HelloProject :: Morning Musume & Aya Matsuura News

sixth-gen Morning Musume member Kamei Eri (20) was recently interviewed by Hyper Hobby magazine about her voice work in the Jewel Pet anime, her collection of five-toed socks, and becoming an adult.

We’ve translated the full interview right here, so enjoy!

“New My Monologue” Special Edition:
Kamei Eri (Morning Musume) Interview

The June issue of “Hyper Hobby” featured an interview with Morning Musume’s Kamei Eri in the “New My Monologue” segment! In the article, she talked about everything from her socks, to trying voice acting, her solo album song, and the things she wants to try in the future.

Socks made Kamei-chan an adult!?

HH: First off, I understand you have a lot of socks!

Kamei: I love 5-toed socks, so I have a whole lot of them at home! I get cold pretty easily, and my toes get particulary cold. I heard that 5-toed socks are good for your blood flow, so I tried them out. I put them on to go to sleep, and I started sleeping so much better. Before I started wearing them, my cold feet would touch each other and that would wake me up!

HH: So at first, it was a practical thing.

Kamei: After that, I started to collect 5-toed socks. When I’d go to the shop, there would be so many cute ones for sale. And these days, even though some of them are probably just a gag, they come in all kinds of funny varieties! I’ll see them when I’m walking past and think “What the hell are those? (lol)”… But without realising it, I’ll bring them up to the cash register (lol). When I take my shoes off and the other members see those kind of socks, they’ll say, “What are those?” (lol). They’re funny, so I find myself collecting them!

HH: Shortly after you joined Morning Musume, you said on a TV program called “Futarigoto” that you don’t buy many socks, and most of them had holes in them!

Kamei: That’s true! After that show aired, a lot of fans sent me socks as presents! I was really grateful, but I think they got the idea I was a pitiful kid who couldn’t even buy her own socks (lol). But it wasn’t that I couldn’t buy them back then. Even if they had holes, I thought, “I can still wear them, so it doesn’t matter” (lol). But I’m 20 now, so I can’t take my shoes off and show people, “They’ve got holes in them!” I’m an adult now! Socks made me grow up!

HH: (lol). And now you’re using “Body-k Beauty Control Socks” in your lessons!

Kamei: When Tsunku♂ first gave them to me, I was surprised, “The toes are divided into three parts!” I’d worn 5-toed socks a lot, but three! Though when I tried them on, they fit so well. Not too tight, but I could feel they were really holding my ankle firmly. Having concert rehearsals every day, the soles of my feet got really sore. When the concert would start, the trainers would try to help out by taping them up. But it’s better that I take care of it myself in advance during rehearsals. So when I put these socks on, it feels so much better! I’ve been wearing them for about a year and a half now, and the other members all wear them, too. And it seems like the old members like Yoshizawa (Hitomi) and Ishikawa (Rika) wear them, too. And when I’m just going out shopping, or anytime I’m going to be walking a lot in a day, I go out with them on under my boots! Because I don’t want my feet to be sore on my days off.

HH: You’re taking care of yourself, just like a pro!

Kamei: It makes me happy that I can be called a pro who takes care of herself, just by wearing these socks (lol). Even if you’re not a pro, girls still need to look after their feet!

HH: Do you think your fans would be happy if there were a line of Kamei original socks?

Kamei: Yeah! It would be funny if they sold them along with the other concert goods. They could be my colour, orange, and they could have my own illustrations on them. Even if you can’t see them, I’d be connected to the fans’ feet! Something like that!

Trying voice acting for 2009!

HH: You started working as a voice actor for the “Jewel Pet” anime that started in April! Did you watch a lot of anime as a kid?

Kamei: I watched the usual ones. I watched “Sailor Moon” and “Marmalade Boy”, just like everyone else. But I still can’t believe I’ve done voice acting for a show like that. Even watching it on Sunday morning, I can hear it’s my voice, but it doesn’t feel real. I was always really nervous in the dubbing sessions. One time, we had a break between the first and second halves, the “A part” and “B part”, and everyone else went to go and grab snacks. But I didn’t eat anything… I just stayed in the studio, reading the script…

HH: Did Tanaka (Reina) or Kusumi (Koharu) give you any advice on voice acting?

Kamei: Before my first dubbing session, I asked for advice. “I don’t know what it’ll be like in the dubbing studio! It’s my first time, so what should I do? Am I going to be okay, Reina?” She told me, “You’ll be fine! You can do it!” That wasn’t advice at all (lol). But I felt better after that, thinking, “Oh, I’m fine. I can do it!”

HH: (lol)

Kamei: Koharu gave me the DVD of “Kirarin ☆ Revolution” to use as a reference. I said, “Koharu, you’re amazing!” When she read the script, she said in her usual dazed way, “Kamei-san, is this an anime script? Good luck!” (lol). But really, just hearing from the two of them with their voice acting experience made me feel better. They were really reassuring!

HH: I see. In the show, there are scenes where Rinko casts a spell!

Kamei: I can always do those without getting nervous! I was really happy that I got set phrases like that, and I always say them full of energy and power! I did well with them right from the start!

HH: Your regular lines always have a natural feel to them, too.

Kamei: Really!? I’m so happy! The director told me, “Just use your normal voice.” So I thought I’d just go with a Kamei Eri voice, not trying to do anything special. But at first I’d get nervous trying to be in character, and my voice would get higher… But Rinko is like me in a lot of ways, so I can just play her naturally now. She has lots of scenes with weird faces and funny faces, so I’d like to come out with different kinds of voices to go along with those. I’ll try my best!

Even at age 20, wanting to become an adult!

HH: For the “Platinum 9 Disco” concerts, you got to sing a solo song, “Kataomoi no Owari ni”! (on the album “Platinum 9 Disc”)

Kamei: I was really surprised when I first heard it, because it’s such a cute song!

HH: You were surprised!?

Kamei: Yeah! I was a little nervous, “Can I sing that cutely?” But I didn’t sing it as either a super-cutesy song, or a cool song. I just sang it naturally, like Kamei Eri. It felt so good to sing it at the concerts!

HH: Do you think Tsunku♂ wrote it with an image of you in mind?

Kamei: It seems like his image of me is like a university student. “Kataomoi no Owari ni” even starts off suddenly with “Today on campus…” So I sang it with the feeling of a university student. There’s a part of me that wanted to go to university, so that was really fun. I sang it while imagining things like the campus and the cafeteria. Actually, according to my age, I should be in university now. But it seems like I’m more university-like than Gaki-san, even though we’re the same age.

HH: Speaking of Gaki-san, you started a radio show with Niigaki (Risa) back in April.

Kamei: That’s right! It definitely confirmed my idea that Gaki-san is actually reliable. She can do it perfectly without needing a script. When she’s talking, I’m always adding things like “That’s right”, and I just go freely like that. On the show, Gaki-san is the reliable one, and I do things freely (lol).

HH: (lol)

Kamei: I really enjoy spending time with her. We make a great combo. In a way, she feels like a mother. So she’s always spoiling me!

HH: But you’re already 20 years old! Now finally, please tell me what you’d like to try now that you’re 20!

Kamei: Anything at all…? I’d like to get a credit card!

HH: A credit card? (lol)

Kamei: My mother thinks that it would still be too dangerous for me, so she told me I can’t get one! I’m 20 years old, but inside it doesn’t feel like it. So, I want to become an adult on the inside, too. I was given a solo song, and I’ve tried voice acting on my own… I want to keep working hard every day! I want to work even harder this year, become an adult, and then get my mother’s permission to get a credit card!

HH: In your mind, adult = credit card!

Kamei: Yeah! It’s not just words, but this year, my goal really is to become an adult!

She started wearing them to fight the cold, and now she has a lot of cute 5-toed socks that she won’t let out of her hands… or rather, her feet. She didn’t have them with her, but she has a lot of character socks at home, too!

With her Web Gurumi from Sega Toys. It’s small and cute, so she wants to “put it in my backpack and carry it around with me!” She’s actually carried a stuffed Ruby that she won as a prize from a game centre around with her in her backpack!

After taking the photos with her favourite socks and toy, she relaxed and really got into answering the questions. She wouldn’t stop talking, and after the 30 minutes were up, it was “Over!? Thank you very much!”

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