Is Noshino Akihiro “Poupelle” a Dead End? After Kabuki, will a Ballet Him?

Speaking of “Poupelle ,” an animated film released in 2008 was a hit, grossing over 2 billion yen at the box office. In January 2010, a Kabuki adaptation was made, starring Ichikawa Ebizo, Ichikawa Botan, and Kangen Horikoshi, and the “father-son performance” became a topic of conversation.

Nishino also wrote the original story and script for the Kabuki performance. However, it is said that the show may have been difficult for Nishino’s followers, perhaps because conventional kabuki fans shied away from the unique work, or perhaps because the high ticket price, unlike the movie, was too much for them. The film was not a hit with the audience, and it is said that the box office was not very successful.

Speaking of Mr. Nishino, he runs the largest online salon in Japan, with some 80,000 members at its peak. In its heyday, it had about 80,000 members, but now it has about 40,000 members, a number that is believed to have dropped by half. Still, at 1,000 yen per month, that’s 40 million yen coming in every month. Even if the management takes a margin, there is no doubt that there is a huge income. Mr. Nishino has publicly stated that he will use the income to invest in his next business venture, etc.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

In the past, Hiroyuki Nishimura, a.k.a. “Hiroyuki,” the founder of “2channel,” expressed his opinion on Nishino’s downturn on his YouTube channel. He analyzed the psychology of fans, saying that “after the movie, Nishino’s movements became less visible” and “fans want to see him continue to grow,” and that the number of members is decreasing.

“If you think about it, it was over ‘Poupelle ‘ that Mr. Nishino became independent from Yoshimoto. He was dissatisfied with his manager regarding promotional work and other matters, so he exposed his LINE communication on the Internet and other places.

Yoshimoto’s side saw this as a problem, and he was forced to go independent halfway. It is not too much to say that he has nothing but “Poupelle ” in his mind. After movies and kabuki, now ballet.” (A person involved in the entertainment industry)

Nishino has always said that he wants to surpass Disney. In order to do so, he will have to create even more works. For the sake of his fans, we hope that he will soon be able to provide them with something exciting to follow Poupelle.