Tuesday 4 March 2014

Berryz Kobo、 10th year anniversary with implementation of BKB “Hi~a” collaboration

Berryz Kobo surrounding their 10th début anniversary celebratory birthday cake
Celebrating their 10th year today on the 3rd of March, Berryz Kobo held a Tokyo performance at Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo as part of their whole country tour 'Berryz Kobo Début10-Shuunen Kinen Concert Tour 2014 Spring ~Real Berryz Kobo~'.

Starting the tour from the 1st of March in Kanagawa Harmony Hall Zama, they would be carrying out 14 performances over 7 venues. Before the curtains raised for their concert on the day of their début anniversary, they pulled off a performance of their new song 'Otona na no yo!' at the enclosed interview intended for the press corps.

Berryz Kobo performing 'Otona na no yo!'
At the enclosed interview, we listened to Shimizu Saki being enthusiastic of the concert tour, "This is our 10th anniversary commemoration concert tour, and I think the contents will make you experience the 10 years of Berryz Kobo's history. The members too are pretty full of spirit, and I think it will be great if we could transmit that spirit to the fans," she commented. When asked about the highlights of the concert, "It really is a blast from the beginning, but in the middle we do a medley where we string together extremely intense and high-spirited songs,  so I guess that's when everyone at the venue comes together as one," she answered.

When enquired about what impressions remained looking back on the 10 year period, "Compared to when we débuted, I've grown by over 20 cm, and I think even Tsunku♂-san didn't envisage that I'd grow to this extent. So from now on I think I'd like to aim for the Sky Tree (laughs)," Kumai Yurina uttered, relaxing the place.Then Tsugunaga Momoko revealed a shocking truth, "I asked Tsunku♂-san "Why was Momochi (Tsugunaga) selected as part of Berryz?" through an e-mail, and yesterday night, "First of all, Berryz Kobo had slightly low capabilities, so I gathered together members that had a bit of a uneasy factor," he informed me of this fact that was new to me (laughs)," astonishing the members.
[From Crank-in, continuing Momo's statements: Continuing on, Momochi, as if she had accepted the words, "The meaning of the 'Kobo' (workshop) in Berryz Kobo was to see to what extent the members could get creative with the music, but our dancing and singing was riddled with uneasiness, and being scolded by the senseis every day gave me the shivers... . Even though I've learnt that things can be settled with a 'Yurushite-nyan,' since I didn't have such an escape mechanism at the time, it was absolutely a challenge to accept everything when we were primary school students," looking back on 10 years of activities]
{Otomomochi Translator's note: Momo copy-pasted the contents of that e-mail on her blog. Suffice to say, it's a lot kinder than how it was made out to be at the press conference.} 

And when asked about their goal from now on,  "Since we've continued for 10 whole years, it would be great if us members could celebrate our 20th anniversary, our 30th anniversary. Above all, I'd like to become a group that is loved by lots of people," Shimizu reassuringly stated.

Bike Kawasaki Bike and Berryz Kobo
Moreover, in order to celebrate Berryz Kobo's 10th début anniversary on that day, entertainer Bike Kawasaki Bike made an appearance as a surprise guest. However, the first act had none of the Berryz Kobo's members know who Bike Kawasaki Bike was, and they didn't follow the BKB call, asking "Who is it?" without thinking. After that, Berryz Kobo joined forces with Bike Kawasaki Bike where each and every one of them did a version of his gag. Tsugunaga, with her good intuition, immediately followed up, but Tokunaga Chinami and Shimizu couldn't really follow the BKB skit, and the stage was wrapped in a weird atmosphere.
{If I had to explain, Bike Kawasaki Bike's skit involves doing acrostics with the letters BKB
From the Oricon article, he enters with a "Berryz Kobo ha, Koyoi, Birthday dakara" - "Because tonight, it's Berryz Kobo's birthday". Since I can't resist, Momo's was "Burikko, Kawaikute, Beautiful"}

In addition, on the concert held on that day, new songs from their new single "Otona na no yo! 1-oku 3-zenman Sou Diet Oukoku," on sale 19th February and from their Best-of album on sale 26th of Feb "Berryz Kobo Special Best Vol. 2" were introduced one after the other.
At the MC, a letter from Tsunku♂ was read out, "Although it is true that the number of people in Berryz Kobo has decreased, now new members have been added, so fundamentally things have been done with these members, and I think that that's really amazing", "Aiming for an Oricon 1st this year, let's make this wonderful Berryz Kobo-like seed ripen stylishly!" he paid them a compliment。


natalie.mu


Other reports - more or less the same as above:
Crank-in
Oricon (focus on Momochi's statement)
Barks (2 pages worth)
Dwango

2 comments:

  1. A little late but how cute! Happy 10th anniversary to them, not feeling Risako's hair though!

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  2. Wow! Thank you so much for this translation!

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