さくら学院 『さくら学院2013年度 ~絆~』

[English Tranlation]
Sakura Gakuin’s Sakura Gakuin Yr2013 ~Kizuna (The Bond)~
Interviewed and written by Taihei Kubota

The latest album of the twelve girls taking their steps towards their dreams with their young, pure and innocent hearts, puts together the precious ‘bonds’ they have nurtured over the year into the form of music.

Sakura Gakuin is a unique idols unit that limits its members to girls who are strictly in their ‘growing-up (at school)’ phase, expressing their originalities through songs mostly based on their school lives or club activities at school. The set limit of 'graduating from the group at the end of mandatory education’ seems to be a perfect motivator for them to raise and heighten their professional entertaining confidence in the given amount of time, which can easily be seen in their performances as well as their musical works. The group is happy to release another new album of the yearly series, a pro memoria of their footsteps and accomplishments over the past year. The title for this year is, Sakura Gakuin Yr2013 ~Kizuna (The Bond)~.

Sakura Gakuin Sakura Gakuin Yr2013 ~Kizuna (The Bond)~ Universal(2014)

“When our new fiscal year of 2013 started, the members of the 9th grade all got together and discussed our plans. That's when Marina Horiuchi came up with the notion of ‘our cherished Kizuna (=bond)’”, says Raura Iida.

Marina looks back, saying that “all 4 of the 9th graders were fully conscious that ‘we are the ones to lead and guide the team’, and with this mindset, then came the New Members Event, the TIF (Tokyo Idol Festival 2013), the Gakuinsai (meaning Gakuin Festival) (held November 2nd, 2013)... And by then, after these events, we could feel so clearly that all four of us were emotionally and strongly connected. Especially at the Gakuinsai, we’re pretty confident that we actually expressed and conveyed the ‘kizuna’, born and cherished within the group to our ‘parents and families’ (to which the girls here is the diminutive for ‘the fans’).” 

The four members who were still in their 6th grades when the project started are now the seniors of the group whom the rest of the team looks up to. The juniors who have been following the four's footstep, also looks back on the past year:

“It’s really important for us to treasure the bond we’re creating since we’re spending so much time together, and I now I am more aware and proud that I am working hard as a member of this great ‘class’”, says Rinon Isono.

Yui Mizuno also adds, “Moa Kikuchi, Hana Taguchi, Yunano Notsu and myself from the 8th graders, oh well actually that’s the whole lot of the 8th graders (lol), can now work out more precisely the meaning and significance of the images and lyrics of each song. That was something we used to rely on our seniors, but now I think we can say that we have a strengthened power of expression.”  

“Makeruna! Seishun Hizakozo (meaning Don’t be defeated! Our Knees in its Youth)” is a song about the growing pains in their knees that they just can’t get away with no matter how much they pretend to be grown-ups, a pretty straightforward song with great ‘growth spurt’ energy. “Mikansei Shiruetto (meaning Incomplete Sillouette)” sings about the ‘sweat and tears’ everyday school life competition, and the sweet pop tasted Japanesque “Shanari Hannari Dorayaki-Hime (meaning Graciously Flowing Bean Cake Princess)” is the song by the “Cooking Club: Mini Patty”, the sub-unit created within the group. All these songs are delicately designed around the key element, ‘kizuna’, which bloom into this 11 song 2013 version album. Here you will witness the students’ sweetness combined with their heart-whole attitudes towards music as a form of entertainment. This prestige ‘school spirit’ will be passed on to the future generations, year after year.

Marina comments, “If it is something that we are delivering, every single line in the lyrics should be sung with our full hearts... I think this feeling comes strictly from our self-awareness of being a member of Sakura Gakuin. That is our driving force that was handed down to us from the first president, Aya Muto, who is currently performing as a solo artist. Our ambitions to follow our dreams are inherited from both Aya and Su-chan (Suzuka Nakamoto), and as long as we keep on questioning ourselves whether we really want to continue being a member of Sakura Gakuin and try not to be anyone else, I think we should be able to bloom another beautiful flower next year too.”

 

▼Sakura Gakuin: Discography

left-to-right: 2011 Sakura Gakuin Yr2010 ~Message~ (Toy’s Factory), 2012 Sakura Gakuin Yr2011~Friends~ (Universal)

 

▼Related Works

Babymetal’s album 2014 Babymetal (Toy's Factory / BMD Fox)

 

BACK PAGES
Written by bounce

Let’s take a quick look at the works by and related to Sakura Gakuin over the past year.

The group released their yearly album Sakura Gakuin Yr2012 ~My Generation~ when 2 of the members ‘graduated’, just a year ago. In May, the team welcomed 2 new members, Saki Shirai and Aiko Yamaide, and newly started off as a twelve-piece group.

They then boldly delegated member Hana Taguchi to Idoling!!!, (a different idol group) as a ‘foreign student’ which resulted in her participation to the recording of their single released “Summer Lion” (Pony Canyon), as well as its paired song, “Milky Girl”. In October, in the runup to their Gakuinsai event, the group released “Ganbare!!” (Universal), the very first release by the team that was renewed in May.

This February had two releases, a single released song, “Jump Up ~Chiisana Yuuki (meaning A Little Bit of Courage)~” (Universal), along with a DVD that videotaped the event Gakuinsai, the Sakura Gakuinsai☆2013 -Live Edition- (Universal).

And finally, we have this just said yearly album, Yr2013 version... Things are certainly looking bright and good for the ‘still-in-their-growth’ girls!