Profile: Ai Furihata



Blood type B. Her previous major roles include Saku in “orange”, Lisbeth in the game “Dare ga Tame no Alchemist”, and Kaede in “Quiz RPG: Mahoutsukai to Kuroneko no Wiz”. Affiliated with Office-tb.

Member Profile: Ruby Kurosawa

A first-year student at Uranohoshi Girls’ High School. Her older sister is Dia Kurosawa. Though she’s shy and reserved, liking idols is in her nature, so she’s strongly attached to school idols. She’s a kind girl who cares deeply for her friends.

Progress

What progress has there been since completing the 1st Live?

Rather than making progress per se, I felt that everyone’s resolve had solidified. It feels like our feet have touched the ground, completing our huge first step forward. Since my understanding of what it takes to be a member of Aqours and stand on a stage had strengthened, I gained the confidence that I can grow even more in the future.

Aqours

A message for everyone after finishing the 1st Live.

We laughed and cried through those two enjoyable days, without anyone getting injured—thank you so much! I was happy to stand on that stage with everyone~ We could only do it precisely because it was all nine of us, and it made me realize that it couldn’t have happened if it weren’t for these nine people. I’ll continue to be in your care!

Release

Expectations and excitement for the release of the Duo/Trio Collection CD.

It’s the long-awaited sister duo! When the release was decided, I was happy, and before anything else, I contacted Arisa (Komiya) (laughs). I’ve thought about several possibilities for what kind of song it could be, but for us two, a cute style or an energetic style would fit well, so I’m looking forward to completing it.

Together

To the fans looking forward to the Aqours Next Step! Project.

Aqours is a group that can do a variety of things, so I want to aim to be a school idol that can make people go “So they can do something like this too!” with fresh surprises. Also, I hope to repay, in spades, the people who have always been pushing us forward!

Yourself

What about yourself do you think has grown since completing the 1st Live?

I’ve gotten closer to Ruby. When I’m on stage, I can feel Ruby having fun too. There’s the sense that I can hear her voice saying “I want to sing more and more!”, so from now on, I want to go to a variety of places, and share that enjoyment with her.

Interview

I began to feel that we were tracing the footsteps of our past selves.

—How were those two days in Yokohama Arena?

Those two days went by in the blink of an eye. I still have the feeling of being within that scenery, and I still feel a bit like I’m floating [like in those two days]. But since they announced our next steps, I guess I feel that I should keep working so that I can move forward with everyone.

—It was your first time on a big stage, so were you nervous or anything like that?

Now that I look back, I feel like I wasn’t especially nervous. We had done a lot of preparation, and more than anything, I felt that Ruby was standing there with me. Of course, right before the performance, my heart was pounding when we were on standby backstage. But when we made our entrance—facing backwards at first for “Aozora Jumping Heart"—in the moment I turned towards the audience, a strange calmness overtook me, relieving my tension. As I high-fived King (Takatsuki) and Rikyako (Aida), I felt like I had managed to arrive at an amazing place.

—So the audience’s passionate cheering was connected to your sense of security.

It really was a warm welcome. I felt closer to everyone than I thought we would be, and that too was reassuring. I was worried about whether we could see everyone’s faces. We could see those in the main stage section, of course, but as for the people in the wings and near the carts, we were so close that we could practically touch them with our hands. So when I performed an action, the people nearby would respond, and it felt like the audience and I were directly harmonizing with each other through this cycle of action and reaction. We’d ganbaruby together, for example (laughs).

—It’s impressive that this live was organized to follow the flow of the TV anime.

"MIRAI TICKET” might have motivated such an approach, I think. We knew that Anchan (Inami) had been entrusted with conveying the passion of the acting part, and soon I found myself getting into it as well. Rather than having the sense that we were delivering a performance, perhaps it was more like we were faithfully tracing the footsteps that our past selves had left [when working on the anime/songs]. While we were reenacting the flow of the TV anime, I also got a strange feeling that we were presenting ourselves as we were.

—The roll call went perfectly.

After we said “1, 2, 3, …”, it was truly moving when everyone responded with “10”! Aqours may just be 9 people, but the joy of having everyone in the venue participate in the live was incredible.

—Were there any songs that really left an impression on you?

Yes, the second day’s performance of “Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare”. In the moment that Rikyako stopped playing the piano, we knew that she had practiced so much for that, so imagining how much effort and pressure had been exerted brought forth the tears… But, while we were in that condition, the whole arena, wielding their penlights to support Rikyako, was completely covered with sakura pink. We were so moved at that time that we tightened up as well. The solidarity in that moment strongly deepened the bonds between the nine of us. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that sense of unity.

—And last month, the 3rd single was finally released.

It’s a spring-like song, perfect for the current season, and I think it might be a fresh approach for Aqours. At first, I imagined a landscape with cherry blossom petals fluttering down, but the animation PV is quite impressive, presenting scenery evocative of Kanan-chan (Matsuura). I definitely want people to watch this wonderful PV. We worked our hardest while recording the song, and I sang with the image of Ruby singing for Kanan in my mind. While the song does incorporate some melancholy, it’s also as soft as Ruby sometimes, and I’d be happy if listeners felt the cuteness of those parts.

Happy birthday, Furirin! ふりりんお誕生日おめでとうございます！

Translation: @ganbaramen

QC: Mega, xIceArcher, @yujachachacha