2020/10/21

Shizuka Mutoh graduation from Koakuma Ageha Magazine (Translation) November 2013



I'm a sucker for old scanlations and while looking for Ageha November 2013 I found this great post from Charlotte (agejoperfect).
Sadly, she deleted her blog but I was able to recover the translated interview on Shizuka Mutoh graduating from Ageha to focus on her brand Rady. Enjoy!










"Deep makeup and flashy hair, that's the Me that came choosing only the things she liked,
but that all lead to the Me of the present."

"In order to depart to the future from here, where I spent the bloom of my life, I decided to say Goodbye, to the Shizuka Mutou from Koakuma Ageha."

These are the shocking final statements from Shizuka Mutou who has been a gyaru model for several magazines over 10 years. And the contents are?!

Q: I imagine there are also many readers that are surprised that Shizuka Mutou is graduating. So first please tell us why you decided to graduate?

Shizuka: Isn't it unlike myself, to start talking seariously? (laugh) Well honestly, graduating is not something I suddenly decided this time, I thought about it quite a lot in advance. It's the first time I stayed with one magazine for this long, and from the members that have been there from the begining, I was the only one left so I started thinking it might be about time.



Q. So, was the decision to resign, a matter of the term (you have been with the magazine).

Shizuka: No it wasn't a matter of the term, Ageha was an important place where I belonged. The shooting was fun and it felt like we were just playing. It might not be the same for the current reader models, but if there's a gyaru-esque feeling inside me, it's that feeling. So it's not like I'm resigning within a certain term. But for me, now there are also very important things outside Ageha.

Q. That's the apparell brand Rady, that Shizuka is designing, right?

Shizuka: Right. I already talked about it a lot on the pages of this magazine, but it started from thinking " wouldn't it be good if there was this kind of roomwear".
I design most of Rady's clothes, and I design without discriminating only for the things I think I would really like to have. That's why it's an important thing. To be honest, now the feeling that I want to concentrate on designing Rady has become stronger. That's the number 1 reason I decded to graduate from Ageha.

Q. So in other words, I'm wondering whether on one side it's become harder to combine Ageha and Rady?

Shizuka: I'm not saying they can't be combined. I want to say I can totally cope... It might be weird what I'm saying but, in recent years Rady has become incredibly big. And there have been many enthousiastic customers, the numbers of girls that are wearing Rady have dramaticly increased. I'm incredibly happy that the clothes I'm designing are being received like this, but since we've opened the real life shops, the time I can put into Rady, has fallen a little short. If I'm busy with shooting, the producing of the clothes stops, and then the shops become completely empty. Because the customers buy Rady with their precious money, it's my duty now as a designer to put a lot of time into designing Rady, when I didn't do that I felt rude, and my heart hurt.. I was shooting for Ageha while thinking that I quickly had to design new clothes..To be honest I constantly felt uneasy.

Q. For Shizuka that tries to seriously deal with both jobs, that must have been very frustrating.

Shizuka: Maybe yes. No matter how much it didn't feel like work, going to Ageha's shoots in a negligent state would nevertheless feel rude to the readers, so I was earnest doing Ageha's shoots. Even so, thinking only about the shoots for Ageha and not being able to offer nice things to my customers, that would also be rude. I did it all with the proper attitide, but honestly that's what I was feeling. (Laughs). I like my own character and I don't want to show such an earnest point (in my personality), so I made this choice with the objecive of finding out what it is that is I should do.

Q. We understand the reason Shizuka decided to graduate. But to leave Ageha you've been part of so long just for that, honestly isn't that a bit harsh?

Shizuka: Honestly, I don't realize it at all yet. I'll probably feel lonely for the first time when the things I always did every month have gone. Like "Now I can't do a mori-mori like head anymore~" or something. (Laughs).
But you know, as I've been with Ageha longer than anyone, I also have the realization I've made it to the end, and the sense of accomplishment that I've done a good job. When I think about that, again I think " Maybe now is the right time?".

Q. About making it to the end, can you feel that it was good that you were with Ageha?

Shizuka: Yes of course. In the begininning my first encounter with Ageha was just when I was leaving a different magazine, I was told by the chief editor from that time that "The present Shizuka has the eyes of a dead fish so leave", I went "Huh?!" and left. (Laughs). At that time the genre Ageha-esque was not something that I had to put force into, it was something I did because I loved it.
I didn't start using thick make-up and doing mori when it all came out, I had always loved real glitzy gyaru. So even though I was an Ageha model, from the first time we came out I never had to put a lot of force. It was like, normal to me. To me, the fact that from the time Ageha was published we've built up an era called the Agejo-boom, or rather, being involved in the establishment of the genre Agejo, that was amazingly great. Being on tv as a mori-mori Agejo and stuff, it's been a great experience.

Q. Oh I see. On the other hand, have there also been hardships, or things you really hated?

Shizuka: Hmmm, basicly, I had the feeling that "I came to the shoot because it's fun.", if I wouldn't have liked it, I wouldn't have gone. But I have been frustrated with being made into a subject. Now Ageha is recognized by society, but at the time we first came out, there was no genre with such kind of makeup and mori-hair right? So I was made fun of by my friends who were models for other magazines.

Q. You thought like that right?

Shizuka: On top of that in the early days among the Ageha models there was also a lot of rivalry. I think it's because of that feeling that I work so hard as a model aswel as a designer. A sense of rivalry like, I was told by the other models at that time that "Only one can survive in Ageha"...So I thought " I don't want to lose!".  I also feel like it was living in this war called  "I will make the biggest brand, and I will be the last one standing!!", that I created the me of the present. If I think about it now, I'm grateful.

Q. Is there something you can say, because you're leaving Ageha now?

Shizuka: I think it's that I don't want them to lose that sense of rivalry and glitzyness. Being glitzy is what Ageha is I think. And it's always better if there's some competition, in life ♥

Q. Even though you're graduating from Ageha, are you planning to continue modeling?

Shizuka: I don't have such a plan right now. But I'm modelling for Rady. And originally I didn't start modeling saying " I want to become a model!" I started from the point that "I only came because I was called ♥" and I made it up to here. And like I said before, I have the realization that I made it to the end with Ageha, so I don't have any lingering feelings for the modeling business.

Q. Cool! But you've been a model for many years, and usually they seem to want to continue doing it.

Shizuka: But, originally I'm just a normal Gyaru ♥ (confusing part coming:) If you appear in a kuro-gyaru magazine, going to the tanning salon becomes free, going to the beauty parlour becomes free.You can boast like "what's that, it's super hot" but that's only in the beginning (laughs). (end confusing part) If I'm told to do something I don't want to do, I don't do it, I won't come, and I'll resign. It's somehow fun and that's why I'm coming, isn't that a gyaru-esue feeling?

Q. Maybe so. Shizuka always had this gyaru-esque feel.

Shizuka: Yeah, I was just gyaru, originally. If I weren't, I would graduate after finding a transfer magazine, and I'd go there. The old me would promptly back out. But I don't think I would have resigned so beautifully. That's because as gyaru befits, being knocked about in a world of competition, I've become an adult. (Laughs).

Q. Sooo, from now on you won't go by the title of model, but instead you will live as a designer?

Shizuka: I already said it in the beginning but, from now on I want to concentrate on Rady with all my force. Like opening up stores overseas and stuff, I want to live for such an outcome. Not for me personally, but as a brand. That's why I don't have the feeling I want to do any modeling anymore from now on. Up to now I've lived as one gyaru, but once this is sealed off, I want to try to live my brand.

Q. By the way, do you have any dreams as a person, apart from your brand?

Shizuka: No, I've never really had something like a "dream" like that. It's like, if you have time to think of such extravagant dreams, wouldn't it be better to get on the road in that direction? If you work hard for what you've set your sights on, you'll be able to reach it, right?  You might feel like you're able to proceed to the next step. That's why I don't have a mind to talk about what I personally want, or well, there's nothing actually. (Laughs).

Q. It's something like, you'll focus on Rady, work hard on designing, and if you do that you'll be able to see another future, right? As a magazine, we're very proud that our graduate is involved in such lively activities, and we want you to give it your all!

Shizuka: If I say things like this I might look like I'm acting important, but I want to become the success pattern of Ageha and other gyaru-magazine models. Watching the people that were there from the beginning do these things, models that are coming up now will have dreams too. Now that I've graduated, I must work hard not to break all your dreams! But it might be hard (Laughs).

Q. For the last 2 remaining months, you want to live those months so you won't keep any regrets, right?

Shizuka: Yeah I will work with all my might to make it to the end as an Ageha model, and make the readers enjoy. Please witness my life as a model just a bit longer! ♥

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So I know there's some people, beside me, out there that loved Shizuka's style, from what it was before to what it is now. Always feminine, sexy, but a little more classy too.

She's been an inspiration to me from the start and I think we owe a lot to her.

Any feelings about Shizuka leaving Koakuma Ageha?
Let me hear you :)


Translation credits: Agehoperfect (Charlotte)

2 comments

  1. Ah thank you so so much for providing this translation! Shizuka Muto was one of my favourite Ageha models back in the day and I was so sad to see her leave...

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  2. Ahhh this was amazing~! Thank you for the translation <3 It was really interesting to read, I haven't really read the articles cause I cant read/speak Japanese but now I want to read more!

    Shizuka is amazing <3

    ReplyDelete

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