Focus on animal and comedy divisions! The next step for the “winning” entertainment companies

Last year, Kenshi Okada (22) sued his agency, Sweet Power, for the cancellation of his contract. A settlement was reached, but there has been no significant activity.

On January 6, a special TV drama, “Administrator King,” starring Okada, aired on TV Asahi, and in May, a movie starring him, “The Sickness Unto Death,” is scheduled to be released, both of which were filmed before the trial. I haven’t heard anything about Okada filming any new work since the trial. Perhaps because their signature actor is out of business, “Sweet Power” is starting to turn the corner on new projects.

Sweet Power had a reputation for discovering and nurturing beautiful women such as Rina Uchiyama (40), Mirei Kiritani (32) and Maki Horikita (33, retired in 2005). After scouting Mahiro Takasugi (25, went independent last year), mistaking him for a woman, they established a men’s division (Spice Power) and in recent years have been focusing on training handsome actors.

This time, they have started to manage animals. “The animal talent division ‘Sweet Power Animal’ was established last year. Aisa Takeuchi’s (20, left the company last year) beloved American short-haired cat “Maru” is currently appearing in the drama “True Detective Flag” (NTV). In the industry, there are some people who say, “With the successive retirements and independence of the talents belonging to the company, maybe they are tired of managing people. (Key station producer).

Like Sweet Power, an increasing number of entertainment agencies are said to be changing direction in the wake of talent independence and the Covid-19 disaster.

One such agency is Sun Music, where Becky (37) and Yumi Adachi (40) went independent last year. In recent years, the comedy division has been doing well, including Maple Chogokin and Peco and Pa. In April last year, Ricky (63) of the Butcher Brothers was appointed vice president. His partner, Butcher (67), has become an advisor to the comedians. Sun Music has produced a number of legitimate idols, including Seiko Matsuda (59) and Yu Hayami (55), but in recent years the company has been focusing on its comedy division and has been successful.

The agency, which has a large number of artists belonging to it, was put in a difficult situation when the Covid-19 disaster forced them to cancel a series of live performances. As previously introduced in this series, “LDH” was greatly contributed by “Gekidan EXILE”. “Last year, under the regulation, some live performances were cancelled.

Last year, live performances could be held to some extent under the restrictions, but in 2008, 300 performances were canceled. In such a situation, “Gekidan EXILE” members Keita Machida (31) and Nobuyuki Suzuki (29) made a breakthrough to the extent that they appeared in dramas at the same time. The Netflix drama “Alice in the Land of Nowhere” starring Machida and Sho Aoyagi (36) also became a worldwide hit. (TV magazine editor).

The TV Tokyo series “Girls x Warriors,” which started in 2005, is also doing well.

The TV Tokyo series “Girls x Warriors,” which started in 2005, is also doing well. “The series features members of my teen group. As a result of the popularity of the show, the dance school run by the company is said to be flooded with applicants for enrollment in Coronation Street. The company was able to overcome the Covid-19 disaster thanks to the fact that it had started a new business while its signature artists were doing well. They have a lot of foresight,” said a record company official.

There is a need for entertainment agencies to read the times and change.

From the January 28, 2022 issue of FRIDAY