Nice weather today! Hello, Saito Soma here. It’s been a long wait, but the new announcement I’ve been working on since New Year’s will finally be unveiled tomorrow! I’m so glad I can finally tell you~! I’m sure you’ll love it! Thank you! -S
Image: “Wait just a little longer♡”
AnimeJapan 2018 is being held today and tomorrow at Tokyo Big Sight. Saito Soma’s autograph is on display at the SACRA MUSIC booth, so please come and see it.
Published: 2018/3/13
Original URL: https://kiki-voice.jp/journal/416
※This essay contains a bonus image that can be seen at the original URL above, past the paywall (KIKI-VOICE subscription required).
I used to always skip breakfast and lunch, but lately I’ve been having them often. I’ve become an adult—those boisterous days are more or less over, and now I get sleepy after three beers. That’s why I’ve completely switched over to highballs. I’m enjoying myself at night, but I still have to wake up in the morning. In the past, my physical condition was so poor that I never had an appetite for breakfast, but now when I go to bed, I eagerly fantasize about what I’m going to eat the next day. Very healthy.
I’m writing this essay after finishing all of my preparations and lying back down in bed. “What shall I eat today?” I write, but that question is a lie. I already know the answer.
It’s tempura.
I’ve loved tempura ever since I was a child—especially shrimp tempura. The tempura on our dinner table was always sweet potato and nothing else, so on occasions when we dined out, even if it was only a food court, I’d order tempura on rice and devour it to my heart’s content. Back then I was only interested in the shrimp and the dipping sauce—I didn’t give the other actors the time of day. But now I, too, am an adult. I’ve obtained a broader perspective and can now love all of the types of tempura placed atop the rice.
To be frank, the shrimp don’t matter. I mean, they’re delicious, of course, but giving them my undivided attention is far too narrow-minded. It means only tasting a small piece of what the world has to offer.
Eggplant—
A stellar actor. It normally plays a supporting role, but it puts on an incredible performance—if you’re not careful, it’ll steal the show. It absorbs Edomae sesame oil, vegetable oil, and olive oil in a balanced way, performing with ease. An extremely trustworthy actor.
Sillago, or fish in general—
Well, they obviously have the ability to take the lead role if shrimp aren’t on the same team, so there’s nothing to point out in particular. Squid can be in this category too.
Green shiso leaf—
Is it even possible for a ten-year-old boy to understand its appeal? No. It’s safe to say that when a person understands the deliciousness of green shiso, they’ve become an adult in the true sense of the word. It also makes an excellent accompaniment to alcohol.
Mushroom—
It took time to conquer this group. I originally didn’t like mushrooms, to the point where eating nameko miso soup and whatnot in cooking classes gave me an identity crisis and impeded my ability to clean up after school. But now, after overcoming much trial and tribulation, our diplomatic relationship has normalized. I can eat one piece of maitake tempura for every cup of sake, et cetera, et cetera…
After writing all of this, I must now get out of bed, put on my coat, and head out. I already know which restaurant I’m going to today: that famous tempura place in the business district that serves tempura chazuke even for lunch. My front teeth are itching to bite through that crunchy coating. It’s 10:33 a.m.—I don’t know if this qualifies as breakfast or lunch, but in the West, they call it brunch. All right, forget about dressing up. I’m starving. Food. Please excuse me.
Published: 2018/2/28
Original URL: https://kiki-voice.jp/journal/408
※This essay contains a bonus image that can be seen at the original URL above, past the paywall (KIKI-VOICE subscription required).
No matter what anyone says, the cup is an important aspect of drinking sake.
The author Fujieda Shizuo wrote a short story called Denshin Ugaku, which includes a scene where a sake cup speaks in human tongue. The readers probably have no idea what I’m talking about all of a sudden, but I’m simply saying what was written.
Anyway, that doesn’t actually matter. The point is that the shape of the sake cup can have a large effect on the sake’s taste. I like both dry sake and sweet sake, but the cup shape is the deciding factor. To be specific, I like it when the form is not too shallow but not too deep, with a thin rim. This is because when I place it to my lips and tilt the cup, the sake flows smoothly and easily into my mouth, and when I close my lips, the stream cuts off quickly. With a cup like this, I can fully enjoy the sake’s aroma and taste without drinking too much.
Now, having written this far, I’ve forgotten what I wanted to say in this essay in the first place. I’m not sure how many cups I’ve drank either. Where am I, anyway? I feel like I had company, but I don’t know anymore.
Hmm, well, I’ll take another sip and then think about it some more. Readers, I recommend turning off your phone when you’re drunk. You never know who you might end up calling.
Vessels are a profound thing. Even if the liquid poured inside is the same, changing the vessel makes it feel almost as if the contents themselves have changed. It’s often said that a healthy body fosters a healthy spirit. Similarly, a vessel and its contents cannot be separated.
All right, this is getting bad. I’ll get the bill and then resume drinking at home, with my favourite sake cup.
Hm? What am I going to drink, you ask?
Hepalyse, of course
*Hepalyse is a cure for hangovers
Hello~ It’s another chilly day. A dark gray sky. Today, I’m writing in a cafe and drinking melon milk. Productivity sure increases when you’re using your favourite notebook and ballpoint pen. I’ll deliver a lot of interesting things this year! Ah, this melon milk is good. It’s sweet. This has been Saito Soma, who learned how to add filters to photos. Ciao! -S
It sure is cold out there! Days like this call for a warm cafe au lait… or so I’d like, but caffeine makes my stomach hurt, so this’ll be my companion today. My new music is making steady progress! Wait just a little longer, okay? Ciao! -S
Published: 2018/1/5
Original URL: https://kiki-voice.jp/journal/384
※This essay was also published in the book compilation of Saito Soma no Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu.
Editor N told me to go see it, but I shrugged and said, “That’s not possible.”
And yet here I am now, writing this manuscript in a cafe at Mount Fuji Station, drinking lemon juice and listening to ART-SCHOOL. You really never know what’ll happen in life.
The lemon juice is sour, but that’s good.
At the cafe in front of the station, the lovely laughs of the local madams and the smoke coming from the nearby men’s cigarettes are both pleasing to the senses. Those are good too.
I recently learned how to accept various aspects of life and myself, and living has become much easier. Ochiai Yoichi-san, Tomabechi Hideto-san, and the Buddha all say the same thing. In the wise words of Nakamura Tempu-san, “Life is what your heart interprets it as,” and for some reason or another, that concept has sunk in.
The driving force behind my actions is often enough “anger,” and one of my themes in life is to not let that emotion influence me too greatly. There isn’t any specific thing that started it, but time and time again, I’ve been saved by oracles. (For some reason, whenever I’m standing at the crossroads of life, I always receive a divine revelation from god. For more details, please see the issue of VOICE Newtype that I was on the cover for.) Well, I phrase it in a way that makes it sound like I took up some crazy religion, but that’s really just how it feels.
Today I’m going to be meeting my elementary school friends for the first time in ten years. Memories change over time thanks to rosy retrospection, but I’m sure it’ll be an enjoyable night nonetheless.
The ice in the lemon juice clinks against the glass. There’s still a bit of time left.
I didn’t see a dream on the first night of the new year, but I did see Mount Fuji. This will probably be a good year, and that’s enough for me.
I think I’ll relax and enjoy life, slowly and steadily. I pray that your lives will be blessed too. Happy New Year.
Happy new year, everyone! Saito Soma here. Last year was a year of new challenges for me, since I started singing under my own name. I hope to bring you more fun things this year, so please continue to support me! First I’m going to replace my guitar strings, and then it’s beer time! -S
Published: 2017/12/27
Original URL: https://kiki-voice.jp/journal/352
※This essay contains a bonus image that can be seen at the original URL above, past the paywall (KIKI-VOICE subscription required).
Even if you’re standing at the crossing, I might not be able to spot you anymore.*
My serialization in VOICE Newtype began with a comprehensive checkup. Since it reached essay #10 the other day, I took the opportunity to have another physical examination done. I didn’t have any particular symptoms, but I made the appointment anyway, figuring it was for the sake of my future health.
Just to get this out of the way, there weren’t any issues save one thing. It was actually anticlimactic. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances there was no endoscopy or barium x-ray, so there wasn’t much to it.
However.
My eyesight. It was halved.
I had mild astigmatism as a child, but it healed. Over the past 25 years, both of my eyes drifted from about 1.2 to 1.5. Glasses don’t look good on me and I absolutely refuse to wear contacts because they hurt, so I’ve had no choice but to go bare eyed.
But now, the two lights that I was so proud of have lost their brilliance.* I won’t say the exact number, but my vision deteriorated more than expected. I don’t need to wear glasses, but I was told to avoid looking at things from up close too much.
Thinking about it, it’s true that I haven’t been doing anything good for my eyes. At work I stare at scripts and monitors, when I get home I read books and watch movies, and when I go to bed, I look at my smartphone with my bangs over my eyes. If anything, I’m actively moving towards catastrophe. I ate SUKIYAKI for work the other day, but I haven’t been looking up as I walk for who knows how many years now.**
I realized there were signs that my vision was deteriorating. When I’m waiting for the train, I can’t tell the difference between 0, 3, 6, and 8 on the electric display board. Well, it’s more that I’ll think, “I guess that’s an 8?” Usually I’m right, but occasionally I’m not. That’s how it’s been.
Also, when I’m saying lines that go on and on, I quickly look down at my script and my eyes slip. I can recognize the words and, given a moment, understand what they mean, but it takes more than an instant for my eyes to adjust their focus. I haven’t really done anything about it, assuming I was just tired, but this is a serious problem.
However, I’m known for hating injections and not being able to handle pain. Obviously I hate eye drops too, and I’ve never used them voluntarily despite having pollen allergies. I’ve never once carried my prescribed eye drops on me. This is who I am, but I’ve finally, finally resolved to buy eye drops.
…After writing all of that at this local restaurant, I’ve discerned that the decisive time has come at last. There’s a drugstore on the same street as this restaurant, and it surely sells eye drops. I’m surely going to buy eye drops there—the mild type that’s gentle on the eyes.
But I cannot stand up yet. It’s troubling that I can’t see your brown hair swaying gently in the wind,* but I don’t want to take the first step just yet.
I order another beer and take a sip, trepidatiously waiting for a 32nd day of summer vacation that shouldn’t be possible.***
*Referencing the song “Andromeda” by aiko
**Referencing the song “Ue wo Muite Arukou” (aka “SUKIYAKI”) by Sakamoto Kyu
***Possibly a reference to the PSX game “Boku no Natsuyasumi” which had a famous bug where you could reach August 32nd
Published: 2017/12/16
Original URL: https://kiki-voice.jp/journal/362
※This essay was also published in the book compilation of Saito Soma no Kenkou de Bunkateki na Saitei Gendo no Seikatsu.
I always grasp rhythm with my left ear.
The other day, I happened to see a video of myself doing a song recording. Concerts aside, I usually don’t get to see how I look when I’m voice acting or singing. As I watched, I noted that I tended to furrow my brow, and that I was wearing something that a senpai bought for me. But then I realized: I had my hand on my left ear the entire time. To be precise, my hand was on the headphones, since it was a recording. But at any rate, throughout the course of that short video, I never took my hand off of my left ear.
I hadn’t been conscious of it at all, but I realized that during recordings, I do always grasp the rhythm and check the melody with my left ear. Even during concerts, I listen to the clicks (sounds that maintain a fixed rhythm) and check the overall volume balance with my left ear. It’s not just when I’m singing, either. Even with voice acting, if I’m recording by myself, I only put the headphones over my left ear. Even during radios, I only use the left earphone.
I try to be attentive to my physical mannerisms when it comes to work, so it felt like I’d fallen into an unforeseen pitfall. Was there something significant about my left ear? Not as far as I could tell. I’m right-handed, so it could be that my body is more balanced that way.
Well, I could take my time reading books to find the answer, but these days, it’s best to ask other people—or the internet.
So I googled it. The first result had shocking information! It’s often said that the left brain and right brain are responsible for analytical and intuitive thinking respectively. Going off of that, the signals from the left ear go to the right brain—in other words, the part that excels at processing sounds intuitively.
This means I have musical sense, right? I gloated to myself, but as I continued reading the article, it spelled out a music composition theory where the right ear is superior for rhythm and the left ear is superior for melody.
Wait, then it’s the opposite…?
Thinking back, there were certainly songs that I could never sing well, regardless of the melody’s qualities or my musical tastes. And when voice acting, there were days when I was lacking explosive power in my impulsive roles.
Perhaps if I wear the headphones on different ears depending on the situation, I’ll get even better results. What an elegant idea. I’ve obtained yet another new skill. I chuckled to myself.
It never even occurred to me that I should’ve just worn them on both ears from the start.