by Voice actor Tomokazu Seki attended the opening ceremony of the renewed Animate Ikebukuro main store on the 16th with charismatic businessman Roland and others and spoke intensely about the rise of the anime world. Anizawa Seki has been involved with the store for over 20 years, including the role of Animate’s promotional character ” Anime Store Manager ” Meito Anizawa.
“It’s heartwarming to see that the dream that the employees have been talking about, that it will grow all over Japan and overseas, has come true,” he said earnestly. As if in response to the growth of Animate, Seki himself also appeared on TV variety shows last year on NHK.He expanded his range of work, including appearing in Taiga’s “Kamakura-dono no Thirteen.”
Speaking about the current situation of the voice acting world, “There are more and more opportunities to branch out into fields other than anime.” Welcomed the change of environment.
On the other hand, he is dissatisfied with the treatment of Meito Anizawa at Animate. “It’s been oppressed quite a bit. It’s been about 23 years since its birth, but the narration at the opening and closing of the store, ‘Thank you. I’m celebrating my 10th anniversary,’ which is still used today. I am renewing the store.
Then I would like the narration to be new. We value other companies’ animations, but we don’t have a love for our animations.” It made me fidgety. An Animate employee also revealed a recent episode in which he didn’t know about Anizawa’s existence—a rice field.
The Animate Ikebukuro main store, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in March this year, has expanded on the site of the Ikebukuro Public Health Center, which was adjacent to the building, and has undergone a significant renovation as a building integrated with the old store.
More than 1,000 people lined up before the store opened that day. In private, Seki says fans won’t notice him when he visits Animate. From the point of view of the anime store manager” Meito Anizawa, he said,I am proud that the store will be spacious and I can shop comfortably. Let’s meet! It’s a promise between you and me!” He showed a presence that was the exact opposite of his private life. (Various news, Kohei Yamamoto)
