Miyazawa Sae (Sae) / AKB48 2nd Generation

Wow, that's awesome news!!

Now if I only could go and watch it...

 

I wish they would have cast Tano Yuka as Sally again. She played Sally in the same musical, by the same producers, back in 2017 so I get that they might not want to cast the same person/Yuka herself might not have wanted to play the same role again, but I know how much Yuka loves Sae and I would love to see them work on something together.

I hope at least that Yuka might go and see Sae perform and for them to possibly meet up backstage For those that don't know a lot about Yuka, she was at the same dance school as Sae and applied for AKB48 because of Sae as well. Last year, Yuka performed in a musical called THE CIRCUS and the cast did a TV special, where they also reacted to dance clips sent in by other famous people. Sae sent in a short clip for Yuka to react to (I'm sure I posted it in this thread back then, it was August 2019 if anyone wants to look back).

I think their relationship is very beautiful and they are both members of AKB48 that I adore a lot for their powerful dancing and the energy they brought onto the stage.

 

My bad, I was convinced I'd shared it.

Here you go https://twitter.com/curioushitomi/status/1160248738813763584

EDIT: Actually, I had I've changed my twitter username since then but the link still worked for me

 

Kasai's singing voice has certainly improved with age. As much as I love her, I was never enamored with her solo singing. I used to feel the same way about Oshima Mai. I thought MaiMai was so damn cute but there was a shrillness to her singing that always made me wonder how she passed that initial audition.

 

Sae and Chiyuu singing Everything (original song: Misia)


if the video does not show watch the video here

Sae and Chiyuu singing Anata to Christmas Eve


if the video does not show watch the video here

Sae and Chiyuu singing Enjoy your Life!


if the video does not show watch the video here

I know the full video was posted before, but this is the performances only!
Sae cried during Enjoy your Life! ;_; I love how Tomomi held her hand ;_;
Sae really sings with her heart ;w; Love their friendship

 

IDK about ‘still’ having. On the contrary, I think she looks better every year. (Yuuko too, for that matter.)

 

Happy birthday Sae!!

 

Sae announcing her 2022 Calendar, details of which will be released later:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Great interview!

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/2b02619633bf578a6280292d9508ee01d00af0fe

 

^ neotokyo2099's translation of the Yahoo interview

Miyazawa Sae – How she felt she wanted to go back to AKB48 after learning how difficult it was after graduating

Spoiler: full text

Miyazawa Sae (31) was one of the popular AKB48 veterans. From her boyish, energetic style, she was one of the first members to work internationally with SNH48 in Shanghai and then to SKE48 in Nagoya and then eventually graduating.

But after she graduated, she was announced to take a year off and many worried about her, because she abruptly left the entertainment industry.

In an interview with Yahoo! News, Miyazawa Sae described that after graduating, she suffered from the gap between her image of an entertainer and what was happening in reality, so she decided to take a year off.

According to Miyazawa, “My heart broke. I wanted to escape from everything. There was days when I worried and I wanted to return to AKB48. Why did I let go of the light that illuminated me?”.

While Miyazawa achieved success as a member of AKB48, she was a performer that never cut corners, may it be to singing or dancing. And she behaved well in the workplace, and worked hard.

While AKB48 was expanding overseas to Jakarta, Akimoto Yasushi wanted Sae to be part of the sister group in China. Miyazawa said, “At that time, I was 22 years old. Of course, an overseas assignment was unexpected. But I felt it was an opportunity but I worried that my exposure would decrease in Japan. But at that time, I was convinced that I wouldn’t have a position anymore, no matter how hard I tried, so it was the most decisive factor for going to Shanghai. It was a mixture of such feelings of escape and excitement of waiting for new things”.

But while Sae went to Shangai to begin her overseas life, the political situation of Japan and China was not going well and her permission to stay in China for a longer duration was not granted. And so, Miyazawa had no choice but to wait and see what happens and had no work in Japan.

Miyazawa said, “I was a little sick at that time. Everyday, my manager would contact me and say, ‘tomorrow is a holiday’ but I couldn’t attend my favorite handshake event. I was frustyrated. I have limited memory of how long I couldn’t go to Shanghai, but it was a few months”.

And when she couldn’t go to Shanghai, she had no place to return back to for AKB48. So, she was given the concurrent assignment of becoming the leader of SKE48’s Team S in Nagoya.

But while a member of SKE48, she received comments on social media of “you wearing too much makeup”, “you look like an older aunt” and so she would get angry and perform without makeup.

So, in 2016, Miyazawa grauduated from AKB48 and decided to pursue a new path as an actress. But after awhile, she learned by walking alone, she was witnessing reality and she became worried.

Miyazawa said, “In the first place, I didn’t have a clear vision of what I wanted to do in this kind of work. After graduating, I felt like trying without refusing what came. And realized certain things didn’t suit me but I made a lot of discoveries. It’s an experience that’s hard to get, but honestly, it was hard. Especially when I asked what kind of work was hard, it was surprisingly ‘musicals'”.

“I’ve been asked to play musicals quite a bit, but I still feel like I’m going to break my heart every time. Musicals are all people who have the ability to act and sing. I haven’t studied vocal music and I haven’t played a child role, so when I was surrounded by musical geniuses, I almost couldn’t do it anymore! The directors and cast members are very kind. But I was scared of that kindness. I could see only the parts that I couldn’t do, and I strangled myself. I was so nervous and nervous that I was about to collapse. The gap between my vaguely embraced ideal image after graduating from AKB and myself at that time was gradually increasing in my heart. I think the big stage will be decided soon, and if you think about it now, it’s a smooth sail. But I wasn’t the entertainer I admired and the job was too difficult, unlike what I wanted to do. I was frustrated everyday of myself who wasn’t satisfied with the current situation”.

Miyazawa admitted that while she felt she would be able to do it alone, she was afraid to work and wanted to go back to AKB. She was feeling sad and even thought about retiring. But her office suggested for her to take a leave of absence and so she did and after a year, she came back, although she felt it was too early.

Miyazawa on her return back after a year off, “I think I came back because I couldn’t find anything else I wanted to do. During the holidays, I objectively watched the plays such as dramas and movies, and thought,’I wonder if I would do this …’. When I was tired of myself, I asked the current office (Horipro) if I can work on a musical”.

But there was a change in Miyazawa. Her obsession with the “glittering entertainment world” had disappeared.

“Is it lost or lost? When I think about it, I’m tired of not being able to get close to my ideal self, and I’m worried … I’ve been repeating this since the AKB era, but my entertainment life When I thought about it again, I realized that it was a step-by-step step at my own pace. I wonder if it’s still too late. The influence of the theatrical people is also great. I learned that the purpose of the artist is not just to aim for a “glittering entertainment world” but also the depth of the play. I’m still studying as an actor now, but singing and dancing is the most fun. There was a time when I escaped from singing because I thought I couldn’t compete, but I feel a little growth in the last year or so. At first, it’s a musical that I’m not good at, but I wonder if there are some parts that I am suitable for it…”.

But Miyazawa is starting to find herself as an actress but because she was able to discover herself during those difficult times, she’s learned to survive and continue to build and strengthen her abilities.

 

Wow that was so sad to read... I feel so sorry for her that the move to SNH led to that spiral of bad things happening one after another. I really wish she'd have been able to go back to AKB, where she was appreciated T_T I also hope that she's able to find something positive for herself that she really enjoys!

 

Kasai Tomomi has posted a talk video with Sae:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Rather serious news - last night the Japanese singer and actress Kanda Sayaka tragically fell to her death from a hotel window in Sapporo (report in English from 'Japan Today'). I understand that Sae was a good friend of hers and today she's tweeted the following (via DeepL translation):

https://twitter.com/oyasuminaSAE_m/status/1472534717912457220

She then followed up with this:
https://twitter.com/oyasuminaSAE_m/status/1472536509622681603

It's all very worrying and I hope Sae is going to be OK.

EDIT: Some much better news from Sae's latest tweet, she's assured her followers she has some nice plans for the next few days and that she's OK ('Dakara daijoubu'):
https://twitter.com/oyasuminaSAE_m/status/1472571007877922822

 

Cover and sample image from Sae's 2022 Calendar:
https://sp.horipro.jp/news/?talent_id=292&id=100918

 

She is going to cast Kaizaki Sawa in ULTRAMAN DECKER.
https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/news/4462

 

Compared to last time she starred in Ultraman the growth is really funny to see (to be fair, it has been 10 years). She has really grown from hotshot-rookie to reliable vice-leader
(from Twitter)
https://twitter.com/nisshiiii3321/status/1527209266700251136

 

Comment video for her role as Guinevere in the King Arthur musical:


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

One more:


if the video does not show watch the video here