Interview with An Cafe before J-Shock

One day before the German J-Shock event, JaME had the opportunity to ask An Cafe a few questions.

Just like they did later at the concerts, An Cafe introduced themselves at the beginning of the interview in German. A nice start to our interview, that showed that the band had really put some thought into taking their first steps in Europe.


Hello and welcome to Germany! How are you doing?

Miku: Hello! The flight was rather boring, but it was okay, because I was sitting next to Satoshi, the singer of girugämesh and we talked about pretty much everything possible.

What's it like for you to perform for the first time in Europe?

Miku: We are really happy to be allowed to perform here. Also - the hall is quite big! When we got the invitation, we were already prepared for performances abroad, so the timing was absolutely perfect!

What expectations do you have of your performance at J-Shock and of your European fans?

Miku: Oh, I hope, that everyone will have just as much fun during the performance as we have!

After Bou left An Cafe, everybody assumed that you would of course get a new guitarist. What made you decide to also recruit a keyboard player for the band?

Teruki: The new guitarist is not a replacement for Bou, that's for sure. Though, at first we were thinking that it would be sufficient to only get one new member in the band. Because we work with keyboard sounds, Miku came with the idea to also look for a permanent keyboard player to join the band, to become more professional musically.

So how did the fans react to Takuya and Yu-ki?

Teruki: The fans found it hard to accept that Bou, one of our most important members, had left. That's why at first we got rather cold reactions. Because of our performances with Takuya and Yu-ki and also because of their talent, they have accepted the two of them slowly, I think.

Takuya, is An Cafe your first band, or did you play in other bands before?

Takuya: My first real one, yes. In my high-school period I had a L'arc~en~Ciel-cover band, but I guess that doesn’t count.

A question to the 'old' members of the band – how did you get to know Takuya and Yuuki?

Miku: After Bou's departure, we started an unofficial search for new musicians, we called several music schools and had people play for us. With both of their auditions it 'clicked' between us immediately and so we had them join the band.

On stage and during your promotion in general, you don't use your real names. Kanon for example has picked his name from the manga "Maki Kusumuto Kiss". Where do the other pseudonyms come from?

Miku: I derived my name kind of coincidentally from an actress. The others all use a part of their real name.

How did Donald Duck become your mascot and why did you dedicate a song (Duck no Magical Adventure) to him?

Miku: I've been able to imitate his voice for quite some time and I've done that constantly. And then the others came up with the idea to put that in a song.

Your album, Magnya Carta, will be available in Germany after June 26th. Have you planned any more European or Japanese releases for the near future?

Teruki: At the moment we have no other plans for European releases, but when Magnya Carta sells well enough over here, we will think about it more. In Japan we will release our new single Kakusei heroism ~THE HERO WITHOUT A 'NAME' on August 22nd.

What do you think about the fact that you became famous outside of Japan via the internet? Are streaming videos on YouTube for example, a problem for you?

Miku: I'm happy that everybody is able to hear our music and see our videos!
Teruki: I took a look at YouTube myself and at first I thought that only Japanese fans would see the videos over there. Though now I know that a lot of our fans got to know us through video portals.

In early 2005 the band didn't have much success, and for a while you were considering disbanding. What made you decide to continue An Cafe?

Miku: Oh, you are very well informed! Yeah, we have thought of stopping, but it would be a pity – An Cafe is not only a band, but the Cafekko (the fans) and the band together. Also, the trouble with the self written songs would have been in vain...

Currently you’re signed with the independent label Loop Ash despite the fact that you’re very well-known. Do you like the role as an indies band or have you thought about signing with a major label?

Miku: We don't really care whether we’re indie or major, but we like to be on Loop Ash, it's comfortable for us and we get along with the boss very well.

A lot of fans already know your music, but they haven't had the chance to get to know you beyond that through interviews. So, what do you think about each other?

Miku: Teruki is the daddy of the band, he is the serious one, but nevertheless he starts with a lot of passion on every project.
Kanon: Yes, he is somewhat like a brake, but in a positive way – with drastic ideas and before big decisions he hold us back and makes us think about everything one more time.
Takuya: He is very down to earth, so we don't have to worry a lot as a band...
Yu-ki: Yeah, when something is simply impossible, Teruki clearly says 'No!'.

Kanon: I would like to say something about Miku! Miku, he has a switch in his head. When he turns it on, he is motivated immediately, but it also gets turned off very quickly and then he's de-motivated.
Teruki: He has a grown-up and a rather childish side. Though he can take responsibility very well.
Yu-ki: Hmm... He understands the feelings of other people well, and deals with it well.
Takuya: I think he has a good aura!

Teruki: Kanon is very artistic, he has many ideas. Takuya is a perfectionist. And he loves guitar!
Miku: Yu-ki is really nice, I think that he also understands other people well and gets along with others.

Lastly, please give a message for your fans over here in Germany and in the rest of the world!

Teruki: I look forward to the show a lot, and I think that we are already set to return!
Miku: Yeah, the same for me - and I would like to say that I love the German Cafekko just as much as our Japanese fans! Ah, an international fan club would be cool, right?
Kanon: I love you!
Yu-ki: Finally we’re here, I have been looking forward to this for a long time!
Takuya: I hope that we will not only see you tomorrow, but again in the future!

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We would like to thank An Cafe, Gan Shin, Loop Ash and everyone else involved for the interview.