It already feels like ages ago since I happily held various events on anime songs and tokusatsu sci-fi action films and TV shows. Following my last event in mid-February, society has become engulfed in coronavirus woes -- so I decided to postpone six of my upcoming events. No end is in sight for the battle against the virus, and we are now stuck in the middle of a wintry tunnel for some time to come, even though spring is already here.
That being so, I'd like to write about an immensely fun event that I organized in February.
Utamatsuri, which literally translates to "song festival," is a concert and talk show that focuses on one anison (anime song) singer each time. The event has continued like a relay race -- with each featured singer phoning another to become the main guest at the subsequent Utamatsuri.
The featured singer in February was Yoshiki Fukuyama, a member of the JAM (Japan Animation Song Makers) Project group of anison singers. The great news about that event was that it was joined by Hiroki Takahashi, the featured singer from the previous time. Shortly after the event last year, he was badly injured in a fall from a stage in Spain. Yet he recovered and came to the Utamatsuri with vigor.
The event started with Fukuyama talking about his childhood. He said he learned to play the piano by watching others. When he was an elementary school student, he would play theme songs from "Ultraseven" and "Kaettekita Ultraman" (Return of Ultraman) by ear. He was also good at drawing pictures of Ultraman and other Ultra series heroes, he said. One of the pictures he drew back then was recently discovered at his parents' house, and he showed a photo of the rare art at the event. Of course, it's child art, but it was obvious that the Ultraman superheroes in the picture were drawn happily and freely, and I could see a glimpse of his characteristically easygoing nature as an artist.
Even though he loved art and music, he somehow joined the school soccer club at junior high school -- though he could hardly take part in the club's activities because he fractured his bones several times. Still, the repeated fractures did not discourage him from joining his high school's judo club. A curious person he is indeed.
When it came to music, he was very much into Queen and insisted on wearing his hair long despite being a judo club member.
Around this time, he started dreaming of becoming a rock band member. His dream position was not the vocalist but always "a guitarist standing on the right hand side of the stage [from the audience]" in his own words. His childhood friend, who was also his bandmate, had the same preference. Therefore, their band was always looking for a vocalist.
At 24, he had no fixed job and was kicked out of his parents' house. He then worked at a map company and formed a rock band called Maps, thereby starting music career journey. The band won second place in a competition, which gave the members a chance to make their professional debut.
"We didn't make much money," Fukuyama said, laughing embarrassedly. Yet, his activities with the band, which were not very smooth sailing, eventually led to his encounter with TV anime "Macross 7" and opened the door to anison. Life is full of wonder. His subsequent participation in the JAM Project was also a result of him taking that path. Ultimately, I think the important thing is to keep going forward with your head held high and never give up on what you want to do.
Fukuyama not only gave a humorous talk but also sang many songs, including the ones you could hear only at the event, such as the theme song from "Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger." He also gave me a lot of energy as I emceed. The event closed in an enthusiastic atmosphere with him singing his own songs, including "Makkana Chikai" and "Angel Voice."
Now I ponder how fortunate we were to be able to enjoy listening to songs with many people. But looking down is the last thing I'm going to do. I want to keep looking ahead, praying that I can resume my events as soon as possible.
Suzuki is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior specialist and an expert on tokusatsu superhero films and dramas.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
