 Ibara Saegusa
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The idol representative of COSMIC PRODUCTION as well as the company's vice president. He is also an entrepreneur at a young age. While he may have a sociable personality, he mostly acts for the sake of his own ambitions and profits. He delivers a smooth and alluring singing voice that carries well, along with precise and technical performances.
He is currently a member of COSMIC PRODUCTION's Eden.[1]
Well, well, well. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now, if I may be so bold, I'd like to introduce myself briefly... I belong to the unit called Eden of COSMIC PRODUCTION, and my name is Ibara Saegusa! Salute~☆! It is a great privilege to have such a place prepared for me as His Excellency's extra. ♪ I have a tactical eye as an idol to plan strategies for each situation and a strategic eye as a manager to determine the overall direction of the company... I'm proud to say that I have both of these skills and can command better than the average producer. ☆ Pleased to make your acquaintance...♪[1]
HiyoriIf I had to describe Ibara in one word, I'd say he's "shrewd"! I'm reluctantly leaving Nagisa-kun in Ibara's hands, and he seems to be busy with a lot of things right now, but I think he'll manage because he's clever and cunning. If you ask me if I like him as a person or not, I'm not fond of him, but since we belong to the same unit, I think of him as family. To be honest, I don't know what he's thinking, but... Oh, God, I feel sick just talking about this! What foul weather![1]
Ensemble Stars! Introduction
Appearance
Ibara is a young man of average height with an average build. He has straight magenta hair with bangs that cross in the center of his face. His hair is around shoulder length. He has blue eyes that are framed with thin rounded-rectangle shaped glasses. The bridge and hinges of his glasses are golden in color, while its temples are a dark green.
Personality
As a strategist for Eden, Ibara is sly, tactical, and calculating.[3] While he outwardly presents himself as upbeat, subservient, and ready to assist, this is often a ploy to lure others into trusting him or incurring debts to him so that he may further his own goals. If his original plans fall through, he will immediately turn silent and rework his schemes. Because of his crafty methods, he has been described as a "venomous snake" by his peers.
Due to his scheming habits, Ibara tends to keep people at a distance for fear of drowning in his own guilt if they suffer as a result of his plans.[4] He often makes it clear that he is doing things for his own benefit so that others will not get the wrong idea.
Having spent much of his early childhood in a private military camp[5], Ibara still retains many of the living habits and reflexes from his days undergoing military training. For example, he warns others not to suddenly touch him, as he might accidentally hurt them in self-defense (though he believes that one habit has started to disappear).[6] At times, he even sounds insecure as a result of trying not to stand out among others. Though he hated his life at the camp, he still actively uses his connections and skills gained there to further his business, and living in the harsh environment gave him the determination to cling to life until he has found his purpose.
Following his removal from the camp, Ibara's life during middle-school was no better either—surrounded by self-serving people, he developed a deep mistrust of others and assumes that the kindness others give him always comes with an ulterior motive.[7] At the same time, Ibara himself does not indulge in anything that has no benefit for him; from his daily routines to the food he eats, he ensures that everything is meaningful to him.
During his time spent with Eden, Ibara has shown significant personal development. Since beginning to work together, the other members of Eden have at times encouraged, at times lured him to open up to them. In turn, Ibara has been shown to even drop his formality in front of people he feels closer with, or even tease them or bluntly state his opinion about them. Additionally, he has begun to treat CosPro's talents with more care to their feelings and well-being, such as in Ariadne, where he was shown to respect HiMERU's feelings regarding a song that had been important for HiMERU's solo career. He has also openly admitted that he has grown attached to Eden as a unit he created with his own hands, and this is why he does not allow other producers to produce for Eden.[8]
As an idol, Ibara ironically tries not to stand out, preferring to stand in his unitmate Nagisa's shadow. Instead, he is often seen working hard to make Nagisa shine and avoiding the spotlight himself. However, Ibara has interestingly expressed frustration seeing Jun, who was also supposed to support from the shadows, find his own spotlight.[9][10] Offstage, Ibara is also a hard worker, often staying late in lesson rooms or the gym so that he can keep up with idol training in between his tight schedule, showing his commitment to improvement and performance in his career.[11]
Etymology
The given name of Ibara has one character translating to "thorn" (茨). His last name consists of two characters meaning "seven" (七) and "seeds" (種). In the likeness of a quaint rose bearing thorns to defend its captivating beauty and appeal, Ibara upholds his moniker with earnestness.
Family
- For more information, see Ibara Saegusa/Family.
Trivia
- He is the youngest and shortest member of Eden.
- During the "Ensemble Stars!" era, Ibara was one of the final definitive main characters introduced into the game and storyline.
- Ibara made his "Ensemble Stars!" game debut in the company of Nagisa Ran, presenting to audiences as Adam for the first time on October 9, 2017. His unit (alongside Eve and Eden as a whole) was the last official unit to be announced during the game's lifespan.
- His late entry to the series makes him one of several characters to be revealed after the game's release, also notably including the idols belonging to Valkyrie, Switch, MaM, and Eve.
- Ibara and the members of Eden are currently the only characters active in two official units at the same time that aren't considered shuffle units or temporary units besides the members of Double Face.
- Ibara often refers to himself as "the lowest of the low," a play on words which the main writer Akira has noted is a reference to how snakes slither on the ground.
- In order to relieve stress, Ibara often braids Nagisa's hair[12], leaving him with "funny" hairstyles, according to Hiyori.
- Ibara manages a lot of businesses on his own, such as a security firm[13], construction company[14], ice cream shop[15], COSMIC PRODUCTION (as Vice President), and many more.
- As a member and investor of the Intelligence Bureau at Ensemble Square, Ibara has access to all the CCTV in Ensemble Square's assets.
- Ibara once suggested that Anzu should read foreign newspapers, implying that he usually reads some to gather more information.[16]
- Ibara is known to greet others in a dignified salute when introducing himself to others, creating a distinct sense of politeness and camaraderie for every occasion.[17] This salutation of Ibara's is so distinguished that it's grown to become COSMIC PRODUCTION's informal greeting, most notably coined by the Aoi twins as "the Cospro Hello".[18]
- Ibara knows some things about manga due to Nagisa and Jun mentioning it around him. Due to this fact he sometimes uses manga references in his dialogue.[19]
- Ibara only curses in English when he is really angry[5][20], and only when he's certain that he isn't being spied on by cameras; he pays careful attention to hidden cameras in order to protect his idol image.[21]
- Ibara has a tendency to check for escape routes, tapping devices, and hidden cameras whenever he enters a new place.[22]
- Ibara can drive but has yet to obtain a driver's license. He was taught how to drive in the past.[23] He prefers to use the company car to avoid risks on road and any public judgement.
- Ibara has also been developing series of spy tools called "Mouse Drones" with his team. These Mouse Drones are used to collect data around Ensemble Square. Mayoi often hunts them, which inconveniences Ibara.[24]
- While he claims to manage his work stress well and puts in efforts to avoid his work to pile up so that it does not affect his business and idol performance, due to the overload of assets left by Priest which Nagisa obtained and left to Ibara in SS Final, he become prone to overworking and is often scolded by his colleagues in Eden for his work habits.
- Ibara revamped the concept and rewrote the lyrics for EXCEED as an attempt to boost Jun's confidence after he fell into a slump.[25]
Voice Actor Comment
"This time I played a character with a very military-like tone, or rather, one with a significant disparity between appearance and personality. You may be confused at first, but he's a character you can't hate."[26] (Enstars!)
"I was really amazed at the incredibly high quality of the characters' dances! Ibara hasn't changed (and I mean that in a good way), so please look forward to it."[27] (Enstars!!)
 Ibara Saegusa
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|---|---|---|
| Sub Story • Mini Event • Intimate Event • Greeting Event • Produce Course | ||
| Eden | Nagisa Ran • Hiyori Tomoe • Ibara Saegusa • Jun Sazanami | |
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Official Profile
- ↑ Old Official Profile
- ↑ Wonder Game - infinite 3
- ↑ BOGIE TIME - Invaders of the Sanctuary 16
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gang - Midnight Gangster 2
- ↑ Ibara Saegusa/Voice List/ES!!
- ↑ BOGIE TIME - Invaders of the Sanctuary 8
- ↑ CONQUEST - Fruit of the Fool 3
- ↑ Wonder Game - outbreak 4
- ↑ Ibara’s introduction line for Jun
- ↑ Ibara Saegusa Idol Story 2
- ↑ SS - Epilogue 2
- ↑ Ibara's "Night - Friendly Greeting 4" Voice Line
- ↑ Saga
- ↑ CONQUEST - Fruit of the Fool 4
- ↑ Ibara's "Day Off - Morning Greeting 1" Voice Line
- ↑ Revenge Match - Foreign Land 4
- ↑ Flowers in the Wasteland - Remains of a Dream 1
- ↑ Cradle of Turbulence
- ↑ CONQUEST - The Final Battle 1
- ↑ BOGIE TIME - Invaders of the Sanctuary 1
- ↑ BOGIE TIME - Invaders of the Sanctuary 2
- ↑ SOLID STAGE - Chapter 3
- ↑ Vagabound - Chapter 8
- ↑ SOLID STAGE
- ↑ Enstars! Official Profile
- ↑ Official Tweet