SOD Founder Ganari Takahashi Talks About His Unexpected Relationship with AV
Special Interview Part 1] The charismatic creator of "Magic Mirror-go" is now a "life consultant"!
At the Soft On Demand (SOD) headquarters building in Nakano, Tokyo, large panels of the glamorous exclusive actresses are lined up as people enter.
They are individuals who made appointments to seek life counseling from the master of the place, Gakari Takahashi (66).
“My life counseling seems to be more popular than my work. I was thinking that if I could do something that only I can do, and if people come to me for life counseling, then I might as well give it a try. Now, 3-4 people come every week without fail. There are people who are happy to listen to my confusing stories. You know, talented people tend to speak in terms of right or correct. But they are suffering because they can’t put that correctness into practice. So, I think I should create the right answer for them. Since the answer could be completely different for each person.”
He calls himself a loser
Takahashi Ganari – his real name is Takahashi Masaya. Born December 15, 1958, in Yokohama, Kanagawa. He was a dominant figure in the video industry, long serving as the head of the Soft On Demand group.
Series like “20 Meter High Sky Fuck,” “Magic Mirror Van Goes,” “Naked Sports Day,” and “Female Fighter Series” were all huge hits.
Ganari referred to himself as a loser and continued to create adult videos based on the theme of overcoming being a loser.
After failing the university entrance exam twice, he followed his belief of choosing the hardest path when in doubt, and took a job as a sales driver at Sagawa Express, which was known as one of the toughest jobs. After a year of hard work, he switched to a television production company, IVS Television Production.
They were looking for energetic ADs for “Tensai Takeshi no Genki ga Deru Terebi!!” (NTV), and although the job required a university degree, he was allowed to interview because the person in charge of interviews was Terry Ito (75).
At this time, Ganari had no knowledge of the TV industry, so he developed a strategy.
“I bombarded them with questions, everything from job details to names, I asked everything. I was thought to be an enthusiastic student,” he said.
However, according to Terry Ito, “Masaya’s hands were shaking, and he was holding one hand down to keep it from shaking.”
“Genki ga Deru Terebi” was a huge success, and Ganari’s entrepreneurial spirit grew. He left IVS Television Production and started his own planning company, but it ended in failure. He survived by borrowing a large sum of money from his mentor, Terry Ito.
He then worked as a manager for a Chinese restaurant run by Hong Kong chef Kin Man Fook, who had gained massive popularity on “Asakusa Young Western Clothing Store” (TV Tokyo). He worked hard there as well.
When Terry Ito expanded into the adult video industry, Ganari joined as a producer, and this later became “Soft On Demand” (SOD).
“I didn’t like AV, and I had never watched it,” he confessed.
Sometimes, by deliberately working with something one doesn’t enjoy, excessive attachment is removed, leading to better results.
Under Ganari’s leadership, SOD revolutionized adult video history with its creative ideas.
The second part is here: “The turbulent revolutionary! SOD founder Takahashi Ganari on his life now—’Living in a time where neither the police nor the yakuza come, it’s boring.'”
Unpublished cut: Masaya Takahashi [Founder of Soft On Demand] The Stormy Revolutionary – Special Long Interview
From the April 25 and May 2, 2025 combined issue of “FRIDAY”
Interview and text： Nobuhiro Motohashi (nonfiction writer) PHOTO： Takehiko Kohiyama
