Girls Be maxi single event (Tokyo)

Event Girls Be maxi single event
Location Ishimaru Soft One
Date 1997.06.29
Time 14:00 - 15:00
Cost 1575 yen (Girls Be maxi single)
16:00 - 17:00
Guests Toyoshima Machiko (Ë­Åè¿¿Àé»Ò)
Kuwashima Houko (·¬ÅçË¡»Ò)
  • Report version 1.0 by Hitoshi Doi, 1997.07.02

On June 29, 1997, there were two sessions of the Girls Be maxi single event at Ishimaru Soft One (Akihabara). The first session started at 14:00 and the second started at 16:00. In order to participate, one had to buy the Girls Be maxi single at Ishimaru Denki. (Those who wanted to go to both sessions had to buy two of the CDs.) Each session was limited to around 150 people. I just went to the 14:00 session, which started around 10 minutes late.

The flow of the event was:

  • "Girls Be" by Girls Be
  • talk session
  • "Mayonaka ni Oideyo" by Girls Be
  • handshake session

Right after Toyoshima Machiko and Kuwashima Houko came onto the stage, they sang "Girls Be". They sang the Sayonara ha Iwanai version.

There were some calls by some of the hard core people in the audience. The ones I can make out were:

 [after Machiko's part]  Machirin
 [after Houko's part]    Hou-chan
 [after Houko's part]    l.o.v.e. lovely Hou-chan
 [girls be]              girls be
 [boys be]               boys be
 [... ambitious]         ... ambitious
 [couldn't make out what they said]
 [after Houko's part]    Hou-chan
 [after Machiko's part]  Machirin
 [after Machiko's part]  l.o.v.e. lovely Machirin
 [girls be]              girls be
 [...]                   itoshii Machirin
 [forgot the lyrics]
 [boys be]               boys be
 [... ambitious]         ... ambitious
 [couldn't make out what they said]

After the song, they had the talk show.

Machiko was wearing a white one piece with cherries all over, with a red short sleeve cardigan, open in the front. Machiko's hair was tied up in two pig tails, sticking out on both sides. Houko was wearing a green and yellow checkered one piece. Houko's hair was normal, straight. [I didn't draw a sketch, so my memory is fading..]

Machiko: I'm glad the weather became good today. Thank you for coming.
Houko: Have fun today.

The emcee pointed out the people who came from far away. There were people from Sapporo, Fukuoka, and even someone from America (Ikebukuro). [The emcee had come out and asked everyone this before the event started.]

Houko: Itsumo no gaijin-san.

They talked about the Girls Be maxi single that just came out. They changed the singing parts for this version. This song is the theme song to the kid's TV anime Bamboo Bears. Also there are versions of Girls Be that are sung solo.

They sang the original version of Girls Be at the event today because they didn't want to mess up when singing the new version.

They talked about their radio program that they have in Osaka. It's pretty difficult to pick it up in Tokyo, but several people raised their hands and said they listened to it through all the static.

The Girls Be first full album will go on sale 8/21.

Machiko described the concept: Neo lez kei French lolita pop.
Houko: You said that so lightly.. Everyone, don't look down.
Machiko: It's like girls who are friends and hold hands together.
Houko: You didn't explain what "neo lez" is.. It isn't dangerous.
Machiko: We aren't real lez.

They said that there was also a French feel to the songs. Machiko had gone to France for a week when she was little. Houko has an uncle who lived in France.

The songs on this new album are sung in a whispering style. They said that this was more tiring than a normal song.

There will be some information about the new album on the Girls Be Internet page. (Victor)

Then there was one person who got chosen to have his question read. (Everyone had filled out a form before the event.) This person was given the "prize" of having his picture taken between Houko and Machiko.

The question was about the first impressions that Machiko and Houko had about each other, and any changes in that now.

Machiko said that Houko became a seiyuu one year after her, and she was very quiet at first. But now, she's not and she openly says whatever she wants. But one thing that hasn't changed is that Houko is a very shy person, and people might think that she's mad, when she actually isn't.

Houko said that Machiko seemed like a cute, cheerful, and outgoing person. But she found out that Machiko was serious, and she is really thinking about what she is doing.

Then they sang "Mayonaka ni Oideyo".

In the maxi single, Machiko sang most of the song because Houko's throat was injured at the time of the recording. But in the new album, they rerecorded it and they both sing.

Machiko sang the first verse and Houko sang the second. While the lead was singing, the other stood in the back, and put the mike in a mike stand to do the backup vocals.

The dance to the song was very funny (silly), but cute. It was also funny because Machiko and Houko both had very serious looks on their faces while doing it.

I couldn't make out Houko's French..

At the end of the event, Machiko and Houko said their final messages.

Machiko: I was nervous at first, and made mistakes in the lyrics. I'm waiting for your letters, especially regarding your thoughts on the dance for this song. Thank you very much.
Houko: Thank you for coming from so far away. The radio show will continue until September. I don't know what will happen after that. We are wearing wigs for the CD jacket pictures. Please look forward to it.

Then they went to the handshake session. Houko was on the left, and Machiko was on the right. Everyone flowed from right to left, and after shaking hands with Houko and Machiko, we got a picture of Girls Be, and an advertisement sheet of paper.


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