Anime comedy is rooted in physical violence. The basis of that lies in manzai comedy.
It's based on duos bouncing jokes off of each other.
To punctuate the punchline, one of the duo usually hits the other to make them get back to their senses.
It's purely comedic, a physical manifestation of the punchline. You can see it properly in Odd Taxi.
In the majority of anime that have comedy mixed with other genres you quite often see characters resorting to mild violence when something goes wrong — and all this violence is used for comedic reasons. Remember Riko from Kuroko's Basketball (Kuroko No Basuke) and her quick fists that never missed either her dad or Hyuuga when they disappointed her? Or all these paper fans that are so perfect for slapping other people?
Just like the old days
The basis of this type of comedy, which includes punches and pretty aggressive quips, is called Manzai. Its roots are deep: it originated in the times when stories were told from person to person without writing them down. Manzai type of comedy is usually associated with Osaka because at the time of the emergence of comedic genres Tokyo (Edo at that time) was much more strictly regulated in terms of arts and crafts and relied mostly on Rakugo, which was a one-man storytelling show. Osaka was allowed to have more fun. It was a huge commercial and entertainment hub that was less restricted by laws — or, rather, by people who were supposed to act on it.
Manzai comedy requires two people and has some resemblance to Western stand-up comedy, but relies on conversation rather than on monologue. Initially, it was a back-and-forth between the storyteller and the musician who accompanied him and called out the lies in the story. In the 19th century, manzai transformed into an act in which two comedians bounced the jokes off each other without music. And after that, manzai became the more trivial type of comedy, while rakugo ended up becoming more niche and elite.
Punching the punchline
They have strict roles, however. One of them is called "Boke", the jokester, and the other is "Tsukkomi", the straight man. The basis is simple: Boke starts the story, leads the audience, and Tsukkomi reacts to that, usually by pointing out the ridiculousness or the appalling nature of the joke. And the punchline is often quite physical, with Tsukkomi literally punching some sense into Boke. It may happen with a slap, or with a paper fan — harisen. It's never done hard enough to harm, though, merely to punctuate the punchline.
This smack, however, is used to bring Boke to their senses — and that's exactly how it's used in anime. Most of the time it is intended to make the person who makes a joke or acts ridiculous understand that they're saying something stupid.
The proper manzai dynamic in a comedy form is portrayed in Odd Taxi, and it has two duos like that: one is an actual comedy duo Homo Sapiens and the other is a pair of Daimon brothers. They both represent two different types of manzai comedy.
Violence is the answer here.
Summary:
Anime comedy is rooted in physical violence. The basis of that lies in manzai comedy.
It's based on duos bouncing jokes off of each other.
To punctuate the punchline, one of the duo usually hits the other to make them get back to their senses.
It's purely comedic, a physical manifestation of the punchline. You can see it properly in Odd Taxi.
In the majority of anime that have comedy mixed with other genres you quite often see characters resorting to mild violence when something goes wrong — and all this violence is used for comedic reasons. Remember Riko from Kuroko's Basketball (Kuroko No Basuke) and her quick fists that never missed either her dad or Hyuuga when they disappointed her? Or all these paper fans that are so perfect for slapping other people?
Just like the old days
The basis of this type of comedy, which includes punches and pretty aggressive quips, is called Manzai. Its roots are deep: it originated in the times when stories were told from person to person without writing them down. Manzai type of comedy is usually associated with Osaka because at the time of the emergence of comedic genres Tokyo (Edo at that time) was much more strictly regulated in terms of arts and crafts and relied mostly on Rakugo, which was a one-man storytelling show. Osaka was allowed to have more fun. It was a huge commercial and entertainment hub that was less restricted by laws — or, rather, by people who were supposed to act on it.
Manzai comedy requires two people and has some resemblance to Western stand-up comedy, but relies on conversation rather than on monologue. Initially, it was a back-and-forth between the storyteller and the musician who accompanied him and called out the lies in the story. In the 19th century, manzai transformed into an act in which two comedians bounced the jokes off each other without music. And after that, manzai became the more trivial type of comedy, while rakugo ended up becoming more niche and elite.
Punching the punchline
They have strict roles, however. One of them is called "Boke", the jokester, and the other is "Tsukkomi", the straight man. The basis is simple: Boke starts the story, leads the audience, and Tsukkomi reacts to that, usually by pointing out the ridiculousness or the appalling nature of the joke. And the punchline is often quite physical, with Tsukkomi literally punching some sense into Boke. It may happen with a slap, or with a paper fan — harisen. It's never done hard enough to harm, though, merely to punctuate the punchline.
This smack, however, is used to bring Boke to their senses — and that's exactly how it's used in anime. Most of the time it is intended to make the person who makes a joke or acts ridiculous understand that they're saying something stupid.
The proper manzai dynamic in a comedy form is portrayed in Odd Taxi, and it has two duos like that: one is an actual comedy duo Homo Sapiens and the other is a pair of Daimon brothers. They both represent two different types of manzai comedy.
