From our other sites
The story
Fuji TV has announced it will air “Mecha×2 Mecha-tteru!”, a special marking the 30th anniversary of “Mecha×2 Ike-teru!” (“Mecha-Ike”), which ran from 1996 to 2018, on December 5 starting at 6:30 PM for 4 hours and 40 minutes. The documentary follows Ninety-Nine’s Takashi Okamura over 484 days, and is billed as a special edition that reconstructs all 12 episodes streamed on FOD in 2025 with additional newly filmed footage. On 5channel’s entertainment/sports news board, reactions were mixed — some brought up the old revelation that “every line and action was scripted,” others voiced concern over Okamura’s current looks and stamina, and still others criticized Fuji TV’s habit of leaning on past hit content.
Sports Nippon (Sanspo), Nov. 13, 2026, 5:15 AM
Fuji TV announced it will broadcast “Mecha×2 Mecha-tteru!”, a special marking the 30th anniversary of the legendary variety show “Mecha×2 Ike-teru!”, on terrestrial TV for the first time on December 5 from 6:30 PM for 4 hours and 40 minutes (excluding some regions). The 16th installment of the signature segment “Takashi Okamura Got an Offer,” it’s a long-form documentary variety special that followed comedy duo Ninety-Nine’s Takashi Okamura (56) for a series-record 484 straight days.
“Mecha-Ike,” beloved in the Saturday 8 PM slot from 1996 to 2018, was created by executive director Asuka Kataoka, and this special reunites him with Yoshimoto Kogyo. Built on the full 12 episodes streamed on the FOD video service in 2025, it returns to living rooms as a special edition that reshoots Okamura as he looks in 2026 and rearranges the timeline.
Source: sanspo.com / Read the original article here
What people said
Then seniority-based lifetime employment will keep you set for good
(∪^ω^) Woof woof!
＝ 〔~∪￣￣〕
＝ ◎――◎
Onigoe Tomahawk (a comedy duo) especially is a complete waste of time
The real sin was calling themselves the "Heisei-era Hyokin-zoku" (a nod to the classic show known for loose, unscripted-style comedy) while never admitting publicly to the ironclad, word-for-word scripting
Everyone's been saying that since it was actually airing — are you the idiot who's only just finding out now and making noise about it?
Yeah, every line and every move was decided by the script — they reportedly wouldn't allow even the slightest deviation or ad-libbing. I mean, Hamaguchi's prank segments must be scripted too; even Hamaguchi isn't reckless enough to pull that stuff for real. Nakai also said about the "Around Japan" bit, "It's not funny at all, because it's exactly as scripted."
Grandpa…
Even for the 30th anniversary, keeping costs down comes first, apparently.
I remember watching that and thinking, "yeah, this is the dark age of the show."
If you didn't even know about it, you wouldn't have anything to complain about in the first place — that's way too obvious, idiot.
The Osaka comedians who used to mock Ninety-Nine for "just reading off a script" came to work in Tokyo, learned firsthand how hard it is to nail a script perfectly, and ended up eating their words.
You have no idea what Takashi Okamura is really capable of.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
“Mecha-Ike” aired in the Saturday 8 PM slot from 1996 to 2018, with Asuka Kataoka serving as executive director for its entire run. This special reunites the show with Yoshimoto Kogyo, building on the 12 episodes of close-up footage streamed on FOD in 2025 by reshooting Okamura as he is in 2026 and rearranging the timeline — since it reconstructs existing footage rather than filming fresh coverage, that’s fed the comments about cost-cutting. The “it was all scripted” theory that kept resurfacing in the thread traces back to Masahiro Nakai himself revealing, after the show ended, that “every line and every action was decided down to the letter” — a disclosure famous for reshaping how viewers saw the show’s “prank” and “spontaneous happening” segments at the time. That said, opinions of Okamura as a person and of the show itself should be read separately: jabs at his looks or age are a different matter from his actual skill as a performer, and it’s easy to overlook that some in the thread pushed back with comments like “you don’t understand Okamura’s real talent.”
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread ““Mecha-Ike” 30th Anniversary Special “Mecha×2 Mecha-tteru!” Airs Dec. 5 from 6:30 PM for 4 Hours 40 Minutes — 484 Days Following Takashi Okamura.”
Leave a Reply