[Translation] Koyama Keiichiro in TV GUIDE Alpha EPISODE II
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TV GUIDE Alpha EPISODE II
Koyama Keiichiro X Illuminate
"To be my own self and not push too hard". Towards the existence who lit the light, he'll deliver his current figure
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"Illuminate=照らす" in the middle of the warm light of love
Encounter with a program where everyone considers each other to be their comrades. Then, towards NEWS who just restarted, the members, and the fans
"To be my own self and not push too hard" the raw Koyama Keiichiro who has been freed, talks about his "now"
It has been about 1 year since Koyama Keiichiro became the commentator in Barairo Dandy (TOKYO MX). While jumping with the sign of Johnny's in his back to the program where everyone can comment things as they want, now he'll be by himself in a natural way, and convey things with his real words. "Illuminate=照らす". To the current NEWS who just made a new start, what kind of thing that illuminates the path they're going now?
You joined the Thursday commentator of "Barairo Dandy" in October last year. Looking back on the past year, please tell us if you feel any change or growth in yourself.
As an MC or newscaster, I've been asking "How is it?" to everyone around me, flourish their story, and "listen to people's subjectivity". But when I became the commentator for "Barairo Dandy" I'm in the position to "talk with my own subjectivity". So for example, when I'm watching the news programs or other TV programs at home, I'm thinking about "If it's me, what kind of opinion I'll say?". While doing that kind of training, I can sense that I'll do the same way on the live broadcast of "Baradan". In this program, Umezawa Tomio-san and the other commentators also make remarks by comment things they want. It's a program with a high degree of freedom, so actually, I feel comfortable to speak with my own subjectivity. Of course, I can feel the difficulty too, but if I keep doing this, maybe I can do the same when I'm suddenly asked about my opinion in the other programs. If the muscle strength I cultivated as MC and newscaster is combined with the one I have as a commentator, I feel that I can make more power in my comments.
Since you started to appear in this program, did you get any responses?
"Barairo Dandy" has a high rating within the TV industry such as in broadcasters and so on, and I received responses from the staff like "I watched you. You did something new, right?". First of all, among the commentators, there are Umezawa-san, Nadja (Grandiva)-san, and Diana (Extravaganza)-san, then there is me as well. Just by looking at this line is intense, and it's "doing something new", right? (lol).
With that character as a Thursday regular, what kind of things do you always keep in mind while making comments?
If I compare it to baseball, everyone is throwing a fastball (lol), so I'm aiming for the straight throw. I think I can live with the members by talking "right in the middle" properly.
When we watched the program, we could feel the goodness of the teamwork and the calm atmosphere, and you're really loved by everyone there.
That's right. When it was decided that I became a regular once in two weeks one year ago, although I joined in the middle, everyone became my comrades immediately. Even now, it's said, "This is Koyama's hometown" (lol). Not only in this program, but I also feel it in "NEWS na Futari" (TBS) where I and Shige (Kato Shigeaki) are the MCs. It's encouraging to have a place where everyone accepts our own self, and I'm so grateful that there are programs where both the co-stars and the staff become our comrades. I'm doing it with the support of real affection.
What kind of communication you did with the staff of "Barairo Dandy" while creating the program?
They always listen properly to my opinion like "Koyama-kun, what do you want to do? What do you want to talk about?", etc., so I'll also make a confirmation like "Is it okay to attack until this point?". Rather than participating as a performer, I prefer to create this program together with the staff. We're always thinking together about how to make this Thursday program to be more exciting.
For the past few months you've been appearing through remote appearence due to the prevention of COVID-19, did you feel some struggle?
When doing the talk in the program, I think the important things are sharing the tempo, interval, and volume of the voice in the same space. But now that I appear remotely from the other studio, I can't do that. If we're in the same space, I know the timing when I can start talking because I see the moment when the other commentators are taking a breath, or like "Ah, maybe it's the time I should stop talking". So it's difficult because I'm talking without feeling that kind of temperature in the communication. Despite being in that situation, I think there are parts when everyone is exploring and getting used to that... It's because everyone on Thursday regular really wants to talk a lot. And there was an accident when everyone started to talk all at once (lol). I'm glad if it can be seen as the excitement of "Thursday's color".
Are there any happenings or failure story because it's a live broadcast?
When everyone was talking excitedly in the middle of the CM, the conversation will be on-air just like that when the CM was ended. During the talk in the ending, we also didn't know when the program had already ended. So when the staff said, "The program has ended!" we'd be like, "Eh, it's over already?" (lol).
It means that everyone really enjoys it so that such a happening could happen, right?
That's right. This program also introduces news that is not covered in the other programs, so I think it's interesting. On the contrary, there was also important news that made me think like "I wonder why the other programs didn't take this (news)?". Because it's a program that makes you notice that kind of thing, I hope you enjoy watching it.
From here on, we'd like to talk more about the theme for this interview: "Illuminate=照らす". Please tell us about things that lighten your heart and become the "light of hope".
After all, it's the fans. When we held the first online fan-meeting called "NEWS Daishuukai 2020 (NEWS Big Meeting 2020)" last July, even in the situation when we couldn't meet in person, the first thing I felt was that the current NEWS is really supported by those many people. It's the first event we held since we became 3, so it's great that we could communicate with the fans online in terms of how they're looking at the current NEWS. Though until now my hope to meet the fans at the concert is still the one that illuminates my heart. Even if we couldn't meet each other in person, we could face the fans in this way, so I realized that there are things that can be done in this era that are unique. And at the same time, the longer we can't meet each other, the more our feelings will explode in the next time when we finally can meet each other. Until then, I have to put up with it, so I feel like maybe we're in a long-distance relationship with the fans now. Although I still don't know when it will be, when I can finally meet everyone in the live performance, I can sense that the feeling that has never been experienced before will be born. Despite saying that, honestly I'm so lonely now (lol). That's why, I'm so grateful that I could spend a happy time with everyone in online fan-meeting and realize that there are people who support us.
How do you feel about NEWS atmosphere now?
In many ways, I feel that we're really united now. Maybe the atmosphere is like "very adult"? When three of us have a discussion, everyone accepts each other's opinion. We exchange our opinions then we'll choose the best opinion among those three. It doesn't matter whose opinion is, but we construct the discussion with "This opinion will make the fans happy, right?" kind of feeling. We're already an adult group in terms of age though (lol). It's different from when we're still young, because now we can objectively advancing our situation one by one.
From your point of view, how do you see the current Kato-san and Masuda-san? As a fellow member who understands because you're close to each other, please tell us what you feel when looking at the two recently.
For Massu, this year he really got a lot of job as an individual such as became the main personality of "24-Hour Television", appeared in drama, varieties, and musical. And among those, he really has a high awareness of what he should do as NEWS, and I think he's also the one who pulls the group. And for me who is close to him, I feel that he has a strong heart. I also think about how Massu who is enjoying the current NEWS, how he's doing his best, and how the motivation keeps raising are the important things to lift up the 3 members of NEWS. Now, Massu is the one who appears the most among the three of us. Because I think he's trying to give back his personal work to NEWS, I feel that I have to do my best as well so that I can give back to the group more.
In terms of giving back to the group, it's because of Koyama-san who appear in TOKYO MX's program so NEWS "Endless Summer" was selected for the theme song of "2020 Summer East/West Tokyo High School Baseball Tournament".
Well, yes. I think there are things that I, Massu, and Shige can give back to the group from each of our position, so I have to take good care of each job as an individual. Among those, Massu brought many chances to NEWS, and I feel so proud of him as a member. But because of his busy work, I feel worried and want him to be careful about his health.
From your point of view, how you see the recent Kato-san?
Of course, Shige also gives back to the group in his various jobs, and in a good way, it doesn't change. He's always been calm since then, and his current way of thinking is also very calm. When we talked about the way to assemble the three members of NEWS from here on, Massu and I had a lot of emotional-based theories. We asked something like "Isn't it better to do this way?" with emotion, but Shige in his logical way of thinking said, "If you do this, then it will be like this" and showed the logic-based path. Massu and I said "I want to do this" as the goal. So, in order to reach that goal, what kind of path we should walk and go? And Shige is so good at thinking about that path like, "If you walk like this, you will reach the goal you want to approach, right?". I've been doing the work of embodying everyone's opinion since a long time ago, but I feel that now we are thinking more clearly. That's why in a good way, it doesn't change, and I think he's a really reliable member.
Among the members, what kind of role is Koyama-san himself?
I've always been like this since a long time ago, to make the balance between the members, create an environment where everyone can talk easily, and be the pipe to connect with the staff. Although I've been doing this for a long time, when we became three it didn't change much.
You have the impression of expressing what the fans want and what words they want to hear in a very straightforward manner. Especially recently when we see and hear what you're doing in your own radio program and Johnny's web, we can feel it obviously.
Well, maybe yes. But it's not that I push myself to meet the expectation, because I just want to become myself.
Previously, when we interviewed Koyama-san and Kato-san for "TV GUIDE Alpha EPISODE FF", it became a topic that you took the video of "Night Routine" and uploaded it in Johnny's web. However, we're so impressed at that time when you said "Honestly, I really don't push my own self now".
That's right. I took the night routine video because I enjoy it, so I didn't push myself. When I push myself too hard for my own content, it will be hard, right? That's why, I tried to eliminate rules like "I have to do this" as much as possible. And the more I become myself, on the contrary, the more embarrassing I would be if I tried to look cool on TV. That's why when I show my true self, I'll be happy as a result. I'm sure that everyone has their own "Koyama Keiichiro's ideal image". However, rather than approaching that ideal image, it's better to be my true self and be liked by others because of it, so that I can stand in front of them no matter how many years pass. With this change in consciousness, I won't try to look cool on TV or radio, nor try to look cute, then I'll show you what the way I am. I'm doing a radio called "Kchan NEWS" that invites one of NEWS members as a guest every week, but because of COVID-19, it became my solo radio for the past few months. Of course, it's me who decided on the topic I wanted to talk about in my solo radio, so it's an opportunity to know myself better. And I think, maybe my presence will come out more than ever in that kind of place.
Lastly, please tell us what you know about yourself as "a presence who illuminates fans' heart" and about future activities as NEWS.
For me as an individual, by the time when this magazine will be released the filming has over though, I will appear on a program with Nakai-kun (Nakai Masahiro) called "Doubutsu na Kai". Actually today, it will be recorded after this. It's the first time for me to appear on Nakai-kun's program. It's always been my dream to appear on the same program with Nakai-kun, so I'm really excited now! I wrote a fan letter to Nakai-kun (lol).
Did you write a letter to Nakai-san in private, not for the project of the program?
That's right. Because I really admire him as my senior. (He took out the fan letter in the clearfile from his bag) I'll give this to Nakai-kun. When I've done my job, I'm thinking of asking my manager to give it. Also, for me as NEWS, we made songs such as "Kanariya" that was unveiled on "24-Hour Television" the other day, and "Beautiful" from Massu's drama "Rental Nanmo Shinai Hito". Of course, we cherish our past songs as well. We won't stop our music activities, so we will enjoy them more and more. We're thinking of delivering something to the fans, so please look forward to it.
"Realizing that there are people who support us, I really feel grateful."
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From "TV GUIDE Alpha EPISODE II", released on September 30, 2020
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