Handsome Comedian Making Waves on Love Reality Shows—Was Reiwa Roman’s Legendary Beginning Actually a Talented Duo?
Special interview with Kensuke Mendaka, who just released his first digital photo book "OMODAKA" (3 titles at the same time)!
“Super cool, a magazine model?”
“You’re a comedian!?”
Kensuke Omodaka (25) drew attention for being strikingly handsome on Netflix’s reality series Offline Love, exclusively streaming on the platform. While performing daily as a comedian, this appearance skyrocketed his popularity. As of August 25, 2025, his Instagram followers reached 83,000—about 40 times more than before the show.
“Since Offline Love, I’ve been approached a lot on the streets, and more people have come to see our live performances for the first time. As a duo, we even got the chance to perform our routine for the show’s MC, Reiwa Roman, who called it the beginning of a legend,” said Kensuke Omodaka.
That “Reiwa-era handsome comedian” Kensuke Omodaka has released his first-ever digital photo books—three volumes launched simultaneously.
“When I received the offer, I thought, ‘Me, Omodaka? Really?’ My comedy partner Nakajima would often say things like, ‘One day we’ll release a full-nude photo book of Omodaka!’ So, to have it come true in such a wonderful way, and through FRIDAY of all places, I was incredibly happy,” said Omodaka.
Even his comedy partner gives him full marks: Omodaka is totally unstoppable now!
Even his partner Nakajima (25) squinted and said, “It’s not full nude, though.”
“Today, I got to see the shoot, and I saw a side of Omodaka I’d never seen before. I thought, ‘He’s totally unstoppable now!’ I’m really looking forward to the finished product, and maybe one day I’ll release a photo book too!” (Nakajima)
The digital photo book Vol. 2 features plenty of behind-the-scenes moments of Omodaka and Nakajima rehearsing their comedy together, so be sure to check it out in the work.
“Before the shoot started, I was nervous, but everyone on set kept complimenting me, so I got into the flow (laughs). I even carried through to the final shower scene,” said Omodaka.
“The outfit with all the necklaces looked amazing on him. I personally thought it was the best!” (Nakajima)
“That’s one of my favorites too. I’d never worn necklaces in my life, so it was a great experience. Nakajima usually always looks exhausted, like he just finished a night shift, so I’m used to seeing him tired, but today, with the makeup done perfectly, he looked amazing. We’ve been childhood friends for about 20 years, and I thought he really shone under the makeup,” Omodaka added.
“I get told I look good in makeup a lot, so I have a lot of confidence in this photo book. Shooting together as a duo was no problem either—we’ve been friends for 20 years, so there was no embarrassment, just pure joy,” Nakajima said.
Omodaka said that this was actually the first time he had spent an entire day standing in front of a camera as the subject. Yet, he seemed surprisingly camera-ready, and there was a reason for that. His partner Nakajima explained:
“Watching Omodaka being photographed, I wasn’t worried at all. I think it’s thanks to Kida-san, isn’t it? He gets lots of opportunities to be photographed,” said Nakajima.
“Kida-san” refers to Kida (31) of the comedy duo Gakuzuke, affiliated with Maseki Geinosha. Known among comedy fans as a big brother figure who adores Omodaka, he accompanied the digital photo book shoot and greatly livened up the set.
“Kida-san is a senior comedian I’m close with, though we’re in different agencies. For about three years, every time we meet, he’s taken around 500 photos of me—he just keeps taking them on his own. Out of those, he sends me the ones he likes. So maybe that’s why I’ve gotten a little used to the camera,” Omodaka said.
He has appeared three times on Arabiki-dan
Kensuke Omodaka and Nakashima, classmates and childhood friends, continued their friendship through high school and college, even though they attended different schools. While Nakashima was in college, they formed the comedy duo Kanon.
“I had been in a duo with another partner, but when that ended, Omodaka was working as staff at our current agency, K-PRO. Since we both love comedy and get along well, we naturally decided to team up. That was five years ago,” Nakashima said.
“For the past five years, we’ve just focused on doing the comedy we wanted to do. We didn’t enter award contests, so we basically set aside—or rather, didn’t care about—fame or recognition. We simply performed the comedy we wanted on stage. Even so, during our first year, being able to appear three times on Arabiki-dan (TBS) was an incredible experience,” said Nakajima.
“MC Takashi Fujii commented that your skin is so fresh! My act was just a high-energy skit where I smashed into cardboard boxes, but Koji Higashino said, ‘This is what Arabiki-dan is all about!’ I remember being really happy hearing that,” said Omotaka.
Kanon – Individual Handsome Moments of Each Member
Not only is Menshō a subtle handsome type, but Nakajima also has distinct, sharp features. We asked the two-member handsome duo about their past popularity stories.
“I was so handsome that I got interviewed for the ‘Kirakira High School Boy’ segment on Mezamashi TV (Fuji TV)! That corner focuses on high school students excelling in various activities, but in my case, the request came simply because a photo of my face was posted on the salon’s Instagram I went to (laughs). But during filming, I got a bit embarrassed and goofed around too much, so the segment never aired.” (Nakajima)
“When Nakajima was in high school, he had a cute, moppy hairstyle. As for me, back in elementary school, I was teased for being handsome. During a kickball game, I was the only one on a team called the ‘Handsome All-Stars,’ facing five opponents on a team called the ‘Blue Hawaies’ (laughs). Also, when my grandmother was critically ill, I went to visit her while she was unconscious and shouted, ‘Grandma! I’m here!’ She had been unresponsive for a week, but then she spoke, ‘Ah, what a handsome boy,’ and regained consciousness. Thanks to being handsome, I could have a final conversation with my grandmother.” (Menshō)
Even though Kanon consists of these two handsome members, they currently have no intention of leveraging their looks in their comedy acts.
Menshō Kensuke’s behind-the-scenes shots during the photoshoot“I sometimes perform sketches where I wear a costume and never show my face, or just dance around in my underwear—there are lots of skits like that,” says Menshō.
“If people see how amazing this photo book turned out, I want them to know they can come to our live shows!” adds Nakajima.
“Exactly! We’ll be waiting for you at our live shows,” Menshō confirms.
“Maybe after seeing vol.2, people will think, ‘Hey, Nakajima’s the cooler one,’” Nakajima jokes.
When asked about their goal for the rest of 2025, they answer immediately in unison:
“To be able to quit our part-time jobs by the end of 2025!” (Menshō)
“Yes! Ride Menshō’s momentum and make money! Live off royalties! We’ll quit our part-time jobs! Although maybe that’s a bit too small a goal,” Nakajima laughs.
“That’s right. This digital photo book, and the opportunities from appearing in ‘Offline Love,’ allow me to try anything. I’m excited to see what remains and how I’ll evolve in 10 years. By then, I hope to make another photo book for real!” (Menshō)
PROFILE
Omodaka Kensuke / Born September 9, 1999, Chiba Prefecture. Height: 178 cm. Member of the comedy duo Kanon. Updates personal X (@rental_poteto), Instagram (@longlong_potato), and YouTube channel “Menshō Kensuke’s 1000 Things I Want to Do.”
Menshō Kensuke’s first digital photo book feature page is available here.
Menshō Kensuke Digital Photo Book OMODAKA Vol. 1 – Purchase here
Menshō Kensuke Digital Photo Book OMODAKA Vol. 2 – Purchase here
Menshō Kensuke Digital Photo Book OMODAKA Vol. 3 – Purchase here
