Inoo Kei, Not Just a PuriPretty Boy

I've been wanting to write a post about Inoo for a long time and no matter how much time passes I don't think I'll be able to sum up all the things I want to talk about him. So better start now than never.

I didn't like Inoo at first...he didn't really catch my eye and his eyebrows bothered me for some reason. (I need to keep remind myself not to judge people based on their eyebrows!) Anyways after my initial dive into the kisumai fandom, I started to catch up on the HSJ fandom and read some magazine translations. One day, I came across one recent article where Inoo was talking that he would like his girlfriend to call him Inoo sama. I thought this was absolutely hilarious and I wondered about what kind of person he was. From then on, I wanted to know more about him.
                                      tumblr
Inoo, to put simply, is plainly normal. (Now don't get mad just yet, let me explain). He's so down-to-earth, it almost feels like he's not an idol. There are people who fit perfectly into the idol type and then there are people whose circumstances just happen to be in the entertainment industry. If it weren't his circumstances, I feel as if I would meet Inoo in my class or the supermarket or something. Inoo's an idol but he's also an university graduate, a brother, a son, a grandson and a friend to many.
                                       asianfanfics

Inoo might be normal as can be but he is also very admirable. He works so hard (finished his thesis while doing Johnny's World, come on, give this kid a million pats on the backs). He also is so nice to his fans (I've heard very good things about him during the concerts where he would look out for foreign fans). He knows how to make others laugh (Yamada once described him as someone who can make you laugh without saying a word).

He was such a cute kid! I never thought I'll be thanking parents for making a kid but Thank you Mama and Papa Inoo for raising Kei.
                                              crunchyroll
I think Inoo's got one of the best fashion tastes out of Jump. He looks fantastic in his papa pics! I mean, I need to get my hands on that sweater!
                                   Lollipop

He's deathy afraid of roller coasters. I love to see him all worried and nervous. (It's just so cute...is this sadistic of me? XD) And he's so sweet with Daiki  (or Yabu or Hikaru for that matter)! Those ships will be the end of me.

                aannaannaa12

               
During his JJE days, he was such an oddball (he still is). He'd say things that seemed out of place but aren't really (his train of thought is really amazing). Sometimes he'll try to act cool but end up looking silly. He'd get all excited when eating delicious food (I mean to join Johnny's just to eat food is kind of amazing in itself).

        tumblr

Sometimes I wish I was one of the fans who've been around since his junior days because they got to see him grow up. But I don't think he's changed all that much. He's still that kid who loves food, who loves to make friends, and who loves his family very much.
                                tumblr
Now, I love his eyebrows. They make him unique. They're a part of him and to love someone is to accept them for who they are. I love the way he smiles and wrinkles show up on his face. I love his eyes droop to one side. I love his signature face, the one where he's about to eat something and shapes his lips in an O. I love his voice, it's really different (I really wish he got more solo lines in Jump's songs. Maybe he can do some rapping? I love his as much as I love Hikaru's). I love his hair. I love his laugh. I love his un-muscular arms. I love his beautiful hands (though his long nails sometimes erk me).

But even though I love him, I will never know him well enough to love him wholly. This is a fan's dilemma  And I'm fine with it. I may never fully understand him, never meet him, but I'll support him in the best way I can. I'll support him by wishing him happiness, even more so than my own happiness.