TV Asahi's 65th anniversary program "Celebrating! Teruyoshi Uchimura's 60th Birthday - Uchimura Produced Revival Special!!" will be broadcast from 10pm to 11:54pm on September 28th. After 19 years since the end of its regular broadcast (2000-2005), the legendary variety show, in which numerous comedians took on projects that tested their "comedic spontaneity", is back. A total of 30 people, including 15 "comedians who appeared on Uchimura" who used to appear on the show, and 15 "comedians who watched Uchimura" who were viewers when it was a regular show, will travel around various locations following the familiar sugoroku board and engage in comedy battles.
The first match is Uchimura's traditional "Laugh King Tournament". The plan is to compete to see how many times they can make the opposing team's representative "non-laughing comedian" laugh, and this time it will take place in the warm-up area and locker room of the National Stadium (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo).
The comedians who appeared on the show complained, "Why do I have to make my juniors laugh?", but starting with Masakazu Mimura, the first comedian, they went all out to get laughs with their material, as if they had traveled back in time. The comedians who were watching were thrown into disarray by the powerful techniques of Mimura and Teppei Arita, but they launched a fierce counterattack. They challenged the two members of "Bananaman" and Hiroiki Ariyoshi, the "King of No Laughing." The stage for the "Drawer King Decisive Battle," the toughest battle in the history of "Uchi-P" and one that makes the comedians tremble, was a luxury cruise ship. Yasu Megumi, a regular assistant at the time, also participated and watched the outcome of the battle that made the comedians cry. The first topic was "What if you were guided to a seat without a table?" The comedians were gradually losing their "drawers," but Teruyuki Tsuchida, who had been trained in sweat in the past, showed his "evolution." In addition, surprise guests that longtime fans will love will also make an appearance, adding some glamour to the "funny evasion battle."
The target of the "surprise home visit" is Morita Tetsuya. They raid Morita's house, which is rumored to have been distracted by his work as a company president and forgotten his "entertainer's spirit," and search for "things that are not like an entertainer's," and report back to Uchimura. They also do the forbidden "word chain disposal relay." Morita is furious the moment the "Samaazu" duo, Fukawa Ryo, and Ariyoshi step into the entrance. Morita is "seriously angry" after being allowed to do whatever they want, but at one point, the "entertainer's spirit" that he thought he had forgotten is awakened.
Next, the group moves to Hakone, known as the holy land of "Uchi-P," and starts the "big free party." The entertainers are excited by the delicious food, but what awaits them is a "speech to celebrate Uchimura's 60th birthday," which is followed by a greeting written on a card. While the "comedians watching" look pale and intimidated by the pressure, Fukazawa, the show's longest-running regular, boldly attacks.
The night ends with "Daruma-san ga Koronda in the Open-Air Bath," a must-see for fans of the show. Right from the start, the "comedians" show agile movements that are unusual for older men, as if they are experienced, but as they leave the bath and approach the finish line, the battle heats up. As the mud fight unfolds in front of the finish line, the elusive "that man" who had been lurking until then begins to move.
After finishing the recording, Uchimura commented, "It was really fun. Everyone accompanied me to Hakone for 'Daruma-san ga Koronda', and the location for 'Hikidake-ou' was gorgeous, so I'm really looking forward to the broadcast. All the 'watching comedians' fought hard too. The seniors went in completely naked, without any swords (laughs). I think they got a taste of what they were doing!"
He continued, "But I think that really trains you. It cultivates your mental strength, making you think, 'I missed that time, but I'll be fine this time.' To tell the truth, I was also asked to do something (that's impossible, here!) (laughs). I'm always made to do something on 'Uchi-P', so that was fun too."
