by One Little Day Magazine
Manzai is a form of comedy from Japan. Manzai Bonbon (part of the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo), is a duo of MIKI and OOTA that has been in Taiwan for ten years. They write side-splitting jokes based on the differences in language and culture they come across in everyday life. For their tenth anniversary in Taiwan, they are set to present an all-new show at the Weiwuying Showtime series that is sure to make you laugh your manzai off!
Manzai is usually performed by a team of two, a funny man (boke) and a straight man (tsukkomi). Most of the content comes from the performers' observations of everyday life or, as with Manzai Bonbon, their own experiences. MIKI came to Taiwan because he can speak Mandarin, and over the past ten years working with OOTA, they have experienced so many unimaginable things. For instance, they recall going to a drink shop but being unable to clearly communicate with the clerk: "Just to get a cup of boba milk tea, the clerk had to put us through a special 'drink-ordering training' because of all the choices!" They turned the incident into one of their most classic acts.
After ten years, not only is buying drinks no longer a challenge; they even feel more fluid speaking Mandarin than Japanese in their shows. OOTA says that Mandarin, unlike his mother tongue, does not require a change in linguistic form based on who you are talking to, so it's a lot more direct and easier to interact with the audience, and "I don't know why, but I feel a bit awkward when doing the straight man in Japanese." That is, when saying his lines, speaking Mandarin feels so much more natural. MIKI agrees: "Compared with Japanese, it's a lot easier to be funny in Mandarin."
Though their daily lives are their source of inspiration, the themes of their work are not just relegated to cultural differences. OOTA says, "MIKI adds some ridiculous things to the scripts, like tirelessly talking with the doctor about things completely unrelated to vaccination while at a clinic getting a shot." Sometimes the humor is quite complicated, so the audience has to follow along with straight man OOTA to realize he's seriously criticizing the other person. Kids and seniors especially like that kind of comedy: "Whenever we see different reactions from the audience, it feels like an improv show."
For a special full-length performance, to help the audience completely understand the essence of their humor, the performers add in a skit. MIKI stresses, "Since the skit is made for a special performance, it is usually only ever performed that one time." As their Japanese Mandarin Manzai Show at Weiwuying in late April coincides with their tenth anniversary in Taiwan, the skit will look at their journey here. "A lot of people have only heard about us in the past few years, so we want to show them our early stuff." And how will it be presented? They hinted that there will be a video aspect. And just to make sure everyone loses it, they are planning to go all out.
With more and more people getting involved in manzai recently, it is now a part of many Taiwanese people's lives. MIKI says that there used to be no one who knew about it, but now "people buy tickets specifically for manzai acts, and because of their awesome feedback, we feel like we're playing with them, not performing for them." If this show is your first exposure to Manzai Bonbon, raise your hand to let them know; they will definitely step it up a notch to show you manzai at its very best.
