Japanese → English transcript

Well, I think I was 20 in 2007. It's not a problem.

So you were only 20 years old back then? Oh, so that was around 2007?

I was 20 or 21 years old back then. 2007 was definitely my peak.

My mental state was already at its peak, like when I was on a rollercoaster.

It was so hectic that it felt like everything just dropped off at once.

It must have been quite an experience, receiving so much inexplicable criticism at the age of 20.

I don't think you get to experience that very often.

That was really amazing, wasn't it?

But that was simply because my mental state was cranked up to the max

Back then I was totally different, when I was young I was really just super—

How should I put it… I absolutely had to be “Reika Sawaji”

Like I had this iron guard bar up, and honestly even for meetings and stuff

No one looked away from the eye, and they were wearing really thick sunglasses.

He wore pitch-black sunglasses and didn't utter a single word or smile.

Back then, all I could do was respond with something like "Yes, yes, yes."

It's like that's the only way to protect yourself.

So everything just fell apart, I took a full break and went overseas.

For me, that was really great, even in a strange land…

I felt like I could hit reset once.

After that, were you able to take quite a bit of time off and go abroad?

I was abroad for a while. Then I came back, and at twenty-four

I made my comeback with Helter Skelter.

Did it feel like you had no choice but to take a break at that point,

or did you think, “If I do not use this as a chance to stop myself, I am done for”?

So it was like you just took time off on your own?

The problem itself was actually in November, though.

Anyway, at that point I just couldn’t work anymore.

I was like, how should I even put this…

I didn’t even understand myself anymore.

Like, I kind of needed to, just once, you know…

Not exactly “go find myself” or anything,

but I really did need that kind of time back then.