In the group's early years, many recognized Downtown's talent, but doubted Downtown would ever succeed due to their sluggish style, which was so drastically different from that of mainstream "manzai". Shinsuke Shimada, a leading "manzai" comedian, had been one of the doubters until he saw one of Downtown's performances. Shimada was startled by how funny and complex Downtown was, and immediately announced his retirement from "manzai". In his press conference, Shimada cited Downtown as the major reason for his retirement, but the press ignored the comment, since the duo had very little popularity at the time, writing instead that Shimada had felt outclassed by a different "manzai" duo; Saburo-Shiro. Shimada's decision proved to be correct however, as Downtown dominated "manzai" in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Downtown and Shimada have developed a close bond over the years, and Matsumoto co-hosts a TV talk show ("Matsushin") with Shimada.