(2017-11-24) Weekly Playboy
This year, Morning Musume。'17 celebrating their 20th anniversary since their debut. In the #49 issue of "Weekly Playboy", which is currently on sale, 5 current members (Fukumura Mizuki, Sato Masaki, Makino Maria, Yokoyama Reina, Morito Chisaki) have done a "20th anniversary gravure" photoshoot. Therefore, we closely followed the gravure shooting and directly interviewed them after the end. What do the members talk about, "What is necessary for Morning Musume。from now on?"
― Congratulations to Morning Musume。for their 20th anniversary!
All : Thank you very much!
― "Weekly Playboy" will have a total of 20 pages of special features, and in honor of the 20th anniversary, I would like to ask you about "20 things necessary for the future of Morning Musume。". It's quick, but please raise your hand who comes to mind!
(All members raise their hands)
― Then, to start, Yokoyama-san please!
Yokoyama : ① "The sense of rivalry"! Of course we should work together as friends, but I think the atmosphere of the group as a whole will improve if we work with the mindset that we want to be the best.
Sato : Huh, Yokoyama already has a sense of rivalry! (laughs)
Fukumura : Glad to hear the word "rivalry" coming from Yokoyan!
― Quite nice (laughs). Next one, Morito-san ?
Morito : ②"A true love for Morning Musume。"! You can't keep going with the activities unless you really love it... And I think fans can definitely tell the difference between members who really love Morning Musume。and those who don't feel as strongly. That's why I always want to keep growing my love for it more and more.
— I doubt there are any members who don't love Morning Musume。… (laughs). That's wonderful! By the way, among the five of you, who has the strongest "Morning love"?
Morito : I think all five of us do, but… it has to be our leader (Fukumura).
— As expected! The leader's Morning love is unmatched. Okay, we have 18 left—let’s keep going!
Makino : Yes! (Raises hand) ③ "Giving it your all".
Fukumura : ④ "Teamwork".
— Giving it your all and teamwork. Could you elaborate on teamwork?
Fukumura : There are currently 14 members in the group, so even during regular lessons, it's hard to get everyone aligned. So I think if we can come together quickly when opinions differ, it would really enhance our sense of unity as a team.
Makino : And ⑤ "Good manners"! Also ⑥ "Energy"!
— Oh wow, two at once! Those are definitely important.
Makino : ⑦ "Motivation" and ⑧ "Courage"! So all together it's : Manners! Energy! Motivation! Courage!
— Now we've added courage too! (laughs) Hold on a second. This is starting to feel like a school assembly where you just shout out positive words! (laughs)
Fukumura : (laughs) For me, I would also add ⑨ "A little bit of respect".
— "A little" ? Isn't just plain "respect" good enough?
Fukumura : For example, when there's a senpai you admire, if you respect them too much, you end up just copying everything they do. Morning Musume。has a long history, and there are so many senpai to look up to. But I think it's important to have the mindset of adding elements of those senpai to your own self.
— So if you respect blindly, you just become a copy of someone else... Got it! What about you, Sato-san?
Sato : I'm not sure how to put it into words, but... ⑩ "Delivering the music created by Tsunku♂-san with his feelings in mind". Until now, Tsunku♂-san used to sing the songs himself too, but now, only we can convey the lyrics through our voices. So I want to make sure we deliver the messages he wants to share to the fans properly.
— Becoming a bridge to deliver Tsunku♂'s spirit… what a moving thought! (teary)
— We've got 10 items already! We're past the halfway mark, let's hear the 11th!
Makino : Yes, yes! ⑪ "The mindset of "I'll take care of it myself". Rather than relying entirely on the other members, I want to have the attitude of "I'll do it myself".
— Not depending on others, but thinking "If no one else does it, I'll lead the way".
Makino : Is it okay if I take the lead?
Fukumura : Go ahead, let's run with it!
— That's reassuring! Let's keep going. Yokoyama?
Yokoyama : ⑫ "A feeling of gratitude". Morning Musume。has been able to keep going thanks to the fans and staff, so I want to always remember to be thankful in everything we do.
Fukumura : Also ⑬ "Not being afraid of change" and ⑭ "Enjoying things no matter what". Morning Musume。has always gone through many changes, members, even the group name, so instead of fearing those changes, I want to embrace and enjoy them.
— Right, in 2014 it became "Morning Musume。'14" and now it's "Morning Musume。'17".
Fukumura : The name change was really shocking at the time (laughs). When you really love something, the stronger that feeling is, the scarier change can be. But I want us to think "No matter how we change, we're still Morning Musume。" and enjoy it ourselves first. If we do, I think the fans will follow.
Morito : For me, it's ⑮ "Humility".
— Do you ever feel like some members could be more humble?
Morito : It's not like that (laughs). I just think everyone carries a good kind of confidence!
— Morning Musume。doesn't really have a "low-key" image. This is a new side! We're at 15 now. Only five left! As we head into your 21st year, what do we need to really push ahead, like during the so-called golden era?
Fukumura : Hmm... ⑯ "Go all out with your appearance".
— Whoa, that came out of nowhere! Are we talking about selfies here?
Fukumura : I mean in terms of fashion. These days, not just in Morning Musume。but idols in general don't do flashy hairstyles anymore. They tend to keep it natural, like how they'd wear it at home. But I think it's important to “"go all out" in a way that only you can pull off. For example, Tanaka Reina-san stood out with her big hair ribbons.
— True, she's the first one that comes to mind!
Fukumura : Also, small members like Tsuji Nozomi-san and Yaguchi Mari-san used props and big hairstyles to appear bigger. So I want us to stand out more with costumes and accessories too.
— So… should we add ribbons? Who wants one?
Fukumura, Makino, Yokoyama, Morito : Me! (Raise hands)
Makino : I want to wear a huge ribbon!
— What about you, Sato?
Sato : I'm good. I like accessories, but big ribbons… not so much. They make it hard to dance.
— You're the only one being super calm! (laughs) But that's your personality.
Sato : I actually want to copy Tanasa-tan (Tanaka Reina) in how she sings, dances, and dresses, but not the ribbons…
Fukumura : Seems like she's not a fan of ribbons.
— That's totally fine! We'll think of other ways to stand out. Just four left, almost there!
Sato : Hmmm… Oh! ⑰ "Wi-Fi"! We need Wi-Fi.
Yokoyama : Wait, what!?
Sato : I want a Morning Musume。Wi-Fi network. That way, it'll be easier to watch our own music videos on YouTube!
"A Morning Musume House" and Playing Tag?!
— That idea is so random! (laughs) We're talking about what’s needed for Morning Musume。to continue! Though yeah, Wi-Fi would be convenient…
Sato : Also, ⑱ "A Morning Musume。house"!
Fukumura : Wow, you're full of ideas today (laughs).
Sato : We often have early mornings or work that goes until 21:00, so I want a house next to the office for Morning Musume。members with showers, clothes, everything. I want to live there.
Yokoyama : If we lived together, maybe it would strengthen our team bond?
— Like a training camp. That might actually help the group last longer… but was this interview about that kind of thing!?
Makino : I want to do ⑲ "Tag" (the game).
— Whoa, Makino too? Wait… tag?
Makino : I want more interaction with fans. We do sign events and such now, but I'd love to play tag or hide-and-seek with them too.
— As a fan event! I'm picturing fans chasing the members at full speed (laughs)… What happens if they catch someone?
Morito : They switch places?
— So the fan who was "it" becomes a Morning Musume。member!?
Yokoyama: Then it might stop being "Morning Musume。" (young girls) … That's scary! (laughs)
— By the time we get to "Morning Musume。"18" we might have a complete lineup change and become "Morning Uncles" instead… Okay, final one! What do you think?
Fukumura : Let’s see… ⑳ "A bit of that Nakazawa Yuko-san energy".
— Ahh, bringing Nakazawa-san into the mix!
Fukumura : I think it's important to have that slightly strict vibe, someone who says "This is how things are done here!". Back then, Nakazawa-san had this aura of absolute authority.
— She really was a dominant presence. So you're saying it's important to have someone who can bring discipline when it's needed. I'm picturing you lecturing juniors in the hallway! (laughs)
Fukumura : I do think that kind of presence is necessary.
— Now that we've listed all 20 things, it's about time to wrap up. Morning Musume。is celebrating its 20th anniversary, can you give us a final thought?
Fukumura : Well... among the 20 things, a few were kind of weird…
Sato : The Wi-Fi one?
Fukumura : (laughs) Yeah. But I think, just from hearing Masaki's ideas today, you can tell Morning Musume。is full of personalities you wouldn't notice just by looking at photos. That's why I want people to read magazines, come to concerts, and get to know the current Morning Musume。. We often get compared to the golden era or the platinum era, but we want people to feel that this Morning Musume。is the best yet. And we'll keep working hard with confidence!
— That was wonderful! Now, to close, let's recap the 20 things Morning Musume needs going forward. Thank you so much!
What Morning Musume Needs Going Forward
① A sense of rivalry② Love for Morning Musume。
③ Giving it your all
④ Teamwork
⑤ Good manners
⑥ Energy
⑦ Motivation
⑧ Courage
⑨ A little respect
⑩ Conveying Tsunku♂'s music with his heart
⑪ The mindset of "I'll do it myself"
⑫ Gratitude
⑬ Not fearing change
⑭ Enjoying everything
⑮ Humility
⑯ Going all out with appearance
⑰ Wi-Fi
⑱ A Morning Musume。house
⑲ Playing tag
⑳ A bit of Nakazawa Yuko energy
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