[ 真紅の音 -Think note- ] VOL 3: Friendship

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“Hesitating about solo debut. Words from friends that brought courage.”

There’s a lot of things you get from a friendship, says Yamada. A heart more delicate than most others feels a lot of things being connected to other people. Sometimes supporting each other, sometimes clashing together, this is about that irreplaceable existence.

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I have a childhood friend from when I was in Elementary school. As a child I was really hot-blooded and was constantly fighting, and that guy was the one I lost to the first time. Coming face to face with someone stronger than me, I thought I’ll never speak to him again. He was a teammate in a local soccer club, and I hated the way he played really selfishly. However, at 5th grade we applied to the same J League’s Junior team, and we both got accepted. After playing in the same team, I started thinking that he might actually be a good guy, and before noticing, we started being in touch. After graduating from middle school, I remember we took a picture together as a memory. After that we haven’t had chances to meet, but around 3 years ago I suddenly got a mail from him. As always, he talked about soccer and about that dream; “Some day you might do a soccer-related job on TV, right? I want to become such a great player, that you can interview me then.” Since that day, his dream became one dream for me as well, that I definitely want to make true one day.

There are a lot of things you learn from relationships with friends. It would be ideal to cheer on each other with everyone, like with that childhood friend, but I came to realize that reality isn’t that sweet. For example, being betrayed by someone who you thought was a close friend, or having people who strangely started acting friendly when I became a celebrity. I’m shy around strangers by nature, so even now I’m not very good at making friends. There honestly aren’t many people who I could really call friends. It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that those few friends are JUMP and NYC members. They’re both co-workers and friends, and have supported me many times. Yes. Also when my solo debut was decided last year.

When I became to act in “Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo”, at first it was planned that JUMP would sing the theme song. But after that it was decided that I would make a solo debut, and that solo song would be used as the theme song… I thought of the feelings of JUMP members, and wondered if this is betraying them, and I didn’t even have the confidence to do it alone, so I kept hesitating it until right before the announcement. I talked to a lot of members about thinking of refusing. But the one who supported me on was (Takaki) Yuya. “There won’t be a chance like this, and if there’s even a little part of you that wants to do it, then don’t think about us, but just go on your own path. If I would be in your place, I’d do my best so that it would become for JUMP’s sake”, he said. I was able to take a step forward thanks to those words. I let other members know by e-mail, that I decided to do it. I got a reply from (Nakajima) Yuto, that said: “I understand your feelings, I’ll support you”. Everyone else understood as well, and I thought that I’m happy to be in the same group with these people. So, even though my schedule was really tight, I wrote lyrics to a song on the single, and gave ideas for clothing and PVs, pouring all my energy to this single, thinking of it as the first and the last solo product of mine. I did that not only for my sake, but more than everything, for the sake of the members who believed in me, and pushed me forward.

There are people who say I’m a hard-worker. However, that doesn’t come from just my own power. I’m able to be like that because of all my friendships.

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“Friendship is learning.” - Ryosuke 

Index:

[ 真紅の音 -Think note- ] VOL 1: Hard Work
[ 真紅の音 -Think note- ] VOL 2: Sense of Beauty
[ 真紅の音 -Think note- ] VOL 4: 20 years old
[ 真紅の音 -Think note- ] VOL 5: Family
[ 真紅の音 -Think note- ] VOL 6: Smile