Imaizumi Yui (Zuumin) / Keyakizaka46 1st Generation

On Imaizumi's birthday, Nanako-chan shared a story about Zuumin practicing throughout all the breaks when they were filming in Hokkaido for Ai Shika Nai. She sure does work hard! In many ways, I understand where ukifune comes from when in another thread he stated that he hoped Imaizumi was able to get a top position. From her interviews, it seems like she'd be in pieces if she weren't able despite all her hard work and ambition.

 

I've felt a bit of antipathy toward Zuumin ever since she said she regarded Hirate as her rival, and wanted to outdo her. But in this week's KeyaKake, when Kikuchi-san was saying what good girls the group were, that there didn't seem to be much competition or hard feelings among them, I imagined I saw Imaizumi looking down, looking a bit sheepish. And to be honest, that made me feel more sympathy with her.

Of course, Takahiro and Nanako each saying how hard she practiced had begun the process of softening my feelings toward her, but maybe she is figuring out how to better reconcile her ambition with K46's theme of building strong feelings within the group. Her ambition and competitiveness are natural to her, and are how AKB-style idols are supposed to be, so it must have been confusing for her to find her natural approach at odds with what is supposed to be K46's theme.

It's really just because of wanting the best for her that I like the idea of her getting a solo or something, but it may also be disruptive to the group if her ambition keeps being thwarted and her obvious ability not fully recognized. I have my doubts about the tone of her voice, and even about how close she stays on tune, so I'm thinking it's a bit of "sink or swim," but I also believe in talent being recognized (particularly Suzumoto's talent, lol).

As for not living in the dorm, I think I read that the members had a choice of either living in the dorm, with room and board; or living at home, and their parents getting a payment to help with room and board. She seems so extremely close to her family that I always figured she chose to stay at home in part for their sake, as well as because she felt so comfortable among them. When she was once talking about calling her father "Daifuku" or "Snow Daruma" because he slept in a big white T-shirt, did she say that she and her parents slept in the same room? (I guess on futon.)

 

I noticed that too during the episode! I hope she can get more into the "team" thing. I think she may be trying and I hope that she can become closer with the members. I can sympathize with her being close to her family and excluding everyone else, because I grew up the same way. I don't dislike Zuumin whatsoever, but I share your reservations. Still, I am rooting for all the Keyaki girls, but if they are going to compete I want them to do so to push each other to be better as a group rather than thinking solely of themselves. Imaizumi talks a lot about "solo" stuff, and I hope she realises she can pursue that while still participating in Keyakizaka as a group rather than using the group as a means to reach that end.

 

Kinda interesting seeing an interview with these three. Like the popular ones all together. Center and future centers haha

I agree with one of you above that it's only been a year and they seem like the kinda don't talk much outside of work. Even on one of the recent keyabingo episodes about the luck and hands and what not, Imaizumi got called out for her almost actively wanting to be a loner.

 

Now I get why Yui is sensitive about her height: over ten centimeters shorter than a middle-school girl. No wonder she works so hard. In any case, is this our new triple centre? Yui says in her blog that they had to scatter when a train came.

 

She's around 150cm or so right? She shouldn't be too worried about her height though, I'm sure a lot of her fans [myself included] think her height just makes her cuter instead of like. Some tiny hobbit girl.

Edit: and if this is the new triple center for the new single, so hyped.

 

My own opinion is that her height is perfect. But the photo made me understand her feeling better. As far as we know, she's about 152cm (just barely under 5 feet) and Hirate is about 164cm (just over 5' 4-1/2"). The heights on the official site are misreported. She herself has admitted she over-stated her height when she joined. Hirate said in August that she was 164cm (she even wrote it on a poster in Tsutaya), not he official 160+. And Mona and others seem to have grown.

She says her brother kidded her about the cover of that magazine (the photo is an off-shot from a photo session for Entame magazine). There, she seems the same height as the others. She says she was standing on a platform.

 

Oh I get that. And as Kanjo showed us on that height chart she's fairly short in the front lineup. She's just gotta think that minus is a plus I guess? Cause she's fairly popular regardless of her height.

Didn't know Uemura was as short as Imaizumi though ha.

 

Earlier in this thread, I posted a gif of Imaizumi "rolling her eyes", but I thought I'd post a thread talking about the Keyaki girls rolling their eyes during the show here as well. Of course, Imaizumi appears!

http://toriizaka46.jp/keyakizaka46/51185/

 

@jokoyamajui -- One of the comments there suggests contact lenses may be the problem. Is that possible? (Not for the original Imaizumi image, though, I don't think.)

@Varianth -- I think Imaizumi is a bit shorter than Uemura. She has admitted exaggerating her height for that official list. If they're going to list it officially, maybe they should measure it officially, lol.

 

@ukifune

Yes, I think that is a definite possibility. Uemura's gif in particular looks like she might be having a bit of eye trouble. Either way, when you compare all the gifs, you've got to love Imaizumi's very expressive nature. She makes such funny faces.

 

You aren't small or? I'm gonna tell you sometimes it's really frustrating to be small.... I'm as high as Zuumin so I can understand her. When you have people around you who are as small as you are you think: Oh I'm small but thats okey, x is as small as I'm. But when all people are about 10cm higher than you you think: I feel sooo small....Why am I so short?!


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The Rolling of eyes thread, i think its dry eyes ? i do that quite often if we are talking about contact lenses.
From Uemura's gif and Risa's 1st gif it seems like it is?

I think Zuumin's height is perfect imo.
The picture that Ukifune shared, hmm... definitely understood why...
If they ever thought of using insoles, i hope she does injure herself...

 

Harsh! You like Imaizumi's height that much, eh?



As for the height issue, I think it is good for her, as it helps her ... well maybe "stand out" is the wrong way to put it but..

 

I once saw a kids' T-shirt: "Tiny but Tuff". There's a theory that people like Napoleon became great in part because they were short and felt they had to fight to stand out. I'm sure that when she looks at that photo, Zuu thinks: "It would look better if I were in the middle...." And it's true.

I hope (and believe) @Kielize just misspoke and meant "doesn't injure herself."

 

Napoleon was above average height though... he may be short in comparison to human height these days, but back in his time he actually was taller, not shorter than average. People like to make that argument about people compensating for their height, and maybe it CAN be true, but one should not discount that she grew up with a lot of brothers. Competition against siblings plus competition between men may have made her more competitive than a lot of other people.

 

Hey, thanks for that. Wikipedia has a nice run-down on the reasons why Napoleon was said to be 5'2" (~157cm) when he was really 5'6-1/2" (~169cm) when he died. That would be at least normal height in France in those days, I would imagine. Shows how history is made: by the winning side's newspaper propaganda.

But for Zuumin, perhaps just trying to keep up with her brothers might be an explanation. Or perhaps they indulged her and she didn't have to keep up. Lol. I have sometimes wondered if they feed her pride and encourage her to compete in a more direct way. But that's pure speculation. In the Sony Topics feature I saw today, after talking about working hard toward her own goals, she does speak of lending her power to the group. So she's thinking about it.

 

I remember in a few interviews she did state that she competed with her brothers often if I am not mistaken. Might also be why she has a tendency to gain weight, as people who grow up in households with a lot of siblings sometimes develop an issue with food boundaries. Either that or the food was primarily aimed at the men in the household and she learned to eat like them. Now that part really is pure speculation. For some reason the speculation seems to fall on Imaizumi's shoulders more so than anyone else.

 

OMG typo T_T my bad!! I meant doesn't injure herself because insoles are not really good for ankles T_T

@jokoyamajui Haha well it isn't a bad thing isn't it? Eating well is kinda important to my opinion~ Plus with dance lesson or stuff like that, i think its probably hard to gain weight unless its an insane amount...