Anime Anime Global

The first in the history of industry voice actor regular program “Say You to Yoasobi”, which is being distributed on the anime channel of the new future TV “ABEMA”, celebrated its 4th anniversary on April 2, 2021.

Here at Anime!Anime!, to commemorate the 4th anniversary and to start the new season, we interviewed voice actors who are MCs of each day of the week. We asked them about their journey and their enthusiasm for the fourth year about “Say You to Yoasobi”.

This time, we interviewed Morikubo Shoutarou, who will be an MC of the new program “WEEKEND”, which will be distributed irregularly once a month. What is the pace of “Say You to Yoasobi” for Morikubo-san, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his CD debut as an artist? And what kind of “session” will he play with his partner Nakamura Shuugo? The story will be revealed.
[Interview / text = Mori Motoyuki Photo = Fujita Ayumi]

――How did you feel when you received an offer to continue to be an MC at “Say You to Yoasobi 2021”?

Morikubo: I was honestly happy to be able to continue my job as an MC. This time, it will be a program delivered once a month called “WEEKEND”, and it will be a sort of spin-off program. I am grateful that my partner is also Shuugo (Nakamura Shuugo), who I know well. I am looking forward to delivering the contents of “unique WEEKEND”, which is different from the programs delivered on weekdays.

――In the previous season “Say You to Yoasobi 2020”, you were in charge of Friday with Seki Tomokazu. How do you feel looking back at it?

Morikubo: When I started to participate in “Say You to Yoasobi”, I told my partner, Seki-san, “I may cause some troubles on the way.” That’s because, at first, I may be on live tours and events in the countryside on weekends, and cannot participate fully. I received the offer after the program side also agreed in advance.

However, since nowadays, I don’t hold live tours, I’m glad that I was absent only once.

――People’s lifestyles changed drastically due to the novel coronavirus, did it have a big impact on the programs and fans?

Morikubo: It was a year when I couldn’t go out at night, so the “Say You to Yoasobi” that was distributed every day from Monday to Friday became a habit like “Waratte Iitomo!”.

At first, I think there were days of the week that everyone wanted to see, “I want to see Shimono-kun (Shimono Hiroshi) on Tuesday”, or “I want to see Uesaka-san (Uesaka Sumire) on Wednesday,” but gradually I became interested in other days. Before I knew it, I was watching “Say You to Yoasobi” at ABEMA every day at 10:00 P.M. I think there are many fans like me.

――Until now, it was broadcast live every Friday at 10:00 P.M., but in the new season it will be once a month, and it seems that the routine will change.

Morikubo: Until now, I had a three-hour live broadcast job in Chiba until 07:00 P.M. on Friday, and after finishing the broadcast, it was my routine to return to Tokyo and perform in “Say You to Yoasobi”. When I first got the offer, I thought it was “hard”, but I couldn’t go out for a drink on Friday night because of the novel coronavirus, so I felt it was worthwhile to say “I can do another job!”. It may have been difficult if it was recorded, but since it going from one live performance to another, you can keep the tension.
That’s why I couldn’t sleep easily on Friday night because of the tension, and when I got home after the delivery of ABEMA, it became a routine to take a bath, have a drink, look at the archive of the day, and hold a “single reflection meeting”.

In the new season, once a month, it may be unusual at first to have a week to go home without doing any work after the live broadcast in Chiba.
“Can I go home?” Seems to be very strange.

――Are there any episodes that left an impression on you?

Morikubo: “LOVOT” was memorable. When I saw Tomoichi-san’s doting, I was impressed by the human odor that he had in that aspect.
Also, “Full power! Nantonaku karaoke!”, which has become an annual event on Friday, singing songs that you do not know with all your might. I was wondering if I would get tired one day… but the way it was done was really nice.

Another time I brought the camera-equipped mannequin “Cindy” that I used live. It was very popular during the live performance, and I was praised as “It’s a new production!”. But when I introduced it in “Say You to Yoasobi”, I was messed with by Zutaboro (bitter smile). When “Cindy” came out live, I got the image that fans would laugh at me.

There are so many various guests, and the wide variety of people, from young children to big stars like Mizuki Ichiro is also great.
In the end, the usual people like “violin teacher” also appear. It was Friday’s deal to discover those wonderful characters. I want to carry it over into 2021. I would like to pick it up at “WEEKEND”.

――It seems that the staff is full of challenging spirit trying to start aggressive projects.

Morikubo: The projects are always novel and amazing. However, the gimmicks and props are always messed up (laughs). They make elaborate gimmicks and props, but almost always it doesn’t go well – it would be broken during production or something, and I wanted to make something that is uselessly huge. In a sense, such a big place may have been the real thrill of Friday.

――Is there anything you want to try in “Say You to Yoasobi 2021”?

Morikubo: Sogo and I are both musicians, and I’m the type of person who makes songs by myself, so I’d like to do music-related projects. For example, I would like to have an artist come as a guest and talk about in-depth music.
I also want to do a variety of projects, and since many specialty projects have been born on other days of the week, it would be nice to have a project like re-examining on Friday.

――What kind of program do you want to make “WEEKEND”? Do you want to make it mellow, or do you want to make more on an interesting side?

Morikubo: I don’t think it will be mellow (laughs). In another program, I was the main MC and Shugo was an assistant, so I felt comfortable in action.
It seems to be a good match, so I think it will be a good-tempo program.

――Are there any other days you would like to visit?

Morikubo: I was allowed to go to a lot of other days of the week at “Say You to Yoasobi 2020”, but I thought, “I’m out too much on other days”, so I wonder if it’s okay for the time being… However, I would like to go to the new combination. I can only see it on VTR on Tuesday, so I would like to go to the live broadcast.

――The program is about “Having fun at night”. On the contrary, do you have a morning routine?

Morikubo: I have a morning routine. After waking up, I boil water and drink plain hot water. I like to plan what to do and do exactly according to that.
I have a habit of “eating at a fixed time from the previous meal”, and depending on the timing, I sometimes skip breakfast, but I always check the news while drinking plain hot water every morning.

――You are controlling your diet, aren’t you?

Morikubo: I heard that it’s good for internal organs, so I’ll have 16 hours break after eating. It is an image of petit fasting. I tried various other dietary restrictions, but this method is the easiest. It’s difficult to eat while paying attention to nutritional balance, and there are also dinners. If you divide it by time, you don’t have to worry about what you eat, so it suits you best.

――Is there anything you want to say to Nakamura-san?

Morikubo: He is a very skillful kid, so in the scene where “I don’t want to go there “, he forgets it easily. It’s really interesting. If you think about it, he can do his work exactly and seriously. How “WEEKEND” will come up? Hmm… I want to ask, “Which way do you want it to be?”

Previously, when I was invited as a guest to a radio program run by Namikawa Daisuke, he told me, “I’m doing the program, so do whatever you like.”
On the other hand, I myself am the type who relys according to the other side, “If you go there, I will go here”, so I would like to discuss in advance what to do with the two people so as not to match up. First of all, I want to decide which one will turn on that day, and change each other’s offense and defense every time.

――What do you want to do this year, Morikubo-san?

Morikubo: I would like to create online content from Addoins (the office where Morikubo-san serves as the representative director) and create opportunities to meet the next generation of human resources.

It’s also the 20th anniversary of the artist’s debut, so I would like to invite the audience to perform live. After all, I want to sing in front of everyone, it is the best.
Recently, I went to see EXILE’s live viewing of the Tokyo Dome performance, which was very inspiring. Until then, I thought it would be painful for viewers to be unable to speak out due to the novel coronavirus countermeasures. Especially in the case of me, it’s a rock live, so there are places where I’m doing it to make noise at the venue. However, there was a hint that if this side devised something, it would be enjoyable enough. So, I want to do it while devising a live performance.

――Finally, is there anything you want to say to your fans?

Morikubo: Nakamura Shuugo and I will be in charge of the monthly live broadcast “WEEKEND”. Since it is once a month broadcast, I would like to deliver rich content. Please look forward to “WEEKEND” as well as “Connect” on weekdays of “Say You to Yoasobi 2021”.