<figure id="attachment_466565" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-466565" style="width: 3000px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="269d5272"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/e39d7e3ca3b8de200964b8e5d0841757.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466565" class="wp-caption-text">Akiko Wada&#8217;s new variety show &#8220;Akko and Jumbo,&#8221; which started on April 7, is doing well.</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> Akiko Wada has betrayed expectations, but in a good way.</span></h2>
<p> Akiko Wada (76)&#8217;s new program &#8220;Akko and Jumbo&#8221; (TBS) has been well received.</p>
<p> Akko and Jumbo&#8221; (TBS) has a 40-year history. (TBS) closed the curtain on its 40-year history, and Wada&#8217;s departure drew much attention, but it was decided that she would appear in a variety show in the late-night slot, and the broadcast has begun.</p>
<p> However, this program was seen as a &#8220;gratuitous&#8221; program prepared by TBS for Wada, who had &#8220;distinguished himself&#8221; in the past, and even within the station, there were not high expectations for the program.</p>
<p> However, viewers who watched the program commented favorably on the program, saying, &#8220;The loose atmosphere is just right for late-night viewing,&#8221; and &#8220;Akko-san was funny and betrayed my expectations in a good way.</p>
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<p> During the time of &#8220;Akko ni~,&#8221; there were some anti-gay comments such as, &#8220;I can&#8217;t watch it because it&#8217;s dangerous,&#8221; and &#8220;You should retire from TV soon,&#8221; but so far no critical comments have been heard about the new program.</p>
<p> Akko and Jumbo&#8221; is a variety show in which Akiko Wada and Takao Jumbo (36) of the comedy duo &#8220;Rainbow&#8221; visit hidden gems in famous tourist spots in Tokyo. Wada&#8217;s face is cheerful, spontaneous, and full of energy as he walks around the city. The writer commented on the changes from his previous appearances on &#8220;Akko ni ni-&#8220;: &#8220;First of all, it&#8217;s not a live broadcast anymore,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> First of all, the fact that it is no longer a live broadcast is probably the biggest factor. Not only was &#8220;Akko ni nani&#8221; broadcast live, but it also dealt with society and politics, so there was a heavy burden on the staff as well as on Ikiiki in terms of gathering information in advance, conducting interviews, and checking materials. The pressure was considerable, as he had to be careful not to make mistakes and be careful what he said. In contrast, the new program is recorded, and there is no need to think about politics, society, or other small, difficult matters. Even if there is an outburst, it can be edited out.</span></p>
<p> He said, &#8220;Even if there is a rant, it can be edited out. Another reason for Wada&#8217;s cheerful personality is that the program itself is broadcast in the late-night slot, which allows for a greater degree of freedom.</p>
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<p> Some of the staff of &#8220;Akko ni&#8221; have also moved to the new program, and one of them said, &#8220;Wada-san has a lot of weight on his shoulders.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> One of them said, &#8220;Wada-san&#8217;s shoulders have been lifted, or rather, his expression has become calmer and he is more energetic. Now that I think about it, I realize how hard it must have been for him to do the &#8220;Akko ni&#8221; show. Especially after social networking services became popular and viewers began to send out messages, there were critical posts for every gaffe. He didn&#8217;t seem to see it, but the program side couldn&#8217;t leave it alone and told him. However, we had a hard time getting him to understand what was wrong. I think the person himself must have suffered the most, but now he seems to have been released from such pressure, and I think his true character is coming out.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The &quot;opinionated&quot; role on TV has completely disappeared."></div>
<h2><span class="strongInContent">His main occupation is only singing</span></h2>
<p> Before the broadcast begins, Wada is on the show&#8217;s official website,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I&#8217;m really looking forward to it!　In my 58 years of performing, I&#8217;ve only done a few variety shows on location, so I don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going to happen!　I want to go to many places on this show. This will be my first meeting with Jumbo, so I&#8217;m looking forward to seeing what he is like. I want to make this a relaxing late-night show.</span></p>
<p> He commented, &#8220;I want to make this a late-night show where people can relax and enjoy themselves. Speaking of the variety show &#8220;Wada,&#8221; more than half a century ago, &#8220;Friday 10:00!　Rumor Channel! (NTV, October 1973-June 1979), a legendary program in which Wada was in charge of the main corner called &#8220;Akko&#8217;s Godsister. A former TV station official looks back on those days and says, &#8220;Akiko Wada was the main character in the show.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Akiko Wada dressed up as &#8216;God Sis-chan,&#8217; a kind of a kid leader, and beat up &#8216;bad kids&#8217; like Mitsuo Senda (78) and pro-wrestler The Destroyer with a stick. The scene was a big hit. The scene in which Senda attacks Wada, who is not fond of dogs or snakes, by kicking him with a dog and making him scream with a toy snake was also a hit. In its heyday, the show even drew a 30% viewer rating.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The show was a live broadcast, but unlike today, the public was more tolerant. Therefore, I feel that Mr. Wada was able to do whatever he wanted to do. It would be impossible to do a show like that now, but after watching the new show, I felt that he was suited to variety.</span></p>
<p> Wada&#8217;s &#8220;Akko ni~&#8221; has established his image as the &#8220;opinionator&#8221; of the entertainment world, but he says that he <span class="strongInContent">will probably never return to that stance again</span>.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Speaking of &#8220;opinion leaders,&#8221; Mrs. Devi (86) has completely disappeared from the public eye as she is facing a criminal trial for assaulting her former manager, and now even comments by Beat Takeshi (79) and Tomio Umezawa (75) are immediately met with complaints. We can&#8217;t ignore them. Since it is no longer possible to ignore them, the &#8220;opinionated&#8221; genre will probably disappear in the future. I doubt that Mr. Wada will appear on TV as an &#8220;opinionated commentator&#8221; in the future. Considering his age, he cannot be as reckless as he used to be, so a variety show with a loose atmosphere, such as a town-hopping show, would be ideal for him. I have heard that she has already received offers from several variety shows.</span></p>
<p> However, a source close to Wada said the following.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> However, a source close to Wada said, &#8220;Wada&#8217;s main occupation is as a singer. He is not that aggressive about it, although there is no doubt that he feels strongly about it and has received offers for other variety shows. However, in terms of maintaining his physical strength and health for singing, a show like Machi Bura may be more suited to his nature.</span></p>
<p> Wada was also one of the opinion leaders, but that role ended with the end of &#8220;Akko ni Omakase! is over. What kind of &#8220;Akiko Wada&#8221; will she show us in the new stage of her career?</p>


 Kyodo News

 Akko and Jumbo," which began airing on April 7, is said to be doing well. Viewers say they have been "betrayed in a good way. The show has been well received by the TV industry, and offers for other variety shows have already started coming in.

Akiko Wada’s “opinionated” role has completely disappeared from TV after her “change of career.

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