An 18-year-old who doesn't smile and an 18-year-old with a smiley face.
The straightforward Wakana Aoi and the supple Yuri Tsunematsu. The bond between these two women, who seem to be polar opposites, became stronger when they were 18 years old, torn between adulthood and childhood. She recalls that at the time, she was thinking negatively about her uncertain future. At that time, they found emotional support in each other.
Aoi:Eighteen years old, huh? Remember when we went to Enoshima together?
Tsunematsu:You've been there! I miss it.
Aoi:We talked a lot about career paths.
Tsunematsu:Eighteen is a senior year of high school, right?
Aoi:Yup. We were talking about whether to go on to higher education after high school or continue working in the arts.
Tsunematsu:I am not as good as Wakana, but in my teenage years, I was thinking vaguely something like, "How am I going to eat in the future?" I didn't go on to higher education, so I was anxious about whether I would be able to make it on my own. Since I did not go on to higher education, we often talked about our concerns, such as, "Will I be able to make it on my own with just one job?
Aoi:I was worried back then.
Tsunematsu:At the time, I think I was agonizing all the time over something that had no right answer. Now, I can switch off and say, "Agonizing over something is meaningless! But at that time, I was being swept away by the future that I couldn't see.
Aoi:Yeah, I guess so. I think I was very dark, especially 17 or 18.
Tsunematsu:You're the type of person who thinks things over all the time when you have problems.
Aoi:Yeah, I was saved by Yuri at that time too. Yuri helped me then, too. Or rather, I could only talk to Yuri. None of my classmates were working in the entertainment industry, and because we were so close, I didn't want to worry her. I wondered what this feeling was that even my family didn't understand. I talked to Yuri about it, and for the first time I thought, "He's thinking the same thing as me," and that really helped me a lot.
Tsunematsu:Maybe so. Not that we can solve the problem, but we can support each other. I think the arrows became thicker as we shared our worries and pains with each other, as well as the fun things we do.
Masaru Sugiura, who has been photographing them since that time, says of his impression of the two.
Sugiura:I remember them both vividly. I had an image of Wakana as taciturn. I had the feeling that she had another filter apart from the lens, or that she was a girl who didn't open up much.
Tsunematsu:You're 18 years old, right? Isn't that a time when you were especially building walls?
Aoi:Yeah, probably at the time (laughs).
Sugiura:I myself was the first person to take pictures of Wakana'sBack Alley Teen。I was not used to communicating on camera, so I had to explore how I could make her laugh a little more. Tsunematsu-san has been styling me for a long time, so I've always had the image of her as a bright girl.
Aoi:That's right.
Tsunematsu:I also said, "back alleyI remember the shooting of "The". I remember lying on the ground (laughs).
Sugiura:Right, right, right. I missed it. But since it was Wakana-san who started it all, the direction of "Back Alley Teen. I decided on the direction of "Alleyway Teen" because it started with you. I didn't want to force her to laugh, but to leave her expression as it was.
The girls have played a variety of roles, worked hard and matured, and have they changed in any way from when they were 18 years old to now?
Tsunematsu:I've been able to speak more honestly since I turned 20. That may have changed. I wasn't the type of person who could say exactly what was on my mind, so I guess that has changed. But my personality has not changed. I think I haven't changed since the day I was born (laughs).
Aoi:I have become much more cheerful since I entered my 20s. I still have the tendency to be too hard on myself and end up suffering as a result, but I think I have become a little softer than I used to be.
Tsunematsu:Have you been kind to yourself?
Aoi:I think I am, and I think I have become kinder to myself and kinder to others.
Tsunematsu:That's really what has changed about Wakana. Now that she is in her 20s and can drink, she has really brightened up.
Aoi:I used to be too sensitive. I think it was really hard to handle (laughs). Yuri, on the contrary, seems to have become more sensitive than before.
Tsunematsu:That's what they thought! But maybe that's because I didn't show my sensitive side. Even with my family, I'm the type of person who doesn't show everything about myself. He keeps his weak parts in a closet.
Aoi:It was.
Tsunematsu:I'm starting to be able to expose that a little bit more. Maybe that's why I seem to have become more sensitive these days. But the fact that I am able to show it is in fact my strength. I can use it in my acting, and if I can show my weak points little by little, my heart won't overload and explode. I used to be too sensitive. I was too strong (laughs).
Aoi:The roots haven't changed, though (laughs).
Tsunematsu:Yes, I know, the main principle hasn't changed, but I feel like I'm a little closer to being human.
Aoi:Indeed!
Tsunematsu:I'm not sure!
Aoi:It was like a smiley face (laughs).
Tsunematsu:Nicochan mark (laughs). That's really it! I've got all kinds of facial expressions. That's a perfect analogy, you are brilliant today, Wakana.
Aoi:Thank you (laughter)
