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On August 30, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT announced that Ryusei Fujii and Nozomu Kotaki will be leaving the seven-member group WEST. How the remaining five members will continue is “still under discussion,” and the group’s planned seven-member festival appearance has been cancelled. What caught the thread’s attention wasn’t so much the departure timeline as the surprising makeup behind it: four of the seven members are already married, and the two leaving are actually the unmarried, younger ones. Comments like “LOL, now it’s an all-married group” piled up, and the discussion branched into comparisons with the married/single status of other idol groups, plus casual chatter about who these members would correspond to in Nogizaka46.

Surprise Announcement: WEST.’s Ryusei Fujii & Nozomu Kotaki to Leave — Whether the Remaining Five Will Continue Is “Under Discussion” … Seven-Member Festival Appearance Cancelled

On the 30th, STARTO ENTERTAINMENT made a surprise announcement on its official website that Ryusei Fujii and Nozomu Kotaki of the seven-member group WEST. will be leaving the group. Whether the remaining five members will continue as a group is “still under discussion.”

According to sources close to the matter, the specific timing of Fujii and Kotaki’s departure is “still under discussion.”

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

169AnonymousAug 30, 2026 23:32

274AnonymousAug 30, 2026 23:47

Even looking at the picture I couldn't tell who was who. Guess they're not the members I know from the group.

※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Entertainment] Surprise Announcement! WEST.’s Ryusei Fujii & Nozomu Kotaki to Leave — Whether the Remaining Five Will Continue Is “Under Discussion” … Seven-Member Festival Appearance Cancelled.”

Episode 33 of NHK’s taiga drama “Toyotomi Brothers!”, titled “Farewell at Kitanosho Castle,” aired on August 30, depicting the deaths of Lady Oichi (played by Miyazaki Aoi) and Shibata Katsuie (played by Yamaguchi Makiya). The scene of the two holding hands and leaping from the nine-story castle tower sparked a huge reaction online, spreading a wave of "Oichi & Katsuie withdrawal" among fans. Discussion on 5ch ranged widely — from claims that Oichi didn’t actually commit seppuku in real history, to gripes that the staging felt abrupt given the tower’s height, to jokes comparing the scene to Lamba Ral from the anime “Gundam,” to evaluations of the cast’s acting (including Nakano Taiga and Ikematsu Sosuke), and even debates over the limits of historical-accuracy consulting.

Sponichi

NHK’s taiga drama “Toyotomi Brothers!” (Sundays at 8:00 PM), starring actor Nakano Taiga (33), aired episode 33, “Farewell at Kitanosho Castle,” on the 30th, depicting the deaths of Oda Nobunaga’s sister Oichi and his senior retainer Shibata Katsuie — roles skillfully played by actress Miyazaki Aoi (40) and actor Yamaguchi Makiya (53). Online, a wave of "Oichi & Katsuie withdrawal" spread, sparking a huge response.

<※Spoilers follow below>

Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “‘Toyotomi Brothers’ Shocks the Internet with an Unexpected ‘Nine-Story Tower Dive’ — ‘Lamba Ral?’ ‘Eternal Honorary Katsuie’ — Oichi & Katsuie Double Withdrawal Spreads.”

On the August 30 broadcast of “24-Hour Television 49,” general host Michihiro Uchimura sent a live on-air cheer to Sandwichman’s Mikio Date, who is on hiatus due to a stroke, shouting “Go, go, Date! Everyone’s waiting for you!” Date has appeared alongside Uchimura on Nippon TV’s “THE Toppa File,” and was reportedly scheduled to take part in this segment as a member of the “Toppa Cheer Squad.” Reactions on 5ch were divided — some welcomed the shoutout, while others asked “Is it really appropriate to give a personal show of support on an unrelated program?” and “Shouldn’t disaster relief support come first?”

August 30, 2026, 6:34 PM

Nippon TV’s annual summer charity program “24-Hour Television 49 — Love Saves the Earth —” was broadcast live on the 30th from Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. General host Michihiro Uchimura of “Uchan Nanchan,” who has appeared alongside Sandwichman’s Mikio Date on the network’s “THE Toppa File,” sent a cheer to Date, who is currently on hiatus due to a stroke.

Backed by the “Toppa Cheer Squad,” Uchimura pumped his right fist and shouted, “Go, go, Hoshino! Fight, fight, Japan! Go, go, Date! Everyone’s waiting for you!”

Source: hochi.news / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[24-Hour Television] Michihiro Uchimura sends live cheer to Sandwichman’s Mikio Date, on hiatus due to stroke, pumping his fist: “Go, go, Date! Everyone’s waiting for you!” [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].”