Interest
Fuji TV Anime Reruns Also Air Without Corporate Sponsors
posted on by Ken Iikura-Gross
Anime News Network's Japan-based staff confirmed on Monday that reruns of Assassination Classroom and Call of the Night are also airing on Fuji TV without sponsors. ANN confirmed the commercials that did air during these reruns were predominantly for Fuji TV's in-house productions, including live-action series (Hitomi no Jinji, Anata o Ubatta Sonohikara, Dr. Ashura, Zoku Zoku Saigokara Nibanme no Koi), the feature-length film Black Showman, and broadcasts of Japanese baseball team Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Other anime series on Fuji TV are suffering from a decline in corporate sponsors as well. Notably, Chibi Maruko-chan, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary with special programs between April and May, has been without corporate sponsors for four weeks, after cram school chain Kobetsu Shidō Campus pulled its commercials from the program on March 16.
Some Fuji TV anime programs with corporate sponsors are airing a handful of commercials for those sponsors. However, most commercials across Fuji TV anime are for Fuji TV's own live-action series, films, and theater productions. Several other ads for events and other products aired in conjunction with the sponsored ads. As these ads were not sponsoring any anime aired on Fuji TV, they were likely part of the broadcaster's general sponsorship pool.
Fuji TV's sponsorship drought came after the Weekly Bunshun magazine reported former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai engaged in nonconsensual sexual activities with a woman in June 2023, resulting in a 90 million yen (about US$580,000) out-of-court settlement. Weekly Bunshun also reported Fuji TV staff was involved with the incident, although the magazine later said the woman was not initially invited to the gathering by a Fuji TV official as it had reported in December. In the aftermath, Fuji TV president Koichi Minato and Fuji Media Holdings Inc. chairman Shuji Kano resigned their positions.
As of press time, no announcements have been made regarding future sponsorships for anime programming on Fuji TV.
Assassination Classroom first aired on Fuji TV in January 2015. The series received a second season in January 2016. Call of the Night aired on Fuji TV between July to September 2022. The series second season is set to air on Fuji TV in July.
Update: Typo fixed. Thanks, PipimiOden.
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