At the beginning of the year, Masato Sakai… “No. 3 is Non, No. 2 is Mahiro Takasugi,” No. 1 is a surprising actor who has succeeded independently.

Actors such as Masato Sakai (49), who caused a stir in the entertainment world at the beginning of the year, have been increasingly transferring to new agencies or going independent.

In the past, leaving an agency meant being hung out to dry in the entertainment industry, but in July 2007, the Fair Trade Commission issued a “warning” to the Johnny’s office over its treatment of three former SMAP members, and blatant interference with their activities has ceased. However, the reality is that there is still a great deal of risk, as TV stations may refrain from making offers to them due to the possibility of discovery.

In fact, young actors such as Nana Mori (21) and Tsuneji Mizukami (formerly Takeshi Okada, 23), who had been growing remarkably, lost a lot of their momentum due to the mess at the time of their departure.

We therefore interviewed reporters and media representatives familiar with the entertainment industry to find out which actors they thought had made the right decision in moving away from their agencies and becoming independent. Although this is their subjective view, we would like to introduce the top three most popular answers.

No. 3 NON (29)

She established her own agency in January 2003 while working for Lepro Entertainment, and changed her stage name from Reina Noh to “Nonn” in July 2004. At the time, her image was severely tarnished by the “brainwashing scandal” that became a topic of conversation. However, last year she made a full comeback with the release of three films in which she starred.

NON-san often says, “I love my talent,” and she is a person with a strong desire to do work that makes use of her talent. But when you belong to an office, you have to do work you don’t want to do, and on the other hand, you are sometimes turned down for work you do want to do because of the office’s decision. That seemed to be the main reason for his independence, and he also said, ‘That’s why I’m working as Nonon.

In fact, he seems to have a pretty good selection of jobs now. It is true that her work decreased after the independence fiasco, but from around 2007, she has appeared in numerous films again. In addition, she has been directing films, performing music, and holding private exhibitions, giving the impression that she is able to do what she wants to do as “Artiste Nonn,” as she calls herself. Unlike the public’s image of him as “dried up,” I think he is feeling a sense of fulfillment.

No. 2 Mahiro Takasugi (26)

He left Sweet Power in April 2009. Sweet Power has since been in the news for the sexual harassment of the company president and the messy termination of the contract with its actor Takeshi Okada, but Takasugi’s departure was announced in November the year before the problems erupted. By leaving one step ahead of the others, Takasugi was able to achieve a smooth transition to independence.

Before independence, he often played honor student roles, which gave the impression that he lacked impact, but he has clearly developed his own personality. The first and foremost of these was his regular appearance in the “Gochi-narimasu” corner of “Guru Ninety-Nine” (Nippon Television Network Corporation). Her clunky side, such as her misplaced comments and her inability to jump rope, was highlighted, and she was praised as “cute! She is funny! and “Funny!” and her attention was immediately drawn to her.

As an actor, his range expanded as well, as he began to play slightly picky roles and mature romantic scenes. At the time of his independence, there were some concerns about what would happen to his activities, such as his declining to appear in a scheduled morning drama, but these fears proved to be unfounded. Among young actors, his acting ability was rated outstanding, so I think he will grow and develop.” (Interview writer)

No. 1 Takeru Sato (33)

In March 2009, he and Ryunosuke Kamiki (29), who also belonged to Amuse, became independent. They established a new company. Amuse also invested in the new company, making it an amicable independence with a near goodwill split.

The new company is owned by Amuse, and it is a close amicable split between the two companies. Mr. Sato has always seemed extremely busy. For the past 10 years or so, he has appeared in two or three films every year. In between, he has also appeared in serial dramas. Moreover, many of them, such as the “Rurouni Kenshin” movie series, involved hard action. When I went to interview him, he sometimes fell asleep in the middle of the interview, and I felt that he must be very tired.

After I became independent, there was almost no sign that I was working (laughs). The Netflix drama “First Love: First Love” distributed at the end of last year was probably a job that was set before he became independent, so excluding that, this season’s serial drama “It would have been nice to say it a million times” (TBS) is almost certainly his first main job. I get the impression that she is choosing work that she enjoys, such as frequently posting her true self on YouTube and appearing on her favorite mystery-solving show.

(Another entertainment reporter) Some choose to stay, while others choose to fly away. Whether this turns out to be a good thing or a bad thing may depend on their own abilities in the end.