Excerpt: Nino, H magazine Apr 2004
I seriously lack the stamina to do full articles these days. Would you guys be interested if I posted excerpts from interviews, or would you rather endure a lengthy wait while I get the full one out?
Because she requested for it, this post goes out to glassharmony. I'm sorry I didn't write any more. Maybe things will look up this weekend.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
“I was hoping that people would tell me off. It’s terrifying to be praised.”
Ninomiya Kazunari-san, who spurts out cool phrases such as, “I like being on my own,” and “I live life by putting on a brave front.” However, he’s actually the most mischievous member who can’t stand being alone…!? We close in on his naïve self and stoic professionalism!
Could you start by telling us about your date of birth?
Sure. It’s 1998.
… you’re kidding, right?
Hahaha. It’s 1983. I was born on the 17th of June.
What’s your first memory?
Nursery school, I think. I was crying, saying that I didn’t want to go. Even though I was already there at the nursery school.
… …
I’m just weird, so, please ignore that. (laughs)
Do you remember why you didn’t want to go to nursery school?
I think I must have disliked communal living. I wasn’t particularly sleepy, so what’s up with the afternoon naps? The naps should be only for the people who want to sleep.
You’re suddenly overflowing with the spirit of punk, eh?
That’s right. I hated to be treated like a child, even by the teachers. I lived an average life, you see. I did it so that people would say, “He didn’t cause any trouble, nor did he catch my eye, he’s an average kid.”
So you consciously tried to be mediocre?
“Yeah. I didn’t want them to get involved. It felt like, “Even if I told them, they wouldn’t understand.” That’s why I tried to get by without people asking me, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
And that persisted even when you entered elementary school?
That’s right. I didn’t want to catch anybody’s eye. I found sports meets terrible. Whenever people said, “Here’s Ninomiya Kazunari-kun of Year X Class Y,” or “Go for it, Ninomiya!” I felt so embarrassed.
And it wasn’t because of any particular reason?
I’ve always been that way.
So there wasn’t really a time where you felt, “This is how I want people to perceive me!”?
Hmm, the troublesome thing is, I’ve never felt that way. Be it singing, acting or dancing, in concerts or variety shows, as long as I enjoyed myself while doing it, that’s good enough for me.
What was your impetus for joining the entertainment industry?
My cousin sent in my résumé for me. At that time, I played baseball, and I actually found it interesting. Then the audition was held on a Sunday, despite the fact that I had a baseball competition on. I violently objected to going for the audition. Then my mother told me, “This is probably a once in a lifetime chance where you’ll get to be assessed by someone else, okay? I’ll give you 5,000 yen, so go!”
However, presuming that that’s what got you into the agency, I’m sure you wouldn’t have made it this far. Wasn’t there a time, after entering showbiz, where your feelings changed along the way?
I came to memorize the word, “responsibility”. …in fact, I memorized many words. When I was acting, there was this book on acting [which I read]; there were things which I had to say, and when I read stuff like that, I’m the kind of person who ends up remembering it. There were also instances where such words became a source of encouragement for me. Many a times, I remember the words themselves.
To be continued... because I suck at finishing stuff.
scans: moobooh, who's absolutely lovely.