momomofu said:

ロンブー＆チュートの芸能人ヒットソングで爆笑ショーバトル！SP
Momoclo will appear on TV show broadcast on April 4.
Momoclo sings Sailor Moon together with Yama chan.


ショーバト! 　はるな 愛 ＆ ももいろクローバーZ

桃色幸运草反串模仿动画OP 120402 芸能人ヒットソング

Playboy: Akira KAWAKAMI has been the manager of Japan's most talked about idol group, Momoiro Clover Z since they were formed. Having done commentary on their live shows, he's known as something of a "famous manager." [as opposed to a manager of famous people] But, how did he choose this line of work and what about his management skills... we ask it all

PB: First of all, what made you the kind of person you are today?

Akira KAWAKAMI: Well, my childhood spent with things like "Kinikku-man" and "Fist of the North Star." Seeing scenes where the main characters are fighting for friendship was especially formative for me. Also, I've loved the radio since I was an elementary school kid. I listened to MITAKE Yuji's "Young Paradise" and YOSHIDA Terumi's "Yaruki MANMAN" [it means something like 'locked, loaded, and ready to go'] etc. I was a kid that liked radio more than television.

PB: You liked things just a little off-center from the mainstream?

KWKM: More than that, I was pulled in by anything that was funny/interesting [these words are really hard to peel apart without excessive context, which I don't have]. Even on TV I liked things like "Tensai - Takeshi no Genki ga Deru Terebi" [Genius - Takeshi's cheer-you-up TV"] or "1or8" which had a lot of surprises. Even more, things that were full of nonsense, but still, at the very end, there was a story that came to something emotional, or moving were particularly interesting/funny to me.

PB: What brought you into showbiz?

KWKM: My first job in the business was When I was a university student, I had a part time job as a Production Assistant [in Japan, they're called "Assistant Directors" / "AD" but that's a totally differen title in American showbiz]. At that time, TV shooting sights were absurdly difficult [possibly strict]. Sometimes, people wouldn't be able to go home for a whole month. But that job was really interesting to me. Later, I thought I would just get a regular job at a Home Depot [or whatever you call that kind of store, but not that company]. But when I looked through the help-wanted magazine [yes, magazine] I saw that Stardust Promotions was accepting applications. So, even if it was the long way around, I figured I might be able to pick up some useful skills, and applied. That was my 4th year of university. So I hadn't even thought about being a manager and raising actors etc.

PB: What did you do when you first entered the talent agency?

KWKM: At first, I was an apprentice to the apprentices. Driving and such. My boss was an "on the job training" type, so I picked up the actors [singers, etc] and dropped them off, so I could see a lot of working situations. At first I was put with Masanobu ANDO, and he taught me everything about the work site. After that Anna UMEMIYA taught me how to drive [for stars] properly. (*laughs*)

PB: And the first person you were a manager for was Erika SAWAJIRI?

KWKM: That's right. I happened to be on site when she came in for an interview, when she was a 6th grader [12,13 years old]. It was some kind of sign I guess. After a bit an editor for "Shukan Young Jump" invited her to "Seikore" [Uniform Collection (as in, modelling clothes)] (At that time, Young Magazine held this event as a kind of "find new aidoru" audition). And I asked her, "Wanna give it a shot?"

PB: After that.. Was it towards the end of your time as SAWAJIRI's manager that MomoClo was formed?

KWKM: The future MomoClo members were just like Erika, at first they were all just in lessons all the time. If you're asking why we thought to try and form an idol group, then... around then I went to the AKB48 theater with my boss [work superior of some sort]. We thought the level of polish was amazing. And that was when the Akihabara Pedestrian Paradise [cars are locked off the main streets to encourage foot traffic] had all sorts of performers. So we thought, maybe we can do something with "singing and dancing idols," and got permission to put together MomoClo. We didn't really have any budget, but if you're just performing on the street, you don't really need any money (*laughs*).

PB: Did the members ever say, "We're going to stand at the top of this market" back when they were just performing on the street?

KWKM: Yes. Everybody has their own way to reach their destination. The girls in MomoClo thought it was best to just try for the top of the "idol way" [to whatever final destination they had]. Due to their parent's [or legal guardian's] understanding, we went all over the country, sleeping in a minivan while they were still an indies group [indies here, meaning not distributed officially, not truly independant, since they were obviously in a talent agency already]. I just went out and said, "Let's stand at the top when you're 20." They were still in elementary and middle school, so they were focussing several years into the future. When you think about it, managers are really the given the lives of their charges, so I had the feeling "I truly must give their dream a definite shape."

PB: MomoClo went through tons of situations that break all the conventions of being an idol, but... really, looking at Mr. KAWAKAMI's work, the impression we get is, there's a really bright line, "Up to here we'll do, but that, over there is no good."

KWKM: In a manner of speaking, I'm incredibly conservative. [!!] The point is, if they'll just stand out for a moment, but it doesn't lead into anything else later, it's no good. [as in, they won't do it] On top of that, I love Stardust [their agency]. So, I have no intention to have MomoClo do anything undignified [he might have meant something much more serious here] and thereby the dirty company's image. The first job of a manager is figure out how the agency's member's look their best, and make that situation happen. Of course, I give "funny" some priority, so I've had the girls do some appearances that normal idols won't. My boss has said to me, "You are over the top too often." [I wish I could translate this line better "おまえはよけいなことをやりすぎる"] (*laughs*)

PB: I see. Listening to you talk, I can really see that there was a strategy leading to MomoClo's break. So, can you tell use the prospects for the future?

KWKM: Last year, MomoClo got to perform on "Kouhaku," but, for me that felt like we finally reached the start-line. This just the moment when the public finally knows who we are. After this, we'll solidify the foundation of MomoClo's unique entertainment. And then, I want them to be said to be "Japan's strongest." But first we'll do our best to do a concert at the "kokuritsu kyogijou" [The olympic stadium from the 1960's Tokyo Olympics].