Koike Minami interview in BLT July 2020

 

How have you been spending your time at home?

I’ve recently been playing with my pet dog Pomu, putting Keyakizaka songs on shuffle, continuously switching through the worldview and feeling of each song and dancing to them, like doing a solo live. I even try dancing to unit songs I’m not normally a part of,  trying to make practices exciting by dancing in front of a big mirror, making air lives part of my daily routine. Oh, though I haven’t done it yet today.

Is it like experiencing the Keyaki songs with a different view? There should also be the feeling of re-discovery.

I didn’t really notice it while I was performing them live, but when I thought of going through singing and dancing to every other part I usually don’t, surprisingly, I couldn’t. I thought, “Huh? How did this part go again?” and miss it. That’s why I’m re-listening to Keyaki songs and reinterpreting them by myself. Even if the sound is similar, the impression is different compared to when I listen to it during rehearsals.  Listening to them with my headphones, I thought, “So that’s how it sounds..” while jamming to the bass, I made various realizations. Even now I haven’t really experienced songs from our First Album, “Masshiro Mono wa Yogoshitakunaru”. It’s been 3 years since then, it’s really a shame (laughs).

Time sure flies......

When I entered Keyaki I was in my 2nd year of high school, and this year I’m turning 22. That’s how it is for me, but around this time, it felt fastest when (Harada) Aoi turned 20 years old. She really grew up.

The hands of the clock move fast for sure . Now I’d like to change topics, in your blog you uploaded a “Kimetsu no Yaiba” cosplay photo, I’d like to hear more about this.

Yes, I’m thinking of cosplaying something else soon as well. Even though I’ve never done cosplay up till now, I’ve wanted to for a while. But up till now, in the anime that I like, there are more male characters and I don’t think it would suit me to crossdress. In “Kimetsu no Yaiba”, however, there are many female characters, and so this time I thought I’d like to try something new. Then, when I did cosplay, I actually found it to be fun. It felt like I opened a new door inside me (laughs).

Even considering the reproducibility, it has the image of taking up a lot of time. What about that?

Surprisingly, the make-up didn’t take long to set up. The wig was what took the longest. You first have to adjust its cut. Because the wig was too long at first, I had to cut it, wear it, cut it again, and so on. The adjustment part was most troublesome.

When talking about Keyakizaka46’s cosplayer, Habu (Mizuho)-san’s image comes to mind. What do you think about you two doing a cosplay pair someday?

I’d like to try it. I’m inviting Yuuka (Sugai Yuuka) as well. I’d want to do it all together.  I might even upload a picture with Yuuka soon (laughs).

It seems like you’re interacting with the members, it doesn’t seem like you’re feeling the distance.

Yes, we do things such as video calls so it’d really feel like we’re meeting each other. I’m quite in touch with Fuu-chan (Saito Fuyuka), and Niji-chan (Ishimori Nijika) taught me how to curl my hair. Recently I’ve also been talking to Rikopi (Matsudaira Riko). But, the one I’ve been in touch with the most is Hinatazaka’s Ushio Sarina-chan. We don’t talk via text, we communicate via photos and videos (laughs). We’re talking on the phone so much so half the day passed without us realizing. It’s fine to talk to them on the phone for hours but, at the end of the day, I want to meet them directly. I want to see everyone’s smile soon as I can.

We’re praying that you’ll see each other as soon as possible. By the way, Koike-san, do you cook?

I don’t cook much (laughs). If I’m staying at home I don’t get that hungry. For example, I add something to my white rice, make a smoothie, or cut vegetables and make a salad, that in itself makes my stomach full. It may be weird, but recently I’ve been drinking 4 liters of water every day in place of meals. Before, I was trying to drink 2 liters every day, but when I heard that models drink 3-4 liters, I tried to double it (my daily consumption). If you drink water it makes you lose weight easily, and in the “Keyaki random solo live” I mentioned earlier, when I dance I’ll sweat so I’d rehydrate by drinking more water. I often take a drink during baths, etc. I’m trying to make it a habit.

Since I found out you’re keeping up with your health, what have you been thinking about lately, Koike-san? Rather, I’d like to hear how you’re feeling.

When I put Keyaki songs on shuffle and dance, I really wear myself out. A lot of times I thought, “But I could do this back then..”. I felt how it’s like to lose stamina when you’re not moving much. Additionally, as expected, since the start of the year, the only time where the whole group would appear is in “Keyakitte, Kakenai?”, since the end of the year I’ve been worried that the fans won’t have many chances to see us. Because of us not releasing a single for over a year, everyone’s anxious and are wondering when we’ll release a new song. 

But in this quarantine period, the members, on the contrary, are anxious about making a move with the group, we have a lot in mind on what we want to do with Keyakizaka. Personally, when the quarantine ends and the time comes when I can be with everyone, I’ll have a goal when it comes to myself, as well as the group, so we’ll all become stronger.

If you don’t mind, can you talk about your goals?

Many things come to mind, I think I want to show a new side to Keyakizaka during concerts. The Keyakizaka up till now has had its first chapter, and while keeping what’s good about it, I would personally like to see a Keyaki that isn’t just dark and find myself in it. For example, during concerts we often perform in the main and center stage, but I’d like to come closer to everyone, dance on the second floor, and like how during Tokyo Dome Goninbayashi rode bikes, I wish I could step up our production that way. 

I’d also like to experience a concert that involves the audience. I’ve been watching a lot of AKB48-san’s Tokyo Dome’s concerts and Nogizaka-san’s concerts on DVD recently, the live compositions and MCs are continuous, there are so many feelings at once that it makes me want to cry. I feel like we’re still lacking in expressiveness. I have a weak core and tend to make turns, so I’ll use this time to train hard, and when the time comes where I can meet everyone at a live concert, I'll be able to pull off a powerful performance; For that, I’ll be tough on myself.

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Translation: SatoneShichi

QC: Mentos

Raw @ Weibo