NKDS

As part of the press conference on the 21st of November, I had the chance to do a group interview with Ichirou Mizuki, better known as Aniki to many of us. It was a group affair, rather than an individual one. Present as well were a Thai cosplay magazine and a reporter from MTV Asia. Without further ado, MAZIN GOOOO!

Note: I will be typing out this interview from my perspective rather than the normal format as it easier for me to let the words flow.
Before the interview, I had asked him if he enjoyed the bakwa that we had given him at the airport. He replied that he enjoyed it very much and asked if it was to be warmed up before consumption.

Which is his favourite song?

Aniki cannot say that he has any one favourite song because he treats them all as his children. As with children, he loves them all and is unable to single out any one.

How did he start out in the business?

At that point of time, he wanted to do movie themes. However, at that point of time, songs for anime were popular and a producer heard his voice and thought it was more appropriate that he should this sort of songs. And the rest, they say is, history.

How did he get the nickname of Aniki?

Contrary to popular opinion, the name was not given to him by people in the industry. Rather, it was given to him by his fans. He notes that about 20 years, when the first Super Robot Wars live events, he was always kicking off the events with the songs from Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger, making of sorts, the leader and the father. However, he did not see himself as a father, as he was not yet at that age and his views of a father is a white haired man in a wheel chair. He was very far off from that. He saw himself as the older brother instead. And being termed the leader was rather strong so instead he thought he was better off called Aniki.

How long does he foresee himself as continuing on in the industry?

This got a very strong reply from Aniki. He replied that he he intended to continue for another twenty years. He says it brings him great joy to know that the five year old children of today would, twenty years down the road, they would be singing along with him the very same songs. *cue shedding of tears*

During the interview, Aniki commented on the meaning of anison. He said that unlike mainstream music, the goal of anison was to convey the moment of the show above all, appropriate for the moment. He says that anison contains the dreams, the courage and the friendship of the moment in time the song plays. Another goal of anison as well was to stir the passion and feelings of the listener. It was not enough to just simply sing the song; the singer had put in their heart and soul into it as well. *cue shedding of tears*

What does he think of cosplay?

He thinks it is a very incredible aspect of Japanese anime culture. He remembers going to France as a guest to a convention and helped to judge the local World Cosplay Summit round. Later on, at the WCS event at Nagoya, that very same group that he crowned the winners in France won the finals, sort of vindicating his decisions. He also has a lot of respect for cosplayers as well. He is very impressed with all the costumes that the contestants have all hand made them. He also respects for the fact that they have to act the part of the character as well.

What did he think of the anime scene in Singapore?

For the past two years, he had been receiving a lot of offers from around Asia, like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. However, due to certain issues, he has always been unable to come to Singapore as the market was still relatively unknown at that point of time. However, with enthusiastic welcome at the airport and warm reception at the press conference, he was very happy with what he has seen and knew that it was good one because of it.

What were his goals in setting up JAM Project back in 2000?

As most of us know, JAM stands for Japanese Animation Song Makers. The original members had included himself, Hironobu Kageyama, Rica Matsumoto, Masaki Endoh and Eizo Sakamoto. During that point of time, he and the other singers were receiving offers to perform outside of Japan. He came up with the idea of rather than going as individuals, why not promote music as a group rather than individuals. The group has come a very long way, recently adding a new member, Ricardo Cruz, a Brazilian, to the band. On that note, he noted that he was very happy with anison doing well overseas, as a Canadian had recently won a Japanese anison contest. Currently the torch of leadership was with Hironobu Kagemaya, after Aniki had relinquished the post, and they are already grooming, or waiting for the third one, the one who would lead them into the next generation. He was now working with the group as the coach, of sorts.

The last thing that was asked not a question but rather a request. I asked Aniki if it was possible to bring down ‘Kage-nii tachi’. He replied very enthusiastically that the welcome at the airport and the earlier press conference had convinced him that bringing them down was a very big possibility. He had phrased such that he would be the one leading them down, rather than just JAM Project themselves. And we all know by now the two chants at the end of each day’s concert who we want here. *cue Soultaker and Hagane no Messiah*

Edit: For those who do now know what happened. During one of the MC periods, Reiko, the female host, asked if Aniki wished to come back next. Aniki replied that he would come back and maybe bring along his band. It was at this point of time, everyone in the VIP section began to chant JAM Project. He looked on in amazement, surprised that we knew who ‘his band’. As for the second, the male MC asked the crowd who they wanted to see. And again, we started to chant JAM Project again.

As the rest of the interviewers left, I stayed behind a while to ask Aniki to sign my SRW Z Premium DVD. For some of us, this is quite a special game. Terada, the producer of the series, had asked Aniki to do a special vocal cut in for the game advertisements with his signature ‘ZEEEEEEEEETT!’. Also, the DVD contained footage of the SRW event in April, which he also performed at.

Just before I left, I thanked him for making my childhood what it was today and for today. Satisfied and happy fan is happy and satisfied. I was glad I didn’t break down in tears from finally meeting my childhood hero.

My thanks to the organisers for helping to arrange the interview and Shia for the photography.

Found the article MTV Asia Online did. Found here.