What is going on with SMAP?

[soritt]

Guys seriously is the news official? I'm going crazy here.

They were performing at Kouhaku less than two weeks ago what even ...

Can we trust this Nikkan Sports?

Jesus I can already see the shitstorm ahead if this is true. I am worried for JE's fate if that is the case.

Comments

[kurokouchi]

I hear Takuya's gonna be talking about it on What's Up SMAP, so there must be SOME truth to it... but to what extent it's true is something else entirely. :/

Johnny-san doesn't have much say in the company any more, I think. It's mostly Mary right now, and Julie's sort of just someone who follows her lead? I'm not sure, though. I'm not too well-versed in the politics of Johnny's except it pisses me off that SMAP never appears with TokiKinV6, lmfao.

IMO, I get the point with the "they're too old" for like... general boy band standards. I don't think it's each members' age as much as it is how long the band itself's been around? Boy bands typically don't have a long lifespan, though clearly that changed thanks to Johnny's, ahahaha. The only Johnny's I can see lasting for like... forever, is TOKIO, and it's not my bias talking--it's just that there're rock bands like the ALFEE where their members are 60+ and they're still going strong, so you know.

This is way too abrupt for SMAP's end, though, I agree. :( If they're going to disband they ought to do it properly, 'cause something like this is just unprofessional--especially for a group with as much influence as they've got.

[soritt]

Well there are so many bands in the USUK that stay together until they look like they should all be dead. A band staying for decades is surely not that much of a surprise anymore, even in Japan ... And it's not like SMAP 's CDs are not selling. Rumours have it that SMAP will stay together after all though. I am looking forward to SMAPxSMAP next week.

In 2010 Nakai came to 5LDK I think ... And he invited Johnnys to Utaban. I was busy with RL for like 4 years so I didn't follow them very closely, but from what I can gather there have not been many interactions between SMAP and Julie's Johnnies since 2010-ish ...

But KimuTaku apparently has Nagase's LINE, right? The politics whatever can't stop SMAP and TOKIO from loving each other, right? <3 Let's hope that they do stay together ;___;