Issei Kanasashi’s TOBE Move Faces Backlash Over Song Title Mistake | FRIDAY DIGITAL

Issei Kanasashi’s TOBE Move Faces Backlash Over Song Title Mistake

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LINE
Former Kis-My-Ft2 member Hirofumi Kitayama, who is a senior to Kanasashi in TOBE, showed his support when Kanasashi appeared at his concert. He kindly said, “Good luck!” to him (the photo is from the FRIDAY magazine, October 8, 2021 issue).

On November 1, 2024, Kanasashi Issei, a former member of the junior unit Bishonen from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, left the agency. On December 3 of the same year, he announced his move to TOBE, a company led by Hideaki Takizawa as the representative director. However, a number of critical voices have been raised.

After joining TOBE, he made surprise appearances at his seniors’ concerts and held live streams on Instagram. However, it seems that he showed a less reliable side of himself, and the criticism has increased (idol magazine writer).

During his live stream, a large number of harsh comments were posted

About a month after leaving “Bishounen” and departing from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, Kanasashi made an appearance in a live stream on TOBE’s official YouTube channel, announcing that he would continue his career as an artist under the name “ISSEI.”

Although this marked a fresh start, the live stream’s chat section was flooded with harsh comments. This was likely due to a past scandal involving a woman that occurred while he was still with his previous agency. In the summer of 2023, photos reportedly showing Kanasashi in bed with a woman leaked online.

“Moreover, it was discovered that he developed a close relationship with a well-known fan of Kanasashi. This caused quite a stir in the news at the time, and as a result, some fans may have formed a bad behavior image of him. TOBE fans have been criticizing him, saying things like, ‘I want to support the TOBE family, but Kanasashi is a no-go,’ and ‘I don’t want him to disturb the TOBE’s reputation.’ Fans of ‘Bishounen’ also criticized Kanasashi for leaving the group and joining TOBE” (same source).

Shortly after his move, Kanasashi found himself in a difficult situation. The next day, he appeared at the concert of his TOBE senior, former Kis-My-Ft2 member, Hiromitsu Kitayama.

Kitayama held his live tour “HIROMITSU KITAYAMA ‘ZOO'” on December 3-4, 2024, at Pia Arena MM in Kanagawa. On the final day of the tour, during the latter part of the afternoon show, Kanasashi appeared on stage and handed Kitayama a bouquet.

He introduced himself saying, “Hello everyone, nice to meet you. I am ISSEI,” and greeted the audience as if it were a face reveal. However, it seems that there was an accident where he mistakenly referred to one of Kitayama’s song titles.

Photo Selection

Check out the best photos for you.