Owarai
Encyclopedia
is a broad word used to describe Japan
ese comedy
as seen on television
. The word owarai is the honorific form of the word warai, meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". Owarai is most common on Japanese variety shows (バラエティ番組, baraeti bangumi) and the comedians are referred to as owarai geinin (お笑い芸人) or owarai tarento
(お笑いタレント). Presently[when?] Japan is considered to be in an "owarai boom", and many minor talents have been finding sudden fame after a gag (ギャグ, gyagu) or skit became popular.
(漫才), a traditional form of Japanese comedy that became the basis of many modern acts today, is characterized by a pair of usually older male comedians acting certain roles in a constant comedic battle against themselves. This tradition is continued in the acts of many modern talents. While there are many women talents, they are largely outnumbered by the men, and they tend to take more minor roles.
Whereas manzai performers traditionally wore kimono
(traditional Japanese dress), these days a western suit
is the outfit of choice for many owarai kombi (コンビ, combination; referring to a pair of comedians in a unit) and many talents who begin their careers performing in a style very similar to stand-up comedy
, usually including aspects of manzai and conte.
Some minor characteristics include frequently used sound effect
s (cheap, old-fashioned sound effects are used intentionally for comic effect), dajare
(ダジャレ, a Japanese-style pun
), and dokkiri (ドッキリ, a hidden-camera prank like those seen in the popular American
show Candid Camera
).
A few popular kombi include:
Many owarai units have names based on English words or phrases. Kombi are usually included as guests for shows, though some (namely Downtown, Cream Stew, and Ninety-nine) often act as hosts as well.
Some popular talents that usually don't perform in units are:
Of these, Sanma, Tamori, and Beat Takeshi are sometimes referred to collectively as the "big three" because of their massive popularity. Talents such as these often act as hosts for shows, or perform together in small or large groups, something almost unimaginable for most western comedians.
and anime
they are some of the most popular shows on Japanese television.
As a general term in Japan, "variety show" can refer to "straight" variety shows with an appropriate myriad of topics, segments, and games. It is also used for comedy oriented shows that focus more on stand-up and skits, and quiz/trivia type shows featuring comic elements. It is not to be expected that a variety show will always follow the same format, and guests from Japanese music and talent pools are frequent.
The variety style shows generally divided into segments of games, features, and "corners", some very short and some shows focusing (for a special episode) solely on one game or feature. Trivia
, quiz
, or game show
s in Japan are often considered owarai as the contestants of such shows are often a mix of owarai geinin and other Japanese talents of various descriptions. Game shows without any famous characters playing the role of contestants are rare.
Of these sections and games, many can be seen recurring on a variety of shows all across Japan. It may even be possible to classify Japanese variety shows (or at least the individual sections of the shows) according to the following formats:
Some concepts of variety shows are consistent over most of Japanese television, though they may be considered quite different than those seen in the western world. Many shows are made up of what are called VTRs, or video segments, and are usually introduced with a hand gesture and the word dōzo (the implied meaning is "let's have a look"), though this procedure is usually made into a joke with strange gestures instead of the usual wave.
A few popular variety/comedy shows of varying contents are:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
as seen on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. The word owarai is the honorific form of the word warai, meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". Owarai is most common on Japanese variety shows (バラエティ番組, baraeti bangumi) and the comedians are referred to as owarai geinin (お笑い芸人) or owarai tarento
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
(お笑いタレント). Presently[when?] Japan is considered to be in an "owarai boom", and many minor talents have been finding sudden fame after a gag (ギャグ, gyagu) or skit became popular.
Characteristics
ManzaiManzai
is a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture, which usually involves two performers —a straight man and a funny man —trading jokes at great speed...
(漫才), a traditional form of Japanese comedy that became the basis of many modern acts today, is characterized by a pair of usually older male comedians acting certain roles in a constant comedic battle against themselves. This tradition is continued in the acts of many modern talents. While there are many women talents, they are largely outnumbered by the men, and they tend to take more minor roles.
Whereas manzai performers traditionally wore kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
(traditional Japanese dress), these days a western suit
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
is the outfit of choice for many owarai kombi (コンビ, combination; referring to a pair of comedians in a unit) and many talents who begin their careers performing in a style very similar to stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, usually including aspects of manzai and conte.
Some minor characteristics include frequently used sound effect
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
s (cheap, old-fashioned sound effects are used intentionally for comic effect), dajare
Dajare
is a kind of comic Japanese word play, similar in spirit to pun relying on similarities in the pronunciation of words to create a simple joke.Dajare are popular in advertising...
(ダジャレ, a Japanese-style pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
), and dokkiri (ドッキリ, a hidden-camera prank like those seen in the popular American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
show Candid Camera
Candid Camera
Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
).
Owarai geinin
On television, most owarai geinin are introduced using their kombi name (e.g. Yoiko Hamaguchi) and some geinin even retain the name of their former groups after they have parted ways.A few popular kombi include:
- ココリコ CocoricoCocoricoCocorico may refer to:* The Brazilian TV program, Cocoricó* The French art magazine, Cocorico * The Puerto Rican soda drink, Coco Rico* A Japanese comedy act, Cocorico...
- オードリー AudreyAudrey (owarai), is a Japanese owarai duo of as boke and as tsukkomi, formed in 2000. The duo has won 2nd place in the M-1 Grand Prix 2008 competition. As of February 2009, the duo belongs to the management company K Dash Stage Co., Ltd.- Biography :...
- アンタッチャブル Untouchable
- インパルス Impulse
- オセロ OthelloOthello (Owarai), is a female Japanese comedy duo who, once famous for their manzai act, are now both popular television talents and appear frequently on Japanese variety shows....
, a rare female kombi - くりぃむしちゅー Cream StewCream Stew (comedy duo)Cream Stew is the name of a Japanese comedy duo, Japanese comedy kombi consisting of two comedians, Shinya Ueda and Teppei Arita . Originally from Kumamoto city, the pair first met in high school when Arita and Ueda found a common interest in pro wrestling...
- さまぁ～ず SummersSummers (Owarai)Summers are a Japanese comedy duo under Horipro Inc., a large talent management company in Tokyo. Frequent guests on many Japanese variety and quiz shows, they are probably most famous as guests on the late night conte show, Uchimura Produce...
- 次長課長 Jichō KachōJicho Kachois a Japanese comedy unit consisting of two , and . Sometimes also known as , they are one of the most popular owarai kombi coming from Yoshimoto Kōgyō in Tokyo. Their name literally means "Vice manager, Section manager", and is a reference to the titles of two visitors at the bar in which they...
- スピードワゴン Speed Wagon
- ダウンタウン DowntownDowntown (owarai)is a Japanese comedy duo from Amagasaki, Hyōgo consisting of and . Formed in 1982, they are one of the most influential and prolific kombi in Japan today...
- TIM TIMTIM (Owarai)TIM is the name of a Japanese comedy unit . The unit consists of Red Yoshida and Golgo Matsumoto . They are most famous for their antics on the owarai show Uchimura Produce, as well as various children's shows such as Tensai Terebikun MAX...
- チュートリアルTutorial
- ナインティナイン Ninety-nineNinety-nine (owarai), or is a Japanese comic duo from Osaka working for the entertainment conglomorate Yoshimoto Kogyo. The duo , consisting of Takashi Okamura as boke and Hiroyuki Yabe as tsukkomi , formed in 1990....
- 爆笑問題 Bakushō MondaiBakusho Mondaiis a Japanese comedy duo consisting of Yūji Tanaka and Hikari Ōta under the entertainment agency, Titan Inc. The comedians first met when they were students in the Department of Fine Arts at Nihon University, and they formed Bakushō Mondai in 1988 after dropping out of school...
- ペナルティ Penalty
- よゐこ YoikoYoikois a Japanese comic duo duo from Osaka working for Shōchiku Geinō, the second largest comedy talent agency in Japan following Yoshimoto Kōgyō.Yoiko are known otakus, even appearing on the variety show LINCOLN cosplaying as Char Aznable and Amuro Ray of the Gundam anime series and taking Downtown to...
- レギュラー Regular
Many owarai units have names based on English words or phrases. Kombi are usually included as guests for shows, though some (namely Downtown, Cream Stew, and Ninety-nine) often act as hosts as well.
Some popular talents that usually don't perform in units are:
- 明石家さんまSanma Akashiyais a Japanese TV comedian and actor simply known as Sanma. His real name is . His talent agency is Yoshimoto Corporation.Together with Beat Takeshi and Tamori, Sanma is said to be one of the "Big Three" tarento of Japan. Sanma's nickname is . He is known for his ability to endlessly carry a...
Sanma Akashiya - 長州小力Koriki Choshuis a Japanese comedian. He is most famous for his act in which he mocks a famous Japanese professional wrestler Riki Chōshū due to his resemblance...
Koriki Chōshū - ヒロシHiroshi (Owarai), real name , is a Japanese comedian famous for his dismal stand-up act.Originally a member of a kombi called Babies , he started working as a host in Tokyo under the host name Ken Saegami when Babies dissolved...
Hiroshi - 関根勤 Tsutomu Sekine
- 島田紳助 Shinsuke Shimada
- 志村けんKen Shimura, is a Japanese comedian and actor. He co-starred with Masashi Tashiro, Nobuyoshi Kuwano in the Japanese variety show "Ken Shimura no Bakatono-sama"....
Ken Shimura - ビートたけしTakeshi Kitanois a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
Beat Takeshi - タモリTamoriis a Japanese celebrity. His real name is and the screenname Tamori is an anagram of his surname. He was born on 22 August 1945 in Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture....
Tamori - 所ジョージ Tokoro George
- 内村光良Teruyoshi Uchimura, half of the Japanese comedy duo Utchan Nanchan, is one of the most famous and influential comedians in the owarai community. His nickname is Utchan , and his partner, Kiyotaka Nanbara, is known as Nanchan. He was born on July 22, 1964 in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto. Though he has worked for years as a...
Teruyoshi Uchimura - 藤井隆Takashi Fujii, born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs to the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo and is the popular host of Matthew's Best Hit TV , born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs...
Takashi Fujii - ホリ Hori
- 青木さやか Sayaka AokiSayaka Aoki (comedian)is a Japanese TV star and comedienne from Owariasahi, Aichi Prefecture . Both of her parents are primary school teachers. After graduating from Nagoya Gakuin University, she began her comedienne career. One of her co-workers is Hidekazu Nagai.-Career:* Aoki is a daughter of two elementary school...
, another rare female act - 陣内智則 Tomonori Jinnai
Of these, Sanma, Tamori, and Beat Takeshi are sometimes referred to collectively as the "big three" because of their massive popularity. Talents such as these often act as hosts for shows, or perform together in small or large groups, something almost unimaginable for most western comedians.
Variety shows
Japanese variety shows are the main outlet for most owarai geinin and along with dramaJapanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
they are some of the most popular shows on Japanese television.
As a general term in Japan, "variety show" can refer to "straight" variety shows with an appropriate myriad of topics, segments, and games. It is also used for comedy oriented shows that focus more on stand-up and skits, and quiz/trivia type shows featuring comic elements. It is not to be expected that a variety show will always follow the same format, and guests from Japanese music and talent pools are frequent.
The variety style shows generally divided into segments of games, features, and "corners", some very short and some shows focusing (for a special episode) solely on one game or feature. Trivia
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
, quiz
Quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...
, or game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s in Japan are often considered owarai as the contestants of such shows are often a mix of owarai geinin and other Japanese talents of various descriptions. Game shows without any famous characters playing the role of contestants are rare.
Of these sections and games, many can be seen recurring on a variety of shows all across Japan. It may even be possible to classify Japanese variety shows (or at least the individual sections of the shows) according to the following formats:
- QuizQuizA quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...
zes or triviaTriviaThe trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
(with subjects as varied as 雑学 (zatsugaku, general or useless knowledge), mathMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, scienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, historyHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and other school subjects, kanjiKanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
(testing peoples' knowledge of difficult or rare characters), EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and a mishmash of typical quiz-style trick questions - Food judgement/tasting/making (various types of food are also commonly used as prizes for the winner of a game)
- Travel (often travelling within Japan to view someones estate or around the world producing short, documentary-style segments about world culture, with a comic twist)
- Physical challenges, tests of strength/endurance etc.
- Tests of improvised comic skill (for example, a dajare contest)
- Obstacle courses/collections of strange games or activities
- MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
(Either with real Japanese musicians, or with owarai geinin trying their hands at music (often karaokeKaraokeis a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
style), covering popular songs or showing off their own)
Some concepts of variety shows are consistent over most of Japanese television, though they may be considered quite different than those seen in the western world. Many shows are made up of what are called VTRs, or video segments, and are usually introduced with a hand gesture and the word dōzo (the implied meaning is "let's have a look"), though this procedure is usually made into a joke with strange gestures instead of the usual wave.
A few popular variety/comedy shows of varying contents are:
- 笑いの金メダル King of Comedy (showcasing the stand-up acts and skits of new and popular talent, often featuring VTR segments of the activities of various talents)
- エンタの神様 The god of Entertainment (similar to King of Comedy, though focusing on stand-up acts)
- 愛のエプロン Apron of Love (talents lacking cooking skill are asked to cook difficult dishes and are given harsh, though honest, judgements)
- SMAP×SMAP Smap Smap (the five members of the immensely popular group SMAPSMAPSMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...
host many different shows, presenting segments such as music, cooking, and news) - 銭形金太郎 Zenigata Kintarō (this show's segment bimbō batoru (battle of the poor) showcases the life of two or more people living in Japan who support interesting life styles on minimum amounts of money; the funniest, or most inspiring bimbō wins)
- Matthew's Best Hit TV+ (hosted by the comedian Takashi FujiiTakashi Fujii, born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs to the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo and is the popular host of Matthew's Best Hit TV , born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs...
, this show features musical guests and a strange variety of games and unrelated segments) - トリビアの泉Hey! Spring of TriviaHey! Spring of Trivia is the name given by Spike TV to the show a Japanese variety show on Fuji TV.-Concept:"Trivia" consists of a series of video segments that introduce and confirm the validity of unusual trivia. Past trivia has included exploding erasers, spiders affected by caffeine, and...
Spring of Trivia (showcasing interesting and strange facts (or strange interpretations of boring facts) of little or no importance using a trivia-style format) - ネプリーグ Nep-league (featuring the owarai trio Neptune on one of the two teams of contestants, this quiz show features various "levels" of play challenging the players' knowledge of everything from world events to reading JapaneseKanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
to spelling simple English words) - 志村けんのバカ殿様 Ken Shimura's Baka Tono-sama (hosted by comedian Ken ShimuraKen Shimura, is a Japanese comedian and actor. He co-starred with Masashi Tashiro, Nobuyoshi Kuwano in the Japanese variety show "Ken Shimura no Bakatono-sama"....
)
See also
- List of Japanese comedians
- ManzaiManzaiis a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture, which usually involves two performers —a straight man and a funny man —trading jokes at great speed...
- Glossary of owarai termsGlossary of owarai termsThis page describes words and terms relating to owarai . Many of these terms may be used in areas of Japanese culture outside comedy, including television and radio, music, or some may even be used in normal Japanese speech...
- NininbaoriNininbaoriis a Japanese comedic act where two people wear the same large coat and pretend to be one person. One person is the "face" and the other is the "arms"...
External links
- 大笑い.com (oowarai.com) Japanese site promoting owarai and owarai talents
- お笑い芸人相関図 (owarai geinin sōkanzu) Japanese site with information on various owarai geinin and the relationships they have with other talents
- お笑い芸人図鑑 (owarai geinin zukan) Japanese site, so called encyclopedia of owarai geinin