Turtle&Fawn

hyphenmanship:

An open letter to KAT-TUN

I am aware of the very small possibility, miniscule even, that you would be able to read this. But still. STILL.

Congratulations. It’s the sixth year, making it eleven years of KAT-TUN. You’ve gone far and still going. I have spent years in this fandom and I do not see myself stopping from supporting you guys. Even if you tell the same stories over and over again, of how Kame and Ueda fought after your concert, of how you fought over whipped cream, I do not think I will ever get tired of hearing them from you. It is always a pleasure to take time and watch your old performances, back when you were still backdancing for Koichi, synchronized or not, fancy and unbuttoned costumes and all. You are the reason I wait for Shounen Club. The glory days of Cartoon KAT-TUN will forever make me go from subtle smiles to not-so-humanlike laughter.  It is always fun to see you have fun, or go bully each other. Knowing how much you all hated each other in the beginning makes me cherish more the way you look after one another and treat KAT-TUN as family now.

There are countless of reasons why I am so freakin’ proud of you. Even before your debut it’s what you’ve been doing- CREATE, HOLD, and BREAK your own records. Number one singles, number one albums, highest debut sales, youngest in the most powerful groups. Heck, you might even have a record for having the first bungee jumps in Tokyo Dome.  You are a trendsetter claiming many firsts. Others may say those are mere numbers, but it’s a good reminder that your hard work and the love of your fans have made KAT-TUN forever relevant in Japan’s music industry, a solid name, and not just some good-looking boyband.

Ganbatte, KAT-TUN.  You’ve gone through lot, and there will be more. It is proven that trials have made you stronger. You have faced massive differences and separation of interest, welcomed the not-so-usual genre of songs, and met different images head-on, and succeeded with newfound pride.  There would always be people who wouldn’t like these changes, or just wouldn’t like you in general, and haters who would always see and show you in bad light, but I want to tell you to please hang in there, because we are hanging in here too. We would always be waiting for you to make another new stuff that will surely make us proud. One after another. You may take on different and new challenges apart from being an idol, individually or as a group, but you can always return to a Hyphen who’ll support you no less than before.

Please take care. It has become a normal occurrence for me to include all of you in my prayers, as well as your families. Please find happiness in everything you do, and in everything you dream of. I would want to be happy for you, even though your happiness may not reflect my idea of it.

I f I ever get the chance to meet all of you personally, delusional as I may be, I would muster all my strength to do nothing that will make you feel awkward. But I would really like to personally thank you. KAT-TUN has helped me in more ways than one. Thank you for inspiring me. To travel. To learn a different language. To pursue my studies. Thank you for basically everything you do that comes to my comfort in times I feel shitty and hopeless. Thank you for your songs that always accompany me, while on travel, while studying, while doing nothing. Thank you for bringing me to a fandom where I can belong, where I meet new friends. I will forever be thankful for the day I came across Gokusen, fell in love with Kizuna, which brought me to you. I am really happy to be your fan. There is nothing in comparison to all the feels I have fangirling over hiprolls everything you do, or the joy I have making fun of your silliness, awkward chances and plain stupidity. I may not have been there from the beginning, but you can bet I’ll be there as you go onwards. I know in my heart, be it six, be it five, be it five and one, I’ll always be a hyphen for KAT-TUN.

記念日おめでとう, KAT-TUN.

ありがとう.