RYUICHI talks about the other members (BLACK BOX interview)

• Q: I want to talk about the unchangeable four. How about SUGIZO?
• RYUICHI: In terms of music, the sentiment that we feel is very close. I think he's the closest (in terms of feeling). Wherever I remember that I think things positively, I am optimistic. SUGIZO is the type of person who, even though he fails to do something, he keeps on doing it (persistent), and wins. This persistent fighting is positive. I think that way. I think he's a real fighter. I think I can accept him because he's different and beautiful. I found him to be strong, and a hard worker, and that made his worth to be like my idol, (so the difference that I don't have makes me want to look up to him). He's totally different from me, that's why I like him. I like people who are 'selfish'. I think that all the members of LUNA SEA are selfish, that's why (I'm) more tender, kind.
• Q: How about J?
• RYUICHI: I think that J's a very strong person. Humans feel fear. For example, when conversing with people, you have to cover up someone's mistake while following the conversation. Otherwise, the relationship breaks up, and that's why when we speak, we aren't straightforward. Like for instance, when someone brings a CD and asks, "Isn't this good?", and even though you don't think it's good, you say, "It wasn't really interesting to me." But at the moment when you realize that the person who brought the CD really cares about it, you say, even though you didn't listen to it very often, "It's alright." J is a person who expresses his feelings directly. In other words, in that sense, I think he's a strong person. J always answers questions without lying (i.e. straightforward, frank, honest). He doesn't beat around the bush. Even if he has the disadvantage by speaking directly, he's not afraid of saying it. He's straight to the point. In that sense, I think he's very mature. As I say that I want to be honest with my lover, I think J is the best qualified person who expresses this.
• Q: How about INORAN?
• RYUICHI: At first glance, he looks very quiet. LUNA SEA gets along with each other because of him. He steps back and views the overall picture. He has never failed to speak up whenever we need it. I understand as I see it. I think I can understand him or I can read his mind somehow. So whenever I talk to him about it, I really enjoy the atmosphere. I describe myself as a machinegun: After I fire one shot, I fire another 100 shots (laughs). Then, later on, I think, "Oh, I should have shot only 90 rounds" (laughs). I'm like that in a conversation or anything. But INORAN is like a .44 magnum, and he fires only one shot and directly hits the target. In the beginning, I said that he's a quiet person, but it doesn't mean that he's a weak person. His careful way of thinking is appropriate. Maybe he knows well that unnecessary stubbornness is what human beings need the most. He knows that it's a waste of his power in doing such things (like getting over-emotional and fighting), and he knows it in his mind. And he unconsciously thinks that way.
• Q: How about SHINYA?
• RYUICHI: In my opinion, if there's a thing he really wants to do, he innocently goes for it. He's like a child. I once also wanted to be like a child forever. In that sense, I think he's a nice person. No matter what happens, he jumps up to whatever he wants to do. He really loves the drums. He shines when he plays the drums. I learned from him a lot. My members love their own instruments and I like to sing a lot, so we're all determined. I think it's really nice, and I think we should do whatever we want to, no matter what it is. In that sense, he follows his curiosity with a childlike mentality. That's why he's a person you want to play with. He doesn't care about time. He thinks he can't shine without doing anything he wants to do. In that point, he's the second strongest member after me.