is a Japanese ''

owarai is a broad word used to describe Japanese comedy as seen on television. The word ''owarai'' is the honorific form of the word ''warai'' (by adding o- prefix), meaning "a laugh" or "a smile". ''Owarai'' is most common on Japanese variety shows ...

'' comedy duo consisting of Osamu Shitara and Yūki Himura.

Career

Shitara and Himura formed as a comedy unit in 1993 and debuted on stage in 1994. Himura had broken up with his previous partner and Shitara was working as the driver of the comedian

Masayuki Watanabe Masayuki (written: , ,, , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese animator and director *, Japanese actor *, Japanese baseball player and manager *, Japanese politician *, ...

, so they formed a duo after a friend introduced them. They concentrated on skit comedy, developing a theatrical style that emphasized verbal repartee. In 2008, they came in second on the nationally televised annual ''King of Conte'' skit comedy contest. Up until then, Bananaman had concentrated on live performances and DVD releases, but afterwards began to appear more on television. Himura appeared on the most shows (19) of any comedian during the 2009 New Year's period, and the duo received their own show, ''Banana Fire'', for the first time in April 2009. After that, they became the hosts of several other television shows, including ''Nogizaka tte Doko?'' and its successor ''Nogizaka Kojichū'' (with

Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, and ...

), ''Banana-juku'', and ''

Why Did You Come to Japan? is a Japanese television programme presented by Osamu Shitara and Yūki Himura, a comedy duo known as "Bananaman". It is a regular programme on TV Tokyo on Monday evenings. The show was first broadcast in the form of two pilot shows in June and O ...

'', in addition to appearing as regulars on other shows like Beat Takeshi's '' Unbelievable''. Shitara and Himura also appear by themselves on various programs, with Shitara, for instance, hosting the live news program ''Nonstop!''. Bananaman have also appeared in acting roles on film and television (for instance, Shitara in ''Kakusho ~ Keishicho Sōsa 3 Ka''). In the year 2012, Shitara appeared on more television programs than any other Japanese personality, appearing in 611 programs, 163 with Himura (Himura was ranked 12th with 428 television appearances). Shitara also led the rankings for the first half of 2013. Bananaman are the of the

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

and are said to support them like family. The duo are the hosts of Nogizaka's weekly late night variety show, ''Nogizaka Kojichū,'' and will occasionally mention the girls in their radio show, BananaMoon Gold. Many Nogizaka46 members also say they listen to Bananaman's radio show and follow their schedules. The two acts often appear in each other's events and regular shows.

Members

*, born April 23, 1973, in

Minano, Saitama is a town located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 9,497 in 3994 households and a population density of 150 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Located in western Saitama Prefecture, ...

*, born May 14, 1972, in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

, and moved to

Sagamihara, Kanagawa is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 723,470, with 334,812 households, and a population density of 1,220 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Sagamihara is the third-most-populous city ...

Career

Members

Television

Radio

References

External links