Former Dempagumi.inc Member Mirin Furukawa Reflects on Her “Second Life,” Inspired by Shohei Ohtani

What is the basis of your life?

“Thinking too much about ‘what comes next’ can make you anxious. I thought that if I could put on a live performance that would go down in history, the next path would naturally open up.”

One month after the ending live concert held on January 4th and 5th, 2025, Mirin Furukawa, known as “Mirin-chan” from Dempagumi.inc, sat down for an interview. Currently featured in FRIDAY, she took on a surprising gravure photoshoot challenge! This is a special interview (part 3) that delves into the life of this former idol who spent 16 years in the spotlight.

Interview Part 1: “Running through 16 Years as an Idol… Mirin Furukawa from Dempagumi.inc Reveals the ‘Surprise’ After the Final Live”

Interview Part 2: “‘Mommy isn’t an idol anymore’—Former Dempagumi.inc member Mirin Furukawa Talks About Her Family”

ーーIn past interviews, you’ve referred to life after being an idol as your remaining years.

“I thought that once I graduated, I might not be in the public eye anymore. Maybe not fully retired, but I figured I would only work if I received an offer. While I was busy working as an idol, my husband (note: manga artist Shuichi Aso) wasn’t able to create many works, so I was also thinking about passing the baton to him in terms of work.”

ーーNow that the ending live is over, how do you see your life going forward?

“I’m the type who thinks, ‘You can’t live off just doing fun things.’ But once I stopped being a part of Dempagumi.inc and thought about what my core motivation would be going forward, I realized that ‘enjoying life’ would be at the center of it.”

ーーThat’s quite a surprising conclusion for the Mirin-chan we’ve known.

“Right? (laughs). I only started thinking this way after I graduated. It made me realize that when adults say, ‘You should enjoy life,’ that’s what they mean.

You know how Shohei Ohtani used to do mind mapping in high school to achieve his goals? He would write his main goal in the center and the steps he needed to take around it. I tried doing the same to figure out my future, and when I thought about what to put in the center, it ended up being ‘enjoying life.'”

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