HMV News 'My Graduation Toss' Interview with Suzuka, Moa, Marina & Ooga

HMV: This fits with you?

 

Moa: "Yes, that's right."

 

HMV: Next, how about Horiuchi san?

 

Suzuka: "Ok, Horiuchi san she is the funniest girls you will ever met. This year I couldn't had deep talks with Marina chan. But our relationship as Students President and Vice President make us assist so we could speak often. Getting together with her makes you feel relaxed, felt like we were married for a couple of times."

 

Everyone laughs.

 

Marina: "EEeee!?"

 

Suzuka: "I think that she is the kind of gentile wife with pure atmosphere around."

 

Marina: "That could be true."

 

HMV: Noticed she listen carefully what you are saying.

 

Suzuka: "Yes. When Su is really nervous, just looking Marina chan smiling makes you feel peaceful. I honestly think is her role in Sakura Gakuin."

 

Marina: "I transmiting my feelings to you Su!"

 

Everyone laughs. 

 

HMV: When you became the Vice President did you think that everything would change?"

 

Marina: "Last year and earlier I would determine my goals based on my own perspective of things and do my best to get them. But with Su chan being the only third grader I began to realize that there were members who really wanted our opinions to be taken serious. I found that we could really help and support to each other."

 

Suzuka: "Yes, ture and because we feel that we must do things based on our decisions and efforts."

 

HMV: For this single, you recorded a total of 3 songs. Could you please introduce one song each? Do you feel close to any of those songs?

 

(Moa and Ooga rise their hands)

 

HMV: That was quick! Could you please select one Students President?

 

Suzuka: Should I go for Saki?

 

Moa: "Aaaah!!"

 

Ooga: "Saki, well, Saki really likes "My Graduation Toss". However I really want to talk about Magic..."

 

Suzuka: "Melody". 

 

Ooga: "Yes, Magic Melody. Has a very painful, and lonely feeling, but Saki has not experienced falling in love yet. So i was shocked for a long time thinking how to sing it. Teachers told me to sing it with painful feeling which made me think about how to sing this song. Around that time my mother was in the hospital and I couldn't go to see her and that night I felt very lonely. So it was this feeling that I noticed in myself to sing this song. I think I was able to put sadness into the song. It's a song that contains a variety of people's feelings from romance to those who haven't fell in love yet so I tried to understand by stories from others."

 

HMV: Thank you. Nakamoto san is there anything you would like to add?

 

Suzuka: "This song is in collaboration with iRando san and actually we collected episodes from fans to create this song. This was the first time for Sakura Gakuin to sing real love song and we were allowed to read each episode one by one since some of those had parts that would be hard to share to another in normal conditions so we took them to sing and represent our fans feelings."

 

HMV: So the episodes you selected made the lyrics of the songs. Thank you. What's next Kikuchi san?

 

Moa: "I like "My Graduation Toss". Recently "Yume Ni Mukatte held a lot of my feelings but when this song was created I listened to it repeatedly and became for me the best. My favorite lyrics are in the main chorus." (She looks at the lyrics sheet).  

 

Suzuka: "It's long isn't it?"

 

Moa: "Yes, very long. I like this part: 

 

"If I tell you the feelings I have for you song long, these feelings that really cannot be put in words. I will cry, so I'm sorry that I couldn't be with you smiling to the very end." 

 

These words remind me the feelings I had when we sent off the graduates last year. Of course since the graduation of the other students means opening the wings and flying away I should not be sad about it, but I always feel sad, and lonely and I feel like some part of this lyrics match with the feelings since we must graduate from Sakura Gakuin when we graduate from Junior High School, I feel like this song must be sang only in Sakura Gakuin."

 

HMV: In the solo part Nakamoto's voice is really vivid. What do you think about it Students President?

 

Suzuka: "At this time of last year was "Tabidachi No Hi". But it doesn't really match with the kind of Graduation songs. Su doesn't think that much about the graduation. Maybe I don't want to think about it."

 

(Moa and Ooga lose seriousness and break giggling)

 

Suzuka: "That's enough! Seriously!" (Laughs)

 

Moa: "Alright, please continue." (Laughs)

 

Suzuka: "Everyone is trying to not look at the graduation feelings around Sakura Gakuin. Su herself also wants to graduate with smiling face. Because the fact is we are doing BABYMETAL and I want to invite everyone to the upcoming performances. We have done this rock-ish things, cool songs in the past in Sakura Gakuin as well but this song is specially cheerful but with a ballad feel. 

 

'My dear friends, I love you. I'm so happy to have met all of you. I will take all our memories with me. I won't forget them.'

 

I also think this is a new type of graduation song, I want my friends at the real school listen to it as well. I don't want to overstate this but it was created for Su and will remain with me for the rest of my life as my graduation song!"

 

 

HMV: Thank you. Next, Horiuchi san can you talk about "Mezase! Super Lady"?

 

Marina: "Fine, Mori-sensei our homeroom teacher wrote this song. It's a song that represent us as students. The lines we sing at the actual open class events are real things that each of the students have said before in real life."

 

Suzuka: "Some are outstanding lines!" (Laughs)

 

Marina: "This song features self-introductions revealing habits and costumes of each of the students, it's the song that represents 2012 Nendo introducing the members in a funny way. I'm pretty sure that people who attend to the open classes will understand the lyrics, and I'm sure also that our characters will reach those who can't go to the open classes. I hope people will listen to this song and feel interested in Sakura Gakuin and the history of Sakura Gakuin."

 

HMV: When you recorded it, you did all at once or one by one?

 

Suzuka: "Both. There are lines recorded one by one and some all together."

 

HMV: Some of the lines sound really powerful. It feels like you are performing them live.

 

Horiuchi: "Yes that's right."

 

Moa: "We had one quick recording with all of use along with Mori sensei using the same microphone."

 

HMV: During the intermission what is Ooga san saying?

 

Ooga: "I'm saying 'Eto' (Laughs). I always screw up all lines and say, 'Eto, eto..." There is something I would like to say about this song. When we were recordingthe lines and Mori sensei was there, Mori sensei really screwed up his lines."

 

Everyone laughs. 

 

Ooga: "With a lot of efforts the students tried ti show their indivituality but I'm not sure if Mori sensei was able to." (Laughs)

 

Suzuka: "I would like to add a little bit more, it seems that in the first recording for Mori sensei, he was very nervous! At this time Mori sensei when wrote the lyrics were not very happy with them. (Laughs) We got the song and started some lessons, we were like, 'What is this?'. We wre told by the teacher us daily that we should ask Mori sensei directly to teach us and when we started working in the recording booth we were all saying all kind of things to him. We said things like, 'get your own act teacher!', and other things. That was the atmosphere around the recording in the intermissions parts so I was a little worried about whether we were recording the Sakura Gakuin's fun side or not." (Laughs)

 

Moa: "At the beginning of the song Mori sensei introduces himself. At first Moa and the others couldn't hear it but listening carefully you can hear it, I hope you have a listen." (Laughs)

 

Ooga: "He found the way to record it anyway." (Laughs)

 

Suzuka: "Coming from the very above" (Laughs)

 

Ooga: "To the very bottom, bottom" (Laughs)

 

HMV: That is very nice! Thank you very much. Nakamoto san, Horiuchi san and Kikuchi san are all in clubs but Ooga san you are not in a club? In a blog post at the end of the year you said that one of the aims of this year was joining in a club. Have you found the one you are interested in?

 

Ooga: "Well, yes. But still haven't decided yet."

 

Suzuka: "In one of the availables?"

 

Ooga: "Not very sure. Saki wants to join a club to show her own side that is not in Sakura Gakuin's verison of Saki. I want to show a totally different Saki."

 

Suzuka: "There isn't one to join then?"

 

Ooga: "There are actually many I want to join."

 

Suzuka: "Many?" (Laughs)

 

Moa: "You are going to become a Babybone for Juuonbu right?" (Laughs) 

 

Ooga: "Right! I want to become a skeleton on Juuonbu. I want to be a Babybone and play in the airband!"

 

Suzuka:"In another interview Saki said that she is not good at speaking so she wants to get over that. She said that if there are other members in the club she will have to talk a lot. But if she joins Juuonbu as skeleton she doesn't need to speak at all. We are saying that being a little Babybone could be really cute." 

 

Ooga: "That is what I want to become."

 

Suzuka: "You really want to do that? (Laughs) We have to make a special Skeleton costume for you, a special Saki costume."

 

Ooga: "I'm fine with it!"

 

HMV: I hope you join the Baton club. 

 

Marina: "There are a lot of requests for Baton club."

 

Ooga: "I want to join the Baton club!"

 

Suzuka: "Can you spin the baton? You have to practice very hard!"

 

Ooga: "Oh about the baton. How they do the spin like that?"

 

Marina & Moa: "With practice!"

 

HMV: I was told that you got injured.

 

Marina: "A lot of bruises."

 

Ooga: "That's amazing" 

 

Everyone laughs. 

 

HMV: I hope Baton club makes a comeback! In summary, looking back at the 2012 Nendo what kind of year it was for you Sakura Gakin n Students President? 

 

Suzuka: "Summing all up I would say that was Sakura Gakuin members showed all their power. When I first became president I thought that at first I would have to be like Ayami chan. I felt like I would have to do everything perfect like Ayami chan or I could not be able to complete the duties as a president in charge and feel very anxious. But everyone taught me that there is no need to be that way. Everyone said, 'Su chan Sakura Gakuin is about a lot of fun!'. I feel like this year is a big bunch of a lot of things together but when I was able to read the letters from everyone during the shooting of the Album DVD realized for very first time the true feelings of all the students. They said that it was enjoyable following the direct of Su chan and how took Sakura Gakuin things in an unexpected way. So, how should I say it? My Sakura Gakuin."

 

HMV: You have regrets looking back?

 

Suzuka: "Not at all. By becoming president I was able to understand each individual character and as I said before I was able to become good friends with Marina chan! I think it was Sakura Gakuin that finally got into a single unit. 

 

HMV: Thank you. I look forward to your graduation. 

 

Everyone: We will do our best!

 

 

----------

Interview by: HMV News Japan.

Translation by: Hitoshi Sugioka.