Japanese comedy giant Yoshimoto Kogyo has added microdramas to the long list of formats in which it is active as it seeks to continue entertaining audiences wherever they are watching.
Akihiko Okamoto
Handsome Men Buffet Exclusive For Me. That Gloomy Guy is My Brother-in-law?!. Revenge of the Egg. I Loved My Stalker So Much I Wanted to Die. Apparently I’m Having an Affair.
These are just some of the new shows focusing on revenge, betrayal and messy love stories available at launch on Japanese comedy entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo’s vertical microdrama platform Fany :D. Something may have got lost in translation, but at just a few minutes long, you’d be tempted to watch an episode simply out of curiosity.
Microdramas are characterised by fast-paced, concise storytelling and have had huge success on platforms such as Chinese app Kuaishou and TikTok sibling app Douyin, with some estimates claiming the sector generated revenues of around US$5.3bn in 2023.
Jointly operated by Yoshimito Kogyo Group’s Fany, NTT Docomo Studio & Live and Minto Inc, Fany 😀 allows audiences to watch an initial batch of one- to three-minute drama series for free, but they have to pay if they want to watch more. Pronounced ‘fanny dee,’ the platform’s launch content includes many comedians and talent affiliated with Tokyo-based Yoshimoto Kogyo, one of Japan’s oldest and largest entertainment conglomerates.
Founded in 1912, it represents performers and creators active in areas such as live comedy, theatre, movies, TV, radio, podcasts and digital. Most notably to those outside of Japan, it is behind the comedy format LOL: Last One Laughing (Documental), which Amazon-owned Prime Video has remade in markets around the world.
The show, created by Hitoshi Matsumoto in 2016, is in its 13th season in Japan, having originated from a top-line pitch to Amazon of ‘10 comedians gather in a room and try to make each other laugh. The last one to keep a straight face wins.’ It has since spawned local versions in more than 20 territories including Canada, the UK, India, Brazil, France and the Nordics. Yoshimoto Kogyo agreed a deal with Amazon that means the US retail giant can license the format in individual markets around the world on a case-by-case basis, excluding China, where Yoshimoto Kogyo has retained rights.
Fany :D’s I Loved My Stalker So Much I Wanted to Die
In future, Yoshimoto Kogyo has said it intends to localise some stories overseas with the help of AI, using translation technology in development at Fany 😀 “that understands comedy,” according to the company. It comes as talent on Yoshimoto Kogyo’s roster, which includes around 6,000 comedians, performers and athletes, increasingly create their own comedy content, or ‘owarai,’ for social media.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios sent its unscripted teams from around the world to Japan in late 2024 to workshop ideas alongside Yoshimoto Kogyo, with James Farrell, head of international originals at Amazon MGM Studios, describing the Japanese studio, which includes local broadcasters Fuji Media, Nippon TV, Tokyo Broadcasting System and TV Asahi among its owners, as a “comedy goldmine.”
“Fany 😀 allows our talent to develop shortform content and it’s another way for them to showcase themselves,” says Yoshimoto Kogyo president and representative director Akihiko Okamoto, who encourages other legacy companies, particularly broadcasters, to adapt to new consumption trends by moving with the audience. “Although under-35s are consuming a lot of their content on the small screen, that doesn’t mean what the TV station creates is less interesting or funny. It’s just being consumed somewhere else,” he says.
Late in 2024, Amazon MGM Studios and Yoshimoto Kogyo launched another production together, The Golden Combi. The talent show seeks to find the next big thing in comedy double acts. Okamoto wants to see the format travel in the same way Documental has, and believes tailoring a comedy format to local tastes is key to its success.
Describing Yoshimoto Kogyo’s strategy to ensure its talent remains within its walls and doesn’t go completely direct-to-consumer, Okamoto says it’s important to make sure talent can create projects in a variety of formats, be it anime, movies, unscripted or microdrama, within the company.
After all, these days, there are more tools than ever to allow talent to go it alone, something Okamoto is acutely aware of. By catering to the needs of both its audience and talent, Yoshimoto Kogyo looks set to remain big in Japan for another 110-plus years.
