Seizing the Colored Glasses

From March 30, 2004, to March 31, 2009,
a program broadcast on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting,
"Berryz Kobo: Stand! Bow! Sit!"
I was in charge of the composition for this program.
At the time of the first broadcast, all the members were in elementary school.
There were two members who would be in their first year of junior high in April,
four in their sixth year of elementary school, and the group debuted as an eight-member group
with members in their fifth and fourth years of elementary school.

A radio program for a
groupwhere everyone was in elementary schoolat the time of the first episode was unprecedented,
and it is something that will likely never happen again.

Of those eight, three who are still active in the entertainment industry
will be doing a live broadcast on Nippon Cultural Broadcasting on Wednesday, February 4th.

"A one-night-only revival"

I often wonder if it's really appropriate to call a "one-night-only" event a "revival"...
so when I suggested including "reunion"
in the program title proposal this time, it was approved.

The regular program I did over 20 years ago
was a recorded program lasting a little over 10 minutes.
This time, it's a 2-hour (120-minute) live broadcast.
We are essentially doing an entire season's worth of content in one live broadcast.

I was the only staff member directly involved in the production of this program.
The directors were mostly company employees who changed
whenever they were transferred,
and freelance directors would leave due to marriage or childbirth,
so including the successor programs,
I was the only one who could stay in charge of Berryz Kobo's radio until the end.

11 years since Berryz Kobo's indefinite hiatus. 22 years since the program started.
The performing members are 33 years old (born in '92 & '93, turning 33 this year).

Quite a few numbers line up.
Truly, they are a group that will never appear again.

The other day, on BAYFM's "9 no On-iki",
I played a Berryz Kobo song called "Kozukai UP Daisakusen."
It's a track from their first album released in 2004,
and the musical style is "reggae."

Tsunku♂'s playfulness and aggressive stance
were met by a group where more than half the members
were low-teens... no, not even teens yet.
Putting songs that are hard to include in a live setlist onto an album—
that artistry did not receive much attention.

I want you to enjoy it now.

"I'm going to seize those colored glasses of yours."

You have to have that kind of feeling.