Body Language & Tsukkomi (Straight Man) in Rikuryu Interviews
After I posted my last blog on uchi-soto dynamics in interviews with Rikuryu (Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara), a reader suggested I explore their body language, specifically which aspects can be traced to Japanese culture. Some gestures signal closeness while also reflecting patterns from Japanese comedy and everyday interaction.
A classic humorous gesture is 腕を叩く (ude o tataku, tap an arm). Miura often gently slaps or taps Kihara’s arm to correct or lightly criticize him. See this video for an example:
This interview took place after the exhibition performance where Kihara zipped up Miura’s dress. Kihara says: 今日は僕がお兄ちゃんでした (Kyō wa boku ga oniichan deshita, Today I was the big brother), in contrast to the day before, when Miura called herself お姉ちゃん (oneechan, big sister). In response, Miura gently slaps Kihara on the arm and says なんやねん (nanyanen, What’s this nonsense?), a Kansai dialect phrase often used in comedy. Miura here plays the ツッコミ (tsukkomi, straight man [person]) to Kihara's ボケ (boke, funny man), and the arm slap/touch is a common feature of this role.
Miura's gentle arm slap frequently occurs in their interviews, for example, in a special episode of 徹子の部屋 (Tetsuko no heya, Tetsuko’s Room)1. Unfortunately I don't have a video to share, for copyright reasons, but I'll describe a scene. When Kihara says he wants to be a baseball player like Shohei Ohtani, Miura rubs his arm and says: おいおいおい！(oi oi oi!, Hey, hey, hey!). It's both an affectionate gesture (she leans toward him as she says it) and another example of tsukkomi.
And then there's 頭ポンポン (atama pon pon, head patting). I can't think of many instances in the U.S. (where I'm from) where adults pat each other on the head, but with Rikuryu, this gesture is seen as affectionate. This post on X offers a video example of this gesture and an explanation in Japanese. Kihara, who had been crying all day, taps his forehead to Miura's, and she pats him on the head twice. The person who shared the video reacts: 璃来ちゃんのお姉さん感エモい (Riku-chan no oneesan-kan emoi, Riku-chan's big sister vibes are so moving). The head-patting gesture does give off "big-sister" vibes, but it is also seen as an emotive gesture demonstrating their closeness.
Watching Rikuryu hug and touch each other feels good—a nice serotonin boost, as people say—and it also provides insight into Japanese-style body language.
Comments
Post a Comment