11 comments on “Morning Musume 20th Anniversary Official Book Interviews: Ishida Ayumi

  1. Amazing growth, and truly a leader now! She knows that the juniors will read this and she is giving them the message thru this interview that they need to step it up! Fantastic stuff! lOVe that she name checked Aika!! RESPECT!

  2. It’s interesting how this interview is ballsy, earnest, and a little sad all at the same time. This sort of honesty mixed with Sato’s ambition could start a new golden age for MM. It also makes you wonder how MM will fare after all of the members who have a direct and substantial connection with the Platinum generation and Tsunku graduate.

  3. “The current members are so well-mannered though — they don’t really try to push their way to the front.”

    i’m genuinely surprised someone from 9-11ki is saying this. but it makes sense because wota are saying how much she’s been grilling 15ki with their radio appearance and the dance lessons. but yokoyan said she wanted to push herself to the front but respect for her seniors is holding her back, that also seems to be the case with 12ki. if a senpai like ayumin thinks this way, i wonder what’s stopping them?

    • Perhaps it’s habit that’s stopping them? Kaede spent most of her career as a kenkyuusei, where deferring to seniors was the norm. Reina, who is younger than Kaede, probably followed her lead when it came to discerning appropriate behavior. Chisaki was a junior to Momochi, one of H!P’s most powerful personalities–and went from being in her own group to being drafted into H!P’s premiere group, which had the same personality dynamic. Now you have the 15ki, who will likely follow Yamazaki’s lead (also a long-term kenkyuusei) when learning how to negotiate relationships with seniors.

      The habit of constantly deferring to seniors is difficult enough, but the idea that no one at any level (management or the members themselves) have come up with a way to get around that is the real problem. It means something when an 10ki has to tell a 12ki directly that “senpai/kouhai doesn’t matter in a game”, or when it’s clear that the 12-14ki are obviously intentionally losing to the 9-11ki in competitions.

      • momochi encouraged and pushed country girls to make themselves known though. chii said that recently when she said ayacho and momochi have the qualities of her ideal leader.

        it’s the senpai’s job to encourage them and push them forward, or at least create openings where they can do that. ayumin said she wants to be the scary senior that yuu-chan was so i think she’s pushing her juniors now. on their radio show wota said she was picking on mei for not talking enough, but i think it will benefit mei in the future. 12ki are too reserved and it’s probably because 9-11ki didn’t know how to approach them.

  4. From her very beginning, I always liked Ishida Ayumi’s stage presence. She is an outstanding dancer, and it really shows how hard she works at delivering a perfect performance. ~Nihon wa Donna Kanji Dekka?~ is one of my favorite MM songs, so I was a little apprehensive when I first learned Ayumi was singing the lead. I loved her singing it!!

    This is another great interview Henkka. Thanks so much for the translations!

  5. Easily one of my Colorful->Formation Era favorites. Great on stage, never skips leg day, great on Ara Ara Kashiko, always has that cheeky charming smile cemented on her face.

  6. Ishida is very prim&proper but she’s not boring at all. Her momusu soul is fierce, eye of the tiger -feel.
    Her dancing has that peak precision and I also like her singing the most in MM’19, not very common opinion.

  7. I’m kind of sad because this interview literally explains how Ayumin went from my favorite member of Colorful Era to a member I don’t like that much in the actual era…
    She has great skill and great personnality, I don’t deny that, but her behaviour towards her kouhai, I just can’t stand it. That’s too harsch and overly competitive.

    I’m not saying senpai have to be soft on kouhai but please, at least do it on backstage, not in the middle of a live show or during kouhai’s first introduction in front of 3000 people,’cause they will just be scared from the very beginning and will not develop the self confidence they need to let their personnality blooms.
    That’s the same problem with the fact Ayumi wants her kouhai to defy her but at the same time refuse to let them improve WITH her and the others and prefer having each member at the top ALONE. I don’t think senpai should let kouhai surpasses them on purpose but they need to let the kouhai feeling they have the right to be in the group with them and that they have the chance to evolve with their senpai to finally find their own place. This part when she says she doesn’t think actual members are good enough to carry MM. after the senpai graduates is just too violent. It’s as saying that the kouhai’s existence and work means actually nothing for the group. Yes the kouhai can be so frustrated to read this that they will do their best even more after that, but there is also those who will be totally destroyed from the inside and losing all of their motivation to do more than they are actually doing (with actually no results ’cause the staff messed too much with the group these last years).

    Well, after all I’m not able to judge her since I’m not a member of MM. but the interview clearly shows that Ayumin maybe was a better fit for the Golden Era in terms of senpai-kouhai relationship. I used to think the backstage atmosphere during this era was absolutely horrible, that should be why I definitely can”t agree with Ayumi’s point of view, even if I actually like her very much as an idol and performer.
    Now I just wonder if she is sometimes frustrated by Mizuki’s soft leadership ??

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