Matsuda Rina in B.L.T. July 2024 edition

 

- The other day, blt graph had an interview with Tamura Hono, in which she talked about your significant presence. The span of one and a half years since the previous Tokyo Dome concert also marks Matsuda captaincy, how do you feel about this period yourself?

Matsuri: Like what has been said, it also happens to be the period of time since becoming a captain, and as I have been able to experience various things, I’ve started to think “Maybe I’ve been able to act a little more captain-like”. Of course I was happy to hold our first Tokyo Dome concert, but at the same time there were uneasy feelings, like “we’re not on this level yet”. However, this time it became a “Alright, we’re going to stand there!”. And this mentality has been solidified by responses like “It’s fine because we have worked hard to get this together”. This made me feel particularly happy.

- When interviewing Tamura, I was impressed by the way you gathered the members to ask about their individual goals and make them as the whole group’s goals. 

Actually, back in last year’s 3rd tour rehearsal, I wanted to gather everyone to talk, but I did not have enough courage to do so, partly because I was only a new captain. However, in the end I regretted it, so I thought I should talk to them before the 4th tour, and I called out to the members. 

- So you’ve got the idea of the meeting since a while ago. Indeed, last year was a year when the group got stronger, but how does this feel like to you?

We had an extremely fulfilling year, but it is not like we did our best in that year only. Instead, for me, that year is when our continuous effort ever since the group’s renaming finally bear fruit, so it was an important period to build our confidence. 

- Morita Hikaru said the same thing during our interview in February, “our determination has never changed”.

I think not only Hikaru but all members have the same feeling. There are fewer chances for 2nd generation members to gather and talk compared to the Keyakizaka era, but from our small conversations, I can sense that “Oh we’re thinking the same way, feeling the same thing”. Moreover, I realize the fact that we share our thoughts and feelings with each other after experiencing many things together has led us to where we are today. Therefore, I am glad that the time we spent talking with each other has a long-lasting impact.

- Above all, your mindset of “let all members fulfill each individual member’s goal together” is amazing. How did you get that idea?

In both good and bad ways, from the start, there have been times when I feel it is difficult to make everyone pull in the same direction, because we are a big group. Therefore, I think deciding on one shared goal and enforcing it on the members might not be applicable to this group. Even if we are working as a group, each of us will have different goals and want to do different things, and this is undeniable. Maybe that was how I came to think, “Won’t it be great if everyone works together to fulfill each one’s goal?”. I also enjoy listening to various ideas and inspiring stories from other people, so just now I realize I could possibly have adopted that way of thinking unconsciously as I was being influenced by others.

- The way you respect individuals’ feelings while strengthening the unity of the group is really wonderful. And you adjusted the MC style for the 4th tour to be more flexible to make full use of members’ characters?

I have been in the position to be in charge of MC for a long time, and I was able to try doing it in various ways, but this time I thought, “with these members, it will be fine,” so I made it more like a free-style MC. When consulting with the stage director that I wanted to do it that way, they told me “If you have decided on that yourself, please plan it thoroughly until the end”, which gave me a little pressure. I was nervous as the tour started, but I got the support from members, and the reactions were good too, so in the end I’m glad I tried, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment too. I believe that I was able to challenge many things thanks to how reliable the members are. I was absent for 2 days of our tour in Osaka, but the members assisted each other to cover my part,... and I am extremely grateful for that.

- So you will be standing on Tokyo Dome stage as an additional show for the 4th tour, do you consider it a culmination of efforts until the 8th single in a way?

For now, I don’t know how this Tokyo Dome concert will become yet, but the desire to make it the best concert ever in me is strong. I want to make it a concert surpassing all expectations, in a way that those who watched it wouldn’t regret, and those who couldn’t watch it would regret, to make people say, “Sakurazaka’s concerts are really the best”. That being said, this is not our final goal, but one of the many goals each individual member has named. I mean, even though we understand that Tokyo Dome stage is not a place anybody can stand on, we can’t let ourselves be complacent. The fire won’t go out, instead it should burn even more brightly, that is my own take.

- By the way, what do you set as a goal yourself?

For me, I’ve always wished to go on a dome tour one day. Because I understand how much it takes to perform even once in Tokyo Dome, I can imagine how hard it must be for us to become a group that can hold dome tours, and to achieve this goal I want to make a lot of people think, “I have to go to see Sakurazaka show by all means”. This might sound like a paradox, but much as I want a lot of people to come to see us, I want our concerts to be more highly evaluated to the point it is difficult to get a ticket. 

- Just as there are favorable conditions, like catching the tailwind, are there any underlying fears? What do you think?

I feel this way a lot. On one hand, I am happy to hear that 2023 was a good year, but this is also the reason why on the other hand, a small part of me is always scared to think about how 2024 would turn out. Even so, my desire to reach new heights and surpass everyone’s expectations is stronger than that, so I’d like to work hard while cherishing each and every day. Recently, while keeping a special place for Keyakizaka in our hearts and taking into account the fact that there are fans who continue to support us until this day, we have also developed a mindset of “But we are Sakurazaka”. Indeed, when we rebranded, the word “surpass” was mentioned [in renaming CM], and we also tried to figure out how to distinguish ourselves from Keyakizaka, as well as what “Sakurazaka-like” is, but before we knew it, we have been doing our activities as an original, a true Sakurazaka… In this sense, I really look forward to the Tokyo Dome concert.

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Raw: chi

Translation; chi

QC: tmi