<figure id="attachment_388728" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-388728" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e155a088"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/95a4ab1a3585c398180680330cff7fb0.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-388728" class="wp-caption-text">Freelance Announcer Yuki Matsumaru Declares &#8220;No NG</figcaption></figure>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I&#8217;m sure that many famous announcers are active on regular TV programs soon after going freelance. I was expecting that I would be able to work as a freelance announcer too!　I had faint hopes, but I didn&#8217;t receive as many job offers as I had expected. But when I actually started working on the jobs I was offered, it was quite different from my days at the TV station.</span><span class="strongInContent"> I am struggling with it. I feel that the amount of work is just right for me now.</span></p>
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<p> Yuki Matsumaru (43), a freelance announcer who left TV Tokyo at the end of June and joined &#8220;Production Jinrikisha&#8221; in July, says that she feels the workload is just right for her now.</p>
<p> Matsumaru was a signature announcer for TV TOKYO&#8217;s popular late-night variety show &#8220;Godtan,&#8221; where she was known as a famous assistant. Why has she now turned freelance? She talks about why she chose Jinrikisha and what she plans to do in the future.</p>
<h3> A word from a senior announcer made her decide to go freelance.</h3>
<p> It was a very hot day in August. She was slightly sweaty as she hurriedly returned to the office from her work site to conduct an interview. Her days are busy, but she seems to be having a fulfilling life. She talks happily about the difference in her work from her days as a bureau announcer.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> When I was a station announcer, I worked as a host, facilitating the program. But after I became freelance, I was invited as a guest more often. This is the first time for me to face a program as a guest, so my mind is going round and round with thoughts such as, &#8216;How far do I have to go before I get in front of the audience?</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> TV TOKYO&#8217;s teaching is that announcers should be a part of the program creator&#8217;s team, and should be a black boy, but now that I am freelance, I feel that I need to change my stance on the show.</span></p>
<p> When asked why he became freelance, Matsumaru reveals that it actually took him quite some time to reach that decision.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" What did a senior female announcer say to him that helped him decide to go freelance?"></div>
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<figure id="attachment_388730" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-388730" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2e803648"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/0d9dee27c999805198cd14e92319aa41.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-388730" class="wp-caption-text">He says he decided to start his own business when his child was about to enter elementary school.</figcaption></figure>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;I had a child in &#8217;17 and returned from childcare leave in &#8217;18, but I was having trouble balancing childcare and work as I envisioned. I wanted to give 100% of my all to both childcare and work, but my husband (Yasuhito Nitta, 50), a bicycle racer, is away from home many days because of his job, and I just couldn&#8217;t give my all to work on the days I was left with one-parent childcare.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I wondered if changing the way I work or the place where I work would solve this problem, so I consulted with many people, including senior announcers who had gone freelance, and after much deliberation, I made the decision.</span></p>
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<p> The deciding factor in her &#8220;decision&#8221; was a comment from a senior announcer.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> My child entered elementary school this school year, and I thought, &#8216;I&#8217;ll probably be able to take my hands off my child when he goes to elementary school. However, Mari Kurano, 44, a mother of three and two years my senior at TV TOKYO, said to me, &#8216;Just because your child enters elementary school doesn&#8217;t mean you&#8217;ll be free. I realized how naive I was. In the end, I realized that it never gets easier. &#8230;&#8230;</span><span class="strongInContent"> But that one comment made me more determined, and I decided to go freelance just as my child was about to enter elementary school.</span></p>
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<p> Now that Matsumaru has taken a new step forward in order to devote herself to both childcare and work, we wonder what genre of entertainment she will continue to focus on in the future. The program that most viewers associate with Matsumaru is &#8220;Godtan&#8221; (TV Tokyo), which began airing regularly in 2005. &#8230;&#8230;</p>
<h3> It was on &#8220;Godotan&#8221; that she learned to take part in &#8220;pranks.</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The movie &#8220;Anchor Woman&#8221; that I saw when I was in junior high school is what made me want to become an announcer. I saw the movie &#8220;Anchorwoman&#8221; when I was in junior high school. It was about a woman who aspires to become a news anchor, and I decided to go into news reporting, so I knocked on the door of a TV station. When I first joined TV TOKYO, my boss told me that he wanted me to do well in news reporting, and I agreed. Then, in my second year with the company, I was asked to join a late-night comedy show called Godotan.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The reason why he chose an office with no announcers is available at ......"></div>
<p>Godtan&#8221; has spawned a number of divine programs, such as the &#8220;Maji Uta Championship&#8221; and the &#8220;Kiss Endurance Championship. Many comedians got their big break after &#8220;Godotan,&#8221; including &#8220;EXIT&#8221; (Rintaro, Hiroki Kanekon) and &#8220;Sanshiro&#8221; (Hironobu Komiya, Shuji Aida). Matsumaru has been working for 19 years with the regular members of &#8220;Ogi Yahagi&#8221; (Hiroaki Ogi and Kanae Yahagi) and Gekidan Hitori on this show that seems to boil down comedy to the essence of the genre. He has entertained the viewers as an indispensable performer on the show, even though he is an assistant, by sometimes dressing up as a &#8220;funny old man&#8221; and making the audience laugh.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I have to admit that I was a bit perplexed by the fact that the show was a straightforward variety show with a &#8220;Do,&#8221; which is the exact opposite of news reporting. However, TV TOKYO at that time had two big stars, Mariko Oe (45) and Miho Ohashi (46), and most of the variety programs were focused on them. I was an assistant for a variety show that came my way, so I took it as a valuable opportunity. I struggled with the unique atmosphere when the show first started airing, but I studied variety shows on other stations and through trial and error learned to get in on the &#8220;shenanigans&#8221; a little bit, and I think I got back on track.</span></p>
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<p> After leaving TV TOKYO, Matsumaru chose to work at &#8220;Jinrikisha,&#8221; which also belongs to Ogiyahagi. What is the reason why she chose an entertainment agency that has many comedians, when her roots should be in news reporting?</p>
<h3> Choosing an agency with no announcers</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> What was important to me was what Mr. Yahagi said to me. When I was struggling with how to work, I asked him for advice, and he said, &#8216;If you want to become a freelance announcer in the future, you should come to Jinrikisha. Also, Miho (Ohashi) advised me that if I wanted to become a freelance announcer, it might be easier to work at an agency where there are no announcers, and the fact that there are no announcers at Jinrikisha was one of the deciding factors.</span></p>
<p> When asked what she would like to do in the future as &#8220;Tomonori Matsumaru of Jinrikisha,&#8221; she <span class="strongInContent">replied, &#8220;I haven&#8217;t given up on my dream of becoming a news anchor,&#8221;</span> but her answer was &#8220;comedy.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" My target comedian is ......."></div>
<p><span class="strongInContent">I would like to be in a comedy act by &#8220;Tokyo03&#8243; (Satoshi Iizuka, Akihiro Kakuta, Akinaga Toyomoto) &#8230;&#8230; (smiles shyly). I love their comedy and have seen them live several times, but I would like to be on that stage, even if it is just a small role. Tokyo03&#8221; is a senior member of Jinrikisha, but I have not met him yet since he became a freelance comedian. The next time I meet him, I would like to say hello and tell him that I would like to appear as a comedian.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> There are many things I would like to do, such as news anchor or narrator, but now that I am freelance, I would like to do everything with &#8220;no NG. I may do some strange things at times, but I would be happy if you would warmly watch over me.</span></p>
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<p> Matsumaru&#8217;s enthusiasm was like a &#8220;preamble. It may be from now on that the &#8220;comedy announcer&#8221; who has been exposed to the core of comedy on &#8220;Godotan&#8221; will show her true potential&#8230;</p>
<figure id="attachment_388732" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-388732" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="dcccd3de"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/b0ca4d2f8e018667694f2470db992360.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-388732" class="wp-caption-text"> On this day, she was working on TV until just before the interview.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_388733" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-388733" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e5b96ec1"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/0779abeed79e5b5d50f3c95d85e5cbf7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-388733" class="wp-caption-text"> She answered the interview with a smile on her face from start to finish, showing no sign of fatigue.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_388734" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-388734" style="width: 3648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="849cda55"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/ead410476ab7f1185e9ce42a1a044952.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-388734" class="wp-caption-text"> Her husband is Yasuhito Nitta, a bicycle racer. Her family is happy.</figcaption></figure>
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 Takehiko Kohiyama

 Keitaro Haga

 Yuki Matsumaru left TV Tokyo at the end of June to join the comedy agency Jinrikisha. Although she has stated that she has "no NG," she is currently "struggling" with her career. Her goal is to become a comedian! Her name is....

Former TV TOKYO Announcer Yuki Matsumaru Declares “No NG” and Aims to Become a Comedian by Joining a Main Comedy Agency

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