Yukinee's interview, translated with ChatGPT's assistance! AKB48 17th Generation Member Yuki Hirata: "I Sang Yukirin's 'Shortcake' in the Audition" [New Series: Why AKB48 in the Reiwa Era?] AKB48, which took its first breath in Akihabara on December 8, 2005 (Heisei 17). It has produced stars like Atsuko Maeda, Minami Takahashi, Haruna Kojima, Mariko Shinoda, Yuko Oshima, and Rino Sashihara, becoming a nationally recognized idol group that everyone knows. Over a decade has passed since then, the era has changed to Reiwa, and new star candidates continue to join. In a different situation from back then, what did these girls think when they decided to join AKB48? What are their aspirations? We delve into the charm of the fresh members in this in-depth interview! In the second part, we have Yuki Hirata (Yuki), who debuted as a 17th generation member on May 4, 2022 (Reiwa 4). Before joining, she attracted attention as a finalist in a high school girl contest. In the first part, we talked about her journey until joining AKB48. From her childhood to her activities as a high school student and her experience in AKB48 auditions. Shy and Couldn't Talk to People at All ― What were you like when you were young? Hirata: I'm still the same, extremely shy and couldn't talk to people at all. Even when I went to kindergarten, I always clung to the teacher and cried. I hated being alone without my mom. ― Were you more of an indoor or outdoor person? Hirata: I played outside quite a bit. When I was little, I liked playing in the sandbox, and in elementary school, swings were popular. As soon as the chime signaling the end of class rang, I would run there, play soccer or basketball. After I learned to ride a bike, I competed with friends to see who could run faster. I didn't care about getting sunburned and enjoyed playing outside. ― You didn't cry even if your mom wasn't there in elementary school. Hirata: That's right (laughs). But I really couldn't speak up during class. I never raised my hand or spoke even when the teacher pointed at me. ― Did you participate in committees or activities? Hirata: I loved school lunches, so I was on the lunch committee. I liked desserts, fried bread, and side dishes. I used to ask for seconds every day, or I'd be the first in line with a tray during lunch and say, "Give me a lot!" ― You're a big eater! Did you have any extracurricular activities? Hirata: I did piano, dance, trampoline, and also English conversation. I was interested in many things and started them myself, but I quickly got bored. They didn't last a year (laughs). ― Your family let you do what you liked. Hirata: That's right. They let me do anything, but they were a bit against ballet. They said, "You'll get bored again." ― Ballet does require a lot of expenses. If you quit halfway, everything you bought would go to waste. Hirata: I also liked the trampoline, but I quit because I didn't like the performance. I didn't like being in front of people and didn't want to stand out too much. ― Did anything last a long time? Hirata: I continued with dance because it was fun. I did it for about three years in elementary school and also in high school. I did hip-hop and was in a high-level class, but I couldn't keep up at all. I'm still not good at dancing, but I think it was good to do it. ― What were you really into? Hirata: I played games. I had a Nintendo DS and Wii, and I had games like Animal Crossing and Mario. I saved New Year's money to buy them myself or got them if I placed within a certain rank in the long-distance race. ― Were you fast at running? Hirata: I ranked 8th in my grade in second grade. I was good at sports! Active in Basketball Club in Junior High ― What club activities did you do? Hirata: I was in the basketball club in junior high. I used to play basketball a lot during breaks in elementary school, so I wanted to continue in junior high. There were about ten people in the same grade, and I could get on the bench but was mostly a substitute. ― You had good motor skills in second grade, didn't you? Hirata: I did swimming in elementary school, so I had stamina, but it disappeared after I quit. ― How about high school club activities? Hirata: I didn't join any. I joined in junior high because it was mandatory, but there was nothing I wanted to join in high school. ― By the way, how were your studies? Hirata: I did homework like "do these drills," but that was about it. I never studied for tests or exams. ― You didn't study at all then. Hirata: That's right, I really couldn't study. My parents told me to "study," but I didn't. My older sister, who is two years older, was diligent, studied on her own, went to a good high school, and even went to college. We're complete opposites (laughs). ― Did you ever think, "If my sister is smart, I should study hard too"? Hirata: No, I didn't think studying would be useful. But now, I think I'd like to try getting qualifications and such. ― What did you do in high school since you didn't join clubs? Hirata: I was involved in entertainment activities. I originally wanted to join AKB48, and as I watched various things, I thought I wanted to enter the entertainment industry. But I lacked confidence and didn't audition. However, in the third year of junior high, I learned about the "High School Girl Miss Contest" and decided to apply when I became a high school student. ― How was the High School Girl Miss Contest? Hirata: At first, it was just sending photos via LINE. There were contests for high school girls and first-year high school students. I became the Kanto regional winner in the high school girl contest. In the first-year contest, I made it to the finals but didn't win the grand prize. ― That's amazing! What did the judging involve? Hirata: Social media evaluations were the most significant. It involved SHOWROOM live streams, website views, retweets, and content where fans could cooperate. There were also photo votes, where if you took a purikura photo, you could vote at the end. Friends, seniors, juniors, and acquaintances cooperated in these activities. Following that path, I joined an agency, started modeling, and appeared in commercials and music videos. Owns a Lot of AKB48 Goods ― After going through a smooth high school period, heading towards AKB48, can you share how you first encountered AKB48? Hirata: I first saw them around second grade. There were members like Yuko Oshima, Tomomi Itano, and also Yukirin (Yuki Kashiwagi). I didn't have a specific favorite member; I loved AKB48 as a whole. I have a lot of their merchandise like live photos, badges, penlights, towels, etc. ― Did you attend handshake events? Hirata: I initially went to Tomomi Itano's handshake event, then Yuko Oshima's twice, and also to Haruka Shimazaki, Yui Yokoyama, Rina Kawaei, etc. I told Ami Maeda, "I watch 'R no Housoku'!" and we had a brief conversation like "Thank you." ―― At that time, you didn't think about auditioning for AKB48? Hirata: I thought about it when I was younger, but I gradually started to think about wanting to become a model. But when I became a high school student, I thought about auditioning for AKB48 again, but there were no auditions being held. ―― There were no auditions for a while due to the pandemic. How old were you when you auditioned for the 17th generation? Hirata: I was 19 years old. ―― You were already working, so why did you decide to quit and audition for AKB48? Hirata: The dance vocal group I was aiming to debut with suddenly disappeared. Even if I aimed to become an artist from there, by the time of debut, I would be over 20 years old, so I thought about trying a new challenge. ―― Were you not worried about resetting what you had been doing and starting something new? Hirata: I was worried. I consulted with those around me, but everyone encouraged me, and I sent in my application just before the deadline. ―― How much did you watch AKB48 during that time? Hirata: I wasn't as dedicated as I was in elementary school, so I wasn't that knowledgeable about it. ―― But that was a turning point. What was your appeal during the audition? Hirata: I didn't make a big appeal; I just said, "I've loved AKB48 since I was a child." For the singing audition, I sang Yukirin's solo song "Shortcake" because I thought it would be easy for me to express myself. ―― You've been auditioning for modeling-related roles since high school, but was this different? Hirata: It was different because it was an audition for AKB48, which I had loved for a long time. I received the acceptance notification by email, and I was extremely happy. My parents were also happy, and my friends around me were surprised because they didn't expect me to become an idol. (To be continued in the next update) 【The new serialization "Why AKB48 in Reiwa?" will be updated every Monday. The second part of Hirata Ykki's story, talking about her surprises and struggles since joining AKB48, will be released on April 8th!】 ========================= 17ki HADO Reward Drama : Midnight Final Approach ミッドナイトファイナルアプローチ watch on TVer https://tver.jp/episodes/epnb0nt38y or www.bilibili.com/video/BV1vx4y127uK/ Yukinee's 3rd main character acting job! (after NyanNyanKamen 2023, and Yukirin's history reenactment drama on tiktok) According to HADO MC Yukinee was so tired during the late-night airport scenes, that she actually fell asleep for real during the sleeping scenes and was difficult to wake up. Also that ending... something that every fan hopes their oshi/idol will say at the very end. And nope it's not "Idol ni natte yokatta" stuff, go watch the drama if you haven't!
It's monday! 2nd part of Yukinee's Weekly Playboy's interview: https://wpb.shueisha.co.jp/news/entertainment/2024/04/08/122812/ Video: if the video does not show watch the video here Translation assisted by ChatGPT: The second installment features Yuki Hirata, who debuted as a 17th-generation member on May 4, 2022 (Reiwa 4). Before joining, she garnered attention as a finalist in high school beauty contests. In the previous installment, we discussed her glamorous high school days, and in this one, she talks about her struggles since joining AKB48 and what she enjoys now. ■ I want to become famous and spread AKB48's name even more ―― What was it like when you first met the 17th-generation members who passed the audition? Hirata: I was a little anxious about whether I could get along with them. At the time, I was the second oldest, and everyone else was younger. My friends until then were all older, so I wasn't used to being the older one. I wondered if it would be okay. ―― You said you were shy, but were you able to talk to others? Hirata: I couldn't initiate conversation at all. As we started working together, we gradually became closer. Initially, as the 17th generation, we didn't really go out to eat together. We would talk during lessons, but once they were over, everyone would just go home. I think it was about a year before we started going out together. ―― What was your first lesson like? Hirata: It was a basic dance lesson. Since I had done dance before, I could dance much better than those who hadn't. ―― The debut of the 17th-generation members was at the AKB48 Theater. It was online, perhaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hirata: We performed "Oogoe Diamond," introduced ourselves, and talked with the seniors, I think. But I don't remember much. Still, being able to get on stage where only AKB48 members can stand was incredibly rewarding. ―― You said you were a fan of AKB48, but have you ever been to the theater before joining? Hirata: Only once. It was before I joined AKB48, but I saw Anna Iriyama's graduation performance. ―― Is there a difference between watching from the audience and being on stage? Hirata: There's a difference. It was a place I admired, so it felt like I became a member of AKB48. Well, but there weren't any audience members at the debut, so maybe I didn't feel that much...? (laughs). About four days later, there was a fashion event called "TGC teen 2022 Fukuoka," and that was the first time I stood on stage in front of an audience. It wasn't just our fans, but it was exciting to be on stage as an AKB48 member in front of various people. ―― Have there been any difficulties since joining? Hirata: I'm not good at memorizing choreography, so it's still difficult for me. Even though I had done dance before, I couldn't memorize it. Even when taught in the lesson hall, I can't get it right away, so I practice until I get the moves at home. ―― What do you find enjoyable? Hirata: Standing in front of fans and singing and dancing is the most enjoyable thing for me. I hadn't really stood in front of fans and done anything before. ―― Do you think being selected as a senbatsu member for the 61st single "Doushitemo Kimi ga Suki da" (released on April 26, 2023) was significant for you? Hirata: I never thought I'd become a senbatsu member in less than a year, so I was surprised. It was challenging because we often performed as senbatsu members at concerts. Seniors learn choreography quickly and are good at dancing, so I can't catch up at all. ―― You mentioned you like Yukirin (Yuki Kashiwagi), did you talk to her? Hirata: When we met, she talked to me first and said, "Hey, Hirata-chan!" Also, Yukirin sent me a "Happy Birthday" message on LINE on my birthday! From a group that includes all the members, she added me on LINE to send me the message. I didn't expect her to do that, so I was surprised and happy. ―― Is there anything about AKB48 that impresses you? Hirata: I think it's amazing that they can perform concerts at venues like Nippon Budokan and PIA Arena. ―― What do you think would make AKB48 even more impressive? Hirata: Recently, things like songs and choreography that go viral on TikTok are very impactful, so I think if we could do something there, it would be good. ―― What do you think you can do for AKB48 now? Hirata: I'm not sure if it's beneficial for the group, but I want to become famous and spread AKB48 even more. I want to use social media to increase awareness. ―― Do you have anything you want to do in the future with AKB48? Hirata: I want to participate in various concerts. I also want to do fashion-related work and modeling. For that, I'm constantly researching what makes me look cuter, such as clothes and makeup. I hope to receive support from female fans by sharing these things. ―― What do people who have known you for a long time think about you joining AKB48? Hirata: They've always liked AKB48, and since I said I wanted to become one, they're happy for me. ―― So your dream came true. But there are many idols like Nogizaka46 and =LOVE, aren't there? Hirata: I didn't want to become an idol; I wanted to become "AKB48." If it weren't for AKB48, I don't think I would be doing what I'm doing now. I've never thought about becoming an idol. Because I liked AKB48, I wanted to become one myself. ―― So it's not an idol but "AKB48" for you. What does AKB48 mean to you again? Hirata: It's something that changed my life. If I hadn't liked AKB48, I wouldn't have entered the entertainment industry. [New series "Why AKB48 in Reiwa?" updated every Monday. Next time, on April 15th, newly joined 19th-generation member Momoka Ito will appear!] -------------------- Thank you Yukinee for coming to AKB, very nice words
this is probably why staff always said 18ki had better teamwork than 17ki did but yukinee is right, in this day and age we need to find some kind of way to go viral on tiktok or something! yukinee sns master! btw yukinee really loves akb huh
I wonder if fans in the theater witnessed the kirara find Yukinee that night? https://akb0048.fandom.com/wiki/Kirara
