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Traditions passed down from generation to generation and preparedness for the aces of the next generation
Morning Musume。'17
Open interview with new members of the 13th generation and their mentor Kudo Haruka!
Morning Musume。'17
Open interview with new members of the 13th generation and their mentor Kudo Haruka!
Previous mentorships, "Ichii Sayaka → Goto Maki", "Michishige Sayumi → Kusumi Koharu", ..., are part of the long history of Morning Musume。. The system of kohai has always produced intense drama in the group. This time, Kudo Haruka was appointed as the mentor for the two new members of the 13th generation. The "Last egg*" a leading figure in the Hello-Profession, will share her philosophy on idols.
(*refence to Pyoko Pyoko Ultra, 10th generation debut single)
(*refence to Pyoko Pyoko Ultra, 10th generation debut single)
Kudo Haruka (10th generation) "The group is solid"
Kaga Kaede (13th generation) "A late bloomer of high ability"
Yokoyama Reina (13th generation) "Energetic girl with an angel's smile"
To line up? To show your personality? That's the Musume。spirit!
— It has been two months since I joined. Have you gotten used to it?
Yokoyama : Yes, little by little. Thanks to my senpai who are kind to me.
— How do you use honorifics? For you, Kaga, your gen mates and even kohai from your Kenshuusei days are also in Morning Musume。.
Kaga : Of course, I use honorific. Makino (Maria)-san, Haga (Akane)-san.
Kudo : I immediately knew this will be a problem. I said to them that I was thinking this is a topic that deserves to be discussed once only. The story is such that our senpai, the Morning Musume。1st generation members, taught it to us ; no matter what kind of relationships you had in the past, you must respect those who joined the group before you.
— Yokoyama, what about you vis-a-vis Kaga? When you were kenshuusei, you used honorifics, right?
Yokoyama : Yes. But as soon as we both knew we would join the group, she told to stop, and I've been stopping since then.
— Are there any differences between now and when you were kenshuusei that intrigued you?
Kaga : During the dance lessons, my senpai would ask the teacher some questions, such as "Am I doing it correctly?". I was very surprised by that, when I was a kohai, I wasn't allowed to ask questions to the teacher. Back then, when we didn't understand something, we would either discuss it among ourselves and solve it, or try our best together to ask the teacher.
Kudo : If you don't do your best, well your own kohai can't ask you dance questions (laughs).
Kaga : But the truth is that, in Morning Musume。, I was overwhelmed by the high level of awareness of "aligning" with others.
Kudo : I guess so, especially since we started dancing formation. The whole group is very much unified in their awareness of "what is the choreography here?". If one of us has a question, we immediately check with the instructor, who then passes it on to the other members, which is the basic rule.
— If you're hesitant to ask questions to the teacher, you will not be able to improve your accuracy in a small amount of lesson time.
Yokoyama : Yes. But as soon as we both knew we would join the group, she told to stop, and I've been stopping since then.
— Are there any differences between now and when you were kenshuusei that intrigued you?
Kaga : During the dance lessons, my senpai would ask the teacher some questions, such as "Am I doing it correctly?". I was very surprised by that, when I was a kohai, I wasn't allowed to ask questions to the teacher. Back then, when we didn't understand something, we would either discuss it among ourselves and solve it, or try our best together to ask the teacher.
Kudo : If you don't do your best, well your own kohai can't ask you dance questions (laughs).
Kaga : But the truth is that, in Morning Musume。, I was overwhelmed by the high level of awareness of "aligning" with others.
Kudo : I guess so, especially since we started dancing formation. The whole group is very much unified in their awareness of "what is the choreography here?". If one of us has a question, we immediately check with the instructor, who then passes it on to the other members, which is the basic rule.
— If you're hesitant to ask questions to the teacher, you will not be able to improve your accuracy in a small amount of lesson time.
Kudo : That's it.And it's better to listen and be together than to be apart without listening. So I think it would be better for both of you to get used to this approach as soon as possible.
Yokoyama : I was also surprised by the camaraderie among the members. Since kenshuusei are aiming for their debut, they're all rivals in the end, right? I felt that feeling of "I'm the one! I will do it!". However, once I joined Morning Musume。, I realized how important it was to "get it all together" and my thinking changed to the direction of working together to create a single piece of work.
Kudo : Even once you joined Morning Musume, I think you should still have that rivalry that says "I don't want to lose!", just as you had before. It's not like we all have to be in the same evolution, you know. There are many occasions when you have to show off your strengths.
Kaga : Hm~mm, that's a tough one! I was a kenshuusei for four years, so in the end, I often pay attention to other things. But if I neglected my own improvement by watching those around me, it would be a complete disaster, wouldn't it? That's why I always made it a point to prioritize my own growth. But when I listened to Kudo-san, she was thinking deeper than that... I don't know what the right answer is anymore (laughs).
Kudo : No, it's not that difficult (laughs). But maybe we can have a bigger idea. Morning Musume。is a place where you can gain experience not only in singing and dancing, but also in variety, interviews, acting, and so on. It's very important to find what you can do there. I'm not a good singer or dancer, but when I thought about how I could stand out, I decided to do my best in acting, which I love to do. I hope you two will find that "something special" of your own.
Yokoyama : I was also surprised by the camaraderie among the members. Since kenshuusei are aiming for their debut, they're all rivals in the end, right? I felt that feeling of "I'm the one! I will do it!". However, once I joined Morning Musume。, I realized how important it was to "get it all together" and my thinking changed to the direction of working together to create a single piece of work.
Kudo : Even once you joined Morning Musume, I think you should still have that rivalry that says "I don't want to lose!", just as you had before. It's not like we all have to be in the same evolution, you know. There are many occasions when you have to show off your strengths.
Kaga : Hm~mm, that's a tough one! I was a kenshuusei for four years, so in the end, I often pay attention to other things. But if I neglected my own improvement by watching those around me, it would be a complete disaster, wouldn't it? That's why I always made it a point to prioritize my own growth. But when I listened to Kudo-san, she was thinking deeper than that... I don't know what the right answer is anymore (laughs).
Kudo : No, it's not that difficult (laughs). But maybe we can have a bigger idea. Morning Musume。is a place where you can gain experience not only in singing and dancing, but also in variety, interviews, acting, and so on. It's very important to find what you can do there. I'm not a good singer or dancer, but when I thought about how I could stand out, I decided to do my best in acting, which I love to do. I hope you two will find that "something special" of your own.
— I see. It's a word with a lot of connotations.
Kudo : It may take some time to find them, though. For example, if it's Kaga, I want her to show off her dancing and singing abilities that she has cultivated as a kenshuusei. I think it would be okay for her to say something like, "I won't lose to Ishida Ayumi-san!" or something like that. Yokoyama, why don't you show more of your character as "everyone's little sister"? She's short and has an aura of "I want to protect you" so I think it's possible to use her sisterly power as a weapon.
Kaga cries over Kudo's comment! What was the reason for her sudden tears?
— Kaga-san, you have been a strong and talented kenshuusei since your days as a trainee. Do you feel like an immediate asset now? Or are you having a hard time because of the differences from the kenshuusei members?
Kudo : She is an immediate asset~. I feel that she has really brought what she has learned as kenshuusei here.
Kaga : (Starts crying in silence)
Kudo : The level is much higher than when I joined the group, and I'm often amazed by newcomers. That's why we demand a lot from the two of them right from the start. I was always told things that would really make a newcomer angry, such as "Why can't you remember your own placement!?". But for the both of them, it's not like that at all.
Kaga : (Wipes tears with a tissue)
Kudo : Yokoyama was accepted after only two months as a kenshuusei, and now she's expected to perform at the same level as Kaga from the very beginning, so I think she would probably struggling sometimes. I feel sorry for them, but as a group, we want to take advantage of their high potential. Rather than rebuilding from scratch with a new member, I feel that I would like to further enhance the power of the group thanks to both of them.
— What do you think, Kaga-san? How about Kudo-san's, your mentor's wonderful story ?
Kaga : ...Kudo-san said she feels sorry, but as for me, "I'm very happy"... For four years... I felt that all the hard work I had put in over the past four years had really paid off... (crying). So for the next spring tour, I think I have to put out even more effort than I have for the Hello! Project concerts I'm doing now. I want to live up to everyone's expectations, and if I can't do that, people may think "You've been a kenshuusei for so long, and that's all you can do?". I don't want that.
Yokoyama : I have Kaga by my side, helping me now. She helps me with everything, whether it's dance or anything else, asking me "How do you do it here?" but I would like to make it so that the two 13th generation members can help each other. I would like to eliminate the gap between our current levels and compete with each other at a higher level as peers.
Kudo : Yes, they are two very different people, and I think that's why they can improve each other. In the 10th generation, Harunan (Iikubo Haruna) and Ma-chan (Sato Masaki) had a hard time at first because they had no experience, but in no time at all, the gap between them disappeared. In fact, it's really great to have a group of peers. It's a great support and rivalry. Well, there are some members who can fight on their own, like Oda (Sakura).
— Who would be a good member to talk to for the two of you?
Kaga : In my case, it's probably Makino-san, who was a kenshuusei and my generation mate, who was easy to talk to. It's also easier to talk with her about things that I can't talk about with my senpai.
Yokoyama : For me, it would be Nonaka Miki-san. She's always come to me when she notices I need help. When I was in trouble, she went to me immediately ask what was wrong, so I feel very comfortable talking to her. Also, Ishida-san is very kind in teaching me about dance. Whenever I ask her for advice, she even takes time out of her own break time to spend time with me.
— Singing and dancing are learned by kenshuusei, but dealing with the media is an unknown area. Wasn't the press conference for Morning Misoshiru a tough one?
Kaga : I honestly didn't know what to do. I didn't know what an interview was. I didn't know what it meant. I was just following my senpai from the group, watching them and trying my best to keep up with them. I thought "I have to speak!" but when I opened my mouth, I felt like I was spinning my wheels and it was very difficult.
Yokoyama : I had never experienced an interview before in my life. I was worried that I might not be allowed to say something that would be publicly known. I was worried about what I was going to say. So I chose my words carefully and ended up not being able to speak well....
— Press conferences and variety are all about the spontaneity of the moment.
Yokoyama : That's right! And now I can't do it at all!
Kudo : I wasn't good at all. What I did was to first write down a list of things I was going to say, and then go to the day's event with the momentum of memorizing the entire list. I would go into the event with a memorized list of things I was going to say, as if I had prepared the material beforehand. For example, for the Morning Misoshiru press conference, I knew that Marukome-kun would be there and that he would probably have a story about a monk. Then, as expected, the question came up, "Did you have any idea to shave your head?" so I commented on it. I said, "Shall we do it?" but the office stopped me, saying "You're an idol, so don't do it". That was used to great effect.
— Amazing. Sounds like an assumption (laughs)
Kudo : All my life, I've been watching Michishige Sayumi-san's back, and that is how I have come to be prepared. I think the two of you who don't know Michishige-san will not understand anything unless we show our backs to you. Now that they are newcomers, they tend to be asked to speak, don't they? How can we throw in words that will have an impact? That is the key to success, isn't it? So, if possible, it's a good idea to have a catchphrase of your own. It's better to be a bit aggressive. For example, Kaga might say, "I will use the four years I spent as a kenshuusei to win the center position in Morning Musume。!". For Yokoyama, I would push for a "sisterly" and "fresh" image.
— You 're no longer a simple mentor, but a producer! Don't tell me you are trying to replace Tsunku-san?
Kudo : That's not true (laughs). This is the conclusion I arrived at after 6 years of hard work. It was only because I had a character that I was able to convey it to the both of them...
— This looks more of a live lesson than an interview. It's a very good learning experience.
Kaga : It's true. Is it ok to just listen to her advices ? (laughs)
— No, you can't! This is an interview, so please talk. But if you had to give yourselves a catchphrase, which elements would you emphasize?
Kaga : That's a great question~. For now, my hobbies are reading manga, playing games, and watching anime.
— What do you think, Kudo-san?
Kudo : Hmm~, a little weak.
Yokoyama : Wow, tough (laughs)
Kudo : Besides, as far as manga is concerned, we have Iikubo. It's not good to put yourself in the shoes of your senpai! In terms of "what is unique to me" I think that a four-year training period would have more impact than promoting anime or video games.
— Yes, that's more catchy from a media point of view.
Kudo : What's more, they make a unequal duo, in a good way. Kaga, a kenshuusei for four years, and Yokoyama, a kenshuusei for two months. It's very easy to understand, isn't it? You might want to wait a bit for your favorite anime for the sake of the duo's art (laughs). I want you to seal them off for at least a year and release them after the characters are well established!
Yokoyama : There is no one who thinks about us so seriously~!
— Yokoyama-san, what would your catchphrase be?
Yokoyama : I consider my smile to be my charm point. My friends sometimes tell me that. Morning Musume。has many cool songs, what I want is to show my own color with a bright and fresh smile!
— What do you think about that Kudo-san? It's not bad, is it?
Kudo : Not bad! It's not bad, but... There are ways to say it. For example, if you say something like "I will bring peace to the world with my bright smile", it would have more impact.
Yokoyama : I never thought of that idea (laughs). This could be the best!
— As long as you are in the business of popularity with an unspecified number of people, should you be too generous with your words?
Kudo : I believe in the spirit of words. I think it's important to say it first. I've made a lot of mistakes, but it's still better if people think "Oops! You say~ it?" than saying nothing at all.
Yokoyama : I think I learned a lot from Kudo-san today that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else.
Kaga : Really. I was motivated by what I heard and will work even harder from here!
Kaga : (Starts crying in silence)
Kudo : The level is much higher than when I joined the group, and I'm often amazed by newcomers. That's why we demand a lot from the two of them right from the start. I was always told things that would really make a newcomer angry, such as "Why can't you remember your own placement!?". But for the both of them, it's not like that at all.
Kaga : (Wipes tears with a tissue)
Kudo : Yokoyama was accepted after only two months as a kenshuusei, and now she's expected to perform at the same level as Kaga from the very beginning, so I think she would probably struggling sometimes. I feel sorry for them, but as a group, we want to take advantage of their high potential. Rather than rebuilding from scratch with a new member, I feel that I would like to further enhance the power of the group thanks to both of them.
— What do you think, Kaga-san? How about Kudo-san's, your mentor's wonderful story ?
Kaga : ...Kudo-san said she feels sorry, but as for me, "I'm very happy"... For four years... I felt that all the hard work I had put in over the past four years had really paid off... (crying). So for the next spring tour, I think I have to put out even more effort than I have for the Hello! Project concerts I'm doing now. I want to live up to everyone's expectations, and if I can't do that, people may think "You've been a kenshuusei for so long, and that's all you can do?". I don't want that.
Yokoyama : I have Kaga by my side, helping me now. She helps me with everything, whether it's dance or anything else, asking me "How do you do it here?" but I would like to make it so that the two 13th generation members can help each other. I would like to eliminate the gap between our current levels and compete with each other at a higher level as peers.
Kudo : Yes, they are two very different people, and I think that's why they can improve each other. In the 10th generation, Harunan (Iikubo Haruna) and Ma-chan (Sato Masaki) had a hard time at first because they had no experience, but in no time at all, the gap between them disappeared. In fact, it's really great to have a group of peers. It's a great support and rivalry. Well, there are some members who can fight on their own, like Oda (Sakura).
— Who would be a good member to talk to for the two of you?
Kaga : In my case, it's probably Makino-san, who was a kenshuusei and my generation mate, who was easy to talk to. It's also easier to talk with her about things that I can't talk about with my senpai.
Yokoyama : For me, it would be Nonaka Miki-san. She's always come to me when she notices I need help. When I was in trouble, she went to me immediately ask what was wrong, so I feel very comfortable talking to her. Also, Ishida-san is very kind in teaching me about dance. Whenever I ask her for advice, she even takes time out of her own break time to spend time with me.
— Singing and dancing are learned by kenshuusei, but dealing with the media is an unknown area. Wasn't the press conference for Morning Misoshiru a tough one?
Kaga : I honestly didn't know what to do. I didn't know what an interview was. I didn't know what it meant. I was just following my senpai from the group, watching them and trying my best to keep up with them. I thought "I have to speak!" but when I opened my mouth, I felt like I was spinning my wheels and it was very difficult.
Yokoyama : I had never experienced an interview before in my life. I was worried that I might not be allowed to say something that would be publicly known. I was worried about what I was going to say. So I chose my words carefully and ended up not being able to speak well....
— Press conferences and variety are all about the spontaneity of the moment.
Yokoyama : That's right! And now I can't do it at all!
Kudo : I wasn't good at all. What I did was to first write down a list of things I was going to say, and then go to the day's event with the momentum of memorizing the entire list. I would go into the event with a memorized list of things I was going to say, as if I had prepared the material beforehand. For example, for the Morning Misoshiru press conference, I knew that Marukome-kun would be there and that he would probably have a story about a monk. Then, as expected, the question came up, "Did you have any idea to shave your head?" so I commented on it. I said, "Shall we do it?" but the office stopped me, saying "You're an idol, so don't do it". That was used to great effect.
— Amazing. Sounds like an assumption (laughs)
Kudo : All my life, I've been watching Michishige Sayumi-san's back, and that is how I have come to be prepared. I think the two of you who don't know Michishige-san will not understand anything unless we show our backs to you. Now that they are newcomers, they tend to be asked to speak, don't they? How can we throw in words that will have an impact? That is the key to success, isn't it? So, if possible, it's a good idea to have a catchphrase of your own. It's better to be a bit aggressive. For example, Kaga might say, "I will use the four years I spent as a kenshuusei to win the center position in Morning Musume。!". For Yokoyama, I would push for a "sisterly" and "fresh" image.
— You 're no longer a simple mentor, but a producer! Don't tell me you are trying to replace Tsunku-san?
Kudo : That's not true (laughs). This is the conclusion I arrived at after 6 years of hard work. It was only because I had a character that I was able to convey it to the both of them...
— This looks more of a live lesson than an interview. It's a very good learning experience.
Kaga : It's true. Is it ok to just listen to her advices ? (laughs)
— No, you can't! This is an interview, so please talk. But if you had to give yourselves a catchphrase, which elements would you emphasize?
Kaga : That's a great question~. For now, my hobbies are reading manga, playing games, and watching anime.
— What do you think, Kudo-san?
Kudo : Hmm~, a little weak.
Yokoyama : Wow, tough (laughs)
Kudo : Besides, as far as manga is concerned, we have Iikubo. It's not good to put yourself in the shoes of your senpai! In terms of "what is unique to me" I think that a four-year training period would have more impact than promoting anime or video games.
— Yes, that's more catchy from a media point of view.
Kudo : What's more, they make a unequal duo, in a good way. Kaga, a kenshuusei for four years, and Yokoyama, a kenshuusei for two months. It's very easy to understand, isn't it? You might want to wait a bit for your favorite anime for the sake of the duo's art (laughs). I want you to seal them off for at least a year and release them after the characters are well established!
Yokoyama : There is no one who thinks about us so seriously~!
— Yokoyama-san, what would your catchphrase be?
Yokoyama : I consider my smile to be my charm point. My friends sometimes tell me that. Morning Musume。has many cool songs, what I want is to show my own color with a bright and fresh smile!
— What do you think about that Kudo-san? It's not bad, is it?
Kudo : Not bad! It's not bad, but... There are ways to say it. For example, if you say something like "I will bring peace to the world with my bright smile", it would have more impact.
Yokoyama : I never thought of that idea (laughs). This could be the best!
— As long as you are in the business of popularity with an unspecified number of people, should you be too generous with your words?
Kudo : I believe in the spirit of words. I think it's important to say it first. I've made a lot of mistakes, but it's still better if people think "Oops! You say~ it?" than saying nothing at all.
Yokoyama : I think I learned a lot from Kudo-san today that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else.
Kaga : Really. I was motivated by what I heard and will work even harder from here!
