#496【アフタートーク】メリチン
On the after-talk for episode #496 of Kuukikaidan no Odoriba (空気階段の踊り場), Mogura (もぐら) of the comedy duo Kuukikaidan (空気階段) revealed he'd clocked his diet rebound in real time — the seat next to him on a packed Chuo Line was the only empty one in the car. He responded by announcing a new 75-kg target and a Dennis Rodman-inspired rainbow buzz-cut reward he and partner Katamari (かたまり) are calling 'Rottoman.' The episode closed on a deadlocked, unprovable argument over whether Mogura's anatomy qualifies as 'Merichin' — a listener-coined term for a penis engulfed by body fat.
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What this episode answers
What did the two discuss about the King of Conte opening cypher segment?
Mogura said he envies Meda Cipher's custom verse for each King of Conte finalist — a segment that started the year after Kuukikaidan won — noting that his duo's name has been worked in at least once. He wanted to be rhymed with material like 'kuro ponpon,' 'mama's boy,' and '28 cavities,' and the two tried — and largely failed — to improvise what their own verse might sound like.
What made Mogura realize he had rebounded?
Two days before recording, Mogura boarded a standing-room-only Chuo Line train and found the seat beside him was the only empty one — a reversal from his 39-kg-lighter days when people actively chose to sit next to him. He estimates his current weight is around 110–115 kg.
What is Mogura's new diet plan target, and what is his specific reward for achieving it?
Mogura set a target weight of 75 kg ('7500'), and his reward upon hitting it is a Dennis Rodman-style red buzz cut with rainbow-colored sections (gold, green, blue, orange, yellow, etc.) — a look they're calling 'Rottoman' — to be worn for about one month, with a formal 2027 goal of taking promo photos in that state. He also set an 'anger permission' rule: if he exceeds 85 kg, Katamari is authorized to rage at him at full force.
What causes did listeners suggest for Mogura's soaking-wet underwear when peeing sitting down?
Three listeners said his penis is small and points forward, causing urine to drip down the front; listener 'Soul Oji (ソウル王子),' writing from Shinjuku Station, theorized that his belly blocks his view and phimosis causes him to urinate in the wrong direction entirely; and listener 'Ume (梅)' offered the clearest diagnosis — that overweight men experience 'Merichin,' where the penis sinks into surrounding fat, angling it upward so urine misses the bowl.
What kind of argument broke out between the two over 'Merichin'?
After Ume's email introduced 'Merichin' and applied it to Mogura, Mogura furiously denied it — 'Mine sticks way out, there's no room to sink' — while Katamari insisted 'It's completely sunk in, there's nothing there.' With neither able to produce visual proof on radio, both sides dug in and the argument ended in a complete stalemate.
Why Mogura Envies the King of Conte Opening Cypher
Every year the King of Conte opening features Meda Cipher (メダサイファー), who writes a custom one-verse lyric for each finalist duo. Mogura said flatly that he finds it enviable. The segment began the year after Kuukikaidan won the competition, and the duo's name has been worked into the lyrics at least once since. According to Mogura, the group digs through each act's radio back-catalogues and old YouTube videos to build the bars — "they really dig deep and write it all out," he said admiringly.
The two tried improvising what their own verse might sound like. What came out: "28 cavities, no regrets — leaving the cavities behind" and "a chubby man's sumo throw." Mogura himself admitted, "those were pretty weak lyrics." They figured the real writers would at least manage something like: "Black pompom — a bald guy, a mama's boy, and a fatty."
Mogura Confronts His Rebound on the Chuo Line
Two days before recording, Mogura boarded a packed Chuo Line train and noticed something unsettling: the seat next to him was the only empty one in the car. Back when he had lost 39 kg, he was genuinely moved when people chose to sit beside him even when other seats were free. Now he was back to being the person no one sits next to on a standing-room-only train.
He insisted he keeps himself within his seat's outline, but then recalled being told at events like Comiket that he unknowingly crosses the floor-tape boundaries — and had to admit, "I don't know my own width." A weigh-in two months ago put him just under 100 kg, but he estimates he's now around 110–115 kg. His solo show's after-party is about a month away, and until then he has "lifted the ban" on eating freely. Katamari urged him to at least hold his weight steady, even if active loss is on pause.
The "7500" Diet Plan and the Rottoman Hairdo
Mogura's new plan centers on a target weight of 75 kg. Playing on the then-trendy slang word "7500 (garo)," he declared he would "get his body weight to 7500." The reward for hitting that milestone: a Dennis Rodman-style red buzz cut with rainbow-colored sections — gold, green, blue, orange, yellow, and more — a look he and Katamari have christened "Rottoman (ロットマン)." He plans to stay in Rottoman mode for about one month, relying on a wig for any comedy stage appearances during that stretch.
Long-term, Mogura dreams of dreadlocks too, but Katamari shut that down immediately: "Bald dreadlocks won't work." The two laughed imagining what their comedy seniors would say, and Mogura filed it away as something to "keep under consideration."
For accountability, they created an "anger permission" rule: if Mogura goes above 85 kg, Katamari is fully authorized to lay into him — and if Mogura talks back, Katamari can go "full van," meaning maximum rage. They ran a live roleplay on the spot. Mogura: "I got to 86 kg." Katamari: "You're going to end up back at 120 kg — are you kidding me?" Both sides confirmed the script. The official 2027 goal is now locked: take promo photos in the Rottoman state.
The Listener Investigation: Soaking-Wet Underwear
Since switching to sitting down to urinate, Mogura found his underwear soaked through every single time. He investigated — gaps between the seat and the bowl, bidet leaks — before realizing it might simply be urine. Last week he opened the question to listeners, and three responses landed on the same theory: his penis is small, causing it to point forward and drip down the front. Mogura pushed back.
This week brought a more elaborate analysis from listener radio name "Soul Oji (ソウル王子)," submitting from Shinjuku Station. His theory: Mogura's belly blocks his line of sight, and phimosis creates a pulling sensation that leaves him urinating in completely the wrong direction without knowing it. Mogura rejected this too: "I do aim it. Even if I can't see it, I can tell whether it's pointing right by feel — same as knowing whether your mouth is open or closed."
The "Merichin" Debate: Neither Side Budges an Inch
The decisive email came from listener radio name "Ume (梅)." The argument: overweight men develop a condition where the penis sinks into surrounding fat — Ume's term for this is "Merichin (メリチン)." In the seated position, Merichin geometry angles the penis upward, so urine misses the bowl. The fix: lean forward and press down firmly. Ume signed off: "I'm Merichin too. Hidden giant — keep your chin up."
Mogura exploded: "I'm not Merichin — mine sticks way out." Katamari shot back: "It's completely sunk in, there's nothing there." Mogura: "It's sticking way out, there's no room to sink." The loop repeated, with Mogura noting, "The problem is you can say anything on radio because nobody can see" — yet neither man gave ground, and the segment ended in a total deadlock.
Mogura closed by announcing his conditions for future listener mail: "No emails from people who are sunk in, who can't aim, or who aren't working. I'll only accept mail from people who are properly employed, who stick out, and who aim correctly."
Takeaways
- Mogura realized his rebound on a packed Chuo Line train and declared a new diet plan: a 75-kg target with a Rottoman rainbow buzz cut as the reward, now his official 2027 goal.
- Multiple listeners attributed Mogura's wet-underwear problem to 'Merichin' — a penis sunk into body fat — which ignited a deadlocked on-air argument between Mogura and Katamari that neither side could win without visual evidence.
- Mogura expressed envy for Meda Cipher's custom King of Conte opening verses and tried improvising fictional lyrics for himself and Katamari, with results both admitted were underwhelming.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.