If you think women in comedy here in the UK aren’t on TV as much as they should be, you should see Japan’s male-dominated comedy scene. Manzai is a traditional stand-up comedy style, and is always performed by a duo. The ‘tsukkomi’ is the straight-laced one, and the ‘boke’ plays off that seriousness with the main brunt of the gags. The vast majority of these pairings are two men. Male/female acts, often couples, started appearing regularly in the 1960s, but even today you’re more likely to see two men partner up.
I caught part of a three-hour manzai special on the TV in my hotel room a couple of weeks ago. I ended up watching close to an hour of the show, and in that whole time I didn’t see a single woman take to the stage. Bloke after bloke after bloke rushed onto the screen to deliver quick-fire gags.
Japan’s women definitely have a strong sense of humour – ‘Othello’ is one of the rare female manzai duos, but the number is growing. There are also other funny ladies who appear regularly on variety programmes and talk shows, building a strong fanbase and a reputation for quick wit. Even so, manzai pairs still outnumber the solo talents.
When women do perform a comedy routine, it’s often toned down compared to the more risky and flamboyant sketches and jokes used by their male counterparts. Innuendo is avoided, and the use of partial nudity by a man to get laughs would likely backfire if a woman tried it.
The one main upshot of being a female comedian in a male-dominated world is that you stand out a bit more by default. Obviously we here at Funny Women would love to see more ladies everywhere challenging the status quo – but it is always nice to be noticed. And in Japan, that’s just as considerable an achievement.
Kady Potter works in London as a copywriter. She’d be a stand-up comedienne if anyone could tell when she was standing up, or when she is in fact telling a joke at all. At 4ft 10in, she identifies as a ‘concentrated’ human being, much like a double strength bottle of squash. Find her waving the Misplaced Apostrophe Banhammer around on Twitter @koisurukady or visit cargocollective.com/kadypotter
Pictured: A Manzai duo, below: Othello
