Gaki No Tsukai Episode #1085

Episode Title:
2011 ガキの使いおもしろVTRベスト10
"2011 Gaki No Tsukai Funniest Ten Episodes"

Gaki No Tsukai Episode #1085: 2011 Best 10

Broadcast Date:

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

Viewing Links:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzMzODgxNjAw.html

Guests:

藤原 寛（ふじわら　ひろし）： Fujiwara Hiroshi, former Downtown manager and host of this episode.
ライセンス (License, a "combi" featuring:

• 藤原一裕 (Fujiwara Kazuhiro)
  
• 井本貴史 (Inomoto Takafumi)
  

中村喜伸 (P中村)(Series producer Nakamura Yoshinobu otherwise known as "P Nakamura").
おばちゃん1号 （浅見 千代子　：あさみ ちよこ）："Obachyan #1"(Asami Chiyoko)
ピカデリー梅田（菅 登未男 :すが とみお）："Picadilly Umaeda" (Suga Tomio)
ヘイポー（斉藤敏豪）： Heipo (Saito Toshihide)
新おにぃ（前島浩一）：Shin-Onii(Maejima Kouichi?)

Important Vocabulary:

行き成り（いきなり）：All of a sudden.
餃子（ぎょうざ）：gyoza (crescent-shaped pan-fried dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables).
主将（しゅしょう）：commander-in-chief, (team) captain.
企画（きかく）：Planning, design.
割り（わり）：Sumo (style) match.
にらめっこ: Staring contest.
大相撲（おおずもう）：Professional Sumo wrestling.
宅（たく）：Home.
振り返る（ぶりかえる）：To look back upon.
妄想（ぼうそう）：Wild idea,delusion (fantasy).

Episode Summary:

Another year, and another Gaki No Tsukai Best of 10!

The episode opens with former Downtown manager Fujiwara Hiroshi acting in a parody of the new (and popular?) Tokusatsu series "妖怪人間ベム" ("Human-Monster Bem"). After the strange devil creature threatens to kill everyone, Fujiwara chases him off an introduces himself as "Human-Monster Fujiwara-Bera" (Bera being the female lead on the program) and shouts the show's catchphrase "Quickly, I want to become a human being!"

This is Fujiwara's 14th consecutive year hosting this year-end event, which would mean he's been doing it since 1997. This TV parody is quite different from the (very few) other episodes of this type I've seen, in which Fujiwara typically parodies a song popular that year.

The opening titles run over clips from the following episodes:

• Matsumoto at Karaoke with the "Powered Up" Sherri, Itao's wife in episode #1049 (Broadcast April 10th, 2011).
  
• Matsumoto rising from his crypt in episode #1056 (Broadcast May 29th, 2011).
  
• Hamada/Matsumoto in an as yet unidentified talk segment.
  
• Matsumoto pretending to be surprised by a trick bomb in episode #1069 (Broadcast June 26th, 2011)
  

As the countdown of the year's best begins in earnest, there is a video bumper played between each episode. This bumper shows clips from the following episodes (note that the background music is from ”マルモのおきて”　and can be heard here):

• Matsumoto rising from his crypt in episode #1056 (Broadcast May 29th, 2011).
  
• The climax of this year's "Sayonara Yamasaki," episode #1047 (Broadcast March 27th, 2011).
  
• A lewd highlight from Kurosawa Kazuko's Shichi-Henge in episode #1066 (Broadcast August 7th, 2011).
  
• A moment from Shoji Murakami's Feudal Lord class in episode #1058 (Broadcast June 12th, 2011).
  
• The charming group shot from this year's "High Tension Best of 10" from the end of episode #1079.
  

Then, listing the top episodes of 2011 from least best to best:

#10 なりきり　たけし王グランプリ ("Suddenly Takeshi Grand Prix!")

Episode: #1063,#1064
Broadcast: July 17th, 2011; July 24th, 2011
VIEW:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjg2MDg4NDg0.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjg4NDQxNjQ0.html

#9 TKJグランプリ2 ("2nd Jan-Ken-Pon Tournament")

Episode: #1053, #1054, #1055
Broadcast: May 8th, 2011; May 15th, 2011; May 22nd, 2011.
VIEW:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjY1Mzc0NzQ4.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjY3MzMwNjcy.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjY5Mjc3MjE2.html

#8 ベロンベロン酒場　("BeronBeron Stumbling Drunk Bar")

Episode: #1075, #1076
Broadcast: October 10th, 2011; October 17th, 2011.
VIEW:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzExMzI5OTI0.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzEzNDIyMTky.html

#7 X-GUN 餃子の主将ダメ出し企画 ("BatsuGun King of Gyouzu Unsuccessful Serving Plan")

Episode: #145
Broadcast: March 6th, 2011
VIEW:http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjQ4ODUwMjAw.html

#6 ガラス割りにらめっこ大相撲 ("Great Glass Sumo Staring Contest")

Episode: #1062
Broadcast: July 10th, 2011
VIEW:http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjgzOTY0Mzky.html

#5 へイポー芸人宅へ宿泊＆キャンプ ("Heipo's Geinin Sleepover and Camping")

Episode: #1067, #1071
Broadcast: August 14th, 2011
VIEW:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjk0Nzc2NzAw.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzAzNDEyNTIw.html

#4 山崎　昭和を振り返る ("Yamasaki Looks Back Upon the Showa Era")

Episode: #1068
Broadcast:
VIEW:http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjk3MzE5NDQ0.html

#3 遠藤妄想テニス ("Endou's Tennis Fantasies")

Episode: #1051
Broadcast April 24th, 2011
VIEW:http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjYxNjEzMjk2.html

#2 浜田雅功のなぞなぞワールド　("Hamada Masatoshi's World of Riddles")

Episode: #1077
Broadcast: Sunday October 23rd 2011
VIEW:http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE1NTcwNjIw.html

#1 灼熱の素手地獄！箸なき闘い！！("Red Hot Barehanded hell! Battle without chopsticks!!")

Episode: #1080
Broadcast: November 13th, 2011
VIEW:http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzIyMjU4MjMy.html

Episode Analysis:

Others might not like these episodes, but I love them. As a late admirer of the show, and as episodes can be difficult to track down online, I'm often thrilled at seeing as-yet-unwatched episodes referenced in these end-of-year clip shows.

I also find these episodes thrilling in that it affords a view into which episodes the production staff themselves thought were the most successful. This is illustrative of the style of comedy the producers are aiming for, and getting to the heart of what the show is "about."

As for the rundown, no one is ever entirely pleased by any "top 10" list, but I was especially pleased to see some of my favorites near the top. These include #1068 (Yamasaki's Showa music spectacular), #1075/76 (BeronBeron Bar) and #1080(Battle without chopsticks).

The "top" episode (#1080) is noteworthy in that the moment it went out, there was an immediate flurry of interest in it-- that is, its simple, silly excellence was immediately apparent to anyone watching.

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.