(2022-10-13) anan

Actually, who is the most playful member? Morning Musume。'22's 4 individualistic people talk about "the importance of showing individuality".

The prescence of four members Ikuta Erina-san, Kaga Kaede-san, Yokoyama Reina-san, Yamazaki Mei-san, stands out even more among the unique Morning Musume。'22 members. Surprisingly, they aren't even aware of it! The girls talk about the importance of developing their individuality.

A shining personality that raises the level of attractiveness.

― Everyone here was selected because of their individual personality.

Yokoyama Reina : What kind of "individual personalities" we're talking here?

Ikuta Erina : Yoko and I are legitimate idols, we're the two-top, aren't we~?

Kaga Kaede : Only the two of you think so (laughs). People with strong personalities aren't aware of their individuality. Including Mei-chan and I.

Ikuta : It's good that you have your own character as a member of an idol group. In my case, I think the thing that's makes me unique in the group is, more the words "Wizard Eripon" and other random comments that resonate with my image. That's why I don't force myself to create characters.

Yokoyama : At first I was aiming for a black-haired, traditional idol, but it's hard to keep being someone you're not... and now, I'm putting myself out there as I am now!

Ikuta : Yoko is a "real" person. Even in the dressing room, she's loud (laughs).

Kaga : Ha ha ha! The first thing that is recognisable about my personality is my appearance. I'm often remembered for my short hair, so I have always valued it as a trademark.

Yokoyama : Kaga's short, sharp-looking but sweet-tempered cap is also an attractive feature.

Ikuta : So does Mei-chan's "panda-san hair".

Yamazaki Mei : Yes! I like pandas and I'm glad people remember me because I have panda hair tied in two buns.

Ikuta : Right? Mei-chan is kinda though to her senpai sometimes, but it doesn't come across as rude because she has a "character" that doesn't blur.

Yokoyama : Speaking of hair, Ikuta-san's pink hair! It was beautiful.

Ikuta : The staff said to me "Why don't you make your hair yellow-green?". I said "Green is... (laughs). But if it's pink, then maybe ♪".

Yokoyama : And now, the one who is in charge of light hair color, it's me! I wanted to show my individuality while taking into account the wishes of fans who prefer dark hair, so I use two colors, darker at the top and higher-toned at the bottom (laughs).

All : Ha ha ha ha! Great!

Yokoyama : I'm focusing on the thoughts of the fans 8 times out of 2 (laughs). But after you get noticed for your appearance, how you draw them in with your ability is the key to developing your performance. I want to improve my talk, so I listen to TV and radio and subconsciously study things like "this is a nice way of saying things".

Kaga : I have also tried to keep up with the technical aspects of my abilities. The fans of Morning Musume。 as well as the members themselves said so many times "I love Tsunku♂-san's songs!", so I'm serious about expressing everyone's favourite ways of interpretation. That's why I wanted to properly express the world that everyone likes (laughs).

All : Hmmm... (warm eyes).

Kaga : I'm not good at talk but... I hope they will understand my feelings.

Yamazaki : Ahhh, about me...

Ikuta : Well, if I doesn't talk, people think I look scary.

Yamazaki : It's true that now I think of you as my big sister, but when I was a kenshuusei I didn't want to get close to you (laughs).

Ikuta : I'm trying to think of ways to convey my thoughts and feelings. It's hard to convey the tension in a written blog, that's why I do my best to say thank you in person to members, some places I can say it in my own voice.

Yokoyama : It's true that Ikuta-san says a very serious thank you at the end of concerts.

Yamazaki : In my case, I'm not very good at talking, but I try to keep my blog updated every day with the image of my idol...

All : Great! (Applause)

Ikuta : I like Mei-chan's loving teasing of Kitagawa (Rio) lately (laughs). Mei-chan's grinning face when Kitagawa's dance is late at a live performance (laughs). You look at me when that happens, don't you?

Yamazaki : ...I might be watching!

Ikuta : And her little figure is cool too! Before my sotsugyou, I really want to see the "dark Mei-chan". I think that will give Mei-chan a new personality.

Yamazaki : Thank you!!! But the other members are unique enough too. I love Makino (Maria)-san. She suddenly starts saying things that have nothing to do with the discussion.

Kaga : I see~. I also noticed this with (Okamura) Homare lately, she's too funny...!

Ikuta : When I ask her what she's doing, she doesn't look at me, she just applies her lipstick and says "Oh, isn't it bad?" I can't help it, it's so cute, isn't it (laughs).

Yokoyama : For me, it's Fukumura (Mizuki)-san. I think she ahs a stron image as a respectable leader, but actually... She's the one who jokes around the most, isn't she?

All : Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

Kaga : She wears a ladylike dress, but she plays smartphone games like "I'll destroy you!" and playing shoot-outs.

Yokoyama : Appearance and sound caps (laughs).

―How do you plan to launch Morning Musume。, such a unique group of individuals personalities?

Ikuta : Well, from now on, it will be important to choose a way of communication through SNS, that suits each member according to the various characteristics of members.

All : (Watching her) Exactly!

Kaga : Sure... All my instagram posts are taken from the same angle...

Yokoyama : The only putting there is food (laughs).

Kaga : I'm going to work harder on TikTok to transmit my choreographies!

Yamazaki : Ho ho ho...!

Yokoyama : Ah Mei-chan got a lucky break (laughs).

Ikuta : Kaga is working hard on TikTok, Yoko is doing a great job on TV, and I like YouTube for editing videos! You can decide the length of the video on YouTube, so I think it will bring out even more of your fun! We want to continue to give our best performances at our concerts, while communicating in a way that suits each of us.

Yamazaki : Speaking of live concerts, I haven't been able to attend any live concerts abroad yet... So when I go abroad for the first time, I want to go as a strong figure of Morning Musume。!

Ikuta : Then, if we had a place to thank each and every one of our fans around the world online first, we might be one step closer to our dream!

Yokoyama : Yes, we have enough personalities here to spread our wings around the world. I want people to look forward to our activities!