MANA & KANA, who have carved out a unique presence as "OKAME," and filmmaker ISSEI TERADA are interviewed by A SCENE director Furuie. We bring you a relaxed and humorous conversation, covering everything from the secret story behind the formation of "OKAME" and twin talk, to behind-the-scenes production stories.

Furuie: I've been here for three years, coming from my previous brand, and there are some things I haven't been able to change, for better or worse. For both of you, was there a natural evolution from your previous band, CHAI, or did you intentionally change something? What is your feeling about your activities as you move into this next stage?

KANA: I don't particularly feel like I'm changing anything; I'm just making what I want to make now. It's the same as with CHAI—I'm just expressing what I want to express to the world right now.

Furuya: If you were to continue on the same path, I think you could work alone, but I'd like to ask why you still choose to work as twins.

MANA: It's advantageous. (laughs) I think it's good for branding, too. We stand out more as two people than as one, and regardless of what our faces look like, the impact of having the same face is undeniable.

Furuya: That's true. It's the same with these photos.

MANA: If I were alone, I wouldn't be cute at all. (laughs) I understand the advantage of being two.

Furuya: It's a twin's privilege, isn't it?

KANA: You stand out whether you like it or not. (laughs)

MANA: Exactly, exactly. (laughs) You stand out whether you like it or not.

KANA: When I was in elementary school, I hated standing out. Everyone paid so much attention to us.

ISSEI: Were you in separate classes?

MANA: Yes, we were in separate classes.

Furuya: Were you together in high school and university?

MANA: Yes, we were.

ISSEI: Was that a choice to be together?

KANA: MANA tends to follow me.

MANA: I'm the one who follows.

KANA: She follows the path I choose. She followed me to my part-time job and university.

ISSEI: That's true. Even living in Nara now. (laughs)

KANA: But it was MANA who suggested we start music.

MANA: That's right. It was me. (laughs)

Furuya/ISSEI: Oh, really?!

Furuya When you're creating music, what's the process between the two of you?

MANA I have a sound in mind, a theme for the kind of music I want to create. I tell KANA, "Let's go with this vibe," and she's like, "Oh, okay." In the case of "OKAME," we make the melody and chords first. It was completely different with "CHAI," but I really love a good melody, so this time we decided to create it that way and then arrange it.

Furuya So the sound originates with MANA-chan.

MANA That's right. Including current trends in the world, I'm better at catching sounds.

Furuya So MANA-chan catches the information and says, "How about this?" and then you both arrange it, right?

ISSEI That's great, it's unique to the two of you.

Furuya ISSEI, you work solo sometimes, and in a unit sometimes.

Furuya It's truly a great honor to have partnered with A SCENE this time, and I'd like to ask why you chose to collaborate with us.

MANA Simply because it's cool. That's the main reason. All the items are cute.

Furuya I'm glad to hear that. It started when you came to the exhibition with ISSEI, didn't it?

ISSEI I thought you two would really like the products.

Furuya Thank you.

MANA And what you made into a tangible item that you wanted was the "PVC clear case." There are many other products, but they all have a stylishness that people of any generation can carry, and I was greatly inspired by that.

Furuya I'm glad to hear that. Thank you.

MANA Also, the 2025 AW visuals were really good.

Furuya The photoshoot was at Kansai Cycle Sports Center, a place where all Kansai elementary school students go on field trips. It's a place with many memories for me. Kaori-chan, the photographer I asked to shoot the visuals this time, is the same age as me, and although we're not twins, I feel it's easy for us to pursue the same image in terms of atmosphere.

Furuya Is there anything new you discovered, or anything that left an impression on you, while working together on the promotional video and visuals this time?

MANA I've never had a photoshoot at this close of a distance before.

Furuya I heard that from chao! too. (laughs) But conversely, I was surprised that you never had one like that before.

MANA I've never had a shoot where we were this close, so I learned what a great set this is. (laughs)

Furuya/ISSEI That makes us happy!

MANA I don't know if "smiling" is the right word, but everyone was smiling the whole time.

ISSEI　Exactly. But when the topic of A SCENE itself came up, I hadn't met MANAKANA many times. Yet, somehow, we both weren't nervous about what would happen by the shoot date.

FURUYA　When MANAKANA came to the exhibition, it felt like we'd met about 50 times. (laughs)

ISSEI　That was also thanks to chao! I personally like the balance between the two artists' commitment and their relaxed side in this shoot, so I thought if I created with that in mind, they would like it.

FURUYA　When I met with ISSEI, we talked about wanting to capture their authentic selves, and I think that's true for these photos and the music video. By shooting in Nara, where they're currently based, we were able to capture their present selves more naturally. By the way, both I and Shinya, the hair and makeup artist, are also from Nara. (laughs)

Furuya: Do you have any visions regarding your live performances and activities, such as whether you want to expand them significantly or continue steadily as you have been?

MANA: We definitely want to go big, with a bang! We want to grow big through our own unique, minimalist approach.

Furuya: I see, "with a bang!" In the future, KANA's child will be born, and your lifestyle will change. Are you considering live activities after that?

MANA/KANA: Yes, we are.

Furuya: That's something to look forward to.

MANA: Please come see us!

Furuya: Of course.

MANA: We haven't done any live performances since CHAI disbanded.

Furuya: That first one will be quite nerve-wracking, won't it? (laughs)

MANA: I think it'll be incredibly nerve-wracking. (laughs)

Furuya Could you tell me about your differences, or how to tell you apart, if there are any?

MANA Our personalities are completely different, aren't they?

KANA Completely different. (laughs)

Furuya I definitely sense that when we talk. MANA, you seem to talk quite a bit, while KANA, you give off a very calm impression.

KANA Am I calm? (laughs)

ISSEI I've started to understand that even when editing. Your movements are completely different. Your calmness, or something. Like the sun and the moon.

MANA That's why KANA has always been popular with men. (laughs)

KANA That's not true. (laughs)

MANA She's mysterious, isn't she? Mysterious women are popular, right?

KANA I don't think of myself as mysterious, though. (laughs)

MANA Exactly. Because I'm always by her side, it's a contrast. We become a point of comparison, don't we?

Furuya: What's the origin of your dog An-chan's name? They even made an appearance in the visuals this time.

KANA: I've loved dogs since I was little, but when I was in Tokyo, there were many apartments where I couldn't keep one, so I didn't have one. Because of that, I was always comforted by dogs I saw on walks, and every time I saw a dog, I'd say "Oh, a cute doggie~♡." My husband, chao!, apparently heard that as "An-chan," and that's how she got her name. (laughs)

All: (laughs)

Furuya: That's a unique origin story I've never heard before. (laughs)

ISSEI: Chao! was always good at coming up with nicknames for all our classmates back in the day (laughs). I guess even An-chan! (laughs)

KANA: Exactly. And now she even looks like an An-chan.