Fresh Idol Kobushi Factory

First half of a November 2015 Hustle Press interview with Kobushi

The dreamed-of major début

They froze in surprise!?

――How did you feel when you found out that your major début was set in stone？


Hirose「It was a surprise announcement, so my mind was completely blank immediately after. I couldn't make head or tail from it、 but when I got back home and my parents greeted me with a 『Congratulations』, that was when the feelings gushed forth。 While we ushered in our major début on the 2nd of September、 there hasn't really been any drastic changes. But it's a big step on the way to our dreams、 so I'll be grateful and will do my best」

Ogawa「Kobushi Factory had no idea whether we'd be able to make our major début when we were formed. But our début came as a surprise when they made the announcement、 and we got to go around the whole country to do promotions. The realisation gradually welled up」

Hamaura「I'd been a Kenshuusei for about 4 and a half years、 and I had lots of worries, like would I be able to make a major début？ Would I get into a new unit？ I was really glad when Kobushi Factory was formed, and my tears really flowed despite me being completely clueless. On the way to our major début、 Kobushi Factory got to experience all sorts of things like stage-acting。 I don't think that anything changed on the 2nd of September、 but at handshake events、 everyone would give me words like 『Congratulations』、 『You'll be making your major début』 That's when the realisation hit me、 and I was really glad」。

Taguchi「For me, the announcement went 『You'll be making your major début this autumn！』、 but at the time、 everyone froze for a moment. After that、 everyone was screaming out 『Kyaー！』。 However、 at the time、 I didn't cry。 I was looking at it quite objectively、 without thinking about myself」。


――Ah、 that's somewhat mature。 Taguchi-san commenting about the rest in such a way doesn't jive with your image though （laughs）。


Taguchi 「Thank you very much （blushes）。 I was glad、 but we had to do all sorts of things until the 2nd of September。 I was a Kenshuusei for ４ and a half years as well、 so I've been active just as long as Hamaura Ayano-chan、 and we were able to do performances and promotions at places that we hadn't been able to go to as Kenshuusei…Ah、 I'm gonna sneeze…」。


――（laughs）。 That's fine。


Taguchi「…It's gone （laughs）。 When the 2nd of September came、 I understood that I was able to make my major début as a member of the Hello！ Project that I admired」。

――Amongst the songs in your 3 major début songs、 please tell us what you'd like to highlight。


Hirose「I like 『Nen ni ha Nen （Nen-iri Ver）』. The whole song is cool and makes use of all our members' punchiness。 But、 what I want you to keep an eye out for most is the interlude for 『Dosukoi！ Kenkyo ni Daitan』、 where Fujii Rio-chan and Wada Sakurako-chan have a sumo match、 and I act as the referee。 I'm also in charge of saying the line 『Mattanashi！』、 so I want you to watch that！」。

Ogawa「Mine is from 『Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san no Uta』、 where there's a call ＆ response after the interlude。 We couldn't really hear the voices the first time we performed it 、 but slowly、 everyone matches their voice to our call、 and that sense of unity lifts me up」。


――Because it's built up with the fans、 you can enjoy how it gradually grows。


Hamaura「For 『Dosukoi！ Kenkyo ni Daitan』、 I'd like you to keep an eye on the choreography when you watch it at concerts. But since it's a song with positive lyrics、 I hope you pay attention to the lyrics when you listen to it」。


――Eh？ Although I'd heard that Hamaura-san was the one who liked ramen the most…（laughs）。


Hamaura「I really love ramen！　As for how frequently I have it…。 I had it at night the day before yesterday、 but I had it in the morning of that same day as well…。 If we go far away、 I'll have it in the mornings、 and I'll eat ramen again at the hotel」。


――You eat it in the morning!?


Hamaura「If I go to a place that I've never been before、 I'll find cup ramen that doesn't get sold in Tokyo or Saitama。 I want to give them a taste、 so on days that we'd be staying overnight、 I'd buy ramen from the convenience store、 and I'd put in about 4 into my bag」。

Hirose「If I'm in the same room as Hamaura Ayano-chan、 there'd be the nice smell of ramen in the morning （laughs）。 Ramen or edamame （laughs）」。

――Doesn't that make her like some hybrid of an old man and a young girl （laughs）！


Hirose「When I get up、 I'd see Hama-chan in her pyjamas, slurping up some ramen （laughs）」。

―― 「Ramen Daisuki Hamaura-san」。 I wonder if the fans know about this？


Hamaura「I think they know about it。 They'd tell me 『Be careful about eating too much ramen！』 at handshake events」。

―― I heard that you actually do eat a lot though…。

Hamaura「I don't know if it's a lot、 but I only eat the things I like。 Like Hamburg steak or omurice or noodle dishes」。

―― How impish。 Do you eat quite a lot, quantity-wise？


Hamaura「To the extent that I eat other people's ramen portions！」。

Source: https://hustlepress.co.jp/kobushi_interview02/

Renako gets quizzed on the Olympics

(Excerpt from Hustle Press interview with Kobushi Factory)

-- By the way, Ogawa-san, do you know how often the Olympics are held? Once every how many years?

Ogawa: Once every four years!

-- Then, where was it held last?

Ogawa: Heheh, Brazil! (said with complete confidence) Ah, Brazil's this year. Well, the nearby France.

-- Um, nearby? You're close, but no cigar.

Hirose: We talked about this at an event recently (Hirose and Fujii silently mouthing 'London, London')

Ogawa: Ah, Lawson! (With a triumphant look on her face)

(Everyone laughs)

Ogawa: Well, it starts with an 'l' or an 'r'. Ah, Russia!? It's London!

-- You finally got there (laughs). Well, where will it be held in four years time?

Ogawa: Tokyo! Since it's mentioned in the lyrics of our new song!

Source: https://hustlepress.co.jp/kobushi20160725_interview/

Digging into the '8 mysteries' of Kobushi Factory (Top Yell Jan 2017)

H!P's biggest mysteries

We dig into Kobushi Factory's '8 mysteries'!!

One can't help but say that Kobushi Factory's mysteries are some of H!P's biggest mysteries.
This time around, we attack them directly about eight of these mysteries.

Ultimately, what sort of answers will they respond with...

Mystery number one
Why are all of you always so loud!?

Taguchi: Hmm... You're immediately going for the group's biggest mystery. (laughs)

Hamaura: But honestly, what's the real reason?

When you're on tour or doing promotional activities, you're always together with the members, aren't you? Don't you run out of things to talk about?

Taguchi: Now that you mention it, what do we normally talk about......?

Hamaura: We generally start by reporting what happened during the day.

Isn't that what little kids do at home, reporting to their mothers what happened during the day?

Hamaura: Well there is that. (laughs) Which reminds me, we often talk of family as well. Actually, we get to hear lots of stories, like why someone got into a fight with their mum in the morning. Those are pretty funny.

Taguchi: Family stories are a staple.

Hamaura: For example, Ogawa Rena-chan's mother has the same personality as Ogawa Rena-chan.

It must get pretty crazy in the Ogawa household!

Ogawa: Maybe I'm in my rebellious phase, but whenever my parents say something, I always talk back. Then I get a really intense scolding. But at night, they'll throw me a 'Ganbarenako again today!'

Taguchi: It's weird to use say things like 'throw' when referring to your parents. (bitter laugh) But Rena definitely loves her mother. That's the reason why they often clash. She'll say things like 'I really hate you! You don't understand anything!' Immediately after that, with a wheedling voice, she'll call her, 'Mama~? I'm coming back home now, ok~♥'.

Hamaura: The funny thing is that when we talk about our families, we'll act it out.

Act it out? In what sense?

Hamaura: Everyone gets a role, like 'father', 'mother', 'myself'. We have fun acting out not just the Ogawa household, but the funny Taguchi household as well.

Mystery number 2
There are rumours that Hamachan is the boss-in-the-shadows. Is that true!?

Hirose: It's true! She's guilty!

Taguchi: You're calling her 'guilty'? (bitter laugh) She's not a suspect...

For the fans who have been watching her since her H!P Kenshuusei days, it's hard to imagine the sight of Hamaura-san mercilessly taking control.

Hamaura: Is that so? Near the end of my tenure as a Kenshuusei, I was relatively quite in charge. And it was simply due to me being more senior in years.

Taguchi: That's true, they might have a slightly different image of her if they've watched her since she was in primary school. Since she was really small. But we've grown.

Hamaura: They generally know what I'll nag about. It's when they just up and change the choreography of their own accord, doing the moves differently from what our sensei taught us!

The nuance of the dance is forced to change because they insert their own adjustments to the moves?

Taguchi: Nothing so presumptuous. For example, as Kenshuusei, we got to dance 'Piriri to Yukou!' on the same stage as Berryz Kobo-san. At the time, even though the correct move was to spin our arms right, everyone except me spun their arms left. I'd even reminded them before the rehearsals. I'd told them to spin their arms right at that point. That's when I got angry.

Hirose: You really blew your top then~. What's more, everyone was telling you to correct yourself since you were the odd one out. Even though you were the only one who was correct. (laughs) She then reminded us that she had already mentioned that we should spin our arms right earlier, before the rehearsals. Then Hamachan gathered us all up for a huge lecture. Just as the song title means 'Let's spice things up!', things got spicy backstage. (laughs)

Taguchi: When it comes to performing, Hamachan is the most serious. Even when she says that we've got to stir things up, she always wraps things up perfectly. On the other hand, Fujii Rio-chan and I will check whether we're doing the right thing by looking at Hamachan.

Hirose: It's not that she's got a good memory, it's that she's got a serious personality. She doesn't remember the moves just by happenstance. But girls like Taguchi Natsumi-chan are able to grasp the general movement, but when they get to the studio, they'll panic and ask for help. That's a common situation. (laughs)

Poor thing. There's no need to name names. (laughs)

Hamaura: No, it's the truth. She promised me in the past. That once we became Kobushi Factory, she would stop that. So from then onwards, I stopped teaching her.

That sounds like something a drill sergeant would say. (laughs)

Taguchi: Did you hear that? Hamachan, you're a real Spartan. (laughs)

Kobushi Factory on the New Artist Award

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The biggest change since the last time you were here was that you were chosen for the 'Japan Record Award New Artist Award', right? How was it when you first heard about the award?

Hirose: We had the day off on the day of the announcement, so we were contacted by e-mail: 'We have something to discuss, so please all gather up tomorrow'. I thought that all of us were going to get a scolding (laughs). We contacted one another, wondering what was up. And then we got another message, and we knew it was about the New Artist Award. In one stroke, the dread gave way to a sense of relief (laughs). But at the same time, the New Artist Award is awarded to artistes that have been active over the past year, so it hadn't really hit us that we would be receiving that award, that we would be standing of the stage of the Japan Record Award on the 30th of December. As we got closer to the day, we slowly started feeling it, and happiness gave way to a desire to win the Best New Artist Award.

Nomura: I was at home as we had the day off, and received a message. I was with my mother, and my phone indicated that I'd got a message. I thought that it was from one of the members or a friend, so I didn't take a look. And then, my mother received a message at the same time as I did. When I was about to check to see if it was something work-related from our manager-san, my mother had already checked the message. With joy on her face, she excitedly called out 'Minami, Minami!' I wondered what was up, and as it turned out, we had received the Japan Record Award New Artist Award. I remember seeing my mother being so happy for the first time, it came as a surprise!

Hamaura: I was at home on that off day as well, but receiving that message made me really happy. Whenever I get any announcements, I always go on my bed.

Uh, what (laughs)?

Hamaura: I get on top of my bed and announce it! And when I announced 'We got the Japan Record Award New Artist Award~!' from atop my bed, my whole family were glad and happy for me!

Wada: When I got the message, I was by myself. There wasn't anyone around me, and I didn't feel it too much. I generally don't get hit by emotions, but after a bit of time had passed, I realised that we'd be standing on that stage on the 30th, which made me happy.

Moreover, you got the Best New Artist Award! Did it lead to a change of mood?

Hamaura: The Best New Artist Award was a huge award, so the eight of us in Kobushi Factory had to give a performance that had to live up to it. We all braced ourselves.

Nomura: Since we had received the Best New Artist Award, I felt that I had to take another look at our usual conduct. Even more than before, I should follow the rules, and take care of my looks.

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Ishida interviews Kobushi Factory - MoMusu Ishida Ayumi's unexpected '0% Approval rating'

The summer Hello! Cons have started.

Ishida: At Hello! Cons, we go beyond the borders of our groups and perform together, so it's like a summer festival. I hope that you'll be able to enjoy the different harmonies through the shuffle units. Also, this is Morning Musume。´16's first 11-person concert, after the graduation of Suzuki Kanon-san. I hope that we'll be able to bring out another different kind of charm.

Hirose: We don't want to lose to the groups of our generation, and we'd also like to absorb more and more from the senpai groups during rehearsals. There are two types of patterns this time around, so I want to enjoy that.

Together with the senpai you admire.

Ishida: That's right, Hamachan has told me that she mimics how I dance, but I know that she looks up to Tsugunaga-san from 'Country Girls'. But I don't know about the two of you, so I thought I'd ask.

Hirose: I admire Fukuda Kanon-san, who recently graduated from ANGERME, but among the current members, it would be Ikuta Erina-san.

Ishida: Eh~~~! That's the hardest for me to react to! What do you admire about her?

Hirose: Ikuta-san has stated that 'There isn't a single kouhai who says that they admire me', right? So it troubles me: Should I say that I admire Ikuta-san? But at the previous Hello! Cons, she wished me good luck backstage, and she brought me some omurice.

Ishida: And that's your reason?

Hirose: Ikuta-san knows that I look up to her, but she knows that I look up to Fukuda-san as well, so she's like 'Eri isn't your number one, right?'

Ishida: She wants to protect her own character, and she wants to treasure her kouhai (laughs).

Hirose: And so, I have to puzzle over how I should answer. At first she had this impressive, carefree smile, but her cool facial expressions are also cute, her dancing is sharp, and her acrobatics are amazing. And her other face that's guy-like is nice.

Ishida: I have an idea of how Ikuta-san reacted when you told her that~ She'd be self-conscious, and saying 'That's not the case'! She'd deny it a little, but she'd look happy.

Hirose • Ogawa • Hamaura: Ah~ We can see it!

Ogawa: For me, it would be Sugaya Risako-san (from Berryz Kobo). She's got an aura, and while she may seem scary at first, she'll let you take photos with her, and there's her singing and expressive ability. In Morning Musume。-san, it would be Kudo Haruka-san!

Ishida: And that's someone from my generation~

Ogawa: Kudo-san will casually start conversations with a 'Yo' or 'Morning'. I think she's cool, and I really like her husky voice. And I learn from watching her facial expressions when she comes on-screen.

Ishida: I'd like to ask Hamachan about this as well.

Hamaura: For Morning Musume。, it'd be Sato Masaki-san!

Ishida: Another one from my generation~ (cries).

Hamaura: I like how she gestures and expresses herself during solo parts.

Ishida-san, not a single one of them are lending you any support. There must be some problem with Ishida-san as well.

Ishida: Th, that's right. I guess friendliness is important. Maybe I should start with casual greetings like 'Yo'....

Source: http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame/entertainment/566711/