Three "radio" themed anime that you still want to watch.

The year 2021 is almost over. Many of you may have had a "lost year" following last year.　Amidst the gloomy news on TV every day, the "radio" has been a source of emotional support for this writer.

In this issue, I would like to introduce three works related to "radio" that have continued to enrich my daily life, which has become depressing as I have been working from home more and more.

Listen, Wave!

Based on a youth manga by Hiroaki Samura, the author of "Infinite Dweller. The setting is Sapporo, Hokkaido. Minare Koda, who works at a restaurant, is a radio DJ for a local FM radio station, Moiwa Mountain Radio Station (MRS). ...... is the general story.

The first episode opens with a shocking scene in which Minare is confronted by a bear in the forest (in reality, Minare's excellent talking skills make it sound as if she is confronting the bear), followed by a description of why Minare was chosen to be the personality.

The story is populated by fascinating characters such as Kanetsugu Mato, the chief director who selected Minare, Mizuho Namba, who became friends with Minare, and Mitsuo Suga, Minare's ex-boyfriend, who is full of lucky guesses.

The final episode of the anime depicts the episode of the "Hokkaido Bold Eastern Earthquake" that occurred just after 3:00 a.m. on September 6, 2018. Recently, in "Taisho Otome Goganashi" (Taisho Otome Goganashi), a scene in which the main characters are involved in the Great Kanto Earthquake appeared.

Incidentally, First Summer Uika, a TV personality and singer who was rumored to resemble Minare, performed a famous scene from the anime (where she talks on her radio show) as a surprise on her radio show "First Summer Uika's All Night Nippon 0 (ZERO)," a "unique collaboration. This was a unique collaboration that made the fans happy. This was a particularly exciting event for radio enthusiasts.

Android Anna MAICO 2010

MAICO2010" is a media mix project developed by Nippon Broadcasting System, a Tokyo-based radio station well known for its "All Night Nippon" broadcasts.

The TV animation produced as part of the project was broadcast on WOWOW's now nostalgic non-scramble slot "Anime Complex. Directed by Koji Masunari and written by Yosuke Kuroda, Hideyuki Kurata, Hideki Shirane, and others, it is a "well-known masterpiece.

The story is about the interaction between MAICO, an android announcer, and the employees of Nippon Broadcasting System, who decided to develop the world's first "android announcer" out of a sense of crisis that they would be "swallowed up by the media wave. Naturally, there are science fiction elements in the story, but it also provides an insight into how live broadcasts and recordings are made at a radio station, and we suspect that some people may be inspired to pursue a career in radio after watching this anime.

I think this anime may have inspired some people to pursue a career in the radio industry. was as much of a shock to me as the death of Daigouji Gai from "Mobile Battleship Nadesico".

The opening theme "MAICO is Dancing," with its overly innovative lyrics composed entirely of "Do Re Mi" pitches, is also worth a listen.

Moving on to radio programs, "Junko Iwao and Akihisa Shoguchi's Super Anime Mega Hit Top 10," a countdown program of anime songs, was on the air on Nippon Broadcasting System at the same time as the anime. The program was like a compilation of the week's anime, and the program director, Akira Teshigawara, was also the author of the novel "I Just Dropped My Phone," which was made into a movie and became a hot topic.

(Now that I think about it, MAICO was not born in 2010. ...... "Fist of the North Star" feeling). Why don't you start a real "MAICO Project" around next year, Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc!

Susaki Nishi THE ANIMATION

The last one may be a bit forced, but it is a 5-minute anime starring Aya Suzaki and Asuka Nishi, the personalities of the popular radio show "Suzaki Nishi," which is broadcast on "Bunka Hoso Cho! The two high school girls, Suzaki Aya (played by herself) and Nishi Asuka (played by ...... and below), hit it off and lead a crazy school life.

To be honest, there is a lot of material that you have to be a listener of the show to understand. To put it another way, there is no other anime that is so close to radio listeners. It is a very valuable (or rare?) work. It is a very valuable (or rare?) work. In addition to TOKYO MX, the program was also broadcast in their hometowns of Ishikawa and Hyogo prefectures, so it can be said that it is a work that is very close to both personalities and overflowing with love.

The reporter had the opportunity to conduct an official interview for a program (radio) event, but the history of the program was so long that he could not talk much about the anime. I would like him to talk about it again sometime in the future.

Looking at it this way, there are surprisingly few anime works that use radio as their subject. Considering that the term "anime radio," or "aniraji" for short, which describes programs featuring voice actors and anime works, has become popular among anime, voice actor, and game fans, I wonder if we will see more anime based on radio programs in the future, like "Suzaki-nishi"...? ...? I am secretly hoping that this will be the case in the future.

＜Writer's Introduction

Atsushi Saeki

Atsushi Saeki

He is an editor and writer for the portal site "Repotama! a portal site that introduces information on anime, voice actors, games, idols, and more.

He is also an official writer for "Yakunara Mugugupo", "Peach Boy Riverside", "How Many Kilos Can You Hold a Dumbbell? and various other productions as an official writer and cameraman.

He is a fan of late-night radio, and makes it his life's work to record and listen to primetime programs on weekdays (1:00 - 3:00 AM) while traveling. Of course, I also love ani-radio. The most exciting radio-related topic this year was getting acquainted with a postcard craftsman for a very popular late-night radio show on TBS Radio. He gave me a novelty gift from the program, and it became one of the "10 most important topics in my life.