Osaka Comedians Drift from M-1 Victory Amidst Comedy Dynamics and TV Stations Circumstances
Last year’s “M-1 Grand Prix” (TV Asahi) saw “Reiwa Roman” winning the championship with only five years of experience since their formation.
“Having graduated as the top student from Yoshimoto Kogyo’s training school NSC, they have been attracting attention since their debut. Winning as the leadoff batter, which is challenging to achieve high scores, is impactful, reminiscent of the first edition’s Nakagawa Family. Kuruma Takahira (29), the boke (funny man) of the duo known for his intelligent analytical character, has also received favorable reviews. Their exposure is expected to increase rapidly.” (Production company director)
Since the new coronavirus broke out in 2020, the M-1 Grand Prix has been won by Tokyo-based comedians such as Reiwa Roman for four years in a row.
“Due to the restrictions on inter-prefectural travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, key television stations have become cautious about using comedians residing in Osaka. Additionally, while Tokyo theaters quickly emphasized streaming, theaters in Osaka lagged behind. The disparity in opportunities, such as TV appearances and stage performances, has reduced chances for comedians in Osaka, the ‘home of comedy,’ contributing to their distance from winning the championship.” (Broadcast writer)
With the new Corona model switching to the 5th category, there are high expectations for Osaka comedians to make a comeback, but the broadcaster believes that it will take more time.
“Amid the decline in corporate TV commercial involvement just before the COVID-19 infection spread, the reduction in advertising revenue intensified. Each station’s production budget is dwindling, and despite being the champion of the ‘R-1 Grand Prix,’ Rion Tazuhara (30), who made headlines for taking a six-day break from the new year, might not be actively invited from Osaka unless there is an additional appeal in the humor of the act. As long as the economic situation at key stations does not improve, the ‘East high, West low’ trend in the comedy world may continue.”
Perhaps sensing this trend, an increasing number of Osaka comedians are entering the Tokyo market before their big break, such as Kohshoga, which won last year’s Women’s Comedian No. 1 Contest THE W.
“If you’re a young comedian, you can be hired for a fee equivalent to the transportation expenses from Osaka for the program. If you want to be active on nationwide variety shows, you should move to Tokyo as soon as possible.”
The “Seventh Generation,” which once dominated the comedy world, is losing momentum, largely due to the new Corona.
“Due to the reduced opportunities to interact with fans, it became difficult to highlight comedians popular among young girls as ‘comedians with idol-like popularity.’ It became a competition of skills.
The impact of not being able to perform live shows led to senior comedians like ‘Chocolate Planet’ entering YouTube, and the view counts of the Seventh Generation’s channels struggled to grow. The ones who survived were comedy duos like ‘Shimofuri Myojo’ and ‘EXIT,’ who were willing to take controversial actions.”
The threat of COVID has subsided, so the producer mentioned earlier predicts that the number of talents invited to the talk shows will increase this year.
“With it being a large-scale talk show after a long time, there will be a demand for an impact that can stand out among the large number of participants more than before. Comedians with strong unique talents or characters might make a breakthrough.”
Will the trend of East High, West Low continue, or will we see the rise of powerful character comedians?
PHOTO： Sono Aida
