16 regulars! The reason why “Kamaitachi” is so popular among TV stations.

In mid-September, Ryuichi Hamaya (37) and Kenji Yamauchi (40) of the popular comedy duo “Kamai Tachi” hurriedly boarded a cab from Nippon Broadcasting System in Yurakucho (Chiyoda Ward). They are very successful comedians with 16 regular appearances on variety shows, radio, and online streaming programs. They are said to be extremely busy and live a life where they travel every minute of every day. The director of Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) explains why they are so popular with the stations.

“One of the reasons is that their YouTube channel has more than one million subscribers and is buzzing among young people. Their fans are mainly women in their teens and twenties. Younger YouTube viewers who don’t usually watch TV turn on the TV for “Kamai-tachi”. In addition, I think the fact that Mr. Hamaya is appearing on morning information programs is a big factor in ensuring his popularity among women.

In 2005, “Kamai-tachi” became the champion of the “King of Comedies,” and since that year, they have also made it to the finals of the “M-1 Grand Prix” for three consecutive years.

“They have a long history of performing live, so they have a lot of experience in performing solo. The strength of “Kamai-tachi” is their “hungry spirit. Yamauchi says, “I’m going to put my body on the line more than anyone else,” and even eats up the senior members’ cues to come forward (laughs).

(laughs). Hamaya is a member of “Ametoke! (TV Asahi), he has established his position in Tokyo. (TV Asahi), Hamaya has established his position in Tokyo. Both of them are not only good at performing, but they also have a high level of “juniority” and are the most polite young people. I think the secret to their great success is that they have gained the trust of many senior comedians they have performed with.

Nowadays, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t see them on TV. It is said that their personalities are also a factor in their popularity.

He said, “I like the fact that they are so successful, but they don’t seem to have gotten carried away. At the beginning of this year, for some reason, I asked Mr. Yamauchi to appear in the studio for no pay. Even though he was not paid, he read the script carefully and worked diligently in the meetings. At casting meetings, people often say that they would rather use talented comedians from the 6.5 generation than the flashy 7th generation. Among them, the name “Kamai-tachi” comes up an overwhelming number of times,” says a TV station producer.

One of the reasons for their success is the “popularity strategy” of Yoshimoto Kogyo.

It’s been less than five years since “Kamai-tachi” made its breakthrough, so the fees are relatively low. While their fees are still low, we ask the stations to use them more and more and give them their own programs. It seems that the higher-ups are trying to get people to remember their names and faces. Basically, he never turns down a job. They expect him to become a leading comedian like “Chidori” in the future.

It’s good that you’re busy, but please take care of yourself at …….

From “FRIDAY” October 8, 2021 issue