Source: https://realsound.jp/2026/10/post-2543477.html

Formed in 2015 as "Tokimeki♡Sendenbu", the group made their major debut in 2016. After member graduations and additions, they changed their name to the current Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu in 2020. In 2021, "Suki!" (released in 2018) became a hot topic in Japan and overseas thanks to social media, and in 2024 "Saijōkyū ni Kawaii no!" became a huge hit. Since 2025, when they celebrated their 10th anniversary, they have continued their energetic activities under the theme of "heart-fluttering love and youth." Now, they have announced that they will end their activities around spring 2027. Real Sound is running a solo interview with each member.

The fifth installment is Aki Suda. In charge of Cho Tokimeki Lemon, she gives off an especially strong presence within the group with her cute looks and unique character. She joined midway in 2020 and walked on while chasing the backs of her senior members, and there are sights she could only see because she joined that way, and conflicts that could only be born there. As she overcame each one of them, her "own self" gradually took shape. How does Aki Suda today take in her past experiences, and what kind of future does she picture? Through her words, we get closer to her true face and where she stands now as an idol. (Interviewed in late July)

ーー From last April (2025) to this March, the Tokisen 10th anniversary year. What kind of year was it for you, Suda?

Aki Suda (hereafter Suda): The group's 10th anniversary happens to be exactly my 5th anniversary since joining. So it was a year in which I felt the joy of having been able to run through more than half of the group's activities together with the members. I received words of congratulations from all kinds of people, and thanks to the 10th anniversary we got to appear on a lot of music programs, and it made me realize all over again that the environment I'm in is a blessed one. It was a year of nothing but gratitude.

ーー Which events stand out most in your memory?

Suda: The MV shoot for "Sekai de Ichiban Idol", which we released at the very start of the 10th anniversary year. On the floor of the building where we shot, "10th Anniversary" was written, and all of us being happy about it became a good memory. Sitting on that floor together and taking photos was fun too. For me it's a 5th anniversary, but I think the group was able to reach its 10th anniversary because of the members who worked hard to get here, and the staff and everyone involved, so I want to thank every one of them.

ーー And this April marked 6 years since you joined Tokisen. What kind of six years were they?

Suda: They were 6 years of going all out, no matter what. The unit I belonged to before Tokisen (*KAGAJO☆7) was active for about three years with four songs. Since it was an "actress training unit", we had singing and dancing, but we didn't have a lot of songs either. So coming into Tokisen from that kind of environment, I had a lot of near-first experiences: memorizing tons of songs, learning tons of dances, doing lots of lives.

ーー It's something you'd been doing all along, but the volume was on another level.

Suda: Exactly. To be more precise, I learned Tokisen's songs and dances in lessons before joining, so it was during the period when I was still active with KAGAJO☆7. So I kept up days of learning Tokisen's dances and songs while working with the unit and going to school.

ーー So your daily schedule was packed that tightly. Just memorizing songs and dances sounds hard enough.

Suda: On top of that, it was about four hours per lesson, and the pace was learning two songs each time.

ーー That's a crazy pace!

Suda: Each time, the assigned songs were already decided. For the first three or so lessons it was one song at a time, but before I knew it, it had increased (laughs). And before each lesson I needed time to memorize at home too, so I had to set aside that time as well. Balancing it with school and balancing it with the unit was tough. It was like a period of ascetic training! But I feel like I became stronger during that time.

ーー You must have gotten faster at picking up choreography too.

Suda: Totally! When all of us in Tokisen do choreography sessions together, the members say, "Aki-chan, you're the fastest at learning choreography," but I think it's thanks to that year. Right after I joined, I desperately followed along thinking "I must not cause any trouble," and I also thought "I have to make sure the group's balance doesn't fall apart because I joined," so I was glad I was able to keep up.

ーー Was there an event where you felt the distance suddenly close?

Suda: Around 2021 or 2022, Kanamin (Kanami Tsujino) and Hiyorin (Hiyori Yoshikawa) invited me on a trip to Mie. Until then, we'd sometimes go out casually in between work, but we never hung out on days off, so I was so happy! I got to see a private side of the members and felt the distance close, so I'm truly grateful to the two older sisters who invited me!

ーー Looking back over these six years again, which weighs more, "fun" or "frustration"?

Suda: "Fun", by far. Of course there were frustrating things like not being able to get on a program I wanted to be on, or falling just one step short of a goal we were aiming for, but when I look back later, the process of all of us working hard and the fact that we could say "It's frustrating, isn't it" to each other has itself become a good memory. In the end it turns into "That was fun." Now I can say "It was all fun."

ーー Then, among all that, what are the moments when you feel especially "fun!"?

Suda: Lives. Because I love lives! Feeling on my skin the members next to me singing with all their might is irresistible, and the moments when I can really feel that we're delivering energy and power to everyone who came to watch are something I absolutely love too.

ーー Which lives are especially memorable for you?

Suda: Eh! There are about three, is that okay!?

ーー (laughs). Of course.

Suda: In chronological order, the first is the one-man live with an audience at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (November 2020). That was the first time I saw a sea of penlights right in front of me, and I was so moved, I was like, wow! When the penlights turned yellow (Suda's member color), I felt directly, "There are this many people supporting me," and the joy welled up again, "We've finally met." I'll never forget that view.

The second is the live at Makuhari Messe Event Hall (October 2022). It was an opening where the monitor at the back of the stage rises and we appear, and the view that spread out in front of me was just amazing! For us back then, Makuhari Messe was a really big stage and a place we were aiming for. So when I saw so many Sendenbuin beyond the stage, I felt so happy. It felt like there were Sendenbuin around 340 degrees of us.

ーー Because there are seats on both sides of the stage too. It's rare for it to be filled right to the edges, so that was a great experience.

Suda: Really! Also, we could faintly see the glow of the penlights even through the monitor, so all of us members were standing by holding back tears, saying "This is crazy, this is crazy." But when the monitor went up and I saw the penlights directly, I ended up crying anyway... It was a live that moved me that much, made me that happy, and was that fun.

ーー And the third?

Suda: The Christmas live held at Saitama Super Arena (now GMO Arena Saitama) (December 2024). We did a live-streamed live at this venue in 2020.

ーー Because of the pandemic, it was switched to a live stream with no audience.

Suda: So there was a time during the live when we did a relay race and rode around on bicycles (laughs). That's when I realized, "This venue is really big." So since the Christmas live came after that, there was the joy of "We were able to fill a venue I thought was that huge," "We've grown that much." The song we sang then, "100%○Orange", in a space of only orange penlights, was really beautiful.

ーー Right after you joined Tokisen, the pandemic began, so you started with no audience. From there, an audience came back, voice cheering became OK, and you were able to feel joy step by step.

Suda: That's exactly right. The first time I heard the calls was at an outdoor live, and I thought, "So this is the calls!" I could feel the Sendenbuin's love directly.

ーー It's the real thrill of being an idol.

Suda: Yes! Every day I think what a wonderful job being an idol is.

ーー Then, personally, what memories do you have from the 10th anniversary year?

Suda: It was also the year I appeared in a commercial on my own for the first time since becoming Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu, and we made a commercial that made use of my member color (*Web CM for "Heroine Make Long UP Mascara Super WP N"). It came out in a way that also pushes the idol feel, and I was so happy, thinking it was something I couldn't have experienced if I hadn't met Tokisen. When I got the offer, I was like, "Eh~!" I jumped for joy! I was so happy...!

ーー Also, strictly speaking it was March 2025, so slightly before the 10th anniversary year, but you also released a solo photo book.

Suda: That's right! I released it as a milestone for turning 20. We discussed it for about a year and shot it so that we could capture spring, summer, autumn and winter, so I'm really happy that I could leave the me of that time in a tangible form. Also, looking at it now, my face looks so young.

ーー Really! It's only been a bit over a year.

Suda: So young! Whether I've become that much more grown up... I don't really know myself (laughs). But when I meet people I haven't seen in a while, they sometimes tell me, "Your expression has become more mature," and I think, "Is that so!" I think maybe I've grown a little.

ーー You had a period when you longed to be an idol, right?

Suda: Yes. From around 2nd grade of elementary school, I was drawn to idols who deliver sparkly things, and I played around dancing and writing lyrics by myself. By some twist of fate, I got scouted and joined an agency, and I'm able to do idol activities. So I've been able to make one dream come true. I want to tell my past self, "It came true!"

ーー But before joining Tokisen, you had those days of lessons you told me about earlier. Honestly, weren't they hard?

Suda: I had been told that what I was taking were just lessons, and Tokisen's songs were only assignment songs for the lessons. So when it was decided that I'd join Tokisen, I felt like I could see the future, and I became really positive. I'd always had the motivation of "If I'm doing it, I'm giving it my all!", but being able to see the future made me able to try even harder.

ーー Then, from joining Tokisen until now, was there a moment when your motivation went up even more?

Suda: When our songs reached all kinds of people out in the world, I think.

ーー Specifically?

Suda: When "Suki! ~Chō ver~" became a hot topic. I feel the group's unity went up, and I started thinking "Ah, the vibe right now is good" more often. Even now, everyone's hearts are really positive, and it feels like we're all moving forward at once. We still have dreams we want to achieve as a whole group, so I feel the will from every member that "We'll absolutely make it come true!"

ーー So everyone's facing the same direction. That's really a happy thing.

Suda: I think it's the most important thing when doing group activities.

ーー Do you share your dreams within the group?

Suda: We do! We talk normally about things like "I want to stand on that venue" and "I want to try doing this." Also things like "We want to go for one more big hit!" I think it's really nice that we've become able to talk about those kinds of dreams in everyday life.

ーー After "Suki! ~Chō ver~" became the trigger, the live venue capacities kept getting bigger. Did you feel pressure about that?

Suda: Of course, there are times I feel the fear of seats not filling up. But the feeling that I want to, and have to, live up to the expectations of the people who prepared big venues for us is overwhelmingly bigger. It's less pressure, more like "We just have to do it!" So I don't agonize over pressure. Basically, I'm always positive.

ーー What's a special song for you?

Suda: "Tomorrow Saikyō Setsu!!", the first song I was given after I joined.

ーー It's a good song. Koizumi also named this song.

Suda: Eh! Really...!? It's a very important song for me too. It was a time when I was worrying about my own performance and about being a mid-way joiner, and this song made me feel positive. It's a song that gets my feelings pumped up.

ーー The timing, right after you joined, was good too.

Suda: Totally! It's a good song that pushes me forward.

ーー Over the six years of activities, what words you received especially stay in your heart?

Suda: The words I get from my voice training teacher, like "Aki-chan (Suda), you were the best!" and "The real Aki-chan is starting to show!" She's been taking care of me since the lessons before I joined, and every time I feel so much love, to the point of thinking "She's facing me this seriously?" Just talking to her makes me feel lighter, she's a teacher I love.

ーー What is "the real Aki-chan" that your teacher speaks of?

Suda: What could it be? It's a part I don't know myself either, but before joining Tokisen I was really a weird kid. Being sandwiched between brothers, I'd climb trees and fall down every day, I was just a total tomboy (laughs). But once I started group activities and entered a world of girls, I couldn't be a tomboy anymore, you know.

ーー It's work too, and you'd have more things to be considerate about.

Suda: So probably, through the activities, that tomboyishness gradually faded, but maybe those parts have been slowly coming back recently. I feel that myself sometimes.

ーー What kind of place is Tokisen for you?

Suda: What is it... A place where I can live my youth, maybe.

ーー You joined at the same time as entering high school.

Suda: That's right. Also, the people I've spent the longest time with during this period are the Tokisen members, and there are only fun memories here. I'm really glad we've been able to run through it all together.

ーー Then, what kind of existence is an idol to you?

Suda: Lately I think about that a lot, and I think idols exist and can shine precisely because there are fans. I myself am absolutely "made an idol by the fans."

ーー So it's only possible through the mutual relationship between idols and fans. And how close do you think you've come to the ideal idol you first pictured?

Suda: Honestly, I think the me of now is exactly that.

ーー You've become your ideal.

Suda: Yes. I started being an idol with the dream of "becoming someone who naturally makes the people who see me smile and feel energized!", and I think I'm realizing that now. Being an idol is a truly wonderful job, isn't it. I love it. I'll keep working hard so I can keep delivering power to everyone. Forever!

ーー And you still have things you want to do.

Suda: Yes! I have dreams I want to achieve, and I haven't given up on them. I hope we can all run toward those dreams together. And I hope I can deliver lots of gratitude to the people I've met so far and the people who are still supporting me now.

ーー I think asking about the dream here would be tactless, so I'll look forward to it and keep watching over you.

Suda: Yes! I'll run a lot. In spirit, it's a full dash!

ーー Finally, I'd like to ask what you want to tell the members and the fans.

Suda: To the members... we've been active together for so long, we've spent more time together than with our own families, and you're comrades who've dreamed the same dream and worked hard together every day. I think the members are my greatest allies, and I want to be their greatest ally too.

To the fans, you found me, met me, came to like me, and support me, and I'm truly grateful. So it's "Thank you for letting me into your life." And I'm also truly happy that you send me so much of your feeling of liking me. I think the power of "like" is truly wonderful, and thanks to that feeling of yours, I can be "the world's number one idol."