A talk between two beautiful female announcers! Reina Sumi and Misato Ugaki: “Being a freelance announcer is tough, but it’s fun!

Ugaki-chan is a very honest and righteous person. She has a strong core. When I’m with her, she helps me a lot.”

Reina-san is like a fierce beast (laughs). She is kind to me because I am a free spirit!

Reina Sumi (33, formerly of TV Tokyo) and Misato Ugaki (32, formerly of TBS), both freelance announcers, sometimes looked at each other and talked about their impressions of each other.

At first glance, Ugaki, known for her love of manga, anime, and novels, and Washimi, who has been active in soccer and other sports since childhood and has appeared on “Athletics on Fire” (TBS), seem to be complete opposites. However, they actually have something in common in that they became freelance at about the same time and at the height of their careers as station announcers, and they are so close in private that they “ate samgyeopsal together” just the other day. How has this friendship that transcends the bureaucratic boundaries been nurtured?

Sumi: I became friends with Ugaki when I became the PR ambassador for Paravi, a joint TBS, TV TOKYO, and WOWOW video streaming service in 2006.

Reina Ugaki is just so kind. I was shy, but she asked me if I wanted some sweets. and she talked to me while giving me sweets.

Sumi: I was aware that I, as the older one, had to be more proactive in talking to her. Ugaki talked to me more than I expected, which made me happy.

Ugaki: Actually, I am a talker myself, so if you talk to me, I can talk more and more. But I couldn’t talk to her because I thought, “No one would want to talk to me,” or “I don’t want to take up your time, …….

Sumi: I really enjoyed our conversations because I could sense Ugaki’s sense of language and the interesting way she talked about the episodes.

Ugaki: It’s difficult to put it this way, but my senpai at TBS and Reina at TV TOKYO were different types. Many TBS announcers, including myself, had strong personalities. So, when I first spoke with a senior TV TOKYO announcer, I was impressed that she was listening to me so well. It’s not that the senior TBS announcers didn’t listen to me (laughs).

Sumi: TV TOKYO was more of a station where you were expected not to show your personality, so I worked while paying attention to the atmosphere of the other person and what was needed in that situation.

Ugaki: Many of my seniors at TBS were like “going my own way,” and watching their backs made me feel at ease. I was happy because I felt like they were telling me, “It’s okay to be yourself.
So when I see something that is not right, I immediately show it on my face. I would be so ocular that anyone could see it. I would get so upset that anyone could see it, but Reina-san was able to communicate it to the staff and keep things running smoothly.

Washimi: Ugaki gets it out of her before I do, so I can calm down before anger builds up.

Ugaki But when we went to the haunted house location together, it showed on your face. It was fun to see the really disgusted look on your face at that time (laughs).

Sumi: I was crying so hard, but Ugaki was laughing beside me (laughs). I just can’t do the haunted house. I tried to dash away at the end, and when I finally managed to escape, I hit my foot on the exit platform and got a big bruise. I wondered if I would get workman’s compensation.　The worst part was that even though I had already told them that I would not go to the haunted house again, the next time or so, they asked me to go again. That was unforgivable!　In the end, I gave up and asked Ugaki to go alone (laughs).

Ugaki: At the haunted house, I said, “Because it’s a doll! I was the type of person who thinks, “They’re using good speakers. Reina-san was amazing that time. I thought to myself, “People really do lose their backs.
Earlier, I said that Reina-san is an adjusting type, but she does not give in to everything, and she has a firm will. I thought, “That’s how it should be! I think.

Sumi: I respect Ugaki’s talent for writing. I admire the way you are able to show your sense in various fields, and I wish I could be like you as an announcer.

Azumi Announcer’s “Paranoia”

Ugaki: If you were to ask me who is TBS’s signature announcer, I would have to say Shinichiro Azumi (49).　If I were asked who is the signature announcer of TBS, I would definitely answer, “Shinichiro Azumi (49). I really respect him, and he is aware and proud that he is responsible for the lives of all the employees. His tremendous work ethic and thorough preparation make me think, “I could never go that far.

Sumi: I wonder what kind of mindset you have in your work, Azumi-san.

Ugaki: It’s really amazing. For example, when we had dinner together, we moved from one restaurant to another. He said, “It’s my job to communicate, so if I only ate once like everyone else, I would only be able to give one input. He takes his junior staff on buckwheat noodle making and horseback riding trips, and is very aggressive in introducing new things. I appeared every week on the radio show “After 6 Junction,” and I think it was thanks to my seniors that I was able to speak with such passion and enthusiasm every time.

Sumi: In my TV TOKYO days, I really learned a lot from Reina Sumi Akimoto (38), who was in charge of the sports program, in the way she related to the players, treated the staff, and conducted interviews. She didn’t just tell us what to do in words, but showed us behind our backs. He would only tell me in short sentences what he really thought was wrong. I learned sports reporting by watching Mr. Akimoto, and my most memorable experience as a company employee was witnessing Yuzuru Hanyu win the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Make him regret it.”

Ugaki: When I became a freelancer, my seniors sent me off strongly. They told me, “Let them all regret it. Rather than taking the easy way out and regretting it, I wanted to be the kind of person who chooses the more difficult path, and I wanted my seniors to see me doing so. Even if they don’t accept it, I try to let it go and say, “Well, there are people like that.

Sumi: I was also told by the producer I trust the most, “Just give it a try, and even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll be fine. I was able to decide that I would do my best, and if it didn’t work out, I would look at Mynavi and change jobs or get a part-time job.
But I would choose the easy way out (laughs). (Laughs.) I’m the type of person who, if there are 100 people, wants to be liked by 100 people. I would like to be included in a ranking of “favorite announcers” if I could.

Ugaki: When I get into those rankings, I think that it’s not that I’m happy, but rather that the character Ugaki created with the staff was accepted (laughs).

Sumi: The good thing about going freelance is that I feel secure in knowing that I have an absolute ally. The people at the office will never betray me, no matter what.

Ugaki You trust them too much⁉

I trust them too much⁉ Washimi I do trust them, and I also feel like I can connect my hobbies and everything in my personal life to my work when I’m freelance. I can tell episodes of “Zum Sata” (Nippon Television Network Corporation), which I have the privilege of being in charge of, and I feel that nothing is ever really wasted. For example, even when I buy a new pillow, I make a note of it to see if it will become a story.

Ugaki: Indeed. I read manga and books thinking, “This is my job. Expenses, expenses! (laughs). When I was a student, I wanted to be a reporter, so I am very happy that I have more jobs writing book and movie reviews since going freelance, and that I am now able to freely communicate what I like.

Sumi: I really enjoy the work I am doing now on the TV show, and it is really rewarding, but if I were to take on a new challenge, I would like to do voice work as well. I would like to do Japanese dubbing or voice-over work. I also love narrating. I would be happy to work in animation.

Ugaki: I really liked the reading sessions I did when I was an announcer at a bureau, so I would like to do readings and narration again.

Sumi: In terms of future goals, I want to become “an adult who can take care of my own moods. I thought about this when Rie Mochizuki, 51, who has been in charge of “Zum Sata” for a long time, took me out to dinner recently. I want to be like Ms. Mochizuki, who is always in a good mood and treats everyone cheerfully.

Ugaki: Indeed, it is important to be in a good mood. I get in a good mood easily. I get in a bad mood easily, though (laughs).

Sumi: Ugaki gets in a good mood when she’s drunk, and she’s funny. When we drank at my house, she fell down the stairs and mistook “grapefruit sour, please” for “golden retriever, please” (laughs). I laughed so hard that I wrote a note on my phone saying, “Woman who mistakes grapefruit sour for golden retriever. I didn’t know where to go with this episode, but here it is for the first time in Japan (laughs).

Ugaki: I feel at ease when I’m with you, Reina, and get drunk easily. I look forward to working with you in the future!

Reina Sumi: “Ugaki-chan has the strength to believe in herself.
Misato Ugaki: “What Reina has is genuine kindness.

◆Reina Sumi (pictured right) was born in Gifu Prefecture in 1990. After joining TV Tokyo in 2001, she was in charge of “Winning Horse Racing” and other programs. In 2008, she went freelance and is currently in charge of “Zoom In! Saturday” and other programs. Belongs to St. Force.

◆Ugaki Misato (pictured left) / Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1991. After joining TBS in 2002, she has been in charge of numerous programs including “Asa-chan! In 2007, she became a freelance announcer. She became a freelance announcer in 2007. She is currently active in a variety of fields, including acting and writing. Belongs to Oscar Promotion

From the July 28, 2023 issue of FRIDAY