Jiro Matano

 










[SIZE= 16px]personality:[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 16px]jiro is probably best described as 'sensitive'. he is soft-spoken and thoughtful, and when finds the words he's looking for, they're abundantly warm and kind... and/or sappy and heavyhandedly sentimental. he feels very deeply for the people around him, and is always the first offer support to those in need, but he isn't exactly 'worldly'.. his advice, like himself, is usually dewy-eyed and innocent, lacking much nuance or wisdom beyond common platitudes. however, he is very sincere and passionate about wanting to help, and will go above and beyond to assist, even to his own detriment. he's always trying to see the best in everyone, and if nothing else, he just wants to be around you and know you better, no matter who how you come off.[/SIZE]



bio:
jiro sits in his family as the youngest of three brothers. there were some severe complications surrounding his birth, and as such, he had some health problems in his early life, including one that induced his blindness. this caused an already cash-strapped matano family a lot of trouble paying the bills, but instead of causing dividing them, it made them all a little closer, especially to jiro. it meant his parents had to be away from home a lot to keep the family afloat, but in their absence, jiro's brothers watched over and protected him as best as they could.  his need for assistance caused him some scorn from his classmates and acquaintances, though, and even with his brothers' reassurances that he was not a burden to them, it caused him to become somewhat insecure and depressive about his perceived uselessness in life early on.



since he found it hard to make friends outside away from home growing up, he started to look for other ways to pass the time. it was his parent's tradition to listen to the radio early in the morning before they had to leave for work, and jiro often got up early to listen to it with them. so, when he was nine, he ended up asking his parents for a portable radio he could take with him to listen to. over time, he just steadily became more and more obsessed with it, always eager to catch whatever talk show he could find on surfing through the stations. there was something very comforting to him about the soft, smooth intonation of the speakers, their discussion topics somehow feeling like conversations, despite the hosts not speaking directly to him.



jiro loved calling in for contests, and by chance, when he was thirteen, he happened to win a contest to meet the hosts of one of his favorite shows. he took a train to see them, and jiro was absolutely thrilled to go. most of the hosts thought his enthusiasm for it was endearing, and decided to offer him a job helping out at the studio. it wasn't easy work at first, with his limited sight, but with some ingenuity and determination, he started to be actually be a big help. until, one day when he was fifteen, and one of the hosts suddenly called in sick. most of the hosts knew him and enjoyed his company by then, so on a whim, they decided to let him talk on the show with them.



surprisingly enough, the callers went crazy for him. he had a unique, soft voice, and lot of young girls and mothers listening couldn't get enough of his shy, cheery demeanor. and it certainly helped that he had learned how to carry on a conversation from years of listening. after popular demand from listeners, jiro was offered a permanent position as one of the hosts. and from there, as word got out about the cute young host, he only become exponentially more popular. so much so, that jiro was offered his own late night radio show, where he took calls and offered listener's advice and companionship, like he felt the hosts he adored listening to had offered him. he gradually became well enough known that he was offered guest spots on other radio stations, even tv shows, and eventually, even a spot at hope's peak. jiro was a little unsure of it a first, since he did already have a job, but he decided he was eager to attend to make himself better, to improve himself and in turn, the advice he could offer to his listeners.


other:
he is considered legally blind, but he can still see color and lights, and if something is especially close, he can make out it's very general shape.

Accepted, glad to have you back!