Actor Takahashi Kensuke won the “Unique Content Award Grand Prize” at the “Fanicon Awards 2023,” which recognizes Fanicon's excellent community. At “Takahashi Kensuke's Room (tentative),” which opened in 2018/6, we try to have close communication with many fans every day.
While active on stage, video productions, variety shows, etc., mystery solving events have also been held in the past from the fan community. We asked Takahashi, who says that the idea of entertaining people every day “springs up like hot water,” about communicating with fans and how rewarding it is.
■What do fans notice about the community's “Three Points”
――I thought it was unique that “(tentative)” is attached to the fan community name.
Takahashi Kensuke (hereafter, Takahashi) decided on the name first, and since I couldn't think of anything particularly interesting, it's the same as when I decided “this is fine” (laughs).
-- I see (laughs). Did you have any admiration for your own fan community?
Takahashi: Somehow I wanted to “start a fan club.” It just so happened that Fanicon called out to me at that timing. At first, the service had just started, and it was fateful that they called out when it was close to launch, and I thought it had many advantages, so I opened it. In stage work, I was able to sell tickets ahead of the fan community, and the opportunities for fans to get tickets have expanded, which is one of them.
――Have the “three rules” listed in the fan community “don't fight,” “friends of friends are friends,” and “make it a fun room” haven't changed since it was established?
Takahashi hasn't changed. It doesn't matter what you tweet in a one-on-one “1-on-1 talk,” but in group chats where many people watch, there is also a possibility that someone will be hurt by an unconscious statement. I don't want all the fans to feel uncomfortable.. I made the “Three Points” because I wanted everyone to have fun without hesitation.
――I try to interact with fans every day in group chats. Are you also using SNS, and is there any hustle and bustle in parallel with the actor business?
Takahashi There is no separation between time spent facing FanIcon or SNS and time working as an actor. For me, it's the same feeling as going out to eat with friends and juniors as an extension of private life. Group chats are also available, and I think it would be nice if everyday input and output would be useful for work at some point.
――Is there anything you keep in mind when trying to have close communication with fans?
Takahashi Communication at Fanicon has always been natural, and I myself have become a part of my life, and I want all my fans to think so too. When we meet in the morning, it's as if we naturally call out “good morning.” When new features are added to Fanicon, I try them out first, and I'm also doing trial and error to see if there are any communication methods that I can enjoy more. When it was first established, there was no “video talk function” that allows one-on-one interaction with fans, but it was added at some point, and now I like it so much that I use it a lot. There are more updates when work is settled down, but even during busy periods such as stage appearances, there are times when radio broadcasts are broadcast by taxi on the way home, and interacting using Fanicon also leads to work motivation.
■Good at expanding ideas “from 1 to 100”
――In the past, the “Fanicon Presents Real Mystery Solving Game “Takahashi Kensuke Kidnapping Case ~Mysterious Invitation Delivered to You~” was an event synonymous with Takahashi-san. It gained popularity and additional performances were held, and the related hashtag “#高橋健介誘拐事件」はTwitter（現・X）でトレンド入りしました。
There seemed to be a surprising response from a staff member who saw Takahashi's tweet, wondering if they had actually been kidnapped (laughs). At first, I received suggestions from Fanicon, and I thought it would be interesting. It was unusual for an actor to hold a mystery solving event like an escape game, and I was also happy that I was able to do an unprecedented test. I'm thankful that a format that can be continued with the 2nd and 3rd installments has been created.
――Have you always liked trying to do something unprecedented?
Takahashi, that's right. I have a strong feeling of “being different from others” not only at events, but also at work. I want to keep it a secret because it might be imitated, but the idea is springing up like hot water.
――I'd like to ask about the origin of that, too.
Takahashi may have had an influence from high school. It's a unique school, and when I was there, there was a “loan system” where projects were solicited from students, and the school would issue a budget if it was interesting. I think they were recruiting students who wanted to run at sports festivals and school festivals, and encouraged their autonomy to make something themselves. I'm not good at making 1 from 0, but I like changing 1 to 100, so help my friend with the project. I like the process of thinking, and the “Takahashi Kensuke Kidnapping Case” in the past was easily accepted.
■To fans with the long-awaited “roulette table” project
――It's been about 6 years since the fan community was established in 2018/6. What are the benefits for yourself?
Takahashi: I always want to have a positive impact on someone, and it's useful as a place where I can make that thought come true. The actor industry is the same, and I'm happy that someone will have a bright and rich life because of something I've done, such as “I can do my best at work” or “it's fun to go to school.” So, if there's no place to watch, there's no reason to continue, and the fan community also uses it as a place where fans can entertain themselves.
――While you give fun yourself, do you feel like you're also getting something from your fans?
Takahashi: I get positive opinions, which motivates me. I think “I'm glad I'm doing my job” in the entertainment industry, starting with the actor industry, and I'm thankful that the words reach directly on Fanicon. If you continue for 6 years, you'll be able to see each other's lives. There are people who send me a message with a picture of their child saying “I got married and have a child,” and there are also people who are high school students at the beginning of enrollment and report “I got a job,” and I'm really surprised that time has passed.
――Going forward, you'll continue to spend the same amount of time with your fans through the fan community.
Takahashi: It's not that my distance with my fans has shrunk because of a big trigger; I think I have a relationship with my current fans because I've been interacting all this time, and in the end, I'm continuing because I can continue. There are many things I've tried in the past and stopped along the way, but the interaction at Fanicon was right for me. The advantage of Fanicon is that it can be used freely, and the distance with fans has naturally been shortened until now, so I would like to continue using it in my own way.
――Please let us know if there are any new things you would like to work on in the fan community in the future.
I've always wanted to do a plan to use the Takahashi roulette table to go to the prefecture I won. I wanted to try it in the past, but due to schedule reasons, it was put on hold for a while. On the stage, all the fans go on an expedition, but the opposite is true. “Come to my city!” I would like to receive a request like this and make a surprise visit to a town chosen by chance in the near future.
(Text: Kaneko Shuhei)
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If you want to deepen interaction with fans and want to make running a fan club easier than it is now, then Fanicon is useful.