Last Updated on 2026-06-15 by a-indie

Hello from the BELONG Media editorial team!

To everyone who reads our articles — have you ever wondered, “What face do you make when your favorite comedian scores the lowest points in competition history?”

Marilyn has the answer. And for some reason, she looked incredibly proud.

Continuing from last time, three members of the BELONG Media staff — yabori (moderator), Wakiki, and Marilyn — are sitting down for an in-depth conversation on the theme of “Comedians and Acts We Want to Champion.”

Our goal: to give you a sneaky look at what kind of comedy sensibility we have, given that we usually spend our time talking about music.

In this second installment of the theme, we’re letting you peek into Marilyn’s personal philosophy of being a fan — in roundtable form.
To start things off, let us show you Marilyn talking about her favorite comedian with an almost alarming level of passion.

Marilyn and Kinzoku Bat

yabori

So Marilyn, how do you usually watch comedy?

I love both conte (sketch comedy) and manzai (stand-up duo comedy), and within manzai I’m especially into the ōgiri style — the more free-form, witty kind. So for M-1, I basically watch everything from the third round and quarterfinals onward.

Marilyn

yabori

Can you actually watch the third round and quarterfinals on YouTube or something?

Yeah, on YouTube and TVer. What got me seriously into comedy was the M-1 where Wagyu became a big deal — sometime in the late 2010s. Everyone I followed on social media, musicians and friends alike, all started talking about M-1 at once, so I thought, “If it’s this much of a thing, I should check it out.” I did, and I loved it. Then I found out there’s a semifinal before the main competition, and that’s where I discovered Kinzoku Bat — and I completely fell for them.

Marilyn

yabori

I’ve seen Kinzoku Bat’s material before, but what is it about them that you love so much?

…All I can say is that their vibe is just something I can’t resist (laughs). They’re absolutely not mainstream, right?

Marilyn

yabori

Oh — alternative rock.

I know what Kinzoku Bat look like, but I’ve actually never seen their material.

Wakiki

Their material matches their appearance exactly (laughs). So there’s this competition called Second — it’s only open to manzai duos who’ve been together for 16 years or more and are no longer eligible for M-1 — and Kinzoku Bat have been finalists every single year since it started, four years running. There was this feeling in the air before the competition that this was finally going to be their year. They’d come through the first and second rounds with the highest scores in the competition’s history. I was so sure it was going to be them.

Marilyn

yabori

But that’s not how it turned out, right? (laughs)

In the final, the boke — the funny one — starts casually chatting about how the foreign exchange student at his homestay is vegan and can’t eat meat. Then the host mom comes out holding a piece of bread, saying “You can eat this, right?” And then: “Now here’s a question. What kind of bread can’t you eat? A frying pan. Not funny, is it!” That’s the bit they did in the final. They got the lowest score in the history of the competition (laughs).

Marilyn

yabori

That’s hilarious!!

I know, right. But here’s the thing — it’s not like they were deliberately trying not to win. I genuinely think they chose that bit because they believed it was the funniest thing they could do.

Marilyn

yabori

It’s that off-kilter quality that makes it even funnier, isn’t it.

Exactly. I love the bit, and I love the fact that they chose it — but yeah, you’re not going to get high scores for that (laughs). It was very much a “well, that was a gamble” moment.

Marilyn

yabori

This is basically that “unsuccessful band member theory” you like, isn’t it.

It’s a bit different from that (laughs). It’s not that I like unsuccessful band members — it’s that my favorite bands happen to not be successful. It’s the opposite.

Marilyn

When you put it the other way around, it suddenly sounds much sadder (laughs).

Wakiki

I just happen to like comedians who can’t win competitions — that doesn’t mean I don’t want them to win (laughs).

Marilyn

Kinzoku Bat’s Tsukkomi Style

yabori

One thing that really struck me when I watched Kinzoku Bat was that Kobayashi does the boke, but the tsukkomi — Tomoyasu — never says “nande yanen!” (the classic Kansai retort). Instead he just covers his mouth like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. I thought that was really fresh. Expressing the tsukkomi through your reaction rather than through a line.

That’s so true.

Marilyn

Marilyn, is it that you’re drawn to things that are slightly off, a bit weird? (laughs)

Wakiki

Watching Second again made me realize — yeah, I really am drawn to the weird stuff. Across every genre, it’s always this type that gets me.

Marilyn

yabori

Kinzoku Bat feel a little bit like ZAZY in some ways, but also different. They’re not really in the “novelty act” category, are they.

They’re different from Yasei Bakudan’s Kukki! too, right?

Wakiki

yabori

Yeah, different from Kukki! too. What do you think, Marilyn? They feel like they belong in a different folder somehow.

Definitely a different folder. For me, Kinzoku Bat are in the same folder as Warai Meshi. I love Warai Meshi too.

Marilyn

yabori

Oh, interesting. In my head Warai Meshi are in a “really versatile” category — both of them go back and forth between boke and tsukkomi as they build the bit.

It’s not quite the same kind of versatility though… But Warai Meshi also have this legendary story where they did the bit they knew could win in the semifinal, then performed their “chinpoji” routine in the M-1 final and lost (laughs).

Marilyn

yabori

Why would you pick that one… (laughs)

They could have won if they’d played it straight — why take that gamble? (laughs)

Marilyn

yabori

Because they didn’t think it was a gamble — that’s what makes it so funny.

They had absolute confidence that chinpoji was guaranteed to get laughs (laughs). Whether that translates into winning a competition is a completely different question.

Marilyn

yabori

There’s a psychological barrier for the judges when it comes to dirty jokes. Even if it’s funny, they end up thinking “am I actually allowed to give this a high score?” — especially when it’s being broadcast on TV.

There’s this whole atmosphere of “is it okay to call this funny?” (laughs)

Marilyn

So, what did you think?

The line that stuck with me most — for reasons I can’t quite explain — was “chinpoji is guaranteed to be funny.” That was the second installment of our staff roundtable.

Marilyn gave us a genuine gem: “It’s not that I like unsuccessful band members — it’s that my favorite bands happen to not be successful.”
And when yabori immediately framed it as “alternative rock,” that felt like a very BELONG Media moment.

Whether it’s music or comedy, there’s something undeniably cool about people who commit to their own style — even when it’s not the safe bet!

Next time in Staff Room, we’ll be back with part three of our “Comedians and Acts We Want to Champion” theme.

We hope you’ll keep an eye on what’s coming next from BELONG Media!