Manzai

Japanese business established to rent out ad space on lazy comedian’s backpack

When life hands you a lemon of a comedy partner, make Lemon Jam!

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49-year-old comedian can identify any Pretty Cure figure blindfolded

He must be healin’ pretty good about himself now.

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Laugh and learn! Japanese language school for foreigners teaches real Japanese with manzai comedy

Tokyo language school shows students a kind of Japanese you won’t find in textbooks, but that you’ll definitely want in your skill set.

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Up-and-coming manzai comedian robots AIchan and GONta adorably work on their material

These plucky little bots use AI to generate comedy bits on the topic of your choice.

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TV icon Hard Gay thrusts into the world of professional modeling

Japanese comedian and former pro-wrestler, Masaki Sumitani, better known by the name Hard Gay, has been struggling to find a new outlet for fame and success. Ever since being outed as a straight man, Hard Gay’s comedic mockery of gay flamboyancy has fallen from popularity in Japan. And, after a severe foot injury in July of 2009, his wrestling career has also been forced to a close. According to an interview conducted by the online news site Owarai Natalie, while Sumitani is still interested in continuing work as a comedian, he has decided to revamp his public image. We’re not sure how easy it will be to replace the image of Hard Gay’s tight, leather booty shorts, aviator sunglasses, and frantic hip thrusting that’s been burned into our mind’s eye. However, the comedian hopes that by starting a second career as a professional model he can achieve even greater success as himself and not his character. And hey, if these test shots are anything to go by, we think he may be on to something!

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