Ori Star Magazine WMatsui Interview

2012/02/06 - Ori Star Magazine WMatsui Interview

Translation by Sakaeandfrog

Q – With your previous single 「OkiDoki」 ranking 1st (Oricon), what were your thoughts when you 1st listen to your new single for 2012 「Kataomoi Finally」?

Jurina – I was surprised. Until now our songs were mostly refreshing and it somehow became SKE’s image too. But this time, when the intro started I was like “Ehh?!”. I was surprised by how  cool the song is and how straightforwardly the emotions are conveyed by the lyrics. In the past, we have sing a certain amount of songs which spoke of love, but this one feels different to me.

Rena – Same for me, it feels different from our other works with A melo, B melo and climax being at the complete opposite from our previous work. The flow of the song is interesting too, sometime furious, sometime slower.

Q – Does the choreography gives away a new impression too?

Jurina – Until now our dances have always been intense in a way or another, but this outperform everything we’ve done so far. During the climax for example, everyone gives an high kick or during the interlude we do leapfrogs, making it a show where you go 「Ooohhh~」 when you watch it.　And thus, before the dance,  everybody stretch more thoroughly than usual (laugh).To make sure we raise our legs high for the kick.

Rena – True! I certainly struggled when we started to practice that kick or this other lateral move. If I don’t understand the principle of every and each move, my body won’t move smoothly.　When our teacher made the demonstration for the 1st time, I could only perceive very mysterious/weird moves. The first few times, I didn’t manage the move so I simply walked horizontally (laugh). But now I’ve memorized the move, there is no more problem.

Q- SKE48 is steadily transforming and progressing, still, the MV is more shocking than anything I could picture listening to the song!

Jurina – I hear that a lot (laugh). Compared to the script I received initially, the actual shooting was certainly more extreme. In the clip there is a part where I kiss Rena’s ear, we shot it countless times. For 10 seconds I kiss her (ear) over and over again. I mean, it can’t end up with just a kiss* right?!

Rena – Ehh?! (laugh)

Q – Same here “Ehh?!” (laugh)

Jurina – Like, starting with kissing her ear and then moving to her mouth. That’s where the final video actually cuts (laugh). Though in the script it was originally written “Jurina gives a light kiss to Rena’s ear”.

Q – Is that saying that once you reached the shooting spot, the content became thicker (TL : meaning “your play became more daring”)?

Jurina – Yes. Besides before we did, Kumi and Kanon** had already recorded the intro kiss scene. For this scene too the script said “…kiss…”.　But when they arrived at the shooting location, the received directions that made both of them go “Ehhhh?!”, but progressively they managed to play it as their instinct told them to. (TL : literally “without being bound by the directions”). When we heard about it, we start thinking “Let’s go for it!”.

Rena – When I was given the script I wondered “Is this really ok?”, “how will react the fans?”, also would the members be able to go that far? Honestly I was anxious.　But the director was the same that had always made our MV before, a relation of mutual trust had grow between us and there was no doubt in my mind he would turn this clip into a great piece

Jurina – Exactly! The Director was saying 「Carry on (TL : possibly “go all the way”), it looks cool this way!」too. Even though it was really embarrassing at first (laugh).

Jurina plays a very convincing femme fatale figure, the “beauty beyond reach” of her school.***

Q – With this malicious expression,　we discover a facet of Jurina that we don’t usually see. The content is exciting in this regard, isn’t it? Jurina is such an handsome　guy in this MV!

Jurina – Thank you~. Myself when I first watched it I thought “Ouaaa, is that a guy?!” (laugh). The glances I throw to the members too,　they’re very much the same as those a man would throw. My character was set as being the “beauty beyond reach of the campus”, but being so popular in a all girls school, she turned out to have a slightly boyish air about her. And the members are all extremely cute you know, so Ｉordinary look at them with those eyes. Maybe that’s where my skills to pull such a good boyish character come from (laugh). Also being told by female fans 「You were so cool~!」, made me terribly happy!

Q – But she is evil! Evil!****

Jurina – Ahahahahahah! It’s a playboy indeed, a playboy! (laugh)　But since she is a girl, she can’t become detestable.

Q – And then we have Rena-chan, a lonely and delicate girl, who is on top of your list.

Rena – That’s right. The type of girl to stay in the background. In the corner of the classroom, she is the girl who is always alone reading  a book.

Jurina – (frankly) You really get a lot of those roles!

Rena – Yeah (laugh). And then, she gets interested in Jurina.

Q – And then…. you make a pass at Rena-chan and dabble with that other girl too (laugh).　The scene where you casually touch Rena’s thigh, one can read the astonishment all over her face.  

Jurina – At first, Ｉ touched her quickly but I received this kind of directions 「After you stroke her, slides your hand a bit further north」. Thus, the reluctance to part feeling?! (laugh).

Rena – The tight scene took forever to shoot. Even tough it lasts just a brief instant in the MV.

Jurina – I had never stroke a thigh before, it was difficult you know~

Rena –  I tried adjusting my pace to make it easier for you to touch me though (laugh).

Q – In addition to those numerous  heart-pounding scenes, a passionate dance is conducted on top of a completely empty building giving to the ensemble an incredible intensity.

Rena – In the middle of the roof too, there were not only vibrations but also braces that came out, dancing there while avoiding them was hard.

Jurina – (nonchalantly) Was more hazardous than we had thought.

Rena – We shoot the MV in Okinawa but SKE48 isn’t well know over there yet, so the people in the neighborhood, from the surrounding building were shouting 「It’s AKB48!」(laugh).

Jurina – No, they said 「It’s NMB48」(laugh). When we went down, there were lots of kids waiting for us. I thank them and played with them when all of a sudden, the little girls start flipping my skirt. Even when the other members arrived downstairs, they only flipped mine! Even if this happened, it was a lot of fun.

Q – They messed with you (laugh)! On site, what else proved challenging?

Rena – There is a scene where I have to run in a field of zebra grass, I was told to do it barefoot.  While I run, there were many times I barely escape falling.

Jurina – Then, there is the slap scene! At first we were told it was ok to fake it but the two of us  protest 「No, let’s do it for real!」. Wouldn’t it look bad if that was the only scene lacking reality? Bur being strike repeatedly hurt more than I had thought (laugh).

Rena – Because of the cold, you were granted some extra (laugh). And then when the director finally called “cut” for this scene, another member made her entry to shoot another slapping scene. But I didn’t need to appear in this one (laugh).

Q – I want to see the complete version! Now with regard to the intro scene where two girls kiss, could you two tell us about the kind of imaginary kiss scene you’re yearning for?

Jurina – Ehhh?! (To Rena) What about you?!

Rena – Eeh, I’ve no idea!! Somehow my heart is racing (laugh).

Jurina –  Even if you can’t tell, I like being spoiled, I want to be cajoled. I can’t make the 1st move to  kiss, so when I’m being pampered, here, firmly and like a real man should! Usually it would always end with a 「there~ there~」kind of petting, but being kiss there, when I least expect it would be nice I think!

Rena – Well, then me… I would be busy and could not t meet with the one I like for a long time, when we finally meet again, receiving a gentle kiss would make me happy… maybe.

Jurina – And the dialogue?!

Rena – I don’t need that! It’s not about what is said~

Jurina – Really?! Me their are things I want to be told though…　After suddenly

being kissed  I want to be asked 「Was it embarrassing?!」.　The embarrassment would grow unbearable, my heart would certainly race like crazy!

Rena – Such a masochist* (laugh). You’re weird!

Q – You got a little carried away (laugh).

Jurina – I must have read too much manga (laugh).

Q – The coupling songs too, Jurina Shiro gumi’s 「Hanikami Lolipop」and Rena Aka gumi’s 「Koega kasurerukurai」 are about unrequited love, but their approaches are completely different. One is a cute and cheerful unrequited love, the other is tormenting. If you were to have a one-sided crush, which song would you be closer from?

Jurina – I think I would want him/her 「to notice me!」, thus I’d try to appeal to him/her. Like proactively talking to him/her. If even that was to fail, I’d give up once for all.

Q – So straightforward (laugh).

Rena – I easily get pessimistic. This 「Koega kasurerukurai」fits me perfectly. With all those negative thoughts, I bet I must be really hard to deal with.  Oppressing maybe.

Jurina – Eh~ I’m more a pain than you are. Being excessively assertive (laugh). In Rena’s case, her surrounding will probably notice about her crush. With comments like 「She seems to like him/her」.

Rena – Uh, that would be a problem! (laugh) If such a secret was to be unveiled, I would be too ashamed to keep living in this world.

Jurina – Ehh~ Me to the contrary I think it would help if I was exposed. It’s easier to make your move if the one concerned already knows.

Rena – I don’t want someone to look at me this way!

Jurina – Why?! I don’t think there is anyone out there who don’t appreciate to know someone like them.

Rena – Ehh~?! Is that so?! (laugh)

Q – Those delusions are reaching new peaks (laugh). Last, tell us about your ambitions for 2012.

Jurina – Yes! I’ve the feeling that in 2011 more people got to know about SKE48, but it’s still not enough, there are people who are still not quite sure about who we are. With the release of 「Kataomoi Finally」, I want to become an idol loved by people from all ages.  Even for people who are not interested by idols, I think it’s a pleasant song to listen to.

Rena – This year, we will need to believe in ourselves as SKE48 to steadily affirm our “uniqueness”. So we won’t be simply chasing after AKB48. For us to be on par. Not the same,  not an object of comparison, I believe we need to establish SKE48 as a separate existence altogether.

Jurina – We are referred to as a sister group, but we want to gain our independence!


SOURCE: (Part1) http://sakaeandfrog.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/2012-02-06-jurina-rena-interview-2/ | (Part2) http://sakaeandfrog.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/2012-02-06-jurina-rena-interview/