Rain Tree Serialization [Part 2] Rika Sato and Noa Mizuno: “Idols are really amazing!

Mizuno: “I have loved AKB48 since I was in kindergarten.

For the past year, the 17 members who were not selected in the final round of the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT Audition,” produced by Yasushi Akimoto, have been performing under the name “FINALIST.

Now they are starting a new group under the new name “Rain Tree” and are set to make their major label debut in January 2025.

In this second installment, we present an interview with Rika Sato and Noai Mizuno!

How was the shooting?

Noa Mizuno: “It was the first time for me and Rika to shoot together, but I felt relaxed in front of the camera. The costumes were in colors I don’t usually wear, so I think I was able to show a new side of myself!

Rika Sato: “I like to watch videos of idols shooting their jackets, and I went into the shoot thinking that it would be great if I looked like the idols in those videos. I don’t know if I was actually able to do that or not. …… (laughs) “

───Now, please introduce yourselves again.

Sato: ” My name is Rika Sato, a 22-year-old university senior from Ibaraki Prefecture!　I have taken piano, ballet, and golf lessons. I like coffee and tea. People tend to think I’m a neat and tidy lady character on first impression, but in fact I really like sports such as gymnastics, basketball, and martial arts, so people say I’m surprising. I learned martial arts for about a year and a half. My mother loves action movies, and I had been watching “Mission: Impossible” and “Charlie’s Angels” since I was little, so I thought, “I want to fight too! I wanted to fight too , so I started learning.

Mizuno: ” I am Noa Mizuno, a 19-year-old first-year university student from Hiroshima Prefecture!　Unlike Rika, I haven’t learned anything in particular. (Laughs.) I sleep so much that I once slept for 15 hours without waking up. I also really like anime, and I am a big fan of “Yowamushi Pedal” in particular. My favorite character is Sho Midosuji!

─ ─ What are your impressions of each other?

Sato: ” If I had to describe Noai in one word, it would be …… Noai (laughs). (Laughs.) There is no other way to put it, and I feel that the best way to describe Noai is to say that she is just like Noai. At first she invokes the shyness move, but once she breaks the ice and comes out of her shell, the distance between us quickly shrinks, and you begin to see that she is a truly fun person.

Mizuno: ” As Rika-chan said herself earlier, at first I thought she was a neat and serious lady-like character. But when she gets tired, she gets very excited and suddenly starts saying funny things, which I find interesting (laughs). (Laughs) There is one thing I would like to emulate about Rika, and that is her stoicism. She practices dance every day and brings her computer to events such as storytelling sessions to study for college in her spare time. If I had the time, I would sleep, so I want to learn from Rika’s stoicism and effective use of time.

──We are finally going to start in earnest as an idol group, but could you tell us how you first became interested in becoming idols?

Mizuno: “I have been a fan of AKB48 since I was in kindergarten, especially Mayu Watanabe. I admired Mayu Watanabe’s character, which is liked by everyone, and her stoicism as an idol, and I wanted to become an idol myself.

Sato: ” Like Noa, the first idol I fell in love with was AKB48. My favorite member is also the same, Mayu Watanabe. Mayu Watanabe’s twintails are cute!　I love half-twintails too! 　 I thought.”

Mizuno “I know, I know!

Sato: ” When I was old enough to know AKB48, it was right around the time when the girls in my class were starting to get a little older (laughs). (Laughs.) Even so, I loved Mayu Watanabe for her attitude and core strength, as well as her commitment to being a royal idol. After that, I fell in love with TWICE, and before my debut, my name “Sana” came from Sana of TWICE.

─ ─ I am sure there have been many twists and turns from the time you wanted to become an idol to today.

Sato: ” That’s right. I was told by my idol-loving friends, “Absolutely, take it! I auditioned for the 3rd term of Sakurazaka 46. But I failed in the application process. From there, I auditioned for the 18th term of AKB48 and also for Aozora, which I wanted to see, but I couldn’t pass the audition.

Mizuno: ” My first audition was for Hinatazaka46, and I made it to the third round, but I was not accepted. After that, I auditioned for AKB48’s 18th term students and made it to the final screening, but I was not accepted. I was very disappointed.

Mizuno: ” About the day after the announcement of my acceptance, it was widely announced that an audition would be held for a new idol group produced by Akimoto Yasushi (later to become Aozora, the blue sky I wanted to see). But I didn’t have the confidence anymore and didn’t have the energy to apply, so I didn’t. Later, I realized that I really regretted not applying. I later regretted that I did not apply. Because of that experience, when I found the “IDOL3.0 PROJECT Audition,” I decided to apply for it once and for all.

───Though these two were born from the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT Audition,” they were regrettably not selected as members of WHITE SCORPION, which was to be formed in October 2023. While working as “FINALIST,” which was formed by the unsuccessful members, the group reached the point of making its major label debut in January 2025. Naturally, there must be a variety of feelings.

Sato: ” We have been working without knowing whether we would really be able to make our debut, but what I thought during the process was, ‘Idols are really amazing. I used to think of idols as cute, stylish, and beautiful with their dance moves, but now that I am in a position to participate in events such as handshaking sessions and to be involved in social networking, I think that it is really important for idols to think about their fans. I think it is really important for idols to think about their fans.

Sato: ” Before I started my career, I thought that the most important thing was to express my individuality. Of course that is necessary, but before that, I realized that it is more important to think about the fans and act and speak out for them than for myself.

Mizuno: ” I realized the importance of behind-the-scenes efforts that do not appear on the surface. Before I became an idol, I only had a light-hearted feeling that idols were cute and that I wanted to be like them.

Mizuno: ” When I actually put myself in the position of an idol, I found that singing and dancing are very difficult, and it is really hard for the 17 of us to keep it together. It is also very important to think about what to say at handshake events, and I have come to realize once again that it is really important to accumulate such efforts that do not appear on the surface.

───How do you feel now in preparation for your major label debut in January 2025?

Mizuno: “I was very happy that our debut was decided, but when I heard that there is a selection system (a selection system in which the “main members” who perform the title song of each single are screened and selected), I felt sad that the 17 of us will not be able to sing the title song of our debut single. I was also sad to hear that we would not be able to sing the title song of our debut single with all 17 members. However, I believe that the selection system will boost the morale of the members and improve the perfection of the songs, so I just want to do my best.

Sato: “I am happy that we can finally make our debut, but at the same time, I am also very tense. 17 members have been working together for a year, and all of us have been working hard, and I have no choice but to give it my all. I now believe that it is very important that we all work together to make our debut single a good one.

Sato: “Just like my favorite TWICE, ……

─ What do you want to be as an idol in the future?

Sato ” I want to be an idol who makes everyone happy. I hope that by making someone happy, that person will be satisfied, and then make another person happy ……, and so on, creating a chain of happiness. I want to be at the center of this chain. I want to be an idol who can always keep thinking about how to make people happy, while never forgetting the humility and gratitude I felt when I first started my activities.

Mizuno: ” Through my past activities, I have received more and more compliments on my talks at handshake events and live-streaming events, which has given me more confidence. So, of course, I want to improve my singing and dancing skills, but at the same time, I want to use the talk ability I have acquired through communication with fans to become an idol who can please a lot of people through chatting with them.

─ What goals do you have as a group?

Sato: ” My big goal is to someday make a dome tour happen, just like my favorite TWICE!

Mizuno ” Like AKB48, the first idol group I fell in love with, I want to sing hit songs that everyone in Japan knows and become an idol group that will remain in everyone’s heart!

─ ─ In addition to your group activities, what other dreams do you want to achieve as a solo artist?

Sato: ” Actually, like Noa, I also like anime. I also like video games, and I once auditioned for voice acting. So I would like to work as a voice actor someday, and my dream is to have my name in the end roll of a Disney movie as a voice actor.

Mizuno: ” I love the fashion magazine “LARME” and read it all the time, so my dream is to be in the magazine!　I also have a strong desire to appear in a variety show. I really like comedy, and I’m a big fan of NON STYLE in particular, so I hope to make a lot of effort and one day be able to co-star with him.

PROFILE
Rika Sato
Born on July 9, 2002 in Ibaraki Prefecture
Special skills/hobbies: Drawing, reading, watching movies, listening to music, yoga

Noa Mizuno
Born on August 8, 2005 in Hiroshima
Special ability/Hobby/Having one eye leaning in on the other side