Tag: No Laughing Batsu

New Gaki no Tsukai Batsu Special Photos Reveal Homage to ‘Back to the Future!’

nolaughscience3By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

In the latest group of photos published by Oricon Style from the filming of Gaki no Tsukai’s No Laughing Science Laboratory batsu, one of those photos will be of interest to fans of the 1985 feature film Back to the Future starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson. With each batsu Hiroshi Fujiwara (藤原 寛), former manager of comedy team Downtown (Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada), appears in costume (sometimes dressed as a woman) and acts as guide for the five comics, Matsumoto, Hamada, Endō Shōzō, Tanaka Naoki and Hōsei Tsukitei.

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Gaki no Tsukai New Year’s No Laughing Batsu Special Returns to Japanese TV!

nolaughingsciencelab1By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

The cast of Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! (ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで!!) will be producing yet another No Laughing Batsu (punishment) game. Now confirmed after a sighting of this year’s bus (every year a bus is used to transport the cast to their ultimate destination). With owarai (Japanese comedy) duo Downtown (Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada), comedian Hōsei Tsukitei (formerly known as Hōsei Yamasaki), and second owarai duo Cocorico (Endō Shōzō and Tanaka Naoki) going on to other projects outside the Gaki no Tsukai series, rumors of the specials coming to an end have circulated for the past 3 years. Also the age of the oldest cast members (both were 52 at the last batsu) would make continuing on with specials that reward the contestants who break out laughing with physical punishment, harder with every new special. It was believed last year’s No Laughing Detective Agency was the final batsu after an end credits roll gave a nostalgic look at previous batsus.

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