Brand New Ancient: Myojo 2011.12: Nishikido Ryo’s 10000 word interview (part 1)

Myojo 2011.12: Nishikido Ryo’s 10000 word interview (part 1)

DAMN LONG. But a good read. Shall post part 2 later!~~

~Hadaka no Jidai~ When I was still a junior
“More like he looks like me. It’s just that Takizawa is like me.”
- What is your life’s first big incident?
Ryo: Probably a kiss.
- Kiss?!
Ryo: While going home from the childcare centre, I was kissed by the teacher. On the face, of course everyone had one.
- I see.
Ryo: After going to the childcare centre, I had to learn swimming, I remember I always cried because I was bullied. Something like getting my swimming trunks hidden by girls older than me.
- You are a crybaby?
Ryo: I always cried. I was really a crybaby. Even though there were times I pretended to cry (laughs) Probably that’s the sly-ness I have for being the third son. I learnt something like,”Crying at this situation is the best.”
- You have 2 elder brothers and one younger sister right?
Ryo: Yes, one is 3 years older, one is 2 years old, sister is younger by 3 years.
- Do you have good relations with your siblings?
Ryo: My eldest brother is very gentle to me when I was younger. I have good relations with my sister too. But my second brother is a little scary. Back then Shounen JUMP’s “Rokudenashi BLUES” was popular, I was the punchbag for him to practice the skills in the series.
- That’s really aggressive.
Ryo: I was ordered during primary school days to help him get bread. I played janken with my second brother, the one who loses has to do the buying, even though I lost but I don’t wish to buy, therefore I hide in the toilet at the second floor and refused to go out. While I just sat in the toilet, then I would hear,”OI!” from my back, and when I turn I discover it’s my brother. He went out and climbed up the roof to catch me. I felt that it’s impossible to continue like that, after I got out of the toilet we started fighting and he threw me out. While at it I hit my hand, then it was fractured, something like that happened before (laughs).
- Seriously?! Were you very energetic in school?
Ryo: Every semester I get comments like “Can’t quieten down.”. I also played pranks. Well, I pranked people.
- For example?
Ryo: There are lots that cannot be written. (laughs)
- At that time what was your future dream?
Ryo: While I was at the graduation ceremony of my childcare centre I talked about my dream, I said,”To be a successful pet shop owner that has no dogs”. When I was younger I really hated dogs, but I loved animals. Come to think of it, if there is no dogs, it’s not even a pet shop (laughs). In addition, when praised,”You draw really nicely!” then I would say,”I want to be an artist!”, everyone said,”I want to be a soccer player!” so I followed suit and said,”I want to be one too!” and such. I was really confused when it came to dreams.
- Amongst everything, was any of them to be a star?
Ryo: Not at all. When I was in upper primary school. The television aired “Mokuyou no Kaidan”, Takki was in it. I was told by girls in the class that I’m like him, I said,”More like he looks like me. It’s just Takizawa looking like me”. Someone who was not in the circle really knew no boundaries.
“An audition that I thought was “Definitely impossible.”“
- The reason for sending your application into Johnnys?
Ryo: It was completely out of excitement (laughs). I sent the resume with a few friends.
- You got a reply very quickly?
Ryo: About a year later. I completely forgotten about sending in the application. I received a hand written “Nishikido Ryo-sama” tea color envelope. It wrote Johnnys Kitagawa at the back, but I didn’t even know the president’s name (laughs). After that my mother asked,”Seems like there is an audition, what are you going to do?” “I shall give it a shot.”
- Your mum approved of you going for audition?
Ryo: Hmm.. How do I say this? When I was going for audition, she suggested,”Buy a clip at the train station to put up your fringe before going”, I guessed she was pretty excited.
- Did you say anything to your friends?
Ryo: Not at all. I felt,”Since I’m going to fail anyway.” If I said I failed wouldn’t it be embarrassing.
- Didn’t expect to be chosen?
Ryo: Yes.
- The friends who sent the application with you?
Ryo: I’m the only one who got chosen.
- Actually, how is the audition like?
Ryo: The Osaka juniors were requested to be comedic. Was requested to do a drawing, then looking at the drawing and say something interesting. I draw someone on a car going for fishing, but the car was poked by a needle, it wasn’t fun at all (laughs).
- Did you display any of your abilities?
Ryo: There were people who did. I said,”I don’t have any special abilities.” It was a cold thought. Ah, but when we were tested on dancing, as I was short I was called to the first. I remember Okura was in the centre of first row, and he was heavily praised. Yasu was praised too. I wasn’t given any commments. So I felt,”It’s probably impossible.” Those that were able to get attention, seems like those who can talk well. Maru was shimmering during the audition already. I thought,”Probably people like him would then be chosen.” After that I heard Maru actually went for audition twice, that’s why he seemed so experienced. So he’s actually not shimmering, he’s just used to it (laughs).
- After the audition?
Ryo: Not long after I was called for dance practice and such. Just nice Takizawa-kun came from a television recording. I thought,’Cool!’
- What was cool about him?
Ryo: He was wearing CK pants (laughs)! And,”Wah! Takizawa! Looks like me!” thoughts like that.
“Read mother’s letter and cried, a lonely birthday”
- From audition till now and met members of Kanjani8
Ryo: Yes. After that, I was selected to be in “KYO to KYO”. I just made a bare appearance. After that there were stageplays, but I wasn’t called to be in. Those in the audition got to be in. I thought,”Probably nothing for me anymore.” and not long after that the company called me and angrily said,”You wrote your contact number wrong!” I probably wrote the wrong number.
- Then, how did they manage to contact you?
Ryo: All thanks to Yasu. During the audition Yasu asked for everyone’s name, address and number. I thought,”What is with him” (laughs). Probably they got the number from Yasu and got me. Thanks to Yasu there’s me now. In the stageplay I appeared again, that was the first time I saw Subaru-kun and Murakami-kun.
- How were the junior activities like? Did you felt it was manageable?
Ryo: How do I say it. I didn’t really think of that. While I was outside school I managed to meet people of different circles. It’s like a curriculum activity.
- Gotten the mike in less than a year, did it felt like you were well treated?
Ryo: Didn’t think of that. I guess because I was told to sing in front of the president with Yasu. We sang,”Yozora no Mukou e” we were praised, and then we got into Music Station.
- After getting on television and magazines, did you feel like your world has changed?
Ryo: Honestly, in the beginning to be kya-ed at it was really fun (laughs). Because before this I was really unpopular, because I was really small sized.
- From the second year, to record “8 ji da J” etc, you frequented Tokyo.
Ryo: Yes.
- How did you see Takizawa back then?
Ryo: A total difference. He’s like a TOP leading the juniors. I’m just a small character. The thought of “Takizawa is like me” becomes a total thing of the past. That’s because he probably doesn’t even know my name. However while I was in Tokyo for a magazine shoot, I was in a bad condition, I felt weak. I told manager for the first time,”I probably cannot take it.” But I was told,”I don’t care you still must come.” During the shoot, I was about to fall and this time Takki told the manager loudly,”Bring him to the hospital!” I was immediately taken to the hospital and back to the hostel. Takki came, helped me put on some clothes. Murakami and Yokoyama are around too. Yokoyama-kun will continuously put the cloth with ice on my forehead. Non-stop. Murakami will be next door, kept playing games. Really, I won’t forget that for life (laughs).
- To be part of the Kansai born, did you have some kind of resistance towards the Tokyo born juniors?
Ryo: Completely not. I always take the bullet train alone to Tokyo, sometimes with Yoko, Hina and Subaru. But most of the time I’m with Yamapi, Hasejun and the Tokyo juniors. Therefore, towards the Tokyo juniors, we are more like friends. I also went to Disneyland with Yamapi. Even if Maru is in Tokyo I would be with P. Who told Maru to shout something like,”Tokyo is so cold (not the weather cold but the human kind)!” something like that. No matter where, people who are cold would be cold (laughs). I didn’t resist. However, I had a “I don’t want to lose” mentality, but I won’t say it.
- Going to Tokyo alone, wouldn’t you feel lonely?
Ryo: When I was 15 years old I guess. I stayed in the hostel alone to celebrate my birthday it felt lonely. I couldn’t forget it till now. Because of work, the people at the hostel said there was a letter for me. It was a letter mum delivered over. It wrote,”Did you eat properly?”, “Work hard” and such. It was a normal letter, but because my tears couldn’t stop flowing I didn’t manage to finish reading.
- How were nights alone like?
Ryo: Standing in front of the station to play skate board or something.
- Were there people who talked to you to share the boredom?
Ryo: Not at all. I couldn’t say anything to the kansai juniors, to the family too. If I couldn’t say anything everything would end.
- End?
Ryo: If I had a son and I was told something like that, I would probably say,”Don’t do it then.”
- I see
Ryo: But, even if I was very lonely, but from the start I knew the importance of my parents. It felt good. I didn’t have a rebellious period.
credit / translated by cookiesmon.tumblr