{others} Johnny's info
This has no crack, member-ai, boys w/o shirts, or Inoo being pants-less.
I was influenced by Kamichan (yet again) and started having interests in numbers too
Then, I happened to find a not-so reliable source of information (but it's still something)
It's from Yamashita Tomohisa's photo/episode book.
I translated a part that explains how Johnny's talentos affect ratings, about Yamapi joining, oriki, and marriage.
Johnny’s talent golden age has passed?
Following Kimura, Kusanagi, Nakai, and others in Johnnys were called “high viewer rating man” from time to time. In TV Drama world however, they are not counting on just Johnny’s talent to get higher ratings.
The signs are definite now.
In addition to Mr.Brain (TBS) starring Kimura started on May of 2009, seven other dramas featured Johnny’s talents.
Konkatsu! (FUJI TV) starring SMAP’s Nakai Masahiro and co-starring KAT-TUN’s Ueda Tatsuya, Arashi Sakurai Sho and Kanjani∞ Yokoyama Yu with THE QUIZ SHOW (Nippon TV), human drama Smile (TBS) where Matsumoto Jun acted as half Filipino and Japanese, and Ikuta Toma starring Majo Saiban (FUJI TV). This was not a new drama but KAT-TUN’s Tanaka Koki was added as new worker started Hissatsu Shigotonin 2009 (TV Asahi). Kinki Kids Domoto Tsuyoshi’s Kaette Kosaserareta 33 pun tantei (FuJI TV). Excluding Mr.Brain, the drama passing average rating of 15% out of the list was none!
Konkatsu! Marked 16.3% with first episode but took a steep dive on second episode with 11.2%. From episode 3, it finally fell into one digit and episode 10 made the worst record in generation for gekku with 8.8%. This time schedule was intended to have Money no kobushi, a popular manga to become a drama starring Nakai. But it’s said that original writer became furious when SMAP’s chief manager Iijima Michi forcibly changed part of the content and the project was flushed.
With Konkatsu! being the hottest topic of Nakai’s gekku appearance after 11 years, Matusmoto’s Smile was supposed to carry higher ratings than Konkatsu! but it turned out to be a great mistake! From the image of a man who pulled off expanding Hanayori Dango into a movie, average viewer rating of 10.1% is pathetic.
Perhaps Hissatsu Shigotonin 2009 showed what Johnny agency’s power was all about. It started in January of 2009 and by 2nd season, extending the series was decided. At the same time of entering 2nd season, one of the shigotonin “karakuri’s genta” was killed. From Okura Tadayoshi of Kanjani∞playing the role, KAT-TUN’s Tanaka Koki took over as “tailor’s Ren” and made his strength useful. Although Tanaka’s appearance in episode 13 jumped up to 12%, episode 14 after received 10% ratings again (Kanto region viewr ratings too, sooner or later)…
Fujita Makoto also known as “Nakamura Mondo” fought and won battle against esophageal cancer and returned to acting in Hissatsu series. If you look at Fujita’s health problem for example, they’re intention of giving Higashiyama Noriyuki the role was only to succeed. However, former monster programs that could easily pass 20% have no longer the same aspects.
The causes of such miserable condition, like mentioned above, there are more people backing away from TV. That’s not always Johnnys though.
There’s another main cause to why every drama starring Johnnys talents are dropping in viewer ratings.
One show biz critic points this out.
“Arashi and KAT-TUN became popular few years ago but it’s because the younger member who are supposed to follow them are not brought up too well. What middle school girls rage for are high-teen idols. SMAP can’t be called idols anymore and advanced age of Johnny’s talents are getting worse. In result, their power has gone down, if you ever compared them from one period to another, the idols are becoming more like crumbs. Johnny Kitagawa san who has the power to produce is rather in old age of near 80. If he doesn’t produce new big shots, it’ll be tough even for Johnnys”.
The television stations are starting to part from Johnnys as well. The way Johnnys Agency portions out is buying the agency repellence. This is a comment from a producer from one station.
“If the viewer ratings can’t make money, appointing Johnnys talents in drama will be tough. Although most are cutting down on the production cost due to TV recession, their expenses are still high as ever”
The show biz critic from before comments this.
“ 200~300 thousand yen (about 20~30 thousand dollars) like before is too expensive and it’ll be too expensive for a show to start. Kimutaku is said to be 500 thousand yen so the show’s budget is cut 10~20% meaning, they’d have to reduce other co-starring casts’ expenses. With that, there’ll be conflicts in many places. The power of Johnnys is coming to the lowest possible level”
Having affected by world economic crisis, drama industry itself is forced to reduce the cost of production. No one will survive with sloppy accountings like it was during the “bubble economy”.
Johnny’s talent going solo appearing in stages or movie can have a connection with the drama and CD industries’s recession.
One person from a certain entertainment production partaker comments on Johnny’s solo concerts which are held countless of time.
“Minor members in groups like KAT-TUN’s Nakamaru Yuichi, Ueda Tatsuya and Kanjani∞’s Yasuda Shota, Okura Tadayoshi had solo concerts. However, they don’t have any selling point. To put it in another way, it’s a one-man show but they don’t have a reason to be standing on the solo stage in the first place. This may sound harsh but it can be best fitted to say that they’re the business men who are only destined to fail trying to achieve the sales goal”
At the moment where CD, dramas, and other medias are losing power in process, idols won‘t be able to survive if they don’t come up with a new way of standing out.
Isetan’s bag
※Isetan is a department store in Japan
Yamashita Tomohisa was born in Chiba-ken Funabashi-ku on April 9th, 1985. He did grow up in a underprivileged home. Yamashita’s parents got divorced when he was little. Since then, it is said that his mother raised them alone. His ambition was to join Johnnys to lighten the burden imposed on his mother. Receiving her approval, he applied when he was 11 years old.
Right after joining the agency, he got a strong push by his idol like being, Takizawa Hideaki and was selected to become the center position in Jr. By dancing in the back during concerts for SMAP and KinKi Kids, his popularity was made certain more. Back then, Yamashita took on 20 songs a stage for three times and had cases where he had to manage dance moves for 60 songs in total. In later half of the 90’s when Yamashita entered, Johnny’s jr was about to reach the golden period. There were even Jrs who had more popularity than debuted groups. Takizawa Hideaki was the one who created such condition and jr group “FOUR TOPS” with Yamashita, Kazawama Shunsuke, Ikuta Toma, and Hasegawa Jun. This four received supports from many fans. Yamashita made work his first priority and did not go to middle school most of the time. He didn’t liked being looked at with bias views when his senpai would say “you’re on TV, right?”
The reason why he didn’t rest when his work as a Jr got hard is,
“It was pitiful watching my mom work…”
Yamashita couldn’t accept as a man, that his mother worked with her hair disheveled to support his sister and his life..
Perhaps because of his joining motive was so mature for his age, it is said that he had it easy compared to other Johnny’s debut groups while living in a gorgeous life of a entertainment world.
To go to another region for concerts, he was seen going into airplanes with a department shopping bag carrying just facial products. Restrictions on bringing things on the plane was imposed after the September 11 attack so he stopped doing that but before that, he moved around Japan with just Isetan’s shopping bag.
During Jr. days, he was unconcerned about fashion too.
After entering Johnny’s agency, it is true that Yamashita wore Burberry and other expensive high end brand early but they were mostly presents from oriki.
※Oriki is a Johnny fan-term. Fans who are willing to risk their life to support a specific idol and follows around them for more than four times a week. Oriki stands for O (オカッケ/stalking・following) riki (力/power・force).
Now that there are restrictions towards oriki, offensive present from fans have stopped but Jr back then have benefited financially by the presents from fans.
Actions such as financial aid has escalated, there were cases where fans would commit crimes just for gifts so the family club, where fans are united, worked out a remedial measures where they would ban gifts. Before banning them, it was a bubbly age for Jr. in some ways.
As for KAT-TUN’s Kamenashi and other’s “demand for financial aid suspicions” lingered on but any type of such negative rumors spread about Yamashita. …
Being an idol is tough…
In johnny’s agency, there are many talents starting SMAP and V6 who are in the age of thirty. It’s hard to say they are idols but after all, it is said that they’re not being careful with marriage and love. Take Yamaguchi Tatsuya for example. He lived together with an ex-model for a long time and entered in the family register in 2008 when the baby expecting. He retired one step from being an idol, focusing more on variety shows and it’s said that this is the impact from it but fans cheer for him have plunged at concerts.
Marriage is said to be a taboo for talents and it might be something fans have hard time accepting. Therefore, if one tries to continue being an idol after marriage, the agency side understanding and support is necessary.
With that particular case, the best model is said to be V6’s Inohara Yoshihiko who got married with Seto Asaka.
Those two were clever. Through a power figure in Burning Production where Seto Ayaka belongs to, they persuaded the Johnnys side.
Inohara is a daddy now btw
Do you guys think Johnnys will be able to pull off another decade or even few years?