Decoding Exaggerated Maki Yoko – Hollywood’s Zakoshisyoh Boom Without Matsumoto Hitoshi

With Matsumoto Hitoshi of “Downtown” leaving the spotlight due to the recent series of Bunshun reports, the world of comedy is experiencing a seismic shift.

The comedy monster Sanma Akashiya lamented on his radio show, saying,

“There’s no work coming my way.” 

However, amidst this, there are comedians who have seen an increase in work due to Matsumoto’s absence.

One of them is the solo comedian Hollywood Zakoshisyoh.

Zakoshisyoh will serve as a judge for the “13th YTV Manzai Newcomer Award” to be broadcast live on Yomiuri TV on March 3rd. This will mark his first time judging in the Manzai Award race.

This award is a gateway for young manzai comedians. Other judges include Ringo from “High Heel,” Kuma from “The Plan 9,” Nozomu Iwao from “Football Hour,” and Tetsuo Sato from “Punk Boo Boo.”

“Until last year, the judge for the same award was Kazutaka Ozawa from ‘Speed Wagon.’ However, he was specifically mentioned as a ‘handler’ in the Matsumoto report, and subsequently fell ill, resulting in a doctor’s order to stop working. In place of Ozawa, Zakoshi was chosen.” (Comedy industry insider)

When it comes to Zakoshi, his specialty lies in his passionate performances, but his private life is known to be the exact opposite of his stage persona. According to entertainment industry insiders,

“He spent a long time in the trenches, and it wasn’t until he won the ‘R-1 Grand Prix’ in 2016 that he finally saw the light of day. Having struggled so much, he never wants to return to extreme poverty.

He’s said to be wary of accidents, to the point where he refuses to buy a personal car. Although he loves alcohol, he avoids places that feel like they’re ‘for big shots,’ instead opting to spend endless hours drinking with his juniors. Despite his wild on-stage style, he leads an extremely wholesome life.”

With the recent Bunshun report on Matsumoto, there’s a trend of digging up past extravagant womanizing stories, but in Zakoshisyoh’s case, there’s simply no such thing to unearth.

According to another comedy industry insider, “Even when he goes to group dates, he’s often in a ‘Who’s that?’ state, and it’s never been particularly amusing. So even if you try to dig into his past, nothing comes up.”

For television stations, who cast their shows with bated breath, never knowing when a scandal might emerge, Zakoshisyoh is an incredibly reliable presence.

“Lately, he’s been not just on the panel, but also directing programs as an MC. He’s fundamentally serious, so he’s well-received by station employees. There’s potential for him to shine in this new era without Matsumoto.” (TV industry insider)

Nevertheless, Zakoshisyoh himself has no intention of retreating into a “defensive” stance.

Lately, the gag about “Exaggerated Maki Yoko” has been buzzing big time.

Maki received a message on social media from former Plus-Minus member Yoshimasa Iwahashi, saying, 

“You’re the one who shot me with an air gun.”

Revealed and thrust into the limelight as a hot topic, Maki responded during a live stream on TikTok,

“I didn’t shoot anyone with an air gun.”

“Isn’t it amazing? There are people who actually believe in this air gun thing. Isn’t that incredible?”

But what caught the attention of netizens wasn’t just the denial of the allegations, but Maki’s rather unusual behavior.

In an insta-live that was held on a different day, Maki received a comment from a viewer saying,

“Maki’s name is trending on X.”

Upon hearing this, her demeanor changed drastically. She contorted her face and screamed, 

“Don’t look at me like that!”

while repeatedly slamming the Tokyo Metropolitan Police mascot character “Pipo-kun” onto the ground. Then she exclaimed again,

“I only want you to see what I don’t want you to see!”

This behavior caused quite a stir.

Zakoshi quickly caught wind of this. He parodied the phrase “〇×△～” before Maki’s outburst, translating it into “Tin Kon Kan Kon.” Although his impersonation no longer resembled the original, it received rave reviews online:

“I laughed so hard I thought I’d die.”

“I thought my stomach was going to burst.”

The video has racked up 660,000 views as of the 28th.

“The filming location for the video is the basement of her new house. To avoid causing a nuisance to the neighbors regardless of the time of filming, she ended up in the basement. She doesn’t want to miss any opportunities, so she’s willing to film videos even after midnight if she comes up with ideas.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

Could this mark the unexpected arrival of the “Zakoshisyoh era?”