Ebizo Ichikawa: Why his “rebuttal interview” with Maya Kobayashi had the opposite effect
Will Ichikawa Ebizo’s confession help to resolve the situation?
Ebizo, who had remained silent in the face of Maya Kobayashi’s series of accusations, finally opened his heavy mouth.
In the table of contents of the April 28 issue of Shukan Bunshun (April 28 issue), the words “I was going to take this to my grave. The story of taking the matter to the grave sounds quite shocking, but Ebizo’s confession, which was directly reported by the magazine, lasted for 130 minutes.
Maya was upset that Ebizo had suggested on his blog that they had divorced, even though she and Ebizo had discussed the matter and decided not to publicize the fact that they were divorced. It seems that her suppressed anger was ignited. The “verbal attacks” on Ebizo, which began with an appearance on the YouTube channel of her ex-husband (who later got back together) Gin Kunimitsu, came as a surprise to many.
At the same time, an article on “SNS Papa Katsudo” (multiple relationships in a wild affair) appeared in the April 7-14 issue of “Josei Seven” (April 7-14 issue), which caused the “handsome man” Ebizo’s favorable impression to drop. Maya’s verbal attacks did not stop after that, and the same magazine (April 21 issue) followed up with “Two women who made Ebizo stay at ‘Mao’s house of memories'” and the next week’s issue (April 28 issue) with “A ‘black sorceress’ who Ebizo is fascinated with” to add to the negative coverage. The following week’s issue (April 28) featured a story about a “black magician” with whom Ebizo is infatuated, and the following week’s issue (April 28) featured a story about a “black magician” with whom Ebizo is infatuated.
Ebizo was in a tight spot, but the tide turned when Maya published an article titled “Ghost Speech from Sayaka Kanda” and began making spiritual statements, introducing a “letter from Mao” as if it had come from heaven.
I don’t know how much I should believe what Maya-san is saying anymore,” he said. This means that more and more people are suspicious about how much of what she is accusing Ebizo of is true, and as a result, the tide has turned in her favor.
(Sports newspaper reporter) “I thought that Ebizo would just continue to ignore the issue, but to my surprise, he contacted Maya to apologize. Maya revealed this on her blog. Moreover, according to Ebizo’s confession, the day after he contacted Maya to apologize, the two met face-to-face.
Maya, Kunimitsu, and an acquaintance of Kunimitsu’s were at the scene, and the discussion lasted six hours from around 10:30 p.m. until the next morning. After spending that much time, it seemed that they had reached a settlement, but Maya again began to verbally attack Ebizo. She even pointed the finger at her own mother,” said a reporter from a sports newspaper.
It seems that both apologies and lengthy discussions ended in vain. In a blog entry posted late in the evening of August 20, under the title “May Your Brainwashing Be Lifted,” Maya wrote: “I have been discussing the results of the meeting with the office without informing you of anything. “I am being interviewed by a weekly magazine without informing us of the results of the discussions with the office. Is this camouflage? and harshly criticized.
In a blog posted at 4:00 a.m. the next day, he wrote at the beginning, “My gut is boiling over,” and he also criticized the blog post that hinted at the divorce.
We have not received a direct bow and apology for the “welcome back” blog.
He is still angry at her, saying, “If I hold a press conference, I’ll declare that I’m divorced.
If we held a press conference, it would be like a declaration of war. The reason he confessed in a weekly magazine was probably because he thought it was the only way to quickly put an end to the furore. Even if I apologize, Maya’s verbal attacks won’t stop, and unless I refute her and deny what she said, I won’t be able to dispel her image. If this situation continues, it will also affect the show to unveil the new name. Maya must have wanted to excuse her “multiple relationships,” which were reported in a succession of women’s magazines, to the dismay of her supporters.
However, the confession in “Bunshun” revealed that what Maya was saying was almost entirely true, and she was also slurring her words at some crucial points, so I feel that she was digging her grave a little deeper. I think it would have been better if he had given it more time or remained silent.
Reading the article, I did not find anything shocking that I would “take to my grave,” and it did not go far enough to change Maya’s claims. On the contrary, it rekindled her anger, and in the end, it was better to take this “confession” to the grave, as it failed to put an end to the turmoil.
Interview and text by: Hiroyuki Sasaki (Entertainment Journalist)
Born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Kobayashi became a reporter for FRIDAY at the age of 31, reporting numerous scoops during his time at FRIDAY and later working mainly for the weekly magazine. Currently, he also appears on TV and radio as a commentator.
PHOTO: Keisuke Nishi