Comedy Trio “Monkey Base” Won Two Consecutive “Moon Laughs” Live Performances
Two consecutive victories at Orita Productions’ office live Moon Laugh!
Tomohisa Orita, Hiroki Matsuyama, and Tomoyappu of the comedy trio Monkey Base won the Orita Productions’ live performance Tsukihao in July and September of this year for the second consecutive year. The three have gradually begun to emerge as a force to be reckoned with as their cartoonish worldview and Orita’s powerful delivery have caught the attention of the live scene.
In Part 1, we asked them to talk about their first YouTube project together, “Dacho Club,” and how great they are.
In the second part of the interview, we will talk about how they feel now that they met as 7th year students of Ota Productions Entertainment Academy and became a trio after many twists and turns. We will take a closer look at the fascination of the three members through their history, including the reason why they were able to win two consecutive office live performances, episodes from their student days, and the background to the trio’s formation.
“I think the trend in comedy will be “beat” in the future.”
–What do you think is the reason for the recent momentum?
Orita: Until last year, we used to make minor corrections only before a big live performance like “Tsukihara”. Since the number of live performances has increased this year, we have more opportunities to try out and revise in the first place. I think it’s significant that the final material is completely different from the initial script.
Tomo: Last year, we were doing about 10 shows a month, but now we’re doing more than 30 shows a month. We’ve been busy with live performances. I think that we have finally entered the group of young people who can handle a large number of live performances.
Matsuyama: In a word, we have grown in our ability to modify our material. Until last year, it was difficult to get into the top ranks with material that we thought was strong. This year, on the other hand, we were able to win for the first time after making a lot of revisions to material that we were not that confident in.
Orita: Also, last year, Asuwa (Yasuyoshi) from Ushiro City, with whom I co-starred in “Alpytale” (TV Asahi), told me that I was saying too simple things, so I tried various things, but they did not go well. Then, I tried to keep in mind the rhythm of monkey-based comedy, like when Matsuyama and Tomoyappu would say “Pan-pan-pan-pan” and I would say “bang” loudly.
Tomo: To put it another way, when we were in the quarterfinals of this year’s “King of Conte,” Jumbo (Takao) of Rainbow saw our material and said to us, “You guys have a ‘beat’ that gets people talking.” We had been doing our material with an unspoken rhythm, and it was refreshing to hear him praise us for it.
Moreover, Mr. Jumbo said that his seniors had advised him that “Contrast has a ‘beat'”. I was very happy because I felt like I was getting a push from him saying, “You’re not wrong.” I think the trend in comedy will be “beat” in the future.
