Miyamoto Karin: Tsudzuiteiku STORY (Idol and Read 004)

22 pages of Karin-chan. A long interview, filling up 16 pages with walls of text. That's not counting the cover page, the 'table of contents' photo, and the attached postcard. The title of this magazine, 'Idol and Read', isn't just for show - it's got photos of idols, and an overwhelming amount of text. These excerpts make up roughly two-thirds of the interview with cover girl Miyamoto Karin, clocking in at over 4000 words. Just in time for Juice=Juice's Taipei and Hong Kong concerts! It's a long read, but I hope you enjoy this journey into the mind of Hello! Project's idol cyborg.

♣♣♣

Personally, what is your view of the present state of Juice=Juice in 2015?

I think that we're moving onwards and onwards. For Juice=Juice, the 5 of us think, 'Let's polish up our performances even more', so we're all heading in the same direction. Through our livehouse tour, we've gone to all sorts of places by ourselves. It was by no means the short road, but if you were to ask me, it passed by in the blink of an eye. I'd like to aim even higher, and progress forward. Also, our original goal was to go around all 47 prefectures, but we only got to go to 38 prefectures in our first tour. So it would be great if we could conquer the 47 prefectures through the 220 performances in our upcoming nationwide tour.

At your first Nakano Sunplaza tour by yourselves, you performed your new song 'Tsudzuiteiku STORY' from your album 'First Squeeze!', and Miyamoto Karin, you couldn't hold back and broke into tears. Why did you cry then?

Looking back on Juice=Juice up until then...... This may be obvious, but with lyrics like 'Yume wo Katatta Nakamatachi, Egao to Ase no Jikan Ryokou' (We friends talked about our dreams, time-travelling through sweat and smiles) or 'Fuan de Ugokenakattari... Joudan de Waraiattari... Mainichi ga Takaramono deshita' (Unable to move due to anxiety... Laughing due to jokes... Every day was a treasure), I got into them, as they fit Juice=Juice's story to a tee...... Nakano Sunplaza was also the very first stage that I got to stand on when I was in the H!P Eggs (H!P Kenshuusei), so the many things that had happened since then came to mind. Being able to stand on that stage for Juice=Juice's first one-man live made me feel happy, and I was emotionally moved!

For that day's performance, I wrote an article with the headline 'Even the idol cyborg's eyes had tears', but what led to Miyamoto Karin to start being called the 'idol cyborg'?

I was being called that before I realised it, but honestly I'm not an idol cyborg at all (laughs). And so, every time I'm called that, I steel myself, thinking that I have to be perfect, but my fingers are clumsy, and there are lots of things about me that are awkward, I'll cry at concerts, like I did at Nakano Sunplaza. More than a perfect idol, I'm more of a human idol. Of course I'd like to aim for perfection, but I don't adhere to the idol framework when it comes to facial expressions for songs. I'd like to become a person who can pull off all sorts of expressions.

♣♣♣

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk: Natsuyaki Miyabi x Kumai Yurina

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 pairs of girls, covering all 66 possible combinations.

Natsuyaki Miyabi X Kumai Yurina

 ↓↓↓

What was the first impression you had of one another when you first met?

Kumai: Miya was blonde, so it was like 'Ah, she's a city kid'.

Natsuyaki: For Kumai-chan, I thought that her eyebrows were neatly arranged (laughs). 

Kumai: Ahahahaha. Is that so?

Natsuyaki: Really, that was the strongest impression. 

Kumai: The greatest, huh~. I think so too. Looking at photos of myself from way back,  I'm like 'What was up with those eyebrows!?' (laughs)

Natsuyaki: I don't intend this as a follow-up, but I thought that you were a pretty girl~.

--- Have your impressions of one another changed?

Kumai: There's been quite a change over these many years. When the younger team got to do a radio show together (STAR digio 'Tsuukai Berryz Oukoku'), Miya became the oneesan. If I had to say, before, she had this image of being all noisy, and enjoying the fun things, but she also had this aspect to her, where she properly thought about things, so it was like she was an oneesan!

Natsuyaki: That's probably because it was work (laughs). It was the first time for us younger ones to do a radio show, and there, I was the eldest, so I thought I had to be level-headed, and take control. As I had to let the 2 of you talk as well, at the very beginning, I acted like an oneesan.

--- So you didn't become an oneesan, you just acted as one (laughs).

Natsuyaki: Honestly, I don't really want to be like the oneesan or the senpai. But I thought that I had to take the lead.

Kumai: You led in quite a big way.

Natsuyaki: My impression of Kumai-chan hasn't changed. Airheaded, head in the clouds. But I think that you've calmed down recently. Like I could say that Kumai-chan's the calmest in Berryz Kobo. You used to be noisy in the past, the same type as how Chii (Tokunaga Chinami) is now (laughs), but I feel like you've turned out to be really oneesan-ish.

Kumai: Ah, but I might have calmed down. On the topic of calming down, it might be because I grew older (laughs). I envy the always spirited primary school kids. I think that the types of people like Chinami who are born that way are a different case (laughs), but I think it's amazing to spend a whole day with that much energy.

↓↓↓

Click here for more interview excerpts from this book.

New Faces: Member as girlfriend (H!P Maruwakari Winter 2015)

The HaroPuro MaruWakari Books are released in conjunction with the twice-yearly Hello! Con tours. The contents usually take the form of questionnaires to the members, asking about other members.

This one, which came out for the 2015 Winter Hello! Cons, would be Berryz' last as well as Country Girls' first. It also pre-dates Kobushi Factory, who were announced at that Hello! Con itself. Thus, the usual questionnaires are supplemented with a Berryz Kobo special as well as a new faces special (MM 12ki, S/mileage 3ki, the 5 new Country Girls).

This part of the questionnaire comes from the 'new faces' segment, where we get to know more about the new girls and what they think about other H!P members and senpai. Remember that this book pre-dates Kobushi Factory and Tsubaki Factory, but don't worry, they get their turn in the 2015 Summer Maruwakari Book.

Q8. If I was a guy, I'd like this member as my girlfriend

Ogata Haruna: Sato Masaki-san. Since I think we'd have fun together.

Nonaka Miki: Fukumura Mizuki-san. She gives this girly, airy impression ♥ I'd like to go to an amusement park together with her ♪

Makino Maria: Yajima Maimi-san. When I was brought along for ℃-ute-san's concert tour, she was always kind to me. It made me really happy to receive a letter from her after the tour ended. If Yajima-san was my girlfriend, every day would be fun and I'd want to go on a date every day.

Haga Akane: Sayashi Riho-san. Because she's really cute and ladylike ♥

Murota Mizuki: Sayashi Riho-san. She's light and airy, and it's like whatever she says can make you laugh, at any rate, it's nice how oh-so-cute she is.

Aikawa Maho: Murota Mizuki-san. She's got this high level of girlishness, doing things like bringing me along to stores with delicious doughnuts.

Sasaki Rikako: Oda Sakura-san, Sato Masaki-san, Makino Maria-chan, Ogata Haruna-chan. People who seem like they'd pamper you. Being pampered would make my heart skip a beat.

Yamaki Risa: Uemura Akari-san. She's a beauty, so I'd like to boast about her, and we'd end up walking a lot on the streets (laughs). And I'd like to twist her around my little finger as Uemura-san's air-headed. If Uemura-san was my girlfriend, whatever she'd do, I'd forgive her!

Inaba Manaka: Fukumura Mizuki-san. I think that Fukumura-san has this high level of girlishness, her skin's soft and springy, she's cute, kind, it's wonderful how she cares for those around her, she's the perfect girl, so I'd like to make her my girlfriend ♥

Morito Chisaki: Suzuki Airi-san. Everything about her, like her mannerisms, are adorable, so I'd like to make her my girlfriend!!

Shimamura Uta: Our Tsugunaga Momoko-san. She overflows with motherliness, and she's really capable and cute. If someone like that was my girlfriend, I feel like I'd be able to enjoy myself without getting bored......

Ozeki Mai: Oda Sakura-san! Because she has this image of being refreshing without sticking to you, I think that Oda-san's cute!

Notes and observations:

• So the young ones think that Maachan, RihoRiho, Fuku-chan, and Oda would make good girlfriends, with all of them getting at least two mentions. 
• Counting by group, Morning Musume。´15 are the clear winners, no thanks to Rikako basically naming 4 Musumes in a row. Tallies are as follows:
  ℃-ute: 2 mentions
  Morning Musume。´15: 10 mentions (4 for 9ki, 2 for 10ki, 2 for 11ki, 2 for 12ki)
  ANGERME: 1 mention
  Juice=Juice: 1 mention
  Country Girls: 1 mention

Other questions from this book

Hello! Shop Event - Country Hiroba (20th & 21st September 2015)

With the long Silver Week holidays happening in Japan, the Akihabara Hello! Shop held a series of solo talk events by the 'Fresh Team' of Country Girls. The 'Country Hiroba' (Country Plaza) would be the first time for these girls to do a solo talk event by themselves. Adding to the challenge, unlike the 1001 Nights series of Hello! Shop talk events, the girls were left completely to their own devices, responsible for advancing the event, with no member of staff supporting them by chairing the event.

As is usual with these Hello! Shop events, these are based on fan reports, mainly on Twitter. No hashtag specific to these events, so it was mainly whatever could be culled from the #country_girls hashtag from around that time. Normal disclaimer that these are based on fan reports mainly on Twitter, and what with the translation process, and putting reports together into a cohesive whole, please bear in mind that there are bound to be mistakes and/or inaccuracies.

Here's the order in which the girls held the events:

1. Morito Chisaki (20th September)
2. Yamaki Risa (20th September)
3. Inaba Manaka (21st September)
4. Ozeki Mai (21st September)

Without further ado, let's start with the easy-to-blush Morito Chisaki!

Morito Chisaki

カントリー・ガールズフレッシュ組 初ソロイベント『カントリー広場』、間もなく【森戸会】スタート！ 緊張でニヤニヤが止まらない森戸さん… テンション上げて頑張りまーす！by森戸 #country_girls pic.twitter.com/T37EDw7wBU

— カントリー・ガールズ (@countrygirls_uf) 2015, 9月 20

For Country Girls' Fresh Team First Solo Event 'Country Hiroba', the 'Morito gathering' is starting soon!
Morito-san can't stop grinning because of nerves......

I'll get hyped up and do my best! by Morito

☼☼☼

Greeting everyone immediately upon appearing on-stage
Morito: 'Today, for ma, ma, ma, making your way here... '

The event had just started, and Chiitan was already flubbing her lines [1]

The event starts with Chiitan going through her profile.

Skills: Dancing, swimming, making face go red
Morito: 'I did swimming for quite a while. From about the age of 5 to my 6th year of primary school. I haven't swum for about 3 years though'
Morito: 'I didn't write [making my face turn red]! There's no reason for me to write that!' [2]

Favourite food: Karaage
Morito: 'I like the taste of chicken meat'

Disliked food: Sakura Mochi
Morito: 'I can't stand the smell, the smell of the leaf and the sakura. I like mochi though'

Favourite subject: Science
Morito: 'I liked it in primary school'

Weak subject: English
Morito: 'I'm bad at it for some reason. I can't really get good marks'

Personality: Competitve, Shy, Positive
Morito: 'Competitive, is that so?'
Morito: 'I am shy. I can't imagine starting a conversation with someone I don't know'
Morito: 'Positive, well, I actually am positive. I don't get in a slump'

Motto: Hark work will definitely be rewarded

緊張？天然？ とにかく噛み倒してる森戸さんです。 #country_girls pic.twitter.com/1sC9QQEzCX

— カントリー・ガールズ (@countrygirls_uf) 2015, 9月 20

Nerves? Naturally?

At any rate, Morito-san's been defeated by her fumbling of words

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk: Tokunaga Chinami x Sugaya Risako

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 pairs of girls, covering all 66 possible combinations of them.

Tokunaga Chinami X Sugaya Risako

 +++

---The 2 of you have a reputation of being a pair of close friends, but at the same time, it seems that you're known as 'a clamorous pair' (laughs). Are you always together?

Tokunaga: If I had to say, generally, when we're travelling and staying at hotels, we stick together (laughs). It's scary to stay alone, we'd stay over in each other's rooms.

Sugaya: We did 'cup ramen gatherings'.

Tokunaga: That's right! The 2 of us like ramen, so after concerts, when we're travelling, we'd pick out our favourite cup ramens at the store and eat them. Then, we'd compete to see whose cup ramen was more delicious (laughs).

Sugaya: We'd get even more excited as it got later into the night, messing around.

Tokunaga: This year, I welcomed in the New Year together with Risako. We were staying over at a hotel for work, and they had prepared a room for each of us, but we got to talking, and were like, 'Wouldn't it be sad to spend the New Year alone?', Risako came to my room, and we did the countdown together. It got pretty roused up after that.

 +++

--- Risako-chan, from your perspective, what's an unexpected side [of Chinami]?

Sugaya: It may seem that she does as she pleases, is a bit of a fool, and you'd have no idea what she's thinking about, but she actually thinks about those around her more than anyone else. And she gives a right and proper tsukkomi to Momo.

Tokunaga: It's really tiring though (laughs).

Sugaya: If we're not talking about studies, she's unexpectedly smart. She's quick-witted, warm person.

 +++

Click here for more interview excerpts from this book.

New Faces: Meal with Senpai (H!P Maruwakari Winter 2015)

The HaroPuro MaruWakari Books are released in conjunction with the twice-yearly Hello! Con tours. The contents usually take the form of questionnaires to the members, asking about other members.
This one, which came out for the 2015 Winter Hello! Cons, would be Berryz' last as well as Country Girls' first. It also pre-dates Kobushi Factory, who were announced at that Hello! Con itself. Thus, the usual questionnaires are supplemented with a Berryz Kobo special as well as a new faces special (MM 12ki, S/mileage 3ki, the 5 new Country Girls).

This part of the questionnaire comes from the 'new faces' segment, where we get to know more about the new girls and what they think about other H!P members and senpai. Remember that this book pre-dates Kobushi Factory and Tsubaki Factory, but don't worry, they get their turn in the 2015 Summer Maruwakari Book.

Q2. Senpai you'd like to go for a meal together with

Ogata Haruna: I'd like to try going for pancakes with Ikuta Erina-san. Ikuta-san seems to know about all sorts of delicious shops, so I think it'd be fun to be with her!

Nonaka Miki: Sayashi Riho-san. I'd like to try going for some stylish pasta together, and chat with her.

Makino Maria: Takeuchi Akari-san. I'd like to be brought to a store recommended by Takeuchi-san. And I'd like to be told a lot about the Central League.

Haga Akane: Takagi Sayuki-san! I'd like us to go together to my favourite pizza place ♥

Murota Mizuki: I'd like to go and have monjayaki with Takeuchi Akari-san!

Aikawa Maho: I'd like to go for okonomiyaki with Sudo Maasa-san. It feels like she'd be good at making them, so it would be fun to go with her. I'd like to go for ramen with Nakanishi Kana-san. She's always friendly with me, so I'd like to get even closer to her over ramen.

Sasaki Rikako: Kudo Haruka-san, Takeuchi Akari-san. I really like the both of them, and they're really funny, so I'd like try going for a meal together with them.

Yamaki Risa: Oda Sakura-san. Because she's someone I'm really interested in! I got to talk with her a little at the Hello! Cons, she was really friendly and kind, so I'd like to go for tea together. And I'd always like to listen to that lovely voice.

Inaba Manaka: I'd like to go with Takagi Sayuki-san to stores that would serve the things that Takagi-san likes, such as sea urchins, cheese, avocados, mentaiko. When I succesfully got into Country Girls, Takagi-san sent me a long congratulatory message!! That made me really happy ☆ I'd like to go for meals together and talk even more. Also, Takagi-san likes hamburg steaks as well, so that would be fine too.

Morito Chisaki: Iikubo Haruna-san. Because it feels like it'd be fun when we're together! Because I do like Iikubo-san......

Shimamura Uta: Miyazaki Yuka-san. She speaks in a gentle way, just looking at her face soothes me. I'd like the both of us to go for pancakes.

Ozeki Mai: I'd like to have ramen with Suzuki Kanon-san! Suzuki-san's really funny when you watch her on television, so it feels like it'd be really fun to go for a meal together with ther.

Notes and observations:

• Take-chan got mentioned the most, 3 times. Perhaps these newbies still haven't caught wind of how much of a cheapskate Take-chan is known to be...
• While Sayubee gets mentioned twice, which doesn't surprise me, given how well she takes care of the juniors.

Other questions from this book

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk: Shimizu Saki 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 the various pairings of girls, covering all 66 possible combinations.

Shimizu Saki X Suzuki Airi

The 2 of them have interacted since they were in the Kids. As they grew older, they had many opportunities to meet together outside of work!?

First of all, how did you get to know each other?

Suzuki: We were together in the back dancer team for Fujimoto Miki-san's 'Boogie Train '03'. It was a 4 person team, but 1 person would get replaced each time, while 3 of us were fixed - Me, Saki-chan, and Umeda Erika-chan. So we were always together.

Shimizu: We also went for meals, and we'd hang out at exhibitions, we went to all sorts of places.

Suzuki: Do you remember when the 3 of us went to 'Namco Namja Town'? And there was a purikura there. I was super uncute (laughs). It was a surprise.

Shimizu: Just like Erika, Airi had also joined a performing school, and her singing and dancing were flawless. Thinking about it now, I really have no idea how I got into such a team though (laughs).

Suzuki: But Saki-chan, you've always been dancing since you joined the Hello! Project Kids. At the time, we had this system where the people who could dance were allowed to go home early. It might just be what I think, but maybe it was because we were together as the team that could go home early.

Shimizu: Was that it (laughs)?

Suzuki: Me and Erika knew one another, and we both knew that we could dance, but I thought that Saki-chan had learnt somewhere. But when I heard that you hadn't, I was like 'What sort of person is she!?' (laughs).