230405 animate Times Interview Translation

不專業翻譯by かみこ

Unprofessional translation by Kamiko

"Knowing yourself" The 10 years artist activity

ーーCongratulation to your 10th anniversary artist activity. Mimori-san is actived in different kind of career too, and how was it working as an artist?

Mimori Suzuko-san（Mimori）:Kind of like a「searching for Mimori Suzuko」activity. I have a position on stage and in the seiyuu career, that's me who have a character filter, but in my music career, it's the only place which is the real me.

So, it's a time of searching「What do I want to do」「What kind of person is Mimori Suzuko」, to be honest, at first I'm not good at this. There is no character for me to act out,「 What do I like」, and「How do people see me」, I have no idea.

But, during this 10 years「Which part do people like in Mimorin」, and「What kind of Mimorin do poeple want to see」as listened to this kind of voice from the fans, and the advices from the Staffs.「Oh, that's what Mimori Suzuko is」this kind of discovery.

ーーBeside thinking by yourself, listen to the other may help you realize something. You aimed as a musical artist as your goal when you are yound, so there's not many chances to let you be the maini character.

Mimori: The feeling of「I want to be this character!」was very strong in the past, but I don't have the feeling of「I want to be there more often」. As a kid who feel this sad, I was confused at first, but then I got used to it.

ーーSure in our life, we do think that「I am this kind of person」.

Mimori: Yes! So「You guys made Mimori Suzuko」, it's amazing.

ーー「I am this kind of person!」, is there any part that makes you surprise?

Mimori: The part which made me surprise is, people ask me to act "cute". In my thought I don't know much about "cute", since when I was a student or at home, I've been told「Suzuko is not bother about trifles」and「Suzuko is so cool」. I'm not girly, I don't have any "fluffy" "cute" around me and I live through it, so I was surprised that people want this from me. So, I tried to fit in,「It suits you~!」this kind of feeling(giggle). There are some many new things that got discovered.

ーーYou used to have this side.

Mimori: Just watch the photos, maybe they will think I lived in a fluffy and cute world, that's what I said during an interview(giggle). During debut, I got more chances to act for pink characters, and this image became part of me, but at first I was very shy about it.

I used to wear the outfit of『Milky Holmes』and went to the convenient store, that's embarrassing. But, every time I got shy the Staffs said to me "Don't be shy!"(giggle).

ーーAnd so on, you wear pink too(giggle).

Mimori: We all grow up(giggle). I know how do I look when I preform it, even though I'm embarrassed, and shy about it in the first place, I thought to myself「Since it's what people want to see, so I can't feel embarrassed about it anymore」.「If I feel embarrassed about it, then you guys will feel embarrassed about it too, so I need to be confident about it!」and so I changed my mind.

ーーEven in music activies, we can see different sides of you.

Mimori: Yes. This time "Red" Disc is energetic, and there are more songs which put into the "Blue" Disc.

Listen to「Suzu ga Naruhi」, cried involuntarily, three new songs created by people who are connected

ーーThe Best Album this time, formed with three colors of disc "Red", "Pink", "Blue".

Mimori: Isn't it luxury! It's a best album which can spice up the atmosphere.

looking back to my own songs, they are all songs full of colors, and they have their own concept, beside choosing one to be the title, let's use some simple colors to categorize.

ーーThe title『RPB』, taken from the term「RGB」which is the primary color, it's a great title.

Mimori: It's amazing! I can't get rid of Pink!

ーーThe songs are decided by the fans by using voting.

Mimori: I want to create this album with my fans, so using the image of color to vote for the songs.There are so many songs that made me feel like「It has to put into (colors)!」, and there are some songs that made me surprise. 「UNVIERPAGE」is, 「I feel like it's in pink when I'm singing, but the other thinks it's in red!」, I think it's beecause they received the energy and passion in the song, and so, it's great that the different opinion between me and the fans.

ーーSince red and pink is the same tone, I think it's quite difficult to categorize it evn you sang it.

Mimori: The feeling of heart flutter, the passion, something like that(giggle). 「UNIVERPAGE」is a song that「Maybe it can be in blue?」.

ーーIt had all the factor. There is a lot of ballad in "Blue", even it isn't on purpose.

Mimori: Yes it is. I though to myself「WONDER FLIGHT」is in blue!, sinec I think of my character Sonoda Umi when I was making the song, and it should be in blue, if the fans think more deeply, and listen that will be it.

ーーAlso, there are some new songs, they are created by the people you knew. Did you destribut the colors?

Mimori: Yes I did. As you said, all of the producers are the peoeple I've worked with before. And if it's Blue, it has to be Saito Junichi-san(giggle).

ーー「Suzu ga Naruhi」lyriced by Nagamura Kanata-san, composed by Saito Junichi-san (fhána), it's the collab song of『Revue Starlight』.

Mimori: Saito-san's song has so many vocal. It's blessing, when I listened to the demo I cried non-stop.

ーーIt do makes us cry, the lyrics is in the spot too.

Mimori: I was in the train,「What will the demo be~」as using this kind of feeling to listen but then as I listened「Waa~~(crying)」(giggle). The lyrics is so good, and I knew that Kanata-san, wrote it while thinking of me.

ーーI can't it describe Mimori-san in this perfect way. So that's why the title have the word "Suzu" on it, it's touching.

Mimori: Yes. The moment when I thought Suzuko is good(giggle). This is the part where it linked to me, it described me from the past to now perfectly.

I met Kanata-san and the member of Revue Starlight in private too, so it's like receiving a message from a friend(giggle). Maybe, as I read the lyrics, and put my feeling in it.

And in this song, Kanata-san joined the harmony. As I was thinking who should I invite, and her face kept showing up. And in the past, I joined the kariuta in『Revue Starlight』, as I thought of it and used it as a excuse, and she accepted it immediately.

ーーThat's why. And Saito-san's song has a lot of chrous, wasn't it costed so many time?

Mimori: The recording is over 4 hours, it's the first time spending this much time in recording. Everyone were exhausting but「There is more?」「Yes, we still have this part of harmony」. But we didn't complain and finished the recording.

ーーThe new sond in "Red"「Ne, Sodesho!?」, lyriced by Hata Aki-san, composed by Yamata Takahiro, arranged by Nakanisi Ryousuke, it's the μ's「Snow halation」team.

Mimori: I love「Snow halation」so much, so I always has the feeling of wanting YamataMan to write for my song. But we didn't have any chances, so I said to myself it has to be in this best album!

ーーThere are not much chances.

Mimori: The character may have more chances. Isn't it the melody from YamataMan. I love Snow Halation so much, so even of the credit didn't said it's written by YamataMan I still can tell.I had the memory that「It is YamataMan's song! But there is no credit on it maybe I'm wrong?」As I went to recording, as I arrived I heard「Yo!」,「It's him!!」(giggle). I found YamataMan to write for my song successfully and I'm so happy.

And the beauty, and passion in Hata Aki-san's lyrics. During these 10 years, there's times that are we can't meet because of differnt kind of reasons, and because of the COVID we can't go wherever we can go, can't do concert. As looking back to that time, as putting the feeling of「We still moving forward, we will be together」, it's an amazing song.

ーーIt's a song it's "we will move on", it's very touching.

Mimori: A song where we arrived to the 10th year. The lyrics from Hata-san is ringing. And Hata-san wrote one more song for me, it's amazing that the atmosphere is completely diffierent!

ーーAnd that song is, "Pink"「Okina Ai de Kimi o Dakishimeyo」, lyriced by Hata Aki-san, composed by Oota Masatomo-san(FirstCall), arranged by EFFY-san(FirstCall).

Mimori: Lyricist and composer is the same as the debut song「Aitaiyo...Aitaiyo!」, which is made with energetic, cute.

ーーSo it's in Pink.

Mimori: Yes. So, during recording I sang as I reminding the recordinig of「Aitaiyo...Aitaiyo!」.

ーーEven the vocal, it feels like the first time hearing it.

Mimori: Using this mindset, recently my vocal are more close to my usual voice, and this song is high(key), it's like spreading my voice to sing.

During the recording of「Aitaiyo...Aitaiyo!」,the Staffs of Pony Canyon were there to watch, I was so nervous about it(giggle).As I've been told「Please make it more cute, please make it more heart flutter」(giggle). As I thought「If debuting is just like this, you can't response to the expectation of the fans!」

The shooting of Jacket photos with no digital, all in film.

ーーMv series will release as the same day as the album, is there any recommandation of one of it?

Mimori: There are so many to be recommanded, it contained a lot of scenes from the MV of「UNIVERPAGE」. It keeps recording so it's very long, I changed a lot too, it's like playing 4 character in one person. Also I had the memory where it was raining heavily outside, started from the morning, and we were still filming at midnight, we all worked hard~

There are a lot of remarkable memory in the old MV. That time when I was working in『Love Live!』and『Milky Holmes』at the same time, it was very busy. During the shooting of「Yakusoku shiteyo? Isshodayo!」, it's the period where there are so many things are happening, and there is some remarkable memory(giggle). That song, I can feel the expectation of the debuting, and so on the coming 2 song had very strong passion,「I have to response the expectation of the fans!」I felt this pressure. So, I remember it clearly.

On the other hand, the MV of「Sweet Home」is combine with the scenes of recorded view. So I don't have many memories in my mind I go「When did I take this scene?」, as asking my manager to confirm(giggle). The feeling of craftment is strong, so it's more simple than the other MV, it's great.

ーーPersonally it's「Are Kore」, it's the best!

Mimori: Ohh~! 「Are Kore」is popular~(giggle).

ーーNo matter the Best Album and the MV series, the jacket photo looks like it taken by films, it's amazing.

Mimori: It do taken by films, no digital all in films.

In this situation we can't check the photo immediately and it's new to me, even though I want to watch some of the photos, and it's going to be great in digital, the great thoughts keep coming, how vivid can it be, as I feel happy about it by just thinking of it.

And, we took a group photo with the Staffs, but since it's a monochrome film, and it become the photo which make me thought isn't it after the war? And if we show to our future grandkids, 「The year of grandmother at, it's black and white!」and make them confused, but interesting photo. The photographer used it on purpose, which left not much, rare monochrome film, and for some reason he decided to use it when we were about to take the group photo(giggle). The jacket shooting, it's fun.