[Interview] Hisato Izaki

ARENA December 2003 - FLAME (featuring Hisato) interview

October 3rd. The day we went to collect data, and also by chance the day of the 2 year anniversary that FLAME debuted. From when he was 16, 3 years ago he came from Osaka to Tokyo. From when he debuted, although he’s steadily saying what he thinks, Hisato Izaki whose meagerness that he properly uses to pay attention to the needs of others around him, has turned 19. Of course, mischeavious as ever, this great guy we can’t hate. Moreover, It seems it’s become more manly since the last time we’ve seen him. Yes, there is a power in his eyes. That boy is, he’s told us a very hot story with enthusiasm about risking rushing into FLAME 3 years ago, for this commemoration day interview . Please read it carefully.

Interviewer: What have you been interested in lately?
Hisato: Exactly from today, FLAME started 3 years ago... Those 3 years ago I think were a time of contests. Therefore, facing the preparations for the next single, by doing things in my own way for 2 years, I best understand my own bad place, that is something I’d like to overcome somehow. Although that is something I considered about all the members. Lately I’ve been able to speak well with everyone. Probably when next year starts I’ll get busy…,because I think that everyone will be busy.

I: It seems that your conciousness has really swelled?
H: That’s right. It feels like the tension is raising as the condition is being prepared (laugh).

I: What sort of things are definetly done?
H: Recently, I’ve started to write lyrics. I’ve started to begin an acting career, so it seems that I’ve been straying away from music, but really I’ve realized that music is my favorite thing. I like it when everyone from FLAME succeeds in a performance. Amoung that, I like myself best when I’m trying hardest (laugh). And I’d really like to try to do my best at seriously making songs.

I: Can you do things that are good?
H: Late at night, or when I can’t sleep, I’ll casually close my eyes and suddently the words will just come to me. I write all that in a notebook... Therefore, all the things that I write in my notebook are somewhat scattered.For example in the rhymes to a rap, all the hazy and conflicting words are lined up. Suddenly something will flash, and I’ll wake up quickly, and I go to write it in my notebook. Because I do that every night, it becomes rather tiresome (laugh). I’ll also be reminded of something when I’m in the car, but when I get home I’ll forget it (laugh).

I: Your always carrying a tape recorder, what if you recorded it instead?
H: Everyone says that to me. That I should record on my cellphone. But, I don’t really like that. I like it best when it’s written. Although, when I look at what I wrote, I also think to myself, "What is this?" (laugh).

I: Since your arrangin such things, you can finish work right.
H: That’s right. Because Kyohei’s making songs right now, I say that I’m writing rap lyrics. Well, the last 10 chapters, it seems I somewhat can’t write about those feelings. Feelings of confronting girls (laugh). But, the truth is this half of the year, I don’t really have any interest in girls (laugh).

I: Wow~! Is that a rare thing for you?
H: Fairly (laugh).

I: What caused that?
H: I don’t really know (laugh). Probably, right now music comes first, then feelings right? It’s not particularly very lonely. Basically, I prefer the company of guys. But really, I think out of all the members, won’t I be the slowest to marry? (laugh).

I: I don’t understand what your saying~ (laugh).
H: No, it’s really true. Your not mistaken (laugh). I said I think that I won’t really get married.

I: Well then, who in FLAME seems like they’ll get married quickest?
H: Don’t you think Kyohei would do it quickest? He doesn’t have a personality in which he has trouble desciding (laugh). If your talking about trouble with desciding, that it’s probably Yusuke. It seems like he never will be able to settle (laugh).

I: So, your only really writing lyrics of your feelings towards objective girls.
H: That’s right. My feelings right now. After the message I want to be heard,the feelings in my heart are always going towards the top. That day, the subject of what I write is different. Because what motivates me is different everyday.

I: From before, your fixated on a message right.
H: Yea. Because there are many songs that touch a person’s heart. For example,what seems to me, when I came to Tokyo I wrote about my feelings of doing well. People who went through the same experiance will understand that, although I thought that people who haven’t been separeted from their parents or middle school students and such won’t understand. Therefore, a message to that kind of generation is something you need to consider. Right now, I consider that in various ways.

I: It’s the kind of songs that FLAME sings right?
H: That’s right. Anyway I don’t want to do only out of fashion things. The things we want to do, we do them with all our might. Although we do the things that we don’t want to, they’re not fun, and we want to sing our favorite songs but don’t want to regret it. Because of that, making songs is most important to us but...

I: Until now because of the things you do, its kind of like a step up right?
H: In FLAME there are a lot of things like that, there are many things people still haven’t realized. FLAME’s music is not made by just us four. Because it’s made by the various people around us. Therefore, we like to do things with people we can trust, because if we trust them, then we can say many various things. But, in the end, it’s really our job to be the people who stand in the front.

I: You’ve learned a lot of various things in the past two years haven’t you.
H: That’s right. Right now, because the people around us listen carefully and can more what we say we think, I think we are happy. In such good faith, we also won’t respond.

I: What will you do when your taking a break?
H: Very normal things (laugh). Play sports, and go to towns. There are many other things that I’d like to do. When I get a long vacation, I also want to go overseas, recently I really haven’t wanted to go back to Osaka, if I do go back though, I’d like to see my old friends. Because they’ve probably changed a lot, I think it will be exciting. We’ll probably experiance things that we haven’t together, and we’ll put out different faces. Before, when Yusuke went back to Osaka by himself, he went to a class reunion, and said that it was very fun. Because all his friends are college students. It’s surprising (laugh).

I: It was nice, this 3 years, it was valuable time right?
H: That’s right. It feels that we’ve done very different things. Last year was also different, before that I had a term of lessons, and before that I entered highschool, and undertook the auditions, and even before that were the highschool entrance exams...Compared to when I was around 10, these two years have been intense. Although I think that definetly next year we’ll have more intense activity (laugh). Well, although I’ll have no regret of the consequences of doing such things, because I’d really like to go to the top.

Interviewer: But, compared to two years ago, you’ve extremely changed.
Hisato: As I thought, I didn’t really understand that time (laugh). Although I said eminant things (laugh). But, I think my principle hasn’t changed. It’s not that I don’t like my character.

I: Recently is there something that excites you?
H: Recently I’ve watched "Platoon" for the 5th time.

I: Do you like it?
H: I do. I like war things. In "Platoon", doesn’t it seems like the conflict of people is about cats. What is true justice? It seems. I like things like that. Because in war movies, human’s reality becomes a relief. It’s not just violent sceens, it seems that there is also cooperation. I think that in order to survive it is necessary to run away. But, where without fail, there is something that you will absolutely not surrender. That is like every person.

I: Todays a little hot isn’t it.
H: With movies as well as songs, the thing I follow is the same. Therefore, such a meaning in my messages I am fixated on. Have you seen on tv a show called, "Satoukibi Hatake no Uta"(("The song of the sugarcane fields"))? I also really like that. Although Kyouhei seems to have also seen it, he’s not here to talk right now (laugh).However, with Kyouhei, the things that interest him are a little different. With me, I don’t really look at the story or feel empathy for the hero, I’m more impressed by the first lines. With this drama, by no means is this not folklore. Now also there are wars occuring, because we get into fights. For the sake of peace, we really consider what we are able to do. Therefore, about once in a year, in class we seemed to consider things concerning war, because we were people who thought about things that didn’t concern us, I think my way of thinking has changed a little (laugh).

I: Lastly, what are you objectives hereafter?
H: As I thought, because of next year’s single, I probably want to advance in the first step of a new FLAME. I will try to do well with all my might. Although right now we are in the middle of the approaching run to the long jump, we will definetly take a break