Endless Comedy Boom

In Japan the comedy boom just keeps on going. Almost every day you can see and listen to comedy programs on the TV and radio. There are various styles of Japanese comedy, but it can be said that rakugo, which is performed by only one person, is the most traditionally characteristic among them. In rakugo a storyteller sits on a mat on stage and tells a well-known funny story. No matter how many times they have already listened to the story, skilful storytellers can make the audience laugh.

Recently, however, manzai, where a pair of comedians engages in quick and witty dialogue, seems to be gaining popularity. In manzai there are two fundamental roles – “tsukkomi” (the straight man) who starts the story with a silly topic and “boke” (the funny man) who continues the story with unexpected twists and makes the audience laugh.

In recent years there have been many legendary duos such as “Cont No. 55” and “Yasushi&Kiyoshi.” KITANO Takeshi, who is well-known around the world as a movie director and SHIMADA Shinsuke, who is a famous compare on Japanese TV, both used to be comedians during the comedy boom of the late ‘80s. These days “Bakusho Mondai” and “Taka and Toshi” are taking over their places as household names.

There are some contests that produce popular comic duos. The most well-known one among them is “M-1 Grand Prix,” an annual comedy contest in which both professionals and amateurs can participate. 4,239 duos participated in 2007. The final contest is held at the end of the year with nine finalists and is broadcasted on TV throughout Japan. The winning pair is not only awarded 10 million yen in prize money but will also become known to the whole country and can become very popular.

The 2007 winner was an unknown pair named “Sandwichman.” They came through a consolation round and then won the competition. The pair them came up to Tokyo from Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture) and were performing manzai with little success, and therefore struggled to get gigs. However, soon after their victory, their life changed and their schedule was filled three months ahead. This is just a rags to riches story.

Besides manzai there is a kind of comedy in which only one person performs a sketch. These comedians are called “pin geinin” and they make people laugh with original performances that includes singing, joke telling and visual humor, as well as appearing in female dress, SM costumes or even naked. Some of these performers become popular with children because of the unusual way they act. However, people soon get tired of them and their fame is short-lived. They are known as “One shot performers.”

These comedy performances can be seen on TV and in comedy theaters. Since Japanese comedy is based on word play, it can be difficult for foreigners to understand it. However, these days English comedies for foreigners like rakugo performed in English and performances by mainly foreigners at Tokyo Comedy Store and other places are also popular. In the future, globalization in the world of comedy might be developed, too.

Sandwichman Official sites
sandwichman.fc2web.com/

English Rakugo
www.english-rakugo.com/

Tokyo Comedy Store
www.tokyocomedy.com/

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