OSRIN from PERIMETRON (Artwork director for 1st and 2nd single) interview from BRODY June 2021
Starting not from step one, but zero
Q While I already know what kind of works PERIMETRON has worked on, I was honestly surprised when it was announced that you are handling Sakurazaka46’s artwork.
OSRIN: Is it like so in a glance?
Q I couldn’t imagine PERIMETRON and Sakurazaka46 together at first. But when I saw the group picture and the CD jacket artwork, I thought that it looked interesting. It shows something that didn't exist in Keyakizaka46’s time; I feel moved.
OSRIN: For real? Glad to hear it. I thought of wanting to give them a bit of a different branding from Keyakizaka46. The way people look at idols now has changed, hasn’t it? Although the PERIMETRON team came from the slightly underground side of pop culture, I’m not against Idol culture, I’ve always had this thought; “If I can mix good things together, why not?”, and so I feel that Sakurazaka was my first attempt at this.
Q By the way, how did you get involved in this?
OSRIN: Actually, I was approached once during Keyakizaka46 time. And stemming from that, I was invited to participate in a competition for Sakurazaka46. But at that time we were in the situation where we knew nothing; the group name, songs, and even the Center were not decided yet. I thought that if even the key colors are not decided yet, how am I supposed to present anything at all (laughs). So I talked about it roughly. At the time, when I said “I somewhat have this white impression in mind”, they also said, “Actually, we are thinking of white too”.
And one more thing, I also talked about wanting to produce starting from the costumes. Until now, another team would make it, and then it’s used in MV, and it will also be used in the CD jacket. The costumes are made beforehand, and I don’t like it. I said, “I have to take their pictures, but I can’t decide how they look?”. And then when I said, “Let us do the costume with the stylist of our choice”, they said “No one has ever asked to do the costumes as well before”
They took it as an interesting opinion. And then it was decided that we will be working together. From there I contacted Takenouchi Remi-san who had made costumes for me in the past, and told her that I want her to create works that are strong in its collectivism. The costume direction was the first priority.
Q So that’s what happened
OSRIN: I have a lot of video-related work, but it was only a year or two ago that I started doing art direction. When it comes to video, most of the time you would first decide “Because it has this world-view, this kind of costume will be good”. It’s better for us to have the girls appear in something after there’s already an established world view.
And if Keyakizaka46 was a piercing coolness and strength, what would Sakurazaka46 be?... That is one of the things I have been doing since the previous work. I created the work with an awareness of a painting in mind, not for it’s sex appeal, but for its mysterious and luxurious feel that emphasizes elegances, and the slightly matte touch. I was very particular about the lighting and composition, and the culmination of all of this was the 1st single, “Nobody’s fault”
Q Perhaps it is why it feels more like a work on it’s own, instead of being just an artwork
OSRIN: I’m not a photographer, and this is not an advertising job where I have to take beautiful pictures of them. If so, I thought it would be the quickest to bring them into our domain. Although I also wonder if people will come to like it or not. For the 1st single, there was also the theme of unveiling, and I was actually thinking of making the half of the face visible, with everyone wearing a veil. Everyone would also be wearing a veil on the group, since I thought it would be interesting to make a strong debut with a picture where you can’t tell who is who (laughs).
But it’s the rise of the curtain for them, and it’s not simply a step forward; it’s starting anew. Until now, there aren’t many idol groups who got renamed, right? To do such a grand renewal is quite to the edge in terms of an artist’s life. The 2nd generation girls who were selected as centers probably don’t have that much confidence yet, but I thought that there must be something that quietly burns within them, so they are all standing on the jacket, and they’re also standing in the group picture. In terms of placement, there is no change on how their body is facing, and everyone is standing straight. It’s all intentional.
Different from the image of Keyakizaka46, I thought it would be nice for Sakurazaka46 to look like an illusive ensemble, and that’s the same reason for the set of member portraits. And from there I started making one by one from Type A to Regular Edition, with themes such as a single cherry blossom tree to a storm of cherry blossom petals. So the one where Fujiyoshi(Karin)-san is spinning (Type D) is a storm of cherry blossom petals, the one where (Yamasaki) Ten is standing alone in the center (Regular Edition) is a cherry blossom tree.
Q Oooh, I see!
OSRIN: There’s been feedback where people say it’s unfair to the back row members that they’re barely visible, that it’s the work of the creator’s ego. When the label asked me to take hold of the creation, I thought that without some semblance of ego, nothing will get done. But it actually also becomes a reason to make the girls stand out, and we will definitely establish a line that creates a distinction from the other two groups. It’s less of showing each and every member’s strengths, and more promoting support for the group as a whole.
When that happens, I think it’s necessary to have that strange, eye-catching feeling that makes you go, “Who is this girl with an interesting expression?”. To be honest, the current fans are important too, but it’s necessary for Sakurazaka46 who are restarting to make new fans. That’s why I wouldn’t count ‘the past’ or ‘idol-like presentation’ as a reason . I think it’s important to increase the number of people who would like this group as much as possible while creating a balance with the Keyakizaka46 spirit that still lives within.
Proof of existence
Q I see. Regarding the artwork for the 2nd single “BAN”, I think that overall it’s a further step forward from “Nobody’s fault”
OSRIN: For the 2nd single, I asked Mako-chan (Arai Makoto) from the same team [PERIMETRON] to do the directing together with me. The big difference is that while the tone follows the previous work, each jacket picture has a slightly expanded world-view. It’s different from the previous work where from Type A to Regular Edition are all taken in the same place. This time, each picture has a different background with clear meanings behind them. From my point of view, the second work is the real first step. So while on the previous work they didn’t move, each of them moved on to the second work and it’s all set in different places. It seems like it’s the same location, but that’s the reason I made them all distinct.
Q This time I feel that the story is getting stronger, such as living in coexistence with nature and having animals appear
OSRIN: By getting renamed and restarting over, I think that means that there are many things that didn’t go as usual in daily lives. That’s why when you have to prove their existence, you have to travel to a vacant plot, you have to leave a proof of your existence there, and that you have to reach a new place, you have to eat something, it has a slight survival element in it. How do we show it in an old painting style is a continuation of the 1st single.
Q How much did you think about its affinity with the music?
OSRIN: It was really close to the filming for the song, so I couldn’t match it (laughs). But that gives us more freedom. It’s better to think about the branding for the girls without being tied to the song. Although in the previous work there are also comments saying, “There’s no connection at all with the music”. But I do it without minding that at all.
Q Did you feel any change in impression or atmosphere of the members between the first and second work?
OSRIN: To be frank, I feel worried about Morita (Hikaru) on the 1st single. That’s because back in Keyakizaka46, I had the impression that she has such a small figure, with big and round eyes. That’s why on the 1st single, Morita was the only one I called and talked about the mood, “You don’t have to open your eyes widely. Don’t let the lights enter your eyes”. However, the one where Morita is jumping (Type C), her form more than anyone other’s stayed consistently strong.
If you jump the same way nearly 80 times, you would shift a little and your hand would touch your face for a moment, but Morita doesn’t change at all. I felt her good athleticism and balance, as well as an overwhelming amount of practice. After that we took the Type A picture, and she made a wonderful expression. Fujiyoshi (Karin) and (Yamasaki) Ten are the types with strong presence, who already know what they want. I was a bit worried that I had to lead those two with care so that [Hikaru] wouldn’t be overshadowed by them, but that ended up being unnecessary.
Q What about during the second work?
OSRIN: For the 2nd single, I have no worry at all from the start, so I felt that there was something they definitely grasped in the last few months. Not just Morita-san, but there is a big impression that the 2nd generation has considerably improved. The same goes to Inoue (Rina), Endo (Hikari), and Ozono (Rei) who have a considerable sense of presence despite being in the back. You can easily sense their strong presence, so it was even easier to shoot them compared to before. Tamura (Hono) also has a completely different dimension this time, she let out a mature vibe. Their growth speed was interesting, you see.
Rock for the naked eye
Q I think that it would be difficult to select a shooting location when you have to shoot this many people together, but how was it?
OSRIN: That’s right. When you consider just the jacket pictures, it’s square and not everyone can be included in it, so it’s okay to do it in a more limited place, but when it comes to creating this (group picture) it’s more restricting. We need twice the capacity of the stage to use the flash, and it would be difficult to arrange for everyone to get proper lighting. I’ve been making some adjustments to the face, since I wanted to make the look in a proper condition, so I started by choosing a location, but I couldn’t come up with any ideas. I decided not to do that this time.
Mako-chan and I first thought about the individual shots, and after deciding on the location we decided on what we are going to do there, and then we put off thinking about the group picture until later. It’s not that I don’t know how to line them up, but I had the general idea of what I wanted to do, and I thought that I could do it even if (the location is) narrower than last time. This time I made a difference in the height in the front, so I was able to make the sides come closer. But it was very difficult. The most difficult part is the group picture.
Q When I saw the group picture for the first single, I was surprised to see that the heads of the members were almost horizontally lined up
OSRIN: It looks weird, isn’t it (laughs)? I have a gist, but to measure I change it depending on whether the girl is tall or short. That’s why the 1st single might overwhelmingly feel weird (laughs). With a movie, you can check in live if their face is clearly seen or if it’s aligned, but with stills you can’t tell until you click the shutter.
That’s why I checked in front of the lens myself, and arranged it while visually checking like “You and you, can you move 2 cm more over there?”. When I release the shutter and look at all the faces in the transmitted image, when I give instructions on what to do they may have already moved. When you release the shutter, you definitely start to feel like it’s ok to take a break, so in that situation you have to keep locked on with your own eyes as you release the shutter. That’s why I took so much time.
In the 1st single we tried to adjust down to the centimeters. If the 1st single was mechanical and organic, then I wanted the 2nd single to be more organic than the former. I think that the 2nd single shows the feeling of being alive.
Q Like you said earlier, they are girls who’re taking their first step forward, right?
OSRIN: That’s right. I thought it’s okay if they take a great step, a giant step. I feel that there is an unknown world just one step ahead, so to expand the significance of their existence to those unknown places; it’s that sort of feeling that I’m aiming for.
Q I see. On both the 1st and 2nd single, the artworks are released with comment from OSRIN-san, right?
OSRIN: Until now I’ve been doing MVs. I’ve always been handling King Gnu, but this is my first time handling CD jackets. So I put the whole concept into words. For the 1st single, I made an easy-to-understand concept that they are not individual flowers but a group of flowers, or so I said. As for the 2nd single, the themes of Type A, B, C, D, and Regular Edition are written in bullet points. “We are here”, that is the story of the artwork.
Q Whether it's a song or MV, Sakurazaka46 is still often compared to Keyakizaka46. But actually they are still in the 2nd single, and still in the growing process, right? It’s very interesting how it’s conveyed through these artworks
OSRIN: I thought that Keyakizaka46 had a thrill, including their unsteadiness and coolness. I think that coolness is definitely one of the factors that Sakurazaka46 will inherit, but I’m more interested in the sense of a fear of the unknown. I think that Keyakizaka46 was a bit more rebellious, and had a denial of what was happening in front of them, and because of that they had their own raison d'être. But I have taken the liberty to think that I want Sakurazaka46 to have such strength to be able to exist semi-permanently.
I imagine that it will take a while until there is an explosion of emotions in the truest sense there, but I don’t know whether it will be on 3rd or 4th [single]. They don’t have to be emotional all of the sudden, they don’t have to run too fast, and they don’t have to butter up. However, I hope that they will steadily gain recognition, including from the antis.
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Translation: tmi
QC: mentos, pz
Raw: kiryu
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