A Japanese Sakura Gakuin fan provided a translation of Suzuka Nakamoto interview on her official photo book for the foreign Sakura Gakuin fans. The photo book was published after she graduated from Sakura Gakuin. The translation was made by
u/YM-Japan.
Q: I heard form a teacher that Su-chan knew the Sakura Gakuin opening just before it got started.
Su: That’s right. The audition (selection lesson) began in the summer
when I was in 6th grade, but I wasn’t informed the details. I thought
it was a lesson in which we learn set pieces, train our voices and
dances, and perform them once in a month (in Tokyo).So I took it
lightly, like “Oh, I can meet the members.” But I lost contacts suddenly
from the end of the summer. I got phone calls from some members “We had
a lesson today”, so I thought “What?” “Oh well, I can’t help it cause I
live in Hiroshima.” Then I was told “we are going to describe the
opening of Sakura Gakuin. Would you come to Tokyo?” just after the
beginning of the year.
Q: Surprised?
Su: Yes, like “Wow, what’s going to happen?” Then I was asked if I wanted to join Sakura Gakuin.
Q: Did you feel any gap with the other members in Tokyo? You had come
from Hiroshima. (TL note: Hiroshima is about 670km away from Tokyo.
4.5h by train, 1.5h by air)
Su: I often did, especially when it started. I couldn’t go to the
lessons most of the time including the first choreography lesson. So I
had them send videos to practice by myself, but I mastered them mirrored
and had to do it over from scratch. Sometimes I thought it would be
bothering for others….Besides I hadn’t met the members for 6 months
before the opening and they were already getting along well, so….
Q: You felt a distance?
Su: Not so much, though… umm… I had to go home alone.
Q: When did your feeling change?
Su: The elder three (Ayami Muto, Ayaka Miyoshi, Airi Matsui) game me
the chance. In the early times we were often divided into the Jr. High
group and the elementary group, thus the four, Ayami-chan, Ayaka-chan,
Airi-chan and Su- were often together. They took care of me and taught
me studies since I was the youngest among us. I was so glad and happy.
Q: Then Sakura Gakuin became active. Would you tell us any unforgettable incidents in the early Sakura Gakuin?
Su: My first late coming is unforgettable. Lol. On the day of TIF
(Tokyo Idol Festival 2010), the first stage for Sakura Gakuin, I and
Nene-don(Sugisaki Nene) got late badly. While Airi-chan and Ayaka-chan
went out (of their dormitory) earlier, we were sleeping because we were
supposed to arrive the venue later. Nene-don woke me up but I fell
asleep again. Then she routed me out, forced to put my cloths on and
pulled me out.
Q: By a teacher?
Su: By Nene-don. She got mad at me “Hurry up!”, but still I was half
asleep. Then I got a phone call from a teacher and finally woke up. I
was responsible to answer in those cases cause I’m elder, but obviously
Nene-don was more matured at that time. (laugh)
Q: What happened after that?
Su: We got scolded severely. Everyone was nervous for the first stage
but we two didn’t show up. Besides Nene-don forgot the shoes we were
suppose to bring. So the teacher said “Go back and get it!!” (laugh).
Q: It should have happened.
Su: After the TIF stage, Nene-don was called to a room and scolded,
maybe for her forgetfulness. Four members were
waiting for her (including Su-). The other 3 were talking as usual like
“Is Nene-don alright?” But I was thinking “I was the other one who were
late…”. I can’t forget the unsettling feeling for not being scolded.
(laugh)
Q: Still the first stage was successful.
Su: Yes.
Q: So that was the memory of 2010, how about 2011?
Su: The recorder (English flute) one, maybe. In Gakuinsai (Sakura
Gakuin Festival 2011) we performed recorders.
At the beginning Rinon (Isono) couldn’t play at all, Su- was next to her
giving her encouragements. A couple of days later we had a test in
which each member play a recorder taking turns. Though I played with
confidence, I was said “do over”. I realized it later, I was changing my
finger positions without holding my breath so that all notes sounded
connectedly. Looking back from now I think I did it so weirdly, but I
felt “Why do over?” I was confident at that time. I remember Su- and
Moa-chan(Kikuchi) had to do it over. The teacher said something like “We
won’t let you perform it on stage if you couldn’t fix it.” I felt
deeply disappointed and ran off the lesson room. (laugh) Everyone there
followed me worrying like “Are you O.K.?”
Q: That happens in youth.
Su: Right, but I didn’t want them to see me crying. Isn’t that awful?
I would look like a loser. (laugh) So I said “Never come in!” and
closeted myself in a room.
Q: Is Sakura Gakuin strict?
Su: Hmm…I think it’s like an ordinary school. But sometimes we were
said “We won’t let you perform this song cause it hasn’t reached the
level it should be” and “We gonna change the set list (the song order),
do you know what it means?“, “You are an artist on stage.”
Q: Then Ayami Muto, Ayaka Miyoshi and Airi Matsui graduated at March 25 2012.
Su: I wanted to graduate with them at first. (laugh)
Q: Why?
Su: I didn’t like to be left alone. Those three were always looking
forward, thinking about their future after the graduation, and I felt
like I was left behind.
Q: It’s a rule of Sakura Gakuin to graduate when you graduate from
Jr. High. When did you have a real feeling of their graduation?
Su: We had the first media interview as nine members around 9th
April. We held an evaluation meeting after that again. Lol. At that
time, I had a strong sense of “I must do”. So did the four Jr. High 2nd
graders. All of us tried to take control, all of us tried to speak, and
Jr. High 1st graders and Rinon were left behind. I realized how
important the three (graduates) were at that moment. I guess I had a
feeling of “things gonna work out somehow” somewhere in my mind until
then. But I got stuck in the helpless situation and I didn’t know how to
take control. If I tried, I would be said “You are not the student
council president yet” and felt flustered. Su- was similar to
Marina-chan (Horiuchi) who can only warn someone kindly. So I was
wondering “What should I do…”. Rau-chan(Raura Iida) noticed Su-‘s
impatience and took control of the situation instead. Though it went
better, that made me impatient more… just like that.
Q: However, the members chose you as the president. Many people change once selected, right?
Su: I agree. Still it was so hard in the beginning. I thought “Come
to think of it, I haven’t known each member well …” I had been acting as
I liked before. I didn’t feel lonely that much being alone, and I
talked when I needed someone with me. Thus I decided to begin with
understanding them better. I set up personal interviews and others.
Q: To my impression, you began to warn them clearly since you became the president.
Su: Since around TIF (Tokyo Idol Festival 2012). We held an
evaluation meeting two days before the stage, as usual. Lol. It was the
last day of full-member practice because each of us was busy before
that, though… (ex-president) Ayami-chan was good at creating a tense
atmosphere.
She is a person who can’t allow improper attitudes. Once she made the
atmosphere, everyone felt and followed her. But Su- is not like her and
the members also know Su- doesn’t get angry. There might be a lack of
tension somewhere. They might be just tired of summer heat too. When I
said “Let’s start practice”, someone said “It’s bothering”. I couldn’t
say anything to that, wondering “What should I do…” But I couldn’t take
an action. Then a teacher called me and said “Talk out what you all want
to do in Sakura Gakuin now.” I talked to them “I can’t understand your
attitudes, why you don’t practice seriously if you want to perform on
stage. Do you think it’s alright to act like that while many people are
working for us? Why don’t you quit if you don’t want to? , harshly for
the first time.
Q: Then they understood what you meant.
Su: I thought “I might say too much…” at first. So I asked Moa-chan
and Yui-chan in Babymetal , “I feel I’m talking in a condescending
attitude lately…” They said “We have never thought like that, your
warnings are rather helpful.”
I felt Sakura Gakuin was united at the end of the summer. All of them
became to believe in Su- and I really appreciated it. So it went smooth
until Gakuinsai (Sakura Gakuin Festival 2012), we were not scolded.
We’ve rarely spent time without being scolded. (laugh)
Q: You said “until”…
Su: I feel sorry for the fans who came to see the first day, but I
couldn’t be satisfied with the performance. Thinking back, we were not a
team on that day. There was a substantial awareness gap between the
transferred members and the seniors, and the seniors also couldn’t
support them enough. Each member thought about only herself. For example
we couldn’t make eye contacts on the stage even though we tried hard.
Each of us was filled with her own affairs. So we talked after the first
day. I said “We have never been scolded for choreography. Why do we
care so much about it? Isn’t it more important to enjoy performing than
taking care too much of it? Thus we really enjoyed the second day.
Q: Sakura Gakuin has a meeting every time it has a trouble.
Su: Exactly. We are never satisfied ourselves without solving it. We
have quarrels because we give ourselves away each other, but I feel we
trust each other.
Q: Do you have any anxieties for your leave?
Su: Nothing special. I was told “worry about it.” (laugh) The Jr.
High 2nd graders began to worry about Su- at this time of the last year.
Looking back, I haven’t often thought “It’s so hard” thanks to the
members’ support. Conversely I might be the cause of troubles. They
might carry the burden named “Su-. (laugh)
Q: The burden? (laugh)
Su: I mean, when interviewers asked “What has the president been
like?”, they only talked about my weird episodes. I’d like them to say
“She’s been an excellent president” as they did for Ayami-chan. As a
hope, I want them to say something good at the very end, but it’s
“opposite sox.” (laugh)
Q: However, they wouldn’t say such stuff unless they trust and recognize you from the bottom of their hearts, right?
Su: Is that so? I feel I have been a president who got laughed at all the time. (laugh)
Q: What do you hope for the next Sakura Gakuin?
Su: Ayami-chan generation’s had their own color and Su-‘s had Su-‘s
color, I guess, so I hope the four next 3rd graders to have their color
only they can generate. It’s O.K. as it is, but I hope it changes in
some way. If Sakura Gakuin didn’t change, I would definitely feel
regretful. To be honest, I don’t want to graduate from Sakura Gakuin.
But once it changes, I could see it objectively. When it changes enough
to do so, I’ll become a fan of Sakura Gakuin.
Source
Translated by:
u/YM-Japan
