“Wednesday Downtown” broadcast on the 24th (TBS, every Wednesday at 10 p.m.) will announce “the favorite theory chosen by viewers and performers” as a special project to commemorate the 10th anniversary. What are the most popular theories of the past 10 years? What happened to those people who colored the program? Of course, Obon and Kobon will also be appearing, so don’t miss it. Let’s look back at past interviews with Obon and Kobon. This is a reedited version of the article published on “AERA dot.” on March 29, 2022. Ages, etc. in the text are at the time of distribution)
[Photo]Click here to see the popular young comedy duo who openly talked about their rift with their partner.
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Comedy duo Obon and Kobon, who have been together for 57 years, have published their first autobiography, “Tokyo Manzai” (Asuka Shinsha). The book is a biographical account of the two men’s early years as they tried to master the essence of comedy, as well as secret stories of their interactions with famous comedians. In his book, Kobon (73) confesses that three years ago, his doctor told him he had “5 to 10 years to live.” On the other hand, Obon (73) has a lot of ups and downs, such as incurring a debt of about 60 million yen after making a huge loss on purchasing a golf membership during the bubble era. How did he feel as he walked through his 57-year career as an entertainer? We interviewed Obon and Kobon.
About three years ago, Kobon was diagnosed with amyloidosis by a doctor at a university hospital. He was 70 years old.
It is a rare disease with an incidence of approximately 2 per 1 million people. It is a disease in which a protein called amyloid accumulates and deposits in organs such as the heart, inhibiting their normal functioning, and has been designated as a nationally incurable disease.
Kobon looks back on the time he was sentenced.
“I was surprised, but when I think about it, I’ve already lived to be quite old, so if I think about it normally, I hope I can live until I’m 80 years old (lol).It’s not a big deal.” (Same)
Currently, he has no problems with his daily life or work, and has no symptoms, but he laughs and says he has started to refrain from drinking alcohol, which he loves.
“When I was young, I used to go drinking until around 4 a.m. almost every day.When I got home, I took a nap for about two hours, and when I went to rural areas, I thought I could just sleep on the way.But that’s no longer the case. I can’t. Right now, I’m going to eat, drink one beer and two glasses of shochu, and then go to sleep.”
On the other hand, his partner Obon also suffered from major financial troubles in the past. According to his book, he bought a golf membership during the bubble era and incurred a debt of 60 million yen. He explained the process as follows.
“I’ve always liked golf, but one day a friend suggested to me, “I’m sure this golf course will be great,” so I decided to buy a golf membership.At that time, there were still no golf courses. They explained that it had not yet been completed and that they were going to build it.At that time, it was normal to buy and sell membership rights before a golf course was completed, so I didn’t think anything of it.
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Koji Ueda
Born in Fukui Prefecture. After she graduated from university, she made her debut as a reporter in the fashion industry. From her late twenties she started working for magazines from major publishers. She has experience working in editorial departments in a wide range of fields, from school year magazines to weekly magazines to food and travel. She then worked for several publishing companies before reaching her current position.
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I paid off my debt 10 years ago.
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