Janken Real Of Rie Kitahara a.k.a. Unagi Inu

Tommy Kono May 18, 2012

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Recently, it seems that Rie Kitahara (KitaRie), is becoming more and more attractive to fans that have supported her since her debut and fans that are new to the AKB phenomenon. She is often lovingly called ObaQ or Unagi (Unagi Inu: eel dog) by members and fans. She revealed a handsome side of herself during Sashiko’s hardest period following the solo debut of “Soredemo Suki Dayo.” As you can easily discover by Googling ‘きたりえ、北原里英‘, she is a very cute girl that makes everyone smile, but what is she really like?

I think the best answer may be “Don’t think, just feel!”

But we can probably say the Janken Real footage clearly shows her true character.

This is the battle you can never lose

Before this battle, KitaRie was reading Manga in a back room.

「マンガ大好きです。ずっと、マンガ読んでいたい。」

“I love Manga. I want to read Manga forever.”

“I’m sorry, I guess I’m a very boring girl to film….”

Cameraman: “I found something interesting to film…”

Unagi Inu socks…

「靴下はうなぎイヌです。」

“Because I look like Unagi Inu.”

This cut… she is a little embarrassed when she admits this widely known nickname actually describes her looks well, but this shy expression is … just so cute…

She said she bought a PC three days before.

「パソコンがあると、、私ネット社会に入り込もうとしちゃうんですよ、必死に。」

“If I own a personal computer, I tend to become absorbed into the online community, desperately…”

Some of AKB’s members are known to be Ota or withdrawn. Despite her outgoing looks she suggests she also has the same introverted tendencies.

「だから、今は内向的になろうと思って。」

“So for now, I am trying to be reclusive.”

Early on in the day, she couldn’t even look at the camera which was prepared to follow her throughout the competition.

After she greeted the cameraman, she said “Because I’m shy, I don’t like seeing a camera in my face.”

This somewhat naive remark may describe the reclusive side of her personality.

I guess this remark got on the cameraman’s (46 years old) nerves…

“I think the condition of my face is better than usual today… what do you think?”

Right after making him a little irritated, she asked the cameraman a sweet question…

Is this her own way of getting along with someone? Or, is she just being awkward and wanting words of affirmation from someone?

When the mature cameraman said, “I think you’re cute,” in a calm tone, she replied, “Do you really think so?”

Is she trying to determine that it’s safe to open up to this cameraman?

At this point, she can’t even look at the camera’s reflection in the mirror.

“Thanks to a questionnaire, they started a conversation.”

Kitarie: “What made me get angry recently…”

Uhmmm, it looks like she could relax thanks to the snacks and sitting down surrounded by other members.

Kitarie: “Do you have something that makes you angry?”

Cameraman: “I have a lot of things that make me annoyed in my work.”

Kitarie looks at him!!

“Were you annoyed that Kitahara turned her back to the camera this morning?”

Cameraman: “I usually film live concerts of musicians.”

“They don’t get filmed putting on make-up when they arrive at the concert venue.”

“And since it’s early in the morning, they are not always in a cheerful mood.”

Kitarie is getting closer to him!!!

KitaRie: “So you understand them (and me) well.”

Cameraman: “How old are you?”

Kitarie: “I’m 19 years old.”

Cameraman: “My daughter is 18 years old.”

Kitarie: “Really~?? What does she do?”

Many people expressed their gratitude to the cameraman for his gentle attitude to Kitarie in online forums.

If it wasn’t for him, this film would be more like a ‘commercial.’

Q. “What ‘Sorrow’ have you realized since joining AKB?”

Kitarie: “I realized I can’t speak smoothly, (And though I already knew them) people pointed out my shortcomings.”

Cameraman: “So people are strict with you?”

Kitarie: “If they point out things that I haven’t realized, I’m grateful to them. But…. when they say, “You’re ugly,” I’m like “Yeah I know, so what?”

Cameraman: “I reacted as a father (of my daughter)… If someone said that to my daughter, I’d be mad.”

His remark kind of made her feel at ease as if she was with her father or a person close to her as her voice changes to her usual tone around this point.

She tries to make a sulking gesture by sticking out her lips.

When they separate from each other since she has rehearsal, she shows a bright but still slightly shy smile.

After the rehearsal, it appears that she was looking for him because she says, “Oh, you’re here! I’m sorry about (my attitude) before. I have something to say to you. Please come over here.”

She let him sit down next to her, and starts talking.

Kitarie: “I’ve decided to stop thinking I’m ugly from today.”

A shy smile…

Amina: “That’s Rie-chan’s serious worry, isn’t it?”

Staring at the cameraman,

Kitarie: “Did you feel sad when I said, ‘I’m ugly’?”

Kitarie: “I felt that you looked sad.”

“If my daughter said the same thing, it would be heart breaking as a father.”

She has been looking straight into his eyes during this conversation.

I don’t know whether she rarely meets men as kind as this cameraman in her daily work or if she often gets emotional as she is living a roller coaster like life in this business.

Either way, he is such a sympathetic person that he starts shedding tears too.

Online commentary says she was looking at her father through the cameraman’s eyes.

「もう今日はジャンケンどころじゃ無くなりました」

Kitarie: “I’m too preoccupied with emotion to think of Janken.”

After the rehearsal,

“Oh, hai!!”

Looks like once she has dropped her guard, she is really an exciting girl.

Kitarie: “I was wondering what happened you disappeared from my sight.”

Cameraman: “From now, I’ll be following you closely.”

Kitarie: “I don’t mind at all or rather please do it!!!”

As she finds her place, she looks at him to show where it is

It is her habit to always greet staff members she has worked with before.

Q. “What is AKB to you?”

Kitarie: “Everything in my current life.”

She lost to Harugon in her first match. (Since she was seeded, it was the 2nd round.)

When Harugon’s name was called she smiled.

She sent Harugon off to the stage with a smile.

She concluded the Janken tournament by paying gratitude to the cameraman and saying she will continue to try her best.

She was looking at the camera and the cameraman in turn.

She is not only a Manga Ota but also an Anime Ota (she has memorized all the lines of Studio Ghibli’s movie Mononoke Hime). Even though the real Kitarie is shy in front of cameras, she often poses for cameras during her performances. She is basically professional and an exciting girl on the stage as well as passionate when it comes to teamwork.

LOL even Jurina is looking at…

LOL “Atsuko! Don’t hide my face!”

However the most attractive aspect of Kitarie is naturally, her looks, although she hasn’t been very confident with them in the past. Her lips can easily compare to Angelina Jolie’s, her low-key voice is not Kawaii but has a relaxing tone. She is often seen as a role-model-type girl, but when she is with friends, she uses very casual language. The combination of these personality traits may demonstrate how special she is, but the most special part about her, in my opinion, is her face.