ab: Is there anything or person that has influenced you?

Itokutora: I always liked watching Nico Nico Douga and I knew about the “Odotte-mita” category. When I was little I took dance lessons and I got into it later, posting my own dance videos. The person who influenced me at the time was the popular dancer, Abeko-san. She looked good, had a great proportion and her dances were really fun. I thought that if I posted a video people would think the same about me.

Maamu: I joined by audition, but even before then I used to love watching Itokutora-san and Kozue-san on Nico Nico Douga, so I guess you could say that they influenced me (lol). Sensei was also really famous and I never dreamed that I would ever meet him. I was never really a dancer, I just wached and mimicked. I started full-on dance training after I joined up.

Kozue: The group that prompted me to post a video was an idol group called “Kanzen Maid Sengen” (Total Maid Declaration). I saw their PV on YouTube. Later I saw Hello Project’s PV and that reinvigorated my passion to become an idol (lol). Just when I was about to become an idol otaku I saw 47-san’s video (he was quite famous at the time) and I decided that I would give it a try. I used to go to dance school.

Yuzu Hime: I joined with Maamu at the same audition. Before that I used to watch Odotte-mita and with a group of friends I wanted to learn how to dance “Harebare Yukai” from “Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.” When we were searching the net we came across a group dancing at Akihabara, and watching them made us want to progress to Nico Nico Douga.

ab: How long have you been into Nico Nico Douga?

Itokutora: It’s been about 4 or 5 years since I started watching and soon after uploaded a video.

Maamu: My big brother got me onto it when I was in high school so about 4 to 5 years.

Kozue: My little brother showed me and at about the same time I uploaded, so about 3 years.

Yuzu Hime: It’s been about 2 or 3 years for me.

Itokutora: I have been watching it forever. It’s not like TV though; you have to continually check the rankings and such if you want to keep up with all the latest info and trends. Things on “Odotte-mita” go in and out of fashion so to keeping up with what’s hot on Nico Nico Douga is a never-ending task.

Maamu: In any case I would check the ranking, and if there was a video zooming up the charts I would check the news and watch it before I went to school.

ab: Did you talk about Nico Nico Douga at school?

Yuzu Hime: Yes, around the time I was finishing high school.

Kozue: I first found out about Nico Nico Douga from my school friends. But recently there are a lot of really young kids watching. Some elementary and junior high school kids do their own Nico live broadcasts – it’s scary. Don’t do it kids, you’re too young to be crossing over into this world. But I can understand how they get hooked – it’s a scary world.

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