comedy (Page 2)
Saint Young Men, a popular manga series starring the two religious figures, will make the jump to live-action next year.
Join Takkyu Genin Pinpon as he takes us on a whirlwind ride of table tennis themed comedic bits that never have a dull moment.
Newly-minted minor celebrity and comedian Atsugiri Jason has raised Japanese hackles with a throwaway tweet that mildly criticized Japanese culture.
If you sit down to watch Japanese TV during the evening, you’ll be inundated with talk shows filled with celebrity antics, riotous laughter and an array of stand-up comedians.
While the majority of comedians like to poke fun at each other with puns and verbal gags commonly seen in traditional straight-man/funny-man manzai routines, others like to get a laugh by simply taking their gear off. That’s the route chosen by Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura, whose known around Japan for appearing onstage in nothing but a skimpy thong and a number of hilarious “magical poses” that make him look like he’s completely naked.
Now Yasumura is set to conquer the world, by enthusiastically sharing his ‘naked’ poses in several new videos with explanations in various languages, including English. With tricks you can try at home or in an inebriated state at a party, “Don’t worry, I’m wearing” is the next new thing from Japan everyone will be talking about!
Despite media coverage, Japanese TV tends to lean towards the tame. You’ve got your History Channel-type stuff, your basic daytime dramas, your variety shows that are invariably focused on people eating food and the reactions of people watching said people eat food (spoiler: it’s delicious). You’ve got your movie re-runs and your weather forecasts.
But then, sometimes, you’ve got stuff like this: a man willingly, inexplicably letting a machine paddle him in the family jewels over and over again for what appears to be no reason at all.
There is no one “official” color that a table tennis table absolutely must be, according to the International Table Tennis Federation handbook. Nevertheless, there was apparently a time, not too long ago —let’s say, at least around the time Rocky was taking on Ivan Dragon—when more or less every table tennis table was an ugly, some might even say “gloomy” or “sinister,” dark green.
Well, that’s how one random Japanese comedian described the green tables in a throwaway comment he made in the late ’80s, which, rumor has it, is the reason most tables you see nowadays are a slightly more cheery blue.
Humour can be so dependent on the language and culture of its country of origin, that it easily gets lost in translation. But what happens when you try to translate nonsense? That’s what Satoshi Castro has tried to do with his English version of comedy duo 8.6sec Bazooka’s ‘Rassun Gorerai’, the hit chanting-dance routine that’s racked up 9 million views on YouTube so far.
If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out what that title rassun gorerai means, you’re in luck – it doesn’t mean anything! So how will this catchy Japanese comedy song work in English? Join us after the jump to find out!
He’s lived in Japan for four years but has only been an entertainer for two months. Even so, this guy already has Japanese celebrities roaring with laughter.
Meet Atsugiri Jason (厚切りジェイソン), whose stage name translates to something like “Thickly-sliced Jason.” This up-and-coming comedic genius was recently featured on a Japanese TV New Year’s special, where he performed a short sketch entirely in Japanese which proved to be so popular that the internet is already buzzing about him making his big break this year.
Anyone who has ever struggled with learning kanji is sure to appreciate this video. Check out his comedy sketch after the jump!
Do you like a good laugh, free stuff, and also stuffing your face with sushi and yakiniku? Then you might be interested in this new promotional campaign that’s going on in Japan right now!
Stamina Taro, an all-you-can-eat sushi and yakiniku chain in Japan, has enlisted the help of female comedy duo Nippon Elekitel Rengo to help drum up extra business over the New Year period. All you have to do to score majorly discounted or even FREE sushi and grilled meat is dress up like one, or both, of these super-funny ladies.
Say what you will about the evils and pitfalls of social media, but if nothing else, it’s at least made it easier than ever for people to enjoy a small taste of fame. Social media like Facebook, Twitter and Vine democratize what becomes popular and what doesn’t, what people want to see and what they don’t.
In this case, the viewers of Vine have spoken: They want to see people playing with action figures in front of their moms.
Shit Girls Say is a comedy web series that pokes fun at the cliches and stereotypes associated with young female speech.
Of course, there’s a good chance you probably knew this; the videos have racked up more than 32 million combined views to date and spawned countless parodies exploring the quirky verbal mannerisms of black girls, single girls, Asian moms and more.
Well now Japan is finally in on the joke with “Sh*t Japanese Girls Say.”
Japan loves its popular trends. They will grab a hold of something that is gathering steam and spread it all over the country. This is especially true in TV. Millions of viewers tune into variety programs to see the current comedy darlings and their catch phrase over and over again. Generally these phrases are popular for a while until the next “funny” punch line takes over. You have to milk your 15 minutes of fame for as long as you can! Just ask Kojima Yoshio or Tanoshingo.
One prefecture is using these popular phrases in a more noble way…to get drivers to pay attention to traffic safety signs! If you ignore these signs it’s dame yo~ dame dame!
Debt is a major problem facing people of all ages today. Many young graduates head out into the world already handicapped by a shrinking job market and crippling student loans while their parents have to deal with drying pensions and stagnant real-estate market. It’s a heavy burden that requires a combination of luck and hard work to pull oneself out of, but with some sensible fiscal planning it is possible.
Or, you could do what the nine young women in The Margarines did and pursue a career in the pop idol industry. Their mission is to sing and dance their way out of a combined 127.7M yen (US$1.17M) of debt in an already heavily over-saturated entertainment industry. How could it possibly fail?
Sumo is often thought of as a frighteningly strict sport in which every aspect of a wrestler’s life, from the clothing they wear in public to etiquette in the ring, must adhere to a traditional set of rules. In other words, it seems like the least fun sport to be a part of in the world.
That’s why you might be surprised to learn that there’s a sumo comedy routine out there in Japan that’s been going on for over a century. It’s known as shokkiri and is essentially a sumo match where anything goes, sort of like a Harlem Globetrotters game. And despite being based on such uniquely Japanese traditions its humor is pretty universal and sure to crack smiles anywhere in the world.
With its crude animation and humour, South Park shocked audiences when it first aired back in 1997, with viewers unsure of its place in the schedules and target audience. Since then, Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s animated comedy has grown to become arguably one of the most entertaining, risqué and cutting-edge shows on TV today, with episodes pumped out at breakneck speeds so as to ensure that their content is always as topical as it is amusing.
With endless spoofs, homages and no-holds-barred social commentary, South Park has entertained audiences in dozens of countries for almost 17 years now, but there’s one theme in particular that just keeps cropping up season after season: Japan.
So come with us today as we take a look at seven of South Park’s most memorable and outrageous “Japan” moments. Trust us when we say that this isn’t one for the easily offended.
North American anime distributor Funimation confirmed on Thursday that it acquired the streaming rights to the Ben-To anime. The company will begin streaming the anime with English subtitles to subscribers on Tuesday, February 11, followed by free streaming on February 28.
Funimation describes the story based on Asaura‘s “school serious/gag action” light novel series:
Every day an epic struggle rages in grocery stores across Japan—the battle for half-priced bento boxes! Once the discount stickers go on, ravenous brawlers start throwing punches in a knockdown, drag-out war over who gets to take home the cheap eats…
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve studied Japanese or how many kanji you can successfully identify, if you still sound like you’re speaking English when you are in fact speaking Japanese, you’re going to look like a dumb gaijin.
But it’s hard to identify your level of fluency when it comes to pronunciation and we’re hoping the following video can help. This is hands down the best side-by-side comparison of an excellent and…shall we say “authentic American” Japanese accent executed by “twin brothers” David Ury and Ken Tanaka.
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