KOC Final! Unexpected Reason for Formation of “Inu”, Pursuing Gross Funny
Formed in high school during a scrum in the rugby club, this talented duo, feared by their fellow comedians, has finally made it to the finals!
This year marks the 15th year of the “King of Conte,” a festival for comedians. The finals, which have produced numerous dramas, will finally open today.
Out of the 3018 pairs that participated in the competition, only 10 remain. Among the unique finalists, the duo “Inu,” which has been together for 13 years, stands out from the crowd.
Inu” is made up of the comedian Toru Arima (34) and the blabbermouth Takashi Ota (35), and their most appealing feature is their eccentric and unique world view, which does not match their cute name. With their “creepy and funny” material, they made it to the finals for the first time.
Arima: “ After we made it to the finals, many people congratulated us. My classmates Yashiki (Hiromasa, 36) and Shimasa (Kazuya, 36) from “New York” contacted me right after the results were announced and said, “I’m happy for you. I was so happy because we have been good friends since our training school days as a duo, to the point of doing unit comedy.
Ota: “ Oh, Shimasa contacted you too? He didn’t come to me. …… Kubota-san (Kazunobu, 43) of Toro Salmon contacted me.
The first time they teamed up was when they were in high school. They were both members of the rugby club, and from that time on, they would perform comedy at school events. However, while Ota was eager to become a comedian, Arima could not make up his mind. Then, Ota came up with a surprising method of solicitation.
Ota said, “ That was the winter of my second year in high school. During club activities, we had a scrum practice in pairs. I wanted to convey my feelings to them like a man, so I said to them, ‘We can’t study or play sports, and we’re not popular, but we could be good at comedy, couldn’t we? I said, “We can’t study, play sports, or be popular, but we could make it in comedy, couldn’t we?
Arima: “ Until then, I was embarrassed, so when people asked me what my dream was for the future, I would just say I was a manga artist. But at that time, it felt right, and I answered immediately, ‘Yes, that’s right.
Ota: “ Looking back, I wonder why I started the conversation. We both smelled really sweaty (laughs).
(Laughter)” Later, they went on to college, but dropped out at the age of 21. They jumped into the world of comedy. They say that their style of comedy has not changed much since their debut in 2010, because they had a common ideal in common.
Ota: “ We both liked “Jaljal” from our school days. The kind of material that exaggerates small discomforts in everyday life in an easy-to-understand way is similar to the kind of comedy we used to do in high school.
Arima: “ Actually, I’m a member of Jaljal’s online salon, and I’m secretly learning from him. I try not to watch too much because it influences me. ……
Arima also gets material tips from his rivals, who are also his classmates and who are competing for the championship.
Arima: “ ‘Nippon no Boss’ is very interesting. Tsuji (35), a lucky comedian who makes up the material, is a classmate of mine, and I admire the worldview that only they can create. It is rooted in reality, but it is somehow raw, crazy, and not like anyone else’s. Those of us who compete on the basis of our worldview are aware of this.
The two have learned from their seniors, and have engaged in friendly competition with their peers. While they were struggling to achieve results in the awards race, a major turning point came with the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
Ota: “ Actually, we had a lot of fights before the coronavirus. The reason was that I skipped putting out stories (laughs). (Laughs) But after the coronary, I had more time, and I didn’t skip it anymore.
Arima: “ I mainly write the stories, but recently we bring two ideas to each other at every meeting and try to expand them. Thanks to this, the accuracy of our stories has improved. Corona has been a plus for us.
They are fully fired up for the big stage they have been longing for.
Arima: “ Once I’ve come this far, all I can see is the top. I’m going to win and get rid of my habit of losing.
Ota: “ I’m going to prove that creepy = funny and leave my mark!
The talented duo, feared by their fellow comedians, will be moving up to the top.
From “FRIDAY” October 21, 2022 issue
PHOTO： Yuri Adachi
