Girls Be debut event

Event	Girls Be debut event 「はじめまして GIRLS BE」
Location	Sunshine Funsui Hiroba (Ikebukuro)
Date	1997.03.02
Time	17:00 - 18:00
Cost	free (to watch) 2500 yen (to shake hands and get signature board)
Guests	Toyoshima Machiko (豊嶋真千子) Kuwashima Houko (桑島法子)

Report version 1.0 by Hitoshi Doi, 1997.03.03

The new seiyuu group Girls Be had their debut event at the Sunshine Funsui Hiroba on Sunday March 2. They had just released a CD on 2/21, Sayonara ha Iwanai which is also an image album for the manga "Boys Be".

The event was held in the open, and anyone who just happened to be there was able to watch. But they also had a handshake session (where they passed out signature boards), and to participate in that, one had to buy the CD (2500 yen).

They roped off the section near the stage, and they only allowed the first 250 people to buy the CD inside. Everyone else had to watch the event from behind the ropes, or from above. (This was a large open area, where you can see down to the stage from the second, third, and fourth floors.) At the end, there were around 500 people who bought the CD. I think there were over 1000 people total watching.

This was one of the few seiyuu events where pictures were allowed, but no flash or no video cameras.

event

Machiko and Houko came out and sang "Girls Be". (A cute dance, in idol-style, with good pair movement.)

They said that this was the first time that they sang in front of people.

They talked for a while about their group. There is a manga called Boys Be, and Machiko and Houko were chosen to be the image characters by the creator Itabashi-sensei.

Then they sang two songs, the first one by Machiko "Kimi to Kiss Shitai" and the second one by Houko "Hidoi Boku Dakedo". Houko and Machiko provided the background vocals for each other. Machiko's song was a up beat song, and Houko's song was a ballad.

Then the special guest Itabashi-sensei came. Itabashi was the creator of the manga Boys Be, Itabashi and Tamagoshi (manga artist) each chose one seiyuu to be the image character. He didn't say who which one chose..

In last week's and this week's Boys Be, Machiko and Houko appeared.

When asked about the Boys Be manga, Houko said it was a little embarrassing to read. Itabashi admitted that it was slightly ecchi at times.

Machiko: In volume 1, the skirt was long, but now it's short and the story is ecchi. Why is that?
Itabashi: I want to change it back. That's why I chose you two as the image characters.

Girls Be goods present corner

They gave away a poster, telephone card, and print club stickers (not the actual ones from the machines, but stickers made from their promotion video).

The first person to win was a person who had a birthday that day (3/2). The next people where those who had a birthday on the same day as Houko (12/12).

Then the next person was the one who came from the farthest. There was somebody from America! [J.P. gets another prize.]

Then they asked around for the next few people who came from the farthest locations in Japan. There were people from Hokkaidou, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Miyagi, and Hiroshima.

At the end of the event, Machiko and Houko sang "Seifuku". (They did a cover of the old Matsuda Seiko song on their album.)

final words

Machiko: We didn't know how many people would come. But so many people came. Thank you very much.
Houko: This is not the end. I hope we can meet again. Thanks for coming today.

After the event, they held the handshake session on the stage.

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