TOKYO (AP) 鈥� The shtick that鈥檚 gone viral features a soccer player, a Spice Girl, James Bond, you name it, appearing to be naked, except they鈥檙e not really naked at all.
The disarming sight gag by Japanese comic Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura is simple and rather silly. But its bare-all message about the deceptiveness of what meets the eye has a lot of people laughing.
The recent appearance of Tony, as Yasumura is known these days, on 鈥淏ritain鈥檚 Got Talent鈥� has drawn more than 10 million views on the audition show's YouTube account.
鈥淒o it with a majestically dignified and utterly unfounded confidence,鈥� he told The Associated Press recently in Tokyo, of the secret to his comedy. 鈥淭hat gets over because what you're doing is such nonsense.鈥�
Yasumura has been doing his trademark act for nearly a decade on TV shows and comedy houses around Japan.
He stands before the audience wearing only a pink flower-patterned bathing suit and declares he will portray a certain person posing naked.
Then he raises a leg, sits with his hands folded, or crouches low, strategically and carefully positioning himself so his only attire is out of view.
鈥淒on鈥檛 worry,鈥� he says in a friendly, reassuring tone.
鈥淚鈥檓 wearing,鈥� he adds, without saying more because in the Japanese language, the object of the sentence is often unspoken.
On the British show, the judges finished the sentence for him, shouting out, 鈥淧ants!鈥�
Yasumura says he can depict anyone this way, including politicians, musical stars or nondescript people doing everyday things like drinking tea.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just funny. There is absolutely no meaning,鈥� said Yasumura, 41, who has a jolly laugh but is obviously intensely serious about his craft.
You must always wear a smile. And never, ever flinch.
He acknowledged he barely understood what the show鈥檚 judges were saying, and inside felt unsure what to do. But he didn鈥檛 skip a beat.
鈥淗onestly, you are the funniest contestant we鈥檝e had all year, seriously. Really, really funny, and original,鈥� gushed Simon Cowell, the show鈥檚 producer and usually one of the harshest judges.
鈥淗e brought confidence, comedy and luckily his pants! Tonikaku had us crackin鈥� up from start to finish with his brilliant audition,鈥� the show said in a statement.
The humor in Yasumura鈥檚 performance is rooted in the Japanese version of vaudeville, which includes traditional storytelling, in which the narrator plays all the roles, as well as standup comedy.
鈥淗adaka gei,鈥� which literally translates as 鈥渘aked acts,鈥� make up a genre of Japanese comedy.
It鈥檚 different from putting on a performance, like a juggling act, playing an instrument or dancing, no matter how funny it might end up being, because what he does constitutes the Japanese art of comedy, or 鈥渘eta,鈥� Yasumura says.
鈥淣eta鈥� is also used to describe the ingredients of gourmet cooking or the scoop of a news story, in other words, the key kernel of what鈥檚 unfolding.
He chanced upon his idea when he saw a female pop idol on a book cover, yes, posing naked, except she was sitting in a position that made you imagine she could be nude, when all you saw were her legs, face and arms.
鈥淚t was exactly the same as my neta. I saw that and knew: This is it,鈥� he said.
And he hasn鈥檛 stopped since.
His success on 鈥淏ritain鈥檚 Got Talent鈥� has resonated at home. Many people left uplifting comments online, noting he had made them feel so proud, witnessing comedy crossing borders.
Soccer star Keisuke Honda posted a photo of himself kicking a ball on Twitter, next to a photo of Yasumura striking the naked soccer player pose. 鈥淚鈥檓 wearing,鈥� Honda tweeted.
Matsuko Deluxe, a reputed writer, noted on a recent TV show that Yasumura wasn鈥檛 afraid to poke fun at himself, when much of modern-day humor tended to do just the opposite, and poke fun at others.
Although Yasumura exudes an innocence about him, in all his naked-baby cuteness, he also possesses a strength. It鈥檚 obvious he鈥檚 done his pants gimmick over and over, for years, even when no one laughed.
Even today, some online observers are already slamming Yasumura as inane, if not offensive.
Yasumura says he is lucky because he doesn鈥檛 have to do anything special to maintain his chubby figure.
Still, sticking with a mode of self-expression requires dedication and courage. After all, it鈥檚 clear he isn鈥檛 afraid literally to stand practically naked before an audience.
He swears he鈥檒l be doing his routine till he dies.
If he makes the show's semi-finals, Yasumura isn鈥檛 sure what exactly he will do, maybe Elton John or Freddie Mercury posing naked.
But don鈥檛 worry: He will be wearing pants.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter
Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press
