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The story
Actor Ryusei Ryo (33) is set to join, or enter into a business partnership with, Office Nino — the personal talent agency founded by former Arashi member Kazunari Ninomiya (43) — according to reporting by Josei Seven. Ryusei is reportedly leaving Ken-On, the agency he had belonged to for 16 years, and the two are said to have grown close on the set of the drama VIVANT, in which they co-starred. On the forum, opinions were divided over the circumstances of the move — whether Ryusei left Ken-On of his own accord or at the agency’s request — as well as over Ninomiya’s chops as an agency boss and assessments of Ryusei’s acting ability.
2026.09.10 07:00
It has been learned through reporting by Josei Seven that popular actor Ryusei Ryo (33) will join, or enter a business partnership with, Office Nino, the personal agency of former Arashi member Kazunari Ninomiya (43).
“I will be leaving the agency that has looked after me for the past 16 years.”
Source: j7p.jp / Original article here
What people said
Well yeah, he's a professional actor. Ninomiya's profession is just… being Ninomiya lol
Mind you, his first leading role, Fuji TV's Stand Up Start, bombed with an average household rating of just 3.3%
Even by that era's standards, ratings that low were rare
So this is what "biting the hand that feeds you" looks like
Did he actually leave on his own?
Ken-On lets go of talent pretty often, so I figured it was that
Old: Ken-On (2010–2026)
New: Office Nino (2026–)
At least he won't have to play scumbag older brothers or corpses or other weird roles anymore
Don't tell me Little Old Man's grand plan is turning this into a Tohoku-flavored agency
Kind of a bummer, I've never been able to get into his acting
So he's basically the sixth member of Arashi now?
Arashi already disbanded, you know
The SDF's secret assassination unit, Beppan, is wild (Beppan is the covert Self-Defense Forces black-ops unit central to VIVANT's plot)
Guess he's moved to the production side and is pushing this guy now
That scumbag role from the morning drama is what comes to mind — still can't warm up to him
Ken-On's a good agency
Less work, but bigger paychecks, right?
What a chain of connections
Basically rivals
Isn't he just going to end up stealing his work?
Different generation, different height — totally fine, no worries
Ninomiya: "Okay, let's just pretend that never happened!"
Being the cormorant master is easy money (a nod to ukai falconry, where the master profits off the birds' catch without doing the fishing himself)
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
After Arashi went on hiatus, Kazunari Ninomiya left the Johnny’s agency (now STARTO Entertainment) and founded his own personal agency, Office Nino. Since revelations of sexual abuse committed by the agency’s founder against talent under its roof came to light, a wave of former Johnny’s-affiliated performers has moved to set up independent agencies, and Ryusei Ryo’s reported move is seen as part of that broader trend. On the forum, opinions split over whether Ryusei chose to leave Ken-On — where he’d spent 16 years — on his own initiative, or whether the agency pushed him out. Ken-On is known as a major agency, so a departure from it is unusual in itself, which fueled the speculation. It’s also worth noting, since it’s easy to misread, that this development does not signal an Arashi reunion or revived unit activity — it’s strictly about a move to, or partnership with, a personal agency.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Arashi] Kazunari Ninomiya’s Personal Agency ‘Office Nino’ to Suddenly Welcome Ryusei Ryo — The Deep Bond Forged on the VIVANT Set [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★]“.
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