, better known for his stage name , is a Japanese comedian, narrator, actor, playwright, and lyricist. He is sometimes called .

Career

In 1995, while studying at the

Japan Institute of the Moving Image The , formerly known as the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School, is a Japanese film school and university. It was founded in 1975 by film director Shohei Imamura. While a student at this school, director Takashi Miike was given his first film ...

, Masuno formed the comedy duo known as ''Bakarhythm'' with Toshihiro Matsushita. For the next 10 years, the duo had some success and appeared on a number of television variety and programs. In 2005, Matsushita decided to retire from the entertainment industry and the unit disbanded in November of that same year. Masuno decided to continue the activities of ''Bakarhythm'' by himself and took on the name as a solo comedian. In 2006, just three months after the going solo, Bakarhythm became a finalist at the ''R-1 Grand Prix'', the most prevalent televised comedy competition for solo performers. His flip board '' neta'' was a huge hit and landed him 4th place at the finals as well as propelling him to major success there afterward with the ''neta'' being featured in many commercials. However, Bakarhythm feared that the overuse of the same joke and gag may potentially lead to him becoming a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

, and promptly stopped performing the flip board ''neta'' just one year after its initial break to popularity. He continued to appear on the ''R-1 Grand Prix'' consecutively for five years afterwards and was a finalist in four of the five years, and changing his performance with new material every time he entered. His ''neta'', "Baka the Geography Teacher" scored a perfect 100 points at the 2009 ''R-1 Grand Prix'', the first in the competition's history. Bakarhythm began activities as a creator and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

in 2012 with various television and comedy works. In 2014, he began activities as a screenwriter for serial TV dramas for the first time with ''Sutekinasen Taxi'' while appearing as an actor at the same time. Bakarhythm's career as a screenwriter then flourished as he was in charge of the script and screenwriting for prime time television dramas such as ''Kamoshiranai Joyu-tachi'', ''Sakurazakabe Monogatari'', the 2016 drama version of '' Ten Dark Women'', ''Sumu Sumu'' (In which he also starred in), and ''Kaku OL Nikki'' (Also its original creator and lead actor). Bakarhythm won the

Galaxy Award A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar S ...

and the

Kuniko Mukoda Kuniko (written: , , , or ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * (1209–1283), Empress of Japan * (born 1962), Japanese actress and television presenter *, Japanese swimmer * (born 1952), Japanese politician ...

Award for ''Kaku OL Nikki'' in 2017. In 2014, he appeared wearing a fake long nose and blonde wig in a controversial whiteface commercial for All Nippon Airways. In 2015, he appeared in almost all advertising for '' Super Mario Maker'' and designed a level that is playable in the game. In December 2019, Bakarhythm married former idol and member of Denpagumi.inc, Nemu Yumemi.

Filmography

TV programmes

Current

Former

Drama

Films

Japanese dub

References

External links

Official profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bakarhythm Japanese male comedians Japanese male film actors Japanese male television actors Japanese male voice actors 1975 births Living people People from Tagawa, Fukuoka Actors from Fukuoka Prefecture 20th-century comedians 21st-century comedians 21st-century Japanese male actors