is a Japanese

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

trio, consisting of , HIRO, and {{nihongo, Kuro-chan, クロちゃん. The three are much less about traditional skit or story based stand-up humor (which is common in

Japanese comedy 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 ...

), choosing instead to focus on physical humor and a loud, boisterous style that resonates with most

manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a double act, funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes ...

audiences. They formed in 2001, and received their name from owarai ''kombi'' Masuda Okada's Kisuke Masuda in parody of the famous "Kinoshita Dai Circus". The group's name simply means "Great Yasuda Circus".

The characters

The group's uniqueness can be attributed to Danchō, HIRO, and Kuro-chan's unconventional characters and strange manner. HIRO stands out as the huge, lumbering mass of the group, and his obesity-related difficulties are often the topic of the group's jokes. Notably, HIRO is said to look like a Japanese

taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...

when he smiles, and the lump of fatty skin on the back of his neck is often pointed out. As can be expected, he is also known for his large appetite, and is often called upon by

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

s to perform various feats of eating (大食い). In particular he is known for being able to drink a 2-liter bottle of orange

fanta Fanta is an American-owned German brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola Deutschland under the leadership of German businessman Max Keith. There are more than 200 flavors worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as ...

in a mere 10 seconds. As de facto leader of the group, Danchō is probably the least notable character, though he often takes the center stage while performing the groups gags, and is prone to stripping down to his

fundoshi is a traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males and females, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II, the was the main form of underwear for Japanese men and women. However, it fell out of use quickly after the war with the ...

(a traditional Japanese

loincloth A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or ...

) at the end of every performance. Danchō, who was previously a member of the failed group "Yasuda and Takeuchi", is also generally considered to be the

tsukkomi The following glossary of words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) are related to ''owarai'' (Japanese comedy). Many of these terms may be used in areas of Japanese culture beyond comedy, including television and radio, music. Some have be ...

of Yasuda Dai Circus. Kuro-chan is fairly heavy-set, and has a tough look to him, but looks only go so far as he always speaks in a piercing

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

. To further boost his image he often adopts feminine mannerisms and acts in a way that is often considered "cute" in Japanese culture. Kuro-chan is prone to lose his temper, as he is often taunted for his voice and odd demeanor, and fits into the traditional ''owarai'' role as boke.

The jokes

Though an essential part of their image, the trio's jokes are repetitive and predictable, and much more popular (though almost as predictable) is the

ad lib In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The ...

bed humour that is interjected between each of their gags. Some of the group's most well-known gags are: *''Dōn, dōn, dōn! Beta-betta!'' (どーん！どーん！どーん！ベタベッタ). Often chanted after a close-up on HIRO's smiling, sweaty face, this phrase could be said to be the "theme song" of the group. It basically means "Boom, boom, boom! Sweaty sweaty!"; ''boom'' being the sound a drum makes, as HIRO's face is said to look like a Japanese taiko when he smiles. *''Dōn, dōn, dōn! Nori-tsukkomi! Daiseikō!'' (どーん!どーん!どーん! 乗り突っ込み! 大成功!!). This chant, basically meaning "Boom, boom, boom! Self-tsukkomi! Big success!" refers to the way that the group often sets up their own jokes in a very obvious manner; a silly process called ''nori-tsukkomi''. All gags of this type usually end with Danchō marching around with arms straight out signaling a

peace sign A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a ''Dove'' lithograph by ...

, while HIRO pumps his fists in the air and Kuro-chan throws

confetti Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar, or metallic material which are usually thrown at celebrations, especially parades and weddings. The origins are from the Latin ''confectum'', with ''confetti'' the plural of Italian ''con ...

. *''Ochi deesu!'' (オチでーす！). Their short ''konto'' (skits) usually end with Danchō's breakaway suit being ripped off, revealing his

, and all members of the group shout ''Ochi deesu!'', meaning "That's the punchline!".

Media

* In 2008, the Yasuda Dai Circus played Neo Terra's three Executives in '' Tomica Hero: Rescue Force''. * In 2014, HIRO played Crush Roidmude in ''

Kamen Rider Drive is a Japanese tokusatsu television series serving as the 16th Heisei period, Heisei Kamen Rider Series, and 25th series overall. Riku Sanjo returns to the Kamen Rider Series to serve as ''Drive''s lead screenwriter, with Ryuta Tasaki as directo ...

'' with Danchō and Kuro-Chan as his Roidmude lackeys. * In

K-tai Investigator 7 is a 2008 Japanese television drama which aired from April 2, 2008 to March 18, 2009. It was a joint collaboration between WIZ and Production I.G. One of the episodes was directed by Takashi Miike. it is described as a science fiction tokusatsu a ...

. Kuro-Chan made a guest appearance on the show. * The trio appeared in the movie, '' Bleach: Memories of Nobody'', and provided their voices for their anime counterparts. They were seen doing their orange soda and

acts, before being interrupted by Senna doing her tightrope act above the stage. *Kuro-chan is a recurring guest in ''

AKBingo! ''AKBingo!'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese television variety show featuring Japanese idol girl group AKB48. The show aired weekly on Nippon Television. In each episode, members of AKB48 and occasionally their sister groups participate in ...

''.

TV Appearance

Tokusatsu

* ''Tomica Hero: Rescue Force'' (2008) (Maare (Kuro-chan), San (Danchō Yasuda), Sica (HIRO)) * ''Kamen Rider Drive'' (2014) ( Cobra-Type Roidmude 023/ Crush Roidmude (Ep. 4 - 6) (HIRO),

Spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

-Type Roidmude 060 (Ep. 5) (Danchō Yasuda), Cobra-Type Roidmude 074 (Ep. 5 - 6) (Kuro-chan))

External links

www.shochikugeino.co.jp
Yasuda Dai Circus' official profile Yasuda Dai Circus