Wake Up, May’n Famitsu Interview
*** TL Note: The kanji 笑 written in the interview is the equivalent of lol, so it symbolizes laughter from that person.
First off, Wake Up May’n. How did such a collaboration come to be? Can you tell us how this all started?
May’n: It was at an event in 2016, the Nendoroid 10th Anniversary Live I think it was called, and that’s where I first saw Wake Up, Girls. I took a look at their stage performance, and it was just love at first sight. Right after their performance ended I tweeted them saying “They were shining so bright!!”. After that, I watched all of the anime and from there I became a huge fan. Sometime after, whenever I’ve met up with WUG’s staff they’ve told me how much they liked me, so I told them “Let’s sing together then!” So from there we got to collab and sing together for one night at Anime Jam 2016. That event made me realize how popular such a unit could be. It was pretty unexpected.
Seeing how you’re an artist too, or really a fan, this must’ve come as a huge surprise for you.
That’s right, I’m just your average fan.
Did you two [Nanami and Miyu] see the tweets?
Miyu: It was such a popular topic among the members! “That May’n-san?! Interested in US?!?!”
Nanami: “She saw all of the anime??” “In such a short amount of time?!” All the members were sort so giddy after hearing that.
(笑) By the way May’n-san, who’s your oshi from the group?
***TL Note: Oshi is term for most liked member of an idol group.
May’n: I get asked that pretty often, but I really love all 7 members!
You really do support each and every one of them don’t you?
May’n: Yes. When I first saw them on stage, seeing them sweat from all that energy and passion, I just thought they were amazing. I could also feel a sort strong bond between the fans too. That sensation I felt then was what got me to start watching the anime. That feeling still hasn’t left me even to this day. My impression of them grew over time, and they’re still full of so much passion!
(To Miyu and Nanami) So it’s like that.
Nanami: Ahhh! I’m so glad I was sweating!!
Miyu: And here I tend to worry a lot about sweating.
Nanami: WUG’s uniform has long sleeves and it tends to get really hot.
Miyu: During the summer we usually wear the “Shoujo Koukyoukyoku” uniforms pretty often. And conversely with “Beyond the Bottom”, we wear these thin white garments during the winter. So with that, WUG is really thrown all over the place haha! (笑)
So back to Anime JAM, how did all of you from WUG feel about that collaboration?
Miyu: Of course we knew about May’n even before we started our work as Wake Up, Girls. She’s such a big name Anisong artist! Every time we heard her voice, we would be like “WHAT DO WE DO!?!?! OUR EARS ARE SO EXCITED!!!”, especially during her solo.
Nanami: Waa! We were so happy!
Miyu: Mayushii was like “Wow, what do I do?! May’n is singing my solo part!” (笑)
May’n: Me too! I was thinking “Ahh… I wonder if it’s alright for me to do this, because this is Mayushii’s part after all!!” I was really conflicted then. (笑)
WUG and May’n at Anime JAM 2016
Speaking of which, May’n-san. How did it feel singing “Tachiagare”?
May‘n: Learning the dance was pretty difficult. On top of that, I also had to learn to sing a new song. WUG being able to have the strength to continue singing and dancing together really makes me admire them even more! But because I love WUG so much, I wanted to persevere and properly present their song, Tachiagare. Since it was a collab after all, I studied and trained as hard as I could saying things like “So this move goes like so, right?” and “I’ll also dance to this part too!”
Miyu: I remembered a lot of things from past rehearsals, so after all that time I felt like I became a master.
Nanami: Right? The rehearsal went smoothly and was completed in the blink of an eye.
WUGners really do go all out don’t they? (笑) Have your impressions of May’n changed after meeting her?
Nanami: During Anime JAM we wore our uniforms from the song “Bokura no Frontier” which is a light blue color. In accordance, May’n-san chose to wear clothes that were a similar style to ours. So at first, we all had this image of May’n-san being “cool”, but since that event we came to learn that she’s a really kind and friendly person. We were just so happy.
Miyu: We usually had this image in our heads of May’n-chan in tanks tops and short pants thinking “SO COOOOOL!” but then we were like “MAY’N-CHAN IN A SKIRT?! AAAAAAAH SO CUUUUTE!”
How about you May’n-san? Has your impression of WUG changed as well?
May’n: I get this feeling from them that they all have this place where they want to be. Striving hard to reach a goal. They do so many things like music videos, modeling for photos, and etc. They even practice a lot during their free time too. I felt really drawn to them because of that. Even now my impression of them hasn’t changed, but more like it’s been reaffirmed.
I see. On to another subject, what are your favorite songs from each other?
May’n: Mine has to be Beyond the Bottom. Seeing WUG perform that song was what made me fall for them. Seeing them in that white one-piece, singing and dancing frantically with their hair flying about while also perspiring. I thought of it as something “sacred”.
It really felt like you were watching a drama of sorts wasn’t it?
May’n: That’s right! Just like that! Because of that I really wanted to follow WUG-chan and ended up watching the entire anime series.
Nanami: That really makes happy… I’m so glad we’ve been trying so hard up to now.
How about you two? What are your favorite songs from May’n?
Miyu: For me it would have to be… “Diamond Crevasse”!
Nanami: Ah! That’s what I wanted to say!
Miyu: (笑) I’ll like any song, but during the Aniuta Live 2017 (AniUpa) I was listening to the song from backstage. When I heard it I got goosebumps! It felt like a song from the heart. It really moved me. I was like “For some reason I’m crying!” (笑)
Nanami: My choice is also the same, “Diamond Crevasse”. It was also at AniUpa 2017, when I heard it I could feel it giving courage but also moving me to tears. “What are these feelings??” We’ll never forget that figure and powerful performance. At that time, we felt like we wanted to do a performance that would be just as deep as that.
May’n performing at AniUpa 2017
Miyu: “Belief” is also a really cool song!
Nanami: It really does have an amazing sensation.
Miyu: The song has wide range and depth to it!
Miyu: I also think your cute songs are pretty great too.
May’n: Really? (笑) Thank you!
So tell us, Wake Up May’n! One kind of song is One In a Billion?
May’n: The title of the anime it’s a theme song for, “Restaurant to Another World”, holds a hint. “A once in a lifetime encounter” is the theme of the song. I feel like it’s something that was created because of my meeting with WUG. It’s a song that gives me the hope and excitement to explore the unknown.
Nanami: It’s the opening theme of “Restaurant to Another World” after all, so you’ll hear some cute words like “Peko Peko” sprinkled like spice onto the lyrics.
Miyu: It really is a song that brings out excitement. Just like May’n-chan said, this song wouldn’t be a thing if it weren’t for WUG and May’n meeting. In the first half of the song, we’re divided into singing our own parts, but during the last part we end up coming together. I think it’s a great song.
So May’n and WUG come as one later in the song.
Miyu: Yes. It’s an important point in the song, and I hope people give it a good listen.
Is there any part of the song that feels different from your past ones?
Nanami: The lyrics in the song feel really bright, whereas some of WUG’s song lyrics feel pretty dark. (笑)
May’n: That’s pretty surprising. (笑)
Nanami: When I first went over the lyrics, I was so surprised that I said “It’s so blinding!!”
May’n: I thought so too. (笑)
Miyu: We really did have the same thing in mind. (笑)
May’n: But still, I was glad to have basked in WUG-chan’s cuteness. It felt really refreshing to sing a song that was brimming so much with smiles and cheer. A lot of my songs don’t carry that kind of energy.
Haha, it must feel like walking into a dark house when you come home.
May’n: Well they’re just lyrics, y’know. (笑)
What can we expect when listening to One In A Billion？
Miyu: At first the song starts off with a relaxing and slow tempo, but once the doors are opened a rush of energy just flows through. I hope it’s something that a lot of people will look forward to.
Nanami: Before the chorus, we have a part where we say “FU! SION! MIX! CHA!”. Lyrics like that kind of feel like there’s some sort of communication going on between a cook and their customers. I’d like people to enjoy that.
May’n: Lots of food words are inserted throughout the song, but there are also the words “Like and Dislike” too to show that there’s lots of things that link food and life together. I want people to pay close attention to those parts. Also, I hope that some WUG fans can discover me the way I discovered them. It makes me excited for what the future holds and what kind of people I’ll encounter along the way.
So WUG, you performed at Osaka for the first time. What was it like?
Nanami: We were wondering what the audience would be like since it was our first performance their after all, but we were really well received.
Miyu: Their excitement just exploded!
Nanami: We thought “Thank goodness!” And during the later parts we just sang.
May’n: Dancing itself must’ve been difficult.
Miyu: It was pretty hard. The bar for WUG has definitely been raised as of late.
Nanami: So in our setlist we sang “Koi de Ai de Bokun Desu” and after that we sang “One In a Billion”.
May’n: Eeh?! Wow! So it’s just one dance after another!
Nanami: Yep! And even after that we still had character songs to perform…
Miyu: It was really exhausting. (lol)
May’n-san, what are your thoughts on singing and dancing during music videos?
May’n: I’ve had experience performing with other dancers while being in the center, but I did have face some difficulties during changes in formation. In regards to positioning, I’m used to a 0.5 spaced increments. WUG on the other hand uses formations with .25 spaced increments, which I’m not used to at all (笑). Even though I wasn’t used to the spacing, I felt like I could match up my rhythm pretty well with the people next to me.
Editor’s note: Singers will usually be in the center of performances with their location being marked as 0. So with .5 space increments the dancers on both sides of her, the locations of each performer would be like so:
1.5 .5 ->1-> 1.5
The smaller the increment space, the more complex the formations tend to be.
Nanami: There certainly were some tricky details.
Miyu: We did have quite a few patterns.
Nanami: It certainly varies with each song, but the A and B melodies and chorus were pretty different from each other. Our dance instructor, Satomi-sensei, was very particular about our choreography/formations and wanted to look beautiful.
I see. So after all of that, did you end up having an even deeper respect for WUG?
May’n: Yes. Dancing in formations has always been a specialty of WUG’s, but I found myself a little panicked when I tried doing it too.
So you say the dancing in itself was pretty difficult, but did you have any other troubles when recording the music video?
Miyu: The dance scenes with the bread was pretty tricky.
Ah, I see that scene where you looked like you were kneading the bread. Eh? Wait, did you have to learn that on the spot?
May’n: Yes, because there were solo cuts within that segment, we practiced independently between those breaks. Everybody else was learning it quickly, so I had to ask the people next to me “Please show me how to do it! Just one more time!” (笑). I messed up a lot during the filming, which is why I’m glad we were just recording a music video.
Wow, it’s a video made up of so many trying moments. Were there any other highlights?
Nanami: I don’t know if you can notice it, but there’s this scene where a boy walks through the door and when everybody notices the boy they stopped what they were doing. For my part I kind of had to stumble a bit while holding the plates. It was pretty hard to act like I was stumbling so evertime in my head I would think “This doesn’t seem right.” (笑)
Miyu: (笑) In the scene where we were making sandwiches, everybody had to look as if they were fighting the camera. So everybody was handed a kitchen utensil, so I wondered what I would get. But they told me “Takagi-san, you’re going to do a chopping motion with your hands.” I was like “EEEHHHHHHH?!” I was expecting to be handed a really big kitchen utensil or something!
May’n: I see! So that’s why you were being so ecstatic with those rolling pins!
Oh, so a cutting motion was what you were trying to go for.
Miyu: Yes, that’s right (笑)
May’n: I thought those hands looked very pretty (笑). My highlight for the music video is their solo cuts. In those parts it looked like they were saying “Excuse me, can I have your attention?”. Even though they didn’t say it out loud, everybody would pay attention anyways (笑). As a WUGner I felt really satisfied with those scenes.
I agree, everybody really did look adorable.
May’n: When a different girl was up recording their cut, everybody was like “Kyaa! So cute~! So cool~!”
The cool part must’ve been referring to Yoshioka Mayu-san right?
Nanami: All the members got to see Mayushii’s parts (笑).
Miyu: Kaya was the most noisy then, saying “Whoa whoa whoa! Those hands! Look at them hands go!”
There are quite a few WUG fans in WUG aren’t their? (lol)
Miyu Everybody was having a lot fun with each other (笑).
So this time around, the first limited edition set comes with a bluray that comes with the music video in different angles. Are there any promising scenes to look for?
Miyu: Are alternate angles something people would enjoy?
Advertisement Team: At the top of the screen for the bluray there’s an option to watch the normal version of the music video. There’s also another version where people can watch and enjoy the dance version of the song.
Man, that’s something I really want. The formations look so visually appealing and the dance itself is something I really want to take a look at.
Miyu: This is the first time WUG has shot a full version dance video, so I hope you watch it!
Nanami: We did our best swinging around from the dancing, so I hope you enjoy it!
Miyu: May’n-chan was also pretty cool when dancing too! We did a formation together after all!
May’n: I really tried my hardest (笑)! Having 8 people dancing and singing in a music video isn’t something you see very often, so I’m very happy that we got the opportunity to do this.
So then there’s also another song in the single as well, called “King’s Cadenza” 王様のカデンツァ What kind of song is it?
Miyu: In comparison to “One In A Billion”, “King’s Cadenza” is a sort of relaxing song that gives off a sweet feeling that’s kind of fluffy. In the beginning you can hear us say “PaPaPa-n” which is a sort of fanfare made up of our own voices.
Nanami: The song also has a kind of stylish vibe to it.
May’n: It certainly does show off an adult’s cute charms.
Is it your first time singing this particular style of song?
May’n: Hmm, I don’t think it’s something I’ve really done before. What about WUG?
Miyu: We haven’t done it either.
May’n: Lyrically, the theme is about a “naked king”. But the term “naked king” isn’t used in a bad context. The things you see before you aren’t the only things you can believe in right? You yourself are the only one that can experience what life has to offer and you choose what beliefs to hold, is what those lyrics are. I think that sort of feeling is also in “One In a Billion”.
I see, that’s pretty deep.
Miyu: It really is deep. It’s my favorite song.
What are some highlights in the song?
May’n: The first part of the song where everyone was doing that fanfare was really cute. I felt like everybody could sing full of smiles and energy with weightless shoulders.
WUG Manager: The fanfare part is especially pretty interesting. We wanted to make it pretty distinctive so there would be directions like “Say it more childlike”, but then there’d be “Sing it a little more mature” but then they’d also say “Sing it a little more stupid-like”. (笑)
(笑) . I wonder which person was singing in that kind of voice.
Miyu: Originally the fanfare part wasn’t supposed to be there, but someone made a request to do it while we were recording.
I see, so that’s what happened.
Miyu: That’s why some of the members had a hard time understanding the directions. I hope people can pay close attention to that part.
May’n: “One In a Billion” is a really great song to do live, whereas King’s Cadenza has a cute charm to it. When singing those two songs I thought “Wow! So I really can sing a wider variety!” I felt really thrilled to increase my repertoire. I really feel that there wasn’t a single wasted moment, and am very glad to have worked on this single.
I’d certainly like to see more of Wake Up, May’n. Are there any other things that you would like to do together as WUM?
Nanami: I really want May’n to make a debut appearance in the anime world!
May’n: Could I be in the new WUG anime coming out? (笑)
Miyu: Aaah! I’d definitely want to see that happen!
New TV anime, Wake Up, Girls! Shin Shou premiering October 22, 2017.
Nanami: If May’n became a 2D character, then she could play herself and the characters would end up meeting in the anime too. (笑)
That way you could consult to a pretty experienced person. (笑)
Miyu: After that I want to do a live as Wake Up, May’n! I wonder if we’ll do it at the release event? Hmmm…
Speaking of which, you have a release event taking place on August 9th. Tell us how excited you are for that.
May’n: All 8 of us will be there together, which is a somewhat rare opportunity. Even though it’s a weekday, I hope a lot of people come.
Miyu: It’s the first time all of us will be performing together as Wake Up, May’n. I hope you look forward to it.
Nanami: When on tour we have 7 members, but with May’n-chan added into the group our songs have a different sensation. I hope that anybody that watched us on tour can see the difference.
Thank you very much! Now this question might seem different from the others, but since One In a Billion is the opening of Restaurant to Another World, please tell us what your favorite foods are!
May’n: It’s not related to “Restaurant to Another World” in any way, but I really like taiyaki! To me, taiyaki in a way is something that’s full of good will! I’d like taiyaki and other Japanese sweets to be enjoyed by people all over the world.
Miyu: Mine would be… Meat. Is what I would like to say, but whenever I go out to eat yakiniku I’d usually order a lot of Chanja! (笑)
May’n: Wait, I order lots of that too! I love it!
Miyu: Eh, you eat it too?? I reaaaally love it too! Chanja and Yuke!
May’n: Yup, I also order lots of Yuke too!
You two are pretty like-minded it seems (笑).
***TL Note: Yuke (left), also called Yukhoe in Korea, is a dish composed of thinly sliced raw beef with seasoning. Chanja (right) is spicy cod innards. It is also called Là bàn xuěyú nèizàng in China.
Nanami: For my favorite food, I really like Japanese style omelette rice.
Nanami: I really like it Japanese styled, with lots of mushrooms in it too.
May’n: Hey that’s my favorite style too! You’re really asking for it now, Nanami!
Nanami: Eeh!! My stomach feels kinda weird! (笑) Other than how I prepare it, I really liked how my Grandmother would make it, adding eggplants on top. It’s a really cherished memory of mine.
So there’s a precious memory like that involved with cooking. May’n-san, can you cook?
May’n: My meals tend to be messy, but I am pretty good at making Omurice and Oyakodon. People say that egg dishes are pretty difficult to make, but I think I do a pretty good job.
Wow that’s pretty impressive. Nanami-san, you cook for yourself too, correct?
Nanami: That’s right. The other WUG members aren’t really good at cooking, so that gives me the privilege of being that only character in a group that can cook (笑).
Haha, Miyu-san, how’s your cooking?
Miyu: Well I really just cook Java Curry (笑).
Nanami: Just Java Curry?!?! (笑)
Miyu: Using curry ingredients I can also make meat and potatoes too! I try not use the kitchen knife as much as possible so I tend to buy refrigerated vegetable mixes. With that I can make curry pretty quick.
I see (笑). Also, since we usually cover games with our media outlet, what type of games have you been playing lately?
May’n: For me, I’ve been playing “Mario Kart 8″ on the Nintendo Switch so much that I’ve been skipping out on sleep! It’s just so much fun! It’s crazy! It has to be my favorite game of all time right now.
May’n: It really is great to live in age where people all around the world can play online and race each other at anytime. I’m not really good at playing video games though. I’m not really good with games with complex controls, but Mario Kart is different. The controls feel simple. That’s why I like it, because it’s straightforward. Also, I tend to play while using a Mii with my face on it so I’m like “May-san!! Do your best!” cheering her on while I play (笑). My Mii will also cry too when she loses. That’s why I like to play everyday just so I can see her smiling face.
Have you ever played any of the past Mario Karts?
May’n: Mario Kart has been around for a long time so I’ve played it often.
Miyu-san, what type of games do you like?
Miyu: I haven’t really played any recent games, but I have been playing the smartphone version of “Mushihime-sama” lately. The enemies and bullets are quite troublesome, but seeing them explode is quite a refreshing feeling I enjoy. It’s also pretty fun getting through a pinch with the boss battles so I just pull through it.
***TL Note: Mushihime-sama is bullet hell video game, similar to Touhou. It was also released in the US on Steam.
So you like shooters. What about you Nanami-san?
Nanami: I don’t really play video games, but I have been playing “Hachigatsu no Cinderella” and “Soul Reversal”, games with WUG members in them. I always wonder if I’ll end up rolling the members in the gacha. Usually it’s somehow easy for me to get my own characters, but it gets pretty dicey when I try rolling for the other WUG members (笑). It’s so worrisome.
I can imagine (笑). To change the topic, how do you spend your days off?
May’n: I spend it at the gym. I love to kickbox. Whenever I have free time, I try to kickbox. I’ve been doing it for about a year and a half now.
I wonder which WUG members would be susceptible to a lowkick (笑) .
Miyu: I wish Minami and Yoppi good luck (笑).
They’re pretty small aren’t they?
What kinds of thing do you when kickboxing at the gym?
May’n: I don’t do matches, but I do train with my trainer. The constant movement really helps clear my head. I go to the gym alone whenever I have something on my mind.
So you haven’t had any matches yet?
You haven’t wanted to try it at least once?
May’n: I would like to! (笑)
(笑) What about you Miyu-san? What do you do on your days off?
Miyu: I haven’t really done it recently, but I guess playing the drums. Back in March 2017 during a solo event, I played the drums for a song my character sang.
May’n: Wow that’s impressive!
Miyu: Although I can’t really sing and play drums at the same time (strained laugh). So that’s when I started playing the drums. It was a lot of fun. I used to practice for about 3 hours, and I’d be so focused that time would fly by so quick. By the time it ended I’d be surprised that it’d gotten so dark. After lessons ended I wanted to get back to playing again as soon as possible.
What is it about playing the drums do you find fun?
Miyu: Feeling the change in pressure when I play and moving my legs to the rhythm. The sensation of making music with my body is really interesting.
How do you spend your days off Nanami-san?
Nanami: Me, well I like to throw things away.
Do you not have any attachment to material things? (笑)
Nanami: It’s not like that, but sometimes I’ll find clothes that I bought about 2 years ago. So I go through my pile of clothing, throwing away things I don’t need and choosing the ones I want to keep. At the end of the day I feel pretty refreshed.
Are you the type that likes to collect everything?
May’n: My house kind of looks like Don Quijote (笑).
***TL Note: Don Quixote (Donki for short) is a convenience store that carries a wide range of products, like clothes, souvenirs, electronics, groceries, and etc.
I’m sure there are a lot of other people like you, May’n-san, that find it hard to throw things away.
May’n: I also really like hippos! Just with hippo plushies alone, I have 700!
Miyu: EH?!
***TL Note: WTF
May’n: Also, I have a ton of figures. Some people may find my place to be pretty fun or pretty messy. Sometimes people will say “You gotta calm down!” (笑)
Miyu: I really like Donki, so I’m probably the type that would like it (笑).
We’d love to hear more of your private lives, but we have to end things soon. Do you have any messages for the readers?
Nanami: This time around Wake Up, May’n has sung a few songs together. At first it was difficult to call ourselves Wake Up, May’n since it was hard to call May’n-chan without any honorifics, but after getting to know her I can confidently say “We are Wake Up, May’n!”. The 8 of us will be performing as one unit at a release event so I hope you can watch and have fun!
Miyu: With the May’n we were able to meet, we’ll be releasing our single on August 9th. I’m really looking forward to meeting the people that’ll be at the release event! I hope to hear things like “WUM-chan ganbatte!” I hope to hear a lot people call us WUM-chan.
May’n: I’ve never really done this kind of collaboration before, so when they first announced a collab team up with WUG, it felt out of this world. Everybody felt like it was some rare out of this world unit. However, I felt a sense of security like I’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s not something that may seem absolute in the future, but I definitely want to do this again. I want people to believe that it’s not just a festive song just because it’s a collaboration between two performers, but I want them to really enjoy it as one unit.
Source from Famitsu: https://www.famitsu.com/news/201708/07139209.html
