No Laughing series' future? (TABLOID RUMOUR)

Given Cyzo Woman is a tabloid site and they don’t actually name sources (which seems to be common in Japanese reporting), take it with a grain of salt if you want, but this was posted yesterday:

[quote:wo77iayo][url:wo77iayo]http://www.cyzowoman.com/2014/01/post_10940.html[/url:wo77iayo]

『NHK紅白歌合戦』に次ぎ、大みそかの風物詩となった『ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで!!』（日本テレビ系）の「笑ってはいけない」シリーズ。昨年末の放送でも、民放ではぶっちぎりの高視聴率を記録したが、今年はある“化学変化”が起こることから、関係者の間では番組の存続、さらにはダウンタウンの今後も危惧されているという。
2006年から恒例化した「笑ってはいけない」シリーズは、09年より二部制となって約6時間の長時間番組に。毎年15％前後（ビデオリサーチ調べ、関東地区／以下同）で推移していた視聴率も、昨年はさらに伸びを見せ、第一部19．8％、第二部17．2％と過去最高を記録した。
「同じく高視聴率を記録した『紅白』は、瞬間最高こそ同番組ラスト歌唱となった北島三郎でしたが、後番組の『ゆく年くる年』待ちの視聴者が大勢いたことから、実質的な功労者は、50．0％を記録した『あまちゃんコーナー』でしょう。しかし関係者の間では、昨年末からすでに『14年末はあまちゃんがないから、視聴率がヤバそう』といわれているようです」（スポーツ紙記者）
対する『ガキの使い』は「録画視聴を入れれば、30％を超えると見られている」（同）というだけに、今年はさらに『紅白』から視聴者を奪えると見られていたのだが……
「実は今年で、番組の元総合プロデューサーである菅賢治氏が、日テレの慰留を断って定年退職することが決定したんです。退職後は、『エイベックスと組んで事務所を設立する』などさまざまな説が出ていますが、今後『ガキの使い』にどういった関わりをするかはまだ決まっておらず、関係者は同番組の存続を不安視しています」（日テレ関係者）
菅氏は“ガースー”の愛称で頻繁に番組出演し、ダウンタウンとともに番組作りを行ってきた立役者。現在も演出を担当しているため、定年退職で現場を離れてしまえば、番組の雰囲気がガラリと変わってしまうと、日テレ側は慌てふためいているという。
「かつては20％超を記録していたものの、今ではヒト桁台が定着してしまった『ガキの使い』ですが、やはり『笑ってはいけない』というキラーコンテンツを失う恐怖は、日テレだけでなくダウンタウンも感じているはずです。昨年スタートした新番組『100秒博士アカデミー』（TBS系）、『教訓のススメ』（フジテレビ系）も、初回から視聴率6．2％、7．2％と大惨敗し、実質的に現状ダウンタウンが数字を獲れるのは、『笑ってはいけない』だけ。一時は、松本人志が『笑ってはいけないをやめたがっている』という報道もありましたが、やはりコンビの看板となる同番組は、続けたいというのが本音でしょう」（前出記者）
せっかく大みそかの“風物詩”となった同番組だけに、今年はその人事にも注目が集まる。[/quote:wo77iayo]

Someone with better understanding of Japanese should probably make better sense of this (or soudou with his genius translating of the jumble that Google Translate provides ). I think I managed to get some points out of it, but if you think I’m wrong, feel free to correct.

• Suga Kenji is rumoured to be leaving NTV (the station that broadcasts Gaki) and he has been a strong supporter of Downtown for a long time, also apparently being the main reason in persuading NTV to leave the program alone. Now with him seeming to be leaving, the future of the program is uncertain within NTV headquarters
• Matsumoto once said that he would like to stop doing the No Laughing specials. Given he has said jokingly in the past that Arashi should take over for them, I think we can dismiss this as scuttlebutt and say this was taken out of context
• Downtown’s two new programs (the academy one on TBS and the other on Fuji TV) haven’t rated particularly well and the No Laughing special (dubbed killer contents in this report) apparently seems to be the only thing that is saving Gaki from being pulled off the air (rather disrespectful from this report IMO but everyone does have an opinion)
• Yet on the other hand, NTV is afraid to lose the No Laughing Special because it pulls good ratings and usually comes 2nd to the Kohaku singing contest

Again, take this with a grain of salt if you want or just ignore it completely, given my crappy guesswork translation but I have to admit, this is the first time in my following of Gaki I’ve ever seen an article like this putting doubt on the future of the specials and the show itself (if the points I’ve pulled out turn out to be correct). I certainly wish this article turns out to be false!

Well that’s sad.
If Suga is leaving then it’s almost sure that the program won’t last much longer. Not that it depends only on Suga to direct it, but it sounds almost like they are giving up on it, that the show has already ran it’s course.

I’m afraid we will see the dissolution of Downtown in the future, just like people saw the dissolution of "The Two Beats". And that will be heartbreaking.

[quote="Vatican":2xda9k7m]Given Cyzo Woman is a tabloid site and they don’t actually name sources (which seems to be common in Japanese reporting), take it with a grain of salt if you want[/quote:2xda9k7m]

Yeah they seem to be the only source for this… I tried Googling for mentions of "Suga Kenji" in the past 24 hours and everywhere is just linking back to Cyzo Woman. I’d expect if Suga Kenji is quitting more sources would have a report on it but that’s not to say it’s not possible, it’s gonna happen someday, it’s just strange other sources like Oricon etc. didn’t get the same memo. Gaki would definitely do a farewell program for him if so like they did for Jimmy Onishi and others though.

[quote:2xda9k7m]or soudou with his genius translating of the jumble that Google Translate provides [/quote:2xda9k7m]

Woah… that’s a big compliment… thank you… It’s nothing all that special though that anyone else can’t do and it’s not like I don’t make big mistakes… So all I do is ‘crappy guesswork’ too. But honestly… thank you for such kind words.

It’s a tough article though even with breaking it down (I guess being a tabloid magazine, they talk more colloquial).

Shortening long-ass post for future browsers of the thread:
[hide:2xda9k7m][quote:2xda9k7m]- Matsumoto once said that he would like to stop doing the No Laughing specials. Given he has said jokingly in the past that Arashi should take over for them, I think we can dismiss this as scuttlebutt and say this was taken out of context[/quote:2xda9k7m]
Yeah better to wait and hear it from the man himself. Tabloid newspapers have said twice, once at the start of 2013 and again back in 2009, that Matsumoto was going on hiatus or quitting Gaki, but he didn't disappear from the show this year or during 2009.

[quote:2xda9k7m]- Downtown's two new programs (the academy one on TBS and the other on Fuji TV) haven't rated particularly well and the No Laughing special (dubbed killer contents in this report) apparently seems to be the only thing that is saving Gaki from being pulled off the air (rather disrespectful from this report IMO but everyone does have an opinion)

• Yet on the other hand, NTV is afraid to lose the No Laughing Special because it pulls good ratings and usually comes 2nd to the Kohaku singing contest[/quote:2xda9k7m]

Yeah seems like it suggests Downtown's other new programs don't get great ratings and that No Laughing is what gets the numbers, I dunno if it mentions the Gaki series specifically though. It's just my opinion and since I haven't even watched those shows yet it may seem harsh… but when those Lincoln / Akan Police replacement shows were announced they sounded kinda boring so I'm not that surprised… There are some popular "interesting fact" shows on other channels and it seems these Downtown shows were made to compete, but most people will likely stick to the other channel's offering. I read comments saying things like the 100 Second Academy thing is a "ripoff" of some other show for example, so opinion didn't seem too great - it was nothing new to the public. I hope they try something different next time. Though it's not like even the public themself know what they want so can't fault them for trying

I think No Laughing works against Kouhaku in the same timeslot because it offers something different and comedy related for those not bothered about the big singing/music contest on the other channel. Plus since both Gaki and Kouhaku feature various celebrity guests it's a good alternative to flick over to.

[quote:2xda9k7m]Suga Kenji is rumoured to be leaving NTV (the station that broadcasts Gaki) and he has been a strong supporter of Downtown for a long time, also apparently being the main reason in persuading NTV to leave the program alone. [/quote:2xda9k7m]
Regarding Suga holding back NTV from Downtown / Gaki. Is it the bit about "日テレの慰留を断って" (Google Translate: "turned down the Holdback of NTV")? I read it as NTV asking Suga to stay but him turning it down due to wanting to retire since Google Translate offers an alternative for "Holdback" - "Dissuasion from leaving".
I think it talks about the possibility of an atmosphere change but I dunno if it says its due to a history between Downtown and NTV. As you say, it does seem like an opinion-based rather than fact-based article since they seem to insinuate NTV would panic… sounds a bit extreme lol
I heard Matsumoto does dislike a certain other channel network for screwing him over in the past in terms of timeslots etc. but that wasn't NTV.

[quote:2xda9k7m]Again, take this with a grain of salt if you want or just ignore it completely, given my crappy guesswork translation but I have to admit, this is the first time in my following of Gaki I've ever seen an article like this putting doubt on the future of the specials and the show itself (if the points I've pulled out turn out to be correct). I certainly wish this article turns out to be false![/quote:2xda9k7m]

Yeah hopefully. Though someday Suga may indeed decide to retire, but there are other long-standing members of staff who make Gaki what it is.
[list:2xda9k7m]
[:2xda9k7m]Writer: Takasu Mitsuyoshi has been familiar with Downtown since 1987 (or earlier) and does the writing for the Gaki show and the batsus alongside other writers. He also does a radio talk show with Matsumoto.[/2xda9k7m]
[:2xda9k7m]Producers: Nakamura, Yuichi Otomo and Akira Onuma[/2xda9k7m]
[:2xda9k7m]Directors - Heipo , Sakomoto etc. [/2xda9k7m][/list:u:2xda9k7m]
Just the ones that seem to get talked about or appear in the actual show… but there's lots of others.

Also it seems Suga may already of been delegating the chief producer role for awhile now. The Wiki page for Gaki mentions him as the original/former (元) Chief Producer (now "NTV Deputy Director" ). It has this note with it:

[quote:2xda9k7m]2012年6月から2013年5月まではチーフプロデューサー職に再度復帰していたが、本番組のチーフプロデューサーは大野彰作が引き続き担当する。[/quote:2xda9k7m]
I think it says during June 2012 to May 2013 he had the title of Chief Producer again, but producer 竹内尊実 (Takami Takeuchi) apparently had responsibility in the same role (who, according to his Wiki profile, has took on work from Akira Onuma).

The page lists the following people as Chief Producer in addition to Suga (sorry if I get the spelling wrong):
Sakurada Kazuyuki, Yasuoka Yoshiro, Takeuchi Takami.
Suga has a special note "※総合指揮として現在も番組制作に関わっている。" (Google Translate: "Concerned with program production and general conduct")
Maybe he's had personal life reasons to delegate more to others in recent years so rumors of him leaving came about?

When speaking on the future of the batsu series after the record-breaking Earth Defence Force viewer rating of 19.8% was announced, it was producer/director Yuichi Otomo who gave this message to the public:

[quote:2xda9k7m]
「視聴者の皆様に愛される番組として成長し、大みそかの特別番組としてお茶の間に定着したからだと思っております。6時間という長時間、当番組をご覧いただきありがとうございました」
"We hope to continue to grow as a special program loved by audiences in the living room on New Years. Considering the long duration of 6 hours, thank you everyone for watching."[/quote:2xda9k7m]

Fujiwara Hiroshi and Akihiko Okamoto both used to be Downtown's Manager. They retired to other roles in television but still appeared on Gaki (especially Fujiwara of course who's been in every batsu). So they'd probably still use the "Gasu" gag and have Suga pop up in the batsus. [/hide:2xda9k7m]
But again my interpretations are mostly guesswork too with some research thrown in via Googling and dictionaries like Ejje so take me with a grain of salt too!! passes the salt shaker around

Audience is maybe tired of seeing Downtown. In Japan, not only they appear in Gaki and many other shows, as a duo or alone, but also in commercial, on bilboards in the street, on vending machine, everywhere. I can understand that despite their popularity, people can start to be tired of them. But they’ve been here for almost 30 years already without loosing their popularity. Of course I don’t want it to end but if it has to, it’s better if they end with a bang, a last great batsu game a good shows before starting to suck badly and end almost anonymously…

Thanks soudou for using your time to slowly make sense of the thing I just posted. Yeah we both probably should start passing some pepper along as well

[quote:7z6lik7c]Writer: Takasu Mitsuyoshi has been familiar with Downtown since 1987 (or earlier) and does the writing for the Gaki show and the batsus alongside other writers. He also does a radio talk show with Matsumoto.[/quote:7z6lik7c]

I think I remember reading somewhere that Takasu went to the same elementary school as Downtown or at the very least was a classmate at some point in their education, so he’s known them from way longer than 1987.

But yeah, I tried to do a little bit of surfing too (typing No Laughing series ending into Google) and couldn’t really find much. I did find this one posted from a few weeks ago:

[url:7z6lik7c]http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/8365347/[/url:7z6lik7c]

[quote:7z6lik7c]やめたくてもやめられない「笑ってはいけない」の“大人事情”
大晦日特番の話題が飛び交っている。
ＮＨＫ紅白歌合戦の目玉は、「あまちゃん」と「サブちゃん」。で、他局を見回しても、あまり代わり映えしない。

「視聴率トップは紅白で決まりで、次点は日本テレビ系のダウンタウン『絶対に笑ってはいけない』シリーズでしょう。関東では１５～１６％、関西では２０％台と安定した数字を出しますからね」（テレビ局関係者）

■マンネリでもやめられない

今年は「地球防衛軍」らしいが、今からほとんど目に浮かぶ。
ダウンタウン元マネジャー藤原に引き連れられ、新人隊員に扮したダウンタウン、月亭方正、ココリコの５人がバスで本部に向かう。浜田の衣装はたぶん変だ。バスの中で“笑いの刺客”の寸劇が繰り広げられ、「全員アウト～」だろう。

たぶん梅宮辰夫・クラウディア夫妻も出てくるし、千秋が出てきたら「遠藤アウト～」。机の中には人形か何かが入っているし、ジミー大西のビデオを見て「全員アウト～」。ヘイポーのヘタレっぷりにいら立ち、方正が蝶野正洋にビンタされるのは、お約束。たぶんタイキックでは「田中アウト～」だ。

「もう“吉本新喜劇”みたいなもので、だから、予定調和の笑いに慣れている関西のほうが数字が取れるのでしょう。ただあまりにもマンネリすぎて、実はダウンタウンもやめたがっています。それでも続くのは、安定した視聴率に加え、ＤＶＤがそこそこ売れるから。一時の勢いは失ったとはいえ、日本テレビにとってはドル箱なので、やめさせてもらえないようです」（放送作家）

今年は紅白の視聴率がずばぬけそうだ。
[/quote:7z6lik7c]

Again, I think this is a tabloid site and they don’t quote the source here as well (seems to be a common thing, isn’t it?) but I think here the general gist of this article is that here they are criticizing the somewhat now set structure of the series and have listed the staples that have gotten a run in the past few:

[quote:7z6lik7c]たぶん梅宮辰夫・クラウディア夫妻も出てくるし、千秋が出てきたら「遠藤アウト～」。机の中には人形か何かが入っているし、ジミー大西のビデオを見て「全員アウト～」。ヘイポーのヘタレっぷりにいら立ち、方正が蝶野正洋にビンタされるのは、お約束。たぶんタイキックでは「田中アウト～」だ。[/quote:7z6lik7c]

e.g. Hamada gets weird uniform, Umemiya Tatsuo comes out, Chiaki appears = Endo OUT, some sort of dolls appear in their drawer traps, Jimmy Onishi has a video segment, Heipo’s ‘hetare’ character gets a run, Hosei gets a slap from Chono and Tanaka will always get the Thai kick.

I don’t know what ‘マンネリ’ exactly means (Google Translate says ‘rut’) but it seems to be used as an adjective describing the series. The rest of the article from that point onwards quotes an anonymous writer as saying that Downtown themselves have thought about ending the No Laughing specials but given they pull in ratings and the DVD sales pull in some money as well, NTV doesn’t allow/want (someone clear it up here) them to stop.

I’ve also seen a couple of comments on sites like 2chan (dangerous for the mind, I know, given some of the rubbish that is posted there) that say that the special contains too many 下ネタ (shimoneta, which I think means crude/dirty joke). That was probably true of the second half of the program this year, where the comedians’ fight section led by Kendo Kobayashi and Hosshan had probably the most 下ネタ.

Like the article from Cyzo Woman, I hope this turns out to be false as well but these types of articles don’t really help

Umm, sorry, I could only skim read your post because I think it contains spoilers for this years batsu ^^;; I haven’t watched it yet. So I apologise if my reply doesn’t really hit on what you had to say >_<;;

If there’s a certain word that doesn’t make sense, try it in Ejje, it’s a site for people in Japan wanting to learn English, so it uses the word in various English sentences, it’s great!

I think they’re probably saying it’s become tedious to them etc. Likewise on this forum there is always a divide in opinion each year after the batsu airs, some feel it was the most boring and others feel it was the best yet, neither is wrong since it’s subjective. Usually you’ll find opinions in the "aftermath" threads, they’re an interesting read to look back on:

Also [url=http://www.gaki-no-tsukai.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&p=43129:1qgwo4o3]"Which is the worst batsu game in your opinion?"[/url:1qgwo4o3] (there’s probably a fave batsu thread somewhere, but can’t find it right now lol)

For the eternal debate on the state of the batsu series:
[url=http://www.gaki-no-tsukai.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=4725&p=39514:1qgwo4o3]Batsu Games Are Not As Funny Anymore (2013)[/url:1qgwo4o3]
[url=http://www.gaki-no-tsukai.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=3603:1qgwo4o3]Has The Recent Batsu Games Become Redundant? (2012)[/url:1qgwo4o3]
[url=http://www.gaki-no-tsukai.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=898:1qgwo4o3]Batsu Games getting stale, a little? (2011)[/url:1qgwo4o3]

Though yeah… Japanese discussion does seem overall harsher on certain forums… Back when I first started looking into Gaki I read some of it, so depressing lol… On Yahoo Japan’s TV section it seems like every popular show has a 2/5 rating and lots of harsh 1/5 star comments (whether it be the Gaki batsu or Kouhaku). But at the end of the day the channel networks probably don’t read the comments, just the figures, Kouhaku is a viewership goldmine and the batsu comes in a decent second.

Oh and definitely don’t Google anything about your fave Gaki member and try to read the comments in Japanese - ouch!! Its the internet, freedom of speech and all. Though fans of Hosei are some of the nicest people I’ve ever spoken to, especially considering they have to be forgiving of my poor Japanese. It was hilarious when Hosei and Endo were arguing on who had the most negative feedback online (Drunk Momotaro Theater episode)

Regarding the too crude/rude thing, it might be like the comments on not watching Gaki because they find Hamada too crude/rude [url=http://www.gaki-no-tsukai.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=5275:1qgwo4o3]discussed in the other thread[/url:1qgwo4o3], but then there’s the flipside of positive comments - or for the channel networks - the viewer ratings. Also I think there are those in Japan wishing they could show more controversial crude/rude things like "the old days" on Japanese TV and others who want less.

Like you say since its gossip news, blogs and forum comments there’s gonna be a lot of stuff peppered with opinion. Now we’ve got both the salt and the pepper!

Thanks for the website soudou, definitely gonna use it if I ever see and post up another article

As for the eternal debate on whether the specials are getting one-dimensional, I guess both sides of the argument make good points in the threads you put up. On one side, the gags they slot in every year always seem to invoke laughter (Chono, Jimmy etc., although Jimmy wasn’t exactly given a lot to do with baby Heipo this year ) so I guess the staff keep them there every year. Plus it’s only done once a year so there is always some good novelty value.

On the other hand however, I guess what made the No Laughing specials so popular IMO was been the in-house humour of the group. Having worked together for so long on the show, they pretty much know each other inside and out and it was so funny to see the old batsu games exploit the others’ weaknesses e.g. Dynamite Shikoku on Tanaka in Yugawara. It truly felt like punishment and mental torture for the losers of the bets. Now they’ve kinda turned it into an attempt to compete with the Kohaku singing contest and as Kanzaki mentioned in the 2013 debate thread, it’s now seen by NTV as a commercial oppportunity ever since 2009’s Hotel when they first started doing 6 hour broadcasts.

I feel it may be a while, or maybe never again before we see a No Laughing special like the old days, but hey, as long as they keep making us laugh, then I’ll watch

[quote="Vatican":w83kgz7w]On the other hand however, I guess what made the No Laughing specials so popular IMO was been the in-house humour of the group. Having worked together for so long on the show, they pretty much know each other inside and out and it was so funny to see the old batsu games exploit the others’ weaknesses[/quote:w83kgz7w]

I reckon they still do that. They know the cast laugh just looking at Hamada’s face so he’s been getting the ‘odd’ costume element, all he has to do is say "huh?" with a wig on and they’ll break down. Before that it was always Yamazaki who got it, since they’re always laughing in the Gaki series whilst teasing him about being the odd one out, so the staff played to that. Or the staff use old ongoing gags that the Gaki cast made up, like Hamada being similar to a monkey, just put a banana in his drawer and they’ll start laughing. Speaking of which the stuff in the drawers also often rely on the staff’s knowledge of their weakpoints or extensive background work. But likewise if they just kept putting a photo of Dynamite Shikoku in Tanaka’s drawer people would likely say it’s tedious.

[quote:w83kgz7w]I feel it may be a while, or maybe never again before we see a No Laughing special like the old days[/quote:w83kgz7w]

For some the only way for that to happen is for their naked asses to be shot up by darts again

I imagine there are those who find some parts in the first batsus tedious, someone did mention one of them in the Worst batsus thread. I find a lot to enjoy in them all so I don’t really have a worst, but it’s interesting reading others best/worst batsu.

(By the way if you could post stuff that was in the latest batsu such as Jimmy’s gag in [hide] [ / hide ] spoiler tags (or highlight the text and use the Hide button in Advanced Reply) I’d really appreciate it. )

From what i know Takasu Mitsuyoshi knows Downtown from elementary school, in fact…he is one of matsumoto’s best friends, outside Gaki. He is also writer of Gaki and some of Hitoshi’s movies…you can see him in Matsumoto’s Professional Documentary. Also, if you see the clip from Gaki in Hamada’s birthday…when everyone read the letters to him, you can see at the end that the director of the segment was in fact Takasu. Sorry for my english, it’s not my first language

It’s sad that you read something like that, Batsu games and the No laughing series work very well for Downtown as well to NTV. If they pull out the No Laughing series, Gaki fans would be very sad/angry. We all hope this article stays as a Rumor and not something that could rage every Gaki fan.

[quote="rko3000":13dc3q6v]Sorry for my english, it’s not my first language [/quote:13dc3q6v]

I didn’t notice, your English makes perfect sense
Thanks for that info, that is interesting! Well spotted, I didn’t know he was a driving force behind that episode, that’s nice.

Shortening rambly post for future browsers of the thread:
[hide:13dc3q6v][quote="Vatican":13dc3q6v]It truly felt like punishment and mental torture for the losers of the bets. Now they've kinda turned it into an attempt to compete with the Kohaku singing contest and as Kanzaki mentioned in the 2013 debate thread, it's now seen by NTV as a commercial oppportunity ever since 2009's Hotel when they first started doing 6 hour broadcasts.[/quote:13dc3q6v]

I forgot to say that although it might seem like the evolution of the batsu series is down to influence from a group of TV network businessmen sitting at NTV's round table counting their yen. I think in fact this was Matsumoto's idea for the batsu series from the start. In a recent interview with Hosei: http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2032210/full/

[quote:13dc3q6v]In "No Laughing" the five Gaki members take various hits from funny traps as they compete against each other to not laugh. From a hospital to an airport, it has been able to scale up year after year. Also the fact that big shot actors who do not usually appear on variety shows make an appearance to get the cast to laugh is an attraction of the show.

"It was always the case that in all variety shows the comedians amused people, but in the "Do Not Laugh" series the tables turned and it was not just them but people from all different categories of entertainment appearing, even to make the comedians themselves laugh! That’s Downtown’s amazing invention.", Hōsei raves on the innovativeness of the project, then remembering the initial planning further, "Many years ago back then, Matsumoto-san muttered it and it was eye-opening for everyone who was there, in an instant the change to the typical balance was born.", he says with amazement.[/quote:13dc3q6v]

It's possible that the first batsus were still trying to establish the change to the norm in Japanese TV and so there were less celebrities (they wouldn't stoop to appear), no budget for locations (e.g. some rooms at an onsen as opposed to an entire hotel or a world-famous racing track) and Downtown had to make up reasons for the batsus. Naturally some will prefer the charm of that infancy though. But after the concept proved itself they could scale it up. Matsumoto said at the press conference for the 2007 Hospital Batsu that introduced the format that he wanted to "beat Kouhaku". Now Downtown don't have to sit behind the camera anymore, they can sit in the fray & be surprised on how their creation is evolving, like Frankenstein it lives! Whenever the actor for the boss/chief of the batsu location is revealed Matsumoto breaks down in astonished laughter saying stuff like "What are you doing on this program?? It can't be for the money!".

In the West we're so overexposed to celebrities, so we might take a more dim view on their inclusion as a pure distraction to the Gaki crew. A lot of celebrities here already do seemingly wild or controversial stuff for exposure, even without a TV set! They already appear on shows that might seem beneath them as they get bugs chucked on them (I'm A Celebrity Get me Out Of Here) or have to play a flute to summon aliens (Celebrity Big Brother).

Although that's not to say celebrities aren't a big draw over here still. Hamada's Entertainer Rating Check Show, is sort of a reverse of Matsumoto's concept since the comedians battle through a series of batsus to prove themselves for the honour of sitting with the established celebrities. When I made the thread about it many were interested in the celebrity part of the show with Gackt etc.

Undeniably it is a commercial opportunity for Downtown, Cocorico, Hosei and NTV. No doubt about it. Out of anything else Gaki related, it's what gets the numbers for viewership (after all, many abroad only watch the batsus also). The sales of the DVDs/Blurays for the batsus reportedly account for most of the Gaki series income. [/hide:13dc3q6v]
sprinkles post with salt and pepper for good measure

Found this article just now:

[url:3lx5wfto]http://woman.infoseek.co.jp/news/entertainment/gree_155919[/url:3lx5wfto]

[quote:3lx5wfto]7日に放送したMBS系『ごぶごぶ』で、ダウンタウンの浜田雅功が「リタイア」をほのめかした。

『ごぶごぶ』は、浜田と東野幸治が主に関西の街を散策する街ブラ番組。視聴者から寄せられた質問のハガキに、2人が答えることもある。

今回、視聴者からの「50歳になった浜田さん、60歳までに成し遂げてみたいことはありますか？」と言う質問に対して、浜田は「そんな、別に」と答えた。さらに、「やることなんかある？ 俺ほんまリタイアしたいもん。巨泉みたいになりたい」と明かすと、東野や番組スタッフから「ええっ」という驚きの声があがった。

東野が「セミリタイアですか？」と尋ねると、「そう。やりたいことだけちょろちょろっとやって、『ほな！』言うてゴルフしに行きたい」と語った。呆気にとられる東野たちを前に「いやいやいや、もうええやろ。もうええんちゃう？」と平然としていた浜田だったが、東野は突然の話に戸惑いを隠せず「それはねえ、あのー、ダウンタウンの番組とかで話してもらえませんか？」と語った。

その後も「ずーっと仕事したい奴なんか、おれへんでしょ」と、自身の仕事観を語るなど、普段とは一味違った浜田の姿が垣間見える番組となった。[/quote:3lx5wfto]

Basically, on the Gobu Gobu show that Hamada does with Higashino Koji (this particular broadcast mentioned in the article was shown on the 7th this month), Hamada mentioned during the opening segment where they went into a cafe and answered questions from viewers (similar to the old ‘hagaki’ questions from Gaki’s talk section), that he would like to retire. He expands into it and goes on to say that he would like to semi-retire, do a program once in a while and then jokes about going back to play golf afterwards.

To watch the episode in question, here is the link: [url:3lx5wfto]http://video.fc2.com/content/2014010845eWcsKw[/url:3lx5wfto]

[quote="Vatican":3s3cmebv]He expands into it and goes on to say that he would like to semi-retire, do a program once in a while and then jokes about going back to play golf afterwards.[/quote:3s3cmebv]

At least the No Laughing series is just once a year. Matsumoto or Hamada can even take a back seat again behind the cameras alongside the writers/staff if they ever feel they need to, just popping out to torment Cocorico and Hosei every so often.

[quote="soudou":2u2ljo1n][quote="Vatican":2u2ljo1n]He expands into it and goes on to say that he would like to semi-retire, do a program once in a while and then jokes about going back to play golf afterwards.[/quote:2u2ljo1n]

At least the No Laughing series is just once a year. Matsumoto or Hamada can even take a back seat again behind the cameras alongside the writers/staff if they ever feel they need to, just popping out to torment Cocorico and Hosei every so often. [/quote:2u2ljo1n]

While I would like to see that happen, Cocorico and Hosei themselves aren’t getting any younger…

Perhaps Matsumoto might get his wish, no matter how many times he has said it as a joke and NTV get Arashi to do it instead.

I’m wondering whether they’ll bring in up in the new Heyx3 special next Monday

[quote="Vatican":3qxzzet3]Perhaps Matsumoto might get his wish, no matter how many times he has said it as a joke and NTV get Arashi to do it instead. [/quote:3qxzzet3]

Arashi have been Team Red representatives for Kouhaku on the other channel for the past 4 years (2010 ~ Present) as well as doing a special medley performance in 2009, they’ve already gone to the dark side!!

[img:3qxzzet3]http://blog-imgs-49.fc2.com/r/a/w/rawdvd/201301101435494f5.jpg[/img:3qxzzet3][img:3qxzzet3]http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/201001/03/30/d0083030_119374.jpg[/img:3qxzzet3]

Article released yesterday:

[url:3c5xgykq]http://biz-journal.jp/2014/02/post_4121.html[/url:3c5xgykq]

[quote:3c5xgykq]テレビ番組『ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで!!』（日本テレビ系）の大晦日特別版で、毎年恒例の『絶対に笑ってはいけないシリーズ』として昨年の大晦日に放送された『絶対に笑ってはいけない地球防衛軍24時！』が、BPO（放送倫理・番組向上機構）の審議対象となったことが今月、明らかとなった。
BPOによれば、『絶対に～』内で男性タレントがオムツ交換で局部を露出したシーンやお尻でロケット花火を受け止めるシーンなどについて、委員から「放送基準に照らし問題があるのではないか」などの意見が出たため、計3つの場面を審議の対象とすることが決まったという。

その『絶対に～』に出演していたお笑いタレント・松本人志（ダウンタウン）は、2月11日0:54～放送のテレビ番組『ワイドナショー』（フジテレビ系）に出演し心境を語るとともに、テレビ番組と規制の在り方について自説を披露した。

今回のBPO審議入りを受け、自身のTwitter宛てに多くの人から励ましの声が寄せられているという松本は「すごくありがたいんですけど」と前置きしつつ、現在、子供の人権問題などで騒動となっている連続テレビドラマ『明日、ママがいない』（日本テレビ系）を引き合いに出し、「BPOにもいろんな段階があって、あれ（＝『明日～』）は結構すごいことなんですけど、これに関してはそこまで『がんばれ』とか言われることでもなくて」と松本自身は冷静に受け止めている様子を見せた。

続けて、BPOが問題視している演出方法については、「でも、それは今に始まったことではなくて、昔からあって、そんなに僕も困ってもないし怒ってもない」と心境を語り、「むしろこれをきっかけに『笑ってはいけない』をやめれるな、っていう。本当にキツイんで、やめたい。僕がBPOに言いたいくらい」と本音を漏らした。

そして、きわどい内容のテレビ番組に多くの批判が寄せられることについては、「怒られながらやっていくしかないんですよ」と制作サイドが試行錯誤していく必要性を説くとともに、「なんか変えたいな、っていう思いがあるんです。サービス精神からちょっとハミ出さないといけない時ってあるじゃないですか」と批判覚悟であえて過激なことをやる意義を強調。ただ、演出に対する規制については、「規制がなかったらアカンと思うんですよ。規制の中でどうがんばって、ギリギリのところで遊んでいる部分もあるんですよ」と必要性を認めつつ、「サービス精神からちょっとハミ出してしまうこともあるんですけど、それをなしにしちゃうと、テレビは毒にも薬にもならなくなる」と危機感を表した。

松本の一連の発言を受け、弁護士・犬塚浩氏は「表現の自由とは、長い歴史をかけて戦って勝ち取ってきたもの。これからも人々の理解を求めて戦っていくしかない」と解説。すると松本は「我々のやりたいことって至ってシンプルで、ホントに笑ってほしいから、楽しんでほしいから。そこになんの悪意もないんですよね」とバラエティー番組へ取り組む姿勢を説明するとともに、「たまに悪人、罪人みたいに言われることがすごく悲しいですよね」とこぼした。

このほかにも番組内では、ここ最近、テレビ局が世間からの批判を恐れて自主規制を強めているというテーマに話題が及ぶと、松本は「各局が自主規制になっちゃって、ギリギリのラインすら突かなくなって、もうちょっとあと2歩くらい下がったところでやろうとして、これは問題ですよね」と、テレビ局が委縮を強める風潮に懸念を示すシーンも見られた。

松本と同じお笑いタレントとしては、先日、岡村隆史（ナインティナイン）がMCを務めるラジオ番組内で、『明日～』が一部から放送中止要請を受けるなどして批判を浴びている件について、「もし、これで本当に放送中止になってしまったら、もうテレビの未来はないです」などと語り、同ドラマ批判への反論を展開。普段からバッシングの対象になりやすいバラエティ番組で活躍する人気お笑いタレントたちも、テレビ番組と規制の問題に敏感になっている様子がうかがえる。[/quote:3c5xgykq]

The article details that after the BPO (the media organisation who launched a complaint against some scenes in the program) took its actions, Matsumoto’s Twitter was littered with support from other tweets saying that he should ignore the BPO and encouraging him to keep on doing the program. However, Matsumoto said on this Monday’s Wide na Show that although he was thankful for the tweets, he wasn’t as angry as he thought he would have been and said that he wanted to stop doing the program because it was too taxing on the body.

I will make one note here: given Matsumoto has said many times jokingly that he would like to end these specials, it still doesn’t seem possible and watching the episode myself, he seemed to sarcastically appeal to the BPO to take action.

Episode links are here if you wanna hear what Matsumoto has to say and make your own opinion: [url:3c5xgykq]http://downtownlaugh.blog76.fc2.com/blog-entry-16682.html[/url:3c5xgykq]

Well, that escalated quickly…
I guess Earth Defence may just be the last Batsu Game we watch…

[quote="Fengson":yw18shgz]Well, that escalated quickly…
I guess Earth Defence may just be the last Batsu Game we watch… [/quote:yw18shgz]

I doubt it because after the record-breaking high viewer ratings of the Earth Defence batsu which also got it into the Japanese newspapers, the manager said "We hope to continue to grow as a special program loved by audiences in the living room on New Years.".

In this instance I think BPO are just a complaints middle-man without legal standing since it involves consensual actors/comedians and not animals who can’t voice consent.

Matsumoto has made similar jokes about quitting or ‘leaving it to younger people’ each year. If it was some big "leak/confession of real intention" as the tabloids are trying to rumour, I think that the audience would of gasped like "ehhh!?" (as they do on Japanese shows ) and Higashino would of pressed Matsumoto further about it. It wasn’t big news, so they laughed and moved on as far as I can tell.

I take Matsumoto’s comment as "I’d tell the BPO they don’t have to tell ME to quit doing such harsh things, I’d want to quit anyway BECAUSE it’s harsh!!" Which is true, but he’s been saying it’s harsh every year (making him suffer with hemorrhoids etc.), yet he continues.

Could be wrong but I think this is the moment he jokes about quitting:
[video:yw18shgz]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ7qtntEu4E[/video:yw18shgz]

[b:yw18shgz]Bit more rambling:[/b:yw18shgz]
[hide:yw18shgz]The fact it's received complaints this year (even on things that were in last years batsu or the regular Gaki show), just goes to show I think how popular this years batsu was that more people saw it to get offended. The more popular something is the more likely it'll get complaints, but as mentioned for every person that complained more supported the show and told them to ignore the BPO.

[size=150:yw18shgz][b:yw18shgz][color=#400080:yw18shgz]NTV and the Drama Controversy:[/color:yw18shgz][/b:yw18shgz][/size:yw18shgz]

Recently the drama series "Ashita, Mama ga Inai" has received LOTS of complaints. It features kids being mistreated at an orphanage, and apparently it caused people in Japan to call their local orphanages and inquire as to if that kind of thing is going on there. Some organisations took offence at the depiction of orphanages and there were individuals who felt the use of bad language etc. towards children was too much. This was just after 1 or 2 episodes had aired and people were crying out for them to cancel the series. Though again there were various other people with the opposite opinion.

NTV (who broadcasts the drama, as well as Gaki), stated that whilst they understand peoples views, they feel the show should continue and that later episodes might reflect a different image in peoples eyes. So they made a commitment to not take it down. The Gaki batsu has had nowhere near as much controversy as that drama series I think, considering the overwhelming majority who disagree with the BPO, and even if there were a lot of complaints it seems the NTV would be unlikely to stop broadcasting it in light of their reaction to the big Ashita, Mama ga Inai controversy. Actually listening to that Wide Na show, I think they even mention the drama controversy (I think I hear Matsumoto say 'drama' and Higashino say 'ashita' something).

Anyway that seems to be Matsumoto's take on it too. He doesn't care too much about the BPO.

[b:yw18shgz][size=150:yw18shgz][color=#400080:yw18shgz]Matsumoto's Teacher Batsu Joke[/color:yw18shgz][/size:yw18shgz][/b:yw18shgz]

People also took seriously his joke at the end of the Teachers batsu where he said he wanted to "leave it to the younger ones next year". So lots were saying "Oh Downtown are quitting participating in the batsu". But the joke was that he was referring to Hosei and Cocorico and they aren't young either! Hosei recently made the same joke about the Chono slap after the Earth Defence batsu, he said a man of his age shouldn't be getting such a severe slap, it should be his juniors! The article noted that Cocorico (his juniors) aren't much younger! [/hide:yw18shgz]
Just my 2 pence.

[b:yw18shgz]EDITED for length… I do tend to ramble…[/b:yw18shgz]

[quote:2xxhiol4]Actually listening to that Wide Na show, I think they even mention the drama controversy (I think I hear Matsumoto say ‘drama’ and Higashino say ‘ashita’ something).[/quote:2xxhiol4]

Here, Matsumoto mentions the comments that he made a couple of weeks back on that week’s episode of Wide na Show when the drama’s complaints really got serious and he said then that TV was becoming too boring because people seemed to be finding excuses to complain. Okamura Takashi of Ninety-nine also expressed similar views on his All Night Nippon radio show a few weeks ago and actors on the drama like Shirota Yu have also defended it, so this is really promoting some serious discussion among people.

I think both these controversies have raised issues on how Japanese TV is changing. Twitter certainly was awash with a lot of feedback over these issues and as was said, there was quite a bit of support for Matsumoto and Ashita. The drama itself has gotten steady ratings even throughout this controversy so ironically, this controversy has probably helped Ashita throughout this time.

I know this is also a bit off topic but it was sad to see that as a result of this BPO controversy, there was some criticism of Downtown themselves on Japanese forums, claiming they’re not funny anymore. Whilst everyone is allowed to have an opinion, I think it is more an indication on the current level of Japan’s comedians that Downtown are still looked to for laughs and criticised when some viewers think they are not getting it. No solo or duo comedian has truly managed to step up to the plate of No.1 IMO and while people like Ariyoshi and Summers (a personal favourite of mine) have started making progress, old veterans like Sanma and Downtown still are prominent. Everyone else is still effective as supporting casts, but don’t seem to have the gravitas to lead on their own. Forgive me if you think I’m ranting on endlessly but I just think it’s a bit unfair on Downtown when, at their age, they really should be starting to lower their workload and preparing for a nice retirement while seeing the next generation through.

[quote="Vatican":1vz4l7ce]I know this is also a bit off topic but it was sad to see that as a result of this BPO controversy, there was some criticism of Downtown themselves on Japanese forums, claiming they’re not funny anymore.[/quote:1vz4l7ce]

I don’t think it’s a result of the BPO controversy. Sadly people have been making comments like that for a long time. Often specifically targeting Matsumoto just because he is such a prominent figure. If you look for it, every Gaki member gets harsh comments sadly… It’s just standard fare with online discussion, especially if something or someone is popular. The tabloid article even says:
普段からバッシングの対象になりやすいバラエティ番組で活躍する人気お笑いタレントたちも
[b:1vz4l7ce]Rough translation: [/b:1vz4l7ce]"As usual, popular stand-up comedians who play an active part in such variety shows become an easy target".
[b:1vz4l7ce]Between the lines translation: [/b:1vz4l7ce]He’s still popular.

For earlier examples of people being harsh towards Matsumoto, just pick anytime he released a movie. I read comments where they mocked his desire to become the next Kitano in film directing with stuff like ‘he has nowhere enough skill to do so and should just focus on becoming funny on TV again’. It was months ago so I can’t remember where but searching something like "松本人志 ビートたけし 面白くない" might get some results in that vein.

Likewise Downtown get compared to other duos and in the same discussion threads there’ll be polar opposites of opinion. For example this one from November 2013 for "Both are comedy geniuses but who is funnier, Matsumoto of Downtown or Hikari Ōta of Bakushō Mondai?"

[quote:1vz4l7ce]
[color=#0000FF:1vz4l7ce][b:1vz4l7ce]Person 1:[/b:1vz4l7ce][/color:1vz4l7ce]
太田も松本も天才だよ。でも、面白いのは太田。松本が面白ろかったのは90年代だけ。今は全然笑えない。
Both Matsumoto and Ota are genuises. But Ota is more funny. Matsumoto was only interesting in the 1990s. I can’t find him funny at all now.
[color=#0000FF:1vz4l7ce][b:1vz4l7ce]Person 2:[/b:1vz4l7ce][/color:1vz4l7ce]
松本人志です。爆笑太田も面白いですが、非凡ではないと思います。
Matsumoto. Ota is also funny but not as remarkable.
[b:1vz4l7ce][color=#0000FF:1vz4l7ce]Person 3:[/color:1vz4l7ce][/b:1vz4l7ce]
圧倒的に松本さんです。
It overwhelmingly has to be Matsumoto.
太田さんも例えが秀逸な時は結構ありますが、松本さんと比べると見劣りします。
Although Ota has many excellent moments, it pales when compared to Matsumoto.
松本さんの全盛期の話をしてる人もいますが全盛期じゃない今でも松本さんは芸能界では次元が違う面白さだと思いますね。
While some talk of a "heyday" for Matsumoto that has past, I think that he brings a unique fun dimension to the entertainment industry even today.
[/quote:1vz4l7ce]