"Maebashi Witches" is an original anime set in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, depicting the growth of five high school students who aspire to become witches. The anime also features a voice actor idol unit, "Maebashi Witches," which released two CDs on May 28th, including the opening theme "Sugosugi Maebashi Witches!" and the ending theme "Sorezore no Door." We spoke to members Sakura Kasuga, who plays Akagi Yuina, Hinano Sakikawa, who plays Niizato Azu, Reina Motomura, who plays Rena Motomura, Haruka Minami, who plays Mimata Choco, and Honami Momose, who plays Kamiizumi Mai, about the unit's activities.
◇Take on challenges without fear of failure
--What's great about your unit?
Minami-san and I get along well. We've been together for two years, so we know each other's good points and also know each other's weaknesses. The theme of the anime "Maebashi Witches" is "A place where we can become invincible, even though we have many flaws." But we ourselves are also one, with five of us. The five of us complement each other and are a complete team, so I think our strength is that we can't do without anyone.
Sakikawa: One of our charms is the closeness between us and our customers. Since our debut in September last year, we've been holding events in our hometown of Maebashi, and we're trying to create a friendly atmosphere. We've been welcomed warmly, and we've heard people say, "This place is so warm." A warm place is one of our goals. We want to create a friendly and fun atmosphere. Your comments are encouraging!
I can also feel the strong love that all of Kasuga 's staff have for the work. They also have a strong love for Maebashi, and they know so much about it that I wonder if they're all locals. That's one of our strengths.
Motomura: Our strength is being able to take on challenges without fear of failure. We have the support of the people of Maebashi, our fans, and all the staff, and they have poured their love into the work. This has also given us confidence, and our desire to deliver this work to as many people as possible has become one of our biggest pillars, and I feel that this is what has allowed us to work hard. Because we try to do everything we can, there are times when we fail, but everyone supports us. This is why we are able to take on challenges.
We talked about how Momose-san and I are good friends, but our sense of chaos is our personality, and that is reflected in our songs. Even the opening theme song for the anime, "Sugosugi Maebashi Witches!", is cool and cute, but also a little unique. We are trying to express that with all our might. We want to bring out that in a big way and create a miracle.
◇Member introductions
--What are each member's strengths? Please introduce them to us.
Momose- san and Minami-san are attractive because of their stable idol nature. They never waver. Their singing and MCing are also unwavering, so the other four can feel at ease and are very reliable.
Minami-san (the character she plays) thinks about what Choco-chan would do, but she remains natural, so I'm glad that it comes across well. Motomura-san is good at creating an atmosphere. Even when the other four are having fun, she explains (the situation), adds to it, and keeps things moving smoothly. If Motomura-san wasn't there, it would probably be like a zoo (laughs). We're able to come together because we have Motomura as the axis.
Motomura-san: We both pull on each other, don't we? Sakikawa is the main pillar of the group, with her cuteness and tenacity. She's super cute, but she's also got guts, and seeing her working hard and seriously at lessons and live shows makes us want to work hard too! When Sakikawa is worried, we try to work hard together too. She's not the type to rush ahead on her own, but rather works hard together with everyone. I guess you could say she's like the main pillar of the group.
Sakikawa- san, Kasuga is...
Kasuga-san isn't here?!
Sakikawa-san has so much going on, it's hard to summarise (laughs). In truth, he thinks about things a lot, but on the surface he's a clumsy machine gun. He sets the tone for us. Kasuga is usually the one who says the first thing at events. With that one word, the mood changes instantly. He's bright, clumsy and comes across as absent-minded, but in fact he's thinking about a lot of things behind the scenes, and he shares them with us and consults with us, so he's the central mood maker.
Kasuga-san must be thinking! I'm not very good at thinking deeply, so I often only give my opinion when asked... But maybe I'm not as completely unthinking as others think (laughs). Momose's charm is her performance ability and the feeling of a best friend that she's proud of. She's very approachable, unpretentious, and cheerful, and there are so few barriers between them that after just one day of meeting, you'd think we were childhood friends. She has great performance ability, and even fans of other cast members say, "That girl's dancing is amazing." Just like us, she has the kind of charm that makes fans want to brag and say, "Our Momose is amazing!"
To be continued in interview (2).
