Matt Fargo (53 page)

omona owarai konbi

…are hilarious.
. . .wa waraeru yone

 

Downtown
dauntaun

Downtown is the best, not just because they have been around forever but because they are just malicious enough to make you laugh and wince at the same time.

 

London Boots
ronbū

London Boots hails from Tokyo, and they like to play pranks on unsuspecting people. A lot of it involves catching people who cheat on their boyfriends/girlfriends and publicly humiliating them.

 

Ninety Nine
nainai

Ninety Nine is a lot like Downtown—a duo from Osaka that moved to Tokyo and diversified. Okamura is funny and looks like a chimpanzee, but Downtown is still cooler.

Neptune
nepuchūn

Neptune is a 3-man comedy group, not as raunchy or edgy as some others, although they used to work with a comedian named Becky who is like a prettier, funnier version of Christina Ricci. Becky, will you go to the prom with me?

 

Akashiya Sanma
sanma san

Akashiya Sanma is the O.G. Japanese comedian. He’s like Johnny Carson. His buckteeth are an icon of the entire Japanese entertainment industry.

manga to anime

Man, some American kids are really into manga and anime! I don’t get what they like about it so much, or why they choose the anime that they do, but are they ever crazy about it. One thing is for sure, though: these kids are enjoying it in an entirely different way than their Japanese counterparts. I’m hoping that the following phrases may help open up a dialogue between the nerd communities of our two great countries so we can solve this mystery once and for all.