*This Interview was originally posted on OneHallyu on Dec. 27th, 2017. It's one of the first interviews I attempted to translate, so I got help from User telecasterstripes with some parts I had trouble with.
"The tears and sympathy of 7 people who survived a fierce battle"
Part 1
"At the age of 3, I thought I wanted to become an Idol" (Abe)
-- Please introduce yourself (to all the members), tell me how you felt about auditioning for the program (Last Idol), and about an Idol you admire.
Abe: I first wanted to be an Idol when I was 3 yrs. old because of Morning Musume. I saw live footage and thought "I want to do this!". I particularly liked Tanaka Reina. Soon after that, I got an audition and joined the group mlmi. Eventually, mlmi was renamed to Pax Puella.
-- You are also concurrent with Pax Puella.
Abe: Yes, but everything is different between Pax Puella and Last Idol. The number of the staff and the size of the event we appear at. Even the bento boxes and the way we move is different (laughs). (*When Abe says "the way we move" she means how they travel). But I don't want to quit Pax Puella. Some members have been together for 6 yrs. I feel that I can be in both groups at the same time. Up until now, Pax Puella wanted be come popular but couldn't. With my appearance on Last Idol, I'm hoping for Pax Puella to also gain popularity.
-- I see. So the Idol you admire is named Tanaka Reina?
Abe: Yes, Tanaka was also in Morning Musume. There is member currently in Morning Musume '17 named Ishida Ayumi. When I was in Sendai, we took lesson together. From that time, I really respected her dancing ability.
Aya: In my case, it was Solo Artists like Koizumi Kyoko and Matsuda Seiko. I watched them on a video site and began to admire them very much. I felt that they had strength inside their cuteness, and they're not only active in singing and dancing but in different areas as well... So I wish I can be like that"
Natsumi: I was doing Musicals and I liked singing and dancing. Since anyone could audition on Last Idol, I applied with the courage. I don't know if can say they're an Idol, but I respect Kanda Sayaka. She used to do musicals, so I can't help but pay attention to her. I think she's very cute.
-- If Aya is the Mother, Natsumi is part of the Daughter group?
Aya: Definitely. I've suffered a bit (laughs).
"I want to rise above the ground" (Midori)
Airi: The reason I applied was because I love Kara. I especially like Nichole and Jiyoung. Nichole is a hard worker. When I went to their concert, Nicole came close to me with the trolley and I saw her feet, I saw marks of her painful practices... When I saw that, I was very touched. That was the first time I realized that idols aren't just shining bright all the time. I thought that it's a difficult job where each person works hard behind the scenes to make everyone smile.
-- Nichole was struggling to learn Japanese as well.
-- Nichole was struggling to learn Japanese as well.
Airi: That's right! And now her Japanese is the best among the members. Her work ethic is really cool. I want to learn from her example.
Midori: The reason I lost weight is because of something that happened when I was part of a different group... One day my fan brought their friends to see me. That person was an avid fan of Nogizaka46. When I found out about that, I suddenly became embarrassed.... My fan was like "This is my bias" and was confident. But when I compared myself with Nogizaka46, no matter how you see it, I'm inferior. Because back then, I was 13kg heavier than now.
-- It's amazing how you were able to lose so much weight.
-- It's amazing how you were able to lose so much weight.
Midori: I was ashamed. To someone who is familiar with cute Idols, they must have thought "this girl is also an Idol?". At the time, I was a typical underground Idol. I felt like I didn't want to stay in the underground forever. I said that I could not have pride (*Not sure about this) and wanted to rise above the ground.
-- Who is your favorite Idol?
Midori: Nogizaka46's Fukagawa Mai. I am attracted to that gentle atmosphere.
"I ran away" (Yako)
Haruka: I originally liked Idols and I often went to Handshake Meetings and lives. I also collected goods. Then I started to feel like I wanted to shine on my own, but I didn't have the courage to go on an Audition. Last Idol is the first Audition I went on.
-- Whose lines did you go to at the Handshake Meetings?
Haruka: Former AKB48 Oshima Yuko. She always puts in full effort right? Even during performances, you can't see a limit which is amazing, and without realizing it, I'm always chasing after her with my eyes.
Yako: I was born in Fukuoka Prefecture and did a little modeling in High School. But the modeling world is too strict. I can't go to an Audition unless I'm 165 cm. I'm 159 cm so that was my limit (*She might have said, "my legs weren't long enough to reach). There was talk about giving up being a Model and going to a Tokyo Office to become an Actress, but in the end I gave up. I wanted some stability so I joined a Dental Hygienist's School locally.
-- Your legs were long enough to reach after all (*not sure about this)
Yako: No, I ran away. But, I couldn't give up on my dream of working in Entertainment. Since I wanted to be a model in the beginning, I wasn't committed to being an Idol. However, after becoming an Interim Member after winning against Ruka (now in Good Tears), I have to take over her feelings. Besides, when we are holding a Handshake Meeting as an Interim Member (*she says something about a "regular person"). I began to learn how fun it can be to work as an Idol.
No comments:
Post a Comment