Manzai

A type of comedy routine that originated in the Kansai region of Japan, but which has since spread to the rest of the country. The kansaijin are still considered the masters of the form, though.

A manzai routine consists of two partners, a tsukkomi and a boke. The routine is straighforwardly slapstick in nature: the boke says something stupid, and the tsukkomi delivers a verbal reprimand, or a blow of some form (either a slap, or a blow with a harisen, a fan-like whip made of pleated paper), or both.

Among the more famous manzai comedians is Takeshi Kitano, who used to tour as part of a manzai team, under the stage name "Beat". Kitano isn't a kansaijin, though - he is from Tokyo.

See also: boke, tsukkomi