Make Believe Mailer #146: Asobisystem Interview Collection (2014-2015)

Three Previously Lost Interviews With Artists Associated With The Agency

Today in The Japan Times, a feature I wrote about KAWAII LAB. and the project’s producer Misa Kimura ran. It’s the latest effort by Harajuku-based talent agency Asobisystem to offer a spin on a specific corner of Japanese pop culture…and one that has succeeded big time. KAWAII LAB. currently consists of four groups: FRUITS ZIPPER, CUTIE STREET, CANDY TUNE and SWEET STEADY. They’ve all enjoyed success in the social media age, with the first two mentioned being particularly massive in the market. But that’s well-worn territory around these parts. The JT interview allowed a chance to get an insight into the mind behind it all, and someone with an idol background herself offering a new angle on the style. Very happy with it, I’ll link again.

Something not touched on in that story but on my mind during the whole process — which required multiple trips to the Asobisystem office in Harajuku — was the history and sort of continued success of this company. Asobisystem has operated more or less the same amount of time I’ve been in Japan, and the musical interests I have criss-crossed with it from the very beginning thanks to producer Yasutaka Nakata being a presence on its roster. It’s a company behind some amazing highs for J-pop in the 21st century — Kyary Pamyu Pamyu becoming the industry’s ambassador during the 2010s, Atarashii Gakko!! carried the flag forward in the 2020s, now the rise of KAWAII LAB. mutations in the idol sphere — along with plenty of potential missed opportunities over the years.

I’ve been lucky enough to interview Asobisystem artists galore over the years, many of which are still online (albeit often behind a paywall, though shout out this Red Bull Music Academy chat with Yasutaka Nakata). Weirdly, a handful of them are not…despite coming from a time when, if you looked really hard at connections, I was writing for a site owned by the agency. MTV81 started life as a Viacom project, but eventually folded into major partner Asobisystem itself, to be a kind of portal to all things Japanese pop culture. It eventually became a victim of the pivot-to-video boondoggle of the mid 2010s, but for a few years, I’d have bi-weekly meetings in the old Asobisystem offices, not technically employed by them but in its orbit.

This week, I wanted to share a trio interviews I did with Asobisystem talent who enjoyed some uplift in the middle of the 2010s — all after the viral smash of “PonPonPon,” but while Atarashii Gakko! was just a shimmer in the company’s eyes. All three produced catchy and interesting work, but also hinted at some of the rougher patches of the company. Asobisystem is a vital part of the J-pop landscape at a time when it pushes abroad. Here’s some voices that should be remembered in its story.

Yun*Chi (Late 2014)

There’s days I fear my role in music writing moving forward will be becoming the guy stuck on loop typing “you know Japanese music in the 2010s was really great too!” Yun*Chi will most certainly be part of this ongoing diatribe.

If there’s a consistent weakness with Asobisystem as a company to me, it’s the challenge of balancing opportunities for all talents. Of course some are going to be bigger than others…but what about those who have some success that could be cultivated into something, but never really get the support to do so? It persists today…what does Yunomi do exactly?…and has always been a challenge.

Put Yun*Chi in that category, as she gained some momentum with a handful of well-received singles and albums…but never enough to seemingly get an additional shove forward. A shame, both because of her great music and her personal love of netlabels — she’s the only Asobisystem person I’ve seen just like, hanging out at Mogra in Akihabara. Here’s an interview with her from 2014 when she was cresting.

Yun*chi has kept herself busy in 2014. The model and singer released her first full-length Asterisk in February, and followed it up with the mini-album Starlight in July (with plenty of live dates in between). Instead of coast into 2015, she’s wrapping up a packed 12 months with the single “Wonderful Wonder World,” a dazzling number backed by two songs jumping from chiptune surf-rock (“Fairy”) to slice-and-dice pop accented by a saxophone solo (“Dancing”).

MTV 81 caught up with the singer to talk about her new single, being part of a stop-motion music video and what she looks for in the ideal music producer.

MTV 81: You’ve had a really busy year, what with releasing an album, a mini album and a single. And that’s not counting your live shows. How has the past year been for you?

YUN*CHI: Yeah, it has been busy! It has been two years since my debut, which was on November 14, 2012. I’ve been doing so many gigs since then, even some outside of Japan too. This year I went to Indonesia and London.

But it has also been a year where I’ve learned a lot as an artist. My live performances have changed a lot. I perform as a solo artist, so when I started out I thought it was just me out on the stage. But in reality, that requires a lot of people around me to support the show. Not just the staff too – it’s also the people I meet outside of performing. And the audience. We create the environment together, that’s something I’ve learned. I want to keep learning next year. We want to create live performances where people can have more fun.

So what were some of the most memorable moments for you specifically this year?

At the end of August, I went to Jakarta for the first time. I performed a song there, and for part of it I sang in Indonesian. There were 15,000 people in the audience and they were singing along…but not just with the Indonesian part. They also sang the Japanese part. It was a really beautiful moment where everyone was singing along together.

At the time all I could say in Indonesian was “thank you,” but that moment helped break the language barrier. Through the power of the music.

Let’s focus on your newest release, “Wonderful Wonder World.” How did the concept for that come together?

It serves as the ending theme for the new season of the anime Log Horizon, which is basically about people from the real world getting trapped in a game world, and working together to escape. On a simple level, it is just describing that idea. But beyond that, it is a song that can apply to anyone who is going through a tough time, who can use support from their friends. It’s like remembering good things to get through hard times.

What did you do different musically compared to your last single, “Starlight?”

Thematically, “Starlight” was sorta similar, as it was about the gap between the real world and fantasy. However, with the new song, there are way more characters present. For example, at the end of the song, a lot of voices come in to sing together. The image was that, since there were so many characters present, it would be nice for them to come together. There is a lot of layering of voices in the song, and it’s not just mine – the producer [Tobinai Masahiro] sang on it, for example.

Also, we designed the break of the song so that people could get their energy up during live shows. So the way it is now, at live gigs, fans put their hands up.

While we are talking about this song, I wanted to talk about the video – how long did it take to record that?

[laughs] We met at 9 a.m. the day of shooting and finished at 2 a.m. It was the first time I’ve ever been in a stop-motion music video, though I had really wanted to do one in that style. It felt like a spell was cast over me. It was a super-slow process, but at the same time I was thinking “I wonder how this is going to look when it all comes together.” The director was the magician (laughs).

Moving back to the music, I wanted to talk about the producers on your two non-title tracks. How did you end up working with those producers?

“Fairy” was done by Haruko Momoi, and we have lots of mutual friends…some of my really good friends know her, even. But I’ve liked her music for a while, I’ve always had a respect for her. I wanted to work with her. At the two-year mark of my career, I thought it was the right time to do something with Momoi. I thought it would be a fun experience, and she added her energy to the track.

“Dancing” was done by bo en, a UK-based producer who has worked with the Japanese netlabel Maltine Records. He came to Japan this May for a Maltine show at Liquidroom, for example. But I performed at Hyper Japan in London, and he had sent me a message saying “I like your sound, it would be nice if we could work together some time” and I replied “yeah, I like your music, maybe we can!” He came to see me live, and after that we went out to a pub and had a drink together. That’s where it all started rolling from.

Can you tell me a bit more about your experience at the pub in London?

(laughs) The only drink I do not drink is beer. I can drink pretty much anything else – but not that. I asked bo en to introduce a drink to me, and he came back with strawberry beer. But he was very nice about it…and it was good (laughs).

You can really tell he has a love for Japan and its culture in his tracks. He samples Japanese traditional instruments, for example, along with bits of spoken Japanese. But you can also pick up on his UK background in there too, which I really like. We talked about how it would be nice to have my voice sampled in one of his songs – I really like that cultural mix in his music.

What was it like putting “Dancing” together?

We had another producer, named U-SKE, who can also speak English. So he was put into the production team alongside bo en to basically be the interpreter. He would find out what each side wanted and share it with the other. For example, I wanted to feature a specific vocal sample from Log Horizon, so he told him that. Conversely, bo en suggested putting in saxophone, or would have suggestions about rhythm. So we had a back and forth.

You’ve worked with a lot of producers over the course of your career thus far – besides those we’ve mentioned, you’ve also teamed up with Avec Avec or kz. What do you look for in a producer you want to work with?

There’s the saying “love at first sight,” but in this case, it’s “love at first song.” When I listen to an artist or a producer, I hope everything just clicks…this is it!. So for some of the people I’ve worked with, I would listen to their music and then imagine how my own voice would sound incorporated into their production style and see if it worked. I also want someone who can bring out both the good and the bad in me – I’m just a woman, with flaws, so I want someone who can communicate that as well.

You’ve contributed a lot of songs for anime – such as your recent single – so I wanted to know, what are some of your favorite anime¹?

[drums fingers on table] Only one? {laughs] I love anime…I’ve been watching anime since I was small. Every time the seasons change, I try to find about 20 series to follow for the season. Recently I have been into the shows Lucky Star and Kiseiju among others.

Let’s get hypothetical for a bit. Right now, there is a push to share Japanese culture abroad – what about Japan would you want to share with the rest of the world?

I found that, when I went abroad this year to perform, fans would compliment the way that Japanese culture mixes the old and the new. Like in London, I wore a yukata, but with a short skirt…but I had London boots. That sort of mix. It’s actually like bo en’s music. I want to introduce that sort of pop culture more.

So what’s in store for 2015?

I want to have a lot of live shows, and I really want to play more places outside of Japan. Right now, I really want to go to America, Italy and Spain. I want to go as soon as possible (laughs). I want to pass on good vibes to my fans. First, though, I have a one-man show at the Tokyo club Mogra this December 13.

Natsume Mito (Mid 2015)

The upside of internet virality is that anything can become a hit. The downside is that it can sometime result in something with potential being pushed a little too hard at first.

In the arc of Asobisystem, first came Kyary…and then the efforts to find something like Kyary. Nara-born model Natsume Mito sort of ended up in that position in 2015. This felt super breakout-like a decade ago, but it’s funny to realize it basically has slightly less views as Yun*Chi’s biggest hits. Yet “Maegami Kirisugita” fits way more with the Asobisystem aesthetic of the time — catchy but oddball, focused on a fashion-centric option (cutting your bangs) and boasting production from Yasutaka Nakata (here really stepping out of his comfort zone). That explains when the song performed well, the agency pushed for an interview on MTV81, faster than most.

I kind of get it though — great song, fantastic image and, based on chatting with her, a really likeable individual who seemed poised to occupy a slightly left-of-center space that Kyary commanded. Subsequent songs and albums didn’t really connect, and she’s focused on other things since — including getting really into voice acting, she does the Japanese dub of Judy in the Paddington movies — all while still being part of Asobisystem. All in all, not too bad a deal.

Besides, this one seems bound to eventually get picked up by the TikTok generation, give them time to grow their hair out.

About midway through our interview, something changes in the way Natsume Mito talks. Up until this point, the model-turned-singer has been relatively formal, speaking in polite terms one would expect from a performer who has attracted a fair amount of attention in recent months for a song about her haircut, enough attention to be thrust into media situations like this one. Mito has been traveling since the single, “Maegami Kirisugita,” came out, playing release parties while also finding time to work with producer Yasutaka Nakata (CAPSULE, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Perfume) on future songs.

Maybe it’s the late-afternoon breeze coming in through the second-story window, or a series of questions about her childhood, but Mito begins speaking in Kansai dialect, the variety of Japanese frequently used in her hometown of Nara. She sounds more laid back and more playful - more like you’d expect Mito, who sings about her short bangs and filmed 11 all-over-the-place music videos for said song.

“I want to bring some of the soul of Kansai here, to Harajuku,” she says.

Besides Kansai, MTV 81 chatted with Mito about her newfound busy lifestyle, working with Nakata and the challenges of learning the guitar.

MTV 81: It looks like you’ve been busy since “Maegami Kirisugita” came out this spring -- you’ve been traveling all across Japan for various shows and events. How have you adjusted to this new lifestyle.

NATSUME MITO: It has definitely been challenging to adjust to. Especially all the release events. I’ve had to go all over Japan for those, in almost every region of the country. I’ve done similar things for modeling, but not where every event happens in a row. It’s like, Sapporo to Fukuoka to Kyoto one after another, it was really draining physically. I don’t really like planes either. That said, it has been really great to meet all the people around Japan who like my music.

Why don’t you like planes?

Well, the first time I ever rode on a plane was when I was 21 years old, for a school trip to Paris and London. I tend to get motion sickness in some vehicles, like planes. Or, like, when I first started riding the bullet train between Osaka and Tokyo, I didn’t feel too great. But the more I rode it, the more I adjusted.

With all this traveling around, what has been the highlight of your time since the single came out?

Definitely what we did on the day of the release in Shibuya, we had a bunch of people wear these wigs that looked like my hairstyle, the one from the video. We walked around dressed the same, it was really fun. A lot of times, I’ll perform by myself on stage, so it was nice to be surrounded by all these people.

How did people react to you guys walking around Shibuya?

A lot of double takes….huh...HUH (laughs). It was covered on TV too, and when I saw the scene it made me feel weird in a good way. Like, seeing a lot of people who look the same riding an escalator was really funny.

I wanted to talk a bit about your life before becoming a model and singer. You grew up in Nara. What was your childhood like, and what do you remember most about growing up in that region?

There’s a big park in Nara, full of deer and temples. I would go there with my grandad and we would have picnics there, and then collect acorns. I really like acorns. On New Year’s Eve, we would always go to Todai-ji [a temple containing a large statue of Buddha] to wish for a good following year.

How did you become interested in fashion?

It started in high school, actually. One of my sempai [one’s senior] was really stylish, and she introduced me all sorts of vintage clothing shops and other clothing stores. My style at the time was, like, the epitome of “vintage,” I was focused completely on vintage things. It was really loud. I’d wear a pink sweater with green checked pants, with leopard-skin tights. There’s a magazine called Zipper, what I was dressing up in would have matched up with what was in there.

Was it hard getting into the fashion industry from Kansai?

Not really, I just followed my own style and people started incorporating some of the things I was doing, and my career went from there. Before I started working more in Harajuku, I hadn’t been following it very closely.

The differences between the scene out in Kansai and Harajuku, though, is really different. Here, it is very pastel and “kawaii,” think about Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. But in Osaka, for example, it’s more about patterns on patterns. Larger sizes are the norm, and it is vivid. There is a magazine called Kansai Girl’s Style that you can’t really find in Tokyo, but it would be nice if more of that look could be incorporated into Harajuku.

Growing up, did you want to be a singer?

I loved singing! I was a huge fan of groups such as SPEED and Morning Musume. I liked Morning Musume so much I wanted to become them. In school, we had a stage on the grounds, and my friends and I would go on it and perform Morning Musume songs.

Was that part of a festival?

Oh no, just after school (laughs). I’d meet up with my friends and I’d be like, “OK, today I’m going to be this member!”

I saw you perform at Harajuku Kawaii Week a few weeks back, and you played guitar during some of the songs. When did you learn to play that?

When I first started off on becoming a singer about two years ago, I wasn’t really thinking about playing an instrument. But people close to me thought it would be a good addition to my show, and brought up artists such as Abe Mao and YUI. So I gave it a shot.

Was it hard to learn?

[super serious voice] Very hard [laughs]. Playing a B chord was especially tough.

Let’s talk a bit about your debut single that just came out. What was the writing and recording process like for it?

Up until the day of recording, I didn’t know any of the music. But on the day of recording, I showed up at Yasutaka Nakata’s studio and he basically gave me everything I needed [laughs]. It was a surprise, but he does that with everyone he works with.

It was a really smooth, really speedy process. We practiced a couple time, but then we only needed two or three takes before Nakata said it sounded good. And after that we went to eat sushi [laughs].

Did you pick up anything about him as a person over time?

During recording, he’s focused. It’s like he’s having a staring contest with the computer screen. And he doesn’t speak too much. But he has a lighter side -- on some other songs we are working on, he would joke around and say “oh, this sounds like an aerobics lesson.” After his work is done, he turns into an older-brother type of person.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

In the near future, I want to play at a lot of festivals, all the summer festivals I can. But thinking a bit longer down the line, I really want to perform on the [annual New Year’s Eve singing show] Kohaku Uta Gassen. My grandad really only watches NHK [the channel Kohaku is broadcast on], so I really want him to see me on that.

Has he been to any of your live shows?

No, he hasn’t! Kohaku is the best way he’ll be able to see me [laughs].

We talked about how Kansai differs from Tokyo, but how do you think growing up in Kansai separates you from other similar performers?

I really like Kansai, and I want to make it somewhat of a statement. Like, when I’m performing live, or if you look at my current artist photo. My arms are outstretched, I’m smiling, there are deer around me. That’s the sort of Kansai feel I’m going for, and I want to keep it up.

Last, I wanted to get your opinion -- what separates people from Kanto and Kansai?

Hmmmm, well, one example is it tends to be easier just start a conversation with someone on the street, or approach someone to ask about directions, in Osaka. People are more spontaneous. One example is taxi drives just always talk, you always end up having a conversation about the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. And also that grandmas in Osaka are super friendly, and they are always saying to people “here, take a candy.”

I’ve seen that on TV!

Yeah, it’s great! [laughs] My mom actually always carries a plastic bag full of candy around with her.

Tempura Kidz (Fall 2015)

OK here’s an easy one — Tempura Kidz were just ahead of its time and, really, feel like Atarashii Gakko! in cocoon.

Serving primarily as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s back-up dancers, TEMPURA KIDZ was arguably the first act in the Asobisystem-verse to get opportunities thanks to Kyary’s global success. The five-member outfit started releasing singles and performing on their own, showcasing a digi-warped sound but primarily showing off their fantastic dance moves and choreography. It’s trite to say but…in the TikTok era, all of this would have killed.

Instead, Tempura Kidz enjoyed some attention but are better remembered as a curio boasting some wild detours, ranging from a horror-themed collab with Charisma.com boasting a Bubble-loving video when that wasn’t cool, to being one of the first pop artists ever to give A.G. Cook a shot producing for someone outside PC Music. To be fair, the fact they all debuted as junior high schoolers probably set up a roadblock, and I found that they were always geared towards younger audiences which wasn’t a great move in the 2010s². A true breakout never came, and eventually they disbanded.

I interviewed them twice. The first was for The Japan Times shortly after debuting, and that story is more of a learning how young teens deal with the demand of entertainment while still being in school. Two years later, following the release of the group’s debut album, I caught up with them again, finding a group now in its mid-teens and discovering new confidence.

The members of Tempura Kidz are surprised seeing themselves three years ago. “Is that really my voice?” NaNaHo says, the teenage singer and dancer a bit shocked by the interview MTV 81 conducted with the group shortly after they formed in 2012. The five members of the outfit laugh constantly when they aren’t gasping at this memory in front of them. “You are so cute!” Yu-Ka says regarding the group’s lone boy, P-chan, who is much shorter in the old clip than he is now.

“We were so little, I thought I looked like a baby,” NaNaHo says.

P-chan, NaNaHo, Yu-Ka, Ao and Karen have come a long way since they started performing as backup dancers for Harajuku pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu before proceeding to form Tempura Kidz near the end of 2012. They’ve released colorful videos highlighting the quintet’s precision-focused dance moves, and had the chance to perform across Asia. Last month, they released their first full-length album Tenkomori, a collection featuring all of their preceding singles and a few new cuts too. And they aren’t stopping there -- they’ll play shows in Europe later this year, and say they are constantly trying to find ways to improve. In two years times, they’ll probably be just as surprised by this time in their life.

MTV 81 caught up with Tempura Kidz in their stomping grounds of Harajuku to talk about their new album, Beyoncé and balancing school with performing.

MTV 81: You guys just released your first album, Tenkomori, a few weeks ago. How did it feel to finally see that album come out?

NANAHO: When we first debuted, we never thought we’d release a full-length album. We are extremely grateful for this moment.

KAREN: I’ve felt super happy about it, and am thankful for all the people who helped us.

YU-KA: Whenever we are in a CD store and see the Tempura Kidz corner, we feel happy.

NANAHO: Though, when we see those displays, it doesn’t really feel like us. It felt like a third person almost.

How do you think Tempura Kidz, the group, has changed since starting out?

KAREN: At first, we were mostly doing what other people told us to do, like with dances and so forth. Now, though, we look at the audience while we are performing and think about how to best entertain them, how to give them the best show possible.

NANAHO: Performing has become really fun, being able to have that exchange with the audience has been really fulfilling for us. Otherwise, last year we had our first performance outside of Japan. We still think we have a lot to develop, but we can definitely feel ourselves improving since when we started.

Was there a specific moment when you started feeling this confidence?

YU-KA: The first time we went to Thailand to perform, we talked to the crowd in Japanese, using a translator to communicate what we were saying with the audience. But that felt a little bit frustrating, and we almost felt bad about it. We promised ourselves that we would look up some Thai phrases, and next time we had a show there we talked to the crowd in Thai.

I know that when you guys first started out, it was hard balancing school with Tempura Kidz. Has that gotten better in recent years?

NANAHO: We know how important studying is, and we always study hard. Sometimes when we travel on a bus before a test, we will test one another on whatever is on the upcoming exam. We do that for one another.

YU-KA: [laughs] But sometimes we fall asleep at school.

How do you stay motivated to keep improving as dancers?

NANAHO: We started out purely as dancers, but as we kept at Tempura Kidz, we realized it wasn’t just about dancing. We had to sing, MC, communicate with the audience while performing. We realized it’s a balance of all those elements.

What are the biggest challenges each of you face?

KAREN: Since there is no microphone during our shows, I want to get better at expressing myself through expressions

P-CHAN: I have the same thoughts as Karen on this. I can only dance, but I want to make sure everyone is having lots of fun, and I need to inspire that through my moves only.

YU-KA: Through Tempura Kidz, I realized I really love to sing, it brings me a lot of joy. But I need to get better at it.

NANAHO: I really want to see other countries. We have mostly played shows around Asia, though we will be going to France later this year. We eventually want to go to the U.S. too. Mostly it is about becoming a group that allows us to do that.

AO: The reason I wanted to dance in the first place was because of Beyoncé. I want to improve everything -- the dancing, the expression, the singing. I want to try all sorts of things. I want to improve everything...like Beyoncé.

I heard Tempura Kidz have helped choreographed other artists routines. What artists?

P-CHAN: We worked with Charan Po Rantan...and Hasta La Vista.

YU-KA: We worked on an NHK program as well...there were more too.

Was it weird teaching people older than you dances?

NANAHO: When we are actually doing it, age doesn’t make a difference. It’s about finding the best way to express what the dance is like. We try not to think about age -- just how to convey the dance.

I wanted to talk about your latest single, “Lollipop.” Did anything change for this song, whether it be in the music or the way you danced?

NANAHO: The biggest change came in terms of dancing. This is the first time for a chorus that we have made choreography for a song that could be easily copied. It still has a Tempura style, but a lot of time our dances can be so dynamic and complex that our fans can’t always dance with us. But this time, we wanted people to be able to do it. And now at live performances, people can move with us, and fans post videos on YouTube and other social networking sites of them doing the moves.

I also wanted to talk a bit about the song “Mira Kira,” which was a collaboration between Tempura Kidz and Charisma.com. How was that experience, working with them?

EVERYONE: Fun, really fun!

NANAHO: We are from different genres, but we both have a similar edge to our performances. And we really liked their music before working with them, so it was great to do something with them. Plus, since Charisma.com rap, this ended up one of the first times we had to rap on song. It was a new challenge for us.

The video for that song is really interesting, as it recalls a lot of imagery from 1980s Japan. Were you familiar with that period of time? All of you were born while after that decade.

NANAHO: Even though none of us actually lived through that time, we still are all pretty aware of it. A lot of ‘80s inspiration shows up in fashion, which we are all fans of, for example.

YU-KA: And a lot of artists from that period are still extremely popular today. Look at Seiko Matsuda, for one. I think we definitely had a good understanding of it.

As you mentioned, you will be going to France for the first time soon. What do you want to do while you are there?

P-CHAN: Paris sounds like such an incredible place!

NANAHO: Ahhhhh, I’m so excited to go. I think the city is very beautiful, so I really just want to walk around and take it all in.

KAREN: I want to eat bread...walk around the street carrying bread [laughs]. We all really want to eat as much food as we can.

Last, what have been your happiest moments while part of Tempura Kidz?

AO: We have lots of them, but for me it was the first time we went overseas, to Thailand. That felt very special.

NANAHO: Honestly, just during performances. Just being on stage, dancing, and seeing all the people in front of us. That’s what makes me happiest.

Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Check out the Best Of 2025 Spotify Playlist here!

1. This used to be a novel question.

2. Might have absolutely worked today though!