Key Points
- Mutsumi shares a story about overcoming her personal fear of insects to protect her co-host, Fuuki, during a filming trip to Fukushima.
- The duo recounts the “Cicada Incident,” where Mutsumi handled a large fly and a cicada with surprising calmness to prevent Fuuki from panicking.
- They discuss how social environments and “Zoom culture” have shaped their physical and vocal reactions to surprises and fear.
- Mutsumi expresses a desire to break gender stereotypes regarding who “protects” whom in scary situations.
Full Transcript (English)
Mutsumi: Hello everyone. I’m Mutsumi.
Fuuki: And I’m Fuuki. It’s been a while.
Mutsumi: It really has. It’s early September now, but it still feels like midsummer in Tokyo.
Fuuki: It’s so hot. Today, I want to talk about the theme: “You get stronger when you have something to protect – Insect Edition.”
Mutsumi: Oh, that story! I know exactly what you mean.
Fuuki: Before we started recording, we were already talking about it. But first, Mutsumi, you had an insect encounter yesterday, right?
Mutsumi: Yes! I accidentally spilled coffee on my futon at home. While I was cleaning it up, a huge insect—maybe a wasp or a large fly—flew in. I managed to get it out, but then I thought, “With my luck, a cockroach is going to appear next.” I sprayed some repellent just in case, and a cockroach actually came out! I dealt with it, but I had two dead bugs in my room and couldn’t sleep well at all.
Fuuki: That sounds awful. But the reason I brought this up is because of what happened a month ago during our Fukushima trip. We were eating dinner with everyone, and someone noticed a huge fly on my clothes. Now, everyone knows I absolutely cannot handle bugs. I froze.
Mutsumi: I saw you freeze and I thought, “I have to protect her.”
Fuuki: You were so cool! You didn’t say, “There’s a bug on you.” You just said, “Fuuki, don’t move.” You were like a hero in a movie. You didn’t even explain what you were doing. You just grabbed the fly by its wings with your bare fingers and took it outside.
Mutsumi: I surprised myself. I released it, but then when I came back inside, I felt something buzzing near my waist. I looked down and a huge cicada was stuck to me! I realized if I told you, you’d lose it. So I just quietly walked back outside and released the cicada too.
Fuuki: I had no idea about the cicada until later! You were so brave. But Mutsumi, you’re actually scared of bugs too, aren’t you?
Mutsumi: I am! Usually, I even hate walking through spider webs. But when I’m with someone who is more scared than I am, I feel like I have to step up. Whether it’s ghosts, roller coasters, or bugs, if the person next to me is terrified, I become the brave one.
Fuuki: I’m so grateful. I feel like there’s a stereotype that women are the ones who need to be protected from bugs, usually by a man. But you totally broke that.
Mutsumi: Exactly. I want to be the one who can say, “I’ll handle it,” regardless of gender. If you’re scared, just tell me, and I’ll do it.
Fuuki: We also have very different ways of reacting to being startled. I scream or jump, but you’re very quiet.
Mutsumi: I never learned how to scream “Kyaa!” Even on roller coasters, I just go “Ooooooh” in a low voice. I think I was told to be quiet in the classroom too much as a kid.
Fuuki: I get startled by everything. Even just someone walking behind me in the office makes me jump.
Mutsumi: I think “Zoom culture” during the pandemic changed me too. In remote meetings, you have to show you’re reacting without making noise and interrupting the audio. So I developed this habit of “silent exaggerated laughing” or big facial expressions without sound.
Fuuki: Like a pantomime! I’ve seen you do that. It’s like you’re reacting for the camera.
Mutsumi: It’s a habit now. Anyway, I feel like I’ve become a stronger person through all these experiences. Though I still have to go home and deal with that cockroach carcass…
Fuuki: Good luck with that! Thanks for being my hero.
