Q1: Tell us where your name came from!
My name is 真莉愛 (Maria), and it's wrapped in a meaning of being able to be conveyed and be loved not just in Japan but around the world. Though I hear at first they thought of writing it just in hiragana or katakana, it didn't fit the number of characters so they made it kanji.
Q2: Which senpai do you aim to be like?
Michishige Sayumi-san. That's what I've always thought since I was in the Hello Pro Kenshuusei. She's someone who's cute and kind, and loved by lots of people. I was with her together in Morning Musume for about two months, but the only time I got to perform with her on stage was at her last graduation concert. And so, I was happy to be able to perform together with Michishige-san at our recent 20th anniversary event.
Q3: Who would you want to be if you were born differently?
Ishikawa Rika-san. My favorite Morning Musume song is "The☆Peace". So since I'd like to try saying the lines Ishikawa-san does there as well.
Q4: What do you think you are #1 at in Hello Pro?
Since I love the Hokkaido Ham Fighters pro baseball team, I won't lose to anyone in that love. Until 3 years old I was a fan of my local Dragons team, but switched to the Ham Fighters after seeing Tsuyoshi Shinjo and thinking how cool he was. Probably about 13 years. I love them so much I even travel for their away series and stuff.
Q5: Tell us something awesome about Hello Pro!
Continuing for so long. Even though we haven't had the same members all 20 years and they keep changing, I think it's awesome how it's still continuing on now. I'm 16 now, and so just being in a group that was formed before I was born is amazing.
Q6: If you could form a special unit in Hello Pro, who would it be with?
Of course it'd be best to be in a duet with Michishige Sayumi-san. There are a lot of cute songs that Michishige-san sings, right? Since I generally like cute clothes too, a song with us as bunnies or in pink, that kind of taste, would be good.
Q7: Tell us your favorite Morning Musume song!
I like songs with a message like our new song "Wakaindashi" which was created with the image of sending off Kudo-san. "ENDLESS SKY" was also a song where everyone cheerily sent Sayashi-san off when she graduated, and I like that kind of song where everyone can have fun remembering the times we've had singing together.
Q8: What's your favorite song in all of Hello Pro?
I like "The☆Peace" the most. Though it's cute, there are energetic parts too. I really do like the monologue parts best.
Q9: What's the difference between the current and former Hello Pro?
Formation dance. The instructors are putting in choreography now that you can't imitate. Also the era is different, or rather since there are smartphones and such it's different how we can quickly express our own words through like SNS or blogs. Since there are more places now where we can express ourselves, I'm happy that there are more chances for people to be able to come to know Morning Musume '17.
Q10: Aside from yourself, who would be your #1 member for someone to watch in order to come to like Hello Pro?
Morning Musume '17's Kudo Haruka-san. Kudo-san is graduating Morning Musume to pursue the path of an actress, and I really love Kudo-san's acting. When we did plays in Morning Musume Kudo-san would play male roles, and she was really cool, and there were so many scenes with her that would make me cry. I can't wait to see her TV and drama activities!
Q11: What about you do you want people to pay the most attention to?
My belly button. Recently I've been doing a lot of photoshoots in bathing suits, and since my belly button is my charm point, I want you to look at that. I want you to see me at lives. I think there's quite a gap. Though I sound childish when I talk, I think it's different when I'm dancing at a live. Though I'm always like "kya~kya~kya~", when there's a live there's a little switch and although I like cute songs, during cool songs and such I really put feeling into them.
Q12: What's some work you'd like to try in the future?
I love baseball an awful lot, and though my wish has come true to be able to throw out two first pitches, I'd like to try doing groundskeeping. I've wanted to try groundskeeping ever since I was little. I'd like to try it more than being a vendor girl or something! Other than that, I'd also like to try baseball commentary. I'd like to try directly interviewing the players.
Q13: What do you want people to pay the most attention to in Morning Musume?
Definitely our zeal. I want you to see our passion. Morning Musume keeps changing members, right? When new members join we really do start working hard so as to not lose to them, and when there are members who graduate I think we do our best to fill the gap left by their departure. We have an incredibly strong spirit of bringing out the best in each other. Each and every time, whenever you might watch Morning Musume, I think we have that passion.
Q14: What will you be doing 20 years from now?
I'll probably have graduated from Morning Musume......? I want to be like a female version of Nakai Masahiro-san. While doing things like dancing and being an idol, I think it'd be awesome to do things like be able to talk and report about the baseball WBC. I hope 20 years from now I'll be able to do work involving more baseball knowledge.
Q15: Since it's the 20th anniversary, please tell us a special secret!
If you could see it, I was good in fights. I was generally strong getting into fights about little things with other girls like making them let me be their friend. I suppose I knew what it took to win.
Q16: What's something you'd like to become able to do by next year when the 20th anniversary is over?
Since I'm not good at singing, I'd like to become a bit better by a year from now. More and more practice. Also, I want to become a bit faster at eating. I've been slow since I was little. There were times in elementary school when I'd be the last person eating lunch...... But I'm good at wanko soba, so when we went to Morioka for a Morning Musume tour and everyone ate it, I was #2 out of the members eating 120 bowls in 15 minutes. Kudo-san was #1 that time, so I want to take #1 in Morning Musume from now on!
Q17: What would you do if you weren't an idol?
I'd probably make Japanese wagashi candies. I've had experience doing that kind of work, and I like wagashi. Also, when I was little, I wanted to be a Fighters Girl. Since I liked the Nippon Ham Fighters and was learning ballet.
Q18: What are you most into now?
Magazines, or rather reading fashion mags. When we do shoots as Morning Musume I've thought I want to get a bit better at posing. I look through the photos of my favorite model-sans. One I especially study is Lola-san.
Q19: Who are you close with in Hello Pro?
Angerme's Sasaki Rikako-chan. We were in Hello Pro Kenshuusei together, and have had sleepovers many times. At the summer Hello! Project concert too we did our own circle as the two of us.
Q20: What is an idol to you?
Being an idol is about giving energy to those who watch us so they can forget their negative feelings, right? While saying we give energy, watching the fans cheering us on gives us energy a lot of the time too, so I get worried that we're properly able to repay that. At lives too it's not just us having fun, but I want to make sure to do it with the feeling of letting the fans have fun as well.