Entertainment

Manzai: Japanese Standup Comedy

Manzai is a unique Japanese form of entertainment. It is a performance in which there is only a stand microphone on the stage, and two people make the audience laugh only with the flow of their own conversation. In standup comedy, one person speaks to the audience, whereas in Manzai, the conversation proceeds between two people on stage. The performer assumes the role of either a “funny” man(BOKE), who tells jokes and off-target statements or a “serious” man(TSUKKOMI), who points out mistakes and misalignments. The performances are basically based on simple conversations in which the performers talk about themselves instead of acting, and the audience like listens to interesting conversations between close friends. In Manzai the performers are free to do everything as long as it is a dialogue between people on stage, then it is possible to deal with a wide range of subjects, including daily life, popular culture, and political economy.

This culture developed around 1900 and continues to evolve today. The M-1 Grand Prix, a Manzai contest modeled after a martial arts match in which the “funniest Manzai performer wins,” began in 2001. 10 pairs of Manzai perform their tricks one pair at a time, and the winner is the one with the highest score from the current Manzai judges. December is the season for this competition. In this highly flexible performance, the annual competition reflects the social conditions well.

On December 18, the 18th M-1 Grand Prix was held, and the duo “Westland” won. The basis of Westland’s performance is “disrespect.” Westland gave a trash talk that was almost their personal feelings about actors, models, pop idols, YouTubers, comedians, and their fans. And they made the audience laugh with their bad-mouth. One of the judges commented, “Recently, compliance has been enforced, making it difficult for comedians to say what they want to say. I commended them for opening a gap in this tight situation.”

Last year’s winners were a pair of 50-year-old uncles. The organizers have the idea that if you have been a comedian for 10 years and are not recognized by the public, give up, so the rules of this competition state that the contestants can only compete for up to 10 years of performance experience. So the contestants are young people in their 20s and 30s. In general, we know that “there will come a time when you have to give up on your dreams,” but the winner, who started in their 40s, proved that “you can still do interesting things in middle age.”

Laughter in Japan is about defying popular perception and betraying the expectations that people think will happen next. I love Japanese comedy.

Don’t try to one-up me with New Year’s cards.Prev

Toji: the winter solsticeNext

Related post

  1. Japanese actors on screen with Japanese subtitles

    Entertainment

    Subtitles on the Movie’s Native Language Scenes!

    A woman with hearing impairment always watched movies with foreign language subtitles. This is because the dialogue is displayed on the screen as te…

  2. Entertainment

    6 Films to be Seen in Theaters in May 2023

    Now, Japan is in the midst of a major holiday weekend, which occurs three times a year. The name is Golden Week. It was the film distributors who name…

  3. Entertainment

    Leiji Matsumoto, Creator of “Space Battleship Yamato”, Dies

    Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto died on February 13 at the age of 85. He was known for his works like "Space Battleship Yamato" and "Galaxy Express 999."…

  4. Entertainment

    Pokémon Transforms Sleep into Fun

    A new Pokémon smartphone app game will be released in the summer of 2023, the company announced on the 27th at "Pokémon Presents," a program announcin…

  5. Entertainment

    Condensation on Game Consoles: Be Careful Where You Put Your Nintendo Switch on Cold Days!

    From today through tomorrow, Japan will experience a once-in-a-decade winter cold wave. In conjunction with this, the official Nintendo Support Twitte…

  6. Entertainment

    Takeshi Kitano’s Latest Film, “KUBI,” was Entered in the Cannes International Film Festival

    Takeshi Kitano, 76, directed a new film, "KUBI," which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in France on March 23. After the screening, the audien…

PAGE TOP