Two movies thoroughly tell their tale, starting from their very formation. But how do the five real cast members feel about this project? The highlights, the key plot points, what they love about the band, their own growth and transformation… here, we present personal interviews that delve deep into each member’s inner feelings.
Aiba Aina
Vocals – Minato Yukina
The fact that the five of us have been able to walk the same path together since joining Roselia has deepened our bonds and strengthened our relationship
———Starting with “BanG Dream! Episode of Roselia I: Promise”, two separate films will be released. At this point in time, have you already wrapped on voice recordings?
Yeah, everything is all finished.
———So how do you feel now?
I feel like “it’s finally happening!”. We were told that a movie was going to be produced a year, or maybe a year and a half ago. But it didn’t really sink in until the project entered full swing. After that, I recorded my lines, and now at last, they’re gonna be released. I guess you could say my expectations are rising. I’m looking forward to them.
Personally, I’ve felt like all of us have been living our lives to the fullest through these movies. That’s something that feels kinda difficult in the real world right now. I think the way of life the characters represent – moving forwards despite being worn down – is great. It’s cool.
———These movies will depict events that took place before the band’s formation. It tells a substantial story, one that brings lots of emotions back to mind.
It really does. Especially in regards to Yukina. Like, whenever she expressed her feelings, she wouldn’t be upfront with whoever she was talking to. I got to relive that side of her. She’s tactless, and there are times when her words hurt other people. But still, there’s a lot she suppresses. There’s one particular scene where she decided not to speak up. Instead of saying it in front of everyone, she steps outside and questions herself. When I was recording my lines, there was a scene where I let out too much emotion. The staff advised me to “hold back”. There was a moment of realization that venting – letting all that emotion out – wouldn’t be fair to whoever she was talking to.
Yukina is just a high-school student, so she’s relatively fragile. Even so, she has the strength to carry a lot of burdens on her own. She doesn’t let the people around her know what she’s dealing with. When she suppresses her emotions, the approach she takes when dealing with her bandmates becomes clear. She loves Roselia. She takes action and tackles problems head-on, but sometimes she doesn’t make the right play. I think that’s what being young is all about. That comes through in the movies.
It also got me thinking about the difficulty of personal relationships, especially ones formed from shared interests. Also, music plays a major role in the story. For example, memories from when some of the characters were younger resound within the songs. That part got me thinking about how precious childhood is. I felt some overlap with myself there.
———The characters’ relationships and feelings have also been portrayed in the game.
The game also covers the same story, which is nice. The movies go a little beyond that. What happens in between scenes in the game is shown here. They also take care to show more subtle facial expressions and how certain songs came to be. What used to be separate points are now connected by lines. What I mean by that… is the story is deeper than it was before.
———I could definitely feel a gradation of different feelings, from all the members towards the band, and from the members towards each other.
Everyone’s feelings towards Roselia have taken real shape. Especially Yukina’s. At first, it was “our purpose is to appear at FUTURE WORLD FES”. But then it shifted to “our goal is to appear at FUTURE WORLD FES”. The difference between “purpose” and “goal” marks a really big change in her perspective. That’s what you can feel through watching these movies.
———I couldn’t help but wonder if there were aspects of the story that followed the path of the real Roselia.
The fact that the five of us have been able to walk the same path together since joining Roselia has deepened our bonds and strengthened our relationship. I realized that all over again thanks to the movies.
———The time you’ve spent walking together has made the band stronger. And I think the experience you’ve had thanks to actually performing on stage is reflected in your vocal performances. For example, you can feel it during scenes where the characters are waiting backstage before their concerts. The mood is there. It has a sense of realism.
I’m glad to hear that. During the concert scenes in the movies, I had to say the song titles. Even though it’s just one word or a short phrase, I’ve already said it lots of times before. The feelings I felt when I said them on stage live on in my body. There are a lot of things that I could express because I’ve experienced them in real life. In addition, the production team also watched our concerts. What they took from the time that we spent together on stage and before each show must’ve been applied to the sense of nervousness and excitement that exists in those scenes.
———All sorts of different scenes come to mind while talking like this. If you had to pick one scene that really stands out to you… which would it be?
It’s hard to narrow it down to one because there’s so much that stands out (*laughs*). …I guess for starters, there’s the scene where Roselia first comes together. I think that’s one of the movie’s surprises. And there’s a scene where the other band members are feeling worried. We get to see an unexpected angle there. As a band, their thoughts about the same topics stem from their differing values. That’s something I’ve learned through experience. That scene helped me out. It was pretty moving. When people love each other, they sometimes butt heads. But as long as we can keep repairing and strengthening our bonds, then I think that’s actually a good thing.
———That applies to your cherished band-members. But right now, what do you think about each of the characters?
Sayo is similar to Yukina; they’re both serious and self-disciplined individuals. She struggles with how to deal with her younger twin sister Hina, like how to express her feelings towards her. Even though she puts in the effort and works hard, she’s still surpassed by her sister. You could say she has an inferiority complex because of Hina’s natural genius. That’s also something that people can identify with. But Sayo doesn’t run from that challenge. She fights head-on to survive. With that strength, she’s able to smile with the rest of Roselia. I think it’s great how dignified she is.
———What about Lisa?
Without Lisa, Roselia definitely would have broken up (*laughs*). This is something I can say about all the members, but out of all of them, she’s the one who really understands Yukina. But at the same time, she has a complex as a musician. I understand that feeling. It’s not like I had any music experience when I joined Roselia either. When I started, I had a feeling of inferiority, since I didn’t know a lot about it. Talking to Sayo helps her manage her complex. That scene really helped me out too! Lisa wanted to write lyrics for a really nice song called Promise. I think that’s amazing. It’s like she’s saying “thanks for being here, for me”.
And then Rinko’s the type of girl who isn’t good at being in front of others, but she still tries really hard to stand on stage even though it’s difficult for her. Even during the movie’s runtime, she grows a lot. People can’t change unless they strive to change. She has a strong desire to do that and she takes the time necessary. She’s the kind of person who views the band as being extremely important. She’s Ako’s friend and she stands by her. She has enough courage to do that, and she doesn’t hesitate to call Yukina out when she needs to (*laughs*). Seeing her makes me think “I have to give my all too”.
———Well then, how about Ako-chan?
I think she was scared at first because of some of the things Yukina said to her. She’s younger after all (*laughs*). She expresses her feelings through action, even if it’s something straightforward like “I want to join this band”. I feel like that’s an important quality to have in real life. When you say “I want to do this job”, is that just lip service? Or can you back up your words and say you’ve done enough to justify that position? I feel like there aren’t many people who can do the latter. Ako-chan is just a middle-schooler, and she did it. The scene where the other members accept her, not because of something she said, but because of a certain item and what she’s done with it, is really moving.
Over the last four years, from our earliest concerts to our most recent ones, our sound has completely changed. I feel like that’s proof, like a spark of hope, that shows how even total beginners can make it this far
———On March 16th, the game “BanG Dream! Girls Band Party” celebrated its 4th anniversary. During these past four years, you’ve been able to actually work as part of the band. Do you feel like that experience has brought out any change in you?
I’ve gotten to the point where I can better hear each individual instrument, so I can tell what they sound they make on their own. That’s a big change. I mean that in a good way, since I think it’s brought me some peace of mind. At first, when I joined the real band, I was solely concentrating on my own performance, which meant singing. But at some point, when I was thinking about performing, I automatically thought “the guitar stands out here” and “the bass here is more…”. I realized that I’d spent so much time listening to everyone’s sound during rehearsals that it had become second-nature. That’s what being in a band is all about! I hear that sound, feel like the drums are getting ready to crescendo, and then – it’s not like I fully deviate from what I wanted to express vocally – but I think I might alter my performance and how I articulate that feeling in order to match the others. That’s something I’ve started to think about too.
On a different note, even though I noticed changes in our performances, I had never said anything out-loud until recently. Just the other day, when I was practicing with the band, I asked our drummer Sakuragawa-san, “did you add some decrescendo and crescendo there?”. And she responded “I started doing that recently!”. That made her so happy that she wrote about the incident on her blog. It would mean a lot to me if people could realize that I’ve altered my approach. I’ve discovered that speaking up makes people happy, it motivates them, and it feels rewarding. Since realizing that, it felt only natural that I’d keep telling people what I notice about their performances.
———Having conversations like that during rehearsal, strengthening your bonds with just a few words… you really are a band.
We’re all friends. We really get along well. We think about what songs to play at each concert when we go out to eat yakiniku (*laughs*). Our post-performance celebrations, AKA our review sessions, also take place at yakiniku joints (*laughs*). It’s a shame, but we haven’t been able to do that lately because of what’s been going on in the world, so we do it virtually instead…. If you leave me alone with any of them, we’ll end up chatting for a long time (*laughs*). While we’re all having fun, we settle on the concept for the concert and what our goals are for the setlist. It’s a good time. It’s a good place.
———As you’ve done more and more, it seems like you’ve been increasingly perceived as “a band” first and foremost.
We aren’t fully aware of how much people perceive us as a band. But we see people saying things like “I fell in love with Roselia because of their music. I’ve been listening to their songs”. I think people say that because they view us as a real band. Our band consists of some people who have experience with their instruments, but as a whole, our experience is really limited.
Over the last four years, from our earliest concerts to our most recent ones, our sound has completely changed. I feel like that’s proof, like a spark of hope, that shows how even total beginners can make it this far. Before, I wasn’t able to sing higher tones like I can now. While I was busy agonizing over my skills, thinking “I have to find my own weapon”, our composer Agematsu (Noriyasu) found it for me. Merely realizing that I have this single weapon has given me so much confidence. But I can’t place too much trust in it. I need to focus on how to make the most of it.
———Even in the band’s earliest days, the strength and length that you could hold your high-pitched notes was a weapon. You just weren’t aware of it yourself yet.
When we did songs in a higher key, I was really conscious of how I had to make my singing voice match it. I don’t know when Agematsu-san started considering it my weapon, but I realized it for the first time when I was singing R.
———So as a vocalist, R is your turning point?
R was the song that made me realize that high notes are where my voice excels. And then Sanctuary came, which has even higher notes. And then FIRE BIRD came after that. I think FIRE BIRD is my major turning point. The song was featured in the anime “BanG Dream! 2nd Season”, but all of us had different challenges we needed to overcome if we wanted to perform it live. For me, that was the long, held, high tone at the end. The drum has a bunch of double-bass stuff, and the guitar, bass, and keyboard parts are difficult too. At the time, it was the biggest challenge we had ever faced. It’s such an intense song. When I record vocals, the staff always say “do you think you can do this? If not, it’s okay to use falsetto”. And then I try singing it and it’s like “oh! Your natural voice works there!”. But someday, there might be songs where I need to rely on falsetto (*laughs*).
———The recording booth is an environment where you can focus on just one song, so you can succeed with your natural voice. But then after that, you need to match the feat during concerts. I’d imagine that puts you at risk for overworking your throat.
That’s right. When I’m doing the recording, I make up my mind, saying “alright, I’ll keep doing it like this!”. Kinda based on that, when I heard the high notes in FIRE BIRD in my own voice, I became more aware of the weapon I wield. The first time we performed it was at Fuji-Q Highland Conifer Forest, at our concert series “Flamme/Wasser”. During that last held note, when I sing “into a new world–!”, the audience’s response was like “woah”. The parts that feature each of the instruments got them excited too. I figured the people in the crowd must’ve seen how we accepted our challenges and faced them. I think that got them going. I felt that way about R and Sanctuary, and then I really felt it even more with FIRE BIRD. The lyrics of that song also resonate with me. It’s filled with Roselia’s pride and determination. I feel like that’s linked to real life.
———It’s full of strong phrases like “take flight without fear” and “we want to take you with us”.
And the phrase “we will never surrender our dreams” stands out too. I feel the encouragement that Agematsu-san sent to us when he wrote the lyrics and composed the music. The song is filled with his kindness and warm feelings.
There are multiple promises depicted in them. There are multiple meanings that overlap. I feel once more that “Promise” is an important word for us
———It really is a wonderful song. Now that you’ve finished recording your lines for the movies, can you tell me more about the songs that serve as their titles? What do those two songs mean to you?
Promise is an important song. In the story, Lisa wrote the lyrics and Yukina composed the music. The song is about these two childhood friends, but you can feel all of Roselia reflected in its warmth. It feels like “let’s form a band, let’s reach the pinnacle”. Whenever we perform Promise at concerts, it reminds me how much I love everyone. So it’s “Lisa and Yukina’s song”, but it’s also “Roselia’s song”. I started to like it more after performing it, and then that feeling got even stronger after thanks to our movies. There are multiple promises depicted in them. There are multiple meanings that overlap. I feel once more that “Promise” is an important word for us.
And then there’s Song I am. Song I am is a song created from a sense of preparedness and devotion. It takes an incredible amount of resolution for Yukina to take the song LOUDER – her dad’s song – and replace it with Song I am. Song I am carries her thoughts, feelings, and readiness to keep moving forwards. The end of the song goes “Louder!!!!! Louder!!!!!”. There’s a lot of determination there. It’s like a shout that says “we’ll keep going”. Some lyrics from LOUDER have been incorporated, like “I am here because of you”. And it has the line “I won’t ever die”, which comes from LOUDER too. Words like “gratitude” and “appreciation” and “thanks” have been appearing in more and more Roselia songs, and you can feel that shift through the lyrics. There’s also the phrase “without looking back or giving in, believe in me”. I think it’s hard to believe in yourself without giving in or hesitating. But instead of saying so, this song is filled with the desire to look straight ahead and keep moving forwards, walking your own new path. That’s the kind of song this is. As such, I feel it’s absolutely gonna be a new turning point for Roselia, one that represents how we’ve become even stronger. The song makes you feel how strong our teamwork and bonds have become.
———As part of Roselia, you’ve stood upon many stages, like those at the Nippon Budokan and Fuji-Q Highland Confer Forest. You’ve been able to see sights that you wouldn’t have been able to experience otherwise. Have you been changed as a person because of any of that?
I’ve kinda learned from experience that we have so many people looking forward to what we’re up to. That’s become strength for me to keep living. I’ve really felt that I’m not alone. I wanna go skydiving or snowboarding or something, but I know that if I get hurt, I won’t be able to perform for the people who want to see us. I’ve become more concerned about my health. It’s not just that I’d have to take time off from work. I’d also be stealing the excitement of everyone looking forward to seeing us. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the number of people. It’s more like that sentiment grows when I think about the size and depth of each individual person’s feelings. Because of that, even when I’m slacking off outside of work, I think “I shouldn’t be doing this” and feel like there are people anticipating something. It makes me feel happy.
You know, the view from up on stage is really spectacular. And that view, that world, is incomplete without an audience. They can’t cheer right now, but when they could, those cheers reached me. The shining penlights, the raised fists, the gestures… I feel like all of those things contribute to making each concert complete. Our passion meets the crowd’s passion. They collide, and from that, the concert comes into being. So even if the five of us performed, it would be unfinished, incomplete without an audience to share it with. That way of thinking is a major change for me.
———You’ve had four years of learning, of joy, and of change. That’s all thanks to Bandori.
Right. The lyrics to ZEAL of proud contain the line “something that cannot be replaced”. For me, that defines everything about Roselia.
On these next few pages, we’ll share a series of Keyword Q&As that will bring us closer to the cast’s true selves!
And please, accept the messages that the five members wrote for all the BanG Dreamers.
Keyword Q&A
Q1 — How would you describe your personality?
I’d say “straightforward”. I think to myself, “I’d probably be easy to outwit” (*laughs*). I love to have fun. Like, if 60% of my life is spent doing boring stuff, that’d be a real shame. I want it to be as close to 100% fun as possible. Of course, there are also times when things get tough, but even that can become fun. I’ve encountered experiences that I thought would be absolutely impossible to get through. But if I had given up, it would’ve meant that I lost! I would hate that (*laughs*). So I tried to make the process fun. I’ve tried to overcome challenges by facing them head-on, with the attitude of “I’ll win this”.
Q2 — What kind of year do you want 2021 to be?
I want to see a lot of people. Because I’ve learned how grueling not being able to see people can be. We’re still in a situation where it’s like you can’t even leave home, right? We can’t leave Tokyo, much less go traveling around the world. Now that I’m feeling all cooped up, I’ve wanted to see people more than ever. In the future, even after all these restrictions are lifted, I never want to forget the delight of being able to do that.
———Do you like spending time with people?
Yeah, I don’t really like being by myself.
Q3 — April is the month when students graduate and go on to higher education or employment. When you enter a new environment or face new circumstances, what do you pay attention to?
Being charming (*laughs*). Ever since I was a student, I’ve been thinking about how to adapt to new environments. Like how to fit in. Do I want to seem cool, or cute, or stylish? Kinda based on that, I pay a lot of attention to first impressions when I enter someplace new. But now that I’ve said that, my aims never really panned out like I hoped (*laughs*).
———You wanted to seem cool, so you tried to present yourself in the best light possible (*laughs*).
Since I’ve started working, my main goal has been to seem “fearless”. It’s just like when I was in school, where I was worried about how to be cool (*laughs*). I had a phase like that. I guess that’s the difference between adults and kids.
Q4 — What kind of fashion has caught your eye this Spring?
Sporty clothes. And I’ve also started to like matching tops and bottoms, so I’ve been buying more of those.
Q5 — Where and when do you feel the most relaxed?
There’s not really a specific time period. It depends on my mood. Sometimes, I feel most relaxed in the morning. Other times, it’s when I’m awake late at night, when dawn starts to approach. But the place I feel the most relaxed is in the bath. I take stupidly long ones. I take a tablet in with me, and I spend a few hours in the bath watching TV or looking over videos of my own performances.
Q6 — If you could meet Minato Yukina, what would you want to talk about?
Hey, do you like me? (*laughs*). I wanna ask her stuff like “do you like people with personalities like mine? Will we be able to get along?”.
———Do you expect a good answer from that?
I do. I bet I’d probably be able to outwit Yukina (*laughs*).
———Yukina-san’s friends come in a wide variety of types.
That’s right. So I have faith that she’d find me interesting and think “oh? Maybe she’ll take me somewhere fun?”.
Q7 — If you could be a character from Bandori for one day, who would you choose and what would you do during that time?
Yukina. I’d want it to be something like “Yukina and Aina have switched bodies~!? (*laughs*). Then Yukina in my body would go attend events. Everyone would totally be worried, asking “hey, is something wrong?”. And I’d be in Yukina’s body, and I’d probably talk so much that people would be like “is she sick?” (*laughs*). That’s how different we are. We’re basically polar opposites in terms of personality.
Q8 — When you’re on stage during a performance, what routines or items are essential to you?
I jump around to help myself calm down. I jump and then I relax. And then, just before we go on stage, I get the others to give me hugs at the last minute. Like “it’s nice working with you”. Doing that makes it feel like we’re all in it together. And before that, we all huddle in a circle and unite our thoughts and feelings. But for me personally, the hugs get me into the right mood.
Q9 — Send a message to the Roselia members!
Dear Kudou Haruka: “Thanks for always exchanging ‘good morning’ messages with me”. I say that because I live alone. So if I were to faint because of heat-stroke or something, no one would be around to notice. I have her stay in touch with me like that so she’d notice quickly if something bad happened. She’s keeping me from dying alone (*laughs*).
Dear Nakashima Yuki: “Sorry for always letting you know when things happen in pro wrestling! Thanks for putting up with it” (*laughs*). Both of her parents like wrestling, so whenever I see them, we always end up talking about it. Yukki’s gotten dragged into that. When I send her wrestling updates, I always send my best regards to her mom, dad, and family.
Dear Sakuragawa Megu: “I’ve messaged you with updates about my niece, sending you pictures. Also, if I see anything related to Barbapapa, I either let you know or I buy it for you right then and there. Sometimes I wonder if my heart is in the right place. If not, then I’m sorry!”. Meguchii really likes Barbapapa, so I give her merch as gifts all the time. Just the other day, I found some Barbapapa slime. Out of curiosity – and because it was Barbapapa – I thought it would probably make Meguchii happy, so I gave it to her. This kinda thing makes her happy and all, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s just a bother? (*laughs*). And all of us in Roselia have matching rings. When I lost mine, she bought me another. I’m really grateful that she did that. I was looking all over and couldn’t find it, but she found one for me! I’m so thankful! Thank you! Somehow this has turned into a parade of me saying sorry and thank you (*laughs*). I can’t really talk about everyone’s sound and performance, but whenever I see you perform or watch a concert recording, I can tell you’re amazing. I love you (*laughs*).
Dear Shizaki Kanon: “Sorry for contacting you whenever I want to go eat something spicy”. Non-chan loves spicy food, and I think it might’ve been her influence, but I started to eat it a lot more when we were all stuck at home. The stuff I eat isn’t really all that spicy, but I like the taste. So every time I ate something like that, I’d send her a message like “I’m eating something spicy now”. Thanks for always putting up with me.
Q10 — And please leave a message for all the BanG Dreamers!
There so much I wanna say that I know I won’t be able to shut up. But the main thing I want you to know is how grateful I am. I want to thank you for remembering Roselia, for wanting to see us, and for enjoying our music, despite the tough times and current state of things. If I lose that sense of gratitude, that’ll be the end for me. We can’t live our lives alone. Over the course of this past year, I’ve felt that more than ever before.
More from this book:
I. Aiba Aina – II. Kudou Haruka – III. Nakashima Yuki – IV. Sakuragawa Megu – V. Shizaki Kanon
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