Oshimen (H!P Maruwakari Summer 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, mainly asking about other members.

This one, which came out for the 2015 Summer Hello! Cons, would be the first without Berryz Kobo, and the first with Kobushi and Tsubaki Factories. As new entries into H!P, the members of the two Factories also got a 'New Face Maruwakari Special', which has additional questions for the girls.

Q1. This person: I love her! I'm interested in her! She's my oshimen!

Yajima Maimi: Suzuki Kanon-chan. She's kind of soothing ♥ I'd like to go for a meal with her, mostly to watch Zukki eat her fill (^_^) ♥

Nakajima Saki: Hagiwara Mai! Simply said, her face is my type. Any sort of make-up suits her, and she can pull off any sort of fashion! I envy her.

Suzuki Airi: Thinking about oshimen isn't really my cup of tea......but someone I've newly got interested in is Tanimoto Ami-chan!! Because ever since the first time I saw her, her beauty had me taken at first sight. I'm interested in finding out how her singing is like ♥

Okai Chisato: Kudo Haruka ☆ She's cute, isn't she? With her always husky voice, I want her to bring Morning Musume。´15 forward (^o^)

Hagiwara Mai: Kudo-chan♥ She's cute and I like the way she dances. She's a good girl and her face is adorable.

Takeda Rena: 100 questions and answers (Part 5)

Well, either I missed out on the remainder of the tweets, or they ended up never releasing the final parts. Anyway, it's been ages, and I'd like to clear up my drafts, so here's the last part I have of RenaRena's Q&A.

Previous parts:
Questions 1-21
Questions 22-44
Questions 45-67
Questions 68-80

【武田玲奈100問100答32】
Q81.朝起きて一番にやることは？
A81. めざましを止めるw
Q82. 朝食はごはん派？パン派？
A82. ごはん！
Q83. 毎日の日課は？
A83. ラブライブをやる！ pic.twitter.com/64S7qaeEdT

— グラビアヤンジャン (@g_youngjump) 2015, 9月 6

【武田玲奈100問100答32】
Q81. What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning？
A81. Turn my alarm off lol

Q82. Rice for breakfast？ Or bread？
A82. Rice！

Q83. What's your daily routine？
A83. Playing Love Live！

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk: Suzuki Airi 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.

Suzuki Airi X Okai Chisato

With their distinctive singing prowess, Suzuki and Okai lead ℃-ute in singing.

They each talk about what they keep in mind and how they motivate one another when it comes to singing.

I believe that ℃-ute currently are led by Airi-chan and Chisato-chan in the singing aspect. We would like to ask for a discussion about singing from the 2 of you.

Okai: I think I gained my love of singing thanks to Airi.

Suzuki: Wha, What!? That's a big surprise!!

Okai: No, I'm serious (laughs). In the past, I just wanted to talk rather than work on my singing (laughs). Even in ℃-ute, I didn't have much singing parts at first, but I never thought of that as something to be frustrated over. But watching Airi sing in various groups, I thought that I'd like to work hard at singing, just like Airi.

Suzuki: But I get really motivated by Chisato. Something that made an impact on me was when we were at the studio, and they played the completed version of 'JUMP', the coupling track to 'Sakura Chirari'. It was the first time for us to find out how our lines would be distributed. That was also the first time that I heard Chisato's vibrato, and I was stunned. While I got to sing as the main for 'Sakura Chirari', I felt like I couldn't do that, I couldn't pull off a vibrato like Chisato, so I felt that I should become able to do that. Even now, Chisato is the member whose singing I pay attention to.

Okai: Now it's my turn to go, wha, what~ (laughs)?

Budokan Interviews - Miyamoto Karin (Role:Hidaka Aiko)

The official website for the drama 'Budokan' includes interviews with the author Asai Ryou and the five girls who act as the five members of Next You. Here's the interview that was held with Miyamoto Karin, who plays the role of Hidaka Aiko in the drama.

Please introduce yourself！

I'm Miyamoto Karin from Juice＝Juice. 17 years old, in my 2nd year of high school. My favourite foods are karaage, tamagoyaki, and strawberries. My hobby is yoga, which I've been doing a lot recently.

What were your thoughts when you first heard that you'd be starring in 『Budokan』？

Before we heard about what roles we got, we'd only heard that 「All of Juice＝Juice will be appearing in a drama」, but it came as quite a surprise, we couldn't believe it, it was chaotic, like we weren't sure whether we were dreaming or not. When we heard that it would be based off Asai Ryou-san's 『Budokan』, I read the original work, and when I heard that I'd be playing the role of Aiko, the feelings slowly welled up in me. And along with that, there was this huge pressure from the things that I had to relay through the production, like the messages contained in the original work.

Sensitive - Suzuki Airi (Gravure the Television Vol 36 - Nov 2014)

[Omitted: Discussion about how ℃-ute contributed to their 2014 autumn tour and about their latest single The Future/I Miss You]

Both songs (The Future/I Miss You) are songs about the conflicts of youth, but Airi-chan, are you currently going through a period of time where you yourself are thinking about various things?

Hm~, Morning Musume。´14's Michishige Sayumi-san will graduate and Berryz Kobo will enter their hiatus as well,  and thus ℃-ute will become the oldest sisters in H!P. Recently, a lot of people have been telling us that we'll be taking the lead, but we're like 'Eh!?' Looks like we've hit that age. Without us realising it, you could say that we're being pressured by our surroundings.

It does feel like that.

In the past, there was a period when we were called the fresh ones, but time has passed since then. With increasingly more young blood in H!P, there was a time when we thought that we could give them a run for their money in terms of perkiness, but true youth can't be beat (laughs). So recently, we've been emphasising on the things that we've built up, thinking that it's better if we do it in ℃-ute's own way.

℃-ute's change in position [to become the oldest group in H!P] comes off the heels of the hiatus of Berryz Kobo. How did you receive that announcement from your contemporaries?

Not just sadness, I was flooded over with emotion, my tears wouldn't stop flowing. But as contemporaries, we wanted to make memories together with them until the very end. Berryz Kobo gives us opinions that stem from a different viewpoint compared to the dance teachers and the fans, so it's unbelieveable that we'll no longer have that, and I can't imagine a Hello! Con without them. There's more new members, so we're wondering, what's going to happen to us!? We've turned into Santa Claus. Like we're carrying lots of baggage.

Hmm? Santa Claus?

Ah, nothing... (blushes). But it really does feel like that!! We're said to be standing at the forefront of increasingly more new girls.

Just like Santa, you carry a huge burden.

Yup, we remain the only ones who know about H!P's unsparing era, so we have to teach the others about the courtesies that we ourselves were taught by the senpai. But I'm no good at putting those into words, so I've got to become a senpai who can teach them through my actions. And that's why I don't mess around (unleashing a torrent of puns or funny faces) at photo shoots any more!!

Hahaha! That sort of guidance is important as well, but on the occasion of Takahashi Ai-san's graduation from Morning Musume。, she entrusted you with the ace baton. Isn't it time for you to run all out with that in hand?

Whoa, that's scary~  But I got a message from Tsunku♂-san the other day. Having watched our September Budokan, he said 'Isn't it about time that Suzuki becomes preeminent? Do your best.' I was like 'OMG!', but honestly I was really happy. He gave me heaps of praise, 'I think you can go further. Please plunge on even further ahead', and I don't want those expectations to go to waste. So thinking lightly about it, when I reach the peak of H!P, it would be nice if I gave out an atmosphere like Takahashi-san (laughs).

Recently, even other idols have been saying that 'Suzuki Airi-san is the one who shines the greatest amongst the idols of the present', so I'm sure that this is the period when you're in your prime {lit. filled with fat, i.e. when a fish is at its most delicious}.

Like I'm a yummy fish (laughs). While I feel I had the strongest awareness as an idol when I had short bangs, I feel like I've become stereotypical once I grew my bangs out. I feel like my mood changes with my bangs. Age-wise, one's prime would be when they're 18, but I'd like to do my best to continue on sparkling (laughs). So as I take in the opinions of the fans, I want to try the things I want to do while opening up a 'Suzuki Airi World'!

And what is that Suzuki Airi World?

The fans have told me that it would be nice for me to have some sort of contrast, so while having that, I think that I should be a woman with a mature, dignified aspect to me as well.

That is so, retaining a distinctive character. For example, something like the smoothness of your pronunciation.

Argh, I'm always doing my best to pay attention to the nerves of my mouth throughout interviews! But there are always things that you can't catch, aren't there!? To everyone, I'm so sorry (bitter laugh).

New Faces: Face I like (H!P Maruwakari Summer 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, mainly asking about other members.

As new additions to H!P, the Kobushi and Tsubaki Factories also get an additional questionnaire - the 'New Face Maruwakari Special''.

Q6. Senpai whose face I like

Fujii Rio: Kudo Haruka-san. Her angel face is wonderful.

Hirose Ayaka: Kudo Haruka-san. She is indeed the angel-face ♥

Nomura Minami: Wada Ayaka-san. I like hers!

Ogawa Rena: Hagiwara Mai-san. I love how regular her facial features are.

Hamaura Ayano: Sato Masaki-san and Suzuki Airi-san and Tsugunaga Momoko-san. Sato-san's eyes and mouth sparkle. For Suzuki-san, her smile. I love Tsugunaga-san's silhouette and eyes and mouth.

Taguchi Natsumi: Suzuki Airi-san. Particularly her face when she's laughing.

Wada Sakurako: Suzuki Airi-san. She can make all sorts of facial expressions, but I like the face she makes when singing in particular.

Inoue Rei: Hagiwara Mai-san. Her face is pretty and cute. I particularly like her face when she's laughing.

Q6. Senpai whose face I like

Ogata Risa: Fukuda Kanon-san. I love her singing and dancing, but what I like most about her is her face. Her eyes are wide, and I like the way she smiles without really showing her teeth. Normally she'll have her bangs down, but on the rare occasion that her bangs are raised, it suits her as well. At any rate, I like everything!

Yamagishi Riko: Nakajima Saki-san. She's beautiful and cute. It's super adorable how she winks and averts her gaze in the middle of concerts. I like when her hair's down as well as when it's in a ponytail. At any rate, I like everything about Nakajima-san, who goes well with anything!!

Niinuma Kisora: Yamaki Risa-chan. Risa-chan's eyes are large and slightly tawny, it's really cute!

Tanimoto Ami: Suzuki Airi-san, Makino Maria-san. Because their faces are my type.

Kishimoto Yumeno: Nakanishi Kana-san. No reason in particular, but she's pretty!

Asakura Kiki: Yajima Maimi-san. I think she's a really beautiful person. I feel like a glow flows out from her face.

Notes and observations:

• With 4 nominations, the most liked face by the new faces turns out to be magazine model Airi! After her, MaiMai and Kudo received 2 votes each.

• By group:
  ℃-ute - 8
  Morning Musume。´15 - 4
  ANGERME - 3
  Country Girls - 2

Other questions from this book

 

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.

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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