Emi-Abi (2016)
Up-and-coming manzai stand-up comedy duo Emi-Abi has lost consummate funny man Unno (a surprisingly touching Tomoya Maeno) to an accident, leaving conceited straight man Jitsudo (Ryu Morioka) to contend with his diminished career prospects as a bland, pretty face entertainer. Guided by his manager Natsumi (Haru Kuroki), who demonstrates stronger comedy chops than her own star, Jitsudo comes to learn the circumstances of his friend's passing, as well as the life-and-death stakes of a career in comedy. Demonstrating a careful balance of tone across tragedy and deadpan and gross-out humor, writer/director Kensaku Watanabe expands "Emi-Abi"'s hilarious premise into a strikingly assured meditation on artistic rivalry and self-actualization.
Director: Kensaku Watanabe
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Ryu Morioka as Kenji Sanemichi |
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Tomoya Maeno as Kazuya Unno |
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Haru Kuroki as Natsumi Takahashi |
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Hirofumi Arai as Takuma Kurosawa |
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Mari Yamachi as Hinako Kurosawa |
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Hako Oshima as Kaoru Murata |
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Kenta Kunai as Tairo Murata |
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Jyo Hyuga as |
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Yuya Matsuura as |
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Yoshiki Saito as |
| Directing | Kensaku Watanabe | Director |
