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The story
FRIDAY magazine has scooped a “secret cohabitation romance” between comedy trio Panther’s Satoshi Mukai (40) and TBS announcer Yuko Wakabayashi. This is Wakabayashi’s second romance scoop, following a 2022 report that she was semi-cohabiting with an elite IT company employee. The 5ch thread kicked off with people asking which shows Wakabayashi even appears on, then spiraled into discussion of Mukai’s education, career history, rumored thinning hair, and comedian earnings — with posters showing more interest in picking apart Mukai’s character than in the romance itself.
After riding together in the car and enjoying dinner at a yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) spot favored by celebrities, the pair headed back to the “love nest” they share—
Before anyone quite noticed, these two TV favorites had leveled up from “co-stars” to “couple”—
On a weekday night in mid-September, around 9 p.m., Satoshi Mukai (40) of comedy trio Panther emerged from a no-frills yakiniku restaurant in Tokyo. He’s plugged this particular spot as one of his regular haunts on TBS shows like “Besukon Gourmet” and “Sakurai & Aritoshi THE Yakai,” and it’s known as a favorite among other comedians too, including Sisonne’s Shinobu Hasegawa (48) and Kirin’s Akira Kawashima (47). Mukai kept it ultra-casual — a purple-blue check shirt, black pants, and a cap, with nothing in hand but his wallet and phone. Just a guy treating himself to a solo meal at his favorite place after work, perhaps?
Source: friday.gold / Read the original article here
What people said
Stuff like Hiru Obi and Sunday Japon
She's co-starred with Mukai on a late-night show
Was named an outstanding student in Nagoya City back in elementary school.
Served as elementary school student council president and soccer team captain, then middle school student council president.
Graduated from Meiji University's School of Political Science and Economics.
His high school was Zuiryo in Aichi too — deviation score of 69 (elite tier)
https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/08/ff0a462bf269a7870dc331840ce77dc3.jpg
TBS Announcer Yuko Wakabayashi Lovey-Dovey and Semi-Cohabiting with "IT Company Elite," Shares a Spare Key
August 5, 2022
Exclusive romance scoop!
First romance reported for the network's star announcer, who handles "Hiru Obi," "N Sta," and "Kin-Suma"
On high alert: sneaking in through the back door of his place, keeping 2-3 steps of distance while walking together
So did she break up with the Mario guy?
Kirin's Kawashima counts as the "handsome comedian"
That's the level of expectation we're working with here
He'd been hiding it so desperately that the fact he exposed it himself must be because of this (the romance news)
He's making way more than he would in foreign finance
I noticed someone with a new watch lately… wait, isn't Panther's Mukai wearing the same one?
People who notice stuff like this are amazing
This got some buzz on X (Twitter) too
People were saying it's a fairly high-end watch, so it's unlikely to be a coincidence
And wait, wasn't Mukai supposed to be really into chubby girls? lol
He's probably thinking ahead
She's the type who'll get chubby after having kids
That's just who he really is
He used to hide it because he didn't want people calling out his lack of talent,
but now that work's stabilized, he's stopped hiding his true feelings and he's gotten more full of himself too
Comedians are barging into everything these days, acting like intellectuals and actors
Basically it's like a prestigious girls' school going co-ed and letting in a bunch of bottom-tier guys
Nah, come on — being a female announcer used to be the kind of job where comedians groped your chest and you just laughed it off
I hope Manatsu finds happiness
Especially since there'd been persistent rumors that Manatsu Akimoto had her eye on Mukai…
Thanks, that gives me hope
Seriously though, there are plenty of unmarried women out there right now, so if you're
genuinely serious about getting married, 40 is still a totally viable age
These days 45 is fine too. Retirement age got pushed back as well. If you're really serious, maybe look into Southeast Asian women?
Actually, Ogata [his Panther co-member] seems to be earning noticeably more
As far as I know Ogata's done 3 commercials for major companies
Mukai's probably done zero
Haha, no way they're going to ignore it
Background and Key Points of This Story
FRIDAY-style romance scoops typically follow a set formula: solo-camera shots of a couple coming and going from each other’s homes. This marks the second time Yuko Wakabayashi has been featured this way, following the 2022 report about her semi-cohabiting relationship with an elite IT company employee. Reaction on 5ch centered less on the relationship itself and more on Satoshi Mukai — his selection as an outstanding student in Nagoya, his graduation from Meiji University’s School of Political Science and Economics, his apparent thinning hair, and his history of co-starring on late-night shows all came up one after another. While some comments were congratulatory, what stood out in this thread was how much more energy went into evaluating Mukai’s looks and personality than into the romance news itself — making it less a straightforward celebratory story and more a read on how 5ch users currently view Satoshi Mukai as a public figure.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Scoop!] Panther’s Satoshi Mukai ♡ TBS Announcer Yuko Wakabayashi’s “Secret Cohabitation Romance” Caught on Camera! [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”
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