Q & A with Aichan on the radio
Posted by zabel, Feb 14 2010, 11:05 PM
I'm gonna give ya a full translation of Aichan's appearance on the radio show Nack5 Fanky Friday from two days ago. I say full translation although I've shortened/paraphrased parts. The conversation was recorded over the phone and consisted of the host asking yes/no questions where Aichan was to answer yes or no in English. (often accompanied with a cute giggle)
Kobayashi: Is it hard being Morning Musume's leader.
Takahashi: Yes.
K: What kind of things do you have to do?
T: Organize the others, tell them important things. There's not that much to do, but I'm poor at speaking. I trip up when I speak so I have trouble getting across.
K: Since everyone's blood type (personality) is different, is it hard to organize them?
T: No.
K: Are their blood types (personalities) different?
T: They are, but it's not so hard.
K: Your new single is your 42nd. Can you name the titles of all 42?
T: Yes.
K: Do you sing songs from before you joined?
T: We do.
K: Which out of the previous 41 singles is your favorite.
T: I like Do it Now.
K: How about the early era?
T: I like Memory Seishun no Hikari.
K: Each member has her favorites, huh?
T: Yeah, some girls like the bright songs. I like the kind of dark emotional ones.
K: Does producer Tsunku give instruction in fine particulars?
T: Yes.
K: So he does?
T: Like on rhythm, or about speaking in concerts.
K: What does he say to you?
T: In the beginning he instructed me on rhythm a lot. I tended to go too fast. More recently it was about being a leader, and he taught me tsukkomi.
K: Would you say you are more boke than tsukkomi?
T: Neither I guess. Maybe boke.
K: So you like Takaraduka?
T: Yes.
K: Would you want to play the male or female role?
T: If my height wasn't a factor, the male role. Otherwise it would have to be the female role.
K: Are you bad at shopping by yourself?
T: No.
K: Are you the type who buys lots of stuff?
T: Yes.
K: Does shopping relieve stress for you?
T: It does.
K: What is something big you have bought recently?
T: Detergent. I like to buy a lot of it at once.
K: When you were a kid did you participate in Nodo Jiman?
T: Yes.
K: What were you good at singing?
T: Well I was in chorus so I did a lot of singing, and before that I went to karaoke a lot. I sang Nakamori Akina.
K: So you were good at singing.
T: I dunno about that, but I like singing.
K: Would you like to live leisurely in Fukui?
T: Yes.
K: When you are busy you don't get much sleep. Is that so?
T: I get sleep. But the trains in Tokyo come so fast. It's convenient, but in my home town a train comes only once every hour. Sometimes it's nice to live in a place like that where the pace is slow.
K: After you marry or retire, would you want to live in Fukui?
T: Yeah somewhere where it's laid back.
K: Do you often sing Morning Musume songs at karaoke?
T: Yes.
K: Are you best at singing the songs you like best?
T: Yeah, I sing the songs I like, and when I go out with my friends they ask me to sing (MM songs).
K: So your friends are going, "It's the real thing!"
T: Yeah. (laugh)
K: Should an idol need to update a blog every day?
T: No.
K: Do you blog?
T: I don't have one.
K: Do the others?
T: Morning Musume doesn't blog.
K: Because of company policy?
T: Probably. But I'd like to. For a time I did some blogging for a play, and I'd never had that experience before. It was fun.
K: Was it your mom who applied for your audition to Morning Musume?
T: No.
K: Did other members' moms apply for them?
T: I haven't really heard so. I think they applied themselves.
K: Do you pay attention to the charts when you release a single?
T: Yes.
K: Do you like umeshu better than beer?
T: Yes.
K: Because you're the leader, do you quarrel with the staff, etc on behalf of the others?
T: Yes.
K: Have you done so recently?
T: Well, recently, since there's a lot of members and we're girls, it was something along the lines of, "Be careful how you speak to them." If there's something bothering us, I'll tell them this is how we feel.
K: You must feel like you're the leader at such times.
T: Yeah, like if I don't say it, nothing will change.
K: As the leader do you know a lot of members' secrets?
T: No.
K: You don't know?
T: I don't know. I don't really ask them. Well, when giving advice a little, but I don't really know their secrets.
K: Are your own secrets known?
T: No.
K: Do you sing enka?
T: No. I haven't sung enka, but I'd like to try.
K: Do your parents sing enka?
T: My dad likes to sing Shima Uta. But that's not enka.
(cool dad! Shima Uta is a good tune)
K: Marriage is something you don't need to think about for now?
T: Yes.
K: The company probably tells you how you need to be mindful of the fans and things like that, huh?
T: Yeah, being a Morning Musume.
K: When would it be okay to get married?
T: After I graduate, probably any age would be okay.
K: But do you want to be in love? Are you now?
T: No.
K: Is there someone you'd like to be with?
T: Well I'd like to be, and the songs I sing have to do with love, but I'm not thinking of that now.
K: Do you check on other female idol groups?
T: Yes.
K: There's quite a lot of them even in your own company. Are you friends with them, and do you check on them?
T: Well I'm the eldest in Hello! Project and the leader of the whole body, so well, you know, they're my juniors so I notice them.
K: The eldest, huh?
T: 23.
K: When I was a 1st year student in college, a female 4th year student thought of herself as an old lady and I thought that was silly. But do you feel that way?
T: Well yes, I'm the eldest even in Morning Musume, so I get that treatment. It was that way from age 20. So I don't really feel I'm young.
K: In that case, when you graduate you'll become very young again.
T: Is that so? (laugh)
K: Do you go to graduated Morning Musume members for advice?
T: Yes.
K: Is there one of them you're particularly close to?
T: I see Yoshizawa now and then and she gives me advice.
K: Is producer Tsunku a genius?
T: Yes.
K: What impresses you about him?
T: He has all these groups, not just Morning Musume, and makes so many songs. The melody is different each time. It thought it was amazing how he got the idea for Kimagure Princess by looking at his daughter's butt.
K: He has kept making so many songs.
T: He's really great. And not just singles, but songs for albums too. More songs than you can count.
K: Do you feel like you want to become like him?
T: I can't be like him. I can't beat him.
K: Are you ignorant about politics and economics?
T: Yes.
K: But are you interested in it?
T: I'm interested, but I joined Morning Musume in junior high school not knowing those things. It would have been nice to have studied them more.
K: But for instance, do you care about like how the highway will become free of charge if they win the election, or like receiving financial aid for giving birth, and things like that?
T: Well I was impressed when the highway toll went to 1000 yen. (laugh)
K: In the future if you have a daughter, would you want her to enter a Morning Musume audition?
T: Yes.
K: You wouldn't want her to stay away?
T: Well, it's tough and stressful, but I know the good things about being Morning Musume. I'd kind of like to see that.
K: Have you ever received an expensive present from a fan?
T: Yes.
K: Is Morning Musume a dream job?
T: Yes.
K: But do you have quarrels with the other members?
T: Yes.
K: Are you the weakest at quarreling?
T: No, I guess.
K: The day after tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Will you give lots of chocolates?
T: Yes.
That's the interview. Did you learn anything new about our Lovely Commander? ^^
Possibly today I should be putting a sub of the recent On-Ryu guest appearance (Ai, Risa, Linlin) on the tracker, so keep an eye out for that.
May the new year be a Lovely one
Posted by zabel, Jan 21 2010, 05:27 PM
Another great year to be an Aichan fan is under way! What's in store for Lovely? I have no idea, but I'm counting on her getting the lead role in some new play or TV series, as well as presiding over the addition of new musume some time before the year is up. *After* the stock is replenished through another audition, I won't be shocked if she gets the graduation notice. Before another audition, I will be. Koharu's graduation announcement last year was mildly surprising, but Lovely's would have been far more so. I knew she was pretty much safe up through the end of 2009, and possibly through 2010 as well. She's that critical to the group 
Aichan recently got a supporting role in Mano Eri's new series, Hanbun Esper, looking sharp in OL duds.
Meanwhile Ichigo ichie continues, which is awesome. I wonder if Aichan herself expected to still be doing it this long? She must be feeling more confident about speaking by her lonesome because she hasn't had a guest on in awhile. She often mentions how she likes playing Final Fantasy XIII, a game us North Americans don't get until March. (But that's okay 'cause I am thoroughly addicted to Demon's Souls at present)
On a TV program promoting FFXIII which she appeared on a month or so ago (ファイナルファンタジーＸＩＩＩの世界に迫る), when the topic of previous installments in the series came up, Aichan said that she had played FFX three times including once in English! I guess she must like Final Fantasy (or just Tidus)
Unrelated to any of that, Aichan was on a let's-learn-about-global-warming type of show a short while back (学べるニューズ). Don't ask me why she was there, but hey, she is lovely when learning about global warming too, can anyone deny? Actually she hardly spoke at all and the little footage there was of her didn't justify the watch unless you happen to be interested in the topic and are crazy fluent in Japanese, but there was this one cute yet embarrassing moment at the beginning...
Host: Why is it that increases in carbon dioxide make the earth warmer?
Aichan: Humans put it out.
Host: Humans put it out, yes. But why does that make the earth warmer?
Aichan: When we put it out, the temperature increases.
Everyone: That's what the question is.
Aichan: Sorry!
On another unrelated note, I gotta say it didn't take long for Gakisan's short cut to grow on me. 30 seconds maybe.
London Hearts 12-01-09
Posted by zabel, Dec 6 2009, 01:48 PM
I feel a bit bad that I haven't blogged anything about Aichan in awhile. Will the Love Goddess forgive me while I blog about Sayu again instead? The evil bunny appeared on London Hearts with Yasuda Kei for another round of Women Ranking Each Other this week. I'll summarize the parts where either or both of them spoke. As always, please forgive any faults in the translation.
The host, Atsushi, after first introducing Nishikawa, who has been away from the show for half a year, introduces Sayumi observing that her hat is cute. Sayu replies, "Yes, ridiculously cute." Then Yasuda is introduced and Atsushi is curious how well they know each other.
Atsushi: Was there any overlap? (in the time you spent in Momusu)
Yasuda: She joined just when I was graduating.
Michishige: Yes.
Atsushi: So there wasn't.
Michishige: I pretty much just know her face.
(laughter)
Yasuda: I'm your senior!
Ryou: Dr. Nishikawa looks a bit surprised.
Nishikawa: So this is how she is?
(laughter)
Atsushi: Recently we've had this kind of girl join us.
Nishikawa: This should be fun!
(laughter)
Atsushi: Should be fun. What'll happen? Prepare yourself.
The theme is 知れば知るほどいい女 or "Women who are better the more you get to know them." Suzanne is selected by lottery to give her rankings, and her #1 pick is Dark Lord Sugita of all people! Atsushi will be making fun of her for that.
On Misono's turn, the hosts recall how when they were eating out together (from the episode two weeks ago when they stalked Hamada Brittney) Misono announced, "I'm going to take a poop." You didn't need to tell us that, they say. (Thereafter Atsushi refers to her as 'Miss Poop') Misono laughs saying her true friends and fans accept her knowing everything about her. This is where Sayu chimes in coldly, "I don't think I wanna know any more about her." Misono replies that it's about time Sayu accept reality and the results of the surveys. Misono put Sayu at #10.
Atsushi: So putting her at #10 means you definitely won't lose to her?
Misono: If I lose to her I don't wanna come on this show again.
(laughter)
Atsushi: Michishige, you won't lose to Misono?
Michishige: Lately my cuteness has been escalating.
(laughter)
Atsushi: Your cuteness is escalating?
Michishige: Inside of me I think it should be maintaining the status quo, but it's not stopping.
(laughter)
Atsushi: Not stopping. Your cuteness is not stopping.
Aoki: Wow.
Suzanne ranks Yasuda at #7. Yasuda is relieved because last time she was on the show, Suzanne was chosen to give rankings that time too, and she and everyone wrote things like, "Yasuda is more or less...[negative reasons]." Atsushi says, this time Suzanne has a decent reason, right? Suzanne says yes, Yasuda is a very good person, but I don't know much more about her image beyond that. (laughter) Same situation as last time.
Yasuda tries to defend herself but boy oh boy does she choose the wrong words to say!
Yasuda: My juniors really adore me, and my peers really like me.
Atsushi: Your juniors adore you?
Yamada: They do!
Atsushi: Michishige, where did you rank Yasuda?
Michishige: #10.
(laughter)
Yasuda: Ehh?!
Atsushi: The more you know her...but don't you know her the best out of everyone here?
Yasuda: She knows me the best!
Michishige: I may know her the best, but I've never thought of her as a good woman.
(laughter)
Yasuda: Ehh?! Hey!
Ryou: That girl.
Yasuda: I know how to support a man, and I'm really good at keeping peace among the members.
Michishige: Is that a good woman...or a useful woman?
(laughter)
Yasuda: Hey. (slapping Michishige on the shoulder)
Atsushi: Useful?
Yasuda: How mean.
Suzanne's #10 rank is Michishige. She says that from seeing Sayu in the past she thought of her as a considerate person, but since her TV image is so extreme most viewers are probably thinking, "Is she okay??" Even Suzanne's mother phoned Suzanne to ask what's wrong with Michishige lol. Atsushi says, so even your parents are worried about her. Sayu says, there's no need to worry at all.
Also, continues Suzanne, because Sayu keeps calling herself cute it has the reverse effect on her image. Dr. Nishikawa chimes in.
Nishikawa: It's a gag, right? Calling herself cute.
(laughter)
Michishige: It's not a gag. It's not a gag.
Atsushi: Do you think it's a gag?
Nishikawa: It's to make us laugh. She tells rather funny jokes.
(laughter)
Michishige: No, that's wrong!
Nishikawa: They're funny, they're funny.
Suzanne's rankings:
1. Sugita Kaoru
2. Kokushou Sayuri
3. Aoki Sayaka
4. Suzanne
5. Misono
6. Torii Miyuki
7. Yasuda Kei
8. Haruna Ai.
9. Nishikawa Ayako
10. Michishige Sayumi
The actual rankings are announced. Yasuda is excited to rank as high as #5, but Sayumi is surprised. When Atsushi remarks on her surprise Sayu explains using the expression もう大概にしてほしいですね, which translates to something like "I want them to stay within reason" or "Let's not get carried away now." While everyone laughs Yasuda can be heard saying, "I want you to stay within reason." Atsushi says he never used such an expression when he was 20.
Yasuda has both a positive reason and a negative reason read on her behalf:
- Positive reason: In spite of having been a national idol, she is well-liked among the masses.
- Negative reason: Although she was a Morning Musume, the things in her room and the things that she buys reek of poverty.
Misono beats Sayumi after all. Sayumi's response: "This has become tiresome." (laughter)
It comes down to a contest between Michishige and Sugita for worst position. Sugita says that perhaps Michishige and herself are similar types. Perhaps she, Sugita, herself is extremely cute. (laughter) Atsushi says that you can't attach the nickname 魔王 (Dark Lord; Demon Lord) to a person who is extremely cute.
While Michishige faces the possiblity of a double-whammy, Suzanne faces the possiblity of a penalty of 30,000 yen for her ranking being so far off! Suzanne had predicted Sugita at #1 but Sugita is in danger of getting #10... And does! Sugita offers to pay half of the penalty slapped on Suzanne.
Reasons for Michishige at #9:
- She hasn't yet got anything to show for as a woman.
- The more you get to know her you'd realize she is a woman who can love nobody but herself.
- Somewhere in her heart she thinks of her Hello! Projects seniors as fools.
To that second reason Sayumi says that she would return love to a guy who loved her, but that she has so far never experienced giving love, an admission which draws muffled laughs from the other women.
To the third reason Yasuda nods and adds that it's not just in her heart; she goes right out and says it! Sayumi says, "I'm not thinking fools of them. I just speak the truth."
Then Nishikawa tells how she was recently reading a weekly publication that had a survey of women most hated by women in 2009. Sayumi was listed there which made her curious. Now meeting Sayu for the first time she understands why. Of course she was reading it in the first place because she, Nishikawa herself, was on the list.
Actual rankings:
1. Kokushou Sayuri
2. Suzanne
3. Torii Miyuki
4. Aoki Sayaka
5. Yasuda Kei
6. Misono
7. Haruna Ai
8. Nishikawa Ayako
9. Michishige Sayumi
10. Sugita Kaoru
Well that's the show, or the Sayumi and Yasuda parts anyhow. Hope ya enjoyed the read! I kinda wanted to sub it so you could enjoy the nonstop funniness in its entirety, but for various reasons this episode wasn't a good candidate for subbing; there were numerous references in it to past shows and missing contexts that are difficult to deal with in a fansub aimed at non-regular viewers. (Also, my typesetting/encoding partner in crime has been busy lately)
As we have seen, Sayumi's notoriety continues to escalate right along with her cuteness. On Quiz All For One we saw her make dodgy comments about Nakazawa Yuko, and on this show she was downright mean to Yasuda Kei, her senior by 9 years. She is, however, just the right sort for a show like London Hearts. Nearly every utterance out of her mouth has the host and everyone laughing.
No more regular updates
Posted by zabel, Nov 4 2009, 03:00 AM
Yeah, I've run out of steam doing Ichigo ichie for now so I won't be posting weekly summaries. Sorry. HOWEVER I am not shutting the blog down as I may have Aichan or MM-related stuff to write about from time to time.
P.S. If you want something to blame, blame Little Big Planet as most of my time goes to it 
P.S.S. An unnamed member of Berryz will be a guest on her show next week.
London Hearts 09-10-20 (part 3/3)
Posted by zabel, Oct 26 2009, 09:30 PM
Summary of the most recent London Hearts continued. Apologies if any of my translations are off.
Misono doesn't cheat herself, but she has an unusual attitude about being cheated on. It's not the being cheated on that she dislikes, but when a man tries to hide it. She gives an example of a boyfriend who cheated on her and said nothing about it for 6 months when she knew all along. Fundamentally, she doesn't mind her man having another girlfriend. In her own words, she doesn't mind being "number two".
Misono's way of thinking is hard for the others to swallow, especially Tsuji and Suzanne. There aren't many women who are okay with being number two. "That's why when I write it in lyrics I don't get a response", she laments. "That's why my songs aren't selling." 
Sugita wonders, but isn't that cruel to the woman who is his number one? Misono's response? It's best when all three of us get along.
Here, Aota jumps in with one of a number of bizarre analogies she tries to make throughout the evening. Something about how you can't divide up a pizza while making a pizza delivery. Even the host is scratching his head. "This is your most confusing example yet!" Then Brittney starts talking about how Misono's is the PM system. Misono protests Brittney trying to make any comparisons with her.
But the big shocker comes when Michishige suddenly announces that she totally understand what Misono is saying and that she wants to be cheated on herself! You read that right. Sayumi says that she wants to be cheated on. She says she wants to feel sad being alone and imagining her guy being with another girl. Not quite the same thing Misono was saying though.
Sugimoto suggests that the two of them are cut out to be mistresses. They only see what they want to see and ignore the rest. Sugita adds that they love themselves the most. Atsushi: "So you like to picture yourself worrying that the man might be cheating?" Michishige: "Yes. I would be cute doing that."
Sayu doesn't speak again until her name comes up at #3. There's a lot of funniness in between which I'm gonna skip, but the ranking for Sugimoto is particularly amusing. She gets #4, so only negative reasons:
"She would say something clever like, 'Cheating is the spice by which one comes to know true love', while doing it." Which is in fact close to what she actually said! Except she used the word 'essence'.
"If the man were to start cheating she would reply with a big grin, 'So that's how it is.'"
Next comes Sayumi. Reasons:
"She would do it without malice saying, 'He likes me so it can't be helped.'" (translation might be bad)
"She would be fine with cheating herself but would never allow her boyfriend to cheat." They got it backwards, Sayu says.
"She would think it's natural for many men to be serving her."
That last one makes the host think of Kano Kyoko. And then:
Atsushi: So they think you'd find it natural to have men serving you?
Michishige: But I've been called cute all the time since I was little. Everyone around me has called me cute. It's really everyday stuff.
Atsushi: It's common.
Michishige: Yes, so I thought how nice it would be to some day find one of them who I love.
Sugita: While you go on thinking that, you'll stop being cute, and then after everyone distances themselves from you you'll feel betrayed.
(laughter)
Atsushi: What do you think of that idea? (directed at Michishige)
Michishige: It's twisted.
(laughter)
Sugita: I speak from experience.
(laughter)
Atsushi: From experience.
Sugita: It's not twisted.
Tsuji: But my opinion is that if she keeps being called cute, she'll become un-cute instead.
Atsushi: What do you mean?
Tsuji: Like, you're probably cutest when your love is unrequited. So you set that person as a goal and you become pretty instead, and you keep getting called cute, and then when you've become a princess you're not cute anymore.
Atsushi: Your senior is telling you that it's bad to just keep being told you're cute.
Michishige: But I am told.
(laughter)
Finally, the worst two are Hamada and Aota. Brittney keeps denying that she's a cheater. Aota doesn't even try lol. The host concludes by observing that London Hearts increasingly has people on who he can't understand.
on Q & A with Aichan on the radio