【Morning Musume '25】Ikuta Erina Graduation Commemorative Web Series Part 3: The aesthetics of idol "Eripon" as seen by the kouhai members

This is an interview series on the graduation of Ikuta Erina, who will be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello! Project at "Morning Musume '25 Concert Tour Haru Mighty Magic DX ~Ikuta Erina wo Miokutte~ held at Nippon Budokan on July 8th. In this third part, we bring you a special edition in which we talk in detail about Ikuta-san, the parts she doesn't speak about herself, from the perspective of several kouhai members!

In fact, from the start of the Morning Musume graduation commemorative series in 2021, it was decided "when Ikuta-san graduates, we'll have kouhai members talking about her." This time, at the request of the editorial department, the guests appearing are: 12th generation member Nonaka Miki, who has the best presentation skills in the group; 15th generation member Yamazaki Mei, who adores Ikuta-san so much that she said Ikuta-san was the first person she traveled with outside of her family; and 16th generation member Sakurai Rio, highly regarded for her excellent speaking skills and the first solo member addition since a long while. As a leader, as a Morning Musume member, as Eripon and as Ikuta Erina. What is the unknown side of Ikuta-san from the perspective of her kouhai members? We bring you this special edition along with a natural Eripon look!

Natural charm across all ages. Before you know it, you're chatting away with her—Ikuta Erina's magic.

――While Ikuta-san maintains a stance of not sharing her personal thoughts in great detail, non-no has sensed through past interviews that she has a certain aesthetic of an idol called “Eripon". This time, we'd like to ask kouhai members to dig deeper into her charms on her behalf.

Nonaka: I think that the aesthetic of "Eripon" is that she doesn't talk about her good points, that's Ikuta-san's true nature. It's not something she does as part of her branding, it's just something that comes naturally to her.

Sakurai: I think so too.

――What aspects of it made you feel like it comes natural?

Nonaka: The first time I noticed it was around the time the 12th generation members, including myself, joined. Ikuta-san would often do something called the "Kind Senpai Campaign" to try and get along with the new members. But I always thought, “She doesn't need to do that! Ikuta-san has been kind from the very beginning!” (laughs).

Sakurai & Yamazaki: We totally understand what you mean!

――There was a period called the “Kind Senpai Campaign,” where you took two-shots with new members for their blogs and took them out on your days off. That brings back memories.

Nonaka: Yes. All of the 12th generation members are from the countryside, so Ikuta-san was the first person to take us to all sorts of places in Tokyo. I'm not saying this in comparison to the other senpai, but I've always respected Ikuta-san's way of thinking and the way she treats the members. You can see this if you look back at my past blogs. I've written it literally: I respect Ikuta-san (laughs).

――Solid evidence (laughs). What is her specific approach to interacting with the members?

Nonaka: I guess you could say she treats everyone naturally. And she talks to her kouhai as equals without treating them like children. So even from the beginning when I joined, I was able to be myself around Ikuta-san. When we hung out soon after I joined, she kept the conversation going saying things like, "As for Eri, this happened the other day" and "This place has cute, affordable clothes". It was fun, and even though I spoke to her using honorifics, we were able to talk frankly as if we were friends. She has a natural talent for being able to communicate so easily with kouhai members. I honestly don't think I could spend hours hanging out with a kouhai member I'm not close to yet and keep the conversation going the whole time.

Sakurai: That's how I felt too! I distinctly remember the anniversary of when I became close with Ikuta-san (laughs). When I joined in June 2022, the effects of the pandemic were still strong and we couldn't go out much. But in 2023, when restrictions eased, that day finally came...

Nonaka: It came (laughs)

Sakurai: The four of us - Ikuta-san, Nonaka-san, Haga-san and I - went to a festival. I happened to be nearby when the three senpai were talking about going to the festival, and Ikuta-san invited me, "Do you want to come too, Sakurai?". That made me so happy! That day I chatted a lot not only with Ikuta-san, but also with Nonaka-san and Haga-san. We took lots of photos, and from there we quickly became closer.

――It seems that Sakurai-san often goes shopping with Ikuta-san, so did that start around that time?

Sakurai: That seems to be right. When Ikuta-san found out that I liked fashion, the first birthday present she ever gave me were clothes. Since then, she's actively invited me along, saying things like “There's an apparel brand exhibition, want to go together?”. She also takes me to shops that she thinks I'd like. By the way, even in private, Ikuta-san often talks about her fans. She says things like “I am who I am because of my fans,” and “I was so happy to see this person at the last event” ♡

Nonaka: Right, she talks a lot about her fans. Recently, Ikuta-san was talking about the release event in May for her photobook "présent", and said "Eri cried during the talk sessions". Since there were few individual events for Ikuta-san's last single due to the release date close to her graduation, she cried thinking about the fans who came to tell her "I guess there won't be another chance to meet Eripon face to face like this!"

Sakurai: Eh! What the, isn't that just too cute?!

――For some reason, Ikuta-san tends to give off a scary vibe, and since she doesn't go out of her way to deny that, it's easy for people to misunderstand her. Before you knew how kind Ikuta-san really is, did you also think she was scary?

Sakurai: To be honest, I did have a slightly scary image of her (laughs). After joining and seeing her up close, she had such a glamorous aura over her I thought like... "Woah" and felt totally overwhelmed. That's when I realized that Ikuta-san has such an incredibly perfect and beautiful face, that when she's dead serious she kinda looks scary. She's just too beautiful (laughs).

Yamazaki: Mei as well, when I was still in Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido, I had this image of her being a scary person. I didn't really have many opportunties to meet her directly either.

――It seems like Yamazaki-san became close to Ikuta-san early on, but was there a particular moment when you no longer had a scary image of her and when you became close?

Yamazaki: I wonder what was the trigger? I don't remember exactly. But I think it was probably at the 15th generation debut event, where Ikuta-san and Yokoyama Reina-san were the MCs. Before the show, I was struggling to come up with answers for the Q&A segment. Ikuta-san gave me some advice saying "Why don't you try answering all of it with Mei-chan's favorite Panda-san?". So when I answered the question "Who is a historical figure that you respect?" I answered it with the Panda-san "Kankan-san and Lanlan-san!". The fans really liked it (laughs). I think I started talking to Ikuta-san a lot more after that debut event.

――After that, during the ZDA (Nationwide Simultaneous Handshake Event) for the 15th generation's debut single “KOKORO&KARADA / LOVEpedia / Ningen Kankei No Way Way,” Ikuta-san, Nonaka-san, and Yamazaki-san's team toured all over the country, right? We got the impression that the atmosphere between the three of you was really good.

Nonaka: Yes it was. Mei-chan still had the innocence you'd expect from a 15-year-old, but the ZDA helped her discover the "Black Panda-san" that lays deep inside her. Now she makes sharp and forthright comments, but this was when we were starting to see glimpses of that (laughs). I remember Ikuta-san and I traveling around the country saying, "That's interesting, let's bring out more of Mei-chan's different sides!"

Yamazaki: At that time, Ikuta-san created the hashtag "#meichanwomederukai (Mei-chan Admiration Club) so that it could be spread on social media. She posted lots of photos, such as videos of Mei eating and pictures of the three of us doing the Panda-san pose.

Nonaka: She was spreading lots of cute things about Mei-chan, who just joined the group.

Yamazaki: After that, the pandemic hit, so opportunities for us to get together as members decreased. But little by little Ikuta-san and I became closer. Ikuta-san was the first person I went to a theme park with outside of my family, and the first person I traveled with. We also did a lot of other things together, like going clothes shopping and eating ramen after work.

Nonaka: Ikuta-san really thinks like "This girl enjoys this sort of thing", she always takes the time to figure out what each kouhai member likes and takes them out. That supportive attitude really shows in the way she teaches us, too. When I first joined, she supported all of us in the 12 generation a lot.

――When Nonaka-san and the other 12th generation members joined, it was quite a difficult time as Michishige Sayumi-san had just graduated. We'd like to hear about that time from Nonaka-san, to the extend you'd like to share.

Nonaka: The 12th generation had to catch up with the senpai as quickly as possible and become a valuable asset, so we were scolded a lot... But honestly, there were so many tasks and assignments that my memories of that time are a bit hazy (laughs). Iikubo Haruna-san from the 10th generation was our main instructor, and Ikuta-san took on a mentor-like role. A role in which she sensed when the 12th generation was going through a difficult time and to be there for us.

――Ikuta-san had a tour coming up shortly after joining the group, and it seems that she was always concerned about her kouhai because of the painful experience of being scolded so many times. She mentioned worrying "Will they show up to rehearsal tomorrow?" and would invite members out to dinner, leaving work talk aside.

Nonaka: Yes, that's true! She would tell us what we needed to know in a way that didn't feel like a burden, but I remember her mainly taking care of our mental health in private. Instead of addressing the whole 12th generation together, she'd talk to each of us individually and take us to places we liked or were interested in. That's part of why it was so easy to talk to her. She'd show me around Tokyo taking me to cute cafes, or we'd go to karaoke together. At some point, Ikuta-san's mother and I became really close, and we would go to family restaurants together with our families.

――It's surprising how close Ikuta-san is with the families of Morning Musume members. We believe Yamazaki-san's grandmother also had a connection with Ikuta-san, right?

Yamazaki: My grandma is a big fan of Ikuta-san. She calls her Megami-sama (Goddess) (laughs). Every time there's a Hokkaido performance, my grandma comes to see us. She sends me messages like “The goddess was amazing again today” and I show them to Ikuta-san. I have her respond with voice messages and photos. But actually, they've never met in person. The Hokkaido performance during the spring tour in April was our last chance, but the timing didn't work out for my grandma. So we gave her a photo with Ikuta-san's autograph and comment as a gift. I think she was really happy (laughs).

The change Ikuta Erina brought to the group as a leader who values the individual

――Since we've talked a lot about when you first joined, could you also tell us what kind of guidance you received from Ikuta-san as a senpai in your work? In Ikuta-san's interview, she mentioned that based on her own experience, she avoids imposing her methods on others.

Nonaka: It's true that she never forces her opinions or values ​​on us. Or rather, Ikuta-san isn't the type to give instructions. Rather than pointing out "That's wrong" I feel like she's more likely to say things like "In this situation, it's ... so it's better to do it like this" or "This is how Eri does it".

Yamazaki: It makes you realize things on your own. It feels like you're being watched over and raised.

Nonaka: As we talked, an idea often striked me and I thought "So that's what Ikuta-san was talking about!". Looking back on it later, I realize that she gave some really good advice.

――She mentioned that she consciously tries to communicate while considering each member's individuality and personality.

Nonaka: Although she's quite natural when talking to us, I feel that she changes the way she communicates and gives advice depending on the person she is talking to. For example, I don't like being seen practicing or working hard, so during those times she leaves me alone.

Sakurai: When she communicates something, she clearly explains her intentions. For a while after I joined, I was constantly getting scolded by a lot of people, and I just kept feeling down. Then Ikuta-san told me "I think for Sakurai people are more likely to get their point across if theyr're direct rather than beating around the bush, so that's why theyr're communicating with you like this". Hearing that reason made me feel so much lighter! It also made me realize that because I don't have any generation mates, the attention and guidance naturally focused on me. So I was able to take it in a positive way, knowing that my senpai are teaching me in great detail and that there's a lot to absorb.

Nonaka: I think I heard about that before. I felt like she was carefully assessing the situation before telling you, thinking “Sakurai is the kind of person who immediately understands, so it'll be fine".

――Sakurai-san from the 16th generation only had a short time before the 17th generation joined, so she quickly became a senpai. Ikuta-san shares a similar experience with the 9th generation in that respect, and it seems she gives advice based on her own experiences.

Sakurai: Yes. Because she explains things so clearly, it's easy for me to understand the reasoning behind Ikuta-san's advice. I've been thinking a lot recently about what role I can play between the 15th and 17th generation... And considering the future of the group, I think there are things that only the 16th generation can do precisely since I'm alone.

Nonaka: And we don't have formal conversations during work, we just talk casually in the dressing room or during everyday chats. Since becoming the leader, she's been telling us in a natural way about the direction she'd like to take the group in and what she's trying to do, saying things like "I'm thinking of doing this" or "I want to highlight this member for this reason". She then asks each of us "What do you think?" so it's easy to voice your opinion.

Sakurai: The members often mention in media interviews how much easier it became to voice opinions after Ikuta-san became leader, must have had quite a strong influence, no?

Nonaka: Whether backstage or in private, she casually talks about these things. So it's easy to understand like “Ah, so that's what she's thinking about now" and it broadens my perspective on what I should be doing.

――After stating an opinion, adding "And you?" creates an atmosphere where you feel more comfortable to speak up, right?

Nonaka: Right, right. Even in everyday conversations, it's easier to talk if there's a topic to discuss, rather than just being asked "How have you been lately?". Ikuta-san is a genius at bringing that out. It doesn't even feel like we're talking about work in the first place, but before you know it, the topic has changed.

Sakurai: It's like you're not even aware of it either, right? You just naturally speak your mind with her.

Nonaka: Akanechin (Haga Akane) is that type too—she's really good at subtly drawing out what the other person has to say. In that respect, Ikuta-san and Akanechin are very similar.

――Speaking of changes, other than it becoming easier to voice your opinions, I heard that since Ikuta-san became the leader, the way you watch live footage after performances has changed. The reason for this is to make sure that the younger members take care of their physical health.

Nonaka: In the past, the only option was to gather in front of a monitor and watch live footage recorded on a single DVD together. But media has evolved to the point where we can share videos and everyone can zoom in and check the details on their smartphones or tablets. So, various opinions were expressed among the members and staff at the company about how to hold viewing sessions. However, due to the pandemic, it took a while to decide on a policy. And it wasn't like our manager was making the decision, it felt like we had to take action ourselves.

Yamazaki: The shared data system was introduced starting with the 2019 tour when Mei joined.

Nonaka: And then the pandemic hit, we weren't able to tour as a group until around 2023. So we couldn't decide on a direction. We were also told not to gather in the same room.

Yamazaki: "Dont get too close to each other!" they said.

――Is the viewing session held on the first day of the tour, or only when there are changes to the setlist? Or is it held before every performance?

Nonaka: After each performance, we all checked everything together. But when this year's spring tour started, Ikuta-san said "We'll be traveling a lot, so it's important to take time to get in shape for the next day's performance. So what should we do about the unsettled viewing session issue?". I offered to check with the other members. I knew that Ikuta-san had a lot of other things she had to do, including things that aren't visible to the public, and time was limited. So I thought I could gather everyone's opinions on this issue. I carefully researched what points needed to be cleared up to resolve each person's concerns, and what benefits they felt the viewing sessions provided.

Among the various opinions, one thing we all agreed on was "We should discuss our areas that need improvement". We then explored ways to discuss everyone could agree on. Ultimately, Ikuta-san and I conluded: After the performance, we all check the key songs together. Then we all carefully watch the video material in detail in our hotels or at home and share any improvements or suggestions we noticed before the next day's rehearsal. All the other members agreed with it, and Ikuta-san also got approval from the company staff. So that's how it was resolved.

――You make it sound so simple, but I'm sure Ikuta-san felt greatly helped by Nonaka-san's work ethic.

Nonaka: The core of the viewing sessions isn't about “everyone discussing with each other” but rather “confirming things together and wanting to perform live”. Once we confirmed that, all the members were able to agree and come to this method. That was a significant step forward for the group's future. That part, really, was where Ikuta-san gave the group a breath of fresh air.

――Before rehearsals, is there an atmosphere where not only the senpai can speak, but also the kouhai can speak up to make suggestions or voice their opinions?

Yamazaki: Of course.

Sakurai: Sometimes we say it to the whole of the group, and sometimes we consult individually. After a day has passed, even kouhai members feel more comfortable expressing their opinions. I think communication has improved in many ways. The current system allows us to carefully review things on our own, and it has become easier for each of us to come up with our own ideas.

Nonaka: When you're completely exhausted, clashing opinions doesn't always lead to a good outcome. It's fine for each person to notice and correct small mistakes in the lyrics or choreography, but we need to check and point out the nuances and rhythms that fit the worldview of the song together.

A reliable producer who brings out the individuality of each member

――Since we've been talking about performances, could you tell us what your favorite past performance of Ikuta-san is?

Yamazaki: It's "Jounetsu no Kiss wo Hitotsu", performed during the first tour after Ikuta-san became leader "Morning Musume '24 Spring Concert Tour MOTTO MORNING MUSUME.". The use of chairs during the performance was incredibly sexy! We're always on good term, but seeing her like that really made my heart race- I realized again how mature Ikuta-san is. The way she deliberately looked away from the camera, and how she expressed herself only using her hands without showing her face- every aspect of that performance was incredibly alluring. Even if Mei were to do this, I'd get too embarrassed to pull it off that sexy! I'm turning 20, so I would like to try it... But if I were to do this, I think everyone around me would start whispering "What's wrong with her?" (laughs).

Sakurai: For me it's Ikuta-san in "Aisaresugiru Koto wa Nai no yo" from "Morning Musume '22 Concert Tour ~Never Been Better!~". At that time, it had been decided I would join the group but it hadn't been announced yet, so I couldn't go to the Budokan concert. Instead, I watched it at a live viewing in a movie theater. I was moved by the power of the big screen when I was suddenly captivated by Ikuta-san's expression as the camera focused on her! Back then she had blonde hair, so her visual beauty was incredible. She had this aura of "catching her pray and not letting it go". It's not only important to deliver your performance to the people who are in the venue, but also to those watching from outside. So I learned firsthand that the facial expressions you make towards the camera are very crucial.

Nonaka: Ikuta-san's facial features are so stunning that I think I'd be breathless if I saw her on a big screen (laughs). I absolutely love Ikuta-san in "Mr Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~" from "Morning Musume '16 Spring Concert Tour ~EMOTION IN MOTION~". Combined with the prince-like outfit, she really looked like Howl from The Moving Castle. Lately, her style has been on the cute side, but during that time she was somewhere between handsome and beautiful- having a unique aura only Ikuta-san could pull off. I want to see her perform with that look again... I'm just a spirit that's left from the 2016 spring tour (laughs).

Sakurai: Ikuta-san with straight hair from that time was great, wasn't she? She really looked like Howl!

Nonaka: When I finally told her about it years later, she said "That's so funny. My fans used to call me "Howl" too!" (laughs). I also like her in the music video for "Sexy Cat no Enzetsu". There's a scene halfway through where she's laying down with Satou Masaki-san, they both look so beautiful in that moment that it's become my favorite part- I've watched it over and over again.

――So even the members themselves are often captivated by watching old videos, right?

Nonaka: Even just watching her dance, you can she has well-defined muscles. You can't get muscles like Ikuta-san's just by training normally. She's so cool...

――Ikuta-san's work on producing outfits and merchandise has also been well-received. Around what point did she start getting involved?

Yamazaki: I have been consulting with Ikuta-san about all my recent outfits. When I told her I'm not good at deciding on a design for myself, she said "Well then Eri will help you with it". I think the first one she did was the red outfit I wore at Kaga Kaede's graduation concert.

Nonaka: Starting from "Morning Musume '23 25th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT TOUR ~glad quarter century~" Ikuta-san started producing outfits for all the members. Ikuta-san came up with the general concept, and we each shared our preferences so the stylists could create them.

――Was the goal here for her to choose things that suit everyone's own taste and preference so everyone could work on their self-production skills?

Nonaka: That might be the intention, but as I said earlier, Ikuta-san doesn't force her opinions on us.

Sakurai: But in my case, if something doesn't suit me, she'll straight out say "That doesn't suit you" (laughs)

Nonaka: That's because Rairii is the type who understands best when being straightforward (laughs)

Sakurai: But it doesn't make me feel bad, I can honestly accept it and think "If Ikuta-san says so, this might look cuter". In that sense, Ikuta-san's teachings might be reflected in my self-production. On the flip side, when something looks perfect on me, she'll praise me saying "That looks really good!".

Nonaka: There's no hesitation, she's always clear. With Ikuta-san you can really tell she means what she says. When I ask her about hairstyles and makeup, she always gives me very precise advice.

The last spring tour that flew by. A token of love typical to "Eripon" who loves idols

――This spring tour was Ikuta-san's last one. Ikuta-san's personal touches were incorporated into various aspects such as the outfits, merchandise and stage set.

Sakurai: That's right! Ikuta-san always puts the fans' happiness first, so she's been coming up with merchandise based on fan requests such as uchiwa fans and T-shirts with our face printed on them. I heard Ikuta-san's merchandise, produced with lots of love, sold amazingly well.

Yamazaki: The tour title is "Morning Musume '25 Spring Concert Tour ~Mighty Magic~" which was inspired by Ikuta-san's magic character, so she kept saying "I absolutely want the set to look like a castle!". This is a bit of a behind-the-scenes story, but this time, the setlist contained a lot of songs that not only the 17th generation but even we of the 15th generation never performed before. Usually, we're told about the setlist right before the rehearsals start, but this time Ikuta-san told us a bit earlier saying "It's a good idea to study the songs from this time period a bit beforehand". Thanks to that, we didn't have to rush and cram everything last minute, so we were able to approach the rehearsals with a little more ease.

Nonaka: Speaking of the viewing sessions we do now, Ikuta-san always thinks about creating an environment where the members can give their best performance during the concert.Next to the tours, we also have events, and it's especially helpful for the younger members when she lets us know in advance which era the songs are from. This was especially true for the current spring tour, as many of the songs were new to most of the members. I really hope this kind of advance notice continues to be implemented in the future.

――Regarding the setlist, Ikuta-san said "There is value in performing older songs with the current members, in order to introduce these songs to people who have recently become fans of Morning Musume". She also said that since Morning Musume's songs are not currently available on streaming, she'd like to increase chances for people other than fans to listen to them.

Sakurai: We can't go too much in detail about the setlist, but Ikuta-san is basically the one in charge to hype up the crowd during the concert. The second half of the setlist this time is especially packed with songs that really ramp up the energy. And although she prefers cute idol-like and mellow breakup songs, I'm sure the Morning Musume spirit deep down inside Ikuta-san is more on the fired-up side! I think you'll really feel what Ikuta-san is like with this setlist, someone who loves the intensity of the performances and the excitement of the venue.

Nonaka: I thought the setlist this time was quite bold. It's her graduation tour, and we're challenging ourselves with songs that the current members have never performed before, right? There's no way knowing if they will fit the current Morning Musume's sound and vibe unless we try.

Sakurai: That's true. Now that you mention it, we really are taking quite a risk aren't we?

Nonaka: If I had to be thinking about this as my last tour, this definitely would be a setlist I personally wouldn't come up with. But when we actually performed it, I immediately realized that while it captured Ikuta-san's essence, she had also carefully considered whether it would suit us as we are now. I could really feel the fans' joy when hearing these songs again after so long, and experiencing Ikuta-san's setlist with the current members has laid the foundation for us to perform songs from various eras of the group at concerts now.

Yamazaki: There are many songs where the fans join us with fan calls and chants. There are also songs where everyone waves their towels, it's very typical of Ikuta-san to involve the audience to help and create the show this way. It's a fun concert for us too because we can feel a sense of unity! But that also means it's usually over in the blink of an eye, which feels a bit sad.

Nonaka: Another point of Ikuta-san's song selection is that the singing parts are divided as much as possible among the members, and there are songs where you can really hear the solo parts.

――Ikuta-san has overcome periods where she had no singing parts at all, only being given the single character "ru", right? And since the setlist has many songs that haven't been performed recently, that means the singing parts had yet to be deciced for the current lineup.

Nonaka: I'm sure this song holds a special place in her heart. I think each member has more solo parts than usual, so I think the fans will be happy to hear their favorite member's singing voice a lot. Having solo parts also means more opportunities to be shown on the monitor, and it's a great opportunity to further refine our stage presence and singing. I think it's a setlist that will allow each member to grow significantly! And we want to keep the wind of change that Ikuta-san has brought about going forward. We, including the members who aren't here today, want to carry on Ikuta-san's mindset of always thinking about the fans and cherishing the idea of ​​"Let's create this together!".

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Original article: https://nonno.hpplus.jp/entertainment/interview/253207/area02/

Translated by: ©Eriponderful World

【Morning Musume '25】Ikuta Erina Graduation Commemorative Web Series Part 2: Becoming sub-leader at a young age and searching for her own role

This is an interview series on the graduation of Ikuta Erina, who will be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello! Project at "Morning Musume '25 Concert Tour Haru Mighty Magic DX ~Ikuta Erina wo Miokutte~ held at Nippon Budokan on July 8th. In this second part, she talks openly about the struggles she faced after becoming the group's sub-leader at a young age, her true feelings she hasn't talked about before and her particular way of dealing with the kouhai members.

Memorable concert tours and how to treat the kouhai members

──Please tell us your memories from the first tour without any senpai, "Morning Musume '15 Concert Tour Haru ~Gradation~".

I will never forget it, but it was the first tour I had a big fight with Mizuki (Fukumura). We had "Resonant Blue" in the second half of the setlist, and we couldn't agree on whether to perform it in our Nippon Budokan concert or not. I was among the team who thought it'd be better to show our current form even if the performance wouldn't be perfect, while Mizuki was on the team who thought we shouldn't perform it if we couldn't do it perfectly. We had been working together for a long time, Mizuki had just become the leader and I was a sub-leader. But it was the first time we found ourselves in a situation we didn't agree with each other. That left a big impression on me. The tour itself felt like we were running through it recklessly as we just had started the new system. We had an image of what we wanted to do, but we were struggling to get there. But many of our fans told us they had a lot of fun, and I still look back at videos of our tour. It's one I love.

──Are there any other videos from past tours you often rewatch?

In "Morning Musume '16 Concert Tour Aki ~MY VISION~" you could tell we've grown since "GRADATION" and I think we were able to show what we wanted to show. Everyone looked like they were having fun as well so I thought that was a good one. The outfits were also really gorgeous and some of my favorite. I especially like our performance of "Tsuyoki de Ikouze!" and "Mukidashi de Mukiatte". I think it's great that this tour includes medleys and songs where you can hear each member's voice well. I think it made everyone look more lively. So, for my last tour, I made it a priority to include songs where you can enjoy each member's voice.

──When Fukumura-san became the leader, the 12th generation joined the group in earnest. Ogata Haruna-san and Haga Akane-san were seen taking dance lessons on "Hello! Station" at the same time the 13th generation joined, so fans got the impression they struggled performance-wise. How did you feel about that as a senpai?

Since I had gone through similar difficulties myself, I could really sympathize with their feelings. There are differences in experience, strengths and weaknesses between everyone. So just trying hard won't immediately solve the problem. If I were in the same situation as them, I would never want to mention it to anyone else. Even asking "Are you okay?" might feel like a burden. I think Hagachin (Haga Akane) and Ogata (Haruna) feel the same, so I just watched over them without saying anything about it at the time and just interacted with them outside of work, such as going out and all. The same goes for Nonaka (Miki) as well. But Makino (Maria) is the opposite, I think she's the type who will grow if you pay her attention. When it comes to our kouhai, not only the 12th generation, I often think about what I should say to each type of person. There are those who want to be comforted and those who want to be left alone. Since Mizuki was the leader at the time, she was in a position where she had to say what needs to be said. So instead I was conscious to think and interact with our kouhai from their sort of position.

──So it's a mentor-like role.

I remember this one time Hagachin told me "Ikuta-san has always been very open to talk to the kouhai members, but not by asking questions like "How are you doing?". Instead, you would start talking about your own problems or things that haven't been going well. That made it easier to talk to you, and easier to speak about my worries." I think it's hard especially for kouhai members to explain their feelings, so I thought that it was maybe my role to bring out their feelings by being there for them. I wasn't able to do it well in the beginning, but I feel I've become more conscious of it through my activities with Morning Musume.

──We'd like to hear some stories about how you handled interactions with kouhai members from the 12th generation onwards.

I talked about keeping an eye on the 12th generation. But for example, there were some girls like Morito (Chisaki) of the 14th generation, who have a lot of experience and wanted to understand things and could easily understand them. So we often taught her things. However, if a member is having trouble with something, I try not to touch too much on that particular thing. Even if they ask me to teach them, I often just give them an idea like "This is how I did it" without forcing it onto them. For example, when learning dances, there are members who find it easier by playing the song slowly, members who do better by doing a small part each day, and some members just concentrate hard on the dance the day before.

Also, I made sure to not get angry at the kouhai members when they were "only" doing what we told them to do. I think it's quite common for people to get angry with the kouhai because they expect them to do more. Even though they already "passed the test", they expect them to do more and try to fire them up to do so. But if you suddenly do that, they'll feel like "But I did what I was told to do...". I don't think new members will suddenly become the same as a member who has been doing all of this for 10 years. So I think there is a difference between "not being able to" and "not doing it" in that kind of sense. Of course, there are cases where you can use it as a springboard, but everyone has their own way of working hard. That's why I don't want to make assumptions about the members' efforts.

I can give advice on performances based on my own experiences like "This is how I do it", but I feel it's a bit wrong for me to say "That's not it". So I felt like watching on their mental wellbeing from a distance. I would take members who were not feeling well but trying their best out to dinner, like "Let's go eat something delicious" . And I would talk to the members who were scolded so much I felt worried they might not show up to the rehearsals the day after.

──We'd also like to know what Ikuta-san herself was conscious of in public during those times.

Although I continued to play the role of the one being constantly teased, after Harunan (Iikubo Haruna) graduated in 2018,  I started taking on the role of the "straight man". Like me, Harunan was also the one who was being teased, but she's quick-witted and a great talker. So she had a reassuring presence also being able to take on the teasing role when needed. Harunan's teasing style is really elegant. Teasing and poking fun can easily make someone feel bad, and the right points to pick up on change all the time. So it's tricky. But since I started taking on that role of the "straight man", I've often received positive reactions. So I've worked hard on it in my own way. Regarding talking, I think the presence of my longtime friend and former HKT48 member Tomiyoshi Asuka-san was also significant. This one time she came to see us live, she gave me some incredibly accurate advice saying "I think you could bring Erina-chan's funny side out more during MC's. For example, doing it like this here would be a lot funnier" (laughs). Asuka-chan is such an interesting girl. When we talk, we often completely lose track of time. But she always makes sure to focus on key points. So I feel like I've learned a lot just by spending time with her.

Production skills honed through persisting commitment

──When speaking of Ikuta-san, your high-level of production skills demonstrated through events such as the "Niigaki-san wo Ouensuru Kai" in 2013, birthday events, goods etc. is often talked about. We'd like to ask you about the kind of things you're particular about with that.

After having held several birthday events, I realized when I'm happy, the fans are happy too. So I came to understand if I'm not having fun, my fans can't be having fun either. It's the same with concerts. That's why I precisely try to start with what I like and what's fun to me. Also, since I tend to get fewer singing parts when performing with the group, many fans want to hear me sing more. That's why I've been adding more songs to my birthday events. There are many fans who often come to both shows, so I've also been changing the setlist between the first and second show.

As for merchandise, I'm a big fan of idols in general so I often check out idols' goods too and get inspiration from it. For example, the goods for this tour features T-shirts with photos of the members. When I saw some of the previous goods I thought "They used to have photos on them, but now it's just text?". I realized if I feel that way, probably the fans feel the same. So I asked them to make T-shirts with our faces on it. Plus, since this is my last tour, I'm really thinking about my own fans too. My fans love goods with my face on it, whether it's a photo or an illustration. So that's why I had made uchiwa fans. I absolutely refused to compromise on having text on the back, so I really fought for that! But seeing how well they're selling, I realized that the fans of the other members were happy to have their oshimen's faces on them too (laughs). And the silver tape-style keychains, which are only available at venues, was an idea that came to me during a conversation with a friend while we were brainstorming what kind of commemorative item fans would really enjoy. Since silver tape isn't something everyone can take home, I thought "Why not sell them?". I put a lot of thought in coming up with these goods, so it makes me incredibly happy when I get good reactions now that the tour has started and see people carrying them around. 

──In recent years, you've had many opportunities to produce outfits and we believe we'll see a culmination of that work in your final tour. What are your thoughts on that?

I'm always researching what type of outfit fits each member, so I speak up whenever I have an opinion. For this tour, I took into account each member's personal preferences while designing the outfits myself. I attended every fitting session and checked the balance of the accessories before finalizing it. The first outfit, which I mentioned in the first part of this interview series, pays homage to the outfits in "Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai". The key point I focused on was making sure the length of the dress was the same for everyone, even with different heights. The second outfit was designed to be cool, in contrast with the first cute outfits. I also suggested including everyone's names somewhere. There are many details I can't reveal until the Nippon Budokan concert, but I hope you'll look forward to it.

──We imagine you're not only particular about the outfits, but also about the hair and makeup. So we'd like to hear about that. We also feel you were among the first Hello! Project members to enjoy experimenting with hair colors.

When it comes to hair, I've always tried to push the boundaries and do what I want. I would test how light I could go with the color... and if no one opposed it, I'd go a little lighter next time. I am however a bit of a coward, so inside I always felt a bit nervous the day after a hair color change (laughs).

──Speaking of that kind of leading role in broadening horizons, it's also impressive how you sang songs from other agencies' idol groups during your birthday events.

That's definitely true (laughs). But no matter what it is, it's important to just ask and not immediately assume you'll get a no. Surprisingly, a lot of things turn out to be fine to do. Everyone has the right to ask (laughs). That said, if I ask and don't really get a proper answer, I'll try again. But if I'm told no, I don't push it - I gracefully give up!

──Now, let's go back a little further into the past. In 2015s "Oh my wish!" Suzuki Kanon was the center. The other three 9th generation members became dance members. It was a pretty revolutionary move, wasn't it?

A lot of things planned for "Oh my wish!" were suddenly changed, and they ended up splitting the members into singing and dancing groups. In fact, the original singing parts I was given included a really great solo part in the second verse. So losing it was a huge shock. I also didn't think of myself as a dance member at all, so I was surprised to find myself next to (Sayashi) Riho and (Ishida) Ayumi who are both talented dancers. Especially when we had to film the solo dance scenes in front of everyone, I felt so depressed about it, thinking "What do I do..." while filming it (laughs).

──Did you feel that you weren't good at dancing?

I've always loved dancing in front of the fans. The fans are on our side and cheer us on, right? But when it comes to having to dance alone in front of the other members, it suddenly feels really difficult. I'm also not good at dancing alone to show others how its done, so when necessary, I ask help from the other members.

──In 2017, you were selected to join the Hello! Project Dance Club. Since then, you were chosen more often for small-group dance breaks and it feels as if your image as dance member became stronger. How did you feel about that?

Yoshiko-sensei's presence was a big factor in that. During lessons, she would pick a certain part and say "Ikuta, try dancing that part by yourself". As a result I got more opportunities to dance in a small group in songs choreographed by Yoshiko-sensei. That's probably where the impression came from. But honestly, I still have a hard time with contemporary-style dances such as in "The Vision". I generally prefer the more energetic, intense dancing such as in "Oh my wish!". Also, I tend to feel more comfortable with masculine-like choreography and dances which keep the center of gravity low. When it comes to singing, unexpected things can happen when I perform. But with dancing, I know I feel at ease and can perform with confidence once I've memorized the dance.

Reflections after seeing senpai and kouhai graduate, and what she wants to pass onto her kouhai

──In 2015, Sayashi Riho graduated, followed by Suzuki Kanon in 2016. We'd like to hear about your feelings at the time.

I actually knew both of them had been considering graduation for a while, so when we heard about it, I thought "Ah so they've decided (on the timing)". Kanon-chan talked about her graduation in interviews, and her final single "Utakata Saturday Night" was a bright song that suited her perfectly. So it all felt real due to those aspects. But with Riho, the schedule was so sudden, and her final single was released right before her graduation. So I didnt really feel it in real-time. By the way, for my final tour, the setlist also includes songs that were chosen with the 9th generation members in mind. But I deliberately didn't choose "ENDLESS SKY" because its lyrics have such a strong sense of graduation and fit Riho's situation perfectly. We wanted to keep that as Riho's graduation song, so we chose different songs that fans from back then would think about "I totally understand!".

──During the spring tour in 2017, many members including Fukumura Mizuki & Oda Sakura got the flu, and you had to serve as temporary leader several times.

For the Osaka concert, Mizuki and Oda Sakura couldn't perform. But since both of them have a lot of singing parts, Ayumi-chan and (Satou) Masaki-chan stepped in last minute, which was really tough. There weren't really many changes for myself, so I personally wasn't anxious, but I thought the fans might feel nervous about the live being quite different. So I felt we had to make sure nobody felt nervous on stage. I remember telling everyone "Let's go into the concert with even more energy than usual!" as we headed onto the stage. We managed to get through the Osaka concert without issues, but for the concert the day after Duu (Kudou Haruka) also came down with the flu. That's when I stepped forward as temporary leader and made the announcement (about her absence).

──What did you feel like when acting as temporary leader? We'd also like to ask if there was any change of mindset when you actually became the leader.

Mizuki is generally very reliable, but when it comes to things outside of Morning Musume, she can suddenly go completely blank (laughs). So, as sub-leader, when we had an MC segment, I always made sure to remember things such as the locations, dates, titles and other important details together. Additionally, when Mizuki would speak as the leader, we often double-checked things together. So I think that's why I was able to step in as substitute on short notice. But then, when I officially became leader, there was so much more to do than I imagined... At first I was just desperately trying to keep up (laughs). Mizuki was the one who first started contacting the senpai when we had new releases coming up or when we had important announcements to make. I really wanted to carry on what she had valued as leader, and that helped me to push through.

──What did you feel after Fukumura-san graduated?

After Mizuki's graduation was decided, we felt like we were always together and supporting each other more than before. We each had different strengths and weaknessses, which is why we were able to complement each other. Even after work, we'd often call each other at night discussing things like "Should we change this part of the song and do it like this?". However, after Mizuki graduated, I went back to being a lone wolf (laughs). That's because becoming the leader changed my position, and I had to handle more things on my own. Plus, I'm the type of person who's actually more comfortable being alone.

──Since you'll graduate, is there anything you're passing onto your kouhai ?

Since Mizuki graduated, I've been talking more with Nonaka. That's because Nonaka is incredibly good at explaining things to others. She understands what I'm thinking, summarizes it and conveys it to the others in an easy-to-understand way. So usually I tell Nonaka first what I'm thinking about. Separately, I often tell our kouhai, Sakurai (Rio) about things I want everyone to carry into the future. Sakurai understands why I'm telling her those things, and interprets it in her own way. I think Morning Musume still has a long life ahead of it. And since she has strong communication skills and is the closest senpai to the 17th generation, I hope she can share those insights with them too.

Even though they're young, there are many new members who have a strong core. They have a clear intention behind their thoughts and actions, so I think that criticizing those actions can sometimes feel like a criticism of their character. That's why I think it's important to not just look at their actions, but to properly understand the feelings that led to those actions. With that in mind, I feel like the current era will move in a direction that's better for everyone. Allowing them to have a moderate amount of independence, rather than restricting them with "this is how it should be".

──Currently, your closest kouhai (in seniority) is Oda-san, what kind of relationship do you have with her?

Because I've been working with Oda for a long time, we do have a lot in common. On top of that, she's firmly established in her own world, so I feel like I'm just watching over her. But I do worry if she takes on a role as balancer for the group, she might lose her "uniqueness". But I think it would be really interesting, when Oda becomes the top senpai, if a kouhai would show up who doesn't hold back and who wouldn't mind pointing fingers at her. I'm curious for when that would happen.

──In the fall of 2017, Morning Musume held their 20th anniversary concert tour and Kudou Haruka graduated. So for the first time you were in the position of seeing off a kouhai member. Ikuta-san, you always seem to send positive messages to graduating members, so could you tell us more about that?

Around the time I turned 18, some of my generation mates graduated and I realized I would graduate too someday, which changed my mindset. Around 18 you graduate from high school and see everyone around you getting jobs or going to college, many changes happen. So that played a big a role. I was sad to see the members I had been working with leave Morning Musume, but after changing my mindset I stopped saying "Don't graduate" because it could be seen as denying the future they had chosen. Since they had made the decision to graduate, I felt that all I could do was see them through to the end and send them off properly. That's probably why I naturally started having more messages with the future in mind. Also, because of the concert structure and stream timekeeping, I often end up making adjustments for the ceremony even though I'm the last in line (for the messages). That's why it's important to speak concisely. To do that, I need to be mentally stable, so I try to stay as calm as possible.

──Is there anything you do to stabilize your mental health?

I don't want to show when I'm mentally unstable. That's all (laughs). People around me tend to think I'm stronger than I am, but I'm actually the complete opposite (laughs). My fans understand that much, so they worry about me whenever something happens. But at the same time, I'm very happy to be a celebrity, to be an idol. There are good and bad things about being a celebrity, but the celebrities I admire never show their negative side. They're always cheerful, smiling and having fun. That's why I strive to be like that too.

──Speaking of which, Ikuta-san's blog posts have that same vibe. As if she's right there beside you, happily telling you what happened today no matter the situation.

Is it okay to announce this now? I want to keep blogging even after graduation. I want to continue using all my social media. I don't know how many people will stick around, but I don't want to stop posting.

Insights gained from the outside world, memories of 2018

──You made your first appearance at ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL in 2018. You're known for being the one who hypes up the crowd, so it must have been an especially intense stage. Is there anything you remember fondly?

Since I'm the type who thrives on physical stamina, I felt confident about outdoor festivals. But the first year, none of us knew how to pace ourselves and we were exhausted (laughs). So the following year, we came up with a proper strategy and started practicing. When it comes to hyping up the crowd, I feel like I'm making use of what I learned from senpai like AiGaki (the name of the duo consisting of Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa). I often do it at points where I think it could be added, or where I sense fans might be expecting it. It all started out of admiration, so I'm really happy to hear people say I have an impressive hype. Outdoor festivals are also a chance for people who don't know Morning Musume to get to know us. So we made sure to choose flashy hairstyles and makeup that would stand out even from afar.

──Ikuta-san often draws attention for her “great looks” when appearing on TV or at events. Is there anything you consciously focus on in those situations?

I think a lot about how to present myself so that as many people as possible will notice me. During rehearsals for TV music shows, I have an absolute rule for myself that I check the camera cuts in detail. If there's a point where I get a solo close-up, I'll make sure to nail it. And even if there isn't one, I still want to know exactly how the camera moves.

──Your collaborations with other idol groups have often been a hot topic on music shows like the FNS Music Festival. Ikuta-san especially gives the impression of actively interacting with members from other groups, and taking two-shot photos together.

I love cute girls, so when I want to take a photo, I'll ask to take one together. I'm good friends with a lot of them. When we go out together, we openly talk about it on our blogs and Instagram. So I'm sure our fans know about it too. I also hope that by exposing each other to each other's groups, fans will become interested in each other's groups too. In fact, sometimes they will come to check out our Instagram, come to our shows, or even visit us individually (during fan events).

──Did you gain any insights or learn anything from interacting with members of other idol groups?

The other Morning Musume members are work colleagues, and because we're so close, it can sometimes be difficult to talk to them about things. But because my idol friends are a bit more distant, yet we share the same profession, it's actually easier to talk to them. Especially idol friends my age, as we tend to have similar positions within the group, there's a lot we can relate to. Of course we don't discuss things we shouldn't share, and we don't talk about individual members. But we often talk about our current situations and thoughts. Exchanging opinions with each other helps us calmly reflect on our own actions too.

...I don't often have opportunities to talk about myself seriously like this, so it's embarrassing when someone asks me about it. Even though I've talked about it myself now (laughs). After my graduation became concrete, I discussed a lot about my plans to go solo. My generation mate, Mizuki, is solo now as well. So I asked her for advice.

──You seem to be on good terms with Hello! Project OG, such as Melon Kinenbi's Saito Hitomi and original Morning Musume member Ishiguro Aya.

Ishiguro-san and I became close after we performed together on LINE LIVE. We even go out to eat together. Saito-san really came to like me when we did radio together, which is such an honor. Sometimes I catch myself thinking "Wait, I'm with someone from Melon Kinenbi right now! I want you to sing!" (laughs). And I'm also very grateful to Shinoda Miho-san of Taiyo to Ciscomoon, who is also my acrobatics teacher. When I told Shinoda-san on LINE that I was graduating, she replied with a blunt "What are you going to do after you graduate?!" (laughs). It's truly wonderful to be able to connect with senpai I've never worked with before.

──In 2018, you appeared as Marita in the Engeki Joshibu production of "Pharaoh no Haka", and your sword fighting skills became a hot topic.

It brings back memories! The sword fighting was so much fun, so I think I'd like to do it again if I have the chance in the future. And after appearing on stage, people often told me that my singing had improved. So that left a strong impression on me.

──Is there anything else that made an impression on you around 2018?

I mentioned Harunan's graduation earlier, but Ogata (Haruna) also graduated that year. As for Ogata, I was rooting for her because I saw her working hard at her studies. But to be honest, I also felt a bit sad that she was graduating already. If she were still in the group, I would have liked to see her interact with 17th generation member Haru-san (Inoue Haruka) as Kansai duo.

I don't remember the exact timing, but around 2018, people started saying things like "You're the one who never has been absent." I wasn't really conscious of it, so it was only when I realized "Come to think of it, I haven't really been absent before...?" (laughs).

──17th generation member Yumigeta Ako-san respects Ikuta-san's excellent ability to manage her health, as she mentioned in her appearance in the September issue of Non-no last year.

Yumigeta is a really hard worker, she always arrives at rehearsals earlier than anyone else and stays to practice afterward. But she unknowingly pushes herself too hard and keeps going beyond her limits, it'd be such a shame to end up getting sick. That's why I told her "Managing your health is part of your job, so your first priority should be being able to make it on stage." When you feel something's off with your body, it can be hard to tell for others if you're pushing yourself too much. So you have to make that decision yourself. Since her body is still changing, it's very important for her to know her limits and protect herself. Of course, you need an environment where you can rest if you get sick or injured. However, in Yumigeta's case, I worry that she might be pushing beyond her capacity without even realizing it.

That said, even though I'm talking big here, I'm not perfect myself. And of course I do get sick sometimes. I think a big part of it is luck, that it just didn't happen during events or concerts. In my case, my mother was very strict about my health. If I said "I think I have a slight sore throat," she'd put about 30 bottles of Kakkonto (cold medicine) in front of me (laughs). It's not so extreme anymore, but I still keep Manuka honey at home and carry cough drops with me. So I feel like I've developed the habit to take precautions on a daily basis.

──The setlist for your 2018 birthday event was a retracing of your history up to that point, but what was your mindset when you selected those songs?

The setlist included songs I sang during my audition, such as "Little Princess☆Pri!" and "Aitai Lonely Christmas". So some fans suspected I might be graduating. Looking back now, I can't remember why, but looking at the setlist again it also includes a medley rehearsal I had with Michishige (Sayumi) that I wasn't able to perform on the 2011 tour. So it's certainly understandable that people would think I'd be graduating (laughs).

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Original article: https://nonno.hpplus.jp/entertainment/interview/248883/

Translated by: ©Eriponderful World

【Morning Musume '25】Ikuta Erina Graduation Commemorative Web Series Part 1: From achieving her dream to becoming the sub-leader

In this series of articles, we will be talking about Ikuta Erina’s graduation, who is set to graduate on the 8th of July with “Morning Musume ‘25 Concert Tour Haru Mighty Magic DX ~Ikuta Erina wo Miokutte~” held at Nippon Budokan. In this first article, she will be talking about her childhood when she was fascinated by idols and talents, about the time she joined Morning Musume, the graduations of senpai and the turbulent times that lead to her becoming the sub-leader.

Memories of becoming a Morning Musume member, and meeting of the fellow generation members

──You used to be part of an agency back when you lived in Fukuoka. Do you have any memories about that?

I was scouted when I was just walking around in the Tenjin area, and joined the agency. I think it was around the time I was in the 4th grade of elementary school. After joining, I did participate in a few fashion shows, but I wasn’t that active, so it’s not like I had much experience. But my agency has always been very kind to me. When I decided to audition for Morning Musume, they checked if it was okay for me to do so since I already belonged to their agency. When I decided to part ways during the audition time, they told me I could always come back if there were troubles or if I failed the audition.

──Have you always been interested in the entertainment industry?

Yes! When I was in elementary school, I used to look up to Suzanne-san, and when I went to a handshake event she asked me “Why don’t you try it out?”. I loved idols, but I didn’t really have the image of me becoming one, if anything I just wanted to become a talent.

──Please tell us how you found out about and came to like Hello! Project and Morning Musume.

I wasn’t really aware of Hello! Project, but when I was little, I liked Minimoni and Matsuura Aya, like many others of my generation. I used to collect Matsuura Aya’s pink monkey cards, and I also liked the Minimoni games and played them a lot. I still have a video of me and my childhood friend dancing together on “Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~” and I remember we said to each other we wanted to join Morning Musume together in the future. In my elementary school graduation album, I also wrote “I want to become a Morning Musume member”. Actually, that same friend came to see the concert from my graduation tour in Fukuoka (on the 25th of May).

──When did your desire to become a Morning Musume member become firm?

Before I auditioned, I thought “I won’t make it”, but before I knew it, I made it to the training camp part. So when I was one of the remaining 6 participants, I had a strong feeling that I absolutely wanted to pass. In the end I was happy that I passed, but at the same time I felt strange about it. So I asked Tsunku-san “Why did I pass the audition?”. He told me “You can quit now and start over if you’d like” which also left a big impression on me (laughs).

──Are there any other memorable moments from during the audition?

I was scared to appear in front of the judges and often wondered what to do. But then I changed my mind and tried a strategy of targeting one judge I thought would be the right choice for me. If you can leave a strong impression on even one person, your chances of being chosen might increase. Of course there is a bit of luck involved too, but I personally recommend this strategy to anyone auditioning in the future (laughs).

I thought I was prepared for the training camp to some extent, but it turned out to be very tough. Later on the teachers and staff told me “We knew you came from the general public so you couldn’t suddenly learn how to sing and dance, but we were intentionally strict with you” and I felt a bit relieved about that. During the audition, I also met Takaki Yumi from LinQ, who is still a good friend of mine, and that was also a big event for me personally. Even before my debut, having like-minded people of the same age around me, including my childhood friend Motomura Aoi, who all came to be idols for a long time, gave me a lot of encouragement in my own activities as well.

──After passing the audition, you changed your hair from long to medium for the unveiling of the 9th generation at “Hello! Project 2011 WINTER ~Kangei Shinsen Matsuri~”. Tsunku was inspired by that situation to write the song “Otome no Timing”, and later wrote on his blog it was amazing and quite shocking you called your dad about this and not your mom.

Actually, there’s a bit of a backstory to this. To be honest, I didn’t want to cut my hair. So when I wanted to call my family to check about this, I knew my mom would definitely be okay with it, so I called my dad hoping he would put a stop to it. But he immediately replied saying “It’s okay” (laughs). Tsunku-san said he was impressed that I called my dad instead of my mom, saying “She must be a girl who was raised with love from her family”. In fact, my family is pretty close, so things like this happen.

There is one more thing I can talk about now, I was personally very scared to go on stage for the unveiling. I went to an AKB48 handshake event in my hometown and I was filmed and appeared on TV, and my behaviour was criticized online.

──At that time, unlike now, there was an atmosphere where idols and fans from different agencies didn’t really interact between each other.

I have always loved idols and cute girls. I went to an AKB48 handshake event with the same feelings I had as with Suzanne, but I never thought it would cause such a problem, so it was a huge shock to me at the time. The announcement of the 9th generation was made in front of an audience, so I was really worried about whether everyone would accept me. I remember thinking I had to keep my cool, but inside I felt very upset. In the end, I was given a very warm welcome by the fans and made it onto stage without problems, but then I was surprised again when Fukumura Mizuki was called to come down on stage as a surprise addition.

──Please also tell us about your first impression of the three other generation members.

Suzuki: I met Kanon-chan for the first time in the 3rd round of the auditions. I thought “She’s a cute girl” so I went with my mother to talk to her, and she was very friendly. So I was very happy when I found out we were both going to the training camp. We were supposed to meet the other members for the first time after passing the audition, but when I saw Kanon-chan there, I was so happy that I blurted out “Kanon-chan!” without thinking.

Sayashi: I met Riho for the first time at the training camp, and I got the impression that she was stoic and didn’t talk much to anyone. She’s a really good dancer, and was often in the middle during lessons, so I watched her thinking “This girl will definitely pass”.

I met Mizuki for the first time on stage, and I was so nervous that my mind went blank, so to be honest, I don’t have many memories about it. The moment Mizuki’s name was called, the venue went crazy and it seemed like everyone knew who she was, but the three of us didn’t really know, so we were like “... Huh?”.

──In the non-no graduation web series interview with Fukumura-san, she talked about the moment you asked her “Can I call you Mizuki?”. Do you remember that moment?

Someone from the agency had told me “Fukumura comes from the Hello! Project Egg program (now called Kenshuusei), but from now on, you should treat each other as classmates”. The other two members were younger, so I felt they were having trouble on how to speak to Mizuki. So I thought I had to step in there, and that’s how I talked to her.

──At what point did you realize you became a member of Morning Musume?

I realized it when I went to school after the announcement had been made. I got so many text messages the day it was announced. I had only told one friend I was auditioning, so maybe a lot of people were surprised when they suddenly found out. I went back and forth between Fukuoka and Tokyo for a while, and after a while I moved to Tokyo for real. I had good friends I spent a lot of time with at the junior high school I went to, so I felt really lonely when I changed schools. Actually one of them suddenly said to me about 3 years after I passed, “Actually I always liked Hello! Project. I was watching the audition all the time.”. She didn’t tell me anything during the auditions or after I passed. I was surprised, but I felt happy to hear that.

The harshness of Morning Musume when she first joined

──Since joining, you must have had a hectic time with the first 9th generation event, your first tour and your first single all in one month. Was it difficult?

Nowadays, when joining the group, there is a certain period of time decided to learn Morning Musume songs. But in our case, we were suddenly told we would be dancing to “Tomo” in two days, and we had to practice hard. A week later, we were asked to do a pantomime at a fan club event. I thought “If it’s just mime, I suppose we can do it!” but then we started rehearsing for the spring tour and had extremely tough days (laughs). It’s quite a challenge for a group of elementary and junior high school students, including inexperienced members, to master 30 songs in just two or three months and perform together with senpai on stage, right? I think it was extremely difficult not only for us, but also for our senpai and the staff who supported us. So I think from that kind of experience the system we have today was developed (laughs).

──How was the first tour “Concert Tour 2011 Haru Shin Souseiki Fantasy DX ~9ki Member wo Mukaete~” after all that hard training?

During rehearsals, I was constantly getting told off every day, and the situation was so chaotic that I gradually didn’t even understand why they were so upset with me. In the midst of all this, the Great East Japan Earthquake happened as well. I was at school at the time, but my manager came to pick me up and I remember walking home together. Due to the effect of the earthquake, the March concerts were all cancelled, and we started the tour with the Omiya concert in April. The Omiya concert was also interrupted by aftershocks, and many other things happened. The shock of the earthquake that happened was huge, those were very emotional and turbulent days.

After all, the most memorable experience of my career is the first tour. Every time we got scolded during practice or rehearsal, our managers told us to discuss the issue with all of the 9th generation members, so we had a lot of discussions. Those times were certainly important, but if I could go back to those times, I would tell myself “You should wrap up the discussion and go home early to make time to properly memorize the choreography and lyrics” (laughs). I cried everyday during rehearsals, but once the tour actually started, I was really happy to see the number of fans holding penlights in my member color increase. I’ve had opportunities before to meet my fans, but during the tour there were so many of them, it was the first time I realized I have fans. There were still many things I didn’t understand during this tour, but I felt happy, joyful… and so many other emotions, I felt like I gained a lot from it.

──So those emotions have been created as a result of having gone through a difficult time.

That’s right. But at the time, the policy was that even if you practiced hard, if you weren’t ready, you couldn’t perform it on stage. So there were quite a few songs I couldn’t perform. It’s not that I was shocked by it, but I think it was inevitable because I was in a state where I didn’t fully understand what I exactly wasn’t able to do.

──Ikuta-san, as you joined as someone from the general public, we imagine you had a lot of difficulties. Please tell us about anything you particularly worked hard on, or any changes you noticed within yourself.

If I had taken even one day off, I would have not been able to keep up, so I just tried not to take a break. I mentioned that I had several emotions appearing during my first spring tour, so it was around this time that I wanted to explore Morning Musume more strongly. Up until that time, I had been watching live videos of other artists and idols, but starting from then, for about two or three years, I spent my time watching Morning Musume videos only. The group has such a long history and there was so much to learn that I didn’t have time to watch anything else.

──What Morning Musume videos did you watch frequently?

I used to watch a lot of footage from the Platinum Era when Takahashi Ai was the leader. In our current tour, “Morning Musume ‘25 Concert Tour Haru ~Mighty Magic”, we are opening with “I’m Lucky Girl”. This is a homage to the performance I saw on the day I was announced as a member - the performance of the five Morning Musume members at the time: Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Michishige Sayumi, Tanaka Reina and Mitsui Aika. The fans noticed right away, which I thought was amazing (laughs). I also really like the dresses we had made for the current tour as a homage to “Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai”.

──Going back to when you first joined, after your first spring tour you were appointed as an Oha Girl, a daily assistant on the TV program “Oha Suta”. Was it difficult juggling your studies, your work with Morning Musume and your solo activities all at the same time in an unfamiliar environment?

I always loved “Oha Suta” and used to watch it often. I also loved “Oha Girl Maple”, with the former S/mileage member Ogawa Saki, so when I was told I’d be able to audition for the show, I was jumping up and down with joy. I wasn’t told the details, but I really wanted to be selected, so I showed off my geeky knowledge of Oha Suta at the audition. However, what ended up getting me selected was when I said “I love Oha Suta!” at the end of the interview.

By the way, I was told to keep my passing a secret from the other members, so during the Hawaii tour that year, I secretly practiced with the Oha Girl batton in my manager’s room. And as soon as I became an Oha Girl, rehearsals for the tour started, and at the same time I also had events for the new Oha Suta song. I couldn’t attend the rehearsals for Oha Suta at all, and I couldn’t keep up with Morning Musume either, so I was getting scolded a lot. It was very hard, but I was hardly ever scolded at the set of Oha Suta (laughs), so that was a sort of healing time for me. I was going to school at the time as well, and even now I realize I had such a crazy schedule, but it seemed like that was the norm, so I just did my best even when I got scolded.

──Since joining the group, the members of the 9th generation have been exchanging messages with the producer Tsunku. Is there any story that stands out in your memory?

At first I would send him messages about every day, but among us four I think I was the first one to stop doing that (laughs). Tsunku-san once wrote in the liner notes “Ikuta doesn’t really suck up to anyone”, so I think this situation showed him that. I was told that we could message him about anything, but when I think about it now, I only really sent him things that I rather shouldn’t have, such as things I didn’t like about today’s practice or things I didn’t do well (laughs). Of course I knew from the reactions of other adults around me that Tsunku-san is an amazing person, but it didn’t seem real to me, and at the time I just felt like “I’m exchanging messages with a celebrity!”.

──What was your relationship with the other 9th generation members like when you were going through such big changes?

Among us, Mizuki was the one who was taking care of everything, while Riho and Kanon would often have small fights and I was just watching them. Even now it isn’t much different (laughs). We never saw each other as rivals. We were four completely different people, and I think that’s why we fit into the atmosphere of Morning Musume at the time.

The complicated relationship with her first kouhai, and the strengths she honed through variety

──The 9th generation was the beginning for creating a new image for Morning Musume, were you aware of this yourself?

Of course we couldn’t really see it that way ourselves, but people who had been fans for a long time (back then) often told us “It feels like a new era has arrived”. I also remember being very happy when the senpai told us they were glad we joined the group. But during our first spring tour, the 10th generation auditions were announced. From then on, the atmosphere among us 9th generation members became gloomy, like “Maybe we’re not needed anymore”. Our manager had told us beforehand to not get discouraged as the 10th generation auditions had already been decided during the time the 9th generation audition was held. But we were all young at the time and constantly being scolded, so given the situation we could only think about it in a negative way.

──So what did it feel like when the 10th generation joined?

The senpai and staff had just experienced handling children with the 9th generation (laughs) so they seemed very tolerant towards the 10th generation. In fact, I don’t think the 10th generation got scolded at all compared to us. Perhaps it was because we told them what to be aware of which they could get scolded for.

──When the 10th generation joined, Takahashi Ai who was the leader at the time, also graduated and this marked a big change in the group.

Yes. As soon as we joined, our manager told us “Don’t expect the senpai to stay around forever”.

──As 9th generation, you quickly got kouhai members, so your time as the newest members was rather short.

That’s right. But on the other hand, we were often grouped together with the 10th generation. Recently, Sakurai Rio from the 16th generation was in a similar situation. When it was decided we would be getting a 17th generation, I told her in advance there is a short span until kouhai members will join, so you might often get put together as one. And because I personally had that experience, I try to deal with both Sakurai Rio and the 17th generation separately. Even if I make the same suggestion to both, I talk to them separately.

──As Fukumura-san mentioned before, the 9th and 10th generation had a complicated relationship due to their close age.

Harunan and Ayumi-chan are older than me, so it was strange to hear them use honorifics with me. Morning Musume decides on senpai and kouhai based on order of joining, so even if there was only a six-month difference, our manager said we should make the hierarchy clear. But I think outsiders probably would think “There’s only a six-month difference, and they’re older, so why would they need to use honorifics?”. It’s not that anyone is in the wrong, but we were always afraid that we might be seen as rude depending on how you look at it. And MaaDuu were only children after all! There was also an incident where Satou-chan left her nail clippings in the company car, got totally scolded for it, and all of 9th and 10th generation had to take the responsibility for it as a group and we weren’t allowed to ride the car to the venue anymore (laughs). Among the 9th generation we thought “Why we as well?”, we couldn’t really say it out loud, so those small incidents happened often.

──It seems like you were appearing on a lot of variety shows around this time. Everyone, including the new members, seemed to be really pushing forward, but what was that like?

In the past, when we had work in media, our managers would get mad if we didn’t speak at least three times. So I think that’s where we developed that kind of pushing forward spirit. Even now, I try to encourage our kouhai, saying things like “Let’s each try to speak once today” or “When you have jobs outside the office, if you don’t talk, you won’t make any headlines”. I think there is meaning in speaking up on the spot, and there may be people who want you to speak up regardless of whether it is interesting or not. I make a distinction between what should be said and what should not be said based on what I have learned through my own experience, and I would like to share what I feel is meaningful to the kouhai as much as possible.

──Ikuta-san had the image of someone who uses magic on variety shows, but is that something you came up with yourself?

I did come up with it myself. It was an idea that came out of nowhere, like “I have to make them like me, what would be good to use… I have to make it interesting… What about magic!”. The response to it turned out bigger than I expected. In fact, I was invited to many programs such as “Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!”. The staff gave me a lot of guidance for the part where I would repeat “I’m Ikuta Erina, aiming to be the number one idol in the world”, and Okamura Takashi-san made fun of it. As well, Yuusuke-san declared himself to be a fan of mine. This led to me being able to appear on “Pussuma”, but not only solo, even with the group. And he would always favor me (laughs). I met Kusanagi Tsuyoshi-san at the FNS Musical Festival the day after we went squid fishing for “Pussuma”, and was asked “Eripon! Are you okay after yesterday? Wasn’t it cold? Haven’t you catched a cold?”. I went to a SMAP concert with my mother when I was about 3 years old, so I was deeply moved I had the opportunity to work with him. At the time, many people learned about me through these shows, and even other girls I became friends with later told me they had a strong impression of me, talking about using magic and all (laughs).

──We have the impression you were always the one getting picked on in media, did you ever find that difficult?

Once I understood that was kind of my role, it wasn’t really hard at all. About half a year after I joined, Michishige-san teasingly skipped over me when asked what she thought of the 9th generation, just saying “That’s it”. I started crying, but my manager had told me I really couldn’t cry about it. But I wasn't crying because I was teased, it was because I created a situation where I couldn't respond well and people around me were trying to support me, and I ended up in a position where people were worried about me. So if there is anyone who thinks it was because I was teased by Michishige-san, that is not true at all! But this incident did make me understand my role in variety shows.

Remembering my own experiences, I try to ask my kouhai "What do you want to work hard on first?" when they join the group. If someone says "variety shows and talking", we can do that, and if someone says "I'm not good at talking," we can feature them in other areas they’re good at. There are things I can and can't do, but I'd like to support them as much as possible in the areas they want to work hard on.

The experience of turning a crisis into an opportunity, and the changes she felt after becoming top senpai

──Ikuta-san has the image of someone who turns adversity into opportunity. For example, in "One・Two・Three" you only had one singing part, "Ru", but you took advantage of that and made it into a conversation piece.

I was quite shocked when I got zero singing parts in "Only you", so I was honestly grateful that I was even given that small "Ru" part in "One・Two・Three". However, since it's in the second verse of the song, I knew it would be cut a lot during lives. So I thought about how to make this situation more interesting, and started saying things like "The other members get to sing a lot, but I only have that "Ru" part in the second verse of the song, so I can't even show it on TV!". Whenever I had the chance, I would bring it up. People really found it amusing, so this one time we appeared on "Kanjam Zenpennen Show" (now called Eight Jam), Yokoyama You-san and Murakami Shingo-san sympathized with me saying "I understand how you feel!". The other members also got on board with it, so it felt like everyone around us made it more exciting as well. During my last tour we're holding now, I thought it was a must to sing the "Ru" part in "One・Two・Three", so I asked to include it in the setlist. But because I use in-ear monitors, I couldn't really hear the reactions from the audience. So when I asked the staff at the end of the first day "How were the reactions?", I was relieved when they said "They were the most excited!" (laughs).

──It was also impressive that your member color changed midway through the group. At first it was purple.

Actually, when I was given purple, I didn't really like or dislike it. But before I knew it, I came to love it. Later, my member color changed to yellow-green, but even after the change I still see fans bringing along purple goods which genuinely makes me happy. When I occasionally wear purple costumes, fans seem to be happy about it, so I guess it was a color that suited me well.

──We're sure this story is already well-known with the fans, but can you tell us how you came to inherit the yellow-green member color from Niigaki-san?

I just simply love Niigaki-san. When I first joined, we had a regular senpai-kouhai relationship, but as I watched Niigaki-san's attitude towards her work and her cool acting on stage, my feelings for her grew and grew, and before I knew it I became a huge fan. Even though we are members of the same group, I collect Niigaki-san's goods and even had a keychain with her autograph on my cellphone. I once asked the agency if I could join her fanclub tour. All of this is documented in the DVD magazine "Ikuta Erina ga 5 Gousha ni Niigaki Risa Fan Club Tour in Shizuoka", and during this time Niigaki-san told me "I would like to give the yellow-green member color to Ikuta (after I graduate)". And our manager at the time encouraged the idea saying "When a new member joins, there's a chance they'll end up with yellow-green, so you should change it before that happens". So my member color changed from purple to yellow-green.

──It was around this time that your hobby of golf turned into a job as well.

That's right. There was this time we decided to freshen up the skills listed for the 9th and 10th generation members, and when I told them "I"m good at golf!" they said "Show us how good you are". So I went to a driving range with a staff member and they said "You can really play golf!". From that time on I started getting golf-related jobs. Thanks to golf, I have had the opportunity to work and regularly meet with great senpai in the entertainment industry such as Sakai Masaaki-san, Kurita Kanichi-san, Kanou Mika-san, Matsuoka Mitsuru-san, ... I have also been a model for BEAMS GOLF. I was even given the opportunity to get my own golf show "Ikuta Erina no VS Golf". It has been airing since 2018 and has been going on for 7 years, so I am truly grateful for everything that has happened.

──Was there anything you gained from having your own show and being the titular character?

I learned how to interact with people. I often welcomed guests who were active in fields I had never been involved in before, or with whom I was working together for the first time, so I was always thinking about how I could speak well. I felt comfortable because I was hosting the show with Higuchi-kun, but I also felt that I had to do things myself as it was my show. So gradually, I started asking about people I wanted to invite as guests.

──While you had a fulfilling outside job, there were years when you were absent from the Engeki Joshi-bu stage productions. Was there a division of job responsibilities in the group at that time?

The roles were divided in the way that the members who weren't cast would be doing outside work instead. I think I was considered a member of the variety team. There may have been members who were dissatisfied with that sort of division, but I really enjoyed appearing on variety shows, so I took the fact that I wasn't performing on stage very positively.

──We get the impression Ikuta-san has been making headlines recently with some fan service, such as allowing fans to take high-quality 2shot cheki's at fan events. We'd also like to hear about your interactions with fans.

When it comes to the cheki sessions, my priority is to look cute (laughs), so I try to tell the staff the best angle and distance to take the photo at. That way the fan next to me can look good as well. And because they came all the way to the venue, I try to keep the distance as close as possible without getting too close, while still following the rules (laughs).

──Are there any memorable moments from the fan events?

At first, I was just so happy to have people come to my booth, and I expressed my gratitude to each and every fan very loudly. But one day, I kind of felt a bit more rebellious, and it really came out on the surface. Suddenly the number of people coming to my booth really decreased, and I was shocked about it and couldn't really change my feelings about it for a while... I'm really sorry for the fans who came to see me during that time. But when I was able to interact with fans who wore the same things I liked, danced with me at concerts, I realized again how amazing it is they try so hard to like something they didn't know before just "because they like Eripon". The regret about my behavior I felt made me think hard about how I could make the people who come to our concerts happy. From there, I went through a process of trial and error, and recently, I'm very grateful to say that more and more people are saying the fan events are very satisfying to them.

──A few years after you joined, the ZDA (National Simultaneous Handshake Events) started. It was an innovative idea to take charge of a handshake event in one city by yourself, but did you ever feel any pressure?

Besides the regular fans, local people often participate casually in these as well, which I think is the best part about it. But there is always a lot of pressure to sell out the event. So the presence of the "usual" fans who do all events is very important and a big help. It was a huge relief in my heart. But to be honest, when we do these events, I prefer going with multiple members so I don't have to do it all by myself (laughs).

──In the spring of 2014, then-leader Michishige Sayumi announced her graduation for the fall tour the same year, and it was decided that the 9th generation would become the top seniority.

When it was decided we would be on the top, all of the 9th generation members discussed it together. It felt early in terms of time and age, so looking back on it, I felt we became the top without having fully grown up. As for Mizuki, she became the leader at the age of 17, carrying the history of Morning Musume on her back. Amazing right. Our biggest fear at the time was that without the senpai, Morning Musume might no longer be what we always admired. We were trying to figure out how to present ourselves better in order to have Michishige-san's fans keep supporting us, trying and failing in our own way. Someone at the agency also had told us "Michishige-san's graduation concert will be a place where more people than usual will be watching, so you should perform in a way that will make as many people as possible interested in you". So we were really fired up for the graduation concert. Furthermore, I was appointed as sub-leader when Michishige-san graduated.

──Did being the second highest in seniority change you personally, Ikuta-san?

Around the time Michishige-san graduated, I finally started to understand several things, including what I like. For example, the type of costume that fits me, expressing the worldview of a song, including the lyrics. Since I joined, I was always told "to understand the meaning of the lyrics and perform it that way" and I think it was around that time I finally came to understand that. As my inner self changed, I suddenly started to like heartbreak songs and sad songs even more than cheerful ones (laughs).

But the interpretation of a song depends on the person, and it's difficult to understand it suddenly. So when I talk to kouhai who are not sure about their performance, I don't try forcing it onto them like "its this kind of song" but I try to talk to them about my interpretation of it like "this is what I think". I also try to tell them not to just like the songs, but try to like it for the lyrics. It might be easier to understand a song by looking at the lyrics you like, not only liking the rhythm and groove. And even in songs you don't usually listen to, there might be lyrics you can really resonate with. Anything that works is fine, but I think going that step further will lead to a better interpretation of the song, so I want the new members in particular to value that aspect.

──What about the performance aspect?

After Michishige-san graduated, I ended up taking a lot of her parts, so my singing parts increased a little. To be honest, I still can't say I'm great at singing, but I've been studying it in my own way. At first, I just watched a lot of performance videos from my previous senpai. I tried to imitate how they sang and how they used their voices, and I learned to understand little by little how Morning Musume presents themselves and what the fans like. I also had voice training lessons, but it took quite a while before the results of that showed on stage. When I focused on singing, I would be conscious and my throat would close up, or I would neglect the rhythm and my performance, so I tried and tested it through failure and experience.

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Original article: https://nonno.hpplus.jp/entertainment/interview/246423/
Translated by: ©Eriponderful World