MRirian/Interviews

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Weekly PlayBoy Interview #1

TRANSLATION courtesy of Forryga, cleaned up by arguecat3

>Why is your name Magibon?

My true name is Maggie. But I want a nick name like a Japanese person. I got it from the nick name of Aibon as the Group member of "モーニング娘/Morning Musume(daughter)".

>Where do you live? And what are you doing now?

I live in the town about 3,000 residents located in the mountainside of Pennsylvania, USA. The nearest large city is N.Y., which takes 4 hours by car to reach. Also, I have a part time job as a cashier in the shop sometimes.

>Your features looks like an Asian lineage. don't they?

I have a bit of Native American in me, which makes my features look Asian.

>Why are you interested in Japan?

Because I really enjoy Japanese things......confectionery "Pocky"--a stick of chocolate-- In my childhood I liked "Sailor Moon"--(anime)--, but now I like TV dramas more than anime or manga. "Hanayori Dango","Ichirittoruno Namida", and "Nodame Kantabire" are some of the shows I watch online.

> Why you didn't you say anything in the YouTube in the early stages?

I think, it was only an experiment so I could see how cool my image in the internet was. When I saw myself on the PC screen, I was all like:. "Wow, It's me in the P.C.!" I waved my hands and laughed. I didn't think about any other people saw it. Then, I dislike my double tooth, so I didn't want to open my mouth. However, many people who found the v-log commented on it; they said things like " Nothingness is so deep!" or "Please upload more v-logs." I was so inspired by them, So I uploaded more v-logs.

>You became famous all over the world almost immediately, didn't you?

My heart got all fluttery; many messages had been sent from all of the world. Someone said, "You make me calm and mild" However, Ill-natured messages have been on the rise.

>There is a rumor that there is entertainment producers backing you up, isn't there?

I have never been in any production; I make the v-logs by my self at home. I know about the sites that spread rumors and defamation of character about me. However, most of my viewers are nice people.

It really makes me happy that Japanese people have viewed my v-logs.

>You excel in Japanese. Did you learn it at a Japanese school and so on?

There is no Japanese school or Japanese teacher in my town, so I studied and succeeded all by my self. But I don't like to study.(with a short laugh) As I don't like text books, I studied by reading the lyrics from the Japanese songs which I like and then looking up the kanji (Chinese character)which are difficult to grasp. After I watched the Japanese dramas with English subtitles, I tried to watch them without subs; However, of course, I can't understand it yet. But I surprised by my self when made it sense good .( with a short laugh)

I only know a few Chinese characters such as  1,2,3 etc!

>You use kanji in your blogs, don't you?

It is full of mistakes, but there is always very good advice sent to me as many Japanese readers send in various comments about how I should write it.

Weekly Playboy #2

TRANSLATION courtesy of Forryga and JL

For Magibon who has a great liking for Japan,

What about first love? Who is your type?

>What kind of child were you in your childhood?

I was a dreamy child and often got lost in thought.

> In your childhood, what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?

I was going to be a musician or a singer something like that.

>Which subject did you like in your school days?

English and French.

> Which one did you dislike?

I dislike mathematics and science. I am weak in mathematics.

>When did you have your first love?

It was in my second year of high school. An American high school is a four-year school. I had a crush on a Senior

who is a fourth-year student. But it did not go well.

>What type was he?

He was a kind of an athlete. He was a wrestler. I cannot understand why I had a crush on him now (with a short laugh).

>Recently, you stopped working in daytime, didn’t you?

>What are you doing now?

I am doing nothing especially. But recently, as my mother gave birth to a baby, I take care of the baby in her absence (I

baby-sit).

>What are your interests (tastes)?

The Internet, and learning Japanese. I like to bake cookies and cakes, also. Sometimes, I go to a movie on the

weekend, too.

>Do you have a kind of special ability or qualifications?

I have nothing particular, but I play the flute a little. I am not very good.

>Did you go to New York City?

Honestly, I did not go to New York City. I want to go to there, but I have no license to drive.

[Note: interview was before Magibon’s trip to Japan, etc.]

>Where do you go shopping?

I buy stuff online.

>Which brand do you like?

In cosmetics, I like Stila.

>Which part do you like more, your face or body?

Everyone praises my eyes, so I like my eyes. I also like my shoulders. So, I often wear a tank top.

> Explain your personality in a word?

I am usually reticent. Sometimes, I worry. And I’m very shy of strangers. So, I am not too confident of myself.

>Do you have a boyfriend?

No, I do not.

>Well, Which type do you like?

My type is tenderheartedness, and putting his heart into his work. I dislike complaining about his situation.

>Have you ever gone abroad?

No, I have not. But I got a passport this year, as I would like to go to Japan. Florida is the most distant place I have

been until now.

> Why did you contribute your own video on YouTube?

I only wanted to see my image in the Internet. I seldom talked and I had a boring life until then, so I tried it first as a

diversion. Accordingly, I spoke nothing in the video (with a wry smile). I thought that nobody watched the video. But many people watched it, then many requests came, they wished me to upload my video into YouTube. Accordingly, I continued to upload.

> Is it surprising that you have so many responses from all over world in this time?

Yes, it is. Especially, I was surprised and did not realize Japanese people watched my video. Accordingly, I wanted to

say somehow “Thank you” to those who watched my video. But I did not know Japanese at all then. I did not know how to thank them. At last I said “Thank you” in English, then they were surprised that I could speak, and the viewers went on increasing.

>Do you think about responses from all over world?

It amounted to 20 million total viewers who watched my videos. It is incredible to me so many people watched my

videos. Recently, my sister’s friend saw it and said, “She is your older sister, isn’t she?” and I was surprised. I am scared sometimes.

>You are scared?

Yes, a stalker may come. But almost all the comments on the net are warm-hearted ones. “I am made calm as I watch

you” or “Today was nasty day, but you made me calm as I watched you.” The responses made me happy.

>You sang the song of Aming‘s (female duo) “Matsuwa” on YouTube, didn’t you?

>Why did you sing this song?

>What part of the song do you like?

I thought this song was nice when I watched the old black-and-white video. The impression was indelibly burnt into

my mind. So, I sang the song. But it was embarrassing (she shies away).

>Do you know the meaning of the lyrics?

“Matsuwa” means “waiting”, doesn’t it? I do not understand at all. But I feel the atmosphere of the song if I sing the

song and read the lyrics.

>The song tells of a kind of Japanese mentality.

>If young girl loves somebody, she does not confess, but only waits.

>This is an example of a Japanese young girl who acts and thinks that way.

I think all young girls are as same as you said. I am an old fashioned girl, also.

>Are you positive about love?

No, I am absolutely not. I am not a type that matures early (I am a late-bloomer).

>Do you like to sing songs?

Yes, I do. I like to very much. But I am no good.

>You sang “Soy sauce Warrior Kikkoman”, didn’t you?

I cannot remember how I know it. I think I learned about it when I was surfing on 2channel. I forgot the reason why I

made it now. Someday I go to Japan and I work there!

>What sort of Japanese culture do you like?

My interest is Japanese drama and J-POP at this time.

>Who is your favorite Japanese singer?

I like Mo-Musu (Morning Musume), I often listen to Brilliant Green, also. I have a great liking for Tommy (Tomoko

Kawase, not male) as a vocal, too. My most favorite one is Ayaka Komatsu. She performed as a model and actress. I love her.

> How did you originally found out about Komatu?

I saw her on the program Sailor Moon. Thereafter I pay attention to her all the time.

>What about her do you like?

Komatsu is not like a model in the United States. American models are all tall and have bronzed tanned skin.

So, I have never seen a model like her. I feel a connection toward her, as her figure resembles mine in a sense. I have absolutely no confidence in my features. She is small, but she is really beautiful and lovely. She is cute wearing any clothes.

> You are knowledgeable about Japanese entertainment, aren’t you?

I know about the female talent who was punished for shoplifting, and the other who retired for smoking when was not

yet of age. Besides that, I heard that a talent producer can take 90% the performance fee of the talent. Can it be true? (she is very earnest)

>I do not know whether they can do that (with bitter smile).

>Well, what do you think about how the contents of the magazine Weekly Play Boy

>are aimed at Japanese young men?

I knew the magazine and the contents from seeing Komatsu in it.

I did not think that it was especially embarrassing and was surprised. But I am embarrassed to show it to my friends in U.S. In America, porn magazines are either really obscene or not. It is a style that is midway between really obscene and not…but American people think it is porn (with laugh).

>Magibon, you pronounce Japanese clearly, where did you learn it?

I learned it from Japanese drama. I specifically watched and listened closely for it. I learned the pronunciation from the

conversation in the dramas. I trained my voice after hearing their part many times.

>How wonderful it is! I think you have a good ear.

But I am not good at memory (bitter smile).

I look up same word in a dictionary many times, as if I’ve never seen the word once. And my vocabulary is not good enough; I have absolutely no confidence about that. People say you I am Japanese-American. It cannot be true.

>Do you have some study-aid books about Japanese?

I have some books. I do not learn much from a textbook or a study-aid book, I almost all learn it from my ears.

>You wrote the blog in Kanji (used in Japanese writing) sometimes.

>How did you do it?

I consult a Japanese dictionary or look up with translation software. I installed a Japanese dictionary in my P.C.

>If you work in Japan, would you learn Japanese harder?

>Are you seriously determined to learn it?

Yes, of course!

> Japanese is very different language from English.

>Do you think it is difficult, as it is almost completely different from English?

Yes, I do. I am not scared about it, as I have continued to study it. I was surprised when I first saw Japanese letters.

They looked like many small lines were swimming in a pool. It looks familiar, but Kanji is still difficult to me.

>If you go abroad Japan, What would you do there?

I want to be open to everything. If the professional tells me that you are suitable to do it, I will try to do it.

>Are you all right to appear in a magazine picture with a swimsuit?

I am all right. I do not especially feel like doing a bikini photo. I have poses which I do not want to get into.

>You must do something new other than appear in a magazine picture.

>Something like sing a song or dance and performance.

>It is expected that the talents in Japan can speak or do something funny on TV.

>Don’t you have TV program in the U.S. similar to Japanese ones?

>Can you do such things?

I’ll do my best.

>If you become a celebrity, you must be exposed to public criticism.

>Do you have mental preparation against such a negative flank?

I experienced such a thing this year. Because the wrong information or lies going around. I experienced that I can

laugh it off.

>How about your dreams for future?

My biggest goal at this time is I want to go to Japan to work in the community of Japanese entertainment. It is a big dream and a serious matter for me that leave this town and go to Japan, as much as anyone could have such a goal. Assuming that it will come true, if my neighbors and my friends could see my goal come true, I think it is great. “Yumewo akiramenaide! (Don’t give up your dreams!)” I wonder if I cheer up anybody to say so.

>Well, Please give your message for all subscribers.

I really want to go abroad Japan.

I exert myself!

PingMag Interview

oday we enter the world of a YouTube celebrity. If you’re an avid user of the popular video sharing site, chances are you’ve encountered the videos of Magibon — those big eyes and tiny face looking up at the camera, sometimes with a message, often with none. Surprising even her, the videos garnered millions of views, most of them from Japan, which lead this American 22-year-old to start learning — and using — Japanese, without leaving her bedroom in the state of Pennsylvania. PingMag catches up with Magibon during a recent visit to Tokyo, to find out what it takes to make it big on YouTube.

Written by Jean Snow

When did you start creating these videos and putting them up on YouTube?

I think maybe a year and a half or two years ago.

Why did you start?

I was playing around with YouTube — it was still sort of new to me — and I was watching a lot of Japanese music videos. I then realized I could put something up, so I plugged in my webcam, waved a bit, and then put it on YouTube just to see myself. I didn’t think anyone else would watch it, besides me or my friends.

And then the complete opposite happened! How long did it take before you realized that people were checking out that video?

Within a week or so it had several thousand views on it. I realized that there had been a link to it put on a really popular Japanese message board called 2channel. I was so psyched because I love Japan — I’ve tried my whole life to get a Japanese penpal — and suddenly thousands of Japanese people saw my face.

So you realized you had a big audience from Japan. How long did it take before you started using Japanese in the videos?

After I did a few videos, I wanted to try and thank people on 2channel. I was using really broken Japanese, using machine translations, to try and say “that’s me” and “thank you.” From that point, I was writing in video information, or comments, trying to use Japanese.

And then there’s the “arigatou” (thank you) graphic at the end of your videos. When do you start adding that, and how do you create that animation?

I don’t remember exactly when I started. It used to be a different one every time I think, just whatever I felt like at the time I was making the video. Now I always make it “arigatou.” Before, on my old Windows computer, I was using Movie Maker to create it. Now I have a new laptop, a Mac, and I’m using iMovie.

You have a blog written in Japanese, when did that start?

Over a year ago, I think.

Is that hard? Are you first writing in English and then translating, or doing it directly in Japanese?

I do both. It’s kind of hard because when I write on my blog I have to keep in mind that it needs to be really simple, so that my Japanese can be understood. So I try to think of ways that I can write the sentence in Japanese, and then I have to either look up the words that I want to use, or if I’m short on time I put some very simple English into an online translator, and then go back in and try to fix it up.

Is there a particular reason you don’t have one in English?

It’s not that I’m against having one in English, but it doesn’t fit with what I’m doing right now. I really want to live in Japan, work in Japan.

OK, so now you’re really pushing to get to Japan. What is it that you want to do here?

I want to be a singer.

Are you using your videos to try and do that? Because a lot of your videos are silent…

I just recently decided that that’s the direction that I want to go in. I wasn’t sure what I could or should do before, because I kept thinking, do I have any talents, can I do anything? But recently I’ve decided that singing would be good.

For now, are you able to live off what you do on YouTube?

I’m in the YouTube partner program, so they put advertisements next to my videos — whichever ones I choose to add — and then they share the revenue. It’s not very much money, but I still live with my mom, so I’m able to fully concentrate on this now.

How often do you make new videos?

It depends. There are times when I really get into it and I do two or three a week, and then there are other times where I just don’t have any inspiration or creativity, and I’ll just do two or thee in a month. Recently, I didn’t do a single video for a whole month. I’ve always done it based on how I’m feeling.

And when it comes time to make a new video, is there a lot of thought that goes into what you record, or does it come from experimenting?

I get out the webcam and turn it on, and then if I feel like talking or saying something then I do, and if I don’t then I just do the non-speaking ones.

Do you record a lot and then only keep the bits you find interesting?

Sometimes. There are some videos I’ve done where it’s a clip that cuts to something else, and then to something else, and that’s probably a time where I was sitting there for over an hour, and it just turned into a one-minute video.

You’ll do that, being in front of the camera for an hour?

Yeah, like get something to eat, then take it to my computer, and turn on the webcam. I’ll just sit there and think while I’m eating, and then if I think of something to say I say something, or get bored and just make faces, or take a bite of food or something, or show what I’m eating.

Does it take a long time to edit the video and prepare it for YouTube?

It depends. Sometimes it takes a long time, sometimes it’s really straightforward. I used to put music in my videos, and those are the ones that took a really long time, because I would have to try to make things match with the music, and make the length and everything go with the song. But that was a long time ago, and since they’ve started cracking down on copyrighted material, it got me thinking that maybe I shouldn’t be using songs in my videos.

Sure, you wouldn’t want to get in trouble. So we all know that you really like Japan, but what is it about this country that you like so much?

I don’t know, something just kind of clicked. I think a lot of people just identify more with a different culture than their own. And that’s how it is with me and Japan. I like dramas, and J-pop, and I like the Japanese language…

What about anime and manga?

I like that stuff, but I try to stay away from it a little bit because I’m a very habit-forming person, and if I get into anything like that then it will take over my life. There’s a lot of people watching me right now who are already saying that I must be an anime otaku or something, and that I have no idea what Japan is, and that I only want to go there because I think it’s an anime-land.

Well, at least you’ve had a few chances to come here because of your videos, and to experience the country firsthand. Your latest visit was for a YouTube event. What did you do for that?

For the event, I didn’t know for days ahead of time what I was going to be doing there, and then when I got there we decided that they would just ask me some questions in Japanese, and that I would try to answer in Japanese. Also, the Fatblueman band — who wrote the “Magibon Song” — was there and I got back on stage during the performance.

And what do you think about all these song and video homages to you, since there are almost as many as the number of videos you’ve done yourself?

The nice stuff is really touching — without that stuff I don’t know if I would still have the strength to be in Japan, and to try and go after what I’m going after. I’m really thankful for all that stuff. And my mom likes to watch those videos. She watches them a lot.

There are also a lot of critical videos, that make fun of what you’re doing. How do you react to them?

I ignore that stuff. I haven’t seen most of them, because if it looks like it’s going to be negative, then I just ignore it. From the time I started doing this, that stuff has been around. At first it was really hard. When somebody says something to insult you, your natural reaction is to stick up for yourself, and that’s what I really wanted to do. But something was stopping me, telling me not to acknowledge them. There are a lot of people looking, a lot of them getting inspiration from what I do, and so I have to be careful about what side of myself I show to people, because that will affect their thoughts and their feelings. I only want to show patience and happiness to people.

You obviously think a lot about your audience. Once your videos became popular, did you change the way you made them, to better accommodate that new audience?

In some ways yes, and in some ways no. Because people really like the non-speaking videos, I continue to do those. Some people are really touched by them.

People are touched by them? In what way?

Because it’s a like a blank slate, it can be whatever you want it to be. There are a lot of other videos on YouTube — some of the most watched ones — that have a lot of arguing and negativity, and then you have my videos, with just silence, maybe just a smile, or a wave. To some people, that’s really meaningful for them, to just make everything stop for a minute, and have someone just smile at them.

But it’s hard to please everyone. When I first started making the videos, when they first started becoming popular, I was listening to people’s suggestions and trying to do what they wanted. Some would say that I needed to make the videos longer. Then I’d get other messages from people saying they were too long, that I needed to make them shorter. Same for using English or Japanese. So it’s pointless. If I do what I’m feeling, that always works out the best anyway.

Can you tell me more about your previous trips to Japan?

The first time was a joint invitation by Weekly Playboy magazine and Gyao. That trip was fun and magical, but very stressful: the TV, the cameras, the radio, all at once. I had never done anything like that before, and I was being thrown into it. Maybe everyone was under the assumption that because I have a lot of popularity or fame that I’m a professional or an entertainer. But really, I have a slow life in Pennsylvania, I don’t ever do anything but the internet and YouTube. On the second trip, there was a little bit more time.

And why did you come that second time?

The Tokyo International Film Festival. I did the voice of a little French boy, one line in a movie called Blue Symphony, and we actually got put into the film festival.

How did that happen?

Someone working on the movie knew my YouTube videos, and had the idea that my voice might be good for that part. They wrote to the editor of Weekly Playboy, who was always working with me, and so I knew it was a real offer. I recorded the voice on my own computer at my house, right into my microphone built into my laptop, in my kitchen. I waited until everyone was asleep so it would be quiet, and took the clock out of the kitchen because it was ticking. I recorded the line and emailed it to them.

And why did he think that you could do the voice of a young French boy? Did you use French in any of your videos?

I made a video once where I was reciting a French poem, and I think that I immediately deleted it or I made it a private video. But of course, when I put up a video there are people who somehow save it to their computer, and so it turns up again. It’s floating around somewhere. It’s not very good. It’s one of those things where I just had my computer out and I felt like doing something.

Nothing ever truly disappears from the web! So what’s next for you?

I recently decided that I want to sing, and so that’s what I’m going to pursue now. My real love though is television, I love Japanese television.

You know, in Japan, a lot of famous people sing, and appear on dramas, and do all this stuff, so maybe that’s what you could do?

That’s what I was thinking. Right now, if I have a talent in singing that I can grow, then that’s a way for me to enter into entertainment. And if I can achieve any kind of success with singing, then maybe someday, when my Japanese is better, then I can try acting.

What about YouTube, are you planning on continuing to make videos?

I would really like to continue with YouTube, but like I said, I do everything based on how I’m feeling, and so I can’t really see the future. But as of now, I don’t have any plans to stop using YouTube, and I’d like to continue.

Do you already have plans for another trip to Japan?

I’m trying my best to not have to leave, to stay as long as I can! (laughs)

Thank you, Magibon, and good luck with your quest to move to Japan!