Welcome to mixed feelings’ Hyperspecific, a profile series of increasingly intimate questions in which we ask our favorite artists, scientists, musicians, and the like to unveil their innermost selves — their weird existential musings.
I’m standing waiting for the start of ATARASHII GAKKO!’s set at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, on a mild May afternoon when I realize I’m in one of the most diverse concert crowds I’ve ever seen.
To my left is a girl no older than 10, fidgeting with excitement, wearing an ATARASHII-esque Japanese school uniform, her male parental figure flanking her. In front of me is a group of late-20s men I could see having drinks at Le Dive on a Wednesday afternoon, wearing Palace jerseys or mustaches or little chain necklaces. Behind me is a sweet, normie couple in their mid-40s that look like they could have just walked in from a dog walk and are checking out what’s up.
When ATARASHII GAKKO! first appear on stage and assume their battle formation, all these people erupt in cheers, myself included. AG just has that effect on people — theirs is the kind of music you could listen to while circuit training at the gym, on your school commute, imagining yourself as the main character in the video game of your life, etc. It’s J-pop, it’s hyperpop, it’s cyberpop. It has an ‘80s dance funk, a tongue-in-cheek humor, and also a futuristic swagger to it. Megan Thee Stallion loves them, too.
AG transcends genre, generation, situation, and demographic in the very best way. Their personalities and performance only serve to enhance this. Each member — Rin, Suzuka, Mizyu, and Kanon — is charming and authentic and a born performer. Every song is choreographed in such a way that you wish you knew the steps yourself. Since meeting them and seeing them live, I’ve had their new album “AG! Calling” stuck in my head like gum to a shoe.
Read their hyperspecific answers below, and if I can counsel you to do anything specifically, it’s to get to know ATARASHII GAKKO! Right. Now. Before they take over the world. XO, Amalie MacGowan
Level I
Something you’re always hoping people bring up in conversation when you first meet.
Rin: Nice undercut!
Suzuka: Where did you get your glasses?
Kanon: What’s your favorite anime?
Mizyu: What do you like to eat?
A positive trait people always tell you you have.
Rin: Nice undercut!
Suzuka: You have a loud voice.
Kanon: You have a big smile.
Mizyu: You eat a lot.
One destructive trait you know you possess and wish you didn’t.
Rin: My poor athletic ability.
Suzuka: *Screaming groan* My tendency to make strange noises.
Kanon: That I instantly fall asleep anywhere.
Mizyu: A stuffy nose. My frequent stuffy nose.
If a bodega were to name a dish after you, what would it be? (Be specific.)
Suzuka (on behalf of AG): Seishun. Like an overflowing Seishun Donburi bowl.
One song that makes you feel understood.
Rin (on behalf of AG): ‘Arigato'! Our new song. *Everyone murmurs in agreement*
Something you think is wildly underrated.
Suzuka: Uwabaki. [Note: These are Japanese indoor school shoes, and the shoes they are wearing to perform.] They fit your feet well. You tend to think it’s only for grade school kids, but I think adults should wear them too.
Level II
A movie you watch when you want to self-soothe.
Rin: Polar Express.
Suzuka: Avatar! The James Cameron one.
Kanon: One Piece.
Mizyu: Laputa: Castle in the Sky
What is one of the most important things someone has ever said to you?
Mizyu: When the members said ‘I love you’ to me. I thought, I love you guys, too.
Suzuka: My dad told me to learn the art of boke and tsukkomi, Japanese comedy styles, when I was very young.
What’s the first fandom you lost yourself in.
Rin: Lauryn Hill!
Suzuka: The Drifters. [Note: This is a ‘60s Japanese rock band known for their comedic music.]
Kanon: Kumi Koda.
Mizyu: Namie Amuro.
Something you bought recently after LOTS of research.
Rin: Facial moisturizer.
Suzuka: The thing that connects bluetooth headphones on a plane. I bought the best one, I think. Now when I watch movies, I can use my own headphones — it’s great.
Kanon: Blush!
Mizyu: Hmm I haven’t bought anything lately, to be honest.
Random thing you hate so much for no apparent reason.
Rin: A rat’s paws, and its beady eyes.
Suzuka: Umm cockroaches. And a person that stinks for no apparent reason.
Kanon: Pigeons.
Mizyu: I’m afraid of large bodies of water. *shivers*
Dream game night rotation.
Suzuka: Our members, obviously. ATARASHII GAKKO! Team AG!!
Level III
What’s an anecdote you usually tell to describe how you were as a kid?
Rin: I’ve been listening to hip hop since I was in the womb.
Suzuka: I was dancing to Béyonce in my underwear.
Kanon: I was so shy, that I couldn’t dance on stage.
Mizyu: I used to hold a cucumber in my mouth and sway back and forth. *AG laughs*
What is your low-key hell and actual heaven?
Rin: My low-key hell often comes in dreams. It’s not having my costume on yet and having to go on stage with no preparation. [Or…] having to perform a new song before the choreo is done. My heaven is being on stage giving the best performance of our lives.
Suzuka: Low-key hell would be… a really cold place, and heaven would be when tons of AG! fans touch me [during our show].
Kanon: Hell is being in the scorching sun, dry and thirsty and there’s no water in sight. Heaven is a cushion-filled, fluffy place.
Mizyu: Low-key hell is when it’s dusty and my allergies are out of control and it’s super itchy. Heaven is…the steam sauna.
Suzuna: Oh, low-key hell is also when I’m covered in snot, like a grade school kid. And heaven is also when you have no canker sores.
One time you laughed so hard you cried.
Suzuka: You tend to cry... [points to Mizyu].
Mizyu: Oh yeah, tears come out when I’m laughing. Especially the two of us [gestures to Kanon]. Just rehearsing with the four of us gets too funny, and we laugh so much that we end up crying.
When is the last time you cried so hard you laughed.
Suzuka: That doesn’t really happen much. There are feel-good tears sometimes.
Kanon: Once when we were at the airport and we had cocktails, I got emotional and started to cry saying how happy I was we were together. So there’s that!
How you exit a party.
Suzuka: By getting into our cavalry battle formation.
How you wanna go (either un-seriously or seriously).
Suzuka: SPACE! HERE WE GO! *They begin to sing ‘Forever Sisters’
YESS LOVE AG!!!