them if they stretched out their hands since it was a small venue with a 350-person capacity. They say the atmosphere was hot and great, with lots of people calling their names, and they could see everyone's faces clearly. MAMI says that everyone looked like they had just gotten out of the bath. HARU says that it being sold out despite being a weekday made them really glad they came. TOMO says that the sticker they played in the dressing room 7 years ago is still there, although it's a little beat up now. She says she really felt the passage of time. HARU says it's great how they're still going strong 7 years later. They say that they're going to be heading to Sendai now, since their concert there is the next day.

•The audio then returns to SCANDAL recording in the studio where they close out the episode. Before they do, HARU reads a message from a listener who is from Okayama and tells a story of when they were in middle school and found a bat at school that looked very weak. They gently scooped it up and went to the nurse's office where the nurse and a female student were. As soon as the listener opened their hands and showed them the bat, they both yelled out. TOMO goes, "So there are bats in Okayama!" HARU says that Kawai, who is from Okayama, has never seen a bat there, but there seem to be plenty of people from there that have. TOMO says that when they asked the audience during the Okayama concert if there are bats there, a lot of people said there are. She says that the band was like, "So Kawai was lying after all!" and laughs. HARU laughs too and says rather than her lying, it's more that she's never seen any.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the 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 from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Is "If we can't find partners in a few years, let's get married" a possibility from SCANDAL's point of view? No?

Season 2, Episode 58 blog

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HARUNA: This time...we'll just be reading messages.

Takana Mentaime Mayo-don - 26 years old - Female

I have something I'd like advice for. I have a close male friend that I trust. My friend and I live in different prefectures (he used to live in my hometown but moved due to work), but we meet about once a month and go out to eat or go out of the prefecture. When we meet, it's usually like a girls' night out, and we enjoy talking and updating each other on what's going on.

Neither of us has a boyfriend or girlfriend. We usually talk about marriage values and ideal partners, and recently, my friend told me that he could see me as a romantic partner, and that if neither of us had a partner in two and a half years, we should get married.

For some reason, I started becoming romantically aware of my friend. Up until now, I had been the one to invite him to eat or send messages on LINE, but since then, my friend has invited me to eat every time he goes back to our hometown, and messages have started coming more frequently. I feel happy because I see a different side of my friend, and I feel like I've discovered even more good things about him.

I feel a little uneasy about our relationship, which is more than friends but less than lovers. But we've been friends for a long time, so sometimes I think it's best that things stay the way they are.

I broke up with my ex-boyfriend six months ago. I feel sad, and there's a part of me that still lingers over it. I don't know if I'm trying to fall in love with my male friend because I want to make up for these feelings I have, or if I'm trying to fall in love with my friend but am still attached to my ex. I can't sort out my feelings.

Please give me a hint on what to do.

TOMOMI: What's with the "two and a half years" thing...

MAMI: I know, right?

TOMOMI: Not two or three years, but two and a half years!

RINA: Isn't it because they're turning 30?

TOMOMI: I wonder.

RINA: Like a milestone.

HARUNA: The listener is in her late 20s.

MAMI: But what kind of promise is that? After all, you don't know what'll happen in two and a half years...

HARUNA: I wonder what's up with that. I kind of don't like it...

MAMI: I totally get it! After all, if you don't have anyone else...

HARUNA: Yeah, why is it something that has to be decided?

TOMOMI: Because they've been friends for so long, it must have been embarrassing to say, "Let's start dating after all," right? So he decided on a period of time as a kind of joke, not that they would wait two and a half years for each other. Maybe unless something like that was said, they would both feel uneasy. Or something like that.

RINA: And to tell them calmly.

MAMI: So, if the friend said it as a joke, the listener fell for it.

RINA: The relationship has shifted a bit. It feels different from before.

MAMI: Yeah.

HARUNA: She's aware of that.

MAMI: He said "two and a half years" later, and she doesn't know if he's serious or not, but it might make it impossible for either of them to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, right?

RINA: They don't have to think that far, right? If you find someone you really like within two and a half years, I think you should be free to do whatever you want, since there's no such rule.

TOMOMI: I think he's referring to an insurance-like period.

RINA: Because it makes you feel safe.

HARUNA: It can also be viewed as romantic interest.

TOMOMI: The guy is also comfortable with their current relationship and wants to take a step forward, but I think they're both thinking the exact same thing: if the relationship breaks down, there may be no going back. If you don't really like each other in that way right now, I think you should enjoy your relationship as it is! If you've become aware of him romantically, then you can make the decision to go out with him... I don't think you need to think so hard about it.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 58

•The episode starts with this. RINA says that even if the listener were to go out with the friend, she doen't have to feel like she has to get married to him. If she thinks she might like him and want to date, that's fine; it's also fine if they break up. HARU says that they could keep things as they are right now. TOMO says that she's personally never really had a friend turn into a romantic partner. That's why this situation sounds pretty novel and nice to her. RINA says the situation could go either way, so it's good to do what the listener wants to do without being too cautious.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says that their son is a heat-generating boy who raises the temperature of the room just by being in it. Even on a very cold day in the middle of winter, they don't need to heat the room when they sleep next to him. They say their son is a divine being who makes me feel warm just by being in the room with him. On the other hand, it's the worst in midsummer. The band laughs and says that's cute.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who went to the Hiroshima stop of the LUMINOUS tour and stayed over at a friend's place there. After the concert, they told their friend their thoughts on the concert. The friend said, "They're playing concerts for the album they made after setting a Guinness World Record, right?" and was really impressed. The listener asked the friend how they knew about SCANDAL, and the friend said that the listener had written about them on their Instagram. The listener has been posting their thoughts after every concert or CD release, hoping that it would reach as many people as possible. They're glad to know that some of their friends read their posts. The band thanks the listener. TOMO says that she often looks at the posts that the band's tagged in, which makes her happy. HARU says that posts like the listener's are important. MAMI says that if you know which artists your friends like, you'll definitely tell your friends about when you hear things about them, even if you don't know much about that artist. Things like, "Oh, I hear this artist is touring now."

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who went to the Okayama stop of the tour where their boyfriend was able to get ticket numbers 1-2. Their previous message had been read during episode 38 where they had met at SCANDAL's Mystery Tour event and then started dating, but they kept it a secret from everyone who was in the same group as them. Since at this concert they were in the front and center in the group photo, they laughed hard that it was obvious they had traveled there together. RINA says that they're taking photos with the audience and also letting the audience take photos and videos. TOMO says while laughing to be careful if you don't want to be in the group photos. RINA says that that's such a peaceful way for their relationship to be exposed.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is a second-year college student in what is essentially a light music club. The club had a welcome concert for new first-year students, and they covered "DOLL." They had performed at the school festival last October and covered "Kagerou," "Kagen no Tsuki," and "SCANDAL BABY" but the listener was satisfied with their performance, so they wanted to have a second go at it with the same members. They discussed what kind of music would be simple and cool. "DOLL" was the first song that came to mind and they suggested it since it was the first song they learned when they started playing bass in middle school. They usually play bass but wanted to try playing guitar and sing, so they asked the vocalist+guitarist and they let them do so. They were having so much fun on the day of the concert that they don't remember much about it, but they do clearly remember the sparkling eyes of the first-year students. "DOLL" was released in 2008 and so they thought that not many of them would know it due to them being only 3 years old when it was released, but they were really happy to hear them say how cool it was. The band thanks the listener. They also talk about things like how the number of people who bring their kids to SCANDAL concerts has really increased, as well as people who are expecting and say that they'll come back to see them after things settle down. RINA says that she's really happy everyone is moving forward in their own lives. HARU says that she also happy that those fans do come back, and that everyone's grown up together.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says that their boyfriend is very lucky when it comes to SCANDAL, and lists 3 reasons. ①He's tall, so even if he's in the middle of the crowd, he has a clear view of the band. ②He often appears in the crowd photos. ③He won an invitation to go backstage and meet the band (one of the winners of the lottery held for the Highlight single). The band mentions things like it could be beginner's luck and such. MAMI talks about how Sanrio has a lot of lucky draws but never pulls the stuff that she wants.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who has given copies of LUMINOUS to their co-workers, who are listening to it, but they can't seem to remember the title "Highlight no Naka de Bokura Zutto." Some misrememberings include "Ankoku no Naka de Bokura Eien ni" and "Ankoku no Naka de Zutto Boku-tachi" (both basically mean "We're Forever in the Darkness"). They ask the band how they can get people to remember the title properly. The band wonders why they think "ankoku" (darkness) is in the title. TOMO goes, "That's the complete opposite!" MAMI says that they could just go with "Highlight." The others agree that they could just shorten it to that.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

---

*A list of all episode summaries from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

---

#front-page #catchup

An in-depth look at the Asia tour leg in support of LUMINOUS, which starts from June 9!

Season 2, Episode 59 blog

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HARUNA: This time...we'll be doing a new project. It is titled,
SCANDAL TOUR 2024 “LUMINOUS”
"A guidebook of our Asia performances"!

We are currently in the middle of a nationwide tour in support of our new album LUMINOUS, and will be starting the Asia tour for it in June. We will be going to Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Seoul, and we'd like our listeners to know more about the Asia tour! ...And not only that--we have created a "travel guide" to help us enjoy our tour.

Fans in each country also listen to "Catch up," so we'll be delivering this episode in easy, slow Japanese. We will proceed based on the Asia tour travel guide.

TOMOMI: A travel guide was actually made for us.

MAMI: There's a place to write your name on it. It's a guidebook written entirely in hiragana.

HARUNA: Let's start with the dates...

Sunday, June 9 @ Legacy Taipei. Taipei
Tuesday, June 11 @ Tai Space Livehouse. Guangzhou
Thursday, June 13 @ Bandai Namco Shanghai Base Dream Hall. Shanghai
Saturday, June 15 @ musinsagarage. Seoul, Korea

RINA: It seems like there are almost no tickets left.

TOMOMI: It looks like they sold out immediately. Thank you very much.

RINA: I'm happy. It's been a long time since we toured Asia.

HARUNA: That's right; we haven't been able to go since the pandemic started.

TOMOMI: Asia, yes.

RINA: Sorry to keep you waiting.

HARUNA: At any rate, we're very happy.
Next, "The purpose of the tour!"

"It will be fun, safe, and exciting"

TOMOMI: That's true.

RINA: Indeed, that is the goal.

HARUNA: Next, the "Tour rules"!
There are four. The first one is "Wear whatever you like."

TOMOMI: If you can "wear whatever you like," then that's not a "rule."

HARUNA: The second one is "Have fun however you'd like to."

RINA: That's right.

HARUNA: The third one is "Be careful not to overeat."

MAMI: Yes.

TOMOMI: That's important.

HARUNA: The last one is "Meiji is preferable for snacks."

MAMI: This is true.

TOMOMI: No doubt.

RINA: We'll bring some.

HARUNA: The next page of the travel guide is a map. It shows the location of each city.

MAMI: I think Guangzhou is the furthest away this time.

HARUNA: That's right.

MAMI: Isn't Guangzhou 4 or 5 hours away (by plane)?

TOMOMI: Ah, that's close.

HARUNA: ...is that so?

MAMI: It takes a second to get there.

HARUNA: Hong Kong is like that, too.

TOMOMI: Well, it's about the same distance as a domestic trip. It's the same as taking the shinkansen to Hiroshima.

HARUNA: That's true. It is close.

RINA: It feels like everything is close.

HARUNA: Yes, because we had gone to Brazil.

MAMI: We traveled 30 hours each way.

RINA: That's true.

TOMOMI: Once you experience going to Brazil, you become "invincible" when it comes to transportation. Europe also only takes a second to get there. First of all, there's no need to transfer.

HARUNA: That's right.

MAMI: In other words, "just one flight" on a plane means that it's "close."

TOMOMI: Yes, it is close.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 59

•The episode starts with this.

•They then go through each date and location on the Asia tour leg. First is Taiwan on June 9th. The venue, Legacy Taipei, is large live music venue that opened in 2009 and renovated from the site of a former sake brewery built in 1914. Its max capacity is 1,000 and has a vibe similar to Club Citta Kawasaki and Shibuya Quattro. It's frequently used for concerts by famous Taiwanese singers and international artists. TOMO says that a 1,000-person capacity venue is nice. RINA says she's glad they get to know about stuff like this before performing.

•Second is Guangzhou on June 11th at Tai Space Livehouse, which is in the heart of Guangzhou's nightlife scene. Opening the heavy door, you enter a live music bar that makes you feel like you're in the Tang Dynasty. The two-story design features beautiful walls decorated with red lanterns and wine bottles on the bar. The stage is huge and the lighting and sound equipment is excellent. TOMO says that playing somewhere with good lighting and sound is important. HARU wonders what's with the red lanterns and wine bottles. RINA wonders if it's a very sparkly place because it's in the heart of the nightlife scene.

•Third is Shanghai on June 13th at Bandai Namco Shanghai Base Dream Hall, which is the center of subculture events in Shanghai. Many Japanese artists such as Leo Ieiri, coldrain, and Naotaro Moriyama have performed there before. RINA says that a lot of great Japanese artists have performed there. TOMO asks if it'll be SCANDAL's first time performing there. HARU thinks so. MAMI wonders if there will be a huge line of people waiting in line to try out gacha machines. TOMO wonders about the "subculture" events and thinks that maybe they're the same as ones held in Harajuku and such. MAMI thinks that anime and manga-related events are probably held there.

•Last is Seoul on June 15th at musinsa garage. The brand Musinsa is well known in the fashion world, and the venue opened in the mecca of Korean indie music, with fashion brands and indie musicians having the same mindset in the sense that they can grow together. MAMI says that she uses Musinsa's app a lot. TOMO says that it is easy to use. HARU says that she likes this kind of info since she can imagine what it'll be like before they go there. RINA says it's interesting and that there's a big difference between knowing and not knowing what kind of culture a city has. TOMO says that they surprisingly don't have a lot of experience with playing concerts in South Korea; they had only played there once before, and for a festival. HARU wonders when that was. RINA says it was a long time ago, and MAMI estimates around 2014-2015 (2014 is correct). TOMO says that it was a festival with a lot of loud bands. RINA says that it was a really cool festival, and that people told them they were happy SCANDAL was performing as there were no other all-girl bands performing. TOMO says that it'll be their first time playing a solo concert (RINA: "Yeah, surprisingly"), and that they'll need to do their best.

•HARU says that that's it for the guidebook and asks what kind of concerts they want to do. TOMO says that they played at a lot of small venues in Japan, which made everything pretty simple, so she thinks they can take the tour as is overseas. They often make their setlists more compact when they tour overseas and do something different, but she thinks they can play the same setlist they did in Japan, and that it would be good to do that. Though they haven't decided on that yet, they want to make the performances red-hot. MAMI says that in order to deliver LUMINOUS properly overseas, she thinks it'd be great if they could deliver the atmosphere of the tour around the songs like they are in Japan. HARU says that they'll do their best.

•There's a pause before a hard-to-hear voice in the background seems to say that that was short. MAMI starts laughing and HARU also says that it was short. MAMI says that maybe they could do a quiz. TOMO says that maybe they could do another one based on info on Meiji's site (like they did in a previous episode). MAMI says to tell her what they'd like a quiz about. TOMO asks if MAMI's going to make one. MAMI says she'll look for some questions/info. TOMO asks if she could do 4 questions (presumably about each place they're going to). HARU says to start it off with Taipei. MAMI asks if it's okay to just ask something about Taiwan, which they say yes to. MAMI says she found a good one and asks:

Q. What is the time difference between Taiwan and Japan?

A. 30 minutes
B. 1 hour
C. 2 hours
D. 5 hours

TOMO answers 2 hours, which is incorrect. HARU goes, "Isn't it 1 hour?" MAMI says yes in English. Japan is located at 135°E and Taiwan is located at 120°E.

•MAMI then starts looking for a quiz question about Guangzhou. She looks for a bit and then says, "Wow, this is a hard one!" The others ask what it is. The question is:

Q. There is a Chinese proverb that says, "Eat in Guangzhou." What province in China is Guangzhou located in?

The band laughs and says they have no idea. RINA asks if they would have heard about this province before. MAMI says yes and that there's a sauce that makes Chinese food easy to make. TOMO starts excitedly saying something that is kind of hard to understand but is apparently incorrect, so MAMI instead asks what kind of food egg foo young is. HARU goes, "Ahh, what was it again??" and then guesses Canton (Guangdong), which is correct. MAMI reads that Cantonese cuisine features flavors that make the most of ingredients such as shark fin, swallow's nest, lobster, and abalone, and is famous for its egg foo young, shumai, and babaocai. The others say they should eat those.

•Next, MAMI looks for a quiz about Shanghai. HARU says that this is fun. MAMI goes, "Really?" TOMO agrees that it's fun. MAMI finds a question and says that it's hard, and that it's about Shanghai Disneyland.

Q. What area opened in Shanghai Disneyland in 2018?[

A. Frozen
B. Mulan
C. Toy Story

TOMO and HARU guess Frozen while RINA guesses Mulan. MAMI pauses and says that the correct answer is Toy Story. They all go, "Aah!" TOMO says that there's a new area opening at the Tokyo Disney Resort in June that features Frozen. MAMI says that the hotel is being talked about a lot.

•Lastly, MAMI looks for a question about Seoul. She says there are a lot of them coming up and finds two that are interesting. HARU laughs and says that she can ask both of them. The first question is:

Q. What is the most common last name in Korea?

TOMO guesses Choi, which is incorrect. HARU and RINA guess Kim, which is correct. MAMI then reads the second question:

Q. What is the approximate population of Korea?

TOMO guesses 60 million, which is incorrect but is close. RINA guesses 70 million, which is also incorrect. MAMI says that that's further away from the correct answer. TOMO guesses 50 million, which is correct. RINA laughs and asks what's up with this quiz and all the hints they're being given. HARU laughs and says they're being given too many hints. MAMI says that it seems like there isn't really much of a band culture there. RINA guesses that it's because there are a bunch of dance groups, which MAMI agrees with. HARU says that those are basically all who appear on TV. TOMO hopes that their own band sound reaches those in Korea. MAMI says that they hope the people will enjoy it. RINA says that it makes them happy that there is an interest in SCANDAL there. She also says that it's impressive when artists from your own country are known worldwide, and that it's really nice to know that people are interested in Japanese all-girl bands. HARU says that she saw on Twitter recently that someone had come from Korea to see the LUMINOUS tour, so it makes her happy to see when fans are happy. TOMO says that a lot of people from overseas have been coming to this tour (‍�), and also mentions how she ran into a fan from Spain at Azabudai Hills the other day. MAMI says that she wants to go to Azabudai Hills. HARU says it's a really nice place. TOMO laughs and says that she thinks they're in the center's target demographic.

•They then close out the episode. HARU says that their program director Ohno wasn't here today and so they largely did what they wanted to. TOMO says that they took over doing quizzes from him, which makes the others laugh. HARU says that it's impressive how they were able to do a quiz like that right away. RINA says it'd be nice if they could record for this program overseas if they can. MAMI says that maybe they could record something while walking around the different cities. TOMO says that the audio might be only iPhone-level quality, though, and that they might not be able to do it due to their tight schedule.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the 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 from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Establishing a new segment where listeners answer other listeners' concerns??

Season 2, Episode 60 blog

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HARUNA: This time...we'll just be reading messages.

Chiibo

I'm sending in a message because I want to ask for love advice.

As more people around me get married, I've started to think seriously about marriage. I'm still in the process of searching for that kind of partner, but as I meet various people, there's one thing that's been bothering me.

As I meet various people, I've recently begun to feel that people express their feelings towards me in various ways, and that the ways vary from person to person.

I understand that there are various ways of expressing things, but I'm struggling to answer which I'd be happier with: someone who can express themselves clearly, or someone who is not good at expressing their feelings and doesn't express them, or someone who doesn't understand them from my perspective. I'm honestly happy that they express themselves so clearly, but I also wonder if I can respond in equal measure and feel anxious about whether my message is getting through to them.

On the other hand, if they don't express themselves that much, it makes me curious when I don't know what they think of me. It makes me feel like I can't move forward and leaves me feeling frustrated.

I know this is a difficult topic to discuss, but I'd like to hear SCANDAL's honest opinions, and I was wondering if you could occasionally have a segment where listeners could answer listeners' concerns. I'd appreciate your consideration for this new segment.

TOMOMI: That's really good!

RINA: I like it.

TOMOMI: Let's do that.

RINA: There are all kinds of people, after all.

MAMI: But it feels like they already have the answer. People who show affection properly tend to have a more positive outlook on things.

HARUNA: That's true.

MAMI: You're glad about that, but it's a question of whether you can keep up with it, right? But they feel bothered by people who aren't good at expressing themselves, and they thought that their negativity is stronger, so it feels like they have the answer.

RINA: So you think it's better for them to express themselves.

MAMI: Isn't it about the "degree" of which they do it? Isn't that what the listener's worried about?

TOMOMI: I think the most important thing is to decide which one you like better. Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves, and there's nothing wrong with that, so I think it's best to think about your own feelings first and then discuss the way the person you like in the future expresses themselves.

HARUNA: I thought it would be better to look at other aspects, and to be able to see a little more of each person's good qualities.

RINA: So it's not about "going against yourself"?

HARUNA: Yeah.

RINA: Like their attitude towards others, or the nature of that person.

HARUNA: Yes.

TOMOMI: Some people are good at expressing themselves, and some are not, but it's important to know what kind of person they are. Even if you're not good at it, I think there will come a time when you'll understand that you're thinking things properly as you talk to each other, and you'll think that's okay, for both of you. I think it's important to be close to each other, and rather than deciding based on how to express it, I think it's better to prioritize your feelings and which person you really want to be with.

RINA: I don't think you need to feel that you have to return the same amount of love because someone has expressed it to you. If you love each other, even if you express it in different ways, there are things you can understand and feel for each other. If they say "I love you" a lot, I don't think you need to feel burdened by having to say it the same number of times.

TOMOMI: Because it's not about the number of times.

HARUNA: It's "to each to their own," including yourself.

RINA: That's right.

MAMI: Discuss things with each other. Each time.

TOMOMI: It's about understanding the other person.

HARUNA: Getting to know them better.

RINA: But it's great that the listener's so active. They started thinking about marriage and decided to take action to meet various people.

TOMOMI: That's important.

HARUNA: I've been thinking lately that you really do have to take action.

TOMOMI: Also, we should definitely have a segment where listeners answer other listeners' problems. Let's do it! First of all, let's ask for people to respond to Chibo's concerns.

MAMI: This is what we think, but what do you all think?

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 60

•The episode starts with this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who attended the Nagoya and Osaka performances of the LUMINOUS tour. She says that she had a big fight with her boyfriend 5 days before Nagoya and even talked about breaking up. She thought that she wouldn't be able to go to the concert if things didn't work out. Their ticket numbers were in the double digits, which can be quite rare, so she thought about what she should do. Then the bf contacted her and said he wanted to go with her, so they ended up making up and going to the concert together. She says that they were able to make up thanks to SCANDAL. The band says that's cute and that they're glad. HARU laughs and says that ticket numbers saved them. TOMO says that it happened at the right timing.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who also attended the Nagoya concert. They say they actually were betrayed so badly by someone they trusted that it'll probably take them several years to recover from it. They felt helpless and honestly couldn't even think about SCANDAL and wasn't sure if they wanted to go to the concert. However, their ticket number was in the single digits. The band starts laughing at this. The listener says they thought it was a reward from the heavens and decided to go. While there in the front row, the lyrics for some of the songs really hit hard and made them cry. RINA says that this listener is apparently a teacher (All: "Hey! Teacher"). TOMO says that ticket numbers do have the power to change lives. HARU says it does seem like that's true. No matter how dark your life is and unsure you are, it does make you want to go to that concert. RINA says that she's surprisingly the type of person who would get a little intimidated if her ticket is in the single digits. She's a little too shy to be far up front and prefers to watch from a distance. But this made her realize again that there are many people who do feel saved by being in the front row, so close that they can almost reach the stage. TOMO says that she hopes that they always help someone out with their concerts. RINA says a really interesting thing about music is that it resonates differently depending on your circumstances. HARU says that lyrics are amazing things. RINA says that they can sound completely different, and it's also the same as when they're performing the songs. HARU agrees that it really depends on the moment.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who, while waiting at a traffic light on their motorcycle, was hit by a car late at night the day before Golden Week started (April 26) and was rushed to the emergency room. They had made lots of plans for GW but had to cancel them due to suffering from whiplash and other nerve pain and instead concentrate on treatment and rehab. They had resigned to not being able to go to the Yokohama concert (May 6), but they told themselves that their body would be fine after rehab and that today's concert was only for today, and that they should go rather than regret not going. They were third row in front of TOMO and participated in the concert until the end. The band is surprised and wondered if they were able to stand there until the end. The listener says that they were so sore that they couldn't even lift their arms, but they have no regrets. They're also looking forward to the tour finale in Tokyo (May 25). The band laughs and wonders if they'll be okay. MAMI says that them being in the third row means that they also had a good ticket number. They laugh and say they're glad. HARU says that this is another case of being motivated to go because of a good ticket number. TOMO says she wishes they could give good numbers to everyone. HARU says that it's also interesting when your luck isn't as good, and it makes you want to go to another concert and hope you get a better number. RINA says she think she also got a DM from this listener who had written to ask if the staff could arrange a special set for them to watch the concert in a more relaxed manner. However, even if the band members get messages like this, they themselves cannot take action on it. They can tell the staff, but they can't reply directly to the person. That's why she really wishes people like this person would go through official channels instead, and that they should be more careful in regards to DMs because they are not staff's accounts. TOMO wonders if the listener's condition worsened by going to the concert. MAMI laughs and thinks it's the opposite. HARU says that the listener hopefully improves more by the tour finale and to not overdo it.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is a little older than HARU and says they recently resigned from the company they had worked for since they graduated college (14 years), and that SCANDAL's songs like "Image" and "Sisters" have given them a lot of support. The band says it's impressive that they worked there for 14 years. HARU says that continuing to do something is a lot of work. RINA says it's very encouraging to have someone a little older than them listen to their music.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who only got hooked on SCANDAL about 2-3 months ago. They did know about songs like "Shunkan Sentimental" and "Shoujo S" before, and by chance they decided to listen to other SCANDAL songs. They also started watching music videos and listening to "Catch up." The band says thanks and that it makes them happy to hear that.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

---

*A list of all episode summaries from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

What does SCANDAL, a band that has been together for a long time, think is the fine line between "stability" and "routine"?

Season 2, Episode 61 blog

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HARUNA: This time...we'll be doing "Catch up - Kyoukai-sen Kyoukai" (Fine Line Association) for the first time in forever! It has been quite a while.

RINA: It has.

HARUNA: Now let's select the "agenda" cards. Oh, Kawai-chan (*director) has prepared them.

→Drawing a card.

HARUNA: "Routine" and "stability."
(*Kawai: "I was wondering what you guys, who have been working this job for a long time, think about this")

RINA: I see...I think many working people may feel this.

HARUNA: Doing the same thing over and over can easily lead to a tedious routine.

TOMOMI: A "routine" is a state of being stuck in place. It's not about new ideas, but about repeating the same thing over and over again. Nothing more or less. "Stability" isn't about the mental aspect...it may have a mental aspect to it, but it's about being able to continue doing what you need to do and what you want to do.

RINA: I feel that "stability" gives you more freedom. It feels like you can be free within the foundation of "stability." "Routine" feels rigid.

MAMI: I wonder. "Routine" gives the impression of continuing to do what you've been given, while "stability" gives the impression of continuing to do what you want to do.

RINA: Like whether you're passive about it or not.

MAMI: Yeah. I feel like continuing to do what you want to do is not "routine" but "stability." But even when you're in a "routine," if you can find your own fulfillment in the work you're given, I think that will turn into "stability."

RINA: I think it has a lot to do with how you approach it.

HARUNA: "Routine" feels more negative.

RINA: That's true.

TOMOMI: It's about whether it's boring or not.

RINA: It's the degree of excitement. You want to change the way you perceive things, and the heart you have when you face them. When you feel like you're in a routine and you're tired of repeating the same thing over and over, try to come up with new ideas. If you look at it from a broader perspective, we've really been doing the same thing since we were kids. Just writing songs and performing live. Within that, we're expressing new feelings. I think it's all about your own state of mind.

MAMI: When I'm writing songs, I always feel like I'm playing octaves for guitar solos and such. I wonder if I can do something different, but I can't, so I just send them to everyone, thinking, "Oh well..." or "Pfft."

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 61

•The episode starts with this. TOMO says that she doesn't think of the band as being something that's "routine" and thinks of it as "stability." Things like releasing an album once every 2 years, having an event on their anniversary, and playing a Christmas concert all account for this feeling of stability. She does think that sometimes things get routine, not in their activities, but in song production. There are times when they feel stuck, or that they've expressed themselves in the same way before, or that they're saying the same thing just in different words. RINA says that it really depends on your mentality and how you perceive what is routine. The song "LOOP" was written with that in mind. She says she feels very lucky and grateful to have a job where she can express her frustrations and anxieties. Ohno seems to say something about what the band thinks about being perceived as stable by outsiders. TOMO replies that they don't mind that at all, but this job is really not a stable one. They're lucky that they're able to do the same kind of activities at the same time every year, but it's not a stable job--it's not a stable profession. RINA says that they're the type of band that people often say seem stable. TOMO says that if that's the way people look at them, then she's grateful for that.

•The next topic is "Good value for money vs. bad value for money." The band is kind of confused; TOMO says that those two are completely different from each other. Ohno says something that's a little hard to hear, but the gist of it seems to be how they would divide the two. HARU and RINA agree that it probably differs depending on the person. HARU says that she doesn't think it's a bad thing to have poor cost performance when it comes to music production. MAMI laughs and says that it is generally poor, though. RINA says that it is a really bad cost performance in general. It can take years along with stamina and energy to make a 3-minute song, but they're people who enjoy and love expressing themselves, which is why they're doing this as a job. They can do it because they feel that their energy and time spent on it is extremely rich during their production periods. However, people in completely different professions or who work in more numerical fields might wonder what the heck they're doing. TOMO says that this same concept could apply to touring. It's said in their industry that playing at Zepp venues (1,000-ish-capacity venues around Japan) is very cost-effective, and you'll be stable if you keep doing Zepp tours. But after a while, you have a desire to go to places you haven't been yet, and sometimes they want to choose to play small venues even if the cost performance isn't that good. It's also an important part of their band activities--it means going to different areas, performing in different places, gaining experience, going to meet people you want to meet, going to countries you want to go to, even if it's not always cost-effective to do so. That's the kind of job they have.

•MAMI says that you can't really say where the fine line is between good value vs. bad value, but tries to give an example: If you were able to eat really good yakiniku for 1,000 yen ($6 USD), then that would be good value for money. However, if another restaurant sells that same meat for 10,000 yen ($63 USD), then that wouldn't be kind of a bad value for money. So rather than the fine line between good and bad value or the average between them, it's a question of what each person thinks is good or bad. TOMO mentions how when they talked with Vaundy at the after-party they had after the joint-band show they did with him, he said that he wrote the song "Tokimeki" in just two hours. She says that writing a song that was such a big hit in Japan in such a short amount of time was very cost-effective, which they laugh at. She then talks about how it took her a long time to write the lyrics to "Fanfare"--she couldn't sleep and she was physically exhausted. She pauses and then goes, "It's not a song that a lot of people know about at this point, honestly [unlike Vaundy's]" (RINA: "Not yet"), and that just their fans that are listening to it. That's why she wants to improve their cost-effectiveness. They all laugh. TOMO says that their job is to start from something that is not cost-effective and make it better. RINA says that it's really about what you think is cost-effective and what makes you feel fulfilled. SCANDAL's music has struck a deep chord in the hearts of their current fans, so they feel very fulfilled because of that. She says it's a really interesting and difficult topic. TOMO says that if you talk about cost performance, you're only talking about the cost. But when it comes to the emotional aspect of whether or not their music is reaching their audience, it's a completely different story.

•MAMI says there's no good or bad when it comes down to it. RINA says that that's why she thinks their managing office and record label are very cost-effective in and of themselves, but the band, who expresses themselves, do it with their hearts, so she's sure they're causing their office+label a lot of trouble because their kind of job can't be done without having heart. HARU says that even when they're set to record a full day in the studio, they can be done in about two hours if they rehearse enough ahead of time; that's not cost-effective at all. RINA says that there are also some times when they need two more extra hours--you don't know how things will go until you're doing them. TOMO mentions how it took a combined 60 hours to go to Brazil and back, all to do a concert that lasted less than two hours, which was 100% not cost- nor time-effective. But since there were people who cried and were happy that they came, that made it worth it. RINA says that stuff like that adds to your level of fulfillment. MAMI says that it's not really a question of whether something is a good value or bad value. TOMO says that they wouldn't trade it for anything.

•Kawai says that they've been getting a lot of messages about this next topic recently, though it's likely they've discussed something similar before. HARU says that she thinks they talked about something different in the past, and that the next topic is friendship vs. affection. RINA and HARU says that it's hard to say what the fine line is. TOMO says that there are friends who have affection for each other, too, and also thinks that there is friendship in lovers. Friendship is like wanting to experience something together or to have adventures together. Love is like wanting to do something for the person, or give something to the person. TOMO says that she thinks they do both exist at the same time. You can have the same kind of friendship and affection for the people you love, whether they're friends, lovers, or family. She says that she has that kind of friendship with her parents. RINA says that's a good relationship. MAMI says that she can't say for sure, but she thinks affection is a maternal kind of thing. RINA says that she thinks giving is a big part of it, and it can be unconditional. MAMI says that friendship is more about having fun together. It's more like when you're a child and playing together or experiencing someting together. RINA says that defining friendship is a difficult thing to do. They seem to agree that friendship is about having fun/experiencing things together.

•RINA asks HARU what she thinks. HARU says that it's also hard for her to say. But if they're going to say that friendship and affection are based on friends, then to put it simply, opposite-sex friendship is friendship, but same-sex friendship may be both. She says she doesn't feel that much affection for opposite-sex friends. If asked if she has affection for those friends, she might answer that she doesn't. TOMO says that thoughts on friendship vs. affection really does depend on each person.

•The last topic has to do with Japanese words/slang that are often used recently and can't really be translated into English, so I will not be doing so.

•As this episode was released 2 days after the Japan LUMINOUS tour finale, audio recorded right after finishing the concert is then played. They say they really worked hard. HARU mentions that the concert was live broadcasted, which made them a little more nervous than usual. RINA says it's because they're not good at having concerts filmed, which makes HARU laugh. HARU says that they tried to play the concert as usual without being as nervous as possible, but they were already feeling nervous when they were doing rehearsals. RINA says they're glad they had all kinds of people watch their live show, though. HARU says that the crowd was amazing from the start, and then asks the other members what they thought of it. RINA says she feels like they really went all out and was really glad they were able to put on this kind of concert. She also says that she thought her band mates were really wonderful. HARU thanks her. TOMO says that she feels that their album was conveyed to everyone in a good way, and that they couldn't have done their best without the program messages they received from listeners throughout the tour. She says she's really glad went all out. MAMI says she was so focused today that she had never been so focused in her 34 years of life. She goes, "No smile!", referring to how she didn't smile at all during the entire concert, which makes them all laugh. She says she didn't look forward and just looked at her guitar. She tells the others to praise her and they do, clapping and saying she worked hard. HARU says she was reminded that they really do have great fans. As she said during the MC today, she thinks it's tough to keep up with the band since what they do is different every time. She really thought that it's because the fans love them so much that they're able to keep up with the band and says thank you. Although she's said to see the tour end, they have a lot of event appearances and Karaoke Night coming up, so they'll have chances to see the fans again soon and are looking forward to it.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

---

*A list of all episode summaries from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

---

#front-page #catchup

Are HARUNA and RINA complete opposites...? Having their fortunes read by Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru from the comedy duo "Baka yo Anata wa"!

Season 2, Episode 62 blog

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HARUNA: This is HARUNA, vocalist of SCANDAL and...

RINA: Drummer RINA.

HARUNA: Oh, it's the two of us this time.

RINA: It's been a while.

HARUNA: Yeah, it's been a while. We've never had this duo before. Probably.

RINA: We haven't?

HARUNA: Yeah, no, right? (*to the staff)

RINA: I see...

(*Staff: Nope)

RINA: Ehー, this is surprisingly a first.

HARUNA: We've recorded in pairs before, but this is the first time you and I are paired up.

RINA: I see. I didn't realize this is the first time.

HARUNA: So, I, HARUNA, and RINA will be bringing you this episode, and we'll be welcoming a guest in two parts to explain why we're doing this in pairs.

RINA: This is a special episode, huh...

HARUNA: Yes, it is special.

RINA: This might be the first time we've had a guest since Announcer Matsumoto was on...

HARUNA: Maybe so.

RINA: We did a "baseball batting order with vegetables."

HARUNA: We did something we didn't understand...

RINA: Yes, it was a bit of a joke episode. It was a lot of fun, though.

HARUNA: That was fun, wasn't it? When did we do that...?

RINA: It was quite a while ago. (Staff note: September 18, 2023)

HARUNA: When it comes to guests on our show, it's always Announcer Matsumoto.

RINA: That's right.

HARUNA: And so, here is what we will be bringing to you this time!
SCANDAL URANAIMASU (SCANDAL Fortune-Telling)

RINA: Fortune-telling...

HARUNA: Yes, fortune-telling.

RINA: Our guest this time will be Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru from the comedy duo "Baka yo Anata wa," and all of the SCANDAL members will be getting "Egyptian fortune-telling" done. I've never heard of "Egyptian fortune-telling" before...

HARUNA: I've never heard of it.

RINA: I'm curious.

HARUNA: You know, what is the relationship between SCANDAL and fortune-telling?...

RINA: We've done it here and there for fan club projects and so on. As for my private life, well...

HARUNA: Have you been to any?

RINA: I went to get my palm read with my sister, but that was years ago.

HARUNA: My voice training teacher likes tarot.

RINA: You did mention that.

HARUNA: I studied tarot on my own and had it read before. But I don't think I've ever had a proper reading like this time.

RINA: But aren't comedians these days just amazing?

HARUNA: They are amazing.

RINA: They can do everything way too well.

HARUNA: They do all kinds of things, including Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru. But that's not all.

RINA: He's also knowledgeable about Sanrio, and had lots of interesting conversations about it.

HARUNA: I saw his Instagram and there was so much about Sanrio on it. I think TOMO and MAMI will be really excited about this.

RINA: I agree.

HARUNA: That's for the next episode.

RINA: [Baka yo Anata wa] also formed a band.

HARUNA: We'll have Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru read our fortunes for the second half of 2024.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 62

•The episode starts with this.

•Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru then joins. HARU asks him how he, a comedian, got into doing fortune-telling. Hirai says that he hasn't been doing it for very long; he started during the pandemic when everyone was spending more time at home and thought that he should grow his repetoire. He says he has a comedian friend who also does tarot readings and is a bit of a clumsy type of person who can't speak very well, but for some reason they can speak well when they're telling fortunes, or perhaps they have some mysterious ability. Hirai thought that since his friend could do it, then he himself could do it too and thought he'd give it a try. Since he likes Egyptian history, he found some Egyptian tarot cards and started doing fortune-telling. HARU asks what kind of fortune-telling Egyptian tarot cards are. He says that the cards have the same meanings as regular tarot cards, but the cards can be interpreted in different ways due to the designs being based on ancient Egyptian ones and mythological gods + real-life kings appearing on the cards. HARU and RINA say they're looking forward to it.

•HARU asks RINA if she's ever tried tarot reading. RINA says she doesn't remember ever trying it. HARU says she doesn't think she's had it properly done before. Hirai asks them if they've ever had any kind of fortune-telling done. RINA says that she's done a palm reading before. HARU says that the entire band has had fortune-telling done for fan club videos, and do it once every 2 years or so.

•Hirai then brings out the cards and HARU says that they're really beautiful. Hirai says that there are 78 cards with each having their own meaning. The reading then begins. HARU says she's going to first ask about divining for the entire band, which is what she's most interested in. Hirai says that tarot cards are not meant to be viewed over a long period of time, so you can expect to see the results within the next year at most. He wonders if good luck is in store for SCANDAL. He says he usually asks his audience to draw a card and asks them to each draw one, which they do. The first card he talks about is the King of Pentacles, and says that it's a very good card relating to fortune. Pentacles are equivalent to gold coins, so it literally means that they'll be blessed with money, material fulfillment, and other things. HARU says that that sounds good. Hirai says that it is, and that because it is a king card, it'll also be a time when they're likely to make a lot of money. RINA is surprised and asks if that's within the next year. He says yes. HARU goes, "Really?" He says that they'll be very blessed in terms of work success. On the other hand, a drawback of it is that it's a card that goes too far in that direction, so it's a little weak in terms or emotions and such. So if they get too caught up in the success of their job, they might neglect relationships with others. He thinks they should be careful about that, and also that it's better to not rush ahead too much. HARU says that he's saying that they shouldn't just think about success and such. He says yes, but he also thinks it's easy to go in the right direction with the work that they're doing, so they should be find if they're careful about it.

•RINA says this is interesting and that this is the first time money has been talked about when divining for the band itself. HARU agrees and says that hasn't happened before. They both say that they can't imagine the "lucky with money" thing happening since they've never really focused on making money for the sake of making money. HARU says that she doesn't know if that's good or bad. Hirai says that he thinks it's a good stance to take and is a result of them things happening naturally. HARU says that maybe they should be grateful for that and asks if this will happen within a year. Hirai says within a year at most. RINA wonders what they're going to do that'll earn them that much money and says while laughing that maybe they'll play a lot of concerts, though that's something normal for them anyway. She says that they've always played concerts all the time and have also kept up the same release schedule from when they were still kids. Hirai says that's amazing. HARU says that there are a lot of upcoming things that they can't talk about yet, but she will say that there are a lot of things that have already been decided on. Hirai says that things will work out. RINA says that she's glad to hear that.

•HARU then asks if it's okay to do individual readings, which Hirai says yes to and that she can ask him about anything like work, love, health, or whatever is on her mind. HARU wonders what would be interesting. RINA says that she's interested in work and love. Hirai says that he can also see what kind of person HARU fundamentally is, such as her nature. HARU says that sounds interesting and asks him to do that. She chooses the first card she sees, which turns out to be Ace of Swords. HARU and RINA point out how there's a bird on the card and that the card is really pretty. Hirai says that the sword is a symbol of intelligence and reason in tarot cards; it means intelligence and logical thinking. The bird on the card is Horus, the god of falcons in Egyptian mythology. HARU says it looks really cool. Hirai says that he's a very famous god in mythology. He also says that the number 1 has a strong nuance of a new first step in everything, so that card itself has the meaning that you are taking a new and positive first step with a clear sense of your goals for the future. In terms of human nature, it means that you are very ambitious, stoic, and the type that values ​​logic over intuition. You act after thinking things through and have a clear vision for the future. Since Horus is also a heroic god, he is very suited to take the lead in moving things forward, which is a very good thing, and someone who is always aiming higher. HARU says that sounds really cool. RINA says that's really good and sounds accurate to a main vocalist, which both HARU and Hirai agree with. RINA asks HARU if she feels like she is a main vocalist. HARU says she's actually been thinking that she's not really suited to be one because of her personality. However, after listening to what Hirai said, she feels pretty confident that that's not totally the case. Hirai says that that's totally fine. RINA says it's pretty surprising that HARU thinks that it's logical. HARU says she's also surprised. RINA says that if she had to guess, she'd say she's more of an intuitive person, and she sometimes thinks she's the type of person who has the courage to jump in without a set vision. Hirai says it's true that Horus may have that kind of recklessness since he's a young god, so he has the tendency to jump in with the momentum that only a young person can have.

•Next, HARU asks for Hirai to divine about love. Hirai says that he'll divine what her luck with love will be like within the next year. The card HARU chooses is the King of Cups. HARU says that a lot of king cards are popping up for them. Hirai says that a cup is equivalent to the heart in playing cards. It is a symbol of emotional connections and bonds. Also, the king is a very strong presence and has the meaning of being able to give kindness to someone else, so it's a good fortune. HARU agrees that it does look like a good card. Hirai says that on the other hand, there is also an element of prioritizing others over yourself, so you tend to neglect yourself a little and get tired easily.
It's a good time to be in love, but it might be a bit one-sided. They all laugh at this. He says that if you give love to someone, you might not get something in return right away. You'll need to take a long-term view of that. But it's something that will become more ingrained in you in the long run, so this stance is definitely not a bad thing. He again says that basically it's a good card. HARU says that's good, and that they've drawn some pretty good cards. Hirai does remind them that there are some bad cards in the deck somewhere. HARU says that she's glad that a lot of positive things have been said so far. Hirai says that he's basically trying to guide them in a positive direction, which HARU says is wonderful.

•They then divine for RINA. RINA isn't sure if she wants him to divine about her personally or for work. Hirai says that he can look at both at once. RINA says that she's also interested in hearing about love, which HARU and Hirai laugh at. Hirai says that he'll take a look at the essence of RINA and she chooses a card, which turns out to be The World. In terms of simple fortune telling, it is the strongest card in all the cards. It depicts the Egyptian diagram of the creation of the world. At the top is the god of the sky, at the bottom is the god of the earth, and in the middle is the god of the air. The ones at the top and bottom were originally too close and stuck together, but the god of the air said to cut it out and pulled them up, creating the world. HARU says this card has a great meaning to it. Hirai says this card shows that you have created the space or system you desire and are creating wonderful moments within it. If you apply it to your personality, you are a relatively stable thinker and a bit scared of trying new things. If anything, you want to solidify your current environment and want to feel at ease in it. But because of that, you're very kind to your community, friends, and the people you have in your life. You're a little conservative, but not in a bad way, and value your own worldview very much. RINA says that this is surprising to hear but does sound true. HARU says that she kind of gets it and that she thinks RINA has a desire to move forward while preserving that sense of security and stability. Hirai says that she probably doesn't take too many gambles, which both of them agree with.

•Hirai asks if RINA wants to hear about work next. RINA asks if it's okay to do three divinations in total and laughs. Hirai laughs and says that's totally fine and that he'll do one for work next. The card RINA chooses is the Eight of Wands. The wand is something that supports you, so it symbolizes experience, evidence, and passion. It's a card that says that as you gain experience starting from 1, at the stage 8 you will attract the opportunity to take the next step. There's nothing wrong with what you're doing now, which is being done with passion. By continuing to work hard at it, you can take the next step, so you should keep working hard at what you're doing. It's a card that says that continuity is important. RINA says she's happy and glad to hear that.

•Hirai asks RINA what the third one she wants is, and RINA says love. The card she chooses the King of Wands. HARU says that another wand has come up. Hirai brings up how, as he mentioned earlier, wands are symbols of things that support you, such as experience, passion, etc. The king of wands is a symbol of something you have worked hard for and have achieved, and at the same time, this card is about taking action, being proactive, and so on. The more proactive you are, the more likely you are to get good results. It's a good time in terms of love, and you can make things better depending on yourself. It's also a card of passion, so it's better to take action first rather than thinking too much about it. He thinks it would be more effective if you follow your intuition and passion. RINA says that's important.

•Hirai says that it's great that the two of them have gotten so many good cards. HARU asks if tarot decks do have a lot of king cards in them. Hirai says that they basically have the same composition of playing cards, so there's 1 to 10 of each of the cards, wands, pentacles, cups, and swords, as well as queens and kings. HARU says that there aren't many king cards, then, but they got 3 of them. Hirai says that there are some cards like The Devil in there. HARU says that she would have liked to have seen a card like that come up, and that it would have been interesting/funny if they were told that the next year wouldn't be that good. Hirai laughs and says that their year does in fact look like a good one. HARU says that that makes her feel a little relieved. RINA says that she's looking forward to the future. Hirai talks about how he's been doing this for a few years now, and that tarot cards aren't as complicated as you think. Oddly enough, the same card can be interpreted a little differently depending on the diviner, so it's all down to your own intuition and inspiration. It's all about how you think in that moment. He says that he's always loved Egypt and is a bit knowledgeable about it, so he tries to combine it with his tarot readings. He also talks about the Ancient Egypt Museum in Shibuya that's only open on weekends, and that he often borrows a space there to do tarot readings. HARU and RINA are surprised and say that's great, and that they invite their fans to go to him and get their reading done.

•They then close out the episode by reading a message from a listener who talks about how the comedian duo Lalatune uploaded a video about how to write business emails, and when they were trying to come up with a fake company name, the name they came up with was "Rooftop, Inc." (which is the managing office that SCANDAL is part of). After doing so, the duo's manager tells them that there's already an entertainment company called ROOFTOP. RINA says that she sometimes watches their videos but hasn't seen this video yet. She also mentions how their CEO worked very hard on the about page on the site.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the 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 from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

Continuing from the previous episode, Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru of the comedy duo "Baka yo Anata wa" will read the band's fortunes!

Season 2, Episode 63 blog

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TOMOMI: This is SCANDAL's bassist TOMOMI...

MAMI: And guitarist MAMI.

TOMOMI: This is a special episode in our two-part series with our guest. This time, we have TOMOMI and MAMI. Last time, HARU & RINA had their fortunes told.

MAMI: And the band as a whole. They drew good cards.

TOMOMI: As a band, things are going in a good direction.

MAMI: Yeah.

TOMOMI: Money...

Both: They said we'll get some!!

MAMI: I'm grateful!

TOMOMI: Same.

MAMI: It's motivating.

TOMOMI: Yeah, it is. Also, in addition to getting personal fortune-telling done, you also want to talk about Sanrio.

MAMI: That's right.

TOMOMI: So we have the "＃1 Sanrio lover in the entertainment world" and the "＃1 Sanrio lover in the band world" here.

MAMI: No, no, no.

TOMOMI: At worst, we don't need fortune telling. We could just talk about Sanrio.

MAMI: That's right. There really hasn't been anyone I can talk to about Sanrio, so I'm looking forward to it!

TOMOMI: Oh, we forgot to announce the title... This time we're bringing you "Scandalous..." Ah!

MAMI: ...why!?

TOMOMI: In our 18th year, I got the name of our band wrong... It's the one that people often mistake the word for.

MAMI: Yeah, we do get mistaken for that.

TOMOMI: Let's try that one more time...

MAMI: If you would...

TOMOMI: "SCANDAL URANAIMASU"!
...I apologize for messing up.

MAMI: When someone calls us "Scandalous," we're always like, "No, it's SCANDAL!"

TOMOMI: Yeah that's what we always say. And when someone says "Taiyou Scandal," we're like, "Ah, it's 'Taiyou Scandalous.'"

MAMI: Continuing from last time, Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru of the comedy duo "Baka yo Anata wa" will be doing "Egyptian fortune-telling" for all of the band members.

TOMOMI: The previous episode was so good...

MAMI: That's right!

TOMOMI: I'm kind of nervous. Like, what if things get bad?

MAMI: There are some bad cards in there, or rather, some cards that are not good luck-wise... We might draw the "Devil" card...

TOMOMI: I kind of want to see that card...

MAMI: That's true.

TOMOMI: I don't want to because it'll affect our fortune, but...I want to see it!

MAMI: I want to see it.

TOMOMI: We do feel that way.

MAMI: We're interested.

TOMOMI: I'm nervous, but let's have him take a look.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 63

•The episode starts with this.

•Hirai "Pharaoh" Hikaru joins them and asks them what they should do for this episode. MAMI says that she hears that he's the ＃1 person for fortune-telling in the entertainment industry and ＃2 when it comes to Sanrio (just a heads up that they talk A LOT about Sanrio lol). He says that he doesn't know if he's the best in the industry, but maybe among comedians. MAMI says that he also seems to go to seasonal shows at Puroland and says she goes to go them too. TOMO wonders if they've ever met each other there. MAMI and Hirai don't think so. Hirai says that she'd probably recognize him right away if she did see him there since he usually stands out, being tall and also typically wearing something like a cowboy hat. MAMI asks if he takes photos with the characters like that. He says that it's kind of troublesome and breaks the immersive feel. TOMO says that she likes the characters PETAPETAMINILIAN and pokkyokuten, and that she shares the same birthday as Marron Cream. Hirai says that he was born in the same year (1984) as MINNA NO TABO and Zashikibuta.

•MAMI also talks about how she's gotten a handful of friends to get annual passes to Puroland and is like an ambassador for it. Hirai says that maybe they could play a concert there one day. TOMO and MAMI say they'd love to. MAMI says that it's usually idols who you see at events at Puroland. TOMO asks where they could go about trying to actually play there. Hirai says that he has some connections with people in the company and thinks he could connect the band with them, and that he thinks that a band of their level could totally play there if they wanted to. TOMO says that makes her happy and MAMI says again that she'd love to play there.

•Hirai asks MAMI what her top Sanrio character is. MAMI says that the reason she got into Sanrio was because of Badtz-Maru, but if you follow the concept of Sanrio, you end up liking all the characters. Hirai says that's totally true. MAMI mentions the Sanrio Character Ranking contest and that she has a hard time trying to decide which characters to vote for. Hirai says he totally gets that, and that his favorite character is Kuromi and therefore the character he votes the most for. But like what MAMI said, Sanrio is like a concept, and when you like a character, you want to support pretty much every other character. TOMO says that Hello Kitty is celebrating her 50th anniversary this year, which makes you want to rank high in the contest.

•After talking a little more about Sanrio, they seem to be pushed by the staff to stop all of the Sanrio talk (TOMO: "Even though we'd love to talk about it forever") and say that they should be getting to fortune-telling now. Hirai asks them if there's anything in particular they'd like for him to divine. TOMO says that she wants him to see what kind of people they are (what their personality is like) like he did for HARU and RINA. TOMO chooses a card and she and MAMI are surprised at how sparkly it is. Hirai says that although it seems like a rare card was pulled, all of the cards are sparkly like this one. They laugh and TOMO says she understands. The card that she pulls is the Six of Wands. Hirai says that a Wand card was also pulled during the last episode (Eight of Wands & King of Wands, both by RINA). He reiterates that a wand is something that supports you, so it symbolizes things such as experience, evidence, and passion. 6 is the midpoint of the Wand cards, so which means it's still in its developmental stage, and at the same time, it's a symbol of your own personal development. At the same time, you're very serious and uncompromising about the things you're passionate about. You're not satisfied with the status quo, and are always looking for new opportunities and thinking ahead. On the other hand, you tend to have a narrow perspective. You're the type of person who is very serious about what you're passionate about, but you can't do the same thing at the same time and tend to be a bit foolish about other things. Since you're always looking forward to the next step, you're likely a very conscious person. TOMO says that makes her happy to hear and thanks him.

•TOMO also mention that she's actually been in bad health since last year and has a broken rib, laughing while saying it. She wonders if he could tell her what her health will be like in the future. MAMI says it'll be for her luck regarding health. Hirai asks if it hurts when she laughs. TOMO says it hurts a lot. Hirai says that in that case, he won't say anything funny, which makes them both laugh hard. MAMI says that she wants him to say something funny. Hirai then asks TOMO to pick a card. TOMO says that she really wants to get a good card. MAMI and Hirai say that it'd be bad if one of the 'bad' cards is chosen. The card she chooses is the Queen of Pentacles. MAMI points out that the King of Pentacles was pulled last time. Hirai says that a pentacle is something that is worth its weight in gold, so it has a nuance of a tangible material thing, such as money. The queen is a very fulfilling being, so it seems that the various elements that you have now are already wonderful. In terms of health, things are going in the right direction. Don't think about trying to make it better and let things heal naturally. It's important to go at your own pace and not push yourself. Since it's a really good card, he thinks things will go in a good direction. TOMO says that she's looking forward to it.

•Next, they divine for MAMI and look at her nature first. MAMI thinks they'll probably pull a 'devil' card soon. TOMO asks if that kind of card is bad. Hirai says that when those cards appear, he does find it hard to comment about them. TOMO says that she wants one to be pulled and laughs. MAMI asks if those cards are sparkly as well. Hirai says they are. MAMI then pulls a card, which turns out to be The Lovers. Hirai says that if you apply it to human nature, it means that you place great importance on relationships and emotional connections. You're also the type of person that is more likely to be trusted. However, you sometimes go too far and your love can be taken as a bit heavy. TOMO agrees and that it's like that for her being a Sanrio otaku. She can love something so much she'll end up hating it, such as with strawberries: she really loves them but will start hating them after eating a lot of them. TOMO says that her love is heavy. MAMI says that if she thinks someone might have opened up to her for even a moment, she'll go for it, but if it turns out that they weren't, she'll get a bit flustered. Hirai thinks that it's important to value that intuitive aspect. MAMI says that she'll do things in moderation.

•Hirai asks MAMI what she wants to be divined next. MAMI isn't sure and wonders what would be good. Hirai says that he gets all kinds of people asking for all kinds of things, with an example being wanting to know the fortune of their favorite person/thing. TOMO says that they are into characters right now (Sanrio). MAMI says that she would be interested in knowing Badtz-Maru's fortune, and TOMO says that that's because they aren't sure yet if he'll make into the top 10 in the Sanrio Character Rankings. MAMI says that she'd be interested in knowing about Badtz-Maru, but Hirai suggests that since she has the chance, it's probably better to learn something about herself instead. She agrees and asks if he could simply see if her future will be bright overall. Hirai says he'll look at her overall luck within a year. The card MAMI draws is The Tower. When she draws it, Hirai goes, "Ahh, okay." MAMI goes, "What?? What??" TOMO says she's scared and asks if this is a scary card. Hirai says that this card, which features a toppled over tower held up by 3 people, means that your sense of values and way of thinking that you have cultivated up to now will be shattered by an event. TOMO asks if that means that it'll be a shocking one. Hirai says yes, and so it may be a time when you'll encounter a big event and go through a period of confusion. TOMO asks if that doesn't mean that you'll be shocked in a good way. Hirai says that this card does have a more negative element to it. MAMI says that this is the first time any of them have gotten a negative card. Hirai says that it seems like your pride is being crushed a little, but in the long run it will lead to growth, though it might be easy for them to feel a little depressed temporarily. The 3 people carrying the tower together also represents the existence of friends, teamwork, etc. Basically, there are people nearby who will support you even in that kind of situation. TOMO says her own name to indicate she's one of those people, which MAMI thanks her for. MAMI says this card is so sparkly and shiny yet a bad card. Hirai says that now that she knows all this, she'll be more prepared for what's to come and will accept it a little calmly. MAMI says that she understands, and that this what her year will be like. TOMO says that there's still a lot more beyond that and that the future is bright.

•As they close out the segment, TOMO says that it was a lot of fun and that there's still a lot of things she'd like to hear about. MAMI says that she hopes to see Hirai at Puroland sometime. Hirai says to call out to him if she sees him, and that she'll probably recognize him right away. He also mentions that he's in a band with other comedians and will try his best to be able to perhaps perform with SCANDAL one day. MAMI says that she'd love for them to do a joint-band performance at Puroland. TOMO says that would be awesome. Hirai wonders if they could do that, but also jokes that he wouldn't want to bring too many of his bandmates to the park because they're immoral. MAMI says that it is a sacred place, after all.

•They then close out the episode. TOMO reads a message from a listener who basically says that SCANDAL was their most listened to artist on Apple Music with 863 minutes played, and also started listening to past episodes of "Catch up" and finally caught up recently. TOMO wonders how many songs 863 minutes would equal. She says that one song likely equals 4 minutes, and 863 divided by 4 = 21.7 hours. They say thanks for listening to them a lot.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the guide as how to input your info and message for those who need assistance (click to enlarge):

---

*A list of all episode summaries from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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#front-page #catchup

The "LUMINOUS" tour in Japan has concluded! What is the event that TOMOMI will never forget?

Season 2, Episode 64 blog

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HARUNA: This time we will be bringing you "LUMINOUS FURIKAERIMASU" (Looking Back On LUMINOUS)! We're finally able to do a tour review. This tour started in April and ended at the end of May... During these 2 months, we received a lot of feedback about the concerts, but we decided to wait until the tour was over before we talk about it, so we have a lot of feedback messages! We will look back and talk about it, with some of our impressions as well.

TOMOMI: It seems that many people came to this tour because a friend told them about it, which was surprising.

RINA: Maybe that kind of thing has been increasing recently.

TOMOMI: We're grateful to those "friends"...

HARUNA: Many of them said it was their first time attending a concert.

TOMOMI: I think there were a lot of people who said via DMs they were first timers, and I think that's because of the people who tell them about us. I guess it depends on how they discovered us. We're not a band that appears on TV or anything, so it is difficult for people to discover us by chance.

HARUNA: That's true.

TOMOMI: I'm so glad you looked for us and found us. Thank you!

RINA: Every year, the importance of each tour grows, for better or worse. We feel like we can't afford to fail even once, and we take each tour very seriously. So, it's really important to feel like our message is reaching people. It is very important for us to continue.

HARUNA: It is important.

TOMOMI: At any rate, this two-month tour was a lot of fun!

MAMI: It was fun!

RINA: It was a very rewarding tour.

TOMOMI: There were many regions that we hadn't been to since our 47-prefecture tour. They were also sold out, which was not the norm for us. Also, we ate a lot.

RINA: It was deliciousー

HARUNA: We talked about that during the tour finale MC.

TOMOMI: We ate too much at each place.

HARUNA: That's the best part of touring.

TOMOMI: One more thing I can't forget during the tour...

HARUNA: Yeah.

TOMOMI: At the Kanazawa concert, when we talked about the earthquake in Noto, there was a person in the audience who said in a cheerful voice, "My house was swept away." It must have been really hard for them, but I was happy that they chose to come to the concert. I thought about it for a long time afterwards, thinking that I didn't say much at the time. After all, people come with all sorts of different thoughts in their minds, and we toured venues of all sizes, but there are as many different lives as there are people who came. I think that our music or just one word we said during MC might be able to brighten up something in someone's day, even if just for a moment, so it was a day that made me realize once again that we need to cherish every word we say. I was happy that they came, and their cheerful words really touched my heart, so I want to say thank you for everything even though you're going through a difficult time.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 64

•The episode starts with playback of fans whom their program director Kawai recorded during the tour. She firsts interviews a fan who discovered SCANDAL from Fullmetal Alchemist/"Shunkan Sentimental." He says that LUMINOUS is a great album that incorporates both the present SCANDAL and the past SCANDAL, so he was expecting a lot from the live performance, which was just as good as the album. The next person discovered SCANDAL when she saw SCANDAL performing "Awanai Tsumori no Genki de ne" on MUSIC STATION and also thought they were cute. She says that she brought her friend along for the first time, and that the LUMINOUS tour was more sparkly and fun than a tour of theirs has ever been before. Kawai asks the friend how she got into SCANDAL; she says she was invited to see them live by a friend and fell in love. She says that this show + the one in Nagoya was so much fun that it makes her glad she's alive right now and laughs. The next person discovered SCANDAL when she saw them perform "Scandal Nanka Buttobase" on TV and says that she cried when they performed "ShunSen" at the concert today. The next person discovered SCANDAL when a college friend introduced them to him 10 years ago. He says that all the songs LUMINOUS resonated with him and that the concert today was wonderful.

•The next person discovered SCANDAL via a friend who liked them, had them listen to songs, and he ended up liking "Departure." He says that even though they didn't play many fast-paced songs this time, they still hit him in the feels hard. The next person discovered SCANDAL from ShunSen and then really liked "Koe," and after seeing videos of them and seeing they all have different personalities but have a sense of unity to them, it felt really mysterious yet comforting to him. He became a fan right around when the pandemic started and couldn't see them live until vocalizing at concerts was allowed again, and ever since seeing them, there's always been a different kind of color to each of their tours, including this one. The next person discovered SCANDAL via their friend who was a fan and always played their songs when they were together. Today's concert was his first one ever and he had been looking forward to hearing "Anata e" live, a song he really likes, and it was unbelievably intense.

•It then cuts back to the band recording the episode in the studio. They thank the fans, say that made them happy, and thank their staff for recording all of this. RINA says she's really happy to hear the fans' thoughts as they're still pumped up after the concert, that hearing each person's voice really makes them feel that the band is reaching everyone, and that it gives the band strength. MAMI says that everyone was so well-spoken and that she probably wouldn't have been able to be as well-spoken as they were in the same kind of situation. RINA laughs at how everyone had their pseudonyms ready to go (ex. one lady said hers was "I want to be the freckle on MAMI's chin").

•Then this happens.

•HARU then asks RINA what she thought of the tour. RINA says that one of the themes they had when they made the the album and giving it the title LUMINOUS was the hope that the four of them would go one step further into the bright world together. She thinks that from the production stage onwards, the four of them always had a feeling in their hearts that they would all feel a little brighter by the end of this journey. It was a really tough tour schedule and had to juggle that while also living their private lives during those two months. That's why there were many days and many feelings for the audience, the band members, and the staff. But at the end of the tour, she thinks that they were able to finish it with the brightest mood, and she felt happy that they had become such a great band again. She always thinks this when a tour ends, but she was happy that this was a tour that was necessary for them. The reason why they continue to be a band is that there are people who are listening to them.
She thinks it was a really important, tough, and great tour.

•HARU asks what MAMI thought. MAMI says that like TOMO, she also ate too much. The others laugh at this. She also says that her birthday also happened during the tour and she was surprised with a cake on stage in Hakodate, three days (it was actually 2 lol) before her actual birthday. It made her feel nostalgic since they haven't done that kind of thing recently. She also mentions that she used her brain a lot and really concentrated hard during the tour for MIRROR, their previous album, but this time she was able to concentrate even more on every single song. Another thing she mentions is the band's arrangement on stage where they were all in a single line, which felt fresh. She felt like she was able to really concentrate on performing as the lead guitarist and was glad that she was able to perform experiencing these new feelings. HARU mentions that the cake was ordered by Naoya who is part of their promoter team. RINA says that MAMI was also given a present. MAMI says that she was given PJs and is currently using them.

•HARU then talks about her thoughts and says that it had been a long time since they had done a tour with so many dates. She really felt again that SCANDAL is her life. She had gotten a cold at the start of the tour and got over it by the first half. But as mentioned during some MCs, it really takes a toll on your mental health to perform live when you're not in the best physical condition. It was her first time going into rehearsals without being able to sing at all. Although she was nervous about it, she was able to get through those first few shows with the confidence she'd built up over the years and the reassurance of her band mates and the staff. She was feeling anxious but was still able to approach it with a very positive attitude, thinking she would do her best to do what she could now. This tour made her realize how great she is right now, and she really feels that she could not have done it without having the experience that she does. Even if things like that happen in the future, she'll be able to get through them in her own way. This tour made her think that no matter what happens, she'll be okay.

•TOMO then talks about how they were shocked to hear during the tour that not many people seem to listen to "Catch up," which they all laugh at. RINA wonders where they talked about it. The staff seems to say Kobe, and MAMI thinks it was Okayama  (lol not sure if they did mention this more than once, but at least at either the Yokohama or Osaka show, both of which I attended, they had talked about this). TOMO says that they spend a lot of time recording these episodes, and that there are a lot of things that they only talk about here. MAMI says that maybe they should make it easier for people to get previews and such for the episodes from their official LINE account. HARU says that maybe they could officially release a few clips. TOMO says that maybe they could do that via the voice memo feature on LINE. RINA laughs and says that it might be scary for fans to just suddenly receive a voice memo, which HARU agrees with. MAMI mentions the previews posted to social media that they do for their fan club-only series "Wednesday SCANDAL." RINA says that the problem is that if you don't do something new every time, you don't know if people will watch it nowadays. TOMO says that a lot of people listen to SCANDAL's CDs and attend their concerts, but other than those areas, they're kind of lacking in the rest. HARU says that their main thing is music and concerts, but if people get to know the four of them, they can enjoy the program more. They say they'll think about it and have a strategy meeting.

*As always, you can send in a message to the program here.

I've updated the 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 from ＃1-160 can be found here

*All episodes of Season 2 can be found here

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