Tuesday 16 August 2016

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 49: Tokunaga Chinami 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 various pairings of the girls, covering all 66 possible combinations. In the process of reading this book, I'll be putting up some highlights as I read through the interviews.


Special Crosstalk Book "RIVAL 12 shoujyo no 10 nen monogatari (10 years stories of 12 girls)" / Berrz Kobo / Cute

Tokunaga Chinami X Suzuki Airi

Both Suzuki and Tokunaga resent our theme 'The 2 who don't meet deadlines'!?
It seems that the both of them have their own excuses and things that they're particular about......

Suzuki: I looked at today's theme and came here today to object! The only thing I'm late with are illustration-related things, right?

Tokunaga: Yeah! It's just that it very much seems like we're the kinds that miss deadlines.... That's probably it (laughs)

Forgive me for that (laughs).

[Omitted: Discussion about doing illustrations, and the pens they use to speed up the process]

Are there things for which you can't manage to to meet the deadlines for in the end?

Suzuki: There are. I'm told that for Shop goods, mine are the only ones that don't appear. At one period of time, I was super busy that I forgot about the existence of the file that had all the things that I needed to illustrate, and I didn't look at it for about a month. When I was asked about it, I really reflected on it, thinking about what the fans would think...

Tokunaga: I've got a story as well! I had handed mine in. But when the final product was made, embarrassingly, I found out that I had written a word wrongly. We fixed it in a rush, but in the end, there were some delays before the corrected version could go on sale. And those products were to be sold at a Shop event, but only my product was unavailable, which surprised people.

I see. It's not that the 2 of you lack enthusiasm, you just want to do things properly when you start on them.

Tokunaga: We're too particular.

Suzuki: And we'll do them when it's time to do them. During the movie 'Ousama Game', I completed about one month's worth of illustrations during the shooting. Since I had a role where I didn't talk with anyone, I'd do the illustrations on my own in my spare moments. When I informed my manager-san about it, my manager-san clapped, impressed with me (laughs).

Well then, let us hear about when the 2 of you met.

Suzuki: We were in the same group at the 4th stage of the 'Hello! Project Kids Audition'. That was our first meeting.

Tokunaga: I'd already felt that Airi was good at singing. Watching her sing BoA-san's 'Kimochi ha Tsutawaru', I was stunned. All of us were at the same place for the 4th stage, so I could watch the other girls sing. I remember being dumbfounded, like 'What's up with this girl?' (laughs). 2 years my junior, yet so amazing. And in my mind, I connect you with natto maki (laughs). When we were doing H!P Kids rehearsals, you'd always have natto maki. Since we were all kids, we were completely unrestrained, and all of us would ask Airi for some. Despite going through all the trouble of bringing it, it seemed that Airi was only able to eat one  (laughs).

Suzuki: I remember that well (laughs). As for me, it was that Chinami-chan was slim, and for some reason, you sang while still having your sling bag on. At the auditions, you sang with your bag slung on your shoulder. (laughs). I was wondering if you had something hidden in it, if you'd bring something out from the bag halfway through. It the end, nothing happened (laughs).

Tokunaga:......Now that you mention it, I remember that! After 10 years. I definitely had been slinging my bag (laughs)!! Also, during our auditions, didn't we all draw?: Airi, Momo, Maasa, Risako, we all drew in the notebook that Airi had... That's what my mum told me (laughs).

Suzuki: We did! I had a Sanrio schedule book, but a primary schooler would have no need for a scheduler! That's what we talked about (laughs), and we drew while talking about things like 'What's your star sign?' How nostalgic.

Have your impressions of one another changed since then?

Tokunaga: Airi hasn't changed. From way back, she's been able to manage everything. But, since it would be unthinkable to just normally be able to handle anything skilfully, she probably put in tons of hard work at places where we haven't been looking.

Suzuki: Chinami-chan hasn't changed either. From way back, you've been healthy and cheerful. Chinami-chan's power of memorisation is amazing. Another thing is that you really go in-depth when you look things up. What was it? Dinosaurs?

Tokunaga: Exotic animals! I love exotic animals (laughs).

Suzuki: When we played a word association game as part of a set-up for a DVD magazine ('Berryz Kobo & ℃-ute DVD Magazine Vol. 2 Shishugumi'), the topic of animal names came up, and normally you'd mention names like 'dog' or 'cat', but......

Tokunaga: I'd come out with things like Komodo Dragons (laughs)?

Suzuki: You were naming things that definitely wouldn't overlap (laughs). It was amazing how you'd go in directions that we wouldn't go.

Tokunaga: But honestly, I don't do anything at home. Even when it comes to lines, I hate looking back on them (laughs). And so, I'd generally memorise them on the spot. I'm the type that'll naturally remember the things that I find fun.


♦♦♦


How will the two of you think that you'll be like in 10 years time?

Suzuki: Chinami-chan's stylish, so I feel that she'd be managing her own shop. [...] I feel like Chinami-chan will never grow old.

Tokunaga: I guess Airi would go overseas. I feel like you're the sort of person who'll let your antenna pull you to all sorts of things, so I feel like you'd find some new interest and go overseas. You'd probably study languages, and go on to sing in English. The both of us will probably end up marrying late (laughs).

Suzuki: Everyone says that I'll be working (laughs).

Tokunaga: But since I was raised in a family of four sisters, I have dreamed of wanting a boy.

Suzuki: Only until recently, children were unimaginable to me, but watching Chisato carry her little sister, I thought that it looked nice, that it was adorable. Since my mother made matching dresses, I do harbour aspirations of doing the same thing.

Since the 2 of you can't keep deadlines, will you be late in registering the birth and the name!?

Tokunaga: Oh my god, that would be pretty scary (laughs)!

Suzuki: We'll keep to THAT deadline (laughs)!

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