Kazunari Ninomiya and Fuma Kikuchi's regular show "Nino-san" advances to primetime! "The biggest challenge is not to make big changes"

■ “I want to keep things going without making any major changes so that both our existing customers and the 7pm Friday customers can enjoy it.” (Ninomiya Kazunari)

“Nino-san,” which airs every Sunday morning on Nippon Television, will get a new start from October when its broadcast time will change to prime time on Fridays at 7pm.

MC Ninomiya Kazunari and Kikuchi Fuma, who has been a regular since 2020, will of course be appearing, but also hosts Jinnai Tomonori and Yoshimura Takashi, as well as the familiar “Nino Family” including Asahi Nao, Ganbareruya, and 3ji no Heroin.

“Nino-san” welcomes wonderful guests every week, and viewers can see them poke fun at the location footage, and watch as all the cast members laugh genuinely together in a friendly atmosphere during talks and games.

Even though the broadcast time slot will change, the atmosphere of the show will not change, and “Nino-san” will continue to evolve in its 12th year so that it can be enjoyed by many viewers even in the Friday 7pm slot.

■ Comments from Kazunari Ninomiya and Fuma Kikuchi
This will be Ninomiya’s first program to feature him as the main character, and will mark a new stage for “Nino-san,” which will be in its 12th year on the air. What do you think is the appeal of the show?
Ninomiya: What’s attractive about it? It’s hard to say because we’ve never really thought about what our attractiveness is, but I think it’s the “freedom” that makes it feel that way. I think it’s the fact that we have fun doing it.
What kind of show is “Nino-san” to you two?
Ninomiya: I feel like the balance that we currently have broadcasting on Sunday mornings is really good, so I would like to continue doing so without disrupting that balance.
Kikuchi: For me, it’s a lot of fun! But it’s also a place where I can learn a lot. There aren’t a lot of performers, so I often get the pass handed to me, and I try my best through repeated trial and error.
When I watch “Nino-san” as a viewer, I get the sense that everyone is relaxed, but is that actually the atmosphere?
Kikuchi: Yes, everyone from Ganbareruya and 3ji no Heroine and Nao Asahi are from the same generation, but there are seniors like Ninomiya-kun, Jinnai-san, Kawashima-san, and Yoshimura-san, and although I’m a junior and I do feel nervous, they create a good atmosphere so that I don’t have to shrink back, and it’s a kind of “family feeling” that’s really comfortable. I really enjoy coming to this recording once every two weeks.
Even if the broadcast time changes, is there anything that you absolutely do not want to change?
Ninomiya: Is there anything you don’t want to change? Everything! If we were to put too much pressure on ourselves during prime time and make weird changes, I think it would lose its appeal, and we want to keep enjoying it the way it is now.
On the other hand, is there anything new you would like to try?
Ninomiya: I think the biggest challenge will be not to make any major changes. If the atmosphere of the show changes due to a change in broadcast time slot, it will only feel strange to those who have been watching “Nino-san” up until now, so I definitely don’t want to leave them behind. The top priority that has been entrusted to me is whether the viewers who are currently enjoying the Friday 7pm show will be able to understand the show “Nino-san.” If “Nino-san” is left in charge of the Friday 7pm time slot, I would like to keep the show enjoyable for both the previous audience and the Friday 7pm audience.
Kikuchi: I basically feel the same way. However, there are quite a few projects that the staff of “Nino-san” hand-made, and things that make me think, “What kind of game is this!?” (laughs). I think that the fact that I’m still enjoying playing such original games is a kind of accumulation of challenges, so I would like to continue taking on these challenges in the future.
Ninomiya: That’s right, basically all the games are “what the heck” (laughs). The appeal of this show is that it makes things like that happen. It wouldn’t be interesting if we played a game that would normally work, so I want to do it without being afraid of that.
I’m sure there will be some viewers who will be able to watch the show for the first time due to the change in broadcast time, so I would appreciate any comments you might have for those viewers.
Ninomiya: I’m sure there are people who like the current Sunday morning slot. I feel very sorry for those people. Even though we have to move, when you can watch “Nino-san” on Fridays at 7pm, I want you to see our spirit of doing it as it is, so that you can feel that “it’s just a new time slot.” I want to create something that makes the fans of the Friday 7pm slot remember what “Nino-san” used to do on Sunday mornings.
Kikuchi: When I watch “Nino-san” on Sundays, I get excited. It’s like, “Oh, my day off is starting!” But Friday night also means “tomorrow is my day off,” so I want to do my best to make the show fun while still keeping that excitement alive!
■ Comment from Program Producer Mari Kuniya
Thank you to all the viewers who have supported “Nino-san” for 12 years under any circumstances. The show started when Ninomiya-san was about to turn 30 and has taken root in each region, and now Ninomiya-san, Fuma-san, and the family have strengthened their sense of teamwork, and the space where they can have fun to the fullest is like an amusement park with a toy box, and is overflowing with entertainment.
I hope that we can continue to welcome our guests in perfect harmony and laugh together in a friendly atmosphere even though we are now on Friday at 7pm, and that we can create a time where our viewers can smile with ease. I hope that Nino-san will continue to expand his possibilities and shine. I hope that from this fall, we can look forward to Friday nights and continue to spend time together!