Former “Plus Minus” Iwahashi Reveals the Influence of the Newcomer Competition Issue on M-1
Former comedian from the duo Plus/Minus, Yoshimasa Iwahashi, amidst his Airsoft Gun Controversy with Yoko Maki, another dispute seems poised to create even larger ripples in the future.
Iwahashi has been exposing staged incidents at the “Kitagawa-uchi Newcomer Comedy Contest,” organized by Yoshimoto Kogyo, on X and live broadcasts. Given that Iwahashi is originally from Katano, he was involved in the judging process of this contest. It’s said that the event was directed by veteran scriptwriter Masanji Maeda.
FromMr. Maeda,
“Well, since it’s a Yoshimoto event, let’s make sure we don’t let other agencies win.”
He revealed that he was told this.
“I thought, ‘Huh?!’ I thought, ‘What is a comedian’s life all about?'”
And he showed his frustration.
In fact, upon checking the website of the same event, it seems that the winners of the Best Newcomer Award for all three competitions were duos from Yoshimoto Kogyo.
“Mr. Maeda is a former comedian from the first generation of NSC, in the same cohort as Downtown. He also served as a judge for the M-1 Grand Prix qualifiers. It seems that, as per ABC’s intention to rejuvenate from last year, Mr. Maeda has been removed from the judging panel.” (Sports newspaper reporter)
The revelations by Iwahashi had temporarily subsided, but they were reignited by communications from other judges.
