Takaaki Ishibashi and Hiroyuki Miyasako are “once again labeled as wackos” and the entry of big-name celebrities on YouTube is a “double-edged sword

Hiroyuki Miyasako, 53, supervises Omusako Rice, an omelette restaurant scheduled to open in Shibuya, Tokyo, in December. Despite a strong restaurant business following his yakiniku restaurant, the number of views on YouTube has been sluggish.

When he opened his channel in November ’19, the COVID-19 crisis provided a tailwind, and his videos racked up a million views. Collaboration videos with fellow comedians and popular You Tubers were also popular, but now it seems that the channel has run out of material, and it is not unusual for videos to receive less than 100,000 views.

Ishibashi Takaaki (62) has also found a way to make a living on YouTube by teaming up with popular director and close ally Maccoi Saito (53), but he has had few hits with more than one million views recently. The director of the production company mentioned above points out that this was “an expected result from the beginning.

The younger generation, who are the main viewers of YouTube, don’t know about their heyday. At first, the over-40s generation was checking it out for nostalgia, but they soon got bored with it. It’s no wonder they’re slowing down.”

On the other hand, the videos of Egashira 2:50 (58), who opened his channel at the same time, are still generating millions of views.

He is a character in his own right,” said Egashira. Unlike Ishibashi, who has become a wacko, and Miyasako, who left the show due to a scandal, Egashira has only become harder to use on TV due to stricter compliance regulations. He has been widely supported for his earnest and passionate personality, such as when he quietly conducted relief activities in the area at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. In addition to his good personality, Egashira’s extreme material, which is possible on YouTube, and the amusing way he is pushed around by the staff are appealing to younger viewers.

According to a video editing staff member, in order to be popular on YouTube, “it is important to have a sense of speed that Ishibashi and Miyasako do not have.

On the “Saraba Seishun no Hikari” channel, he immediately picked up on the 18-year-old marriage of Yuuki Iwai (37) of “Halaichi” and teased him about it. When “Chocolate Planet’s” Shohei Osada (43) was told that he resembles singer Eito (26), he immediately delivered a parody of his hit song “Perfume” on his channel. The cycle of fads and fads on the Internet is unusually fast, and on YouTube, the first one to do it wins. However, pride gets in the way, so comedians don’t want to be the second to do the same thing. Speed is quite important, but the big guys are too hip and out of touch with what’s trending on the Internet. ……”

The number of views on YouTube and TikTok “directly affects the casting of TV shows,” says the aforementioned broadcaster.

The best examples are “Geraldine,” which has been getting a lot of buzz because of its funny thumbnails, and “Lover Girl,” which was reevaluated for its short video. Nowadays, the number of followers and views on social networking sites and videos is like a comedian’s “ability value. Sponsors also place importance on online buzz. Conversely, Ishibashi and Miyasako, whose video views have been sluggish, have been labeled as wackos once again. The entry of big names into YouTube is a double-edged sword. ……

The timing of their entry to YouTube was quick, but if this continues, Ishibashi and Miyasako’s exit is likely to be hastened as well.

From the December 8-15 , 2023 issue of FRIDAY