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The Japanese TV jungle is dominated by the variety shows. Many feature established stars as their hosts or panels made up
of up-and-coming actors, singers or the generically named "talento". But there will always be at least one comedian.
Though they usually travel in pairs or packs of three, comedians can be seen in isolation in just about any TV
environment. So, who are the big names in Japanese comedy? The really big names will often go it alone and can build a
solid solo career. These include:
Beat Takeshi | Akashiya Sanma |
Tamori | Hisamoto Masami
The biggest name in comedy duos has to be Downtown. Below are profiles of some of the
other big names who are still best known as part of a combi. |
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Tunnels
Kinashi Noritake (Tokyo, 1962- ), Ishibashi Takaaki (Tokyo, 1961- ).
Got their start by winning a Nippon TV comedy talent show in 1980. The duo became hugely popular with the Tunnels
no Minasan no Okage Desu show which ran on Fuji TV from 1988-97. The Neruton Benikujiradan show that ran
on Kansai TV from 1987-94 started a nationwide boom in matchmaking parties that were simply known as "neruton" (the
characters for tunnel backwards). On the Hammer Price series, they auctioned a wide variety of star memorabilia
and raised a lot of money for the Hanshin earthquake relief fund. Both stars have appeared in numerous TV dramas and
Ishibashi, who played high school baseball made his Hollywood debut in the movie Major League II. The pair have
also had a successful singing career and led the group Yaen, which played concert tours and had several hit albums.
The group was made up of members of their TV crew, mostly technicians.
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Uchan Nanchan
Uchimura Teruyoshi (Kumamoto Prefecture, 1964- ), Nanbara Kiyotaka (Kagawa Prefecture, 1965- ).
Uchan is the tsukkomi (straight man) of the duo while the expressive Nanchan is a "man of a thousand faces". In the
late 1990s, they formed the inexplicably successful music groups Black Biscuits (Nanbara) and
Pocket Biscuits (Uchimura) and the rivals groups competed for the right to release singles. Their popular
UriNari show ran from 1995-2002 and over the years it featured the duo and other regulars becoming quite
proficient at, among other things, ballroom dancing. These days, they are as likely to be seen solo, as emcee's on
the variety show circuit. Uchimura was considered quite the playboy until he finally settled down in 2005. Then again,
when his romance with TV Asahi announcer Tokunaga Yumi began two years earlier, she was already married!
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Dacho Club
Terakado Jimon (Hyogo Prefecture, 1962- ), Higo Katsuhiro (Okinawa Prefecture, 1963- ),
Ueshima Ryuhei (Hyogo Prefecture, 1961- ).
Higo is the leader and most proficient at monomane (impersonation), often appearing in commercials as a
virtual doppelganger of actor Morimoto Leo. Ueshima is the short, fat clown with the equally short fuse. His
"trademark" is to lose his temper and throw his baseball cap to the floor. Terakado is the good-looking member
of the trio but shares the womanizing reputation with Ueshima.
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Ninety Nine
Yabe Hiroyuki (Osaka, 1971- ), Okamura Takashi (Osaka, 1970- ).
Ninety Nine got their break on a TV "comedy battle" show, with manzai acts competing for the chance to stay on
the show each week. The diminuitive Okamura is one of the best of the young boke (dimwit), with an
unpredictable and wicked sense of humor. He is also willing to try just about anything, from racehorse riding to
passing his body through a tennis racket. Yabe is a soccer freak who played the game in high school. Like most of
the members of the Yoshimoto stable, they come from Osaka and speak the distinctive dialect. The title of their
hugely successful Metcha Metcha Iketeru show is one example of this "naniwa ben".
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Neptune
Harada Taizo (Tokyo, 1970- ), Nagura Jun (Hyogo Prefecture, 1968- ), Horiuchi Ken (Kanagawa Prefecture, 1969- ).
Harada and Horiuchi formed a duo called Florence that later took on fellow Watanabe Productions
member Nagura. With a name change and Nagura as leader keeping the other two, volatile comic elements in check,
Neptune came up through the manzai circuit. After appearing on the Tamori no Bocabura Tengoku show in 1996,
they quickly established themselves with the young audience. Horiuchi, known as HoriKen, has a scatty,
other-worldly humor that often makes no sense but his kawaii (cute) nature makes him hugely popular with
young girls. Taizo is the most talented of the three and, despite the nervous disposition behind his big facade,
has also tried his hand at acting. Neptune's ability to take comedy in new, stupid directions has made them big
stars.
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Othello
Nakajima Tomoko (Kyoto, 1971- ), Matsushima Naomi (Osaka, 1971- ).
One of the few successful female manzai duos, Othello formed in 1993 and got their break on a TV "manzai battle" talent
show. Unlike their male counterparts, they have yet to get their own network slot, but feature as regulars on other
people's shows. Nakajima is a regular on the Warai Inu... (Laughing Dog...) shows along with Neptune and Uchan
Nanchan's Uchimura.
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London Boots No.1 No.2
Tamura Atsushi (Yamaguchi Prefecture, 1973- ), Tamura Ryo (Osaka, 1972- ).
No relation, the two Tamuras met at the Yoshimoto Kogyo agency. Ryo (with dyed blonde hair)
and Atsushi (with red hair and big teeth) have established themselves in the sleazy end of the comedy pool. Their shows tend
to feature feuding lovers or cheating boyfriends, with the blunt Atsushi in particular dishing out caustic remarks. Ryo is
something of a pretty boy but seems good-natured, especially compared with his partner. Both are rock fans and even released
a rock single.
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Cocorico
Endo Shouzo and Tanaka Naoki (both Osaka, 1971).
Friends since their elementary school days in Osaka, they parted ways in high school but formed a manzai combi in 1992
after coming to Tokyo and joining the Yoshimoto Kogyo agency. Tanaka, who is the
boke of the duo, is known for his many characters, in particular his take on gaijin (foreigners) and their
bumbling efforts with the Japanese language.
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Bakusho Mondai
Tanaka Yuji (Tokyo, 1965- ) and Ohta Hikari (Saitama Prefecture, 1965- ).
The tall and rubber-faced Ohta is known for his rambling monologues, with Tanaka repeatedly trying to keep him on
track. The duo got a big publicity boost from Tanaka's bout with testicular cancer, with Ohta making the most of the
"humor" that could be got from the situation. Ohta is actually something of an intellectual and has published
several books. In 2006, the duo became the first stars of the TV variety show circuit to be recognized by the
government for their cultural merit.
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