Free Announcer Aika Kanda, “The 37-year Curse Left Behind by the Oten Exam

I think everyone has had the conversation, “If you could go back to ‘that time,’ when would you want to go back?” I think we have all had this conversation. I have never wanted to go back to the past. Or rather, I have always tried not to. I thought that by dwelling on the past, I would fall into the habit of turning my eyes away from reality. I did not like to reminisce, and I avoided listening to songs I used to listen to because it would trigger my recollection of the past.

Then I got an unusual job. It is a job in which I will talk about the appeal of the “City Hunter” anime from the standpoint of an expert.

(I have an anime-related job?) I was surprised. I was surprised. I had spent decades of my life without having any connection to anime or manga. My parents told me that they were for children to watch. and because of this, I have not been exposed to any of them from the age of 15 until now. Furthermore, she was given only 30 minutes a day to watch TV, because she believed that it was bad for her education. After much deliberation, there was a time when Aika chose to watch “City Hunter.

But that was nearly 35 years ago. She still loves the main character, Akira Saeba, and the ending theme song, “Get Wild,” but she can’t remember every detail, so she decided to rewatch all the episodes.

It was scary. Watching anime I had watched in the past was the very act I had avoided in the past. If I remember at my age the sweet feelings of how much I enjoyed the old days more, or how much I want to go back, I’m going to …… (I’ll never get out of that swamp again, will I?). I’m not sure I’ll ever get out of that quagmire. But this is work. （I’m going to watch it!) ) I made up my mind, and started watching with trepidation while preparing my evening meal.

The first and second episodes of …… brought back the scenes of those days beautifully, as I expected. My brother and I were snuggled up watching it together, my mother’s loud voice asking, “Did you do your homework?” My mother’s loud voice asking, “Did you do your homework? I felt as if I was sitting on the balcony of a hotel in Hawaii, where a warm, soft breeze was blowing. And (those were fun times). Oh …… I finally remembered the forbidden feelings.

At the same time, I felt like my face was smiling in reality. Even though I am not a good cook and tend to have a stern face when I stand in the kitchen, the feeling of ho-hum was more than enough.

In the days leading up to the end of watching all 140 episodes, my brother and I would exchange famous scenes with each other, and my mother surprised me by saying, “You’re watching an anime? My mother surprised me for the first time in a long time. Conversations with my family were also more lively with different content than before.

I was also surprised at how differently I interpreted the show from when I was a child. I was also surprised to see the characters’ misdeeds (I guess it can’t be helped), and to see the main character’s brilliant moves (how much practice did he have?!?). ), and I am curious about the process of the main character’s brilliant moves (how much practice did he have?!). (Anime is interesting even as an adult!). I realized that I was not the only one.

One Word Failed Elementary School Entrance Exam

The recording ended without incident. I became aware that I had not become “the person who runs away from what is in front of me,” which I had feared, and I thought about why I had always hated looking back on the past. Then I thought about why I had always hated to look back on the past, and came to the conclusion that it was because of the elementary school entrance exam. ), I came to the conclusion that it was because of the elementary school entrance examination.

When I was a kindergartener, I had failed all the entrance examinations, including those for elementary schools that I had been assured of passing. I failed the interview test with my parents.

In the “favorite book” section of my self-introduction, I wrote that it was my cherished “Insects” book. Based on that, the interviewer asked, “What are your favorite insects?” he asked me. In practice, I had been able to answer, “A praying mantis! but I got extremely nervous during the real interview, and for some reason I answered cheerfully, “Cockroaches! I answered cheerfully, “Cockroaches!

After the test, my parents were told by the cram school teacher that it would be difficult for me to pass the test because they might have thought that I was from a family environment where cockroaches appeared. And they still failed.

He was extremely shocked and frustrated, and for several months he dreaded walking through the gates of the local elementary school he was supposed to attend if he failed. I learned at the age of six that you can never get the past back, and that you have to do your best in the moment to avoid regrets.

Animation, which I encountered again at work, gave me the opportunity to think that far. It even taught me that the act of looking back at the past does not make me feel weak, but rather makes me feel that I have grown. It has been 37 years since I failed my entrance exam. I feel like I have finally conquered the me of those days.

Aika Kanda was born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she 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 November 24, 2023 issue of FRIDAY