Kyu

The material was definitely funny, but it didn't get across... What changed in last year's M-1?

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Comedian Kyu

Piro (left)
Date of birth: 1986 year 5 month 4 day
Birthplace: Aichi Prefecture
Special skills: Illustration, making a loud noise while eating potato chips
 
Makoto Shimizu (right)
Date of birth: 1984 year 2 month 23 day
Birthplace: Aichi Prefecture
Special skills: Karate, ability to cry instantly

Titan Co., Ltd.
Kyu's Official Comedy Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDishZFfEEFw_TRee8w4WRg

Kyuu made a name for themselves with the material they performed in the losers' bracket of the M-1 Grand Prix 2020, which determines the top manzai comedian. In fact, there was a time in the past when the awkwardness and awkwardness they created was not well received... Now that they have overcome that disappointment, what kind of year will 2021 be for them? We spoke to the two men who are currently in the spotlight about their thoughts on manzai.

■What was your student life like?

Shimizu: I had wanted to be a comedian since I was in middle school, but my parents persuaded me to go to university. However, I just couldn't give up my dream of becoming a comedian, so they convinced me to go to Kinki University, which is within commuting distance of NSC (Yoshimoto Comprehensive Performing Arts Academy).
When I enrolled, the classes were so difficult that I couldn't afford to attend NSC (laughs). But I thought that if I couldn't continue at university, I might as well give up on my dream of becoming a comedian, so I finished earning all the credits in three years and attended NSC for the last year.

Piro: My parents also wanted me to get an education. They said I could do whatever I wanted as long as I went to university, so I would skip classes to play, or stay in the classroom after school to talk with my friends.
After graduating, he pursued his dream of becoming a manga artist since he was in junior high school, but gave up on that dream at the age of 25 to become a comedian. Shimizu was a senior at the agency at the time, and the two of them became good friends as they spent time showing each other their material and playing games.

■It seems that you were active as separate duos, but could you tell us how you came to form the duo?

Shimizu: Even back then, Piro's material was very unique, and he had a sensibility that I didn't have. I used to watch their manzai and think, "I could make it even funnier!", so I wanted to form a comedy duo with him after they broke up.

Piro: If my partner doesn't think the material I create is funny, it's no fun, so I think that trust is important. I had that trust with Shimizu, so there was no way we wouldn't team up.

■You two have similar ideas about what's funny. What do you think is good about manzai?

Piro: It's the fact that you can take full responsibility for the material. I think the simplicity of standing unarmed on a battlefield where tricks don't work is cool. In a comedy sketch, you can use the set and setting to transport the audience into the world of the material, but manzai starts from scratch. That's why the great thing about manzai is that you need a variety of skills, such as a script, acting, and the ability to convey something even when you're silent.

Shimizu: A skit is such a blank slate that you don't know what to do. Manzai has a format that has been established by our predecessors, so you can either follow that path or go off the rails. I think I've always admired manzai, which requires a lot of thought and ingenuity.

Piro: In comedy sketches, you have an escape route where you can blame the world around you, but in manzai, it's all your own responsibility, and I think the audience feels the same way. The weight of that burden really hurts.

■Recently, there has been an increase in live performances without audiences, so I think there are fewer opportunities to feel that "tension"...

Shimizu: Our material isn't the type that requires us to create an atmosphere together with the audience, so we don't feel empty. These days, we can check the reactions on social media.

Piro: The response to M-1 has become more visible and easier to understand. I don't feel like my motivation has dropped because of the coronavirus pandemic.

■It seems that the reactions from customers are what make the job rewarding.

Piro: Of course, I'm happy when the audience thinks we're funny, but I also have a strong desire to be appreciated by those involved and senior comedians. The two big evaluations are important - solo live shows and M-1. M-1 is especially important because it's a competition that evaluates all the duos without exception, so doing well there is the only way to avoid complaints.

■Is there anything difficult about performing your material?

Shimizu: Even if we perform the same material, the way it is evaluated can change depending on the stage we're on. "Lupin" is a material we did early on when we formed, but we finally received positive reviews when we performed it in the semi-finals of the M-1 last year. Piro's material is definitely funny, so it was frustrating for a while when people weren't getting that.

Piro: The material I create isn't what the audience wants to see. Viewers only laugh at what they want to see, so I've been slowly making changes to my mindset to provide a platform for those audiences. I think that was suddenly broken through by M-1.

■Has your style of comedy remained the same since the old days?

Shimizu: I've always done material that makes you feel uneasy, like when you're watching a non-ghost episode of "Tales of the Unusual."

Piro: I try to convey that creepiness by balancing "intuition" and "logic." The material that makes comedians laugh is based on the intuition, and anything that follows a formula doesn't really go over well. But if I make material that's based solely on the intuition, it won't be well-received by the audience, so I consciously work to use logic to make it easy to understand. I think it won't get across unless it's both silly and clever. I have to be able to communicate it to people who don't like comedy.

■Please tell us about your future dreams and goals.

Piro: My goal is to win the M-1! And I want to grow to the point where Tokyo03 will be conscious of the date of our solo live show. I'd like to scare them into thinking, "I don't want to overlap with Kyuu."
The comedian I respect is Bakarhythm. He may just not show what he's not good at, but as far as I can see, he's a complete comedian, so I think he's amazing.

Shimizu: I want to be active in many fields, so I would choose Yo Oizumi and Yusuke Santamaria.

Piro: Wouldn't a comedian be better?

Shimizu: I was planning to answer if asked, but I forgot (laughs). I'll tell you when I remember.

■Finally, please give us a message for university students.

Shimizu: One of my teachers quit his job at the age of 40, saying, "I'm going to live my life doing what I love." It made me realize that there is such a free way to live. So I don't think you need to think about life so seriously. There's no need to rush.

Piro: Even if you're told to think about the future, it's hard to know. You might get rejected in a job interview, but I think it's okay to just think, "What can you know in an instant?" Even funny people get rejected from M-1. I want all university students to think that it's all down to luck, and to think softly rather than toughly. There's no guarantee that the future you'll have if you get stuck in a mold will be happy. It's actually fine to choose a fun path. You can change direction as many times as you want in life. It's better to have even one fewer wrinkle when you die. Laugh lines are fine, though. When everyone looks at you at the end, you want to look like you're satisfied.

Student Newspaper WEB Interview Date January 20, 2021 Meiji Gakuin University 1rd year student Sugai Nanami