Matsui Rena, Matsui Jurina, Kizaki Yuria interview - I may become SKE48’s slave～ - from Weekly Playboy 2013/02/25 (out 2013/02/09)
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Q - Please welcome the 3 central SKE48 members we had the pleasure to feature on our cover this week! Can you tell us where we should direct our attention in「Choco no Dorei」?
Kizaki - Lyrics are awesome! A boy telling to the girl he likes 「I want chocolates from you! If that’s what it takes, then I’m ready to become your slave!」… Shocking, but exciting!
Matsui J - There are many highlights in the MV. Especially the dance scene! It was shot in the new theater and there are even guests, it’s like watching a real live!
Q - Was there any scene with which you struggled in the MV?
Kizaki - For me it has been the dance scene Jurina-san just mentioned. We recorded the dance scene before the theater inauguration, so it was a real challenge to dance there without being used to the elevating stage yet.
Matsui R - In my case it was the trampoline scene. I was so scared I had cramps all over my face. The meaning behind this scene is 「Crossing over your own limits」, since I fought my fear of trampolines with this scene, I felt like I had overcome one of those limits. (tln : Rena confides she started filming this trampoline scene at 5am too. Idol life is tough =x=)
Matsui J - There is one scene in which I’m heading toward the theater in bicycle. We shot it at 7am and I was in knee-high, I was incredibly cold. There I was spot by a girl around my age 「Eh? Jurina?」 . She called out to me 「Do your best!」, it made me warm inside!
Q - Nice anecdote! Please tell us about that one thing you love so much you wouldn’t mind being enslaved for it.
Matsui R - I would be a game slave. More specifically 「Fantasy Life」. Whenever I’ve some spare time I play with Shawako (Hata Sawako).
Kizaki - Manga slave! From shoujo manga to Jump series, I love everything! Everytime I stop by the bookstore, I leave with something like 5 volumes. Sometimes I buy them just because I like the cover.
Q - Jacket’buy! I guess some people really do that then! Last, Jurina-san! (tln : Jacket’buy / ジャケ買い refers to the practice of buying any commodity, mostly media, without knowing the content and simply based on the jacket, cover or more globally, the packaging.)
Matsui J - For me it would be meat sauce spaghetti! If it’s for my mother meat sauce then I’m willing to become a slave anytime!
Q - And so we concluded this interview by a very unexpected culinary touch (laugh).
Matsui Rena, Matsui Jurina, Kizaki Yuria interview - The Present of SKE48 - from Weekly Playboy 2013/02/25 (out 2013/02/09)
- Where little roasted cookie (otherwise known as Peace) sounds like an adult
- Where Ju and Rena sound like 2 proud parents (not the 1st time)
- Where members ask for more lives, again…someday someone will hear them… maybe ( ._. )
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Their reaction when they heard about the members’ graduations
Q - In 2012 SKE48 gave a 2 days live at Nippon Gaishi Hall, the group’s own theater was inaugurated and finally SKE48 performed independently in NHK Kouhaku Utagassen. Such a fantastic year that must have been! But in the 1st days of 2013 on January 15th, the second chapter of SKE48 opened with the announcement of the graduation of 9 of its members…
Jurina - That’s how it went…
Q - Did you know those 9 members were going to graduate?
Rena - Hmm, there was a rumor going on among members that there were girls who were probably going to graduate.
Jurina - But we only really knew who the 9 interested members were when they filmed 「Sore wo Seishun to Yobu Hi」MV, as part of the Tabidachi Sotsugyou gumi.
Q - How did you feel when you heard those 9 members were graduating?
Jurina - As you can imagine, I was sad. More so that the graduations were announced right when I had the feeling SKE48 was heading towards something great. I was shaken but I think fans were even more confused than us.
Rena - The moment I learnt about the graduations, I felt lonely. Especially with members like Shiitan (Takada Shiori) or Kana-chan (Hiramatsu Kanako) whose age is close to mine… Hmm… It made me reflect on how this was also one of the options. I think it’s great that they decided to start doing what they wanted to do for themselves, I want members who picked this path to know I respect their choice and I want to support them.
Q - As measure as the realization of the graduations announcement sank in, many voices rose 「Is Yuria going to be alright?!」…
Yuria - About that…. With members to whom I’m particularly close, who’ve been my anchors, like Ogi-chan (Ogiso Shiori), Mii-chan (Kuwabara Mizuki) and Kuu-san (Yagami Kumi) graduating, I’ve been wondering how the future was going to be like…
When we travel, may it be by bus or shinkansen, the person who was always sitting next to me will no longer be there…
But I also thought that I wanted to have more fun with the soon-to-graduate members than we have ever had until then.
Q - What did fans tell you during handshake events for example?
Yuria - A lot of fans were concerned about me and many told me 「We will support you」… They really helped me feel better… It opened my eyes on how heartily fans cared about me.
Rena - That’s right. SKE48 fans are very serious in their will to support us and bringing the group higher. Since the announcement of the graduations, during handshake events I keep being told 「Why doesn’t SKE48 have a comedy program?!」「Why aren’t you featured in more CMs?!」「Organize more concerts!」(laugh). (tln: now if that isn’t a subtle way to pass the message to management～ As expected from Capt’N’Rena!)
Jurina - Ahahahahah. True we hear that a lot (laugh).
Yuria - But it’s not as if we were the ones deciding on this… *bitter smile*.
Q - Ahahahaha. You can really feel the passion burning inside SKE48’s fans! But isn’t a part of you glad when you receive this kind of complaints?
Jurina - It’s actually a pleasure to have fans think about us that much. That’s also why we can’t keep those gloomy expressions on our faces forever. Because circumstances are what they are, we have to turn the tables over.
Yuria - Exactly!
Rena - I believe we need to be more active than ever to make sure members who decided to graduate leave without regret, but also to make them proud to have been part of SKE48 and have them think「I’m glad I was part of SKE48」.
Jurina - This! 1000 times this! It would be great if they could think 「I want to perform in the theater, even if just once more」.
The 3 ladies tell us about their goal for 2013
Q - Please tell us about the goal you have in mind for SKE48 for 2013.
Rena - No matter what, we need to appear in NHK Kouhaku Utagassen by ourselves this year too!
Jurina & Yuria - Yes!
Rena - We were invited last year, but if it’s not the case this year, won’t it all have been for nothing? That’s why we need to do everything to participate this year too!
Jurina - If there is one thing I won’t accept is that for people to think we stopped our rise. Also this year, more than the last one, I want to hold concerts. I want to organize concerts all over Japan. In January we had a handshake event coupled with a mini-live in Osaka. Everyone was so excited it reminded me of how fun lives were.
Yuria - As for me I want to invest myself more thoroughly in each and every one of my works. We need to improve so that people will definitely think 「It was nice to work with SKE48」and「I want to see those girls on screen again」.
Rena - That’s fundamental indeed.
Jurina - Yuria, you sound like an adult suddenly!
Yuria - You know, I’ll be 17 this month!
Rena - Eh?!
Jurina - Seriously?
Yuria - Seriously (laugh). Until last year I wondered what it meant to lead others… But lately I’ve come to think that I wanted to pull everyone forward.
Jurina & Rena - Ohーー!
Q - Sounds like Yuria-chan finally food her resolution.
Yuria - I wonder about that… What am I sure of is that I want to give my best for fans to acknowledge and approve of me.
Jurina - Oh my～ I’m happy to hear that, not you Rena-chan?
Rena - Hmm, I’m happy too.
Jurina - The 6th generation members will join soon too, at any rate I wish for members to unite once more and for SKE48 to jazz things up!!
SKE House 4koma translated -from Weekly Playboy SKE Special -
Special thanks to rehikari for editing, until late tonight.
Akimoto Yasushi interview from Weekly Playboy SKE special (published in may 2012), regarding the complete SKE48 set list (except for Team E S2 「Saka Agari」), which wasn’t yet decided at the time of the interview.
Caution : the 1st part is a mix of translation and digests, while the second part (Future of SKE48) is a complete translation.
Caution 2 : 「Sensei-sensei’s words are at time too wise for us mortals to understand」 -rehi- ie, Yasusu likes to speak in enigmatic terms so if you get confused at some point… that’s normal. I was too.
Special thanks to rehikari for proofreading (o°^°)b
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SKE48 exclusive producer Akimoto Yasushi comments on SKE48 complete setlist and talks about the group’s future.
Team S 1st stage 「Party ga Hajimaruyo」
Akimoto - Stage with the lowest degree of difficulty so that’s why I chose it at the time. Even though now HKT is starting with 「Te wo Tsunaginagara」 and NMB with 「Dareka no Tameni」.
Q - Did you think a lot about who would inherit the duet?
Akimoto - Of course, like 「No doubt Maeda Atsuko’s position is going to Matsui Jurina 」, 「Mieko or Deguchi (Aki) who have a good voice will be performing 「Anata to Christmas Eve」」, those kind of things.
But in the end it was a complete different 「Party」 from the Team A or Team K one.
Q - After this revival stage, you gave Team S the now so called “Godly stage” (tln : 神公演/ kami kouen), Team S 2nd 「Te wo Tsunaginagara」. Did you have any “expectations” when you created it?
Akimoto - The 1st of them was ”life-sized figure”. At the time AKB48 started selling very well, in a sense they had reached professional level. So I decided to leave Team S to perform songs closer to the audience. That’s also why there were a lot of songs with a school/academy theme.
Q - The title song for the stage is also in this vein right? Like “Let’s hold hands with those friends we just met at school and walk forward”.
Akimoto - In a team there are girls who learn fast and some who don’t. But they have to all progress together. Even if some girls seem like they’re going to fall behind. 「We won’t let anyone on the side of the road, I want us to go on together」, that’s the kind of hope I put into this stage.
After all, teams are groups put together by fate. I perceived that team love in S. 「Te wo Tsunaginagara」 was the perfect phrase to embody this feeling. I constructed the whole stage based on that expression.
Q - Unit songs were all “Godly songs” too.
Akimoto - Matsui Jurina started to shine as an ace, I wanted a song that would show her talent as a dancer, so I chose 「Glory Days」. For Yagami (Kumi), Takai (Tsukina), Mori (Sayuki) who had strong idol vibes, I made an unerring typical idol song 「Wimbledon he Tsureteitte」.
And then I made「Ame no Pianist」 because I was curious about Matsui Rena’s splendor, I wanted to bring out her talent as an actress.
[…] I arranged the interlude so she would show off her amazingness.
Digest
- Akimoto knew 「Innocence」 was going to be popular but was surprised by 「Romance Rocket」 being well received.
- Last 「Tooku ni Ite mo」 : message is that even if some members are absent, may it be because they’re in Tokyo or further away, members’ hearts are one.
- Team S 3rd stage 「Seifuku no me」 in a word “potential”. 「This stage brought out the potential, lying under those uniforms, of S as a team」.
- “For example, Matsui Jurina’s unit song 「Omoide Ijou」, maybe it sounds foolish at first to say of a 12 years old girl that she goes 「Omoide Ijou / Beyond expectations」. But if anyone had the potential to go there, beyond expectations, I think that would be that young girl.”
- 「Okami to Pride」 was given to Kumi because she was cute in 「Wimbledon」.
- Akimoto thought both 「Romance Rocket」 and 「Onnanoko no Dairokukan」 were plain when he wrote them.
- 「Pinocchio Gun」 is one song only SKE48 can perform, 「given how stupid or rather, furious」 it is.
Team KII Setlist. 1st stage 「Aitakatta」.
Akimoto - For me it’s the stage that turns the spotlight on the girls, in AKB48 already I wrote 「Nagisa no CHERRY」 to bring out Maeda Atsuko as a star. Then I had to wonder 「Who would get Maeda’s position?」 and such. That’s something I decided by consulting the staff.
Q - Do you proceed like 「If I give that position to that girl she will grow that way」, with a clear goal in mind?
Akimoto - No, no, nothing like that. For example, imagine you have lots of corn grains and you make them fry in a pan called “stage”. What I simply do is watch 「Oh, one popped over there?」「Oh, another one popped over here」. At first, I don’t have any clear objective. So even if I make a mistake, I watch over the result to see what “existence” came out.
2nd stage 「Te wo Tsunaginagara」 (interviewer calls it “SKE48’s soul”)
Digest
- “It’s difficult to have different teams in a same group performing the same stage. That was also from there that the rivalry between Team A and Team K arose. Questions like 「Who is getting Maeda’s position?」 「Who’s getting Kojima’s one?」 can’t be avoided.”
- “Certainly, Mukaida (Manatsu) who had the same position as Matsui Jurina got compared to her a lot”.
- Mukaida’s image grew different from Jurina’s one as she herself grew up and being compared to her (Jurina) all the time must have been hard.
- Akimoto recognizes he let that stage go for too long and remembers how Akane addressed him directly during 2011 elections, asking for an original stage.
KII 3rd stage 「Ramune no Nomikata」
Q- […] Takayanagi-san reported that the first time they heard the song of the same name, the whole team broke into tears. There is little doubt you actually wrote that song “specifically for KII to sing”, am I right?
Akimoto - No, actually I didn’t think that far.
Digest
- The hardest part in making a stage is to narrow down the selection to only 16 songs.
- “I’ve to choose among 1000 songs for the singles. I keep those I think would be interesting for stages and end up with around 100 songs. I think of an order and organize them. Once done, I start writing the lyrics”.
- “I sometimes change the songs order depending on the lyrics I come up with. Of course I keep the members in mind but the most important thing is to get the most perfect possible program as a whole. To achieve that, before inserting the lyrics, is probably the hardest part”.
- For example, initially 「Wimbledon」 was in 3rd position and I thought of including 「Disco Hokenshitsu」 in too.
- “I chose Hata (Sawako) for 「Kodoku na Ballerina」 after watching a demo-tape of her dancing.”
- 「Akushu no Ai」 is similar to B’s 「Theater no Megami」 or 「Shonichi」 : brings to reality, an abstract but important “concept”. Akimoto’s message to Akane and all the KII members he judged to be “too serious” via this song is 「Don’t be so much on the edge. If you don’t look on the long run, you’ll exhaust yourself.」
Team E 1st 「Pajama Drive」 (Last performance was celebrated one month before the interview).
Akimoto - Truth be told, Team E isn’t quite there yet. But that’s also part of AKB48 group concept, to show them progress.
Q - But isn’t 「Pajama Drive」 an extremely hard stage to start with?
Akimoto - But it’s also a very idol-fitting program, so it’s interesting, right? With cute song like 「Gokigen Naname na Mermaid」 or 「Hissatsu Teleport」 and more serious ones likes 「Inochi no Tsukaimichi」. I was looking forward to seeing how Team E was going to manage that gap.
SKE48’s future (complete, no digest)
Q - And now the Team E 1st stage has ended. We would also appreciate to see a new S stage soon. So I’d like to talk about SKE48’s future if you want…
Akimoto - Regarding an eventual original stage, right now I’m writing team N stage for NMB48. Next will be…. for Team S maybe….? I’m still not sure….
Q - We will look forward to it (laugh)! Also, in March during Saitama Super Arena concert, it was announced that Matsui Jurina and Watanabe Miyuki would respectively be temporarily transferred to Team K and Team B. Fans’ reactions have been really scattered. Some brought out that 「They’re from different groups, so why the rental?」 for example…
Akimoto - But, they all belong to one big group in the end. SKE48, NMB48, HKT48 too. If they are around for 6 or 7 years, I believe they will achieve the same popularity as AKB48. But it’s a process that takes time. That’s why I selected sister groups members, so they would be noticed 「This girl is cute! So that’s Watanabe Miyuki?」「Ah, so that’s Matsui Jurina?!」 , and from there I hope they will want to look into NMB48 or SKE48.
Q - Like when in 「Oogoe Diamond」 you put Matsui Jurina as double center with Maeda Atsuko, it raised SKE48’s degree of familiarity among the public, right?
Akimoto - At the time, AKB48 fans reacted with a 「Ehーー?!」. But I think that’s what triggered the passage of the group as major. Also, Jurina and Watanabe holding two posts at the time now is vital to the preparation of post-Jurina and post-Milky. Because anyone is meant to have a chance. It should stimulate Team S and Team N too.
Q - And then after the SSA announcement, you posted this astonishing message on Google+ 「If this decision turns out to be a mistake, I’ll resign from my position as SKE48 and NMB48 producer.」
Akimoto - … But I’m thinking 「If I cease to be their producer, won’t it finally allow the sister groups to be responsible for their individual finances?」.
Q - Ehh?!! Is that true?? Please don’t abandon them!
Akimoto - No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m including sister groups members in AKB48 senbatsu, I’m making sister groups members play in 「Majisuka Gakuen」but…. wouldn’t it be better if they were independent? For example, if another producer was to produce SKE48 and NMB48. If it was to happen, that would probably be interesting I think.
Q - God only knows how serious Akimoto-sensei was here…. What is sure however is that SKE48, NMB48 and AKB48 are all moving forward to a new, the 2nd, chapter of their history. What will become of SKE48 in this AKB48 group?
Whatever that might be, I’m looking forward to it!
The interview was given a few days before the elections results and seriously makes me regret even more she didn’t rank higher than last year ( ._.). But she proves again that she has a strong will and is determined to reach higher. I’m proud of you, Rena’chi….even if that right pic scares me / o\
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Cover Girl Matsui Rena.
- Until now you appeared several time on cover of our magazine, but today is your first time by yourself!
Matsui - I’m thankful for this opportunity. Lately I’ve been in WeeklyPB’s care a lot. Like last week when you released 「Whole SKE48 Special」.
- Don’t mention it. We are the ones who need to thank you. Was there any article that particularly caught your attention?
Matsui - Without surprise, the Jurina interview. I was wondering on my side 「Is Jurina too feeling the same about me?」. For example she said how in 「Gomen ne, SUMMER」 if we don’t perform it together the heart shaped hand sign won’t come out nicely, I was also thinking the same, so I was like 「Ah, so that wasn’t just me… Oh, and she is also telling that story!」. Somehow, it made me really happy. And there was also (Sato) Seira’s gravure! She really worked hard there! I also enjoyed the stories about the time when we auditioned 「They really remember all those details about that time?!」. It was really a splendid issue. Again, thank you very much.
- Thank you for the supplementary publicity (laugh). The long awaited general elections are right across the corner…
Matsui - This isn’t limited to the elections, but lately the younger girls have been raising, don’t they? I’m really grateful to have been selected to be part of AKB48 「Manatsu no Sounds Good」, but this time, we were divided between new and old and were placed in order from both new team and old team top. And among the members of the old team my position was extraordinarily in the back. When I stand there… I saw countless people’s back. Then I really felt 「I need to go higher! I have to fight more no matter what!」. Everyday I want to progress in dancing, singing, performing. There are many fields where I’m unskilled. But if you look at it from another angle, it also means those are places where I can grow. From now on I’ll keep growing, step by step.
Rumors #2 and #3 for the Weekly Playboy SKE special. Part 01 here.
This time : hentais and fashion! Enjoy~
p.s : for those wondering what kancho is. Illustrated version.
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Rumor 02 - Deguchi Ai . Furukawa Airi . Ogiso Shiori the 3 unique 「Hentai sisters」?!
「Among SKE48 members, there are 2 perverts.」 When reading this, there is probably a lot of fans who instinctively know who that refers to.
The 1st one, whose unusual perversity has suddenly surfaced lately, is Team S Deguchi Aki. Even though she is the eldest of her team, she chases after the other member “ass”, to say things clearly.
Yagami - Whenever she has the chance Akisun (Deguchi) will feel up the member butt who pass near her. Not only backstage. During the stage performances when we’re facing the audience, if one lean over in front of her, she immediately receives kancho….
Team S Hiramatsu Kanako - During some songs I stand in front of Aki-chan and she will always try to kancho me. I’m so scared now that when I move I try to hide my butt… It’s not yet an hindrance to the performance but maybe things have been going a bit too far lately.
One by one stories about Deguchi kanchos came to my attention. But it appears that she doesn’t go equally after all butts. Let’s hear the testimony of her favorite prey.
Team S Kuwabara Mizuki - When I face the audience and bow, it seems that she is always watching attentively. I was really shocked when I heard this. Also this year for my birthday the present I received from Aki-chan was a set of underwears, bra and panties…. And the size were perfect! How comes? I guess after looking at me so much she ended up figuring my measurement. Scary.
One is to wonder what on earth is the message implied by the choice of such a present….
But there is another pervert, of a whole other type, in SKE 48 : Team KII Furukawa Airi.
She has been rewarded of the of the title of 「Tranquil and Safe Pervert」by Team S Nakanishi Yuka. Why calling her that?
Nakanishi - If Deguchi inflicts direct damages to those around her, Furukawa is the introvert type, both tranquil and safe. But if you ask me whom of the two is the most perverted, I’d say Furukawa.
Team S Kinoshita Yukiko - Airi-san’s hobbies are really on the dangerous side! The last day she was reading a book with a really cute girl on the cover. When I asked her 「Can you show it to me?」 she replied 「It’s too early for you to read those things」. Then I think I noticed a yellow mark on the cover saying “Adultsonly”.
Our two top hentai are definitely playing in different leagues. But while I was interrogating the members, the name of another sort of pervert surfaced : Team K II Ogiso Shiori.
Everything started in February of this year with the intervention of Kuwabara Mizuki during a certain TV program. During the live broadcasting she faced the camera and suddenly shouted 「Ogiso~! Making blue jokes~?!」. With this her secret was brought to light and all sorts of reports regarding Ogiso’s comportment backstage could be heard.
Team S Takada Shiori - In the dressing room, if there is a conversation slightly related to “that”, you can be sure Ogi-chan will pop-up from nowhere to take part in it. And then she makes such an happy face….
Team KII Mukaida Manatsu - In KII we have members who are only 15 like Akaeda Ririna and Ishida Anna. Those girls don’t even know the signification of “this word” yet, you see. So when they asked around, visibly very interested, everybody pretended not to know. Except for Ogiso Shiori who explained it to them. In detail.
Matsumoto - Ogiso? A real dirty jokes machin.
If this wasn’t enough, the other day during a stage performance an astonishing information was disclosed. Abiru Riho, from the same team, revealed that Ogiso herself told her that 「in middle school I was called “pervy-kid” (tln : シモ子/shimoko in the text)」. Supposing this story is true, we have to deal with a natural born pervert!
But this direct hit might have been too much for the person concerned.
Ogiso - (flustered) There was indeed a time when people called me that but… it’s not that I particularly like the subject… you could say that’s part of my studies about human life… rather than saying I “like” those stories, it’s more like I have “interest” in them, which is slightly different. So…. well…
Seeing her eyes filling with tears I decided as a journalist to stop my investigations there.
Deguchi, Furukawa, Ogiso, the 3 “perverse in their own way” sisters. Even if they have their differences, the 3 were a pleasure to tease.
Rumor 03 - About the conditions to enter Takada Shiori and Kinoshita Yukiko’s secretive organization : 「The fashion studies association」.
2D enthusiasts association, Idols studies association, etc. there are a lot of various circles in SKE48. Among them the Fashion studies association has gained a sudden and still growing influence lately.
First, what is the Fashion studies association about?
Yagami - If I’m not mistaken, Shitan (Takada Shiori) is the president and Yukko (Kinoshita Yukiko) vice-president. Those two dress only with good taste, they’re really stylish. With them it’s Paris fashion week everyday. They look totally like two foreigners.
Without delay I decided to enter in contact with those two.
Q - Are you indeed the two who established that association?
Takada - Yes, we are. When I asked Yukko 「Would you be interested in forming a fashion studies assocation with me 」, she was really enthusiast and accepted right away.
Kinoshita - I immediately invited (Hiramatsu) Kanako-san, and the club was formed.
Q - What kind of activities do you usually have?
Kinoshita - Members of the association pick a theme and we appear in accordance with it for handshake events. I like rock-style clothes, but sometime I like wearing something more “sweet”. I learn a lot listening to everyone responses.
Takada - Right now we have 7 members, all with different lineage. Kana-chan follows a sweet style, Kaotan (kenkyusei - Matsumura Kaori) is in the cosplay aficionado etc. As for myself, I like to use second hand clothes or accessories. When there are sales at the second hand shop, I can find clothes for 400 yen or so, I’m so happy then!
Including Takada and Kinoshita, the current members of the club are Hiramatsu, Yakata, Matsumura, Team S - Oya Masana, kenkyusei - Mizuno Onoka, Kaneko (formal admission pending). Without any doubt, all kind of fashions cohabit in this association.
Yakata - I’m often asked 「Why did you bought that?」, I really like things out of the ordinary. I feel more at ease when I wear that and when I spot clothes with a weird design in town I instinctively want to get them.
But what about Oya joining the club when she was told by a fan once 「Those clothes don’t suit you」?
Takada - We are a sports oriented studies association so as long as one wants to seriously study how to be elegant and has the necessary motivation, she can join.
Maybe is it due to this “motivation”, but lately Oya’s fashion has indeed evolve.
Hata - Oya suddenly became elegant. Because you see, now she puts her pants in her boots. It’s boots in. Before she wore them plainl—- no, I’m just going to say the “Snow White” (tln : would rather say “Cinderella” in English, before she turn into a princess of course) like impression she gave before has changed quite significantly.
At this point, it seemed that indeed, anybody with enough motivation to become elegant, would see the doors of the associations open for her. That’s at least what the club representatives were claiming… But there, a suspicious rumour came to my ears.
Nakanishi - I’ve heard that Ume-chan (Team E - Umemoto Madoka) said to Shiitan 「I want to join the fashion studies association too」…. But there Mii (Kuwabara) retorted her 「You’ve no fashion sense at all, do you? If you were to join, the fashion club would look weird」. Even though Mii isn’t a member of the association.
If that isn’t an intolerable way to butt in!
Takada - But when she said that aloud, I came to think 「She is right in a sense」…
Kinoshita - Even if you’re not elegant, as long as you like fashion you can join but thinking about it, I had never heard Ume-chan say she had any interest in fashion….
Our two leaders hold strong when confronted to this story. But I also needed to ask why did Kuwabara gave her opinion regarding the association affairs?
Kinoshita - I think it’s because of the dance club. When myself, Mii-chan and Makiko-san (kenkyusei - Saito Makiko) were discussing about forming a dance club, Takada-san even though she had no much motivation asked 「Please let me join」….
Takada - I went as far as to say 「Even gofer is ok!」, and even then I was rejected (bitter smile). But it’s possible that while she turned me down flatly, it might have been too rough on Ume-chan.
So, in the end, Kuwabara has no ties whatsoever with the fashion association, right? SKE48 club system is quite complex. From now on, I’ll keep a watchful eye on the members movements.
Article from Weekly Playboy special SKE48. Sort of “investigation” regarding Jurina’s kissing habits and RenAi. Quite fun, though I wish they had spared us the very last remark =3=’
note: the article mentioned Mikitty as the 4th member Jurina didn’t kissed. However in the picture it’s clearly nnnManatsu raising her hand and Mikitty wasn’t even at this HS event. So yeah, corrected that.
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Rumor 01
Shattering 「Backstage love drama」. Intragroup love affairs disclosed!!
Hearts soften at the sight of mark of affection displayed between young girls. However, when those marks of affection happen between top idols in active duty and when they push their camaraderie “beyond reasonable limits”, isn’t the heart of fans thrown out of order?
In this regard, in SKE48 the member who is by far the source of most thrills is none other that Team S, Matsui Jurina. Her who has been given the infamous title for an idol of “Kissing monster”, has extent her grasp on the whole group.
Team E - Kimoto Kanon
The first time she really took me aback. She was sitting next to me in the bus, we were chatting normally and out of the blue “chu”…
Team S - Kizaki Yuria
When she is in a good day, Jurina-san is all over the place. It’s like she had been raised abroad (tln : alt -> like if she was a foreigner). Even though she is a purebred child of Nagoya! Besides she launches surprise attacks so there is no way to counter her….
It’s not clear how far the voice of the victims can be heard. However, during an handshake event which took place in January this year, among the 16 members who were standing on stage, it was revealed that only 4 didn’t received Jurina’s “baptism”.
Those were Team KII Matsumoto Rina, Hata Sawako, Mukaida Manatsu and Team E Kaneko Shiori.
Team S Yagami Kumi, who has been side by side with Jurina since the establishment of SKE48, gives us some light in the issue.
Yagami
If the other party is firm, if it looks like she will reject her, even Jurina won’t tempt anything. Because she knows she might upset the person. Jurina too has a certain faculty to sense danger.
I see, so the explanation lies in the consent of the other party…. However, even though Yagami gave us this “favorable” interpretation, a few minutes later she was turning Jurina down, kindly but firmly.
Kaneko
After the event that day backstage, Jurina-san suddenly drew close to me…. I tried rejecting her 「No no no no」 but…. Like the most natural thing on Earth, she landed a kiss on my cheek.
This is certainly an uncompromising kissing monster, unforgiving of any “leftover”. But even such a girl seems to have a special someone.
Mukaida
Churi-san (Team KII Takayanagi Akane) and Jurina seem to be the “real deal”. Even when Jurina-san is busy kissing other members here and there, she keeps asking around 「Haven’t seen Churi?」. When they’re together, sometimes Churi seats in Jurina’s lap…. I should stop here, if was to say more than this…
To sort this affair out, it appears further investigations will be necessary.
Beside, while I was gathering information I heard of another intriguing rumor.
The relationship between Team S Matsui Rena and Team KII Furukawa Airi.
Originally, Furukawa entered SKE48 as an admirer of MatsuiR, the relation between them started with this “longing gaze”. But today, it has progressed to reach a whole different level.
That’s at least what Team S Nakanishi Yuka has been secretly thinking.
Nakanishi
The other day I plied Furukawa with questions. Notably 「If Rena was to propose you “Let’s go out”, what would you do? 」. Then Furukawa clearly said 「Of course I would go out with her」. But that girl becomes shy in front of Rena and she loses all her means (bitter smile).
From what I’ve seen, if Furukawa was to “man up” a bit more and press Rena, those two would immediately go out together I think.
That close to cling but not yet clinging… Wait, are we in 「Kimi ni Todoke」 or what?!
As a journalist I wanted to go deeper in the subject but I had to bear with my curiosity and close my notebook here. Ah, adolescence is such a sublime thing. But, no matter how much you exult/celebrate youth between comrade, you’d better not forget the rule prohibiting love.
Weekly Playboy SKE special - Jurina interview regarding Rena.
Edit : better scan and translation fixed.
(Scan or rather photo for page 2 (left) was of crappy quality so I’ll check/complete the translation once something better is out there. Page 1 is fine tho and very little miss in page 2. Couldn’t find scans (which I could use without losing too much of my sight) for Rena interview yet. Soon hopefully.)
That said, enjoy some sweet JR talk and Jurina’s ardent spirit as SKE leader!(p`･ω･´q)
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Q - First, as our readers may know, not to further damage your physical condition you had to spend some time in the hospital. Congratulation on your discharge!
Jurina - From the bottom of my heart, I apologize for causing everyone troubles and worries.
Q - No, you didn’t cause any trouble to anyone. Fans can only rejoice you came back to them in good health. I imagine you thought about a lot of thing while hospitalized?
Jurina - First, to recover fast, to be able to meet with the fans, I also wanted to see the members. I always think so, but to have my body in bad shape like this, I further realized how lucky I was to be part of SKE48 and to able to do this job. That’s when you lose something that you realize how important it was, right? So even if I somehow regret I had to rest, this time also allowed me to remember that 「I’m glad to be part of SKE48」.
Q - At the time, when you had been admitted to the hospital, lying horizontally on your bed and fixating the ceiling of your room, what came to your mind?
Jurina - I was picturing my healthy-self dancing. Thinking 「I want to rapidly go back to be as much in good health as back then」, or even 「To say I could move with such energy」. When I entered the hospital, my body wouldn’t move at all. As much as possible I tried not to think of anything, but of course I ended up thinking of a lot of things. Like 「How are the members doing?」, or the face of fans would come back to my mind…
Q - When Jurina-chan couldn’t attend the handshake event, I took a picture with her life-size panel.
Jurina - Eh? What are you talking about?
Q - SKE management had prepared a life-size panel of Jurina. Fans could take a picture standing next to it, and on it we all wrote jointly 「Get better soon」.
Jurina - Eh… I feel like I’m going to cry…. Really, I’m thankful…. I’m really glad I was able to come back.
Q - We are all extremely happy too. Now, this issue is a special SKE48 one, we will hear your thoughts on Rena and she will tell us about you, we will also discuss the future of SKE48. What role does Rena-chan plays in Jurina-chan’s life?
Jurina - Hum… We’re called “rivals”, but I think that even though that may be surprising for some, that’s not the case. Though we are compared a lot by people around us. It’s strange but when I’m in bad shape Rena-chan’s condition is good and when Rena-chan feels sick, I’m ok. We probably think about each other 「Ah, Rena-chan can’t keep on, I need to do my best!」.
Q - Could it be, mutual love?? By the way, what image did you have of Rena-chan when you first met her? (tln : 相思相愛, literally mean “mutual love” or “reciprocal affection”, the person conducting the interview went slightly overboard here if you ask me ^^”)
Jurina - Hum… 「So thin!」. At first seeing how slander she was I said to myself 「If she tries to dance she will break!」.
Q - Certainly (laugh). But nowadays she has become remarkably sturdy…
Jurina - But Rena-chan was always strong in my opinion. It’s just that lately it has become apparent.
Q - What do you mean by strong?
Jurina - She has a strong will, she understands herself fully, she does things right… I don’t judge of my own limits well, so I go all out and end up destroying my physical condition…. I think of myself as really weak. Rena-chan in the other hand understand herself 100%, but she goes to 120% of her capacities and gains experience, grows from that. This true “strength”, is n°1 in all SKE48 in my opinion. Also….
Q - Yes?
Jurina - This is something I honestly feel toward Rena-chan, is it ok to talk about it here?
Q - Of course, of course. Go ahead. That’s today’s topic! What do you have in mind?
Jurina - …. Lately, I’ve really come to think 「She is so cute」!
Q - Ohhh! (laugh)
Jurina - I’ve always think that way when we were standing next to each other, but lately she has become even more feminine in my eyes. Some time ago during 「1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!」 lesson she was so cute, 「(you’re) so cute」slip out my mouth before I could help it. And then she reacted by being very embarrassed and shy.
Q - Anybody would obviously shy away! (laugh)
Jurina - But Rena-chan also told me suddenly 「As I thought, I really love you Jurina」. That was also during 「1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!」 rehearsal, but during the climax part we shake hand with the member next to us. At that time she also told me 「It’s embarrassing but, if my partner isn’t Jurina during Yoroshiku I can’t calm down」. During concerts or other events, we perform Yoroshiku! with other members, so when we finally stood next to each other to perform it, she said that to me.
Q - What is this I’m hearing? It’s like you gently confessed to each other!
Jurina - And then, the 「gently to the heart~♥」 part in 「Gomen ne, SUMMER」, we need to form a heart with our hands. If I don’t do it with Rena-chan, the heart will crack and it won’t come out nicely!
Q - It sounds like a middle-aged couple!
Jurina - But that’s what it’s like. When we meet, I don’t cling to her. Maybe that’s why. But when we stand on stage, then we are reminded that we are irreplaceable to each other.
Q - I see. Now, can you tell us about your thoughts on the future of SKE48?
Jurina - Lately I’ve been thinking that of course I want to push SKE48 higher but I also need to learn from the members.To learn from them, rely on them.
Q - To let the members have a good influence (?) on you…
Jurina - Hum. For example from Kuwabara Mizuki-chan or Kinoshita Yukiko-chan. The performances they deliver are of top quality. Since KII received its original stage I also noticeｄ the incredible spirit of its members. I felt a danger which made me realise I didn’t want to lose to them. There is also Makiko (research student Makiko Saito). She performed with Team S and she was really incredible. The last day, I couldn’t perform but I was following the stage via a monitor, then I noticed there was someone who constantly caught my eyes 「Eh? Who’s that?」 and it turn out it was Makiko. 「But, she is not in Team S!」, what I felt then was close from frustration. I want to stand on the same stage than her. I really hope she joins Team S.
Q - About your goal for this year?
Jurina - For the time being, my rental to Team K has been decided, so there are many things I want to challenge. Because I’m from SKE there is a lot for me to learn, I trust all SKE members to support me, I believe it will make me someone stronger!
Q - Team K Akimoto Sayaka-san and Oshima Yuko-san too said before 「I (We) want to try and stand on the same stage as SKE48 and dance together」.
Jurina - It makes me super happy! I’ll learn a lot and I want to bring this power back to SKE. For the sake of bringing SKE higher!
「なんてったって、栄ドル」byれなひょん♡ A frog with no recollection of the 1st time it saw SKE perform live in early 2011... Making up for it now? Maybe.
