mio - riko mdpr 260627

mio's

riko's

[tmi note: rough translation, i did not translate everything]

MIO'S

Q What do you keep in mind in the performance aspect?

Mio: I’ve been selected to be a front member in “What’s KAZOKU”, and as there are many scene of highlights from the start, so I made sure to properly show cheerfulness from the beginning. For “Lonesome rabbit”, no one is in a symmetrical position to me, and there are parts where my choreography is the only one different, so I hope to play a role that brings the performance together.

Q Since it’s a song that all 2ki and 3ki participates in, could you tell us what you felt or what you learned from once again working with the 2nd generation members?

Mio: Until now, when I am working with the seniors, the songs are mostly cool one. We rarely get to do a playful song, so it feels so refreshing and fun. I got to see sides of my seniors that I never seen before, so it was a very fulfilling moment!

Q And 2ki member Masumoto Kira-san will be graduating with this single. How did you feel when you first learned about it?

Mio: I was very shocked. I have been cheering for Masumoto-san as a fan ever since she and the others joined the group, so it felt very quick to me. Masumoto-san is someone who breathes fresh air to Sakurazaka46, or rather, someone who gives it a new color. Though I feel lonely about it, strangely I don't feel sad about it. Since the person herself seems to be in high spirits, I hope that we can send her off with smiles in the end.

Q Could you please tell us your thoughts regarding the 5th Year Anniv at MUFG Stadium now that it is over?

Mio: I think it was good how everyone stayed the same, in a good way. Before the day 2 performance, even the stage director said, “Yesterday everyone stayed the same, in a good meaning”. Before, when we did the concerts at Tokyo Dome and Kyocera Dome, there were some feelings of “What will happen from now?” or “What should we aim for next?”, but even so we gave our all to make the dome performances a success. However at the National Stadium this time, I think we were not only focused on standing there, but also with what comes next, and what to aim for next in mind.

Q What kind of goals do you have in mind?

Mio: I have always thought of wanting to do an Asia Tour, which has been announced. Actually, even us only heard about it the day before it was announced, so we learned around the same time as the fans and it was very surprising. I am very grateful that we can be in an environment where we can aim even higher, and I am very happy that we have continuously been given the chance to challenge ourselves.

Q After the National Stadium performance, have there been any changes in your feelings or the way you approach your group activities?

Mio: I want to improve my skills even more, and I feel a greater sense of urgency now, in a good way, than I did before given the chance to stand at the National Stadium. My perspective has broadened, and I started to pay attention to many different artists and idols; I used not to be clear on where my position is, but I’m gradually beginning to understand it better. I started to develop the desire to improve myself, or rather, wanting to polish my skills even more.

Q By the way, what is Matono-san’s hobby?

Mio: There’s a lot (laughs)! I do gaming, I play several different musical instruments, I also draw, read books, I have a lot of hobbies. It’s just a small part of my daily life, but since I have so many hobbies like that, I no longer get discouraged when one thing doesn’t go well.

Q What is something recent that you feel glad to have done?

Mio: Cutting my hair. Rather than it being my dream, I wanted to become my ideal self by cutting my hair. I wanted to be a cool person, so I thought that cutting my hair would allow me to catch up to it faster emotionally, so I cut it the next day after deciding on it.

Q Lastly, please tell us what you would like to do next, both as a group and individually.

Mio: I love concerts the most, so I have a goal of being able to create and produce our own concert. 3ki has a lot of members with musical sense, and there are those who are good at coming up with costume [design] and there are those who are good with writing; If we mix everyone’s individuality, I think that we can create something really good. I would love to make it happen one day!

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RIKO'S

Q [Coin Laundry] is your second center song after 3ki song “Honshitsutekina Koto”, did you feel any pressure?

Riko: I did feel pressure, but I would feel very reassured when I see the faces of the members. There is the previous BACKS chairman, Murayama Miu, and the second row is packed with 3ki members, so I was able to take on the MV filming with much ease as well. Everyone watches over me with warm eyes that seem to say “You can do it!”, so even though I feel the pressure, my desire of “I want to become someone who can make these members shine” was stronger.

Q Did you also feel stronger positivity when your name was called?

Riko: Yes. I have been able to experience many BACKS LIVE!! until now, and learned many things from my seniors. This will be 4ki’s second BACKS LIVE!!, and I hope that it could also be a valuable time for the 4ki as well. I want to be someone who can impart something on others as well.

Q Since [KAZOKU] is a song that all 2ki and 3ki participates in, could you tell us what you felt or what you learned from once again working with the 2nd generation members?

Riko: The senior members are considerate so that we won’t feel much pressure, so Yamasaki Ten-san and the others really livened things up during the MV filming. The MV filming where we need to frolic around, but with Ten-san as the lead, we were able to be in cheerful spirits and helped to break the stiff atmosphere.

Q And 2ki member Masumoto Kira-san will be graduating with this single. How did you feel when you first learned about it?

Riko:  When I heard about Masumoto-san’s graduation, we were just talking about trivial things right before that, so it was something completely out of expectation and I was surprised. But I think the way Masumoto-san tries not to make her surroundings feel sad is very typical of her, and felt that it was a wonderful way of announcing her graduation. I was able to speak with her a lot during the MV filming this time, and Masumoto-san even wrote in her blog that she was “observing Riko-chan”

Q After reading that blog, did you say something to Masumoto-san?

Riko: I was personally very happy with what she wrote, and wanted to express my gratitude somehow. But I think that Masumoto-san might not like it if I convey it to her directly, so I deliberately been holding back (laughs)

Q Could you please tell us your thoughts regarding the 5th Year Anniv at MUFG Stadium now that it is over?

Riko: National Stadium was a concert where all present Sakurazaka46 members stood together. I was moved by 4ki’s very splendid performance. For the “Seijaku no Bouryoku” performance by the 3ki after theirs, I was slightly worried, wondering “How are people going to see ‘Seijaku no Bouryoku’ with the current 3ki?”, but the fans praised the performance of the 3ki who have each polished their skills in each of our own fields. I feel that it was a concert where we were able to show how much we have grown until now.

Q Please tell us memorable stories from the main show or the rehearsal.

Riko: What made me really happy to see was how much fun the 2ki-san seemed to be having as they practiced 3ki and 4ki songs. We performed generation songs, and they looked very cute. It made me very happy to see the seniors, who always seemed so cool, dancing to our songs happily; it’s memorable to me.

Q After the National Stadium performance, have there been any changes in your feelings or the way you approach your group activities?

Riko: It made me want to cherish both the past and future Sakurazaka46. In this 15th single I have been selected as the BACKS center, and I hope to become able to be someone who can pass over the things I received from my seniors to the juniors.

Q Lastly, please tell us what you would like to do next, both as a group and individually.

Riko: The members are so diverse, and we talked about wanting to make the most of that to create something. In this National Stadium concert, Takemoto Yui-san choreographed a dance track, and I was so happy to have been able to dance to it and it was memorable. Just like that, I want to participate and deliver something that we created together as a group.