aiba hiroki
Translation of "History of Aiba Hiroki" from his Metamorphosis DVD. I tried to follow the Chinese subs as closely as possible, but I apologize in advance if some parts sound awkward.
Go here for the video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cw4xoTXftiI



Q1: What kind of child were you?
A: Overall, I was a shy, spoiled crybaby. My mom often told me, “Say hi to people.” During that time, I hid behind my mom and wouldn’t say hi to anyone. It was hard for me to warm up to people I didn’t know. That kind of shy person…How should I say it? The kind that’s not energetic and likeable, that won’t stand in front of people. That kind of shy child.

Q2: What about memories of your elder brother?
A: Speaking of my brother, I’ve always emulated him. It’s like I was always following him. We played together in kindergarten. In elementary school, we weren’t that close anymore…It [the relationship] was just okay. But in the past, I really did follow my brother around a lot. It’s like “if my brother jumped, then I would jump” kind of feeling. That’s how we played together throughout the years.

Q3: What was/were your earliest dream(s)?
A: My earliest dream? It was during kindergarten, when I wanted be a martial artist. I remember saying something like that. Then during the kindergarten graduation ceremony, I wanted to be a cake chef, yes, at a cake shop. After that, I had various dreams: Because I liked animals, I wanted to be an animal trainer. I also thought about being a soccer player. Just this kind of feeling…

Q4: First crush?
A: Regarding my first crush…In kindergarten, there was a girl I liked. I really liked to play with her. Even though she didn’t really want to, I forcefully held her hand. I even walked her home uninvited. Just like that…And I think it was also during kindergarten that I did things like pull on girls’ skirts. Yes, sorry, just like that…

Q5: What are your favorite sports and talents?
A: Sports…At first it was when I was three and I went skiing. We went skiing about two or three times a year. I skied alright…During vacations in high school, I saw other people spinning (turning?) on their skies. I thought it’d be nice if I could do that too, so I wanted to improve. When I started elementary school, I played soccer for about two or three years. Then I played baseball on and off for a year. But because it didn’t suit me, I gave it up. In middle school, my brother played basketball, so he probably influenced me. Let’s just say he influenced me. Anyway, I started playing basketball – played for three years.

Talent-wise, even though I still play basketball with friends, recently it’s been dancing. I danced from the beginning of high school to today. You could say that dancing’s my talent.

Q4: Why do you want to be an entertainer?
A: My reason…although I had an interest in the entertainment world, I never had a chance to enter it, so I just lived a very normal life. A girl who’s related to me told me about the JUNON BOY competition. I was selected, but I regretted that and hated myself. Because of my self-hatred and remorse, I worked hard on my dancing and made a lot of preparations. In the end, I received a unique* award. From then on, I finally decided to be an entertainer. [*the direct translation is something along the lines of “special” or “unique,” but I don’t think that’s what the award is actually called; maybe award for originality?]

Q5: The road to becoming an actor?
A: I didn’t make it the first time in the JUNON BOY competition, so I tried again the second year. I actually didn’t succeed that time either, but the feeling was similar to a failure being revived. Due to popular vote, I was able to stay to the end of the competition and receive the award for originality*. Despite this experience, I actually started dancing since my first year in high school. At first, I wanted to debut with my dancing, since I’ve always danced in a three-person group. Even though we went through a lot together, we disbanded in the end. But because of all these experiences like doing street lives – at first we weren’t very popular, but then through word-of-mouth, we had about 300 to 400 people watching our performance – it was these people’s support that allowed me to last to the end in JUNON BOY competition and receive the award. It was these experiences that allowed me to be where I am today. Therefore, I am very thankful.

Q6: The future you?
A: I’ll be an adult this year, so I’d like everyone to see a more mature Aiba Hiroki. And I’d like to work harder in my own way. I also hope to grow as an actor and learn things, gain more experience. The current me needs to undergo the experience of hard work.

Q7: What challenges do you set for yourself?
A: I’ve always received a lot of stage jobs involving dancing. I’ve always been on stage, so I don’t have any experience on TV. Therefore, it’ll be good if I can appear on TV, such as in a drama. I really want to gain this type of experience. I also hope to appear in movies, so that I can sharpen my acting skills. I would like to gain people’s approval and hope that they will continue to support me. I will definitely work harder so that I won’t let anyone down.