The Making of “Linda Color Infinity” Runner-Up of Omoshiro Sou

The next one will win the world”!

Den, Taiko, and Rinapippi of the comedy trio “Linda Color ∞” won second place in “Gurunai Omoshiro-so” (Nippon Television Network Corporation) on New Year’s Day 2012, and are now sought after for their variety shows. Where did they come from and where are they headed?

We asked them to speak frankly about their current situation, including how the trio was formed, how “Charismanzai” came to be, the influence of their unit live members, episodes with their closest senior comedians, and the background behind Taiko’s character that made Daigo of Chidori say, “I’m going to win the world next. Taiko is our secret weapon.

Taiko is our secret weapon.

–On New Year’s Day this year, he won second place in the “Gurunai Omoshiro-so” competition. Since then, Rinapippi has been the main actor on “Chance no Jikan” (AbemaTV), Taiko has appeared on “Aiseki Shokudo” (ABC TV), and other individual activities have also been remarkable.

Den: To be honest, I had a vague idea about Rinapippi, but the speed to Taiko was too fast. Daigo-san from Chidori is crazy (laughs). (Laughs.) It was Chidori who first found out how to make Rinapippi interesting, so I can only be grateful to him, but I think he found it a little faster than I had planned. But I think he found it faster than I did. He said, “Taiko is our secret weapon, so please let me hide it.

Taiko: I appreciate that. I am simply surprised that I can get so much work after 5 or 6 years of no sales. What I do has changed a lot from before.

Rinapippi：I enjoy doing different things every day. I think I am more excited about the variety of things I can do than anxious.

Den：Rinapippi has a different potential. Before a performance, both the performers and the staff are a little tense. Only Rinappi is drawing on the whiteboard backstage (laughs). I think that mindset must come from their roots, and I think they are not ordinary comedians in the way they sit on their stomachs.

Let’s do comedy in a broader entertainment context.

–I think that Den and Taiko were doing well as a duo, appearing on “Ukemen” (Fuji Television/ irregular: Nov. ’18 – Jun. ’19, regular monthly: Aug. ’19 – ended Sept. ’20). ～I think she was doing well, appearing in “Ukemen” (Fuji Television/ irregular: Nov. ’18 – Jun. ’19, regular monthly: Aug. ’19 – Sep. ’20). Why did you decide to include Rina Pippi?

Den：We were doing well enough to have a full house at every new material live performance, but during the Corona period, we began to look at ourselves and feel that our truly unique style might be found somewhere other than the “M-1 Grand Prix” evaluation.

I love manzai, and because I had been dealing with it for so long, I felt that there was no need to be restricted by the boundaries of manzai. I had always been a “local funny guy” type, and I didn’t become a comedian by watching manzai or M-1, so I felt I was being forced into something.

Just as I was beginning to think about “doing comedy in a broader entertainment context” before becoming a comedian, I met Rinapippi at a live performance of her new material. Then I started rapping, dancing, and using other free forms of expression to create material.

(Den) — Rinapippi, what were you doing when “Ukemen” started?

Rinappi: It was right after I left Yamagata for Tokyo, so I got a job at a ramen restaurant and made ramen every day. Some days were from noon to night, some days were late at night, and when I got home, I would just go to bed. I would cut off the hot water and go to bed, cut off the hot water and go to bed, and so on (laughs). I don’t think I even heard the word “comedy.

Two years ago, I was working at a shisha shop when I went to see Linda Colour perform live, and a friend of mine was a fan of both of them and invited me. I don’t mean to be rude, but at the time I didn’t even know that there were professional or amateur comedians, and I thought it sounded really fun, so I impulsively said I wanted to join.

Taiko: I found out about it at a story meeting after a live performance. I went to a coffee shop, and a girl I didn’t know was there and said, “I’m joining today. I panicked, but I felt like I had no choice but to do it, since she had already said she was going in and we were together. Basically, Den tends to report after the fact. We have known each other since childhood, and we know each other’s personalities, so it would be a waste of time if we talked about it. So I accepted it as it was.

Den: I’m sorry (laughs). It’s amazing, isn’t it?

The story behind the birth of “Charismanzai,” Mr. Suga-chan Supreme No. 1, and Mr. Great Adventure. (Ryosei-san, Ibuku Ipponmichi) and Den’s life together, etc. can be read in the paid version [FRIDAY Subscription].

The paid version 【 FRIDAY Subscription] is here.