Gaki No Tsukai Episode #1078

Episode Number:1078

Episode Title:ハイテンション。ザ。ベスト。テン
(High Tension, The Best of Ten!)

Broadcast Date: Sunday, October 30th 2011

Viewing Links:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE3ODE3MTQ4.html

Guests:
Numerous. See below.

Important Vocabulary:
崇高(すうこう): Lofty, sublime, nobility
舞台(ぶたい): Stage (theater stage)
開幕(かいまく): Curtain opens, raising of the curtain.
ヅラ: Hairpiece, wig.
出歯亀(でばがめ): A meji-era peeping tom.
キモい: Gross, disgusting

Episode Summary:
"The curtain rises on this lofty stage," says the opening blurb not without irony., and another "High Tension The Best of Ten" (high tension, top ten) begins.
Although most High tension two-parters follow a rigorous format, this one starts with something a little different: Hamada is wearing a hairpiece. "That sure is a wig, isn't it," says Matsumoto.
Since much of what needs to be said about a High Tension episode can be said in the analysis, I'll limit the summary to just a list of Guests and the titles of their high-tension acts:

#10: デバガメしろよ,明日の分まで (Peeping Tom, until tomorrow's portion?) by Kokorico's Tanaka Naoki

#9: 2011 破天荒( Unprecedented 2011) by 平成ノブシコブシ 吉村崇　(Yoshimura Takashi from the combi Heiseinobushicobushi)

#8: キモ　キモ男( gross, gross Man) by バナナマン　日村勇紀　(Himura Yuuki of the combi Bananaman)

#7: こんなにはいらない！ (This much won't do!) by キングオブコメディ　今野 浩喜(Kono Hiroki from the combi King of Comedy)

15th place (Even More Best of Ten): 最高いにはじけたアントニオ猪木！(Antonio Inoki Bursting out at the highest) by XGUN　さがね雅裕 (Sagane Masahiro of the combi BatsuGun)

#6: 僕の頭の中 (in my head) by プラスマイナス　岩橋良昌 (Iwahashi Yoshimasa of the combi Plus Minus)

Episode Analysis:
This is the first High-Tension Best of Ten episode since episode #1030/31 aired on Sept 14th and 21st 2010, which honors the tradition of this being a yearly event. Looking back at the other High-tension shows, it's striking how well formed the format is. We'll wait until after the second part (next week) to delineate this format more clearly, because at present we'd like to speak about "Tension" in general.
"Tension" (hereafter without quotes) is apparently a very important aspect of modern Japanese comedy. My dictionary defines it in this context as "high spiritedness," but from watching numerous Gaki episodes in which it has been mentioned, I think a proper definition must be more broad. In fact "broad" in the comedic sense, is probably the closest we can come. It featues extremely over-the-top performances, gurning, hamming, and a willingness on the part of the performer to go to any extent to get a laugh. In normal comedic circumstances, it seems often mentioned that a funny person will "raise the tension" (テンション上がる). But this is High Tension-- performers giving their utmost in short comedic vignettes.
But even this misses some important aspects of this weird series. In addition to playing with the notion of "Suberi-Gei" (すべり芸 milking comedy from uncomfortable situations and failed jokes) there is also a debasement and humiliation (Sadism/Masochism arising again) in the grotesque nature of the acts. It becomes a kind of hyper-exaggerated kabuki, in which the laughs are usually wrung from repetition and surprise. It is, quite literally, "tense."

Also worth noting regarding this series is that the format is in fact a parody itself-- that is, a parody of the program ザ。ベスト。テン (The Best Ten) a music chart program that aired on Japan's TBS from 1978-1989. It was hosted by a male/female pair (hence Matsumoto's costume) and featured a similar tote-board, mirrored entrance door, and group seating. As the image below shows, even the High Tension Best of Ten font is taken from the original program.