A story where you can be the main character (story) Next Girls 4th Collection held

2023.04.10

On February 26, 2023, Next Girls PROMOTION (operated by POT LLC, located in Chuo-ku, Tokyo)Next Girls 4th Collection" was held at Shibuya Stream.
We spoke with Mass, the general producer of NextGirlsCollection, the award winners Mimuro Yu and Haru, and the moderator Panda Enpitsu (Panda Tagami Hana).

NextGirlsCollection General Manager Producer Mass (Tetsuya Masuyama)

About Next Girls Collection (NGC)
This is a fashion show-style documentary that features stories and performances that will generate support and empathy, helping women who are pursuing their dreams to achieve what they want to do and what they want to become.
NGC started out as a fashion show for models. In most fashion shows, models only have one chance to walk unless they are special guests, and the brand image is given more importance than their own identity.
In the actual event, NGC will have two model walks, as well as free time for appealing that is not limited to walking.
NGC is making various efforts to realize the concept of "a story in which I can be the main character," where everyone aims for a different goal and can be the main character, and where self-expression not found in ordinary fashion shows and entertainment value not found in beauty pageants are not available.

■About the 4th Collection
The 19 finalists selected through auditions will be asked to confirm and articulate their ultimate goal for self-realization, and what methods they will need to use to generate empathy and support from others and create a win-win structure to achieve that goal. They will also be asked to set a "Small Goal to move on to the Next Stage" at NGC.
A big factor that sets NGC apart is the coaching support, where we work together to think about what you want to do, what your strengths are, and what you are lacking.
In the months leading up to the performance, the performers worked hard as colleagues with different goals, working together with us, the production team, to create the show.
For the first time, we are streaming the event as a documentary on our official YouTube channel, and we hope that if you watch it, you will empathize with our efforts and the feelings of the women.
We believe that NGC will be an opportunity for each person to learn important practical lessons, as a catalyst and experience for developing the ability to generate support and empathy in order to achieve self-realization.
Each performer is individually working towards different goals and challenges.
"I want to give courage and hope to the viewers," "I want to take on the leadership role of the next generation and lead everyone," "I want to change the image of a specific industry," "I want to show a unique global perspective gained from my position and experience," "I want to change the world we live in," "I want to convey the love of family," "I want to create new business value," "I want to help everyone have confidence and pride in who they are."
Unlike traditional competition events where everyone strives for a common victory, each participant at NGC has their own unique goals and aims, and rather than a competition to be the leading role, it is an event where "everyone can be the leading role."
The same is true for us, the management team; most of the members involved are volunteers, and we are working independently to ensure that each of us can achieve our own goals in the future that will be opened up by the success of NGC.
As a result, I believe they were able to present a wonderful show that generated the most moving emotions to date. Without a doubt, each member played their part as the star. The performance is over, but their story begins here.
The NGC management team will continue to work with these women to make their dreams a reality.
Please continue to support them and us.

Best next girl award: Mimuro Yu

■ Thoughts on winning the award
I never thought I would win an award. I came here with the mindset that I just wanted to enjoy the stage, so it feels like a dream. I'm just so happy. I'm glad to be alive, and glad I've been working hard. I really owe it all to the people around me. Thank you everyone.

■What I learned through the event
At first, I thought that the grand prize would go to a bright and talented girl, and that someone like me wouldn't be able to make it in the world. However, the organizers and my friends around me were cheering me on, so I decided to see it through to the end. If even one of us had missed it, I don't think I would have won this award.

■ Future dreams and goals
I would like to become a school counselor, but currently it is difficult to do so because I have tattoos. I want to eliminate the prejudice against tattoos and change the world. Currently, people with tattoos can be restricted from entering facilities such as hot springs, and when modeling, they have to hide their tattoos, so I would like to do whatever I can to eliminate prejudice.
Through my activities, I would like to leave evidence that I am someone who can accomplish things well, and work hard to change the impression people have of people with tattoos.
There are many other things I would like to do, such as starting an apparel business.

■Message to university students
To be honest, I wasn't able to go to university, so what I learn in society has been more useful to me than what I learned at school, but I'm sure that the time you spend at university is all you have, so I hope you will cherish every moment, being grateful for the environment in which you can attend university, have a home, and have people to help you when you're in trouble. I believe that if you have a meaningful university life, your future life will also be more meaningful.

Next Girl Award: Haru

■ Thoughts on winning the award
There were many parts that I thought were not good enough, so I never expected to receive so much praise, and frankly, I was very happy. I want to continue to live up to everyone's expectations, and I think the fact that I never gave up until the very end is what led to this award.

■What I learned through the event
I was able to take on the challenge with a never-give-up mentality. It was my first experience as a model, walking and walking down a runway. I practiced my walking until the very end, and I went into this event with that in mind.

■ Future dreams and goals
I want to be a model who is active in both Japan and China and who can serve as a bridge between Japan and China. I aim to be a model who can cheer up and make people smile when they see me.
Even when things are tough, keeping a smile on my face is what keeps me going. When I smile, the people around me smile, and when I receive that, I smile too, so I try to be conscious of keeping a smile on my face even when things are tough.

■Message to university students
I think it's important to set your own goals and move forward within the limited number of years you have as a university student. You may have a lot of free time, but if you waste that free time, your university life will be over in the blink of an eye. I hope that because you have free time, you will try all kinds of things. It's totally okay if you fail!

Event MC: Panda Pencil (Panda, Hana Tagami)

■ Thoughts as an MC
Tagami: I had been watching the rehearsals from two weeks before, and honestly I was worried about whether everyone would be able to complete the whole thing properly, and whether they would work well with the staff. But when I actually saw the performers walking down the runway, I was amazed at how much they can change in just two weeks! As the show progressed into the second half, I felt that the audience's feelings also changed, as they wanted to see the girls' lives through to the end.

Panda: The contestants are usually people who work in construction or as nurses, and I had the impression that you have to aim to become a model from a young age, but I realized that even now as adults, they can encourage those who want to do it by saying, "It's not too late."

Tagami: I felt the importance of taking on challenges.

■The challenge for Panda Pencil
Tagami: We are freelance comedians, so it's always a challenge to see how far we can go as freelancers. We want to keep in mind the need to develop new markets without being confined to the framework of comedians.

Panda: This is my first year as a comedian, so being a comedian is a challenge, and I also started my own business last year and am now the president, so I'm taking on a lot of challenges.

■Message to university students
Tagami: The only thing you can do is take action! Don't be afraid of what others think, what society thinks, or what the majority thinks, and just be honest about what you think is right! I think it's important.

Panda: I want to live a life that I can be glad about before I die. I live my life thinking about whether the me right before I die would be angry if I looked at myself now.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on February 26, 2023 by Hinano Shimada, a first-year student at Sophia University