<figure id="attachment_395462" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2496px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395462"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f46cb23b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/75640227998eecede6d67dd56527874d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395462" class="wp-caption-text">Right after the victory, Tsukamoto (left) and Tameguchi answered interviews with beaming smiles. Reflecting on their crown after the fifth attempt, they said, “We&#8217;ve finally shaken off the habit of losing.”</figcaption></figure>
<h2>&#8220;Let&#8217;s make it last year.&#8221; had decided.</h2>
“During the commercials before the results were announced, Hamada-san (Masatoshi, 61) teased me, saying, &#8216;Don&#8217;t be a loser. Before the final stage, I remembered what Makoto Ohtake (75), a senior staff member at my office, had said to me: ‘You won&#8217;t win anyway, but do your best’ (laughs). So when I won, I was stunned.”
Speaking in unison are Naoki Tsukamoto (39, left), the straight man, and Yutaro Tameguchi (39), the comic of the comedy duo &#8220;Love Letters,&#8221; who were crowned the 17th champions of &#8220;King of Conte 2024.&#8221; After grabbing glory in their fifth final, they savored their joy.
Tameguchi: &#8220;For 16 years, I&#8217;ve walked alongside this tournament. I had decided before the competition that this would be my last year, so I never thought I would actually win.&#8221;
Tsukamoto: &#8220;I really didn&#8217;t think winning was even a possibility. Thanks to my seniors, who helped us relax in a good way, we were able to perform without unnecessary pressure.&#8221;
Tameguchi: &#8220;Instead, we were able to go in with a carefree attitude (laughs).&#8221;
The winning skit features a striking setting where a foreign man with blonde hair picks up a bald woman who is a Jubilo Iwata fan while she ponders by the seaside. The judges gave it a &#8216;total punchline.&#8217;
Tameguchi: &#8220;Even if there were mixed opinions, we absolutely wanted to perform two of our own bold skits that we&#8217;ve been doing until now.&#8221;
Tsukamoto: &#8220;Soon, we&#8217;ll both be 40. Looking back, we’ve only done edgy material. However, considering our age, we decided to switch to a skit that incorporated a sense of melancholy, focusing on something that only we could do. We wanted to showcase our unique comedy that younger people can&#8217;t replicate.&#8221;
Tameguchi: &#8220;That said, we received so much criticism that it didn’t feel like a winning skit (laughs). Maybe that&#8217;s why it didn&#8217;t feel real.&#8221;
As these two continue to evolve, what ambitions do they aim for next?
Tameguchi: &#8220;In addition to the prize money, I want to fund and create a special program mainly featuring our agency’s comedians. I&#8217;d like to ask my seniors, the Asagaya Sisters, to be the MC!&#8221;
Tsukamoto: &#8220;I’ll invest in it too (laughs). If there are any interesting TV stations, please reach out!&#8221;
They are about to enter their &#8216;unwavering  phase, yet they will continue to advance on their comedy path without hesitation.
&nbsp;
<figure id="attachment_395583" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395583"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5284e694"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/5a3dabde2c7cb9234f47fab3d43cd8e3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395583" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from this magazine: [Congratulations on winning &#8220;King of Conte 2024&#8221;] Exclusive interview with Love Letters! &#8220;We wanted to showcase the melancholy of a 40-year-old duo.&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_395584" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395584"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="969789e6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/fc48e84d091ca7b7165ff7150ddc4d65.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395584" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from this magazine: [Congratulations on winning &#8220;King of Conte 2024&#8221;] Exclusive interview with Love Letters! &#8220;We wanted to showcase the melancholy of a 40-year-old duo.&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
From the November 1 and 8, 2024 issue of FRIDAY

 Hiroyuki Komatsu

 We interviewed the comedy duo "Love Letters," who became the 17th champions of "King of Conte 2024! The hard-working duo finally won the championship for the fifth time. What is the next ambition of this ever-evolving duo...

King of Conte 2024 Champions Love Letters Share Their Story

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