■ “I felt like I had opened a new door” (Iwata Takanori)
The special program “Choetsu Happiness,” in which Iwata Takanori of Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS will co-host with Wakatsuki Chinatsu, will be broadcast on NHK E-Tele on September 26th.
Iwata will be taking on the challenge of being an MC for the first time in his life. Wakatsuki will also be MCing for NHK for the first time, and guests LiLiCo and Yuki Hirako (Alco & Peace) will be on hand for the talk variety show, where they will ask about the “transcendent happiness” that a pair of soulmates have found.
This was Iwata’s first time as an MC. Immediately after he said the words “one underwear incident,” Wakatsuki said, “You can say it so seriously,” and when Iwata said he was “sweating because he was nervous,” LiLiCo and Hirako laughed at him and said, “That’s not what we call sweat.”
■The theme of this issue is “Love forged through a candid account of the struggle with breast cancer”
Matsu Sayaka, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29, wrote “Kanojo Shikkaku: Koishiteru to datte to gan datte” (She’s Not Qualified: Being in Love, or Having Cancer), a book that summarises the reality of her battle with breast cancer in her 30s, when she wanted to balance her work and love life. She candidly writes about her experiences of struggling with the high cost of treatment while working, the lack of sex due to the effects of chemotherapy, and the heartbreak she experienced during treatment.
The man who would later become her husband was Masashi Kitagawa. While she was unable to tell him about her experience with cancer, he secretly read “She’s Disqualified” and, saying “She’s the type of person I’ve never met before, I want to get closer to her,” proposed to her after zero days of dating, and they got married in their late 30s.
When she worries that she may not be able to have children due to her age, he firmly replies, “I didn’t marry you because I wanted to have children, I married you because I wanted to live my life with you.” They talk about their transcendent happiness.
■ Comment from Takanori Iwata
My first time as an MC was the most nervous I’ve ever been. I started sweating nonstop (laughs). But with the help of Wakatsuki-san, LiLiCo-san, and Hirako-san, I was able to complete it safely and felt like I had opened a new door. This time it was a special program, but I would definitely like to be an MC again. The couple are really wonderful, and they talked cheerfully about things that were a little difficult to hear, so I think it’s a program that you can watch without thinking too hard. Rather than talking about illness, I think we were able to deliver a strong message about “living in the moment,” so I hope people of all ages will watch.■Comment from Chinatsu Wakatsuki
I was looking forward to seeing Iwa-chan talk about things other than artists, and he was very natural and a good listener. I thought he would be a good MC on the obi. The couple opened up to me so much that I thought, “You even talk about that?”, so we had a friendly conversation. We were chatting and the recording ended, and it really went by in a flash. It was a very stimulating recording that gave me motivation to live, or rather energy, and made me want to study more and become cooler, so I hope many people will watch it.■ Comment from LiLiCo
Iwa-chan was the MC for the first time, and his soft personality and Wakatsuki-san’s fluffy positivity were a great balance. Iwa-chan, Wakatsuki-san, Hirako-san and I, four completely different people, listened to the story of a wonderful couple… I thought it created a great atmosphere. I believe that “there are many happy things in any life, depending on whether the person realizes it or not,” and I hope that the people who watch this program will realize that. If I had to mention the highlights, that’s it. Please check it out.■ Comment from Yuki Hirako (Alco & Peace)
They were a couple with a great vibe. I learned a lot from the broad-mindedness of Kitagawa, the husband, in accepting his girlfriend’s past with other men as a necessary process for her to meet him, and I think this is a feeling that should be shared not only by men, but by all of humanity. On the other hand, the highlight of the film is “Kitagawa’s crazy nature.” I hope you will pay attention to the crazy nature of his pure love and his ability to act, which comes from being overflowing with love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsp3f97_RIo
Program Information
NHK Educational TV“Transcendent Happiness”
09/26 (Thu) 22:00-22:29
Rebroadcast: 09/29 (Sun) 18:30-18:59
*Catch-up streaming available for one week on NHK Plus
MC: Takanori Iwata and Chinatsu Wakatsuki
Guest: LiLiCo Yuki Hirako (Alco & Peace)
Cast: Sayaka Matsu and Masashi Kitagawa
Program site
https://nhk.jp/chohapi
Iwata Takanori OFFICIAL SITE
https://m.tribe-m.jp/artist/index/16
