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Tunnels (comedy duo)

arts Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Tunnels is a famous comedy duo from Tokyo. The two members are Ishibashi and Kinashi.

They both went to the same school. Ishibashi was the taller man in the pair. He played baseball when he was a student. Kinashi played soccer during his school years. They did not start with manzai comedy. Instead, they used ippatsu gags and monomane. Monomane means making funny imitations of people. These two men became very popular in Japan. They brought much joy to young people.

Their big break came with a TV show. The show was called The Tunnels' Thanks to Everyone.

This show became a huge hit in the 1980s. Many people across Japan watched them on their screens. Sometimes, more than 30% of all viewers watched. This is a very great feat for any show. They also made many hit songs for fans. These songs sold many copies and gained attention. They even created new words for the youth. They made short words for ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends. These words are still used in Japan today.

Their comedy style was very unique and special.

They often used jokes that were like inside jokes. Only the staff on the show understood them. The staff would laugh loudly on the microphones. This sometimes made the audience feel a bit confused. It caused a nervous laughter from the crowd. This helped create a very specific feeling on TV. It was a way they shared laughs with staff. Their style was different from other comedy groups.

Things changed for the duo around the year 1990.

Tunnels took a half year vacation from their show. During this time, a group called Ucchan Nanchan took over. When Tunnels returned, they said they were sorry. They felt they had laid a burden on the others. However, the public did not accept them back fully. New groups like Downtown became very popular instead. Tunnels then changed their focus to new types of shows. They began doing shows about talking and interviews.

They still find new ways to perform and play.

Recently, they teamed up with a person named DJ Ozma. They found a group in America called Yazima Beauty Salon. In this group, they perform in a funny way. They use cross-dressing to play new characters. Kinashi performs as Margaret Camelia Yazima. Ishibashi performs as Strawberry Camelia Yazima. They work together with Ozma to produce this group. It shows how they continue to try new things.

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