So now that we have access to Monthly AE in English, why don't we post some info from the interviews and what not? This month is an interview with Reni, and there are some interesting bits about Momoka and the members' feelings while she was leaving. It's a really enlightening interview, and Reni seems pretty candid about herself.


-This is the first Monthly AE since Momoiro Clover Z became a four-member group.
So much has happened in such a short time, every week has felt like a month. Time just flew between Ariyasu announcing her graduation and her last concert in Makuhari Messe. However, it’s been crawling by since then. Until the concert, I guess we were all just focused on getting the thing done. That’s what we felt we had to do—we felt very strongly that we had to do what we could to make the MONONOFU accept what had happened, that we had to do this and that thing to get that acceptance from our fans... On the 21st, Momoclo became a four-person group. Now we’ve all had a chance to recover, to decide that we’re going to look to the future, to leave a lot of complicated feelings behind in Makuhari Messe. The week was just so packed...

-I remember that in one of your previous interviews for Monthly, you said, “Because my feelings are now linked to those of the people around me, I sometimes have a bad time myself.” I have to admit I felt a little worried about you.
Hmmm... Well, this is something I believe myself, but I’ve gotten a lot stronger mentally compared to just a little while ago. I tended to overthink a lot of things until recently, but these days, I’m determined to stay strong as much as I can. Of course I’ll keep adjusting myself to the people around me, but I feel like I’ve found a kind of center, something like the way I want to live, something that helps me not forget myself and keep myself in focus. When Ariyasu left, of course there were all sorts of ideas in my head, so many thoughts—including some that were quite painful. But I suspect that compared to before, I now get back on my feet much faster. I can make that sort of switch much faster than I used to.

-Was there something in particular that helped you become stronger?
It happened more gradually... in a way. I think part of me finally realized that the overthinking I was doing wasn't doing me any favors at all. It just made me tired, and my tiredness had a negative influence on the people around me too. I realized that none of my bouts of overthinking had ever led to any real results. And I drew my conclusions, I guess?

-That does sound like it makes sense... No matter how hard you ponder something, you just end up thinking in circles.
Up to now, that awareness never really led to anything for me, and I didn't manage to resolve anything. In the end, the solution is inside of me. I’m the only one who can really do something to help myself. So I started thinking that maybe it would be less tiring if I just stopped worrying—if I focused on staying strong instead of overthinking things. I’m also making things easier for myself this way, because I’m letting myself focus more on a lot of different things. I thought, it’s such a waste, all that time I spend with my mind wandering aimlessly.

-Did you ever try to imagine what Momoclo would be like as a four-member group?
Yes, a bit.

-Is it the way you imagined it? The reality.
What I imagined was something different. But that doesn’t mean different in a bad way. It feels fresh, somehow? I’m not sure how to put it into words. I hadn't thought that there would ever be only four of us. We all have our own characters, our own positions on stage, our own roles. I thought that if one piece of that puzzle disappeared, it would have a huge impact on the group, even if the individual people got through it okay. It could throw off the balance of the whole thing. After all, that’s how it goes with many things in life, not just Momoclo.

-Yes, I agree.
But now that we really have become a four-person group, it feels like we’re even more united? It was the same when Akarin left. Everyone feels like they’re facing in the same direction. Being forced to clear this hurdle might have helped us. Helped all of us confirm again what direction we were facing in, I mean.

-That’s something you never really get to do unless something gives you that little push.
I get the feeling that we’ve gotten more considerate of each other, that we’ve all gotten a lot more understanding.

-That’s something that happens precisely when everyone finds themselves in the same difficult situation. You realize that you’re not the only one feeling like this—it’s everyone.
This is going to sound a little bad, maybe, but I’m starting to think that we’re really okay in the end. Thinking like that is what going forward really means, perhaps.

-We all have our own lives, and they're long but also short at the same time. We have so many options.
Yes, we all have our own lives. But while you have your own life, it’s not just your life when you're part of a group. That is what the recent events really made me feel. What I was reminded of. That we need to brace ourselves a little, emotionally.

-The recent events made me keenly aware, again, that Momoclo is really amazing. Amazing in the sense that it’s a group that can cause such a firestorm on television and online when a member leaves. It’s a strange way of saying it, but...
There are tens of thousands of people who respond when I say one word. Some of them are sad, but there are also people who get really happy because we’re doing a live show. So I really feel that whatever I do, I don’t want to make people sad. I think everyone in Momoclo feels the same way. Whatever happens in the future, I want to talk about it properly with my own words. For the sake of our fans, and for the sake of the group. Some things can have an impact not just on your own life, but also on that of the group, even on the lives of your fans. I’ve seen those tears with my own eyes. There are people who have overcome all sorts of heartache to come and support us, and also people who say, sorry, I have to take my distance a bit.

-I’m sure there will be people who become MONONOFU again as a result of what happened.
Yes. That’s why I, personally, felt that I really want to continue. Always.

-Ms. Momota often says in interviews that “So long as Takagi stays Takagi, Momoclo will be just fine.” Of course Ms. Momota isn’t the only one who thinks so. We all do. I don’t say that to put pressure on you—you simply are a rock for everyone.
(laughs) What I want to say to everyone is, “You can stop worrying!” Everything is fine.

-Everyone should just be quiet and follow after you. (laughs)
Exactly. As long as no terrible or really unimaginable things happen, we’ll be just fine.

-Nobody knows what the future brings, but in the end, we want all Momoclo members to have fun and be happy. I think that’s something the staff and the MONONOFU can all agree on.
Thank you very much.

-You usually don’t believe me when I say this, but your singing really is getting better and better. Maybe that’s a bit presumptuous of me to say.
No no no!

-I noticed that during live shows, you’re carrying some extremely important parts of songs now.
You know, I think that compared to before, I’ve really learned how to enjoy listening to music. I listen to a lot of different genres now. When you hear how good other people are, you want to be like them!　The way I felt up to now was more that however well you try to sing a Momoclo song, it’s so high and busy, you might as well not try very hard. (laughs)