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chrisyamapi)10,000 word interview with Masuda Takahisa
The period where you shone the most was in Primary school?!
Q: What were you like as a kid?
Massu: I was A BRAT. Especially during kindergarten. I was probably still a brat when I entered elementary school though.
Q: Can you give an example of what you did?
Massu: I was always told that I could not stay calm. I was always getting into fights with others or making the girls cry, things that my parents would get called to school for… I seem to recall my mum apologising to the teacher quite a bit (laughs)
Q: You were really quite a brat then (laughs)
Massu: But I was really cute when I was younger, perhaps when I was three?! It was captured in a home video – I was wearing a really cute ski suit and crying. It was so cute that I ended up saying ‘how cute is this kid!’ myself (laughs)
Q: Were you muscly then?
Massu: There’s no way that I would be muscular then, is there? (laughs) But I started swimming lessons when I was three, so I had a pretty good body since then. I think when I was in my third year of elementary school, we took a photo by the pool with all of us doing the ‘yeah’ sign and I was the only one who seemed quite muscular (laughs)
Q: What did you get into when you were elementary school?
Massu: Maybe it was in-line skating. I did it quite a bit with my Dad in a park. As I got better by the day, I practiced nearly every day after school.
Q: Why were you into in-line skating?
Massu: I did try skateboarding previously but I somehow could not do it. (Laughs) For me, instead of trying to challenge and do things that I couldn’t do, I like to perfect the things that I could do. I would prefer to compete in things / areas that I have a chance in winning. Ultimately, I think I hate to lose.
Q: Was elementary school fun?
Massu: I think it could be the period that I shone the most. (laughs) I was the fastest kid in the school. During the relay race in my 6th year, I was the anchor runner. I also led the cheering team and the main fighter in ‘Kibasen’*
*Kibasen (loosely translated as ‘cavalry fight’ is a Japanese sports day event for boys, consisting of teams of 4. 3 boys will be carrying the 4th boy, who wears a bandanna, on their shoulders. Victory is determined when one knocks another team over, or steals their bandanna. Massu would have been the one who was carried around by the other 3 kids then?
Q: You were the superstar.
Massu: It certainly was like that then. (laughs) It felt like I was the only one standing out during the sports meet. That’s why I think I probably was most popular during the elementary school days. (laughs)
The audition that I got news of the day before
Q: Did you have an interest in the showbiz world?
Massu: None at all.
Q: Then why did you go for the audition?
Massu: My sister’s friend sent in the application when I was in my 6th year in elementary school. It was kind of like ‘Since you have a younger brother, why don’t you try and see if he could get into Johnny’s?’
Q: And you didn’t know about it?
Massu: Yes. I got through the first round and the day before the 2nd round, my mum and sister told me, ‘you’ve got an audition tomorrow’
Q: They suddenly broke the news to you the day before the audition?
Massu: I was surprised and went ‘What? Tomorrow?!’ I was against it at first and said no. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do it. It was more like I was slightly embarrassed about going to an audition for Johnny’s. The image I had in mind of Johnny’s was that of really cool boys’ groups and I thought to myself, ‘I’m not really like that.’
Q: Having heard this, what was the reason for going to the audition in the end?
Massu: It could be because there was a change in my dream
Q: A change?
Massu: I did soccer since my first year in elementary school, so when people asked me what my future dream was; I always said that I wanted to be a soccer player. However, since my 4th year, it became clear that there were a lot of people around me who were very good in soccer. They were extremely good! I started to think ‘Won’t I be buried under all of them?’ and that perhaps soccer wasn’t really my thing.
Q: The audition came at such a time.
Masuu: Yes, a soccer match happened to be scheduled on the day of the audition too. So I thought to myself, ‘Even if I’ve chosen to go for the soccer match, they might not call me out to play’ After weighing both options, I decided to go with the audition.
Q: Did you go for the audition with high spirits?
Massu: I did. I wore my favourite T-shirt! That was like my battle costume. (Laughs) But when I got to the venue, there were around 300 candidates auditioning on that day.
Q: Did you think that you would pass the audition?
Massu: I really didn’t know. I would still have gone for it knowing that I could either pass or fail. The first thing I did was to learn the dance choreography of V6’s ‘Cando! Cando!’ from the dance teacher. I did jumps and side-steps, some really basic steps in dancing. I never had the chance to dance prior to that audition, so I remembered that I found it really fun and enjoyable.
Q: What else did you do?
Massu: After that I sat down and listened to Johnny –san. I wasn’t asked to do any self-introduction. The only test was really the dance part of the audition. After that, around 20 people were selected from the 300. I was one of the 20 who got called out.
Q: That’s great!
Massu: But out of those 20, around 9 were told that they would be covered in an interview and hence they went off. Those who went off were Nakamaru kun , Akanishi kun, Fujigaya. Those who were left behind included Kamenashi kun.
Q: Ah, that must have left you with rather mixed feelings.
Massu: When I think about it now, I feel a little vexed though at that time, I didn’t understand why they were interviewed and only thought, ‘Those guys are being interviewed! Wow!’
Participation in Kinpachi and Taiga dramas was a result of good fortune
Q: How did you begin your activities as a Junior after that?
Massu: On the day on the audition, I was already told to come to TV Tokyo the following day. And out of the blue, I was in the recording for ‘Love B.I.G’
Q: That was a smooth transition then.
Massu: It wasn’t really like that. It always felt like ‘Oh, come at this time tomorrow’ and ‘I’ll let you know when you need to come again’ … Before I knew it, the number of Juniors around me declined. For instance, around 20 people would be asked to attend the rehearsal for Music Station but only 10 would be selected to perform in the actual recording. And if you weren’t in the selected 10, you would be asked to go home after attending the lesson, even before they began the recording. I was always in the group that was asked to ‘go home’. Sometimes they allowed me to appear when they needed more people on stage. When I was doing backup dancing for Kinki Kids and V6’s concerts, the other Juniors were backup dancers for around 10 songs, and I would be asked to be the backup dancer for only 2 songs. Though I was told to appear only here and there (songs-wise) during the rehearsals, I often thought, ‘I’ll like to appear more!’
Q: You must have felt rather vexed.
Massu: Yes. Though I really did enjoy myself on those few times I appeared in their concerts. I truly felt the sense of creating something together with everyone. During the performance, I would always be in the resting area waiting for my turn to appear on stage, and then had my turn on stage and returned to the resting area to wait for another hour before my next appearance. Even though we were due to go on stage, there were some who fell asleep in the resting area, and some kids would go, ‘that guy isn’t around!’ (laughs) It felt very much like an extension of a school day or a club activity and I really enjoyed it.
Q: Do you have a goal back in those days?
Massu: Only one – ‘I want to perform more!’ But I didn’t get to. It was like that for three years. Things started to change only in 2001.
Q: What happened at that time?
Massu: The ‘Playzone’ stage play. When they were looking to fill up roles, they wanted someone who was short and could dance but had to be above 15 years old. There weren’t anyone like this in the main Juniors and when they started to wonder what they should do about it, my name was brought up.
Q: You were selected then.
Massu: Yes. And I was really lucky. The reason behind the age limit was because the play had two show times – day and evening. And for the evening show, all the actors had to be above 15 years old. When I got the role I was only 14 years old. However I turned 15 on the day before the actual show began.
Q: That was lucky.
Massu: I was allowed to dance behind Higashiyama san and I thought, ‘I really want to give my all and do this properly!’ Hence to me, the appearance in Playzone was a really big deal. And because of that, it linked me to ‘3B’s Kinpachi sensei’
Q: It linked you to ‘Kinpachi sensei’?
Massu: The other Juniors who appeared in Playzone with me mentioned that there would be an audition for Kinpachi sensei and that they were going for it. And when I heard about it, it seemed like there were 60 Juniors who were going for the audition. But I didn’t even know about the audition! I was so envious of them and i would really like to go for the audition so I decided to ask Johnny san about it.
Q: Did you managed to convey your thoughts clearly?
Massu: I did. Typically, I’m not the type who like to say things like ‘please let me do this’, ‘please give me a chance’. I do think that chances would come to you when others around you recognise and acknowledge your strength and efforts. But at the time, the fact that 60 Juniors were going for an audition that I didn’t even get called up for was something I couldn’t stomach. I wouldn’t be able to say these words out typically but on that day, I made up my mind and asked Johnny, ‘Would it be okay if I go for the audition too?’ And he replied, ‘Why aren’t you going for the audition?’ I was like ‘Eh, he took it so lightly?!’ (Laughs), even though this was a rather passionate request after much nerve-wrecking thought.
Q: So you managed to go for the audition quite quickly?
Massu: Yes. I had work scheduled for Playzone the following day, but among the Juniors I was the first person who went for the audition.
Q: And it went well, didn’t it?
Massu: Well, I wasn’t there when Johnny announced the results of the audition. I thought that I would be informed before the filming started. There were more than 10 Juniors there when Johnny announced the results, including Toushin kun and Shige. Johnny said ‘I’ve got the results from the Kinpachi audition’ and started pointing out those people who got through the audition. ‘You, and you and that guy!’ The Juniors who were there were wondering who ‘that guy’ was. (Laughs) No one imagined that ‘the guy’ would turn out to be me.
Q: But because of your appearance in Kinpachi, you started to get more work as a Junior too, didn’t you?
Massu: When we (Toushin kun, Shige and myself) were told about our roles in Kinpachi, we all thought that we would be getting more chances to perform / appear from that day onwards. But the truth was Toushin kun and Shige did appear in more programs after that though that wasn’t at all the case for me.
Q: I see.
Massu: But I did have some good luck too. There was a day I went for filming for Kinpachi without Toushin kun and Shige so I was running late for a rehearsal for Juniors in NHK. I was thinking, ‘I might not be able to appear in today’s show’ and was walking hurriedly towards the studio. There were groups of people around and the studio that we typically used was occupied by others. I thought, ‘Eh? Have they finished recording already?’ and started to walk back to try enquiring at the reception desk. Then I heard a voice calling out from one of the groups of people I had walked past earlier on. ‘Hey, you, are you one of the kids working in the company? How old are you?’, that sort of questions were asked and I answered. Then he replied, ‘I see. Thanks. See you next time then.’
Q: Who was that?
Massu: Taiga* drama’s producer!
*Taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. It started back in 1963 and to participate in it is a great honour, not to mention a huge deal for actors and scriptwriters alike
Q: Seriously?!
Massu: Several days later, Johnny said to me, ‘You spoke to someone in NHK the other day, didn’t you? That guy, he’s the producer for this year’s Taiga drama and he has decided to put you in this year’s production ‘Musashi’. I was like ‘Eh!!!!!!! There’s such a thing!!!’
Q: You must be taken aback then. The others around you must have been shocked.
Massu: ‘Massu’s appearing in a Taiga drama!’ type of rumours started flying around. People around me started asking, ‘You went for the audition alone, didn’t you?’ so I replied, ‘No, no, I didn’t have an audition!’ (Laughs)
A selection that shocked the other members – ‘Massu’s here!’
Q: When did the people around you start recognising your talent in singing?
Massu: That was through luck too. Before the debut of NEWS, there were around 10 Juniors who had a Karaoke session in the company. Johnny san happened to drop by and heard us, and then he said ‘Your voice is interesting’ to me. Up till that moment, I had never thought that I was good in singing. But I was very happy to be complimented about my singing so I started to like singing. I started to practise more than I ever did.
Q: How did you end up singing with Tegoshi kun?
Massu: The boss also complimented Tegoshi and it was around the same time I got complimented too. I think it could have been because of that, that we were given the chance to sing in KATTUN’s concert. But the compliment that Tegoshi received was different from mine. Johnny san said to him, ‘you’re really good! Your voice is the best!’ But to me, he said ‘your voice is interesting!’ The compliments we received were rather different (Laughs)
Q: What were your thoughts on debuting?
Massu: I really admired TOKIO when I watched their programs during my childhood days. I thought their group was cool. They got to do sports; they had lots of laughter; they sang and danced; I thought their group was really cool!
Q: What about the time when NEWS was formed?
Massu: When I first received the news that I would be part of the group and was allowed to debut, I was super happy. But there were rather complex feelings at the same time too. Though it was my aim to debut someday, it seemed like the purpose of the debut was somewhat lacking. I probably didn't feel 100% about debuting at that time.
Q: That was how you felt then.
Massu: But when I thought about it more thoroughly, if NEWS had debuted without me then, I might be broken-hearted.
Q: What were your thoughts when you met the other members for the first time?
Massu: I was already on good terms with Shige then because of the drama and I had only just met Tegoshi then. Nishikido kun and Yamashita kun were already my senpais then. The group was full of people I didn't really know. Moreover, it felt like the other members were the elite ones from their respective Junior groups and activities. Tegoshi spent only 9 months as a Junior before his debut – isn’t he an elite? It felt like I was the only non-elite in the group.
Q: You felt some sense of uneasiness.
Massu: More or less. I probably heard this from Shige at a later stage, that the other members thought ‘Eh? Massu’s here!’ at our first gathering. (Laughs)
Q: You cried at the final show of the first arena you performed at when NEWS continued on their activities.
Massu: I did. (Laughs) NEWS’ first concert was in some room in a hotel. Thereafter we performed in a slightly bigger venue and then we performed in an arena. During the final performance in the arena, I cried big time. For me, I had always performed in arenas as a backup dancer for a long time for my seniors, so I understood the significance of being able to hold a concert in an arena. Hence when I kept thinking to myself, ‘I AM standing in this arena’. I was holding it back but in the final performance, I was overcome by emotions and a sense that I had achieved something after these years, so much that I started crying.
Q: A lot of thoughts came to your mind then?
Massu: Honestly I’m not someone who would cry in my private life. But it gets really bad when I’m doing concerts these days. I’ll be on stage and thinking to myself, ‘So many people have come to see us perform and for the sake of the concert, they have bought our CDs, remembered the lyrics of our songs, made their ways to the concert venues and sang along with us. And they would smile along with us too.’ And I start to cry whenever these thoughts come to my mind and when I see everyone in the concert. I have been blessed with the opportunity to do something that’s really precious and beautiful.
Q: What do fans mean to Massu?
Massu: A huge deal. I keep all my fan letters. Though it’s not very possible to do it these days, I used to reply to all my fan letters in the past. My place is full of fan letters. (Laughs) I can’t bear to throw any away. There are people who know and have been watching me since my Junior days. There are people who witnessed my journey and progress to this day, such as how I had appeared in the past and how little I appeared during some years etc. Or how I did a back flip for this senior. (Laughs) There are many people who know such things about me. I am very much supported and encouraged by them. Of course there are people who became fans quite recently. Hence I have a huge responsibility – to constantly improve myself, in order to create more fond, and sparkling memories with the fans. It’s vital to have this feeling of constantly wanting to create and bring better things to the fans.
The reason why my love for NEWS is stronger than anyone’s
Q: Up till now have you thought about quitting the showbiz industry?
Massu: No. Probably. No, not at all. Obviously I have my worries too. When NEWS’ activities got suspended, I was always crying. At first I didn’t feel like doing anything and spaced out at home. Even then I still had to do interviews. Even though I wanted to say things like ‘I’ll face the music and march on’ but I didn’t even know what would become of me, so I could not say anything specific at all
Q: How did you brace yourself after all this anxiety and unease?
Massu: At the start, I couldn’t face the situation full on so quickly. There wasn’t a simple answer to questions like ‘what should I do now?’ I was worrying a lot and eventually I thought, ‘What could I do by myself? How could I step up and improve myself?’ Since we had to take a break, this was about the only thing I could do. So I had singing and dancing lessons.
Q: You managed to overcome this on your own.
Massu: But I have always been a worrier; no matter what situation I’m in, I would still worry. I suppose the sense of anxiety and uneasiness still remained.
Q: What impact did the suspension of activities have on you after NEWS activities were resumed?
Massu: I think my love for NEWS and my feelings for the group became stronger. NEWS is the first group that I’ve ever been in. This might have started from the days when KATTUN was first formed, when Juniors were put into different groups such as BAD, Four Tops, Ya-ya-yah. ABC was like formed in such a way too. But I was never part of any group.
Q: Ah, okay…
Massu: I don’t know when it happened during my Junior days but there was once we had to get entry passes made for the TV station. If you were in a group, they would put ‘KATTUN’ or ‘ABC’ on the pass. But for me, they put ‘Trainee’ on my pass. (Laughs) Well, I guess that was the case then. I was like a trainee, I suppose. I wasn’t in any group so I was extremely happy when I got told by Johnny that it would be good for me to sing with Tegoshi. Of course I was very happy to be able to debut but the joy from being a member of NEWS, from being part of a group, was definitely above everything else. That’s why NEWS is irreplaceable to me. I think my love and feelings for NEWS are more than anyone else’s. When our group activity was suspended, this love and feelings got even stronger.
Q: I see.
Massu: I had fought at least once with everyone else in the group, except for Koyama. Of course it wasn’t fighting with punches or using force or anything like that, it was just that our opinions didn’t match. For someone like me who don’t usually get into fights (disagreements) at all to be like this, I suppose this shows how serious I am towards the things I do with NEWS. It’s a good thing, I think. But perhaps the other members might only think that I’m someone who loses his temper easily. (Laughs)
To the Juniors – there could be someone who follows ‘Masuda’s pattern’
Q: What significance did your Junior days hold for you?
Massu: Though I always had this thought ‘I want to appear more!’ during those days, I’m actually glad that things happened the way they did. The feelings of wanting to appear more, of being sent home, of not being asked to perform on stage. If not for those experiences and feelings, I would not have felt so strongly about wanting to perform more. Therefore, I am really thankful for those days as a Junior. Deep down within me, I truly think that I am who I am today because of those days as a Junior.
Q: And what about your seniors?
Massu: Big influence. I learnt about how fun dancing could be from Higashiyama san during my Playzone days, and the experience from being a back-up dancer for different people is hugely important too. Before my debut, I was doing backup dancing for Arashi’s concert when I was picked by the other Arashi members to dance with them for Sho kun’s solo. I was really, really happy. Other than that, Nagano san and Joushima san also brought me out for meals. I also received camouflage pants from Tsubasa kun. (Laughs) I also ate with Takizawa kun and Tsubasa kun. I think I received a lot of support and encouragement from the seniors.
Q: What advice would you give to the Juniors now?
Massu: Perhaps something like ‘You might be following Masuda’s pattern* now’. (Laughs) Especially since one doesn’t know what might happen next. Of course this piece of advice won’t be for those who belong to the elite group. (Laughs)
[Massu didn’t elaborate a lot on his piece of advice but I suppose he’s trying to tell those kids who might not be as prolific as other Juniors to hang on (like he did) and that they could still get their big break (as he did)
Q: Do you still think that you’re not an ‘elite’ now?
Massu: Elite… Hmm, no, I’m not an elite. After all, during the time of my debut, everyone around me went ‘YOU?!’ (Laughs) I am often told that I’m a late bloomer. And by quite a number of famous fortune tellers too, perhaps around ten or so? And when I wonder about things like ‘is it my time yet?’, I am often told that the timing isn’t quite right yet. Being told something like that makes me question when I would become really successful (Laughs)
Q: Then to someone who isn’t in the elite, what would be the key to survival?
Massu: Hmm, what would it be? Thinking back now, I was glad I really enjoyed everything I did.
Q: Enjoyed what you did?
Massu: It wasn’t so much to become more well-known; enjoying what I did was the most important thing to me at that time. It was what that kept me going. For instance, even if I got to stand on the stage for only one song, I would think that was the most enjoyable moment. The truth is that moment is truly the most beautiful moment. I would like the Juniors to try and think in this way too
Q: When did you first start to think that it is enjoyable to be on stage?
Massu: It was probably the first concert I participated in. The people who came to the concert looked like they were really enjoying themselves and looking at their happy faces made me really happy. Ever since my Junior days, I have always wanted to see the face of each and every fan who comes to the concert, even if it is just for a fleeting moment. To my surprise, the fans whom I could most clearly see are the ones who are slightly below my eye level when I’m on stage. But apart from these fans, there are others who are seated above and below them. It would be strange if they don’t enjoy themselves as much. Therefore I would really like to be able to see each and everyone’s faces, especially those seated in the topmost row. I always wanted to take a proper look at them, perhaps because I’m rather short myself (Laughs)
‘Keeping constant’ is a phrase I like
Q: Lastly, I’d like to hear about your plans from now on.
Massu: I’m always put in a spot when I get asked questions like these. (Laughs) Like ‘what is your dream’ or ‘what is your vision from now on’ type of questions, I don’t really know what to say. Thus I always end up giving ‘I’ll continue to work hard’ type of answers. (Laughs)
Q: Is it because you don’t have a dream?
Massu: No, it’s not that at all. It’s more like I would like to continue progressing from where I currently am. I like the phrase ‘keeping constant’
Q: ‘Keeping constant’?
Massu: Yes, ‘keeping constant’ means ‘keeping things as they are currently’, doesn’t it? But in my case, it refers to keeping my heart feeling the same way all the time. No matter what happens, I hope to keep having the same feeling I had when I first started. I don’t quite know how to express it well in words, but people in my line of work always get to do new stuff right? But if we get to do some certain type of work, isn’t it like we get to go up by another level again? We are always be assessed by others. So rather than to think about who I want to be like, or what I want to do, I would rather focus all my effort on what I’m doing now. And also, I don’t want to change how I feel about work now, the way I enjoy what I’m currently doing. This is what I mean by keeping constant.
[I apologise if I’ve confused you with the above paragraph. I think Massu was saying that he’d like to maintain the same type of enthusiasm and passion for his work. And rather than wasting time thinking about what he could do or who he could be, he would rather focus on the work he’s currently doing. ‘Keeping constant’ means ‘giving his all at this very moment’ – this is how I would interpret it…]
Q: I see.
Massu: I think everything that happened to me was connected in one way or another. That it was a coincidence that I got the chance to appear in Playzone because I was born in July. And to be able to act in Kinpachi and the Taiga drama, that had a lot to do with luck too. Though I do think that this is the only path for me, if my sister hadn’t submitted the application back then, I would be doing something quite different from showbiz. And if I hadn’t put in so much effort in dance practices, I wouldn’t been selected for Playzone and I wouldn’t have mustered the courage to ask Johnny san for a chance to audition, then this path wouldn’t have opened up for me. It might have been luck, but I think the good luck came because I’ve worked hard. Therefore I do think that I have forged my own path. And if I can continue to put in my best effort in what I’m doing now and enjoy while I’m doing it, I believe the rest would follow through.
Q: That’s true.
Massu: At the beginning of this interview, I said that I would like to compete in things that I have a chance in winning, didn’t I? But I’ve come to realise this isn’t quite the truth after all this talk. After all, it seems like I was always at the losing end during my Junior days. I think that if I’m passionate about something, I would persevere in it. It’s probably only boils down to that. It’s not like I would only continue in instances that I win. Hence from now on, in order to always enjoy the work that I do, I would always think ‘it’ll get enjoyable’ someday, even if it wasn’t enjoyable at that very moment. This is how I would like to move forward.
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