Parthenon Mode

At that time, I'll do anything fun!

■ Profile

Belongs to Production Human Power Company.
Miyaji Shingo (left) / Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1990.
Ryuichi Ono (right) / Born in Tochigi Prefecture in 1995.
School JCA 27th term. Formed in June 2018.
Currently appearing at the agency's live shows "Baka Bakusou!" and "Dokkin!"
He is currently active in live performances and on television, appearing on CX's "Netapare"!
Official profile:http://www.p-jinriki.com/sp/talent/parthenonmode/

The comedy duo Parthenon Mode formed in June 2018. When they appeared on the variety show Netapare (CX), their impersonations of supporting characters from a dating simulation game became a hot topic for being "too realistic." We spoke to them about what inspired them to pursue comedy, how they came to form the duo, and their future goals.

■What was your student life like?

Miya Osamu: I belonged to a group that was completely uncool. At the time, I would look at the people who stood out at the center of the class and think, "Those guys are just funny, they're not funny." Looking back, I was just a bit edgy (laughs). I also used to participate in "imaginary girls' nights" where I would join in on conversations with the girls in my class in my head. I didn't have many friends, so I have almost no fun memories (laughs).
However, because I loved anime and games, I lived a healthy life by coming home earlier than anyone else, watching anime, playing games, doing my homework, and going to bed at 22pm.

Ono: On the other hand, I never studied at all and mostly just played around (laughs). In high school, I didn't study even for a minute during class. I was always fourth from the bottom in my grade, and was even called one of the Four Idiots. But I was lucky enough to get into a university in Tokyo. The only thing I could do well was the questions on "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," which I knew about through games (laughs).

■Please tell us what made you interested in becoming a comedian.

Ono: When I was in elementary school, I played baseball, but I lost an important game that decided whether we would qualify for the prefectural tournament, and I was feeling down. At that time, I saw comedian Go☆Jas's space pirate skit on a TV show called "Iromonea." It was a complete flop, but it was so funny. I had been feeling down until then, but in an instant I was able to laugh. At that moment, I thought, "Comedy is amazing," and I started to get interested in it.

Miya Osamu: I watched the M-1 Grand Prix when I was in elementary school, and I thought the people performing there were really cool. From there, I aspired to become a comedian, and that's when I formed a comedy duo with my best friend in elementary school, a boy named Yama-chan. I even wrote "I want to be a comedian" in my elementary school graduation essay; that was how much I wanted to be a comedian back then. For my summer vacation independent research project, my partner at the time, Yama-chan, and I studied Shinagawa Shoji, and even used the results of our research to perform a manzai comedy act. However, the results were such a flop that a girl in my class who I wasn't particularly close with told me, "You should do more research and do it properly." In fact, that experience traumatized me for about 15 years afterwards (laughs).

■Please tell us how you came to form this duo.

Miya Osamu: At the training center of the agency I belong to, there was an event to find a partner, and that's where we met. It was like a matchmaking party for people who didn't have partners. You talk to different people for one minute each and find someone you get along with.

Ono: I think there were about 60 people there. We love Alco and Peace's radio show, and even though it was our first time meeting, we got excited talking about it.

Miyaji: At first, I confessed to my first choice female comedian, but she rejected me, so I confessed to my second choice, my current partner, Ono. However, Ono also turned me down at first because she had someone else she wanted to work with... But the next day, Ono said, "Let's do it!" At first, I thought, "Don't mess with me, you rejected me yesterday," so I turned him down (laughs). However, after that, I teamed up with someone else, but it didn't work out, and about a month later, Ono said, "Let's work together after all," and I ended up teaming up with him.

■What was your duo like when you first formed?

Miya Osamu: We actually broke up once while we were in training school. The main reason was that I didn't think my partner was funny at the time. Plus, he didn't write any material and was always late, so I thought, "This guy doesn't do anything! He's a total loser!" (laughs). Then, someone I secretly thought was funny at the time asked me if I wanted to team up with him. I thought it would be better to team up with someone funny than with someone with bad behavior, so we broke up. But things went well with my new partner at first, but things gradually started to go wrong...

Ono: At that time, I saw that Miyaji was feeling down because things weren't going well with his new partner, so I tried to be considerate by offering him tea from time to time.

Miyaji: When someone who was cold to you up until then suddenly becomes kind to you, it makes your heart flutter, right? (laughs) In the same way, I was touched by Ono's kindness (laughs). That made me realize that "a comedy duo shouldn't be based on how funny it is, but on people you want to be with as people." So we reformed our duo.

Ono: If you stay there for a long time, you start to feel like you don't like it as a person, and quite a lot of people end up disbanding.

■What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Miya Osamu: It makes me happy when the audience laughs at a live show. Nothing beats that. It's a rare experience in everyday life to have so many people laugh, so it's very moving. Personally, I often ego-search on social media, so I take screenshots of good comments and look back at them when I'm feeling down. That's why my phone photo folder is full of screenshots (laughs).

Ono: I'm getting work from agencies, and friends who didn't come to support me much before are now coming to my shows. It makes me feel like I'm starting to be recognized, and it's rewarding.

■What would you like to challenge yourself with in the future?

Ono: I'd like to win an award. I'd also like to appear on TV shows. Dramas, radio, educational programs. Also, I'd like to appear on shows like "Tamori Club," where I can listen to stories that focus on hobbies, which is interesting.

Miya Osamu: In terms of awards, first of all I want to do my best in the M-1. We both love radio, so I'm hoping to get on one of my seniors' radio shows... I haven't appeared on TV at all, so I'd like to do that too. Personally, I love anime, so I'd like to work with voice actors. I'm jealous of Soshina, who has a lot of work related to anime!

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

Ono: Being a university student is the only time you have the opportunity to experience many different things, so I want you to try everything. No one knows what the future holds, so I think it's important to challenge yourself to do what you want to do now, without having to think about the future. When you finally have to decide what to do, you can make that decision, so I want you to feel free to try anything that interests you.

Miya Osamu: I want students to use their four years at university as a good time to reflect on what they've liked up until now. For me personally, university is a valuable time to reflect on who I've been up to now. Go to your favorite places, study what you like. By doing all sorts of things like that, I think it's good to remember what you like and realize what you should do in the future. I think university is a four-year period where you need to be prepared. That's why I would like to send the word "preparation" - something I learned from the words of Sugishita-sensei from the romance simulation game - to many university students!

Student Newspaper Online February 9, 2021 Toyo Gakuen University 1st year student Suzuka Tazawa

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Announcement from Production Human Power

◆Young comedians live show "Baka Bakusou!"

http://www.p-jinriki.com/news/2021/04/005394.php

*Cancelled in May due to the state of emergency.

◆"Dokkin!" sponsored by Production Human Power Company

http://www.p-jinriki.com/news/2021/04/005384.php

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