Junon Super Boy Contest Winners: Junji Munakata / Issaku Nishida

Shunji Munakata

It's natural to worry because you love it. Have fun and be yourself.

■Please tell us what made you decide to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
　As an elementary school student, I was a free-spirited boy who would throw away my school bag when I got home and play soccer. I had aspirations of becoming an actor, but I didn't have the courage to take the plunge. A turning point came when I was 20, after quitting soccer and finding myself with nothing to be passionate about. I was approached by an entertainment agency in Tokyo, and that passion was rekindled. Believing in my own potential, I applied to the 35th Junon Super Boy Contest and won the judges' special award.
During the contest, my main activities were streaming and voting, so I was conscious of responding to my fans' requests while still being true to myself. For example, when I celebrated a listener's birthday with lots of cake during the stream, I thought, "I'll make it a big deal," so I ate the entire cake with candles by myself. It was fun, like it was my own birthday, and I wanted to see their smiles, so I ended up surprising them. I want to continue surprising and delighting everyone.

■What would you like to focus on from now on?
It's a play. I've been cast in a drama called "Crashing JK and Disabled Teacher" on MBS Special Zone.
Of course, acting as a character is difficult, but I'm going to enjoy it and do my best. I admire actors like Go Ayano, who are captivating with their facial expressions and tone of voice. I'm a bit nervous about appearing in a drama, but I want to make the most of this stage opportunity to try something new.
My goal for the future is to eventually win the Academy Award for Best Actor. I want to gain experience and become an actor who thrives on set. As a step towards that, I want to work hard, remembering to be considerate of those around me and remain humble, like my seniors.

■Please give a message to your university students and fans
Dear university students
The one who takes action wins. If it's something you're really interested in and want to do, you can work hard no matter how difficult it is. If you love it, then take action. My current situation is an extension of what I love.

Interviewer: Akari Mikamiyama, third-year student at Komazawa University

Issa Nishida

The dream of a 13-year-old boy, his journey and growth

■Please tell us what made you decide to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
When I was little, I was a mischievous boy who loved to play. When I was 2 or 3 years old, I saw Kamen Rider and it made an impact on me, and from that time on, I began to want to become Kamen Rider, and I also began to want to become an actor.
The reason I applied for the Junon Super Boy Contest was because I wanted to appear in the Kamen Rider series. There were actually many Kamen Rider actors who were Junon Boys, so I asked my mother to let me apply for the contest.
During the Junon Super Boy Contest, I always made sure to entertain my fans who supported me and to be grateful to those who came to watch my streams.
At first, I had a lot of challenges with my daily live streams, such as not being able to answer questions well or freezing up, but once I started to be conscious of blending into the atmosphere of the streams and entertaining the viewers, the content, atmosphere, and speaking style of the streams started to change little by little. I also prepared riddles and other quizzes to make the streams more enjoyable.
Also, during the live streams, fans would leave comments, and it made me so happy to see them enjoying and celebrating with me.
When I first started entering contests, my classmates at school didn't believe me when I told them, but now they actually search for me and support me.

■What are your current activities and what would you like to focus on in the future?
I recently took promotional photos. I try my best every day to be able to smile and make good facial expressions during the photo shoot.
I continue to do live streams to communicate with my fans. I try to speak calmly and never forget to express my gratitude to the people who support me.
I applied for the Junon Super Boy Contest because I wanted to become a Kamen Rider actor, and that dream hasn't changed to this day.
However, I would also like to try other work besides acting, such as appearing in commercials and modeling, and I hope to become an actor that is loved by everyone.
I have always been clear about my dreams and have worked hard towards them, so I intend to continue to do my best in the future.
I would be happy if the fans who have been supporting me since the contest could see my growth from now on.

Interviewer: Daiki Shimada, third-year student at Kokugakuin University