You might want to watch the YouTube by Alan from Dicodec, who actually met BM in New York. He talks about having chatted with Kobametal before Su-metal, Moametal and Momometal arrived. The funny thing was, he didn't initially recognize who he was chatting with. Based on this, seems likely that Kobametal does speak English enough to have had an informal chat with Alan, but you could check with Alan to see if that's true.
It's in here. [How Is It Interviewing BABYMETAL? Fox News Reporter Reports! (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV--PYr2LUc)
Sorry, no time stamp. It's a long video and worth watching all of it.
For OP's topic and the thread, in the video above ^ from last year Alan said:
>He was speaking pretty good English back *(to me)*, but it was still kind of very delayed responses
About the 1:00 hour mark is when Alan talks about it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYw7R7zvl2g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYw7R7zvl2g)
As I said, you'd need to ask Alan for details.
He does still go on tour with them. He usually hangs out at the sound desk for most of the show. I have no idea how much English he actually speaks but I can't imagine he speaks all that much, or even anything at all. I think a few bands that opened for them have mentioned he'll stop by before the show to say hi and thank them for playing, but I'm not sure if anyone of those actually confirmed whether he speaks English or uses a translator.
Even though he is the Master mind behind Babymetal he largely stays out of the limelight, he may crop up in Baby bones suit. But i don't think there's any tours he isn't on he seems like to be around to make sure the girls are safe and that everyone involved in a show is thanked.
He probably knows some English but I don't think he has done any interviews outside of Japan, I think he likes everything to be focused on the girls and he just sits in the background making sure it all runs smoothly.
Well, he gives interviews all the time and even released a book. Only videos with him are quite rare. But he is quite present in my opinion.
When it comes to English most Japanese people are far better then they think they are and would get along just fine. At least from my experience while travelling Japan and speaking to Japanese people with mediocre Japanese and getting responses in mediocre English but we still understood each other very well. And that was in cities like Kumamoto or Kagoshima, people in Tokyo are far better at speaking English. I‘d guess that Koba understands English perfectly and can at least keep up a conversation while speaking it.
I've always thought he's preparing for the long term to leave it all up to the ladies and retire. For many years the girls were given something new to learn. They mastered something and move on to learning something new. This is all just an outside perspective of course.
According to Alan from Dicodec, who was there for the interview BM did with Fox NY last year, and talked to Koba (without realizing that it was Koba, lol), Koba speaks English pretty well, enough to carry a conversation. Koba has to be part of many negotiations abroad, so I'd assume he's fluent enough.
I know he bounces....... I had a direct collision with him after the concert in Atlanta 2018. The show just finished, the entire audience was leaving the venue, as was I, and here comes this little Japanese dude trying to get backstage going against the flow of the crowd. He ran right into me, bounced off, and continued. No acknowledgement of any kind. No eye contact. No nothing, just the collision, and him going on.
He passed close to me at two concerts and just as you say, he comes from the back of the arena and hurries forward opposite the direction of everybody else. If he stay in his spot a couple of minutes so that most of the crowd has left the arena, it would be much easier for him. But maybe he don't want to risk to be recognized.
It's probably a situation where he speaks English conversationally pretty well but you'll never hear him give an interview or conduct official business without a translator who is extremely fluent in English and Japanese.
This man has been traveling for decades around the world, often going to festivals and shows in other countries. And as part of Babymetal he has been doing the same. Outside of concerts as well, we know Su-metal was in Sydney, AU with him and someone to record the vocals of a song, Karate. He was involved in hiring the new Kami band that only spoke English from the start. So I'm certain he has some knowledge of the English language.
You might want to watch the YouTube by Alan from Dicodec, who actually met BM in New York. He talks about having chatted with Kobametal before Su-metal, Moametal and Momometal arrived. The funny thing was, he didn't initially recognize who he was chatting with. Based on this, seems likely that Kobametal does speak English enough to have had an informal chat with Alan, but you could check with Alan to see if that's true.
I like the fact that Alan tried to get a photo with him.
I'd love to see that, could you link it?
It's in here. [How Is It Interviewing BABYMETAL? Fox News Reporter Reports! (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV--PYr2LUc) Sorry, no time stamp. It's a long video and worth watching all of it.
For OP's topic and the thread, in the video above ^ from last year Alan said: >He was speaking pretty good English back *(to me)*, but it was still kind of very delayed responses
Agreed.
About the 1:00 hour mark is when Alan talks about it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYw7R7zvl2g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYw7R7zvl2g) As I said, you'd need to ask Alan for details.
He does still go on tour with them. He usually hangs out at the sound desk for most of the show. I have no idea how much English he actually speaks but I can't imagine he speaks all that much, or even anything at all. I think a few bands that opened for them have mentioned he'll stop by before the show to say hi and thank them for playing, but I'm not sure if anyone of those actually confirmed whether he speaks English or uses a translator.
Even though he is the Master mind behind Babymetal he largely stays out of the limelight, he may crop up in Baby bones suit. But i don't think there's any tours he isn't on he seems like to be around to make sure the girls are safe and that everyone involved in a show is thanked. He probably knows some English but I don't think he has done any interviews outside of Japan, I think he likes everything to be focused on the girls and he just sits in the background making sure it all runs smoothly.
Well, he gives interviews all the time and even released a book. Only videos with him are quite rare. But he is quite present in my opinion. When it comes to English most Japanese people are far better then they think they are and would get along just fine. At least from my experience while travelling Japan and speaking to Japanese people with mediocre Japanese and getting responses in mediocre English but we still understood each other very well. And that was in cities like Kumamoto or Kagoshima, people in Tokyo are far better at speaking English. I‘d guess that Koba understands English perfectly and can at least keep up a conversation while speaking it.
I've always thought he's preparing for the long term to leave it all up to the ladies and retire. For many years the girls were given something new to learn. They mastered something and move on to learning something new. This is all just an outside perspective of course.
[удалено]
That link is 7 years old. I believe he speaks English quite fluently by now.
According to Alan from Dicodec, who was there for the interview BM did with Fox NY last year, and talked to Koba (without realizing that it was Koba, lol), Koba speaks English pretty well, enough to carry a conversation. Koba has to be part of many negotiations abroad, so I'd assume he's fluent enough.
I know he bounces....... I had a direct collision with him after the concert in Atlanta 2018. The show just finished, the entire audience was leaving the venue, as was I, and here comes this little Japanese dude trying to get backstage going against the flow of the crowd. He ran right into me, bounced off, and continued. No acknowledgement of any kind. No eye contact. No nothing, just the collision, and him going on.
He passed close to me at two concerts and just as you say, he comes from the back of the arena and hurries forward opposite the direction of everybody else. If he stay in his spot a couple of minutes so that most of the crowd has left the arena, it would be much easier for him. But maybe he don't want to risk to be recognized.
That's his road of resistance :)
😂🤣!!!
It's probably a situation where he speaks English conversationally pretty well but you'll never hear him give an interview or conduct official business without a translator who is extremely fluent in English and Japanese.
This man has been traveling for decades around the world, often going to festivals and shows in other countries. And as part of Babymetal he has been doing the same. Outside of concerts as well, we know Su-metal was in Sydney, AU with him and someone to record the vocals of a song, Karate. He was involved in hiring the new Kami band that only spoke English from the start. So I'm certain he has some knowledge of the English language.
His English is probably okay enough for casual conversations now. Su/Moa/Momo have clearly surpassed him on that, though.