"Lasu Ai, Yoroshiku!" Ep. 4 Breakdown

*This was originally posted on OneHallyu on Jan. 15, 2019.

B Block Baka Battle!

11/10

This week, they will decide the #1 Baka in B Block. It's the final game of the first round. Whoever ranks the lowest will join Abe and Rio in the finals.

MC's Ogiyahagi are together again. Ito Asako continues as the guest.

Representing B Block are:

Momiyama Himeri (Someday Somewhere)
Inoko Reia (Someday Somewhere)
Ishikawa Natsumi (Love Cocchi)
Yamamoto Airi (Love Cocchi)
Asahi Kana (Good Tears)
Hashimoto Momoko (2nd Gen)

Oba Yume (2nd Gen)

As always, the correct answer is in parentheses next to the question.

Inoko Reia (14 yrs. old)

"Unprecedented Girl from Hokaido"

There's some weird comments from the MC's that I don't understand, so I'll skip them.

Q. What is the name of the object in the picture? (Great Wall of China)

A. The Long Empire

Ogi: "At that time, maybe it was a long empire".

It sounded like Reia had never heard of the Great Wall. I think she said something to the effect of "I was doing it quickly, so I just wrote something arbitrary".

Q. What is the meaning of the following proverb.

"The neighbors lawn looks green" (Other people's things look better than my own)

A. It looks strange to my eyes.

Reia: "What does my neighbor's lawn have to do with it?".

Ito: "You're talking about the condition of the ground/earth".

Pretty much the equivalent of the western expression "the grass is greener on the other side".

A little something about color which you can ignore.

(*The lawn is described as being "Aoi" in the proverb. This makes it confusing because Aoi is supposed to mean the color blue. Actually, it's more of a blue/green. There was a time when the Japanese didn't have a word for green. Green was thought of as another shade of blue. The word for green didn't come into usage until the Heian period (794-1185). "Midori" which means green, wasn't taught to Japanese students as a separate color until after World War II.

The proverb is a little confusing because describing someone as Aoi can mean they are young or inexperienced. Just like how Westerners say someone is "green" when they're inexperienced. The proverb makes it sound like the lawn isn't well taken care of because it has a pale color, but in fact, it looks good based on the explanation given. This is why I used green instead of blue.

Fun fact, there are 220 traditional colors and almost 500 official colors including modern ones that have been added. This is because the Japanese give a name to different shades of a color.

For example there are 6 different names for the Red Series:

- Pure Crimson, Persimmon-Juice Colored, Coral Colored, Rinsed-out Red, Red Bean Colored, Cherry Blossom Mouse

That's enough about color!)

Q. Please fill in the blank space in the proverb.
"The cry of a ___" (Crane)
A. The cry of a Turtle.

Ogi: "To someone who knows the answer, you sound like a stupid person".

Based on a brief comment by a fan, I think Reia wrote turtle because there's a Noh Play called "Crane and Turtle". It's the only reason I can think of.

Oba Yume (17 yrs. old) 2nd Gen

"Notice the commitment to her bangs!"

Q. Please write the following Kanji as Kana.

"秋刀魚を焼く - Sanma wo Yaku (Baking Pike/Fish)" (Sanma - さんま)

A. ししゃも - Shishamo

Yume: "Because of Autumn...I wrote the Kana Shishamo".

The first character "秋" means Autumn, so Yume just wrote the Hiragana for that.

Q. Write the name of the following illustration in English. (Pig)

A. Pegg

Ishikawa Natsumi (22 yrs. old)

"Last Idol's #1 High Tension Girl"

Q. What is the Capitol City of Italy? (Rome)

A. France

Ishikawa: "I didn't understand the meaning of 'Capitol City'".

Is she for real? Geography has been a problem for the girls, but this is on a whole other level.

Ishikawa: "What's the Capitol City of Japan? I know that! It's Europe!!" 

Inoko: "Do you know how to read the Kanji for 'Capitol City'? You can see it displayed on the Monitor".

Yahagi: "This is like when the fool laughs at you for being stupid".

Ouch. Now that's some stupidity, lol.

Q. Please write the Kanji for the following Katakana.

"Cleaning a room - Heya wo seiketsu ni suru - 部屋をセイケツにする" (seiketsu - 清潔)

A. "Sei Maru - 性O"

(*Sei means gender or nature. Nature as in, what kind of person you are. Maru is just a O which is used to indicate a correct answer. No idea why she wrote that)

Asahi Kana (21 yrs. old)

"Belonged to 3 previous Units.

The World-Wise Idol"

When Yahagi heard Kana's age, he remarked: "Oh, is that a thing?" I'm not sure why he said that. I can't remember, but maybe Kana is the first 21 yr. old to take the academic test. Maybe he was trying to make a joke that they actually exist in Last Idol.

Q. Please fill in the blank space in the following proverb.

"3 people meet - San nin yoreba ___ - 三人寄れば___" (the wisdom of Monju - Monju no Sae - 文殊の知恵)

(*Essentially it means when several people gather together and consult with each other, great wisdom will come out - 三人寄れば文殊の知恵)

A. Everyone comes.

All Kana did was rewrite the first part in a different way. No real explanation is given why. I guess Kana did well, because they're already moving on to the next girl.

Hashimoto Momoko (15 yrs. old)

"2nd Gen's Center! 8 Head Idol"

(*When referring to "head", they actually mean proprotion. Momoka is exactly 8 heads tall. It's rare to be an even number. For example, people are usually 6 and 1/2 heads tall, 7 and 1/2 heads tall, etc. 8 heads tall is considered ideal proportions. For example, Amuro Namie is 7 and 1/2 heads tall, but AKB48's Itano Momomi is 6)

As a former Student Council Officer, Momoko says she has confidence.

Ito: "If that's so, then don't leave it here."

Leave her confidence? lol. They reveal that Momoko ranked #1 in B Block by answering 47 out of 70 questions correct.

Q. What is the name of the object in the picture? (Great Wall of China)

A. China's Great Wall.

A quick explanation. This is the correct answer in Japanese "Banri no Choujou (万里の長城)". Momoko reversed it so it becomes "Choujou no Banri (長城の万里)". She had the right idea, but got it mixed up.

Yamamoto Airi (16)

"From Hiroshima!

Her power of singing and dancing is the best"

(*I'm including some extra pictures because some of Airi's answers require visual guide)

Ishikawa outs Airi as being "stupid and irritating".

Q. What is the Capitol of America? (Washington D.C.)

A. USA

Airi must have been listening to Da Pump too much, lol. When asked what USA stands for, Airi responded "Universal Studio Area".

Q. What is the Capitol City of Italy? (Rome)

A. Russia

Airi was asked what are some famous Russian objects.

Airi: "Suteteko Dolls".

What she meant were Russian Nesting Dolls. Suteteko is a classical style of Japanese under pants.

Q. Please write the name of the illustration in English. (Kitsune - Fox)

A. Dog

Airi: "I only saw it as a dog".
Q. 1000 ÷ 100 = ???? (10)

A. 1

Airi crossed out 3 zeros instead of 2. Because 100 has 3 numbers, she crossed out 3.

Momiyama Himeri (14)

"Husky Voiced Roller Skate Girl"

Q. Who's pictured on the current 1,000 Yen Bill? (Higuchi Ichiyou)

A. Daijou Saori

Himeri: "I thought there was a mood to the expression".

Other than being wrong, the only thing I could tell that was strange about her answer is that there is no one notable named Daijou Saori that I could find. I thought I might get some insight from fans, but all they did was laugh at her answer and wonder "who is Saori'?". No help there.

This ends the Strange Answer section. Next is a teaser for Good Tears photo shoot in Guam. It's their prize for winning the Book Pass Battle among the 1st Gen Units back in November. Since Mayu's still pretty young, she's more covered up than the other members. It follows the new policy some companies are taking to stop sexualizing minors.

They reveal the rankings for B Block. Yamamoto Airi is in last place with only 19 out of 70 questions answered correctly.

Yahaghi: "How do you feel now?"
Airi: "I'm glad."

Full Rankings:

1. Hashimoto Momoko (47/70)
2. Asahi Kana (41/70)
3. Momiyama Himeri (35/70)
4. Oba Yume (31/70)
5. Ishikawa Natsumi (25/70)
6. Inoko Reia (23/70)
7. Yamamoto Airi (19/70)

To recap, here are the scores of the 3 finalists in the Battle for the #1 Baka.

Abe - 27/70
Rio - 23/70
Airi - 19/70

This means Airi had the lowest score among the members who participated. Ouch. Here's a preview for next week. The finals will be a quick quiz format.

昨日の #ラストアイドル 学力テスト見ていただけましたか〜？
立ち位置バカ1番決定戦👑
意外なメンツになりましたね…(私以外)
この絵面なんかじわじわくる。。笑#テレ朝動画 #TVer さんでも配信中ですのでぜひご覧ください！！https://t.co/ZmMhh7X27O#ラスアイよろしく pic.twitter.com/1Mm4NTxu50

— 清原梨央（Someday Somewhere） (@SomeSome_rio) November 11, 2018

I read through some comments from fans, but there was nothing particularly interesting. The only comment that stood out was someone saying they think the members from each Block who ranked 1st should get a prize, like a special episode. I agree.

"Lasu Ai, Yoroshiku!" Ep. 3 Breakdown

*This was originally posted on OneHallyu on Dec. 2nd 2018. With this episode, I changed up the format for the breakdown. It should a bit clearer now when they switch between the members.

A Block Baka Battle!

10/27

There was an overlap with a Figure Skating Contest for this episode, so I don't know if that was good or bad.

Because they won the Title Song for the 4th Single, all the members of LaLuce were featured in the previous episode. This time, only selected members of the other groups were featured. It stated that these 7 qualified/were nominated for the A Block. I guess they met certain requirements on the Academic Test. Fans weren't exactly sure themselves why these 7 were chosen.

Ogi was absent this week. Ito Asako returned as the guest and joined Yahagi for this episode.

The members appearing this week are:

Ozawa Aimi (Chou Cream Rockets)
Nishimura Honoka (Love Cocchi)
Nakamura Shuri (Love Cocchi)
Kiyohara Rio (Someday Somewhere)
Takahashi Mayu (Good Tears)
Yamamoto Runa (2nd Gen)
Machida Honoka (2nd Gen)

Nishimura Honoka said "I'm confident I'm the top in this group".
Rio admitted that she would "probably be the stupidest one here".

(*A fan pointed out that Rio was playing the "Tsukkomi" role which is the "straight man" in a comedy duo. Boke is the "funny man". I guess that means she was just playing off Honoka and didn't really think she would be the stupidest)

Unlike the previous episode, they didn't reveal who placed first in this group. They started off with Mayu. Just like before, the correct answer is in parenthesis, and the LIF member's answer is below the question. I just noticed that underneath each member's name is a short description for them, so I'm including them from this point on.

Takahashi Mayu (16 yrs. old)

"Kasukabe Boxing Girl"

(*Kasukabe is a city in Japan, so Mayu must be from there. Her special skill is boxing)

Q. Who is the person in the picture? (Beethoven)
A. Mozart

Q. What is the Japanese translation for this English word?
"Snow" (Yuki - 雪)
A. Shyashin - 写真 (Photograph)

Mayu was really surprised that it was wrong: "What!? That wasn't correct?".

There's no other reading that I know of for the Kanji for Shyashin, but here's why she made the mistake. There's a popular Selfie app used by Junior High School students, particularly girls, called Snow. Because it's used for taking pictures, Mayu must have assumed that's what the question was referring to. It's kind of a cute mistake.

Q. Make a sentence using the following idiom.
"Kao kara hi ga deru" (*The idiom means "to be extremely embarrassed" or "to burn with shame". You would say the entire phrase)
(Example Sentence: I was so embarrassed when I made a mistake, that my face turned bright red)
A. "Fire! Fire! I'm surrounded by fire and can't escape. Ah. I'm burning with shame."

Lmao! I'm not sure exactly how Mayu interpreted the Idiom, but she just copied it exactly, so I used "burning with shame" based on the rest of her sentence. She must have focused on the "burning with shame" part and interpreted it as literally being on fire, instead of your cheeks turning red. Hi (火) means "Fire" and Deru (出る) is the verb for "coming out/leaving", so Mayu must have thought "a fire has broken out". Either that, or she was trying to make a joke.

Machida Honoka (15 yrs. old)

"In charge of the 2nd Gen's Heart Warming Character"

(*The word that's used is "Honwaka". It means "a pleasant mood", so Machida must brighten up the room)

Machida: "I don't understand words, and I can't read Kanji. If there's too much of English, I won't understand it."

Q. Please write the following Katakana as Kanji.

"Isan Souzoku (イサンソウゾク)" (遺産相続) (*It means to bequeath an Inheritance)

A. Isai Zoku (衣財　族) (*It translates to something like "Family Clothing")

I think she went with that answer because she heard "Isai Zoku" used before and it sounded similar.

Q. What is the Capitol City of America? (Washington D.C.)

Mayu: "That's easy".

Aimi: "Even I know that".

Nishimura: "It's common sense".

From the look on Machida's face, it was obvious she must have made a mistake.

A. Europe

Machida: "I thought it was either Europe or Hollywood. I spent too much time thinking about it".

Ozawa Aimi (15 yrs. old)

"Last Idol's Little Sister Character"

Q. What do you call this illustration in English? (Tiger)
A. Laion

Some fans admitted they also saw it as a Lion too.

Aimi: "I didn't know the difference between a Lion and a Tiger".

Q. What is the meaning of this four character idiom?
"The first and probably the last (Kouzen Zetsugo - 空前絶後)" (There are no examples up 'till now, and I see no examples afterwards)

(*The more straight forward meaning of Kouzen Zetsugo is "Unprecedented", so the explanation of nothing before or after makes sense)

A. Before and after the sky will be absolutely amazing.

I'm not really sure if her answer was correct, but a fan noticed something interesting. They said it was similar to Abe's answer to her Idiom from the previous week. Aimi wrote her answer like this:

空の前後は絶対すごいことになる。

The fan pointed out that she used each of the four characters from the idiom to write her sentence, so it turned into and Acronym:

空前絶後

"空"の"前""後"は"絶"

They thought it was pretty clever.

Nakamura Shuri (15 yrs. old)

"Special Skill is Ballet! A beautiful healing girl"

From what I read, Shuri used to be the top of her class, but her grades have declined. Fans assume it's because she's become an Entertainer and is busy.

Q. Write the word that's in the blank space of this proverb.

"___bit my hand (___ni te wo kamareru - ＿＿に手をかまれる). (My dog bit my hand. Being betrayed by those you've taken care of)

A. Someone bit my hand.

Essentially biting the hand that feeds you. I don't know what Shuri was thinking of. Her grades must have really slipped, lol.

The guest, Ito Asako, said "that sounds like something from an Agatha Christie Novel".

Q. What is the Capitol City of America?

A. London

MC Yahagi opened it up to the rest of the group.

Yahagi: "What country is London the Capitol City of?"

Mayu answered confidently: "I know! I know! It's England."

Aimi: "Is that right? I see."

Yahagi: "Everyone's anxious. I don't think Mayu could have gotten it correct"

For some reason, Yahagi seemed to doubt that Mayu answered correctly despite knowing the answer just then.

Nishimura Honoka (23 yrs. old)

"The oldest! Last Idol's Older Sister"

Q. Make a sentence using the following Idiom.

"Origami Tsuki (折り紙つき)" (When quality is guaranteed, it will gain a reputation with the public)

A. Made an Origami Crane.

Honoka said she never heard of this Idiom before. It means "Something very nice, certified to be good". It actually has nothing to do with the art of Origami paper folding. In this case, Origami refers to an official document certifying the authenticity of a sword. This practice started in the Edo period. The "tsuki" part meant the sword came with a guaranteed certificate (*Tsuki means "attached"). The paper was folded and called "ori" (to fold) "kami" (paper). Now it refers to the quality of objects in general. In contemporary Japan, a similar phrase is used to evaluate Athletes: "The proficiency of this player is guaranteed".

When Rio heard what it meant, she said: "Then you should say it normally. It's good."

They didn't focus much on Honoka and moved along to Rio. They spent allot of time on her, lol.

Kiyohara Rio (17 yrs. old)

"Ehime grown lazy girl"

(*Ehime is the prefecture where Rio grew up. They use the word "Heta" to describe Rio, which basically means "good for nothing", lol. It's Kansai slang)

Rio: "I'm confident. The questions were easy. I don't think I wrote anything stupid".

Yahagi: "Don't screw with me, eh?".

Rio: "Yes. Don't screw with me!".

(*Yahagi says "Fuzakenna" which is slang used in Anime during arguments)

Q. What is the name of the person in the photo? (Miyamoto Musashi) (*The 2 swords he's holding is a hint)

A. Matsujima Tokyo (*This is the closest translation I could get)

No one knew who Rio's answer was referring to. I don't know if this is even a real person, which is why I'm unsure of the translation.

Guest Ito Asako came to Rio's defense: "Maybe this person also held 2 swords?"

Kiyohara: "I like to randomly give names to people I don't know. I did it automatically on the test without thinking".

From what I read, I think Rio gives out nicknames at Handshake Meetings, probably to fans. I guess it's a hard habit for her to break, lol.

Q. Japan's unit of currency is Yen. What is the unit of currency in the United States?

A. Yon

Rio said she only knows the currency in Japan and Korea. She said Korea uses Won, which is correct.

Q. We call Flight Attendants "CA", but what is the official name for CA? (Cabin Attendants)

A. Cabin Attendant Accident (*She wrote it in Katakana)

Fans commented that Rio must have thought the A stood for accident. I have no idea why.

Yamamoto Runa (14 yrs old)

"Last Idol's Cry Baby"

Q. 10000 ÷ 100 = ?? (100)

A. 20000 00

Obviously wrong. I don't know how Runa got that number. They suggested on the show that she just added the 1's and put the two 0's from the 100 at the end.

Yahagi: "You don't know how to say what percent off?".

Runa: "I don't".
Rio: "I don't know how to do that".
Yahagi: "You don't know 10% off 10,000 Yen?".
Machida: "What is it?".
Aimi: "10% of 10,000 Yen?".
Yahagi: "What a wonderful meeting is being held".

Aimi's answer: "It's 10, so it would be 9990 Yen".

Truly a meeting of the minds, lol.

Finally, they revealed the rankings for A Block. Rio was in last place. Wow, both Honoka's at the top.

1. Nishimura Honoka - 43/70
2. Machida Honoka - 38/70
3. Ozawa Aimi - 36/70
4. Nakamura Shuri - 33/70
5. Takahashi Mayu - 29/70
6. Yamamoto Runa - 27/70
7. Kiyohara Rio - 23/70

Even Runa can't believe Rio was below her.

Rio only answered 23 out of 70 questions correct. That's worse than Abe's score of 27 out of 70.

Rio: "I haven't had much education up to this point, but never had a bad experience like this before, so I've always been pretty confident in my knowledge".

(*It's a bit difficult to understand the context without a little background. Rio refers to herself as a "Tsuwamono" (つわもの - 強​者). Traditionally, it means "a soldier bravely going into battle" or "an exceptional person". It could also be slang for "Tough guy". In modern Japan, it can be used to describe someone doing something under unusual circumstances that's impressive. I found a blog where someone described seeing a woman carefully applying makeup while standing on a moving train and holding a hand bag. This is an uncommon sight, so in this situation, she would be a Tsuwamono. That being said, it's an unusual thing for Rio to boast about herself. It sounds like something someone else would say about you)

So now Rio will join Abe in the finals to decide the #1 Baka in Last Idol Family.

From reading fan comments about the episode, allot of them were surprised at the education level of the members, and how they were unfamiliar with the Idioms which are supposed to be common knowledge. Some said even Elementary School students know what the Capitol City of the United States is, so it's good that they've become Idols. Ouch.

Others wondered if the members were deliberately answering the questions incorrectly, as if it was another competition for the most ridiculous answer. This wouldn't surprise me.

Another person questioned whether it's okay to laugh at the poor education of the members.

Someone commented that it was nice to see Runa laugh for a change instead of crying. It must have been at the moment the results were revealed.

At the end, there was a short preview for the next episode with B Block.

Team Syachihoko x Radio Fish - Natalie Interview Part 3

*I finally remembered to translate the title of the Interview.

"Team Syachihoko and Radio Fish will overthrow Da Pump!

Heating up with a killer tune for the mid-summer."

"Please Remember to Sing Along"

--A Blu-ray of the MV and Making of are included on the limited edition of Burning Festival. Based on everyone's reactions, it felt like you had fun doing it.

Nakata: The lighting was so hot when shooting the video, it was like being in the desert. The set was also a bit difficult. Syachi thought they were making the video on a budget.

Nao: No, no! That's not it!

Fishboy: Yes, that's exactly how it was (laughs).

--How long did you prepare before shooting?

Nakata: We danced together about once or twice, didn't we?

Fishboy: Prior to shooting the MV, we ran through the choreo for the Sabi section 1 time. Syachi learned it properly on the day of the shoot. They're more skilled than the Radiofish members, so we had to practice allot during the breaks (laughs).

Honoka: It's a fun dance, so we had no trouble mastering it.

--You do the performance with such a pleasant feeling, that fans of both groups couldn't  help but join in.

Nakata: Syachi saw the video at their Release Event for Burning Festival, and they were really excited to see it. I wanted to do a live performance for Syachi's fans as soon as possible. To be honest, I really wanted to do a live together as well as a release event. However, in the Summer, various events overlapped.

--At the Jump Music Festival at Yokahama Arena in July, the two groups performed Burning Festival together.

Nakata: It got a good response despite being the first live performance. I enjoyed it allot myself. Ikoma Rina (formerly Nogizaka46) watched the stage and said I had a look on my face she'd never seen before (laughs). I guess I was having so much fun, it must have shown on my face.

Fishboy: The song has tension right from the start, and it's a composition that rises steadily. By the time the 2nd chorus comes in, we reach a perfect trance state. I hope everyone listening dances along. It's quite transcendent.

Nakata: I think everyone who hears it is surprised the Rap comes in so early, but I added parts that you can clap along with. "oh, yes!" or "get down!". If you say those words while dancing, you can enter the trance along with us. Because the song has these parts inserted, by all means, remember to sing along with us.

"We wont give up the second half of the year"

--Speaking of songs that are gaining momentum with this kind of fan participation, Da Pump's "USA" is a good example.

Nakata: Yes. We won't lose. I also said "Perfect Human" wouldn't lose to Piko Taro. It's a wonderful feeling and is absolutely important. The first half of the year belonged to USA, but I want it to be said that the second half belongs to Burning Festival. We will get it. From this point on, Da Pump will be out rivals. We're good friends with Da Pump, so we were happy when USA became a hit, but this is a different story. My feeling is like this "We won't give up the second half of the year. Don't screw with us, Da Pump!".

(*In the last sentence, Nakata uses "Fuzakenna" (don't screw with me). It's a phrase that originated in the Kansai region, and is heard often in Anime, so Nakata's just joking around)

Nao: ...

(*I'm not sure exactly how to phrase it, but Nao says something like "We're going to ride". I take it that she means Syachi is ready to join with Radio Fish to take on Da Pump)

Nakata: It's going to cost me saying that, isn't it?

--The Coupling Song "Taiyo Kami/Shin" (Sun God), follows the worship system, right?

Nakata: Koma2Kaz (Komatsu Kazuya - who also writes under the pseudonym KAZ) and JUVENILE composed the music, and SHINGO and SHiN wrote the lyrics. Komatsu did the arrangement for "USA". After heating things up with Burning Festival, you can cool down with Taiyo Kami. They complement each other really well, so please listen to them together.

(*Komatsu is a legend. He's written for just about everyone)

--The 2 songs make a set. That's so great.

Nao: This collaboration was really allot of fun. I want to do it again.

Nakata: I think we've already become friends. If the schedule is okay, and you offer the invitation, then I will jump at the chance. I want to do allot of lives together, but that's a dream. For now, we will join with Syachi and battle with Da Pump over the second half of the year with all our power.

--Are you aiming to participate in NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen?

Nakata: Of course. I want to cause an explosion and make it a reality.

Nao & Haruna: Yes!

Honoka: We'll all do our best!

https://natalie.mu/music/pp/syachihoko-radiofish/page/3

"Lasu Ai, Yoroshiku!" Ep. 2 Breakdown

*I wrote a breakdown for the first Episode of Last Idol Family's new Variety Show, but the two segments are pretty self explanatory, so I'm going to skip to Ep. 2 for archiving up purposes. This was originally posted on OneHallyu on Nov. 16th.

"The of position of LaLuce's #1 Baka will be decided tonight!!"
10/20

LaLuce's Academic Test was carried out in this episode. Comedian Ito Asako joined MC's Ogiyahagi as the guest. When the members were asked who the #1 Baka in LaLuce is, everyone quickly pointed to Abe. When asked who is the smartest in the group, Midori was confident it was her. Well, she was right. Midori answered 48 out of 70 questions correct.

As is typical for these kinds of episodes on a Variety Show, questions are selected where the member's answers were either humorous or way off. Midori is up first.

(*The correct answers are in parenthesis next to the question. The members answers are right below)

Q. Please answer how to read the following Kanji.

"The neighborhood's grove of trees is gone". (Zouki bayashi)

A. Zatsu mo kurin

These are the Kanji Midori needed to write in Hiragana: "雑木林". The correct reading is "Zouki bayashi" (ぞうきばやし). It's means "a grove of trees/forest". Midori's answer was "Zatsu mo kurin" (ざつもくりん). There's a similar word "Zakkirin" (ざっきりん) which also means a type of forest, so Midori was close, but it's not the correct reading for the characters.

I did some research and her answer is technically correct, but the reading that's taught in school is "Zouki bayashi". I think her answer is supposed to be strange because it's something younger people get confused with.

Q. What is the Statue of Liberty holding in her right hand? (Taimatsu - Torch)

A. Taimatsu

Even though Midori wrote Taimatsu, she used different Kanji (大麻つ). This kind of Taimatsu means Shinto paper offerings, but can also be read as hemp. Some fans commented that they heard Marijuana is dangerous, lol.

Next up is Haruka.

Q. The S on clothing labels represents "small". What does the L represent? (Large)

A. Long

Q. What is the Capital City of America? (Washington D.C.)

A. Argentina

Q. What's the Capital City of England? (London)

A. Paris

Geography is clearly not Haruka's strong suite, lol. Airi asked where the Capitol City of Paris is. She said "Isn't it somewhere like Bangladesh?". I'm pretty sure I translated that correctly. Does she seriously not know that Paris is in France?

Now it was Airi's turn.

Q. What period came before the Showa period? (Taishou)

A. Edo

A quick History lesson:

- Showa period: 1926 - 1989

- Taishou period: 1912 - 1926

- Meiji period: 1868 - 1912

- Edo period: 1603 - 1868

Airi was way off, lol. She also had trouble with her Capital Cities.

Q. What is the Capitol City of London?

A. Argentina.

Did Haruka copy off of her or was it the other way around?! It was very suspicious so their answers were shown side by side. Possible cheating?

Next is Natsumi.

Q. In Seasoning (Sa-shi-su-se-so), if "Sa" is sugar, and "Shi" is salt, what is "So"? (Miso)

A. Sauce

This is supposed to be a common mistake. Here's some background. It's a bit long, but I think it helps put this into context.

Sa-Shi-Su-Se-So is a pun on the seasonings that are used in Japanese cooking. It's what you would call a Mnemonic phrase. Each character represents a seasoning, and the order in which it's used so it's easier to remember (A classic English Mnemonic is "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge". The first letter of each word refers to musical notes and the order you would read them). It's also happens to be written in the same order as the 5 Japanese vowels.

They go in this order:

- a, i, u, e, o.

All Hiragana and Katakana follow this order so you'll see:

- ka, ki, ku, ke, ko

- ta, chi, tsu, te, to

So "sa, shi, su, se, so" is written the same way. Anyway, here's what they all refer to:

- Sa - Satou (Sugar)

- Shi - Shio (Salt)

- Su - Su (Vinegar)

- Se - Seuyu (Soy Sauce. It's written as "Shoyu" in English)

- So - Miso (Fermented Bean Paste)

I think this enough of an explanation, so I'll stop here, lol.

When the MCs asked if anyone knew what "Se" was, Airi confidently answered "Sebura" which is "Lard/Animal Fat". That's actually what's used for Ramen. Airi is really on a role!

Natsumi's next question:

Q. Name the historical figure in the photograph. (Ghandi)

A. Mother Teresa

The guest, Asako-san, agreed with this answer. Haruka also had an interesting answer. She wrote "Claude Monet". Okay seriously, are they even trying? At least Natsumi was in the same ballpark.

They came to Abe last.

Q. What is the name of the Prefecture in the red area? (Tokyo)

A. Tsu

She doesn't even know where the Capital of Japan is. According to fans, I believe what she meant to write is "Tsushi", which just means City. I guess she gave up and just wrote that.

Q. What is the full name of the President of the America?

A. Trump Human

Her reason for choosing Human was because it had "Man" in it. Midori took issue with this and asked "Then what the fuck are women?!".

Q. What is the name of this building? (Eifel Tower)
A. Everest

Okay, I thought Japanse girls loved France. How do they keep getting these answers wrong? Both use the "E" character, so I guess she was close.

Q. What is the Statue of Liberty holding in her right hand? (Torch)

A. Stick (Abe wrote this in Katakana. She might be referring to a walking stick)

Q. Make a simple sentence using the following phrase "Tsuki (Moon) to Suppon (Soft Shelled Turtle)".

A. The Sun and Vinegar are as different as the Moon and the Turtle.

Tsuki to Suppon is an old Japanese phrase that essentially means "as different as Day and Night". The moon is supposed to be a symbol of beauty, while the turtle lives in the mud and has an ugly face. It represents two things that are extremely different from each other. Abe had the right idea, but the Sun and Vinegar don't really make sense as extremes.

This last question was answered incorrectly by all 5 members of LaLuce.

Q. What is the full name of this personality? (Yahagi Ken)

Abe: Yahagi Shinichi

Natsumi: Hayagi Shinichirou

Haruka: Yahagi Shinsaku (*used correct Kanji for last name)

Midori: Yahagi Kouhei (*used correct Kanji for last name)

Airi: Hagiryu Utarou

Who the hell is Airi thinking of?! She has to be trolling. The final result was announced, and the #1 Baka in LaLuce is Abe. She only answered 27 out of 70 questions correctly. On top of being a giant, and a confirmed Legend, now we can add Baka Center to her list of accomplishments!

Final scores:

1. Midori - 48/70
2. Natsumi - 46/70
3. Airi - 40/70
4. Haruka - 34/70

5. Abe - 27/70

After reading comments from fans, they thought Airi stood out the most because of her ridiculous answers, like thinking Paris was in Bangladesh. This was also the first real episode of the Variety Show and some fans haven't made up their mind yet. The Academic Test is a standard part of many Variety Shows, famously used by 48/46Gs. Fans enjoyed the episode, but they weren't wowed by it. It's still early, so we'll have to wait and see how it develops.

At the end, we get a short preview of the next episode, as well as a very short clip of Midori in the second episode of the Drama, "Kasouken no Onna" (Woman of Science) which airs on All-Nippon News Network. It's a suspense show that seems to have CSI elements using sophisticated technology. It's been on the air since 1999 and has run for 17 seasons to date.

I had no idea Midori was doing more acting outside of the School-Live! movie. This might be something she's doing on her own using the concurrent stipulation in the 1st Gen's contracts.

And that's the end. Will anyone score lower than Abe, or is her title of #1 Baka secure? Find out next time!

Team Syachihoko x Radio Fish - Natalie Interview Part 2

"The longest is [Oh Yeah!]"

--"Burning Festival" is an energetic, up-beat tune. Why did you use a song like this for the collaboration?

Nakata: It's being released as a Summer Single. Since we're collaborating with Syachi, who have high temperature fans, then it needs to have a fast tempo, so I thought this song would be a good choice. Our songs are based on EDM, but EDM has a cold feeling. This time, I wanted to deliver a hot feeling, so I incorporated wind instruments to convey the hot weather. I asked Fishboy and his friend, Miyata "Lefty" Ryo-kun, to compose the song. Miyata-kun also composed Radio Fish's "Golden Age" and "Make Ya Groove".

(*Miyata must be a big deal. He's got 43k followers on Twitter)

Fishboy: For this collaboration, 5 people will be added to the stage, so I hope that everyone's dancing will be good. From the phrase "Everyone dances" I thought of Rockabilly, so I decided to mix Electro and Rockabilly. Originally, scratching was included (*On the recording, I assume) so it had a street feeling. However, Nakata didn't think it felt hot enough, so we added wind instruments and incorporated Jazz elements.

Nakata: We also changed the content of the lyrics. They were originally in the same vein as "Perfect Human" which everyone says is the "Nakata worship system".

(*It might be better to use "System of Worship". I think this is just a fancy way of referring to Nakata's philosophy towards composing)

Nao: Worship system!? That's a bit strange, isn't it (laughs). By the way, what other systems are there besides that?

Nakata: In my opinion, you either "worship the system" or "don't worship the system". Fish wrote lyrics that worshiped the system, so the content reflected his reverance of his older brother, and didn't have many surprises. He's a really nice little Brother (laughs). I didn't want a song with those kind of lyrics, so I proposed that we make it more like "Dancing naked in the middle of the desert". At that time, "Burning Festival" became the title of the song, and I requested the rap sections from Fish.

Haruna: These brotherly interactions are really amazing (laughs).

Nakata: Sure, but this time it's a collaboration with Team Syachihoko, so I want to convey a different feeling. I had high expectations for this collab, and I wanted to make something really good. The first attempt wasn't bad, but I wanted something that had more of a feeling of an "Explosion of Summer". I requested lyrics from Fish that fit better with the title of "Burning Festival", and he immediately came up with the rap sections. Shingo has a serious male character, so his rhyming style is straight forward. It's similar to boxing. He delivers a 1, 2, 3 Punch when he writes lyrics. But since Fish likes English music, he uses two different traits when writing lyrics. His raps will be stylish and cool, but the sung vocals will be serious.

Haruna: That's difficult, isn't it? It was hard for me even though I'm usually in charge of the Rap parts in Syachi songs.

Nao: We don't sing much in English. Only "Yeah" or things like that, so it was difficult.

Honoka: (laughs). Of course, the English parts of Syachi's songs are written in Katakana, like "Enjoy Life".

Nakata: Don't you sing many long English words?

Haruna: "Oh Yeah!" is about the longest (laughs).

Nakata: Really? (laughs). Even so, all of you learned quickly and sang properly. The foundation of our group is built on Shingo's style of rapping and singing. However, Syachi sing together as 5 people, which I don't think is well balanced. I usually just let the members in Skill Master handle the rap. So, I decided to mix Shingo and Honoka together and put them in charge of the Sabi (*low vocal tones). I was in charge of the line division, so I was worried the member's voices might not fit together.

Haruna: It was perfect! During the recording, Nakata was really kind while giving us direction on how to add intonation. Nakata produced everything but his own part. I thought he was amazing.

Nakata: I guess I'll just make the appropriate Producer face (laughs). But I really didn't know during recording how it would turn out. When we finished, everyone listened to it and thought it had a fun and lively feeling like Orange Range's "Locolotion". The dynamic of alternating male and female vocals is really wonderful. All my Producer's luck was used up on this.

Nao: I sang very frantically, so I was worried about whether it would be okay.

Nakata: I was very satisfied. I think it turned out as a really nice song thanks to everyone.

"Even Elementary School Students can do Nakata's dance"

--The choreography of Burning Festival is very unique.

Fishboy: Show-hey handled the choreography for the Sabi part. However, for the Bridge at the end of the Sabi, I thought it needed something grand, so I entrusted that to Nakata. That's where that pose came from (laughs).

Nakata: The members of Radio Fish and Syachi watched me dancing on my own for about 1 hr. I never studied dance, so I think even Elementary School students can do my movements. It's the same approach I took when making Oriental Radio's "Martial Story" routine. In the middle of a performance, a reaction usually comes out like "is this really dancing?". When I collaborated with w-inds, I did the same thing for them, but that feeling didn't come out at all, and I was getting impatient. When I danced for Syachi, that feeling came out easily and I thought "I'm saved this time...".

(*This paragraph was a little difficult to understand. This sounds almost like performance art. Nakata must do his dance routine in front of everyone and wait until they finally start laughing because it's so ridiculous. I guess w-inds missed the point entirely. Nakata's a really eccentric guy, lol)

Nao: Nakata was really funny that time (laughs).

Haruna: Nakata is usually funny, but that whole display was really hilarious. Radio Fish weren't laughing because they're used to it, but all the Syachi members were laughing uncontrollably.

Fishboy: Even though I entrusted it to him, it's a bit irritating to have so many people standing around watching like that. I don't even care to watch professional dancers sweat for that long (laughs).

Nakata: Wow, you've suffered (laughs).

--How was it for the Syachi members to dance to Radio Fish's choreography?

Honoka: Radio Fish came up with allot of movements that were easy for us to understand. It was a really fresh and cool dance. Haruna's really good at dancing, so we felt like cool dancers.

(*I'm not sure if Honoka meant that the other members felt as cool as Haruna because they were performing that kind of choreo)

Haruna: Originally, it had a Hip Hop and Jazz vibe. I've done allot of dances, but this is one of the most fun. There's allot of steps, particularly in the A Melody. I really wanted to do something like this, and after 7 yrs. of activities in Syachi, I finally did.

Nakata: Shingo and I don't dance that part, so it was impressive to see the Syachi members learned it so quickly.

Nao: With the exception of Haruna, it was difficult for us!

Fishboy: Even so, I thought you really did understand it quickly.

https://natalie.mu/music/pp/syachihoko-radiofish/page/2

A few additional notes. It's interesting to hear Fishboy make some jokes at Nakata's expense. Since Nakata is his older brother and senior, it's interesting that they can joke around like they do. I'm not an expert on the social dynamics of Japan, but maybe family members are more informal with each other in social settings than, say, co-workers.

It doesn't come across in the Translation, but I picked on how the Syachi members drop the honorifics when referring to each other. For example, they refer to Haruna as "Haru" instead of Haru-chan. Not using honorifics is a sign you are really close with someone. I guess it's natural for members who've known each other for so long, but this isn't common in every group. Some people get around this by using their nickname instead.

I've noticed the Syachi members kind of contradict themselves throughout Interview. One member will say how easy something was for them, but then another one will talk about how difficult it was. I almost wonder if it's a battle between politeness. Like they're trying to praise Radio Fish by saying they kept the movements simple to make it easier for the Syachi members to learn, but at the same time, it's also really difficult because it's such a great dance. Double the praise, I guess, lol.

Team Syachihoko x Radio Fish - Natalie Interview Part 1

"The common feature is the catchy choreography"

--It seems that this collaboration was realized with an offer from Team Syachihoko. The offer came after Syachi and Radio Fish collaborated for the "#Sotsu Ome! 2018" Live at Zepp Diver City Tokyo in March.

(*Sotsu Ome was the free event held in the Spring for High School Students who were about to graduate. Turning 18 was also a theme)

Honoka: That's right. I had allot of fun singing Radio Fish songs at that time, and thought we could work on something together and made the offer. Thank you for accepting our offer, and for writing the songs. We're really glad.

Nakata (Radio Fish): Not at all. We're the ones who are thankful. We originally started as an Owarai Combination called Oriental Radio. Later, we invited Skill-Master to join, so the number of dancers increased by 4, and it started to feel like a real group. We've collaborated with various Artists, but they feel more like Family members. I'm glad that Syachi has become part of our Family. 

 
(*Owarai Combination refers to the Comedy Duos, sometimes Trios, that Japan is well known for, especially in Osaka. Skill-Master was a dance group that consisted of FISHBOY, Show-hey, SHiN, and RIHITO who all joined and formed Radio Fish. Fishboy is also NAKATA's younger brother. I believe both groups are still active separately even while promoting as Radio Fish)

Nao: Thank you for bringing us into the Family!

Nakata: Ho-chan (Honoka) is on a TV Show in Tokyo, and another Syachi member is starting a TV Show in Nagoya, so we got to know each other a little, and of course the "#Sotsu Ome!" Live event was allot of fun. We've done various collaborations, but Syachi is the first time with a Female Idol group. However, I think there might be some antipathy from fans for doing it.

Nao: There was nothing like that at all.

Fishboy: I thought that Syachi and Radio Fish shared the same kind of catchy choreography. I'm sure this collaboration went well.

Honoka: We thought the same thing. The catchy choreography is easy for our fans to dance along with, so I wonder if fans of both groups with be able to dance together in unity.

Nakata: Yes, I thought the simplicity would fit well with the aesthetic.

Haruna: Thank you very much. After that collaboration (*Sotsu Ome!), I had the chance to interact with fans, and everyone said they enjoyed it. On top of that, I'm proud of the photos I took with Nakata (laughs). I was glad that everyone was happy, so I think it's good that we were able to release a Single together.

"Musical Juniors"

--Fishboy, did you know about Syachi before this?

Fishboy: As a matter of fact, a friend of mine is their Choreographer, so I've seen it often.

--Oh, of course. What was your impression of the girls?

Fishboy: It looked like they were doing whatever idols do (laughs). However, their balance was marvelous, and I thought they were proper Idols.

Honoka: Really? There are times when we can't believe we're still Idols.

Nakata: Of course. The character of each Syachi member stood out, and they showed a cheerful image of an Idol. Also, everyone in the group can sing well. I guess it's because they have various types of songs...As a matter of fact, I myself have provided songs for Kawatami Enon (A member of several bands including "indigo la End", "Gesu no Kiwami Otome", and "Ichikori"). My personal favorite of his is Shampoo Heart (*Shampoo Heart is the title track from an early Single by Syachi that was composed by Kawatami).

(*This paragraph was a little confusing. I wasn't sure if Nakata was saying that he's written songs for Kawatami. He specifically used the word "Provided" which is a little vague. It was kind of a round about way of giving an example of a song he liked. I may have to get some help with this)

Nao: What! Really? I'm so glad!

Nakata: In terms of music genre, we (Radio Fish) are Juniors. We have allot of respect for Syachi and are using this collaboration to study various things. We started our musical activities from the Comedy scene, and have learned through trial and error. They can sing and dance properly, and have an amusing way of speaking. They're really professional.

Nao: No, no...Radio Fish is a really popular group. They've been on Kouhaku Uta Gassen.

Honoka: Yes, yes. When Syachi and Radio Fish decided to collaborate, all our College friends were envious, as well as the Dancers we know.

Haruna: I had a corner at my High School's Sports Festival for dancing, and I had students dancing to "Perfect Human" by Radio Fish. I had one of our Teachers play the role of Nakata (laughs). When this collaboration was decided, I thought "This is amazing! I'm going to brag to all my friends".

Nakata: That's great to hear.

Fishboy: That makes me happy.

https://natalie.mu/music/pp/syachihoko-radiofish