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The story
A thread on 5ch’s Hello! Project board blew up over the MC segment from Akina Nakamori’s latest live show. Sparked by buzz over an MC that reportedly opened with the self-introduction bit “I’m Seiko Matsuda,” the thread dug into Nakamori’s past — including her reputation for having few close friends in the entertainment industry — and revisited the circumstances of the 1989 “Gold Screen Incident” involving Masahiko Kondo that drew huge attention at the time. Meanwhile, some posters testified that she remains close with Seiko Matsuda even now, and the thread filled up with a range of takes on what Nakamori is really like.
What people said
Today's live MC packed way too much destructive power 😂
It started with the self-intro, "I'm Seiko Matsuda," and…
Don't you watch TV?
Apparently the real story is that Nakamori thought she was going to announce her marriage to Match (nickname for Masahiko Kondo) that day, but got tricked.
Is this already common knowledge?
Is it known as established fact, not just a rumor?
It's a famous story.
It really is an insane story.
That's been known forever.
On a show kind of like NHK's "Let's Go Young," Checkers and Akina alternated songs like a co-headlining act,
and the crowd was packed with Checkers fans, so Akina looked uncomfortable performing.
In the segment where she duetted with Fumiya, Akina sang like she had zero motivation, and when Fumiya smacked her arm telling her to actually sing properly,
the Fumiya fans in the crowd kicked up a fuss again, and Akina had a "give me a break" look on her face.
It shows up on YouTube sometimes, so it might still be up.
Just went and watched it.
Women are terrifying.
Akina Nakamori
Maki Horikita
Aina Otsuka
Though at this point Akina's probably long past caring about Match anyway.
Everyone ate it up too.
Actually, I might even wonder if it's okay to ask at all.
Oh right, she's never actually been married.
If anything, they're on good terms.
It's true Akina has few close friends in the industry,
but Seiko Matsuda is one of that small circle.
This was New Year's Eve, right?
Class 3-B: Kinpachi Sensei (the classic school drama)
She can still sing this much?
Well, honestly, unless you're a hardcore fan, you're better off just listening to the CD recordings.
I went to see her at Hiroshima Yubin Chokin Hall back in 1985 when I was in 8th grade,
and she barely sang any of the singles I knew — maybe just one song.
It's obviously a shortened set, but it's nice that she still sings the songs people actually want to hear.
Background and key points of this topic
The “Gold Screen Incident” refers to a 1989 scandal in which Akina Nakamori attempted suicide at Masahiko Kondo’s apartment; the press conference that followed — widely expected to announce their marriage — turned out to be an apology instead, and it has been retold repeatedly as one of the biggest scandals in Japanese entertainment history. In the thread, a broadcast featuring a former Bunshun editor-in-chief discussing the incident prompted some posters to ask whether it was really true, but it has been a widely reported fact since it happened, not mere rumor. At the same time, testimony that Nakamori maintained friendships with Seiko Matsuda and Chiemi Hori suggests the “few friends in the industry” image doesn’t tell the whole story. There are also references to power dynamics around the Johnny’s talent agency in the late Showa era — background that may need explaining for readers unfamiliar with entertainment reporting from that period.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Akina Nakamori’s live MC is being called incredible wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”
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