Sources Suggest Meguro Ren’s Illness Stems from Overly Conscientious Personality

It was “within expectations” that he would collapse.

It was bound to happen.

This is the situation for Meguro Ren (27) of “Snow Man,” who recently made headlines due to the postponement of his lead drama’s broadcast caused by his poor health.

Meguro is currently appearing in the Monday 9 PM drama “The Beginning of the Sea” (Fuji TV). However, he was likely very busy balancing this with the activities of the popular group “Snow Man,” to which he belongs. It seems he became unwell and collapsed. On August 21st, it was announced that he had been on a break from activities since the 15th. It is reported that he has now returned to filming.

That said, for popular talents from STARTO Co. (formerly Johnny’s), it’s common to handle both group and solo activities simultaneously. This was true for stars like Kimura Takuya and the members of Arashi. So why, in this case, was Meguro the only one pushed to the point of a broadcast postponement?

For writers who frequently cover Meguro and are familiar with his interview demeanor, this outcome seems to have elicited a reaction of “I knew it.” According to them, Meguro has an incredibly conscientious and overly serious personality—something almost unbecoming of a superstar. It appears that this might be the root of the issue.

One interview writer shared the following story.

“During an interview with ‘Snow Man,’ I was in charge of interviewing Meguro-san. However, while I was talking to him, the filming of the entire group or the unit would often interrupt us, forcing the interview to be paused multiple times.

Each time, Meguro-san would stand up and say ‘Excuse me’ while bowing politely before leaving. When he returned, he would bow again and apologize, saying, ‘I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,’ before sitting down and continuing to answer the questions. The interview was interrupted four or five times, but each time, he meticulously repeated this process without cutting corners! I had never seen a talent like him before, and I was genuinely moved.”

 

 

 

Stories about Meguro’s conscientiousness have also been shared by other writers.

“At the end of every interview, he always expresses his gratitude, saying things like, ‘You were very kind and made it easy for me to answer. Thank you very much,'” said a TV magazine writer.

“He gives thorough responses to every question, so transcribing Meguro-san’s interviews (writing down the recorded interview audio verbatim) is challenging in a good way,” noted a sports newspaper entertainment reporter.

And so on.

 

Were the other members being considerate?

Meguro approaches every task with sincerity and dedication, never cutting corners. While this is admirable, it might have been his downfall this time. A certain magazine editor shared this insight.

“During group shoots, the members are usually having fun and goofing around, just like you see on TV or YouTube (laughs). But Meguro-san often stands quietly off to the side, a little distance away from the others. The other members likely understand his personality and know that he’s tired. They seem to leave him alone on purpose, giving him space to rest.

However, when he’s in a setting with people he doesn’t know well, it’s probably a different story. With his rigidly conscientious nature, he makes sure to express his gratitude and apologize, saying ‘Thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ to everyone around him. No matter how tired he is, he likely doesn’t complain and gives it his all because of his personality. So when I heard the news of his collapse, the thought ‘it was bound to happen’ immediately came to mind.”

Even writers who only occasionally interview Meguro quickly noticed this aspect of his personality. If that’s the case, the staff members who work with him daily must have been even more aware of it. In this light, his recent collapse could be seen, in a sense, as a failure on the part of the production team to fully consider his overly conscientious nature.

With ‘Snow Man’s’ first-ever five-dome tour starting in November, fans must be hoping that he prioritizes his health above all else.

 

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