On April 26th, Hello! Project soloist Kikkawa Yuu held a press conference for her upcoming debut single and documentary, both titled "Kikkake wa YOU!"

Naturally, Kikkawa herself made an appearance at the event, and co-stars Uchino Tomo (the actor who plays the head of her record label in the film), Iwata Kazuhiro (the A&R representative), and Taguchi Tomoya (Kikkawa's in-film manager) were also in attendance.

When asked about Kikka, Uchino replied, "(During the movie), she steadily becomes more and more charming." Iwata also had nothing but praise for the young idol. "As an artist, she looks so lively holding the mic and singing. I think it really ties in the with the plot," he said with a smile.

"I'm truly (thankful to) my kyouensa-san, kyouensha-shan, kyouensa-shan... kyouensha-san. Sorry, I can't ever say it (right)," Kikkawa said, blushing as she cutely �stumbled over the word for 'co-star' in Japanese. "They were all just so kind. Even when we didn't have filming, they'd talk to me."

The film follows the solo debut of Kikkawa Yuu, depicting her troubles, efforts, feelings, and the way that she slowly charms the people who surround her at her record label one by one. "Kikkake wa YOU!" also shows the reverse side, shining light upon the record label's side. The movie presents itself as a documentary that is neither fiction nor non-fiction, challenging viewers to determine which parts are real and how much a girl should exchange in order to become a soloist.

In addition to performing the title track "Kikkake wa YOU!", Kikkawa Yuu performed two previously unheard tracks for the audience.

"Whether you're a fan of Kikkawa Yuu or a person who doesn't know Kikka, I hope you like Kikka one hundred or one thousand times more," she told the crowd as she wrapped up the event. "It's a movie that has both smiles and tears, so please come see it."

Check out exclusive photos of the event, as well as a short question-and-answer segment with Kikkawa below!

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How was the movie?
"When the movie comes to a close and is over... it's the first of its kind, isn't it? So it'll be etched into history, but (knowing that) I was doing a movie that would be recorded in one page of Japan's (history), I wanted to try my hardest."

Where have you struggled?
"I struggled with 'super hard dances'. I hope I can try hard and improve some more."

In the movie you were crying, but was that acting?
"Yeah, it was. Haha! It was acting, but... I dislike scary people. If there's a scary person, I get scared and start crying! (Press corps laughs) But in that scene, I (thought of) a memory from when I was trying my best as a Hello! Project Egg, and that made me cry."

For your solo debut, have there been any difficult things?
"The things I think of as being really awful are not being able to answer on my own during interviews, not selling well, and having nothing to show for all this, so in that sense there's an incredible amount of pressure. But on the other hand, I get a lot of refreshments for me to eat by myself, so in that sense I think I'm glad that I've become a soloist arist." (Press corps bursts out in laughter.)

What score would you give the movie?
"I don't want to say something too large... 60 points. Just as I thought, my acting still has a long way to go. But I wanted to take advantage of this and do acting."

How's your home in Ibaraki?
"Since there were farms there, during the tsunami they were just barely alright, but the roof tiles fell off and the cars aren't any good now."

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Source: Barks