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#1. M-1 Grand Prix: An annual manzai competition with several thousand contestants held by the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo. Besides being awarded ten million yen, the winners also gain massive exposure in the entertainment sector and invitations to perform on numerous programs. It is Japan's largest-scale comedy contest.
\n\n#2. Manzai: A traditional form of Japanese comedy usually consisting of two people, a tsukkomi (straight man) and a boke (funny man). The former poke's fun at the latter's stupidity, the comedy arising from their verbal interaction.
\n\n#3. Rakugo: A traditional form of Japanese comedy which began in the Edo period (1603 – 1867). The storyteller (rakugoka) respectfully sits in the seiza position (formal kneeling) and tells the story in a vivid way with a reserved repertoire of gestures and simple props.
\n\n#4. Kankurō Kudō: Japanese screenwriter, film director, actor, and guitarist. In 1999, he began writing scripts for a TV series. In 2010, he won a great honor in Japanese screenwriting, the Kuniko Mukōda Award, for the TV show Conceited Detective. His most well-known screenwriting work includes Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Tiger and Dragon, Ama Chan, and Saving My Stupid Youth.
\n\n#5. Shigei Kaneko: Japanese screenwriter. He began in the industry after winning the grand prize for the Fuji Screenwriting Competition in 2004. His most well-known work includes Operation Love, Summer Nude, and The Most Difficult Romance. In 2019, he won a great honor in Japanese screenwriting, the Kuniko Mukōda Award, for the TV show My Story Is Long.
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\n',date:"2022.01.25",description:"This year's manzai M-1 Grand Prix winner, the comedy duo Nishikigoi, is a riot. Following manzai tradition, they wear suits, but Takashi Watanabe, the tsukkomi (straight man), wears dark apparel: a black jacket and pants (navy blue at times) with a shirt and tie to go with the venue. Meanwhile, Masanori Hasegawa, the boke (funny man), always dresses almost completely in white.",image:"087d1c23be731332f614090d139a40f6",title:"A show that makes you cry is the same as one that makes you laugh because both invite you into unique outlooks on life.",tags:["5af04be2beda2e0005bbb3f1"],programs:[]},recommendReadings:[{_id:"62d4fc30869db000072395f1",date:"2022.07.18",introduction:"In the previous article, I discussed how the Théâtre Impérial de l'Opera in Paris invited VERDI to write Don Carlo, which was based on Friedrich SCHILLER's opera by the same name about a historical incident in the Spanish court. The most common of VERDI's versions are the five-act French one and the four-act Italian one. But to really understand VERDI's wholehearted effort and the true appeal of the opera, we must understand the format of the piece—the celebrated genre of grand opera.",image:"8c017f271c1620e1de3b96879b6bcfb3",title:"Why Is Don Carlo a Must-See? (part II)"},{_id:"635f2b50cf05170008b08dc0",date:"2022.10.31",introduction:"Though the album has been much talked about, if someone I know seriously wants to listen to Jazz, I always suggest Bill EVANS' Waltz for Debby.",image:"8e9d49a2df35b49091ade35b3c298f0c",title:"Afro-Cuban Con Soul: The Sound of Motown & Irakere Featuring Caramelo de Cuba & Raul PINEDA"}],relatedPrograms:[]},fetched:!0},shippingAreas:{rows:[],loaded:!1},userAuth:{logined:!1,status:"NORMAL",inited:!1,data:null,showNsoOverlay:!1},announce:{show:!0},youthOverlay:{show:!1,showed:!1},featureCategories:{rows:[],loaded:!1,loading:!1},features:{rows:[],loaded:!1,loading:!1},newsCatalogs:{rows:[],loaded:!1,loading:!1},chronologies:{rows:[],loaded:!1,loading:!1}},routing:{locationBeforeTransitions:null}}