A special edition of the dance and vocal unit Atarashii Gakko!' 10th anniversary live concert "Pledge - 10 Years of Standing Out with Individuality and Freedom," which was held on July 19th at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall (Mihama-ku, Chiba City), will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW on October 2nd. Ahead of the broadcast and stream, we conducted an interview with Atarashii Gakko!. We asked them about the particularities of their 10th anniversary live concert, the highlights of the special edition, and their outlook for the past and future.
◇ "The energy of the four of us that was born only on that day"
--The 10th anniversary live concert will be broadcast as a special edition, how do you feel looking back on it?
SUZUKA: It was our biggest solo concert to date, so we had a lot of fun preparing for it, trying to come up with a production that we were happy with, and making it something that we were happy with on such a large scale for the first time.
-Among the various features, which one did you pay particular attention to?
SUZUKA: It's the characters, but also the other people in the production. I feel like there were more "appearances" than ever before.
KANON: There were a lot of things that appeared, like air dancers, which are like puppets that move when inflated, big balloons with our faces painted on them that were flown up, and the big wild boar that appeared on stage.
--Please tell us if there are any points we should pay attention to so that we can enjoy the game even more.
RIN: When we combined our usual performance as just the four of us with the "New School Dancers," it created a different structure and energy, so I think it was even more interesting, with people seeing "Oh, this part has changed like this." There was also a section with live performances by the "Youth Music Club," and I think the combination of the band and us will give the songs a new sound, so I hope you'll pay attention.
KANON: The members have always been involved in the production, video, and every detail, but this time there were many productions that we were particularly involved in, and overall I think it was a live performance that didn't forget the feel of a live performance.
MIZYU: We often ran around the floor where the audience was. It was impressive to be able to meet our fans from a realistic distance, and I'm sure the cameras caught a lot of wonderful expressions. It was interesting to see how each of us took on the challenge of a live performance that was full of individuality, so I hope all the fans will pay attention to it.
SUZUKA: I think the highlight is the song "Exam Eve," in which we had the participation of the dancers and the Youth Music Club. The WOWOW team carefully studied our performance, asking themselves, "If we show it this way, if we shoot it this way, we can experience a different sense of realism than at a live venue," and the footage is truly amazing. I hope that you can enjoy the realism while also feeling that attention to detail. I'm so grateful that we were able to perform live on this memorable 10th anniversary, so please enjoy the energy of the four of us that was born only on that day.
◇The current situation has changed dramatically since the group was formed: "More than we ever imagined"
--Compared to when you first formed, what do you think is the biggest change, evolution, or growth you've seen as a group?
KANON: I think it's that we've become more human. When we first formed, we had everything decided, even every word of what we were going to say in MC performances, so we didn't really show much of a human side to the band. But this time, we ran around the floor, so I think we were overflowing with humanity.
SUZUKA: When we first formed, we thought we were delivering something that only we could offer to Japanese entertainment, but 10 years later, we've gone on a world tour and have come to realise that the scale of what we deliver has become so global that we don't know who will receive it.
--Do you feel like you're getting closer to the person you envisioned yourself to be 10 years ago?
SUZUKA: It's beyond my imagination. Things that we never imagined have happened in the last 10 years. If we told ourselves from 10 years ago that things had become like this, I think we would be surprised.
RIN: The possibilities have expanded to actually give shape to the things we want to do and deliver them to others. Coming out on a boar like we did at this concert would have been impossible up until now, and we were able to travel to everyone on a trolley or by ourselves because the number of fans has increased to the point where we could travel around. I really feel that this is a change, as the scale of our fans has grown to the point where they give us the opportunity to think, "This is what we want to do," or "This is how we want to appear."
--Since there are more things you can do, does that mean there are more things you want to do?
RIN: That's right! It's like I've been able to broaden the horizons I can imagine. If I can do this, then I want to try this next. I've been able to come up with new ideas, and I feel like I'm now able to show them to everyone.
MIZYU: I feel like I've made more friends. I can really feel the passion that everyone has for the live show, not just the fans, but also the bands and dancers who perform on stage with me, the team that puts on the show, and so on. Compared to 10 years ago, my team has really grown, and I feel like I'm now able to create the live show together with everyone, including the fans.
--On the other hand, what do you think hasn't changed?
MIZYU: The message is "Standing out with individuality and freedom" and the sailor uniform. It's something we've been doing since our first live performance, so now so many people know about "Standing out," and I never thought a day like this would come!
--Please tell us about any obstacles you have faced or overcome over the past 10 years.
SUZUKA: It wasn't that creating a song in LA (Los Angeles) for the first time was a big hurdle or difficult, but we had never created something from scratch before, so there were some "Ahhh!!" moments of not having experience. The four of us had to concentrate as one team and find our own "correct answer," which was a different kind of difficulty from creating choreography.
RIN: There are times when each of us feels a little down or like we need to work harder. At those times, the other three always pull us up and make us feel like we should join hands together, so I think it's been 10 years of really supporting each other.
--When something happens at work, do you first consult with your fellow members?
MIZYU: That's right. If it's something that concerns all four of us, we'll talk about it as a group, but if it's something that concerns one person, sometimes I'll talk to one of the other members, and if I need their cooperation, I'll talk to them.
--When members discuss things together, it depends on who brings it up, but is there anyone who takes the lead?
KANON: We all talk. We're in the same group, we get along well, and we're always together, but we all have our own opinions and different ways of feeling things. It's not just that we say, "I want to talk about this, so let's talk on this day," but we often have casual conversations and before we know it, the conversation has turned into a deep one.
◇Don't make it too hard, just charge ahead
--What is the driving force behind your continued activities?
MIZYU: Because we had days where the four of us could talk and improve each other.
RIN: It's the trust and respect between the four of us. I feel like it's only possible because of the relationship between the four of us.
MIZYU: There are many times when we think that various encounters are exactly what we needed at the time, or that they are miracles, so I think that fate and coincidence play a big role.
SUZUKA: I think the reason I've been able to continue is simply because I love being on stage. I love it so much that I don't even know if I love it or not.
KANON: I think we've been able to continue because all four of us have always mysteriously felt the potential of "Atarashii Gakko!," and because we have everyone on the team, from fans to staff, who wholeheartedly supported that mysterious confidence.
--Please tell us what you would like to do or what your goals are in the next five or ten years.
SUZUKA: Of course, there are many things I want to try, but the past 10 years have seen so many unimaginable things happen that I feel imagining them now would be way off the mark, and in fact I hope that will be the case. I want to pursue the path I am on, so I think that attitude and mentality is my goal.
KANON: Up until now, we've never been too determined about the future, and have simply broken down any obstacles we hit, so I think it was good that we never set too clear goals. I think we are where we are today because we never set too much emphasis on our pace or the direction we want to take. I hope we can continue to charge ahead like that.
MIZYU: My fan base is gradually increasing, so I want to hold a sports day. I've been saying this for over five years, but when I saw the view at Makuhari Messe the other day, I felt like I could do it anytime. I want to do something with all my fans.
RIN: All four of us need to be healthy both physically and mentally. Living healthy lives is the most important thing!
The 10th anniversary live concert "Atarashii Gakko!' Pledge - 10 Years of Standing Out with Individuality and Freedom - Special Edition" will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 9:00 PM on October 2nd. (Interview and text: Endo Masaki)
