What was in the pocket we reached into at Memorial Live “Melody in the Pocket”?

Motegi Shintarou: General Director and Music Producer of Tokyo 7th Sisters (T7S). The day after the emotion-packed Memorial Live “Melody in the Pocket”, which took place on July 20th at Nippon Budokan, we had the chance to ask him about the live.

The meaning of the title “Melody in the Pocket”. How the cast’s performance on the stage of Budokan was formed. And also how his relationship to Tokyo 7th Sisters will change from here on out.

This interview was conducted by the same writer who conducted the interviews in Tokyo 7th Sisters COMPLETE MUSIC FILE. According to him, not only has General Director Motegi’s passion not changed since then, but he felt something even more.

Please enjoy this over 7000 word interview!

Seriously, thank you everybody!

──What were you thinking right when the live ended?

It was just yesterday so I haven’t had the time to completely gather my thoughts yet, but… we had an afterparty at the venue. After every live, the staff, cast, band, and management personnel all share a toast, and the first thing I said was “I really don’t have anything to say. That was the best!”

But what I said second was “Man, that was tough”. After that a few people looked like they were on the verge of tears, while others started laughing. Myself, I was in the former group. So if I had to summarize the live, it was that.

──The live was that tough, huh?

Well, the person responsible was none other than me, the producer. To make that kind of live is tough both physically and emotionally, and I’m aware that at the end of the day it was my fault, so those words weren’t really directed at myself.

It’s just something I wanted to tell everybody. Of course it’s going to be tough for somebody in my position, so I think I said it to the cast and staff kind of unconsciously, so to speak.

──So perhaps you meant was everybody really tried their best, that kind of “tough”.

There was a lot of that as well. Everybody really did their very best. Really.

My emotional attachment to this live was so strong it was almost felt like “this is the end”, and I think it has become a turning point. That’s why today I’d like to express all the feelings I couldn’t say up until today.

──In this interview I’d like to look back on the journey to Budokan, as well as the live itself. To begin with, Budokan was announced at last year’s 3rd Anniversary Live “CHAIN THE BLOSSOM” in April.

If we want to start at the real beginning, thanks to some connections, right before 3rd Live, we discussed the possibility of doing a Budokan live, though no date was set at that point. It was our first time at Budokan, so we couldn’t just book Budokan, but had to make quite a few adjustments.

The hardest part of that was aligning the schedules of the venue with those of the cast, band, and staff. At the time it was already a miracle, but it would be physically impossible to pull it off now. It’s not that we can just try harder to make it possible. T7S has gotten so large, and the cast have their own personal careers. In the end, it’s become a cruel yet simple world where either we can accept that and try to carry on, or give up.

This is often misunderstood, but we can’t just go “I’d like to express this vision, so we must gather these members”. At least, I can’t.

That’s why the date was decided around the end of last year. The decision to make the live just Nanasta Sisters (Nanasta) was made around February. We agonized over that decision until the very end.

Even though there were people who still had the possibility of performing, we had to set our limits and make a tough decision.

──And it landed on a weekday.

We could only make it work on a weekday. To make it possible for the most people to come, we wanted to start at 20:00, but because of the set construction we had to start at 18:30.

──With so many constraints, that’s really all you could’ve done in that position.

That’s right. But that’s how it always is. Do the best with what you’re given. That’s all. But really, it was only because of everybody, including all the fans who came, that it turned out so well.

I want you to sing as Shinoda Minami

──I’d like to discuss the [CD] releases before Budokan as well, starting with new unit Ci+LUS’s debut on April 25th.

We announced the debut in the 4th anniversary video on February 19th, and by that point we were aiming for Ci+LUS’s debut live to be Budokan. We decided on the CD debut once we had confirmed that the two cast members could make the live.

That being said, we wanted to add a bit more color to the live. From a song perspective as well, we wanted new songs. We thought it wouldn’t be enough with just “Start Line” and “STAY☆GOLD”, so we had Ci+LUS debut, and in 3rd album THE STRAIGHT LIGHT, we included the usual new unit songs.

The QUEEN of PURPLE (QOP) also performed a new song at Budokan, but for that song, due to time constraints we weren’t able to include it in the album. In order to find the right balance among various schedules, that decision was made while working on the album.

──The direction is always superb. In the midst of all the units singing their new songs, QOP suddenly saying “We’re doing a new song” and then singing it, taking everybody by surprise — that reveal was awesome.

Thanks (blushes). Specifically for that performance, it was less a logical decision and more simple intuition, so I appreciate your praise.

But, for example, we could’ve decided that Le☆S☆Ca, instead of QOP, wouldn’t get a new song in the album. The reason why we didn’t do that was because we thought that if it was going to be a live first reveal, it had to be QOP.

That’s why it’s the same, yet the complete opposite as before. It’s not about what we want to do, or how we want to start. We don’t have that freedom. We have to do the best we can with the situation we’re given. Within that, it then becomes “Hmm, what should we do? What do we want to do?” Nothing will go exactly as planned, but there’s no point blaming anybody for that. So we always do our best with what we’re given. That’s how it is.

──That 3rd album was also impressive. For a franchise that’s praised for its music, continuing to easily meet those high expectations is really amazing.

Aren’t you praising me a bit too much (laughs)? But, it’s not like just because people tell us the music is good, we spend a lot of time on it or anything like that. We did what we normally do; in fact, in terms of time spent in production this might have been the shortest yet. The fact that we were still able to produce something that people like can only be attributed to the team’s growth.

I haven’t really changed much myself, but when I say “I want to express this”, obviously the more people who understand what I mean, the faster production will go.

──So you’ve established a shared language?

Exactly. They’ve gained a deeper understanding of how to represent what I want express, so they can work more quickly and accurately.

──The songs are getting more difficult and complicated, yet they’re still catchy. That must be hard to achieve.

That’s also due to the cast’s growth. Before, they would hit their limits or go down the wrong path, but because of their growing abilities and the widening shared language, it only makes sense that they would improve.

──Now that we have a new unit and new songs, how was managing the cast and songs with a live band’s music in the mix?

To be completely honest, I didn’t really think about it too much.

That was because I worked together with band director Hirai Takeshi, who was also band director at 3rd Live. Because we share a lot creatively, I put a lot of trust into him, and relied on him quite a bit.

But that’s not just because he understands and can represent what I want to express.

──What do you mean?

It’s also his work ethic. Hirai carefully pores over the dense script I write for the live and tries to understand why everything is the way it is, from the pauses to the changes in lighting. I think the only other people who read the script that thoroughly besides myself, the writer, and the stage directors, who do the actual work, are him and Hatakeyama Takahiro of production company Birthday Song.

The level of understanding of those two is really amazing: when I’d say “I think we should start with a different sound here”, they’d reply “I thought you’d say that, so I went ahead and rented this new equipment. We’re ready to go anytime”, or when there would be something I’d want to try out at the very last minute in rehearsal, they’d reply with “Ah yeah, the stage director agreed, I already asked for some more time”. That made me think, “Wait really!?” (laughs).

Especially Hirai. Not only does he understand live performances well, he can also do production and event programming. As a creator he’s perfect, and as a director he can even keep everybody’s spirits up. I’m always learning from him.

That’s why I trust him so much, so when we were making the 3rd album, I didn’t pay much attention to the band arrangement, all I did was give Hirai the finished setlist and base tracks.

If I give him the script, he understands why I would write “How’s everybody doing!!!” in the middle of a song, and how the arrangement should change because I included that, so I don’t need to think too hard.

──Wow, that sounds amazing. Even though the album has synth songs, he was able to convert it to a band arrangement without it sounding weird.

“Hoshikuzu☆Seeker” is completely electronic, right? But to make it into such a fun song with just a guitar, it’s amazing!

After hearing that cover at the very first band rehearsal, I thought to myself “Incredible as always”.

──So, you wrote the script before the band arrangement was produced, right?

The first draft, yes. We can’t start rehearsing without it. The performance this time was pretty detailed and quite complicated at parts, so I placed myself in the band and made a “sound storyboard” based off the script to show where the cast members would be talking, stirring up the crowd, etc. It was meant to gain a grasp of the timing of the performances, but I did it through the live, so it was as if I was performing by myself (laughs). That being said, I constantly revised the script and performances: after the band rehearsal, after the venue rehearsal, all the way up until after the rehearsal the day before the live. The script and performance aren’t complete unless everything matches: the cast members’ body orientation, hand positions, singing voices, formation, stage layout, lighting, sound timing, etc. There are so many things you don’t know until you actually do them. I always have nothing but gratitude to the staff and cast for letting me do all of this.

──The MC parts had quite a few character lines, and they kind of created a story.

In the end, I think that’s because somewhere in me I feel that “T7S lives are a work of art”.

It must have been hard for the cast to figure out exactly what to do in order to create such a wonderful work.

The cast of 777☆SISTERS have to dance as well [as sing], but there are some members who aren’t good at spins, and others who aren’t good at jumps. Even though each member has their own strengths and weaknesses, they have to say, “Even so, this is what we will aim for!”

It’s possible that we’ve built a relationship of mutual trust through what we’ve gone through together, the successful lives accomplished up until now. But in the midst of that, one way or another, I’ve learned generally how to communicate with the cast members, and this time I maintained ample communication with everybody as things progressed.

──Communication must have played a big role in what you’ve accomplished so far.

Yes. That’s why even from my perspective, I was able to understand how the cast members have approached the work.

Not only do they understand the work and what I want to express, their attitude has become more “I’m going to get better at this” — you can see it on their faces during practice.

It makes me genuinely think “Thanks for trying so hard!” This time I found myself often telling everyone “Thanks!”

It might sound a bit condescending or presumptuous, but I’m really full of admiration for everyone.

Uh……do you mind if I go through each cast member of 777☆SISTERS today?

──Not at all! (laughs)

I think this is probably the first time in six years, that I’ve talked about the cast like this. We’ve known each other for quite a while now, and I think they won’t get mad whatever I say (laughs). In the midst of creating such a work, sometimes I’m in a position where I have to deliberately say things that might make them dislike me or give hard advice frankly, so normally we wouldn’t be so friendly. So I’ll gladly take this chance.

First, somebody who often helps me out, Kakuma Ai. She’s so busy: out of everyone, she most often can’t make practice. Even so, she’s so earnest, yet always smiling. She’s considerate to those around her, and always tries her best. Even though she was probably uneasy herself. That’s what makes me happy.

For the skit, I was amazed when she asked me “How do you want to set the mood of this scene? Depending on what it is I want to change what I say first”. She really considered even the smallest details of the stage direction and intent. I really trust her strict attitude towards her work and her mature behavior.

As the older two, Shimizu Ayaka and Nakamura Sakura are always smiling, reassuring the others and setting the mood. They worry about everyone, even the staff, and often bring snacks for everybody. They’re really kind. Some people often are stuck thinking “I can’t do it”, but these two always try to overcome their own doubts. I always depend on these two.

Imai Asaka is very proactive in many ways, and she’s always thinking about how to improve things. She’s so perfect that I’m often not sure what to do (laughs). She’s disciplined, and pays attention to stage directions. I always enjoy watching Imai perfect herself as the event approaches.

Oonishi Saori often can’t fit practice into her schedule, yet she always tries hard on her own in private. For example, coming up with a way to memorize things in a short span of time. She’s quick-witted and quickly adapts. She’s good at everything she does, and also very fun to talk to.

Izawa Shiori is somebody who puts in the effort behind the scenes even when under high pressure. There’s so much to memorize… and yet in the end she memorized it all in time. She perfected it. That’s her strength, and what makes her cool. She’s a pro. When you see her up close she’s also very stylish.

Nakajima Yui is very straightforward. She’s earnest and gives it her all. Even though she says she’s bad at dancing, when you look back to 1st Live, she’s the one who has improved the most. Also, she’s very polite (laughs). To everybody. How do I put it, she respects her work and her colleagues? She’s unyielding yet kind, shy yet charming.

Michii Haruka is popular among everyone, and they all call her “Oharu-san”. But, she’s also straightforward and has a sort of exquisite individuality. Well, you can probably tell by the audience’s reaction to her live MCs, but she also has a great sense of humor (laughs). She’s able to insert humor into places where I didn’t intend, I really just can’t win (laughs). Even when things are rough, she’s able to make those around her laugh.

Takai Maika is also disciplined. She’s cheerful and open-hearted, yet very diligent. Even so, she does things at her own pace, and calms those around her. She used to always say she was bad at dancing, but stopped at some point. I think that’s because she’s really gained confidence in herself, self-confidence from putting in hard work. She has a unique, yet wonderful singing voice, and I often think she’s perfect in many ways.

Kuwahara Yuuki, you know, is really just a good girl. This isn’t lip service or anything okay (laughs). Really a good girl. She’s a hard worker, and takes things head on. She would never blame other people. And I feel like she has an eye for seeing the true nature of things. That’s why she never becomes gloomy. Even if she’s having a rough day she never lets it show. She’s not one to take the spotlight, but if you talk to her she’ll listen attentively to what you have to say, and make you laugh. That’s why she has many fans, even among the staff. I respect her as a person.

Takada Yuuki I’ve known since her debut, so I’ve said this before, but she was meant to be who she is. She’s a natural. And right now she’s soaring forward. She’s involved in many things, and I always enjoy watching her. When she debuted, I saw her smile, and asked her to play the role. I thought that she was just so vibrant, no, that her smile is what would bring humanity happiness. I unconditionally believed that. That’s why I asked her. Of course it’s not just that she’s a natural, but she also puts in the effort when others aren’t looking, and never stops pushing forward. She’s really like a sunflower.

──And last is Shinoda Minami.

Yes, last but not least, so to speak (laughs). Obviously she bore the most important role during the live. Seeing her crying after the live, I understood just how much pressure she must have felt. She used to say she wasn’t good at singing, but this time she really worked hard, and it paid off.

I’ve watched her all this time, and I saw her singing improve so much it made me think maybe she wouldn’t feel that much pressure at all, but it seemed that once she found out what she had to do the heavy pressure came.

We talked countless times, I think that’s just how anxious she was. Due to lack of self-confidence before practice she would come to me and ask, “Could you listen to me sing this?”

The song of course was “Mata Ashita”. To be honest, at that point it obviously sounded fine, but part of me still felt it still sounded like a “character song”. But, because she’s a voice actress, obviously when she tries to sing in character it will turn out as such. That’s why, in the beginning, even though it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, I couldn’t say it was wrong.

After all, somebody who had always said she was bad at singing had to sing alone under the spotlight in the center of Budokan in front of 12,000 people. I, who put that responsibility upon her, didn’t have the right to say anything.

But, somehow, she herself felt that something wasn’t right. After seeing her face, convinced that something was off, I made up my mind to talk to her frankly.

──What did you say?

I said “Right now, as a 2D character, your singing is perfect, and everybody will be moved. But, if you’re asking me what I want, I want to hear more of your own feelings.”

That’s why there’s no need for the question “Does this singing voice sound like Haru?”, no need to worry about any of that. Just sing as Shinoda Minami.

After Shinoda asked me what I felt about the song, around 10 days before the actual event, at the venue rehearsal her singing voice suddenly changed. I instantly thought “It’s here!”

She knew that there were many emotions in that song, and she finally was able to express those emotions through her singing.

It didn’t matter if the sound was off or it wasn’t identical to the CD version, I just wanted to know her true feelings. I truly believe that at its core, music is emotional. That’s why she was able to sing that well. She wasn’t some made-up, superficial Haru, she became Haru herself. It was magnificent. I’m happy I entrusted the meaning of this live, as well as this performance’s most important scene, to her.

We earned this right with our own two hands

──This might be a bit out of order chronologically, but do you mind if I ask what the title “Melody in the Pocket” means?

Around the time we were struggling over whether or not to make the live Nanasta only, we were also struggling with some other problems. The happiness following “CHAIN THE BLOSSOM” was fleeting, lasting at most about a month.

With our success at 3rd Live, everyone’s expectations of us rose. There were more fans, and more people involved. Up until now I’ve tried to face everything head on and deal with things myself, but from now on, whether it be music or scenarios, I need to be in a position where I can say only “Yes” or “No” to things that come up. But that’s not how I’ve dealt with things up to now. That realization came swiftly and suddenly. I was facing things one by one, dealing with them individually. I no longer physically have the time to do that. But expectations are high, both from fans and everyone else. What they’re saying is all over the place. What they want is all over the place. What they like is all over the place. They all have their own version of what is right. I can feel their animosity. Or, they’re sneering cynically. It’s that kind of world.

So, it’s fine if I blame somebody, right? Everybody does it, so I could say it’s everybody’s fault. But I don’t believe in blaming other people, so I bore the burden myself. And then, one day, it hit me. The first time in six years I truly thought “I want to quit”.

I hit the point where I didn’t know why or for who I was doing all of this for…

My mind wanted to say “Y’all can do whatever you want, go do it yourself, why don’t you”. If it’s just for work, if it’s destroying my body and mind, maybe I should just quit. On a personal level, there was no benefit of having to do that amount of work, or having to show myself to the world like this.

But, in my position, I couldn’t just say that. I couldn’t just throw it all away.

That’s why I can’t think of “T7S” as just work anymore. I did this myself. It was around autumn or winter of last year that it came to a point where working was eating away at my life. It was really tough…

──How did you overcome that situation?

The production staff asked me, “What are you going to do about Budokan?” Until that point I had felt listless, but various staff members told me, “But Motegi, we’ve made it all the way to Budokan, that’s an amazing accomplishment!”

Sorry, I feel like crying when I talk about this…

They said, “Don’t you want to express your current feelings?” I replied, “But, right now I don’t think what I’ve done up to now is right. I’m not sure if I should be the decision maker anymore, and I don’t know when I can end this.”

They said, “But there’s one thing that’s certain, isn’t there?”, and I replied “Ahh, I see” in realization. That’s when I realized for the first time that we had made it here.

That’s why the one thing I can say for certain is, while of course I had friends who I worked together with, I didn’t depend on anybody else’s power to make it here. They say that marketing is everything these days, but we’ve never done a live for marketing purposes, and we’ve never spent an excessive amount on marketing to fill up a live either. All we’ve done is build the franchise.

With limited scope and the circumstances provided, what should I do to move people emotionally? When I remembered how I had gotten here by believing in my own work, I decided to go with “Melody in the Pocket”.

That’s what I also said to the cast in the very beginning. “We didn’t pull strings to get here, we’re standing here at Budokan through our own power.”

“We earned this right with our own two hands”, I said. That’s the emotion I associated with Budokan.

That’s what became the line on the key visual. It’s really a great picture. We were even able to add a rainbow.

──I see.

Continuing along with this, “Melody in the Pocket” has a real meaning I haven’t told anybody other than the cast and staff on the day of the live. At that time, I told them, “The meaning of these words is, a small melody in a small pocket. And that is what T7S is.”

Sometimes, people just have a lot to say. But, I think even those people, the people who keep on grumbling about the world or their surroundings, maybe inside their pocket they have a real, different self.

And, when people cry, or when they are moved emotionally by something, isn’t that because that something has reached their pocket?

──I think I get it. Everybody’s got something they care about throughout their lives.

That’s why I think the act of creation is the final way to touch people’s hearts. The only thing that can be put into a pocket by hand is a work of art, something that is created by somebody. That’s what it means to produce a work of art.

I got depressed when I lost sight of the purpose of what I was doing, but if I can make something that will reach people’s pockets, I think there’s still value in doing it. When I thought about it again, I think that’s been the goal of T7S this whole time. That’s why I wanted to put it in words. That’s what became the English words in the live’s opening video.

It said, “I didn’t come here for you, I came here for what’s in your pocket”.

Really, people worry about how they are perceived, but what’s in their pocket should be their true self. We wanted to reach that.

At the end, it said “It’s your turn now”, and then “I did I wish”. I thought I had an obligation to include that to answer the question of who sent such a message and to say “I did want I wanted”.

That’s why it said “Take it and go, and try reaching into your pocket,” with the nuance of “I did what I wanted, so, what will you do?” And then at the end it said “This is Yours”, meaning that the feelings you take with you are yours; I don’t care whatever you do with them.

I wanted to replicate the emotions I felt then, so that’s what I set out to do. Right before the live started, I told everybody the exact same thing, and at that point I already wanted to cry (laughs). When I talk about my feelings I really start to feel them (laughs).

And the other people started looking like they were about to cry as well, which would’ve been bad right before the live, so I remember saying, “Let out your loudest voice yet! Let’s do this!” (laughs).

But with that, I think everybody understood the meaning of the title.

──Something that has been said over and over again throughout this franchise is “What do you want to do?” Basically you were trying to ask, “With that feeling in mind, what are you doing to do?”

On that note, I received so many letters this time, around three times as many as 3rd Live. In many of those letters, I was told to continue being straightforward, to be straightforward for those who can’t do so. It hit me hard so early in the morning (laughs). It seemed this live had already reached people’s pockets long ago.

Nobody reads these letters but me. That’s why I think people express what they truly think in them. I think it comes from their true selves, from inside their pocket. Creating this ate away at me, both physically and mentally, so I was really happy to receive these kinds of letters. T7S is entertainment, but borne of people’s blood and tears. I think I was told once, there’s no way T7S is simply entertainment.

For example, there was a high school freshman girl who wanted to sing T7S at karaoke, who liked cute songs and lyrics that speak to her, but she was afraid that singing those kinds of songs didn’t match her personality so her friends wouldn’t approve.

She was afraid of what others thought, but when she tried singing it, it went completely fine. She wrote, “I realized that I was fine to say I liked what I liked.”

Also, there was a student who got depressed after failing to get into their target school, but then saw 3rd Live and thought “Maybe I can control my future, if only a little bit…When things are extremely tough, when I want to just curl up and scream, T7S is what supports me and enables me clench my teeth and move forward”.

Also, there were some people who, after writing “Please continue being straightforward”, wrote “I fell in love for the first time in a while”. I didn’t think I’d receive such high praise (laughs).

Somebody even wrote, “I wanted to say that you should progress in your personal life as well, not just T7S”……That really made me happy.

I felt so grateful receiving all these letters.

──I think that feeling reached those who came to Budokan.

Ah, suddenly it’s become so emotional (laughs). I wasn’t expecting to talk myself to the verge of tears. I was planning on keeping my emotions in check while talking, but clearly I failed…

I knew there would be some straightforward people, so in the ending movie, I put the lines “YOU GUYS ARE” “STRAIGHT LIGHT’S’”.

The track “Dear Straight Lights” in the album is directed toward the twelve members of 777☆SISTERS, but during the live I thought the audience members were also straight lights. In this live, I was able to tell everybody that, it’s tough being straightforward, but I’m trying my best, so you should too!

I want them to show their full smiles!

──Do you mind if we go back through the live a bit? First, the pre-live BGM. I heard there was some deeper meaning behind the song selection.

There isn’t any usually, but this time there was a little bit (laughs). Well, maybe some people noticed, who knows.

──Is it perhaps related to when those songs came out…?

Well, yes. I chose songs that I personally used to listen to, so that’s a valid interpretation. The Seventh Sisters songs at the end also have that meaning (laughs).

──Interesting. After that was the opening performance and “Bokura wa Aozora ni Naru”. To be honest, I loved those so much, I was on the verge of tears from the beginning.

That’s good to hear. By the way, that elevated camera which took the picture of that circular formation was a last minute change (laughs). We added it 30 minutes before the last rehearsal on the day of the live. It wasn’t there the day before, and I begged my staff to get it added.

Originally there was going to be one there but due to some miscommunication it wasn’t there. But at the day of rehearsal they added it, and all the staff said that it was worth it, so I was like “See what I meant!” (laughs).

──I was impressed when I saw the picture of that circular formation from above. I wanted to ask about these kinds of inside stories behind the performance, but to begin with, where were the band members playing? (At T7S lives, the live band can’t be seen from the audience)

At the two ends of the path leading from the north part of the stage. Even though it was so hot there, they really did their best. I’m close to the band members, and we were cracking jokes with each other over our mics.

The timings for the performance were pretty complicated this time, including having to react to the crowd in real time, and the band members could only see outside through monitors. That wasn’t enough, so there had to be somebody outside who would tell the timings to the band members.

All the staff, cast, and band members had earpieces which were wired up to a mic that I had. It was Motegi mic to ALL. For the circular formation in the beginning, I waited for the cheers to die down before I said go.

──Was the skit during KILL☆ER☆TUNE☆R also like that?

No, that was planned out. There was a fixed point in the performance where everybody would measure from. As it said in the script, when the band heard the cast cheer, they would start playing to the beat, and then the cast would start moving.

──The second unit was Le☆S☆Ca, do you mind if I ask about them as well?

Those three all did their best. Ueda Hikaru proactively worked toward doing her best. She deserves praise for that. And Yoshii Ayami’s and Fujita Akane’s singing was really wonderful, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just cute, but you could hear a kind of inner strength. That made me really happy.

──As for units, how about Ci+LUS’s debut? The crowd really went wild for them, they sure are popular.

Man, Ci+LUS got to staff even before the audience (laughs). During practice Yamazaki Erii and Tanaka Minami would also have perfect form and smiles. I thought, man, they’re really pros, huh. Well I suppose that’s obvious.

Moreover, they were so professional that by their first practice they had already mastered basically their whole dance routine.

I sent them a video of the dance, but I didn’t think they’ve have the whole thing down from the beginning. But they did. I thought that was amazing. Because of that, we ended some practice sessions two hours earlier than scheduled. I just can’t win (laughs).

As they were such pros with so much experience, I wasn’t sure if they would get nervous, but at practice on the day of, Tanaka’s hands were shaking. So at that time I told them, “At the live, there will be people who have come out to see you two, but as long as they see you trying your best, they’ll be happy, so don’t worry too much.” After that they calmed down a bit. Well, it sounds weird coming from me, as everybody knows, those two are really cute (laughs).

──As expected, their performance was amazing. After that was QOP. As always Nomura Maiko was so cool!

If I had to summarize QOP in one line, it would be voice actresses pretending to be a cool rock band. Normally you’d say “What? No way.” (laughs).

But to see Tatsumi Yuiko, who had never touched a drum set before, and guitarist Yamamoto Ayano pull it off that well is a testament to their hard work. That’s it. To be possessed by their characters and start banging their heads, there’s something “rock” about that. I think they really did their best.

──There was one part where Nomura Maiko and Hirose Yuuki looked at each other face-to-face with extraordinary expressions while singing, that was really cool.

I don’t remember if I told them to face each other, but I certainly didn’t tell them to put on such expressions, so that’s all thanks to their sense and acting ability.

They really performed in character. And for that I have nothing but gratitude for them.

──Before we talked about the elevated camera added at the last minute, but were there any other last minute things you were particular about?

That’d have to be the last sequence with “Mata Ashita”, the MC, then the last three songs. We changed the lighting quite a bit at the rehearsal the day before the live. This was the sequence we had to get right, so we stayed up all night to finish it.

That being said, after that we only had one final rehearsal on the day of before the actual live to check the timing, so we were quite nervous. As such, before that rehearsal I went up and sung “Mata Ashita” on the stage and had the staff go through the motions to check that everything was correct. And it was perfect… It was exactly as we envisioned. I have nothing but gratitude for that.

There was only one miscalculation, and that was that the audience’s penlights were too bright. In the end, compared to Budokan’s center stage, Makuhari Messe Event Hall can’t compete in terms of brightness.

Furthermore, besides the timing of “Mata Ashita” as written in the script, there were other, real-time, timings. That’s how particular we were about it, because you could say that without that scene there was no point doing the live at all.

After completing that came the MC, a message to everybody, and if that went well the emotions would connect to “Start Line”. And if that went well then those emotions would be continue in “FUNBARE☆RUNNER”. And if that went well, it would connect to “STAY☆GOLD”, the last song.

Because it all depends on the start of the sequence, the importance of that beginning was understood by everybody, and the staff stuck through to the very end.

So, the result of that was the chorus with the audience. The moment it started, I involuntarily stood up. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it sounded, and the emotions I felt surpassed happiness. At that instant, I felt as if everything was saved.

──After watching “FUNBARE☆RUNNER” and “STAY☆GOLD”, I thought that in the end T7S was all about running.

Ahaha, I think the cast will hate me for saying this, but I personally like sweating girls (laughs).

──Yes! At the end, seeing everybody’s smiles, they were so beautiful!

That’s right, beautiful! At the end of the song, many people, staff included, thought, “This is where they’re supposed to wave goodbye right?”, but they’re wrong.

I said, “Until the very very end of the song, with the band playing the final notes, I want them to show their full smiles!” Covered in sweat, out of breath, but with broad smiles on their faces. That’s the real deal. And that convinced everybody (laughs).

I mean, weren’t their expressions at the end really good? That’s what I wanted to show. That self-confidence and sense of accomplishment are real. And the people who try hard will always be smiling in the end. That’s how it is, and that’s how it should be.

──It was a stunning performance. Now, there were various upcoming developments announced as well. When I saw that “4th Anniversary Live 2Days in Makuhari Messe” was on October 20 (Sat) and 21 (Sun), I thought “So soon!”

Ahaha, I’m tired just thinking about it (laughs). That was decided around May, and the performers were finalized in June. But you know, basically everybody being able to make it is already a miracle. That being said, this isn’t possible every time. I really want all the fans to understand that. If not, we won’t be able to do such large scale lives.

I talked about it before, but something I wanted to talk about here was that my way of dealing with everything head on personally has already reached its limit. If I continue that I might die.

That’s why from now on, I’m thinking I need to work together with everybody. That’s true of the new unit we announced at Budokan, and that’s true of 4th Live. I think my relationship with T7S will change a bit. I mean that I won’t be involved in every little detail of everything anymore.

But that’s not to say I’ve lost motivation, or that someone told me to do this. We’re already at the point where we need to start laying the groundwork for 2019 and beyond, and my hands are already full with just that. But even so, as I search for the right way to do things, I will not stop moving forward. I don’t want to stop. If I can, I want to work on T7S until the end. That’s why I need to get the methodology down. I’ll try my best to figure that out while maintaining this new stance under changing circumstances.

I said this in the beginning, but that’s why this Budokan live had that kind of feeling to it. I thought “Melody in the Pocket” may be the last live where I am fully involved in every detail until the very last minute, so I increasingly felt the need to put in everything I had. I sought quality until the very end, I did want I wanted to do, and I tried to create something that was beautiful from the perspective of the work itself. I was able to do all of that because I wouldn’t be able to next time. And so it became a new “start line” of its own.

That’s why I’m thinking of leaving a lot to the staff and cast for 4th Live. After thinking about various things, I have a feeling that this next live will be a bit different, going from an “in-universe” live to a different sort of anniversary festival for T7S as a franchise. I’m looking forward to sharing that feeling of unity I gained at Budokan with everybody.

I think there’s also some things I’ll be able to discover with this new methodology. Perhaps I will meet some extraordinary creators, or maybe I’ll meet a skilled director. Even if I can’t see the fine details, even if I’m not directly editing each line, I’d like to challenge myself to make something that will reach people. In the end, wherever I’m heading, the question is when to take the next step. Not taking it is not an option.

Interview/Photography: Tsuka Junichi