Japanese TV Part 5

Sometimes I just don't understand...

The rage in Japan is comedy fads. A performer finds a bit that's sort of funny. He performs it on a variety show. It gains popularity and becomes a sensation. But the funny thing is rarely a character, or a sketch. It's usually just a single joke. One bit. And it becomes a sensation. These things, naturally, only last about six months before fading away, and the performer becomes a panelist on another variety/game show.

Right now, this guy is the current fad. All he does is count. And when he gets to 3, 5, sometimes 6, sometimes 8, and 9, he does a funny voice. That's it. That's his whole thing. My kids love it. They love when I do it. They come up to me and say "ich, ni," hoping that I'll say "SAN" in a funny voice. They can't get enough of it. I think its the stupidest thing ever.

When I came to Japan, this guy was the fad. In this clip, he's doing a commercial for a Pokemon-like game called "Dragon Tamer", but the shtick is virtually the same no matter what the context. Six months ago, the kids liked when I said "sonnano kanke ne" and did the thing that he does, but now they don't care about that. This guy has retired his speedo and now appears (fully clothed) on variety shows.

Before I came to Japan, about a year and a half ago, Hard Gay was the fad. He actually does a character, so I think he's idea had more legs than these other things. But now, he's old news.


Update: I don't know why, but some of those links went down. Here's another video of Kojima Yoshio - the "opapi" guy. Here's the counting guy - counting in English for an American guy - this is extra weird...