16.11.19 TV Guide “Zeus” Interview - Sakurai Sho [English translation]
Sakurai: It is fresh to have photography with Ueda!
Ueda: There has not been such photography til now and I was happy!
Sakurai: In the first place, there is rare chance to have magazine interview with kouhai together. Much more who had imagined that it is the 2-shot of Sakurai x Ueda (giggle).
Sakurai: We ourselves didn’t have such image too.
Ueda: Right. But I received the Otoshidama [new year gift] from you the beginning of this year (giggle).
Sakurai: I went to watch the Tokyo dome tour of KAT-TUN.
Ueda: I have appeared in Sho-kun’s “Sakurai・Ariyoshi THE Yakai” *櫻井・有吉THE夜会* and “VS Arashi” *VS嵐*, I was well taken care of this year.
Sakurai: No no, I am happy that we have much more connection. I think it really great for Ueda to join “Zeus”. I watched the previous “Honoo-no Taiiku-kai TV” *炎の体育会TV*, and thought that the atmosphere of that Ueda was really great.
Ueda: I am happy about this.
Sakurai: In fact in the 1st and 2nd rounds of “Zeus” there was something like I couldn’t withdraw from that feeling. This time the feeling of that Ueda was strong and it was good. And then he exactly took up such position and united the team. He really helped a lot, and I was happy that I could see a new side of him in the program.
Ueda: Right. It may be strange to praise Sho-kun, but he created an atmosphere that it is fine for us to do whatever we wanted to do, I think because he was Sho-kun so he was able to do this.
Ueda: You created an atmosphere that it is fine for us to play in relief, it was really easy to do.
Sakurai: In this sense in “Zeus” this time, it would be great if we could show our “feeling of party”. The atmosphere of the former half and latter half of the program also changed, the feeling was thickened.
Sakurai: In terms of the contest Ueda thought about the strategy of “Endless jump” (long rope jumping). In fact, it was a form that kids should not imitate (giggle), I think it is good that it was a season when the school sports day ended (when the program was broadcast). But that was strategy. We stuck to victory.
Ueda: To be honest, I thought I should do it as long as I got Sho-kun’s GO sign, when I asked him “what about this strategy?” I well got his GO (giggle).
Sakurai: I really thought we should do it. Because we can’t lose anymore (giggle)! Losing for consecutively three times would risk the continuity of the program (giggle). Ueda did great in “Strong hug” (contest to cling to a log). I kept watching him, thinking that I would not be able to do that. His muscles were also great, Ueda is a man achieving [good] result (giggle).
Ueda: Ahhahaha. But in this “Strong hug”, Arioka (Daiki) drew muscles with a pen on his body!
Sakurai: Really silly (giggle). Ueda: It was fun. I was cheated by that! He did it with a serious facial expression “it’s great” (giggle).
Sakurai: Right! I thought it was finished. Everyone was doing seriously (giggle). Was it not with a great sense of variety show (giggle)?
Ueda: Indeed (giggle). But I thought Sho-kun was great, Arioka was so too, it is said that every kouhai likes Sho-kun. For the battle as well, we all understood that we were doing it in relief. Of course I am also one of them, I instantly felt that you are a senpai adored by kouhais.
Sakurai: No no there is no such thing. I only grouped you all together. There is not pretty much such chance. However I haven’t done anything special, Ueda united everyone, everyone became active in various contest stations. I think in this sense we have made a “Zeus” which is different from the past two rounds.
Ueda: During the battle, Sho-kun’s tender eyes didn’t change at all. Really didn’t change at all. It was a fact that Sho-kun being the leader helped a lot. If I were the leader that would have become terrorism (giggle).
Ueda: Everyone was motivated by talking to Sho-kun, when we were anxious we saw Sho-kun and we felt relieved, even when we lost the contest he still followed us with warmth. He was really like Buddha, I already call him “Mom”.
Ueda: Well, the feeling from the formal filming.
Sakurai: I see… Hello, I am Mom. Thanks for taking care of Tatsuya (giggle).
Sakurai: This time we have new members too. When members changed the team atmosphere changed too, the 3rd battle had a new aura of Johnny’s vigour. Though I have private connection with Kis-My-Ft2, I barely had chance to work with them on TV, A.B.C-Z also joined this time. Well, there was one dangerous guy…
Ueda: Tsukada (Ryoichi) (giggle).
Sakurai: Two people of “Sexy Zone” are also in their 10s. There is a wide spectrum [of age] across the team.
Ueda: Of course Tsukada is dangerous guy (giggle), but in terms of trustworthiness, he is also great.
Sakura: Indeed so. His bodily capability is high.
Ueda: Fujigaya (Taisuke) was also with great passionate aura and became our new fighting power, I think we had grouped great members.
Sakurai: On the other hand, NEWS who joined since the 1st battle is trustworthy too. We were close in relationship, and [they] knew “Zeus”.
Ueda: Surprisingly Masuda (Takahisa) also hates losing very much, sticking to victory, he asked how could we win, while Kato (Shige) was like… so (giggle)?
Sakurai: So if he makes this series of battles into novel (giggle).
Ueda: Ahhahaha, novel “Zeus”.
Sakurai: If “~Yakai” and “Zeus” can be written into novels, our programs can grow bigger (giggle). He is the recorder, the man who records, the man who records (giggle)!
Ueda: The man who records (giggle)!
Sakurai: Well, NEWS, KAT-TUN, and Kis-My as well, have a history of following and backing Arashi during their Jr. time. Even in different groups, even there was not much connection since their debut, it was great that we spent time together in the same rehearsal room.
Ueda: Though the room is no longer there.
Sakurai: The rehearsal room that time.
Ueda: I miss those time. We always looked at Sho-kun with admiration, I never forget [the appearance of] your back, wearing a smart nylon shirt.
Sakurai: The shirt I bought at sports shop in Shibuya (giggle).
Ueda: Right. It is Sho-kun who created KAT-TUN!
Sakurai: It is exaggerated. No one believes it (giggle)!
Ueda: Well, really smart, I like the sharp aura that time. Though I think you surely are hiding it somewhere (giggle), now your tenderness to let kouhais do freely what they want to do is great too, I think you are a great team leader.
Sakurai: No no. But if we two do something together… what would it be? Just then during the photography Ueda was holding a toy piano, shall we play it together? No it does not feel like a piano.
Ueda: I want to act a TV drama [with you]. It would be interesting for us to act as brothers though, [we acting] characteristics whose behaviour and thinking are totally different is also in my thought…
Sakurai: Interesting. The visual atmosphere of Ueda is totally different from me (giggle). In today’s photography as well, it was fresh for us to appear in the same frame. In this sense, as for TV drama, it would be interesting to see what can be presented by us. In the first place there would not have been such chance were there no “Zeus”.
Sakurai: We have made appointment to dine together later.
Ueda: It is probably the first time I go dining with senpai. Of course there is dining during work, but making a concrete [dining] appointment… so I am very happy!
Sakurai: Really!? It seems that your important thing is taken away (giggle), is it fine for me to do that?
Ueda: Of course (giggle)!
Sakurai: Anyway I think “Zeus” this time is packed with the charm of Ueda, in particular I hope Ueda’s fans will look forward to it.
Ueda: This time, I think the unique sense of unity of Johnny’s has well be illustrated, I hope you would watch this, I’m telling you, you would understand [what I was talking about] Sho-kun’s tender eyes too!
Sakurai: I thought “Zeus” is worth seeing, I hope many people will watch it.
Ueda had a “history” of following us and backing us since Jr. time as well as when Arashi was formed.
Even we were in different groups,
Even we didn’t have much connection since debut
The time we spent together in the same rehearsal room was great.
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