Former Star Comedian Reveals Why Comedians Fail in Choosing Acts

Maeda Seji Reflects on the 2023 M-1 Grand Prix.

On June 26, the entry for the 20th “M-1 Grand Prix 2024” finally began. While there are no major rule changes, this year, the selection area has expanded to include Niigata, setting the stage for even fiercer competition.

Every year, expectations run high for this tournament, which generates various dramas. Looking back at last year, there were bright spots like Reiwa Roman winning as the first act to perform, reminiscent of the inaugural tournament in ’01. However, there was also a strong impression of many comedy duos being bewildered by their choice of material, highlighting the long-standing importance of “selecting the right material.”

Maeda Seiji, who has been involved with M-1 since its inception as a production staff member and preliminary judge, and who has also served as a lecturer at a training school for over 25 years, shared similar thoughts on X (formerly Twitter).

Things got exciting, but.

“This is just my personal opinion, but in last year’s M-1 Grand Prix, only the three acts that made it to the final had material strong enough to win. Everyone else seemed to have made mistakes in their choice of material.”

These words come from Seji Maeda, who served as a production staff member and a judge up to the semifinals from the first to the 18th M-1 Grand Prix. However, due to the television station’s desire to rejuvenate its staff, he stepped back from the tournament starting from the 2023 edition along with other longtime staff members.

The loser’s revival round was structured into three blocks using a tournament format, where one pair from each block would advance. From these, professional comedians would choose one pair. 

Interestingly, this style was something that a few writers who have been involved in M-1 production for a long time had always decided they would “absolutely not do” (bitter smile). The reason is that there’s a possibility that several pairs that should be in the final could end up in one block.

Maeda entered NSC Yoshimoto Comprehensive Entertainment School as a first-year student and performed as part of the duo “Ginji and Seiji”. Alongside classmates like Downtown, he competed in comedy competitions in Osaka and won various awards, including the precursor to “Waratte Iitomo!” and the “Imamiya Kodomo Ebisu Manzai Newcomer Contest”. His words carry a natural weight.

“Also, the revival venue was too large. While it was great to have a lot of audience participation and excitement, in comedy, if the venue is too big, people at the back can’t see the comedians’ expressions.

Therefore, traditionally, comedy venues should be neither too small nor too large, allowing everyone to see the whole body and understand the facial expressions. Gestures and expressions are crucial elements of humor. Even if large screens show close-ups of the upper body, there’s a slight delay in the mic picking up the audio, which could hinder enjoying the comedy duo.”

His strict critique isn’t because he unintentionally left the M-1 production staff. Since the first tournament, he has been seriously involved with M-1, focusing on making it a comedian-centric event and nurturing it.

“When it was decided to start M-1 in ’01, the initiator and producer Mr. Taniguchi immediately approached me. He said, ‘You used to be a comedian and now teach at NSC, so you understand how participating comedians feel.’ That’s why he let me boldly share various opinions.

 

‘I think for the first round, it’s best to give amateur participants 2 minutes for their act,’ and ‘For the preliminary judges’ seat, it’s better to place it behind the audience where comedians can’t see, and for the final, next to the stage on the right.’ Actually, my opinions have been adopted in many places.”

Has being at the mercy of choosing jokes been caused by online streaming?

Leaving the production staff wasn’t just a negative thing. That’s because, having been a lecturer at NSC for many years, almost all of the contestants who reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals were former students.

“Until then, I drew a line between contestants and staff in my mind to ensure fairness.

For example, even if I was approached by a beloved former student, once the competition started, I wouldn’t go out to meals with talented contestants likely to make it to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, or finals. I was that thorough about it.

But this time, I didn’t have to worry about that, so I could cheer sincerely while watching TV, and I could freely express those feelings on X. That’s why now I can say things like, ‘They had even better jokes,’ with a laugh. In the future, I plan to advise my students without worrying about anything.”

As mentioned earlier, they talk about how last year’s competition saw most duos except the final three struggling with their material choices, with particular regret for Danbira Muchou.

“Maybe if Danbira had performed their material from three years ago last year, they might have made it to the final three. Back then, they had several really good jokes.

They were advancing at a level close to the top three, but in ’21, they messed up their material in the quarter-finals, and in ’22, they made the wrong choice in the semi-finals. If they hadn’t made those mistakes, I think they could have made it to the final those years.”

Maeda-san analyzes that about ten years ago, the rise of online streaming may have caused comedians to struggle with their material choices.

 

“Since then, comedians have started worrying about their material choices from duos whose videos got a lot of views and became popular. They might think, ‘If it’s seen a lot online, everyone knows our secrets.’ 

 

But, usually, only hardcore comedy fans watch the preliminaries on streaming. People watching on TV don’t know anything yet, but comedians misunderstand and change their material that hasn’t been revealed yet.”

“The important thing is to ‘make it to the finals’. In other words, ‘not getting buried among the other duos’. If you have two really strong jokes that are guaranteed to get laughs, you should prioritize making it through the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the finals, regardless of the number of views from online streaming.”

“Persistence” in creating jokes and “courage” in discarding them.

If you don’t have two really strong jokes that are sure to make people laugh, what should you do?

“In NSC classes, they often say, ‘When you talk, make jokes that include at least 2-3 memorable punchlines or phrases.’

Also, don’t create jokes about topics that everyone else has already exhausted. A few years ago, when dating apps were popular, there were so many comedy acts using that as their material. But if you use topics that everyone thinks of, your jokes might get lost among the crowd.”

However, if you have the confidence that your joke about dating apps is the funniest among all that have been made so far, that’s a different story. But just thinking, “Well, it’s getting laughs, so this joke is good enough,” won’t likely get you through the preliminaries.

Also, as advice for amateurs, it’s better if you at least change into proper stage attire before going on stage. Even a stage costume carries significance.

When I entered NSC as a first-year student at 17, I was surrounded by formidable rivals: the generation who led the comedy boom of the 1980s like Shimada Shinsuke, Ryusuke, Two Beat, and B&B were just above me. Alongside me were contemporaries like Downtown, Tomiizu, and High Heel. Despite the tough competition, I fought my battles with determination as “Ginji and Seiji.”

 

“Of course, I had to compete with my peers, and if I couldn’t catch up to seniors like Shimada Shinsuke and Sanma Akashiya, I wouldn’t get work and wouldn’t be able to make a living. In that situation, I only created jokes that I was 100% confident would make the audience laugh. There was no room for half-hearted material. 

 

Today, with the increase in the number of comedians, standing out isn’t easy. That’s why it’s crucial not to create jokes that will get lost among the crowd.

 

It’s natural to spend months searching for jokes that are funnier than what you have now. However, if you have a joke that you’re not entirely confident in, it should only be temporarily ranked first. You need the courage to discard it if you come up with something funnier. If you don’t have two jokes that you wouldn’t be ashamed to perform anywhere, I hope you focus on creating jokes that you’re 100% confident will make the audience laugh.”