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The story
Several of Hiroyuki Ariyoshi’s regular TV programs have ended one after another since the start of this year, sparking talk on 5ch’s “Live Commentary” board (なんでも実況) that “an era is coming to an end.” Gendai reports that behind this lies both a drop in demand for his trademark “poison-tongued” persona — as online harassment on social media draws more scrutiny — and a tough “economic downturn” that’s squeezing ordinary people. On the thread, though, many questioned the recession narrative itself, asking “is the economy really that bad?” — pointing out that shareholders and big corporations are doing fine, and it’s really only the TV industry on the ground that’s sinking. There was also plenty of talk comparing him to comedian Shinsuke Shimada, with some speculating that his persona changed for the worse after he got married.
Hiroyuki Ariyoshi’s “Wave of Show Cancellations” Was Caused by “Japan’s Economic Downturn”… Where Does “Poison-Tongued Comedy” Go When It Clashes With an “Unstable Society”? (Gendai)
“With online slander and harassment becoming a serious issue, honestly, I really feel that poison-tongued humor just isn’t wanted anymore. Ordinary people’s lives are getting harder every day. In times like these, the sharp-tongued persona is the first to get weeded out. Nobody can beat the rough waves of the times.”
That’s the quiet sigh being breathed by programming executives across Japan’s commercial networks.
Source: gendai.media / Read the original article here
What people said
Top-tier companies are doing great.
TV isn't a top-tier industry anymore, that's why it's in a slump.
Shows have looked cheap for ages, haven't they?
Shareholders and landlords are definitely living the good life.
Even people at big companies have seen real wages rise lately, so I don't think you can call it a recession.
He used to rip on Shinsuke so hard, and now he's turned into Shinsuke himself.
Complacency, arrogance, and not keeping up his craft.
Once he got married, turning into Shinsuke was unavoidable.
He even tweaked his act a bit, trying to go for an "actually he's really polite" persona.
Ad budgets have just diversified across more platforms.
Total ad spending in Japan has actually increased.
Everyone's just desperate to get by.
Prices outside of groceries are only rising gradually, so it'd be a waste not to enjoy some fun while you still can.
I went on two trips this year, and hotels are expensive.
Yeah, demand from foreign tourists is insane.
Well, it's a trip, so I just figure "eh, whatever" and pay up.
He feels at home on a show that's just coasting on momentum?
Who's gonna believe that excuse?
Yeah, there's this unfunny snideness that just seeps through.
I think it's less that he's genuinely popular with regular people and more that he's just good at getting in good with the TV networks.
TV personalities get airtime based on what the networks want and find convenient, not what viewers actually want.
That gap just got too big, and that's why TV has declined.
He himself says he'd be fine with just Sandori surviving anyway.
If he's fine with just Sandori surviving, then he should raise the quality of it.
What's scarier is that he announced his engagement to his now-wife, had it get buried in the dark once, and then later announced the marriage again like nothing ever happened.
Ariyoshi's no exception.
If your act only works by crossing compliance lines, that's not real comedy.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Hiroyuki Ariyoshi built his career on a sharp-tongued “poison-tongue” persona, cutting into fellow celebrities, but in recent years he’s increasingly been compared to comedian Shinsuke Shimada. Gendai’s article pointed to two factors behind the show cancellations: that online harassment concerns have made poison-tongued humor harder to tolerate, and that the economic downturn is squeezing ordinary people’s lives. But on the thread, that second “recession” theory itself drew pushback. Commenters pointed out that real wages and stock prices haven’t necessarily worsened, and that the split between those doing well and those struggling gets obscured by a single phrase like “recession.” The thread also featured plenty of observations not covered in the article — like his performance hosting the Kohaku Uta Gassen (the New Year’s Eve song contest) and his skill at managing relationships with TV networks — pointing to changes in his own persona. So alongside the simple “changing times” narrative, there’s also a view that this reflects a real shift in his own comedic style.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Live Commentary board) thread “[Sad News] Media King Hiroyuki Ariyoshi’s Regular Shows Are Ending One After Another. An Era Comes to a Close lmaooooo“.
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