Nakashima Yuzuki feature on blt graph vol 92
Harmony is a virtue. Nakashima Yuzuki takes action to embody that idealism in the group. Moreover, she does it instinctively. The root lies in her tremendous trust towards her friends.
— It has been more than half a year since you moved to Tokyo, have you gotten used to the life here?
I got used to it, but there are also times when I miss Kyushu. When I just moved out, I would cry while looking at the night scenery of Tokyo while going home… I haven’t been crying at all recently, but one day, it felt somewhat lonely when I looked at all the lights I saw through the window. When I thought that “Back in my hometown, I got to look at the starry sky…”, my tears suddenly started flowing out.
— I guess there are times when I feel sentimental too. Even so, Nakashima-san is giving this impression of someone who can organize the third generation members.
Shortly after joining the group, because I said that I wanted to be someone who is reliable to the members, So, it made me feel that I’m someone they can depend on, even for just a bit, when the members actually consulted me about their worries. However, I didn’t nominate myself to be in charge of the MC in the concerts. The staff told me to do it before the “Omotenashikai”, and I also fulfilled that role for the tour (3rd TOUR 2023). I personally think that I have a cheerful personality (laughs), but ever since back then people would say that I’m a little out of it… I didn’t act with conviction like I do now, and for the most part, I letmade people do things for me.
— Aren’t you the youngest child in your family?
Yes, I have an older sister. Because I was born early in the year*, when I was little, I was shorter than everyone, so my classmates would take care of me and make sure that I’m okay. I unconsciously took advantage of that kindness and grew up spoiled until I was 19 years old (laughs).
*[T/N: The academic year in Japan starts in April, and everyone born in April that year until March of the next year is grouped in the same grade. Yuzuki is born in February, so she is younger than most of her peers]
— In other words, becoming Sakurazaka’s third generation member was what made you change?
Yes. When I took the audition, my father only said, “Leave behind your childish heart!” (a saying by Hashimoto Sanai, a patriot from the Edo period) to me and sent me off to Tokyo. That gave me the resolve that the path I chose is the right one and I should push forward and not be lenient. In reality, it’s not an environment where I can be lenient with myself, after all… That’s something that I keep on realizing with each passing day.
— So you have left your true self behind.
Even now, whenever I come back home, I keep getting spoiled by my family and friends though (laughs). When we make plans to have a meal, my friends will take care of everything from choosing the restaurant until deciding the meeting time. Since I’m such a spoiled child, my parents often warned me. So, when they watched me be in charge of the MC for “Omotenashikai” and getting the audience hyped up, it must’ve made them jump out of their skin.
— Have you been acting spoiled and letting out your youngest child-side towards the members recently?
Since we first met, I’ve revealed that side of me, so they already knew. They often laugh at me because of how different I am when I’m with them and when I’m on stage. That shows how much I can let my guard down when I’m only with the third gen members… However, I try to communicate closely with them and I also try not to turn a blind eye if something happens to someone. If someone is crying, I try to get them to tell me what happened and step in without hesitation. I would say things like “We shouldn’t hide things from each other. We’re all in this together, you know?” (laughs).
Of course, each of the members has their own personalities, and there are sides of them that they haven’t shown to me, but I want us to have a relationship where we can tell each other anything. It’s only been around half a year since we started our activities, but through all the things I’ve experienced, I’m definitely sure that the members are my buddies, and that it’s okay to show my weakness to them.
— Taking all of the stories so far into account, it must be quite emotional to listen to the new third generation song, “Anthem Time”, given that Nakashima-san is the center.
I’m really happy to have received a song that is so fitting for the third generation. I was full of worries about being chosen as the center, but after discussing with the members about how we’d like to portray this song, the excitement grew little by little… and the result is a song that is really fun to perform. In the place where the formation was announced, there were cameras that shot us from up close, but I had no idea that they were going to announce the formation that day.
I was wearing a hoodie with a sunny-side up picture on it that I got from Masumoto Kira-san which I wear often. But, I wonder if everyone else already knew, because they dressed up nicely... So the first thing that was on my mind when they announced me as the center was, “Oh no, they’ll have a recording of me looking like this!” And at the same time, I was bombarded with a lot of thoughts of “What should I do!?” Masumoto-san also said to me, “Why did you wear something like that today!?” I guess I am really blessed by the God of Humor… (laughs).
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