Note: the photos in this post have been extracted from a pdf scan of the magazine, so quality is limited. Some of the photos have also been processed to remove overlaid text.
-- The article translation begins below --
Megumi Yasu herself, as Nozomi Harasaki, reenacts a memorable scene from Shenmue's final moments. What could it be..!?
A Story of Ryo & Nozomi, and the Outcome...
The awkward tension between Ryo and Nozomi had been building. At one point, Nozomi reveals her plans to go to Canada; at another, she becomes jealous of a kitten. Then, in the final moments, Nozomi is kidnapped by the enemy. Ryo speeds through the streets late at night on a motorcycle, desperately trying to rescue her. What happens next between the two of them...?
That’s all I can reveal for now. What happens after that is something for you to see with your own eyes. Then you'll understand the meaning behind the photo below!
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| "I'm hoping it will keep you safe. At least, that's what I've been wishing and willing it to do." |
The Poignancy of Nozomi's Emotions
It's an event that involves an amulet. We asked Megumi for her thoughts on the scene, and about recording it.
MY: "Yu Suzuki told me 'This is the most important scene,' so I felt a lot of pressure. This was probably the scene with the most retakes. Mr. Suzuki is always smiling, so I was surprised to see how serious and stern he looked."
(You know which scene we're referring to, right?)
MY: "Nozomi's face, with tears on the verge of forming, was really poignant."We asked Megumi how she found today's photo shoot.
MY: "I didn't feel cold because I was so absorbed in playing Nozomi, but I did feel a bit lonely. Thank you very much!"
Win a Signed Amulet!
We’re giving away an amulet filled with Megumi’s heartfelt wishes to two lucky readers! With this, you can get through exams (maybe a bit late for that!?) or childbirth (lol) without a hitch! To enter, write your thoughts about this page and send them to the address below.
Send your entry to:
〒103-8508 SoftBank Publishing Co., Ltd.
Dreamcast Magazine Editorial Department
Attn: "Megumi Yasu"
Deadline: Entries postmarked by March 16th will be accepted.
Profile: Megumi Yasu
- Born: December 22, 1981
- Blood type: A
- In Shenmue Chapter 1: Yokosuka, she was cast in the role of Nozomi Harasaki, the female lead, a role that brought her great acclaim, despite being an 18-year-old high school idol at the time.
- She has also released a photo collection (published by Bunkasha) and a visual presentation video (published by Takeshobo). Both were released in May. For more details, check her homepage!
http://homepage1.nifty.com/hiro_office/index.htm [archived page]
Many unexpected questions were received!
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| Photo from Megumi Yasu's online page (2000) |
Q1. If you met someone like Ryo, would you fall for them? (Naoto Yamauchi, Fukui Prefecture)
MY: "I might be attracted to him since he's mysterious. But since our conversations don't click, it probably wouldn't work out..."
Q2. I’ve heard you’re good at kendo, Megumi. Do you hold a rank? (Nishiaki Norikatsu, Osaka Prefecture)
MY: "I practiced for 6 years, but I could only get to 3rd kyu. But my older brother was better at it..."
Q3. What foods don’t you like? (Takahiro Uehara, Niigata Prefecture)
MY: "Actually, I’m not a fan of expensive sushi toppings like salmon roe and sea urchin. So when I go to a sushi restaurant, I end up only being able to eat the cheaper options! (sniff)"
Q4. Did anything change in your private life before and after playing Shenmue? (Naoto Yamauchi, Fukui Prefecture)
MY: "Not at all!! Even though I was told my pronunciation would improve, I was back to how I used to be after just two weeks. (laughs)"
Q5. There’s a scene where Nozomi protects a child. Do you like kids, Megumi? (Naoto Yamauchi, Fukui Prefecture)
MY: "Yes, I do. I have an 8-year-old cousin, and we get along really well. It’s like our mental ages are close!"
Photo Shoot "Making-Of" and Unused Photos Revealed!
We’ve carefully selected six previously unreleased photos that were too good to stay in the archives!
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| Close-up of Megumi-chan holding the kitten. |
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| Megumi gets her hair and makeup attended to at the flower shop. She always has such a lovely smile. |
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| Unused photo: Megumi was also photographed sitting on a bench. |
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| The kitten wouldn’t warm up to her and sometimes started to squirm... calming it down was really tough. |
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| A reflective board was used to direct sunlight onto Megumi's face for the shot. |
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| Megumi-chan, thank you for your hard work! |
-- End of translation --
Trivia: The Inspiration for Nozomi's Outfit
Many years later, in 2019 after the re-release of Shenmue I & II, former developers on the Shenmue project revealed the inspiration behind Nozomi's iconic white sweater and plaid skirt.
This came about from a comment in a tweet by Morio Ashizuka (a pseudonym) that there had once been a plan to include the likenesses of the members of a popular Japanese girls pop group as characters in Shenmue II:
"Actually, Shenmue II originally had characters based on Morning Musume, who were hugely popular at the time.
According to Yu-san, the idea was that even Morning Musume would jump at the chance to appear in Shenmue, so they were created… but of course, the idea was scrapped. 😂
All of those characters were modified and used in the final game. It might be fun to try and figure out which were originally Morning Musume! 😆"
Morning Musume is an immensely popular all-female Japanese pop group that was formed in 1997 and quickly sprang to fame.
Developer Masato Nishimura ("Mazin") replied back to the above tweet, connecting them also to Nozomi's outfit:
"Morning Musume was used as a reference for Harasaki's clothing design..."
Judge for yourself from this cover photo, from the group's 1997 single "Morning Coffee"!
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| Five Nozomi's in a row on the cover of the 1997 single "Morning Coffee" by Japanese pop group Morning Musume |
(Thanks to DORIRU for pointing out this anecdote!)
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