Morning Musume '24 Ishida Ayumi's 13 years of work, the story of "The Blue Bird" expressed in a photo book

On October 10st, a launch event for Morning Musume '21 member Ishida Ayumi's photo book "Profile. 24" (published by Wani Books) was held in Tokyo.

Ishida Ayumi, who will graduate from the group at the Yokohama Arena performance on December 12th, will release a solo photo book in two types: a regular edition and a special limited edition, as a culmination of her 6-year active career.

This work focuses on her charming profile, not only looking at her outward appearance but also delving deep into her inner self, expressing her current state in all that she is.

The regular version tells the story of how she, a baby bird at the time of her debut, grows into a "blue bird" and soars through the sky, while the limited edition closely follows her live rehearsals in Tokyo and the final Hello! Project concert held in her hometown of Sendai. It is full of interesting things to read and see, as well as a 1-character interview in which she speaks honestly.

Ishida Ayumi commented, "This photobook consists of one that was shot entirely in Taiwan, and one special limited edition that was shot in my hometown, Miyagi Prefecture. Both books are being released at the same time, and as this is my last photobook as a member of Morning Musume, they made a very special one that somehow makes you feel a little emotional. My hometown is Miyagi Prefecture, and when we perform in Miyagi, we always perform at Sendai Sun Plaza Hall, and in the special edition photobook, there is a photo that was taken at the entrance of Sendai Sun Plaza Hall. Usually, when we perform live, I only enter from the back, so after 1 years of activity, this was the first time I went to the front entrance. I thought that photos taken there would be a familiar place to our fans, and since it was my first time there, I was glad."

She continued, "It was my first time shooting a photo book in Taiwan, so I wondered what kind of atmosphere it would create. But even though it's all Taiwan, I took photos in beautiful nature, in bustling cities, in places where you can feel the cold air, and even at the sea in Taiwan. I was able to take photos in a wide variety of landscapes in Taiwan, so I think all the scenery is new. And in the special edition photos taken locally, there are a lot of photos of Ishida Ayumi with her natural smile, but the photos taken in Taiwan have a more developed worldview, so I think you'll enjoy the two books with different expressions."

Regarding the photo book featuring her profile, she said, "This time, they featured my profile, which is my charm point, and took the photos as a whole, so the photo book has profile as its theme. Since I was given the theme of profile, I thought I would polish my profile before shooting for the photo book, but I joined Morning Musume with a different theme in mind, and my debut song was Pyoko Pyoko Ultra, and I was a 10th generation member who debuted in Morning Musume wearing an impactful chick costume. I was that kind of chick, but now I'm going to spread my wings as a blue bird, and since the blue bird was the theme, I was conscious of things like spreading my wings."

Regarding the title "Profile. 7", she explained, "This time, 'Profile. 7' has the meaning of a profile and a side profile, and because it's my last photobook as Morning Musume, I wanted to put everything I have into it, to profile everything. The number seven in profile means that this is my seventh photobook, and I was born on January 7th, which is my lucky day, so I included the number 1 as well."

When asked about the difficulties, she revealed, "This time, for the first time, I got muscle pain while shooting a photobook. They wanted to capture my back in a nice way, so I was given specific poses like arching my body more and sticking out my shoulder blades, so I had to really tense my back to maintain the pose, and even though I dance at concerts every day, I got muscle pain, which was a first for me."

She also showed a page showing her back in the regular version as her favorite cut, and praised the photo, saying, "Since last year, I've been wearing a lot of costumes that expose my back, even for Morning Musume concerts, and I've been getting more and more comments about how cool my back is. When Fukumura Mizuki graduated last fall, I said that from next year, I'll be leading the group with this back. So, I think a lot of fans have had a particularly strong impression of my back recently, and this photo will allow you to fully enjoy that back. I've been able to wear an incredible costume."

She also introduced a recommended page in the special limited edition, saying, "This photo was taken at Sendai Sun Plaza Hall, but it wasn't on the day of the performance. Rather, it was on the day before in preparation for the performance, when the tour staff were setting up the set and checking the acoustics, and I asked to sneak in and took the photo. So it looks like the spotlight is shining on me, but actually it's not a spotlight for me, it's a spotlight to check the stage, and they adjusted the position cleverly so that the photo looks like it's shining on me. I really love the concerts we perform with Morning Musume, and I have huge respect for the staff who create these concerts with us, so it's a photo I love because it was taken while I was being watched over by all those people, and it brings back memories of that."

When asked to give the standard score, she said, "120 points! Since it's the last one, I don't think there's any need for fantasy. It turned out to be a wonderful film. It's not just my effort; it was the work of so many people, including the people who took the photos, produced it, and did the beautiful makeup for me, so I give it 1 points."

Ishida Ayumi said, "Profile. 7 is my last photobook as Morning Musume's Ishida Ayumi. The photos were taken in Taiwan and Miyagi and are now complete. This photobook is like everything from my 13 years as a Morning Musume member, so when I graduate and you remember how much you liked Morning Musume's Ayumin and how you'll miss her, I hope you will look back on this photobook and feel as if Morning Musume's Ishida Ayumi was right here with you at any time, so I hope that if you ever feel lonely 10 or 20 years from now, you will open this photobook and be immersed in your memories."

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