Freelance announcer Aika Kanda: “The shape of my eyebrows is a sign of a major change in my state of mind

Wednesday, February 8, 2023. For the first time in three years, I drastically changed the shape of my eyebrows. I changed from the news-like angular, thick eyebrows to the variety-like, gently curved, thin eyebrows. You may be thinking, “What’s that? I don’t care,No…no… no.” For women, a change in eyebrows is a sign of a major change of heart.

Last year, I was a commentator on “Gogosuma” & “Press Runner,” but since January of this year, I have taken on the role of MC for “Poka Poka” and have been unable to appear on these two programs due to time constraints. Now, I am invited to appear on “Sukkiri” and once every few months on “Wide Na Show” and “Beat Takeshi’s TV Tackle. I am too grateful that they entrust me, an “ordinary person” who is not an expert in anything, with such a valuable opportunity. In order to live up to their expectations, I always spend about three hours either the night before or the morning of the show, researching information surrounding the news to be covered in the program and compiling my opinions.

I would research the background and timeline of the event, such as what is being condemned in Japan and how it is perceived overseas, and why such an event occurred at this time. Depending on the content, I may even look up the relevant laws, but this process is a great source of new knowledge!　GUNGGGH!　I feel as if my body is absorbing the new knowledge with a bang, and I get very excited and enjoy it very much.

Sometimes I wear full-body tights and imitate Antonio Inoki, and I am often asked what the difference is between being a commentator and working on a variety show.　I am often asked. I feel that it comes down to how much specific preparation I can do beforehand and how well I can demonstrate that preparation. In a commentator’s job, I can solidify my statements in advance, and the moderator will ask me in turn, “What do you think of this news, Kanda-san?” .

Variety shows, on the other hand, are the exact opposite. The general theme of the talk is fixed, but it is OK to talk about something else as long as it gets the audience excited.　What about Kanda? and you are expected to start talking on your own without being named by the moderator, which is why you never know who is going to say what and when. In other words, everything is unpredictable, and you have no idea what to prepare and to what extent. I was student body president in junior high and high school, and a math major in college. Needless to say, the former job suited me better.

Then one day, in order to be more persuasive as a commentator, I thought, “I should also be creative in my appearance! He decided to have thick, angular eyebrows, as if he were a female Saigo-Takamori. The eyebrows were a magnificent expression of her presence, her core strength, and her unshakable spirit. It’s perfect. It might be called to start from the appearance, but that is exactly what she was doing, “I’m going to do my best in my job as a commentator! It was a sign of his strong determination to do his best in his job as a commentator.”

Shield and sword to challenge Mr. Kato

Thanks to his efforts, he has succeeded in increasing his place year by year. Last fall, I was invited to appear on “Sukkiri,” and I managed to catch the sharp gaze of MC Koji Kato with my dignified reporting eyebrows and held on. This is because “Sukkiri” does not end with simply expressing one’s opinion on the news. Whenever he expresses an opinion, Mr. Kato asks, “But isn’t that too difficult? Mr. Kato would ask questions that went one step further, such as, “But isn’t that difficult? It was necessary for me to challenge him as if I was having a discussion with him. That is why the strong eyebrows of the press were my mental support, and before I knew it, they had become my mental shield and sword.

For the first time in three years, I changed that eyebrow to a variety eyebrow, which is the exact opposite. This is really a big deal.

The deciding factor was that “Sukkiri” would end this March. I felt that my news eyebrows were too dignified and did not reflect my pouty expression in “Poka Poka,” which I go to every day. Only the eyebrows were too far forward, or they looked like pasted-on eyebrows. In any case, the eyebrows did not seem to fit the TPO.

I felt sorry for her and felt that it was a shame to put her press eyebrows to shame after working so hard with her in the field. So …… this is also a parental love. I’m going to graduate her along with “Sukkiri”. I made up my mind and asked the makeup artist to make my eyebrows thinner and more gently curved to match the atmosphere of “Poka Poka”.

Thus, at noon on February 8, my new variety eyebrows were unleashed on the world.

Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, I joined NHK as an announcer in 2003, and left in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently makes regular appearances as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

From the March31and April 7, 2023issues ofFRIDAY