A good listener and speaker, with her cheerful disposition, she can even run the show. Seeing Matsuda Rina as MC of a live performance, she’s been entrusted to the position of “leader” for Keyakizaka46’s 2nd generation, one she’s an absolute natural at. However, at merely 20 years old, life has had its ups and downs. Or rather, perhaps I should say she’s had a steep ‘slope’ to climb. Either way, it’s precisely because she chose to carve her own path, she has become the person she is today.

Interviewer: Rina, what kind of girl were you when you were little?Matsuri: I’m often told I was comical… or rather, I joked around a lot… I was pretty much just a prankster (lol). I’d always make funny faces when taking pictures. I was the kind of kid whose teacher told me when I graduated kindergarten, “Rina-chan have a gap”Interviewer: Then, around when did you start liking to sing ?Matsuri: If my memory serves me right, it was around 4th year of elementary school that I saw a musical and started thinking I want to work in a troupe. At that time I really wanted to sing songs and began to think about trying for a job in music.Interviewer: Have you taken lessons in anything?Matsuri: Around my 2nd year of elementary school, I took penmanship lessons for only a year. My older sister was taking lessons, so I started copying her like “me too.” Later on, she joined the soft tennis club in middle school, so I tried joining the club in elementary school. It feels like I’ve pretty much followed her example all the way until I started looking for work. I took an entrance exam wanting to go to the same high school as her. I mostly didn’t have any ambitions of my own… or no, I really didn’t have a will of my own at all. The way I think of it now is that I felt safe if I just followed the path my sister took.Interviewer: Maybe because doing things that way was easy?Matsuri: I had no ambition of my own, so I made none of my own decisions. Despite thinking I hate being that way, I was afraid to make big decisions… so in the end, I was brought along for the ride like that, letting people make the decisions, like “Sure, I’ll do that.”Interviewer: Then surprisingly, you’ve left a strong impression as the leader of the 2nd gen members.Matsuri: Around when I entered middle school, I just then became conscious of the thought that “I’ve got no will of my own, no opinions of my own…” Even now, I end up asking people for their opinions and I can’t speak very well, but I’m making sure to stay highly aware of it.Interviewer: I see. What have been the turning points for you in your 20 years of life?Matsuri: The entirety of middle school to high school. Since around elementary school, I’ve had a lot of problems with personal relationships. Until I was a high school student, somehow I was always worrying about how to interact with others. However, I think that’s exactly why I became able to understand the pain of others and want to be kind towards people, so contrarily, I now think it was good to have had those difficult experiences.Interviewer: Is that a rather serious story?Matsuri: I don’t think the other kids meant any harm, but in elementary school I was the kid who was teased often. Inside, I felt I really hated myself from that time, but I laughed it off and kept ignoring those feelings. In high school, I was the only one in the group of friends I was close to that did different club activities, so I wasn’t able to join in on a lot of topics, so I ended up feeling left out. I wasn’t able to tell anyone about it but didn’t want to show it on my face either, so it was like I just listened and laughed without understanding.Interviewer: Has there been an occasion where those emotions have surfaced?Matsuri: There hasn’t. Even now, I rarely get mad or anything, so I think those feeling have mostly stayed inside. My family doesn’t really get angry either. I guess when there’s one situation where you can’t voice your opinion, it has an influence on other situations… At most, I’d just give a “hmph.” Still, I’d talk to my parents when I was stressed out. Every day, I’d be crying when I come from school, so there were times I’d shock them too (lol).Interviewer: Well your feelings were hurt from being teased, right?Matsuri: I didn’t like being teased either, but somehow my club activities weren’t going well, so I had several things troubling me… I’ve already forgotten all the minor details from back then, but I would cry at home after.Interviewer: You’ve had some bitter memories during puberty haven’t you? What’s the feeling like now with your friends from then?Matsuri: Ah, even now I still keep in touch with my friends from elementary and middle school. It’s just, everyone is too carefree.. or rather, all my friends from my hometown are super slow to respond. Like I won’t get an answer for 3 days, or as long as a month (lol). I get lonely, so I reply within a day, but fairly often I don’t get a response from friends. But now I have other Keyaki members around, so I don’t get lonely. Somehow the energy with 2nd gen members is a lot like with my hometown friends. That’s why I think “Hey, I can enjoy myself around them.”Interviewer: This is just my impression up to now, but you seem to be someone who keeps their happiness on the surface even if they’re holding back negative emotions; it’s an image of someone who smiles no matter what.Matsuri: That’s right, when there’s something that makes me happy, I automatically say “yay!” I don’t really like saying anything negative, but if I’m happy or excited I can’t help but let it out.Interviewer: Is that something that was influenced by how your parents raised you?Matsuri: I wonder… They mostly left me to be myself, or rather, there weren’t times that they gave me overwhelming praise, got really really angry, or criticized me. No interfering with things like “Do it this way, that’s no good.” But of course now I think my mother and father were good parents, and I’m glad to have been raised by the two of them.Interviewer: With you turning 20 years old, I think your parents must have been very emotional as well. What kind of feeling did you have the moment you turned 20?Matsuri: For some reason I was alone feeling flustered, yelling to myself “Crap, I’m 20 years old!”, “What do I do!? Eh, thanks for everything up 'till now, me!”(lol). My family was the same way, saying “What are you gonna do? ” the moment the date changed to my birthday. Then my mom gave an anti-climactic response, “It’s okay, Rina was born in the morning so she’s still 19.” (lol).Interviewer: Very straightforward of her (lol). So then in the morning at “the exact moment you turned 20,” what did you do?Matsuri: I pretty much just woke up, and said something like “Thanks for everything up ‘till now, and let’s keep it up going forward. 20 years old!” to myself. Looking at it objectively, I’m a pretty wacky person huh? (lol)Interviewer: You certainly are (lol). So in essence, how’s it been being 20?Matsuri: Not much has changed. It’s just a nice number to have as an age, or it feels like I’ve just reached a turning point. That feeling of “I have to be an adult now” was stronger when I graduated high school, before I started looking for work. Turning 20 really just felt like I reached adulthood in terms of age only.Interviewer: So what kind of person do you imagine when you think “Ah, that’s an adult.”?Matsuri: Being able to think about things quickly, being able to adjust your behavior in an instant, taking opportunities to speak… someone who’s able to do things on their own. I can’t do anything by myself, so I think people who can are amazing. Even if you can’t do everything, if you can think, speak, and behave for yourself, that’s an adult to me. Like someone that can stand using their own abilities… If I’m able, I’d like to seriously hit that point by the time I’m 23 or 24. I’d like to smoothly begin learning to do a variety of things efficiently on my own.Interviewer: Are you familiar with someone like that?Matsuri: Yes… Simply put, I think my manager is an adult. There are also people that are about the same age as me; I always think of the other members. As for me, when I worked at a bank, I’d mess up and have a difficult time dealing with my mistakes, so I wasn’t able to do it on my own. I quit when I was still inexperienced there, so I genuinely respect people who can manage anything on their own. Basically if I didn’t have a manager, I wouldn’t be able to do anything; they’ve really supported me.Interviewer: I see. On the topic of adulthood… what image do you have of “adult love”?Matsuri: Ehh〜 adult love!? Uhh… having respect for each other, complementing each other in what you can’t do or parts where you’re incomplete… that kind of thing, you know… I don’t know the finer details so well just yet though (lol).Interviewer: A relationship where you understand the distance between each other, right?Matsuri: Yeah, I’d say if you have a feel for the distance between one another, as well as knowing things about each other, it’s a good relationship. Not depending on each other, maintaining a good distance, being in a good place in life… that’s the sense I have, I guess? Understanding each other’s feelings without confirming it through speech or action, that’s the image I have of it.Interviewer: I get you. So then, what kinds of things do you want to do in your 20s?Matsuri: I want to be a diligent person. There are times I’m only thinking of myself; I’d like to spread my attention to other people and be able to see what’s going on in my surroundings. Basically, I’d like to be someone with better manners, who can speak more courteously.Interviewer: Around what age do you think you’ll be an adult, in the true sense of the word?Matsuri: In my case, I get the feeling like “I won’t be self-aware until I’m around 30, huh?” Really, it’s not good if you don’t become an adult in your 20s, but doing Keyaki activities, I’m surrounded by a lot of mature people, so I end up seeming like a kid. I think about how during activities now, I don’t have any real sense that I’ve become an adult.Interviewer: Those are some profound thoughts. So then, what kind of adult do you admire?Matsuri: All the adults around me in my life. Whenever we’re going somewhere for work, there are several people working for our sake every time. We’re truly being supported by so many people; I truly feel that the activities we do are ones that could not exist if it were just us. Despite this, there are times I embarrass myself even over obvious stuff, and I think “Am I some kind of child?” For example, even if I’m just replying to someone who greets me, I get embarrassed, hesitate, and speak quietly. In times like that, I think to myself “Get it together, me!” Even when I do it right, I get frustrated with myself for not being able to do it with confidence.Interviewer: I feel like being able to think that way is great. Alright, lastly, let’s tie it together with your “Oath of 20 years old.”Matsuri: I want to do the best I can to improve myself. I’m more or less doing it already, but not consistently. I’m not particularly good at keeping up with it for a long time, so my decision as a 20 year old is to try to be able to do it seriously and consistently.Interviewer: Improving yourself on the inside? Or on the outside?Matsuri: Inside, of course, but outside is also important… I still look at myself and get this “Ah…” feeling of disappointment (lol). I think I’d like to move towards improvement that will give me confidence in myself.-----Translator: fuyupzQC: SatoneShichi, toomuchideaRaw: Varianth