A boy makes friends with a stick figure in a sketch from the most recent Kasou Taishou competition in Japan.
I've mentioned the Japanese TV show Kasou Taisho before (see previous post), a semi-annual competition on NTV in Japan that features amateur groups and solo artists performing short skits, often using Bunraku-style puppetry. I've spent some time researching the show (not the easiest thing to do when you don't read Japanese or have access to NTV broadcasts) and found out that it began as a sort of costume competition. Competitors started adding performances to show off their costumes in action and the show has slowly become more and more about performance and creativity, with the Bunraku-style skits being especially popular.
The January 2008 Kasou Taisho special aired recently in Japan and featured a number of impressive acts, including a one-woman Snow White act, some Olympic Highlights and a sketch about a boy becoming friends with a stick figure and an enka act that won a technical prize ("enka" is a type of sad Japanese love song). You can see more videos from past competitions on the official Kasou Taishou web site.
If anyone out there has more info about Kasou Taisho please write me at puppetvision {at} gmail dot com and I'll be happy to post it here. I'm also on the lookout for information about It's Showtime, an adaptation of Kasou Taisho in Singapore if anyone knows anything about that.
Video links via Japan Probe.
11/01/08 Update: I added a link to a video of a winning entry from the most recent competition.
