The first Weiß photo collection, Voice of Weiß (Tokuma Shoten, ISBN 4-19-720031-5), isn't only pictures; it also contains a fascinating wealth of interviews and discussions. During a photo shoot, the four members of Weiß individually answered the same fifty questions, revealing the differences in their personalities that round out the successful unit.

Fifty Questions

translated from Voice of Weiß by sumire

1. What are your thoughts on this photo session?
Takehito Koyasu (TK): It's fun. I was nervous, but because I'm with the other guys, it's fun.
Tomokazu Seki (TS): I'm still embarrassed. I'm getting used to it.
Shin-ichiro Miki (SM): No good. If I get into the role, it's fine, but... I'm probably not used to it. I like the atmosphere of the scene.
Hiro Yuki (HY): There's a good atmosphere, so I can do it without a lot of effort. I'm grateful to everybody for making this kind of workplace.

2. In the [fictional] work "Weiß," what story (job) would you like to try?
TK: I'd like to try fighting a smart opponent who uses a lot of high-tech equipment. Even though we have the same weapons as always, we have a hard fight and somehow defeat him--that kind of story would be good.
TS: Sneaking into the inner palace. ...wrong era? I'd like to risk life and limb and sneak into the Diet or someplace you normally can't get into.
* The Diet is the Japanese National Parliament.
SM: Just do what's been given to me as best I can.
HY: I feel like the story has already gone way beyond my imagination, so I'll just let them surprise me with the story that has already been written.

3. What "Weiß" character other than your own would you like to try playing?
TK: I'd like to try all the members of "Weiß." Lately, I've been thinking that all four might be other parts of myself--the characters you'd get if I were divided into four parts.
TS: I'd like to try playing a villainous politician or something. A character who gets killed off sounds fun.
SM: There isn't one. I put all my strength into Yoji.
HY: There are a lot of things to do with Omi, so I haven't been moved by any other roles yet.

4. Which "Weiß" member would make the best friend?
TK: I think I could become friends with all of them. As I was just saying, they're part of me, so I know how to get along with them.
TS: Ken, I guess. Since he's pretty open.
SM: Well, that's...
HY: Ken-kun, I guess, since he's the easiest to understand. His good points are his purity and clearness.

5. If you were a girl, who in "Weiß" would you want for a boyfriend?
TK: It would have to be Ken, wouldn't it. The reason is that he has the fewest obstacles. (laughs) Ken is probably the most honest with people.
TS: Ken, I guess, since he seems ordinary. The others seem like they'd give you problems.
SM: For going out, Yoji is the best, isn't he. But I might be uneasy about being used. Girls aren't stupid, they know when they're being strung along.
HY: I wouldn't like any of them. (laughs) They all look like trouble. If I had to pick one, then Ken, maybe.

6. If you could say one thing to your character, what would it be?
TK: Something like, "The world isn't only hardship, you know." If you tried to encourage him, he'd probably sulk, then later, he'd think, "Was that meant to cheer me up?"
TS: "Ussu!" or "Yo~!", something like that. Or "How's it going?" (laughs)
SM: It would depend on the circumstances, but I wouldn't call out to him.
HY: "You don't have to push yourself so hard!"

7. From your perspective, what do you and your character have in common?
TK: The fact that we speak our minds. Aya is a character who calls a spade a spade, and I'm kind of like that too.
TS: We both like children. Oh, I don't mean that I have a Lolita complex or anything. (laughs)
SM: We're completely alike. Since it's my role, there are parts I have to work at to understand, but essentially, we're the same.
HY: The way we work too hard. We're alike in wondering if we shouldn't drive ourselves to the point where we become overloaded.

8. If your character were to declare his love to someone, what would he say?
TK: "I'll protect you," I guess.
TS: He'd say it straightforwardly, wouldn't he. "I've gotten to like you, wanna get it on?" (laughs)
SM: I think he wouldn't be the one to declare his love. ...If I say any more, it'll uncover the secrets of this role, so I won't say any more.
HY: It would probably be something along the lines of "I always want to be with you."

9. Give a message to "Weiß" fans who were unable to attend the event.
TK: I'm very sorry. We inconvenienced you. Hiro-kun will make his pants shorter, so please forgive us.
TS: I think there will be other chances, so don't miss them. "Even the stormy night must break."
SM: I think what we did was inexcusable. In my heart, I wanted to meet everyone equally, but there was the matter of arranging the location and other things... Even the people who did make it had a hard time because they had to stand. Maybe people who couldn't come thought it was a shame after hearing about it. But under the circumstances, there was a limit to what I could do, so... I'm really very sorry.
HY: I wanted to meet everyone equally, but even if I apologize, I can't apologize enough. We'll make another opportunity to appear in front of everyone, so don't give up, please come.

10. Respond to fans whose expectations [for the event] were surpassed.
TK: I'm truly sorry. To make it up to you, Seki-kun will get in shape, so please forgive us.
TS: Thank you very much. Please continue to show us your favor.
SM: I think that cheering was for Yoji; it just doesn't come to me. I don't mean that carelessly--I think all my life, it won't come.
HY: I'd like to skillfully return the power that all the fans have given us.

11. What costume-play would you like to have Birman do?
TK: I'd like her to dress for those "no-panty coffee shops" they used to have. We'd bring mirrors to listen to our missions. (laughs)
TS: A homeless person. Because there are hardly any homeless beauties. I'd also like to see her in glasses as a sharp office lady.
SM: She's limited by the situations she appears in. Because she's established as a beautiful woman, no matter what she does, she makes a pretty picture.
HY: ...Birman, right? Not Kikuko-chan? (laughs) Bike gear or something sporty might be cool.

12. To you, who is an "unforgivable person"?
TK: I can't forgive myself. I'm irresponsible, run away from problems, and make trouble--I hate that. It makes me sick.
TS: Mean people.
SM: It's me, when I thought, "some people are unforgivable."
HY: A person who betrays others for his own profit.

13. Who is a "person you want to protect"?
TK: (turns to the tape recorder) YOU!
TS: All my friends. It's important to treasure your friends.
SM: It's impossible. I can't protect anyone.
HY: Someone I hold dear. Because I don't think about big things like world peace. (laughs)

14. What made you decide to become a voice actor?
TK: ...I guess it was because I wanted to meet Hiro-kun. (laughs)
TS: I was a TV-child, so first, I wanted to be on "Taiyou ni Hoero!" ("Roar at the Sun!").But while I was thinking things over, I decided it would be better to become a voice actor, and started off on the road to where I am now.
* "Taiyou ni Hoero!" not yet researched
SM: It's not that I ever thought, "I want to become a voice actor," it's more like the next thing I knew, I had become one. I've done all kinds of work, but it feels like I've been here the longest, that's all. In the beginning, I wanted to work with Tetsuya Takeda, so while I was looking for a way to do that, I heard about the agency I'm with now, auditioned, and ended up being accepted. If you want to enter this world, it'll happen sooner if you don't worry about it and just do it.
* Tetsuya Takeda is a singer/actor/writer. If you've seen "Virgin Road," he played the father.
HY: I wanted to become an actor, and then I got the opportunity to do voice work.

15. Is there a person you're aiming to be like?
TK: Tomokazu Seki.
TS: Shusui Nakamura of the "Hissatsu Series." In front of other people, he always seems to be a fool and a trickster, but when it's time to act, he does--he has a clear change that I think is cool.
SM: No. Tetsuya Takeda was only the catalyst.
HY: No.

16. When do you feel glad you have become a voice actor?
TK: Working with Miki-kun.
TS: When I do theater. It's become my job now, but acting is my hobby.
SM: It's not only about my being a voice actor, but it's when I'm able to see my parents and the people around me looking pleased.
HY: When I encounter work and people, including "Weiß."

17. What job do you have deep memories about?
TK: Working with these members now. I've never been so happy.
TS: The very first one you do stays with you, doesn't it.
SM: I have deep memories of all of them. There isn't a particular case where I can say "it's this one, when I put all my strength into it and pulled it off."
HY: I have deep memories of "Ryuknight."

18. Is there a fan letter that left an impression on you?
TK: One said, "You're a really bad actor." That's not a fan letter, is it. (laughs) One that had "I love you" written from top to bottom, with a certain meaning, was scary.
TS: I remember one that said, "Laugh even though you feel like crying, fight the part of yourself that starts to cry." I thought it was cool.
SM: Here, again, they've all left an impression on me. The fans have done their best to write them, so they all remain in my heart.
HY: There was a person who wrote me a letter believing that I was an 18-year-old boy. (laughs) I decided I'd try not to shatter that person's dream.

19. What is your policy regarding work?
TK: "Always pitch your hardest."
TS: It's "Put some effort into it." Be diligent about each role.
SM: I don't have a policy.
HY: "Don't keep strange pride."

20. If you hadn't become a voice actor, what would you be now?
TK: A treasure hunter.
TS: I think I'd be a sound man or a lighting man--something to do with the theater.
SM: I can't imagine anything except the way I am now.
HY: My family ran a greengrocer's, so I probably would have followed in my father's footsteps. I grew up looking at my father's back, and I thought he was cool.

21. What do you do on your days off?
TK: Writing. I've been writing articles since high school. I've never thought about becoming an author, but I just think it's a waste to leave the ideas in my head unused.
TS: I space out and don't think about anything. Even if I go outside, I stay spaced out. (laughs)
SM: Sleeping, or drinking, or driving. I cruise around the neighborhood in my car.
HY: I sleep past noon and go shopping. Even if I don't buy anything, it's diverting to look at clothes and accessories.

22. What is something you've been interested in lately?
TK: Voice acting. Because voice acting is a deep profession.
TS: Classic film. I want to see some old French and Russian movies.
SM: I've been interested in "the plan." What plan? It's a secret.
HY: There's a late-night show called "D no Idenshi" ("The D Gene"). I watch it every week without fail.
* "D no Idenshi" is a TV drama set in the near future.

23. What has been your happiest experience so far?
TK: Having my job change go well.
TS: When things went well.
SM: I think I've had some, but I forget. There are lots of happy things in everyday life, but to say "the happiest," I don't know.
HY: Maybe it hasn't happened yet. There should be something better. (laughs)

24. What has been your saddest experience so far?
TK: Failing at my job change and having a hard fight. I'm talking about a game called Final Fantasy Tactics.
TS: When things didn't go well. When, due to an unexpected "happening," things looked like the result was going to be different from what I had imagined. (laughs)
SM: I'm always sad.
HY: When an aunt who had been sweet to me since I was little passed away.

25. What experience has made you the angriest so far?
TK: I can't really say it here. (laughs) I don't think I've been so angry in ten years.
TS: I usually don't get angry much, so... Oh, once when I was doing a play, there was a person who didn't know his lines even though he had gotten into the theater, and I got mad at him.
SM: I guess I don't have one... I'm always getting angry, so I can't say when I was the "angriest."
HY: Having my car damaged! Apparently, someone tried to break open the passenger-side door with a screwdriver or something, and they left a terrible mark.

26. What movies do you like?
TK: "Seibu Sensen Ijou Nashi" ("All Quiet on the Western Front"). Also, "Danchi Tsuma ____ Jigoku" ("Housing Complex Wife _____ Hell")
*The latter sounds like a porno title. ^_^
TS: "Ijintachi to no Natsu" ("Summer with the Foreigners") and the "Hissatsu" series.
* "Ijintachi" is a 1988 film by Nobuhiko Obayashi. movie poster
* The "Hissatsu" series is a long-running samurai-drama series of TV shows and movies. video box cover, website
SM: If I start talking about this, there'll be no end to it. "Brazil" and things like that. And I used to like musicals. I like music clips, too. "Total Eclipse" dealt with my favorite, Rimbaud, but it diverged from historical fact, so I liked it but I hated it.
HY: I recently saw a movie called "Shine" and was moved to tears.

27. What novels do you like?
TK: Erotica.
TS: Edogawa Ranpo's Yuureijima (Ghost Island).
SM: I don't have a favorite... I have a book by Rimbaud at home, though.
HY: They aren't novels, but I read a lot of autobiographies.

28. What cartoons do you like?
TK: Over-18 ones. (laughs) Actually, "Tanoshii Moomin Ikke" ("Happy Moomin Family").
TS: "Getta Robo."
SM: "Ganba no Bouken" ("The Adventure of Ganba"), I find interesting, but that's not the same thing as saying I love it.
* "Ganba" originally aired in 1975. Link: LD cover art
HY: I like Osamu Tezuka-sensei's cartoons very much. They're making "Jungle Taitei" ("Jungle Emperor") into an animated theatrical movie, so as a fan, I'm looking forward to it.

29. What songs do you often sing at karaoke?
TK: I haven't gone to karaoke lately. The songs that are popular now are all set in a high key, so they don't suit my voice.
TS: Jirou Kanmuri's "Honoo" ("Flame") It's enka pops.
* Enka is a type of popular Japanese song, usually about love, and with a big orchestral backing. Link: Jirou Kanmuri
SM: Lately, when I go, I just listen to other people sing. I'm not good at it, so I don't sing.
HY: Hideaki Tokunaga, or "Nagoriyuki" ("The Remaining Snow"), things like that.
* Link: Hideaki Tokunaga Official Home Page.

30. What is your favorite food?
TK: Shrimp.
TS: Lawson's meat sauce spaghetti. It's good. I've gotten into it recently.
SM: It changes with my mood.
HY: Crab and sushi. For sushi, my favorites are anago (conger) and shrimp.

31. What is your least-favorite food?
TK: I have lots. Fish eggs are no good, so I can't eat expensive sushi. Try not to invite me out for sushi. (laughs)
TS: Tsukemono.
* pickled vegetables, especially cabbage.
SM: I don't have any in particular.
HY: Umeboshi, celery, narazuke, and things made with vinegar. But I like the rice in sushi. (laughs)
* Umeboshi: salty pickled plum. Narazuke: pickles in sake lees.

32. What are your favorite colors?
TK: White, black, red, blue. I like clearly defined colors.
TS: Red.
SM: It changes with my mood.
HY: White and black. And recently, wine red.

33. What fashions do you like?
TK: I like casual clothes. Denim and the like.
TS: The comfortable look. As you can see (laughs), I don't worry about clothes.
SM: It changes with my mood. Sorry, I am answering the questions. When I answer off the cuff, it turns out like this.
HY: I'm growing out my hair, so clothes that look good with that. I'm not picky about brand names.

34. What is your favorite sport?
TK: Skiing. Also, I'm good at ball games.
TS: Tennis or ping-pong or track and field. It's not that I'm good at them, I just like them.
SM: Do I look like I'm good at sports? (laughs) I don't really have one.
HY: Offroad motorbiking. If I have time, I want to go ride on the mountain roads.

35. What is your favorite animal?
TK: Giraffes. They're cute, with their wet eyes and long eyelashes and floppy tongues, Also, I like that they're tall. It feels good to look down from above, doesn't it? After all, people have to look down. (laughs)
TS: One that doesn't bite, doesn't scratch. One that doesn't hurt. (laughs)
SM: I don't really have one, because keeping a pet becomes hard.
HY: Dogs. We have a medium-sized dog at my parents' house, and it's really cute. Its name is "Jon."

36. Is there something that you collect?
TK: Choro-Q.
* Little toy cars. Link: Choro-Q
TS: "Hissatsu" series videos and LDs.
* see note for 26.
SM: Again, there isn't anything. Sorry.
HY: There's a dark, long type of rock music called "progressive rock," and I collect those CDs.

37. Where would you like to go?
TK: I'd like to go to Egypt again. I wouldn't mind living in Egypt.
TS: Katsurahama in Shikoku. Because it's the same sea Ryouma Sakamoto looked at.
* Link: Guide to Kochi Prefecture: information about Katsurahama and Ryouma Sakamoto
SM: Mont-Saint-Michel.
* Link: Mont-Saint-Michel
HY: I'd like to try making a circular pilgrimage of Japan's temples. I think it might be nice to just stare at some old things without thinking of anything.

38. What's a recent dream you remember?
TK: A cute "talent" appeared, and we played scissors, paper, stone. (laughs) (Apparently, this has a deeper meaning.)
TS: A dream that five black women were doing lewd things to me. (laughs)
SM: I always dream that I'm being chased, so I sweat a lot at night.
HY: When I'm exhausted, I often dream that I'm standing on top of a building. About two meters in front of me, there's a one-meter-square tower of the same height, and I'm trying to jump to it, but I can't land well, and I wake up just as I'm screaming, "Aaa!"

39. What games did you often play as a child?
TK: With other boys, baseball. With girls, playing doctor. (laughs)
TS: Cops and robbers and kick the can, things like that. I played outside a lot.
SM: What did I do? I don't remember my childhood. (laughs)
HY: There wasn't a place to play in my neighborhood, so I played with model trains in the house.

40. When did you feel that you had become an adult?
TK: When I grew hair down there. (laughs)
TS: When I first thought about how I appear to society. When I thought, "Oh, I've reached the point where I think about appearances, too," I felt a little sad.
SM: I haven't.
HY: When things that used to make me angry didn't make me angry any more.

41. What's your type of woman?
TK: A thoughtful person, and a girl with a small butt.
TS: A cheerful person.
SM: If I take a liking to her, any kind. There isn't a concrete type, it's based on inspiration.
HY: A cheerful person who will sympathize with me.

42. When you see a woman, what's the first part of her you check out?
TK: First, I notice her face. And then I guess I look at her whole body.
TS: Her eyes. I don't like eyes like a frozen tuna's.
SM: It changes depending on the season. But in all seasons, if the first thing I notice is no good, she's no good.
HY: Her speech, I guess. If it's a beautiful woman, I'll think "She's beautiful," but only with the same feelings as for nice scenery. (laughs) It's more important that I talk to her to find out what she's like.

43. A man's kindness is...?
TK: Telling a lie wrapped up in the word "sympathy." How cool. (laughs)
TS: ...It's hard to say in a single word. Being kind to one's inferiors and strict with one's superiors, maybe. Because I haven't thought about being kind. Doing things normally, I guess.
SM: It's not something I can say.
HY: The only way.

44. What's the first part of your body you wash when you take a bath?
TK: My head. I start with a shampoo.
TS: My face.
SM: My hair.
HY: The palm of my left hand, and then my chest.

45. If you had a time machine, where (when) would you go?
TK: I'd like try going ten years into the future. I want to see how I'm doing.
TS: I'd like to go to the period of Edo's useless prosperity and high culture, and enjoy the culture. I like the atmosphere of the Edo Period. It's probably because I haven't actually lived there that I admire it, though. In reality, the people of the Edo period probably suffered. I'd also like to see the streets of the Meiji-Taisho Period.
SM: There isn't a particular place I want to go.
HY: The spring when I was 20. The reason is that I want to do it over. (laughs)

46. When do you feel happy?
TK: When it's gone in. (What has?)
TS: When I'm sitting in a comfortable chair, in the warm sunlight, with a comfortable breeze blowing, smoking a cigarette.
SM: When I have a feeling of reality, I guess.
HY: When I get something I want.

47. Do you have a way of preventing summer exhaustion?
TK: I suffer from summer exhaustion, so if anyone has a way to deal with it, please tell me.
TS: I hardly use the air conditioner. Even if it's hot, I just leave it to nature and bear it.
SM: I'd like to know. (laughs)
HY: No. I have a hard time every year. I end up not being able to eat anything but cool Chinese food.

48. What are the virtues and faults of your personality?
TK: My virtue is my kindness. I'm a kind person. My fault is having that become my enemy.
TS: My virtue is my calmness. My fault is my quick temper.
SM: If I knew, wouldn't I be happier? ...although I am happy now. I wish for happiness for myself and the people around me.
HY: My virtues, I don't know. I suspect I have many faults.

49. Tell us your present state.
TK: Pretty soon, the new fall shows will be starting. Please look forward to them.
TS: I haven't really changed. Lately, I've been collecting CD versions of old records.
SM: Today I'm Youji from "Weiß," so I'll pass on the present state except for "Weiß."
HY: These are days of searching, thinking, "Isn't there anything interesting?"

50. Please give a message to the fans.
TK: You shouldn't believe everything. What you see isn't always right. Is what you think truly right? Please, think about it again. A heart that obediently accepts things is fine, but shouldn't you question something just once? The truth is in a place you can't see.
TS: Thank you very much for everything. Thanks to you, I've been trying my best. Please continue to watch over me with warmth.
SM: "I wonder what you think..."
HY: Please continue to love "Weiß" and Yuuki.

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