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Humming on the way home: Takuya/Nobuto Essay

In celebration of Infinite Trust's 3rd anniversary, I present to you:

Title: Humming it on the way home
Author: Shinya
Email: kidyaro[@]hotmail.com
Fandom: UVERworld
Pairing: Shimizu Takuya/Kuwahara Nobuto
Notes: There are a lot of interpretations in this essay as there is a lack of information and translation, meaning that some things might be untrue. However, this is an essay written by yours truly, and thus is my take on their relationship. You can agree or disagree with me.

それらの世界の上で交差すること
U V E R w o r l d

Originally known as "Sangoku Road", there were 7 members (2 vocalists, 2 guitarists, 1 bassist, 1 saxophonist & 1 drummer). Eventually 2 of them left and the remaining 5 renamed themselves as "UVERworld" ( ウーバーワールド ). They are a Japanese band signed under gr8! Records (Sony Music Records) in 2005 that can be categorised as J-mixture, pop, rock. They made use of elements such as R&B, rap, beatboxing etc. to increase the quality of their music. They set a new trend in the Japanese music industry with their undefined style of music.

UVERworld is made up of 5 members that come from Shiga, Kansai, comprising of TAKUYA∞ (Vocalist & Programming), Katsuya (Guitarist & Band leader), Akira (Guitarist), Nobuto (Bassist), and Shintarou (Drummer). UVER is a combination of 'über' and 'over', and hence UVERworld was meant as 'Crossing over their world'. Using this name as a motivation, UVERworld plans to make sure that their music and popularity is known to every corner of the world.

清水 琢也
T h e T a l e n t e d I n d i v i d u a l

The drive behind UVERworld, Takuya wrote about every single one of their songs. He is able to play the guitar, bass, drums and piano on top of being able to sing, rap, whistle and beatbox. He was voted by fangirls to be the 9th most wanted artist boyfriend.

His screen name, Takuya ∞, means that his potential is of infinite possibility. Previously during the Sangoku Road era, his name was Ace ∞ Trigger. The reason seemed to mean, trigger the flow (?)

Takuya had also become more confident. This can be seen during interviews whereby he was more outspoken, and during lives where his movements are more natural rather than being too self conscience. His voice and stamina (during lives) are also improving, becoming more powerful with every new release. His English has also improved. It used to be indistinguishable, now you can sort of understand what he's saying. In fact, his grammar is making more sense now. He used to only be able to write lyrics at home. However, since BUGRIGHT, he tried going to different places and had been able to write in all sorts of places.

Takuya is described as someone who is very self-conscious. He takes pride in himself, and always does his best so that he will not mess up. It can be seen that he is rather proud of his achievements, and of UVERworld. When asked which 3 CDs he will bring along with him if he gets stranded on an island, he replied UVERworld, because he thinks that they are the best in the world and he likes it. Also, from the lyrics, CHANCE! During the interlude, he compared UVERworld with other music, and said (or rather rap) that theirs is full-scale (10/10). However, one cannot say that he is conceited. To tell yourself that you are great doesn’t have to mean that you are egoistic, but can also act as a way to give yourself confidence. I think that’s what Takuya had wanted to do.

But, this leads to him pushing himself beyond his limits, and sometimes overdoing it, making his actions seems exaggerated and awkward. Of course, there are also good parts about it because it means he’s seeking ways to improve himself, which is rather obvious when you see the difference between UVERworld’s debut, D-tecnoLife, till now. However, in certain videos like those promoting their latest single, he would do some weird movements while Katsuya was talking, and some fans had commented that he looks like a monkey doing it.

Takuya is obviously, not without his flaws. He is a typical pervert and he used to flip the skirts of the girls that he liked when he was young. Though most would say that he’s someone who is calm, but there’s also the reckless side to him. The incident whereby he hit a policeman cannot be excused, even though it seemed like a small matter. However, I believe that being a fan means being able to embrace all side of him, good and bad. At least he was willing to reflect and repent, to stand up and prove his worth to the world again. I think that for this, we should all show our support for this fighter.

Takuya hates losing precious things. I believe most of us do, but it’s a trait that is very strong in him. Especially in the 2nd album, BUGright, there was a lot of emphasis on leaving no regrets, treasuring everything. In fact, most of his songs have that as the theme. As Eve had put in her analysis of Monochrome Devotion:

Someone who hates losing precious things and betrayals than any normal person would, I would presume Takuya has lost many things before.

It appears that Monochrome Devotion was a song for his late grandfather, and the sakura garden that he frequently referred to in the song was the sakura garden near his grandfather’s grave.

I believe that despite his songs, Takuya had many regrets, and that perhaps the central theme, leaving no regrets, was a way to reach out to people, to warn them not to repeat the same mistakes he did. The mistakes might probably be referring to him leaving home to live alone after his junior high school years, and not being around his grandfather when he passed away (and hence he wrote the song Monochrome Devotion to express his sorrows).

In order to protect this great love, I'll become stronger, so don't worry. It's okay for you to rest.

Indeed, Takuya had grown stronger. He used his strength, his music to inspire the people around him. He himself now treasures his family and friends more than ever, and would often say that he doesn’t want to lose any of his precious people. I believe that despite the distance, he’s very close to his sister, and he had mentioned that he was very happy when his nephew started learning the piano.

LIFEsize had also shown him growing. Mentioned in Oricon Style 25th Feb 2007, Takuya talked about the importance of music is to him.

I'm moved by my own music. It's the truth, I can't lie about it.

Music had helped him to grow, to better himself. Takuya used to have a rather laid-back life, especially after he moved out after junior high school. He used to just skateboard and surf. However, he realized the difference between having freedom and not doing anything productive. Luckily, he found music, and it gave his life meaning.

桑原 信人
M a s t e r o f H u m o u r

Sometimes dubbed Shishou (Master/Teacher) by his band mates, Nobuto has the ability to brighten up a day. He likes to crack jokes and come up with weird antics. Nobuto uses funny names like nobububu, nobibi, be, babito, nobibu in his blog posts. His blog posts are also rather funny (sadly I do not have any translations… Those I know are in Chinese).

Nobuto had changed since UVERworld's debut. From looking like a punk, he has grown more and more handsome (and slimmer). Still his big nose remains. In fact, Akira drew a picture of him in UVERtv 3, exaggerating his nose. The members had a good laugh about it, and though Nobuto seemed offended, but it was all in a good nature.

I would say that Nobuto is comical. His actions, his words appear to be silly, and sometimes make no sense, but as long as it makes people laugh, then he had achieved his goal. He doesn’t mind the fact that they may be laughing at him, and would even appear to seem angry in a childish way that would just make the other roar in laughter.

I like his clumsiness. Because he's clumsy, he's good at communicating. He might get frustrated with himself, but it makes him a trustworthy person.

Nobuto was commented by his band mates to be very clumsy. Other than Shintarou, the rest mentioned that he was “Super clumsy”, and in fact, Katsuya mentioned it 4 times. However, I do not believe that he is really clumsy, but just appearing to be so. It’s rather difficult to express it, but basically, he act clumsy, make a fool of himself for people whom he thinks is precious to him, so that they can laugh, and be cheered up. Takuya mentioned that his charming point is his stupidity.

I came to such a conclusion is because Nobuto doesn’t really seem clumsy on screen. I would in fact think that if one goes on screen, it’s easier to mess up. However, he’s very natural and doesn’t look awkward playing the bass at all. He was commented by some fans that his movements are one of the smoothest in PVs and lives. This sort of contradicts with the description of him being clumsy.

However, from some interviews, it seems that he’s terrible at hoola hoops and arm wrestling. Of course, we cannot forget his lack of ability in singing, which we can catch a glimpse of it in the BUGright documentary. Imagine having to tolerate this every time he goes to bathe because he has a bad habit of singing while bathing. Oh the poor UVER members. Perhaps this is why he wanted to be Takuya for a day because he wants to be able to sing.

He’s serious but at the same time, playful. There’s no denying that he is really serious about playing the bass. Shintarou had described him as a passionate performer. I like to quote an example which was the UVERworld x Sid live performance. In the middle of the performance, his bass strap broke. In order not to drop the bass and be able to continue playing, he had to hunch himself in an uncomfortable position, and continued keeping up with the rhythm. As they aimed to have a spectacular performance, Nobuto had a look of frustration when the live was over. I would suppose that he felt that he had let down his band mates. Also, I want to applaud the fact that he only showed his frustration after the live was over, as it would have affected the other members and the audience if he didn’t. This really proved that he’s a true artist, and I think his actions are really admirable. The interviewer commented that he thought Nobuto was really cool, and I believe most of us would agree. Nobuto later attached a photo of himself and wrote, “Watch me”. I think the “Watch me” here had meant as, Watch me, I will do a better job the next time.

He can appear to be aloof, but really, he’s very emotional. On screen, he often has a cool look, hardly smiling. However, in candid shots, you can often catch a glimpse of him laughing, and the laugh has a very carefree feel to it. He shows his emotions openly, but I feel that sometimes, he really feeling something else, but is unable to express it (as Katsuya mentioned, he gets frustrated with himself). Nobuto also said that he’s someone who thinks too much.

It makes me think of the time that I first came to Tokyo, and the tears...

He likes to appear tough, but he’s really a nice cuddly teddy bear on the inside. In fact, he cried when he read the lyrics to Hitori Jya Nai Kara, which centered on the theme, I’m not alone. Another incident whereby he cried was when his younger sister gave birth to a son. This really showed his love for his family and friends. Even for his pets, I think he really like his pet cat, Pudding, that when the first one ran away, he got a second one and named it Pudding too. Though the second one ran away (again), this time, he got Takuya to help find it by driving around the neighborhood with his car. This incident may make some people wonder whether he ill-treats his cats, but it actually shows that he does miss his pets. As Katsuya had mentioned, people love him for his clumsiness and his trustworthiness. His parents had really named him correctly, since Nobuto means a trusted person, and he did grow up to become a person worth being trusted.

He’s a rare individual. It’s hard to find a guy who would openly show his emotion, and cry over a touching scene. His honesty is what draws people to him, and he commands a presence like no other.

そして偶然の一致 必然の出会い 一本の道で繋がった俺らの home
T a k u y a X N o b u t o

One whole, they are the pieces that fills each other up. Without the other, they cannot be who they are today. This is the relationship between Takuya and Nobuto.

“We are brothers”

When asked to use a phrase to represent each member, both of them had the same answer, “We are brothers”. They are not blood brothers in case you were wondering. To have the both of them using this term so intimately, showed a strong relationship that’s beyond just friends. It is no easy feat for two people to come together and give the same endearment to each other. They could have easily said that they were friends or even best friends, and this would not have mean as much, but no, brothers was the word that they had chosen. Knowing Takuya and Nobuto, they would not anyhow use a word, because as musicians, each word has their significance. They trust that one will not betray the other because they consider themselves as family.

Prelude to the UVERture

Since young, in fact, since Nobuto was two and Takuya was three years old, they had always been there for each other. They had been in the same childcare centre, were classmates from kindergarten till grade 4, and attended the same school till junior high. Their older siblings are also friends, and in fact, Takuya’s sister was the singer while Nobuto’s brother was the bassist in a concert.

During their junior high years, Takuya being inspired by their siblings, decided to form a band with Nobuto and another guy, Hideki. At this point, I would suppose that Takuya by asking those 2 people, meant that he was close to them, and that he believes in their music talent. Given Takuya’s character, he’s not someone who would invite a random person to form his first band, hence it would show that the two of them could possibly be his best friends.

The recent thing that made me smile was talking to Nobuto

Nobuto’s the one who pulls Takuya up when he’s down with his jokes. His way of subtlety, to cheer up Takuya rather than straight-in-the-face counseling probably worked better, and this showed his understanding towards Takuya.

Takuya was described by band mates to be stoic, strict with himself and not easily swayed by other. He has a strong personality, but he always expresses his soft side through music. “I wrote my true feelings. So, I believe that feeling will be conveyed to people who listen to my music consciously.”

Home, the place they seek refuge, protection. That’s where the other is, and that’s where they will return to, to the place of their loved ones, in their hearts.

The third person’s point of view
W h y I s h i p p e d t h e m

Like the yin and yang, they cannot be whole without the other.

This pair, whether you see them as friends, brothers, or even as lovers, they just simply complete each other. Nobuto is the more sensitive person, and he constantly needed the support of his friends, and that's where Takuya comes in. Takuya has a strong personality, but he also needs a softer side, and thus Nobuto is there, to protect him when he's down. They know each other inside out and would support each other in a way that's beyond just friends.

Takuya cannot be the Takuya now, nor will Nobuto be the Nobuto now without the other. Both have been impacted so deeply by one another, that if we were to take one out of the other's life, the fragments left cannot piece themselves together.

Takuya and Nobuto is a beautiful pair, and it doesn't matter which way you see them. Their relationship had inspired many including me, to strive further to reach out to people around me, and that's why they deserved to be shipped.