AS1422 #107 (2015.02.01)

Setsubun

So, after my successful frantic attempts to translate all of Maro’s blog before she graduates ( 🙁 ), I will resume my frantic attempts to catch back up on radio translations, hooray! At the point of this broadcast, Setsubun, the traditional Japanese first day of spring (which is well before the actual first day of spring and well before it actually stops being cold outside), is coming up. One tradition within Setsubun is the eating of Ehou Maki, or “lucky rolls,” a rolled sushi comprised of various ingredients that are supposed to bring about good fortune. Rinapuu opens this show by asking if Kananan likes this tradition.

Kananan: Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Rinapuu: Stop it.
Kananan: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Rinapuu: Hurry up and answer.
Kananan: Yeah.

Kananan says that she always ate them back home in Kansai, but since moving to Tokyo and Kanto, she’s noticed that they aren’t as common in this area and it’s been difficult to find them. This is sad for her, because she has fond memories of eating them with her friends and family. To maximize one’s luck with the Ehou Maki, it must be eaten facing the luckiest direction for that year (Rinapuu: “Which way is that?” Kananan: “I have no idea!”) and in silence. The silence part is what Kananan has always had most trouble with, because being around people and not being able to talk just makes her laugh. Then, as she looks around at other people’s faces, she inevitably mutters, “Somebody say something,” then immediately recoils in horror because she realizes that she just broke the silence. It’s a fun holiday for her.

Weirdos.

New Single PR

Because ANGERME’s first single is set to come out soon, Rinapuu encourages Kananan to talk about the songs so that everyone can learn more about them. Taiki Bansei is, of course, a Takui song that he wrote for his own album, but according to Kananan, some staff members approached him and asked if they could use the song for Ange’s purposes. He complied and rearranged it for them. Kananan tells everyone to watch MUSIC+ on YouTube to see some footage of the instrumental recording as well as footage of the members recording the chorus and other background vocals. The lyrics are also important, because they push the listener, especially those among us who are late bloomers, to keep doing their best because we only have the present. This also encourages Kananan, as it is particularly relevant to her and the reborn group.

As for Otome no Gyakushuu, Rinapuu says it’s unlike any song they’ve done previously as part of S/mileage, kind of a creepy, Halloween sort of song. Rinapuu wanted to perform it for Halloween because she thought the dance moves made them look like monsters, but the dance instructor told her she was wrong when they were shooting the MV. It turns out they’re actually supposed to look like trees. Scary trees. Scary trees that are easy to imitate, so everyone do that when they perform it live. Kananan encourages us all to play these songs for our friends and family members because they will definitely like them, as opposed to other idol songs, perhaps, which your family will judge you for.

Song: ANGERME – Taiki Bansei

Bakuwara Correspondence
Bakuwara Tsuushin, in which Rinapuu gives us an update on her and her Bakuwara Friends

This is the first Bakuwara Correspondence of the year 2015 and it has been quite a long time since the last one, as well. Immediately, Rinapuu tells us to forget about the old Bakuwara Friends. They’re dead, just forget about them.

RIP Bakuwara Friends

What’s happening now is the sudden increase in Rinapuu’s kouhai, between 3rd gen Ange, 12th gen MM, Country Girls, and the new unit(s). As such, Rinapuu would like to devote this corner to talking about some of them. Since she’s most familiar with 3rd gen, she’ll talk about them. She doesn’t know which one to choose first, though, so Kananan suggests Rikako.

Rikako is funny, because she’s the youngest member of the group in her first year of middle school, but Rinapuu doesn’t think that any of them were this childish at that age. Kananan says she can’t really remember what she was like back then, and Rinapuu thinks that she was largely the same person, but Rikako is very, very much like a little kid. She’s very quick to pout and get emotional whenever she gets corrected or disciplined. Kananan remembers once that they were talking about how Dawa and Takechan were going to go to Sendai to do media appearances for the single, and Rikako overheard them and got upset. She went to the manager to tell them that she wanted to go to Sendai, too, but the manager said, “You have school, don’t you?” and she started pouting. They tried to cheer her up saying, “You can go another time, though, right?” To which she responded, in a sullen voice, “But I want to go now…” 

You can tell she is a child by the fact that she seems unable to keep her mouth closed 90% of the time.

They then talk about Murotan. She’s very reliable, the most adult of the group, surprisingly. Murotan dresses more maturely than everyone else, in particular. Compared to Dawa, who is the second-most adult, Murotan has way more brand-name clothes and accessories for adult women. This is good because they’ve never had someone like her in the group before, someone who loves fashion and clothes like that. In terms of her reliability, Rinapuu thinks it probably stems from the fact that she was a trainee the longest of the three 3rd gen members and was therefore the most senior member, but she’s always actively listening to what the instructors are saying and will convey it to the others if need be.

Finally, AiAi, Kananan’s favorite. AiAi, by her own admission, is not very skilled in dancing or singing yet because she had only just joined the training program when she joined the group. However, having AiAi in the group made Rinapuu realize how grown-up Kananan has become. She has seen her stay after rehearsals just to teach AiAi the dance more, which is definitely not a thing Rinapuu would ever do.

Song: ANGERME – Otome no Gyakushuu

Mystery Photos

In what is now a tradition for H!P, the girls receive some of the mystery photo packs that they sell at H!P concerts and such and will open them to discuss the random member inside. They received part 2 from the winter H!P concerts, so who will it be?

Kananan draws one for Rinapuu to talk about, and she ends up pulling out Murotan. Rinapuu struggles for a minute because they just talked about her, but she eventually says that although Murotan is very mature, she has a very cute face and a nice smile. She’s also really short. She’s even shorter than Takechan, which surprised them, but it’s cute.

Rinapuu then pulls out Sugaya Risako, which they have trouble saying in unison. This should, however, make one of the radio staff members very happy, as they are a die-hard Risako fan and collect all of her goods. Well, they collect the goods by begging people from UF to give them stuff. Whatever works. They comment on how pretty her writing is on the picture, which reminds Rinapuu of how her managers have always gotten mad at her for not writing enough on the pictures ever since she joined the group. Kananan advises that she needs to use more colors.

She has not improved.

She then remembers something that happened with Risako during Hello!Con rehearsals at Nakano Sun Plaza. They were getting ready to rehearse the new song and Kananan fell over something onstage that really, really hurt and she started crying while rehearsing the song, but once she was finished Risako immediately came over to hug her and bring up a chair for her to sit in. Other senior members of course asked if she was okay, but Risako was the only one who sat with her until she had stopped crying. It’s surprising to Kananan because she assumed that Risako would be the most spoiled member of Berryz Koubou, as she is the youngest, but she’s actually remarkably kind to all of the junior members and dotes on them. She may look scary to her juniors, but Kananan thinks she is the kindest senior member. Rinapuu confirms that the Berryz Koubou reputation of being terrifying is silly, because they’re all very nice.

Sometimes it’s difficult to find pictures of specific pairings, but then sometimes they host Hello!Sta together and my life gets a little easier

Rinapuu: This has been your host, Katsuta Rina, and your commentator, Nakanishi Kana. Thank you!
Kananan: Thank you! AiAi, take me to eat fried chicken!