Interview with Machico, Akane Kumada, Saki Minami, and Anna Yamaki of "Life Ring 4," an idol unit authorized by the "Rifle is Beautiful" anime, in commemoration of its formation

(Original story: Salmiacki, serialized in Shueisha's "My Neighbor Young Jump," "Yanjan! Shonen Jump +").

The anime's official idol unit "Life Ring 4" was formed by Machico (Hikari Ogura), Akane Kumada (Sensui Shibusawa), Saki Minami (Erika Meinohama), and Anna Yamaki (Yukio Igarashi), who play the main characters in the work.

The "Life Ring 4" will work to promote the anime "Rifle is Beautiful" and the beam rifle competition, which is also the theme of the film, and will hold a formation live on the upcoming June 1, 2019 (Saturday). In addition, a commemorative single "GO! GO! Life Ring 4!!!!" will be sold exclusively at the live.

We asked the four members to talk about their unit, their music, and episodes related to their rifles.

When you hold a rifle, your eyes change!

--Have you gotten used to being together as a unit?

Machico: I've finally started to get used to it (laughs). I met Anne (Mr. Yamaki) and Kumachan (Mr. Kumada) for the first time in this work, so my shyness exploded at first. I think I'm going to have to let them pull me in now (laughs).

(laughs) -- No, no, no, you are the main actor.

Machico That's right. This is the first time for me to play the leading role in this production, and I am the leader in "Life Ring 4," so I want to be able to pull them along. But in the lessons, everyone is very quick to learn how to dance.

Yakumaki: Everyone is really good at dancing.

Minami: There were so many formations in the "Life Ring 4" dance that I felt like I was dancing so much for the first time! I had a feeling of "I've never danced like this before! I had never moved so much in my previous dance experiences.

Kumada: This is the first time for me to sing and dance in front of people, so I am very nervous. But when I have trouble moving, everyone follows me. I have always been extremely bad at dancing, so I feel like I have to do it desperately.

Yakumaki You are learning to dance, aren't you?

Kumada I was too bad at it, so I learned it. At first, I couldn't even step to the music.

Minami Wow, you are very good. There is a part where you make eye contact while dancing, and you are always smiling at me.

Kumada Because when I looked at the people next to me, they were all so cute. I couldn't help but grin (laughs).

Machico That was a grin (laughs).

--The costumes are inspired by actual competition jackets, right?

Machico That's right. They were made with a lot of attention to detail. The use of various fabrics like a patchwork is also said to be unique to the design of jackets for rifle shooting competitions. That's why various shades of pink are used, even within the same pink.

Minami: It's really cute, isn't it? They are knee-high, and the gloves that everyone wears have hearts on the palms and backs of their hands.

Yamaki: They also wear rather large hair ornaments, and I like the slightly rugged look that gives them a rifle-like appearance.

Kumada It's wonderful, isn't it? I am also happy because this is the first time for me to wear a costume!

--I'm glad! - Along with the costumes, the rifles are also noteworthy. As in the original manga, it is a big attraction to see a cute girl holding a rifle, isn't it?

Yamaki: It's like "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun" (laughs). The rifles we have are elaborately made.

Machico It is a replica, so it is lighter than the real thing, but it is still heavy enough. They are carefully made one by one.

Kumada: I was very surprised when I saw it for the first time. I was so surprised when I saw it for the first time.

Machico We were all introduced to rifle shooting competitions through "Rifle is Beautiful," so there are a lot of things that are new to us. I feel like my inner boyish spirit has blossomed (laughs). In that sense, I had a wonderful encounter.

--In the strategy meeting video the other day, you mentioned that you had never even played target shooting much. Do you have any memories related to rifles, including target shooting and games?

Yamaki: I have never done target shooting, and this was the first time for me to hold something in the shape of a gun. When I held it up, I thought, "What? I felt like, "Hey, I'm kind of cool, aren't I? (laughs).

Kumada I really like target shooting at festivals, and I always lose 2,000 to 3,000 yen of my allowance or part-time job money to target shooting at festivals held at nearby shrines (laughs). (laughs) But the only thing I can get is a Ramune or something like that.

(laughs) Ramune for 2,000 yen! (laughs)

Kumada: I am getting better at it every year! The other day I was able to drop a piggy bank.

Minami I like games where I shoot guns. Whenever I go home to my parents' house, I always go to the arcade with my friends from junior high school to play gun games. I spend 2,000 to 3,000 yen because we get hit and continue right away (laughs). I think a video of the four of us experiencing the beam rifle will be released soon, where we can see everyone's (gun) talents.

Yakumaki: (Minami) was really good.

Machico One of them had a different look in his eyes (laughs).

Minami: I like to shoot them down (laughs). When we shot the scene with rifles, the cameraman said to me, "You look different with guns" (laughs). The character I am playing (Erica) also likes guns, so I thought there was a link between the two.

All members of the unit are linked to the characters.

--The highlight of this work is that the girls not only get together and have fun, but also seriously engage in club activities as if they are in a sporting event. What did you find interesting about this work?

Machico: I thought the depiction of the competitions was amazing. Also, since the story is based on a four-frame manga, the characters explain the rules of shooting and questions like "What does that mean? The characters would explain the rules and questions about shooting in their conversations. It was very easy to understand. I thought it was great that the rules and tips came naturally to me while enjoying the story.

Hikari plays a good role in the story. Hikari has been shooting for a long time, but her love for the sport takes precedence and she doesn't seem to understand the rules (laughs).

Machico Everyone around her is kind enough to teach her, so you can feel the friendship between them. As you read the story, your impression of everyone will change, so I hope you will enjoy that change as well.

--You mentioned earlier that you are shy, but on the other hand, you are a character who is liked by everyone, just like Hikari.

Machico I am glad to hear you say so. Hikari is not the type of person who pulls others along, but rather, everyone around her helps her. I think we are similar in the sense that she is not uptight. I am also not the type to concentrate before a performance.

--I'm not the type of person who concentrates on the performance before the show, either.

Minami: That's right!　If you get beat by your talent, Erika (who is a hard worker) would say, "What's the deal? (laugh). When I read the original story, I also thought that the characters were similar to each other. Not only visually, but the more I met them in person and felt what was in their hearts, the more I realized how similar they were.

Kumada: Sensui, who I play, is safe for better or worse, and there is a scene in which she struggles with her lack of talent as a rifle shooter. I often struggle with being neither good nor bad, so I felt that I have a lot in common with myself. I hope that one day I will be able to blossom together with Sensui through this work (laughs).

Yakumaki I don't think I am similar to Yukio.

Minami: We do resemble each other. You're a bit of an oddball, aren't you? (Laughs)

Yamaki What?　You're kidding, right?

Minami: I wore a T-shirt of an ancient burial mound for a lesson (laughs).

Machico You have special tastes, after all.

Minami I think we are similar in that we are not the type to talk too much.

Kumada We also have a similar visual appearance, don't we?

Yakumaki Maybe it's just the hair style? (Laughs)

Kumada Also, we have fair skin (laughs).

Imagining the emotions and facial expressions of the characters, and even the venue where they sing

--What is your impression of the title track "GO! GO! Life Ring 4!!!!"? What is your impression of the title song "GO!

Machico: The song itself has a bright and cute image, but the lyrics depict the emotional turmoil of competing with rifles, like "fighting against yourself. I thought there was a nice gap between the cute impression you get when you listen to the song and the thrill of the competition when you see the lyrics. There are many places where you have to call out to the audience, and the song can be very lively.

Minami: It is a sentiment of competition, but I think it can be interpreted differently to convey the thrill of a live performance. We are also an idol unit called "Life Ring 4," so the song is very much linked to the emotions we feel before and during a live performance.

(Laughs) -- KOH and Mayu Miyazaki wrote this song. How was the recording?

YAMAKI: (During postrecording) We recorded the song before we created the characters, so no one there knew what would happen if Yukio sang this song (laughs). (Laughs.) So we had a lot of discussions, and it took us quite a long time to create what Yukio would sound like if she sang the song. But the process was fun, too.

--I think that was part of the recording video as well. I did wonder how Yukio would sing. I wondered.

YAMAKI: In the original story, there is a scene where they go to karaoke and she sings with a very expressionless face (laughs). But I thought it would be a bit like singing this song with no expression on my face (laughs).

--I heard that this was the first time for you to record the song.

Kumada: It was fun anyway. I got really emotionally involved in the final chorus. I hadn't even met the other members when I recorded the song, but I sang the song feeling the three of them behind my back (laughs).

Machico You are a very gifted singer! (laughs).

Kumada And this is a big story, but I recorded the song with the image of singing in Tokyo Dome. I got all emotional thinking about all of us singing side by side in front of a huge audience. I think that was the OK take (laughs).

Machico I was the first one to record the song, so I tried to sing straight. I think the good thing about Hikari is that she is really straight, and even if she is not a good singer, she sings happily, so I thought about how she would sing happily and with a smile. I would be happy if that comes across. She is not only cheerful, but also has a soft side that soothes everyone, and I hope I can show that in the chorus and the rest of the song.

Minami: I sang the song as I wanted to sing it based on the image of the story and the story of the lyrics, and it went surprisingly easily. On the other hand, "Bright day, Stand up! GO! Life Ring 4!!!! I think the powerful lyrics and tone of the song "Fight with all your might" and "Reload your honki and grab it," really fit Erica. But "Bright day, Stand up!" is more like "Come on, let's get ready for the game! It's more of a "let's do our best together" song, so it was very difficult for me to express that with Erica.

--So it was very difficult to express that with Erica. How did the other three of you like recording "Bright day, Stand up!

I found it easier to sing "Bright day, Stand up! After discussing it with the director, I tried to make it a little more emotional than "GO! I tried to make it a little more emotional than "Go! Yukio seems to have a lot of fun when the four of us are together. I feel that I was able to convey that feeling in a natural way.

Machico In this song, the four of us are walking side by side on the way to school, and Hikari says, "Let's go, everyone! I had a picture in my mind of the four of us walking side by side on the way to school, and Hikari-chan jumping out and saying, "Let's all go! Hikari-chan is also impressive with her fluffy mouth, as if she is thinking about something delicious. So I was very particular about conveying that slightly loose, dreaming-of-the-future look in the singing.

--I was also very impressed with the way Machico sang the D melody, and it made sense when I heard it. How did you like this song?

Kumada: I really like the lyrics of the song, "Each of us has a different color, but that enhances each other. When four girls get together, they fight at least once (laughs). (laugh) But it is important to recognize that we have different colors. When I was a student, I clashed with people in club activities, and there was a time when I wished I could have better understood the differences in the way we thought, so I felt saved when I saw these lyrics. I think that if we could just accept each other, cry, laugh, and want to be together all the time, it would become something much greater. I can't wait to sing this song live!

We want people to be exposed to beam rifle shooting competitions in a casual way.

--What kind of live performance do you want?

Machico This will be the first time for the four of us to perform on stage together, so I can't imagine what kind of chemical reactions we will have, and I don't know how the fans who support our works will react to our performance. But I hope we can make it a live performance that we can pull together. It would be great if we could give them a lecture beforehand on how to get them excited.

Yamaki: There are parts of the choreography that are meant to stir things up, so I would be happy if they see that and get excited.

Machico Also, our "Life Ring 4" image color is orange, so it would be great if you could cheer us on with orange and the color of your guess (laughs).

Minami Since it is a rifle, I hope we can make it a live performance that shoots through the hearts of the audience (laughs). I want people to see the dance, the costumes, and everything.

Kumada: I am positive at the base of my thinking, but I tend to think very negative things first. The other day I had a dream about the "Life Ring 4" concert, and when we took our turn on stage, everyone cheered for us, but I was the only one who reacted "Who are you? (laughs). (Laughs.) But I have a positive attitude in the end, so now I am excited to see what the view from the stage will be like.

Minami: (Mr. Kumada) is so precious that we cry (laughs).

Machico: (Mr. Kumada) has really precious feelings. When the staff says, "This is what we are going to do," Kumada-san expresses his joy more than anyone else. When the fans react like that, I'm sure they get happy and say, "We're the ones! (laughs).

(laughs). (laughs).

Machico I am the angel in charge of "Life Ring 4.

--If you are in charge of angels, what are the others in charge of?

Machico (Minami is) the executor, right? (laughs)

Minami: I'm not an executioner!　But I kind of admire assassins and snipers. What is that about you, Machico?

Machico I guess I am like an airhead (laughs). I think Anne is like a guide. She is the conscience that guides us to the right path.

Minami Well, it's an ancient burial mound, isn't it? (laugh) A tomb is a grave after all.

Yamaki: Assassinated and placed in a tomb (laughs).

Machico And then an angel appears.

--That's how the story is told. We heard that "Life Ring 4" will also aim to promote beam rifle competitions, so please tell us about that and your enthusiasm for the project.

Machico: This is my first contact with rifle shooting competitions, so I would like to learn more and more about it myself. I dream that my work will be exciting, and because it is a rare sport, I would be happy if people become interested in it through my work. I hope that I can work with everyone to create that opportunity. I will do my best to convey the appeal of the characters and how rifle is a cool sport in which you fight against yourself!

Minami: Uniforms for rifle shooting competitions are very fashionable and colorful, and you can customize them yourself. Moreover, I thought that because it is a competition, it would be very active, but it is very quiet and anyone can do it, which is one of its strengths. Many people may not yet know about the competition itself, but that is why I hope they will get to know our work and "Life Ring 4" with us.

Yamaki: I would like people to come to a live concert and step in with the casual feeling of "I enjoyed the live performance, so let's try the beam rifle. They should just give it a try because they are interested in it, without thinking about how difficult it is. As more and more people want to try it, I would be happy if it becomes more and more easy to use, and I hope that our activities will encourage such a feeling.

Kumada: The association members and staff have put up many posters, so I am sure that people who did not know about it before will see it. It would be great if "Life Ring 4" could be integrated into people's lives like that and eventually become a soccer club, a baseball club, and a shooting club (laughs). (Laughs.) I would be happy if, in the end, there would be enough people lining up to join the shooting club!

--I am looking forward to your activities and spreading the word. Thank you very much!

(Reporting and writing by Kenichi Chiba)