<figure id="attachment_361315" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2100px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-361315"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="9665955d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/3859fb3f02fb4eb928fc5264785ba6e7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-361315" class="wp-caption-text">A nervous Takashi Okamura in conversation with the Breakin&#8217; World Champion</figcaption></figure>
In mid-January, a filming was taking place around the reception area of a sports gym in Yoyogi, Tokyo. There were numerous staff members and large lighting equipment. At the center of it all was a petite man with a lapel microphone attached by the staff. It was Takashi Okamura (53) from &#8220;Ninety-Nine.&#8221;
After a while, a man wearing a cap with the Red Bull logo appeared, and Okamura was seen guiding him, saying, &#8220;Here he is.&#8221; It seems that Okamura was the MC, and they were recording a talk show with this man as the guest. While Okamura appeared nervous, the man had a relaxed atmosphere and a smile on his face.
&#8220;The man is Shigeyuki Hanai (21), a top dancer in dance sport, specifically breakdancing, known by his dancer name &#8216;Shigekix.&#8217;
Hanai, who is also a representative athlete for the Paris Olympics, currently holds the top spot in the world rankings (as of February 24, 2024). He&#8217;s considered the athlete closest to winning the gold medal. Prior to the 5th All Japan Breakin&#8217; Championship held on February 17th and 18th, it seems that Okamura interviewed Hanai, who aims for his fourth consecutive title.&#8221; (Sports newspaper reporter)
On the other hand, Okamura himself has been said to have breakdancing skills comparable to those of top dancers.
&#8220;When he was in the sixth grade, he encountered breakdancing and joined a famous dance team in Kansai. By the time he was in junior high school, he was well-known as the top dancer in Osaka under the name &#8216;KID&#8217; (Okamura&#8217;s dancer name at the time). The duo name &#8216;Ninety-Nine&#8217; also comes from the difficult breakdancing move &#8216;1990&#8217;.&#8221; (Previously mentioned reporter)
Okamura has appeared on many dance programs in the past, showcasing his impressive skills, but this was the first time the two met. Despite being a veteran comedian, Okamura seemed quite nervous being in the presence of a &#8220;world champion.&#8221;
He appeared as a guest at the breakdancing championship venue and was encouraged to MC and perform a dance, but he declined due to still being in rehabilitation after rupturing his Achilles tendon last October.
On February 27th, it was announced that Okamura would voice a guest character in the latest Anpanman movie, &#8220;Let&#8217;s Go! Anpanman: Baikinman and the Ruler of Books&#8221; (to be released on June 28th). This marks Okamura&#8217;s first attempt at voice acting in an anime film. When asked about his feelings when he got the role, he mentioned his family,
&#8220;My kids really love &#8216;Anpanman! Anpanman!&#8217; and my wife also said, &#8216;I really want you to do it.&#8217; I&#8217;m not sure how much my children will understand, but I really want to show it to them.&#8221; (ORICON NEWS)
This shows a glimpse of Okamura as a loving husband and father.
&#8220;At present, &#8216;Nainai&#8217; has only one regular comedy program, &#8216;Guruguru Ninety-Nine&#8217; (Nippon TV), and discussions about its cancellation seem to arise almost every year. While their television activities are gradually declining, their radio program, &#8216;Ninety-Nine&#8217;s All Night Nippon&#8217; (Nippon Broadcasting System), remains popular and has a high favorability rating. Considering their activities outside of television, they seem to be extremely busy.&#8221; (Television magazine writer)
It&#8217;s said that Okamura used to repeatedly joke with figures like Akashiya Sanma and Tamori, saying things like, &#8220;Please die already. You&#8217;re getting in the way,&#8221; all in a bid to increase his own regular golden-time programs. However, now that he&#8217;s married with children, it seems he&#8217;s enjoying his work at his own pace.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Takashi Okamura looking nervous before his interview with Shigekix"></div>
<figure id="attachment_361316" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2100px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-361316"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f5e4834f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/b3cd4a69e78f011410effa2a31bceda4.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-361316" class="wp-caption-text">Takashi Okamura stands and waits quietly while the staff prepares</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_361327" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1926px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-361327"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="23419d1a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/1e46bf941d236580c2a348f37dd02e78.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-361327" class="wp-caption-text">Takashi Okamura shows Shigekix (back left), who came in late, around the corner, saying, “This way.”</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_361317" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1116px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-361317"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f00921a7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/02/e19a2fc1cb8ea36b73c9bbf2daf4a9e2.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-361317" class="wp-caption-text">Shigekix (from @bboyshigekix) posted a photo of himself and Takashi Okamura on his Instagram page on the day of the interview.</figcaption></figure>

 Ippei Hara

 In mid-January, Takashi Okamura of "Ninety-Nine" was filming a talk show at a gym in Tokyo. Okamura was nervous about his interlocutor, Shigekix. It seems that Okamura is also extremely busy outside of comedy.

Okamura’s Busy Comedy – Breakdancing and Anpanman Voice Work Despite Special Circumstances

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