Inoue Nagi & Sugawara Satsuki Nogizaka Newspaper 2022

— Once again tell us about your impressions of each other

Satsuki: At first, I had an image of Nagi as a woman who looked a little scary or very strong.

Nagi: Please don’t~! (laugh)

Satsuki: During the final screening of the audition, I glanced at Nagi and thought, "Ah, this girl, I wonder if I can get along with her...?” She looked mature, so I thought she was around 20 years old, but she had an amazing aura about her. I thought she was a cool girl, but as I got to know her, I found that she had a surprisingly cute side. In fact, I think she is one or two of the most "natural" among 5ki.

Nagi: Eh~ Is that so? You never told me that before (laugh)

Satsuki: Ikeda Teresa-chan and Kawasaki Sakura-chan are also in the "natural" category, but Nagi is a different type.

Nagi: This is the first time I know this information… it’s embarrassing~(laugh). Sacchan can see everything around her. She is the most attentive to various things, and even in her performances, she looked back at videos to see the angles of her hands and other details. I really respect her a lot. Of course, each of 5ki has their own good points, and I admire each of them, but recently I think that Sacchan has a lot of things that I don't have.

Satsuki: Nooo~ You love me don’t you (laugh)

Nagi: There were many times when I lost sight of the world around me, but Sacchan worked harder than anyone else while also paying close attention to those around her, which is truly amazing. If it were me, I would want to tell everyone around me that I’m working hard (laugh). But Sacchan did her best with a smile on her face. I admire that.

Satsuki: Well, that makes me smile a little (laugh).

— Both of you serve as the center for 5ki songs

Satsuki: When I watched Nagi as the center in "Zetsubou no Ichibyou Mae" from behind, there were many times when I thought, "This girl must be going through a hard time right now" or "She must have a lot of things she has to deal with.” When I was given the formation for the new song, I thought that Nagi would be the center, “Huh?” I was surprised. After that, I talked with Nagi for about 3~4 hours... About 3 times?

Nagi: Maybe more (laugh)

Satsuki: We talked in person or when we were working together. Nagi understands how I'm feeling now, and I know how she must have been thinking at that time.

Nagi: At the beginning of "Zetsubou no Ichibyou Mae," I really didn't know what to expect. From there, we shot the music video, recorded the song, and performed it for the first time. As we performed the song in various situations, I felt like I had to do my best and be strong, and there were times when it became painful. Then we got "Band-Aid" and Sacchan is the center, and as we talked a few times, she really started following the same path as me (laugh).

Satsuki: Yes, for real! It's amazingly the same path. It's like "people who are doing the exact same thing six months later" (laugh).

Nagi: When I was struggling inside myself, I had a lot of help, so now I want to help others.

Satsuki: On the first day of the national tour, I was pretty beat up. “Band-Aid” was performed for the first time, and I cried so badly since rehearsals. However, Nagi supported me and said, "It’ll be okay.” It seemed that Nagi had decided to laugh when I was crying. That made me very happy. When Nagi is laughing and told me, "Sacchan is crying~" I can calm down a lot. When I cry, Nagi is relatively calm, and when I’m fine, there are times when I wonder if Nagi is also fine, and I was surprised that she’s not, so I think we have a good balance.

Nagi: "Band-Aid" is a song that really suits Sacchan. It has a refreshing summery feel, but the lyrics are deep and sad. That's why it's fun for me every time I perform it (laugh).

— In "Zetsubou no Ichibyou Mae," Inoue-san’s ending fairy expression is also a topic of discussion.

Nagi: Thank you very much (laugh). Originally, we were very aware of the difference in facial expression between the verse and the chorus. The first part of the song is a struggling, painful image, but in the chorus part, we burst into laughter. We all discussed this before the national tour. The more we performed the song, the more we liked it.

— On the tour, you continued to perform "Zetsubou" and "Band-Aid."

Satsuki: It's a lot of pressure. Because Nagi danced through the song with a really good look on her face (laugh). I tried various ways to do the ending fairy of "Band-Aid," and once during the tour, I winked before the chorus. I wanted to try it for a while, and it was surprisingly well received, and my senpais and manager-san told me that it was really good. Even the choreographer sensei said, "Let's do that every time.” I felt like I had no choice but to go for it! (laugh).

— Your position (in Band-Aid) is next to Inoue-san 

Satsuki: I feel very secure. Even when I first received the formation, I looked at Nagi’s name first instead of mine (laughs)

Nagi: Eh, you love me don’t you (laugh) (TL Note: Yes Nagi said this exactly what Satsuki said to her in the first part of interview, she just wanted to use this sentence to pay back to her I think lmao)

Satsuki: I got nervous before the performance, but then I caught a glimpse of Nagi's face for a moment during the intro. That’s why I performed while thinking, "Ah, she's laughing. I'm relieved.” That's how big her presence is (laugh)

Nagi: Noo~ that's the first time you told me that (laugh)

— Six months have passed since you guys joined and your first tour is over. What are your goals for the future?

Satsuki: I'm really grateful for this environment. I’m still not good at anything yet, but I hope to become a person who can give something back to the group in my 1 or 2 years with the group. Personally, I’ve been praised for my variety, so of course, I will do my best in all areas, but I would also like to be able to speak up better. Yumiki-san, for example, is very funny.

— In the song "Kimi ni Shikarareta" performed at the 5ki omitatekai in February, Sugawara's "Zenryoku Gomen" dance, in which she apologized with all her might, was a hot topic of conversation.

Satsuki: I got a lot of comments from fans. I was just desperate at the time, and I'm happy that it made an impression on them, but I may be embarrassed when I look back on it in a few years (laugh). I'm not in a position to say anything about responsibility yet, but for now, I’m just going to do one thing at a time. When I was a fan, I thought it was great to see people working hard. So I'm going to do everything as hard as I can, without worrying about my face or anything else. I think there is no harm in giving it your all! I think the best way to learn is to watch the backs of the senpais.

Nagi: When I think about how much the senpais have helped me over the past six months...they are all really kind. For example, during the "Skydiving" on the tour, I asked Higuchi-san next to me about how to hold the microphone and how to do the choreography. Asuka-san also told me that I had remembered the wrong order of the left and right foot steps during the rehearsal. I was really happy that she was paying such close attention to me. This is the warmth or goodness of Nogizaka. I felt that I had to cherish it very much. Even though it's only been six months, I really feel it.

Satsuki: Agree

Nagi: Of course, I knew before I joined that their performances were amazing and that they were cute. But what I thought most after joining the group was that more than that, they were really wonderful as human beings. That's why not only me but all 5ki members have said, "I want to become someone like my senpais.” It's still difficult for us to say exactly what "Nogizaka-ness" is, but for now, our goal is to be like our senpais as human beings!

Satsuki: Yes!