The end of “SHOW Channel” and “Ki7 ◎× Club” announced… The crisis of the “disappearance” of Arashi’s programs has increased the longing for a “reunion”.

On January 15, it was officially announced that the variety show “130 Million People’s Show Channel” (NTV), in which Sho Sakurai (42) of “Arashi” fame serves as MC, will end in March. The once popular “Arashi” program, “Ki7 ◎× Club” (Fuji Television), a variety show on Thursdays at 7 p.m. with Masaki Aiba (41) as MC, will also reportedly be moved this spring and “downgraded” to the Kanto local area, The “extinction crisis” is becoming clear.

The “SHOW Channel” on Saturdays at 9 p.m. is the successor program to “Arashi ni shiyagare,” which started in April 2010. It started in January 2009 following Arashi’s hiatus in December 2008, but it has now come to an end after about three years.

The predecessor of “Ki 7 ◎× Club” was “VS Arashi” which started in 2008. Due to the same circumstances, it became “VS Soul” in January ’21, then was broadcast under the name “VS Soul Gradation” from April ’22, and just became “Ki7 ◎× Club” from October ’23.

However, at the end of December last year, several sports papers reported that the slot would be moved to the Kanto local area from April 2012. In addition to sluggish viewer ratings, it is believed that the sponsors of the program have been disengaged due to the sexual assault issue at the former Johnny’s office (now SMILE-UP.). Since these two programs were the successor slots for the “Arashi” crown program, the possibility of their “disappearance” is becoming more and more real.

(Sports newspaper desk) Under these circumstances, the members of Arashi, with the exception of Ono Satoshi (43), who is on leave, Sakurai, Aiba, and Ninomiya Kazuya (40), who became independent from the former Janis last October, continue to appear in regular TV programs and TV dramas. On the other hand, Matsumoto Jun (40) is the only one who is still “not scheduled to work” since the beginning of this year.

Matsumoto starred in the NHK historical drama “Dousuru Ieyasu” (NHK) for one year last year, but the average household rating for all episodes was 11.2% (Video Research, Kanto region), which was the second worst in the history of historical dramas after “Idaten” in 2007. Although Matsumoto is expected to make a comeback in his next film, his official website has not announced what he plans to appear in in the future.

As of late January, there is no information on his upcoming TV dramas or movies on his official website, except for commercials for the three companies in which he has appeared. In her personal life, actress Mao Inoue, with whom she had been in a secret relationship for many years, denied the “marriage theory” in a special program on “Sanma-no-Mama” (Fuji TV) broadcast on January 2, although she did not mention her name. In addition to the impact of the sexual assault issue, there is a possibility that the second worst viewer rating of the Taiga will also affect him in the future. Fans are concerned about Matsumoto’s activities.

The reason why Arashi’s activities are attracting attention is that this year is the group’s 25th anniversary year, and November 3 will be the very day of the 25th anniversary. In October last year, Shukan Josei (Weekly Woman) reported that Tokyo Dome had been in the running to host the group’s “relaunch live” in the fall of 2012, but that the plans were eventually scrapped.

In an interview with Sports Hochi on January 23 this year, Ninomiya was asked about Arashi’s 25th anniversary and stated, “The moment one of the members says ‘restart,’ the atmosphere changes,” implying that all members are strongly aware of the “restart.

However, it is reported that Ohno, who is on leave, is living in Miyakojima, Okinawa, and it is unclear whether they will agree to reunite, even temporarily. In addition, there is a possibility that the former Janis will become a new company and the members will continue to be independent, and the impact of the sexual assault issue is still unclear. That is why fans are waiting for bright news such as Matsumoto’s work schedule announcement…” (Women’s magazine reporter)

However, at the beginning of the new year, there was some activity that indicated the “continuation” of the five members’ ties. On January 9, “Arashi” announced that it had donated a total of 67.5 million yen to the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

What was noteworthy was that the donation was announced jointly by the five members, including Ono, and they also made a comment on the donation. In other words, it showed the bond between the five of us that we can work together if anything should happen. Arashi’s fan club membership is estimated to be over 3 million (including those who have resigned or duplicated their membership), and many people are eagerly awaiting the reunion. The announcement of the donation under the joint names of the five members was undoubtedly one of the few bright spots.

Can the group’s mood of stagnation, which has been brought about by the show’s demise and Matsumoto’s uncertainty about his activities, be blown away by a “surprise reunion” that marks a major turnaround? It is likely that Arashi, which has been on hiatus for some time, will be in the news again this year.

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