We Still Subbing

  Buying juices for you Q Inoue-san, back when you were still just a Keyakizaka fan, what was your image of Koike-san? Inoue: From the POV of a fan, despite her cutesy image, she showed a cool performance on stage like she was a completely different person. Personally, I thought her melancholic expressions were incredible. I was proud to be someone from Hyogo, just like her.  Koike: I’m glad to hear that. Q And then after entering Keyakizaka46, several 2nd generation members were added into the formation. Inoue: As several 2nd gen members get to join music shows [performances], I learned as I watched them across the screen. The members that had performed with the seniors and the seniors were getting to know each other while I was getting flustered as I couldn’t bring myself to speak with them, Mii-san reached out to me. It was really reassuring. Q Koike-san, do you remember this moment? Inoue: I do. Rina-chan drew a penguin on her greeting card, so I asked, “You like penguins!...

  She spent five years as the trunk of Keyaki. She spent five years in Sakura, looking for her own way to bloom. As winter becomes spring, and the islands take on new colors in this new “saizon”--you’re no longer here. Q  First of all, thank you for all the hard work over your last ten years in the group. Due to various things, Koike-san has become the “anchor” of the first generation. How do you feel about that? Koike: To be honest, it still doesn’t feel real that I’m graduating. But, I think that back during the filming of TokuDare? There was a time where we all happened to be discussing the topic of who would be the last to graduate. Back then, most of us answered with “Fuu-chan” (Saito Fuyuka) (laughs). I myself never thought I’d stay in the group for ten years, so I was the most surprised to find myself as the last (1st generation) member. Q A while back, in the video uploaded to the Sakurazaka Channel Youtube page where Koike-san and Fuyuka-san entered the storage room h...