Tuesday 24 May 2016

Berryz Kobo x ℃-ute Cross Talk 40: Yajima Maimi 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 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.


Special Crosstalk Book "RIVAL 12 shoujyo no 10 nen monogatari (10 years stories of 12 girls)" / Berrz Kobo / Cute

Yajima Maimi X Kumai Yurina

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When I think about Maimi-chan and Kumai-chan, the only word that comes to mind is 'airhead'...... (laughs). Do the both of you think that you're of similar types?

Yajima: I've thought that recently. Kumai-chan is a cool beauty, so it feels like she's kind of difficult to approach. Even when the only thing she's doing is standing up, she looks so cool, so it's like she's a prickly girl. But she's actually laid-back (laughs). We had lots of BeriKyuu activities last year, and from then on, I thought of her as a girl with this airy feel to her.

That's quite recent, isn't it? What made you think that?

Yajima: At the BeriKyuu tour ('Berryz Kobo & ℃-ute Collab Concert Tour 2011 Autumn ~BeriKyuu Island~'), Kumai-chan often taught me the choreography, and her way of teaching was really airy (laughs). 


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Kumai: I heard that Maimi was a real big airhead, so I thought that she would have an extraordinarily high level of airheadedness. 

Yajima: And that's coming from Kumai-chan (laughs).

Kumai: Like she doesn't realise when she makes mistakes, and she'll still go on doing the wrong thing at full throttle. Like even if you were to point out to her that she might be a bit off the mark, she'd ask back, 'What is it that I'm doing wrong?' while continuing to do it at full power (laughs). But that's also a good thing about Maimi. She does everything at max power, and I've never seen her cut corners.

Yajima: Skilful people might good at glossing over their mistakes, but since I make mistakes while rushing with all my strength, I can't gloss over them (laughs).

Maimi-chan is the types that rushes through, while Kumai-chan is calm and moves at her own pace. While you're airheads, there are slight differences.

Kumai: I'm told that I'm somehow inattentive. Even at MCs, while I'm just listening normally, I'll be asked if I'm listening, or they'd ask me if I could pay a bit more attention.

Yajima: I feel like that's something I've got in similar to Kumai-chan, which relieves me a little.

Kumai: Ah, I kind of understand.
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Kumai: Another resemblance is that the 2 of us get really sweaty. For Maimi, she's the type where it'll all come gushing out in the endgame, while for me, it'll start seeping out from the very start, and it gets crazy at the end (laughs).


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On the topic of sweating, was there any point in time when you were concerned about that?

Kumai: There was. Like, why do I sweat so much?

Yajima: I've never worried about it that deeply, but I would like to stand in front of everyone looking neat and not drenched in sweat.

Do you have countermeasures against sweating?

Kumai: I've always got a hairdryer and a small hair iron ready backstage.

Yajima: A makeup artist taught me tricks to make it harder for sweat to come out, but in the end, I don't do anything. At concerts, I'm like 'Whatever!' The sweating doesn't stop no matter what I try, so recently I don't even try doing anything.

Taking a step back to the original conversation, is there anything that worries you about going at your own paces?

Kumai: I'm slow at eating. This isn't just amongst the members, I've also realised that it happens when I eat with family as well. While we all start eating at the same time, it's like I'm the only one who takes forever to finish. According to the members, it takes me ages to ferry the food to my mouth from when I pick it up with my chopsticks. And beyond that, the eating takes time as well.

Don't you feel a sense of urgency?

Kumai: It's impossible. I can't eat quickly, so at times when we've got a limited time to eat, I have problems with finishing up.

Yajima: Eh, that's nice.

It's nice!?

Yajima: It's kind of girlish.

Kumai: Eh, I hate it. You know, don't you have to get your fill?

Yajima: It's kind of nice, being able to eat calmly. Rather than taking my time, I'm the impatient type, so I eat quickly. I kind of get worried about rushing to where I have to be next.

You rush because you're hasty.

Yajima: That's it.


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Kumai: In my mind, Maimi was serious and level-headed in the past, so I didn't think of her as being an airhead at first.

Yajima: I always think that I'm not an airhead. I'm shy, so I won't start conversations, and I'm told that my looks make me seem really cool and calm, so I don't think that I give out the appearance of an airhead. Even now, I've got no self-awareness, for example, if someone tells me that I've changed, I'll keep on asking 'Where?' Like, in what way? (laughs)

Even in that, you ask at full throttle (laughs). Have you ever had any hiccups in your friendship?

Both: Not at all.

Yajima: Instead, Kumai-chan brings this sense of happiness to those around her.

Kumai: Really? That's great (laughs). But I think Maimi's the same.


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10 year in the future, do you think you will change?

Yajima: I think we won't change (laughs).

Kumai: I think we can't change (laughs).
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