ItalianoThe 4 industry representatives for the refreshed 12th tournament of AbemaTV’s weekly Friday broadcast at 24:00 of “Produced by GACKT! POKER×POKER ~Industry One-on-One Tournament” has been announced.
Monthly champions are crowned on this program. As per the title of this program, 4 representatives from their own industries will appear and challenge each other in poker with the honour of their industries on their shoulders. In previous broadcasts, May 2018’s champion Yaguchi Mari of the idol world, June 2018’s champion Kobayashi Kamui of the motorsports world, July 2018’s champion Oi Takaharu of the mahjong world, August 2018’s
champion Okai Chisato of the variety idol world, September 2018’s champion Suto Ririrka of the idol world, October 2018’s champion Barbie of the actress world, and November 2018’s champion Kameda Kouki came together for the first Grand Champion Tournament at the end of the year. There, Okai Chisato was crowned as the first grand champion. January 2019’s champion was EXILE NESMITH of the artiste world, February 2019’s champion was KiLa of the magician world, and the winner of the AbemaTV 3rd Anniversary Tournament was Takahashi Fumiya of the Ookami-kun world.
In the 1st match of the refreshed, currently-airing “11th tournament”, and Japan’s number 1 race queen Hayashi Yume won with a strong showing from start to finish. The 2nd match which followed had Inoue Masahiro, the SFX hero whose show GACKT sang the theme song for, overwhelmed by the super ditzy pace of beer girl Honoka and thus, sadly defeated. Who will shine in the final match? Will it be the strong-willed race queen Hayashi Yume, or Honoka, who had GACKT-san deceived by her goofy nature?
And this time, in the newly announced upcoming tournament, the 12th edition will have Kuro-chan from the trolling entertainers’ world taking part. Aside from Kuro-chan, 3 glamorous women with F, G, and H-cup sizes will also compete! The first battle will be between Kuro-chan and H-cup gravure idol, Shimizu Airi, who has also had experience challenging AbemaTV program “Kaeru Battle Club”. Shimizu Airi has had 2 consecutive victories on that program, but how will her poker match turn out? If Shimizu Airi loses, a sexy punishment game awaits, so it may be a must-see depending on the outcome. The second battle will be between the 2nd killer from the female mahjong players world, Okada Sayaka, and funk-singing idol Okutsu Mariri. The first match will broadcast at 24:00 on Friday, 31 May.
Trolling entertainers world representative, Kuro-chan
Q. Is this your first time playing poker?
I’ve been taught, but this is the first time I’m playing with actual people.
Q. How do you find it after having played it in reality?
It was fun. I’m the type of person who enjoys the games in dating, and I understood that it’s fine to bring that into poker as it is, so I tried using that style.
Q. In what area of actual play is it similar to dating?
Things like how happy you can make the other person, how you can anger them, and so on. When you want to make them jealous, you do something that makes them angry yet entices them. I think the changes between what’s hidden and what’s shown is interesting.
Q. Is poker difficult?
It’s similar to dating, so I think that whichever are both simple to me.
Q. What was your impression when you heard that the opponent of your first battle will be gravure idol Shimizu Airi?
When I heard that it was Airi-chan, I thought that Airi-chan is a gravure idol so she’d, of course, be adept at poses and acts that please men, but I also thought that it’d be subtle to switch directly from that to poker. I’ve worked with Airi-chan a number of times before, and when we spoke, I thought that she’s got a bit of a devoted side. Being single-minded will make it obvious which way she’s going and it’ll become a signpost for me, so I guess it would be easy to cut through.
Q. You’ve often worked together with members of Ebisu Muscats, so did this feel similar to that?
Whether it’s with the Muscats members or gravure idol Airi-chan, it’s all goo.d. This isn’t a love game between a man and a woman, but I think it’s nice to be able to fight together. Going up against the opposite gender definitely brings out the adrenaline in me as a man. Normally, when up against the Muscats members, I’m on my knees, but this time, since this is a poker battle, I’d like to be stark naked.
Q. All your fellow competitors are women with large chests, so what do you think about that?
I think mentioning that their chests are large would mean you want to emphasise on their chests, so service-wise, why not have a punishment game that uses the chest. Since that’s their way of life.
Q. How did you feel about GACKT-san being next to you?
GACKT-san’s words hold a lot of power. Like if I think of folding or backing down and GACKT-san says something like “It’s about time to fight, isn’t it?” and his words will definitely stick in m mind, so there are times when I’d finally fight. Because he has an aura. Also, I’d like GACKT-san to listen a little more to what I have to say. Even though I thought he was listening with interest, the conversation will end up slipping away with silence or something (lol).
Q. How do you see GACKT-san in terms of dating?
He’s good, isn’t he? And I thought that he was really adept at using that voice of his. Low and gentle, and while he praises, sometimes he also uses a speech pattern that mocks. I know that GACKT-san is extremely popular in matters of love, but I’m recently popular too, and I think that it’s a popularity that doesn’t lose out in comparison to GACKT-san, and I think Airi-chan has come to like me too, and the dealer lady is cute too, so I’d everyone to be enchanted by me by the time I go home.
Q. Your confidence in winning?
I definitely have that. Furthermore, my confidence in winning is at 96%; 9 (ku) 6 (ro), I’m Kuro-chan!!
Gravure idol representative, Shimizu Airi
Q. Is this the first time you’re playing poker?
It’s the first time for poker itself. I’ve practised on the game application in my free time. But I think that the actual match is something else completely.
Q. Since you’ve played it on the application, what were your results?
I’ve lost quite often, so is this alright…? I’m uneasy (lol).
Q. How did you feel when you heard that your opponent would be Kuro-chan?
Honestly, I thought, ‘Kuro-chan again?’ (lol). I’ve worked together with Kuro-chan a lot but hearing that this is poker, I think that it’ll be a different match than what we’d normally partake in, so I want to do this seriously.
Q. Do you have a strategy for today’s match?
I’ve worked together with Kuro-chan before, but I have no idea how this will go at all, so I thought, ‘I guess I’ll use a lot of bluffs～’.
Q. How do you feel when going up against Kuro-chan?
This time, it isn’t against the Kuro-chan that I’ve known so far. His expression is really different from the Kuro-chan that I’d meet at other places. Like, ‘Whoa! Really!’ (lol).
Q. Is this the first time you’ve met GACKT-san?
It is the first time. I was nervous, and it’s like, ‘So he really exists’ (lol).
But he’s very kind. I felt greatness that cannot be described in one word.
Q. Please tell us what the draw of poker is.
As GACKT-san said, it’s an interesting and profound game as it reveals one’s psychological moves.
Q. Would you want to play poker again?
Since this was my first experience, I’ve practised it enough to remember how to play it and my manager has also gotten addicted to it with me (lol). I’d study it even more after this, and I want to grow enough to come here again!
Q. Please share with us your thoughts for this tournament!
The feeling of never giving up until the very end is important after all, or at least until I beat Kuro-chan!
Female Mahjong players world, Okada Sayaka
Q. This is your first time playing poker, but after trying it out, what do you think of it?
It’s fun, really. Among the mahjong players, there are a lot of them who enjoy poker too, so I was wondering what was so attractive about it and until now, that was unknown to me but having tried it, I felt something like ‘Ah, this is addictive’.
Q. What, specifically, is it?
There are parts about it that are similar to mahjong; like the probability and luck elements. Also, the reading of your opponents. As I’m someone who’s enraptured by mahjong, this same part is found in poker too, and I think I’ll get enraptured by poker too.
Q. On the other hand, in what area dose it differ from mahjong?
I found that reading is even more profound in poker. Especially today, it was a heads-up (1 vs 1) so I felt that there was a lot that could be read, including people. After all, the number of cards we use is few too, and even if my cards are bad, there’s also a possibility of winning by bluffing, so that’s fun.
Q. The commentator was right next to you, and in addition to that, it’s GACKT-san; how did you feel about that?
This was my first time playing, so it became hints for my thoughts too, like ‘Ah, this is how I should think’ and after that, there were many times when I thought, ‘It’s a good thing I did this’.
Q. All kinds of talk was brought up but what is your impression of GACKT-san?
It felt like, “Does such a chic man exist?”. I just thought that he was cool.
Q. You got advice too during the break and other such times, so how did you feel about that?
I wanted to speak to him more. I guess I understand the reason why he’s always at the frontline of the entertainment industry attracting people. I think that he’s really smart in anything and everything.
We think so too.
Even men fall in love with him, don’t they?
Q. Following this, I think that you’d have chances to play it again, even in private, so how do you feel about that?
I want to try playing, really. It’s simpler than mahjong, and it can be played anytime you’ve got a table and trump cards, so I think that it’d be great if it was more widespread.
Q. I believe that there are many people in the mahjong world who also play poker, but do you talk about it?
A lot. Professional Tomi plays poker a lot too and because of that, there are many top professionals who play it too, and I heard of it but I didn’t quite understand the rules, so I didn’t really join the conversation, but I really think that having this to spark things off makes me want to play it.
Q. How do you feel about your opponent being an idol?
I honestly thought it might be difficult to play. Right from the start, I said that playing against men would be easier, and with women, I often don’t know what they’re thinking of, so I originally thought that this would be difficult.
Q. Speaking of the mahjong world, the results are that Professional Oi won and Professional Tomi lost one round. So following that, when you received the offer to be the representative of the female mahjong world, how did you feel?
I knew that Tomi-chan really loved poker, and I honestly didn’t know where her ability was but considering that such a Tomi-chan lost, I find myself wondering if I, who doesn’t know anything, can win but I heard that Oi-san never really played it before either, so I decided to put my belief in that.
Q. Could you feel GACKT-san’s desire to make poker more widespread today?
I really could. I probably played in a way that felt like I wouldn’t pay it on a regular basis or something, and he later came to give me advice and kindly following up with ‘That’s how it’ll turn out, right?’, and things like that, so I could strongly feel that he really really likes poker. In the beginning, I didn’t understand poker, but when I watched this program’s very first player, Tsukamoto Takashi-san play, I gained a bit of knowledge, so I understood that there surely are lots of people out there who are like me.
Q. Please share your thoughts about this tournament.
I’ve always been told that parts of poker and mahjong are similar to each other, so I want to show that mahjong professionals are strong in this tournament.
Idol world representative, Okutsu Mariri
Q. How do you feel about poker having played it in reality?
It’s more of a psychological battle than I thought, and it’s different than playing on the app. A person playing against another person is awesome and scary.
Q. While it’s scary, is it enjoyable too?
As we compete and compete, when I win, the game becomes more refreshing, it feels good, and it becomes a mental blow to my opponent. I think that these areas are definitely what’s fun about this game. It’s a pleasant feeling unlike any I’ve ever felt.
Q. How did you feel when you received the offer to be the idol world representative?
I thought, “This despite that I’m not an actual ‘idol’ idol!”, I really felt apologetic for it, but now, being a buzzing idol, I suppose they evaluated our hard work and invited me. It makes me want to build on the momentum.
Q. Yaguchi-san and Suto Ririka-san have both appeared as representatives of the idol world and both of them have won. Hearing that, how do you feel?
Be it in a good or bad way, idols fake things I guess, and there’s the version of us that has been built up to shine on stage, so I think that we’re mentally strong in that side of things after all. Us being idols is definitely a strong point, isn’t it?
Q. How did you feel when you heard that your opponent will be mahjong player Okada Sayaka-san?
I thought that I definitely can’t win and I wondered why I was being invited at all like I was here to get beaten to a pulp. I was really mortified. But I decided that I’d let myself get eaten properly and that if I were to lose, I’d make sure that wasn’t the highlight. That’s why I messed around a bit at the start. Like, I have to leave a mark, or I have to mess with my opponent’s pace a little. I’ve fought too, but if I were to play properly, I wouldn’t get to win, so I thought that I’d have to use a little out-of-the-ordinary method to win.
Q. How did you feel about GACKT-san sitting next to you and giving you advice?
I think I probably only understood about 30% of what he said, but faithfully following that 30% did result in me winning at times too, so I decided to go home with that 30% held tight.
Q. Do you think you’ll want to play it after this?
I’ve never dived into such a card game before, and I think that it’s fun if you play it against people, so I got to touch something that I don’t really come into contact with in my life.
Q. Share your thoughts about this tournament!
I think I’ll basically get underestimated because I’m an idol. Furthermore, since I’m going up against a mahjong player, people would think that I’ll probably lose. However, how things go from there depends on luck, so I’ll use the luck that has been coming to me recently to win.
Q. How did you feel when this job came?
Honestly, it’s like, “Idol world, you sayー!”. “Well, but I get to meet GACKT-sanー”, and then I got matched up with a mahjong player and it became, “What kind of turnaround should I have…”. Doing weird things, like going all in and losing big time would be the kind of standing I’d probably have, I think, but I’d do my best. lol
Source: abematimes.com
Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team
Translation © GACKT ITALIA