Shige's 10K interview

[kebing]

“I accepted that “It’s 4…” “

The members said that you were the one who advocated the most for 7 people to debut.

Really!? That’s how they saw me~ It’s a bit mysterious isn’t it.

Why did you advocate for 7?

Well, I’ll say first that don’t mean to make this sound like an impressive story or anything, but at the time of the countdown, I thought that what the Jimusho wants is best, so just once, in accordance with the timing when we were told, I accepted that we would be going with four. But, but something didn’t sit right with me about 4, and I guess I just couldn’t stop thinking about how it would be with 7. Yeah, I couldn’t. At the countdown, I felt like we were desperately heading in that direction…

What is a recent moment where you felt that you were glad it’s 7?

To be honest, there hasn’t been a moment up until now where I have thought about the particular difference between 4 and 7.  I think it was something within me that I wanted to forget. That’s why, now that I think about it…. The recent moments where I am glad that we are 7 are…. Every day aren’t they? It’s not  like something happens and I think “Wow! I’m so glad we’re 7!” It’s more like, we were meant to be as 7 and that we are 7 makes me the happiest.

Alright, up until that point I am going to ask you a lot of things, is that okay?

Yes. I’ve hidden a lot of things about myself. I don’t like talking about myself very much. Today I’ve decided to talk honestly. (laugh)

“I was completely a “Suneo”(rich brat character in Doraemon) type of guy, a real brat.”

What were you like when you were a kid?

It seems I was very stubborn. My sister is 3 years older than me, but with toys and with eating, I was apparently very firm about saying “I want to do it with my sister!”

You had a very strong spirit.

But I was very much a crybaby. I would always cry right away. Whenever I would lose an argument, I wouldn’t want to cry but I couldn’t bear it. But I was a real brat, so I also did a lot of pranks.

That hasn’t changed has it? Hamada-kun said: “One time I thought my phone was ringing somewhere, and Shige had something small shaking in his underpants, and when I went to take a look at it, in the buttcrack was my cell phone!”

Hahahahaha. I did that, I did that. Once I do things like that, it makes me want to do them again. I like seeing Hama-chan’s troubled face.

You haven’t changed from when you were little.

Ah, but, when I was little, I guess you could say I was distortive. I used to do things like chew a piece of grass in my mouth while sleeping on the seesaw.

What do you mean by that?

Adults use toothpicks and stuff after they eat right? I probably thought that was cool. I like to do things a little out of the ordinary. While everyone was simple-mindedly playing, I’d be like “I’m different, man.” Of course, people noticed right away. “This is different,” they’d say. It’s a black part of my history.

You liked to do things different from others. And with that, you made it worse.

Yes I did. (laugh) There were tough moments. People are noisy in class, and do bad things right? I would never be the first one to do it, and follow other people who would do it. Whoever did it first would be the one who the teacher would yell at the most. I was completely a “Suneo” type.

Is that so.

I told lies and stuff to distort people too. I think it was in 5th grade?? It was a 10 minute walk home from cram school, and on that day, I was somehow scared of something. I was shaking. I called home and I lied, saying that some weird old man was around and that they should come get me. (Laugh) In a matter of minutes, my Dad ran to get me. Sneaky, right? (laugh)

Certainly. ( laugh) What about middle school?

I made things worse again. On my way home, when I saw a girl from my class walking in front of me, I would suddenly start running and then once I got across from her I would say something like “Oh crap, I’m gonna be late!” to get her attention. Once she couldn’t see me anymore, I would start walking again. I thought it was pretty cool (laugh).

Hahahaha. Was there an episode of you doing your best in your middle school days?

Not really. I stopped doing club activites, and played video games with my family.

Why did you stop doing club activities?

I switched too much. I was in the tennis club, but in 5th and 6th grade I joined the soccer club, and when I joined middle school I was planning to join the soccer club, but at that time “Prince of Tennis” was popular, and half of the kids in the soccer club wanted to join the tennis club. It spread to me too and joined the tennis club. There were lots of flashy guys there, and even during practice my senpais were messing around like they didn’t care, and didn’t practice. Those senpais quit in a flash, and with a lack of people we couldn’t do anything, so we quit too, and then I indulged in games. I seriously think I was a piece of crap.

Did you have any dreams when you were little?

Not really. My friends all said they wanted to be soccer players, so I said “Me too!” , and in Kindergarten it was messy.  “Daiki and Daiku(Japanese word for Carpenter) sound alike so I’ll be a carpenter!” To think I was following only sound of my name (laugh). Truthfully there wasn’t really anything I admired or wanted to reach for. There was nothing I wanted to be in the future.

“I think I was searching for somewhere.”

So going to the audition was something you were lead to as well?

That’s right! I didn’t know anything about Johnny’s, and because I didn’t I thought “Eh.” (laugh).  It was out of complete jealousy though. Them and all those screaming girls going “Aaaah! Aaah!”

And why was that?

When I was in 8th grade, I did an internship. We were lumped in  groups of 5, and it was with some of my friends who wanted to join Johnny’s. A girl from my group also liked Johnny’s. “I know how to send in my resume,” my friends would spread around. “Want to do it to, Shigeoka?” they said, inviting me.

You sent it in together.

Yes. But while saying “Well fine,” inside, I thought just a little that “I can do this!” (laugh)

You’re malicious!

Aren’t I? But since we all wrote our resumes together, we all wrote the same appeal points. But I was somehow embarrassed to give it my all. I wrote it out sloppily, giving off the feeling of “I don’t really want to get accepted.” I wrote generic things like “my specialty is soccer.” I sloppily took my picture. I handed it to the lady once I finished my picture and writing my name, and received my slip. “All that’s left is to send it off,” I was told. But I opened it once more when I got home.

Why?

Because I thought my picture might not have turned out any good. I remember going to a picture machine in the middle of the night and took it again, and then sent it in with the new picture.

And then, you received the notice that your resume had been accepted.

It was about a half a year later. I had completely forgotten about it. I was embarrassed and hadn’t told my parents. And then, my Mom said “Something came from the Johnny’s Jimusho from somewhere!” I was so happy, and I called my friends who had turned it in with me all at once, but this time, I was the guilty one. Calling all of a sudden saying “I GOT IN!!” Even though none of my friends had gotten in.

That certainly makes you the guilty one. How was the audition?

I was nervous, just like I thought I’d be. There was tons of people, and tons of cool people too. I wasn’t my natural self, I think. Even though I was supposedly there with Ryusei, I don’t remember seeing him. Lots of Kansai Jr’s taught us some dance moves, and I remember Kami-chan being one of those. He was really sparkling.

Did you think you’d get chosen?

There were lots of cool people, and I had never danced before, so I wonder what I thought…. Ah, but recently I’ve been wondering why I’ve been chosen. Probably because I was smiling while I was dancing. I didn’t have to force myself to laugh because I was having fun while dancing. Everyone was doing it desperately so their expression must have been serious, right? I was smiling, and I think that stood out in Johnny-san’s eyes. I truly felt, “Wow, this is fun.” Like I had found what I had been searching for.

What you had been searching for?

At that time, I was really into video games, but I felt like this was a bit different. I was only following and following, and out of all my school activities, there was nothing I really decided on my own. I was spending my days with nothing I really felt serious about devoting myself to. That’s why I think I had been looking for this somewhere. Something that could light my fire. On the day of the audition I thought “Ah! This is it!”

What happened after that?

During the audition, I was told to “Come here” and they took a picture. That picture showed up in a magazine. “Ah, did I pass?” I thought, but I wasn’t being called in for anything, so it was like, “What is this?”

Didn’t you brag about the magazine?

I didn’t want to show it to anyone. I was making this weird face (laugh). I’m excessively self-conscious. I really care about how people look at me, but when I take pictures, I don’t think about it. I wonder why (laugh). I want to stand out, but I’m embarrassed, so I can’t stand out, or so my parents say.

“I have passionate feelings, but I have nowhere to take them out.”

What was your very first job?

It was a Kanjani8 concert in Kobe. I was called in on the day of the show. What I had really practiced for was Yasuda-kun, Murakami-kun, and Maruyama-kun’s solo con’s.

Do you remember what it was like to stand on stage?

Somehow, it was nothing but feeling like I was on fire,  and having so much fun. To be honest, even though I was dancing in front of very important senpais, I didn’t even care (laugh). I didn’t have any self consciousness yet.

But since you didn’t know how to dance yet, weren’t the lessons tough?

It took me a while to remember things, and (the teacher) got mad at me a lot. At first, not making (the teacher) angry was my only motivation. Behind my house there was a park, and at night I would go there and practice under a streetlight while watching my shadow. There were kids who never get called, and I had a strong feeling of not wanting to be one of those.

You really gave it your all.

But at that time, I was still pretty naïve. That me who was practicing so much. That park was also close to school, so I kept thinking things like “Maybe a girl classmate of mine will pass by the park~” (laugh). I didn’t want to be seen, but I wanted to be seen. That’s youth, isn’t it?

It is. But the true meaning of Johnny’s for you became very big, didn’t it.

I’m not sure when it was, but it became the center of my heart. I mean, it was the very thing I admired, doing something different from everyone else, right? And it was fun. And that made me happy to be asked “You’re doing Johnny’s?” Everyone was the same way. “Wow, I’m answering without holding back” I thought(laugh).

You used to go home with Kamiyama-kun a lot in your junior days, right? He said that “He’s so loud on the train, everyone used to give us stares.”

Really! I hadn’t noticed! Really… But you see, I really like talking and making people laugh like that. Even though the times when I made Kami-chan laugh were a blessed time, people were giving us stares huh…

Actually Hamada-kun also said that recently something good that happened to him is “Not having to ride the train with Shige anymore.”

HEY, HAMADA!! Well certainly, I have a pretty big voice don’t I (laugh).

Hahahahaha. How was it when Hey Say 7 West was completed in 2007? Where you upset about not being chosen even though Ryusei who had come in at the same time as you got in?

Not really. Ryusei joined and was put in a unit right away. Kami-chan was in it too. My grade and their grades were completely different, I thought.

Didn’t you have feelings of wanting to debut?

I did have those feelings. But at first, more than wanting to debut, I wanted to try being grouped into a unit. A lot. In front of me was B.A.D and BOYS, shining so brightly. But, I didn’t have the confidence yet.

You didn’t have the confidence?

This is the first time I’m saying this, but  in 2008 Johnny asked me “Hey, do you want to be in 7 West?” At first, I said “No.” I wanted to go in with more experience under my belt. I said that just now like I thought it was nothing, right? Now I think I was an idiot for not going in. Even though I didn’t know when another chance was going to come, I had this weird pride within me. I was told “You aren’t in any condition to be saying that,” and ended up joining.

So that’s how it was. You also joined NYC boys in 2009 didn’t you.

When I was called up to Tokyo, I was told that “You’ll be doing a volleyball CM with Kento, Fuma, Yamada-kun, and Chinen-kun.” I also performed in KAT-TUN’s concert.

What was it like to be the only Kansai Jr. in Tokyo?

There was a great feeling of excitement within me. “Just how am I doing?” I thought.

When Hey Say 7west became 7West, you became the center, right?

That’s right. I got a bit more confidence from that.

It’s said that more than anyone, you changed around the set list and made sure it didn’t get changed from what you wanted during 7west days.

That also happened(laugh). I hate being pushed down. At the time of 7WEST, I kept saying to people, “Where are our strengths and our good points?” When groups like B.A.D, BOYS, Veteran, and the Tokyo Jr’s passed in front of our eyes, even if there was a group that had a cool feeling, there wasn’t really a group that was on the right path. So I decided with the members that we would continue on that road. And then, when we decided the setlist in the group, we put in songs that we could act cool in. “This is the song we will make our statement with, isn’t it?” At those times, I didn’t back down. I didn’t want to be pushed down.

So things like that happened too.

Yes. We did unit concerts many times, and gained our confidence as 7WEST.  At first we weren’t at all good with our MC’S in 7WEST.  We took it as a conquest bit by bit,  and soon enough we were able to rev up the crowd. We were praised by Johnny-san and the staff. We knew the fans were enjoying it too. A wave is coming, we thought. We got so much praise after the first unit concert we did as 6. Around that time, we were shining the brightest, but that is precisely why it ended up being a fruitless effort, you could say.

A fruitless effort?

We had strong feelings, but nowhere to take them out. Even if we wanted to do more, and show up at more places, it was difficult to make those thoughts a reality. We were in this haze of wondering why couldn’t we even go up one step. What the heck is this, what the heck is this, we thought. We had too much time to mess around, and we began to think “We can’t debut anymore, can we?”

You were impatient.

Yes I was. The me who couldn’t debut began to imagine it. Of course, I had the feeling that I wanted to debut. I kept telling myself that I would debut, but I think I had my doubts in my head as well.

How did you see the older groups at that time?

I had an image of a large wall in my mind. The wall had a never ending Kansai line on it. Our desire to overcome that line was also never ending, for both me and the members.

In 2012, (7west) became 4 members.

It did. “What’s going to happen to us?” we wondered at first. What we had been doing up till then with 6 could not be done with 4, so we were in doubt. From below, we heard the footsteps of Kin Kan and Naniwaouji, catching up to us. There was a lot of this weird impatience. That we need to debut soon.

How did you get rid of that worry and doubt?

Being handed down the baton from Murakami-kun for “Momoko no Oh! Sore! Miyo!” and being chosen as a regular was a very big part of that. The short span of time before that was decided was when I was the most lost, I think. But, I had something to set me aflame, you could say. Both as a person and as a talent, there came a time when I felt had nothing more to learn. On my own I figured I was doing what I could, as well as what I needed to grow. It got me to notice that I still had a mountain of things to learn, as well as lots of room to grow. On the morning of the first recording, I got a message from Murakami-kun. “Take the important things one by one. If anything happens, tell me.” For me, I think that was a huge turning point. I had a feeling like I was being saved.

While you were feeling lost, did you feel like you wanted to quit?

I haven’t thought about it even once. Not even once. I decided I definitely wouldn’t quit. I sacrificed for Johnny’s. All of my life, and all of my youth. No other path existed for me, and I was really scared of losing this world.

“If something happens, I want to be a man that can move.”

In 2013, you had a true taste of debut, but 4 people instead of 7 were presented at the countdown. You said you accepted the 4 person debut once, right?

Yes I did.

Even so you didn’t give up on a 7 person debut?

Because the other 3 were absolutely necessary. I mean of course, I thought wanted to involve my emotions. But I couldn’t change the environment with just those feelings.

Those 3 were necessary?

Akito-kun is  talented, crafty, and can get a birds eye view of all of us. Junta-kun has a good handle on his thoughts, so I consult with him a lot. Being in a group with the two members of B.A.D that I thought were separated from me by a wall made me stronger I think, even though there was some conflict at first. Kotaki as well, I’ve thought he’s had so many amazing qualities for a long time. He’s positive, and not scared of anything. His disposition and his positivity have often been almost taken away by his analysis, even though he’s younger.

What a reliable trio.

But I thought it wasn’t enough. Adults have a lot of know-how, so for TV and for magazines, it would be easier to get us spots with 4 than with 7. If we get a job as  a group, if it was 4 it would have to accommodate 4, if it was 7 we would have to accommodate 7, or so they told us… That might be so. But I couldn’t accept that way of thinking. It has to be 7, or it’s no good.

Even if you had lost the debut you’d been dreaming of for so many years?

Yes. I think that I had to have the feeling of possibly risking my job. I didn’t want us to sell as a number of people, I wanted us to sell as a group. I wanted us to be a group for everyone. That’s why my feelings weren’t only partial. For the sake of that, those three are absolutely necessary. That’s why there is no emotion in that, not at all. I really thought we needed those 3.

I see.

I mean, Ryusei could bring in popularity with his looks, and even when he looks like he’s spacing out, he’s thinking about a lot of things. Since I’ve been with Kami-chan from the beginning, I’ve always been watching him. He’s good at dancing and singing, and still has room to grow. As for Hama-chan, nobody can bring out his character but him. That’s why I thought we would become more popular with 7, not with 4. In the face of rough wind and waves, falling down may have been easier, but it would have been dragged out after that. I didn’t want us to be pushed down as 7.

I understand now why you fought for it.

That’s why this isn’t some kind of legendary tale or anything. It’s not my emotions. That would be rude to those 3.

You’ve got that right. But it's cool. My apologies, but someone who was no good when he was little wouldn’t say something like that.

That’s why I think that.  I was someone who was no good in the past, so I want to become a cooler version of myself.

What do you mean?

The way I lived before joining Johnny’s was a dirty way to live. Only following my surroundings, not having any dreams or objectives, not knowing the true happiness of having friends, and thinking that putting your all into something was not cool. I didn’t know that I could make someone laugh if I tried hard. I entered Johnny’s, and this may sound grandiose, but you could say it taught me everything about life, and taught me how to be aware of a lot of things. So many things that words wouldn’t be enough to explain them.

I see.

I’ve learned how to be aware of things from my senpais and many different other members(of Johnny’s West).  When I would see Nishikido(Ryo)-kun at drama filming, he used to give me casual advice like “this is how it went in the broadcast”, and if I have any problems, the members of Kanjani8 will listen to me anytime. Yasuda-san knows that if he asks for a ticket from the staff we would be aware of him coming and be nervous, so he pays for them himself and comes to see us, and sends us a message with his thoughts afterward. He’s truly a man’s man, I think. I also want to be able to live like that. At an important time, when someone is troubled, instead of overlooking it, I want to be a man that can move.

So there’s roots in those feelings.

My dad was a big existence (in my life).  A long time ago, in the morning, he wasn’t there when I left for school and would come back late at night and go to sleep right away. But he would always stick up for what was right, and that was amazing. When I have to wake up early for drama filming, there are always tough things in the end. But my Dad, he was able to continue on for 30 or 40 years for the sake of the family, without complaining or bragging. Since noticing that, I’ve found it stupidly lame to say “You’re doing your best aren’t you!”

You are a doer instead of a talker, huh.

I mentioned earlier the story where I lied because I was scared to walk home alone, right? Recently, when I was talking about how that happened in the past with my sister, she said “You know Dad, he ran out to meet you barefoot, and it was cool, wasn’t it.” My memory of it isn’t as fresh as it used to be, but I remembered that he probably was barefoot. I got really embarrassed about lying. Like my Dad, I just want to be a man that can move without hesitation or worry for what he wants to protect and the people who are important to him.

“Things don’t turn out like you think they will.”

I think (Johnny’s West) became 7 because you had no hesitations or worries, Shigeoka-kun.

I don’t think so. If it’s one way or the other, it’s me being childish. There was this time that somehow, without even thinking about it, my feelings went back to being more innocent. We have already debuted, so after all our responsibilities will get bigger and bigger. There’s probably a part of me somewhere that wants to go back to when kicking pebbles was fun.
Is that so?

I went to Elementary, Junior, and High School all in my hometown. Not too long ago, I suddenly wanted to try walking the route to school once again and I did it. And while I was doing that, I started crying. This may just be my interpretation, but me wanting to go back to a more innocent time is  why I do things like put Hamachan’s cell phone in my butt crack and bite Kotaki’s head, I think (laugh).

I think that means that in front of the members your heart goes back to that of a kid.

Because the members take it in, I’m glad. I can really be honest, and be childish. When the members are around, I can’t control myself at all (laugh).  I say what I have to. I do what I have to. But when that’s over, I have fun like in the past.

I think that means you can say you have the best friends. When you guys go to hotels, you decide who sleeps in what room with Rock Paper Scissors right? You really get along well.

Yes we do. Until we are split into 3 rooms, we use our rock, paper, and scissors while screaming and shouting. Ah, but no matter how much we mess around,  there is a line that we cannot cross, and we protect that. We’ve been together for so many years, so we know who will get angry if we say certain things at a certain time, and what we don’t like. In the end, the Kansai Jr. community is a small, tight knit community. Even if we were broken up in units, we are still all together. We were always together, so we know each other so well.

So, what kind of group do you want the 7 of you to become?

A citizen’s idol group that doesn’t ever get pushed down. And I don’t mean that we can become a general group like SMAP-san or Arashi-san. I’m not sure where the goal is. But, for now I can only do my best.

That’s true.

I think sometimes, not in the negative sense, that things don’t go quite the way I thought they would (laugh). That is why looking at the present is the correct way to go. Just for the present. That’s important.

The 7 of you are living in the present.

Yes. Of course, we are moving now with what’s ahead in mind. But in the end, for the sake of the future, you must keep trying in the present. People change, so something that you’ve always regretted in the past will not change the future. What is most important for changing the future is the present. I am only doing what I can at this moment. To tell you the truth, if anyone came along who is more qualified than me to be center, I think they should do it. I mean, it’s for the sake of the group. I think that competition and topping one another’s skills is what it means to be a member(of a group). But sometimes, I put so much into it that I can’t see what’s around me anymore. At those times, the members are the ones who tap me on the back and say, “back off a little”. That’s why, and this is a general thought, the past doesn’t matter, and the present with us naturally being 7, the present where the 7 of us are chasing our dreams, that makes me the happiest.