Tokyo Anime Center Radio w Live Recording 3.31.2009 Report: First show with Hatano Wataru

[mizukiaya]

I didn't get to write about this on Tuesday because by the time I got home Himaruya's April Fools Joke was going to start and I got so preoccupied with that for 24 hours.^^;

Last Tuesday marked the first live recording of TAC radio w that both seiyuu Hatano Wataru and Narita Sayaka are hosting.
Luckily I got out of work by 3 and made it in time to TAC to get a ticket for the show.^o^ I was in the 60s.  Since it'd be another hour and a half before they'd let people enter, I took the opportunity to do a little shopping. I got myself a new 320 gb portable hd. Yes, I finally have more than 2gb of free space on my computer!

By the time I got back people were already lined up in the hall.  Finally, it was time to announce the lottery for who would be allowed in first.  And for the first time in my life ok maybe 2nd time(?), I actually got front row to an event! Yep, they called people in the 60s! Woohoo!

So this is the first time I’ve ever sat in the front at the radio show.  And let me say it’s nice. And I got a great view of Hatano. The only thing about sitting is that your derriere begins to hurt after a whole hour of sitting on that hard floor.

Actually, I was pretty apprehensive about going to TAC alone because I feel so awkward being the only foreigner there and being surrounded by otaku guys.  Let me be specific..”crazy” otaku guys. Yep, there are some weirdos who show up.

But luckily the two people sitting next to me were Japanese girls!  Yay.  At first, I was afraid that the Japanese woman sitting next to me wouldn’t talk to me because when we were sitting down at first she kept asking the girl to the left of me and the guys to the right of her questions about the show. So I was thinking aww it sucks because I can answer her questions but she probably doesn’t think I understand Japanese.  So I told myself I should initiate a conversation and ask her something.  But then the shy me took over and I thought…oh well, I guess I can just sit here quietly for an hour and a half.

But low and behold after a few minutes, the Japanese woman started talking to me.  I was so happy! Like me, she had come to watch the show alone.  She was not only Hatano’s fan but Kacky’s as well.  So we hit it off really well and continued talking until the show started.  Apparently, she enjoyed talking to me so much that she invited me to go to a café after the show where we chatted about seiyuu and exchanged emails.  It was great to make a Japanese friend who knows about seiyuu!!

The radio show was so much fun to watch!  Hatano and Narita make an interesting pair. This was just the first show but already I find them much more fun to watch than the Kacky and Matsuki pair.  No offense to Kacky tho.  Actually I think if Kacky was paired with Narita the show would’ve been just as interesting as it is with Hatano.  I just found Matsuki a bit boring because she was always obsessing about how old she was or how old she felt when honestly, she isn’t that old.  She just makes herself seem old when she keeps talking about being old.><  But Narita (who is only 3 years younger than Matsuki) brings more of a fresh and bubbly approach to the show so I find her very likeable so far.

Hatano is hilarious to watch because he gets so nervous and says the funniest things.  He actually had to strip because he was sweating so much.:p

The show was pretty much an introductory show and gave the audience a chance to get to know the new hosts.

Some highlights:

1. The title of the show has been changed to have a “w” at the end and now with each title call the hosts encourage the audience to do a w gesture with their hands.

1. They were teasing that the “w” stands for Wataru which made Narita feel as though her existence wasn’t needed. :p Narita also teased Hatano for being so corny. :P

1. Since Hatano and Narita have only worked together a few times yet have barely ever talked to each other, they played a game in order to get to know each other better.  As one of them was asked a question, the other had to write down what they thought their answer would be.  If they could answer correctly, they would be rewarded with a cake.

1. Of all questions asked, they only got one right at the very end of the corner.  The question was “What letter that begins with k is on Narita’s autotype function of her email?” Hatano answered correctly after a few hints with “kawaii.”

1. Hatano got extremely nervous when Narita left the booth to go check her keitai.

1. Hatano has a hidden talent in which he can move his shoulder blade around.  

1. Hatano recommended doing hanami in Koganei.

1. Hatano reminisced about riding his bike through the mountains in Nagano and getting hit in the face by bugs. Narita talked about how one time when she was riding on the back of a friends’ motorcycle she was wearing lip gloss and all these bugs got stuck to her lips.  She warned the girls never to wear lipgloss while on a bike or motorcycle.

1. Hatano and Narita wanted to put their autographs on the wall at TAC a long with the other seiyuu autographs.  Narita said that Hatano should write "Hatano has arrived" but he wouldn’t dare write that because he's too afraid and said he would sign his name small so that it doesn’t stand out over his senpai.

1. Hatano was talking about how he wanted to try the Gurren Lagann bread can.  And suddenly one of the staff comes out and brings a can of the Gurren Lagann bread the two were eyeing to them.  They ate the bread on the air.

     11. Hatano talked about how he wanted to invite Terashima Takuma to the show.

12.  At the end of the free talk after the radio show, Hatano was still trying to tell a story not realizing that they were out of time and had to be told to close the show.  They even prepared a hook just in case.