[Translation] Lips 2012.02 - Aiba Masaki
Here's Aiba's interview from Lips magazine where he talks about the nature documentary film that he's recently done the narration for. Doesn't his voice seem so perfect for that sort of thing? :3 He also talks a bit about his private life and things. Enjoy!
Scan credit: saobang2211
Matsumoto Jun would be a tiger, Sakurai Sho a zebra, Ninomiya Kazunari a dog and Ohno Satoshi a tuna. This is how Aiba Masaki, navigator for the nature film Nihon Rettou - Ikimonotachi no Monogatari (Japan's Islands - Tales of the Animals), answered the question presented to him at a recent promotional event - If each member were an animal, what would they be? Aiba Masaki has come into contact with many different animals throughout his years of work on Tensai! Shimura Doubutsuen. Therefore, his taking part in this nature documentary film, which could be said as a first for Japan, comes with little surprise.
“I was so happy when I heard I was going to be doing this! While I work with animals, it’s not like I’ve taken on the whole animal world of Japan (laugh). I mean there’s a lot about animals that I’m not familiar with in terms of ecology, but I’m not the type to learn things from paper (laugh). I have to learn through experiencing things.”
In order to experience first-hand what it was like, Aiba went along to the filming in Yakushima.
“We were able to explore around there a bit. Our cameraman was Iwago Mitsuaki, and he was really amazing! I thought I was confident in my own physical strength, but Iwago-san was ridiculously fast at mountain hiking! I went along with the I can carry the equipment if you want kind of energy, but it was more like I just wanted to beg someone to carry my pack for me (laugh). We were hiking about mountains the entire time. As we wandered around he seemed to get to know the territories of the various tribes of monkeys in the area. He explained that it wasn’t something you could see with your eyes, but that you could feel, like Ah, there’s a different group of them nearby. I got to see how amazing he was right before my eyes.”
He was able to put this experience he gained to use in his narration.
“The director would tell me to speak as the Aiba Masaki who has taken on the feelings of the animals. It was really quite difficult. But in Yakushima I had a lot of opportunities to see wild animals right up close. The expression in their eyes was different to that of the zoo animals I’d gotten up close with until then. It’s a situation where caution is not something to be taken lightly, yet Iwago-san and the director got up extremely close to the animals. It was like they were perfectly one with nature. By doing this, the images they captured on film were very powerful and moving.”
Now for a more private conversation. If the type of girl he likes was an animal, what would she be?
“Of course, animals (laugh). Ah, this is hard. I don’t really have a type or anything. If it’s someone who cares about me then I’m pretty much happy enough with that.”
Not someone impulsive like a cat, or someone like the zebra who runs around the savannah?
“Savanna (laugh). It could be lonely having someone who’s so free-spirited that they hardly have time for me. No, but, I don’t know… If it’s someone who’ll do everything they can for me without demanding anything in return, then perhaps if they wanted to keep running around the savannah, that would be okay.
Would you be a carnivore or a herbivore?
“I reckon I could be either. I guess I’m more someone who’ll be kind of casually like Hey, let’s go eat, rather than someone who’s particularly ravenous. But if I had to say carnivore or herbivore… I guess I’d be omnivorous (laugh). I mean, if there was no meat, I’d be fine with eating plants. It depends on the situation, you know?”
Aiba Masaki has an image of being warm-hearted; someone who doesn’t worry over the little things.
“Isn’t it normal to just want to enjoy life? Last year when I was admitted into hospital for a week, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t have the fun things around me that usually fill my days. Through that, I came to a strong realisation that more than just simply living, I have to make sure I enjoy life.”
So then, when in everyday life do you most feel happiness?
“Well, I really like baths - even in summer. So when I get home and have a drink while the bath is filling up… That’s happiness!”
Aiba’s style has such a reputation that it’s even brought about the word Aiba-length, but has he recently had time to enjoy some shopping?
“I have been shopping. I have certain brands I like, so I go to those shops quite a lot. If I had to say what my style was like, perhaps it would be ‘conservative’.”
The T-shirt he’s wearing today has “BAKATONO” printed on it. [T/N: I'm guessing something like this.]
“Isn’t it cool! I bought it when I went to Shimura-san’s stage show. It also feels really nice and I like the neckline.”
What would you do if you didn’t have work for this whole week?
“I like to more active things, so I’d like to do something like golf or baseball. Also I’d love to go to the Bonin Islands! The islands feature in the film, but I really want to go there to meet the humpback whales. But then nature’s not something you can just do as you please with, so I don’t know if I’d be able to (laugh).”
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Aiba Masaki - forever one with Japan's animals~
