Cunning Takeyama updated his X (Twitter) account to promote his talk show “Cunning Takeyama with Aoki Sayaka,” set for the 13th at the Tomioka Town Cultural Exchange Center in Fukushima, admitting “It’s embarrassing, they’re not selling at all” and urging people to come. Tickets are priced at 3,500 yen. The announcement sparked a flood of reactions on 5ch, with users questioning whether there’s even demand for the Takeyama-Aoki pairing, criticizing the price, and suggesting he bring in more co-stars like Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Ryota Yamasato, or his comedy partner Nakajima. Some comments pushed back in his defense, arguing that “the few who do show up are true fans,” leaving reactions split between support and criticism.
Cunning Takeyama “It’s Embarrassing” — Struggling to Sell Tickets for Talk Show with Female Comedy Talent: “They’re Not Selling at All”
Comedy talent Cunning Takeyama (55) updated his X account on the 12th, announcing a talk show whose tickets aren’t selling.
Takeyama will hold the talk show “Cunning Takeyama with Aoki Sayaka” on the 13th at the Tomioka Town Cultural Exchange Center “Manabi no Mori” in Fukushima.
Won't his friends who hate the Japanese flag be coming?
3AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:15
Honestly, why'd anyone think this pairing would be a draw in the first place?
9AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:16
They should just turn it into a daytime drinking show where the audience drinks along too.
10AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:16
There's no point unless they bring in Ariyoshi and Yamasato too.
12AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:17
Is there even demand for a paid talk show like this?
13AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:17
Nobody's paying money just to hear some middle-aged guy chat. (Unless his act's as polished as Furutachi's, that's a different story.)
14AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:17
Why would anyone go when all he does is complain?
16AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:18
Why's he doing a talk show with some loud, washed-up woman anyway?
17AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:18
These two don't seem to be popular with any generation.
18AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:18
Wouldn't want to see it even if it were free.
19AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:18
Is this event actually selling out in other regions?
20AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:19
If this were happening at the local AEON mall, a quick glance would be plenty.
21AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:19
Normally people wouldn't bother showing up. (The handful who do are true fans.)
22AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:20
Nobody wants to listen to some guy who's always acting high and mighty.
24AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:20
Bring Nakajima along too. (This guy's always doing solo gigs.)
25AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:20
Isn't this kind of thing common lately? (The standard playbook is to cry poor sales, then later announce "sold out!")
27AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:21
Both Takeyama and Aoki are the type who snap when teased — without someone like Zakiyama there, they'll both just end up standing frozen on stage.
30AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:22
Checked the ticket site — 3,500 yen, huh… (And it's not even paired with another event — how many people would actually travel out just for this alone…)
32AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:23
At 1,500 yen and within a 30-minute drive, I'd go.
34AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:24
Oh, so Takeyama's the guest? Wonder what Aoki was thinking.
35AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:24
Cunning Takeyama and Aoki Sayaka in Fukushima is basically a triple handicap. Either hold it in Tokyo, bring in local favorite Nobuyuki Sakuma, or get his partner Nakajima involved.
36AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:24
I'd go to a proper comedian's talk live, but I wouldn't listen to some laughingstock commentator's chat even if they paid me.
37AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:25
Both of them seem like genuinely nice, kind people though — why is this happening?
69AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:33
Re: #37 Quit pretending to be AI, lol
43AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:27
Make it 500 yen with a snack and a drink included.
44AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:27
He's the type of celebrity you only watch because TV stations keep pushing him on you.
45AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:27
Takeyama in "big brother" mode, when nobody's teasing him, just isn't funny at all.
47AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:28
Wait, they're actually charging money for Takeyama and Aoki Sayaka?
54AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:30
Re: #47 Is this some kind of harassment?
67AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:33
Cunning Takeyama & Aoki Sayaka: 3,500 yen
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HToK291aMAAarX4.jpg
Tomio Umezawa: 3,500 yen
81AnonymousNov 12, 2026 13:35
Re: #67 3,500 yen for a talk show with these two does seem steep. I could see it if it ran for like 3 hours though.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
Talk shows like this one — held by mid-tier comedy talents without a flagship TV show of their own, such as Takeyama and Aoki, at regional cultural centers — have become an increasingly common revenue stream for entertainers since the pandemic, with ticket prices typically running 2,000 to 4,000 yen. The thread’s comparison to Tomio Umezawa’s show (also priced at 3,500 yen) reflects that going rate. Where opinion really split was over the pairing itself: most comments questioned whether there’s demand for a format built around just two people talking, with no classic straight-man/funny-man dynamic and no designated “target” to be teased. At the same time, publicly announcing “tickets aren’t selling” can itself function as a promotional tactic — generating buzz on social media and encouraging sympathy purchases. Given that Takeyama himself is usually the one being teased on TV, it’s not unusual for a solo venture like this — lacking that familiar dynamic to lean on — to struggle, and the thread’s reactions can be read as pointing to that structural weakness.
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