One of the big differences between Japanese prime-time TV and its equivalent in Canada and the United States is that in the former, the zany comedy-variety program has continued in large amounts long after that format had basically ended in the latter nations some decades ago (not counting shows such as "Saturday Night Live"). Not only that, the comedy duos and trios that used to populate those Canadian and American programs from long ago have continued to exist in goodly numbers in Japan. Those groups don't only put on their usual schtick but they also heartily participate in the overall show or quiz program.
So, I've gotten to know acts including Downtown, Utchan-Nanchan, Neptune and the like during my time living in Japan. Another comedy group that has been a frequent presence on many a variety show is Dacho Club（ダチョウ俱楽部）. Consisting of Katsuhiro Higo（肥後克広）, Jimon Terakado（寺門ジモン）and Ryuhei Ueshima（上島竜兵）, they formed up in 1985, initially with a fourth member who was the first leader before leaving. As they did their sometimes painful gags, I was able to distinguish the three from their body types: Higo was the tall one, Terakado was the medium one while Ueshima was the stout one wearing the cap; and he was usually the one that got victimized.
Although the news had been out for a few days already, I didn't find out until earlier this morning through NHK News that Ueshima had passed away at the age of 61, possibly from suicide, according to J-Wiki and news reports that I've seen on YouTube. The Dacho Club member had also been involved separately in other projects as an actor, so his passing has left a lot of his fans, fellow celebrities and certainly his two partners in shock and grief.
In the 1990s, Dacho Club put out a few comical songs into the CD stores, one of which is "Vegetarian Rumba" which was released in June 1994. A laidback ditty about pining for love while making a whole bunch of vegetable puns, I can hear the essence of the late rocker Kiyoshiro Imawano（忌野清志郎）who composed the song while Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）took care of the lyrics.
My condolences go to Ueshima's family, friends, fans and the remaining members of Dacho Club.
I don't follow Japanese comedy but in terms of recent duos, Bananaman has to be near the top? I enjoy their presence on the Nogizaka Under Construction.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you haven't already, you should check out the anime series, "Oddtaxi." One of the characters is a struggling comedy duo that's trying to make it and it seems specific to the Japanese comedy scene.
Yeah, I'd probably say that Bananaman is one of the most well-known comedy teams right now. They helped co-host an NHK music program a few years ago. Thanks for the tip on "Oddtaxi".
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