Ice Age Generation AD, in the Corner of the TV Screen. #21 "Competing with My Comrades, the Directors, and Becoming a Super Saiyan"
Around the time I turned 30.
I was in charge of a regular program at a key station.
It was a location-based variety show.
The directors,
were all unique.
They were all strange people.
Mr. Inoshita... He held the unique directors together with his charisma.
But in reality, he was the craziest one of them all.
Mr. Kakiyama... The ace of the program who could make any video footage interesting,
with a voice like Show Aikawa.
Mr. Furuta... A former member of a high school baseball team that was a regular at Koshien.
A former professional pachinko player.
Mr. Handa... His catchphrase was "You're so good at that,"
"You're so good at that."
Mr. Fujita... He smelled like alcohol 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. He could use Drunken Fist.
Mr. Takenaka... Even though he was only in his 30s at the time, he looked like a 70-year-old grandfather.
Mr. Omura... A man who was working hard to grow hair with AGA treatment while simultaneously going to hair removal sessions,
I still don't really understand what he was aiming for.
But everyone was exceptionally talented,
and exceptionally strange.
And everyone,
genuinely believed,
"My video footage is the most interesting."
After the studio recording finished,
we went out for drinks almost every time.
Before I knew it, it was morning.
There were times I stayed in the same shop for about eight hours.
We talked about television the whole time.
"That part today was strong."
"No, your VTR edit was too long."
"No, mine was definitely funnier."
Everyone was constantly competing.
Sometimes, we even got into actual fistfights.
Over whose VTR was more interesting.
For such a stupid reason.
There was even a director who broke his hand because of it.
Thinking about it now, it makes no sense.
But strangely, it didn't feel bad.
Perhaps,
I think everyone was serious.
About making interesting VTRs.
About getting high ratings.
About television.
Maybe that's what you call comrades-in-arms.
I think they are friends for life...
And the station staff member in charge of directing this program was,
a rather strict person.
But, they also had kindness.
And above all,
they were truly a player.
They would go on location themselves.
They would edit themselves.
They would create the VTR themselves.
That is why their words had persuasive power.
To put it in terms of "Kingdom," they were like the Great General under the Heavens, Ouki...
Among the other TV station staff I had met until then,
there were some who almost never came to the editing room.
There were some who would show up 13 hours late,
watch the VTR while in a bad mood,
and only say, "This isn't interesting."
There were also those who didn't create anything themselves,
and would only criticize like a critic afterward.
Of course,
they were smart,
and they were also glib.
But sometimes I would think,
"I wonder if this person could actually make a single program on their own."
I would sometimes think that.
But the station staff member directing this program was different.
They were not a critic.
He was a hands-on person.
That's why everyone followed him.
And the atmosphere among the other station staff was different, too,
unlike anything before.
There was no one acting high and mighty.
"I'm doing you a favor by giving you work"
There was no feeling like that either.
He spoke to external staff as equals, properly.
I think, perhaps, TV stations have their own unique colors.
This program was truly busy.
One week of location shooting.
One week of editing.
Once that was over, back to location shooting.
And then editing again.
It was just that cycle over and over.
The time for sleep was quite limited.
But, strangely, it was fun.
The busyness of my AD days
was just painful.
But the busyness during this time was different.
Planning it myself,
I shot it myself,
I edited it myself,
I created the humor myself.
Back then,
it was the kind of life I had admired,
watching TV.
It was like being a 'TV director'.
I think I was,
pretty well trained during this time.
Location shoots.
Editing.
Composition.
Narration.
Direction.
Everything.
Before I knew it,
I was making several VTRs every week.
In this world,
there is a saying,
'Quality over quantity'.
But for me,
if anything,
"quantity over quality"
is what I believe in.
Of course,
it would be ideal to create something high-quality from the start.
But I didn't have that kind of talent.
So I had no choice but to do more.
If other directors went on one location shoot a day,
I would do two.
If they did two,
I would do three.
I just went to the field no matter what.
There were months when I was unemployed.
Maybe that's why,
but just being able to go on location was fun.
Whether it was early in the morning,
or late at night,
I was happy just being on set.
Perhaps I,
I think I failed more
than other directors.
But,
I gained that much more experience.
Things I didn't understand in the first one,
I understood by the tenth.
Things I didn't understand by the tenth,
I understood by the hundredth.
That's how it felt.
Before I knew it,
I had gradually learned how to make VTRs.
In gaming terms, it was leveling up.
And then one day,
I realized.
That I, who had a combat power of 5 during my AD days,
had become a little stronger.
Like a Saiyan,
becoming a Super Saiyan.
Of course, even now,
I haven't reached my perfect form yet.
Anyway, every day was unbelievably fun.
Then one day, a fateful encounter occurred.
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#22 "5 Seconds Before Falling in Love for Real♪ A Miracle That Started on a Birthday"
Just as my work was getting on track and I felt "happy" for the first time in my life,
meeting her, whose birthday was one day apart from mine,
changed my life significantly.
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