Hideaki Takizawa’s abrupt departure from Johnny’s spreads “unrest” among Jr.
It would be no exaggeration to say that the entertainment world has been rocked by an earthquake. Hideaki Takizawa, a.k.a. Tackey, has suddenly left Johnny’s….
Tackey announced that he would retire from entertainment activities as of December ’18 and go behind the scenes. He then became vice president of Johnny’s and president of its affiliate, Johnny’s Island, where he has been working hard to train and mentor younger members.
Tackey was said to be the heir to the spirit of the late Mr. Janie Kitagawa, and was supposed to be an indispensable presence in the office…. A reporter in charge of Johnny’s for a sports paper said.
When Tackey said he was going to stop performing, I heard that Mr. Janney told him, ‘It’s okay to be a playing manager. However, he decided to stay behind the scenes, saying, “I can’t handle people’s lives half-heartedly,” and “I don’t want to do it half-heartedly.
He then organized the growing number of Jr. members and debuted “Snow Man” and “SixTONES,” and recently “Travis Japan,” a group he directed and supervised, has made its major debut.
However, there was actually a time when there was a move to discontinue the debut of Jr.
In the spring of 2005, Mr. S, the choreographer, told the Jr. dance lessons that the office had given them a “notice. During the dance lesson, Mr. S, the choreographer, told us that the office had “announced” that Jr. would not be making a CD debut. He also told them, “If you have any doubts about your career path, please consult with us.
(A former Johnny’s office official) “He probably meant that with the rise of Internet music distribution, there was no longer any need to stick to CDs, but the Jr. members who had dreamed of making their CD debut were quite shocked.
One theory was that the change in policy was intended to organize the growing number of Jr. members, which had ballooned to several hundred. Some of them even decided to leave the company. Then, Tackey appeared as a savior.
Tackey had been thinking about the Jr. The Jr. members who formed the group may still be in good shape, but there are those who have been languishing for many years as research students. Tackey was seriously thinking about making sure that all the Jr. members could make a decent living,” said a women’s magazine reporter.
(A reporter for a women’s magazine) Everyone knows that Tackey, who went behind the scenes, was energetically working for the Jr.
Not only did he reorganize and debut “Snow Man” and “SixTONES,” but Tackey himself traveled to various TV stations to conduct sales activities.
One of the TV stations was surprised to hear that “Tackey came to the station in a suit with a list of Jr.
It is a well-known story that people at the TV stations were surprised to hear that Tackey, who had been their savior, had left the company.
What will happen to the remaining Jr. members if Tackey, the savior of the Jr. group, leaves the group?
There is even more turmoil among the Jr. members than when they were told that they would no longer be able to make their CD debuts. Although no bold moves have been seen so far, it is likely that something will happen on the talent side as well as on the management side.
With Tackey’s departure, the future of Jr. is likely to change drastically…
Interview and text by: Hiroyuki Sasaki (Entertainment Journalist)
Born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Sasaki became a reporter for FRIDAY at the age of 31, reporting numerous scoops during his time with FRIDAY and later working mainly for the weekly magazine. Currently, he also appears on TV and radio as a commentator.
PHOTO: Keisuke Nishi