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Benza English
''Benza English'' is a Japanese on demand comedy series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video via Prime Video Direct in April 2020 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan. Shortly after, it began streaming in seventy additional territories. The show is a spin-off of the Japanese on demand comedy series '' The Benza'', and features Kyle (Kyle Card) and Chris (Christopher McCombs) as well as many other returning characters from the original show. The main plot follows Kaori (Kaori Ikeda) who receives a mysterious offer to become the host of her own English language show and takes place between "The Benza" series 1 and series 2. The eight-episode season was filmed entirely on location in Tokyo, Japan by co-directors Raito Nishizaka and Michael Williams. History "Benza English" began as a corner in episode 4 of series 1 of '' The Benza'', where Kaori Ikeda appeared as the host of an English educational show that helps characters by teaching inappropriate English. The s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new characters in each sketch, and stand-up comedy, where a comedian tells jokes and stories to an audience. Sitcoms originated in radio, but today are found mostly on television as one of its dominant narrative forms. A situation comedy television program may be recorded in front of a studio audience, depending on the program's production format. The effect of a live studio audience can be imitated or enhanced by the use of a laugh track. Critics disagree over the utility of the term "sitcom" in classifying shows that have come into existence since the turn of the century. Many contemporary American sitcoms use the single-camera setup and do not feature a laugh track, thus often resembling the dramedy shows of the 1980s and 1990s rather t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher McCombs
Christopher Brian McCombs (born 25 August 1980) is an American actor and model. He is the creator, star, writer, and producer of the Japanese on demand series '' The Benza'' and its spin off series '' Benza English'' on Amazon Prime Video. He is known for portraying Michael in the Netflix original series ''Followers'', and for stage roles such as Hoteye in the live action production of ''Fairy Tail''. McCombs is fluent in Japanese, and has won several acting awards for his performances in English and Japanese alike. Early life McCombs was born in Geneva, Ohio and moved to Cleveland with his mother, teacher Karen Callahan, at a young age. He began acting and modeling professionally in high school at the age of fifteen when his gifted education teacher pushed him into auditioning for shows. He credits his father, David McCombs, for his interest in the Japanese language. When he was a child, his father bought him and his brother a Super Famicom and he began playing video games in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kyle Card
Kyle Lawrence Card (born July 27, 1985) is a Canadian actor and television reporter. Card is best known for his role of Kyle in the Japanese on demand series “ The Benza” and spin-off series “ Benza English” on Amazon Prime Video. He also works as a reporter for multiple NHK World programs, including "Journeys in Japan", "Trails to Oishii Tokyo", and "Tokyo Eye 2020". Card is fluent in Japanese and has won awards for his acting abilities in it. Early life Card was born in British Columbia, Canada. From the age of six he developed an interest in Japanese culture after watching the animated film " Akira" on television. This led him to study the Japanese language in university. He participated in a one-year exchange program to Tokyo in 2005 when he was 20 years old. Career Card moved back to Japan in 2011 to pursue an acting career in the Japanese entertainment industry. His first regular television job was the live news show "Goji ni Muchuu!" on the TokyoMX network, a pos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janni Olsson
Janni Olsson (born 22 March 1985) is a Swedish TV host, model, actress and outdoor columnist. She is the creator, producer and host of the outdoor documentary series Getting Dirty in Japan which started streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Japan in April 2023 and is known for her appearances on Japanese television shows such as ''Trails to Oishii Tokyo''(former ''Trails to Tsukiji''), ''Cycle Around Japan'', ''J-Trip Plan'', ''Tokyo Eye 2020'', and ''Journeys in Japan'' of NHK World-Japan. Olsson plays the character Alena Treasurehunter in the Amazon Prime Video series ''The Benza'' and its spin-off series Benza English and the video game The Benza RPG. She additionally works as an outdoor journalist in Japan, being featured in major magazines such as BE-PAL, PEAKS and GARVY. Career Olsson started out in the entertainment industry as a costumed character at a theme park in Sweden, where she worked for 10 years. Her modeling career started when she was scouted during her time as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nakano, Tokyo
is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City.About Nakano City " Retrieved March 10, 2013. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 322,731, and a population density of 20,701 persons per km2. The total area is 15.59 km2. Nakano is the most densely populated city in Japan. History The ward was founded on October 1, 1932, when the towns of Nogata and Nakano were absorbed into the former as Nakano Ward. The present administration dates from March 15, 1947, when the Allied occupation reformed the administration of Tokyo-to ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (company), Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Amazon Prime, Prime subscription. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced by Amazon Studios and MGM Holdings or licensed to Amazon, as List of Amazon Prime Video original programming, Amazon Originals, with the service also hosting content from other providers, content add-ons, live sporting events, and video rental and purchasing services. Operating worldwide, the service may require a full Prime subscription to be accessed. In countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, the service can be accessed without a full Prime subscription, whereas in Australia, Canada, France, India, Turkey, and Italy, it can only be access ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off (or spinoff) is a radio program, television program, film, video game or any narrative work, derived from already existing works that focus on more details and different aspects from the original work (e.g. particular topics, characters or events). One of the earliest spin-offs of the modern media era, if not the first, happened in 1941 when the supporting character Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve from the old time radio comedy show ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' became the star of his own program ''The Great Gildersleeve'' (1941–1957). In genre fiction, the term parallels its usage in television; it is usually meant to indicate a substantial ''change in narrative viewpoint and activity'' from that (previous) storyline based on the activities of the series' principal protagonist and so is a shift to that action and overall narrative thread of some other protagonist, which now becomes the central or main thread (storyline) of the new sub-series. The ''new protagoni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Benza
''The Benza'' is a Japanese web television comedy that premiered on Amazon Prime Video via Prime Video Direct in April 2019 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan. It then premiered in Germany in July 2019. It is currently available in over 130 countries via Amazon Prime Video and Plex. The series follows Kyle (Kyle Card) and Chris (Christopher McCombs) as they try to figure out how their broke and prevent the end of the world. The six episode first season was filmed entirely on location in Tokyo, Japan by director Raito Nishizaka. The seven episode second season was released in Japan via Amazon Prime Video in December 2021 and was directed by Raito Nishizaka and Michael Williams. The entire series was written by series creator Christopher McCombs. History "The Benza" began as a Japanese short film that was partially inspired by true events. Pre-production began in early 2018 and the short film premiered in Tokyo, Japan on April 6 of the same year. After receiving ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shizuka Anderson
Shizuka Anderson (born 30 October 1991) is a Canadian-Japanese actress, television presenter, and model. Anderson starred in the role of Pipon on the Japanese children's television program, Piponza ABC!, and later appeared in the same role on the BBC spin-off series, Eigo no Ohanashi CBeebies. She is also known for playing the role of Carol on the Amazon Prime Video series, Benza English and The Benza. She has hosted and reported for the NHK World television programs J-Flicks and Journeys in Japan. Anderson was a finalist in the 2020 Miss World Japan beauty pageant and won the title of "Japan Traditional Culture". Early life Anderson was born in Edmonton, Canada. Her father is Canadian and her mother is Japanese. She lived in Canada until the age of 18, when she moved to Japan for university at the suggestion of her grandparents. Anderson studied in the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Sophia University. Career Anderson made her television debut in 2012 as the title character ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Hits It Hard From Benza English At Tokyo Comic Con
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the third king of the United Kingdom of Israel. In the Books of Samuel, he is described as a young shepherd and harpist who gains fame by slaying Goliath, a champion of the Philistines, in southern Canaan. David becomes a favourite of Saul, the first king of Israel; he also forges a notably close friendship with Jonathan, a son of Saul. However, under the paranoia that David is seeking to usurp the throne, Saul attempts to kill David, forcing the latter to go into hiding and effectively operate as a fugitive for several years. After Saul and Jonathan are both killed in battle against the Philistines, a 30-year-old David is anointed king over all of Israel and Judah. Following his rise to power, David c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Benza RPG
''The Benza RPG'' is a 2020 role-playing video game that takes place in the world of the Japanese on demand comedy series '' The Benza'' and its spin-off series '' Benza English''. It was released in 148 countries via the iOS app store and shortly after on Steam and Android devices. The plot takes place between ''Benza English'' and the second series of ''The Benza''. The story and dialog were entirely written by series creator Christopher McCombs. Gameplay The player primarily takes control of Chris and Kyle as they explore a retro-rpg version of Higashi Nakano. Many locations and characters from ''The Benza'' and ''Benza English'' are featured within the game. Gameplay is divided between story, battle, and exploration. The combat system is turn based and features an on screen turn counter. The player also has the ability to swap characters in and out of battle at any time via the “Switch” battle command. Plot Chris (Christopher McCombs) and Kyle ( Kyle Card) are about ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
