Translated with @keishizaka
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6yxDEvm3Z85NYBoTBPM80O?si=flEPQgDOSsSV2mvRuiFL5Q&nd=1&dlsi=5858065dd519473b
Matsuri: Since this is "Kobayashi Yui Graduation Concert", what did you guys feel when she first announced it?
Hono: Wasn't Rei-chan shown in the VTR?
Rei: I was! I didn't know that I cried that much until I saw the VTR. Of course, at first, I felt sad about it, everyone was sad, weren’t they?
Matsuri: Yeah, I started to feel it even more during the rehearsal
Matsuri: I’m usually the one who says something during the group cheer, but since it was her last concert, she said a thing or two like... Rather than thinking of the concert as a way to end things for herself, as a Sakurazaka concert, it’s a way for the group to establish itself… Nnn I can't really explain it well, but she said something of the sort. Until the very end, she really thought about the group and each of the members more than herself. It really left an impression on me, all the while we were like, "Uh, but this concert IS for you, Yui-san!!?". She was so cool until the end.
Hono pointed out how in the VTR that shows Yuipon's history, at first 2ki wasn't present, and then they started appearing in it. "It was really moving to think of how in every moment we've been ever since entering the group, Yuipon-san has always been there as well, she's been watching us all the time."
Rei pointed out that the way they started the concert, and Jamaica Beer, was very similar to how Yuipon returned from her hiatus by appearing from the middle of the stage.
Hono: My position is close to Yuipon-san in Masatsukeisuu, but this time it's a special version where she always stays in the middle, so it made me sad how I can't sense her presence near me!! When I told her that, she laughed!
Apparently, Danzetsu wasn't practiced a lot during rehearsal because most of the original line-up is still intact. Songs with big changes in choreo were prioritized during the rehearsal. Hono said they did practice it during dress rehearsal and it made her happy to see how everyone still memorized the choreo
They are sad that that first costume was only worn for three songs and hope they can wear it again if there are other opportunities in the future
They said that because Samidare yo is not an intense song, they have more chances to deeply think about the lyrics. Hono said she loves the facial expressions everyone shows when performing.
They like the special arrangement where Yu and Kira hide Hikaru behind them, and then "open up" as if they are the subway door that leads into ShuuChika. It's been a while since they performed it so they practiced it a lot to make sure that they were synchronized
Kira, Inoue, and Matsuri fought all the time while rehearsing Sentakumono because Kira would throw her weight on their arms in one part of the song, which according to Hono and Rei was really funny. Matsuri said they managed to resolve it and did it well during the actual performance
Hono said that when they did the group cheer, Yuipon said that she wanted to meet eyes with everyone while performing
Hono: Especially for Boku no La Vien Rose, I tried my best to watch where she was looking so our eyes would naturally meet, and Yuipon-san was really smiling that it made me so happy and gave me the oof
Rei: I watched the performance through the monitor backstage, and everyone had such a wonderful smile that I cried. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun
Matsuri: I get it!! Everyone looked like they were having so much fun and seeing Yui-san smile was like, made me the happiest!
Inoue and Matsuri asked 1ki (Fuuchan?) how to do the headbang at the start of Abunakkashi but they had so much fun doing it that the difference between their headbang and the others’ is visible in the video of the performance lol
Hono said that all this time, they fold their towels in half and half again to twirl and swing it that way. The stage director said that was the shortest towel they had seen getting swung around in concert. Even the members thought it wasn’t spinning properly because it was short so they only folded it in half once and they could feel the difference in the centrifugal force.
Anthem time
Hono: It was so emotional... I've been thinking about it since I saw the setlist, but if your oshimen sang this song when she's about to graduate...!
Rei: Feelings overflow
Hono: Yeah, it felt that way for the members too
Rei: I thought that the song would be meaningful for 3ki when the time comes for them, but to see it actually performed by Yui-san made the lyrics resonate even stronger
Hono: With her sparkling smile too
Rei: Like, there's a part of the lyric that goes "Etch in their memories that such a member was there". I was like, "You’ll be etched!!!"
Rei: The song too, just with the addition of Yui-san suddenly sounded more mature
Hono: 3ki's singing voice sounds so bright and cheerful, which I love, but then it added Yuipon-san's voice
Rei: It sounded different
Matsuri pointed out how Yuipon was the one who spoke during Buddies’ interlude
Hono: Right before the performance, I was backstage with Yuipon-san and she was looking at her phone memo, and she was like, "I can't memorize all of these~!"
Rei: So cute~
Hono: Even during the rehearsal, she would try to say as much as she remembered and then she said-- Ah, what did she say again? But it was something like, "I'll say the rest during the actual show~"
Rei-Matsuri; She did say it lol
They talked about how members competed to be in Yuipon's line of sight and get her attention and to make it "worse", they had to compete with the fans too!
Hono: Speaking of which, when I saw the look of the audience who carried Yuipon-san's towel.. they looked so sparkling it struck my heart. I ended up looking at them instead!
Matsuri: They all had such a good look on their faces
Rei: You could tell that they were really watching over her
Guuzen
Matsuri: Zono really left an impact
Rei: It has become a memorable song for me. The bridge between the 1st and 2nd chorus was extended, and we had a scene where the two of us walked on our own. While we were rehearsing, Takahiro-sensei said, "As you walk, look at Kobayashi". And I was like, "Right, I got it...". I thought if I performed it while seeing Yui-san as the person I love, I would want to hold her hand, but I kept wondering whether to do it even until the middle of the performance itself
Rei: It was also decided that I would be running ahead of her to reach the center stage first, so if I held her hand and wouldn’t let go I wouldn’t be able to make it.In the end... I couldn't hold her hand...
Rei said that even in the dressing room Takahiro would discuss Guuzen with her about the meaning of the song and choreography. She says that if they didn’t discuss it, she would just perform it with a junior-senior relationship in mind and end up being a crying mess. So she’s glad that Takahiro explained the meaning and that she was able to perform and express the feelings of romantic love.
They said Sakurazuki made all members want to cry since the time of rehearsals
Hono said that it started with the members making a clock, but Yuipon then walked out of it
Hono: The hand of the clock moved...!
Rei - Matsuri: Stop itttt
Rei: And then in the middle of the song, during “When I grow up...” she disappeared!
Hono: We knew about it already but I was still shocked. When I saw the performance video I was like, "omg she's gone!?"
Rei: She grew up…
Matsuri: The lighting and things along with her facial expression really made it amazing
Rei: Seeing her disappear was the most painful part
Matsuri: Seeing that actually expressed there made me realize that she won't be here from now on
Hono: When I saw the footage, looking at everyone perform from the last chorus after Yuipon-san disappeared… Of course, it’s sad, and imagining what it’ll be like without her… I don’t know why but looking at the member’s faces, I thought if it’s everyone then things will be fine Rei: Everyone is looking toward the future
Hono: Yeah I was being all emotional on my own like, "Ah we can do it, things will be okay"
In the setlist, the songs performed from Nobody’s Fault onwards were very Sakurazaka-like. Even if it was Yuipon’s graduation concert to send her off, she also wanted it to be enjoyed as a Sakurazaka concert itself.
BAN was heavily modified so it could be performed at 360 degrees which made it difficult for the members since they would be facing different directions than usual
Members were shocked by the sudden BANG at the start of Start Over! even if they knew it was coming lol
Hono: The scene with Karin-chan and Yuipon-san is always present in the song, but this is the first time they pretty much recreated the MV. You could tell how both Yuipon-san and Karin-chan cherish that part and do it with care, and they would talk about how to do it for different performances and concerts. In her final concert, you can see that they really gave it their all for that part, and I'm reminded of how special this scene is for them
Rei: We could see them from the main stage, and like... they looked like they were in a different world, and when we ran to where they were it felt like we wanted to quickly get to where they were as well
Hono: When the make-up artist saw D1's performance, they said, "Sakurazaka is a theater!" with a big grin on their face. They said it looked like a movie. It made me happy that we could create something like that not just in our MVs, but also in our live performances as well, and that’s just one of the things that Yuipon-san's presence helped to draw out... It was super crazy
Hono: The facial expressions in their hug during Start Over looked different between D1 and D2
Rei: It made me think, "Oh, it's really the last one"
Hono: And the hug in D2 wasn’t sad but it was like... like... ahh! How to describe it!?
Hono: They were laughing! They were smiling!
Rei: It didn't even look like a "this is fun" smile
Hono: It looked more like, "Ah! How glad I am to be alive!"
Sukimakaze yo
Rei said she probably cried the most here
Rei: We started with our backs facing the front while Yui-san opened with a solo dance and we could see her on the monitor, but I didn’t look at it. If I looked, I don’t think I could’ve handled it
Hono: When I saw Yui-san's past footage, I was like, "Oh no, these things are becoming the past, even this moment will come to be the past"
Rei: Ever since Yui-san announced her graduation, I couldn't bring myself to listen to this song. But ever since her grad con, I could start listening to it again
KimiSayo
Rei: The long-awaited [solo song]
Hono: When I heard that she would be getting a solo song, I wondered what kind of song it would be like. When I listened to it, I was like, “SO IT’S LIKE THIS??!”. It feels like an old song that makes you feel sad
Matsuri: Her performance was amazing. It reminded me once again of how great Yui-san is. Performing on your own is surely difficult to do, but you don't feel that at all from her performance. Despite Yui-san performing alone, she could draw everyone in and she turned the venue into her own. It makes me sad that we won’t be able to see it again, but I feel really glad to have been able to see her solo performance. She was so beautiful
Rei: Her voice!! It was so good
Matsuri: Yeah, singing it alone seems hard too
Hono: It was so stable
Matsuri: For real, it didn’t shake
Hono: I love that dance too
Matsuri: Her dress looked beautiful too. She looked great in it
Time Machine
Matsuri: I love this song. It’s so fun I wish they could perform it all the time
Hono: It’s sad how their number continues to decrease
Matsuri: Right, every time it's performed… It makes us feel like, “Nooo 1ki-san…!!”. But it makes us happy to see 1ki-san having fun while performing it
Hono said during the dress rehearsal in the lesson place, 1ki rehearsed the trolley part by walking around the place. 2ki and 3ki watched them, and Inoue and Chuke tried to get noticed by waving their hands a lot and such and got a lot of fanservice from 1ki
Matsuri: We do that often, don’t we? Whenever the 1kis are practicing, the 2kis get a lot of fanservice since we’re all huge fans
Hono: They always play along with us, don’t they? 1kis are so kind too!
Matsuri: They are so warm, funny, and kind! Like, how they responded to us!!
Hono: Seeing that from the side made me happy and think again about how nice Sakurazaka is.
They hope that this grad con could be a memory for both fans and members, it might be sad, but if there’s a part that you thought was fun it will surely make both Yuipon and members happy about it.
QA from fans
Q What part touched you personally or what moment was your favorite?
Rei: Can I talk about what part touched me? In Guuzen no Kotae, until now there’s a certain part in the choreo where you wonder if I reach out and hold Yui-san’s hand, but in the end, I don’t hold it. It’s in the “Wow… Wow…” of the first verse, where we spread our arms and palms out, but on D2 I gathered the courage to hold Yui-san’s hand… and she held it back!! That really moved me, and I’d be happy to know if someone noticed it!!
Matsuri: For me, it was during D1’s Omosabi. I suddenly had to enter the position given to me, but there was a part that I rapped with Yui-san, and it was the best feeling to have our eyes meet and do it. I was so happy.
Rei: I heard Matsu asking her right before the show and it was so cute
Matsuri: I thought it wouldn’t look nice if our part turned out a bit messy, so it would be perfect if our eyes met. So I asked Yui-san, “Could you please meet me in the eyes?” But there were a lot of things going on, so I thought it would be a troublesome request, and it would be okay if she didn’t do it, but during the performance she really did it! I thought she was too much of a pro for that! I’m glad
Hono: Everything was touching… but like seeing Yuipon-san giving her speech at the end, and seeing her thanking various people… and the part before that where her past pictures were shown was where I was moved the most. Not just on that day, but there are times when even if everyone feels sad and cries, Yuipon-san is always calm. That’s how she usually is, so when I saw that, I thought that I’d definitely like to send her off in the same way. That’s why I was moved by everything
Rei: She always had a refreshed look on her face
Matsuri: Right, you could tell that she was really satisfied
Hono: It made me happy that she thought that way
Q Yuipon has the image of someone who doesn’t say much, but please tell us if there are any words from her that left an impression on you or things she said that you cherish!
Hono: I guess that Buddies might have the impression that she doesn’t say much, but I think she talks to me quite a lot. I think the members also feel the same, if there’s something she’s concerned about during rehearsals, she’ll bring up everything and even talk to the members. So we have the image that she’s one to call out to others. There were a lot of things she said… but for me, it was when we just entered the group, and we hadn’t really performed songs together yet. So when we appeared on a music show together for the first time, I was struggling! I was really struggling with the things to do and trying my best. There was a part where I was shown on camera, and then when were going back home, she said to me, “That was really good, wasn’t it? I really liked Hono-chan there!” Yuipon-san seemed like she was so far from our reach, right? But to hear her say those words to me when I was struggling so much to do things… I won’t be able to forget it!! She told me in the elevator!! It made me so happy that remember those details, so I wanted to work harder from then
Matsuri: I also talked about it earlier in this ENCORE talk, but I thought the things she said to us during the group cheer were wonderful. Thinking and saying things about how the members and fans are first… Why did she think about us that much until the end?
Hono: She really cherishes this group
Matsuri: Yeah, she probably thought that all the time during her activities, so when I heard those words from her at the end, I really wanted to make the concert a success for Yui-san… While cherishing those feelings and ourselves too, I want to continue to grow from now on
Hono: She was so cool at the end
Rei: As for me… There are a lot of words I can’t forget, but she told me that when she looks at me it’s like she’s looking at her past self. I think she meant it like “I didn’t have much confidence in myself back then, it would’ve been better if I had been more confident,” but somehow… that made me happy! I think she said it because I don’t have confidence and she’s telling me to believe more in myself. But with her saying that I’m like her past self, and like, with the hope that if I work hard, I could be like her, I won’t be able to forget it and I’ll continue to remember.
Matsuri: She didn’t say it to me but I feel so happy to hear that as well！
Rei: So kind!
Q Did the members meet the pink panda at the venue?
Rei: The rumored pink panda!
Matsuri: I don’t think the members saw her. But can I brag about this? I didn’t see her… but Yui-san suddenly asked me, “Which one do you think is good?”. I was like, “Huh? What is she talking about?”. Then she asked, “Do you think this is a sakura?”
Rei: For the panda?
Hono: For the ears?
Matusri: Right, so she was saying “I wonder if this is a sakura…” and then I was like “If you think it’s a sakura…” and then she said, “Then it’s not a sakura… Ehh”
Hono: The question wasn’t answered!
Matsuri: But I said that if she thought it was a sakura then it most definitely is a sakura, and she was like “I see, okay I’ll go with this then”
Rei: So casual!
Hono: So you chose it together!
Matsuri: Yeah we chose it together since Yui-san asked me about the pink panda~
Rei: So it was the pink panda Matsu had chosen—!
Matsuri: She pretty much decided on her own already, all I did was agree when she asked, “Is this good?”
Hono: Gosh it’s cute how she was concerned about the flower on the ears
Matsuri: Usually at the end of ENCORE, the artist would be asked what a live show means to them. But this time we got a special question, that is: “What does Kobayashi Yui mean for Sakurazaka46?”. As a result of our discussion, we have come to this answer… For Sakurazaka46, Kobayashi Yui is… “an admiration”. The three of us talked about it, but for each of us there are plenty of things we admire aboutYui-san, and because of that I think from now on she will be a kind of goal, a guidepost that we can aim for, so we’d like to cherish this admiration that we have for her. Even in VTR of her past, there was a part where Yui-san said that she wanted to be someone admired by others…
Rei: I think she became someone that we, her juniors, should strive to be like
Matsuri: It made me want to go back to the past and tell her, “You already have. Your dream has come true. You have become our admiration, we love you”. And with that, thank you very much for listening up to this point! It has been an exciting one, then while we are at it, let us each say something that we want to convey the most to the fans. First of all, Zono
Rei: Hmm~ I’d be happy if the fans who came to the venue or watched through the live stream could relive what they saw then through this setlist talk, and I’d also be happy if even those who didn’t watch it themselves could feel Sakurazaka’s bright future by listening to this setlist
Hono: I had so much fun during this concert. I hoped that this concert wouldn’t be an end, but it would make people excited about Sakurazaka’s future because it was something that everyone put together. That too, was what Yuipon-san wanted, and I think we were able to do that. I talked about it a bit in the MC, but I hope that we can become a group that greatly responds to the expectations that have been given to us by Buddies. I’d be happy if you could look forward to it and enjoy together with us. Thank you very much
Matsuri: I agree with what both of them have said. Having what everyone said on this ENCORE be heard, also remembering and reliving those moments, I wish that we could etch each of our memories with Yui-san on these two days even deeper within our hearts. I am sure that there must have been those who parted with the group, and those who felt sad about Yui-san’s graduation and worried about the group, but we hope to continue our activities in a way in which we can send all those worries flying away. With all the members working together in hopes of giving all the Buddies plenty of happiness, smiles, and excitement– though sometimes we might need to borrow your help too – I want to do our very best with everyone again this year. So please continue to look out for Sakurazaka46!
Komentar
Posting Komentar