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Interview with Inami Anju and Nitta Emi from December 2017 issue of Dengeki G’s Magazine

This translation is based on the digital copy, which has corrected several typographical errors and misprints in the hard copy. A listing of the problems is available on the Dengeki G’s website here.

– First of all, since we have realized the first dialogue between Nitta-san and Inami-san, please tell us how you feel right now. Inami Anju (“Inami”): Today is my first dialogue with Nitta-san, so my heart is pounding with nervousness and anticipation. It’s a first for the cast members of μ’s and Aqours to be exchanging words, too, right? Nitta Emi (“Nitta”): Indeed. I have met An-chan on various occasions before this, but to participate in a Love Live! event together is still a first. I wonder if it was refreshing for fans supporting Aqours, and for the fans who like μ’s. Inami: I was really happy the 2 of us could run the show at the Tokyo Game Show stage event! In Aqours, when I am emceeing, it’s either with all 9 of us or in a group of 3. At the beginning, I was worried, like, what do I do, because it might as well be my first time moving things along by myself. Nitta-san really, really backed me up a lot, though… Nitta: No such thing!! The truth is, I was the one who was discreetly consulting An-chan while going, “What’s this over here?” reading the script (laugh). Inami: It was really reassuring to have Nitta-san at my side. My nerves all went away, and we had a good time together. Thank you so much! Nitta: No, no, it should be me saying that ♪ I had lots of fun back there. Inami: (nodding hard) Yes!!

– We heard that as it were, Inami-san already liked Love Live!, and was a fan of μ’s. Inami: That’s right. So with Nitta-san right in front of me, I feel like it would take nothing for me to burst into tears… Nitta: Eeh, is that so? Inami: Yes. At the Tokyo Game Show stage event, too, when I was watching from the side as Nitta-san spoke of the Love Live! project, there was warmth welling up in my chest. Many of Nitta-san’s and Honoka-chan’s words, through μ’s’ activities, went straight to my heart… With this passed on to Aqours, and us having received the opportunity to take a further step ahead, I get the sense that “we had better do well!” all the more. Nitta: Hearing An-chan’s words, I am very much experiencing the sentiment that when I initially joined this project, I could never have imagined I would have kouhais like Aqours. I feel that at the time the curtain was raised on the Love Live! project in 2010, rather than having a faraway goal and charging towards it, first, the members, step by step together with the staff, made out a path of their own… As such, to now have kouhais, once again, I am glad “our steps have taken us all the way here,” and I realize how quickly time passed in the dream of us as μ’s. At the Tokyo Game Show in September, it was quite a long while, whether since I put on this (Otonokizaka’s) jersey, or that I stood before an audience as the portrayer of Kousaka Honoka from μ’s. So I was a little uneasy thinking, “Will they have forgotten?” But the fans at the venue who were supporting Aqours also welcomed me warmly, which made me really happy.

– Nitta-san joined Love Live! at the dawn of the project. What motivated you to keep going during activities? Nitta: I think the TV anime was a turning point after all. Before the TV anime started, even we, as the portrayers, were without direction, “We don’t know what course to take,” “What sort of presence is suitable for us to have?” Still, we pressed onward, even if it were just one step, we simply did our best. At the same time as the beginning of the TV anime, my target came to me in a flash: to let their (Honoka and the others) feelings “manifest”! Through experiences such as concerts that would remind one of the TV anime storyline, the distance between Honoka and the rest, and us, decreased, I felt we came to understand each other. When I look at how much work Aqours are putting in; and the fresh faces of the new school idols from SIF, the Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Interest Group; I get the strong sense that our feelings from back then are linked to the present.

– Next is a question for Inami-san. As a fan of μ’s, you have attended their live performances, but what attracted you and led you to become a fan? Inami: I came to know of μ’s from SIF, then I liked them even more after I watched the TV anime. I was taken with the honest emotions, the way they cherished their companions, the story of the passion of youth. The first time I went to a μ’s concert was the 5th Live at Saitama Super Arena after the TV anime finished airing. In those 2 days where I was at the live viewing and at the venue itself, although I took part in it, I felt throughout the whole period like I was dreaming. As the expressions of Honoka-chan and her friends I saw from in the TV anime came to mind, I was watching the cast members performing for real, it was as if we bypassed reality and were connected to the anime, it was a mysterious sensation like I no longer knew where I was. The performance was wonderful, I had never enjoyed myself so much at a concert before… By the time I realized it, I was waving my penlight with all my might, cheering, and calling their names. Even as I look back on it now, that period was a dazzling dream.

– We feel that for Inami-san, who was watching in the audience, and Nitta-san, who was onstage, to meet like this now is also a fantastic fortuitous encounter because of Love Live! Nitta: True. Just now, listening to An-chan, I once again tangibly felt, “We’ve properly conveyed it…” Us doing our hair in the same hairstyles as the [characters] was also something which happened because we, the performers, wanted to better express the emotions of the [characters], so I simply am glad for those feelings of dedication to have reached our audience.

– The common point between the two of you is playing the role of the leader, but to be entrusted with the leader’s position is a tough job. Is there anything which you keep in mind? Nitta: Accurately speaking, Honoka is not the leader, but the founder of μ’s and a “presence like a leader”. I am mindful of exactly that: I “don’t have to be the leader”. I merely wanted to be somebody who brought out Honoka’s energy, like the driving force behind everyone. The μ’s TV anime storyline, too, had the depiction of we all sing, we all are the leader!, though she strived hard as the person who started μ’s, for everyone’s glamorous side and their charm to reach many people… Is how I’d like to describe it. Since it’s just like Honoka to do that, I hope to portray it well.

– While Honoka has encountered her setbacks, she is beloved for her straightforward feelings and dynamism, isn’t she? Nitta: Right. It’s thanks to her childhood friends Kotori-chan and Umi-chan, and the support of everyone in μ’s, that she has grown. Her “love for μ’s” really is the most important. As for the cast, all of μ’s, in a good way, go at their own pace, they’ve got loads of personality. I’ve never once thought, “I need to get things in order!” We’re partners who have spent so much time together, be it where we agree even without talking aloud, or the sense of heading toward the same goals, I can feel their love for μ’s even if they don’t put it into words. Many a time, I speak on behalf of everyone, but I think our feelings are the same no matter who is speaking. How about you, An-chan? Inami: I play Chika-chan, who is also the founder of Aqours, and the type who charges right ahead. As she ran onwards recklessly, in the first season of the Love Live! Sunshine!! TV anime, she hit a wall: what was the difference between herself and Honoka-san of μ’s? There was a plot point where she was troubled by thinking of how a good leader should be. But she found a good answer to that, and I felt like that answer came to me too. For me, I initially didn’t think I was a right fit for the leader’s position, my personality was more suited to join the group by slipping in from the side… Somewhere in my heart, that was how I felt. Furthermore, I had pressure from being the center, I was often nervous. But it was Chika’s own mouth that told me, “It’s important that we run on our own path.” Those lines put me at ease with a whoosh. About 1 year after our group was formed, we had the opportunity to put our singing and dancing on display for the first time at Mielparque Hall. Back then, I was terrified at having to be in the center position. However, I could strongly feel that the support from the 8 people around me was what allowed me to stand in the middle; when the answer from the anime storyline and my experience from that time came together, I realized, “there is no need to be particularly conscious of it, it’d be fine as long as we are hand in hand, taking step by step forward, with each other.” From then on, the pressure of being leader was gone. When I am interviewed as a representative of Aqours, there are occasions in which, conversely, I derive my words from the others’ ideas. Like, “If it were her, she’d say that, so I’ll try using that choice of words.” Instead of thinking by myself, it’s like discussing with everyone. While I’m not an amalgamation, I think it’ll be great if I can draw everyone’s feelings together comprehensively and bring them across. I keep that in mind. But it’s still a work in progress.

– You mentioned in an interview at the time of your debut that you fretted over comparing yourself to Honoka and Nitta-san? Inami: Yes, I did. Because to me, Nitta-san is somebody like the embodiment of a center’s qualities… Nitta: Not at all!! Out of the 9 μ’s cast members, I am the one who flubs (my words) most at important moments! (laugh) [both burst into laughter] Inami: There is quite a lot of words I end up unable to say when I talk as Chika-chan, too (laugh). But Nitta-san’s performances really have power to them, they are so bright and wonderful. When I sing and dance playing Chika, what immediately comes to mind is the image of Nitta-san as a center… I still watch performances of the 9 μ’s cast members on DVD even now. Nitta: Eeh, seriously!? I don’t watch those much because it’s embarrassing (laugh). Inami: Yes! It raises my spirits, and when I feel lost, they inspire me to stay positive. Being a fan, they have instilled lots of emotions and power in me, Love Live! has given me something precious to accept, so that I may take my strides and stand firm on Aqours’ path. Of course the DVDs are splendid, but the view from actually watching μ’s live at a concert hall is so vivid… Live performances take up a significant position in Love Live! activities too, I think the fun to be had at μ’s concerts made them so popular. I love Nitta-san’s singing and performances, they truly are very captivating. Nitta: I’m glad you think so, beneath the smiles, I was battling against my own limits! In the role of Honoka, I was often assigned important positions during live performances, but at those times, what supported me more than the sense that “I must work hard!”, was that everyone in the cast were by my side. Nothing could be more reassuring. Even for solo parts, I felt like we were singing together… An-chan’s words just now made me feel that we also are emulating the answer μ’s gave to us, and although those activities have come to an end, the wish of Honoka and her friends in the TV anime for “school idols to be recognized, and more and more widespread” has been realized.

– Nitta-san, having taken part in the project, you must have made various dreams come true, could you take us through the activities up till now? Nitta: For μ’s, at the start, instead of having a dream, I should say it was more of our “feelings of love” which became the dream. Because of that, I want to regard those feelings of love with importance. Even now, the feelings of everyone in μ’s frequently give me strength; there are many lyrics from songs sung by Honoka and the others which encourage me to “dream”, “live to the fullest”, and “work hard”; they still help push me forward. I myself was just one person fumbling along in the activities not knowing what lies ahead, so I don’t have anything too awe-inspiring to tell you, but I think, if you watch the work that is Love Live!, μ’s and Aqours can evoke all sorts of emotions, won’t they? 18 members with their respective feelings, their respective ways of doing their best, and the wide range of ways dreams come true. Isn’t that great? Our activities let μ’s’ feelings take form. And now they of Aqours are bringing it onward to the future.

– Then, when you have revisited it again now, please tell us, what is the appeal in Love Live! and school idols? Inami: To me, it is Love Live!’s theme, “the story everyone makes come true”. I loved it, from the time I was a viewer as a fan, and in the present as part of Aqours! I could say this project comes from everybody having a hand in its development, which is my favorite aspect. And also the “brilliance” that I experienced since back when I was a μ’s fan. Here on, we hope to convey the shine that μ’s had imparted to us through their singing, lyrics, and live performances. Nitta: The 1st Live at the now-defunct Yokohama BLITZ left a deep impression on me… I think μ’s are where we are “now” because of “that day” when we sang before an audience of 1200 fans, to the point that I can even recall our conversations right before we first went on stage. Inami: Do you remember it clearly? Nitta: Yes. We were all going, “What are we to do if nobody turns up?” (laugh) Then, before the opening act, the producer Kisara (Youhei)-san told us, “There may be concerts again down the road, but you’ll only ever have your 1st Live once, just go and enjoy yourselves.” I was filled with courage thanks to that. Inami: Those are words to treasure! At our first premiere performance, we also were anxiously wondering, “What would we do if there is nobody…” Honestly, we were nervous over stuff like, would enough people gather, won’t the fans get mad if our performance is unsatisfying. I remember that we were the ones who got the courage to sing from the audience at the venue, and I thought, it’d be great if we can repay them someday. Nitta: Brings back memories! I went to purchase our first single at Comiket myself. I was really happy ♪ Inami: I know of that! I read it in one of Nitta-san’s past interviews! Nitta: We didn’t even have the name of “μ’s” at the time. Although we’ve released many CDs since, each encounter with a new song is a joy. I’m sure it’s the same for An-chan and [the rest of Aqours]. Inami: Yes! That is so. Nitta:　We also would be glad if we could bring courage to those who have supported us, that is what we hope to achieve… More than that, the charm in this project is how we, the portrayers, have gotten courage from the [characters]. Inami: I totally agree. Chika’s presence, and the words she’s said, are overwhelming. Not to the point of synchronization, but I feel as though I’ve unconsciously gradually drawn closer to her. I suppose it’s because I love Aqours, and could experience their story in detail, after all. Besides, Love Live! Sunshine!! is set in Numazu City of Shizuoka, so I sense a power merely by walking in the actual place, it fills me with a special sensation. Nitta: I too have passed through countless times the streets of Akiba used as the setting. Even now, I pray at Kanda Shrine occasionally. In the first season of the TV anime, Aqours came to Otonokizaka too, and in real life, it warms my heart to see fans offer prayers with Love Live! ema even now.

– Chika of Aqours also aimed to be a school idol from her encounter with μ’s at Akiba, so isn’t the influence of μ’s strong? Nitta: I think Aqours are troubled by, and have difficulties with, different things from us; I hope that just like [the characters] discovering “their own shine” in the story of the TV anime, they progress onward in their own fashion. To my mind, the feeling that you love [something] really is the most important of all. When that feeling connects the members, yourself, your companions, and the fans together, it will become your greatest power. Of course you have to endeavor and work hard, but much above that, I hope you will continue to love.

– The school idol groups from Love Live! are expected to expand their reach now and in the future. Do Inami-san and Nitta-san personally have anything you would like to see happening? Inami: I would like to see Honoka and her friends in μ’s!! So I am very much looking forward to SchSta (SIF ALL STARS) which is estimated for release next year. I wonder what will come of it!! Nitta: I’m really glad An-chan said that ♪ μ’s and Aqours appearing together is an unknown yet, but I’m excited too. I’ve always thought it would be good if the “Love Live!” competition in the TV anime also took place in reality. Will real school idols be born, what kind of people will take the stage, I just can’t visualize it (laugh). Inami: I’d watch that for sure ♪ Nitta: Right. I will give support from the audience!! Inami: Huh! Not as a judge? Nitta: I will take part as a judge if I receive a formal offer (laugh). While Honoka said, “If you’ve made up your mind, you can do anything!”, to have a concert at Tokyo Dome, for the movie to be nominated for Best Animated Film at the Japan Academy Awards, it’s exactly because Love Live! has made so many unbelievable things come true that I think to dream a little recklessly is alright. I hope more and more people in the world can like Love Live! from now on. It feels like “the story everyone makes come true” now has a bigger meaning compared to at the start of the project… Really, it has grown beyond what the cast, the staff, and the fans could have imagined. I want to keep watching to see how far it can reach, in what forms dreams will become reality.

– With that, in closing, please let us have a message for the fans looking forward to your subsequent activities. Inami: I’m very happy that with the fans’ support, the Love Live! project we built together has expanded more. I’m also excited about what developments might await school idols down the road, and I hope to further convey my anticipation to everyone. And then, I want to send out further, new, excitement. I will continue to work hard as part of Aqours; and I’m sure the cast of the Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Interest Group, which has been announced to join in for SchSta, are going to be more and more active; I hope to participate in more activities so that love for school idols can deepen. Please continue to support us here on out!! Nitta: From the bottom of my heart, I feel that it was because of everyone’s love and support that Love Live! has grown from its start in 2010 to how it is now. The Love Live! family has also gradually become a big household, just by counting the members alone, they have their respective dreams, they all are shining bright. I think we shall see “the story everyone makes come true” develop in various ways from now on. I’m also looking forward to the future, and I hope the project will continue to convey dreams, courage, and brilliance as it had before. Love Live! shall be in your kind regard from now on, too.

Some notes which should not particularly affect the reading experience:

“Love” here can be either 大好き, “like very much,” or 愛, which is more literally similar to “love”, due to a lack of a suitable English equivalent.

“Shine”, brightness", “brilliance” are all variants on 輝くand its assorted forms and permutations, but are essentially the same term that is Aqours’ goal.

Emitsun’s “dream a little recklessly” is presumably a reference to MOMENT RING’s “it started with a reckless dream”.

#love live #love live sunshine #nitta emi #inami anju #translation

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