The Rise of “Scum” and “Pain in the Ass” Comedians and the Risks You Can’t Afford to Miss

In the “Comedians who I think will break out in the future” survey of high school students (conducted by “LINE Research”), “Sayaka” won first place in both the male and female categories.

SAYAKA” has been making its presence felt early on in the awards race, winning the “NHK Kamigata Manzai Contest” with its energetic chattering manzai, for which it was the runner-up in last year’s “M-1 Grand Prix. After the “M-1,” Shinyama (31), who is in charge of the comedian, has been increasingly invited to talk shows because of his confident “pain-in-the-ass” character.

The COVID-19 crisis had created a boom in “Pekopa’s” “harmless laughter,” but now that the infection situation has calmed down, “trash comedians” such as Suzuki Mogura (35) and Okano Yoichi (41) of “KUKI KAIDAN” have risen to prominence. (35) of “Air Stairway” and Yoichi Okano (41), and others, have emerged. As a new force to follow in their footsteps, “bad comedians” like Niiyama are said to be attracting attention in the TV world.

In a survey of “comedians who are likely to break out in the future,” Nishimura Shinji (38) of “Cotton,” who was voted third by high school girls, was a Junior Olympic swimmer in elementary school and won the Grand Prix in the “Mr. Keio Contest” when he was a university student.

He then went on to an illustrious career as an announcer for Hiroshima Home Television. He is refreshingly confident, and his “more than 300 experiences” is a painful weapon. Many comedians are “shady” people who were not very popular in their school days, so it is refreshing that he is a “sunny” person, which is rare among young comedians these days.

Although not a “do-gai,” the success of “Elf” Arakawa (26), a gyaru (gal) comedian, is a reaction to the COVID-19 crisis, which had a sense of stagnation. It is said that this is due to a growing desire among Japanese people to “pop” after a period of self-restraint,” said a director of a production company.

A producer at a key station believes that there is also a reaction to the increase in “safe and secure” programs due to the tightening of compliance.

I get the impression that not only the production side but also the viewers are no longer satisfied with “harmless laughter. However, it is not possible to produce extreme programs like in the middle of the Heisei era. Therefore, there is a growing demand for “bullying of the sick and wounded,” such as scum comedians and “pain-in-the-ass” comedians, who are just barely acceptable in terms of compliance.

The aforementioned broadcaster points out, “It is important that the “do-gooder” comedians used on TV are well-liked characters.

If they are just painful or misunderstood, the viewer is uncomfortable with them. Shinichi (37), a comedian who is a good-looker and is loved by his seniors at other offices, and Kentaro Fujii (42), a producer of “Wednesday’s Downtown,” is also very much in love with him. Eiko Kano (41) is a typical example. He has been involved in various female problems, including an eight-timing scandal, and was once forced to refrain from activities after dating an underage woman. Nevertheless, he has been able to rise to the top because of his personality. His natural and somewhat lovable character is loved by both the performers and the staff.

There is also a word of caution because of his “pain.

“Because of his “pain,” there is a risk of causing a scandal. In fact, Shinichi, a comedian who is a farewell performer, was reported to have had an affair with a married woman (……).

It would be better to leave the pain only to his artistic style.

From the April14, 2023issue ofFRIDAY