Monday 29 December 2014

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk: Tsugunaga Momoko x Suzuki Airi

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hello! Project Kids in 2012, a book entitled Rival - 12 shoujo no 10-nen monogatari - (The 10-year legend of the 12 girls) was released. The book contains 2-page discussions between pairs of girls, covering all 66 possible combinations of them.


This time around, we'll be looking into the discussion between Berryz Kobo's Tsugunaga Momoko and  ℃-ute's Suzuki Airi. This pair make up two-thirds of Buono!, and are also the first and last to appear in the PV for the BeriKyuu collaboration Cho! Happy Song. Enjoy!

Tsugunaga Momoko X Suzuki Airi

In their groups, the image colour for the 2 of them is 'pink'. But it seems that the feelings they associate with their colours differ...
On good terms but mutually respectful, keep an eye on the sense of distance between these two!

'I was moved seeing people wear pink T-shirts for me' by Airi
Airi-chan's image colour in ℃-ute is pink, but previously it was different, wasn't it?

Suzuki: It was chartreuse, but we made a complete change when we changed to a 5-person structure, and we switched up the colours we had up until then.

Tsugunaga: That was relatively sudden, wasn't it?

Suzuki: At the first event after we had become a 5-person group, it was suddenly announced that our image colours would be changing, and we got a great booing. They had to change the colour of the glowsticks and other goods, since my chartreuse had already been established. Even at handshake events, I'd often be told that pink doesn't suit me. I was worried, but now, seeing us all lined up in our outfits, it gives out a nice vibe. Now, I think that it was great that we changed to this image.

It's said that when you changed colours, a fortune teller said that 'This would be better'.

Suzuki: We were told that the colours we would use would be better for all of us. It seems that if you look into the colours of someone's aura, the best move would be to choose colours which they lack. Then there'd be harmony. It seems that I was lacking in pink, but my friends asked me, 'Why is Airi pink?' Since I didn't really have a pink image.

So, for Momochi, what if you were told, 'Starting tomorrow, you're red'?

Tsugunaga: I'd wear red and white stripes, and move at ultra high speeds. Then my whole body would look pink (laughs). I'll insist on pink to the bitter end.

Suzuki: Normally, I hardly ever wear pink outfits, but when I see fans wearing pink T-shirts at a concert venue, I get happy thinking 'Those are my fans'. However, pink is a colour that's tough for guys to wear...

Tsugunaga: Every year, we get to design our own birthday T-shirts, and not only is the colour pink, but even more, the designs are 'as-you-like', so I've heard rumours going around that mine are really hard to wear. Once, when I tried asking, 'Are they difficult to wear?', they were being really mindful, going 'Ah, no, not at all (sweat)', and following the pattern, that means they must really be tough to wear (laughs). If that's the case, it's pushing me in the direction of making them even harder to wear, that's what I'm doing now (laughs).

Suzuki: Like, please muster up your courage to wear this T-shirt! (laughs)

Tsugunaga: I draw (the illustrations on the T-shirt) in order to incite them, like 'If you say that you like it, then you'll obviously wear it, right?', but when I see people who are like 'I can't wear it due to embarrassment, but I'll try my best to wear it today!', that makes me really happy.

Suzuki: I get what you mean. It's deeply moving when someone who always wears normal clothes puts on a pink T-shirt for you. It's like a hurdle's been overcome. On the other hand, I don't get so intimate with my birthday T-shirt, but I have this original character 'Suu-san.', and what counts for me are the Suu-san. promotional goods.

Facing Momochi with an admiration of 'ZYX'!?

It's completely different even though you're both pink, eh? Do you remember the very first impression that you had of one another?

Suzuki: At the 4th judging round of the 'Hello! Project Kids Audition', Momo was walking towards me, and I thought 'This is the girl that appears on 3 Channel's "Eigo de Asobo"'. I felt this 'appears-on-television' atmosphere and I lost my confidence, wondering 'What am I doing?' When I pointed it out to my mother, she responded by going 'Eh~?'. In the end, I'd got the wrong person (laughs). Honestly, I can't remember what the resemblance was.

Tsugunaga: I've continued to talk about that story for 10 years (laughs), but it really was a case of mistaken identity. But that's roughly how cute I was. My aura was revealing itself, right~

Suzuki: It must have been tough, dealing with it from when you were small, right~ Momo (laughs).

Tsugunaga: It can't be helped, that's my destiny (laughs). When we were doing the singing test at that 4th judging round, Airi came after me, but since Airi's singing was just too good, I felt from the bottom of my heart that it was a good thing Airi's turn came after mine! Since if I had gone after her, I definitely wouldn't be able to sing. Even when I became part of the Hello! Project Kids, you were enveloped in this image of being good at singing.

'I'll be obsessed with pink until the bitter end!' by Momoko

Suzuki: All of us took the auditions for the movie 'Koinu Dan no Monogatari', and Momo got the leading part, so with your skill at acting, I thought of you as the great actress within the Kids (laughs). Looking at your sad face, gazing out of the bus window, it was really amazing. I thought that this girl could rise in the world as an actress.

Tsugunaga: Well, for Airi, your improvised part in Aa!'s 'First Kiss' was really long, whereas I couldn't continue for half as long, like 'How does this person sustain her breath for so long?'

Suzuki: You tried doing it.

Tsugunaga: I tried to (laughs). While listening to the CD, I tried verifying it with the recorder on my mobile phone, and it was like, 'I can't sustain it, no matter how many times I try!'

Suzuki: The audition for 'ZYX' was just before that. all of us tried out for it, but I wasn't chosen, so personally for me, it felt like 'Aa!' was formed to complement it. A long time ago, there was a book entitled 'Hello! Project Daihyakka' (Hello! Project great encyclopaedia), and what I wrote there was 'The happiest thing that happened to me recently was becoming part of "Aa!", but what I found most mortifying was not becoming part of "ZYX"'.

Tsugunaga: I remember that! I thought 'No way, this is the girl I look up to' (laughs).

There were other members too (laughs).

Suzuki: For 'ZYX', when a member had to be absent, there'd be a girl who'd act as a substitute member, which would be (Sugaya) Risako and (Okai) Chisato, but I thought that I couldn't get in whatever I did.

Tsugunaga: Hearing you say it like that, I'm getting pretty self concious. Mentioning it after 10 years, it's making me so ashamed that I can't look you in the eye~.

Suzuki: No, it's okay to look at me with everything you've got.

As expected, after 10 years, the 2 of them feel a sense of professionalism

Whatever discussion Momochi's involved in, it becomes light-hearted (laughs). Is Airi-chan an ambitious person, having pushed ahead forcefully when it comes to singing and dancing?

Suzuki: There were a lot of girls bringing out this 'I don't want to lose' aura all the time, which I'm bad with. Honestly, I wondered when I would change.

Tsugunaga: Put positively, you hate to lose, so you're strict on yourself, you want to go even higher. That attitude deserves respect. I feel that even now, like when we're doing something for Buono!, I see you seriously study each and every pose you do in a mirror, so while I was watching you, I thought the culmination of all that ties to your attractive performances.

Suzuki: From Momo, I get this sense of professional awareness. You're appearing on television, you're part of Buono!, and you're going to university. There are times when I think I'm working pretty hard, but then I look at Momo, and I always think that I can push myself further. You're tough, even though you're busy.

Tsugunaga: Well, since I'm a weed~.

Suzuki: Even though you might not actually be all right, that's your idol spirit. Also, your vocal range when it comes to singing is extremely wide. The music director-san mentioned that 'Within BeriKyuu, Tsugunaga's singing range is number one'. I can't pull off a low voice at all, yet Momo often uses a high voice when you're in Berryz Kobo, but when we're in Buono!, you just bring out a low voice like it's no big deal.

Tsugunaga: Yup, I can pull it off. But it's off-key. Even when I'm singing the main part, I get lured by the harmony (laughs). Airi's brilliant at singing and dancing, but once during a concert there were some lyrics that got missed, and at the time she made a really smug face saying something like 'It wasn't me', so that's the only thing that I wish you would stop doing (laughs).

Suzuki: I really did do that, huh? (laughs)

I get the impression that the two of you respect one another when it comes to work, but how would you like to turn out after 10 years?

Tsugunaga: I'd like us to always continue singing, and just on my birthday, we'd go to my house and have a concert there. But is it okay if I sing the main part for the 'Happy Birthday to You'? I'll practice so that I won't get pulled away, so you harmonise, okay?

Suzuki: If we go and have a concert, I'll do the harmony (laughs). Before Momo becomes a granny, I'd like to make a Momochi Musubi hair attachment made of your own hair (laughs). I've never really imagined things like getting married. I treasure my idol image, so I don't want to step into that.

Tsugunaga: Airi, if you were to get married, I can see you singing extremely splendid lullabies to your baby (laughs). If I have a baby, will you let me record an Airi version of the birthday song? Because I'd play it every year.

Suzuki: OK. I'll leave some space for the name, the 'Happy Birthday Dear [insert name here]', so you sing that yourself.

Tsugunaga: Got it. I'll make heavy use of it. It'll be circulated among the residents of the neighbourhood (laughs).

2 comments:

  1. thanks! could u plz translate another member?

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    Replies
    1. While I intend to, these translations take quite some time, so I can't say when the next will be done.

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