MANGA REVIEW | "Show-ha Shoten!" - Volume Six
Comedy is genderless, so why is it that women have the hardest time making it big? Sure, there are your Ali Wongs and Sarah Silvermans, but the ratio of successful male comedians and female comedians teeters hard to the male side. (In fact, as of this writing, Japan's prestigious M-1 Grand Prix manzai competition has yet to have a female winner!) Perhaps if the comedy world wasn’t always telling women comedians that it’ll be harder to succeed than men, then maybe the powers that be wouldn’t already plan to push them down the hole of failure. This is what Broken Glass Slipper has dealt with their entire careers, but in the sixth volume of Show-ha Shoten!, the duo pushes right back!
The Wara-1 Koshien competition is just about to start in Osaka, the comedy capital of Japan! Ten manzai teams, only one winner. This means the odds are stacked against One-Way Ticket to the Top, as Azemichi and Taiyo have yet to figure out how to defeat the other nine acts. They have a plan, but whether or not it’s a good one will be decided upon by the judges and the audience. On top of that, there’s one team that’s itching to make things horrible for Taiyo: Brutus.
There’s history between Taiyo and Brutus member Ryuki. The former friend of Taiyo keeeps egging him on about his past, in ways that play with him psychologically. It’s a dirty way of playing the competition game, but it’s one that I’m certain happens in the real world of comedy. One would hope that the other member of Brutus would be the conscience of the team, but alas, he’s a dick too. Even worse is how they aim to get sympathy points from the judges, with a trick that would get an American comedian beaten on-stage for attempting such an act.
But there’s a greater challenge afoot in Show-ha Shoten!, specifically for the one who goes first at the Wara-1 Koshien. That seat is taken by Broken Glass Slipper, who already knows what it’s like to be the underdog. Readers are then treated to their back story, with Himawari being a class goofball and Rinka a girl still unsure of her future. But there’s more they act silly and get in trouble, the more they begin to grow as both friends and performers.
That’s when the competition finally gets underway. After being warmed-up by the pros, Broken Glass Slipper hits the stage. The first competitors are often scored lower, as they are certain the other acts will be funnier. So Himawari and Rinka execute their strategy, with a sketch involving a crossing guard for grade schoolers. Every joke, every punchline, and every gag hits their mark, with the audience laughing harder and harder at what’s thrown their way.
And the agony on the faces of the judges says it all. They’re sitting there wondering how to grade them fairly, knowing full well that what they did is far more deserving of high marks. Once the score is finally shown, readers will see that this comedy competition is one that’ll be truly cutthroat. With this performance, Broken Glass Slipper should maybe change their name to “Broken Glass Ceiling”, because that’s exactly what they did!
Still, there’s a long way to go to see if they’ll be the winners. Nine more teams are left to perform, with One-Way Ticket to the Top being second-to-last. However, with Taiyo in a weird funk, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not he can pull off the routine. But now, it seems like Brutus isn’t the only team to be worried about, especially with how well Broken Glass Slipper scored.
Volume Six of Show-ha Shoten! gave the spotlight to another duo, and they used it to their advantage. Just as Akane-banashi does with rakugo, this series makes it very difficult to pick a winner in the manzai scene. Everyone here (save for Brutus, probably) deserves the top-tier title, which means Azemichi and Taiyo will now have to prove to even the readers why they should be the top crew. For now, we can only anticipate the kinds of comedy that Show-ha Shoten! is about to unleash on us.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media. Special thanks to Kou-chan of Ichiban Kawaii for her insight regarding women in manzai comedy.
