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Author Topic: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE  (Read 11740 times)

Offline daigong

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Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« on: January 16, 2010, 03:16:14 AM »
Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE


A Crackhead Theory By daigong

This is a revision on a theory "Rika is Kobe" (before tama shot me down LOL). As I explored their careers further, I realized Kobe Bryant IS actually a lot like Takahashi Ai:


fierce competitior

Thanks to Fenrir, I acutally included this theory in my letter in our giant scrapbook of messages to Morning Musume, delivered to them at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 4, 2009.

Early Expectations

Early in Ai-chan's career, she was thrust in as "The Next One" - she had already appeared as a kid belting out tunes on TV. Her dancing prowess was great with the ballet background. Quickly, she appeared in the Mini Moni movie and eventually replaced Mari Yaguchi in the line-up as the group went in a more bling bling direction.



Kobe was a star in high school, with comparisons to Grant Hill and Michael Jordan, his flashy play vaulted him into early success, with a Slam Dunk title at the All-Star Game. When Eddie Jones were traded, Kobe gained more minutes and ended up being the only one with the guts to shoot the final shot in the playoff game vs the Utah Jazz, his airballs spelled quick Playoff Exit.

Sidekick

Ai-chan was cast in the "Lovely" role opposite "Charmy" Ishikawa Rika, one of Morning Musume's most popular members at the time, on the Hello! Morning News corner. They would face off in a comedic struggle for caster Nakazawa Yuko's affections.



Kobe and superstar Most Dominant Ever, Shaquille O'Neal established the most lethal 1-2 combos in the league, expectations were high to win it all. Early playoff struggles strained the relationship as Kobe got more skilled.


eta: fixed pic link!
« Last Edit: March 16, 2010, 05:55:20 AM by daigong »

Offline daigong

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2010, 03:24:22 AM »
Emerging Superstar

Following Sakura Gumi, Ai-chan began to have more solo lines as veterans like Abe Natsumi graduated. Alongside Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa and Miki Fujimoto - ROMANS My Dear Boy & The Manpower!! began her string of vocal dominance in Morning Musume singles. She would go on to do dramas like Angel Hearts. There would be cries among haters that she was a screen hog, and unworthy of the role she was in. Ai-chan would prove them wrong, as Morning Musume continued its reign as Japan's Super Girl Group.



Inserted into the starting lineup, Kobe emerged as one of the premier shooting guards, earning All-NBA, All-Star, All-Defensive honors. There would be cries that he was a loner and selfish ball hog. Yet, together with Shaquille O'Neal and a whole cast of role players, the Lakers dominated the early part of the 2000s with three straight championships.



On They Own

With each graduation and scandalous exit, the next two years saw core members like Rika, Yossi, Mari, Miki leave the group. Ai-chan took on a bigger leadership responsibility - which meant representing Morning Musume not only in concerts, but also on TV and press conferences. Times were rough at first, with Morning Musume struggling in sales and shows like Hello! Morning disappearing from the air.



With two straight failures to win a championship, and even getting hall of fame veteran help, Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. The core members such as Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Robert Horry, also left the team. Kobe took on a brand new leadership role, with a whole new core of younger teammates. Times were rough at first, with the Lakers failing to make the playoffs and then seeing first round exits to the Phoenix Suns.



Ressurrgence and Rise to the Top

With more singles under their belt, and a dominating role in "Cinderella the Musical" and "Ribbon no Kishi The Musical" - Ai-chan matured into AiButt.com fashion. She soon took over leadership of not only Morning Musume, but the entire Hello! Project. Morning Musume rounded out 2009 with Top 3 singles and a #1 in "Shōganai Yume Oibito" and rocked the world as they invaded Los Angeles for Anime Expo 2009.



As his teammates matured and understood the Triangle Offense, Kobe also matured and improved not only his skills, but his trust in his team on the floor. The Lakers reached the finals in 2008 and lost, only to comeback the following year and become 2009 NBA Champions. A title Kobe could finally call his own.



And This is
Why Takahashi Ai is Like Kobe Bryant.




Here's the actual letter:

Quote from: daigong June 2009
From your days as Lovely Ai-chan opposite Charmy Ishikawa, I could see the potential superstar. You are like Kobe Bryant, winning early under superstar talent with Shaquille O'Neal. From "Souda We're Alive!" to "Romans My Dear Boy" - Morning Musume was on top of the world. As Rika-chan, Nacchi, etc. graduated - Morning Musume and Hello! Project struggled to find an identity. But Ai-chan, you kept working hard singing and dancing - always with a lovely smile on your face. With "Watashi" and "Shōganai Yume Oibito" dominating the charts this year, you carved a Morning Musume dynasty of your own - just like how Kobe Bryant won an NBA Championship last month without the help of veterans. Me and my JPH!P friends are so proud of you and will support you 100% of the way. Stay Positive and Lovely!

Best wishes,
daigong

Credits: Special Thanks Fenrir for actually translating the original letter to Takahashi. tenkei, Fenrir, boykun, Ping for the scrapbooking. Stryfe, shura for the pix. tama, shirenu & TOZ for Inspiration. Masa for the constructive criticism.

Offline Slack

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2010, 03:38:49 AM »
Saw the thread title and the first pic, and at first I was all "lolwut?"

After going through the rest, I want to be the first to say,

Well Done.
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Offline J-Triumf

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2010, 04:42:13 AM »
Dammit, I hate you...I was planning on dedicating my 100th post to my own crazy comparisons between Morning Musume and sports, but I think this one just blows my idea out of the water, especially since I was gonna go for football analogies and I actually like basketball a lot more. :bow:

Plus it's like you read my mind, because it was just recently that a similar notion crossed my mind about how the success of Momusu reminded me of the Kobe-era Lakers. After all, both teams made a name for themselves winning championships at the beginning of the decade, stayed prominent until a few key figures jumped ship, then returned to making an impact last year as their once innocent rookie blossomed properly into his/her leadership role while weathering criticisms from old-school purists.

Ai-chan is obviously Kobe, and Risa can be Derek Fisher...after all, just like the Lakers duo, Ai and Risa were drafted at the same time to a hot team, saw things gradually go downhill, and are now the team's most experienced players and the only ones remaining from the earlier good times, while still serving under the same coach. Ai is known for scoring all the points and being the face of the team (as well as making the color yellow look good), and just like her counterpart Risa is the veteran who helps run the plays and, although not necessarily serving as the team's second or third option, still makes her presence known when needed.

Of course my comparison runs into rough ground when you realize D-Fish left the Lakers for a while. :lol: Plus Tsunku reminds me less of Phil Jackson and more of Don Nelson, taking in people who don't necessarily seem all that great at first and then having them succeed in an unorthodox, uptempo system that favors undersized players...and like with Nellie, I've noticed lots of people wondering if Tsunku's lost his touch in recent years due to their respective teams not succeeding as well as they probably should (I'm showing a bit of my Warriors bias here). :P

Anyway, definitely an awesome topic to bring up. I'm gonna quote this just because it's a great pic:


Waiting for someone to crack a tasteless joke about Ai-chan in Colorado... :sweatdrop:
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Offline thatonezombie

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2010, 04:55:29 AM »
*gives Daigong dap*

Why didn't you do this earlier? This was a dope read. Never would have thought they had parallel careers in the ways they do. 

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Offline Kyats

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2010, 06:36:38 AM »
i dont even..
to be announced.

Offline shirenuファクトリー

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2010, 09:22:13 AM »
Dude, this is epic. AWESOME!!!!
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Offline Fenrir

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2010, 10:33:08 AM »
Ahahahahahahaha!

Noice! :D

Offline daigong

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2010, 11:38:41 AM »
Some random side by side comparisions:

Sidekick

Rika and Ai / Kobe and Shaq



in action:



Work out in the offseason to get better

Always striving to be better every year, Kobe and Ai workout routinely to get the scuplted bodies you see on the court/stage.


Tireless Work Ethic

sweating non stop, until they chewing their shirts off.



Tongue

:P

« Last Edit: October 03, 2011, 07:14:43 AM by daigong »

Offline Stryfe

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2010, 12:00:36 PM »
Man this is some hilarious shit.   :rofl:  :thumbup

Offline strawb3rrykream

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2010, 05:44:36 PM »
 XD XD XD

Offline Reanimation

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2010, 06:09:17 PM »
you are one hilarious genius  :rofl: :panic:

Offline daigong

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2010, 05:21:16 AM »
LOL Thanks for the comments! oh werd TOZ, I'm not much of a writer so it took a while to get my thoughts to paper. The look on Za_Wolf's face when I ran this theory by him ROFL!

This one's for aebum<3 Saiks<3 Essy<3 dinbutt.com fenbutt.com shura :fistbump: and Stryfe and all of Team AiButt.com

Fan of the Grab Ass

After a job well done, Ai-chan and Kobe like to show their appreciation the only way they know how:



...now I'm just stretching it :lol:

hardcore gamers!!!

To maintain the skills, they play XBOX and PS3 during their off time.



Feel free to add your comparisions, criticisms. AND make more crazy threads! :jphip:

eta: fixed pic link
« Last Edit: March 16, 2010, 05:59:39 AM by daigong »

Offline aewen

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2010, 08:58:36 AM »
Aww daigong you forgot that they're both playas =]
Takagaki, AiEri, ReinAi, AiSayu....
Though Aibutt gets nothing but praise for it, Kobe on the other hand...
daigong: get some posting here *poke*

Offline daigong

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2010, 10:16:31 AM »
hahaha good point aebum!!! i didn't know she was involved with so many.

Do you mean Kobe won't get the same reaction as Ai-chan with these fellas :P



Offline Tiki

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2010, 01:14:46 AM »
hahahaha hilarious  :on lol:

Offline daigong

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Offline shainingj

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Re: Takahashi Ai vs Kobe Bryant: There Can Only Be ONE
« Reply #17 on: October 03, 2011, 08:49:05 AM »
this is a legendary thread!!!  :bow:
great analogy!  :thumbsup
not a big fan of aichan but she always have my respect and admiration.
but after reading this, the love is warming up!  :heart:
hope she succeed a career in theaters!  :thumbup

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