Hanawa and Honey Flash

This weekend’s edition of THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE/ASAHI newspaper has an article on comedian/bassist Hanawa. Of the three big comedy acts of last year (along with Tetsu & Tomo, and Dandy Sakano), Hanawa is the only one that we still see regularly on TV. Dandy Sakano was only famous for his “gets” catch phrase, and Tetsu & Tomo were never able to come up with an equally catchy followup to their incredibly popular “Nande Darou” song. Hanawa, even though he keeps playing the same basic bass line, kept updating his songs with new funny lyrics, and people haven’t gotten tired of him yet. He also shares the distinct honor of coming from the same place as the most reviled comedian in Japan (and one of my favorites), Egashira 2:50.

There’s also a piece on the new CUTIE HONEY film, opening at the end of the month, where I learned that the director is none other than tortured EVANGELION creator Anno Hideaki. Anno made no secret of how his bouts with depression led to the creation and development of the EVANGELION storyline, and so it’s interesting/strange to see him helm a movie like this.