SMAP Past Their Sell-By Date

[Mulboyne]

J-Cast has a report (Japanese) which says that SMAP's image as ratings certainties has been dealt a fatal blow. All five members appeared together on Tokuban, a special edition of TBS's regular Utaban music programme, but only managed a 7% audience rating in the Kanto region. They even lost to TV Tokyo's "Let's Stay in the Countryside" which managed 7.5%. 7.0% counts as the worst rating for Tokuban show. Already, ratings for dramas featuring individual members of SMAP have suffered but there was some expectation that a joint appearance might buck the trend. It seems not. Meanwhile, the ratings for SMAP x SMAP, once as high as 25%, have drifted to the middle to low teens leading some to declare that the era of SMAP's dominance is now over.

[canman]

Thank god. Mind you I noticed this past summer vacation that Kimura Takuya was featured in about 5 different commercials being run in a loop. I guess he is trying to cash in before things cool off. I for one would not be sad to see Masahiro Nakai just disappear off the face of the earth. But I doubt that will ever happen. Even when SMAP ends he will become a shrill voice on TV variety shows.

[Ketou]

about 10 years too late....

[sublight]

The best way to revive their popularity would be to have one of them die tragically. Johnny is probably making arrangements as we speak.

Nakai seems like the most expendable. Or maybe a fiery crash for that one member who quit years back to become a motorcycle racer. They could have endless tearful retrospectives for good ol' whatshisname, maybe releasing a bunch of new 'tribute' albums with his voice dubbed in.

[IkemenTommy]

Their recent drama appearances:
Konkatsu (Nakai)
Kamekichi (Katori)
blew chunks and bombed big time in the TV ratings.

I bet SMANKO will start solo projects because Kimura Takuya is still popular amongst the Ara-Sa crowd and Kusanagi can please the public again by creating another media frenzy like he did a few months ago.

[Coligny]

J-Cast has a report (Japanese) which says that SMAP's image as ratings certainties has been dealt a fatal blow. All five members appeared together on Tokuban, a special edition of TBS's regular Utaban music programme, but only managed a 7% audience rating in the Kanto region. They even lost to TV Tokyo's "Let's Stay in the Countryside" which managed 7.5%. 7.0% counts as the worst rating for Tokuban show. Already, ratings for dramas featuring individual members of SMAP have suffered but there was some expectation that a joint appearance might buck the trend. It seems not. Meanwhile, the ratings for SMAP x SMAP, once as high as 25%, have drifted to the middle to low teens leading some to declare that the era of SMAP's dominance is now over.

What are you talking aboot ?

[Ketou]

[IkemenTommy]