Rain Tree Series 3: Maki Hashimoto & Kurosawa Karen – Strength of 17s

Kurosawa: “In the future, I will definitely become like Yurina Hirate!”

The 17 members who were unfortunately not selected in the final round of the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT Audition,” produced by Yasushi Akimoto, have been active under the name “FINALIST” for the past year. Now, they are launching a new group under the name “Rain Tree,” and are set to make their major debut in January 2025. This special series will delve into the true selves of these girls.

In the third installment, we present an interview discussion with Maki Hashimoto and Kurosawa Karen!

――What kind of character do you think you are in the group?

Maki Hashimoto: “I’m the oldest in the group, so I’m often called the big sister by the members. Also, I love cosmetics and makeup, and since I have experience working as a beauty consultant, I like to think of myself as the beautytanto of Rain Tree.”

Kurosawa Karen: “Maki-chan is great at makeup and has so much knowledge, so I often ask her for recommendations on cosmetics. The members often call you the goddess of beauty, right?”

Maki Hashimoto: “They tease me (laughs). It’s embarrassing, so I wish they’d stop!”

Kurosawa: “I’m in charge of the ‘black bob’ for Rain Tree. About half of my life has been spent with a black bob, and I’ve been going to the same salon and having the same stylist cut my hair. I have all sorts of preferences, like having less volume on the inside, heavier on the outside, and the front to be angled about 1 cm below my chin.”

Hashimoto: “Karen’s hairstyle is always perfectly done, and I’ve never seen it get messed up during a performance. She gives the members advice like ‘This will help keep your bangs in place,’ so I find it really helpful too.”

――What was your first impression of each other?

Kurosawa: “The first time I talked to Maki-chan was during the audition period for ‘IDOL3.0 PROJECT,’ when we did a live stream together. I remember being surprised and thinking, ‘She’s such a kind person!'”

Hashimoto: “You were surprised? (laughs) Did you think I was scary?”

Kurosawa: “Just a little bit (laughs). You’re older than me, and I had the impression that you were really composed. But during that live stream, I realized how kind and easy to talk to you are. You’re also someone who can joke around with the younger members, and you have this leadership quality where you can pull everyone together. You’re really an ideal role model who can do everything.”

Hashimoto: “I think Karen is such a humble person. She’s really good at both singing and dancing, but she doesn’t brag about it. She’s the modest type. At 16, I would probably want to show off and say, ‘Look how much I can do!’ but she doesn’t do that, which is very mature of her. She sets high standards for herself and is diligently working towards her ideal, which is really admirable. I feel like her mental age is quite mature, but when you actually talk to her, she has this baby-like side too (laughs).”

Kurosawa: “People often say I’m calm for my age, but since there are so many older members in Rain Tree, I get treated like the baby of the group. They pat my head and say, ‘Good girl, good girl’ (laughs). Maki-chan also plays along when I get close, so I end up getting pampered.”

Interviewer: “What made you two decide to become idols?”

Kurosawa: “I’ve loved singing since I was in kindergarten, and I always admired the entertainment industry. But when I was in elementary school, I watched the music video for ‘Silent Majority’ by Keyakizaka46, and I was shocked. I was especially drawn to Yurina Hirate, who was dancing at the center, and I was so inspired that I seriously thought, ‘I’m definitely going to become like Hirate-san in the future!'”

Hashimoto: “I see, so your bob hairstyle is also influenced by Hirate-san, right?”

Kurosawa: “I used to declare to my friends and teachers at school, ‘I’m only going to be an idol!’ But even though I took part in many auditions, I failed every time. Some people around me told me, ‘You should give up,’ and ‘It’s impossible now.’ Despite that, my parents were the only ones who believed in me and continued to support me. I’m really grateful that my dream of debuting as an idol has come true.”

Hashimoto: “I was a fan of Nogizaka46 and Keyakizaka46, but I never thought I would become an idol myself. However, I wanted to do something where I could give people energy and make them feel good. While searching for various auditions, I came across ‘IDOL3.0 PROJECT.’ At the time, I was working as a regular employee, but the age limit for applicants was 25, and I thought it would be such an honor to debut under the production of Yasushi Akimoto. So, I decided to take on the challenge.”

Interviewer: “What was your family’s reaction when you decided to quit your job and become an idol?”

Hashimoto: “There wasn’t really any opposition or interference. I think my family is more of a laissez-faire type (laughs). Now, they support my activities.”

Kurosawa: “My family has been really supportive too. They took hundreds of photos for my audition, helped me come up with my self-promotion, and gave me advice like, ‘Be careful about this when you’re streaming’ or ‘This kind of message might get more attention on social media.’ My dad even gives me advice like that.”

Hashimoto: “What a wonderful father!”

Kurosawa: “Recently, he’s even been researching idol groups I don’t know about and figuring out how I can become more successful. He’s really putting in the effort to help me.”

Hashimoto: “Listening to you talk about your family, it makes sense why you’re so pure and kind. You’ve clearly grown up surrounded by so much love from wonderful parents.”