Fish Tank 55
Interview with Imai Hisashi
Translation: Lola
I was surprised to see you with straight black hair.
I thought it'd be fun to try having it straight since I haven't done it before. That's all. Since I've already tried waves with my curly hair and it was nice I wondered what it'd be like to have it completely straight.
Your hair doesn't look damaged at all.
Well I don't have split ends.
Is it comfortable, having a straight perm?
No. Because it's so long now.
Then wouldn't it be better to cut it? *smiles*
No, no.
You also have glasses now. Have you always worn them?
Just recently.
Are they prescription glasses?
No, they're not prescription *smiles*.
I see today you're able to wear a regular shirt but I was worried when I heard about your injured hand.... What happened?
I cracked it. New Year's Day.
You had a New Year's party at your house right.
Yes......
So I guess you held back from drinking?
I barely drank anything. I didn't drink anything at the office party. And after that...I didn't care about drinking at all, it hurt too much. From New Year's Day till the tenth, I kept putting my hand in ice.
The cold felt good right?
Yes. The doctor told me to keep it in ice but then when I got the cast I couldn't feel the cold at all!!
Of course *smiles*.
In the end, the best thing was for me to put a tiny ice pack inside the opening of the cast.
Did you go to the emergency room New Year's Day?
No. I was drinking with friends. And I felt rather unconcerned at first. I mean I really thought there was no way it could be broken you know. But my friends told me, "Well you never know so, it'd be better to go to the hospital to check". Then ASAKI-chan decided to test it out by telling me to shake hands with him. So I did and then this sharp pain shot through my hand even though my grip was so weak *smiles*. So at that point, even I could tell it was bad but my friends still had to half drag me to go to hospital. Then I got it x-rayed and found out there was a fracture. It was obvious on the x-ray even to my untrained eyes *smiles*.
Then today you went to the hospital to have the wires in your hand removed right. Wasn't that ahead of schedule?
Yeah. Two weeks ahead of time. So you know, I had no time...to mentally prepare. I thought I was just going in for a routine x-ray and sterilization and after that I figured ok~ it's over~ but then the doctor told me, "We're going to remove the wires~. Nurse, bring me the needle-nose pliers~". So I was like, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!
Because it's a regular tool right.
Yes!! I kept thinking, hey I didn't sign up for this *smiles*.
But thanks to that you don't have to wear clothes that look like ponchos anymore.
Yeah. I can wear proper shirts now.
Did you get to keep the wires?
Don't you always get to? Isn't that just the way with hospitals? To give you stuff like that to remember what happened.
You've been through a lot since the beginning of the year Imai-san but how did you find the Budoukan show went at the end of last year?
Well, we changed the staging a little.
It was higher right. With stairs going up and down.
Yes, exactly. I thought that was rather interesting. It was just a little high though so when I realized that I was freaked out. I was kinda scared...during our rehearsals.
Was there any song that you requested to be on the set list Imai-san?
I asked for...'Tenshi ha dare da' 'Makkana Yoru' and 'Kyokutou yori ai wo komete'. And I then I think 'Rendezvous'. I wasn't...particularly happy with the original arrangement for 'Misty Zone'. Because a considerable amount of time has passed since then and I wanted it to sound more current. More simple.
Did you have a particular arrangement in mind for awhile?
I'm not sure since when...oh! It came to me when we were filming the PV for 'Dokudanjou Beauty'. Of course because there's bass in it, and since Anii and Yuuta were with me in the green room we spent the whole time trying out the new arrangement. Then Yuuta played it with four beats and when I heard that I thought, that's it! It's good like that. He played that for me while I was having my makeup done. I thought the four beats throughout really made it sound current.
So as you were getting your makeup done to film the PV for 'Dokudanjou Beauty' you were actually thinking about 'Misty Zone'.
Because Yuuta played a really cool rhythm for it!
Seems Yagi-san had some difficulty with your costume....
Yeah. When I first bought the fabric, my only thought was for it to be used for a suit. Because wearing a suit fits Budoukan...I was determined that it had to be used for a suit and nothing else but because of the incredible pattern, he had a hard time working it into a suit.
It's quite hard to work with a pattern like that.
When I was out dining with Yagi-san and I told him I wanted a suit with it he said, "I'll do it!" *smiles*. I had all these little details in my mind that I told him about. So I asked if he thought this was my most complicated costume yet and he said, "Yes" *smiles*. It looked really hard to make.
You wrote the lyrics and music for the single coming out in March but how did you decide on the lyrics?
Well. How can I put it, I don't want to say it's the same as 'memento mori' but...it is a part of 'memento mori' in a way. I didn't make it with a story in mind. When I gave the song to everyone Sakurai-san said something like, "Imai, you're writing the lyrics?". I thought about it for a bit and then somehow or other this is what came out.
One version of the single comes with figurines too.
The people who made them really made them look like us didn't they. I thought that was interesting. We all have sanpaku eyes *smiles*. (1) By the way, did you hear the height story?
No, why?
In the original prototype Yuuta was taller than Hide *smiles*. As I thought, it was Yuuta who told them to do that. Hide had no comment though.
I'd like you to tell us what you have planned for this year.
Record, make an album and go on tour I guess.
So tell us, now is a period of composing.
Yes. ......? Huh wait, what kind of sentence is that?! *smiles*
No no, sorry. What I meant was, what is the situation~ with your composing *smiles*.
You know I'm al~~~ways composing. I'm composing...right now.
Finally, please say a word for everyone awaiting the single.
The new song is cool. Please have fun listening to it.
(1) When the white of the eye is visible between the iris and the lower lid.