Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541592
52 M PS E . O R G traditional teaching. He let me watch, listen, think, try things out, fail, hit walls, and learn through trial and error. That was how I gained experience and developed something truly my own. He was strict with me, but kind. Even when I made mistakes, he gave me chances to redeem myself and patiently watched over me. When I worked on my first film as a sound effects editor, Sabakan (2022, Dir: Tomoki Kanazawa), he didn't say much at all. It felt like he was saying, "You've seen me work on my projects up close all this time, now go ahead and do it your way." At the mix, he sat in the back without a word, just watching over me. That silent support gave me incredible strength. Not long before he passed away— though I don't recall him ever directly praising me—he said something I'll never forget. "There are people with talent. But there are also people who make it to the top just by sticking with it for a long time. If you don't quit and keep going, I think you have that chance. You've done well to keep going this long." I don't know why he said that then, but clearly something moved him to say it. Those words made me happier than I can express. With Akihiko gone, I no longer have a mentor. But because of the way he taught me, I feel like he's still watching me somewhere, saying, "Think for yourself." I'm still only halfway along my path, but I'll keep going—joyfully—just as Akihiko did when he said, "work is half hobby." As a Foley artist, and as a sound effects editor, I hope I can grow a little closer to the kind of professional he was. From left to right: Kei Sato, Yutaka Tsurumaki, Akihiko Okase and Miki Nomura in the Dubbing Theatre at Toho Studios, Tokyo, for Second Virgin (2011) Go Hasegawa and Akihiko Okase, Connect+Echo Studio in Ueno, Tokyo recording FX for a video game (2021)