Kis-My-Ft2’s TV Appearances Decline as Snow Man’s Presence Grows

The exposure of “Kis-My-Ft2” (hereafter referred to as “Kiss My”) has been drastically decreasing.

In September 2010, the regular broadcast of “Moshi Moshi Tours” (Fuji TV), in which they had worked together with “Cayeen” for more than 10 years, ended and the show became a special program. Kiss My BUSAIKU!”, which had been running for 11 years since the year after their debut. (Fuji Television’s “Kiss My Super BUSAIKU! (Fuji Television) ended in September 2011, shortly after the announcement of the departure of Hiromitsu Kitayama, who had been the leader of the group. Nearly a year has passed since then, and the group’s presence on terrestrial television has only decreased.

The only regular TV Asahi program that continued for many years in the late-night slot was “100,000 Yen de Kakeru Kano” (TV Asahi), and although it has moved into the GP slot, the impression that it was a Kismai program is extremely weak. The two members of the comedy duo SANDWICHMAN, who co-star in the show, are very good at making the viewer laugh with their exquisite comedic timing and skillful delivery. I think it is fair to say that the two members of Sandwichman have it all together. They are not only good at comedy, but they are also very good at music.

The group’s musical activities have not been going well. The new single “Heartbreaker,” released in January of this year after Kitayama’s departure, was not well received, with posts on social networking sites such as “Kitayama’s singing ability has clearly declined since he left,” and “Frankly speaking, the appeal of the song has decreased by half, There were even reports that the resale price “plummeted to one-tenth” of the original price.

The presence of “Kiss Mai” seems to be fading away, even though the members have not caused any problems.

It is said that Kitayama’s departure from the group had a major impact on this situation.

What does this mean?

Mr. I, who was the chief manager of “SMAP,” had a great deal to do with Kismai’s success.

Mr. I, who had been in charge of only SMAP, had a strong connection to Fuji Television and TBS, and he had been involved in the production of Fuji Television’s “Moshi Moshi Tours” and “Kiss My BUSAIKU! and ” Kiss My Fake ” on TBS. TV Asahi started a program called “Hama-Kiss,” in which Yu Hamaguchi of “Yoiko” trained them in the basics of variety, and the Kiss Mai team continued to improve their variety skills. Kitayama developed personal friendships with the producers and directors on site, and was also responsible for creating a pipeline for the Kismai members.

Two of the “back four,” including members Wataru Yokoo and Kennaga Senga, were involved in “Prevato! (MBS/TBS), which was the first haiku test for the group. After Mr. I left the office with SMAP, Kitayama was the one who was making the effort to fill in for Mr. I.” (staff member at a production company). (A staff member at a production company)

Among the “back four” is Toshiya Miyata, an anime otaku who is known for his wotagei at live performances and has been a regular guest on music programs. However, with the departure of Kitayama, who had been a keystone in the group’s ties with various stations, the group’s activities began to fade.

As soon as Kitayama left Kismai, his work was replaced by Snow Man. For example, when an anime special is planned, Daisuke Sakuma of “Snow Man” is the only one who is invited instead of Miyata. Even at staff meetings, when the topic of guest appearances is discussed, the producer nominates Sakuma as the only choice,” says a staff member.

(A staff member mentioned above) I have the impression that Takatsugu Nikaido used to be frequently invited to variety shows as well. However, a program director reveals that there has been a change here as well.

Recently, Koji Mukai has been called in more and more,” he said. I was surprised to see him on “Dokkuri GP” (Fuji Television Network, Inc.). (Fuji TV) and “I Am Adventure Boy” (TBS), Mukai has been a member of the “Tsuda Gundan” led by Atsuhiro Tsuda of “Diane” since he was a junior in Kansai. Mukai has gained recognition as a “kid who knows how to laugh.

He also made a surprise appearance at Fuji Television’s summer event “Odaiba Adventure King 2024” as “Massaman,” a character in “Surprise GP,” and is very popular among children. In the past, these characters could have gone to Nikaido, but it seems that the program side wants the fresh “Snow Man” rather than “Kiss Mai.

It seems that the hole left by Kitayama, who was also the leader of the group and the conduit between the various programs, was too big to fill.

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