01x03 - Christmas Present

[bunniefuu]

I have to go to a place I've never been.

Or else, I'll die.

If I'm stuck on a loop, I'll break.

I'm almost tearing up as I speak.

These are people who truly love Audrey.

For three years, I couldn't tell anyone.

WHAT HAPPENS IF TWO TOP CREATORS
CONTINUE TO TALK FOR A YEAR?

But what cheered me up when I suffered
from subarachnoid hemorrhage

was the music I consider to be my roots.

Kasuga has matured as a TV talent.

I think he can be
a stand-alone comedian without me.

I don't like that attitude.

Don't pick up on that, Hoshino!

So I want to make a song every episode.

So the show ends with a new song
by Hoshino every episode?

You are insane!

HOSHINO WILL COMPOSE A SONG
BASED ON THEIR TALK

DECEMBER 25,
2022 CHRISTMAS

MASAYASU WAKABAYASHI OF AUDREY

Impressive.

They decorated so much.

A really nice tree as well.

Merry Christmas.

-Amazing.
-Isn't it?

Wow.

-And this is a traditional Japanese house.
-With Christmas decorations.

Today is December 25th.

Yes, it's today! Merry Christmas.

-Today is Christmas, indeed.
-I know.

-I'm happy to be doing this.
-On a day like this.

Did you celebrate Christmas as a child?
Like putting up the Christmas tree?

No, our family didn't.

Oh man, I feel such an affinity for you.

This may be too sudden, but you don't have
good memories of Christmas, do you?

I know I'm being rude.

-Don't assume that, please.
-I'm sorry.

-But you are spot on.
-Right?

When I was small,
my family business was the greengrocer.

-Oh, really?!
-Yes.

I lived in a city called Kawaguchi.

-And there's an auto race circuit.
-Ah, yes!

Inside the facility,
there are a lot of stores and eateries.

So we had to deliver vegetables
to those shops on Christmas.

Then you were really busy.

Yes, helping my parents.

In the cold weather, I'd carry a 20kg bag
of onions up the stairs.

Gen Hoshino hails from
near Kawaguchi Autorace

I really did.

-So you're representing Kawaguchi.
-Totally.

I cannot tell you the chaos it caused
when Katsuyuki Mori came.

I mean, a celebrity coming
to our town was just...

The one from SMAP came.

He crossed the Deep River,
which is Arakawa.

-The Arakawa River, huh?
-He crossed it.

So Christmas wasn't fun until recently.

I'm the same, so I understand.

So how do you feel about it these days?

I'm thinking that I need to
instill it in my daughter

that Christmas is something fun.

She is only one year old.

But I think about her future a lot.

I just don't want her to grow up to be
a sugar baby in Minato-ward.

That's your strong concern
for her right now?

I do, so much. In the last episode,

we were in a hotel in Minato-ward.

I walked by the lounge of that hotel,

I had a glimpse of three pairs
of young girls and old men.

That's when I decided that I would not
raise my daughter to be that.

I'll start with the tree this size.

I'll get it at Tokyo Hands.

And I will gradually make it bigger.

If I start with this, she'll grow up to be
the Minato-ward sugar baby.

Hopes

Left brain

The child of meaning

Mobility

The three poisons

A moonless night

Come over here

Aspirations

Possibilities

God works in mysterious ways

A guiding light

Striking a pose

I celebrate

Love

A Window

CHRISTMAS PRESENT

I love that Gen Hoshino is from Kawaguchi.

I remember this quite often these days.

When I was in fourth grade,
so I was about ten.

-You were ten.
-Around that time...

there was Sogo, the department store,
in front of the Kawaguchi station.

In front of Sogo was sparkly,
because it was Christmas time.

I was walking there with my parents.

I noticed it was Thursday.

Which meant there was
Tonneruzu's show on TV.

I remember thinking,
"I can live another day."

And you were ten?

But back then, seeing all the sparkles
and shine was painful for me.

The fact that I was walking
with my parents...

It wasn't like I was out shopping
with my friends, you know?

Everything was the same as usual.

And I couldn't bear the boring,
daily repetition at the age of ten.

When you were ten?

Then I thought,
"I can watch Tonneruzu today."

"I can survive today."
I have that vivid memory.

I remember thinking that
so often these days.

So at the age of ten,
you were already driven into a corner.

I was.

Tonneruzu, huh?
But I understand that feeling.

It's Christmas, which means
the Kohaku Song Battle is in six days.

-Oh, yes.
-Isn't it?

How many times have you been on Kohaku?

-It'll be my eighth time.
-The eighth time?!

I have a show with someone
who's been on the show eight times.

The first time I went on
the Kohaku Song Battle,

I believe I'm one of the last generations
to experience this,

but they say that the blood is seeped
into the stage of the NHK hall.

Singers over the years put their lives
at risk to be on that stage.

They crawled their way up like
their lives depended on it to be there.

I'm of the last generation to experience
the Kohaku with that atmosphere.

The moment I got up on that stage,

my name was called,
so I set foot on the stage.

There was a transparent membrane there.

It was like entering into a space
protected by a barrier.

And I have no memory after that.

When I watched M-1,
the annual manzai competition,

Westland was pretty vicious.

But looking at them,

people were debating if the comedy
that hurts others are making a comeback.

But I feel, "Take it easy."

-It can't be, right?
-Exactly.

They've been doing that for ten years.

It just so happens that
this was their time to shine.

They have their personalities,

on top of their background and history
they've built up to make it possible.

There's a piece of advice
my senior gave me that I treasure.

It goes, "Your art is the vehicle,
and the time is the rain."

Let's say you're driving on a highway,
and it starts raining.

We say it "started" raining,

but the rain was there the whole time.

It was the car, or you, that came into it.

The rain was there,
and the car came into it.

But we call it, "It started raining."

We never know when we'll run into
the rain called the time,

so the car, or your art, should continue
to run without faltering.

Then the people around you will say,
"The time for viciousness has come."

So you keep on doing
what you've been doing.

-So they're "in the rain" right now.
-Yeah.

Westland drove into the rain, if you will.

And it was pouring down.

Depending on the timing,
you could encounter torrential rain.

Did you have that kind of moment?

When you and the time collided?

THE MOMENT HE FELT HE ENTERED
INTO THE "RAIN" OF THE TIME

I got to perform at the Kohaku Song Battle
for the first time

when I went back to my roots.

I've been listening to jazz, R&B, and
discotheque since I was small.

I've always loved them.

But I didn't play them,
thinking that they didn't suit me.

Why did you think they didn't suit you?

Because of how I looked.

Is that so?

Some people can belt it out,

in the style of great R&B singers.

We have Japanese R&B artists like that.

But I wasn't interested in doing that.

And I knew I wouldn't
look good doing that.

I see.

But what cheered me up when I suffered
from subarachnoid hemorrhage

was the music I consider to be my roots.

That's when I realized I needed to be
honest with myself and do it.

So I tried it out.

That led me to the Kohaku,
and many people got to hear my music.

Then, even worldwide, music with
elements of R&B, hip hop,

and jazz started to

rank higher than
rock music on a hit chart.

But that was probably

pure luck, and I was lucky.

Luck has a lot to do
with if you hit or miss.

So there was a drama.

You got sick, you went back
to your origin, and it supported you.

You went back to your roots,
which led to the Kohaku.

The animated film, The First Slam Dunk.

I went to see it and I was surprised.

That title was very popular
when I was in high school.

But I realized I was watching the film
from Coach Anzai's perspective.

I was shocked by that.

HE WAS IN COACH ANZAI'S POSITION
BEFORE HE KNEW IT

When I'm on a show with Hinatazaka46,

I'm somehow thinking
about those girls' future in mind.

As I saw the players in the film,

I was thinking,
"This is how highschoolers behave,

and this is what the coach
might say to them."

"When they're losing in the game,

these are the words
I would tell these kids."

Halfway through, I noticed I was seeing
from Coach Anzai's perspective.

It's totally true
when I'm with Hinatazaka46.

If they start talking about how they
should look in picture-in-picture,

I tell them to stop.

People concerned about how they look
in video-in-video cause scandals.

I tell them,
"Don't talk about that in other shows."

Same thing when they talk about
what goes on behind the scene.

I tell them it's too soon
for them to talk about that.

They should be seen as young and fresh.

So I do that sort of coaching.

I'm often the player and the coach
at the same time.

-Yeah, you do that a lot.
-I do.

So it's confusing. The young ones run
the show with My Life in Your Textbook,

but they ask me to join in at the end.

So I do both the player and the coach.

And is that fun for you?

Or rather, do you feel fulfilled
serving both roles?

To be honest with you,

I'm not sure how I feel.

I don't know how I'm supposed to do both.

I've felt that way
for the last two, three years now.

-Is that so?
-I haven't figured it out.

When I had frustration,

like we talked about in episode one
in Asagaya and Koenji,

it was easier to create things.

Ah, I see.

I haven't figured out how to fill
both roles for two years now.

I'm amazed Ryota Yamasato can still create
out of his feeling of inferiority.

He's crazy, you know?

-Amazing.
-We shot a special program the other day,

and he said the same thing
as Iguchi of Westland.

Incredible.

How do you maintain
the fire of creation burning?

You do it, as does Producer Sakuma,
but I want to know how you do it.

MOTIVATION TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD

But you must have had

the phase where you felt,
"I'll show you what I'm made of."

Where you felt frustration.

Some of your songs can feel altruistic,

while others clearly have dismal feelings
that you still feel.

Does that change depending on the song?

Let's see...

I think you're talking
about the message in the lyrics.

-I see.
-What I want to convey through the song.

What I want to say through my songs
is continuously changing.

-I see.
-However...

wanting to make good songs,
the songs that make me excited...

Ah, okay.

That has not changed at all.

I'd say it's getting stronger.

So I get frustrated a lot.

So you want to be excited, ride the waves.

I want to have fun and surprise myself.

I get that and thank you for
gifting me your wisdom.

-Oh, really?
-Yes.

DECEMBER 2022 ONE-SENTENCE JOURNAL
TO RECORD THOUGHTS FOR A MONTH

My one-sentence journal.

"I don't care who, just tell me
what I should be doing now."

It's connected to
what we discussed earlier.

I guess it does.

I guess I can say I am happy.

But my life is so boring.

It's just so boring.

When I used to feel inferior,

I used that as fuel.

And I was focused.

I respect Kinichi Hagimoto.

I was talking to him the other day,

and he told me that when he was 45,

he felt he had done everything he wanted.

So he quit everything.

There's a gap in his career until he was
the manager of the Ibaraki Golden Golds.

I don't think switching
to rakugo is the answer.

Kasuga wants to be on TV.

Kasuga has matured as a TV talent.

He's grown, so I think he can be
a stand-alone comedian without me.

So... I'm not sure
what I should be doing right now.

May I share what I'm thinking?

-Yes, please.
-What I think about, looking at you...

In a nutshell, I think you lost interest.

Well, Hoshino...

You don't hold back.

But that's the honest truth.

It makes me happy.

-Are you sure?
-I am.

You said I "lost interest."

I'm almost tearing up as I speak.

I couldn't tell that to anyone.

It is hard to say that.

Because you have responsibility
with people around you.

And you have a family.

You know what you have built.

You appreciate the happiness you have.

Surrounded by all that, it's impossible
to say you've lost interest.

Have I told you how much I love you?

This phrase, "I've lost interest."

I did a live performance
at Budokan in 2019,

and for three years,
I couldn't tell anyone about it.

-I have lost interest.
-I get it.

Not interested.

I shouldn't be saying this on Netflix.

But for real,

the staff prepares everything we need.

And the history with the staff
is getting deeper.

These are people who truly love Audrey,
so I don't want to disappoint them.

I totally get it.

So I can't tell them I've lost interest.

But you know what? I've lost interest!

I've done everything I wanted to.

I can totally understand that.

Like you, I've been like that this year.

I was at my lowest this year.

Slightly before you did.
So I was ahead of you.

You were ahead of me
in the "losing interest" department.

I've been thinking a lot recently...

If I get bored just a little bit,

then I go somewhere new.

My life has been the repetitions
of that small cycle.

And I want to go where I've never been.

Yes, I understand.

There are people who can repeat
the same thing, and those who can't.

I have to go to a place I've never been.

Or else, I'll die.

If I'm stuck on a loop, I'll break.

So I repeated that small cycles.

And in that process,

As an adult, as someone in showbiz,

I became well known,
and my responsibility grew.

Now I have people I can't let go,
and I have a family.

I get buried in the reasons
why I can't go to a new place.

Yes, exactly.

That's why it's hard, right?

Before, without any of this,
you would have moved on somewhere else.

You may continue as Audrey,

but it's hard to quit
regular shows you have.

And you have responsibilities.

-But your days are now filled with them.
-Exactly.

I'm sure you're
feeling that physically too.

Oh, I'm feeling it all right.

But it's not just
because you're super busy.

It's also because you're not able
to go where you've never been.

You may be feeling out of tune
because of those reasons.

That's right.

I've lost interest,
as well as being out of tune.

And I'll tell you why.

My partner, Toshiaki Kasuga,
and my sworn friend, Ryota Yamasato.

These two are capable
of repeating the same thing.

Yamasato will be pissed if he hears this,

but he repeats the same thing
in his live performances.

Ah, okay.

-But that is his art.
-Right.

And I think it's stellar.
And Kasuga is stellar as well.

He's capable of repeating things.
But I can't.

Which actually leads me
to my next journal entry.

"There's nowhere I want to go anymore.

I'll have to create one."

So, this one...

For the 55th anniversary of
All Night Nippon, you composed

-and I rapped for it.
-We did that.

It was pretty much
my first time recording a song.

ALL NIGHT NIPPON
55TH ANNIVERSARY JINGLE

It's the 55th anniversary

How random

Tamori, Takeshi, Yuming, Tsuruko
I stand on the shoulders of these giants

NINETY-NINE, Denki Groove,
Ucchan Nanchan, YUKI

All their genes are expressed in me

It's the 55th anniversary of ANN,
But only the suits are happy about it

Just saying because I love ANN
I can even write a whole article about it

Waiting to bloom, glowing in the dark

The app's represented by a star,
Emblazoned with an R

I wouldn't look before I leap

Nor care about compliance
When I say something

I took things with a grain of salt

But I have nothing to say
On the radio show today

It was my first recording,
which was a rap, no less.

I was feeling...

self-conscious about performing a rap.

I also knew I'd be criticized for it,
because I'm a comedian doing rap.

But on my way to the recording studio,
as I held the steering wheel of my car,

I was surprised to find myself
so excited to go somewhere.

And then,

on my way home, I felt I went where
I wanted to go, which also surprised me.

That makes me happy.

Hold on, now you're making me cry.

You know, usually,

it's not that I don't want to go.

It's neither I want nor don't want to go.

The staff are my sworn friends,
and we have history together.

But if I'm asked if I want to go,
I'm not excited to go.

But I was excited to find out
what the recording studio was like.

And inside the studio, I was nervous
but excited about recording a hip-hop rap.

So I'll just have to create
a place I want to go myself.

Because I have no interest in going
to Omotesando Hills.

Or Tokyo Midtown Hibiya,
or the bars at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi.

Why would I want to go
to a bar with red leather upholstery?

And my wife hates it when I do this,
but when we go out as a family,

I'd say, "I came here on Hirunandesu!"

She'd go, "Never, ever tell me that."

Anyhow, it made me feel
I could create a place I want to go.

I feel exactly the same way.

In my song called "Comedy,"

the lyrics say, "Only to find out I had to
create one for myself all along."

I repeated that process since I was small.

Fighting with each other

'Til almost everything was in ruins

On this mischievous planet

I've been an outsider

Since the day I was born

It started out from when
I didn't have a place I belonged.

I couldn't join existing families
or communities.

On top of that,

I try my hand at something,
which feels fresh at first.

But then it becomes
a repetition of the same thing.

And I start to feel
like I can't stay there anymore.

Then I leave,
or start doing something else.

I thought about where this feeling of
"having lost interest" came from.

I now have responsibilities
and have a team.

I did create the place I belong myself.

But it also created more situations where
I couldn't leave from that place.

I finally realized that last month or so,
and it totally sank in for me.

And that eased the burden on me.

There are different types of people.

Those who can take repetitions
and those who can't, and I can't.

And the way to go about it,

a new way for me to move on is what I can
try and figure out in this situation.

If you think of it that way,
the lyrics of "Comedy,"

as well as its PV, feels likes
it's all about that message.

-I know.
-It's like...

Merry Christmas to you.

-Clinking glasses.
-That's right.

Hoshino, your journal please.

Sure.

"'There's no precedent, so you can't
do it.' I heard that a million times.

Why don't you say something else?"

"No precedent," huh?

You've been told that?

-Yes, I have.
-I knew it.

Especially in the field of music,

I have to pitch my ideas to companies.

I see.

Then I'm told, "No one else is doing it,
so you can't." That's been my life.

And I get that the companies
have their reasons.

I can see how having to persuade
their boss can be a challenge.

But I keep pressing and begging them.

Then after we do it, they'd all say,
"It was fun, we're glad we got to do it."

And everyone else starts
doing the same thing.

That's how it worked.
So, I've been the precedent.

-You're the pioneer.
-That's what I've been doing.

Then, I come up with
another new idea, so I pitch it.

Then they'll say, "There's no precedent."
How many times do they need to say that?!

We've been through this,
so they should know.

-You've built up your experiences.
-I've done that,

and not having a precedent is exciting.

I get that it's hard.
But for what it's worth,

I'm running ahead of the group,
totally unprotected.

Which leads us back to
what we talked about earlier.

In order to go to a place
you've never been,

a lot of times, you have to go
where no one has been.

I see.

And that's why you're the only person
who knows how hard it is.

Because no one's looking
in your direction.

Everyone else notices it
only after a precedent,

so when everyone does see it,
it looks like that's a normal thing.

By that time,
no one knows who did it first.

So there is no visible,
identifiable benefit.

But it's absolutely and irresistibly fun.

It's so fun, I can't help it.

To go to a place where
no one has gone before, right?

In our case, there was a precedent.

Budokan's capacity is too big for manzai.

So we were told that the materials
wouldn't hold up as manzai.

But seeing us, other comedians started
to do independent live performances there.

Yes, you're right.

But I can't bring it up
because that's not cool.

No, you can't.

I can't tell them,
"You saw our video, didn't you?"

There's something I read recently.

I had assumed
that dopamine was a stimulant.

But I read that it's actually

a substance for anticipation.

So it's released when you go,
"What's going to happen from here?"

Once you get used to that amount,
you'll want more.

You'll want places that give you
stronger sense of anticipation.

So it is a substance that gives you
anticipation for the future.

On the other hand, the pleasure substance
for the current moment

are serotonin and other chemicals.

What you want is
a healthy balance of both.

It made me feel better to have a clear
division of current and future happiness.

For example, I was living by myself.

But now I know the happiness
and joy of living with family.

I wasn't used to it,

but I'm getting used to it and
am learning to enjoy it.

So if I can become more attuned
to the current happiness,

I don't have to depend
on the anticipation for the future.

Then I was reminded of

what the three gamble-loving comedians
said on Achikochi Audrey.

They said, "Winning or losing
doesn't matter."

The ones who love pachinko, right?

I was just thinking about them too.

Their brain juice is released
when they feel, "What's gonna happen?!"

That scene had
the answer to everything.

-Those trash comedians?!
-The trash comedians had all the answers.

I don't gamble myself.

-Because my life is a gamble.
-Right?

Going on stage at Tokyo Dome
with 50 thousand people...

The adrenaline rush is no joke.

Oh, I'm sure.

But because I already do that,

creatively speaking,
I will try to surpass that and do more.

But separate from that, I can pursue
the happiness of the moment.

-Powered by both wheels.
-Wheels of the current and future.

Maybe I'll quit playing on pachinko.

Wakabayashi, you're in the middle
of a huge bet, work-wise.

I guess you're right.

You're in search of something
more creative, more interesting.

For example, I think you'd have
a lot of fun trying something solo.

Thank you for that.

I'd love to see it.

And Kasuga is already doing
a lot of solo work.

So you can, for example, challenge
yourself to master rapping.

You never know
how that's going to turn out.

You might get attacked for it,
or you might be welcomed.

But either way, you'll get the excitement
of not knowing what will happen.

Now you're stepping into a new realm,
somewhere you've never been.

It's the joy of going to an empty lot.

When you said I could get
attacked for it or welcomed,

I got excited hearing
that I could get attacked for it.

You just gave me a gift
of invitation to do solo work.

Thank you, Santa Hoshino. Merry Christmas.

This was what I wanted
when I wrote my journal.

"Can someone tell me what to do?!"

"OUTCAST"

SONG, LYRICS AND ARRANGEMENT
BY GEN HOSHINO

Those few seconds after birth

Are our last bits of freedom

A game of musical chairs
That goes on and on

Till I get blood-stained feet

I can't sit in a chair for too long

I'll fall apart if I stay

I'll go somewhere else
And leave people behind

Common sense gets older and older

Take the helm

Reject the oppressive looks
I get from others

And set a course straight
Through the unknown darkness

Be on my own

I can sit right there

Thanks for leaving me out

When I realize I've been
Thrown to the wayside

I am free

Meet up with individuals
Who can't be replaced

Demons aiming for the top

Treasure Island is a depressing place

Happiness hides in the warmth
From two seconds ago

On the waves of the day-to-day

I turn my back on the shining jealousy

Take the helm of the love in my heart

Shun the curses I put on myself

And set a course straight
Through the unknown darkness

Be on my own

I sit right there

And become a beacon of light

I want to be excited.

So can we have a live audience next time?

I don't have a place I want to go anymore.

But being in front of live audience
is indeed exciting.

And with the audience,
rather than promoting the event,

I don't want to tell them
that it's our show.

So they have no idea
who's performing.

That will give me a flood of adrenaline!

It's the most exciting pachinko.

For real.

-Thank you for coming.
-Thank you!

SURPRISE PERFORMANCE
WITH LIVE AUDIENCE

I straddled on them like this
and told them...

"Are you prepared to spend
the same twenties with me?!"

I've been told to quit acting, quit music,
because I had no talent.

And I am here now.

I made a rap song called,
"Asagaya Koenji."

Wait, are you serious? For real?

SURPRISE LIVE