Introducing impressions from the "LUMINOUS" tour in Japan! SCANDAL eats dango during an MC??

Season 2, Episode 65 blog

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HARUNA: This time we'll be doing "LUMINOUS FURIKAERIMASU! MAIL YOMIMASU!" (Looking Back On LUMINOUS! Reading Messages!)

RINA: Finally...

HARUNA: Yes, finally.

RINA: We're finally doing it, during this episode.

HARUNA: That's right. The tour has finally come to an end, and we received an enormous amount of messages from you guys...

RINA: So awesome...

TOMOMI: Thank you very much.

HARUNA: Well then, let's get started!

Risu (25, Kumamoto)

This was my first time seeing SCANDAL live. I discovered SCANDAL one year ago when I happened to listen to "Catch up."

During the concert, TOMOMI suddenly ate some dango. I was so surprised that she suddenly ate dango during a live performance.

TOMOMI: WANIMA gave those to us.

HARUNA: Thank you very much.

TOMOMI: They were delicious.

HARUNA: It was their first SCANDAL concert, so I guess they were shocked that we would eat dango on stage....

TOMOMI: It's not like we usually eat them. It was just by chance.

MAMI: In Kumamoto, we had "ikkinari dango," but in Okayama, it was "kibidango."

HARUNA: There are so many dango.

RINA: At any rate, we surprised them.

TOMOMI: Sorry about that...

HARUNA: And they came to the concert because of "Catch up."

MAMI: Wow! That makes me happy!

RINA: I hope they'll send us another message.

HARUNA: Last time we were just talking about how can we get more people to listen to "Catch up."

RINA: There are people like that.

TOMOMI: At any rate, it makes us happy...

HARUNA: I hope they'll come to our concert again.

TOMOMI: Thank you very much!

Haruki (21, Hiroshima)

I was able to make some discoveries because of how close I was to the drums. Before the show started, I noticed that there was no second snare in the drum set, and I was all upset, thinking, "Does that mean we're not getting the classic 'A.M.D.K.J.'?!" (lol)

During the concert, I was able to see RINA using a ring mute on the snare during "LOVE ME DO," and her facial expressions constantly changing with each song and lyric, all of which were burned into my memory.

Personally, I really liked the layout of this tour, and I hope you'll use this stage layout again!

MAMI: Are they a drummer?

RINA: They know a lot. It's amazing that they know what a ring mute is. Depending on the song, I might suppress the sound of the snare a little, but sometimes the setting can give away the song.

TOMOMI: That's true. But everyone is paying close attention. Like with our effects pedals, sometimes we post pictures on social media when we do rehearsals and people are like, "This isn't here, so this song won't be played." I guess they know.

RINA: No, that's amazing.

MAMI: With videos, even though it only shows for a second, you can tell what effects pedals and equipment are used.

HARUNA: They can even tell what the knobs are set to.

RINA: It's impressiveー.

TOMOMI: There are people who set up the same thing and say that they tried playing it... "Otaku" (geeks) are amazing.

RINA: People are curious about the equipment. Sometimes the next song is revealed when MAMI switches guitars.

MAMI: I practice so much before going on stage...

TOMOMI: They know.

MAMI: Sometimes that's how they find out.

RINA: We appreciate them watching us so closely.

hogradish wrote:I recently discovered that I can translate Catch Up in real time using Google Translate opened in a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, MS Edge, etc) and picked up by my webcam's microphone. It's really clunky, but I get a preview while I wait for TGE's excellent summaries.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 65

•The episode starts with this.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who attended the Osaka, Nara, and Tokyo dates. There was one thing in particular that left a deep impression on them during this tour, which is why they're sending this message. At the Nara concert when RINA was talking about the students-only talk event that she'd be speaking at the following month, she said she was worried about whether there would be student fans or not. The listener wants to tell SCANDAL that they've been a fan since elementary school and this year graduated from college. They wish they had raised their hand when RINA asked the crowd if there were students there, and now want to let the band know that there are fans are students + are sure that there are many students like them. TOMO says that there were only about 2 people who had raised their hands at that concert, which the band all laughs at. HARU says that it was also probably because the venue was small and couldn't accomodate more than about 500 people. RINA says that it's a happy and wonderful thing that there are also fans who grew up together with them. There was a time when they only had students as fans, but now that they're in their 30s, many of their fans are now in their late 20s and early 30s. That's why she wondered if it was okay for her to speak at a students-only event. She wonders if maybe 3 people will come to event and laughs. MAMI says she's being modest. TOMO says it makes her happy to know that there are so many people who have been listening to them since they were students and are now all grown up. She thanks them for staying with them, and also thanks those who stopped being a fan at one point but then came back around. She says she thinks that's what it means to be around for a long time.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who attended the finale in Tokyo and ended up talking with an American fan who happened to be next to them, but when the MCs started, they asked the listener to translate for them. The listener says they were left feeling frustrated, thinking that if they had been able to speak English better, the American would have been able to enjoy the concert more. They say they'll do their best to learn more English before the next concert they attend so that those who are not good at Japanese can also enjoy the show. The band is kind of surprised by this and laughs. TOMO says they don't want the listener to feel a sense of responsibility. HARU says that even if you are bilingual and can speak Japanese, interpreting is difficult. That's what the band thinks when they go overseas. MAMI says that there are so many nuances in Japanese. HARU says that there are a lot of overseas fans that go to their concerts in Japan, but this is the first time they're getting a message like this. MAMI says there's nothing wrong with learning English, but don't feel a responsibility to translate for others. They say that the listener is a very kind and considerate person. TOMO wonders if the American thanked the listener. RINA says that she definitely wishes that they did, especially if they pushed for them to translate what the band said. HARU says that if this happens again, it's okay to just say no and to enjoy the concert first and foremost. RINA says that maybe they could talk about it after the concert instead of during it. MAMI says that the American should learn Japanese instead. HARU laughs and says that of course the band is going to speak Japanese at concerts performed in Japan. (lol guys, if you go to a SCANDAL concert in Japan, don't be like whoever this American is and put a Japanese fan on the spot that you don't even know, to translate for you; it's pretty rude!)

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who saw them in Okayama and mentions how they talked about bats during the MC (the band talked about bats in episodes 51 and 57). TOMO says that she actually saw a bat around her place in Tokyo, which surprises the others since they previously talked about how they'd never seen bats in the Tokyo area before. She says that it was just one flying around, and although it was hard to tell what it was, the way it was flying was how a bat flies.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who is a landscaper and heard SCANDAL on the radio recently and thought of how they haven't listened to them at all recently, and so decided to go to the Tokyo concert by themselves. They also mention that they're received offers since then and feel that going to the concert gave them luck. The band says they're happy to hear that their luck improved and to keep the rumor going that going to SCANDAL concerts will improve your luck. HARU says that they're pretty lucky and are okay with giving a little out.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who attended both Fukuoka concerts. They had been a SCANDAL fan in middle school but hadn't been one recently. The reason why they decided to attend this time was because they turned 27 years old this year and started playing the bass. They were looking at their playlist on their phone for a song to play, and thought they'd like to learn "Kagen no Tsuki," which they've loved for a long time. Then they happened to see an ad on Instagram about SCANDAL's tour and bought tickets right away. TOMO is surprised about the ads and she and MAMI both say they've never seen one before. RINA says that it's done for every tour. MAMI says that they should run ads for "Catch up" on IG too. HARU says that hearing stories like the listener's really makes it set in that they've been around as a band for a long time. They say that it's hard to keep up with things for 15+ years, especially when life happens and your circumstances change. RINA says that hearing these stories makes it all feel very rewarding. TOMO wonders if they can play "Kagen no Tsuki" now and says that they're rooting for them.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who attended the Kanazawa concert, which was their first solo SCANDAL concert since COVID and the birth of their son. They have memories of dancing with their brother and 1-year-old son during "one more time" when they saw SCANDAL at a festival last year. They lost their son last November, and SCANDAL supported them through a very hard time. They had been working hard and looking forward to the LUMINOUS tour. When "one more time" was played, they cried so hard despite it being such a cheerful song. When they watched the Tokyo concert that was broadcasted live, they were sad that they couldn't hear TOMO sing "Ai no Shoutai" at the Kanazawa concert but realized that TOMO had a throat problem that day and had to change the setlist. The band says they did a great job getting through this tough year, and that they're glad they came out to the tour. HARU says that they had decided to include "one more time" that day, on the day of the concer, due to TOMO's cold. She's glad that they were able to perform such a memorable song for the listener on that day. TOMO apologizes that they weren't able to do "Ai no Shoutai" then. HARU + RINA say that that's the nature of touring and you never know what'll happen. TOMO says that she couldn't stop coughing for about a month and then discovered that she had a broken rib. They all laugh and MAMI says it was a surprise. TOMO says that it had been hurting for a while but she didn't think it was broken, and that that was her first broken bone in her life. RINA says she did well to make it to the tour finale. HARU says that everyone did a great job and that it was a great tour.

*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 Asia leg of the "LUMINOUS" is done! Talking candidly about what they felt in Asia, the troubles they encountered, and more...

Season 2, Episode 66 blog

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HARUNA: This time, we'll be doing "SCANDAL's Journey to Asia"!
We recently toured Asia, and our LUMINOUS tour ended there as well! We went to Taipei, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Seoul. Now that we have safely returned home and a few days have passed, we'd like to give a report on what happened at each place.
Taiwan, performance ＃1 of the Asia tour, was really exciting.

TOMOMI: It had been 6 years since we were last there??

RINA: Yeah.

HARUNA: That's right.

TOMOMI: Even though it'd been 6 years...

RINA: It was amazing!

MAMI: Thanks!

HARUNA: There were many people who had been waiting for 6 years, and the other half were people who had come to like us in the past 6 years, so I'm glad we kept going.

RINA: They know every song! We dared to do this Asia tour exactly like how we did it in Japan, and I'm glad we did that. In the past we thought about doing more tie-in songs overseas, but I'm glad that we're able to present our current selves in the same way we do in Japan.

HARUNA: They said we hope we come back.

TOMOMI: We do want to go.

MAMI: Let's work hard again.

HARUNA: Let's eat hot potー

TOMOMI: Let's eatー. I'm starving.

HARUNA: It had been...6 years since we played in Taipei.

TOMOMI: Yeah. We haven't been since the pandemic started.

HARUNA: We ourselves have changed a lot in the past 6 years.

RINA: So true. It was a time when the band's mood, or rather sense of energy, changed dramatically, and along with that, our musical style changed little by little. So I realized once again how amazing it is that people continue to listen to us through all that, and support us to the point of coming to our concerts.

HARUNA: I felt that our MC in Japanese was more understandable than when we were on our previous Asia tour.

RINA: They understood us.

HARUNA: I was happy to see that they had a deeper understanding of Japan.

TOMOMI: There were many people who came to see us for the first time, and I was so moved to see how many new people had come in the past six years.

HARUNA: I wonder how found out about us...

RINA: Really...

HARUNA: I wonder when they did so...

RINA: It's a mystery now.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 66

•The episode starts with this.

•Audio recorded after the concert in Guangzhou is then played. They say that it had also been 6 years since they were last there, and that about half of the crowd this time were first-timers. HARU asks the others how playing here for the first time a while was. RINA says that that the atmosphere felt really fresh the moment they hit the stage. It seemed like there were many shy people there with many of the concentrating on taking videos, and the band was trying to figure out how to get the crowd excited. She also mentions that they took a slightly different approach than usual, like when TOMO went down to the crowd and played, and that it was really good. TOMO says that there are things they can do overseas that they can't do in Japan. HARU says that the crowd was great during "Shunkan Sentimental" and all sang along. TOMO says that one of the encore songs they did was "HARUKAZE," and they got the impression that many fans there got to know the band because of that song, which made them glad that they chose to play it. MAMI says that as soon as they saw someone dressed as Ichigo from Bleach when they entered the venue, they decided that "HARUKAZE" was the song they would play for the encore. RINA says that they originally were going to play a different song but decided to change it. They say they're glad they did so and that everyone seemed happy.

•The audio cuts back to the band in the studio. HARU says the reactions in Guangzhou this time were a little different from the last time they were there. RINA says that the vibe was different, which kind of surprised her. She says she tried to choose her words very carefully when speaking and felt a kind of nervousness she'd never felt before. She wondered how they could make people enjoy the show. HARU says that performing overseas is totally different from Japan, with photos/videos being allowed and such, and it's interesting to see the gap between the two. She also says that the audience the previous time was more enthuasiastic. RINA says that they had sung along to basically every song, but this time there were many people concentrating on recording and wanting to listen to the songs at their own leisure. HARU says that it felt like the pandemic had an effect on the crowd; it really did feel like a post-pandemic concert. RINA says that the staff also said that. TOMO says that COVID restrictions did last a long time in China, after all, and it had likely been a long time since many people went to such a crowded place without masks. HARU says that it felt like people didn't want to shout as loudly as they used to at concerts anymore. It's a kind of change you wouldn't be able to know about unless you go there. RINA says that China was really strict with regulations. TOMO says that visa restrictions were also very strict and now you need a visa to enter China, even for tourism. She says that she just renewed her passport last year, and the corner of the IC chip page was slightly bent. She thought it wouldn't be a problem and that she should be allowed to go through, but they told me that I had to get a new one, so she had to go and get another one. It arrived barely just in time, and it was so close that she jokes the band would have been bassist-less for the tour. RINA says that would have been a problem.

•They say that they're glad they got to go to Guangzhou, and that it was their second time there. TOMO says that it's a very sparkly, beautiful city. The first time they went there, they went to hang out by the river, and the kids were playing with lots of flying toys that were glowing. It gave off the impression that it was such a peaceful and happy time. It was just as beautiful when they went there this time. It was also quite urban, completely different from Shanghai. HARU says that she didn't understand the Chinese food they ate there this time, since she says she thought it was easier to eat than before. RINA says that she totally gets that and thought the same thing, and that it's getting better. Ohno asks them how it was last time. RINA says that the spices were stronger. HARU again says that it was really easy to eat this time. TOMO says that the places they ate at were upscale places, which HARU says that might have something to do with it. TOMO says that the staff chose all these restaurants to eat at where everyone eats together at a big round table in a big private room, which is part of the reason why she thinks she gained weight and laughs. Ohno asks how they think the food is different in the high-class places. TOMO says the dishes are the same, but the ingredients used are different, such as the oil.

•Next, they talk about Shanghai. HARU says that they apologize, but they forgot to record some audio after the concert. RINA says that they were rushing around while in Shanghai. HARU says that it was their first time there, which RINA says is surprising. She also mentions that that was the first time they had equipment trouble on this tour, where they had to redo "Fanfare" because of guitar troubles. MAMI says that the sound didn't come out as it should. RINA says that it was a lot of fun, though, and added some nice spice. HARU says they didn't have any interpreters at the shows in China, so they really tried to communicate in Japanese and speak in easy-to-understand Japanese as much as possible. However, it's hard to convey nuances and one would have to be a native speaker of Japanese to get that nuance across. Even so, their expressions made it seem like they understood what they were saying. She says she was really happy to see that they were trying to understand them and the album. RINA says that the band tried to speak in Chinese but found it quite difficult because of the subtle nuances and how the slightest changes in sound can mean different things. Once they started speaking, there were fans that said it was okay to speak in Japanese, which is why decided to go with it. HARU mentions that she said a few words in Chinese before they played "Sisters," the final song of the set, and was taught the simplest way to say it as possible, but she could tell from the atmosphere that nothing was being conveyed. She rephrased it in Japanese and they seemed to understand it better. MAMI says that after this tour was done, she realized that these people who go to see Japanese artists live probably watch anime/read manga and/or study Japanese, so there'll probably be times when they'll realize, "Oh, I've heard this before" and will be happy that it was said. RINA agrees and says that when when you go to concerts put on by foreign artists, there is also the pleasure of hearing them speak in their native language.

•Ohno asks them if they are able to use something in Guangzhou. RINA asks if he means cell phones. He seems to actually be asking about payment, since TOMO says that you can only use Alipay and not credit cards. Even convenience stores don't accept them. While in Japan, you have to install the app and link your phone to your credit card before you can purchase anything. RINA says that it was a pain to do at the airport and barely made it on to the plane, since they would only accept Alipay for equipment/additional baggage fees. The staff registered them and then took the payment, but everyone needed to pay in turns. MAMI says that in order to prevent fraud, your card will be frozen if the same payment is made several times, so they couldn't continue to make payments with Alipay. TOMO says they boarded the flight just before take off, well past the boarding time. RINA says that would rough. HARU says that they did a lot of running. Ohno asks them if that was when they went to Shanghai. They say yes. MAMI says that when they went from Shanghai to Seoul, the Shanghai badminton team was on the same flight and were an hour late. TOMO wonders if it was due to an Alipay situation. MAMI says there were quite a few events plane-wise when it came to flying in China.

•Lastly, they play audio recorded in Seoul. HARU asks the others what they thought of the Asia tour. TOMO says that the four performances went by in a flash. They hadn't been to South Korea in a long time and this was also their first solo concert here. It really felt like they had been waiting a long time for them. MAMI says that she was really moved by how SCANDAL's music is such a part of the fans' lives here even though they're so far apart from each other. RINA says that SK really had that finale feel to it, and that they were moved by all of the cheering the moment they hit the stage. She was happy to see the audience's reactions and that they seemed to know all of the songs played. The Asia tour as a whole made her realize how important it is for the band to have this cycle of going overseas, getting new inspiration, and applying it to their activities in Japan. She also felt that all of their abilities to communicate at overseas concerts were even stronger than before, and that this Asia tour was more rewarding in terms of language as well as performance. It gave them a huge sense of accomplishment. HARU says that it felt like they were finally having their second go since they weren't able to play there for their KFTD world tour. MAMI mentions a Korean fan who sent her a message saying that they had been waiting ever since then to see them, and that they were able to make it today. HARU says that it had been 10 years since they were last in SK. TOMO mentions that the fans surprised them today with each audience member holding a fan and a slogan. RINA says that lyrics from "Koisuru Universe" were on there and laughs that she's glad they did perform it today. HARU says that the LUMINOUS tour is now completely over, that the band all did a great job, that they'll work hard for the next one, and thanks everyone who came out to the tour. TOMO says thanks in both Chinese and Korean.

•The audio cuts back to the band in the studio. They say that they felt very fulfilled. HARU mentions that this was their second time playing in SK and their first solo concert. TOMO says that they were invited to a festival 10 years ago. RINA says that after that festival, the local staff told them that there were very few all-girl bands in SK, and even those that are around only stay together for 2-3 years. That's why they were really happy that SCANDAL came from Japan. She says that that deeply moved the band. HARU says they're glad they were able to go to SK on this tour. RINA says she's glad the last concert of the tour was in SK. HARU says that, to be honest, they weren't sure if they'd be able to hold a concert there due to the problem they had with their previous SK promoter and the KFTD concert being canceled. RINA says that the pandemic has made it difficult for promoters to stay in business, with some going bankrupt. HARU says that it had caused trouble for the fans and they thought it'd be difficult to schedule a concert there this time as well, but a friend of hers introduced them to a production company there who helped them hold it. She says they were very lucky, and they're also glad that they were able to make it the finale of the tour.

•HARU also says she tried her best to speak Korean during the concert. RINA says that that was great. HARU says that she started learning a little bit of Korean at the beginning of the year and had her teacher help with the MC. She felt really accomplished and glad that she was able to communicated with the audience in Korean. RINA says that she thinks the audience was really happy about that. They no longer saw them as four people who came from Japan and couldn't speak Korean, so she thinks a lot more was communicated. Because of that, there was a nice kind of mood that was created. TOMO says that everything was conveyed. RINA says that the power of love also factored in--if you have a strong interest in the country's artists and culture, you'll be able to improve your studies. She also says that doesn't want to be misunderstood if she says it's been a while, but she felt that the band and the four band members have a lot of potential, and that was something she was really happy about with this concert in SK. She's also really grateful to be able to get used to this kind of feeling again. HARU says she thinks that happens a lot at overseas concerts. Of course this also applies for concerts in Japan, but she feels that there's a kind of power that comes out every time they tour overseas; it's like they can really feel their potential.

•TOMO talks about how a staffer from Live Nation, who helped them plan the tour, named Kitabayashi toured with them but kept a certain distance from them the whole time, even during after-parties. If the band tried to close the distance, he'd lengthen it again. But after the tour ended in Seoul, he was really excited and mentioned that he'd love to do this again, perhaps even some time later this year. He kept telling them at every after-party before the Seoul one that he'd go all out after Seoul. HARU says that they didn't understand why at first, but he did say that he had a lot of work to do before then and finally got them done before Seoul. RINA says that he set himself free. MAMI says that she'd love to hang out with him again in Japan and just go grab a bite to eat or something. RINA says that they'd love to exchange many words with these kinds of staffers, such as things that they don't have to say but would be nice to hear, like "SCANDAL's great." HARU says that when they last toured in Asia 6 years ago, they were all still in their 20s. This time it felt like they were all communicating more directly with the local staffers, and that they were all working together.

•Ohno mentions that the band stayed in SK after the tour ended. RINA stayed for one extra night and hung out with her sister and husband who had come to SK for her sister's birthday trip and attended the concert, which happened to fall on her exact birthday. HARU says that she, TOMO, and MAMI stayed for two extra nights. TOMO says that they ate a lot. MAMI says that they also spent a lot of money on beauty treatments. RINA asked what they did. MAMI and HARU say that they did skin management and went to a beauty clinic to take care of their skin. TOMO says they also met up with a friend from Caless who is currently living in Seoul. This was their first time seeing them in 20 years. HARU says they attended the Yokohama branch of the school. RINA asks if she knows them. TOMO says she does, and that they used to stay in the same apartment/dorm by the school. RINA says that this was surprisingly the first time they spent time like this after a tour, and that they had a lot of freedom on this tour. They say they worked hard and that it was a fun tour.

*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

Reading impressions about the "LUMINOUS" tour! There was a wafer incident at the Sapporo show?

Season 2, Episode 67 blog

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HARUNA: This time, we'll just be reading messages... There's a ton of them, after all.

RINA: Too many!

RUKA

I'd like to tell you about an incident and coincidence that happened to me during the LUMINOUS tour. It happened in Sapporo, day 2. It all started with the Sanrio wafers that TOMO was handing out at the end of the show.

TOMOMI: Yeah, sorry about that...

HARUNA: You already know what happened!?

TOMOMI: Yeah, I do...

During the final send off, my friends and I were around the third row in the middle with our phones in one hand and making hand hearts with the other to get some fan service. While the members were giving fan service to everyone, TOMO started handing out wafers. The second wafer she threw flew toward my direction. Just when I thought it was coming towards me in slow motion, the next thing I knew it had hit me square in the face. The wafer flew backwards after hitting my face. My friend managed to get it and I enjoyed eating the wafer.

I didn't intend to make a sound when it hit me, but when I watched back the video I had taken and the videos my friends had taken, I realized that I had made a fairly loud, old-man-like noise, like "Ah! Ouchhh!"

That night, my friends and I had a great time talking about the wafer incident. However, the only thing we regretted is that we were not able to capture on video the moment it hit me directly in the face.

The day after we talked, we headed from Sapporo to Hakodate, as we were planning to go to the Hakodate show as well, and as we were strolling around Hakodate, a stranger suddenly said to me, "Excuse me, are you Wafer-san?" It turned out that this person was the person behind me at the Sapporo concert. I thought that it might be them, so I asked to see the video from the previous day, and they showed us footage of me being hit directly in the face. The person who called out to me was very kind, and I was able to get the video. I met them again at the Hakodate concert venue, took photos with them, and added to my memories. And I was able to finish my Hokkaido tour with no regrets.

Two consecutive days of incidents and coincidences overlapped, and although it was full of surprises, it was a great memory in a way.

I've been hit directly in the face by a ball before, but it was the first time in my life that a wafer hit me right in the face. Thank you for the first experience and the most fun memories.

TOMOMI: Sorry about that...

HARUNA: I witnessed what happened!

RINA: I did too. It surprised me.

TOMOMI: I didn't notice that at all...

HARUNA: You were throwing wafers and looking at a different fan.

TOMOMI: Yeah.

HARUNA: It was funny! Ah, maybe they'd feel bad if I said it was funny...

RINA: I'm glad RUKA took it like that. But we apologize.

MAMI: It wouldn't be odd if they had been like, "Hey!!"

RINA: Really. Let's all be careful.

TOMOMI: All I can say is sorry...

HARUNA: But it was a coincidence that someone who was behind them at the concert talked to them the next day...

RINA: Things like that happen, huh...

HARUNA: That's amazing.

RINA: That's niceー. An interesting connection.

HARUNA: Yeah.

TOMOMI: I didn't mean to throw them that hard...

HARUNA: I don't think it was particularly hard.

TOMOMI: But it seems like it had hurt, so maybe I did throw it hard...

RINA: They got a direct hit on the forehead. It was so shocking. It was like a scene from anime; a direct hit.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 67

•The episode starts with this.

•TOMO reads the next message from a listener who says they were at the Osaka concert where TOMO had brought up "Catch up" and that it didn't seem like many people listened to it. This listener says they were one of those people and apologizes, but afterwards they went back and listened to all past episodes. TOMO laughs and says she forgives them. RINA says that once you start listening, you get hooked. HARU says that she's seen some fans posting short summaries of episodes on Twitter (do my summaries count as part of that? lol). RINA says that's awesome, and that's more like a staffer's job. Ohno says that the listeneres are kind of like staff. HARU says they do help make the program, after all. MAMI wonders if it's okay to have them work for them and laughs.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who attended the Osaka concert as well and says that the lyric "We'll long for it, cry for it" in "Watashi-tachi" resonates with them so much. They have a habit of crying when their emotions run high and cry every time they're angry or happy, or even when they're at a concert/event. When they go home and tell their husband what they thought about a concert, they also feel like crying. They wonder if there are any people like them who cry when their emotions run high. The band says that they get it; that feeling like that is totally fine; and that the more passionate you are about something, the more your emotions run high. MAMI wonders if they'll cry when they hear their message being read. They laugh and say that it's okay if the listener does. RINA says that she wishes she could understand those kinds of feelings since she's much too level-headed. However, she does say that when talking about SCANDAL, she can get so heated to the point where she cries or forgets to breathe. They laugh and say that RINA and the listener should talk to each other and even appear on the program together.

•RINA reads the next message from a listener from Japan who went to the Taipei, Shanghai, and South Korea concerts. Although the tour's over, they're still traveling and are about to do a round-the-world trip in four months. They're not worried since SCANDAL's music is their good-luck charm and they always give them the courage to move forward. RINA says that this listener is someone's who's been a fan for a long time and they know that they've been working hard overseas. HARU says they go overseas more than the band does, and that they work so hard at their job. MAMI says that when they get letters and hear where they've been and what they've been up to, it gives the band courage. Although they always say that they get their strength from the band, the band gets that kind of strength from the listener as well.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is from Taiwan and went to the concert in Taipei. They say things like the band's story about porridge was funny. TOMO says that they talked about when she, HARU, and their photographer wanted to go to this restaurant that their PA had recommended to them but gave up when they saw it had the longest line they'd ever seen and probably wouldn't make it back in time for the concert. They then asked their photographer's friend, who is a tourism ambassador in Taiwan, for a recommendation and they walked about an hour to get to this new place. However, when they got there, they found out that the place only accepted cash and none of them had any. They looked around the area and finally got some cash, but the shop had already closed when they got back since these kinds of porridge places only open from around 5-11 am. They ended up eating porridge from a nearby food stall that was only about 200 yen but really good. Ohno asks if the band was able to communicate with the audience in Chinese. HARU says they didn't have to since they had an interpreter; it was at the Guangzhou concert that they didn't have one and no one understood the Chinese the band was trying to speak (they mentioned this in the previous episode).

•They then close out the episode. HARU says they seem to be making a dent in reading messages about the LUMINOUS tour, but it would probably take about a year to get through them all. MAMI laughs and says it'll last until their next tour.

*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

"Catch up" award ceremony! What's their next award after getting a Guinness World Record?

Season 2, Episode 68 blog

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HARUNA: So, this time...
(*suddenly becomes serious)
We'll be holding an "award ceremony."

All: Hm?

TOMOMI: An award ceremony??

HARUNA: SCANDAL "Catch up" award ceremony!!

TOMOMI: What? ...what is it??

RINA: It feels grand...

MAMI: Well, for now, thank you.

HARUNA: In order to make this program a bigger hit...
We tried all sorts of ways to get more people to listen to it!
And then, we discovered something amazing...

TOMOMI: Oh...

HARUNA: SCANDAL "Catch up" is a program that is being streamed on AuDee and is the service's longest-running program!

All: Ehー!! (& bursts out laughing)

TOMOMI: Really?? That's amazing.

RINA: Everything's like that for us.

HARUNA: It really is.

MAMI: Rightー

HARUNA: We're pros at doing the same thing for a long time, after all.

MAMI: Really.

RINA: Thank you for supporting us.

TOMOMI: Does that mean it's the longest-running of all AuDee programs?

HARUNA: Yes, that's right.

MAMI: Eh? I don't get it! Why? Really?!

HARUNA: SCANDAL "Catch up" started on March 9th, 2020, on JFN PARK before AuDee, and before we knew it, it had become the longest-running program.

TOMOMI: I'm grateful... We didn't even realize it.

HARUNA: ...by the way, the next program after ours is "Hollywood Zakoshisyoh no Gyakushuu Zakoshi no Choge Choge,"which started on March 27th, 2020.

TOMOMI: They're only a few days apart.

HARUNA: We've come this far thanks to everyone's love. It's been four years and four months now. This will be our fifth year. I think we were able to make this far together with everyone.

TOMOMI: Before we even knew it.

(Staff: You should be more impressed...)

TOMOMI: We weren't really aware of it...

MAMI: That's right...

TOMOMI: I don't know how to react to being congratulated all of a sudden...

(Staff: It's an amazing thing!!)

MAMI: I think so.

TOMOMI: That's true.

HARUNA: I've thought this ever since we got a Guinness World Record (for all-girl bands), but I honestly don't think that it's an amazing thing that we've just continued to be a band... It is an impressive thing, though.

RINA: We're grateful.

HARUNA: Thank you so much.

TOMOMI: Thank you very much.

HARUNA: That's why we want more people to listen to our music.

TOMOMI: We want people to listen!

HARUNA: And what else happened in March 2020? Well, on March 24th it was announced that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games would be postponed for about a year due to the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19. That's the period of time it was. This program was born when the whole world was in a state of crisis due to the pandemic. The first broadcast on March 9th was when we were still recording in the studio.

MAMI: That's right.

HARUNA: We couldn't do that starting from the next episode, right?

RINA: Yeah.

TOMOMI: But thankfully we were able to start at the right time.

RINA: That's right.

TOMOMI: Soon after the broadcast started we couldn't play concerts, and it was a time when we lost the chance to connect with our fans, so it was a huge relief for us to be able to get their feedback through this program.

RINA: It really was.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 68

•The episode starts with this.

•HARU mentions that they were recording the episodes remotely from their own homes at the beginning of the program, and there were also times when she was the only one recording in the office while everyone else was at home. TOMO says there was a period when they didn't see each other in person for about two months. HARU then talks about other important news that happened in 2020: The Tokyo Olympics were postponed for a year, high school baseball games were canceled, pro sports events were postponed/canceled, and SCANDAL's own concerts were also postponed/canceled. They felt a sense of despair as things in front of them were disappearing one after another. Since they had been doing the same thing for 10 years, they were suddenly afraid that they wouldn't be able to do it anymore. They didn't know if things would go back to how they were before, so they were really scared. They even thought that jobs in the entertainment world like theirs would cease to exist. But looking back at these 4 years and 4 months, they've been able to put on a lot of concerts since. It was an amazing time of change on a global scale. Livestreams became a thing.

•RINA says that it was good that they were able to naturally record their thoughts at that time and the current state of the world. HARU agrees and says that's why they've been able to write songs and make albums since. And amidst everything happening, the Demon Slayer movie was the fastest in Japan to exceed 10 billion yen in box office revenue. There was also Naomi Osaka winning the US Open tennis championship, and the Japanese phone network Softbank being Japan's number one network for four years in a row. Some other things that changed were plastic bag fees and the opening of Takanawa Gateway Station, the first time a station opened on the Yamanote Line in 49 years. HARU says that it was such a difficult time, but everyone did their best.

•Ohno then mentions that if you re-listen to the program's past episodes, you'll see that they've been doing some pretty silly stuff for a long time. TOMO agrees and says that making jingles has been memorable--or rather, when they do it every year, she laughs so hard that she cries. She also says that they did "Aozora Catch up (Catching up under the blue sky)" and also went out of their way to play Mölkky, which doesn't really translate well to radio. MAMI says they've been pretty relentless in doing things that would be hard to understand via radio. Ohno says they also did a few "spot the mistake" ones that took place in the office. TOMO says they've done some projects that they don't understand. MAMI says that they don't even know what objects are in the office. HARU says that the number of segments they have have grown a lot, though they do keep cutting some and gaining some. They've also had a lot of messages about love advice come in. RINA says they also did a public recording. They've also done a few live broadcasts. HARU says that they're now in their 5th year of doing this program and thanks everyone for always tuning in.

•HARU then reads that they're apparently going to now be given a very special present from the staff. RINA says that a red box has just appeared. HARU says she's kind of scared and that it's heavy. They open the box and discover that the present is a thumbs-up trophy (pictured in the above photo). HARU says she's surprised it's so heavy while Ohno laughs. TOMO says that she thinks the bottom part should have some engraving on there, and that maybe they could put a sticker on it later. HARU says that they could put a "Catch up" sticker on it. TOMO then does what sounds like an acceptance speech and says, "A lot has happened, but I'm very happy that we have been able to go through this important period of change together with you all. I hope that we can continue this program for as long as possible, so please continue supporting us, Meiji!" She then says that everyone needs to each hold the trophy while doing an acceptance speech like her. They all laugh and HARU says that she's going to refuse to accept the award.

•MAMI is handed the award first. She begrudingly accepts it and says that it is pretty solid. They all laugh. She keeps saying "Let's see, let's see..." while the others chuckle. Her speech then follows: "First, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has been involved in this program. We've been doing things that might be hard to understand on the radio, but we've had fun doing them in an interesting way. I'd be happy if we could continue doing such unintelligible things in the future. I hope we can continue to work together to create a radio show that brings smiles to everyone's faces. Thank you very much." She then goes, "Okay, next person," while everyone laughs. TOMO says that it's like a bomb now. Ohno asks them why they're nervous all of a sudden.

•RINA is handed the award next. Her speech: "Thank you for always listening to this program! I think that 'Catch up' has also been a place for us to communicate beyond what we talk about during our concert MCs. We've done a lot of silly projects, and it's a program that's mostly just about having fun, but it's also been a place where we could properly digest and convey things we couldn't via MCs. It's one of the most important places for the band. I think this program has had a huge influence on the way that the live atmosphere and expressions created by the band SCANDAL have begun to reach people more deeply. Although the core of a band is its music, I believe a band only exists because of the people involved, so I'm filled with gratitude for getting to know each of our characters and loving us for so long. I'm not sure how long we'll be able to do this program, but I hope we can have fun and do it for a long time, so I hope you'll enjoy listening to it with us. Thank you for your continued support."

•HARU says that they're all doing proper speeches and then does hers: "Thank you all for always listening as we enter our fifth year! Just like everyone has said, we always do all kinds of projects, and I'm not sure if they're getting through to everyone or not. But just the fact that we continue to have a place where we can show our excitement and communicate our ideas motivates us every day. We also get a lot of ideas from the messages we receive from you guys. I think this show has helped us discover many things that will connect to SCANDAL's future, so I'm really grateful that we were able to make this show together. I think this program will probably continue into its 5th year. I mean, there's no reason to quit doing this (TOMO: "We don't quit unless there is a reason to do so"). I think things will probably go on forever if we keep going like this, so in order to increase the number of listeners, I would appreciate it if everyone would be considerate to make this program available to even more people." They laugh at the "considerate" part. MAMI laughs and says HARU is holding the trophy so carefully and with her wrists bent, which makes it look really cute. HARU laughs and says that she hasn't received many trophies in her life, after all.

•TOMO then says that Ohno has to do a speech too. He whines and asks why. TOMO says that he has to do it since he's an important person to the program. MAMI says that they always have fun with him. RINA says for him to speak into a mic since you can never hear him in the audio. Ohno doesn't quite speak directly into a mic but does say something that's audible: "You guys are pros when it comes to keeping on for a long time, so I'm sure this went by fast for you. I hope we can continue to do this program for another 10 or 20 years. I've learned from you that continuity is what a band is all about, so I thank you for your kind consideration." The band laughs at the use of "consideration" again.

•They then close out the episode. They say thank you for the trophy and that that'll put in on display in their office.

*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

What are SCANDAL's memories of sports day?

Season 2, Episode 69 blog

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

Pink Kirai (I hate pink)

Good evening, SCANDAL.

I feel a sense of duty to send a message in only after listening to all episodes of "Catch up," and am sending my first message as a silent listener.

After listening to all of the episodes, I have something I really want to say to everyone in SCANDAL, which is why I'm sending this message.

That is, the katakana character I want to hold in my hand is "me" (メ).=

I really wanted to say it, so I graduated from being a silent listener. I hope Ohno will laugh out loud at it.

HARUNA: I wanted to hear the reason why the katakana character they want to hold in their hand is "me"!

RINA: That's true.

TOMOMI: I totally understand why. (*gestures)

MAMI: (*sees the gesture) I see!

TOMOMI: You can put each of your fingers on it... (gestures)

HARUNA: I see.

RINA: It's easy to hold.

HARUNA: I see, I see.

MAMI: Like a shuriken.

HARUNA: And then they said, "I want to send a message after listening to the entire program."

TOMOMI: I can tell that they really listened to it.

Yui

Good evening, SCANDAL. I'm an elementary school teacher.

(All: Hey! Teacher!)


Shortly after "Catch up" started, I was a student at the time and sent a message saying that I was taking the teacher employment exam, which was read on the program. I'm sure the band members don't remember that, though... (laughs)

I've been working for four years now. Over the past four years, my colleagues have started to know that I'm a SCANDAL fan.

The other day, there was a sports day at the elementary school where I work. While preparing for it, a colleague in charge of broadcasting asked me if I knew of any good songs to use as background music during the competitions, so I recommended "Fanfare." On the day of the event, they played it during the representative relay race, which was the most exciting part of the event. The fast-paced song and its lyrics were perfect for the relay, and it made the event even more exciting.

I'm very happy that being a SCANDAL fan has become my identity. SCANDAL always enriches my life. I'll continue to support you.

RINA: That makes me happy...

TOMOMI: I did indeed write the lyrics with a race in mind, so it might also be perfect for relay races.

RINA: I can imagine it in my head. So cute.

TOMOMI: "Representative relay race" brings back memories...

RINA: Those did happen.

TOMOMI: They did.

HARUNA: Were any of you chosen for it?

RINA: I ran, of course??

HARUNA: You ran!?

RINA: Yeah.

HARUNA: Oh, you were a fast runner!

RINA: I used to run... in elementary school.

TOMOMI: Sports day was fun.

HARUNA: Sports day is fun.

TOMOMI: It's definitely dangerous now, even with the change of seasons...

RINA: It's hot.

HARUNA: It's shifting a little bit now.

MAMI: Like May or June.

TOMOMI: Ah, I see. I think it was probably October when I did them.

RINA: I think of sports day as an autumn event.

TOMOMI: But even so, depending on the day...

HARUNA: There are hot days too.

TOMOMI: At any rate, please be careful.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 69

•The episode starts with this.

•MAMI reads the next message from a Brazilian listener whose message was read previously about how they started studying Japanese thanks to SCANDAL and became a professor of Japanese at a university in Brazil. They say they're now working in Japan and tell their friends on the opposite side of the world to leave it to them. The band says that's impressive and they must have put in a lot of effort. TOMO mentions how it must have taken them 30 hours to get here (since that's how long it took the band when they went).

•RINA reads the next message from a listener who wasn't able to attend the LUMINOUS tour, and the thing they're most interested about is how the band has said that RINA's drums were now in the center of the stage. They say that they remember how a few years ago they had done a fortune-telling video for their fan club a few years ago where the diviner said that it was possible that RINA would be in the center. RINA says that that divination did happen, but the lineup this time was that they were all lined up in one row and she played drums at the end of the row rather than in the middle. MAMI says that she was told that she should appear on stage from above and laughs. TOMO says that it was too difficult to do on this tour due to the small venues, but they should do it when they have a hall tour. HARU says that they didn't have the same kind of staging for this tour that they would at a hall tour, but they did think about how they could make it more enjoyable and fresh for the audience. One example is how fans were able to see RINA's drumming more clearly. RINA says that it makes her very happy that, even though some people couldn't attend the tour, they were able to enjoy it in a different kind of way via social media.

•HARU then brings up how a listener whose message was read during episode 67 about how their emotions run high when they love something so much that they cry. She says that they were curious and so they will be talking to her (pseudonym: Mary) on the phone now. RINA wonders if she'll cry. They call Mary and HARU asks again if it was that she cries when talking about SCANDAL to her husband. She chuckles and says yes. RINA asks if that still holds true, which she says yes to. TOMO asks her how she discovered SCANDAL. She says she discovered them from "Shoujo S" when she was in middle school. RINA says that it's amazing that she can still love her favorite band after all these years have passed. They ask what recent concert of theirs she's been to. She says the Osaka performance of the LUMINOUS tour. RINA asks while laughing if it was good and exciting. She says it was the best and was overcome with emotion and cried halfway through. HARU asks what about SCANDAL does she like. She says she looked up to them as really cool older sisters. As times have changed and they've gotten older, they're still always hitting new heights and make her think that the current SCANDAL is always the best version of them. She also really loves how the four of them always seem to be having fun and getting along well with each other. TOMO says that makes her happy to hear.

•TOMO then asks if there's any merch she'd like for them to make (small items, CD bonuses, etc.), and laughs and says they're asking for advice. Mary laughs and thinks about it for a little. She says that items that are easy to use/wear in everyday life would be nice. HARU suggests a handkerchief for those whose emotions run high. Mary says that's a really good idea, which HARU laughs at. HARU then asks, lastly, what Mary's favorite SCANDAL song is. She pauses to think and HARU says that picking a favorite one is difficult to do. She asks if it's okay to list a few, which they say is fine. She lists "Tonight," "one more time," "Kagerou," "A.M.D.K.J.", "LOVE SURVIVE." RINA says that's a good balance. HARU laughs and asks if there are memories attached to those songs. She says that "LOVE SURVIVE" came out when she was in high school and went to buy the CD which came with a metal pin badge that she then wore every day in high school. TOMO says that metal badges are nice.

•They then ask about Mary's husband. She says that he's at home and the band asks if they could talk to him for a bit. She says that he probably would be okay with it and goes to check. She comes back and says she's transferring the phone to him. He introduces himself as Mary's husband. The band laughs and says that's cute. He thanks them for always putting a smile on her face. The band says that's so lovely of him to say. TOMO asks what concert of theirs he went to with her. He says it was last year, or actually two years ago--Mary then interrupts and says it was INVITATION (back in 2021). It was his first concert ever and was very exciting. The band says they're happy to hear that. HARU asks from his POV what makes him feel that Mary has become this passionate genkai otaku. He talks about how after a concert or such she'll keep following him around and talking about it to him passionately, and thanks the band again for making her so happy. The band says they're happy to hear that. TOMO asks how they met. He says that they met via a dating app. HARU asks if they had any hobbies in common or anything that drew him to her. He says that if he had to pick something, it's that they had some favorite anime series in common, which got them talking more to each other, and also that they live their lives in a similar way. The band says they hope to talk to them again and that they'll send in more messages in the future.

*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

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Finally caught up with translating all past episodes

Special summer project "Somen-tal"! What somen toppings do HARUNA and MAMI want to eat right now?

Season 2, Episode 70 blog

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HARUNA: So, it's just the two of us today!

MAMI: Yeーp.

HARUNA: It's been a really long time since we've had a "HARU-MAMI" episode...

MAMI: That's true.

HARUNA: But it was just a coincidence today.

MAMI: Yeah, it was a coincidence.

HARUNA: Basically, we've always brought you this program with the four band members, but sometimes it's nice to do this once in a while... I mean, only the two of us were available...

MAMI: That's right. It's fine too. We'll just take it easy.

HARUNA: We'll take it easy!
But, isn't this a big project for just the two of us to do it today?? That's what it feels like.
So, let's announce it... this project is about enjoying summer 2024.

Smental with somen noodles!

※Both clap

MAMI: Hmm!?

HARUNA: July is coming to an end and August is fast approaching, but today's plan is to eat somen noodles.
First of all, what is "Smental"?
"Smental" is a psychological game that's a well-known game in "Catch up."
We read each other's feelings and thoughts so that everyone can give the same answer to one question.

MAMI: Yep.

HARUNA: So, this time, when we think of summer, we think of "somen,"
And since the kanji for "somen" can be read as "sumen"...
"Somen-tal" → "Smental" → "Smental with somen!"

MAMI: I see. "Smental with somen!" So what are we going to do?

HARUNA: Yes, we wanted to do "Smental" with "toppings"... You can't eat the somen in front of you unless it matches the "toppings you want to eat right now"! That's what it seems to be.

MAMI: I came here today with the assumption that I was going to eat something, because they told us to come with an empty stomach, so I'm really looking forward to eating.

HARUNA: That's right; we want to eat.

MAMI: I didn't hear anything about not being able to eat unless the "toppings I want to eat now" (note: That's Smental!) match.

HARUNA: But we can't eat them unless they match (note: That's Smental!), so we have to keep trying until they match...

MAMI: ...I get it. Let's do it. Then should we start by introducing the toppings?

HARUNA: That's right. The condiment in front of me right now is "green onion"...

MAMI: Before that, there's also a huge somen machine in front of us! A machine for making nagashi somen noodles at home.

HARUNA: They prepared it for us.

MAMI: So, continuing with the toppings, "green onion" and...

HARUNA: "Shiso," "ginger," and "plum"?

MAMI: I like "plum paste."

HARUNA: "Yuzu pepper."

MAMI: "Wasabi" and "Shichimi."

HARUNA: "Tabasco"??

MAMI: "Ground sesame seeds," "chopped nori seaweed," "quail eggs," and "grated daikon."

HARUNA: ...are what we have!

MAMI: That's it.

HARUNA: There are things ranging from the standard to things that we've never put in somen before, but let's go ahead and try them out.

hogradish wrote:How do I explain …without sounding crazy?

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 70

•The episode starts with this.

•HARU says that there are standard somen toppings along with things that she's never put in somen before. First, they need to start making the somen flow. She says that there are two types of somen: regular somen that was bought at the store, and fancier somen called "Sanjin." HARU reads a description of the fancier one that I don't think anyone would be very interested in lol but apparently, since the noodles are pulled by hand, only a small amount of these noodles are produced. They wonder how much it is and they're told it's 5,000 yen ($33 USD). HARU goes, "That's expensive!" They then turn on the nagashi somen machine and laugh about how it lights up different colors.

•After they put some somen in, they try doing the first round of Somen-tal. MAMI isn't sure how they'll be able to decide on something. HARU suggests they go for a basic topping and that there are about 2 of them. MAMI says they should go with the one that HARU personally would choose. HARU says that there's one that she definitely would want to put in. They count down and say their answers together: HARU says ginger while MAMI says wasabi. They laugh and MAMI goes, "Why??" and asks if she puts wasabi in her somen. HARU says she's more of a ginger person. MAMI says that she is too, but she was thinking about which sticks out to her more when eating somen. They try again and both answer ginger. They cheer and eat their somen. HARU says that this might be her first time eating nagashi somen this year. MAMI says that nagashi somen is something that you normally don't/can't do at home. They then add ginger to the somen. Ohno asks if they ever add wasabi to somen. MAMI says she does while HARU says she doesn't really do that, but it's probably really good. MAMI wonders if it's more of a thing to add wasabi to soba instead. They grab more somen and eat it while saying it's delicious. HARU says that somen is delicious on its own. MAMI says this is super summer-like and cools you off. HARU says that they don't really eat food (besides yogurt) on this program much, which MAMI agrees with. When they eat yogurt, you can't really hear the sounds of them eating it besides opening the packaging.

•Ohno says that the second round will be harder. MAMI says that she'll go with a different one than the previous one. Before that, they put some of the expensive somen in the machine. MAMI comments that it's pure white in color, and that they're on the thing side. After grabbing the somen, HARU goes, "What do we do??" about the second topping. She says that maybe it's a good idea to go with a different style of toppings for this somen. She says that maybe they should go with a standard one. MAMI wonders if their answers about what's "standard" would match. They both laugh. MAMI then says there are a couple of standard ones that she'd be happy with. HARU says that she also has one more that she'd like to add, and that it's something you always add. MAMI asks if it's something that's a standard thing to have at home. HARU says that it's something that she always has in her fridge. MAMI asks if it's something that you're like, "It'd be nice if I had this [to eat with somen]." HARU says it's more like "I'll put this in." MAMI says that she has no idea while HARU laughs. She says that there are 2 options to choose from and still isn't sure which it could be. HARU asks what would be a topping that she'd go with. MAMI says that there's one that could be something that could be found in a fridge, but it's not actually something that she has in her fridge. She thinks for a little bit again and says again that she has no idea. HARU laughs and Ohno says to say their answers. They both answer green onions and go, "Oh!" They add the onions to their somen. HARU says that she refrigerates her green onions. MAMI says that she just goes out and buys them when she wants them [rather than store some in her fridge]. HARU says that since you get a lot of green onions when you buy some, she refrigerates what she can't eat.

•They grab more of the pricy somen. Ohno asks how it is. MAMI says it might be slippery in a different kind of way from regular noodles; you're able to slurp it up really easily. You can also really taste the wheat. HARU says that it's thin but has elasticity. They eat more and HARU says that it's very filling despite being so delicate. MAMI says that the green onion with it is amazing. They talk more about how it does look like a high-class item/you can tell by its appearance that it's different than usual somen. They then add their own toppings that they want to eat. MAMI choose shiso leaves and nori. HARU seems to add grated daikon to hers.

•Ohno asks them what they usually put in their somen. HARU says she's really simple and only puts in green onions and ginger. MAMI says she puts in ginger and wasabi. HARU says that she's never tried wasabi with somen but will try it. She also says that for a while she was into eating salted sesame oil somen instead of regular somen. MAMI says that she usually pours curry-in-a-pouch over somen. HARU says she's never done that before but it sounds delicious. After eating the regular somen noodles again, HARU says that when you go back to eating that, you can really tell how awesome the pricy somen is. Ohno laughs hard in the background. MAMI says that they had a lot of fun, and also wonders how yuzu pepper would taste with somen. HARU says it sounds good, and also that since there's some Tabasco there, she kind of wants to try it. MAMI just goes, "Eh?? Seriously?" HARU laughs and says that she wonders how the broth would taste after adding Tabasco to it. She proposes to MAMI to try it at the end which MAMI laughs and agrees to.

•They then close out the episode. HARU says while laughing that the episode's already done. MAMI wonders if it's okay that they didn't accomplish anything today. HARU laughs and says that the only thing they did was eat somen. MAMI says they took it too easy, which Ohno laughs at. HARU says that there are lots of suggestions for Smental including Shaved Ice Smental, Food Stalls at Fireworks Shows Smental, Summer Vegetables Smental. HARU says that shaving ice would be interesting. She and MAMI both make a noise that sounds like ice being shaved/grated and then laugh. MAMI wonders if their voices would be heard. HARU laughs and says she has no idea.

*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

What foods would HARUNA and MAMI recommend to teachers going to Brazil for overseas training?

Season 2, Episode 71 blog

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HARUNA: We'll be continuing with the "HARU-MAMI" pair from last week!
Feeling the lingering taste of "somen" from last time...

MAMI: Yes, it was delicious.

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

Rinrin (25 years old)

Good evening. I'm a science teacher at a middle school.

(Both: Hey! Teacher!)


I've always been interested in schools and life in other countries, so I applied for an overseas training program for teachers. And thankfully, I'm going to Brazil for two weeks in August.

When I think of Brazil, the first thing that comes to mind is SCANDAL. I remember that there were many shocking stories from the "Catch up" episode about it a year ago.

The theme of this training is "multicultural coexistence." The pre-training with the 10 people who will be with me has begun, and I'm spending my days feeling more and more confused about what I want to tell the students and how I should tell them.

Of course, I'm excited about the training, but I'm also excited about my first time in Brazil. Please tell me about Brazil, such as tips for getting through a long flight, delicious Brazilian food, and souvenirs you're glad you bought!

I'll do my best with the training, savoring the fact that SCANDAL also visited this place!

HARUNA: Brazil was exactly one year ago...

MAMI: That's right.

HARUNA: Yeah, that was fast!

MAMI: So fast. It kind of feels like it was just the other day..

HARUNA: Yeah.

MAMI: I wonder how they're getting to Brazil.

HARUNA: That's true.

MAMI: There are no direct flights, so we went via Dubai and went all the way to the back, but there are also flights that go there via the US.

HARUNA: That's right.

MAMI: I wonder which way. Of course Brazil is interesting, but Dubai airport was also interesting.

HARUNA: It was expensive...

MAMI: Yeah.

HARUNA: The prices were.

MAMI: It surprised us.

HARUNA: How much was one pack of fries?

MAMI: A small one was about 500 yen, right?

HARUNA: It was pretty expensive...maybe even more.

MAMI: We were surprised by the price.

HARUNA: It's not good to eat too much...

MAMI: That's true. If we tried to buy souvenirs there, we'd be in trouble. On the other hand, Brazil was cheap, wasn't it?

HARUNA: Yes, it was. The food was delicious too.

MAMI: It was delicious.

HARUNA: We ate churrasco two days in a row.

MAMI: We did. Churrasco became my favorite.

HARUNA: And pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread).

MAMI: Ah, it was incredibly delicious!

HARUNA: But pão de queijo is...not Brazilian, is it??

MAMI: Eh, it is Brazilian.

HARUNA: Oh, Brazilian. I see.
The pão de queijo we had at catering was abnormally delicious.

MAMI: The ones they sell at bakeries in Japan are neatly shaped into bite-sized pieces, aren't they? But Brazilian pão de queijo feels like it's made from scratch. It was super delicious.

HARUNA: We could eat as much as we wanted.

MAMI: Yeah, we could eat as much as we wanted.

【Translated Summary】
『SCANDAL Catch up supported by Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt』 - Season 2, Episode 71

•The episode starts with this.

•They then talk about any tips for long flights. MAMI says that it depends on the plane and your expectations. There are some planes that have Japanese language options as well as some that don't, so it might be best to download some videos on your phone beforehand. She also says that you should sleep if you can. HARU says that she's not very good at sleeping on planes. MAMI asks if she means that she can't sleep or that she doesn't want to sleep. HARU says that she wants to sleep, but her neck ends up hurting so badly that she can't sleep. She also mentions how they all bought cushions. MAMI says that they shared and asked each other which ones they liked best. HARU says you need to find a neck pillow that works for you or you'll have a bad time. The one that she bought didn't agree with her skin and made her really itchy, and also didn't keep her head in place very well, which was really hard on her. MAMI says that might be better for the listener to go to a store that sells travel accessories and try them for themself. She also recommends getting some souvenirs at a market if they have a chance to go.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who says they attended FLOW THE FESTIVAL with their 2 brothers. HARU says that's nice they attended as the 3 of them. MAMI says that she has an older brother but they're so far apart in age that they've never considered going to a concert or going somewhere together. HARU says that she also doesn't do that with her sibling. MAMI says that maybe it's due to their different genders, but it's great that the listener can go go concerts with their siblings. HARU says it had been a while since they last performed somewhere with FLOW. MAMI says that they've often played on the same days at the same festivals and will always greet each other when they see one another. HARU says that the festival happened a day before Keigo's (one of FLOW's vocalists) birthday and so they wished him a happy birthday at the small after-party. MAMI says that they hope they can appear at another event together.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who says they have 5 kids, and with so many children, she and her husband don't really have a lot of time to spend together as a couple. At night, they go to bed early together so that the kids can go to bed early, and her husband is busy with work so they really don't have time for themselves as a couple. As such, they don't mind being lovey-dovey with each other in front of the kids. However, their oldest child is in the upper grades of elementary school and is about to enter adolescence, so she's wondering if they shouldn't be as lovey-dovey as they have in the past. HARU laughs really hard. MAMI also laughs and wonders what they should do. HARU wonders what level of being lovey-dovey they're talking about. MAMI says that it's at least an everyday sight for the family. She then asks HARU what she would personally do if she had kids. HARU isn't sure. MAMI says that it's good that they get along well, which HARU agrees with. HARU says it probably depends on the atmosphere when the couple's all lovey-dovey. If it's done while the kids are watching TV, doing homework, etc., and no one really pays attention to it then that's fine, and it's fine to keep doing so. If the kids don't like it, then they might say so. MAMI says that if they notice the older child is acting a little different than usual, then it's okay to talk to them. HARU says that they seem to be a couple that really gets along and that this kind of problem is a wonderful kind to have.

•MAMI reads the next message from a listener who has only been a fan for 3 months and started listening to SCANDAL because of HIGHSPEED Étoile and their song "Fanfare" as the ending song. They're not necessarily an anime fan but a car racing fan and heard about the series via a racing social media account. They saw the first episode and thought the song was cool, looked them up, and thought their name sounded familiar. The next day they found out that their daughter, now 26 years old, used to listen to them in middle school. They thank them and note how there are many ways to discover a musical artist. They estimate that it was around 12-13 years ago when the daughter had been listening to them and wonder what songs they had come out with at that time. MAMI guesses "Shoujo S" (that was 15 years ago lol) and HARU says that it was around when "HARUKAZE" came out (that was indeed 12 years ago!), which was right around the time when they were doing theme songs for various anime series. MAMI says to come out to a concert and that "Fanfare" will surely be totally different when they hear it live.

•HARU reads the next message from a listener who is a hairdresser and, despite being a fan for a long time, hadn't really gone to many SCANDAL concerts due to having only weekdays off. However, they were able to go to 4 performances on the LUMINOUS tour that were held on weekdays. They say they've been a hairdresser for 11 years and had never used PTO (paid time off), but since they're planning to leave their job and take over their family's salon, they are using them to attend ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL and Karaoke Night. They also say that their dream is to work on SCANDAL's hair even just once. They know it's a difficult thing to ask for since they live in the countryside of Fukushima, but if there's even a 1% chance it'll happen, they'll continue to work as a hairdresser for the rest of their life. HARU says it's impressive how they've never used PTO in these 11 years. MAMI asks how many paid days off people usually have, and if those days disappear on their own if you don't use them for a few years. They seem to generally ask the staff around them, but no one seems to know. They laugh at this. They either hear this or look it up, but HARU says that apparently you get a certain number of days per year which are reset each year. They then talk about Karaoke Night. HARU says that some say the audience shouldn't sing along since people are there to listen to the band and not the audience, but for this event, don't worry about that and sing along. MAMI says that the band is not going to sing (they'll only play the instrumentals while the audience sings the vocals), which means that they need the audience to sing. There's also no pressure to memorize the lyrics since they'll be projected on a screen. They then talk about the possibility of going to the listener's salon. They say that even if it's a 1% chance, it's not impossible. MAMI says that when they play a concert in Fukushima, she might feel that her hair color has faded too much and needs a retouch. HARU says that they might need their bangs cut and that that has happened in the past where they've had no choice but to ask their makeup artists cut their bangs. It would be better to leave it to a haircutting pro, though.

•They then close out the episode. MAMI says that it went by in no time. HARU agrees. MAMI says that it flies by even when the four of them are together. Last week, though, they only ate somen noodles. They laugh at that. HARU says that a lot of changes are needed to keep going, such as switching things up with pairs and such. MAMI says that they've done stuff that isn't suitable for radio. HARU laughs and says that she feels that they've only done things that aren't suitable for radio. They say that their staffer Kawai wants to do shaved ice in the future. MAMI says that they just keep amassing more and more equipment like the nagashi somen machine.

*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

TOMOMI takes on a summer vacation independent research assignment! The topic is "Conquering the sky with paper planes"?

Season 2, Episode 72 blog

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TOMOMI: Good evening. This is TOMOMI, SCANDAL's bassist. This is my first solo project! I've left the studio and am in a big room. It's probably a dance studio. It's a really big mirrored room... I don't understand. This is a different kind of situation from what we usually do for "Catch up," so I'm looking forward to it, but... I'm nervous that I'm the first one doing a solo project. I wish we had started things off with HARUNA, like we usually do... I'm nervous, but I want to have fun.

I'm sure there are many children on summer vacation in August, and summer vacation means festivals, the beach, watermelon, fireworks, and homework...yes, homework! Homework includes "independent research" during summer vacation, and I'll be doing some "independent research" for "Catch up" as well! The assignment is... "TOMOMI, conquer the sky"!

...What is this!? Huh? I've conquered the land with camping, which I love, and conquered the sea by getting a boating license... I haven't conquered anything, though... But the one thing I haven't conquered yet is the sky! Since I can't fly an actual airplane, I plan to conquer the sky with a paper plane. I'll have successfully conquered the land, sea, and air...is what it says, but that can't be true!

First, I don't get why camping means I've conquered the land. Well, it's not impossible to conquer the seas with a boating license, since I have a first-class license. So, I have made paper planes, but that was probably in elementary school. Paper planes were popular for a while. I don't really remember how to make them anymore. I tried to make one before we started recording, but it's probably totally different than the ones I made in the past, so I'll be starting from scratch...

That's why we've invited a paper plane expert here today! The Japanese champion of paper planes! Jun Tamba! Looking forward to working with you.

Tamba: Thanks for having me!

TOMOMI: You're the Japanese champion, but is that your uniform you're wearing now?

Tamba: This is like a pilot suit, like the ones worn on real planes, especially fighter jet pilot suits, you know, with a jumper and patches on them. I copied that.

TOMOMI: Eh? You just copied that??

Tamba: I'm a paper plane pilot--I don't ride paper planes, but I make them and fly them myself, so I guess I'm more or less a paper plane pilot.

TOMOMI: But it's so cute! Your name's on there, too...

Tamba: More or less...

TOMOMI: It has your name on it. It's so cute!

Tamba: Thank you very much.