Manzai

A manzai is a comedic act usually associated with the Kansai region of Japan, which is comprised of the acts of boke and tsukkomi. The boke is the act of saying something that is stupid, ignorant, out of line, or aloof. In response, the other person that is in on the manzai does a tsukkomi, which involves a quick, witty retaliatory response that often involves harsh verbal or physical abuse. When a person who wants to do a manzai says a pun in an act of boke, that person may long for another person to "put in" a tsukkomi. The term manzai was first

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coined by Yoshimoto Kogyo's advertising department.

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Manzai (漫才) is a style of stand-up comedy in Japan, where two performers—a straight man (tsukkomi) and a funny man (boke)—trade jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve around mutual misunderstandings, double-talk, puns and other verbal gags.

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The form is associated with the Osaka region, and manzai performers often speak in the Kansai dialect. The most famous manzai company is Osaka's Yoshimoto Kogyo.

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Takeshi Kitano, now a famous actor and director, was originally a manzai comedian.

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Stand-up comedy: A stand-up comedian or stand-up comic is someone that performs comedy in an informal way, talking to the audience with the absence of a fourth wall. It is usually done by one comedian and usually with a microphone. It can be done in comedy clubs, colleges, theaters, alternative venues--almost anyw...

Japan: For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation)....

Straight man: A straight man is a role in a comedy double act where a performer works with a comedian by setting up the situations or feeding the lines that allow their partner to make a joke. This usually occurs in the setting of a comedy team....