Lovely article by Otapol, big Yuimetal fan, about her two faces. He describes Yui Mizuno and Yuimetal, two different girls in the same body unifying opposite extremes by her special charm. Article dedicated to all BABYMETAL fans but specially to Yuimetal fans! Please read the article translated below!
Otapol article about Yuimetal: "The girl that has two faces"
I wasn't interested in Idols at all, but, now I'm interested in tomatoes? Why am I trying to eat more tomatoes after hard work just because Yuimetal said: "I want to eat tomatoes after hard work"? This is a note from a 31 year old man dedicated to BABYMETAL.
Oh boy, hold that tomato.
Last year a member of One Direction, Harry Styles, shared "Baby Metal" on Twitter. A single Tweet that exceeded 110,000 RTs on Twitter at that time. Just opening for Lady Gaga's US Tour is not enough. BABYMETAL's popularity not only extends to the Metal World, also reaches the Pop World.
I almost sent a reply: "No, it's not 'Baby Metal', it's 'Babymetal' ", but stopped. After that, I followed him and tweeted "Tomato" with 0 RT. The importance of Yuimetal not only reached the Metal World but also the world of Vegetables.
"Ooooooo !!! Uooooooo !!!"
Ok, I'm not crazy. The screaming is not about tomatoes, this is not me in the first place. It's a voice that shouts repeatedly towards the silhouette of the three girls who appeared in front of him. The camera shakes as if the emotion was totally connected with the image, when the first song began, an internal earthquake shakes you up and down, right and left as if a natural disaster ocurred.
Last November (2014) the venue was the Manhattan Center in New York. I heard shouts here and there. Before that, BABYMETAL was standing. The one who was shouting was a boy from the United States, and he said: "I saw them on Youtube, they are cool". Later, I happened to found his Youtube account; there was a video of him talking about BABYMETAL and live video footage. People brought up Fox Signs as BABYMETAL Death was played; I saw it on Youtube.
Many audiences record overseas performances without any permission and upload them s well. Those images that passed through the filter have a realistic feeling that cannot be felt in the official videos.
Next week, I'm going to NY to see BABYMETAL.
Days earlier, the boy was joyfully talking in his video. He had a poster of the movie "Kick Ass" in the wall of his room. For this boy, BABYMETAL are heroines, running through flames, doing jumps and kicks. Just like I feel Yuimetal has the charm of a heroine in an action movie. I feel sympathy for this boy.
When I saw this boy shouting live, I felt a connection. I feel like this boy but in a distant land. That's BABYMETAL's purpose: "unifying the world with Metal" is completed. Even if the songs are in Japanese, the common language of "BABYMETAL" if being transmitted performance by performance.
As soon as this boy starts crafting a tomato in his video, I felt the world was completely united. But for that you need to know Sakura Gakuin. Unless you check the official blog "Gakuin Nisshi" you will not know that Yuimetal's favorite food is tomato. I'm glad I was born in Japan because I can go to see BABYMETAL's mother group Sakura Gakuin live without taking a 10 hours airplane flight. So I can witness another face of Yuimetal, Yui Mizuno.
Yui Mizuno speaking vs not talking at all Yuimetal.
There are two standing positions Yui Mizuno and Yuimetal.
Last summer, I bought the Manga Magazine "CIAO" for Sakura Gakuin's new MV in DVD, and also the UK Metal magazine "Metal Hammer" for BABYMETAL's poster. Getting both required courage to face the cashier. Specially if you are a 31 year old person far from the target crowd of "CIAO".
I would say: "No, this is for my daughter, since my daughter is ten years old... yeah because it's raining, my daughter is waiting at home, yes." Setting false stories while going to the cashier...
Who would believe the same person would get these two magazines? But both have Yui Mizuno/Yuimetal. On December 7, Sakura Gakuin held "Sakura Gakuin 2017 Celebration In December" at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater.
This venue is seated style, which is quite different to BABYMETAL lives where you see circle Pits and Walls Of Death. Fans are called "Fukei" and watch the stage with a gentlemany look just like parents who came to visit a class, cultural festival or sports festival. I will be one of them, as a result becoming a Fukei.
"Hello! IVY", "Hana x Hana", "Heart No Hoshi" played, one world full of dreams after another. My eyes get warm. I wonder, for this complex and brilliant performance, how many days of training did she take? She is just a Junior High School student who is going simultaneously with BABYMETAL back and forth between Japan and the world.
The stage is finally unfolded.
Yui Mizuno said that "Mikansei Silhouette" (Incomplete Silhouette) actually felt incomplete. "Please deepen your bonds even furter until March to look forward to a complete 'Mikansei Silhouette'", I said. My chest gets warm. As an ordinary Idol, her attitude is very sincere. For a moment, I forgot about Yuimetal.
Yui Mizuno is only Yui Mizuno.
When she returns to BABYMETAL, her figure dancing on intense music feels cool. I cannot hide the feeling of saying: "Yuimetal, speak!" but since BABYMETAL has no MC, there is nothing more than leave to your imagination the thoughts that Yuimetal is thinking.
In fact, in the other magazine "Metal Hammer", Yuimetal doesn't speak at all. In their last Japanese performance "Apocrypha S" on December 20 (2014) she didn't speak a word. She usually fuels the audience "Motto, Motto!" (More, More) during Gimme Chocolate, but instead of being wordless, I was fascinated by her "perfect combustion" performance.
In one of the two new songs released in Japan, Yuimetal and Moametal make circles with their arms while they sing "Awadama Fever", as Su-Metal sings "chutchutchuingamu". It's a Pop melody and Heavy Metal sound all at once, it's going to get the world next year, and it seems is going to get a big reaction again.
American boys shouting while shooting videos, many people enthusiastic, even without talking Japanese but talking BABYMETAL's common language. On the other hand Sakura Gakuin's "Mikansei Silhouette", surely both must be overflowing with feelings. Sakura Gakuin in one end, BABYMETAL in the other. Just like "CIAO" and "Metal Hammer", there is no interception between each other but are absolutely united by Yui Mizuno and Yuimetal. Opposite extremes, but the relationship between them becomes one in the same girl's charm.
We are just three months away to read her last "school diary" on Sakura Gakuin. She is going to graduate in March 2015. After that, will she become a mysterious existence like Su-Metal when she graduated from Sakura Gakuin? Someday, one of the One Direction members will murmur "Yui Mizuno". Meanwhile, I will continue eating tomatoes after hard work days until that "Incomplete Silhouete" is "completed".
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Article by: Otapol.
Translation by: Hitoshi Sugioka.
