Do Visual Effects Keep Us Glued? Deep-Dive into Japan’s Most Captivating Comedians

Teruke: “The Sagrada Família has been under construction for 140 years and it’s still not finished.”

Ace: “Why do we have to go all the way to Spain just to look at a construction site? They’re probably short on workers and trying to put us to work. The only time it’s fun to see something halfway done is when you’re grilling rice cakes!”

This is part of the routine performed by the comedy duo Batteries in the final round of M-1 Grand Prix 2024 (TV Asahi). Teruke, the “boke” (funny man), introduces World Heritage Sites such as the Sagrada Família, while the ignorant Ace delivers the punchlines. Their light, quick-witted exchange captivated viewers. Saori Yasutake, PR and marketing representative at the TV viewing data analysis company REVISIO (hereafter R Company), explains:

“Recently, many comedians—often highly educated—perform intelligent, polished material. What Batteries deliver stands apart from that sophistication. Their exquisitely crafted ignorant talk keeps viewers’ eyes glued to the screen.”

From the first part: “M-1,” “King of Conte,” “THE SECOND” — What in-depth analysis of award competitions revealed!

 

When the first routine hits, the second one

R Company also analyzed the attention level for each individual routine in M-1 and King of Conte, the two programs with the highest overall glued-to-the-screen scores. They ranked the top 30 acts (the routine titles are provisional). In first place was Batterys, introduced earlier. Second place went to Yarens, who reached the final round in M-1 2023.

“They give a light, humorous explanation of the bizarre services offered at a ramen shop called ‘Menjamin Button Soup-na Ramen,’ a pun on the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. When the first routine is strong, the second routine tends to score even higher in attention. For Yarens, their first routine in the same competition, ‘Moving House’ (ranked 17th), landed well with the audience, and their second routine placed second. Batterys, who took first place, also advanced to the final round thanks to their well-received first routine (ranked 26th, ‘Famous Quotes from Great Figures’).” (same source)

In addition to clever dialogue, a comedian’s visual appeal and performance style — visual effects — also help raise attention levels. Hikaru Mitsuhashi, marketing team manager at R Company, explains:

“In third place is Yoneda 2000, who appeared in the first round of M-1 2022. They’re a contrasting female duo: the larger Ai and the smaller Makoto. Their ‘Mochi Pounding’ routine involves pounding mochi in England for some reason. The upbeat rhythm of ‘pettanko!’ and ‘aai!’ naturally draws viewers’ eyes.”

Fourth place went to Nippon no Shachō, who performed in the 1st stage of King of Conte 2024. Their elaborate stage set is said to have boosted viewers’ attention. Mitsuhashi continues:

“In their routine ‘New Team Member,’ the baseball team’s practice area — bat cases, benches, everything — is recreated. You can’t help but watch the quick movements of the new club member as the coach yells ‘Speak up!’ Even if the talking is outstanding, acts with little visual impact tend not to rank highly. If the material is funny just by listening, people don’t need to look at the screen. That’s likely why Westland, who won M-1 2022, didn’t make the ranking.”

Entertainment journalist Masao Nakanishi, an expert on comedy, adds:

“It’s interesting that THE SECOND ranks third in overall competition attention. The performers are comedians who have been together 16 years or more and still haven’t had their big break. People who have struggled tend to have depth. Viewers may be enjoying not only the routines but also empathizing with the life story and drama behind the comedians.”

Comedy award competitions continue to diversify according to the comedians’ backgrounds and performance styles. In comedy, the lives of the performers themselves are being scrutinized.

6th place: Reiwa Roman. M-1 Grand Prix 2024 – Final Round. As major contenders, they ranked 6th and 8th in attention level. On the left is the boke, Kuruma Takahira. On the right is the tsukkomi, Kemuri Matsui. Both are graduates of Keio University.

Measurement Method for Comedy Award Races & Comedians

R Company independently researched how much people sitting in front of their televisions were actually looking at the screen — a measure they call the “Glued-to-the-Screen Index” (attention level / engagement level). Attention level is measured based on the number of seconds viewers kept their eyes on the screen, and engagement level is measured based on how many people were looking. When people half-watch TV while doing other tasks such as cooking, they often aren’t actually looking at the screen, so the glued-to-the-screen index does not rise. With cooperation from about 2,000 households (around 4,800 people) in the Kanto region and about 600 households (around 1,500 people) in the Kansai region, R Company independently investigated which comedy award competitions and which comedians kept viewers most fixated. For the award competitions, results were analyzed by age group. For the comedians, the analysis focused on finalists from 2022 to 2024 in the two contests with the highest viewer engagement: M-1 and King of Conte.

The term household TV-on rate refers to television ratings.

—from “FRIDAY”, October 24–31, 2025 combined issue.