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Okamoto’s nicknames were something that puzzled me for a while when I first heard them and I had always wondered how it actually started and it wasn’t until sometime last year that I found out where they came from…. And I found their origins hilarious hah. Just a quick warning, a lot of the humor in the post is dirty humor lol. I don’t usually write about dirty jokes but this was too funny to pass up lol orz. For those that know enough Japanese to listen in, this video has most of what’s covered in this post.

The whole thing started when Okamoto guested on Inoue Kikuko’s radio “Inoue Kikuko Miwaku no Oshaberi Melon” sometime in between 2009-2010. Kikuko asks him what do people normally call him and he replies saying that he’s normally called by his name, “Okamoto-kun, Okamoto-san” etc. Kikuko, unhappy that he has no nickname tells him to start using a nickname and she tries to make one up for him there. After playing around with Noburin or Nobucchi, to Okamato’s chagrin, Okamoto mentions that he’s been called “Piko” once before, from the “hiko” part in his name “Nobuhiko”. Kikuko finds it cute but still not satisfied with it she changes it to “Pikorin” to his shock. He finds it amusing and embarrassing but Kikuko laughs saying that she’ll use it and try to spread it around, though she doesn’t know if it’ll stick. And that’s where the “Pikorin” name comes from; Inoue Kikuko was the one who stuck it on him. But then there’s the second part, the “Shikorin” part, which was started by Mafia Kajita and is where the dirty jokes come in lol. Okamoto and Mafia Kajita currently run a radio show together called “Radio 4Gamer” where they talk and play games on screen. On one of the episodes, episode 5 on the 6th of May 2010, Yasumoto Hiroki was present as a guest and they played a PS3/Wii game called “No More Heroes” where you play as a character who needs to charge their beam katana by shaking the controller/controller stick at certain times. The problem comes in when you see the animation in game, the character basically holds the katana hilt at his crotch with both hands and starts shaking it furiously in a rapid vertical up and down motion… orz. The other piece of the puzzle is the meaning of “Shiko/シコ”, the word is a colloquial slang best substituted with the english slang “fap” where it references the sound and the action. It was the first time Okamoto was playing the game while the other two were pretty experienced already so they put him in control while they watched and guided him as they plunged him right into a hectic boss battle. Throughout the experience Okamoto needed to charge the beam katana multiple times and with everytime the other two quipped a sexual innuendo lol. I’ll translate a bit here:

Yasumoto: Here’s where you do that legendary motion *laughs*
…
Yasumoto: Quick! The legendary motion!
Kajita: Hurry! It’s ShikoShiko time!
Yasumoto: Super ShikoShiko time!
Okamoto: Even though I’m in the middle of fighting?! *The three laugh*
Okamoto: Ah so if I charge this I can continue fighting?
Yasumoto: Yeah so if your beam disappears you have to do that legendary motion. Oh and while you’re doing that you’re completely defenseless so you have to time it right.
Okamoto: Ah well that’s natural of course for any man.
…
Yasumoto: Oh you’re out, it’s Super ShikoShiko Time! …
Okamoto: Oh I’m out that means…
Yasumoto: Right! Super ShikoShiko Time!
Kajita: You’re too slow! Try to go upwards faster!
Okamoto: Like this?! *Boss comes and slashes at Okamoto*
Yasumoto: Oi! You’re gonna die! *laughs* You’re Shiko-ing too much! *laughs even harder*
*The three of them laugh*
Yasumoto: You’ll die if you Shiko that much. Death by Shiko-ing! *laughs*

Replace “Shiko” with “fap” and you’ll probably understand how surreal and hilarious this conversation actually is orz. Fast forward another episode later and Kajita’s reading mail from a listener…

Kajita: “Shikorin, Kajita, good evening!” *Staff laughs*
Okamoto: Hmm? Hold on a minute there, just to make sure, I think I must’ve heard wrong but I thought I heard a “Shikorin” there… Was it really written there?
Kajita: Ah sorry I misread it.
Okamoto: OI!

And since that point it continued to spread, Sugita started using it on his Dedooon radio and caused it to spread like wildfire lol. By the way, although the nickname has spread to the ears of other seiyuu, amusingly Okamoto has refused to explain the reason behind the “Shiko” in the nickname… One recent happening that I found hilarious was on Guilty Crown Radio #10, 2012.02.24 hosted by Kayano Ai and he came on as a guest and the topic of nicknames came up…

Okamoto: I’ve got other nicknames as well, such as “Pikorin”
Kayano: Ah! And what was that other one… “Shikorin“?
Okamoto: Err yeah… THAT! Umm.. Sorry I can’t explain the nickname. *Kayano laughs*
Kayano: Umm okay then… But I remember one time when we were at an event together the audience was all “SHIKORIN!!!” and I was wondering “Why is it ‘Shiko‘?”
Okamoto: Well he wasn’t involved in this anime but it was to do with a certain “S_gita”…
Kayano: *laughs* Ahh!
Okamoto: And there’s this bald “SP” with sunglasses with him. [Kajita sometimes goes by the name “SP Tanaka”]
Kayano: Ahh I know him!
Okamoto: And he was the one who stuck that name on me. I… Can’t tell you the reason why though.
Kayano: Ah okay… I won’t ask too much about it then…
…
Kayano: Then how about I call you “Shikorin“!
Okamoto: No! You can’t do that!! The agency won’t allow it!!
Kayano: *laughs* Ah really?
Okamoto: You can call me Pikorin though.
Kayano: Okay then I’ll call you Pikorin, you can call me “Kaaya”~

Ahh clueless Kayanon~

Host: Yasumoto Hiroki
Assistants: Arikawa Chiri, Nishi Asuka
Guests: Sugita Tomokazu, Nakamura Yuuichi
Date: 2011.12.29

Square Enix’s sponsored radio hosted by Yasumoto Hiroki. The radio airs weekly and started recently on October 2011. The members in the photo from left to right are: Yasumoto, Sugita, Nakamura, Nishi and Arikawa. Arikawa is a 21 year old gravure idol with hopes(?) of becoming a seiyuu and Nishi is a rookie seiyuu in her early 20’s(I think?) currently employed at Sigma 7, the same agency as Nakamura. She hasn’t taken a main/supporting anime role yet as far as I can tell. The assistants don’t quite talk much, leaving most of the talking to the main personality Yasumoto, for the most part they help out with announcements and corners. Arikawa is there for most of the recording but Nishi swaps in for a corner for about 10-15 minutes midway through the episode.

The two guests, Sugita and Nakamura are here to promote two anime, one is Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou and Inu x Boku SS. Nakamura doesn’t appear in Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou though, while the three of them appear in Inu x Boku SS so it looks like he sits out for the first 10-15 minutes while they talk about the anime.

– Sugita’s commute to high school was 40-50 minutes by bicycle :O Wow. He then secretly got a motorbike license and rode it to school, though he parked far away so as to not get found out. Apparently his school didn’t allow it and would’ve taken his license if he was caught.

– It looks like Yasumoto went to a boys high school.

– Err I’m not sure if this is obvious information or not but Nakamura mentions that Fujiwara Cocoa, the mangaka for Inu x Boku SS is a girl.

– Nakamura mentions that Hikasa Youko’s the eldest girl at the Inu x Boku SS recordings and she’s called “old lady” there ahaha. Arikawa is shocked at first to hear this but Yasumoto explains to her that Hikasa enjoys and brings that sorta humor on herself haha.

– Hikasa…

Sugita: Hikasa-san’s the type of person that if you tell her “Ah you don’t need to say anything funny, just sit and relax” the atmosphere would become super awkward.
…
Yasumoto: But yeah she’s a good person.
Sugita: Yeah I agree.
Yasumoto: If she’s there the place becomes a lot brighter.
Sugita: Yeah.
…
Yasumoto: But yeah that’s what the recordings are like. Where everyone teases and plays with Hikasa-san.
Nakamura: Yeah really. Wait no, it’s different! I’m not that I want to tease her! It’s cause she’s so annoying! *laughs*
Yasumoto: *laughs* Oi! I just wrapped up this topic so nicely and you continue with that?!
Nakamura: She’s noisy!
Yasumoto: Well yeah if I had to say…
Nakamura: Hanazawa-san [Hanazawa Kana] reacts that way too! She’s like “You’re annoying!”
Yasumoto: Ahh well she’s the type that digs in pretty hard.
Nakamura: Yeah.
Yasumoto: Well everyone, just know that Hikasa’s a nice person. *laughs*
Nakamura: Right, we’re not saying this in a bad way. *laughs*

Ahh the Hanazawa x Hikasa combination going as strong as ever~ :D

– Arikawa’s a big fan of anime, which of their shows is her favourite?

Yasumoto: So which of Nakamura’s anime that he’s appeared in is your favourite?
Arikawa: Huh?
Nakamura: Oh? Are we gonna ask her that?
Arikawa: Umm.. Er… The throwing balls with a huge action one. [Lol AKA. Ookiku Furikabutte]
Yasumoto: Ah that one.
…
Yasumoto: And what about Sugita?
Arikawa: Mmmm…. Well it’d have to be the one where he’s being led around by a girl who loves aliens. [Aka. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu!!!!]
Sugita: Ah the one with “yare yare” in it [Kyon’s pet phrase]
Arikawa: Yep that one!

– When Nishi embarrassedly says that she’s never played Final Fantasy before Nakamura yells at her “Why are you here on this radio then?!” lol. She then mentions that she’ll be playing the new FFXIII-2 though and Sugita + Nakamura yell at her again to at least play the first FFXIII before she does that haha.
I… Haven’t played a single Final Fantasy game before too lol OTL.

– Lol poor Nishi was bullied by the three of them quite a bit during the radio. Mostly by Nakamura, her senior in the same seiyuu agency heh.

– Nakamura mentions that he’s heard from anime staff that this year, 2011, has had a lot of original anime do well mentioning Madoka Magica off the top of his head.

It looks like Nakamura and Sugita will be guesting again on next week’s episode \o/.