History Main / BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine

* In ''Manga/IchigoMashimaro'', Miu is the boke, while her usual tsukkomi is Chika. In one episode, Chika's trying to concentrate on homework, but Miu wants to know who'll be the straight man for her antics. She tries to get Matsuri to play the role instead, but she's too "boring" for it. Her other common tsukkomi is Nobue.

* A RunningGag in the ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' omake comics has Hayate [[http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4272/asnano59.jpg being portrayed as a master]] of the Boke and Tsukkomi routine due to having a KansaiDialect.
* [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] in episode 17 of ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure''. The entire main cast signs up to act in the manzai contest with two tsukkomis and three bokes (one of them being TheComicallySerious to the point where she has NoSenseOfHumor) just acting their normal selves. '''Nothing''' goes AllAccordingToPlan between all the mistimed punchlines, so [[{{Dojikko}} Miyuki]] calls a timeout only to trip on her way off stage. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlOLaZukjC4 See it here]].

* In one episode of ''Manga/KOn'', Yui and Azusa enter a show on their own, and start their performance with actual ''manzai'', with Yui as the boke, mostly utilizing malapropisms but also by "forgetting" what they were going to play, and Azusa as the fan-wielding tsukkomi, correcting her.

* The relationship between best friends Nozomi and Rin in ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' is not unlike that of a BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine. Nozumi is an [[TheDitz optimistic idiot]] who is always trying to [[JumpedAtTheCall Jump At The Call]] while Rin is a [[GrumpyBear sensible realist]] who always points out the gaping flaws in Nozumi's plans. Usually along the lines of:

* In ''Motto! OjamajoDoremi'', former SOS Trio member Sugiyama forms this act with straight-A student Ogura as rivals to the new Trio. Helped along by Aiko (who's from Osaka), Momoko finds them as stupidly hilarious as Hazuki does for the other team

Called ''manzai'' in Japanese, this is a kind of StraightManAndWiseGuy duo, but it's also the interaction between two characters who constantly play off each other. The ''tsukkomi'' is the StraightMan of the pair, roughly, while the ''boke'' is more or less the WiseGuy -- but it's not an ''exact'' match. The act usually involves the duo having a conversation on some subject, with the ''tsukkomi'' trying to correct the ''boke'''s misconceptions; the ''tsukkomi'' will sometimes try to have his partner act out a scene with him in order to help make his point. The ''boke'', meanwhile, sets up the gags by [[ComicallyMissingThePoint getting everything completely wrong]], either because he's a moron or because he's being a smartass to the ''tsukkomi''. Every line of conversation repeatedly leads up to the ''boke'' saying or doing something unbelievably stupid, at which point the ''tsukkomi'' will finally lose his patience and DopeSlap him; a good manzai act needs both halves of the duo to be funny, both for the ''boke'''s idiocy and the ''tsukkomi'''s short temper.

Called ''manzai'' in Japanese, this is a kind of StraightManAndWiseGuy duo, but it's also the interaction between two characters who constantly play off each other. The ''tsukkomi'' is the StraightMan of the pair, roughly, while the ''boke'' is more or less the WiseGuy -- but it's not an ''exact'' match. The act usually involves the duo having a conversation on some subject, with the ''tsukkomi'' trying to correct the ''boke''''s misconceptions; the ''tsukkomi'' will sometimes try to have his partner act out a scene with him in order to help make his point. The ''boke'', meanwhile, sets up the gags by [[ComicallyMissingThePoint getting everything completely wrong]], either because he's a moron or because he's being a smartass to the ''tsukkomi''. Every line of conversation repeatedly leads up to the ''boke'' saying or doing something unbelievably stupid, at which point the ''tsukkomi'' will finally lose his patience and DopeSlap him; a good manzai act needs both halves of the duo to be funny, both for the ''boke'''s idiocy and the ''tsukkomi'''s short temper.

Called ''manzai'' in Japanese, this is a kind of StraightManAndWiseGuy duo, but it's also the interaction between two characters who constantly play off each other. A ''boke'''s job is to set up the gag by telling a story or explaining a fact which is obviously false (making him an idiot) or flawed (making him sneaky). The ''tsukkomi'' is, roughly, the StraightMan who has to correct him, [[DopeSlap often]] [[PaperFanOfDoom physically]].

* RickyGervais (tsukkomi) and KarlPilkington (boke) have this exact dynamic in their routines on ''TheRickyGervaisShow''. Karl, an "idiot", is brought in and asked to talk about various SeinfeldianConversation topics, which soon derail into [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} total nonsense]], at which point Ricky corrects him by shouting "[[CatchPhrase Don't. Talk. Shit.]]"

--> Yukino: Er, Maya...I think it was "tonkotsu" ramen.

* The tag team of extreme {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, Wrestling/AlSnow and badass martial artist, Steve Blackman. Snow insisted on calling the team Head Cheese, based on the fact that Snow carried a mannequin head around with him and he had Blackman wear a block of cheese on his head.

[[folder: Fan Fiction]]

* The ''FanFic/TouhouM1GrandPrix'' is a long-running manzai competition between the girls of Gensokyo. This is a play on the real-life Autobacs M-1 Grand Prix. The prize for the 3rd iteration was to have the winning pair overwrite Reimu and Marisa as the main characters; [[spoiler: Reimu and Marisa won]].
** Website/YouTube has some {{Fan Vid}}s of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' characters acting out some of these skits. Most memetically pleasing is the one where [[AnimeChineseGirl Hong Meiling]] (playing the Boke) tricks [[SquishyWizard Patchouli]] (unwitting Tsukkomi) into a very embarrassing [[ParappaTheRapper Chop Chop Master Onion sequence]].
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvX6eD39qAA The Scarlet Tsukkomi Routine]] has Flandre and Cirno pull a fast one on Remilia by trying to cast Cirno (the ultimate Boke) in the role of a Tsukkomi.
** Yuyuko and Youmu are known to do this in {{canon}}, most infamously in ''Imperishable Night'' where BigEater Yuyuko implies that after defeating Mystia she ''ate'' her. [[spoiler:She didn't.]] While Yuyuko is [[ObfuscatingStupidity just acting]], Youmu isn't. Poor Youmu.

* The [[FanFic/{{TouhouM-1GrandPrix}} Touhou M-1 Grand Prix]] is a long-running manzai competition between the girls of Gensokyo. This is a play on the real-life Autobacs M-1 Grand Prix. The prize for the 3rd iteration was to have the winning pair overwrite Reimu and Marisa as the main characters; [[spoiler: Reimu and Marisa won]].

** More explicitly, the ''KamenRiderDecade'' stage musical (yes, it exists) has several imprisoned Riders doing it to kill time. [[Series/KamenRiderKabuto The Hoppers]] (complete with gigantic bowties) try it out, but then, lampshading the Kansai part, ''Den-O'' changes to Ax Form and does a bit alongside [[Series/KamenRiderRyuki Ohja]].

* The tag team of extreme {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, Al Snow and badass martial artist, Steve Blackman. Snow insisted on calling the team Head Cheese, based on the fact that Snow carried a mannequin head around with him and he had Blackman wear a block of cheese on his head.

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' references this in the second guidebook, referring to BeleagueredAssistant Moblit as the "tsukkomi" to his MadScientist squad leader, Hanji.

* ''AttackOnTitan'' references this in the second guidebook, referring to BeleagueredAssistant Moblit as the "tsukkomi" to his MadScientist squad leader, Hange.

* ''AttackOnTitan'' references this in the second guidebook, referring to Beleaguered Assistant Moblit as the "tsukkomi" to his MadScientist squad leader, Hange.

* Yuto and Deneb do this in ''KamenRiderDenO'', though Deneb is more naive than stupid, and Yuto, as a JerkAss, tends to overreact badly.
** More explicitly, the ''KamenRiderDecade'' stage musical (yes, it exists) has several imprisoned Riders doing it to kill time. [[KamenRiderKabuto The Hoppers]] (complete with gigantic bowties) try it out, but then, lampshading the Kansai part, [[KamenRiderDenO Den-O]] changes to Ax Form and does a bit alongside [[KamenRiderRyuki Ohja]].
** In the ''KamenRiderKiva'' net movies, Kengo and Wataru practice one of these and [[HilarityEnsues it goes over as well as you'd expect.]]
* In ''SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'', Ryuunosuke and Genta's interaction borders on this. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] when they actually do a manzai routine to amuse the others at New Year.

** Not to mention she tended to make people ATwinkleInTheSky...And then, because it's [[MindScrew that kind of show]], she joined a secret Boke and Tsukommi ''underground political organization'' [[hottip:*:They were partly that, but they also represent far right-wing Japanese ultra-nationalists, who complain about Japan's "peacetime boke" (in comparison to its [[ImperialJapan earlier attitude)]].

* In ''PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', one of the scenes unlocked by linking with the original Black or White version is Skyla reminiscing about a conversation with Elesa in which the latter was considering changing her image. The examples Elesa gave of how she could become more approachable clearly cast herself in the role of the Boke, although Skyla didn't really get it, and so did not make a very good Tsukkomi.

* Shawn and Gus of {{Psych}}, so, so much.

* In the early '90s in the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]], this was the schtick of legendary announcer duo of [[BobbyHeenan Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]] and Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon. Together, they were the very first heel/face announcing tandem, interacting as much with each other as the action in the ring. Often, the Brain would say something obviously biased or [[BlatantLIes obviously untrue]] in support of a hell wrestler, with Monsoon reacting with an exasperated "Will you stop?". In the modern era, it's a formula that's been repeated with Michael Cole and Jerry "the King" Lawler to varying levels of success, though Cole comes across as much more petulant as a heel announcer, while Lawler doesn't quite have Monsoon's straight-laced gravitas to pull off being the straight man in the routine.

When the characters do this ''purposely'' to impress, it's not supposed to be very funny and no one will laugh, despite good intentions. When someone is the ''tsukkomi'' for an entire cast, they're probably also the OnlySaneMan. When someone is a ''boke'' for the whole cast, they're probably also a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}. Do not be surprised in a show with a large cast if one character is ''boke'' to one person and ''tsukkomi'' to another.

'''[[MemeticMutation Both]]''': Do-ho-ho-ho-hoh!

When the characters do this ''purposely'' to impress, it's not supposed to be very funny and no one will laugh, despite good intentions. When someone is the ''tsukkomi'' for an entire cast, they're probably also the OnlySaneMan. When someone is a ''boke'' for the whole cast, they're probably also a CloudCuckoolander. Do not be surprised in a show with a large cast if one character is ''boke'' to one person and ''tsukkomi'' to another.

** In ''Souls,'' the ''Bleach'' character book (for the manga), a short omake chapter has Mayuri Kurotschi discussing this with Nemu, while both wear stand-up comedian suits -- however, Kurotschi is taking "tsukkomi" in its alternate Japanese meaning of the verb "to stab" and is apparently looking forward to the part where he gets to stab Nemu. Then again, this '''is''' [[SociopathicHero Mayuri]] [[CloudCuckooLander Kurotsuchi]] we're talking about; he doesn't seem content to produce anything less than half of the horrors in the entire series.

* In ''Manga/LoveRoma'', [[CloudCuckooLander Hoshino's]] relationship with his girlfriend [[{{Tsundere}} Negishi]] mainly consists of him saying or doing something stupid and her [[DopeSlap slapping him for it.]] In one scene he mentions their romance is like a boke and tsukkomi routine. She's about to agree, when he mentions he's the tsukkomi and she's the boke.

* ''Manga/NodameCantabile'' has a notable gender-flip of male-on-female variant played for laughs the same way it would if female-on-male. {{Tsundere}} Chiaki often resorts to violence CloudCuckooLander Nodame does something that annoys him. Nodame herself even [[LampshadeHanging admits]] to playing up the role since Chiaki is the perfect StraightMan.

* In the early '90s in the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]], this was the schtick of legendary announcer duo of [[BobbyHeenan Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]] and [[AwesomeMcCoolname Gorilla Monsoon]]. Together, they were the very first heel/face announcing tandem, interacting as much with each other as the action in the ring. Often, the Brain would say something obviously biased or [[BlatantLIes obviously untrue]] in support of a hell wrestler, with Monsoon reacting with an exasperated "Will you stop?". In the modern era, it's a formula that's been repeated with Michael Cole and Jerry "the King" Lawler to varying levels of success, though Cole comes across as much more petulant as a heel announcer, while Lawler doesn't quite have Monsoon's straight-laced gravitas to pull off being the straight man in the routine.
* The tag team of extreme CloudCuckooLander, Al Snow and badass martial artist, Steve Blackman. Snow insisted on calling the team Head Cheese, based on the fact that Snow carried a mannequin head around with him and Blackman was from Wisconsin.

* RickyGervais (tsukkomi) and KarlPilkington (boke) have this exact dynamic in their routines on ''TheRickyGervaisShow''. Karl, an "idiot", is brought in and asked to talk about various SeinfeldianConversation topics, which soon derail into [[CloudCuckoolander total nonsense]], at which point Ricky corrects him by shouting "[[CatchPhrase Don't. Talk. Shit.]]"

* Pretty much the core comedy dynamic in the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' line of games. Your sensible but put-upon attorney plays the tsukkomi for their usually CloudCuckoolander boke sidekick. Additionally, the same dynamic carries into the courtroom with the judge and loony witnesses, and the roles trade off fluidly between the prosecution and the defense in each game.

* There's an extended reference in ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'' during Mai's route. As the local EmotionlessGirl, she has trouble expressing herself. Eventually, she gets embarrassed with Sayuri's teasing and bonks her on the head, leaving Yuichi and Sayuri to stop in utter shock. 'She...she played the tsukkomi!' She continues this throughout when feeling nervous. Sayuri and Yuichi get hit a lot because [[TheComicallySerious they find it hilarious to see Mai do that.]]

* Pretty much the core comedy dynamic in the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' line of games. Your sensible but put-upon attorney plays the tsukkomi for their usually CloudCuckoolander boke sidekick. Additionally, the same dynamic carries into the courtroom with the judge and loony witnesses, and the roles trade off fluidly between the prosecution and the defense in each game.

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'', both the VisualNovel and the {{anime}}, Tomoya and Kyou try to teach Kotomi how to perform a proper tsukkomi. Sadly, the poor girl has boke written all over her face, and she regularly ends up on the receiving end of a tsukkomi immediately after attempting her own. At one point, she expresses the desire to become a great manzai performer. Both Nagisa and Ryou motivate her to work for her goal, but Kyou and Tomoya are quick to point out that all three of them are boke to the core.

* In Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, one of the scenes unlocked by linking with the original Black or White version is Skyla reminiscing about a conversation with Elesa in which the latter was considering changing her image. The examples Elesa gave of how she could become more approachable clearly cast herself in the role of the Boke, although Skyla didn't really get it, and so did not make a very good Tsukkomi.