℃-ute in Big One Girls (No. 039)

- You're breaking up.... Did you ever consider not actually going through with the breakup?

Hagiwara: Rather than wanting to halt the breakup, for us, it's more like...

Suzuki & Hagiwara (in harmony): Are we really breaking up....?

Hagiwara: It hasn't really hit us yet. Our conversations are often like 'Huh? The way things are going...... are we really breaking up?'

Okai: I think that we might only feel it like a few days before Saitama Super Arena. But things might get crazy when there's like three days left.

- It'll hit you all out of the blue?

Okai: Yeah. We won't know how it'll feel like until it happens. It was the same with our debut. It feels like how things felt at the very start [when we made the graduation announcement].

- Have you been told that it feels like such a waste for you to break up?

Suzuki: We've been told that. The fans have protested against it, saying that they're opposed to our breakup~!!

Yajima: However, it instead makes me happy to be told that it's such a waste for ℃-ute to break up. It pushes me to show them something that's even more thought out.

- You're really approaching your breakup in a great mood, aren't you? When did you feel that the bonds between the five of you had strengthened?

Yajima: For me, it was our first Nippon Budokan......

Hagiwara: Me too.

Okai: Yeah.

Suzuki: Yup.

Nakajima: Me too.

Yajima: The path to the Nippon Budokan united our feelings. Every time we were out of town, we would gather up at someone's room and stay up talking about how to make the Nippon Budokan a success. That felt like the prime of our lives, like '℃-ute's the best!!' (laughs)

Hagiwara: It wasn't the first time, but the Nippon Budokan had been established as a united goal, and we were dealing with it seriously. And the Nippon Budokan also made me realise that people can concentrate so passionately on a single thing.

- That said, to break up in such a good condition, it's such a waste...

Yajima: We've always said that we'd hate to just fizzle out after getting to a place where we were satisfied. Since we've said that, I'm grateful that we'll be seeing the end at the Saitama Super Arena, a place that the five of us have dreamed of.

- You released your '℃omplete single collection' on the 3rd of May, a best-of album which contains all your singles. But it's also a reminder that the clock is ticking. As members of the group, how do you feel, releasing a complete single collection?

Nakajima: While I think that it's really great that we get to release an album like that, it also does serve as a reminder that the curtain is finally closing on ℃-ute.

Okai: When Berryz Kobo released their complete album, I looked at it objectively, like 'Ah, it's the last...' I knew that the day would come for us someday. And now, we're in that position. It was a bit scary to think that once this album got released, there'd be no more albums, no more new songs.

- Though you did want to leave behind this sort of complete album package.

Yajima: That's right. Doing it this way reminds us of what a long history ℃-ute has, of how many songs we've released! It's not a complete record of everything, but I'm really glad that we got to leave behind something in this form.

Hagiwara: There's also three new songs in it, so I'm glad that we can show you a new ℃-ute again at the very end.

Suzuki: What's more, I think that it's nice how there are all the coupling songs on [the regular edition], as well as rare tracks. I really remember 'Yuki ga Chirari', and I remember even the dance lessons for 'Come Together (℃-ute ver.)' and 'Juliet Juliet'. ℃-ute fans won't be able to attain full completion unless they get their hands on this album! So I hope that you check it out.

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.

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 65: Yajima Maimi 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.

Yajima Maimi X Hagiwara Mai

The two of them are as close as sisters, but Yajima's not holding the oneesan role, Hagiwara is? Kicking off from that, they look back on their 10 years together.

I think that you've always been close, but recently it seems like Mai-chan's the oneesan, while Maimi-chan's the imouto.

Hagiwara:  Is that how things seem~ (laughs). Maimi-chan's the older one, so I think of her as the oneechan though.

Yajima: You were still completely tiny back then, so I'd dish up meals for you when it was time to eat. I wanted to give you anything you wanted. As the youngest at home, I'd always wanted a younger sibling, so I was glad to become an oneesan. But as we grew up, it's like I'm the one who's slowly getting babied (laughs). Lots of people have told me that I've become more childish after having hit the age of twenty. That's how it is.

Hagiwara: I was really pampered by Maimi-chan in the past (laughs). It was like I could do no wrong, since things would be fine with Maimi-chan by my side. I feel like I brought Maimi-chan along with me even when I went to the washroom (laughs).

Yajima: Hagi would always watch me whenever I put on my make-up.

Hagiwara: I'd often have fights with (Okai) Chisato when we were in the Hello! Project Kids, so I had Maimi-chan bring an end to those fights (laughs).

Yajima: I was asked to look over Hagi as she was the youngest, but I enjoyed looking after her. She really was like a little sister to me. As I had to keep a proper eye on her, we'd always stay together in the same room during overnight stops. I have some pictures from the past in an old mobile phone, and in photos taken during mealtimes, Hagi would definitely be next to me. When we had to stay overnight somewhere, I kind of felt like her mother, and took care of her as if she were my kid. I'd ask her to bathe with me and go to bed with me. Hagi alone is the member that I've gone to the extent of bathing with (laughs). 

I'd get her to even accompany me to the washroom (laughs)  by Mai

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 63: Tsugunaga Momoko 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.

Tsugunaga Momoko X Hagiwara Mai

The 2 of them were great friends when they were in the H!P Kids.
As we go deep into the discussion, it takes an unexpected turn, and ends up becoming a serious discussion where they talk about what lies behind their hearts!

The 2 of you seemed to be really close friends when you were in the H!P Kids.

Hagiwara: I remember always being together with Momo. Profile books were all the rage at the time, and one of the questions was 'What will you be doing in 10 years time?' Momo wrote 'I'll be living with Mai-chan'.

Tsugunaga: And here we are, 10 years later.

Hagiwara: Not living together at all (laughs).

Tsugunaga: If anything, Mai-chan, you were adorable. You know, you'd keep on practising 'I'm Mai-chan, in my first year of primary school, peace'. I mean, don't you always say 'I'm Mai-chan, in my first year of primary school'? But you were practising just because you'd added 'peace' at the end. Even to this day, I'll never forget you coming to me and asking 'Was that okay?' You were adorable~!

Hagiwara: We really were always together when we were in the H!P Kids. But once we'd been split into BeriKyuu, it was like we naturally had less time to hang out. Now we've settled down as friends who'll have a chat whenever we occasionally meet one another.

Tsugunaga: Recently, I feel that you've been doing self-deprecating jokes. At the concert the other day, you were like 'Buy a yellow T-shirt (Mai's image colour)'. You were so cute that even I thought about going out and getting one. Even while you were trying to act tough with the fans, making self-deprecating jokes, you were still adorable. I'm glad that I got to see you bringing yourself down by going 'That's not the case'~

So rather than saying that Mai-chan is the little sister, it's more like everyone spoils her like a princess since she's so cute? Momochi, did you buy her yellow T-shirt in the end?

Tsugunaga: Eh, of course...

Hagiwara: So you own one? How nice of you.

Tsugunaga: What do you call them, 'Hagimi and Hagishige'?

Hagiwara: 'Hagio and Hagiko'! This is useless. Someone like you wouldn't have a T-shirt of mine (laughs).

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 38: Nakajima Saki 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.

Nakajima Saki X Hagiwara Mai

♣♣♣

You're now able to speak pretty freely [when Mc-ing]. However, when you were small, did you have to make arrangements, like 'You should say this here'?

Nakajima: Even back then, I wondered why we had to follow the script. Why couldn't we say what we wanted to say? I can talk about it now, but there honestly were times when I thought about deviating from the day's script. 

Hagiwara: And for those people who were coming to watch us several times, they'd hear the same lines each time, wouldn't they? It would seem like we were only thinking about the same things, but we were just following the script... It was a dilemma.

Nakajima: And in the midst of that, I guess the staff members noticed that we'd grown up, so we'd have our own take on things, and they left things to us. The scripts went away about 2~3 years back. They would set the programme, but they left it to us to speak our thoughts. We were free to choose our words, so it became absolutely more fun.

How did the fans respond?

Hagiwara: It went over even better than before. We were told that there were too many inside jokes, but we were also told that it was enjoyable, that it was very '℃-ute'.

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 60: Tokunaga Chinami 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.

Tokunaga Chinami X Hagiwara Mai

↨↨↨

Tokunaga: Mai, you've got your original characters that you made yourself, right?

Hagiwara: They're characters named '"Hagio" and "Hagiko"', and I think I draw them at times when I'm troubled (laughs). [...] Chii, you use a lot of colours [to illustrate photos], it's amazing.

Tokunaga: I prefer things to be colourful, so I've got to be careful about using too much colours when it comes to painting. And I don't end up using similar types of colours like blue and aqua either, like if I've done something in blue, then I'll go for pink or orange, I'll find something to match the subject colour in a way that stands out.

Hagiwara: Your sense of colour is amazing. On the other hand, for me, I have no idea if one colour goes with another. I only know of safe colour combinations, I can't take risks. Airi often uses pink and brown, but I didn't know that pink and brown could go so well together, I was like 'Ah, that's great' (laughs).

↨↨↨

Do the 2 of you have any common memories from when you were small?

Tokunaga: When we were in the Hello! Project Kids, Mai and me and Miya referred to one another with a 'chan' appended to our names. But at some point in time, we talked about no longer using the 'chan' - but it still stuck. So we ended up declaring that anyone who used 'chan' would have to pay 100 yen.

Hagiwara: And it seriously ended up working. You really can get things done if you get serious (laughs). But I wonder what led to us saying such a thing? I guess we wanted to be even closer as friends.

What impression did you have of one another at the time?

Hagiwara: I thought that Chii was highly excitable.

Tokunaga: Mai was the youngest, so she was just Mai-chan, everyone's little sister.

Hagiwara: Chii could shape the mood. Once before, I alone was on a bus with Berryz Kobo, and Chii made cracks at everyone at the time, which I thought was amusing.

Tokunaga: Eh, what did I do at that time?

Hagiwara: You invited everyone to play shiritori.

Tokunaga: Ah. I like shiritori. But the rest find it a pain, so they'll be like 'Right, right, "zukan" (dictionary)', and it'd end just like that, so I'd attempt to bounce back with a word that starts with an 'n' (laughs).

Hagiwara: ℃-ute is funny in a different atmosphere. Also, what I think when we perform live together, is that Berryz Kobo have like an aura.

Tokunaga: We don't have any such aura.

Hagiwara: I guess you could say it's like you've got a high level of professional awareness, and all of you stand out in a good way, you have your own unique characteristics.

↨↨↨

Tokunaga: All of Berryz Kobo are uncoordinated, we do as we please, so even when we're told to assemble, we don't (laughs). But that comes out in our dancing as well, and we end up really going all over the pace, which is no good. 

↨↨↨

You both came from the same H!P Kids. How do you think things would have turned out if the two of you had switched places?

Tokunaga: I feel like I'd still be like how I am now, even in ℃-ute. I feel like I wouldn't change.

Hagiwara: It might turn out the other way, like because of your influence, the others would change (laughs). If I were in Berryz Kobo...... I can't imagine it. While I thought that it was great that they were able to become part of a group when they made their major debut, with the difference between their ages and mine, everyone in Berryz Kobo would be way more grown up, so I feel like I'd only burden them. 

Tokunaga: But Mai, you have this amazing ability to bring out huge bursts of laughter at MCs. Whatever you say will never fall flat. You're funny.

More interview excerpts from this book

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 45: Kumai Yurina 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.

Kumai Yurina X Hagiwara Mai

---

Hagiwara: Kumai-chan has this cute atmosphere to her, and when Kumai-chan comes out to speak at MCs, the atmosphere turns into a Kumai-chan mood. As we watched you from the wings of the stage, the members of ℃-ute were like 'OMG, how adorable!' Since we don't have a girl with a similar type of character in ℃-ute...

What impression did you have [of one another] when you first met?

Kumai: Mai was around 6 years old at the time of the H!P Kids. The impression I had was that she was tiny and cute. But I think she's now turned into a beauty.

Hagiwara: No, no, that's not the case (laughs). I can say this now, though it's a bit embarrassing...... In the midst of the many people at the 'H!P Kids audition', I saw Kumai-chan among them, and thought 'This girl is cute'.

Kumai: Eh, really?

Hagiwara: Even when we became the H!P Kids, I thought 'Ah, that cute girl's here as well'. Kumai-chan's face is in the genre that I favour.

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk: Shimizu Saki 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.

Shimizu Saki X Hagiwara Mai

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While the 2 of you are the most distant in terms of age within BeriKyuu, just as all the fans know, you're very close friends. When did you start getting close?

Hagiwara: Unexpectedly recently, around this past one year.

Shimizu: Last year we had increasingly more activities as BeriKyuu, and as we talked about various things, it turned out that a lot of our opinions were the same, and we ended up hanging out together.

Hagiwara: There was a point in time when we hung out together so frequently that people would comment on my blog posts, 'You're hanging out with Saki-chan again?' (laughs). Up until then, we'd just normally associated with one another, only going 'Hey, morning', but we'd never had discussions or deep conversations.

Shimizu: Maybe it was around the recent GekiHaro (Theatre 'Gekidan GekiHaro Dai 11kai Kouen Sengoku Jieitai'). Up to then, we'd hardly had any involvement, but when we just happened to talk about our thoughts at the time, our thoughts were virtually all the same, and it was then that I found out that there was someone who had the same opinions as me.

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What would you say are the good points of one another?

Shimizu: I guess that I'm so comfortable with her that I don't have to mind about awkward pauses in our conversations.

Hagiwara: You're really level-headed, and we have similar ways of thinking, so the true Mai is exposed.

I get the impression that Mai-chan is lively, but when it's just you and Saki-chan, do you show a different part of yourself?

Shimizu: She's unexpectedly serious. She really thinks about her family, and has her own proper opinions.

Hagiwara: I'm actually the kind of person who doesn't really want to talk too deeply about what I think.

Shimizu: You get easily embarrassed.

Hagiwara: I've had this weird sense of pride from the past, and I never really want to talk about sad stuff. But I let that be seen by Saki-chan as well.

Shimizu: Our standpoint is that we're equal. We don't feel the 5 year difference in age. 

Hagiwara: We think the same way, so there are lots of moments where we're like 'Ah, that's it!'

If that's the case, do you have similar tastes in men?

Hagiwara: We have similar ideals when it comes to men.

Shimizu: It would be nice to get someone who tends to take the lead.

Hagiwara: That definitely has to be the case.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

I wonder how will the 2 of you be like after this?

Hagiwara: I don't know about work, but but the both of us will probably be married. I feel that Saki-chan will be a really reliable housewife. She really likes to keep things clean, so she'd settle up all the cleaning in the morning, and there wouldn't be a speck of dust in her home. Like 'I'll do the housework so come back quickly'.

Shimizu: Mai would be all clingy, as if you were always newlyweds, and you'd always be smiling (laughs). From the outside, you'd get along with your husband like a friend, saying this and that, but he'd spoil you when it's just the 2 of you. You'd act tough in front of friends, telling him 'Don't get close!', but if it's just the 2 of you, you'll be all lovey-dovey.

Hagiwara: Ah, that's embarrassing~.

If just that makes you self-conscious, that means she hit the mark (laughs). By the way, at that time, would you continue with your existing relationship?

Hagiwara: I think we will. Even if we've stopped doing this job, I think we'll continue on as normal. 

Shimizu: That's right. I don't think our sense of values will change. It's just that we're indecisive, so we'll completely be unable to make up our minds about where to eat. I hope we'll fix that (laughs).

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More interview excerpts from this book

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk: Sudo Maasa 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.

Sudo Maasa X Hagiwara Mai

ôôô

Your signatures incorporate illustrative elements, but did you think up your signatures yourselves?

Sudo: I thought it up together with my mother. It's my name written in cursive style, with hearts added. In my 8 years in Berryz Kobo, it hasn't changed.

Hagiwara: Mai's was set by my manager-san at first. Since then, it's changed 2, 3 times. I changed various things, putting in serious consideration to be able to write it quickly. Trying to write them out in a notebook, I ended up with something easy to write. At first, there were cute illustrations included since I was a kid, but it was pretty time consuming when I had to write it out one-by-one (laughs).

I'd like to ask you about those times. Do you remember your first encounter?

Hagiwara: I remember it well. Maasa-chan had dyed hair, and she was such a beautiful girl. I think that I didn't know the word 'beautiful' at the time, but you were a girl with a pretty face.

Sudo: Mai-chan was really cute, and because she was still in her first year of primary school, her face was like a baby's, her eyes were droopy. Seeing her, I thought she was adorable.

Hagiwara: Maasa-chan's home is close to mine, so when we were in the Hello! Project Kids, we always went home together.

Sudo: I would head home in the same direction as Mai-chan and Chisato. We were always together when we were in the H!P Kids. Our parents were friendly as well, and Mai-chan's oneechan and my imouto were the same age, and they become friends too (laughs).

Did you go out together as whole families?

Sudo: Our houses are really close, and we go shopping at the same time, so it's like our parents would meet at the neighbourhood supermarket.

Hagiwara: Our sisters mixed together because of that, so we all hung out together.

Sudo: After our lessons ended, we'd go and have a meal together on our way back. But Mai-chan was still small, so after the meal, she'd just fall asleep like that at the family restaurant. It was cute to see her sleeping on her mother's lap (laughs).

ôôô

How will you be like in 10 years time?

Hagiwara: Eh, what'll we be doing?

Sudo: Mai-chan's fashionable, so I feel like you'll be doing something related to clothes. 

Hagiwara: Ah, I'd like to do that! That said, I feel like Maasa-chan will be doing a careful job.

Sudo: What is that? What do you mean!?

Hagiwara: Whatever work you do, I feel you'd do a perfect, careful job. Because in my mind, you're reliable, and you're capable at work. I think that your preciseness won't change even after 10 years. But even if we do different things, because we live close-by, I feel that we'll meet at the supermarket now and then (laughs). Because we do meet one another there, even now.

ôôô

More interview excerpts from this book