<figure id="attachment_389681" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-389681"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="96b260cc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/09/1aa71912394df916a6e318d22018f5d9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-389681" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Could this be a tailwind for a full-fledged comeback?</span></figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hiroyuki Nishimura, a prominent entrepreneur, posted on X (formerly Twitter), &#8220;If &#8217;24-Hour TV&#8217; is going to cover people with disabilities, they might as well broadcast the Paralympics.&#8221; Meanwhile, Yasuko&#8217;s 24-hour marathon, which was conducted despite the approaching Typhoon No. 10, also drew attention. The highest viewership rating was recorded at 25.4% at 8:45 p.m. on the night of Yasuko&#8217;s finish.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the official NTV website, the total amount raised for the &#8220;Marathon Child Welfare Facility Fund&#8221; was 438,014,800 yen. The funds will be delivered to 610 child welfare facilities nationwide between the end of this year and April next year, based on a survey of the &#8220;necessary items&#8221; needed by these facilities.</span></p>
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<h2><b>&#8220;I&#8217;m so glad we were able to talk.&#8221;</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another person who garnered attention in a different way from Yasuko was former SMAP member and actor Shingo Katori (47). Katori appeared in the special drama &#8220;Kin-chan&#8217;s Sumi-chan: The Woman Who Loved Kinichi Hagimoto&#8221; during &#8220;24-Hour TV 47,&#8221; playing the role of Hagimoto&#8217;s manager, while Atsushi Ito (40) played Hagimoto Kinichi.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This was his first appearance on &#8220;24-Hour TV&#8221; in 14 years. Additionally, it was his first time appearing in a prime-time drama on a key network (from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) since 2016, prompting cheers online with comments like, </span><b>&#8220;What kind of forces are at play here?&#8221;</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the broadcast, Katori updated his Instagram, posting a photo with Ito, who played Hagimoto. He wrote</span><b>, &#8220;I&#8217;m so glad we were able to talk in between scenes. I&#8217;m Shingo Katori, playing Kin-chan&#8217;s manager!&#8221;</b></p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Will he star in the January drama?"></div>
<figure id="attachment_389682" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-389682"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6efa3ae8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/09/8890f8d7fc3fd64ab1b74bef9fbf10a8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-389682" class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Could this finally mark his return to prime-time television on a key network?</span></figcaption></figure>
<p><b>A long-awaited reunion of the duo.</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How will this prime-time comeback impact Shingo Katori&#8217;s future? Key network producers have a positive outlook..</span></p>
<p><b>&#8220;It is well-known that Katori has a connection with Kin-chan through the &#8216;All Japan Costume Grand Prix,&#8217; which made a comeback in February after three years. Interestingly, the 100th anniversary of this program is scheduled to air next year on the same NTV network as &#8217;24-Hour TV.&#8217; In August, Katori appeared in the &#8216;Really Scary Stories 25th Anniversary Special&#8217; on Fuji TV, and he previously co-starred with Ito in the 2006 Fuji TV series &#8216;Saiyuki,&#8217; where Katori played Goku and Ito played Hakkai. Viewers positively received this &#8216;long-awaited duo reunion.&#8217;</b></p>
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<p><b>Various connections seem to be supporting his comeback. In fact, &#8216;NEWS Post Seven&#8217; reported that &#8216;Katori is set to star in a Fuji TV drama starting in January.&#8217; Sponsors likely view the buzz from his appearance in &#8217;24-Hour TV&#8217; as a positive, which will undoubtedly work in his favor.”</b></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, another person closely linked to Katori participated in the drama: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (50), who starred in the prime-time series “Wana no Sensou” last year, provided the narration.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amidst the storm of criticism surrounding 24-Hour TV, Katori is setting sail toward a return to prime-time dramas on a key network.</span></p>
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 Toshikatsu TANAKA

 Yasuko's marathon, the increase in viewer ratings, and other things made "24 Hours TV" a hot topic of conversation. However, what caught the attention of TV people and "SMAP" fans was Shingo Katori's rumored return to prime-time terrestrial TV dramas.

Shingo Katori Cast as Kin-chan’s Manager in Prime-Time Drama Sparks Industry Reactions

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