I went through the tunnel of &#8216;M-1&#8217; and was reborn in a different world. My work increased rapidly, about seven times. But I hardly remember anything. When people are too busy, their memories don&#8217;t catch up with them.
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 So says Takashi Watanabe, 44, a comedian in the comedy duo Nishikigoi. Last year, he and his bokeh, Masaki Hasegawa (51), became the oldest ever M-1 champions. Known as the &#8220;star of middle-aged people,&#8221; Watanabe is so active that there is not a day that goes by that he is not seen on TV.
<h3> Immediately after winning the championship</h3>
<figure id="attachment_280549" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280549" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1a7fa2f0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/TD1_3810-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280549" class="wp-caption-text"> He answered interviews with bloodshot eyes and high spirits. At the time, he said he was worried about whether he would be able to handle all the work. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
<h3> One year later&#8230;</h3>
<figure id="attachment_280555" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280555" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b4e2e371"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/TZ2_2031-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280555" class="wp-caption-text"> In spring, she started her own TV show, and in December she became a regular on &#8220;ZIP! In December, she became a regular on &#8220;ZIP!&#8221; on Fridays. Her calm expression suggests that she can even afford to relax.</figcaption></figure>
Hasegawa: &#8220; To be honest, at first I could barely keep up with the competition, and there was no afterglow of the victory. I finally felt it this summer when I recorded three shows in one day with Uchimura (Mitsuyoshi, 58), Ariyoshi (Hiroyuki, 48), and &#8220;Kurimuchu.
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 The two look back on a turbulent year with deep emotion. On the other hand, the duo&#8217;s physical strength was a heavy burden for the elderly duo. Hasegawa turned to something unexpected.
Hasegawa: &#8220; When I get tired, I get over it by taking injections.
Watanabe: &#8220; Hey!　Masaki, you&#8217;re not doing anything crazy, are you?&#8221;
 Hasegawa &#8220; No, I&#8217;m not (laughs). By injections, I mean garlic injections!
 Watanabe &#8220; That&#8217;s confusing.
 Hasegawa &#8220; I also ate more as a reaction to the fatigue. I ate too much of the backstage lunch boxes, and when I realized it, I gained 10 kg in one year. Thanks to that, two of my suit pants broke.
Watanabe: &#8220; The zipper popped off, didn&#8217;t it? I had never seen such a cartoon-like breakage before.
 After a long period of being a low-ranking employee, Watanabe finally made his breakthrough. However, he has always had a sense of insecurity about being a champion that he could not talk about to those around him.
Watanabe: &#8220; There was a period of time when I didn&#8217;t know if I was getting results in my work. I was getting work even though I wasn&#8217;t getting a good response. I kept wondering, &#8216;Is this what I should be doing? I had doubts about whether this was the right thing to do.
Hasegawa: &#8220; I was never gut-punched when the recording was over. But when I was invited to appear on &#8220;Matsuko Kaigi&#8221; (Nippon Television Network) in June, Matsuko-san (50) affirmed, &#8220;It&#8217;s fine just the way it is. I am too old to slow down, but I realized that I shouldn&#8217;t be in too much of a hurry. Instead of worrying about it, I thought I should enjoy it first.
Watanabe: &#8220;When I appeared on &#8220;Sukkiri&#8221; (Nippon TV) in August, Kato-san (Koji, 53) said to me, &#8220;Just take it easy, just take it easy! I was told by Kato-san (Koji, 53), &#8220;Do it just right, just right! I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and since then I have been able to do things in a natural way.
 On December 18, this year&#8217;s M-1 champion will be crowned. When I asked him about the loss of his title, he gave me a very encouraging answer.
Watanabe: &#8220; Winning the championship is just the start. We are still challengers. Please look forward to our further progress!
Hasegawa: &#8220; Even if we win the championship, it is possible for us to compete again. I will be 56 years old in my last year, so if push comes to shove, I will try again (laughs).
 The two had gone through a roller coaster year. Their faces were full of confidence.
<figure id="attachment_280550" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280550" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="808527fb"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/TZ1_9627.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280550" class="wp-caption-text"> Nishikigoi&#8221; A roller coaster ride through the year with two old men</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_280551" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280551" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1b2fd54e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/TZ1_9710.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280551" class="wp-caption-text"> Nishikigoi&#8221; A roller coaster ride through the year with two old men</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_280552" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280552" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="9d7c3b53"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/TZ1_9726.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280552" class="wp-caption-text"> Nishikigoi&#8221; A year like a roller coaster through which two old men ran together</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_280553" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280553" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b22c18ad"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/TZ1_9805.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280553" class="wp-caption-text"> Nishikigoi&#8221; A year like a roller coaster through which two old men ran together</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_280554" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-280554" style="width: 1667px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2a294fc8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/12/TZ2_1859.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-280554" class="wp-caption-text"> Nishikigoi&#8221; A roller coaster year of two old men</figcaption></figure>
 From &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; December 30, 2022 issue

 Takero Yui

 Nishikigoi" is the oldest M-1 champion in history! It is no exaggeration to say that there is not a day that goes by when you do not see Nishikigoi on TV. After such a turbulent year, these two look back on this year in an interview with this magazine! Don't you remember ......?

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