Goto Shohei (Director of Nobody's Fault and OmottaYori MV) interview from BRODY June 2021

 

What to change and what to keep

Q Goto-san, what kind of impression did you have of Keyakizaka46 before Sakurazaka46?

Goto: Once during karaoke there was a girl singing “Futari Sezon”, and I watched the MV being played like “Hoo~”. From there I listened to the other songs such as “Silent Majority”, and I guess you can say that I got pretty into it. In any case, I thought that their MVs were really good. I was really into it for a while - the MVs, the songs, and how Hirate Yurina-san gave out a vibe I had never felt before. But from around “Garasu wo Ware!” I stopped listening, and at first I didn’t even know that they were getting renamed.

Q So it was like that. And from there, the renamed Sakurazaka46 released their 1st single, and you directed the title song MV.

Goto: I worked in the same agency as Mori Yoshihiro-kun who directed “Hiraishin” MV, and at the time I said, “I want to do it too”, so I was surprised when I suddenly received an offer to do an MV for Sakurazaka46. I’ve been focusing on CMs until now, and had never made an MV before, but on the contrary I might have received the offer because I have absolutely nothing to do with Keyakizaka46. Even putting it that way, it’s still a difficult matter, don’t you think? I only knew Keyakizaka46 in its early days, and I was told to completely change the cool look of that time, so I was slightly worried, and I think I faced “Nobody’s fault” while wondering how they would want it changed.

Q Was there an order from management to go a certain direction at the time?

Goto: Of course there was. “Nobody’s fault” has a slight feeling of continuing Keyakizaka46, so there was a conversation about how much of it (Keyaki) should be maintained. At that time everyone was excited about the rugby world cup, so there was a flow of “Let’s work together once again. Let’s huddle together.” This developed into a strong theme of trying to unite, to work together as one, like the members of a baseball team. If I was to sum it up, it was like “You talk a lot of smack but don’t look down on us,” or rather, combining unity with a “kick ass” attitude (laughs).

Q I think that power matched with the image of the Sea of Japan.

Goto: While I thought that each image matches very well, as someone who came from a CM background, I also thought that I might be thinking about the story too much. I was too conscious of continuing Keyakizaka46 while also departing anew as Sakurazaka46, and it ended up that there were some parts where the  performance became less of a priority. I thought that I’d like to fix that with the next work as much as possible.

Q Did you meet with the members before the filming?

Goto: It was our first time meeting each other, but since there’s also the COVID pandemic, we could only do basic greetings. Because of that too, it felt like we just suddenly met at Sado Island without being able to talk with each other, and moreover because everyone was wearing masks I didn’t know who’s who (wry smile). But I thought that they are all reliable girls. The moment they entered the location, they lined up in a row and said, “Good morning!!”.

In a sense where they are not in an athletic meet, they still take it really seriously as such. It’ll also be the first MV for the girls after becoming Sakurazaka46, so their spirit was transmitted from under their masks. However, the filming itself was before Keyakizaka46’s Last Live, so their schedule was basically having rehearsal as Keyakizaka46, and then immediately preparing for activities as  Sakurazaka46, so it seemed that they were having a hard time switching their feelings and expressions.

Q Did you see the response from the fans after the MV release?

Goto: I saw it at first. Though a lot of people were saying things like, “Aren't they dragging it out?” or “So nothing changes after all” (wry smile). Maybe it’s mainly because I liked Keyakizaka46. In that sense, I feel that I was able to do a better job switching my feelings for the 2nd single.

Q And that would be “Omotta Yori mo Sabishikunai”, meaning you were given another offer to work on an MV from management.

Goto: The offer came before the song. At that time, it was decided that the director of “Naze Koi wo Shitekonakattan darou?” (Kato Hidejin) wouldl be directing the title song, so I was asked, “Between Fujiyoshi (Karin)-san and (Yamasaki) Ten-chan, which one do you want to film?”, and I choose the MV for Ten-chan’s team. That is mainly because while filming “Nobody’s fault”, there were many times where I thought “This girl sure is amazing!”. Moreover, when I learned that she’s still only 15 years old, I became even more interested in her.

The other side of the wall

Q Did you gradually put together the idea for the MV from listening to the song?

Goto: That’s right. At the time of “Nobody’s fault”, I thought that I wanted to shoot the next one with smiles. Keyakizaka46 were often said to be the “idols who don't smile,” right? I did think that it was cool, but I wanted to make something where, in Sakurazaka46, smiling has the meaning of “having fun”. The song is EDM-like and has a festive feeling, so I imagine a road movie with a sense of paradise.

At first, I was thinking of making an MV that doesn’t focus much on story, with Ten-chan walking down the road while singing along with the rhythm, and then before you know it, the number of members by her side has grown… Basically, I was thinking of a MV that is completely synchronized with the song. While it would be great if it came out well, it might come off as something very plain, and in a sense that would be Keyakizaka46-like. That’s why I thought that it might be better to put more passion into it, and I added various other things together along with the road.

Q As a result, the road is sandwiched between objects at the front and at the end. What is the meaning of the contrast between the glamorous world and the decaying world?

Goto: At first I was thinking of setting a “wall.” I came up with the story of a girl who imagined, “What lies beyond the walls of the world we live in now?” and what came to mind when I thought about that was “a road.” I wanted to make a paradise in front of the wall, and definitely have the girls smiling and having fun. But past the paradise is a wall, and there is a fear of not knowing what lies beyond it. After making such a setting, the rest followed quickly.

Q Is there any kind of character design for Yamasaki-san?

Goto: When we were filming a CM for a mobile game, there was a plan to interview Ten-chan. When asked “What are you the most conscious about right now?”, she answered “The feeling of friendship”. She said something along the lines of, “As a member of Sakurazaka46, I’m also trying to communicate with various people in order to make the group more unified, and until now there was a wall between seniors and juniors, but I’m trying to become a bridge between the two”, and I was impressed by it. After hearing such a story, the backstory of the MV gradually became more concrete, and I was able to develop the girl’s story into one where she thinks “I value my friends the most, but I’m excited about what I can see ahead.”

Q By the time they cross the “wall”, there are a lot of everyday scenes filled with a very festive sense. It’s shown that amidst it, Yamasaki-san records the situation using a camera, but what is the meaning of that?

Goto: I wanted to visually include an element of “looking back to the past” in the video, and at first I envisioned “the youngest girl taking a video.” But I didn’t know about “Ten Camera” (laughs). Even though I didn’t know about it, the act of recording everyday life in paradise led to “Ten Camera”. That was a coincidence.

Q But at the ending, she left the camera and chose to move forward.

Goto: It’s a metaphor for throwing away sparkling, dazzling memories. Or rather, “If you don’t throw things away, you can’t move forward.”

Q In addition, the “wall” quickly opens, and Yamasaki-san heads straight in, but the other members scatter in their individual directions.

Goto: That’s because the song “Omotta Yori mo Sabishikunai” itself is like, “It’s okay to walk alone”. They all worked together at first, but eventually they crossed a big “wall” and became able to walk as individuals to the outside world.

Q Because of the bonds they built before they crossed the “wall”, they can do their best going forward even if they are alone. It then also leads to the moment she left the camera.

Goto: The good thing about Keyakizaka46’s MVs is that they don’t overdo it and leave it open at the end. I wanted to keep that aspect, so the scene where Ten-chan leaves the camera is not shown, and it would be too much to depict that, so I want to ask everyone to think about the rest yourselves.

Q Yamasaki-san said, “I want to cherish the unified sense of a team,” while in reality she is the Center of the group. There’s something special about being the Center of an idol group, isn’t there? Especially when it comes to an idol MV, by focusing on the girl that becomes the Center, it might make the other members fade into the background. Isn’t it difficult to find a balance there? To what extent were you conscious of this in “Omotta Yori mo Sabishikunai”?

Goto: I think that the Center might have become more of a protagonist than in “Nobody’s fault.” Or rather, “Nobody’s fault” is more interesting in the way that everyone is like the Center, and I wanted to film an MV where everyone is living the story. But that would make it kind of messy, so I basically shot it while focusing on Morita (Hikaru)-san, but this time it was mostly Ten-chan’s story. However, I try not to make the other members look like background characters. That’s why everyone is doing something behind Ten-chan (laughs). I explained to everyone that they are living there, but I’m not deciding what they do in particular, and I’m using [the footage] of people who are doing interesting things.

Q The feeling that everyone is enjoying themselves is conveyed from watching the video.

Goto: They were having so much fun, it made you think, “Why is everyone having so much fun!?” instead, right? So much I thought, “That’s enough! Stop it!” (laughs). When they are dancing in front of the campfire, they’re definitely doing as they please, laughing and even falling down, and they really enjoyed it. It’s the same with CM, but when you are told “[do it] freely”, you can't actually do it that much, can you? Even if you are smiling, people will say “They’re just acting.” We are very lucky that that wasn’t the case at all.

Q The world is not in a situation where everyone can get together and do things, and I think that there was almost no such opportunity since they became a new group, so perhaps it was very fun for them (laughs). Did you feel any difference in the group’s atmosphere between the 1st and 2nd work?

Goto: 1st single was my first time, so I guess they were still reserved. However, from how I see it, there seemed to be no barrier between the 1st and 2nd generation members.

End roll

Q Then, when you see Yamasaki-san standing as the Center in this work, what was the charm that you felt again?

Goto: That she is amazing, of course. Even though she’s only 15 years old, she could act without being given any guidance. Even if I’m not asking her to express herself in such a way, she does it incredibly well. She kept showing the look of “eyes looking at irreplaceable things'' (laughs). And when the camera is not filming, she acts like a normal middle schooler, but the moment it does she can instantly switch. That is why I think that she has the consciousness of “I’m the Center” within her.

Q When I think about how I was at 15 years old, she’s too mature for her age, isn’t she?

Goto: So much that it's a bit scary, isn’t it? But that expands the range of the project, and I feel like, “I want Ten-chan to do something like this next.” She tickles my creative mind.

Q Were there any other members who left an impression on you during this filming?

Goto: It might be everyone. I really didn’t see them properly on the 1st single. In that sense, at first I thought that Watanabe Risa-san was cool and had a strong sense of professionalism, but then I realized that she’s a very free-spirited person. On the other hand, I already thought that Kobayashi Yui-san was great ever since “Nobody’s fault.” I think that she can properly act, and she has something about her that looks good in terms of performance. When I film Kobayashi-san, she would make me think, “Yep, that’s it. That’s great, this is perfect!”. While I don’t think that she thinks so, I think that she is like a superb supporting role that absolutely has to be there. There is a crazy amount of stability from having the two of them next to Ten-chan, so if I were to do the next one, I think that I’d have to break that down.

Q What about Morita Hikaru-san who centered “Nobody’s fault”?

Goto: Morita-san is cute! (laughs). She has such a big performance, so it doesn’t appear as if she’s all that small, but this time she gets on a cart and just simply has a completely cute element about her. I think that her centered songs have a cool direction, so I instead want her to show her cuteness in songs where she is not the center.

Q I think that it is Sakurazaka46’s strength to be able to show both sides. The names of all members are credited like an end roll, which was also in “Nobody’s Fault.” Is this something Goto-san is particular about?

Goto: That’s right. I think that it is good (laughs). Since we are putting in effort to make it this way, and everyone is truly trying to do it as a single unit, even if there’s someone you can’t see, everyone is there. They are actually there in that location, they were also on that island for “Nobody’s fault”. The setting is them “being there”.

Q The work this time in particular has a strong road movie-like sense to it, so with that ending there is a lingering afterglow. So then, did Goto-san have any requests for the choreography and costumes?

Goto: Regarding the costumes, I pretty much didn’t say anything, same as the last time. But the management said, “It’s okay to wear realistic clothing, or rather, true to life, but there is the risk that it will look cheap.” I like denim, and I thought that it would be perfect with the American wilderness vibe that is in road movies. But it’s not interesting to just simply wear jeans, and the setting is that they are living in that paradise and live with what they have picked up, so the fabric is all patched up and no two costumes have the same thing.

As for the dance, this time I met with Takahiro-san, and the usual formation is approaching the camera ahead of them, but this time I wanted him to compose one where they are interacting with the friends in front of them in the place where they are living. There is a part where they dance face to face in a circle, so everyone would definitely be smiling. I thought that it was very good choreography.

Q The festive feeling you mentioned earlier has become stronger.

Goto: Although it seemed hard for the cameraman to film (laughs). During the filming, Takahiro-san said to the members in a loud voice, “Cherish the person in front of you!”, and in that moment everyone showed a good expression on their face.

Q What kind of subject matter would you like to try shooting with Sakurazaka46 next time?

Goto: On the contrary, how can I make it better? Of course, right now I think that all of them are good, but there is another mountain to pass from here. So what should I do to do that… I like Keyakizaka46’s videos, and I think that I have to take something that won’t leave people’s minds like a one-shot, so I’d like to continue to be involved from now on.

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Translation: toomuchidea

QC: Mentos, Peezy, Nira

Raw: Kiryu