Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 30: Sugaya Risako x Hagiwara Mai

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.

Sugaya Risako X Hagiwara Mai

Risako-chan and Mai-chan, you're both the youngest in your respective groups. How old were the two of you when you entered the Hello! Project Kids?

Sugaya: I was eight, and Mai was six.

Hagiwara: My first impression was that a girl who was cute like crazy had showed up. So cute that I had to ask myself, 'What's up with this girl?' Her skin was oh-so-fair, pure white, like snow.

Sugaya: You're exaggerating (laughs). Mai was really tiny and adorable. While the first time we interacted was during the movie 'Mini Moni。 jya Movie Okashi na Daibouken!', I got the impression that you were always running around. The tiny voice you used when you spoke was also adorable, you were such the little sister.

Being small, did you face any hardships?

Hagiwara: What I remember was dancing. Our teachers told me that since my body was small, I had to dance in a big way, another person's worth, so I danced in such a huge way that it was almost unnatural.

Sugaya: I've never been told to dance in a big way, but I remember being really bad at it. So I feel like I caused trouble to the rest, as they had to follow along.

[Article summary] dwango's writeup of the 3rd UTB Night

The third UTB night, held on 22 Sept 2016, celebrated UTB's 30th anniversary, as well as Country Girls' successful surmounting of Mount Fuji.

Momochi suggests that this Mount Fuji plan came about because of a casual remark she made.

Momochi:  Ah, next time I've got to be careful about what I say.

Country Girls at the peak of Mt Fuji

Ozeki had to retire at the 8th station, which is why she's absent in the above picture. But she was glad that she got to climb with the rest as it strengthened their bonds.

Ozeki: We've surmounted the Japan's number one peak, so the next goal is to become Japan's number one idols!!

The MC of the event, Yajima Maimi, had only reached the 5th station on bike, so if Ozeki were to give surmounting Mount Fuji another go, Maimi asks that Ozeki invite her along as well.

Source: dwango

H!P Maruwakari Winter 2016: Number one in character

Q7: Please tell us who's H!P's number one for each of these genres? - Character

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 24: Tsugunaga Momoko X Natsuyaki Miyabi

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.

Tsugunaga Momoko X Natsuyaki Miyabi

Tsugunaga-san is a woman of many mysteries, one can't even begin to fathom how she is in her normal life. Honestly, what sort of person is she?

We get Natsuyaki-san, who has worked together with her the most, to talk about her frankly!

♥♥♥

The person herself insists that 'I've always been like this', but how is the normal Momochi like? It's an eternal conundrum. It's like she doesn't really have a private life, so we would like to ask the person who has spent the most time working with her.

Tsugunaga: That is true, I'm together with Miya in both Berryz Kobo and Buono!, so when we start with our concerts, like in the summer, it's like we're together every day. But am I really that full of mystery?

Natsuyaki: I don't find anything to be out of the ordinary when we talk to one another. In that sense, Kumai-chan is the one that I can't read, so she might be the mystery instead (laughs). Other people might wonder 'What's up with that girl?' when they watch her on the telly. But since I've seen her when she's not like that, I find it normal.

On the contrary, how do you see the Momochi on TV?

Natsuyaki: I think that's she's working hard, or that she's going in a direction that only she could pull off. In Berryz Kobo, she's the sole person with that character, and she heads towards areas where she's most preeminent.

Yanagawa Nanami 'Member I'd like to turn to for advice when I have problems' ranking

ーー Well then, without further ado, tell us who's at 6th place.

Yanagawa　Funaki Musubu-chan. To elaborate, Musubu-chan is a carefree person who really goes at her own pace, so I think of her as being my cute little sister, rather than someone I'd consult when I'm worried about something. Instead, I'd rather she come to me for advice. I'd like to be an oneesan in front of Musubu-chan.

Funaki　I'm really bad when it comes to giving advice... Even when people come to me for advice, I can't recall anyone giving 'Words of gratitude to Funaki-san'.

ーー What do you mean by 'Words of gratitude to Funaki-san'?

Tsugunaga　From what I've heard so far, she definitely can't give advice. You'll find out that it's an exercise in futility. (laughs)

Funaki　Even if someone asks me for advice, the only thing I can say is 'It'll be fine!' I often ask Nanami-chan why she's so level-headed. I think it's because she reads books. She can always explain her reasons, so I'd like to get advice from her!

Yanagawa　And this is what makes me think 'She's so cute!' (laughs)

ーー I see (laughs). Well then, 5th place?

Yanagawa　Morito Chisaki-san. For Morito-san, if I consult her about something I'm worrying about, she'll go 'Ummm....' and worry about it even more than I will. She'd continue to brood over it... And then, that would make me feel worse instead. (laughs) So, Morito-san's 5th.

ーー It feels like the end-result comes in a different form compared to Funaki-san. (laughs)

Yanagawa　That's the type of person that I think Morito-san is. 4th place is Ozeki Mai-san. She's a positive thinker no matter what happens, so if I were to consult with her, rather than giving me a solution to my problem, I feel like she'll just tell me that things'll be fine.

ーー She'd encourage you.

Yanagawa　Yes. But, there's also the fact that Ozeki-san is the same age as me, so it might be easier to go to her for advice.

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 28: Kumai Yurina 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.

Kumai Yurina X Suzuki Airi

When Kumai was tasked to play a lead role in a film, the person she turned to for advice was Suzuki, who was also playing a lead role. What are the common points between the two of them?

Kumai-chan, I heard that when you had any problems, you would frequently go and get some advice from Airi-chan.

Kumai: We were doing the movie 'Ousama Game' together, and I was very reliant on Airi. Since she was the closest to me.

Suzuki: I was by myself as well, and our positions were similar, so we had the same problems. Come to think of it, 'Ousama Game' was what led to us talking a lot, right?

Kumai: That's right. There wasn't anything I particularly needed advice on, but our normal conversations would lead to me asking for advice.

Suzuki: The both of us just talked about what was on our minds at the moment. But we were nervous, and there were lots of things that we were worried about, so we ended up talking about nothing besides that. We asked one another what we should do. Kumai-chan had lots of scenes in 'Ousama Game', so we didn't have much time together, but still, the person I was together with the most was Kumai-chan, so whenever there was something I felt uneasy about, just having a little chat would bring me relief. While it might not have been in the form of advice, on my end, there were a lot of things that I relied on Kumai-chan for.

Shida Summer Arai Summer: The hottest and cutest unit of this summer (Top Yell July 2016)

In the summer of 2016, this completely unexpected unit was born:

'Shida Summer Arai Summer'
Made up of YumeMiru Adolescence's Shida Yumi and Tokyo Girls' Style Arai Hitomi. 
In order to get closer to this promising unit, we pressed ahead with this urgent interview!

We ask about everything, from how the two of them first got familiar with one another, up to their new song!

The two of them mutually like one another

Their common point is ice cream?

-- Please tell us: how did things lead to the formation of Shida Summer Arai Summer?

Shida Summer: I've always liked and respected Hitto from the start!

-- Since when?

Shida Summer: Since quite a while back! I liked her so much that I set an alarm to remind me about the start of her SHOWROOM show 'Hitomibocchi'. Then I heard that apparently Hitto liked me as well. The two of us, it was mutual love!

Arai Summer: I was surprised too. You watched 'Hitomibocchi'!

Shida Summer: You know, you know, you mentioned about the scones that were being sold at Calie, didn't you?

Arai Summer: (with a happy look on her face) Yup! Yup!

Shida Summer: Those scones looked really appetising when you ate them on 'Hitomibocchi'. It piqued my interest, I wanted to eat them them, so I bought them and ate them when we had a YumeAdo SHOWROOM show!

Arai Summer: They were yummy, weren't they??

-- Umm... We'd like to hear about how you were formed though.

Shida Summer: Ah~! Tokyo Girls' Style were guests on YumeAdo's showdown project (29th March). When I sang the original song 'Anna ni Suki datta Summer' with Hitto, it was really well received. There were people who wanted us to make a unit, so we asked the grown-ups, and it turned into an official unit.

Arai Summer: After the concert ended, there were lots of reactions on Twitter saying that they wanted to watch us again, and I didn't want to let it end with just that once either. I'm glad that things turned out this way.

-- You were that happy?

Arai Summer: The top screen of my LINE is Shida Summer Arai Summer!

Shida Summer: I'm glad!

-- And Shida-san, what's the top screen of your LINE?

Shida Summer: It's ramen from 'Ramen Ei'! It's really delicious.

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 50: Sudo Maasa x Okai Chisato

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.

Sudo Maasa X Okai Chisato

╞╞╞

Maasa-chan, you're famous among the fans for your mother-like position, but Okai-chan unexpectedly has that character as well.

Sudo: I often get told by the other members that I'm like the oneechan, but (Sugaya) Risako has been calling me 'Mama, mama' from way back. Also, I'm told that my bearing is like an older lady, so I can't help but seem that way (laughs).

Okai: Inside Berryz Kobo, you're definitely level-headed, and the way you choose your words is extremely polite. Even when you guys line up at concerts to give your thoughts about the performance, you're the only one who picks her words nicely. It's so powerful and moving that you could say it's like an election address (laughs). You're really like a mother.

Sudo: Rather than saying that Chisato is motherly, I'd say that she's pretty caring. If there's someone who isn't doing well, you'd immediately rush up to them, asking if they're doing alright. You're really caring.

Okai: Oh, thank you for that. I've got lots of siblings, so I think that it's easy for me to notice if something's happening to someone in a crowd. I'll end up immediately empathising. When someone's worrying, I'll worry together with them. When they're mad, I'll be mad together with them.

Sudo: Though I've got a sister as well, which means that I'm the oneechan at home, entering Berryz made me think that I had to sharpen up. Plus, I think that being called the mother might have led me to my current personality.

[2ch] Ok, so who was it who sheared off Momochi's skirt?

1 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:54:25.90 0.net
It's weird, put it back

2 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:55:17.93 0.net
The one with a long chin looks suspicious

3 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:55:24.80 0.net
It can't be helped - Momochi has long and beautiful legs after all

4 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:55:46.24 0.net
Is she being bullied?

7 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:57:17.68 0.net
At first glance, it was weird to me as well

b8 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:57:22.79 0.net
If she's the odd one out, she should have been in the middle

35 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 20:03:19.84 0.net
>>8
You've got it lol

37 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 20:03:51.54 0.net
>>8
That's it, honestly

9 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:57:40.11 0.net
It's the fault of her short legs

12 ：名無し募集中。。。＠＼(^o^)／：2016/08/28(日) 19:58:26.94 0.net
A repeat of the tragedy that was Hatsukoi Cider, where she was the only one with shorts

Takagi Sayuki and Miyamoto Karin Talk Event in Kawasaki

Managed to catch a Juice=Juice talk event on the 24th of August at Kawasaki on my recent trip to Japan. Sayuki and Karin-chan were there to promote their upcoming single 'Dream Road - Kokoro ga Odoridashiteru - / KEEP ON Josho Shiko / Ashita Yaro wa Baka Yaro'.

Not willing to preorder something that I couldn't collect, I was stuck behind a crowd of about two hundred people who had preordered. From my vantage point, I could only see Sayuki and Karin-chan's heads, floating above a sea of heads.

Promoting their new songs
♪ Sayuki highlighted Karin-chan's Michael Jackson-esque dancing in KEEP ON Josho Shiko
♪ Sayuki stressed on the 'Bakayaro' as she mentioned 'Ashita Yaro wa Baka Yaro'
♪ Sayuki commented on how quiet the audience was. Karin-chan opined that her fans tend to be the quiet types.

Fan questions

Q. As an only child, which Juice=Juice member would Karin-chan like to have as a sister?

Karin:  Nope, nada, not a single one of them. If I was forced to picked one, I'd pick Uemuu as my younger sister.

♪ Sayuki wouldn't want any of the members either - she gets along well enough with her younger sister
♪ For an older sister, Sayuki definitely wouldn't want KanaTomo. By elimination, it'd have to be Yuka then.