Rain Tree Serialization [Part 6] Tsumugi Ichihara and Kaeka Niino: “I’m really enjoying this activity right now

Niino: “Tsumugiki (Ichihara) doesn’t show her efforts to others.

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 sixth installment, we present an interview with Tsumugiki Ichihara and Kaeka Niino!

─ I understand that this was the first time for you two to shoot together.

Fuka Niino: “I had never been paired with Tsumugiki in other jobs, so it was fresh for us to do something together just the two of us. I think we were able to bring out the usual atmosphere of Tsumugiki and I in a natural way!

Tsumugiki Ichihara “We are good friends, so it was fun to joke around together during the shoot.

Niino: ” Tsumugiki is a goofball when he gets to know you well (laughs). (Laughs) I think the shoot brought out a lot of smiles.

───Now, please tell us about yourself again.

Niino: ” I think that cuteness is important for idols, but I would rather compete on the inside. I am confident that if people see my cheerful personality, positive attitude, and the position of watching over the members as an older member, they will like me! 　 I may look like a cool older lady, but I also like to joke around, so I would be happy if you remember me as “the tallest member of Rain Tree who is easy to get along with.

Ichihara: ” I wasn’t confident in my singing or dancing, so I went into the “IDOL 3.0 PROJECT” thinking that I wanted people to focus on my other personalities. During the audition, I cracked walnuts with my head, peeled daikon radishes by air, and cut green onions (laughs). (Laughs) I got a cooking license in high school, so I wanted to put that to use. I also enjoy modeling, so I like to make original dark “chimeras” out of clay. When I was in high school, I made a chimera that combined a rabbit, a turtle, and a person. I still bring it with me to handshake events, and some people even come to see it (laughs).

─ You can edit videos, can’t you, Ms. Niino?

Niino: ” I originally started because I liked making birthday videos for my friends. Now, I upload videos on TikTok and other sites that have a “girlfriend-like” feel, as if they were shot from a “boyfriend’s perspective. I try to create them by combining various filming and editing methods to create a realistic “girlfriend-like” feel.

─ ─ We have been working together as FINALIST for a year. Since you are members of the same group, could you tell us about some unknown aspects of each other?

Ichihara: ” Kaeka is a firm older sister, just like she looks, but she also has a surprisingly childish side and sometimes becomes like a baby. She sometimes acts like a baby when she is hungry, when the restaurant she wants to go to is closed, or when the restaurant is open but there are too many people in line to get in (laughs). I don’t think my fans have noticed yet that I am actually a very silly person!

Niino: ” Yes, they haven’t noticed (laughs).

Ichihara ” Kaeka’s funny face is all over the album of Rain Tree members’ group LINE (laugh).

─ What is the unknown side of Ms. Ichihara from Ms. Niino’s point of view?

Mr. Shinno: ” Tsumugiki is a person who does not show his efforts to others. She is the type of person who gets embarrassed when she is seen working hard. So, if he doesn’t do well when we are practicing together, Tsumugiki will joke about it to hide his embarrassment, but I am sure he will practice after he gets home. I know because the next time we practice, I know I can do it well. “

Also, Tsumugiki may look like a goofy character in the eyes of fans, but she is the one who worries a lot and calls us when we catch a cold or lose too much weight. He can cook, so he sometimes cooks healthy food for us. I think that’s a side of me that I haven’t shown much to my fans yet.

───What made you both decide to become idols?

Ichihara: ” I was a big fan of idols, especially Hinatazaka46, and I also liked ZOC because of my sister and father. That was the reason I started auditioning for idols, but before that, I actually had a period of time when I was taking acting lessons at an entertainment agency to become an actress. It was during my second or third year of high school. If I became an actress, I could play various roles, and I could also be an idol as a role. With that in mind, I initially wanted to be an actress, not an idol.

─ What made you change direction from that to idol?

Ichihara: “In my acting lessons, my teacher said something like, ‘There are idols who do acting, but idols can never compete with actresses who are solely devoted to acting. I was so pissed off because I love idols. I thought, “If that is the case, I will become an idol and then become someone who can also act like an actress. From there, I stopped taking acting lessons and started auditioning for idols.

Ichihara: “I made friends who are different from my friends.

Niino: ” I used to like idols, and the first group I fell in love with was Fairies. My favorite member is Mahiro Hayashida, who is now active as a member of Seiryujin 25! 　 I also got into AKB48 under the influence of my older brother, and I used to go to handshake events with him and watch their live performances.

I wasn’ t at all sure that I would become an idol, but my mother wanted me to enter the entertainment industry. (Laughs.) But in the end, I did not challenge myself to enter the entertainment industry, and I went to a bridal school, graduated, and went to work for a company.

─ ─ Why did you audition for the “IDOL3.0 PROJECT”?

Ms. Niino: ” I went to a bridal technical college because I wanted to become a wedding planner. But the time of job hunting was right around the COVID-19 crisis, and there were no jobs in the bridal industry at all because no one was planning a wedding. So I went to work for a beauty company, which was my second interest; I worked there for about a year and a half, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do first, so I couldn’t really get into the work. Then I decided to start looking for a new job because I was still old enough to try different things, and I wanted to do what I wanted to do. Just then, my mother found information about the IDOL 3.0 PROJECT and told me about it.

Niino: ” My mother must have wanted me to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She told me, “Auditions for idols at your age are very rare, so you should definitely audition for them as if it is your last chance. I was convinced. I decided to take the plunge and become the idol I had always wanted to be.

─ ─ I got the impression that you made a big change in direction from your initial dream of becoming a wedding planner.

Niino: ” The reason I wanted to work as a wedding planner was because I wanted to create weddings, a place where everyone is happy and smiles. Idols can also make many people smile, cheer someone up, and create a stage where everyone can be happy. When I thought about it, I realized that I could fulfill my dream as a wedding planner by becoming an idol.

─ ─ Unfortunately, your debut as a member of WHITE SCORPION did not come true, but you have been active as a FINALIST for a year and now you are here. What do you think you have grown up to this point?

Ichihara: ” I have been able to think about other people besides myself. I am the youngest of three sisters, and I am aware that my family has always spoiled me, and I have always had the habit of thinking mainly of myself. But I met a lot of people during the audition, and during the camp, I really enjoyed living with other girls who were pursuing the same dream. After that, I started to wonder, “What is this person thinking right now? or “Why is this person crying? I started to think about other people. I am glad that I now have “friends” who are different from my friends, the members of the group.

Niino: ” I think that finding what I really want to do is a big growth for me. In my life so far, there have not been many times when I felt like I really worked hard. But during the year after I failed the final audition, I was able to really work hard. That was because I really wanted to become an idol and stand on stage. Of course, there were many hard times, but I am really enjoying this activity now and feel that I can seriously face the job of being an idol. That is how I have grown over the past year!

PROFILE
Tsumugi Ichihara
Born on November 17, 2004 in Chiba Prefecture.
Special skills/hobbies: Eating, speaking loudly, watching Kabuki

Kaeka Niino
Born on October 8, 2000 in Ibaraki Prefecture
Special ability/Hobbies/ Watching YouTube, remembering people’s names, dancing