"Detective! Night Scoop" (ABC TV, Fridays at 11:17 PM) is a popular variety show where "detectives" tackle bizarre requests and worries submitted by viewers. On July 17th, Detective Matsui Kemuri investigated whether a professional baseball player had stolen his jokes. Actor Yashima Tomohito made his first appearance on the show as the special director, with Hiroshi Tamura as assistant director and Masuda Saori as secretary.
The request came from a 32-year-old man in Osaka City. The person in question is Kobata, a comedian belonging to Yoshimoto Kogyo and part of the comedy duo "Tarenchi".
He said... "As a comedian, I am very sorry to ask you to investigate this matter. However, there is a case that I absolutely need you to investigate... It is a suspected theft of a joke."
I've been in the entertainment industry for 10 years, and since my debut, I've worked hard as a "gag performer," telling jokes. But now, someone has stolen my jokes. And the person who did it is a famous baseball player. He's using my jokes and presenting them as his own.
Did they just happen to come up with the same joke by chance...? No, that's impossible! They definitely stole my joke. I'm a struggling young comedian, and they're a famous baseball player. If this continues, my pride as a comedian will be shattered. I'd like you to investigate the truth of why they stole my joke.
The person the client is suing for allegedly stealing his joke is none other than Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks player, Yu Nomura. His joke involves raising both hands alternately and saying, "I'm the one destroying the ozone layer!" In fact, Nomura has performed this joke several times on Fukuoka television programs, and video evidence exists.
On the other hand, the client claims to have been performing this gag six years prior, but since it wasn't well-received, there's no video evidence anywhere. So, if Nomura really did copy it, what did he see?
The client and Detective Kemuri headed to Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka. Nomura had become famous as the team's gag man, and fans were calling his hits and home runs "ozone-destroying bombs." However, a shocking conclusion awaited them in this case.
