[Arashi] Ohno - +act - 11/2014
Was waiting for scans of the latest Josei Jishin to crop up and decided to do this one while I waited. Normally I'd break this down to three parts or so but I ended up translating everything in one go. As a result there's probably an embarrassing amount of typos and wonky sentences in there somewhere so please ignore them as best as you can!
In this article Ohno talks about their 15th anniversary, what he thinks of the other members, the Pikanchi movies, his own views on art and choreography, and much more! Since he knew many of the staff for over 10 years the entire talk had a really casual feel to it. Enjoy :)
Ohno - +act - 11/2014
12,000 WORDS SPECIAL INTERVIEW
Ohno Satoshi
The five members of Arashi made their first appearance in +act during the opening run for their starring film, "Kiiroi namida", in 2007. Individually speaking, it was when he achieved his first starring role in a drama, "Maou" in 2008, that he made his first appearance in +act mini (sharing the cover with Ikuta Toma). Since then, we've had various opportunities to interview him for other works of his. Above all else, the "Black cat" theme we did as his first solo cover issue for the premiere of his "Kaibutsu-kun" movie became quite a hot topic, be it the photoshoot or the "expressive" side to him that we were seeking out. On the cover of our memorial issue to commemorate our 10th anniversary this time is our No. 1 request from readers: Ohno Satoshi, the leader of Arashi.
Dressed casually in his own clothes, Ohno was slightly hunched forward as he came onto the set. Seeing the group of staff members who came out to greet him, he seemed embarrassed as he raised one hand in greeting. He made some laid-back chitchat with them: "How've you been?" "It's hot today, huh!". Never mindful of those around him, he's reserved and extremely quiet; that "usual feel" about him hasn't changed, not even after becoming a national idol. After putting his things down and changing into new clothes with a sense of familiarity, the editor-in-chief began to explain the plans for that day. Watching him with a quiet chuckle, he expressed his understanding with a simple "I see... so it's your 10th anniversary." Though he didn't say it outright, he was able to convey his comprehension of our aims in that instant. Yet again, it was a typical scene on set. Arashi's members are actually long-time acquaintances with +act's editor-in-chief from his editor days with Wink Up. This "unchanging" back-and-forth had continued even after starting up +act. And there was another huge turning point: the fact that this special timing coincided with Arashi's 15th anniversary since their debut. As they exchanged words about all the "past" shoots they've had, he responded to the numerous themes and keywords being thrown at him with an overwhelming power of expression to produce a photoshoot with many different expressions and movements. Furthermore, with our editor-in-chief taking part in the interview as well, we spoke at length about his 15th anniversary as a part of Arashi, from his renewed thoughts towards the other members to his own creative activities up until this point, to the "current Ohno Satoshi".
---Arashi has made appearances both as a group and individually with respective solo work... we truly have been under your care these past 10 years. Even solo-wise, Ohno-san, you've appeared so many times (in past cover issues) and for this commemorative issue, we would like to ask about many things, such as Arashi's past interviews and Arashi's 15th anniversary.
Okay... (laugh)
---We're a bit undecided on what to ask first... let's start with the present Arashi, which we believe is in the midst of preparations (※ This interview took place in late August) for upcoming Hawaii lives (※ "ARASHI BLAST in Hawaii").
Yup, that's right.
---How does it feel to be able to hold concerts in Hawaii, Arashi's place of debut, in coincidence with the timing of your 15th anniversary, Ohno-san?
Yeah, that's true. I... I haven't been to Hawaii in years, you know? It's been maybe even more than 10 years.
---Since your debut conference?
Um.... maybe 2002? Ever since our fan tour (※ "ARASHI fan tour in Hawaii"), (Sakurai) Sho-kun and I haven't been there again.
---Ahhh, I see. The other three went back during New Year's, didn't they?
Yep yep. Matsujun (Matsumoto Jun) and Nino (Ninomiya Kazunari) and Aiba (Masaki)-chan went back for New Year's. Sho-kun and I had solo concerts at the time. We had rehearsals to go to.
---That's right... the two of you had solo concerts (※ "2006 x Otoshidama/Arashi = 3104yen (Satoshi) from January to February of 2006. Sakurai also had a solo concert tour called "THE SHOW" during that same period).
Yeah, so we couldn't go with them.
---So it was since 2002, then. I remember reading an article about... some sort of lunch serving time in your fan event where the members handed out food.
Yeah! We did... we did that (laugh). And we arranged people to form letters and stuff...
---I don't actually know anything about things from that period. Did you hold a concert back then?
No. But I kinda remember dancing.
---It's been a long while since your last Hawaii trip, I'm sure you're looking forward to the concerts too.
Yep, seeing as I haven't been there again since then. Not only that, I'm looking forward to holding it outdoors. There's a view of the ocean too.
---Are you in the rehearsal stage right now?
Yup, we're doing that. We more or less decide on a rough set list first. Then we have to recall [T/N: the lyrics/choreography] and get warmed up again... I did an entire run-through the other day.
---Speaking of which, what about solos?
Ah, there are no solos.
---So just group songs by the whole group?
Yup. So we're planning to dance to stuff like "PIKA*NCHI". We're looking through old choreography VTRs and saying stuff like "We danced the whole time" "We danced quite a bit" as we try to do our best (laugh).
---You're also in the middle of the production process for your new album, am I right?
With the album, we're kinda recording it right now.
---What will your album be like this year?
But... we're not particularly being like "It's our 15th anniversary so let's do it like this". An album's an album, so I guess it's the same old simple "let's make a new album" feel.
---On the topic of +act... Ohno-san, your first individual appearance was in 2008. It was with +act mini when your first starring drama, "Maou", started airing.
Ah, really!? That takes me back.... so it was 2008?
---You seemed especially busy in 2008.
It was tough... for sure. It started off with my exhibit (※ He had an art exhibit in January of this year called "FREE STYLE"). Then I did a stageplay (※ Puu series Episode 1 "Amatsukaze"), a drama series (※ "Maou")... and stuff.
---And it's already been six years since.
Eh, that was six years ago!? That was fast. Eh? Has it really been six years?
---Time passes very quickly, doesn't it? (laugh) Then, the editing department received an enormous response when we did a cover issue around the time of your film, "Kaibutsu-kun" (2011), when we did a photoshoot with a "black cat" theme. We talked about your creative works as well, and director Nakamura (Yoshihiro) and Nara Yoshitomo-san also made appearances.
I read that +act! (As he says this, he takes the +act mini from his "Maou" period and begins to flip through it) Wow... the entire Maou team was in this!?
---That's right, because it was a special issue. For this on-set report, we also went to an art gallery in Shizuoka to observe that scene where Naruse gazed up at the gates of Hell...
Ahhh, so it was that time! I remember that. I was suuuuper dark (on set), wasn't I? (laugh)
---You noticed our interview staff and said right away, "How nice~ You're gonna eat something yummy here in Shizuoka afterward, aren't you? Am I right?" (laugh). That location shoot seemed difficult, be it schedule-wise or scene-wise.
Yeah... not only that, I had to leave right after the filming was over. I wanted to eat a yummy local meal or something (laugh). That really takes me back. (as he looks again at the magazine pages) Man, I was so young (laugh).
---Six years' worth of time has actually passed since then, though (laugh).
That's truth (laugh). I mean, I was still in my 20s at that time. 27, I think?
---Do you remember the "black cat" photoshoot that took place after?
I remember. I mean... it was recent after all.
---So three years ago is recent? (laugh)
Yup (laugh). Um... you shot it at some place that was like a detached house, right?
---Yes, that's right.
(While looking at the "black cat" magazine pages) Ahh... this takes me back (laugh). (Then, he looks at the +act mini issue from the beginning of his "Kaibutsu-kun" drama) W... wah! So young! (laugh)
---Your hair was quite brown back then.
(In regards to his own photos) I'm... depending on my role my face changes quite a lot, huh?
---That's true. There was a sense of innocence about you (that Kaibutsu-kun has).
Hahaha. (As he flips through the pages) Hehhh! Haaa... how nostalgic! But, it definitely has a "recent" feel.
---As a group, Arashi was on the cover twice. During "Kiiroi namida", and...
Eh? "Kiiroi namida"? Ahh, you mean with Arashi.
---Yes, that's right. Then, the 10th issue of +act mini as well.
That takes me back... (laugh)
---We've really been under your care in many ways.
There were so many things that happened, huh (laugh).
---(Editor-in-chief explains all over again) For this 10th anniversary issue, we are extremely grateful to have Ohno-san here acting as the representative for Arashi, which had received the most requests by our readers. I would like to look back on all sorts of things to do with +act... however, many of the staff here today, from the cameraman to the lighting staff, are actually old acquaintances from Wink up.
Yeah, that's right. Which is why, I'm not really... it's less of a +act interview and more like a normal "How've you been?" sort of thing since we know each other from before (laugh). Hearing that it's your 10th anniversary makes me feel like 'Wow, it's been 10 years already!?'.
---(Editor-in-chief) In that sense, we've had a connection since before +act, then we had 10 years as a part of +act. I was still working at Wink up through the first year or so, though.
I see. We did a location shoot at Takahara Resort when you left Wink up, didn't we?
---That's right! It was after that shoot that our editor-in-chief shifted over completely.
That was so much fun. Us members hung around and played after the photoshoot too (laugh).
---By the way, do you still remember things from 10 years back?
It was 2004, so... I did a stageplay, didn't I? It was with Matsu-nii (※ Double starring role with Matsuoka Masahiro in "TRUE WEST"), wasn't it? I mean, my hair was black around that time.
---That's right. You remember quite well... or rather, you're recalling vaguely by the year like you always do.
But, about that... it's only up until 2009 or so.
---Eh? That's all that you've input by year?
Yeah, that's all I remember by year. The stuff that came after that... sorry (laugh)
---2009 would mean... after Arashi's 10th anniversary passed?
Yup. After that 10th anniversary passed by it's like, "When was that from again?" I really have no clue. My memories are like, "2012? Maybe?". So by year I can only talk about them up until that 10th anniversary.
---Is that so!?
Yep. I can only remember in detail up until around that time. Probably.
---But it is indeed true that at the time of your 10th anniversary... you spoke about this in +act as well, but you said that your 10th anniversary was given such a grand celebration that you "felt too blessed" and "that's why I lost my drive".
Right, right, I lost my drive (laugh). Next thing I knew it's our 15th anniversary... I was so surprised.
---The five years since then flew by quickly?
(nods) Our 12-13th years went by in the blink of an eye... the other members said that too. Like, "Eh? Has it been two years since our 10th anniversary!?". So the time after our 10th anniversary passed strangely fast. It's kinda like, it feels like I'm still floating above the ground... it's a mystery (laugh). It's been a mystery all along.
---But to put it another way, that means your 10th anniversary was just that huge of an turning point, right?
Yeah... we've never been congratulated like that before. Even now, I wonder why we were given such a huge celebration.
---It seems like that was difficult to absorb and assimilate within you?
Right, right. Of course, when I look back on it there were all kinds of stuff that happened. It's kinda like... 5 years that passed by in an instant. For sure, since then... wait, but it wasn't really... maybe I wasn't actually that busy... (and he thinks it over again)
---Hahaha. As expected, the tumult of 2008 left an intense impression.
Right, even now that year of 2008... (laugh) I don't think anything would surpass that, probably. Not even from this point on, I think? Arashi had a lot more opportunities to do different kinds of things since then too.
---We'd like to hear your thoughts on the other members' changes and appeal from your renewed point of view in your 15th year together. +act has never asked you about this topic before, so if you'd please answer...
Okay. What is it? (after thinking for a while...) Matsujun has mellowed out, hasn't he?
---Hahaha.
He even talks about how he used to be touchy (laugh). By mellowing out, I mean that he's experienced a lot, and he's opened his eyes to many things now... that's what he said.
---It's very like him to be so self-aware (laugh).
Yep yep (laugh).
---Speaking of which, you've said before that you watched Matsumoto-san's "Ah, kouya" stageplay and was moved by it.
It makes me want to cry when I see other members working hard.
---Ahh... and that's in regards to all the members, right?
Yeah, I get like that.
---And what's the appeal of Matsumoto Jun in this 15th year?
But... he's the nicest.
---Being nice is something that hasn't ever changed, yes? Just that he used to be touchy (laugh).
Yeah, he hasn't changed (laugh). He's always been nice. He's a good person. So he's kinda like Matsu-nii, no? He seems hard to approach at a glance, but once you interact with him he's actually a super nice person.
---I see. I understand very well (laugh).
Yeah. Then, next is... Nino? Nino is... what is it. He basically hasn't changed, huh. Hmmm, what is it?
---If you met him under ordinary circumstances outside of Arashi, even if you're interested in each other it doesn't seem likely that you would actually talk to him... And since you won't talk to him, you wouldn't be as close to him as you are now. That's the impression I get (laugh).
Hahaha. But... that's like all five of us, no? Because the five of us are all like that, we don't really... you know? We don't go out for meals and stuff with each other.
---You're a very miraculous group, aren't you?
(with a nostalgic air) Speaking of which, I went out to eat before, with Nino.
---But... that wasn't during the early periods following the formation of your group, was it?
Yeah. It was 10 years or so after. Right... that's right. We kinda don't really talk much (during meals). (laugh)
---In that sense, it feels like what you have between you and Ninomiya-san is a non-verbal way of communicating (laugh).
Yeah, we'd just eat and drink. It's not because I feel uncomfortable or anything. I wonder why...? I don't know. But really... they're all nice.
---Nino has his own brand of kindness, and the same applies to each member as well.
That's right. We don't have anyone who's self-centered.
---That's fantastic, isn't it?
It's a mystery, isn't it? We look like we're easy to understand, but when you think about it we're actually five strange people (laugh).
---And next up, we have Aiba-san.
Aiba-chan is... Aiba-chan is a good person too. Seriously. When I saw last year's year-end pranks too... I was talking about this with Nino. I said, "Aiba-chan really is a good person, huh?" Like for me, I could never put up with (being pranked like that). I mean, I'd be so irritated (wry laugh). Like, when those signs came out...
---You mean when the AD made unreasonable demands with many different signs and they pretended to be filming an actual VTR...
Yep yep, that prank (laugh). And he did it all seriously... I could never do that. I think I'd say something like "That's enough, don't you think?" (wry laugh)
---So you had that sort of conversation (laugh). How should I put this, it seems like you often have moments like that with Ninomiya-san. You focus on similar things, so to speak.
Hehehe.
---You often have talks like that, don't you?
We do. (laugh)
---But above all else, Aiba-san is a good person, isn't he. It's very rare for a person to be that good-natured.
Very rare. Mmm... he seriously is a good person.
---Then, how about Sakurai-san?
Sho-chan... Sho-kun is... hehe, hehehe, (laughs at a recollection)
---Why are you laughing?
Nah (laugh). Um... he got all stiff. His body.
---Erm... you're talking about his body?
Yup.
---Eh!? (laugh)
Well... my impression of him before used to be more flexible. I just thought of this the other day, but I was watching old videos like PIKA*NCHI and stuff. It was amazing, he used to move around a lot. With intensity.
---Yes, I see.
We recorded some recent choreography videos, and when I watched them at home, man... hahaha (starts laughing). Even Sho-kun himself was like, "I'm so stiff..." But well, he only just memorized (the choreography) so it's only natural. But I do think his body has gotten stiffer.
---Different from before?
Different from before. I don't know when it started, but I thought to myself, did he get stiff? Even he would look at himself and laugh, after all. I'd watch Sho-kun laugh at himself and then laugh uncontrollably (laugh).
---Sho-kun's the only one whose talk was about his body... is this really okay? (laugh)
Oh, but it's really funny!
---But Sakurai-san really has changed in a positive sense. Being able to talk about himself in that way, for instance... it feels like it used to be harder to see those funny aspects about him in the past.
Yeah, that's right! That's exactly right.
---And now he's pretty much let loose (laugh).
Yep yep, it's pretty easy to see now (laugh). That sort of thing about Sho-kun is so interesting. That awkwardness and stuff, it's endearing isn't it? I mean, like... you know? If he could do anything and everything, then he'd just be "perfect".
---And his activities as a newscaster has gone on for a long time as well.
Yeah. Isn't he an amazing person?
---But because he has sides to him that are easy to tease...
That's right (laugh). That's a good thing. Like his fear of heights... it's good that he's all like, "I can't deal with heights!". That sort of thing is endearing (laugh).
---That was a very good talk. And the five of you returned to the "PIKA*NCHI" world after a 10 year absence. "PIKAN***CHI (Half) LIFE IS HARD tabun HAPPY" is currently airing in theaters.
Yup.
---As someone who knows about what went on around the time of Part 1, I watched this latest piece... and naturally have many thoughts with regards to the content. What really got to me was the part during the end credits with the five of you walking together. When I saw that, I thought, "Ahh... so much time has passed since then".
Ahh, yes yes. Yeah, I thought that too.
---When did you film that scene?
That was... the morning of the last day, I think?
---Is that so. I was wondering what that shoot was like.
Oh, we didn't really talk much about it... ah! But you know, I went overboard (with Haru). So they were kinda like... "Who the heck are you!" (laugh) Because the old Haru has matured a lot since then...
---Once again... it's amazing that you guys are doing "PIKA*NCHI" again. And Arashi's really amazing.
Right? (laugh)
---The other members also said this, but the fact that "the vast majority of staff on the set of filming didn't know about the first 'PIKA*NCHI'" is amazing in itself as well. (laugh)
Yep yep. Even the managers we had at the time are all gone (to different departments)... and the staff were pretty much all different. So we don't have anyone (familiar with the past acting) to point out errors for us (laugh).
---Only the actors themselves knew about those characters, so to speak (laugh). Haru has gone through a power-up too.
It was fun. But the filming passed by so fast.
---The contents were also actually... "Half" of "PIKA*NCHI".
Right? Which is why we gotta do the next one (Part 3) too.
---I hope you will. Especially since you've actually brought it back to life.
Yup. It's been 10 years, after all.
---As one would expect, did the filming process seem nostalgic to you?
Yeah. It's kind of... it turns into that sort of atmosphere. It's incredible. ...and we all said that (laugh).
---It's a group that will always embody "youth".
But time has passed, right? (laugh) Oh well, that's inevitable...
---But it's okay that time has passed (laugh).
You're right. It's more interesting when it's realistic... no? (laugh)
---In actuality... when the topic of "Want to do 'PIKAN*CHI' again?" came up after 10+ years has passed, I don't think it would have been unusual for you as a group to choose to say, "No, we don't do that sort of thing anymore".
Ahhh... I guess so.
---Yet you were full of glee and looking forward to it... how do you feel about becoming a group like that? (laugh)
I'm glad we haven't changed, don't you think? Everyone was saying "I want to do it" instead (laugh). It's really an interesting group. Plus, our "PIKA*NCHI" works don't have an acting feel to it like a drama or a movie. It feels much more like we're just goofing around, in a nice sense. It doesn't feel like we're filming...
---So it didn't feel like you were filming, then.
Right, it didn't feel that way (laugh). There wasn't a serious sense of it being "filming". I wasn't really used to filming back then (in 2003)... you know? I felt like I had to do a proper job of it so I was always like "Yes! Yes!" and stuff. But now, when I'm on the set, I just go "(in a very frank way) How many more cuts to go?" and stuff... I feel like I've become a veteran or something (laugh). And as expected, most of the staff were younger than me. It was kinda bizarre.
---You've had other works as a group up until now, such as "Kiiroi namida" or "Saigo no yakusoku". They were also different, I'm sure.
Yeah... in a way, "PIKA*NCHI" was really just us goofing off (laugh).
---What's most important is that atmosphere among the members.
It's definitely the "atmosphere". I'm sure the staff had it tough, though...
---I'm sure they did. You filmed until the middle of July or so, and it opened in theaters on August 1; what a terrifying schedule.
Yup. They only had ten days or so to edit, right? It's really amazing.
---What was it like when you watched the completed version?
Um, that really took me back. The "Triiilllll" sound from the soundtrack.
---You're right! They used the same sound effects from before as-is, so it was like, "Ahh, that sound is..."
Yeah, I remembered many things when I heard that sound. How I felt at the time and stuff, it all came rushing back.
---Sound truly is an incredible thing.
It is (laugh). Like "Ahh, that was what I was thinking". I remembered being depressed. I hadn't really experienced much (at the time), and I remembered being insecure all the time. I didn't have any confidence, I was always insecure... it brought back that sadness.
---You said at the time that you had no confidence in yourself, and that you were worried because you were always insecure.
Yeah... I had no confidence. I didn't have enough experience, I felt. I had absolutely nothing, after all.
---Even though that's not the case now.
That's right... (wry laugh)
---What would you want to say to yourself at that time, when you were still insecure every day?
Hehehe. I just want to say "It's okay!", for real (laugh).
---(Editor-in-chief) You used to talk about that once in a while, even with Wink up.
Yeah. But with Wink (Wink up), there was a period when I talked about pointless things all the time, didn't I? That was really awful (laugh).
---You'd do that whenever the topic shifted to memories.
Hahahahaha! Now that I think about it we even talked about how you actually published that, didn't we? (bursts out laughing)
---Even though you looked so cool in your photos...
Yeah, I was striking poses in the photos. It was way too surreal, wasn't it? (laugh)
---Well... that was why I figured at the time, maybe that way I could convey to everyone how surreal Ohno Satoshi really was...
Yep yep. And even with that surrealism, my fans didn't abandon me. I'm so glad... but that was why it actually made things easier for me.
---The gap between yourself as an idol and the real you is something that people tend to be torn over particularly in their teens, right? The sense I always got, especially from Ohno-kun, was a sense of realism and humanity, that it's not always sunshine and roses.
Yeah, I don't go around saying cool things after all. Yeah... that's why it was thanks to those articles that things were easier. I thought, 'they're really writing exactly what I said!' You didn't edit them to sound all weird and pretty (laugh).
---Thank you in many, many ways (laugh). And when you think of Ohno-kun, we would definitely like to hear about your creative activities as well.
Ahh.... that's paused right now. Because I have choreography to do for our next tour.
---Ohh. I'd like to hear about your choreography as well, so it's connected. What's it like this time...?
At the moment, we've got a song planned out to be the lead track in the album... so I'm coming up with the choreo for that. Which is why I'm pausing the art side of things.
---Are you drawing a dog right now?
Yep yep.
---How much of it have you completed so far?
I've got... 1/3 of it left to go, I think. I keep coloring and erasing, coloring and erasing... over and over again. Well, (if there's only 1/3 to go) it's going to happen somehow! I've only got the face done, you see. After that, I have to draw the body... and then I'll probably think of something else?
---I see. For example... even when you're in the middle of filming a drama or movie, you're still drawing on the side, yes? But when you're coming up with choreography, you have to put your pen down.
That's right. Because I feel like... I have to come up with the choreography as soon as possible.
---You have different priorities for that, then. With the tour ahead, you have a very distinct deadline, after all.
Yup. Art is, you know. I can draw it any time. There's no time limit to that now.
---Is it fun to choreograph?
Fun... it's more like, it's fun after (choreo ideas) come to me.
---I see. So they come to you.
Yeah, I just wait for them to come to me. So... until they come to me, I'm not really doing much.
---Do you sit and think about doing things this way or another way?
When I think too hard on it, the ideas don't really come... I don't really get it. When I keep replaying the song, I kinda start thinking about different things, and then go "Ah. Darn it... one more time" (laugh). It's when I go, "Maybe like this?" that it sorta creeps up on me.
---Hehhh, is that so.
Then, it's like "Ah, that's not bad". I try the moves, and it's "Ah, this might be good" or "That's no good...".
---Little by little.
Right. And then I just imagine how the five of us would look while dancing to that from an objective standpoint. Which is why I wait for the ideas to come to me. Until then, I keep playing the song the whooooole time and zone out (laugh).
---Including your own solos, you've been choreographing for quite a long time now, haven't you?
Ah... yeah. That's true.
---Has the way you choreograph, or the way ideas "come to you", changed very much?
It's kinda... it used to be quicker in the past. Dancing was what I loved most when I did it. But there are so many kinds of choreo, you know. And I had my own solos too. But when I'm doing group ones (choreography for the entire group), I have to think about "formations" too. And that's all I think about. Which was why "Bittersweet" was the first single track that I ever choreographed. It was my first time doing a song that we were singing on music programs. Up until then they were all meant for concerts.
---It was your first time having it revealed on television.
Yeah, when it's for television... camera allocation? Or is it shot allocation... stuff like that, I start thinking about those things.
---Ahh, I see.
So I do even less (when I'm coming up with choreography).
---You sit and imagine things like "At this point the camera pans over like this" or "It does that"?
Yeah. "It's going to pan up to Nino here... then, like this! Then, it does that... it pulls back here", things like that. I'm kinda thinking like a director... (wry laugh). But I end up doing that, somehow.
---Wow. Then, having done choreography that could be seen on television, I'm sure it has changed you even more, right?
Yup, that's right. The way I do it, right? It feels like I've added another thing to it.
---You've added to your thought process and perspective.
Yup. So... I think choreography is something where it's better to see lots and lots of different stuff. I haven't seen much lately, you see. I think seeing more would broaden my range and my ideas.
---What would you like to do in the future in terms of the art side of things?
What should I do... huh (laugh)? But, well... I'm not in a rush right now anyway. I guess just draw what I want to draw.
---That stance hasn't changed.
Yup. If I've decided on what I want to draw, then I'll start on it... something like that. But one thing that has changed is that I used to want to make them look realistic, but now I feel like they don't have to be all that realistic. I'm kinda using all kinds of colors. Then I color over them with white again... there's a different sort of difficulty to that, for sure. I feel like I only understand a tiny bit of what Nara (Yoshitomo)-san says to me.
---But actually seeing how Nara-san does it and trying it in your own way... you at least have that new experience under your belt.
Yeah. For sure, it was after meeting Nara-san and seeing how he does it. Then I started trying different things on my own. Yeah... it's definitely more interesting when you add color. In Nara-san's "A to Z" making of or something or other, he looked at what he drew and said something like, "It looks kind of off as a whole". But no matter how you looked at that painting... at the time, I thought to myself, "Eh? It looks completely fine!". But now I kinda understand how Nara-san felt when he said that.
---It's a different sense of difficulty than what you've always felt before, I'm sure.
Yeah, that's right. I have a vision of how it looks when it's completed that's somewhat formed. I want to head in that direction, but I'm not getting there right now. So... it's gotten harder, yeah.
---At what point do you consider it to be "complete"? And so forth...
Yup, that's right. I want to work on it, but then it keeps on going...
---It seems like even Nara-san has moments where he had paintings he didn't like before and thought, "It looks kind of good when I look at it after some time has passed", doesn't he?
Yes yes (laugh). There's moments like that. You don't really get it anymore when you keep doing it (ie. continue drawing). But when you go to bed, wake up and look at it the next day, you're like, "Huh? It's actually pretty good" and stuff... (laugh). It's always like that.
---But art has always been something that's by your side. I hope you won't rush it and continuing doing it at your own pace.
Yep. But you know, what really comes to mind is... I'm glad I did that art exhibit (in 2008). I want to hold another art exhibit now, so I'm working towards that. It's kinda... I stress over it more, and I draw more. But I don't feel rushed or anything.
---So you'd like to do another art exhibit again.
Yeah, I wanna do it. I hope I can come up with something interesting. I don't really have much in terms of number (of pieces) though.
---I'm awaiting with much anticipation. And lastly, it's +act's 10th anniversary. If we can please ask for your impressions of +act or any memories that left an impression?
What would it be... ahhh~ but it's amazing, isn't it? Ten years, that is. It was from that point on that you started up alone and then kept going, right?
---(Editor-in-chief) I was doing it alone in the very beginning (laugh).
Wow. So... what would it be? But... it feels like time flew by to me.
---You always have the same familiar staff interviewing you, so you weren't really aware of it?
That's exactly it. Which is why... I feel really close to you guys (laugh). But that's why it's easy to read me, right? I think my expressions and my comments are close to what I'm actually like.
---Ooh!
Of course. You're people I've known for more than ten years, after all. You've really published all sorts of different photos and interviews of mine... +act went through all that, yeah? So you're a magazine that's really close to me.
---Truly... thank you for everything.
(suddenly) Eh? You're not going to stop after this 10th anniversary or anything, right?
---(Editor-in-chief) No no, we're not going to stop (laugh).
Right? Because everyone like... turned all serious (laugh). Congrats on your 10th anniversary! Let us both do our best from now on too!
In this article Ohno talks about their 15th anniversary, what he thinks of the other members, the Pikanchi movies, his own views on art and choreography, and much more! Since he knew many of the staff for over 10 years the entire talk had a really casual feel to it. Enjoy :)
Ohno - +act - 11/2014
12,000 WORDS SPECIAL INTERVIEW
Ohno Satoshi
The five members of Arashi made their first appearance in +act during the opening run for their starring film, "Kiiroi namida", in 2007. Individually speaking, it was when he achieved his first starring role in a drama, "Maou" in 2008, that he made his first appearance in +act mini (sharing the cover with Ikuta Toma). Since then, we've had various opportunities to interview him for other works of his. Above all else, the "Black cat" theme we did as his first solo cover issue for the premiere of his "Kaibutsu-kun" movie became quite a hot topic, be it the photoshoot or the "expressive" side to him that we were seeking out. On the cover of our memorial issue to commemorate our 10th anniversary this time is our No. 1 request from readers: Ohno Satoshi, the leader of Arashi.
Dressed casually in his own clothes, Ohno was slightly hunched forward as he came onto the set. Seeing the group of staff members who came out to greet him, he seemed embarrassed as he raised one hand in greeting. He made some laid-back chitchat with them: "How've you been?" "It's hot today, huh!". Never mindful of those around him, he's reserved and extremely quiet; that "usual feel" about him hasn't changed, not even after becoming a national idol. After putting his things down and changing into new clothes with a sense of familiarity, the editor-in-chief began to explain the plans for that day. Watching him with a quiet chuckle, he expressed his understanding with a simple "I see... so it's your 10th anniversary." Though he didn't say it outright, he was able to convey his comprehension of our aims in that instant. Yet again, it was a typical scene on set. Arashi's members are actually long-time acquaintances with +act's editor-in-chief from his editor days with Wink Up. This "unchanging" back-and-forth had continued even after starting up +act. And there was another huge turning point: the fact that this special timing coincided with Arashi's 15th anniversary since their debut. As they exchanged words about all the "past" shoots they've had, he responded to the numerous themes and keywords being thrown at him with an overwhelming power of expression to produce a photoshoot with many different expressions and movements. Furthermore, with our editor-in-chief taking part in the interview as well, we spoke at length about his 15th anniversary as a part of Arashi, from his renewed thoughts towards the other members to his own creative activities up until this point, to the "current Ohno Satoshi".
---Arashi has made appearances both as a group and individually with respective solo work... we truly have been under your care these past 10 years. Even solo-wise, Ohno-san, you've appeared so many times (in past cover issues) and for this commemorative issue, we would like to ask about many things, such as Arashi's past interviews and Arashi's 15th anniversary.
Okay... (laugh)
---We're a bit undecided on what to ask first... let's start with the present Arashi, which we believe is in the midst of preparations (※ This interview took place in late August) for upcoming Hawaii lives (※ "ARASHI BLAST in Hawaii").
Yup, that's right.
---How does it feel to be able to hold concerts in Hawaii, Arashi's place of debut, in coincidence with the timing of your 15th anniversary, Ohno-san?
Yeah, that's true. I... I haven't been to Hawaii in years, you know? It's been maybe even more than 10 years.
---Since your debut conference?
Um.... maybe 2002? Ever since our fan tour (※ "ARASHI fan tour in Hawaii"), (Sakurai) Sho-kun and I haven't been there again.
---Ahhh, I see. The other three went back during New Year's, didn't they?
Yep yep. Matsujun (Matsumoto Jun) and Nino (Ninomiya Kazunari) and Aiba (Masaki)-chan went back for New Year's. Sho-kun and I had solo concerts at the time. We had rehearsals to go to.
---That's right... the two of you had solo concerts (※ "2006 x Otoshidama/Arashi = 3104yen (Satoshi) from January to February of 2006. Sakurai also had a solo concert tour called "THE SHOW" during that same period).
Yeah, so we couldn't go with them.
---So it was since 2002, then. I remember reading an article about... some sort of lunch serving time in your fan event where the members handed out food.
Yeah! We did... we did that (laugh). And we arranged people to form letters and stuff...
---I don't actually know anything about things from that period. Did you hold a concert back then?
No. But I kinda remember dancing.
---It's been a long while since your last Hawaii trip, I'm sure you're looking forward to the concerts too.
Yep, seeing as I haven't been there again since then. Not only that, I'm looking forward to holding it outdoors. There's a view of the ocean too.
---Are you in the rehearsal stage right now?
Yup, we're doing that. We more or less decide on a rough set list first. Then we have to recall [T/N: the lyrics/choreography] and get warmed up again... I did an entire run-through the other day.
---Speaking of which, what about solos?
Ah, there are no solos.
---So just group songs by the whole group?
Yup. So we're planning to dance to stuff like "PIKA*NCHI". We're looking through old choreography VTRs and saying stuff like "We danced the whole time" "We danced quite a bit" as we try to do our best (laugh).
---You're also in the middle of the production process for your new album, am I right?
With the album, we're kinda recording it right now.
---What will your album be like this year?
But... we're not particularly being like "It's our 15th anniversary so let's do it like this". An album's an album, so I guess it's the same old simple "let's make a new album" feel.
---On the topic of +act... Ohno-san, your first individual appearance was in 2008. It was with +act mini when your first starring drama, "Maou", started airing.
Ah, really!? That takes me back.... so it was 2008?
---You seemed especially busy in 2008.
It was tough... for sure. It started off with my exhibit (※ He had an art exhibit in January of this year called "FREE STYLE"). Then I did a stageplay (※ Puu series Episode 1 "Amatsukaze"), a drama series (※ "Maou")... and stuff.
---And it's already been six years since.
Eh, that was six years ago!? That was fast. Eh? Has it really been six years?
---Time passes very quickly, doesn't it? (laugh) Then, the editing department received an enormous response when we did a cover issue around the time of your film, "Kaibutsu-kun" (2011), when we did a photoshoot with a "black cat" theme. We talked about your creative works as well, and director Nakamura (Yoshihiro) and Nara Yoshitomo-san also made appearances.
I read that +act! (As he says this, he takes the +act mini from his "Maou" period and begins to flip through it) Wow... the entire Maou team was in this!?
---That's right, because it was a special issue. For this on-set report, we also went to an art gallery in Shizuoka to observe that scene where Naruse gazed up at the gates of Hell...
Ahhh, so it was that time! I remember that. I was suuuuper dark (on set), wasn't I? (laugh)
---You noticed our interview staff and said right away, "How nice~ You're gonna eat something yummy here in Shizuoka afterward, aren't you? Am I right?" (laugh). That location shoot seemed difficult, be it schedule-wise or scene-wise.
Yeah... not only that, I had to leave right after the filming was over. I wanted to eat a yummy local meal or something (laugh). That really takes me back. (as he looks again at the magazine pages) Man, I was so young (laugh).
---Six years' worth of time has actually passed since then, though (laugh).
That's truth (laugh). I mean, I was still in my 20s at that time. 27, I think?
---Do you remember the "black cat" photoshoot that took place after?
I remember. I mean... it was recent after all.
---So three years ago is recent? (laugh)
Yup (laugh). Um... you shot it at some place that was like a detached house, right?
---Yes, that's right.
(While looking at the "black cat" magazine pages) Ahh... this takes me back (laugh). (Then, he looks at the +act mini issue from the beginning of his "Kaibutsu-kun" drama) W... wah! So young! (laugh)
---Your hair was quite brown back then.
(In regards to his own photos) I'm... depending on my role my face changes quite a lot, huh?
---That's true. There was a sense of innocence about you (that Kaibutsu-kun has).
Hahaha. (As he flips through the pages) Hehhh! Haaa... how nostalgic! But, it definitely has a "recent" feel.
---As a group, Arashi was on the cover twice. During "Kiiroi namida", and...
Eh? "Kiiroi namida"? Ahh, you mean with Arashi.
---Yes, that's right. Then, the 10th issue of +act mini as well.
That takes me back... (laugh)
---We've really been under your care in many ways.
There were so many things that happened, huh (laugh).
---(Editor-in-chief explains all over again) For this 10th anniversary issue, we are extremely grateful to have Ohno-san here acting as the representative for Arashi, which had received the most requests by our readers. I would like to look back on all sorts of things to do with +act... however, many of the staff here today, from the cameraman to the lighting staff, are actually old acquaintances from Wink up.
Yeah, that's right. Which is why, I'm not really... it's less of a +act interview and more like a normal "How've you been?" sort of thing since we know each other from before (laugh). Hearing that it's your 10th anniversary makes me feel like 'Wow, it's been 10 years already!?'.
---(Editor-in-chief) In that sense, we've had a connection since before +act, then we had 10 years as a part of +act. I was still working at Wink up through the first year or so, though.
I see. We did a location shoot at Takahara Resort when you left Wink up, didn't we?
---That's right! It was after that shoot that our editor-in-chief shifted over completely.
That was so much fun. Us members hung around and played after the photoshoot too (laugh).
---By the way, do you still remember things from 10 years back?
It was 2004, so... I did a stageplay, didn't I? It was with Matsu-nii (※ Double starring role with Matsuoka Masahiro in "TRUE WEST"), wasn't it? I mean, my hair was black around that time.
---That's right. You remember quite well... or rather, you're recalling vaguely by the year like you always do.
But, about that... it's only up until 2009 or so.
---Eh? That's all that you've input by year?
Yeah, that's all I remember by year. The stuff that came after that... sorry (laugh)
---2009 would mean... after Arashi's 10th anniversary passed?
Yup. After that 10th anniversary passed by it's like, "When was that from again?" I really have no clue. My memories are like, "2012? Maybe?". So by year I can only talk about them up until that 10th anniversary.
---Is that so!?
Yep. I can only remember in detail up until around that time. Probably.
---But it is indeed true that at the time of your 10th anniversary... you spoke about this in +act as well, but you said that your 10th anniversary was given such a grand celebration that you "felt too blessed" and "that's why I lost my drive".
Right, right, I lost my drive (laugh). Next thing I knew it's our 15th anniversary... I was so surprised.
---The five years since then flew by quickly?
(nods) Our 12-13th years went by in the blink of an eye... the other members said that too. Like, "Eh? Has it been two years since our 10th anniversary!?". So the time after our 10th anniversary passed strangely fast. It's kinda like, it feels like I'm still floating above the ground... it's a mystery (laugh). It's been a mystery all along.
---But to put it another way, that means your 10th anniversary was just that huge of an turning point, right?
Yeah... we've never been congratulated like that before. Even now, I wonder why we were given such a huge celebration.
---It seems like that was difficult to absorb and assimilate within you?
Right, right. Of course, when I look back on it there were all kinds of stuff that happened. It's kinda like... 5 years that passed by in an instant. For sure, since then... wait, but it wasn't really... maybe I wasn't actually that busy... (and he thinks it over again)
---Hahaha. As expected, the tumult of 2008 left an intense impression.
Right, even now that year of 2008... (laugh) I don't think anything would surpass that, probably. Not even from this point on, I think? Arashi had a lot more opportunities to do different kinds of things since then too.
---We'd like to hear your thoughts on the other members' changes and appeal from your renewed point of view in your 15th year together. +act has never asked you about this topic before, so if you'd please answer...
Okay. What is it? (after thinking for a while...) Matsujun has mellowed out, hasn't he?
---Hahaha.
He even talks about how he used to be touchy (laugh). By mellowing out, I mean that he's experienced a lot, and he's opened his eyes to many things now... that's what he said.
---It's very like him to be so self-aware (laugh).
Yep yep (laugh).
---Speaking of which, you've said before that you watched Matsumoto-san's "Ah, kouya" stageplay and was moved by it.
It makes me want to cry when I see other members working hard.
---Ahh... and that's in regards to all the members, right?
Yeah, I get like that.
---And what's the appeal of Matsumoto Jun in this 15th year?
But... he's the nicest.
---Being nice is something that hasn't ever changed, yes? Just that he used to be touchy (laugh).
Yeah, he hasn't changed (laugh). He's always been nice. He's a good person. So he's kinda like Matsu-nii, no? He seems hard to approach at a glance, but once you interact with him he's actually a super nice person.
---I see. I understand very well (laugh).
Yeah. Then, next is... Nino? Nino is... what is it. He basically hasn't changed, huh. Hmmm, what is it?
---If you met him under ordinary circumstances outside of Arashi, even if you're interested in each other it doesn't seem likely that you would actually talk to him... And since you won't talk to him, you wouldn't be as close to him as you are now. That's the impression I get (laugh).
Hahaha. But... that's like all five of us, no? Because the five of us are all like that, we don't really... you know? We don't go out for meals and stuff with each other.
---You're a very miraculous group, aren't you?
(with a nostalgic air) Speaking of which, I went out to eat before, with Nino.
---But... that wasn't during the early periods following the formation of your group, was it?
Yeah. It was 10 years or so after. Right... that's right. We kinda don't really talk much (during meals). (laugh)
---In that sense, it feels like what you have between you and Ninomiya-san is a non-verbal way of communicating (laugh).
Yeah, we'd just eat and drink. It's not because I feel uncomfortable or anything. I wonder why...? I don't know. But really... they're all nice.
---Nino has his own brand of kindness, and the same applies to each member as well.
That's right. We don't have anyone who's self-centered.
---That's fantastic, isn't it?
It's a mystery, isn't it? We look like we're easy to understand, but when you think about it we're actually five strange people (laugh).
---And next up, we have Aiba-san.
Aiba-chan is... Aiba-chan is a good person too. Seriously. When I saw last year's year-end pranks too... I was talking about this with Nino. I said, "Aiba-chan really is a good person, huh?" Like for me, I could never put up with (being pranked like that). I mean, I'd be so irritated (wry laugh). Like, when those signs came out...
---You mean when the AD made unreasonable demands with many different signs and they pretended to be filming an actual VTR...
Yep yep, that prank (laugh). And he did it all seriously... I could never do that. I think I'd say something like "That's enough, don't you think?" (wry laugh)
---So you had that sort of conversation (laugh). How should I put this, it seems like you often have moments like that with Ninomiya-san. You focus on similar things, so to speak.
Hehehe.
---You often have talks like that, don't you?
We do. (laugh)
---But above all else, Aiba-san is a good person, isn't he. It's very rare for a person to be that good-natured.
Very rare. Mmm... he seriously is a good person.
---Then, how about Sakurai-san?
Sho-chan... Sho-kun is... hehe, hehehe, (laughs at a recollection)
---Why are you laughing?
Nah (laugh). Um... he got all stiff. His body.
---Erm... you're talking about his body?
Yup.
---Eh!? (laugh)
Well... my impression of him before used to be more flexible. I just thought of this the other day, but I was watching old videos like PIKA*NCHI and stuff. It was amazing, he used to move around a lot. With intensity.
---Yes, I see.
We recorded some recent choreography videos, and when I watched them at home, man... hahaha (starts laughing). Even Sho-kun himself was like, "I'm so stiff..." But well, he only just memorized (the choreography) so it's only natural. But I do think his body has gotten stiffer.
---Different from before?
Different from before. I don't know when it started, but I thought to myself, did he get stiff? Even he would look at himself and laugh, after all. I'd watch Sho-kun laugh at himself and then laugh uncontrollably (laugh).
---Sho-kun's the only one whose talk was about his body... is this really okay? (laugh)
Oh, but it's really funny!
---But Sakurai-san really has changed in a positive sense. Being able to talk about himself in that way, for instance... it feels like it used to be harder to see those funny aspects about him in the past.
Yeah, that's right! That's exactly right.
---And now he's pretty much let loose (laugh).
Yep yep, it's pretty easy to see now (laugh). That sort of thing about Sho-kun is so interesting. That awkwardness and stuff, it's endearing isn't it? I mean, like... you know? If he could do anything and everything, then he'd just be "perfect".
---And his activities as a newscaster has gone on for a long time as well.
Yeah. Isn't he an amazing person?
---But because he has sides to him that are easy to tease...
That's right (laugh). That's a good thing. Like his fear of heights... it's good that he's all like, "I can't deal with heights!". That sort of thing is endearing (laugh).
---That was a very good talk. And the five of you returned to the "PIKA*NCHI" world after a 10 year absence. "PIKAN***CHI (Half) LIFE IS HARD tabun HAPPY" is currently airing in theaters.
Yup.
---As someone who knows about what went on around the time of Part 1, I watched this latest piece... and naturally have many thoughts with regards to the content. What really got to me was the part during the end credits with the five of you walking together. When I saw that, I thought, "Ahh... so much time has passed since then".
Ahh, yes yes. Yeah, I thought that too.
---When did you film that scene?
That was... the morning of the last day, I think?
---Is that so. I was wondering what that shoot was like.
Oh, we didn't really talk much about it... ah! But you know, I went overboard (with Haru). So they were kinda like... "Who the heck are you!" (laugh) Because the old Haru has matured a lot since then...
---Once again... it's amazing that you guys are doing "PIKA*NCHI" again. And Arashi's really amazing.
Right? (laugh)
---The other members also said this, but the fact that "the vast majority of staff on the set of filming didn't know about the first 'PIKA*NCHI'" is amazing in itself as well. (laugh)
Yep yep. Even the managers we had at the time are all gone (to different departments)... and the staff were pretty much all different. So we don't have anyone (familiar with the past acting) to point out errors for us (laugh).
---Only the actors themselves knew about those characters, so to speak (laugh). Haru has gone through a power-up too.
It was fun. But the filming passed by so fast.
---The contents were also actually... "Half" of "PIKA*NCHI".
Right? Which is why we gotta do the next one (Part 3) too.
---I hope you will. Especially since you've actually brought it back to life.
Yup. It's been 10 years, after all.
---As one would expect, did the filming process seem nostalgic to you?
Yeah. It's kind of... it turns into that sort of atmosphere. It's incredible. ...and we all said that (laugh).
---It's a group that will always embody "youth".
But time has passed, right? (laugh) Oh well, that's inevitable...
---But it's okay that time has passed (laugh).
You're right. It's more interesting when it's realistic... no? (laugh)
---In actuality... when the topic of "Want to do 'PIKAN*CHI' again?" came up after 10+ years has passed, I don't think it would have been unusual for you as a group to choose to say, "No, we don't do that sort of thing anymore".
Ahhh... I guess so.
---Yet you were full of glee and looking forward to it... how do you feel about becoming a group like that? (laugh)
I'm glad we haven't changed, don't you think? Everyone was saying "I want to do it" instead (laugh). It's really an interesting group. Plus, our "PIKA*NCHI" works don't have an acting feel to it like a drama or a movie. It feels much more like we're just goofing around, in a nice sense. It doesn't feel like we're filming...
---So it didn't feel like you were filming, then.
Right, it didn't feel that way (laugh). There wasn't a serious sense of it being "filming". I wasn't really used to filming back then (in 2003)... you know? I felt like I had to do a proper job of it so I was always like "Yes! Yes!" and stuff. But now, when I'm on the set, I just go "(in a very frank way) How many more cuts to go?" and stuff... I feel like I've become a veteran or something (laugh). And as expected, most of the staff were younger than me. It was kinda bizarre.
---You've had other works as a group up until now, such as "Kiiroi namida" or "Saigo no yakusoku". They were also different, I'm sure.
Yeah... in a way, "PIKA*NCHI" was really just us goofing off (laugh).
---What's most important is that atmosphere among the members.
It's definitely the "atmosphere". I'm sure the staff had it tough, though...
---I'm sure they did. You filmed until the middle of July or so, and it opened in theaters on August 1; what a terrifying schedule.
Yup. They only had ten days or so to edit, right? It's really amazing.
---What was it like when you watched the completed version?
Um, that really took me back. The "Triiilllll" sound from the soundtrack.
---You're right! They used the same sound effects from before as-is, so it was like, "Ahh, that sound is..."
Yeah, I remembered many things when I heard that sound. How I felt at the time and stuff, it all came rushing back.
---Sound truly is an incredible thing.
It is (laugh). Like "Ahh, that was what I was thinking". I remembered being depressed. I hadn't really experienced much (at the time), and I remembered being insecure all the time. I didn't have any confidence, I was always insecure... it brought back that sadness.
---You said at the time that you had no confidence in yourself, and that you were worried because you were always insecure.
Yeah... I had no confidence. I didn't have enough experience, I felt. I had absolutely nothing, after all.
---Even though that's not the case now.
That's right... (wry laugh)
---What would you want to say to yourself at that time, when you were still insecure every day?
Hehehe. I just want to say "It's okay!", for real (laugh).
---(Editor-in-chief) You used to talk about that once in a while, even with Wink up.
Yeah. But with Wink (Wink up), there was a period when I talked about pointless things all the time, didn't I? That was really awful (laugh).
---You'd do that whenever the topic shifted to memories.
Hahahahaha! Now that I think about it we even talked about how you actually published that, didn't we? (bursts out laughing)
---Even though you looked so cool in your photos...
Yeah, I was striking poses in the photos. It was way too surreal, wasn't it? (laugh)
---Well... that was why I figured at the time, maybe that way I could convey to everyone how surreal Ohno Satoshi really was...
Yep yep. And even with that surrealism, my fans didn't abandon me. I'm so glad... but that was why it actually made things easier for me.
---The gap between yourself as an idol and the real you is something that people tend to be torn over particularly in their teens, right? The sense I always got, especially from Ohno-kun, was a sense of realism and humanity, that it's not always sunshine and roses.
Yeah, I don't go around saying cool things after all. Yeah... that's why it was thanks to those articles that things were easier. I thought, 'they're really writing exactly what I said!' You didn't edit them to sound all weird and pretty (laugh).
---Thank you in many, many ways (laugh). And when you think of Ohno-kun, we would definitely like to hear about your creative activities as well.
Ahh.... that's paused right now. Because I have choreography to do for our next tour.
---Ohh. I'd like to hear about your choreography as well, so it's connected. What's it like this time...?
At the moment, we've got a song planned out to be the lead track in the album... so I'm coming up with the choreo for that. Which is why I'm pausing the art side of things.
---Are you drawing a dog right now?
Yep yep.
---How much of it have you completed so far?
I've got... 1/3 of it left to go, I think. I keep coloring and erasing, coloring and erasing... over and over again. Well, (if there's only 1/3 to go) it's going to happen somehow! I've only got the face done, you see. After that, I have to draw the body... and then I'll probably think of something else?
---I see. For example... even when you're in the middle of filming a drama or movie, you're still drawing on the side, yes? But when you're coming up with choreography, you have to put your pen down.
That's right. Because I feel like... I have to come up with the choreography as soon as possible.
---You have different priorities for that, then. With the tour ahead, you have a very distinct deadline, after all.
Yup. Art is, you know. I can draw it any time. There's no time limit to that now.
---Is it fun to choreograph?
Fun... it's more like, it's fun after (choreo ideas) come to me.
---I see. So they come to you.
Yeah, I just wait for them to come to me. So... until they come to me, I'm not really doing much.
---Do you sit and think about doing things this way or another way?
When I think too hard on it, the ideas don't really come... I don't really get it. When I keep replaying the song, I kinda start thinking about different things, and then go "Ah. Darn it... one more time" (laugh). It's when I go, "Maybe like this?" that it sorta creeps up on me.
---Hehhh, is that so.
Then, it's like "Ah, that's not bad". I try the moves, and it's "Ah, this might be good" or "That's no good...".
---Little by little.
Right. And then I just imagine how the five of us would look while dancing to that from an objective standpoint. Which is why I wait for the ideas to come to me. Until then, I keep playing the song the whooooole time and zone out (laugh).
---Including your own solos, you've been choreographing for quite a long time now, haven't you?
Ah... yeah. That's true.
---Has the way you choreograph, or the way ideas "come to you", changed very much?
It's kinda... it used to be quicker in the past. Dancing was what I loved most when I did it. But there are so many kinds of choreo, you know. And I had my own solos too. But when I'm doing group ones (choreography for the entire group), I have to think about "formations" too. And that's all I think about. Which was why "Bittersweet" was the first single track that I ever choreographed. It was my first time doing a song that we were singing on music programs. Up until then they were all meant for concerts.
---It was your first time having it revealed on television.
Yeah, when it's for television... camera allocation? Or is it shot allocation... stuff like that, I start thinking about those things.
---Ahh, I see.
So I do even less (when I'm coming up with choreography).
---You sit and imagine things like "At this point the camera pans over like this" or "It does that"?
Yeah. "It's going to pan up to Nino here... then, like this! Then, it does that... it pulls back here", things like that. I'm kinda thinking like a director... (wry laugh). But I end up doing that, somehow.
---Wow. Then, having done choreography that could be seen on television, I'm sure it has changed you even more, right?
Yup, that's right. The way I do it, right? It feels like I've added another thing to it.
---You've added to your thought process and perspective.
Yup. So... I think choreography is something where it's better to see lots and lots of different stuff. I haven't seen much lately, you see. I think seeing more would broaden my range and my ideas.
---What would you like to do in the future in terms of the art side of things?
What should I do... huh (laugh)? But, well... I'm not in a rush right now anyway. I guess just draw what I want to draw.
---That stance hasn't changed.
Yup. If I've decided on what I want to draw, then I'll start on it... something like that. But one thing that has changed is that I used to want to make them look realistic, but now I feel like they don't have to be all that realistic. I'm kinda using all kinds of colors. Then I color over them with white again... there's a different sort of difficulty to that, for sure. I feel like I only understand a tiny bit of what Nara (Yoshitomo)-san says to me.
---But actually seeing how Nara-san does it and trying it in your own way... you at least have that new experience under your belt.
Yeah. For sure, it was after meeting Nara-san and seeing how he does it. Then I started trying different things on my own. Yeah... it's definitely more interesting when you add color. In Nara-san's "A to Z" making of or something or other, he looked at what he drew and said something like, "It looks kind of off as a whole". But no matter how you looked at that painting... at the time, I thought to myself, "Eh? It looks completely fine!". But now I kinda understand how Nara-san felt when he said that.
---It's a different sense of difficulty than what you've always felt before, I'm sure.
Yeah, that's right. I have a vision of how it looks when it's completed that's somewhat formed. I want to head in that direction, but I'm not getting there right now. So... it's gotten harder, yeah.
---At what point do you consider it to be "complete"? And so forth...
Yup, that's right. I want to work on it, but then it keeps on going...
---It seems like even Nara-san has moments where he had paintings he didn't like before and thought, "It looks kind of good when I look at it after some time has passed", doesn't he?
Yes yes (laugh). There's moments like that. You don't really get it anymore when you keep doing it (ie. continue drawing). But when you go to bed, wake up and look at it the next day, you're like, "Huh? It's actually pretty good" and stuff... (laugh). It's always like that.
---But art has always been something that's by your side. I hope you won't rush it and continuing doing it at your own pace.
Yep. But you know, what really comes to mind is... I'm glad I did that art exhibit (in 2008). I want to hold another art exhibit now, so I'm working towards that. It's kinda... I stress over it more, and I draw more. But I don't feel rushed or anything.
---So you'd like to do another art exhibit again.
Yeah, I wanna do it. I hope I can come up with something interesting. I don't really have much in terms of number (of pieces) though.
---I'm awaiting with much anticipation. And lastly, it's +act's 10th anniversary. If we can please ask for your impressions of +act or any memories that left an impression?
What would it be... ahhh~ but it's amazing, isn't it? Ten years, that is. It was from that point on that you started up alone and then kept going, right?
---(Editor-in-chief) I was doing it alone in the very beginning (laugh).
Wow. So... what would it be? But... it feels like time flew by to me.
---You always have the same familiar staff interviewing you, so you weren't really aware of it?
That's exactly it. Which is why... I feel really close to you guys (laugh). But that's why it's easy to read me, right? I think my expressions and my comments are close to what I'm actually like.
---Ooh!
Of course. You're people I've known for more than ten years, after all. You've really published all sorts of different photos and interviews of mine... +act went through all that, yeah? So you're a magazine that's really close to me.
---Truly... thank you for everything.
(suddenly) Eh? You're not going to stop after this 10th anniversary or anything, right?
---(Editor-in-chief) No no, we're not going to stop (laugh).
Right? Because everyone like... turned all serious (laugh). Congrats on your 10th anniversary! Let us both do our best from now on too!