Total Tenbosu’s Surprising Stumbling Block: Being Too Perfect, Skills Too Advanced
The comedy duo Total Ten Boss is formed by Kenji Fujita and Tomohiro Omura. The duo has won numerous awards, including runner-up in the “M-1 Grand Prix 2007” (TV Asahi) and three consecutive championships in the “Bakusho On Air Battle” (NHK Sogo). Looking at their accomplishments alone, it is not surprising that the duo is even more successful, but for some reason, they do not seem to be getting a lot of buzz.
Although they are rarely seen on TV, they held a nationwide manzai tour in 2011 and have about 580,000 subscribers on YouTube, where they appear as a duo. Their prank and surprise videos are popular among viewers for being “funny no matter how many times you watch them” and “the two are so friendly it’s funny. Recently, they have appeared on popular programs such as “Godtan” and “Here and There Audrey” (both on TV Tokyo) and “Aiseki Shokudo” (ABC TV), which are popular among comedy fans.
Omura seems to have all the ingredients for a buzz, but he is not getting any buzz. As for Omura, it is probably well known that he appears with his son Haruka in “Chidori no kuse ga sukkai neta GP” (Fuji TV). He appears as a stand-in for his son, and his relentless teasing of his father is very popular.
As for Fujita, he is known for his love of high school baseball and coaches his son’s baseball team. Like Omura, he also co-stars with his son on TV.
In “I Am Adventure Boy” (TBS), in which he takes on the challenge of escaping from a deserted island, Fujita’s spartan coaching of his son became a small topic of conversation. Mr. Fujita showed a stern side, and viewers commented that he had a good relationship with his son and that they wanted a husband and father like him.
Both are married with children. As the mainstay of the family, they must have a good income. Fujita has purchased a new 4WD car and seems to be particular about his cars.
They are both multi-talented and multi-faceted. They seem to be on the verge of another breakthrough, but Omura’s infidelity in 2005 drew attention to them and they were expected to be beaten up, but the public’s reaction was not positive. If Haruka’s breakthrough doesn’t work out, they must be at a loss as to what to do.
On “Godotan,” Total Ten Bosch asked the other comedians what was wrong with them. Yuuki Iwai of Haraiichi pointed out that they were too technically skilled and did not show their humanity. When you have a high level of technical skill, you can put an Ochi (punchline) to your material properly. However, there are some stories that are interesting precisely because they do not have an ending. It was also pointed out in the program that he is “too proper.
Total Ten Boss is a guy who is talented and has a good track record, but he doesn’t get a big buzz. Perhaps that is why there are so many fans who like them.
Photo: Kyodo News