MC2
YK: We’ve played some songs from Everlasting Songs--Gin no Hashi, Hanamori no Oka, and Houseki. Now let’s introduce these songstresses, who are singing beautifully today.
Starting from closest to me, WAKANA!
WAKANA: Good evening, I’m WAKANA. I’d like to have a good time with you tonight.
YK: The notable feature of her costume she wears today is a black rose on her head--that might be seen only by me, though--That’s very cute.
Both in recordings and live concerts, she mainly sings high tones with her goddess-like voice.
She answered “Japanese vermicelli” to the question (Speaking of summer, what comes to your mind?)
WAKANA: Sure.
YK: The goddess likes Japanese vermicelli!?
WAKANA: Isn’t it funny? I like Japanese vermicelli very much. As I’m sensitive to heat, temperature of a room rises by two degrees when I walk in there.
YK: I’ve heard your makeup artist said that.
WAKANA: No, I said that. He/she was surprised to hear that. YUUKA-chan said “It’s hotter when you are close to me.”
YK: She meant “It’s muggy”?
WAKANA: I’m hot and muggy, in many senses.
YK: WAKANA has so much energy that I would want to observe how long she keeps on talking. We need much energy to talk, don’t we? Musicians tend to save their energy before and after a rehearsal. But she DOESN'T. I wonder where her inexhaustible energy comes from.
Putting that aside, come back to Japanese vermicelli.
WAKANA: Yes, Japanese vermicelli.
YK: What kind of sauce do you like the best?
WAKANA: Seasoning soy sauce. Sesame sauce? I like seasoning soy sauce better. I add green perilla, Welsh onion, and mioga ginger to sauce.
YK: That would be sort of refreshing.
WAKANA: --when I have enough time.
I like cold noodle, too.
YK: Korenaga-san has answered “cold” to the question. You actually like “cold”, too, don’t you?
WAKANA: Oh, he said so?
YK: “cold” comes to his mind when speaking of summer. He said he likes to put “cold” before names of many things.
WAKANA: I see. Let’s have a chat later. You’ll have to keep me company for a while.
YK: Now let’s get onto Anego next to you. Yuriko Kaida!
KAIDA: Good evening. I’m Yuriko Kaida. Nice to meet you.
Oh, thank you, say that again?
Audience: You’re cute!
KAIDA: I’m thrilled! In Osaka, audience called me cute and I got excited--some of you may not know that, though.
YK: You were cute there, Kaida-san.
KAIDA: Excuse me, can I ask you all to say that?
Audience: YOU’RE CUTE!
KAIDA: Thank you!
YK: Well, she is--
An audience: You’re cute!!
KAIDA: Thank you!
YK: As you see, she is manly in personality but--
Another audience: Aniki! (Big bro)
KAIDA: Don’t call me Aniki.
YK: At least call her Anego (elder sister), please.
KAIDA: "Anego" would be good. Oh, I like “Yuri-née”, too.
YK: She may not look it, but she has an angelic voice.
KAIDA: I may not look it, but I’m an angel.
YK: In the past, she was very quiet. But I’m happy that she has come to show her true color lately. I bet she has sung more than one hundred songs of mine. I owe so much to her that my music could not exist without her.
KAIDA: Have a good time today.
YK: Oh, I forgot, when speaking of summer, an anklet comes to her mind.
KAIDA: I’ve tried wearing an anklet.
Audience: It’s cute!
KAIDA: Thank you for your compliment. Anklets are cool, aren’t they?
YK: After answering to the question, she said “I’ve said something womanly today. I’m a little more womanly than usual today.”
KAIDA: My true self is sort of that.
YK: Well, the next is, KEIKO!
KEIKO: Good evening, everybody! I’m KEIKO. I’d like to have a good time with you today!
YK: As KEIKO-chan has performed her voice in the previous song Houseki, she plays important roles in melodies, as well as low-pitched tones, which is essential for my songs, and so on.
It’s ice cream that comes to her mind when speaking of summer.
KEIKO: It’s a too ordinary answer, excuse me.
YK: She said she likes chocolate mint-flavored ones.
KEIKO: I eat it every day.
YK: What!?
KEIKO: Not only during summer, I eat it every morning. That is a part of my daily routine.
YK: In the morning?
KEIKO: Yes, in the morning. It’s my breakfast.
YK: That could be amazing.
Ordinary stores don’t have chocolate mint-flavored ones, do they?
KEIKO: --An audience says “They have”.
YK: Oh, am I weird? Ordinary convenience stores don’t have chocolate mint-flavored ones, do they?
KEIKO: They have one kind of such things.
YK: Those who say “We can find them at ordinary stores” are good people who go to decent stores instead of convenience stores. They are very different from me, who go to a convenience store every day.
KEIKO: You can find only one kind of them at convenience stores.
YK: Uh-huh, is that xxxgen-Dazs(Haagen-Dazs) or something?
(Note: They are trying to avoid saying trading names)
KEIKO: No, xxper xxp.
YK: Pardon? Once more, once more.
KEIKO: xxper xxp.
YK: Pack?
KEIKO: xxper Cup (Super Cup)
(
http://www.meinyu.co.jp/pressrelease/20 ... 08_01.html)
—It’s hard to pronounce!
YK: I see. I hope your words won’t be bleeped out.
KEIKO: Please buy it.
YK: I’ll try it. I didn’t expect those stores have such expensive stuff.
KEIKO: They are reasonable.
YK: But I guess I can’t have it for breakfast. That’s what only young people can do.
YK: And, KAORI!
KAORI: I’m KAORI. Thank you!
YK: Also KAORI-chan sings various songs. As you have now listened to Hanamori no Oka, she is a very expressive singer.
KAORI: Not at all.
YK: --Why are you laughing?
WAKANA: She is embarrassed to be praised.
YK: Oh, OK. Her singing in ballads, for example, really moves me while I’m accompanying her on the piano.
KAORI: Thank you very much.
YK: All of these singers move me, though.
She said “sweat” comes to her mind when speaking of summer.
KAORI: I don’t use an air-conditioner. So I don’t enjoy cool places, but stand heat, sweating a lot. That’s how my summer goes.
--What? What? What’s wrong? (KEIKO moved away from KAORI)
YK: I wondered if you should say “SWEATING A LOT” in front of audience, wearing such a cute dress.
KAORI: I’ve already said that.
YK: You girls are honest. I mean, when I asked these guys the question, at first they said something like “Pachinko parlors are overcooled during summer…”, but after I told them about the cameras, they suddenly started to say “Forget it. Sherbet--” and “Enoshima--” and so on. The girls are more honest than the guys.
KAORI: Have I said too much?
YK: Not at all. As for me, wind bells come to my mind when speaking of summer.
I like their sound very much. You know, in our head we have a wind bell ringing in sepia-toned scenery of summer, don’t we? I like a wind bell ringing in my imaginary summer scenery.
I looked for a wind bell which makes good sound, and I found one which is made of a kind of special metal—I forgot what it was, though—
That very beautiful one made neither too high nor too low- pitched sound, which was just perfect for me. I liked and bought it, and hung it near my workplace’s window.
At first I enjoyed summer atmosphere with the wind bell, drinking cold green tea. But I started to feel it ANNOYING from the third day! I wasn’t able to work at all.
I learned one thing: Wabi-sabi (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi) depends on time, place, and occasion. We shouldn’t bring Wabi-sabi to workplaces. That would be good for homes instead. By the way, I cut lower part of its string (the wind bell no longer rings). It’s sadly hung in my house as a feast for my eyes.
I’d like to wrap up this topic and go on to the next song. The next song is recorded in the album. In fact, the guitarist Korenaga-san arranged it. KAORI-chan and KEIKO-chan sing the cool song, which is so aggressive that we think it different from the other ones. So we thought we should call it Fiction”Punk”tion instead of FictionJunction.
Now, the two of FictionPunktion are about to perform “synchronicity”