Thursday 4 February 2016

Morning Musume。´15 Fukumura Mizuki talks about 'Sayashi's Graduation' 'The evolution of '16'

Excerpt from a dwango interview with Morning Musume。´15 leader Fukumura Mizuki, published 30th December 2015. To set the scene, this was just before Sayashi Riho's graduation, and Morning Musume。´15's latest single 'Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi/ Endless Sky/ One and Only' had just been released.


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While [Sayashi] will be studying abroad, she will still be a member of Hello! Project.

Yup. That's right. But, while she says that she'll be picking up English and dancing, I think that picking up English will take quite some time.

Eh? Why is that?

Based on my expectations, you have to get used to the lifestyle once you've gone to study abroad... While I say that, she'll probably be at ease after about one to two months (laughs).

Sayashi-san's unhurried rhythm.

Sayashi really goes at her own pace, so I feel that she probably wouldn't go with her parents but would go on ahead to study abroad by herself... That's my gut feeling. Though I do wonder if that'll definitely happen just because that's how it's been up to now. I'm sure she'll be at ease after several months (laughs).

Picking up English seems like quite the challenge.

I think she'll be fine with the dancing, but the system is that she won't return until she's picked up English, so I wonder if she'll really take three to four years.

A system where you can't come back until you've picked it up. Because it is an English certification.

Because it's not something you can pick up with your senses, like you can with dancing. I'm a bit worried about that.

It'll be pretty tough to meet if she's overseas.

Yup. Actually, in these 5 years of activities we've had together, there's only been a few times where it was just the 9ki hanging out. If you include us going for meals in between work, it comes to about four or five times.

That isn't much.

I wanted to have a sleepover, or go out more with the 4 of us, because Riho-chan said she wanted to have something like that, but we couldn't really as we were pretty busy at the end of the year... Roughly the only thing we could do was that Oedo hot spring visit the other day, where we used our off time to go there for the first time... As we couldn't really go back, the 3 of us talked about just doing it.


Why was it difficult to gather up?

For the 9ki, 10ki, and 12ki, we're all 4-person generations, and we didn't want Oda-chan to experience a sense of isolation, so we hardly gather up as the 9ki. When Oda-chan suddenly joined in amongst the 9ki and 10ki, we didn't want her to feel lonely. And it's not like the 4 of us had similar interests to begin with. Ikuta Erina-chan wanted to go to an amusement park, so it'd be a day trip to Osaka, that's how much fire she had.

As active as she looks.

When Riho-chan has off-days, she's the kind of person who'll go and watch movies in the afternoon, or waste time at home, so it would be impossible to do something like wake up early and go to an amusement park. So, as the 2 of them can't agree on times, the 9ki hardly ever hang out. Also, Suzuki Kanon-chan often bails at the last minute (laughs)!

She bails out!

Previously, there've been times when we had fights as we were shopping. Eripon shops quickly, while Riho-chan wants to have a good, detailed look at what's in the store, so the both of them got irritated as their paces didn't match... There was some turmoil, and since then it feels like 9ki never hung out together.

And Suzuki-san wasn't around then?

She bailed out at the last minute on that day.

A last minute cancellation on such a day!

She didn't come, and there was a fight... I was watching on the whole time.

Watching it while trying to placate them?

I was the middleman. I had been looking forward to both.

That's the leader for you.

The 4 of us went to Shibuya to eat on a different  day. And, when we went to have a look at general stores, at Shibuya, where it looks like a big crossmark...

The scramble crossing.

At the scramble crossing, it surprised me when the 4 of us neatly split up to go to stores in 4 different directions. Even though we were going shopping together, in the end we all split up and entered different stores. Wondering where they went, I contacted the rest, and it turned out that all of us had gone in completely different directions...

You were so mismatched that it felt good.

Well, I laughed. Having come so far.


However, you aren't on bad terms.

Right, we're on good terms. At the dressing room, when the four 9ki members happen to be together, we'd be like 'Ah, the 9ki are all together here~ That's amazing~!' Even though I say that we're on good terms, I guess I'm not adding to your belief in that respect though (laughs).

No matter which way you look at it, it seems like you're on bad terms, but it's something you can laugh over, isn't it.

Somehow or the other, we're in-sync. Not like close friends, but we feel more like family. Like we always end up sitting together, even if we don't happen to be chatting. Our bonds are strong.

Since your bonds are strong, you can quarrel over anything, right? You even have fights.

That's right! We do quarrel. Yeah. We quarrel over everything. Which reminds me, the other day, when the 4 of us were talking about Riho-chan, Yoshizawa-san just happened to give us a call.


Oh! Yoshizawa Hitomi-san!

'How are things recently?' The timing of her call was so perfect that it surprised us. She spoke to all of us one-on-one, taking a pretty long time with everyone.

Perhaps she noticed something?

That's right! So it really came as a surprise. But it made me really happy that a senpai who had graduated, who wasn't having activities with us, would do something like that, talk with us about what was weighing on our mind. And she came to watch us at the recent Budokan. She said 'Why don't the 5 of us go out together?'

Yoshizawa-san did?

It felt like she thought we had gone through hardships, having become the most senior, so she'd be giving us a chance to let our hair down~!

Hopefully Suzuki-san won't make a last-minute cancellation.

I really hope so (laughs)!

Well then, with Sayashi-san's graduation, has the pressure on you as the leader become even stronger?

Hm~. How do it put it... When it's the 12 of us rehearsing, indeed, we really feel how unpleasant it is to be lacking a centre. Because it's a given for Morning Musume。´15's formation dances to have a centre...... Like when we're forming into a 'V'. For that, it's not pretty without a centre, I still haven't grown used to it.

I kind of understand though.

Sayashi-san's a person who, at all times, firmly holds that 'We are Morning Musume。´ feel to her.

Source: Dwango

Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / ENDLESS SKY / One and Only / Morning Musume. '15Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / ENDLESS SKY / One and Only / Morning Musume. '15

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