[Translation disclaimer: There may be errors in my translation. I am not fluent even though I have studied for years and I struggle particularly with particles and subject. That said, having been a fan of Abe-kun since 2012, I hope that I am able to capture some of the nuances in his answers, even though grammatically it can definitely sound odd in English.]
Myojo November 2020 - 10000 Character Long Interview
"When I was a Jr." Abe Ryohei (Snow Man) - Part 2 (EN)
Original text by: 水野光博
Is Johnny's like a part-time job (to you)?
ーThe spring of your first year in university, Snow Man was formed, right?
I was happy. Having a group name attached (to us), and that being the place that I belonged as well, but right after the formation the MC did not go well and our seniors told us, "You're a quiet group, aren't you?" I wonder if that was right around the time where Fukka started to do MCs. I went for dinner with Fukka, just the two of us. We talked about the group's future and he told me, "Because Abe-chan is sharp/a quick thinker, if I make a mistake then I want you to correct me or come up with a retort." Due to the time when we had that conversation, I was convinced that the direction I should aim for was being intelligent (and that I was not wrong in thinking this).
ーWhen did you start studying for the weather forecaster qualification?
The winter of my first year in university, the first winter that we became Snow Man. The direction I was aiming for became clear. So then, I thought about what type of weapon would be good to have, and I loved things about the weather from long ago, I even did research about the weather during free study time when I was in first year elementary school. I was thinking, someday I'd like to get a weather forecaster qualification, and this timing (seemed right). Since, isn't a weather-related Johnny's talent perfect for a group named Snow Man?
ーThough Snow Man was entrusted with many stage shows and backing for senior groups, though your ratings within Johnny's went up, nationally your popularity didn't go up readily.
That kind of period continued on, didn't it? The time where it was hard to move forward. Once, the 6 of us went to Johnny-san to ask for advice saying, "We want to try to do something bigger". Though at first he listened to us in a kind manner, the moment we talked about it, his facial expression changed completely and he said, "YOU-tachi, do what is right in front of you first!" As I wondered, had we gone too far, overstepping the mark with direct negotiations, immediately following that we were especially selected to star in "Shonentachi".
ーAt the same time as the turning point that the group had in 2015, Abe-kun also personally had a huge decision to make that year, didn't you?
I did. It is the year I decided to continue onto graduate school. The entrance exam for graduate school was in July and so I had to submit my application in the spring. At the same time, it was the timing where I still had not succeeded in the weather forecaster qualification and so while I decided to use intellect as a weapon, I was keenly aware of that insufficient firepower from the weapons I had. So I thought, I should continue to grad school. However, I hesitated until the very last minute about if I should go onto grad school or not.
ーWhy was that?
When I took a break from activities for university entrance exams, I caused an incredible amount of trouble for the members. Not only that, but it wasn't only that time that I bothered them. While enrolled in university, I was absent from shows if there were times where I could not miss class or tests. The members had to memorise 2 patterns for formations and spoken lines, due to changes for when I was or wasn't there. Each day, the feeling that my debts (to them) kept increasing was painful/stressful. I tried to arrange things as to not bother them as much as possible. I asked, "Can you please do this during the standing position at this time?", "My apologies for this spoken line of mine, but is there someone who could please say it?" and I tried to have changes kept to a minimum. Then I consolidated them onto several A4 sheets of paper and handed them out to staff and the members.
ーYou went as far as doing that.
Of course, though it did not change the fact that I was bothering (people). I was constantly on the edge of advancing onto the next year in university. [Translator's note: I believe he means that he never had enough time between classes, schoolwork, rehearsals and shows] While in a state of just barely being able to have my heart endure the trouble to Johnny's, I thought, "Can I continue this lifestyle for 2 more years? Can I bear it?" and I debated about the entrance exam until the end.
ーIn the end what was the push from behind?
I was told by Fukka and the other members. "Being a bother to people isn't something to be praised about. But, it's different for members, isn't it? You can trouble us as much as you want!"
ーYou have been blessed with good companions.
But due to that, it was hard/painful. I received letters from fans who wrote, "Is Johnny's like a part-time job (to you)?", and many people told me various things. Of course, in actuality I was quite bothersome, and I was prepared no matter what anyone said. However, it was eternally distressing to have just ended up causing trouble to my precious/dear members.
ーBut then, you not only got the result of getting into grad school, but with the weapon of intellect you came to appear in quiz shows, didn't you?
I was desperate to answer as many questions as I could correctly. Whenever I appeared on screen it would always say, "Abe Ryohei (Snow Man)" with the group name showing on the captions. The character string for Snow Man is indeed long, and I thought of it as a battle of, how long can it be displayed for? I want to repay the other members even just a little bit, and that was one way (to do so). Even now when I am allowed to appear on quiz shows I think the same thing. We have not had chances to really have the public know us. That is incredibly frustrating. Somehow, in some way or another, I want people to know Snow Man. If someone becomes curious due to seeing me on a quiz snow and wonders, "What is Snow Man?", if they get to know the group and the members, I have confidence that we'd be able to draw them in from that. From performances to the member characters, wherever we are seen they can be proud and be able to say, "This is Snow Man." As long as we have that chance, I have always thought that we would become an existence worth being curious about.
A message of "Congrats on your graduation!!" late at night
ーEven so in 2018 the group that debuted was your juniors, King & Prince.
I seriously felt an equal amount of frustration/chagrin and congratulations. Fellows that were with us together for a long time, all 6 of them are good guys, everyone is cute. There is no doubt, I was incredibly happy for them. However, you could say that life in Johnny's leads to an accumulation of both joy and frustration. I think that only those who are motivated by frustration/chagrin can go up by one step. As such, I do not think that it is any single emotion, of joy or frustration, for companions who have debuted.
ーWas there a lot of uneasiness, regarding if you would debut or not?
It was sort of, I bore incredibly messy feelings. Around the time just after King & Prince debuted we received talk about the "Johnny's Jr. Channel" on YouTube, and I think that launching on YouTube was one of the big changes in the history of Johnny's. I had big expectations of course, but at the same time I had a lot of worries.
ーWho were you able to talk to and get advice from about your worries?
Sakurai (Sho)-kun embarked on giving me advice. At the end of 2017, Johnny-san had a birthday party and all of the guests were attended to by Snow Man you see. At that time, Sakurai-kun talked to me and said, "You are Abe-kun, right? Let's go for dinner some time" and then after, around March, he really did invite me out for dinner and had celebrated my graduation from graduate school. At that time, I consulted him a lot. About my juniors debuting ahead of me again. About the YouTube launch. Sho-kun, listened to me incredibly seriously. "If you are feeling worried then that is proof you are challenging something, and that is not a bad thing. We were worried too, you know. Especially when the group (Arashi) was just made." He talked a lot to me about many things that were very true to life.
ーHaving graduated from grad school, were you not worried about Johnny's becoming the only focus for you, at long last?
None. However, the graduation ceremony for graduate school, and initially there was not a show for "Johnny's Jr. Matsuri", but then it ended up overlapping with the scheduled additional performance. It was not the last of my selfishness, but I attended the graduation ceremony to make it distinct [Translator's note: He drew a line in the ground (figuratively) where he had completed school and would focus solely on Johnny's]. That day, I went but I was late for the show at Yokohama Arena, and I was uneasy about making eye contact with the other members. I remember it well. On the outer circumference (walkways), Date-san came close to me and gave me a high five without saying anything. I received a message late that night after the show was over and I had returned home. It was from Date-san and said, "Congrats on your graduation!!" I think that those were words that were quite difficult for him to say, since he was the one who was the most opposed to the entrance exams. I was so incredibly happy. I really respect him both as a member and a person.