Name: Yu Murai (村井優) Birthday: august 18,2004 Birthplace: Tokyo Zodiac sign: Leo Blood type: B Introduction Vlog: if the video does not show watch the video here
Very experienced strong dancer from the Tokyo area. Delightful abstracted manner. Pretty and charmingly slightly cross-eyed, like an artist friend of mine. Another high-quality member, it appears, as the dancing of the two unannounced members, shown only silhouette, led us to believe.
... and her voice... so soft and soothing... also: pretty as well (but this is a given, after all we're talking about the 3rd gen!)
http://keyavids.com/sakurazaka46-3rd-generation-intro-vlogs-murai-yu-english-sub/ Yu's vlog is subbed now!
It's Yu day. https://sakurazaka46.com/s/s46/diary/detail/49527?ima=0618&cd=blog Considering the amount of girls who were already Sakura fans, it's good to have a member who auditioned only because someone else pushed her (her mother?) Right now in my book Yu is the Dark Horse of 3kis, so much hidden potential! I'm not a fan of the diatribe "dance like an idol" vs "dance like a dancer"... in a group like Sakurazaka where is it the line in between exactly? As a not-dancer I have hard time seeing it. I hope Yu will have her own song to dance like a dancer, though. And then, someday, centering like a center
Yu 2nd blog I don't usually post so many pictures from blogs (or anywhere else) but I couldn't decide Even the last one (courtesy of Miu-The-Official-3kis-Photographer) is just too cute to be missing Original blog https://sakurazaka46.com/s/s46/diary/detail/49688?ima=0421&cd=blog Sakurazaka101 translation https://sakurazaka101.com/what-a-happy-day-2023-03-26/
There are videos out on the internet. National dance contest in 2021. Yamashita did it in 2022. Try to see if you can find Murai. if the video does not show watch the video here Murai's dance club in high school. She was among the best dancers from the dance club. if the video does not show watch the video here Pause at 0:56 and 2:57 you will find Murai with yellow tie. It's kind of funny they do dance performance to Yoasobi's "Ultra marine". You can express the song in different ways but as some comment said the performance is too bright. They smile but perform such dance with excitement. The song is about resilience, the inner strength that helps you get through tough times. Anticipation, certainty, confidence, elation, enthusiasm, and expectation. Full of hope. Sony does probably have access to videos of members before we found them. That marine uniform didn't come as a random thought. Because everything connects to optimism with members' mental attitude. Fans who have reported from Aichi performance said Murai has improved her voice and expressions since hospitality party. Her voice was more stable now and it was quite overwhelming when members perform Dead end and their voices were overtaken by Murai's voice. You could clearly noticed her voice. It didn't disappear. It doesn't come as a surprise Sony has hired voice trainers from Over the Rainbow this time when members in 3rd gen have unpolished singing ability. Voice is there but they need to take voice training lessons to work on pitch and accent. They are all different. Murai's voice is good fit for songs with tempo that change mood, while Yamashita is better fit for mellow songs where her beautiful voice comes out. Airi's voice is best suited for ballad types. Solo songs will make this group the strongest. But I wouldn't go that far as some fans claiming Murai, Yamashita, and Airi are BIG 3. How about BIG 6 for a change. If worldview changes let's break the tradition of BIG 3 too. Riko, Itoha, and Nagisa got the voice as well, so unlike 1st gen, this time around there are more candidates. Voice training lessons will do wonder for 3rd gen. Murai is definitely a interesting member and if she and Yamashita are management's favorites and Airi ends up being Akimoto's favorite then there is a healthy future for the group. If Airi was overwhelmingly skilled like Hirate to carry the whole group on her shoulders we would have the same scenario again what destroyed 1st gen. Murai is that member now and there has not been any signs pointing towards Akimoto's favorite. Murai learned ballet for 6 years until she joined the dance club in high school and learned dance for 2 years until she joined Sakurazaka. In one year she was already among the best dancers in the dance club and participated national dance contest. That learning curve is impressive. Like Takahiro said she has the most potential of all members because she has the techniques and her voice is loud. Her nemesis was to express emotions. But she seems to have improved that for 3rd tour. I can now see what Airi meant with she was a ultimate weapon. She is good for Sakurazaka to achieve versatile songs. Her voice can adapt any dance style without getting unstable.
Yuu-chan's SHOWROOM broadcast in the 3Gens' series was Thursday evening. I've posted about it (including video) in the General thread.
Photos by Murayama Miu from Yuu-chan's Friday blog post. 1. Happy. 2. Angry. Some Japanese commenters call the second photo "cute".
Interesting "Angry" pic. Still doesn't beat Koike's "I'm so pissed at you, I'll melt you with my death-rays gaze".
Yuu-chan's September postcard: "September is the 'Moon-Viewing' month. Let's enjoy it together! I drew my own character. What do you think?? (signature) Murai Yuu Sakurazaka46" Yuu-chan and Shii-chan are known as "Bunny-Cat", Yuu being the bunny ("usagi"). Her drawing has a Y and a U in the ears, so comments are referring to this drawing (and its subject) as "Yusagi". Bunny-Cat (Usagi-Neko):
In blt graph.vol.99 Yu Murai appears in the 9th episode of Sakurazaka46's 3rd generation gravure project "Begin To Bloom". Following her previous work, she was selected as a senbatsu member for the 8th single ``How old do you want to go back?'' released on 2/21 (Wednesday). Murai, who has a reputation for her performance and presence, was photographed under the theme of "Natural & Fantasy." She focused on her life-sized figure in the emotional streets of Enoshima (Kanagawa Prefecture), and captured her standing in the magical atmosphere of an aquarium. In her interview, she looked back on the year since she joined the group and spoke in depth about the events that left an impression on her. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000002500.000006568.html
