We can do better. Riinu and Nanamori look back on the days when they devoted themselves in production.
The original interview article can be found here. This interview is to commemorate Riinu's 1st full album, 'Time Capsule'. Nanamori (the leader and president pfft) will also be in this interview, accompanying Riinu. It's been a year since Time Capsule released, happy first anniversary to Riinu's first full album! :) And also, first post of 2021! Woot woot! Happy new year, everyone! I'll also translate Root's interview in 2019 with Naakun and... Satomi's too (surprisingly he did the interview without Naakun?!).
Disclaimer: I'm still a novice translator, hence my translation is not 100% accurate.
A new generation of video streaming entertainment unit called 'Sutopuri' or 'Strawberry Prince'. One of the members, Riinu is a very popular singer with an innocent and cheerful personality who is said to be "too cute" by the listeners.
However, in the video "From when I was born" which he posted on the day of his 21st birthday, he revealed his conflict with his family, his childhood hunger for love, his dream of becoming a voice actor entrusted to him by his best friend who died from an illness, and his past suffering from gender identity disorder. The video has received over 4 million views and has created a huge response.
It's easy to imagine how hard it is to open the door to memories that are so painful that you don't want to remember them. Why did he decide to go to such lengths to share his painful past with the listeners? What message does Riinu want to convey to the listeners through the album 'Time Capsule' which will be released on 11st December?
When our staff visited the office in mid-November, we were greeted with smiles by Riinu and Nanamori, the leader of Sutopuri. First, we talked to them about how they came with the idea of release the video "From when I was born".
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"If I'm going to face my listeners upfront, I need to tell them about my past."
—The first thing I wanted to talk to you about was the video which Riinu-san uploaded on 26th May 2019, titled "From when I was born", in which it reflects on his fierce past.
Riinu: Yes.
—You spoke frankly about your home environment and your relationship with your family, but didn't it take a lot of courage to tell your story in words?
Riinu: Yes, that's true... I think it's something that we usually don't want to say. But some of our listeners have all kinds of problems too. I wanted to tell those people that you're not alone and I had a tough time too, but I'll do my best so please don't give up.
In order to do that, i think you have to let people know who you are first, so that they can understand your feelings.
—So that's what it was...
Riinu: When someone you don't know well says, "Hang in there!", I think you will feel like you want to say "Shut up!". I wanted to face my listeners as human beings and in order to do that, I had to talk about my past.
Nanamori: We had actually talked about it on live stream at the end of summer 2017, but since some people had recently heard of us, we thought it would be better to tell again.
Riinu: (Nods)
Nanamori: Unfortunately, there are times when people say things based on speculation. As a result, the listeners who support us get anxious or hurt by unkind words or rumours and they lose faith in us. There were moments when the words of Sutopuri stopped reaching them.
Riinu: I'm sure those who listen to my broadcasts all the time know what I'm talking about, but I wanted to leave the video for those who can't listen. I was worried before uploading the video, but now I'm glad I did because I've gotten so many comments from listeners saying "Thank you for telling us!"
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"I had so many things I wanted to convey that I found myself writing lyrics for six songs?!"
—The full album "Time Capsule" which consists of all original songs, will be released on December 11. Two of the members, Satomi-sa and Root-san, have already released their own solo albums, but what did you think about the way they prepared for the production and the response after the release?
Riinu: When I see the members working hard, I feel proud of them and it makes me feel excited to work hard too! That's why I wanted to record it as soon as possible.
—When did you start preparing for the album?
Nanamori: I think it started in March this year. We had the first Sutopuri album release and a nationwide tour, so we had meetings in between to work on it.
Riinu: In addition to that, I was also doing my own solo tour in the summer (laughs).
—I'm amazed at how you were to make it despite your extremely busy schedule.
Nanamori: Well, it was tough (laughs). We are mainly active in live broadcasting. When we do live broadcasts, the listeners immediately react to what we say and do, which makes it more and more fun, but when we're working on the song, we don't get any reaction, so we sometimes wonder if they'll be happy with it.
Riinu: It was as if no one would catch the ball I threw at them, and I was anxiously working on it (laughs).
Nanamori: Like it was scary to keep walking in the dark, wasn't it?
Riinu: Yes, it was (laughs).
—Riinu-san also tried to write the lyrics for the first time. Moreover, it was 6 songs.
Riinu: ? (astonished)
Nanamori: Hm? I think it's 3 songs. Oh, 4 songs (counting with his fingers). "Kimi no Hou ga Suki Dakedo", "Since 1998", "Now or Never", "Nostalgia no Madobe" and...
Riinu: Then, "Koi no Tsubomi" and "Time Capsule".
Nanamori: Oh! Huh, 6 songs?!
Riinu: Oh right! It's 6 songs! I've been writing a lot, haven't I? (laughs)
Nanamori: Riinu-kun, you worked so hard! That's amazing!
Riinu: Huhhh~?! I feel like I've worked really hard (shy smile).
—The words were overflowing without you even realising it, didn't they, Riinu-san?
Riinu: Once I started writing, I felt the urge to write more and more. Before I knew it, I had six songs (laughs)
—Even if I suddenly decided to try on writing lyrics, I don't think I would be able to do it right away. Although you haven't shown it to anyone, have you been writing lyrics before then?
Riinu: No, not at all! It's my first time!
Nanamori: Riinu-kun was in the drama club in high school and he wrote his own scripts. Even now, he has an animation video on YouTube which looks like a picture-story show and he plays four roles by himself. (Naakun was referring to Riken, Rineko, Riiko and Riinu skits)
Riinu: That's true (laughs).
Nanamori: I think that's why he's good at brainstorming and writing stories. I think he might be able to write a novel or something (laughs)
—Next will be your debut as a writer then?
Riinu: No, no (laughs). But when I was writing scripts for the stage, people thought I was going to be a novelist (laughs). I remembered that they used to say to me, "You're either going to be a voice actor or novelist, aren't you?"
Nanamori: I knew it!
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"The night when I was stuck on the lyrics, alone on the slide at the park."
—Did you encounter any difficulties in the production stage?
Riinu: I'm not used to writing lyrics, so I didn't know how to express myself, and there were many times when the melody and the number of words didn't match. I sometimes wondered, "I think I've used this expression before."
—What did you do when you were stuck in writing the lyrics?
Riinu: I played alone on a slide at a nearby park at midnight... (laughs)
Nanamori: Do you feel refreshed? (laughs)
—(Laughs). Are you basically the type of person who writes lyrics at home?
—Do you ever ask Nanamori-san to take a look at it before you finish it?
Riinu: Yes, I would say "Naakun, I wrote it!" and showed him.
Nanamori: But there was never a time when I said "I think you should do that". I keep on saying "That's good, that's good!" to the point he wondered if I was really looking at them (laughs).
Riinu: I wondered if he was just saying "That's good" because he was busy (laughs).
Nanamori: That's not true. If it's really good, I would reply "That's good!" though.
Riinu: There was "a little bit" of suspicion that Naakun wasn't looking. (laughs)
—In an interview with Root-san when he released an album, he said "Nanamori-san supported me throughout the production". What about you, Riinu-san?
Riinu: It's the same for me. I'm really grateful that Naakun was there for me all the time, not only for the album but also for the solo tour. Well, for the last six months if I recall.
Nanamori: It's been an intense six months, hasn't it?
—What are your memories of the two of you during production? For example, you both talked until morning in a diner that day, or you both had a fight over a different opinion.
Nanamori: We get along really well and we never fight (laughs). Oh, but I did lose my temper once.
Riinu: When was that...?
Nanamori: Jel-kun kept illustrating dirty things during the broadcast, and I got really angry after the broadcast ended.
Riinu: Of all the things, that's the one! (laughs).
Nanamori: Other than that, we've never been really angry or fought. We don't usually have conflicting opinions. It's more like we share our opinions and try to make things better by sharing them.
It was the same when I was working on Riinu-kun's album and my expectations were only growing for more and more. I mean, it makes me want more (laughs). Please don't say six songs, next time write all the lyrics!
Riinu: Nah, that's not a good idea (laughs).
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"I feel like I'm showing a test paper with perfect score on it to my teacher."
—How was the recording?
Riinu: I was nervous. Normally, I do a lot of group recordings, so I think about how I'm going to sing among the six of us, but when it's just me, I'm like, "What am I going to do? (laughs). I consulted with the director as I went along.
—What was the most difficult song to record?
Riinu: The first song "Yoku Dekimashita◎" was the first song we recorded, so we started by making up our minds. As I was singing it, I got stuck and lost track of what I was singing, so I had to leave the microphone and sit quietly for a while (laughs).
Nanamori: Root was there for the recording of some of the songs, right?
—How was Root-san as the sound producer?
Riinu: He's quite strict and harsh (laughs). The song I collaborated with Root-kun is a melancholy song with a lot of passion but he said, "Riinu, you can do better! It's not enough!". His gestures were very intense and different from usual (laughs).
I saw Root-kun doing something like this (drawing a roller coaster-like curve with his arms) and said "Like this! Like this!". I laughed once and the recording was interrupted (laughs). That's how hard Root-kun worked for me.
Nanamori: Root-kun also seemed to be very enthusiastic about making music.
—Riinu-san, you released your album "「R」ealize" in April 2018, have you felt yourself growing after more than a year and half?
Riinu: Yes! Since all the songs are original, I was able to put in my own thoughts and feelings that I wanted to convey. Last time, the songs were covers, and some of them were similar in genre, but this time, we had a variety of songs, and I was able to change my singing style to suit them, so I was able to challenge myself with various expressions.
Nanamori: The first song that Riken composed was "Kimi no Hou ga Suki Dakedo" and it was so wonderful that I couldn't believe it was his first song, so I had a feeling from that moment that we were going to make an amazing album. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the fans respond to it!
Riinu: I'm so thrilled when Naakun praises me. It's like having a teacher look at your test paper with a perfect score. Like "Look, look I got a perfect score!"
—(Laughs). Please tell us one of your favorite songs, Nanamori-san.
Riinu: Tell us!
Nanamori: Personally speaking, I think "Time Capsule" is the one that gets me the most. Well, I also like "Ruma". I think that even if you don't know anything about Riinu-kun or Sutopuri, the songs will draw you in.
There are songs that you can feel because you're a listener, and there are songs that you can enjoy even if you don't know anything about Sutopuri. Hmm, well, The song I recommend is... all the songs (laughs).
Riinu: I'm glad (laughs)
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"Our activities continues because of our listeners."
—What do you think of Riinu-san's talent for writing lyrics and singing, Nanamori-san?
Nanamori: Not only does he have the ability to think of sentences, but he also thinks about the distance and relationship with the listeners, and how to best express his love. I really felt that his strong desire to express his feelings more and more is what made him the person he is today. I felt this even more strongly when I accompanied him on his solo tour.
—You've had a tough time, but you've been able to keep moving forward, thanks to your listeners, right?
Riinu: Yes, I really do. In reality, I'm a very negative person (laughs). (laughs) But I think it's a situation where I can't stay negative. I have to do my best even if it's hard, and the reason why I want to do my best is because of the listeners.
Also, when I see the members working hard, it makes me feel like I have to work hard too. That's why I feel so supported by the people around me.
—What's your policy, Riinu-san?
Riinu: Policy? Eh... What do you think? (looks at Nanamori-san)
Nanamori: What I think of Riinu-kun's philosophy is that he always puts the listener first, as all the members of Sutopuri do. As long as the listeners are having fun, no effort will be spared. I think that's how Riinu-kun has always worked with that in mind.
Riinu: That's right. I was saved by the listeners, and I think that's how I'm able to continue my activities. It's been the same ever since we started our activities. Our activities are only possible because there are people who receive them. It's because of the listeners that we can move forward and do our best. I want to continue to say "thank you" to everyone.
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To support Riinu, you can stream 'Time Capsule' album via Spotify/Apple Music or buy the physical album in CDJapan. You can also support Sutopuri by streaming 'Strawberry Prince' album via Spotify/Apple Music or buy the physical album in CDJapan. Thank you for reading :3
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