MORE Feb 2010 - Ninomiya Kazunari interview

[barbosa2007]

The people at MORE sit down with Nino for their 14th article in this series.

 

“Will it really fly?”

A dubious expression initially covers his face as he quietly takes in the kite. Once he lifts the kite over his head and breaks into a run, the wind carries the kite high up into the sky in the blink of an eye. He sports a joyous expression as if he himself is up in the sky as well.

“It’s amazing. Right now it’s flying higher than the birds.”

For a moment, the kite which now travels along the pathway of the wind doesn’t fall easily.

If you seek out excitement, there’s no end to it. It’s just right if I’m at the level of a herbivore (Soushoku).

Is Arashi considered herbivorous? Our conversations with Nino always start out with small beginnings that branch out into limitless topics.

What is the definition of a herbivorous guy? A giraffe eats only grass but is capable of getting violent. It gobbles down the grass which it sees with no regards for its surroundings. On the other hand, while a carnivorous lion goes hunting each time it gets hungry, it spends the rest of its time sleeping docilely. [Translator: Hmm… I wonder what kind of documentaries Nino watches. I wouldn’t exactly call a sleeping lion docile.]

You can’t say for certain that to be herbivorous = calm and quiet, surely everyone has a herbivorous and a carnivorous side to them. That applies to me as well. I don’t think there’s a need to define myself as being either herbivorous or carnivorous. However, I can somehow understand why Arashi is perceived as being inclined towards being herbivorous. (laughs) Basically we’re a docile and serious bunch, right? I think that it’s great. I mean, there’s no end to the search for excitement when it comes to a carnivorous person, right? You’ll want the next thing has got to be bigger and more exciting. That’s why it’s just right if you’re inclined to being herbivorous. (laughs)

No matter what topic you throw at him, he’s able to make a comeback based on his unique viewpoints. Due to his filming schedule for his movies and dramas, he’s only been able to get  an average of 2 hours of sleep every day. In spite of that, once you get him talking there’s no stopping him. Nino is a person who’s good at making conversations.

Rather than saying that I’m good at conversing, basically, I feel that I like talking to people. It’s strange, isn’t it? Since a long time ago, I used to be a misanthropist, and I liked to be by myself. Although that hasn’t changed, even now. However, I like conversations. I don’t understand it fully myself, but perhaps it’s because I’ve been playing games up till now. In the virtual world, you can make the characters move and talk the way you want, but you can’t predict what a person in the flesh is going to say in a conversation, right? I might be unconsciously searching for that excitement.

So what’s it like in your private life? For example, are conversations also important when it comes to your relationship with your girlfriend?

Of course! I’m the type who wants to communicate with the girl I like through conversations. If we’re able to hold conversations daily, I’d be able to grasp her thoughts and tension more easily. However, guys who like to talk aren’t popular, right? Recently, I noticed that I’m not popular at all. I mean, in the VIP room segments on Himitsu no Arashi-chan, I’ve not been selected at all, other than by Sanma-san. I have been selected by Suzanne, but only because “I wore the garish costume for her.” (laughs) I guess girls like guys who gently listen to what they have to say, right?

I think Aiba-chan and Riida are popular with girls because they’re great at gently lend a listening ear. It looks like they’ll accept whatever the girl will say, so I guess the girl can freely speak her mind without a care. On the other hand, I do listen to what she says, but I’ll rapidly make comebacks based on what she says too. She’ll be irate, won’t she? I’m not gentle towards girls, neither will I learn to become gentle towards them. I don’t really have a quality that makes girls go faint. The only interesting girls who make good conversation and approach me are comedians. Recently, if I took a head count, I’m always going for a drink with comedians. (laughs)

[Translator’s note: makes a mental checklist of possible female comedians. Misono, perhaps? She’s rather cute and interesting. I was kindly corrected by a few readers that Misono is in fact a singer and not a comedian, as I would have liked to believe. That girl is still funny, I say.]

But that’s enjoyable right? Whenever you make a witty riposte, they’ll laugh and say, “Absolutely!”

Well, it’s more fun to hang around girls than guys. (laughs) Actually, I think there are many girls who are clichéd in the way they speak. In a conversation, I would have gotten to the interesting parts before she did. The topic is not organised in her head beforehand, so guys wouldn’t be able to understand. She doesn’t have to aim to be witty in her conversations or to be a great listening ear. Girls are the cutest when they’re wholeheartedly talking about the things which they like. I’ll take care of the rest!

“There’s no such thing as a boring conversation,” says Nino with an excited expression on his face.

It’s fun to talk to spontaneous people because you have to react on the spot to the exchange. However, when you’re talking to someone who’s not so good at conversing you tend to want to fish out their interesting quirks, and that’s fun. Both ways are fine by me. Probably, since I’m the one who’s carrying the conversation, I wouldn’t let it end, right? I get to decide whether to continue the conversation or not. I wouldn’t want it to end, so I’ll probably continue making comebacks during the conversation.

There doesn’t seem to be an end to the topic we’re talking about today, either. He has also said that he’s a “talkative lonely person” who doesn’t let the conversation die off.

That’s right. I can talk about anything, but the definitive question whereby girls ask, “Which would you pick, your work or me?” That is a definite no-no. Why do you have to put a living human being in the same category as work? I think that a person’s worth should be determined by the person himself or herself. No matter how busy I get with work, I’d want to meet up with my loved ones, and because I’m going to see her, it will be alright. (laughs)

My winter break is coming to an end soon so the pace of translation will rapidly decrease. Rest assure, I'm still very much in the fandom!