The New World that Maachan saw (Top Yell May 2015)

Excerpts from Sato Masaki's interview from the May 2015 edition of Top Yell. You know you're in for quite the ride when the interviewer is already asking for clarification when you're not even halfway through the first page of the interview. Enjoy.

Speech bubble: 'Morning Musume。´15 Sato Masaki solo long interview
(Without interpretations by Kudo-reporter)'

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Sato: Without Minishige-san around...... At the opening day of our concert, the tears suddenly flowed. That's never happened before. How should I say this...... I have no idea about Leader, but the tears that were spilling over from Masaki, they were tears with the thought  'Minishige-san isn't around, I wonder if the fans will still come joyously?

--- It was a different anxiety than what you'd had before?

Sato: At any rate, we got huge roses from Minishige-san! We inherited one flower each. Among those, Fukumura-san holds and treasures one of those flowers, sprinkling gold powder on those lovely red roses, and making a new rose from them, wrapping us in it. Boldly being like 'This is now our Morning Musume。Any objections?' At the moment, I think I'd like to craft that sort of Morning Musume。´15.

--- Another abstraction (laughs). This might be a rude question, but are you talking about roses as in the flower?

Sato: Roses are red.

--- I know that the rose is a plant (laughs). Is it an allegory?

Sato: For Masaki, the rose is there for the sake of erasing bad things.

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--- Fukumura-san's name came up just now, what is Masaki-san's view of her?

Sato: I wish that she wouldn't keep things to herself. I wish she would consult with the rest of us, the 10th gen and 11th gen...... even just her contemporaries would be all right. Everyone wants to raise them, the roses. Instead of letting things pile up in her and breaking down, I'd like it if we discussed lots of things, since we're a team.

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--- Talking about that, Sato-san has graduated from middle school. You were in primary school when you entered the group, how do you yourself feel about it?

Sato: Whatever I'm told, Maa won't bend and will remain as I am, but Kudo's recently......

--- Ah, recently you're referring to her as 'Kudo' (laughs).

Sato: You know~ Recently she's not paying Maa any heed. Kudo's recently been like a grown-up.... Acting like a grown-up, or rather, she's become a grown-up. You know, Maa feels like I've been left behind. And then the 12th gen joined in, and the current standpoint is that 'Kudo's easy to consult with'. Before, she was Maa's Kudo.

 [...]

--- But, that isn't Kudo-san's fault. The juniors have increased.

Sato: Yeah, she's not at fault.

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--- That said, hasn't Sato-san grown up a little?

Sato: Really?

--- What do you think?

Sato: Even now I feel like holding tight to Duu.

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--- Speaking about Kudo-san having grown up, could you give us an example?

Sato: Umm... Did you watch the New Year's 'Dokkiri'?

---  The one where Kudo-san consoled the deceived Makino Maria-san, unusually like an older sister, right (laughs).

Sato: That's it! When I saw that, Maa thought 'Kudo, bye bye'.

---I don't think she herself would think 'Sato, bye bye' though.

Sato: She wouldn't think of it. I don't think she's considered it that far, it's only in Maa's case. So possibly, if she didn't have to mind Maa, I think that Kudo would become at ease.

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[Maachan lists off the dramas that she's into recently]

--- What's unexpected is that Sato-san doesn't know the names of the performers at all. And you've said that you're bad at acting. Are you able to understand complicated stories like police dramas?

Sato: You've got it wrong. For those things, whatever goes. What's important isn't the content, it's how funny it is. I don't comprehend them, the stories. I only watch the funny parts.

[This philosophy extends even to Disney movies, where Maachan will seek out the parts that'll make her laugh, and skip the tear-jerking moments.]

--- For Sato-san , laughter must be really important.

Sato: That's the most important thing. When it's silent, I hate it so much that my head gets dizzy. Since I hate the silence, I'd like to always be laughing even when talking with the members.

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---  Was there anything about you that changed with the joining of the 12th gen members, Sato-san?

Sato: I wonder. (Faces her manager)  I haven't changed, have I?

Manager: Talking about having grown up, Sato has always been caring from the start. She's got younger sisters at home. So when it comes to the juniors, I think that she's got to show the caring side she always possessed.

Sato: You're saying that I've grown old!  I hate that~~~!

--- You're being praised. I think that from the fan's point of view, it's deeply moving to see that Maachan teaching her kouhai.

Sato: Really?

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Sato: Masa thinks Haga-chan doesn't play fair.

--- You've come up with another easy-to-misunderstand remark (laughs)

Sato: You know~ (laughs). Up to now, we got called 'MaaDuu, MaaDuu' up until now, but when Haga-chan joined, MaaDuu flew away somewhere. Of course Haga-chan herself has done nothing wrong. Up to now, senpais like Minishige-san and Tanasa-tan have been calling us cute and adorable, but all of that has completely been picked up by Haga-chan, I really really... Dislike it......

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Sato: You know, recently, our age in years goes up every time we celebrate our birthday, it's strange.

--- No, it's not strange at all (laughs).

Sato: But it makes you really scared! The candles increase in number, gradually. Plus, in this industry, you get birthday presents, don't you?

--- I feel that it doesn't particularly have anything to do with the industry though.

Sato: But every time I see cake, I feel like crying.

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--- Speaking about juniors, 11th gen Oda Sakura-san has changed too.

Sato: Oda-chan's definitely grown up. Or should I say, she's giving her opinions to Maa more often. Like 'Sato-san, you might want to do it this way, but I'd like to do it like this'. At first I thought she was looking down on me. But that wasn't it, she'd started to say what she herself thought. So now, I'm thankful. You know, since if it was only Masa's thoughts, wouldn't it become a song just for Masa?

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--- Sato-san often says that you 'want us to see your development', but what about Sato-san has developed?

Sato: Recently, I've been thinking about not just the development of Masaki but of all the members. I'd like to find out the parts that'll make us always shine as a whole. Because all the members, the 13 of us together are Morning Musume。´15 . Just like I mentioned before, if each and every flower disappears, wouldn't we be fools?

--- You mean that you can't let the flowers that you received from Michishige-san wilt.

Sato: So if we sprinkle gold powder on the roses,  wouldn't people talk about Morning Musume。´15's awesomeness? Morning Musume。´15 would all face the same direction.

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--- Finally, can Sato-san tell us about your 'dreams'?

Sato: I'd like to give back to the fans and the staff-san in a big way. It's because of all of them that we get to sing. If we're a success, it's not that we're amazing, it's thanks to Tsunku-san and the staff-san and the fans. And so, I'd like to give it back twofold. I think that's Masaki's goal for '15.