Written by Tuna
Last month I shared to you all the wonders of the game Twisted Wonderland. This month, let me introduce you to Get Up! Get Live!, a unique series where seiyuus take on the role of Manzai comedians.
Manzai is a traditional form of Japanese comedy, most oftenly performed by a duo, in a style similar to the western stand-up comedy. The two comedians put together a skit and perform it in front of a live audience while sharing one mic on a stand. It is so popular in Japan that there are even national competitions dedicated to Manzai, such as the M-1 Grand Prix contest. Some of my favorite, and very well-known, real-life Manzai duos include Nagareboshi, Sandwichman, and Oriental Radio. Some of their famous jokes are even referenced to in Get Up! Get Live!, connecting the real life world of Manzai to the series.
The series began in 2019 as a live-reading performance, where seiyuus would read scripts as the characters on stage. Here is an example of the performance by the duo Kikuichimonji, played by seiyuus Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Kaito Ishikawa.
They performed a Manzai skit on stage, very similar to the style of how real Manzai comedians would. The only difference is the hand held script, as most Manzai comedians have their skit completely memorized. But given that voice actors usually keep their script on hand, I still believe the live performances were very well-done. Though we only have these performances and other youtube videos from the series at the moment, there are some exciting new projects coming soon.
A TV anime adaptation of Get Up! Get Live! is scheduled to air starting July 10th, and a comic adaptation has also been announced. They also have a 3rd live scheduled for September 2020, under the condition of COVID-19 restrictions lifting by then.
The Manzai comedy culture of Japan is often looked over internationally, but through Get Up! Get Live!, I hope many can grow more familiar with and enjoy it!
Official webpage: http://getup-getlive.com/
Source: Animate Times
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