Interview/Text: Kaze no Iona
Photography: Doll Ojisan
Having recently been gathering popularity among gamers, Mega Drive Idol Memi Aizawa appears in costume!
Memi Aizawa
Winner of the contest to be the face of Sega’s rhythm game “Maimai”, she’s currently undertaking various activities to support the Mega Drive as a Mega Drive Idol, in order to make more Mega Drive-loving friends. Her cosplay as various Mega Drive game related characters is not only popular in Japan, but overseas as well. She’s also planning on releasing a CD geared toward Mega Drive fans.
Twitter: @memiest
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCccUm-M_PfAub_P7KtfwRrA
Official Product Sales: https://www.beep-shop.com/ec/products/list?category_id=112
Why is it that you like the Mega Drive so much?
(Aizawa) My older brother taught me how great it is. At first I was really scared of the atmosphere that most of the games had and distanced myself from them, but before I knew it I’d completely fallen for them. The first games that I played were “Altered Beast”, “Osomatsu Kun”, “Curse”, and “Super League” (“Tommy Lasorda Baseball”).
It’s true that games like “Altered Beast” and “Curse” might be a bit scary to a little girl (Laughs) “Osomatsu Kun” is scary too, but in a much different way…What do you feel that the allure of the Mega Drive is?
(Aizawa) The visual design is really cool. I’m enchanted by the gold “16-Bit” logo that shines on the jet black console body, that stand-out Mega Drive pink color and Sega blue reset button, and the asymmetrical circle design atop the rectangular form. There’s so much that’s alluring about Sega, who’s always ahead of the curve.
Those are the same points that male gamers are usually attracted to as well. What are your favorite games and characters on the Mega Drive?
(Aizawa) My favorite game is “Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium”. No matter how many times I play it, I never get tired of the story progression that’s so livened up by characters that are overflowing with personality. My favorite characters are the ephemeral and younger sister-like heroine Nei, the mecha-obsessed Demi, and the transforming round mascot character Pepelogoo. Can I include Michael Jackson as a character too? (Laughs) There are so many that I can’t pick just one.
You cosplay all sorts of different Mega Drive related characters, but what characters would you still like to take on?
(Aizawa) I’d love to do Mia from “Lunar”, the two characters from “Battle Mania”, the list goes on and on. I’ve started thinking that cosplay is the best thing that I can do as a Mega Drive fan. Dressing as my favorite characters is a lot of fun, and it makes me happy.
The Mega Drive Mini is set to release this year. So it looks like we can expect the Mega Drive community to liven up quite a bit.
(Aizawa) That’s right. I hope that the number of fans that love the Mega Drive increases, and they continue to support it forty, fifty, and even one thousand years from now. Also, my expectations for the Mega Drive Mini are in regards to the visuals and details of it. I’ll be satisfied if it turns out to be an item that gets the details right, and that makes you think “That’s so tiny and cute!” just by having it out on display.
We’re looking forward to its release. Finally, please give us a message for all those Mega Drive fans out there, and tell us about what the Mega Drive Idol plans to do next.
(Aizawa) I had a lot of fun working on the fan book that I previously released, but I’m currently working on something in audio form, with help from some wonderful people. I’m a pretty biased Mega Drive fan, but I hope to have a lot of fun along with everyone on this!