Description: Japanese comedian Yushutsu Nozawa tried six partners at the M-1 Grand Prix, then dismissed the successful duo Chidori’s advice. Here is what happened and why the exchange was funny.
Direct answer: Yushutsu Nozawa, formerly of the comedy duo Diamond, entered the first round of M-1 Grand Prix 2026 with six different partners. He asked Chidori’s Nobu and Daigo to recommend the best match, then said their suggestions did not resonate. His reasoning was that Chidori had only worked with a partner they had known since school. The man seeking advice abruptly declared the advisers inexperienced.
When and where?
The scene aired in episode 382 of ABEMA’s Japanese variety show Chance no Jikan, on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 11 p.m. Japan time. Its Ningen Paddock segment followed Nozawa’s search for a new comedy partner. The show called this konkatsu, a play on the Japanese word for searching for a marriage partner. ABEMA published its account on October 19; TV Asahi Post followed on October 20. This article draws on those accounts, not on a claimed viewing of the full episode.
Who were the six candidates?
Sodai Ami, Hashimoton, Roger Okinawa, Oishi, Kuchibue Naruo and Daigo Yoshida. It was not a seven-person act: Nozawa formed six separate duos. Naruo, formerly of Warafudi Naruo, was initially reluctant to form another team but accepted Nozawa’s invitation to try performing. Yoshida, formerly of POISON GIRL BAND and an idol of Nozawa since his student days, agreed remarkably quickly. The career search starts to resemble a dating show, complete with approaches and surprising acceptances.
What did Chidori recommend?
Nobu favored Yoshida, reasoning that Nozawa’s quiet delivery could complement Yoshida’s dry, cynical retorts. Daigo worried that some veterans were too closely identified with their former duos and preferred Ami as a longer-term match. Both gave considered advice about stage chemistry.
Nozawa responded that the suggestions were not getting through to him. Chidori, he argued, had only ever performed with school friends. Their greatest achievement—keeping one partnership successful for years—became an alleged lack of experience in finding a replacement.
Why is that funny, and what about the rules?
The joke has three turns: one comedian auditions six different teams; two respected hosts treat the choice seriously; the applicant then judges the qualifications of the advisers instead of the advice. It is a reversal of roles, not proof that Chidori’s choices were wrong.
M-1 is a major Japanese manzai competition, typically involving a comic premise and a rapid verbal response. The official 2026 rules require at least two performers and mention a ban on duplicate entries. That short phrase alone does not settle every case of one performer appearing in different pairings. ABEMA explicitly described six first-round attempts but did not reveal every outcome in its announcement.
Conclusion
Nozawa asked an enduring comedy duo for partnership advice, then rejected them precisely because their partnership had endured. The job interview unexpectedly became an interview for the interviewers.
