On 13th October 2020, the screen switched to show the pre-show slideshow. The pictures are the same as the one they showed yesterday, so I didn't pay much attention to it as before, but I remember having a bigger feeling of restlessness and anxiousness. I glanced to see the time displayed on my phone, and there's not much time from the start of the show. Then something struck me.
I always joked to friends that because I've been following Keyaki since literally the first day they started, I'll be following them until the day they ended.
Well, today is that day. Literally.
I'm not embarrassed to admit that I cried a little as the sense of realization sets in, then calm myself as much as I could right before the start of the show.
One year passed since then, and now we are here again. 13th October 2021.
To be absolutely frank, I enjoy following Sakurazaka46. The last time I feel something like this was 2016 until maybe late mid-2017. Since then, as you are already aware, a lot of things happened, and there was always this sense of being on the edge, a feeling that the members described as being "standing on the edge of a cliff that could crumble at any moment". You have absolutely no idea where will they go, what will happen to them. I thought that these feelings might be something one can only experience when following Keyakizaka, both in a good and bad way.
Personally, every time they are performing, I always feel worried about how it's going to be. Will Techi be alright? Will she perform "well"? Because Keyaki put so much focus on the Center in their choreography, how the Center performs will influence the entire performance, or how the group is seen. There was a reason as to why in fan reports people would note in particular whether Techi was "awakened" or not.
The international Keyakizaka fandom itself wasn't entirely good, everyone once a day the fans would be fighting each other over some opinion, and I shared my own moments of "debating" with bullheaded fans (Talking strictly about Keyaki fandom here).
Now, the feeling of crisis and impatience is still there, the same with the feeling of an unknown future, but now it has a more positive vibe to it. The girls are searching for their own dreams and goals, with 1st gen finally started thinking more about themselves, and 2nd generation dreaming of big things already.
When I watch - translate the third episode of MTV Inside (in particular the part where new 2nd gen talked about their image of ideal idols and their future goals and dreams) and documentary interview (in particular Yuipon's and Yuuka's), I reaffirmed my feelings that the renaming is a good choice.
Actually, I think that in the general their vibe and choice of words have gradually become brighter and positive since the renaming has been announced. There is so much translated content from Keyaki that you can go back to pre-debut content and trace their changes and history until Last Live and experience the changes yourself. Sometimes I wished I archived my Twitter translations better...
But yeah. Sometimes I even wondered if SF is treating Keyakizaka like some tragedy porn. But now Yuuka stopped apologizing every other week, and reading - seeing her excitedly talk about the changes in the group and 2kisei's future growth is just heartwarming. When she was selected as Captain in 2017, she and Akanen vowed to make Keyakizaka a group where each person could shine. That was a vision that she always carry over the years, mentioning it from time to time in different places, and I think she felt that she can finally make it come true now.
I personally think that this also made it easier for me to translate their interviews. It's less darker, less serious, less depressing. Sure I'm just translating their words, but it can be really stressful, and sometimes even painful.
Being honest again, the most stressful thing is probably translating Techi. Most of the time it's not because what the content itself, but the demand. I know that there are people who have the tendency to just go and jump to whatever translation came out first, even if they are not entirely accurate, and it's really annoying when that mistranslation results in an unnecessary drama (i.e what Techi said about the documentary).
What's worse is that sometimes there are people who like to translate in bias, making Techi appear much more "perfect" and entirely in the right. Not that it's something hard to do when the media helped to deify her into this prodigy, artistic genius.
Oh, for the record: I still like Techi.
Mistranslation works the same way as hoax / misinformation in general. Once it's been published and reached a large number of people, the correct translation / information might not be read by the same amount of people. The people who are misinformed might never see the correction ones and will continue to believe in the wrong information. This is also the reason why Sakuzaka Central was created. To combat the misinformation that often happens from people mistranslating things or accepting matome sources as fact.
Note: Matome sources is just like, a collection of opinion from internet forums like 2ch / 4ch. They are handpicked by the matome admins. It's like, going to Reddit and handpick some interesting comments on an issue to publish as an article.
It's sad that something as big and unthinkable as "renaming" become the best option for the group and the girls, that leaving Keyakizaka46 behind is the "good" option. But this option will also, to borrow what the girls said, "left it beautiful as it is".
BACKS LIVE showed new possibilities from the group, and I think that this is the group that both the members and fans have always wanted. Has always dreamed of. But now it's here, it's possible. Or perhaps it's already here and blooming already. The graduated members are all starting to get busy with each of their own activities as well, becoming a more established celebrity or even start their own businesses, so much that Sakusen admins are getting overwhelmed by the number of activities (We could use more help, don't be afraid to volunteer!).
After years, I think that both the girls and fans could truly look forward to the future. Things are actually getting better, slowly.
Even now, there are still a lot of discussions about what Sakurazaka qualities are. Sometimes you see people going like, "There are so different, it's so far from Keyakizaka" or "What's the point of renaming if they are going to do this?".
Park Yu, a YouTuber who comments on idol songs, described the change from Keyakizaka and Sakurazaka well: "Idolfication". You can see that they still retain the artisticness in their group picture, CD jacket, performance, but at the same time, their music becomes more "Idol-like" especially as they explore so many different genres of music.
And then, of course, all is left at the hands of the producers (Aki-P included) and executives in the management to which direction they want to build the group in. When you read OSRIN's BRODY interview, it shows that the management still cares about the artistic side by giving them more freedom in building the image of the group through group pictures and CD covers, they even allow OSRIN to make their own set of costumes to wear!! I think this result shows in Nagaredama, everything is just so *chef's kiss* with their image as a group slowly coming out to the surface and getting clearer to see with every release.
In terms of music, perhaps there is not something that we can all say "This!" at yet, like what we could do with Keyakizaka and Silent Majority and Fukyouwaon. Karin hoped that they can at least found the "broken pieces" in the progress of building it, and I think we found the little pieces in Nagaredama as well. In any case, I look forward to 4th that will fully mark their 1 year.
Only a year has passed but I'm already able to look at "Keyakizaka" in a far more objective manner than I ever did, the good and the bad. So I think that no matter what are the things that we thought of right now, the true legacy of what "Keyakizaka" was, of what "Keyakizaka" left, I think is something that we can only see in another four years or so.
The biggest realization is how I realize that I feel that I took everything for granted, because who would expect all those things to happen? I just know that I have to appreciate this second chance, and support the girls in their journey of climbing a new slope. Personally, that is what drives me to help to organize #BloomSakurazaka and the Times Square project.
I want to cherish them more.
PS: Thanks to the friends who encouraged me to publish this.
Tops
BalasHapus