Tsuntsukutsun Expo, TC Klaxon, Rainmans

The three groups have a deep friendship from their time in the theater. It has come to light that they all have a common manager, "Mr. T," who was instrumental in their affiliation!
They openly discussed their unexpected relationships, reflections on award competitions, and ambitions, sharing "behind-the-scenes" situations that only they, who know each other well, could talk about.

Released on 6/20 (Friday)!
Part two — "The place where the echoes of joke origins resound" to the awards competition — passionately talks about their feelings and attractions toward the theater where they grew up!

‘6/22 (Sun) Grape Company Office Live’

Venue Tickets

May Office Live

ZAIKO: First, could you tell us about how you formed your duo and why you chose Grape Company among many agencies?

Komori Amane (TC Klaxon, hereafter Amane): Well, there was no reason not to join... (laughs)

Sakamoto NO.1 (TC Klaxon, hereafter Sakamoto): That's exactly right! (laughs)

Tsuntsukutsun Expo & Rainmans: No, no, you don’t need to be so polite! (laughs)

Amane: We were lucky, or rather, it felt like it was "timing." We formed in 2019, and from there, we intended to work freely, but at that time, Mr. T, the manager from Grape Company, approached us with the idea of an audition. Though we were well past the age limit at that time.

Sakamoto: Back then it wasn't strict.

Amane: That's right. Now it's really strict. Just before us, "Ranjatai" was comfortably joining even though they were over the age limit, and recently there are even older folks in "TOKYO COOL" (laughs).
At that time, there weren’t many audition groups, but I thought, "Since there’s support (from Mr. T)..." That became the reason we auditioned for Grape Company.

TC Klaxon: Sakamoto NO.1 & Komori Amane

ZAIKO: What about Rainmans?

Horikoshi (Rainmans): We met in a university comedy club and formed in our first year, but just before graduating from university, we participated in a contest called "Gachi Pro!"

Akase (Rainmans): ("Gachi Pro!" features managers from various comedy agencies as judges.)

Horikoshi: Exactly. At that tournament, the manager from Grape Company gave us really good scores!
After graduating from university, we worked freely for a little while, but because of the memory from that time, as soon as Grape Company's auditions started, we applied to participate.

Akase: I think the one who gave us high scores at that time was probably the same manager Mr. T mentioned as an ally?

Horikoshi: Yes, it must be Mr. T!

Sakamoto: No, no, I think it’s different...?

Rainmans: Wait a minute! We were just getting to a good story, why would you say something like that~! (laughs)

Sakamoto: Because, we need Mr. T to value only us, you know? (laughs)

ZAIKO: Both groups have the common point of "Mr. T"! How about Tsuntsukutsun Expo?

Tough Guy (Tsuntsukutsun Expo): I originally worked in a corporate job, but I got a call from Naito at the timing I quit. That was the trigger for forming our duo. At first, I applied for auditions with other agencies.

Naito Koyu (Tsuntsukutsun Expo, hereafter Naito): That's right. And I actually got very close to joining another agency, but at that time, several seniors advised me that "Grape Company is hot!" That was the reason I ended up auditioning for Grape Company.
...Speaking of which, when Mr. T was probing about "What’s Tsuntsukutsun Expo like?" other comedians had said we were funny, which made it easier for the discussions when we were getting affiliated.

Sakamoto: No way that’s true! (Mr. T) must have been cheering only for us, right...? (laughs)

Tsuntsukutsun Expo: Tough Guy & Naito Koyu, TC Klaxon: Sakamoto NO.1

ZAIKO: Now, I’d like to ask you about your interactions in your private lives.
Tsuntsukutsun Expo and Rainmans are fellow contemporaries, but I’ve also heard that you have a lot of interactions with TC Klaxon in the theater.
If you have any episodes of interaction outside the theater, please share them with us!

Tough Guy: Mr. T has taken us out for meals and such.

Amane: Also, I went out to eat with Akase before.

Sakamoto: Alone?!

Amane: No, it was with Suzuki from the old "Ponloop." I went to (Tokyo) DisneySea with Horikoshi.

Horikoshi: Oh! That's right! It was just about a month after joining the agency that we got to go together. In fact, Sakamoto-san dropped his ears (character headband) and a middle schooler swiped it!

ZAIKO: Did you see that happening right in front of you!? (laughs)

Horikoshi: "Sakamoto-san! That’s been swiped!"

Amane: But he managed to get it back afterward.

Sakamoto: That was definitely embarrassing (laughs)

TC Klaxon: Komori Amane & Rainmans: Akase & Horikoshi

ZAIKO: Tsuntsukutsun Expo and Rainmans are contemporaries, do you gather as a duo?

Tough Guy: We get along really well as contemporaries, don’t we? After the monthly live shows, when we have free time, we go out drinking.

Naito, Akase, Horikoshi: That’s true. ...But, it feels like you don’t often go out, Tough Guy?

Amane: You made the first suggestion, so what does that mean? (laughs)

Naito: Tough Guy goes out when a senior offers to pay, but he’ll leave if the set meal costs over 1,000 yen! (laughs)

Amane: For instance, although we invited Kuritani from "Kakaroni" to the wedding after-party, we didn't invite Sugaya, right?

Naito, Akase, Horikoshi: Come to think of it!

Amane: When I asked, "Why was that?" he said, "Because Kuritani treated us to yakiniku!"

Naito: Does that mean it’s about money!!!? (laughs)

Tough Guy: No, no, no! It’s not that! It’s more like, “we were able to get along at a previous gathering," not just because he treated us to yakiniku! That my be misunderstood! (laughs)

ZAIKO: Thank you for sharing your unexpected interactions! (laughs)

Tsuntsukutsun Expo: Tough Guy & Naito Koyu, TC Klaxon: Sakamoto NO.1

ZAIKO: TC Klaxon and Rainmans participated in the newly started "Double Impact" this year, but since you approached it with both manzai and skit, did you find a different approach was required compared to previous award competitions? We would like to hear your candid impressions after participating.

Amane: Is it okay if we might be out by the time this article comes out? (laughs)

Horikoshi: Let’s assume that we progressed (laughs)

Sakamoto: To be honest, we didn’t do well at all. When doing skits, we need to consider the stage range, but we didn’t grasp that.

Amane: That’s true, it turned out to be narrow when we actually tried it.
In addition to that, we had to decide whether to do the skit first or the manzai first by ourselves, which was a lot of new experiences.
There were instances where we did a skit first and then referenced it in manzai, but we weren't sure if that was good or bad, and there could be times when people say, "Aren't both of those not manzai?" It’s basically like we don’t even know where we are being evaluated, so it feels like we are fumbling around in the dark. (laughs)

TC Klaxon: Komori Amane & Rainmans: Akase & Horikoshi

ZAIKO: Despite that, it may be that TC Klaxon’s advancement was significantly influenced by your past experiences.

Amane: That’s right. We’ve done both manzai and skits.

Sakamoto: That’s right. The reassurance of having a lot of material also played a part.

Amane: However, those who have only done manzai and suddenly tried their hand at skit in a haphazard way think, "That guy will fall quickly," but surprisingly, they might still be there?!

Sakamoto: They manage to get some laughs too. What is that about? (laughs)

Amane: There are times when it seems like they are getting more laughs when they haven't been doing it at all.

ZAIKO: Rainmans also participated in "Double Impact." Do you have any prospects for the next event?

Akase: In that instance, we also touched on the skit after doing manzai, and it indeed fell flat. (laughs)

Amane: It was the bad pattern! (laughs)

Horikoshi: Also, in our case, the sense of tension for the second performance completely disappeared. We ended up doing manzai while laughing and forgot our lines. (laughs)

Tough Guy: So the tension just vanished, huh?

Horikoshi: The tempo changes from the usual make it so that the tension actually decreases. Just before, I would add in some weird opening line.

Akase: Maybe it was because we had a sense of reassurance from already stepping onto the stage.

Horikoshi: But it was fun!

ZAIKO: Were aspects like the order of materials and intervals influential as well?

Horikoshi: The timing was unexpectedly tricky. After the first act, it wasn't so urgent, yet we couldn’t take our time either... Eventually, we just had to laugh. (laughs)

Sakamoto: You laughed too much! It was tense at times! (laughs)

All: (laughs)

Akase: Those who were laughing might have fallen away... (laughs)

Horikoshi: Next time, I want to participate without laughing! (laughs)

Amane: That’s certainly true, I can really sense that the way to become nervous differs from other award competitions. In other competitions, you spend a year preparing material for it, but "Double Impact" suddenly got decided and you jumped right in saying, "How about this!?" That kind of situation led me to laugh pretty much. (laughs)

Sakamoto: You shouldn’t laugh! (laughs)

TC Klaxon: Komori Amane & Rainmans: Akase & Horikoshi

ZAIKO: Tsuntsukutsun Expo has a strong image of skits, but are you interested in manzai as well?

Tough Guy: Actually... I don’t know what Naito thinks, but I do have an interest.

Naito: I made a few (manzai) in the past, but it’s clear that Tough Guy is more suited to skits. (laughs)

Tough Guy: I personally... find it difficult to have a natural conversation or to tell stories that are out of character. (laughs)

Naito: Even if it is manzai, it might be different if you can create an opening that allows you to quickly enter your character.

Tough Guy: Exactly. My daily conversations are catastrophically awkward... (laughs)

Naito: My speech during the opening stage is so weird it causes laughter, but then I have to point that out, so it becomes hard to get into the main topic.

Tough Guy: I had given up on that, but having seen "Double Impact" up close, I want to try again, since I participated twice in "M-1" and fell in the first round both times.

ZAIKO: Do TC Klaxon and Rainmans also have concerns regarding your material?

Sakamoto: We have the same concerns.

Amane: Really, do you?

Sakamoto: I certainly do! In skits, there’s a 30 seconds of acting at the beginning...

Amane: No, no, skits are all acting all the time! (laughs)

All: That’s true! (laughs)

Amane: It's referring to sections where laughter hasn’t occurred yet, part of the opening.

Sakamoto: That’s right. I get super tense in that part and it might be bad.

Amane: Well, yes. I understand that, so I try to reduce it as much as possible while creating material. But if it is necessary, please do it! (laughs)

ZAIKO: The two members of Rainmans were mainly doing manzai during their student days, but I think you started doing skits after becoming professionals...

Akase: When we tried skits, I felt like it suited us and was "less embarrassing" (than manzai). (laughs)

Horikoshi: What do you mean by embarrassing!? (laughs)

Tsuntsukutsun Expo: Tough Guy & Naito Koyu, TC Klaxon: Sakamoto NO.1 & Komori Amane

ZAIKO: That's the opposite of the other two groups, isn't it? (laughs)

Horikoshi: In our case, the boke and tsukkomi often switch between manzai and skits, so maybe that helps us to shift our mindset.
But I don't think I've ever felt embarrassed. Did Akase feel embarrassed...? (laughs)

Tough Guy: I have the impression that Rainmans are good at both.

Naito:

I feel like transitioning from manzai to skits is easier, what do you think?

Rainmans: That might make for smoother transitions.

Amane: That’s not the case! Transitioning from skits to manzai is easier! (laughs)

Naito: There’s absolutely no way that’s true! (laughs)

Sakamoto: Saying manzai to skits is hard is totally true! (laughs)

ZAIKO: I’m looking forward to seeing Tsuntsukutsun Expo's manzai!

Naito: Right now, there are a lot of young talent competitions, and since “Double Impact” would get all jumbled, I think I’ll wait and see a bit. Besides, if things go this way, material around us will dry up, so I plan to enter at that timing and win!

Horikoshi: Amazing!!! (laughs)

Amane: What a crazy strategy...! The weakest champion! (laughs)

Naito: To win, I will do anything, even if everyone else gets weak! (laughs)

In the second part, we will delve into their thoughts on the office live and the charm of the theater, as well as their enthusiasm for the "Tsugikuru GP" finals, which is set to broadcast live on terrestrial television!

Find the venue tickets for ‘6/22 (Sun) Grape Company Office Live’ here👇

‘6/22 (Sun) Grape Company Office Live’

Venue Tickets

Check out the latest comedy events

About TC Klaxon

TC Klaxon

Formed in 2019.

A duo consisting of Komori Amane (left in the photo) and Sakamoto NO.1 (right in the photo).

They have achieved good results in both manzai and skits, characterized by Sakamoto NO.1's loud tsukkomi. Double Impact semi-finals, King of Cont semifinals (5 consecutive years from 2020), Tsugikuru Comedian Grand Prix finals (2022, 2023)

About Tsuntsukutsun Expo

Tsuntsukutsun Expo

Debuted in April 2021.

A duo consisting of Naito Koyu (left in the photo) and Tough Guy (right in the photo).

Mainly performs skits, featuring rhythm gags using sound effects like "Pizza Man". Tsugikuru Comedian Grand Prix finals (3 consecutive years from 2023) UNDER5 AWARD 2024 3rd place

About Rainmans

Rainmans

Debuted in April 2021.

A duo consisting of Akase (left in the photo) and Horikoshi (right in the photo).

Originating from the HOS comedy club at Hosei University, after graduating from university, they spent a year working freely before joining Grape Company. Tsugikuru Comedian Grand Prix 2025 finals, ABC Comedy Grand Prix semi-finals (2022, 2024)

About ZAIKO

"ZAIKO" has developed services that prioritize artists and event organizers, aiming for a platform where artists and fans can connect directly through electronic tickets. We introduced the live-streaming electronic ticket service earlier than anyone else in March 2020, contributing to over 40,000 events held, including venue events.