The workload proved excessive, and in 1955 on return to Toyama for Japanese New Year the pair missed all the deadlines for their serials. The loss of credibility with publishers hurt Fujimoto and Abiko for over a year, during which time they concentrated on solo projects, purchasing a television set in Akihabara and making independent films with an 8mm camera. By 1959 they left Tokiwa-sō and eventually moved to Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture.