Tsunku♂-producer's theory of work「Forge your powers of observation on your commute to work」

　Beginning with Morning Musume。’14 [sic]、Tsunku♂-shi produces Hello！ Project's line up of idols。 We were told about his vision hereafter inside Shuukan SPA！'s February 11・18 combined edition 「Hello! Pro's counter-attack」。 However、 the truly amazing thing about him was his original theory of work。 We ask about his theory of work, whose usefulness is not just limited to the world of entertainment, but to all working adults。


◆ Simultaneously keeping several songs in stock

Tsunku♂

In the 16 years since he started as the producer who coordinates Hello！ Project 、 so far Tsunku♂-shi has remained constant over those years and penned over 100 songs。 In bringing out the colours of the groups Morning Musume。’14、 Berryz Kobo、℃-ute、 S/mileage、Juice=Juice、 one can still gauge how they differ。 However、 doesn't handling the creation of such a large number of songs lead to confusion？

「By tentatively saying things like “Today I'll make a Berryz Kobo song”、 I decide beforehand what songs to make。However、 there are of course occasions where I've advanced through the work and think “I guess this might fit S/mileage better”。I just deal with it by playing by ear。You know、 I started writing 『Ijiwaru Shinaide Dakishimete yo』 as a song for ℃-ute、 but midway I thought, “I think this'd fit Juice=Juice better” and modified it, that's something like how it would go。For cool songs that would fit Taiyou to Ciscomoon from the olden days、the 5 from Juice=Juice might not be able to sing them well yet、 but having a distance like that is, on the contrary, quite interesting。 That kind of thing is pretty much in the realm of intuition」

　However、with work, deadlines are sure to follow。 What if, in the midst of preparing a song for Berryz Kobo, it's switched midway through to become a new song for S/mileage instead、 and you can't make the deadline for Berryz Kobo's new song。 What do you do？

「In order to deal with those sort of cases、I come out with several songs at the same time。 Since nowadays, I've got double A-sides、plus 3 different patterns for the coupling songs, which all come out at the same time。 In my case、 while moving forward with 3 songs, A、B、C for Berryz Kobo、 I'm thinking of songs D、E、F for S/mileage。 So it feels like I'm doing the final fine tuning。 In addition、 with such a margin, it's unreasonable for me not to keep to the deadlines」

　Advancing on 6 songs at the same time、 one would expect no less from Tsunku♂-shi。 However、to be able to provide for such a number、he's able to string it together to work even better。

◆ Powers of observation are key in forming creative ideas

　Also、the Tsunku♂ sound also consists of lyrics that spell out the state of mind of a life-sized girl。 It even has members of Hello！ Project questioning 「Why does Tsunku♂-san understand the feelings of girls to this level？」、 and it's also gathered a lot of empathy from the transvestites at Shinjuku 2-chome。How is it that a 45 year old can even now still realistically depict the heart of a maiden？

「Frankly, it comes from one's observational skill。How do you draw up something that's universal？　For example, there's a  ℃-ute song entitled 『Tsuugaku Vector』。 The set-up for that song is there's a boy、 who only gets on the bus on days where it's raining、 and that's noticed by a girl。 That set-up isn't anything special、it's part of the scenery of anyone's days of youth。

　The point is、 the difference is just between whether you remember it or not。 Being troubled by your hair getting all frizzy on rainy days、 or the sound of the spikes on the shoes of guys from the baseball club ringing out while walking in the corridor。Which is different from the sounds of the spikes of the track-and-field club。So even if the age has changed, it comes down to whether or not you remember those kinds of ubiquitous details of minor things。 So I let loose lyrics with experiences of those impressions。 That is why observational skills are essential」

　According to Tsunku♂-shi、 when one's powers of observation are not made into a habit in one's daily life, it seems that they won't be forged。 The act of tempering such powers of observation、 one could say that the conditions are  to be a「First-class worker」。

「For me、 I tell that to the subordinates in my company。Like, “Yesterday、 when you were heading back home from work、 try talking about what happened”。 But、 none of them remember。Their faces go “Huh？”。 For example、 on the way from the station to the office、 there's a florist that's open until 10 pm、 going past a green traffic light、 and there were 3 traffic lights that were definitely red。 A new bakery has popped out、 and it's regular closing day is Sunday、 the convenience store started a  ○○○ campaign… It's whether or not you're aware of such things。 If you look at the same scene、 it won't be exactly the same as what you saw yesterday。

　People who can recall things like that、 they'll be excellent in whatever they do。 People who don't recall anything、 they won't be able to get sucked into any sorts of experiences。 If you can only talk spiritedly on things that have left an impression、 even a child can do that。 That's no good。 For things that don't leave an impression、 how much can you skim off？　 I think that's the point that makes the difference between one person from another」

　In the midst of your work commute、 don't just mess around with your smartphone all the time、 have your eyes on your surroundings、 and don't overlook the things that seem trivial。 To maintain such detailed powers of observation、 that's the first step to being a capable worker。 It might become the “power” that differentiates you from the others。　＜Interview・Words／Onoda Mamoru＞

Source: Nikkan Spa