"Many people are unaware that there are mountains of 8000 meters in height."

 　
In the spring of 2016, a talk was held in Tokyo between Tatsuhito Kaneko, the founder of KING GEAR, and Kei Totsuka. Both of them are from the editorial department of soccer magazine "Soccer Digest". The talk session between the two of them lasted an hour, and covered a wide range of topics, from how the media was founded to behind-the-scenes stories about the football industry.
　
The founder, Tatsuhito Kaneko, conceived the "Gear of the Year" award, which awards the No. 1 spike of the year, based on his experience as a member of the selection committee for "Car of the Year". Furthermore, in order to improve the status of his beloved gear, he managed to establish a media specializing in spikes. This time, VOL.2, we will deliver the content of KING GEAR that they both talked about and their vision for the future. (Honorifics omitted below)

 ◆Totsuka "Spike, I will make top players a child. I will speak innocently "

 

Totsuka: When I look it up, there is a site that focuses on gears, but, in terms of how to find their own standing position there, it is a "spike review" that Kaneko says often.

Kaneko: And "Guru Navi" + "Michelin" + "Car of the Year". I will do it "top gear (* UK BBC popular program)".

Totsuka: To put it concretely?

Kaneko: "GURU NAVI" is a review of spike users. "Michelin" is an evaluation of a spike by a professional judge. "Car of the year" is a festival that decides the best spike of the year.

Totsuka: I think that "Guru navi" has to reflect the voice of users of high school junior high school spikes.

Kaneko: What I'm most envisioning now is that I want to make Japan a sacred place for festivals for sportsmakers all over the world.

TotsukaAnother thing I learned from asking various people is that everyone likes spikes, right?

Kaneko: Some people do not like it though.

Totsuka: But there are certainly people who like the story of spikes. It is a professional player or a person playing grass soccer. There are a lot of people who like spikes.

Kaneko: So, even those who are not interested in spikes are not quite those who forget who spikes they were wearing.

Totsuka: Spike, I will make top players a child. I will innocently talk.

Kaneko "All the things we do will remain in the first round"

Kaneko: When I asked the story of spike, I often asked, I was surprised because there are a lot of reactions. Either for baseball players or soccer players. But until now I have no place to talk about spikes. So I think that (KING GEAR) also plays the function as such a storyteller.

TotsukaIn the first place, what is called gear is indispensable to every sport, even swimming still has someone who is devoted to the development of "fast swim suit".

Kaneko: "Speed ​​swimsuit" came out, the spotlight got hit. But even now, there are some people who are dedicating life to the development of high-speed swimsuits, but the spotlight does not hit the spotlight at all. I think that I want to be a medium that constantly hits the light in such a place.

Totsuka: At present the degree of exposure of "gear" is very low overall. When searching by net spike name, if there is an article about the spike, it will appear, but almost no one can find it.

Kaneko: So do it.

Totsuka: There is only a tie-up article even if there is it.

Kaneko: So all that we do is to be left in the first round.

Totsuka: However, there is only a tie-up. Kaneko: I know that the manufacturer side (in the tie-up article) was spotted, but that was the only way to do it. I think we only had things like, "Let's ask the magazine to write an article for the time being." I think that's unfortunate. Even when we were active (magazine editors), we didn't read tie-up articles that were all about it.

Kaneko: The page you do not read most among "Football Digest".

Totsuka: "Because I just wrote the maker's release as it is" It seems like it, I did not read it at all.

Kaneko: I will do it absolutely.

Kaneko: In extreme argument, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can not ask the impression of spikes. I'll do it. Absolutely. I mean, it is the goal that I aim for the first time. "A world superstar speaks spikes for us".

Totsuka: If you have Chomolungma up to the 15th meeting, it is a thing that it is a match.

Kaneko:so. But I think that there are mountains of that 8000 meter class, so many people are not aware of it.

Totsuka: Climb up there little by little.