The phone app for supporting idols, “CHEERZ”. The app is used by idol fans all over the world, and has been adapted in not only Japanese, but English, Chinese (traditional characters) and French. We are conducting monthly interviews here at TGU for the 3 idols that rank at the top during our campaign.

Read the vol.1 : Motoko Nakane (STARMARIE), Hikari Takiguchi (drop), and Kokoro Shinozaki (petit pas!)
http://tokyogirlsupdate.com/featured/cheerz-interview-vol1.html
Read the vol.2 : Hikari Takiguchi (drop), Narumi Katase (notall), and Yuna Sakamoto (FES☆TIVE)
Read the vol.3 : Mashilo Suzukawa (Stand-Up! Hearts), Honami Yokoi (FES☆TIVE), and Reina Tasaki (notall)
http://tokyogirlsupdate.com/featured/cheerz-interview-vol3.html

For this month, we asked Stand-Up! Hearts’ Yuuyu Arata, Aoyama☆Saint Hacha Mecha High School’s Shiori Mizuhara, and Shibuya DOMINION’s Oosaki Kira-san for interviews. The topic for this time is “otaku”, and we discovered that everyone are enormous otakus (laughs). Do not miss this month’s updated “CHEERZ Picture Producer Corner” and the CHEERZ goods recommend by the idols!

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Kira Oosaki(Left), Yuyu Arata(Center), Shiori Mizuhara(Right)

-To start, please give us a self-introduction.

Yuuyu Arata (henceforth, Arata): I am Yuuyu Arata from Stand-Up! Hearts. My nickname is Yuyushimu. The other days I performed at France Japan Expo with Stand-Up! Hearts. I was able to meet many people from abroad there, and was able to have a very good experience. One of my skills is my ability to speak a little Chinese and English, so I use Twitter to tweet in Chinese and English and can come in contact with foreigners. I’m aiming to become a global idol. Nice to meet you.

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Shiori Mizuhara (henceforth, Mizuhara): I am Aoyama☆Saint Hacha Mecha High School’s Shiori Mizuhara, a.k.a “Orieru”. Within the band, I have the personality of a princess mermaid who feigns ignorance, and I often come off as ditzy, but I have a strong core. Nice to meet you.


Kira Oosaki (hencefrth, Oosaki): Shibuya DOMINION’s red leader, Kira Oosaki, a.k.a “Kiranyan”. I only did my major debut recently, on June 3rd, and I have a long way to go, but I am performing many live performances every day. I am the oldest member within the group, but people often say I’m weird or have a natural personality. But I think my roots are rather serious, so please take care of me!


-Let’s move onto the topic of this month, “otaku”. For our first question: what kind of otaku are you?

Arata: Me, Yuyushimu, am an idol otaku. In particular, I like Shoko Nakagawa and Fudanjuku; Shoko Nakagawa is someone I actually admire and led to me becoming an idol. I like the part of her that hungrily pursues her otaku interests, and then seeing the same girl dancing cutely on stage, I was inspired and decided to become an idol.

-By the way, how long have you been an idol otaku?

Arata: From about 2007, so 7~8 years. The beginning was when I decided I wanted to go meet Shokotan and went to one of her events by myself, after reading her blog so much.

-Do you still go to idol events like that?

Arata: Yes, especially Fudanjuku, etc. The most recent one I attended was Dempagumi’s Meiji Jingu Gaien Hanabi Taikai, where I saw them on stage.

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-After you became an idol, did the way you view things change at all?

Arata: Up until now, all I could think was that they were cute or that I liked them, or that they were amazing, but now I learn so much from them, such as how they present themselves on stage or get people excited, or how they do formations. Of course, just going to the concerts and watching them is in and of itself very enjoyable, but in addition to that, I use it as a reference as someone on the side that charms people.

-That’s lovely that you can combine your hobby and also make use of it.

-Next, I would like to hear from Mechahai’s Mizuhara. What kind of otaku are you?

Mizuhara: I am a cat otaku. You don’t usually say “cat otaku”, right? But I really like cats.

-That means you own a cat, right?

Mizuhara: Yes. I have two.


-For how many years have you liked cats?

Mizuhara: I first started liking cats in the 6th grade of elementary school. The cat I currently own was a stray, which I picked up and started keeping myself. And it’s been about 7 years since that. Out of the two, I’ve had the first one for a long time, and the other one ran away. Now I’ve got a new cat along with the old one.

-What is it about cats that you like? Is it how they look?

Mizuhara: I particularly like the cats we have at my house. I look at them so much I can almost understand what they are saying. When they say “meow” I can understand that they are saying “are you hungry?” or “are you lonely?”. Or, by their expression, I can understand that they are jealous, etc (laughs). I especially love the cat I’ve had since a long time ago. Even among our family members, she is especially attached to me, we sleep together, and when I come home she comes to greet me. But in the beginning she wasn’t affectionate at all.

-Do you have a favorite breed of cat?

Mizuhara: Actually, I don’t like cats that are too well-put together. Maybe you say “pretty cats”? Even cats have really different faces, but the ones that have pretty faces have pretty harsh personalities, so I prefer the cute-ugly kind.


-And lastly, what type of otaku are you, Kiranyan?

Oosaki: I am a Disney character otaku that loves Shellie May more than anything else. She’s really cute, and every time a new version of her comes out for the new season, I go to DisneySea to buy it.

-Is it because you liked Disney to start?

Oosaki: No, it’s not that I’ve always like Disney. In fact, I actually liked Hello Kitty.

-Then when did you start to like Shellie May?

Oosaki:I began to fall in love with Shellie May two years ago. I only seriously started to collect her since January of this year, and I’ve collected 8 months of goods of her since. Next are the Halloween goods, I’ll definitely line up for it.

-Perhaps to be expected, but you can’t buy them unless you line up?

Oosaki: That’s right. There’s only a limited number produced. After they open the doors, I run to the store and go there to buy it. You also have to line up to meet Duffy and Shellie May for pictures. If you don’t line up in the morning, they go away quickly. You have to line up before they open the park, and it’s already a battle.

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-How much of the goods do you have in your house?

Oosaki: I have them all in small, medium and large.

Arata: You also have them in large!? Don’t those ones cost 50,000 yen? I like them too. I have the medium size Shellie May in my house. The one that costs 10,000 yen.

Oosaki: Sometimes I put the Shellie Mays in my house onto the veranda, so that they can bask in the sun.

-By the way, just how big is the #1 large sized plushie?

Ootasaki: If I sit in seiza position, it’s a little smaller than that.

Arata, Mizuhara: (Seeing blog pictures) How cute~ That must relax you.


Oosaki: I buy the clothes for kids at Nishimatsuya and refurbish them. I wear them for every season and in the right style for the event, such as a jinbei. I even have a Shellie May that was only produced in Taiwan that the other members bought for me when they went to Hong Kong!

-Do you buy a lot of goods from Hong Kong?

Oosaki: I haven’t bought any ones from Hong Kong. But I would like to go.

Arata: There are a lot more goods in Hong Kong, huh..

Oosaki: Yes. They especially have a lot of Duffy and Shellie May goods, such as bags that they don’t sell in Japan, and there is a lot of variety.

-Now let’s go on to the other two idols…(laughs). Yuyushimu, you’re good at Chinese. As fellow translators, let’s proceed together.

Arata, Oosaki: Of course!


-As an otaku, Yuyushimu, what is your favorite person or product?

Arata: I really like Fudanjuku’s Ura-san. I found Ura-san, who originally was active as part of Nakano Fujo Sisters, who wore army-like clothes and had his own member color, very charming. She was a member of Ichioshi and wore blue, and was a pro-wrestling otaku who even got into the ring herself, a really hot-blooded, or rather, energetic person. She’s a really high-level otaku who also knows a lot about idols. She knows everything from “Hello! Project” to underground idols, and really knows everything on a wide scale, and she can easily catch onto any topic. She really has a lot of knowledge about everything. The thing I respect about her most about is her flexibility during handshake events. The handshake events are very short, and even though you are continuously meeting people, as soon as she meets them, she can strike a conversation, such as “Yuuyu, you were doing this earlier, right?”. I think her head works very fast and she has a real talent. That she can immediately strike a conversation that only you two can have is really amazing.

-So there must be a lot of people waiting for Ura-san’s signature and to take a polaroid picture with her?

Arata: Yes, there are. They are there wearing cosplays of her outfits and waiting at the venue for her. Military-like outfits where you can see the stomach, with armor and helmets. There’s a cosplay called “Lion Board” that involves some molding that is made with materials that you heat up and attach to the helmet and then the shoulder, with a durable silver cloth making up the armor part of the skirt etc.


-Have you always liked cosplay?

Arata: Yes, Shoko Nakagawa got me into it. She gets really excited if you go to her concerts in cosplay. My first cosplay was Yuki Nagato from the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. I went to Comiket last year!

-Next, Orieru-san, About your favorite cat…

Mizuhara: My favorite cat is the one we have at the house. More than playing, we usually just relax together. When I sit she comes onto my knee, and when I lay down she comes near to my stomach. It’s really cute. And when I go to my bedroom, she seems to understand, and comes to the room with me.


-By the way, what is the name of you cat?

Oosaki: The one we’ve had for a long time is named Coco-chan and the other one is Tango-chan. I really liked Pretty Cure when we first got Coco-chan. I took the name from a fairy character that shows up during the show.

Arata: I remember! I have also cosplayed from Pretty Cure before. It wasn’t Coco-chan, though.

-Kiranyan, do you prefer Shellie May or Hello Kitty?

Oosaki: I like Shellie May more.

-You’ve changed who you support (laughs).


Oosaki: Rather than that, it’s more like I’ve added someone I support. Right now Shellie May is just who I’m the biggest fan of. I can understand how some people like everyone (laughs).

-Earlier you said you collect many goods, but which one is the one you like the most?

Oosaki: It would have to be the chocolate box that looks like a book that was sold back in February, during Valentines’. It looks like a book, but when you open it up, there’s chocolate inside.

Arata: That’s “Sweet Duffy 2015 Valentine”, right?

Oosaki: That’s right! With the really cute design. It has Duffy hugging it.

-I would like to talk about otaku culture abroad now. Yuyushimu, you went to France recently, right?

Arata: Yes, I went for the Japan Expo in France. I even got to meet fans who were watching us in the SHOWROOM. The French people hold even more of an interest in Japan than I thought. The venue was on a scale many times larger than Comiket, like Comiket + Tokyo Game Show + Idol Festival, all together.

Arata: What’s more, even when I sang an original song that didn’t even have a name yet, they would be excited about it, and when we met eyes, they would smile, stuff like that really made it a very fun and good experience. In order to become more well-known and acquainted with our fans, I will continue to make lots of new songs!

-Did you feel there were any difference between the otaku in Japan and abroad?

Arata: I felt they didn’t change as otakus. In the past, it was about Rurouni Kenshin, now it’s about Love Live! and Vocaloid… There is not much lag between the two. I thought, “It doesn’t matter where in the world, Otaku are doing very similar things!”.

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-Are there any products or idols you would like to recommend to fans abroad?

Arata: I think there’s a lot of people that already know them, but Dempagumi.inc. They are an idol group that have an otaku element to them, and I feel their music is really original. They also do performances that are different from other idols, and anyway, I just want you to listen to their songs! The song I recommend is “W.W.D.”. I like the lyrics “mainasu kara no sutaato namenna” (Don’t look down on us just because we started as nobodies!), because Dempagumi.inc themselves are an example of an idol group that started at a stage in a small store in Akihabara, but are now flying to all of the world. I thought it would be nice if as many people as possible got to know about them.

-Next is Orieru-san. What about cats abroad…? (laughs).

Mizuhara: I think cats abroad have slightly different faces. I’ve never been abroad, but if I had to pick, I’d say cats abroad are more pretty and cats in Japan are more cute.

-Are there any cats abroad you would like to meet?

Oosaki: I would like to meet an aristocratic cat. A refined cat that has grown up in a mansion (laughs). But actually my favorite type of cat is the relaxing kind we have in Japan. The kind whose face is not all that well-groomed, with a short tail and is a little plump, and has some fur sticking out of place.

-Lastly, Kiranyan. Does Shellie May exist everywhere in the world?

Oosaki: Yeah, she’s everywhere. But her clothes and face change. And it changes with the times. Her face in Japan during the beginning was thin and long, but now it has a more round and cute feel to it, and her color has become more pink.

Mizuhara: And she feels better to the touch too now!

Oosaki: Yeah! I have one Shellie May from the very beginning and she’s so rough, but the ones now are very soft.

-Is there a Shellie May from Japan that you would like to recommend to those from abroad?

Oosaki: Yes, it would have to be the limited-time and costumed Shellie Mays and Duffys that come out every season. Because it’s something you can only buy during that time. The next season is Halloween!

-Now, for the last question. It’s something we ask everyone every month, because it’s “CHEERZ”, please tell us what cheers you up right now.

Arata: I’m addicted to “Salad Chicken” (prepackaged chicken sold at convenience stores for salads) right now! Chicken works for diets, what with its low calories and high protein. You don’t have to cook it and can eat it as is, so it’s very convenient. I am CHEERed by “Salad Chicken!” (laughs).


Mizuhara: I feel like it might be getting a little worn out…(laughs), but it’s the blanket that, when I put it next to my futon, my cats comes to me. Even though it was something I received from a fan, at some point my cat took it from me. But if my cat is happy, I’m happy (laughs).


-Kiranyan, what about you?

Oosaki: I’m CHEERed by the perfume I bought recently, as well as these tea bags! Also, although I didn’t bring it with me, pictures of Duffy relax me!


-Lastly, CHEERZ Picture Producer Corner! The people we interviewed today are all expert selfie-takers, even among idols, but today we had them take cute pictures of each other!


Yuuyu Arata⇒Shiori Mizuhara
Orieru-chan is the cute type of person, so she’s in a cute pose! With the yellow-green colors, I made it soft-looking!
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Shiori Mizuhara⇒Kira-san Oosaki
The natural wooden desk is like a cafés’! The theme is “café date”. She’s like a beautiful older sister, it’s cute.
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Kira-san Oosaki⇒Yuuyu Arata
Although she’s cute, she’s also mature-looking and cool… So I took a picture that’s like that. I took it from a distance on purpose to make it look stylish!

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Related Links:
Stand-Up! Hearts Official:http://stand-up-project.jp/hearts.html
Yuyu Arata Twitter:https://twitter.com/yuyucm?lang=ja

Aoyama☆Saint Hacha Mecha High School Official:http://hachamecha.syncl.jp
Shiori Mizuhara Twitter:https://twitter.com/mecha_olielu

Shibuya DOMINION Official Blog:http://ameblo.jp/dominion1212/
Kira Oosaki Twitter:https://twitter.com/kiranya_n?lang=ja

CHEERZ Official:https://cheerz.cz/

Photo by Mime Soga
Translated by Tanoshii Emily

Author
itaru9Z

I am the Chief Idol Officer of Tokyo Girls Update, known as "Hiroro Ojisan" who loves Maachan. I produce the MV, art works, promotions, and tie-in campaign of idol groups such as "Team Syachihoko" and "Negicco". Please contact me if you know any "hanare-me" (wide-set eyed) idols.

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