The Day a Star of the Heisei Era was Born: The “Unwritten Rules of Johnny’s” Radically Changed by SMAP on April 15, 1996

In the previous article, “[A Turnaround from B-grade Idols] The ‘Historical Turnaround’ Made by Manager Mitsutomo Iijima on the Eve of SMAP’s Breakthrough,” we analyzed the landscape in which the tide turned as the “times” that had continued to abandon SMAP pushed them back.

The “final piece” of the puzzle, the departure of Mori Katsuyuki

The decade of the Western calendar, the decade of the ~’s, changes dramatically between the first half and the second half of the decade. The mid-decade is the turning point. A typical example is 1945. Ten years later, in 1955, the “55-year regime” between the LDP and the Socialist Party was established.

Equally important was the year 1995, when the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck in January, the sarin gas attack on the subway in March, and the Aum uprising rocked the world. Coincidentally, it was the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The bursting of the bubble economy is also said to have occurred between 1991 and 1993. However, in the early 1990s, there was still a sense of a bubble economy. Optimism that the economy would eventually recover dominated. It was 1995 that crushed it. After that, the term “lost X decade” continued endlessly, leading to the current long-term recession. In this sense, the following year, 1996, can be said to be the year that the Heisei era truly began.

April 15, 1996, is a date that will go down in history. Fuji Television’s drama “Long Vacation” began at 9:00 p.m.. The first viewing rate was a whopping 30.6%. It stars Tomoko Yamaguchi and Takuya Kimura. Kimura’s big break came with this drama, and “Kimura Takuya” shined as an icon of national popularity.

On the same day, “SMAP x SMAP” began airing in the following time slot. Kimura, who had made viewers cry with his “Tsuki 9″ drama, made them laugh and be entertained as a member of an idol group. SMAP x SMAP” has since become an extremely popular program that has continued for 20 years. It could be said that on this day, the long-lasting “SMAP system” was established under the leadership of Fuji Television.

At last, the era of SMAP had arrived!

But first, there remained one important element to complete the jigsaw puzzle of the SMAP legend, the final piece, so to speak.

That is the departure of Mori Katsuyuki. Mori left SMAP in a blitz. It was May 1996, and he retired from show business to become an auto racer, which had been his dream for many years. Mori appeared on “SMAP x SMAP” for only a month and a half.

What happened after that?　His presence was completely erased. Mori Katsuyuki was “never there”!　The scenes in which Mori appeared in past videos were blurred out. Horrifying. It was as if the former executives who were purged by the communist regime were “erased” from the archive photos.

They would go to such lengths. Johnny’s. Those who leave the office are erased from existence. They interfere with their entertainment activities afterwards. …… They thoroughly “dry up” them, so to speak.

Complicity” with fans

The unreasonable treatment of Katsuyuki Mori anticipates the treatment of the three members of the “New Map” who left the office after the breakup of SMAP 20 years later. It seemed to hint at the unreasonable future that would soon come.

But ……. The members of SMAP were different. The members of SMAP were different. It was like a secret sign, a wink, so to speak, to their fans and TV viewers.

They gently closed one eye and sent a message, “Katsuyuki Mori is still one of us! ＞and send a message to the audience. We received the message on this side of the TV monitor and nodded our heads. By doing so, we became accomplices with them.

What does that mean?　It means that SMAP is no longer just an idol group. In other words, it is a way of life.

To be free. To have fun. To care for one’s friends. To please others. Above all, to live life doing what you love to the fullest.

Although Katsuyuki Mori has left the group, he is still a “spiritual SMAP” in the sense that he does what he loves!

The fact that Katsuyuki Mori is still SMAP means that we can all be <SMAP of the spirit>. The sixth seat in this group is thus always open to everyone.

What SMAP has done. It is so vast and varied. Individual members have appeared in dramas, movies, plays, and variety shows; the five of them have come together to sing, dance, act, and …… release numerous classic songs, and perform countless live shows and concerts. It would be impossible to list them all.

So let us consider the qualities of this group that SMAP has changed. In the history of Johnny’s, there is a clear division into pre-SMAP and post-SMAP. It is not limited to Johnny’s. For idols, or rather, for the entertainment industry in Japan, SMAP is a singular point that brought about a major change.

First of all, it was the length of time they were active.

Let us look back at the successive groups. The first Johnny’s was 5 years. The Four Leaves lasted 11 years. Shibukitai lasted six years. Otoko Kogumi: 8 years. Hikaru Genji was 8 years.
In contrast, SMAP has been around for ……28 years!　That’s amazing. This is an extraordinary length of time.

This gave rise to another major characteristic of SMAP.

They were 11 to 15 years old when they debuted, and they were 39 to 44 years old when they broke up. They are no longer in middle age; before SMAP, it would have been unthinkable for an idol group to be in its 40s. They changed the concept of age as it relates to idols.

What is the Idea Behind “Only One Flower in the World”?

After SMAP, TOKIO, KinKi Kids, V6, Arashi, and others would remain active for a long time. Of course, this means that the junior groups followed in the footsteps paved by SMAP; without SMAP, it is doubtful that any of their successors would have made it. Without SMAP, there would not have been such a huge Johnny’s empire, and the entertainment industry would be a much different landscape than it is today.

Janney Kitagawa frankly recognized the success of SMAP. Even if it went against his previous values. It was not just singing and dancing. He is said to have praised the group’s talent for comedy and comedy, which he said could be compared to that of the Crazy Cats.

SMAP was a unique idol group managed by Michi Iijima. But subsequent groups were managed by Mary Kitagawa and her daughter, Julie Fujishima Keiko (SMAP and other groups did not intertwine in TV shows). This would eventually, over the years, be the cause of that decisive breakup. ……

SMAP became a national idol. The pinnacle of their success was “Only One Flower in the World.”‘ Released in 2003, the single version sold more than 3 million copies, making it Japan’s biggest hit since the 1980s. It is the most sung song of the Heisei era, and can be said to be a national song along with “Kimigayo.

Its message is clear: “You don’t have to be No. 1.

＜You don’t have to be No. 1.
You don’t have to be No. 1.

This is not the so-called “Showa-era values” of the era of rapid economic growth that aimed to be number one. We are all special “only ones. This is sung by the most popular idols by far. This is the peak of the SMAP spirit.

We sang “One and Only One Flower in the World” and lived in the Heisei era, a time of prolonged recession and “lost” music. On Monday nights, we enjoyed watching “SMAP x SMAP. It seemed as if it would go on forever.

SMAP would always be a popular group, and the members would remain top idols well into their fifties and sixties, we thought.

But then …… came along.

One day, suddenly, the “eternal dream” comes to an end. The glorious “SMAP spirit” that we all embraced will meet a cruel end.

In the next article, “Some say it’s like a big announcement… A clear reason why ‘SMAP-ism’ lives on even after the inexcusable breakup drama,” we will discuss the unprecedented actions taken by fans after SMAP’s breakup.