<figure id="attachment_354276" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2090px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354276"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="60eb0ab7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/21fee097a29804ea5dbe5e74365894f9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354276" class="wp-caption-text">(Right) Isshiki Toiro (Left) Tonzu</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;I still haven&#8217;t truly felt the desire to become a comedian.&#8221; &#8211; Isshiki
&#8220;Strange Duo!? No, no, we&#8217;re just super serious rookies!&#8221; &#8211; Tonzu
&#8220;I get nervous when I hear about Friday. Even recently, our senpai got photographed. I really hope they don&#8217;t come to Osaka for sure.&#8221;
The one who showed his caution was Tonzu (25, left) of the comedy duo &#8220;Harukaze ni Konnaigu,&#8221; which debuted last April. The unique worldview of Isshiki Toiro (26), who plays the role of a young lady and is a goofball, and Tonzu&#8217;s tongue-in-cheek comedy is attracting a number of addicts.
The two attracted a lot of attention when &#8220;THE W&#8221; was held in December last year. They made it to the finals in only their first year of performing. Their ability was so impressive that Nobuyuki Hanawa (45) of &#8220;Knights,&#8221; who serves as a judge for the &#8220;M-1 Grand Prix,&#8221; said, &#8220;I can only say that they are amazing. I think it will sell well.” When asked about this, Tonzu responded with a smile.
Tonzu: &#8220;That&#8217;s right, haha. No, no, just kidding. Before &#8216;THE W,&#8217; we worked on our material every day. Usually, I create jokes by myself, but at that time, we brainstormed ideas together. We also received a lot of advice from the previous queen, the &#8216;Genius Pianist,&#8217; and many other seniors. The material kept expanding, and it was just so much fun.&#8221;
Toiro: &#8220;After the finals, our workload increased about sevenfold. We used to perform live once a week, but now we get called almost every day. It&#8217;s really exciting.&#8221;
Tonzu: &#8220;Although we lost in the end, the sense of accomplishment was incredible. The drinks we had after the finals were so good~! I had hoped to make it to the finals within three years, so our performance in last year&#8217;s &#8216;W&#8217; feels like a perfect score, 100 points.&#8221;
Toiro: &#8220;There&#8217;s just one problem. Although I only told my parents about becoming a comedian, it started getting leaked to my friends, haha.&#8221;
Tonzu: &#8220;No way. You didn&#8217;t tell them?&#8221;
Toiro: &#8220;It&#8217;s true. But it&#8217;s actually better this way; I don&#8217;t have to hide it awkwardly.&#8221;
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Decisive factor in the formation of the group"></div>
Last year, in addition to the award race, they were selected for Fuji Television&#8217;s variety show &#8220;Late Night Honey”. The duo continues to make rapid progress, but the deciding factor in their formation was a surprising one.
Tonzu: &#8220;During a performance at the training center, I saw Iro-san doing stand-up for the first time, and I was shocked. I mean, it was overwhelmingly not funny! He didn&#8217;t remember his lines, and it was genuinely, hands down, not entertaining, haha.&#8221;
Toiro: &#8220;Come on! Stop it!&#8221;
Tonzu: &#8220;But, you know, there was something about him. When I wrote material, I thought, &#8216;This guy will definitely be funny.&#8217; So, I asked him if he wanted to team up for at least a month, and that&#8217;s how it all started.&#8221;
 
In 2022, while still in training, they participated in the &#8220;M-1 Grand Prix&#8221; for the first time and reached the third round, quickly becoming recognized in comedy competitions. Despite thinking their compatibility was excellent, when asked about each other&#8217;s characters, they both agreed on the term &#8220;eccentric.&#8221;
Toiro: &#8220;Originally, I had no intention of becoming a comedian. While looking for a new job, I wanted some kind of title, and I thought being a comedian might be interesting, so I joined the training center. That&#8217;s why I haven&#8217;t really felt the desire to become a comedian seriously yet.&#8221;
Tonzu: &#8220;See, isn&#8217;t he weird?&#8221;
Toiro: &#8220;If we&#8217;re talking about weird, Tonzu is not great as a working professional. He&#8217;s always late. Also, he&#8217;s the complete opposite of me – he drinks a lot and smokes.&#8221;
Tonzu: &#8220;Our clothing styles are completely different too. Iro-san says things like T-shirts and jeans are commoner&#8217;s clothes and refuses to wear them.&#8221;
Toiro: &#8220;That&#8217;s not true. I&#8217;ve just never been around people who dressed like that, as I attended private schools from elementary to high school.&#8221;
Their hobbies and personalities are complete opposites. Perhaps that&#8217;s why they can create a unique atmosphere that only the two of them possess. Finally, we asked them about their enthusiasm for the future.
Toiro: &#8220;I still don&#8217;t have confidence as a comedian, but reaching the finals in &#8216;THE W&#8217; was significant. I want to work hard to be able to perform confidently and boldly in our comedy routines.&#8221;
Tonzu: &#8220;Our goal is to win a comedy award. We want to achieve results, so we write a lot of material. We&#8217;re not geniuses or a quirky duo, just ordinary newcomers. We want to continue working seriously from now on.&#8221;
The veterans acknowledge their skills, and they possess a unique personality. Without a doubt, we will see their names frequently this year.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="A photo of the new comedy duo &quot;Harukaze ni Konnichiwa&quot; (Tell me about Harukaze)."></div>
<figure id="attachment_354274" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3750px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354274"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="15498ba8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/6c031f5aef48f289d7b6e5f887f36a28.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354274" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished Cuts: Why we can be sure that &#8220;Harukaze ni Tsuitegu&#8221; will sell well this year (The hottest comedy duo in 2024)</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_354275" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2237px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354275"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7ba3236b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/fb87191e1a6af575e8fc4330b298d832.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354275" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cuts from the magazine Why we can be sure that &#8220;Harukaze ni Tsuitegu&#8221; will sell well this year (The hottest comedy duo in 2024)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_354277" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354277"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="026e3d71"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/f6fc14ab1c3a3d836d0c8fd27b76fdee.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354277" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cuts from the magazine Why we can be sure that &#8220;Harukaze ni Tsuugu&#8221; will sell well this year [The hottest comedy duo in 2024</figcaption></figure>
◆ (Right) Isshiki Toiro: Born in 1997, from Osaka Prefecture. Takes on the role of the funny man (boke). After working as a web director for two years, joined Yoshimoto Kogyo&#8217;s Osaka NSC. Hopes for a future in narration and expresses a love for travel shoots in Nara Prefecture.
◆ (Left) Tonzu: Born in 1998, from Hyogo Prefecture. Takes on the role of the straight man (tsukkomi). Has been a fan of &#8220;License&#8221; since elementary school and aspired to become a comedian in middle school. Dreams of becoming famous and revealing a desire to appear in a &#8220;Crayon Shin-chan&#8221; movie.
From the January 26, 2024 issue of FRIDAY
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 Shinji Hamasaki

 Harukaze ni Konnaigu" made it to the finals of "THE W 2023" in their first year of performing. Their tongue-in-cheek comic style, in which a yankee-like comedian and a young lady-like boor weave together, has attracted a number of "addicts"! We take a closer look at the true faces of these two, who create a unique atmosphere!

 In their first year, they made it to the finals of "THE W 2023! Their tongue-in-cheek comedy with a yankee-like tsukkomi and a lady-like blabbermouth is addictive!

2024’s Standout Comedy Duo Exclusive Revelation: Why Harukaze ni Konnaigu Is Set to Dominate Sales This Year

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