Learn Japanese Stand-up Comedy

Although different nations speak in different mother tongues and at times, misunderstandings and misinterpretations may arise, there are instances when the world celebrates together in bliss and laughter. Truly, merrymaking and festivities can turn dark moods around into light and soft exchanges of grins and smiles. At this point, let’s venture into a part of the world where stand-up comedy has reached a level of high regard and acceptance. It’s time to learn about the Japanese Manzai.

Manzai is a variation of stand-up comedy found within the confines of the Land of the Rising Sun. Basically it features a routine wherein a pair of performers trade blows via jokes done in great speed and succession. The pair is composed of a straight man called as tsukkomi and a funny man, which is identified as a boke. The jokes given revolve around double-talk, verbal gags, mutual misunderstandings, and puns.

Over the past years, Manzai has been tagged with the region of Osaka, wherein common comedians carry out their witty and funny lines utilizing the Kansai dialect. An Osaka-based entertainment group of companies named Yoshimoto Kogyo has been attributed as the initial proponent of the term Manzai. The term started to take fame in 1933. The same conglomerate also made the first move to introduce the said form of comedy to Tokyoites.

Now let’s flip some pages of Japanese history and trace the development of Manzai through the years. The roots of this comedy variation can be attributed to a certain festival that was originally done in order to welcome the New Year during the Heian period. The pattern followed by the roles of both the boke and tsukkomi is derived from the old stand-up routine wherein the Manzai performers show up on stage delivering messages from the gods. Opposition is the name of the game as one performer spoils the party of the other.

When the Edo period came into the picture the style shifted with more emphasis on the humorous facet of stand-up. Furthermore, there was an increase in the number of variances pertaining to distinctly created styles. These included the likes of Yamato Manzai, Owari Manzai, and Mikawa Manzai. Upon the arrival of the Meiji Period, Osaka Manzai shifted to a higher gear resulting into a higher popularity rating as compared to what it had during the past period.

By the end of the Taisho period, the foundation of Yoshimoto Kogyo during 1912 paved the way for a fresher form of Manzai. Much of the celebration that defined the older version was removed. The change proved to be a good one as the new style began to spread further into Japan which included Tokyo. The popularity of Manzai was boosted as communication technology saw a lot of innovations moving into areas of varying mediums such as radio, stage, and in the long run television.

Now let’s get into more details about the Manzai participants. The duo in the acts has similarities with the general concepts of funny and straight man in double act comedy. Boke is taken from the verb bokeru which is defined as senility or air headedness thus leading to the boke’s characteristic of frequent forgetfulness and misinterpretation. The term tsukkomi can be identified with a butting in role as it is the task of the tsukkomi to correct errors done by the boke. It is common practice of the tsukkomi to berate the boke by hitting him in a swift motion using a pleated paper fan known as harisen.

Stand-up comedy allows an individual to not only learn how to appreciate the positive side of life. It can also bridge gaps between cultural differences and unite people from all walks of life into a single solitary celebration of fun and merry-making.