Q You two are from the 2nd and 3rd gen of the group. Please tell us how you became friends?
Kira: It happened when Airi-chan joined Sakurazaka46’s variety show, “SakuraMeets”, that I am a part of. As we have more opportunities for a deep one-on-one talk, I’ve come to enjoy the time we spend together even more. Now we are really close friends.
Airi: I’m happy to hear you say so (laughs).
Q If there are any memorable stories from making the show together, please tell us.
Kira: In “SakuraMeets” event, we once performed an original drama that I wrote the script of. I wanted Airi-chan who just joined to stand out, so I gave her a challenging role with long lines. The lines were difficult to remember because it has deliberate repetition of words, but she acted it out in the exact way that I envisioned, which made me trust her immensely (laughs)
Q I would also like to hear what Taniguchi-san felt when you challenged those long lines.
Airi: I was certainly surprised when I received a script with long lines that took up about half of an A4 sheet paper… But I was happy to be given a key character-like role in the story, and I remember how I enjoyed the process of taking it on until the very end.
Q Since you two are friends, I would like to know your impression of each other.
Kira: I am always trying to make people laugh in my daily life. But Airi-chan, on the other hand, is a natural who can make people laugh just by going about normally. Even in ““SakuMeets”, the sudden remarks are really funny. I’m always blown away with how her poor enunciation, which sometimes becomes a topic of conversation among fans, appears at the right moment.
Airi: But I always worried about not having a unique personality, so I’m happy to hear her say that I’m funny
Q Then Taniguchi-san, please tell us your impression on Masumoto-san
Airi: I really love how funny Kira-san is. Just by being with her, I can hear words that I would never have thought of. It’s like we have a completely different perspective, even when we are looking at the same scenery, I think that Kira-san sees something different (laughs).
Kira: ”Actually, I’m pretty reliable” is something that I want people to notice from me (laughs). Being able to notice even that shows how Airi-chan has such a broad perspective
Q Could Taniguchi-san please tell us what kind of a song "Lonesome rabbit” is?
Airi: This song is memorable for its lyrics that seem to vent out frustrations. Some people surely think of rabbits as cute, but weak and lonely creatures, right? But this song has a rebellious spirit that seems to say “Actually, rabbits are tough”. And I also think that these lonely rabbits actually represent us as well. This song allows us, as Sakurazaka46, to prove that idols are not just cute but can also compete with cool performances
[Airi explaining about 52 blocks, how it’s the most difficult choreo in the group]
Q Then continuing on, can we hear about “What’s KAZOKU?” from Masumoto-san?
Kira: I’ve been living in Tokyo for a long time already, and so it has become something natural for me to be alone at home. But when I saw the lyrics that goes, “It’s a given for me to sense someone else’s presence when I open the door to my home”, I suddenly remembered how it felt when I lived in my family’s home. This song is filled with elements that let you feel the goodness of family, something which you only realize when you are apart, the moment you hear it. I think that the lyrics feel realistic because it has both the good and bad of a family, and why I think it will resonate with those who are currently in their rebellious period. I also relate to the part that goes “They are invisible like the air”. It is precisely because they are there that we don’t see them, and only look for them once they are gone. Because it’s a matter of course for them to always be next to us, I think the phrase "invisible" was chosen.
[Kira explaining about the synchronized hand movements and K-A-Z-O-K-U spelling]
Q Speaking of “KAZOKU”, I’d like to know if Sakurazaka46 is like a family to you two, or perhaps a different kind of relationship?
Airi: We are a family. For example, in the anime “Mission: Yozakura Family”, none of the siblings has a similar personality. The same goes for Sakurazaka46, there are those who are cheerful and those who are quiet. But as all those different personalities are blending together, we all come together as one during performances. I think that feeling is very precisely what a family is like.
Q I would also like to know if Masumoto-san also considers Sakurazaka46 to be a family?
Kira: I think that once we no longer feel any discomfort with clothes, food, and shelter, we are already a family. Whenever we are eating in the dressing room, or changing costumes, or just relaxing, I can be myself when I am with the members so I never feel uncomfortable. They are just like the air, their presence is a matter of course for me.
Q And a member of that family, Masumoto-san, has announced her graduation from the group. Taniguchi-san, may we know how you are feeling right now?
Airi: I was prepared for the day where we have to say goodbye, but I never imagined that it would come at this moment where I wish we could spend much longer time together… It still doesn’t feel real yet, but at the same time, there is a part of me who fear as I wonder when it will hit me? Right now, I’m feeling a strange mix of emotions.
Q Masumoto-san, in your graduation [blog] you wrote that “The countless experiences I wouldn’t be able to do anywhere else, the emotions I didn’t know if I weren’t in Sakurazaka46”. Could you reflect on some of those experiences?
Kira: There are so many things that I want to talk about, from my activities to the members. First of all, being able to perform at “MUFG Stadium (National Stadium)” which only a few got to experience. Before joining the group, I never imagined being able to experience something like this, so I feel truly grateful. When I was on the stage, I felt like I was inside a soap bubble. It was as if I was looking at the scenery through a filter, it was such an unreal world. Ah, actually, I’d like to think of it as a marble instead of a soap bubble. Because I want to keep it in my heart as one of my memories (laughs).
Q Then, please tell us about the members too.
Kira: Meeting my fellow Sakurazaka46 members will be something that I am proud of for the rest of my life. Each and everyone of them are so unique that I can talk about their good qualities to no end. For example, Yamasaki Ten-san is a star. I want them to spread her wings and soar into the world stage, and I don't think I'll ever meet such a genius like her again. And there is this incredibly beautiful girl named Moriya Rena-san, and she is my best friend. We compete with each other, but we never take anything from one another, it’s a group made of genuinely kind people. I can say with absolute certainty that there won’t be a better environment somewhere else.
Q Does Masumoto-san have something that you would like to say to Taniguchi-san, who will be leading the group in the future?
Kira: Even among the members with monster-level performances ability, Airi-chan’s charm lies in the way she always shows the ideal dancing. In a good way, her dancing has no distinctiveness, and I always watch with admiration as she embodies the message the choreographer intended. Everyone, try to think of Airi-chan as a pie chart. She excels above-average in every area, and you’ll see a perfectly [distributed] pie chart. Just how much Airi-chan, with her limitless potential, will grow in the future? I’d like to watch her over from the sidelines.
Airi: Kira-san’s pie chart highlights your variety skill and cuteness, right!
Kira: My pie chart looks like a bar… (laughs)
Q Taniguchi-san has also been casted into a short drama. With the acting skills you have polished in the drama written by Masumoto-san’s, what kind of roles would you like to challenge next?
Airi: The next role I’d like to do is a mean school bully. I’d like to try playing roles that are the complete opposite of myself, such as one who crosses her arms and makes scary expressions…
Kira: A mean character… she can totally do it (laughs). They say beautiful women have scary faces, right? Airi-chan has both cuteness and beauty, so I’m sure she can do a mean girl role with ease. My girl can do anything!
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