MYOJO | Nakajima Kento
If We Were to Live Together
Partners:
Smartphone, glasses, novels, a matching pair of mugs...
The group that formed 11 years ago on September 29th, Sexy Zone.
And from then on, his "shinme"[1], the one who has continued to walk beside him, Fuma.
In this edition Kento will speak about his "partners".
The things that people always cherish by their side are what people call their “partners”. Maybe that’s why you always say “I’m Kento’s partner”. But, this is what I think. You’re not my just my companion or my partner. To me, you’re my eternal lover.
・・・
When I was a kid, my partner was a red ranger action figure from “Power Rangers”. If you pressed his belt, his mask would open and close and I couldn’t put it down. That doll was always with me. No matter where I went, I would hide it in my backpack. I’d fight bad guys with it and have him team up with an Ultraman figurine to save the world. He was my constant playmate as an only child.
Up until preschool my partner was the red ranger, but when I think about it, throughout the years I’ve had many other important partners. In elementary school it was my classmate S-Kun who I would always play Yu-Gi-Oh, tag and go on bike rides with. He was a kind person who would put his friends before himself. I was also able to open up and talk to him about anything. When I entered middle school, my partner was O-Kun who sat in the seat in front of me. He was an interesting guy who would always turn around to me sitting behind him whenever something happened and drag me in saying “Nakaken, Nakaken!” It’s thanks to him I was able to have the typical memories of “THE Middle School Boy”.
In high school my partner would probably have been my necktie. If you ask me whether I’m team gakuran[2] or team blazer, my answer would be the latter. I really admired the loose necktie style from Shuji and Akira[3]. In middle school my necktie was a clip-on so I couldn’t do that. I thought “When I get into high school I can tie it myself!” and was looking so forward to it, but then my high school also used clip-ons! Because of that, I specifically asked the tailor if they could make a regular necktie for me (laugh). My high school was very strict, and it was difficult juggling both school and work. There were many times when I would show up to work still in my uniform. That necktie spent a long time with me, and witnessed my doubts, laughter, and tears.
In university I was surrounded by friends who were all over 185cm tall, so to look a bit taller I’ve also had partners like my boots with slightly higher heels. Up until now I’ve had a lot of “partners”. When it comes to my partner at work though, the public’s perception would undeniably be “Kikuchi Fuma”. To me though, I’m not sure if just calling him a partner would be enough. It’s hard to put into words what he means to me… With that being said, Kikuchi is probably the only person who acknowledges me to the same degree that I do of him.
When I look back on things, Kikuchi and I have had a long history together, and we’ve been through many periods. If I’m being completely honest. We’re both similar and completely different. During our Junior days we both had the goal “We’re going to debut”. Since neither of us had a firm ground to stand on, we were able to just charge forward without thinking. Once we debuted together in the group called Sexy Zone though, we suddenly got put much closer together and it was like “Wait, something isn’t right”. Because our aesthetics and qualities were too different, we became lost and were too young to properly come to a mutual understanding. Our opinions clashed quite a lot. There was even a period where I really struggled with feeling like I wasn’t the type of person who worked well in a group. Outside I had the confidence to tell myself, “It’s okay, I’m communicating well,” but as soon as I was back in the group, I would lose my confidence and think “Maybe I’m not the type to get along with others…”. I think that period lasted quite long. But I think Kikuchi also struggled with the same things. He definitely has his own opinions about me from that time. Honestly, there was a point where I just got tired of thinking and decided to stop caring. I couldn’t get away from him though. After all, without his strength I wouldn’t have been able to move forward. The piece that connects our differences is, without a doubt, our strong feelings towards the group. “One day, the five of us will make it to the top.” “The five of us will see what it looks like to make it big!” It’s because we share these thoughts that we’ve been able to continue on this road together.
For these 11 years, I’ve watched his figure by my side as we’ve continued to face things together and because of that there’s no one who I respect and trust more than Kikuchi Fuma. With his straightforward personality he struggled and fumbled to find a place of his own without ever trying to fool himself. And finally, he was able to find the things that only Kikuchi Fuma can do. I’m truly impressed. I’ve liked him, hated him, found him annoying, couldn’t understand him, wanted to understand him more. When it comes to Kikuchi Fuma, I’ve felt so many things I’ve thought, “This must be the full range of human emotions.” Now, things have come full circle and there’s a part of me that, no matter what he does, I’ll fondly think “cute!” (laughs). Back then because we seemed similar, but also completely different I struggled with the thought, “How can we merge together to become one?” But now I’m now able to say, “It’s okay if we don’t mix. It’s okay if we don’t become one. It’s okay for the two of us to walk side by side.” Sometimes getting closer or sometimes drifting apart, the two of us will undoubtedly continue walking forward together side by side.
Translation Notes:
[1] - "shinme" or シンメ is short for "symmetry" and is specifically a term used in Johnny's fandom to refer to two people who frequently mirror each other in dance formations on opposite sides.
[2] - Gakuran refers to a standard type of school uniform worn in Japan which consists of black trousers, and a black jacket with 5 buttons and a standing collar. An image of what they look like: [here]
[3] - Shuji and Akira is a J-drama that came out in 2005 starring Yamashita Tomohisa, Kamenashi Kazuya and Horikita Maki.
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