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 vol.183 interview with Alice Nine
translated by: Noriko 'Non-Non' Takeuchi

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The growth of the band can often be defined by the growth of the vocalist.

These days among many young bands, in which vocalists seem to growing at an extraordinarily rate, Shou stands out from the crowd. The songs of alice nine. aren’t not just songs about emotions, so the vocalist has to create the necessary atmosphere and air which the songs were intended to have, and the atmosphere that alice nine. creates is very original indeed. Most of their songs have difficult melodies and lyrics, making it sometimes difficult for the listener to follow. So alice nine. needs a good vocalist. To be honest, at first I did not think that Shou was really up to the part, as he often showed his uneasiness at lives. However, recently he has lost this uneasiness, showing a new confidence, and certainly plays an important part in making a song work. I am sure that this confidence comes from both growth as a person as well as as a singer. In this interview I will talk to him about what has changed for him and his new state of mind

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It has been 1 year since you were on the cover for the first time when you released [JEWELS]. Where are your thoughts now?

Well, I feel that we, as people are all connected together somehow, and we all live in that connection. A big thing that happened recently was the tour of『A to U』after we released 『Alpha』. In that tour, Tora got sick with a hernia which he had had from before and it got worse, then the lives in the beginning of the tour were postponed, which caused problems for a lot of people. It was then, really, when I realized that ‘Humans can’t live alone.’ for the first time.

You said that in the personal interview of one yea ago, too. Don’t you remember?

Yes I remember saying that. But I realize it more and more everyday. It was my mistake that I thought I was living alone somehow. I don’t mean that I was too confident in myself, but I felt like humans live alone. However I started to feel that it wasn’t true, without any notice. When I think about when I started feeling that I think that it was from when I started with alice nine. You know, I can make people happy, uneasy and hurt them.  So after this realization I felt a real sense of responsibility. And I felt that a lot during 『A to U』.

Being a member, you probably knew of Tora’s sickness earlier, right?

Yes I did. When we did studio rehearsals, he sometimes played guitar lying down on the floor because he had lower back pains, so I was worried about him. But I heard that a hernia is not a disease which heals completely, so I couldn’t do anything, but just watch him. From around Fukuoka live in the tour last year, he said he had also neck pain, and I thought about him a lot. Like the other members too, Tora never cuts corners, so he head banged fully, and forgot about the pain he had and made it worse. I really understand that he doesn’t want to do anything half-heartedly, I think that the whole band is like that and that is just the way it is. In the later half of last year we produced an album, and we were very busy, so he didn’t have time to go to hospital. Tora doesn’t complain at all. He has a very attentive nature, is gentle, and delicate despite his appearance. But after the first concert of 『A to U』in Sendai, Tora started saying much it hurt, which was quite unusual for him. By the time we went to the 2^nd live in Aomori, he couldn’t move his body at all because of the pain.

So he really went through a lot……

Yes. Then on the day of Aomori, we entered into the venue as usual, and while we members did make-up and prepared for the live, Tora went to a hospital, and was scheduled to be back by rehearsal. Everything was done leading up to the live and the audience came and gathered. But Tora came back from hospital and he wasn’t a condition to do a live at all. So we had to cancel the live then and there. We thought at first that all of us, except Tora who couldn’t move, were going to appear on stage to explain and apologize, but our staff told us that they had and our office wanted to do it that way. I think that we all wanted to just crawl under a shell. There were fans that came from far away, that came really early and waited for a long time even though there was heavy snow, and everyone was really worried when they heard. We made many cry, it was very hard……

I see……that would have been difficult. Both for the fans but also for members of the band, you must have been very disappointed. Before you talked about responsibility, Shou, you are the vocalist who is the face of the band, so you must have strong feelings like “I want to something to fix this.” And feel the weight of your words.

Yes. That’s just what I’m fighting within myself now….These days I’m worried about our lives. As we attract new fans to our live concerts many are not accustomed to how we do our lives, and don’t fit in with old fans well…..I often receive letters about the manners of people at lives. Such as “It was really hard to enjoy the live as the person behind me kept hitting me on purpose”….. I want believe that. Actually I sometimes think “What was that?” during lives, but if I warn people about their actions and it is just an accident, I’m afraid it sounds like I am attacking them personally…..I don’t want to stop the live and wreck the fun atmosphere. I think these things so much that can’t talk about it anymore. Once I wrote about that in my blog and I received a lot of opinions from various people…..When we play songs which we stir the audience in our lives, and I stir them up fully because I want to them bump together to their full capability. The result is sometimes like an avalanche. But I can’t stop until we have got to the end, so I received letters saying that I lacked consideration, or that I’m not gentle. But I don’t regret what I do, because I have a belief which I follow in my lives.

I see….. Basically, all the people try to fully enjoy themselves and then these things happen. I think. However looking from the 2^nd floor, there are some fans who bump into others on purpose, or who move by force without thinking about others, so I feel sorry for people around them sometimes, and whenever I see them, I cool down quickly even if the live is good…..

Yes. About that, there is no answer to who is right or wrong. It’s difficult…..But I think about it these days. I think that I have to be the rule of alice nine. as a vocalist.

You are the rule. But as you tend to think more of others than yourself, Shou, I think that you would really have to make a concentrated effort to do that, right?

Yes. Basically I’m quite gentle, democratic, not greedy, and I’m not the type of person that says “Follow me!”, so I can’t go and lead people unless I work really hard.

Even if you don’t change your nature, I think you are learning how you can send your message in your own way. A while ago when I happened to be in one of your meetings about costumes, I didn’t intend to listen to your conversation, but I realized that when you want to get something across to someone you do.

Ahahaha. What? Really?? What did I say??(laugh)

It was when you had a meeting about your costumes of [MIRROR BALL]. You explained to a fashion stylist who was not related with Visual kei scene why you decided to ask them to do the costumes, and the reason you gave was because you respected the sense of the stylist a lot. You also explained that as long as you are Visual kei artists, you had something to keep and hold dear. You made sure that the stylist didn’t feel bad and I felt your love for fans so much. 

I think I said that because I respected the stylist. I don’t flatter or say what I don’t think. This kind of talk connects to what I said before, but I’m able to work with people who I really respect, such as a cameraman, whom I work with now, designers, makeup artists, editors and writers who turn my poor words into articles. I really feel the importance and am thankful for having the relationships I do with such people. I can also say this kind of thing for fans and other band members. Their existence and how they need us is really our strength. And it connects to my confidence. Before I had no one around me, and we did our band worrying about trying to make ourselves stand out, worried that no-one would notice us and we would just end without anyone knowing who we were.…..I had nothing except worries as I didn’t have any confidence.

But your confidence has appeared in your songs these days. In the live in Shinkiba Studio Coast, I felt it strongly. Shou, do you feel any changes in other members?

I think Hiroto really grew up. People around him already had certain careers, so he kind of put on an act to keep up with them, but now I think that he has calmed down a little and become more of an adult, more comfortable about himself. (laugh) About his sound, he is a genius, and is very mature.

Hiroto and you often went to eat Raumen together since before, but are you still doing so?

Hiroto’s stomach has also become more adult-like, as he won’t go with me anymore as he isn’t hungry. (laugh) Tora doesn’t change, which is his good point. He has always been an adult and he could look at our band from higher position. But I think he could train his courage this time. I’m going to take his metal element which is a root of Tora into our band’s sound. Before, it seemed like it was taboo. I think Saga grew up rapidly as he understood his position. His sounds are very rock, his way of performing in lives is so cool, and his character is sexy as it is not over the top.(laugh) I really think we are what we are now after many conflicts. Nao used to be a funny character more than a drummer (laugh), but he’s grown up more into a drummer these days, and he seems to like drums a lot now. As a leader, he takes care of members more than before, and I think he really effects the growth of our band. I don’t want to be beaten by other members, so I’ll work harder and be ready for anything that comes.

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Rushing headlong----.

From the first time I met him, I knew that this phrase was created for Hiroto, as it describes him so well. He is young at heart and moves staff with his unyielding passion for his work. Now however, Hiroto has calmed down somewhat, and it can be seen in his guitar playing. Previously he has talked about the embarrassment or shame he feels when encountering something unknown or not quite understood, but now has grown into a person that is able to be honest and ask others for help when needed.

This has become one of his strengths.

In a personal interview about one year ago, Hiroto after some self-analysis said to us that he was at that time in his second growing stage. Now, he says he feels himself growing everyday, and has the strength to recognize his weaknesses. Where did this change come from?

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Do you remember what you said in a personal interview about one year ago, when you took the cover for the first time?

Did I say something good?(laugh) What did I say?

You said you were in your 2^nd growth stage.

I think I said that.(laugh) I remember!

At that time, as a message for readers, you said “To be able to grow and not be scared, the first thing you have to do is to experience anything and everything. This first thing you should do is have the courage to face your weak point. Then you will get real strength.” In the interview after that, you said that you did that.

Oh, I said that! Yeah, for about a year now I have been looking at myself. Until recently I think that I have been lying to myself putting on a bit of a front, but now I can look at myself more naturally and I think that is for readers too. After about one year, I managed to recognize my own weaknesses, and am able to be honest and tell people if I don’t know something. Before I would not have done that, rather I would have gone home and looked it up, but now I work with a staff, and there are a lot of things that I can learn from them. So I am more honest about things. In part, I think that I have grown up a bit. (laugh)

Shou said your stomach also became an adult these days, apparently you won’t go to eat Ramen with him.(laugh)

Ahahaha. Did he say that!? I think that if you looked at the statistics of about 2 years ago, you would see that we went to eat Ramen together about 29 days in a month! However, these days I can’t go. Not because it’s Ramen, but for other food too. I can’t eat oily foods anymore. I don’t eat confectionary either anymore. Maybe my sense of taste has turned more adult-like, too. (laugh) You know, after our live concerts when we go out to eat together, there is always deep fried food, but I try to eat vegetables and meats without fried coatings. Even with lotion, I have changed. I used to use that for oily skin, but now I prefer the moist type for dry skin these days.(laugh) Well, about foods and sounds, I think that these days I don’t take things I don’t need. Ah, about sound, I listen to wide range of music, and about appetite, I’m trying to learn, but for me when I think that ‘I need this here and now!’ I eat it there and then, without hesitation. I think that I have become better at making decisions.

Ah, I understand what you say. With clothes, adults buy different colors of the same thing if they like the design.(laugh) It’s not about wearing something new, but rather being able to coordinate them to a style they like.

Yes, yes, I think I am someone who knows the difference.(laugh) I used to always want something new, but not so much as my taste has developed somewhat. And before, I didn’t read manga at all, but now I don’t get much private time, so I feel like I’m ‘skinny’ as a human. In experience I mean. So I have recently thought that I will try to absorb various things that connect to music, and started reading manga.

Does manga connect to music?

Yes! I get lots of inspiration.

You are thinking about lots of things, even how you use your time. As one of the members said, Hiroto is youngest but he is really respected for his music. You are serious about music and have good sense.

Really?  No one says that to me. I think that I would be a little embarrassed if someone did.

(laugh) Well, I also feel that you have a confidence these days, and your appearance in playing guitar in your lives is calmer. We can see the style of old rock guitarists in you, and you make me think “Oh! He is an expert!” sometimes.(laugh)

Ahahaha. I’m glad.(laugh) Before, I thought that I moved around too much.(laugh) However, from around this spring tour, Tora became aggressive, so I tried to control my movement to balance things with him. Tora used to be a guitarist who played quietly, so I did the same as him and did not move so much. I think that’s also a part of my growth. Before, I only looked at myself, but now I look at the band as a whole.

From around when did you lose your bravado?

I think it was around 1 year ago. Since I started to play guitar in my junior high school days and decided to make my way in life by guitar playing, I thought strongly that ‘I have to put on a show’, all the time, until I could reach the place where I thought ‘this is it!’.

And what was that?

I have to be a real musician. I have to be skillful. I have to work harder…..things like that.

I see. You were kind of impatient then.

Yes. So I put on a facade, and I had high ideals, I think. You know recently, I happened to meet a friend from high school and while we were talking he told me that I had changed and that I had become kinder. I wasn’t really conscious of it but he told me that I kicked out guys who played in the band one after another. He said my way of talking about music was so severe like “Why can’t you do this?” or “Do you really have a will to do it?”, then “I don’t need you anymore.”. I was so blunt, I was not gentle at all he said. But that was caused by my will to improve myself, to go even higher. As I was told by my friends, I can I exist now because I met these present members. If I didn’t meet these members, I wouldn’t have changed and I’d be the man used to be. I lost the facade and became more natural around when we made 「WHITE PRAYER」. 「WHITE PRAYER」was a work which we decided to make as we became more honest with our selves and faced each other from the beginning. And then gradually I felt something during the summer tour in that year, and thought that it is OK to be honest. I don’t really know what it was, but there was something that I was drawn tothat made me put on that facade, but it changed gradually. When that started happening we entered the production of 『Alpha』, and I was able to enjoy the recording as I felt I could be honest with myself. It’s strange. I could ask engineers and arrangers various things honestly, and I really enjoyed learning from them and watching things take shape.

Hiroto, others often your senior, are attracted to you aren’t they?  Your essential nature is honest and straight, so it’s comfortable to talk with you. And everyone respects you as a guitarist, and loves you as a younger brother. Ah, I remember that once I received 100 yen from Tatsuro of MUCC as he said “Give it to Hiroto and tell him to enjoy autumn food fully.”.(laugh)

Ahahaha. I remember that.(laugh) I’m not sure Tatsuro is attracted to me as a younger brother.(laugh) But things like that happens often(laugh) Engineers and arrangers take care of me often.(laugh) They teach me many things.

Hiroto, you are growing rapidly, and what do you think of other members’ growth?

I can say it about all members of the band; Tora has become stronger mentally. Originally he is a man who can judge various situations, and he can see things from a higher position, but he is really naïve even though he’s like that (laugh), and he used to worry about things so much. Now he’s over such worries and has led to good results, and he his will is much clearer than before. Saga has become very cool as a musician. He used to put on a façade as I did, and we tried to stand out, I think. About his sound, he used to choose sounds unlikely as bass sounds, but now he insists his personality as a bassist. He seems to have a sexy style naturally.(laugh)

You don’t have it yet, Hiroto.(laugh)

That’s simply because my character is different from him.(laugh) I never be able to do that even if I try to!

No one expects that from you, Hiroto.(laugh)

Ah, I see.(laugh) Well, Nao has become more leader like I think! Of course he is a drummer, and I’m impressed recently when he gave us our final income tax return which he himself wrote, one for each of us. I was so impressed. However, he still wears the same Whinny the Pooh trunks as before. Well that’s also a good point of Nao.(laugh) Drums are very important in our band’s sound, so our musical growth is due to his growth too. Shou use to be in a difficult position as a vocalist, I think. alice nine. is a band which each instrument insists strongly, so the position of the vocalist can’t easily be seen in our lives. However, he has become to be in the center of things in various ways. Shou seems to be working hard as he has various complexes about things, and his singing changed after he gained more confidence and room about himself. But Shou is really gentle, so he is always thinking about fans and us before he talks and acts. I sometimes think he could be more forceful at times. We all think that we will be able to follow him, whatever he thinks.

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Everyone who knows him says “Tora is a sensitive man.”.

And what is commonly added after that is ‘It’s because he looks so’. He is tall and has his face is cool, so the first time you look at him his impression is that of strength. Actually that was my first impression too.

However, as I got to know him over time, I got to know various facets of him.

Members of the band and those close to him alike say there is a sensitive part to him, a part of him that looks over alice nine., a part that is quiet and quite hard on himself, and at times, which is a little unexpected, a part that is quite friendly.

Fans who are watching alice nine. for a long time are also the same. As they know him well, they worried deeply about the cause of the postponement of the tour because of his sickness getting worse from the beginning of this winter tour 『A to U』. It was a hard decision to postpone the tour with the intention to resume concerts when possible. This tour tightened the bonds around alice nine., made them stronger, and hardened the courage of Tora himself.

So now that the ordeal is over, what does Tora think now? What moves him, what are his beliefs?

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Tora, you told me in a personal interview a year ago that “I am who I am now because of my past experiences.”

That hasn’t changed. I really think that no matter how small or hard a particular experience may be there is a point or reason to having that experience.

You said after you started the band of alice nine., even if it does not concern the band, you have felt the necessity of various things. Giving a story that you gave, going to buy a drink from a vending machine and choosing a cola over coffee means that the cola was necessary and that is why you made your choice…

I feel necessity all the time, even now. Everything starts from that, I think. I feel like I convince myself into thinking that everything is necessary.(laugh) I try to persuade myself. 

So it was also necessary to postpone the tour because your illness got worse, right?

Yes. In a way, I thought it was fate.

Now I think that the final live in Tokyo Kokusai Forum which was the final live in the summer tour wasn’t sold out, which might have been ‘necessary’ too.

Yes. It might have been necessary for the band. It’s a very positive way of thinking, it seems too positive, but I can work hard when I think like that, and I think I should think this way. At that time, there was something that I could get out of that experience, and if that live was sold out, it might be a different future to now. The growth of the band from then was very big, I was motivated by that experience so much, and members’ awareness became even higher. When I think about these things, this experience was also necessary. However, I troubled and worried many people, so I can’t say ‘It was good.’, but I’m sure it was good experience for me.

I think so too. I saw your lives from Club CITTA where the tour resumed, and I felt your spirit so much, and it was really all together. It was almost scary. But the result was a really good live. If nothing had happened during the tour, I would have thought that it was just ‘a normal 6^th live’, but that day, for you, was surely different.

Yes. I think so. If nothing had happened I think that it would have looked like just another live, as we don’t cut corners. But I have no choice to accept what happened with the flow of the lives. I think it’s useless to be negative about it now though. Everyone has their own standards. The standard means what people hold in their center to live. If their standard doesn’t break, everything except it can be seen as necessary.

Yes, I see. What’s the standard for Tora?

It’s doing a band for me. As long as it’s my standard and what I think to be my center, I will always be able to play, even if I have pain in my neck and my hands are numb. If I couldn’t move my left hand, it would have meant that it was ‘necessary’ for me to stop the band. But I can move it, that’s why I continue. It means that it is necessary to continue, something that I have to do.

Do you mean you still have roads that you want to take with the band?

Yes. I don’t think that the roads ahead have been cut off yet.

I see. But when we talked in the dressing room in CITTA after the live, you had total numbness and had no sense, didn’t you? And you played like that.

Yes. But I think I played guitar cooler than usual. I used to be excited in lives and lost my cool, but in the CITTA live I had no sense in my hand, so I was just concentrating on playing well. I think I was cooler when I put on a corset. It doesn’t matter which is better or not. Usually I try to enjoy the live atmosphere above all, I think that is the most important thing really, so I don’t concentrate too much on how I play the guitar. But this time I couldn’t see the fret because I had a corset.

It must have been very difficult.

Around when my pain remitted a little, I started to think about various things, but for 3 days I couldn’t lie or sit because of the severe pain, so I stayed standing all the time. I had pains in my left hand all the time; I couldn’t sleep nor eat because of the pain. To be honest, I couldn’t think about lives or the band. I worried that I couldn’t play guitar anymore, and thought about my life in future. Even I thought about what I should do if the pain never disappeared and I would be like this for my whole life……At that time, I couldn’t find what was necessary for me. I was very nervous. I just wished I could recover.

So you must be very happy when you could stand on the stage in CITTA, right?

In CITTA, I had an injection to reduce the pain, so life was not back to normal at all. So I had still anxiety, and didn’t feel happy yet. But I realized that I’m a man who plays the guitar and will continue to play the guitar. I just thought that. It’s not a simple sickness which can be cured completely, the best way is to stay in bed, but I thought I would do what I could do now as much as possible, rather than doing nothing and having it get worse. Being in a band is not a guaranteed world and no one knows their future, so I don’t think that you can really worry that much about your health. I can’t cut corners, and I think I want to do my best as only I can do. But I’m not saying let’s rock and forget about our health either. (laugh) But I think it’s OK to destroy my health as long as I do it for my favorite band. Well, I don’t do this just as a hobby and I have a big responsibility, so I shouldn’t say such irresponsible things, but I can’t help feeling this way.

Yes. I understand it well. I’m like that too. I’m not an artist but I stay up all night to write articles everyday, and I vomited yesterday because of shoulder stiffness I had. However, I don’t want to give up because I feel it to be my vocation. I like to write articles. If I want, I can reduce my work, but I have many artists to write for regularly so I don’t want to do things by halves. It’s more that work. If I work too much and die, it will be OK, I think……

I see. It’s the same with a band. When I do the band for a long time and when I make the band my job, I have various conflicts then. I think about various things such as caring about my health or being social. However as I do rock. I think it’s difficult to do both.

So called rock spirit and social spirit is totally opposite.(laugh)

Yes, they are.(laugh) I think some people can do both, dealing with them well. And some people work commercially well. But my ideal band is not like that, and I don’t long to be someone like that. I’m really clumsy, and I can’t live well without hiding my real intension, so I’m going to live like a man who I think is cool.(laugh) Rock is my definition and as long as I can do it the way I want, I won’t regret doing it. I really feel sorry that I troubled so many people around me, but I don’t regret it. I’m often told “Do your lives caring about your body.”, and I think “I can’t do that” (laugh), as I think it’s useless doing something if you are not going to do it fully. I really want to face music innocently. I can’t be just a normal person. But I know that through these various experiences I will grow mentally.(laugh)

Tora, what do you think about the changes in the four members?

I think Hiroto has grown up, but his center hasn’t changed, and I mean that in a good way. He has started to lead the band more and more. Shou is similar to Hiroto in some ways, and he has a spirit to absorb new things all the time, so he is growing so much every day. Saga is a man who has his favorite things, which are very clear, and tries to investigate that. I’m the same, I don’t so much absorb things but think more about how I can beat new things by using what I originally have.(laugh) So I can understand how Saga acts and what he thinks very well.(laugh) In this way it’s nice to work so hard together, making the most of what we originally have. Nao is a really social person.(laugh) However, I think he is a man who does his best for everything as a drummer or to live. He is really a man of effort. As a leader, I really think he is the best among all bands.(laugh) I think that we five members are balanced so well. This time I worried and troubled them so much about my sickness, but I really feel so good to be able to do the band with these five members. I look forward to working with them in the future too.

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The important link between the underlying drum beat and the guitar and vocals that are placed on top, is Saga. His masterful bass playing supports other members as well as swimming sexily around in the band’s sound.

In a band with two guitars, the position of bass is often pushed into the background. However, Saga makes his sound stand out, has his own important role within their music and builds on the general image of the band. He is dignified both as a person and as a musician. He is not the kind of person who just bends over to help someone, but rather a person that will kneel down to help others, changing his own perspective.　

In a personal interview about a year ago he talked a bit about his parents. He told me about an episode where he was taking off his shoes at home and he saw his parents’ shoes, now smaller than his own and how this brought tears to his eyes.

Today he talked to me about his deepest thoughts and what moves him most.

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This is your 3rd time on the cover.

Yes. Do you remember that you said to me “It has been long time….”, when you got SHOXX cover for the first time one year ago?

I remember. That was the moment that I had been waiting for such a long time. Since I began to be in this scene, started to read SHOXX, I dreamt that I would be an artist that would appear on the cover some day. So I will never forget that moment. I had actually made it. I remember that moment so well.

But it doesn’t feel as though it has been only one year since「JEWELS」was released does it?

No! It feels a lot longer. I think that our growth over this past year has been really fast, so it feels like longer. I have thought about so much this year, much more than usual. After starting a band until about last year, I really thought that “I want to be like this” and had many worries associated with that. But over this one year, I get the feeling that my worries are slowly disappearing and we are progressing. With progress brings more worries, but they are resolved one by one, and they are all important in the process of things. Up until now alice nine. has been very lucky to be able to grow in such a good environment, playing in live houses. But last year’s Kokusai Forum Concert wasn’t sold out so we kind of hit a wall. I think that the awareness of the members changed at around that time. After that, we started to produce 『Alpha』, and I think we really grew mentally as well as musically through its making. To be honest, I regretted a lot about the Kokusai Forum. But at that time I thought that it reflected our ability, and if we did not have that experience I don’t think that we would be what we are today.  We were made to stop right there, and we returned to our origins. I think that if that concert had of been sold out and had we kept continuously running as we were, that the band would have had some real problems.

This is just my personal opinion, but the live in Shinkiba Studio Coast in this tour, was the best live of alice nine. that I have ever seen. I thought that it was because you were so frustrated by Kokusai Forum, and the tour was interrupted because of Tora’s ill health, which turned things into a plus for the band.

Yes, I think that you are right there. I think that the 『A to U』would have been very good without Tora’s becoming sick, but I think the band grew a lot because of it. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea that Tora getting sick was good for us, but what I am trying to say is that we did the best we could in the situation. What I really wanted to prevent was seeming like we were taking advantage of Tora’s sickness, by having a concert when he was still recovering. You know, having the members of the band looking over Tora while on the stage, taking him under our wings and doing a heart warming live. We, alice nine. have never wanted to do a live that was heart warming drawing sympathy from audiences. There is no point in doing that so you are better not doing the live at all I think. We thought that if Tora was looked at like that, he would never agree to do lives. We were all really conscious of making that live so much more than our usual ones.

Yes, I could really feel that. I think that the audience was only hoping for about 80 percent of your normal performance because of everything that had happened. I think that they would have been very sympathetic and not wanted you to work so hard on the concert. But this is the type of sympathy you hate, and in a way it is kind of insulting only expecting 80 percent from you, but I think people couldn’t help being worried about Tora.

I understand that. I understand people’s kindness and I thank for them for that. Of course, we too were worried about Tora, and had a lot of fears. However once Tora stands on stage, he can’t do things at 80 percent. Even if he tries to do so, it’s impossible. He is the kind of guy who always gives 120%. It’s a natural instinct that people who stand on the stage have.

The sign of a true performer.

Yes. I really think so.(laugh) We don’t need  kindness or sympathy. Tora didn’t need it either. We thought it was better not to force a live concert unless Tora said he would do one himself. At that time we were really worried about him because he never complains about anything, and he told us about how painful it was, so we were just hoping that his pain would subside quickly. Honestly speaking, we did not want to push him because there was the danger that he would never be able to play guitar again. We were worrying about him like he was a member of our family rather than just a member of the same band. But when Tora himself decided to do a concert and I heard his words, it was like all my doubts were blown away. I remember thinking that the best thing I could do for him is to support him and to believe in him. So we decided we wouldn’t cut corners in the way we did our lives. We thought that when standing on stage we had to be us, giving hope to the audience. But, we were worried about him looking at him on stage checking to see if everything was okay. I just tried to support him. At that time I got many fan letters asking me to stay close to him and to support him. But we play as a team, so we can’t make things too apparent. I just walked up to him and checked on him quietly and gave him support when he seemed as though he was in pain. I thought that as long as I could help him mentally, I would. I really learnt the power of spiritual support. As Tora became stronger, we became stronger because of him.

So through this you grew stronger, not necessary by choice but just because of the situation.

Yes.  And it was only through our sound that we could relieve people, so that is why we played so hard in that live.

Shou: ( Moving towards the place of interview and hesitating )……Saga……

Huh? Ah, what’s up?

Shou: The pants which are wearing now are my costume, aren’t they?

No. These are my private clothes. But I’m sure the pants which you are wearing now aren’t yours.(laugh)

Shou, they look too tight.(laugh)

Shou: (He makes a weird pose) Do you think so too?(laugh) Are these Nao’s? Where are my pants~.(He shouts faintly as he sings a strange tune and goes away.)

I’m so sorry about that….(smile)

After seeing him wearing those tight pants it kind of makes you lose track of what you were talking about.(laugh)

Yeah…..(laugh)

Ahahaha. About the live in CITTA, the live itself was better than usual because you were careful, perhaps more than usual, and we almost forgot about Tora’s sickness, but at the very last part of the encore, you sprained your ankle when you threw your pick(laugh) and Hiroto hit his head on the monitor and bled, so when I saw that, I thought you really strained yourselves to do such a good live.

It’s too bad I sprained my ankle at the very end when I threw my pick.(laugh) I think Hiroto and I were really kind of out of it at that time. And when I saw Tora suffering from pain in our dressing room, I was worried about “Oh, my god! Is he all right!?”, but during the live I was totally absorbed and I forgot about things.

I see. By the way, Saga, you used to choose bass sounds that were close to guitar sounds. Why have you changed your bass sound?

That’s a quite long story. The more I played bass, the more I realized its importance in the music. There was time when I was afraid even to touch my bass. Even up until [JEWELS] I was not sure what I was doing.  I felt as though I was not going towards my goal, and I had an inferiority complex. I dispelled that at our first Sibuya Koukaidou’s live, and as I talked with and heard from various bassists, I felt I could be freer, so I started to relax and put in more phrases as I liked. Until then I had made my sounds loud, making sure that my sound would not fade. There was no other way to play except do that. But now I can play thinking about my position of bass in the whole band. That’s my growth.

At last, how do you think members have grown in this one year?

Hiroto is calmer. He used to be too nervous, but he is getting better like he gets over things faster. Tora intends to push himself forward more because of his troubles. As I played bass behind Tora, I felt he really likes lives, and I was impressed to see he could enjoy lives more than before. I was really moved there. Nao has a higher awareness as a player which is increasing more and more. He is reliable with his rhythm, and I feel he has a strong need within him to improve. Shou is more comfortable with himself. I think he is much more relaxed. I think he has grown a lot.

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↓p50

Everyone knows Nao is the leader of alice nine.. It’s not a necessity, but we usually imagine that a leader is a kind of person who is assertive, as most leaders are so. However, Nao is not like that at all. I am not saying that he shouldn’t be leader of the band, but want to say that he suits being leader for what he his not.

He is the barometer of the band.

When Nao shows his careless smile, the band moves forward smoothly without any troubles. When Nao shows an unusual serious expression, the band has some problems. And when Nao cries, it means the band is growing.

With his mild nature he never pressures others. He has had many more troubles than most, experiencing much pain, through which he learnt how way to feel other’s pains. Behind his broad-minded nature he is sensitive to others, considers their feelings and has the strength to sympathize with them. I think that my impression of Nao is that he is always smiling.

Today we looked deeply into his smile-.

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Nice to see you-.(Nao takes a seat) So what are we talking about today?

Well, I’ll ask you about the ‘recent you’.

‘recent me’? Wow, sounds fun!

No, not really.(laugh) Well, you may tell me some funny things.

Were all the other members serious?

Yes. They talked quite seriously.

Eh!? Really!? That’s too bad.(laugh) Well, I’ll say what others didn’t say.(laugh) Hang on, I remember when we got the cover last time and had a personal interview, the title was the same right? At that time, other members talked about their lives seriously but I just talked a lot about ‘How voice actors are wonderful!’.(laugh) Is that right?

Yes. That’s right.(laugh)

I see, I see.(laugh) So let’s continue that story today!

No, but thanks anyway.(laugh) But all of the members have said “Nao has grown so much as a player and a leader.”.

Really? I wonder what they want! (laugh) No seriously, did I grow? If I did, I don’t think that it was just because I worked hard. I think that I grew because of the environment I am in. Yeah, I think that is right. People adapt to the environment that they are in. For example, when I was a student, I was in an environment where I didn’t have to study at all. Because it wasn’t an academic school, and students didn’t study so much, so I thought “I don’t have to study.” which I got used to. Human life depends on you, and how you make your own road. It’s me who makes my view in life narrow, and also me who makes my view wide. I have actually experienced that. Before, when I used to be in Hokkaidou and I started to play instruments, I started playing drums, and then moved to bass and guitar, but I aimed to be vocalist. As I wanted to be in the Visual kei scene, I wanted do a band more seriously, and came to Tokyo, and I met two bands before alice nine., then I realized how I was weak and small for the first time, like I was a frog in a well. When I used to play in a band in Hokkaidou, there were not many others doing the same thing so people used take notice of us and I thought that I could make a go of things pretty easily, I had such confidence. But when I came to Tokyo and saw that there were many bands, I lost my confidence. But I joined a band as a drummer, and was really attracted to the artistic nature of the guitarist, who was not famous, but a close friend who inspired me to be a guitarist. I then left that band.

Why you are playing drums now?

I was not sure what to do. Just guitar or drums?  But when I came to Tokyo, I aimed to be a vocalist, so I didn’t know what was right for me.

Ah, I see.

I’ll tell you about the time when I started to like the drums. It was the first live in Shibuya Koukaidou. It was quite a long time after we made the band. I can’t say that I was playing a lot at that time, but I really like drums now. (laugh) As I practice more I can be better. And recently, I’m very happy to be able to hit the drums behind the present members. I really think that, as I see them from behind. Every time when we do our lives, I think “It’s so nice to be able to meet these members.”. But I think I shouldn’t be satisfied here. This also connects to what I was talking about before, about environments. Recently I get along with wide genre of musicians and actors, so my awareness of having to work harder has become stronger.

I see, as your views become wider, you need more skills. alice nine. is not a kind of band whose music style acts only in an underground world, but also involves general people too, so you should widen your views.

Yes. Especially with Visual kei as we tend to be looked down upon somehow. I think we have to change that. I think that is where I have grown. When I only knew the Visual kei scene, I had no way to get to know how this scene was looked at by others but as I got to know people outside the scene, I started to feel that this scene seems alienating to many. It’s very regrettable. I think that we have to work hard to change this. 

Last year, you did a live together with abingdon boys school, didn’t you? When I interviewed abingdon boys school, Nishikawa talked about alice nine. and said that “I was stimulated by alice nine. a lot as they worked so hard.”, and I was so happy.

Ah, I’m happy too! It’s nice he said alice nine. there, and also very nice that people who get along with us always feel that! I think I have to work harder to answer their expectations. I’m very stimulated by admiration, being remembered by people of different fields. I think “I have to work harder!”. And here is where I continue last years talk about how great voice actors are! (laugh) Actors and voice actors are not professional singers! But they are professionals in their own right. I get so much stimulation from them. I feel like “Our main occupation is music, so we shouldn’t be beaten by them!”. I feel that more and more these days. And what I should work on harder is drums.

I see. By the way, I heard you also work hard as leader, for example, you kindly made a rough of members’ final income tax returns and gave them to each member, right?

Ahahaha. Yes I did. Well all of members spend almost 90% of their lives on band activities, so I want them to use their free time for themselves efficiently. I know each of them have to do what they have to do by themselves, but if you can reduce other’s work, then it is good. I think it’s also good for the band. As we are doing the band together, there are many things that we can’t think of separating from the band. This time, Tora’s sickness is so too. Tora had the pains himself, but it wasn’t only his problem. It was a problem of the whole band. Iit was my problem and a problem for Hiroto, Shou, and Saga. So I think it’s better that we all do what we can for others and help each other out. My band does not like to depend on others, and all of the members think about others, so I really trust them, and I think that’s why I can work hard and get over hurdles with them.

So Nao, has each of the band members grown?

Yes, I think so. Hiroto has become calmer. Not in a bad way, but he has experienced various things and has became an adult, I think.

I heard his stomach also became more adult and he can’t eat his favorite Ramen anymore.(laugh)

Yes” He often say that.(laugh) But I’m like that too. When I eat a cup of Ramen, I feel heavy in the stomach. Am I getting older? (laugh) Ah, I remember, when I saw Hiroto for the first time, I thought his silhouette of him playing guitar was so beautiful and cool. I thought his figure was like a picture. I can feel his artistic nature so much, and I respected him musically even though he is younger than me. Recently he has quietness about him too.

I told him that he has quietness which old hard rock guitarists have!(laugh)

Ahahaha. I can understand that! I agree with you! When I see him from behind in our lives, I think so too.(laugh) Tora also grew up. Tora used to have difficulty with his feelings that he couldn’t fit into society. He seemed rather negative and sometimes acted without thinking well and he wasn’t cooperative, but he has started to be like me recently.(laugh) He became to be very cooperative.(laugh) And sometimes he is very social too! Saga really loves bass. He is so concentrated on playing the bass. When we play instruments, we sometimes hit walls and loose our way about what we should practice at certain stages. But Saga seems to get over that. Saga is an ambitious man, I think he has high ideals and works very hard, continuously pressuring himself. About Shou, honestly speaking, I have been watching over him from behind in our lives, but now I think that “I don’t have to worry about him anymore….”. I am the same, but he used to show his feelings in our lives whether good or bad. Before, his tension was uneven, but he has become stronger in this tour. I think that he has grown so much. I am digressing, but Hiroto is not uneven at all in lives. He has been like that since before. I think that’s great. Lives are not only sounds, so I want to do lives in which I can leave something in the audience’s minds.

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↓p51

It was really a great piece of work. I didn’t think that by their 2^nd album they would have been able to get so good-.

They surprised us all by surpassing our expectations with 『Alpha』. Making an album as good as that does not allow you to go backwards. By creating such a good first album they themselves created a very high hurdle, one not easy to get over. But we, as humans, are always search for something better, even after what seems to be our best is already done.

This is the latest single after 『Alpha』, and  I couldn’t help wondering what kind of work they would release.

The answer was「MIRROR BALL」. I took this song to be a positive song matching them well, also showing some of their darker, inner thoughts. I could feel that each member had put in a lot of effort into their part, creating the straight melodies heard in the song. Here we can see birth of something new; their growth.

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This work is the first single after 『Alpha』. Were you particularly conscious of showing a new facet of the band in this single?

Shou: No, we didn’t feel that at all. The original 「MIRROR BALL」already existed when we gathered songs for『Alpha』. This song became a single when we were offered the opportunity to make a theme song of a movie.

Was it 『Aquarian Age』?

Tora: Yes. The director who took our personal video「JEWELS」would direct the movie of 『Aquarian Age』too, and he asked us to sing the theme song and also asked us to appear in the movie.

So you mean you acted in the movie?

Hiroto: Yes. We acted in a role of a band. With the theme song, we made it after we read the script, imagined it and then shaped it.

Saga: We read the script and felt 【human’s light and shadow】so we discussed how to make the original song of 「MIRROR BALL」to go better with the movie.

Tora: It just happened that it really fit in with our image. The director really liked it too. So then it became the theme song of 『Aquarian Age』.

Did you make the lyrics matching to the story?

Shou: I didn’t write the lyrics matching it completely. I expressed 【human’s light and shadow】which I felt when I read the script. I didn’t want to make it by thinking too much that it would be a theme song, but I wanted to make a song which made good use of the characters of alice nine. in the sounds and lyrics. The title「MIRROR BALL」is also one of my expressions of 【human’s light and shadow】. A mirror ball can’t shine by itself, it needs shadows to shine. I compared that to life.

I see. This single is very melodious for alice nine. A commonality that I noticed in these two songs were that I felt ‘ alice nine.’ in the way you used C melody and D melody more than the main melody, and I was impressed how you put harmony onto the chase.

Shou: Yes. This time, there isn’t so much violence and I think both songs have very like side A like qualities to them. The good point of alice nine. is that we keep the basic part firm and use the best points of our members at the right time. The part of chorus added on the chase is my thing now.(laugh)

How about the way of using C melody and D melody?

Shou: I hesitated a little bit because it’s too violent as it develops, but 「MIRROR BALL」is the theme song of the movie so I wanted to make the song have a story. So I wanted to develop the scene more, added C melody and D melody, aroused the last part to make it more dramatic, adding that part after I consulted Hiroto, who is a composer of this song. At first, in the original song which Hiroto brought, the main melody repeated after the 3^rd main melody, but I wanted to add one more push. Then I happened to think of a good melody.

Hiroto: At first, to connect it to the last main melody, I had to drop it a little, but when I put the melody which Shou brought me in there, it made a very good flow. It became more of a story then.

I see. In this song, A melody is repeated twice so I feel like we read the story slowly from A melody to the main melody. But the variety of development in the later half makes the song run dramatically high.

Horoto: Yes. This time I arranged it so you can feel a story through the song. I wanted to make a song which had many developments that I could feel.

I see. In the later half, the rhythm is really shown off Nao, your main part would be the later half of D melody, right?

Nao: My main part is……Um…

Hiroto: Ahahaha. Do you mean “Mine is not there!”?

Nao: No I don’t mean that. My part is….. all of it!(laugh)

All: (silence……)

Nao: Huh?(laugh) Well…..what should I say…..(laugh)

(laugh) As a whole, my drumming is very busy in this song, but the accessory phrases after the brake in the later half of this song are very cool.

Shou: I like it too! It’s very cool!

Nao: Thank you! Hiroto too likes that part!(laugh)

It seems almost like the drumming twisted around the melody lines.

Nao: That’s right. This song is unexpectedly busy and I’m really serious in the main melodies. I tried to do various things. As a result, I decided to do 16 beats, then it was so hard.(laugh) I worked terribly hard at it.(laugh)

Shou: Personally I really like the drumming of the later half of the main melody. It’s very cool.

The bass approach of Saga in the latest part of the last main melody is quite cool.

Shou: Yes! That’s cool too!

Saga: Ahahaha. Thank you.(laugh) I wanted to do something there. The bass line sounds very uninteresting in this song, so I wanted to stand out a little bit.(laugh) It was like “Here, that’s here, It’s only here!”, “I can’t miss my chance!”. This time, I just wanted to stay in the song rather than pushing my bass line.

Hiroto: My guitar playing was like that too. 「MIRROR BALL」 wasn’t the type of song that was like “I’ll do something here!”. The drums don’t have to be 16 beat, but there was a big difference between doing it and not doing it that way. The instruments were also like that, we could make the mood of this song by mixing the sounds. I think it’s really cool that we can see different phrases in the music after doing that. I really think that being able to imagine different scenes while listening to the music is really important in this song.

Tora: I agree with you. This time we all looked at the song in its entirety, and progressed it by focusing on how we could make good use of different parts.

I see. And the guitar solo twisting with chorus in the interlude was very beautiful.

Nao: I like the guitar solo of this song very much, so I want make people listen to it carefully.

And the coupling song is [Kiseki](=Miracle). I can feel many changes in this song too.

Shou: Yes. 「Kiseki」was made by Saga, so it has many developments in the rhythm, and I sang it trying to fit that. I tried to ride on the ensemble, so to speak, making it the in the opposite way you do in a pop song.

Saga: After we made 『Alpha』, I had about three days off, and I made「Kiseki」with my acoustic guitar in a park near my house. Being in the middle of the resumed tour, and also being in the middle of coupling really made me think that I wanted to do something interesting and I think that I achieved that in the interlude.

Nao: This song is like a ‘decisive battle!’ in 『FINAL FANTASY』! The 2^nd B melody is a little bit difficult!

Tora: Yes, it’s tricky!

Saga: We made that phrase when introducing members during our tour. That tricky phrase that we created was really cool, so we chose it.

Nao: The part which I really put a lot into was the D melody! It’s called ‘wind chime’. I wanted to put in a cute mood and I did.

Tora: It’s really fresh, D melody flows into the chase.

Shou: Yes. It’s the point of this song.

The guitar playing was very interesting. Did you process them in some way?

Tora: No, we didn’t.

May be it sounds like that because we used effectors in different ways throughout the song.

Hiroto: I made quite a lot of use of whammy and wah. I made good use of them and reproduced sounds which I heard in my in my head just as they were. It was very hard.

Saga: At the last part, we used a whammy in a way that we shouldn’t have!

Hiroto: Yes, we did.(laugh) In the last part, we connected 2 wahs, and connected a whammy in addition, and made strange sounds. I put my both feet on wahs, like I was riding a foot exercise machine and did a wah with my hands.(laugh) 

How did you play guitar?

Saga: I played guitar in that part.(laugh) Actually I didn’t play but I played choking.(laugh)

Tora: And basically, we wanted to make a live mood in this song, so Hiroto and I chose the same sounds as we do in our lives.

I see. How about the lyrics?

Shou: As for lyrics, I wrote about doing your best in life. You know in life there are things that you should be thankful about, places where you trip and fall, and things that you lose and you can really see that in this song. Even if something painful happens in life, you learn to be thankful for the quiet peaceful days that would otherwise seem ordinary. The song has a positive melody, and I think this song will be a standard song in our lives.

What is the ‘sunny place’ you refer to in the lyrics?

Shou: It’s a place where your loved ones can be happy.

It’s a good expression. And the 3^rd song is 「Eraser」which was already recorded in your album and rerecorded this time.

Tora: Because it was very good song, we wanted make many people listen to it, so we rerecorded it in a single. To be re-cut from an album does not happen so much now. I was hoping for that, so I’m very happy.(laugh) We also made a music video for this song, so if you want to see it, please buy the complete first edit-Type B! If you see the images, you can see why we re-cut it, so please buy it!

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↓p52-53

When we, people get over the trials in life, we become stronger.

This trial made alice nine. stronger.

No one could have predicted that the guitarist, Tora, who was suffering from a hernia would suddenly got worse, meaning that the tour had to be cancelled. After the live in Sendai which was their first live of their tour, Tora had a sharp pain in his left hand. I heard from members afterwards that they were worried by the SOS signals coming from Tora who never usually complained about anything.

Maybe it’s not possible to continue the tour…

With this on their minds the tour continued on to the 2^nd scheduled concert in Aomori. However, their worst fears were in fact correct, leading to the cancellation of all tours until their sixth scheduled live in Club CITTA in Kawasaki. However, at that time Tora had not yet recovered and it seemed a little too early to be rescheduling lives. They decided to resume the tour as they believed in Tora’s words ‘Let’s do it’.

『Alpha』was the album which made me want to see one of their lives as soon as I could. I was so disappointed, as this was the tour after『Alpha』. However, I worried more about the condition of Tora, so I thought I would be satisfied if they could do their live with only about 80% of their usual power, and I went to the venue. I just hope that he wouldn’t work too hard in the concert.

However on that day, they showed me a concert with a gained momentum and had higher spirits than I had expected, and I was just ashamed myself. I wondered why I thought these guys were the type to play at just 80 percent of their ability. So often through their interviews, I heard directly from them what they were willing to do for their lives and I had thought that I had understood them……They did their live gaining momentum, like they didn’t have any barriers in the way, so much more than my predicted 80 percent.

After resuming their tour, they did concerts in country areas every second day, then returned to do a concert in Tokyo. On that day, I was both concerned about Tora’s condition as well as felt ashamed about my expectations of the band in Kawasaki. So I decided to forget all of it, and just enjoy the live.

They didn’t betray me. In the SE of 「Cradle to［Alpha］」, members appeared on stage, and they played instrumental music like they were playing in a jam session and it connected to the 1^st song 「ZERO」. This opening was the same as in Kawasaki, but their groove was much better than before. It was just the best! They played songs of 『cosmic world」「RED CARPET GOING ON」one after another, and involved the audience at different times throughout the performance. Even though it had just started, the audience had already heated up enough to cause an avalanche.

“I’m coming back to Tokyo!”

Shou’s voice sounded proudly in the venue. His voice was full of confidence. After his MC, 「TSUBASA.」was performed. I really felt that this song ‘grew up’ during their live concerts. It was much better then when I listened to it as a single and when I listened to it in Kawasaki. On that day, there were other songs which I felt were better than before, they were 「9th Revolver」「FANTASY」「Eraser」and the encore song of「THE LAST EMPIRE」.

There was a unified band feeling that I could really feel. Here, ‘unified’ doesn’t mean a feeling of a small scaled band that follows the rules. I mean that relationships in the band were built up through these lives. Each sound insisted to be heard one over the other, yet were separated respectively, but also together in a tight groove, creating a good comfortable space. 

And what I felt grow most was the vocals of Shou. His vocals had become more stable, making their sound more driving than before, and sent their world depicted in their lyrics directly and deeply to listeners.

In「Aoi tori」and「Kousai」guitar sounded dramatically. Then「Blue Planet」was spread refreshingly before us. The heavy zone of the live started from「Velvet」 and dashed into「-Dice-」「Kowloon -NINE HEADS RODEO SHOW-」「Gokusai gokushoku gokudouka〈Ｇ３〉」. In such heavy zone, the audience raised their fists strongly and called “Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!” which broke the pop impression of the band. Their sounds had totally different expressions song by song, and left deep impressions in each of the audience’s mind.

“I just thank not for the success of this live, but for making us able to achieve this tour.”

With these words Shou let us all know what he was really thinking, and I was very impressed to see the five members enjoying the concert fully, as he said it.