100 Days Challenge - YUMA (BANQUET) [1 of 2]
I am doing this on Twitter but I thought I'd re-post it here to keep and since there is no character limit on a blog, I will also be able to add more details as well. Only Yuma's will be featured here on the blog, though. I don't think I really have much to add to the others and well, this challenge was made for just ONE oshi after all, so I guess I'll stick to that, despite doing all the boys before but I really noticed as I went along that some of the questions, I could only answer for Yuma and none of the others.
The "will you still like your oshi after 100 days otaku challenge"
Day 1 - How did you meet your oshi
Saw him perform IRL for the first time before I became his fan, at an event at VUENOS (a live house that has unfortunately closed down now due to being unable to keep operating because of the pandemic). I liked how he was smiling and enjoying himself while performing on stage with his group. Reason I became his fan? Talking to him in private online via video call and getting to know each other better. But before I saw him IRL, I saw him on twitter and YouTube when he interacted with members of WhiteA, so I guess that is how we 'met'? If you want to get technical about it.
The picture you see is from the third time I talked to Yuma online. The first time was really just out of curiosity. BANQUET was doing an online tokutenkai on the app I was using for WhiteA already, so I thought 'hey, why not, they seem fun and this is cheap'.
So I talked to Yuma first and I came back again for more because it was so much fun and we just got along well as people. He was really excited about having a foreign fan and he was even MORE excited when he saw that I had come back.
Day 2 - What do you like the most about your oshi
What I like most about him? Probably his smile and then how much he cares about people. A really gentle and kind soul. I mentioned to others before, it's not really the looks that attracted me to him (I think he looks terrible in quite a few shots lol) but him as a person.
Day 3 - What is the most important memory you have with your oshi
I think my best memory with Yuma so far is when he decided to call me by my name and he decided to practice one English phrase with me whenever we get the chance. Also the wasshoi thing. He made it a thing lol Fukuda Wasshoi. Now it's our thing lol 語彙力やばい 笑笑
[The Wasshoi thing has now been eternalized as a LINE stamp, I will forever be grinning like an idiot when I look at it]
Day 4 - If your oshi were an animal, which animal would they be
[Horse]: this is like "canon" though lol (because of his name and because of what people say about his face) though in my head he's more of a cat because well he lives with 2 cats and the way he moves when he dances, I guess? He has a kind of feline grace, the way he makes is long limbs move.
Yuma can also be a little 'moody' like a cat. He doesn't have the typical cat-attitude (lol) but he'll hiss and scratch when he's provoked or annoyed and will be all cute and purr happily when you're giving him attention. Okay this sounds weird but I swear it makes sense.
Day 5 - Praise your oshi
Yuma is really thoughtful and dedicated. He works really hard for the group and looks out for everyone. The way he dances is great and he always puts a personal touch in it lol I also think his voice is really unique and nice and love listening to it.
Seriously, Yuma is a hard worker. It's partially because he is the only one who lives by himself and no longer at his parents' house, so he has bills to pay and all that but mostly because he really loves and cares for the group. Yuma has a sense of responsibility that is very strong and I think it's what makes people accept him as the 'leader' of the group even though he doesn't seem like he would be at first glance.
Day 6 - Pictures of your oshi that you recommend
I said before that Yuma's face isn't what attracts me to him but one of the sad things here is that Yuma hates his own face because he says it's so long and a "horse face" :( I don't think so! Please have some more confidence boy. Please. but for today, Yuma and Omaru +1
Day 7 - I'm glad I met my oshi because...
I'm really glad I met Yuma. It is thanks to him that I started to make friends in the fandom. It is also thanks to him that a really dark and stressful time did not end up with me doing something really stupid.
I made it through shitty times thanks to him and I really can't thank him enough for it. It's still strange to think of an oshi as a real shoulder to cry and lean on but it is indeed reality.
Day 8 - What is good about the group your oshi is part of
BANQUET as a group has really grown on me. What is good about them? I think how genuine they are. And how serious about things and yet carefree. They really appreciate and care about the fans and have a great relationship and rapport with everyone it's really great.
BANQUET are a bunch of huge idiots. In a good way (sometimes in a bad way, too lol). They're really fun people and I really hope they'll be able to become 'bigger'. I wish them all the best as 4 and will continue to love and support them from now on as well, maybe even more than before. We'll see.
Day 9 - What your oshi did that you are thankful for
I am thankful to YUMA because he provided me the chance to connect to other BANQUET fans (called Cheers). Thanks to that chance I was able to make friends in the fandom and that little circle has grown steadily and it's a great experience. I feel comfortable in this fandom.
I'm also thankful for him trying to cheer me up whenever I'm down and for telling me when I'm being silly or stupid (and for trying hard to help me with my Japanese even though he is not the best at it either XD).
eUhm aside from his cats... Yuma's piercings. Not the jewellery itself but just the fact that he has piercings?
(it's not very visible in the picture but he has a cartilage piercing higher up and he wants to get another piercing at the top in the future - Yuma says he wants a piercing like Gaku's, see picture on the right, click to enlarge to see the piercing better)
Day 11 - Something you'd like to ask of your oshi
What I'd like to request from Yuma? We talked about this already but 'have more faith in yourself'. I know it's hard and I am not good at it myself but I think just having someone tell you that helps to accept yourself more. (I'll punch whoever calls him 'ugly horse face')
Day 12 - Something you'd like to recommend to your oshi
The local specialty from my hometown? We talked about Poppoyaki and I told him they remind me of my hometown's specialty a bit so he got curious (lol again sth I talked to him about already)
My hometown's sweets are called "Printen" (pictured on the right) and they're a kind of spice cake/cookie. It's not gingerbread, though as the dough is different (as is the taste) but I guess for the sake of having an approximation, gingerbread is probably the closest.
Day 13 - The live your oshi was in that left the deepest impression on you
The "post corona" fan meeting. It wasn't the first time I saw them live on stage but ... I guess it was pretty emotional because of the times we live in right now. Also because it was unexpected/a surprise that they performed some songs at the fan meeting because well, times are as they are right now still.
Another live that stayed in my memories is the Enkai when Gaku fell sick suddenly and couldn't be there. It was when my suspicions about Gaku leaving became stronger because I just felt like there was something going on and that BANQUET was somehow 'okay' without Gaku being there. Even though it was still chaotic and new to them, there seemed to be something underlying there that told me that this wasn't the first time they had done the songs as 4. Things seemed to smooth to have been thrown together last minute and some of the 'mistakes' they made didn't quite sit well with me. If you know what I mean.
Other fans I talked to said that this showed how BANQUET really should be 5 members and things just aren't the same without Gaku. I agreed but deep down I thought that even with 4 members like that night, BANQUET seemed to be doing okay. So... looking back at that now, I am cautiously hopeful for the future and what it might bring for the remaining 4 of them.
Day 14 - Describe your oshi in one word/phrase
Describing Yuma in one word or sentence? Ooof...
I want to say "kindhearted" because that's how he is. Like he genuinely is a cinnamon roll. In the "looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll" kind of way XD although he might also qualify for "looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you" sometimes. Ah man, this is hard!!
Day 15 - Which of your oshi's songs do you like the best
...today's karaoke stream doesn't count does it? So I guess I'll go with:
Please check out the English subtitles for Shooting Star! XD Translating the lyrics made me realize that this song had more to it than I had thought at first. There is a certain gap between the lyrics and the video. It's pretty interesting and I talked to Yuma about it and he was happy and impressed I had noticed it.
Day 16 - What has changed since you met your oshi
What changed since meeting Yuma? I made friends in a tiny Japanese fandom. It's thanks to him and his stream that people started talking to me and I've been working on making friends for real ever since. I'm (pleasantly) surprised at how inclusive the fandom is.
Day 17 - Which of the goods related to your oshi is your most treasured
Err while they do have goods, I own none yet lol maybe one of the tshirts in the future (still being designed, it was a special prize for the one month event)... but I guess for now I guess two of my cheki with him (the wasshoi one and the endless loop of you are great)
Uh lol maybe this pic? lol though not really I guess. Just between him and me the moment my heart definitely took a serious hit was when he called me by my name the first time. Recently the fact he was worried about me being "bullied" due to being from Tokyo ;3;
Day 19 - What do you call your oshi / How do you address your oshi
Usually I call him ゆーま君 (Yuma-kun) in Japanese and then just Yuma when we speak English. Sometimes when we speak in private in Japanese, too. Otherwise... わっしょい福田、わっしょい福田組長、リーダー ... I guess? lol
Day 20 - What does your oshi call you / How does your oshi address you
Yuma calls me "Kira" most of the time (I told him to drop the -san, so unless it's in a more "formal" situation he only calls me Kira) These days he also calls me "sensei" like he usually checks with me if his English during the stream is okay. So he'll go 先生、あってる？
In one of the streams Yuma was tasked to give everyone a nickname and he broke his brain trying to come up with one for me and in the end just settled on イングリッシュティーチャー or イングリッシュの先生 and everyone called him out for it because it was so 'normal' or 'boring' or 'that's just the job name!'.
Yuma was the second one to address me by my name in BANQUET, asking if he could call me "Kira" during our online talks at the very beginning. (KaiTo was the first one to call me Kira because he talked about my name the first time we talked online).
Day 21 - Something you pay attention to when you take cheki together
Nothing in particular? I'm horrible with poses or anything so I just leave it up to the guys... also Toshi just snaps pictures of Yuma&me mid-conversation XD though I guess that was a special one lol
To be honest, these days I really don't pay attention to taking cheki at all because Yuma and I just start talking about something and Yuma will not stop talking about it or will need forever to get his English together so we just spend a lot of time talking and laughing and whoever has to take the cheki will call us out on it (best moment is still KaiTo going "omg get a move on TIME IS MONEY!" at Yuma XD).
Day 22 - What is your oshi good at
Yuma can do many things well lol Piercing people (according to all the members), hair styling (he mostly does his own or yusuke's hair), designing (he designs most of the BANQUET goods), weird faces... oh and dance lol XD but hm special skill, probably his weird faces?
Day 23 - Which song would you like your oshi to sing at karaoke
Uuh I guess since they didn't do it last time "Anniversary" (Kinki Kids) with Yusuke... as for solo songs, Yuma's voice is good but tricky so idek what song would be good but mh maybe sth Orange Range? Although Orange Range is hard to do by yourself. Mh maybe Yozora no Mukou by SMAP would be good.
Day 24 - Please talk about your love towards your oshi passionately
I flail about Yuma a lot lol I think the main reasons why I like him are: he's an incredibly good person, he cares about and for the people around him and he's a really hard worker on and off stage. I also enjoy listening to his voice a lot and to watch him dance.
Day 25 - Something you'd like to tell your oshi
I keep telling you this, Yuma but have more faith in yourself, your abilities and your fans. Have some more confidence and don't be so harsh on yourself. And thank you for being the kindhearted soul that you are. And yes, you are a perv and a weirdo but we still love you.
Day 26 - Something you've thought about recently regarding your oshi
I thought Yuma was really dedicated and really amazing recently because he read every single comment in his streams. It's no easy feat and he looked so tired (but happy) at the end. Stay awesome ;3;
Day 27 - A part of the lyrics you like from one of your oshi's songs
Yuma raps, so his lines tend to be a bit different lol but if we go by the lines themselves, I guess his parts in Life is so beautiful, True Love and Takaramono. If we go by how he does them, Bonno Summer's opening rap part エネルギシャウマイメン！
Day 28 - Which facial expression of your oshi do you like the best
Yuma has a lot of facial expressions~
But I guess if I had to choose, I'd say his smile is the best. Like, his genuine happy smile and laughing face. It's actually one of the things that attracted me to him. He always looks like he's having fun on stage! Or having a good time doing what he's doing - interacting with fans.
Day 29 - When does your oshi 'shine' the most
I want to say on stage because I like seeing him dance but I think he's the one who shines a lot off stage and behind the scenes because of all the work he puts into doing and making things for the group. He's a hard worker and rightfully holds the position of leader.
When did I decide to be his fan? After talking to him a few times I foubd myself really enjoying that but I also enjoyed talking to others in the group. KaiTo then made the decision for me, saying I was a Yuma oshi during the MixChannel events and that's how it happened.
Day 31 - What you'd like to tell other people about your oshi - what makes them great
Yuma is a great person. He's also a big weirdo (and a perv) lol but that what makes him a fun person. A "real" person. He's also really caring and most of all hard working. But I guess if anything, his smile. :)
Day 32 - How much time do you spend thinking about your oshi in one day
When I'm running away from shit that's going down in RL - a lot. When it's a normal day and I'm at work maybe here and there if sth or someone reminds me of him.
All in all, a healthy/normal amount of time.
Day 33 - Pictures of your oshi that you recommend (Part 2)
Pictures of Yuma that I like... I might cheat for this one and just slap on his artist pictures because they're nice quality (and I -do- like the True Love and Bonno Summer ones a lot)
Top Left: True Love
Top Right: Bonno Summer
Bottom Left: Life is so beautiful
Bottom Right: Rush Around
Admittedly, the Life is so beautiful one is a bit weird because the angle makes him look super different and his hair style is different from what he usually prefers. The Rush Around one became a bit of a lol factor because people kept saying he looks like Tanaka Juri in it (he kind of does... but I think he looks better than Juri *runs away from fans*)
Day 34 - Which stage would you like your oshi to stand on
In the near future (Nov 29th this year): zepp Diver City.
In the hopefully not so distant future: Budoukan - that's his dream.
Personally I'd also love to see him on a theater stage - maybe. I have yet to see him act properly lol but I feel like it might be something he'd enjoy and maybe be good at (although he's pretty terrible at the Jinro Game so maybe not ahahaha)
Day 35 - Something you've kept secret about your oshi
Something about Yuma I've kept a secret? Uhh... considering I flail about like everything on twitter or to select people... I don't think there really is anything? Details at most lol and well, pictures we take together because they have a no upload policy right now.
Day 36 - What you want to tell your oshi the most right now
What I would like to tell him the most right now? Something that can't really be put into words because just saying "thank you" just isn't enough.
Day 37 - When is the time you want to meet your oshi the most
I always want to see him lol and I do see him almost every day right now (...but only because I'm off work)... I guess I want to see him the most when there are long periods of not being able to do so and when I'm far away and can't go to stuff.
Day 38 - What do you do during the time when you cannot meet your oshi - how do you cheer yourself up
Watching YouTube or other clips of him I have, I guess. If it's more in general I keep my mind busy with writing or tweeting etc?
Day 39 - A happy memory with your oshi
I'm happy whenever we interact with each other. But I think the most 幸せエピソード would be his おかえり！！！ at the last event. That made me so happy I can't really put it into words...
Other happy memories:
Top 2 pictures: Yuma was trying to think of a certain kind of tea he likes to drink but forgot the name of. I just gave it a short in the dark and guess what, I was right lol Everyone was saying how I was amazing for being able to figure out the right tea given the wonky hints Yuma had been giving us XD The screenshots are from the moments right after Yuma was ready to give up on trying to remember and then when he saw my chat messages he went "OMG KIRA YES!! THAT'S IT!!"
Bottom left: Yuma being Yuma. He made a promise to be silly and cheer me up and make me laugh because I was feeling shitty during that time and well, let's just say he keeps his promises.
Bottom right: this was one of the streams where we all teased him relentlessly and he was dying because of mortification XD; (don't worry, we all apologized to him properly when we met him the next day)
Day 40 - What if you hadn't met your oshi
If I hadn't met Yuma I think a lot of things would have been different in my life. I wouldn't have met some of the friends I made recently for one. I wouldn't have talked in Japanese as much as I have recently and I might have gone crazy up north or worse...
Something that is a bit of a rule for me (or has become a habit idk) is to go to him last for cheki. Best for last? lol
Day 42 - Praise your oshi's face
I love his happy smiling face. Yuma's face is very expressive and more often than not you can see how happy he is and how mich he enjoys things. There's also a scatter of beauty marks on it I personally find attractive.
Day 43 - How has your oshi influenced you
How Yuma has influenced me? Mh there hasn't been anything major really... but other than being someone for me to confide in and seek comfort from... I guess the whole Wasshoi thing might be the biggest influence... not that it's a big thing lol idk can't explain.
Day 44 - Something your oshi did to you that you were happy about
Something Yuma did that made me happy? OMG the list would be long but I guess I'll go with the most recent thing and that's the "okaeri" one. The other thing is of course him listening and caring about what I'm saying and about me.
Day 45 - A cosplay you'd like to see your oshi do
Yuma promised me "serious cross-dressing". So... I'm waiting XD Otherwise I like some of his more "conservative" Halloween costumes like the bloody goth one (vampire? lol)
Day 46 - A video clip or MV/PV of your oshi you recommend
Bonno Summer!
because his rap part in the beginning is so nice ;3;
Day 47 - A 4 character expression that perfectly fits your oshi
[n/a] ERROR 404 Japanese not found
Day 48 - Praise your oshi for something that isn't their face
Yuma's an idiot lol but his heart is in the right place. And he is really dedicated and responsible and... yeah he's just a good person. Of course he has his silly side, too but hey that's just part of the package lol
I definitely like him as a person not just his face. He is a grea dancer as well and he is very creative.
I feel glad I became his fan like every time we meet. Our latest private exchange was no exception. While I wish there was photographic evidence, it'll remain burned into my memory. I want him to be happy. Always.
Another moment where I felt really glad to be his fan was when Kamei-san praised him and talked about him so highly and when Yuma talked about his initial options when he entered the showbiz.
Day 50 - You've reached the half-way point, please say something to your oshi
Thanks for cheering me up and for being with me during good and bad times. And omg we do really share a brain cell sometimes it's kind of hilarious. Also, I am so proud of you and how hard you're trying to improve your English right now!! Keep it up!
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