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.”
