NYLON x IDOLM@STER Magazine
Sato Airi & Omori Maho Interview Highlights
Q: Tell us how you discovered Idolm@ster?
Aichan: I started watching anime becuase of my older sister, former AKB48 member Sato Airi. The first game I downloaded after getting a phone was Idolm@ster.
Mahopyon: A certain graduated member was really into Idolm@ster, and at a family restaurant after work she preached about it's charms for 2 hours, like 'Maho will really love this idol from SideM!'
Q: Please tell us the charms of your fave idols.
Aichan: Since I joined AKB I've wanted to be the centre, and the first idol I fell in love with was Shimamura Uzuki-chan, the icon of Cinderella Girls. She's the kind who really feels like she chould be in the centre. Out of the cute, cool or passionate idols, originally I liked the cute type, but as I grew older, I started to like street fashion more than frills, and I met the cool-type idol Hayate. Hayate performs in a unit with her twin sister, and when I joined AKB, I was paired with my big sister, so we're similar. Also, Hayate is the 'jack of all trades, master of none' type, and I relate to that.
Q: Are there aspects of Idolm@ster that you relate to?
Aichan: In Cinderella Girls, there are two girls, Anzu and Kirari, who form a unit. Anzu is very lazy and doesn't practice, and when Kirari is trying to cajole her into lessons, I felt like 'I've seen this scene before' (laughs).
Mahpyon: Right! AKB has a lot of members, so sometimes not everyone is on the same page. Also, in Shinymas, there are shuffles of units.
Airi: It's like our team shuffles.
Mahpyon: Yes! Now our team system has disappeared, and everyone is working hard as AKB48. In the anime, there's a scene where everyone has to dance together, and each unit aligns their diffrent dancing styles. I felt, 'Ah, it's like the current AKB48,' and thought it was wonderful.
Q: What do AKB's costumes mean to you?
Omori: Putting on costumes flips the switch from normal girl to idol.
Aichan: In AKB we often borrow our seniors costumes, but having costumes made for me is really special. I'm really happy when they make costumes with our figure and image in mind.
Q: What are your fave costumes?
Aichan: Cute costumes like Koi Tsunjatta, Karakon Wink, Enkyori Poster. But I want to wear cool costumes in the future!
Mahopyon: Warukii! It's cute but sexy!
Q: Tell AKB fans the appeal of Idolm@ster!
Aichan: Deresute has 3 attributes, cute, cool and passion, and AKB48 used to be divided into teams, so I think fans will enjoy it like 'Team A are traditional idols, so they're cute', or 'Team K is cool.' It's also fun to think 'This IM@S song sounds like Team A', or 'What if this IM@S idol joined AKB?'
