[Interview] Four members of SKE48 talk about the best parts of the music video for their new song "Tick tack zack"! One member even boasts, "I've watched the music video 4 times!"

SKE48 will release their 34th single "Tick tack zack" on March 3th. The title song is a cool dance number performed by 12 selected members, the smallest number in the history of SKE48's Avex releases.

This time, we interviewed the four members, Inoue Ruka, Nomura Miyo, Morimoto Kurumi, and Ito Nijimi, who came to Osaka for the release event! In addition to the best parts of "Tick tach zack," we also asked each member about their recent activities and spring-related stories. (Interviewed in Osaka on February 4nd)

From left: Ruka Inoue, Miyo Nomura, Nijimi Ito, and Kurumi Morimoto

●Dig deep into the happy recent happenings of each of the four members!

--Please introduce yourself!

Nomura: I'm Nomura Miyo, also known as "Miyomaru" from Team S!
Inoue: I'm Inoue Ruka, also known as "Ruru-chan" from Team S!
Morimoto: I'm Morimoto Kurumi, also known as "Kurumin" from Team E!
Ito: I'm Ito Nijimi, also known as "Kokomin", a 12th generation trainee!

--Thank you! First of all, I'd like to ask each member about their recent activities. Ru-chan is from Kumamoto Prefecture, and recently became the "Kumamoto Donut Stick Ambassador." Congratulations!

Inoue: Thank you! I was appointed as the "Kumamoto Donut Stick Ambassador" to promote Kumamoto's famous brown sugar donut stick! The other day, I even had the opportunity to attend the inauguration ceremony at the SKE48 Theater, which made me very happy.

--Please tell us how you became the "Kumamoto Donut Stick Ambassador."

Inoue: Last year, I had the opportunity to meet Fujibambi (the manufacturer of brown sugar donut sticks) during the filming of the bonus footage for my solo photo book, and when I spoke passionately to the president and vice president about my love for brown sugar donut sticks, they asked me if I could promote them. I was surprised because I never expected to be officially appointed as a PR ambassador. I thought I should express my feelings properly.

Ruka Inoue appointed as "Kumamoto Donut Stick Ambassador"

--Miyomaru turned 2 on February 1st. A birthday celebration was held on that day, how was it?

Nomura: I was so happy to receive celebrations from all the fans on my birthday! I set a big goal for myself, "to become the center of SKE48," so I want many people to see me doing well and I want to be a member who can contribute to SKE48.

--I'm sure you received congratulatory messages from all the members on your birthday, but who was the first to send one?

Nomura: It was Ru-chan! I was a little early though (laughs).

Inoue: We have a LINE group for the 8th generation members, so when someone's birthday comes around, we celebrate with each other there, and I wanted to be the first to do so (laughs).

--Kurumin, you appeared in an original short drama called "Fated Love is Cream Soda!" What did you think?

Morimoto: I am very grateful that I was able to appear in the short drama after my fans voted for me on the app Pipmey. It was my first time acting, so I was worried about whether I would be able to remember my lines and whether I would be able to keep up with the seniors who have acting experience, but they were very kind to me and the director gave me detailed acting instructions, so I was able to take on the challenge calmly. My fans told me, "Kurumin, you're good at acting," so I would like to take on more acting challenges in the future.

-What kind of role would you like to play?

Morimoto: I'm currently a high school student (17 years old), so I'd like to play many student roles and take on various roles to discover a new side of myself!

-- On January 1st, it was announced that Kokomin would be promoted to a regular member. How did you feel at that time?

Ito: When the new team lineup was announced, I was called as a research student, so I was hopeful that I would be promoted, but I didn't think it would be that easy. I couldn't believe it when they called my name. The seniors said "Congratulations! You did it!" and I was really happy!

●For each member, spring means...

--I would like to hear from each member about their spring-related episodes, such as "This is what spring means to me!" What does spring mean to you, Miyomaru?

Nomura: For me it's "pink". I love dressing up, and this spring I want to incorporate a lot of pastel colors, so I've been collecting pink things.

-What is your favorite item?

Nomura: They're pink sneakers. They're pink with white lines, and just walking around in them makes me feel excited and happy (laughs).

When you think of spring, you think of "pink"

--What does spring mean to you, Ruu-chan?

Inoue: For me it's "three-color dango". I love them so much that if I see them at a convenience store I'll definitely buy them, so I'd love to eat some in the spring while watching the cherry blossoms.

When you think of spring, you think of Ruka Inoue's "three-color dumplings"

--What does spring mean to you, Kurumin?

Morimoto: For me it would be "cherry blossom viewing." My hobby is baking sweets, so I would like to enjoy cherry blossom viewing while eating the sweets I make.

--For example, what kind of sweets are you good at making?

Morimoto: I like making tart cakes. I make the dough from scratch.

--Kurumin is from Nara Prefecture, and the most famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Nara is Yoshino Cherry Blossoms.

Morimoto: I also went to see the cherry blossoms in Yoshino with my dog ​​Sol and took some photos with the beautiful cherry blossoms in the background.

For Kurumi Morimoto, spring is all about cherry blossom viewing

--What does spring mean to you, Kokomin?

Ito: For me it's "Strawberries". Recently, my seniors went strawberry picking on their fan club tours, and I thought I'd like to go too. I love strawberries, so I've been eating them almost every day since February, and I had some this morning too. I use one bottle of condensed milk for each pack.

Inoue, Nomura, Morimoto: Huh!?

--One pack of strawberries and one whole bottle of condensed milk?!

Ito: I also love condensed milk. The other day, we had a cream roll cake at home, and my mom said, "Wouldn't it be delicious if you poured condensed milk on it?" So I tried it with condensed milk, and it was really delicious!

For Ito Nijimi, spring is all about "strawberries"

●The shocking selection of 12 people! "I thought they were really aggressive" "It made me really determined"

--SKE3's 12th single "Tick tack zack" will be released on March 48th! This is the first time that Kurumin and Kokomin have been selected. Congratulations!

Morimoto and Ito: Thank you!

--Please tell us how you felt when you were selected as a selected member for the first time, and the reaction you received from your family and others.

Morimoto: When I joined SKE48, one of my goals was to be selected, so I was honestly happy. The staff told me, "You can tell your family first," so I immediately called my mom and dad. They were both surprised and could only say, "Eh!?" (laughs). After a short pause, they said, "Congratulations!", and when I got home, they had prepared a cake for me. After the announcement of my first selection, the fans were even happier than I was, and I want to work hard to repay them for their kindness.

Ito: I've always wanted to join SKE10 since I was 48 years old, and I kept taking auditions (from the 10th generation) and passed the audition in the 12th generation, but I wanted to be a selected member someday, so I was very happy when I heard that I was selected. When I contacted my family on LINE and said, "I was selected as a selected member, what should I do?", they were like, "What!?" and "Are you surprised?" and didn't believe me. After that, my mother said in a personal LINE message, "I'm glad you worked hard. I told grandma too" (laughs). My whole family was happy, and my fans were happy, and I hope we can continue to share our joy together.

--Ru-chan and Miyomaru have been established as selected members, but for "Tick tack zack" the number of selected members has increased to 12 (down 6 from the previous work). Taking into account that you have overcome this obstacle, please tell us how you felt about being selected.

Nomura: I have been selected since our 28th album, "Ano Koro no Kimi wo Mitsugatte". Fans tell me, "Miyomaru is fine now," but I've always been working with a sense of crisis, so I'm grateful to have been selected as a member of the selection, and I want to live up to those expectations. I was really shocked by the selection of 12 people, and I thought it was a bold move. I think there are fans and members who are feeling all sorts of things because we were selected as 12 people, so I want to work hard to make SKE48 a bigger group and to be able to captivate them with my performances.

Inoue: I have been selected as a member of the selection team since our 25th album, "FRUSTRATION," but as Miyo-chan said, I always work with a sense of crisis, so I don't think it's a given that I'll be selected, and I want to work hard to become an idol that fans can be proud of and give back to. This time, I was once again determined to be selected as 12 people. There are many other attractive members besides the 12 selected members, so I would like to make this activity period an entry point for SKE48.

--The music video for "Tick tack zack" has also been released. What do you like about it?

Ito: There are solo scenes, but I shot it with the image of a high school student who came from the countryside to the city and became more sophisticated. I want you to watch the scene where I take off my glasses in particular. It was my first time shooting a music video, so I was moved when I saw myself in it. My mother was crying. I cried too (laughs). I've watched the music video at least 1500 times since it was released!

Inoue, Nomura, Morimoto: Huh!?

--You exaggerated "1500 times," right?

Ito: No one believes me, but I really watched it!

--It must have been your first time shooting a music video, so you must have been nervous. How was it?

Ito: It was the most nervous I've ever been. But I was able to ask my seniors things like, "Should I make this facial expression like this?", so I think I've grown a little.

--Actually, I was watching Miyomaru's SHOWROOM broadcast last night...

Nomura: Eh! That's embarrassing (laughs)

--What did you say when you saw Kokomin looking nervous during the MV shoot? (laughs)

Nomura: That's bad (laughs). I wanted to say "borrowed cat" but I said "kept cat" by mistake (laughs). Kokomin was nervous the whole time like a borrowed cat, and even though we had a break and everyone was sitting, Kokomin was the only one who just stood there fidgeting, and even when I talked to her she only replied "yes," so I could feel her nervousness.

Ito: Thank you for talking to me!

Nomura: We've been on the same team since April, so I think we should try to break out of our shells (laughs).

--Next, what do you recommend about Kurumin?

Morimoto: "Tick tack zack" is an addictive song about the game of love, and the music video is one that you'll want to watch over and over again about 1500 times. I'm wearing a cute one-piece outfit, but in my solo scene I'm in pants and running at full speed in sneakers, so I hope you enjoy that contrast. When we were practicing the dance, the seniors praised me, saying, "You're really good at isolating," and it gave me confidence, so I'm glad I practiced so much.

Inoue: There are parts where Kurumin and I are in symmetrical positions, and Kurumin's neck isolation is so good, so I want you to pay attention to that!

-Was Kurumin also like a "borrowed cat" on the set?

Nomura: Kurumin is usually a quiet type, so it was business as usual (laughs). Recently, the junior members have been able to do everything from the beginning without any teaching, so I watched thinking, "They're all really reliable juniors."

--What do you recommend about Miyomaru?

Nomura: We were shooting a music video using water, but I never go to the beach or the pool, and I hate so much that I don't like soaking in a bathtub, so I was so scared of water that I was seen in the making-of video (laughs). But once I got in the water, I started to enjoy it, and by the end I was getting wet myself (laughs). In my solo scene, there is a scene where I blow up a bubble gum balloon and pop it, but I had never done that before, so it was really hard. After about 10 to 15 minutes, when I succeeded, the staff all burst into applause (laughs). I think I'm the best at blowing up bubble gum balloons out of the members of SKE48 right now!

--What do you like about Ru-chan?

Inoue: The cool dance scenes are my favorite part. I want you to pay particular attention to the "tick-tock dance" that represents the second hand of a clock. The solo scene is full of things I love. It was in my favorite pink space, surrounded by my favorite balloons, and they even prepared my favorite macarons as a surprise, which made me really happy. I haven't watched it 1500 times (lol), but I think it's an MV that you'll want to watch over and over again, so I hope you'll watch it a lot!

--Each person should watch it 1 times!

Both: Nice to meet you!

--A new team structure will start in April! This will be the first team reorganization in 4 years, so please tell us how each of you feels about it. Ru-chan will be moving from Team S to Team KII.

Inoue: The new Team KⅡ has nine members from outside Aichi Prefecture, and I thought we could have fun talking about each of our hometowns, so I hope we can become a cute, cool, and interesting team. I want to be someone who can lead the team!

--Kurumin will remain in Team E.

Morimoto: Our fans have asked us to carry on the traditions of Team E, so I want to show the new Team E both as a fun team and as a serious team that gets things done when it matters. Many of our members are good at dancing, so I'll work hard to improve my dancing skills so that I don't lose to them and I'll do my best to make people say, "Team E's performance is amazing!"

--Kokomin will be promoted from a trainee to Team S.

Ito: As the youngest junior in a good sense, I want to have fun in the new Team S. There are many seniors in the new Team S who I often talk to, so I hope we can become closer. However, I am a bit reserved, so I don't think I can talk to the seniors myself, so I would be happy if the seniors talked to me first.

--Miyomaru is one of the senior members of the new Team S.

Nomura: I will be the remaining member of the new Team S, so I think it is my role to convey the coolness of the previous Team S. However, I am not the type to give warnings, so I want the other members to see me doing my best. I hope that the fans will be excited by seeing the various sides of the new Team S.

-Finally, please give a message to our readers!

Ito: I was selected as a first-time member, and from April I will be working with the new Team S. I think some of the fans are feeling anxious, but I want to improve myself so that they can understand. Please support me!

Morimoto: I want to make SKE48 more exciting together with all the fans who always support us. I will continue to work hard and not rest on my laurels so that I can become a rising star for SKE48, so please continue to support me!

Nomura: I want a lot of people to listen to our 34th single, "Tick tack zack," and I want us to be a group that makes people think, "It's good to like SKE48, it's fun, it's lovable." I hope you'll continue to keep an eye on us!

Inoue: Thank you for reading this article to the end! All the members of SKE48 are cute, cool, and overflowing with individuality, so I hope you will take a good look at each one of them. Please look forward to the future of SKE48!

[Interview, text and photos by Potter Hirai]

◆SKE48 Official Website

SKE48 OFFICIAL WEB SITE｜SKE48 Mobile

◆SKE48 Official X

SKE48 OFFICIAL WEB SITE｜SKE48 Mobile

◆Product details for the single "Tick tack zack" to be released on March 3th

DISCOGRAPHY｜SKE48 OFFICIAL WEB SITE｜SKE48 Mobile

◆『Tick tack zack』MV

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