Konno Erika (Director of Boku no Dilemma, Sakurazuki MV) interview from BRODY April 2023

Linking with the world of the lyrics

Q Konno-san, you first worked with Sakurazaka46 on the MV of “Boku no Dilemma”, what was your first impression of the members??

Konno: To be honest, I didn’t know much about them at first… When my work with “Boku no Dilemma” was decided and I learned that it would be an all-members song, I studied a lot.

Q Then, what was it like to meet them in person on the set?

Konno: Once I was surrounded by them, I realized that there are different personalities among them, and I got the impression that they are a group with an established expression. Now I am entirely captivated by them.

Q Was there any member who left an impression on you at the time?

Konno: In regard to “Boku no Dilemma”, it was (Watanabe) Risa-san after all. Risa-san’s presence was very amazing. And since it was an all-members song, it felt pretty hectic.

Q I see. Well, it’s been about a year since then, and now you were approached again to be the director of “Sakurazuki”. During the early stages of production, was there any plan to share about the current status and image of the group?

Konno: There were a lot of discussions, but because Moriya (Rena)-san is becoming the center, I got the impression that it’s not about rebirth but showing a new form of expression.

Q At that time, were there conversations about the MV's theme or its worldview?

Konno: While “parting” is a major theme, “Sakurazuki” is based on the idea of the brightness of memories of cherry blossoms in full bloom, under the dark night sky beyond the eyelids. In the video, we did not simply depict the theme of parting but with the eye for beauty as a theme, we also depicted the eyes in an impressive aesthetic sense to show the beauty of farewell, such as the worth of looking back to the past, and having the eye to recognize certain values and beautiful things.

Q Perhaps it is related to the theme of the eye for beauty, but in the MV, we could also see scenes where Moriya-san didn't make eye contact with the other members. Since “eyes” is a special point within the MV, I was wondering if you gave any particular attention to these scenes?

Konno: The scene that I gave particular attention to, is the way it begins with Moriya-san lying down with her eyes closed and reminiscing about her memories, then she opens her eyes with the present and the past synchronizing and slowly blending together. From that point, this scene became the trigger to include the theme of the eyes in other scenes.

Q We also received the impression that this song marks the beginning of the new Sakurazaka46, were you also conscious about connecting it or following the flow of their previous works and songs?

Konno: Video-wise, I wasn’t particularly conscious of connecting it. It felt more like I assembled it in my own way using the lyrics and melody of the song.

Q I see. From the lyrics and melody too, I could tell that the production side put considerable efforts into this. I’m also curious about what you took into consideration when expressing it in video form.

Konno: First of all, I thought that it would be great if all members could sing and be seen clearly in a recognizable way, with each of their individuality standing out. I am aware about how the lyrics should reach the audience as something that is conveyed by the members. I felt that lyrics are very important, and can be seen as something that draws people into the song.

Q I also got the impression that the video was carefully linked to the worldview of the lyrics rather than excessively expressing something.

Konno: I was certainly quite conscious about it when thinking about the basis of the song. I gave a lot of thought to the scenery, the feeling of light, and the sense of values that the lyrics convey.

Q The coloring of the video is not too dark nor too bright, that kind of arrangement fits very well with the melody, doesn’t it?

Konno: That’s right. The first chorus was during daytime, and the second chorus at sunset. The last part where the cherry blossom [petals] are dancing was at night, and I drew the image of light by associating each portion to the lyrics of the song.

Meaning behind the masks

Q From here on, I’d like to ask you some specifics about the scenes that I am curious about. First of all, the clock formation at the beginning and at the end was very memorable. Were those scenes meant to express the flow of time and the past?

Konno: That has the meaning of reminiscing about the past, so I had the idea of turning the hands in a counterclockwise manner. When I spoke with Takahiro-san and he thought about it, he realized there were precisely 13 members and because Moriya-san is acting as the center, she can express a clock. Since there are also 12 months in the calendar, it can express that as well.

Q I think that the 12 at the top was [expressed] by Morita-san.

Konno: That’s right. That scene with Moriya-san and Morita-san beautifies the memories of the past and the present, and then time starts moving again…I think that each person has their own way of taking it, so I would like to leave it up to them, but to me, it’s like the memories within [the protagonist] have been purified.

Q Then, can I ask about the costumes? There are two different costumes appearing on the MV, a beige one and a blue one.

Konno: The setting was that the beige costume represents the present where she is reminiscing the memories, while the blue costume is when the cherry blossom petals are dancing, which represents the beautiful memories of the past.

Q Was there any particular reason in choosing those colors?

Konno: The blue color was chosen because of the balance it brings when combined with the color of the cherry blossom petals, and because I thought it would be possible for the blue color to pop out and look beautiful in the middle of the dancing [fluttering] petals. The idea is that it is a costume coming from the beautiful memories of the past.

Q Also, there were many small objects scattered throughout the video, such as the book Moriya-san was holding in her hands and the cherry blossom ring.

Konno: The ring was something brought by the stylist, Remi (Takenouchi), on the day of the filming. I chose the middle finger of the right hand to add more depth to the image, and it shows the intent of breaking away from the past. As for the book, I wanted something to mark the beginning of reminiscing the cherry blossom memories, so it has become that kind of motif.

Q And in the middle of the story, I think that Moriya-san, who plays the center role, and the other members have different things to express and different roles.

Konno: Moriya-san is the protagonist of this story, so we could say her position is that of the storyteller. When Moriya-san is reminiscing, I think that the other members are more in a position of embodying the lyrics.

Q So when Moriya-san looks at each of the members, it’s like she is confronting her past memories?

Konno: Yes.

Q Taking that into consideration, there is a scene where Moriya-san faced Kobayashi-san and Koike-san through a mirror, is that also a scene where she faces her past?

Konno: As for the mirror scene, it’s more like a conflict with her alter ego. That is what I’m trying to express.

Q I see. Also, there was a scene where the members suddenly appear wearing expressionless masks. I was shocked by it.

Konno: It was a pretty surreal sight to look at in the set as well (laughs).

Q What kind of meaning does the masks have?

Konno: It means to have no personality, to suppress oneself and one’s feelings. I also used masks in “Boku no Dilemma”, but I wonder why I always feel like making the members wear masks (laughs).

Q With that many people and with those masks, it must have been quite the impactful sight to look at (laughs).

Konno: That’s right (laughs). I was worried that it might scare people, so I feel relieved to hear that kind of comment.

The strength of one’s determination

Q I think that you didn’t interact with Moriya-san that much during the filming of “Boku no Dilemma”, so what kind of impression did you have of her throughout the filming?

Konno: I could really tell that she was under a lot of pressure, I also felt she was trying to show her own expressions in a very strong way. She’s pretty, but when I saw her listening to Takahiro-san’s words with such seriousness, I could feel the strength of her determination. That’s why in the filming location, the members didn’t fool around, we could say that they had a serious approach to it. Even when the cameras were not rolling, they all had this kind of expression.

Q As the director, did you give any advice or concrete direction to Moriya-san?

Konno: I said to her, “Parting is something that is rather universal, I hope that Moriya-san could think of one person as the target of parting when you listen to this song”. I gave her a direction that makes it possible for the viewers to synchronize with the song and the MV. She said a sincere, “Understood”, and then she processed it over in her mind.

Q Since it’s her first time as the center, I think that she must’ve had a lot to deal with.

Konno: That’s right. Maybe because the pressure she felt was so huge, she cried when the filming was over. Just thinking that she worked this hard, made me feel like crying as well.

Q Watching the members’ expressions as they dance, in the midst of sadness there were unexpected moments when they smiled, and I got the impression that many different feelings were springing out.

Konno: I thought it would be better to show the realness of their expressions. The girls themselves surely have their own feelings toward the song that is “Sakurazuki”, and I like to direct in a way where I do not impose my ideas too much and let each person express themselves and then, I take the best parts from there. I made it documentary-style.

Q I see. So that’s why it has a strong sense of reality, so to say. While the members are acting, at times their real expressions show up, it has that kind of feeling.

Konno: While I think that Takahiro-san gave directions regarding the dance or how to express the feelings, I approached it in this way.

Q As a director, what did you think about Kobayashi-san and Koike-san who stood beside Moriya-san?

Konno: I sincerely thought that they were cool. My favorite scene is the mirror scene, and the two of them were ready to take things on with enthusiasm.

Q Speaking of which, in the mirror scene there is also an expression where they seem to be caught between two walls. What kind of emotion does that express?

Konno: In the mirror scene, she is struggling against her own self, and her vision narrows as if it’s becoming overwhelming, but she shakes herself out of it. Then it leads to the chorus, where she releases her feelings.

Q Moriya-san said that those walls were heavy.

Konno: It’s because they were pushed manually by the staff from behind on both sides (laughs). Moriya-san was able to push it back somewhat, but it was shot in the latter half, so I felt sorry for having her do that when she’s tired.

Q Through this song, I look forward to how Moriya-san will evolve from now on.

Konno: That’s right. In fact, during “Boku no Dilemma”, I got the impression that she was still a few steps behind but on this MV she had a great presence. Actually, Moriya-san was the only member who came to the on-set rehearsal that was held a day before the actual MV filming. I felt her strong determination toward the MV at that time as well. To be honest, I didn’t get that impression from her before, so I felt the gap of it, and I was impressed with her attitude of working hard on her own.

Q That may have been the change and growth that comes from being given such a role. Is there any video project that you’d like to shoot with or see from Sakurazaka46?

Konno: Both last time and this time, the songs were relatively fleeting with a MV that also focused on beauty, so next time I would like to shoot Sakurazaka46 with an intense and cool song. And also, I think that it would be interesting to portray the girls as how they really are. Since working with commercials is my main job, I would like to work with them on CMs as well.

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Raw: kiryu

Translation: tmi

QC: deedlitmurata