Hiragana Keyaki's Legendary Budoukan 3-Day Live
Looking back with Mirei, Memi and Mao
Kakizaki Memi (Doll girl gets revenge for Makuhari)
Sasaki Kumi (Awakens as centre in Ima ni Miteiro)
Iguchi Mao (Grows with everyone's support)
-- The Budoukan live was suddenly increased from one to three days. You must have been shocked when you were first told.
Kakizaki -- I was really surprised. When we were called in by staff, we all thought they were going to get angry with us for something. We were all asking each other: "What did we do wrong?" But then we got the shock of being told we were going to be doing three days at Budoukan.
Mirei -- We thought it was wonderful that Hiragana was going to do one day at Budoukan. When we were told it was going to be three days, we were thrown into confusion. None of us could say, "We'll do it," right away.
Iguchi -- We were all dazed.
Kakizaki -- To be honest, right up until just before the Budoukan performances, I found it hard to believe we were actually going to do it.
Mirei -- Everyone wondered if the staff was joking.
-- People wondered if Hiragana could actually fill the seats. But in the end, it was a sell-out.
Iguchi -- That surprised us, too!
Kakizaki -- We were worried that we wouldn't sell the seats. When there was this big rush of people coming to see our live, we were so happy.
Mirei -- Uh-huh. We did wonder if maybe more fans would be supporting us after our tour last year.
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| I have a habit of draping myself all over members, and it has really become a bother. I want to be someone who draws members towards me. |
-- The national tour was not without benefit. Now that the performances are over, what are your feelings?
Iguchi -- After each live, I think back over my mistakes. But this time, after the first and third nights, I had very little to feel bad about. But the second night was full of mistakes, and I felt very badly afterwards....
-- Speaking about that second night, Mirei-san wrote in her blog that staff told you it had gone badly, and you were very unhappy with yourselves.
Mirei -- We ourselves thought we had done better on that second day than on the first, but it seems that from the audience's point of view, we had seemed flat.... We ourselves didn't understand what we had done wrong, so we were really down. We got advice that night, and thought of it during that third performance, and gave everything we had. And in the end, even I had nothing to regret!
-- Kakizaki-san, was there one of the three days that made a special impression on you?
Kakizaki -- The third night was the most enjoyable, but the first night made the greatest impression on me. Standing on stage at Budoukan for the first time, the scene before us was so beautiful. I was really moved.
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| I want to be smarter. Up to now, I've always been an idiot, and I want to get smarter. |
-- The Budoukan lives were set up like a circus, with full stage-sets. I particularly enjoyed the way you did Wait 100 Years, with dancers and members together.
Kakizaki -- We split into four groups for Wait 100 Years, with each one performing in a different street scene. Mine, which was the first, was with Mii-pan (Mirei) and Kage-chan (Kageyama Yuuka), going to a cafe carrying balloons. The second group was drawing in sketchbooks.
Iguchi -- And I was with (Saitou) Kyouko and (Ushio) Sarina-chan. I was supporting Kyouko confessing to her. I'm always nervous during performances, but this time, since I was with two other people, I wasn't nervous and just enjoyed it.
Mirei -- Afterward, when the dancers joined us on stage, it was actually just like a normal dance lesson, since they were all our dance teachers. So it was lots of fun to perform, and our smiles came naturally.
Kakizaki -- Uh-huh. It was really fun! In fact, (Nagahama) Neru came to the live and after the performance said it made her want to perform it together. [Neru had performed the song solo, raised above the audience in a mock-up of a basket held aloft by balloons (it actually used wires).]
Mirei -- During the performance, the image of Neru riding that balloon in the Tour performance at Makuhari came to mind (laughs).
-- Kakizaki-san was injured and couldn't appear in the Tour performance at Makuhari, so this Budoukan live was a return match. How did it feel to finally stand on stage?
Kakizaki -- During the Makuhari performance, watching everyone performing, I really wanted to be on stage with them. So this time, when I was finally able to stand there at Budoukan, I really felt how much fun lives are.
Mirei -- When Memi was injured and had to rest, I felt anew how much I wanted to perform live with everyone together. So I was really happy to be able to perform in a live with Memi so soon afterwards.
Iguchi -- Yup.
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| I've been a poor dancer ever since I joined Hiragana Keyaki. I want to graduate from being an incompetent character who can't dance. |
-- When you performed Futari Saison with Kakizaki-san at centre, the feeling of togetherness from all the members was wonderful.
Kakizaki -- When we were going back over the second performance, staff said: "Everyone sang beautifully in Futari Saison, but it would be a really good song if you could put more feeling into it." So for you to say what you just did makes me very happy.
-- And that's where Iguchi-san does her star turn in the solo dance. Many fans have been touched by how Iguchi-san, who had trouble with dance, has grown step by step, starting from the Hiragana national tour.
Iguchi -- Actually, when I was first given the solo dance, I felt I didn't want to be known as incompetent. So I practiced a lot -- but no matter how much I practiced, I still thought I couldn't do it.
Mirei -- But Mao herself got the teachers to keep teaching her, even during her rest time. Compared to before, her attitude seemed to change. The sight of her practicing away was really cool.
Kakizaki -- She was practicing right up until just before the performance.
Iguchi -- But I have to apologize to the other members for only practicing this song, and still not dancing well in the others.
Mirei -- That's not true at all (laughs). Mao is really working hard at this.
-- By the way, how many points would you give to that dance now?
Iguchi -- Ehh?! I can't give it any points. It's still a minus (laughs).
-- So your point total will rise from now on!
Iguchi -- No, no, no. No way! (laughs)
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| Stage set at Budoukan |
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| Ima ni Miteiro |
Do the three of you sympathize with the feelings in your new song Ima ni Miteiro?
-- In Dare yori mo Takaku Tobe! ("Jump Higher than Anyone"), it was Kakizaki-san on the first night, Mirei-san on the second, and (Sasaki) Kumi-san on the third who flew up toward the ceiling on wires. The audience was amazed. It seemed very high. Were you scared?
Kakizaki -- At the first rehearsal I was a bit scared (laughs). But at the performance, it was a lot of fun. Next time, all the members want to try it.
Mirei -- It was the opposite for me. In rehearsal, the stagehands made the rise quite slow, and I was okay. But in performance, the speed was greater than I expected, and I was scared (laughs). But up there looking out over the penlights and the huge number of fans made me feel so happy.
-- In Dare yori mo Takaku Tobe!, in the intro part, all the members did the NyankoStar dance. Whose suggestion was that?
Mirei -- Kumi's (laughs). At first, we talked about everyone going round and round like a merry-go-round.
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| Saitou Kyouko (left) and Katou Shiho |
Kakizaki -- But when we actually tried that, it was a bit embarrassing.
-- In this live, you took up the challenge of doing the Kanji Keyakizaka46 unit songs Shoujo ni Modorenai and Ballet to Shounen.
Kakizaki -- Ballet to Shounen, which I was in, is a song I like on the album. I've been able to become friends with Ozeki (Rika)-san, and it gave me a lot of pleasure to do her part. And MeiMei (Higashimura Mei) was so cute! (laughs)
Mirei -- I was in Shoujo ni Modorenai, but we had so little time that all the members never really got together in the performance, and it was pretty bad.
-- I didn't think so. The performance seemed outstanding to me. In the encore, you did your new song Ima ni Miteiro. When you first heard that song, what did you think?
Kakizaki -- I thought the words were really straight. I thought it was perfect for the Budoukan performances.
Iguchi -- Uh-huh. There was more feeling packed into it than in other songs.
Mirei -- There were lots of things in the words that I could sympathize with. For example: "We may not be up to it. Of course we all know that." I thought about them when we sang them on the third night.
Kakizaki -- The lines that struck me were: "They may call us reckless, but we’ll never run away."
-- What about you, Iguchi-san?
Iguchi -- I thought, "Honest people, who just had to do it," might have sounded like me.
Kakizaki -- (chuckles)
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| Learning they would have a solo album. |
-- So, on the last day, Hiragana Keyaki's solo album was announced. What was it like when you heard that?
Kakizaki -- I was just so, so happy.
Mirei -- It was a real surprise. But more than the confusion, I was so happy that I couldn't stop crying.
Iguchi -- I was happy for myself, but more than that I thought: "We all did it!" (laughs)
-- I guess you will be starting work on the album soon. What kinds of songs do you want to take on?
Kakizaki -- I'd like to try a cute song!
Mirei -- I'd like to try rap. I like the artist Yoshida Rinne, and have developed an interest in rap. But I don't have a very nimble tongue, so I'm worried that I won't be able to do it (laughs).
Iguchi -- Later, I want to do more live songs that get the audience going.
Mirei -- That would be great! I really look forward to recording all types of songs.
-- And more songs for Iguchi-san's solo dancing.
Iguchi -- No, no, no. I've really had enough of that.
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| Hiragana Keyaki 2nd generation |
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