TV Asahi has teamed up with a US-based creator to produce a new US-Japan co-production project, "SONG VS DANCE" (to be broadcast on March XX at XX), and after the recording was over, MC Yoshimura Takashi of the comedy duo "Heisei Nobushi Kobushi" and comedian Watanabe Naomi, who will be serving as a judge, gave an interview. Looking back on the recording, Watanabe said, "It was my first time being a judge, so I was extremely nervous."
When asked how he felt judging the singing and dancing competition, Watanabe said, "I was able to watch honestly during the performance, but after it was over, the pressure of having to judge came over me and my emotions were running wild," to which fellow judge, EXILE TAKAHIRO, nodded and said, "It was like a roller coaster."
Watanabe said with a smile, "I felt the passion of all the contestants and it gave me energy. I was really moved by the performance and had a lot of fun," and expressed his gratitude, saying, "It was a great experience."
When asked how he felt about being the MC of the show, Yoshimura answered with humor, "The scale of the show was so grand that I thought it wasn't really me (laughs)." He also shared his impressions of the show, saying, "(The singing and dancing competition) was a new attempt and I'm sure it was difficult for the judges, but the judging made it exciting. It was a format that had never been seen before and was really fun, and I had a great time."
Regarding the purpose of the show's planning, TAKAHIRO said, "It's like new possibilities, or when you look at it from a bird's eye view, you think, 'It would be fun if this pair performed together,' and it felt like an encounter of talent that could result in many different types of entertainment." Shigekix, a breakdancer who served as a judge with the show, also praised the show, saying, "In the breaking tournaments I do, I say that just by being in the tournament you're already one of a kind, but this show is so special that the word "one of a kind" doesn't even begin to describe it. There is no other tournament as extravagant as this."
"SONG VS DANCE" is a variety show themed on song and dance, where outstanding performers from various fields gather together to compete in a one-on-one battle across the boundaries of genres. The winners of song and dance will be determined based on "which performance touched the heart more."
The three executive producers involved are Craig Plestis, an Emmy Award-winning producer known as the Academy Award of American television, Clara Plestis, and the network's producer Kitano Takaaki, who has worked on popular variety shows such as "Shikujiri Sensei: Don't Be Like Me!!" and "Cream Nantara."
