Tag: tsukkomi

A tsukkomi is a comedy duo stock character in a traditional Japanese slapstick stand-up comedy style known as manzai. Tsukkomi characters are the smart, reasonable, and down-to-earth half of the unit; their simple-minded counterparts are the boke characters. As a result of their boke counterparts' simple mistakes and gross exaggerations, tsukkomi berate and abuse them both verbally and physically; a very common example of tsukkomi physical abuse is a paper fan slap, which is generally accompanied by a sound effect. Their approximate equivalent in Western culture is the comedy role of straight man.