Last One Standing review: An interesting concept and some good laughs affected by Japan's love for unnecessary drama

3/5

Story:

Various comedians come together to showcase their talents under gruesome situations. They have to make everyone laugh with a lame joke or a memory, depending on the situation they are given. Last One Standing also sails through drama and comedy simultaneously.

Review:

You might have heard of comedy shows where the comedians' talents are judged. Have you heard of a comedy show in a drama show though? Last One Standing is exactly that. It is a unique concept but given Japan's love for unnecessary drama, this one tends to become a drag at more than one places.

Nobu and Karen Takizawa turn hosts for Japan's stand-up comedy special, Last One Standing. Nobu tries to make some punches and definitely leaves more of an impact than anyone present.

The series is in itself a dig at comedy shows that try and hide the pain of reality. Here, it is more about action than comedy.

Renowned actor Mamiya and comedian Daigo are the most visible celebrities and they try too hard to impress. Everyone actually does.

Iio makes a good start and things get better from there as the real-life stories make you laugh. The expressions, especially, work well in the section.

The concept of this show is pretty interesting since it is not only about comedy. You get to see these comedians act in what is a drama/thriller too.

While this is a competition and some of it does seem impromptu (like Daigo's kiss), many other things about this show appear scripted. It is almost impossible to come up with so many stories on the spot and act as well.

There comes a segment where these comedians reveal their dirty secrets and by dirty we mean washroom jokes. So in case you are not into that kind of content, it is better to skip this series.

The end credit scenes in some episodes really make for something incredible. It comes as refreshing after some intense drama.

The comedy and drama merges at one point because of how lame it becomes. This doesn't come as a surprise since Japan is known to love unnecessary drama and this one doesn't remain unaffected by that.

The laughter noises simply appear to come as forced comedy. Honestly, it is in those moments that you are poker-faced. This part seems to have simply been picked up from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Tetsuya pretends to be Kamado Tanjiro from Demon Slayer. He does a funny job at playing the cute and much-adored anime character.

After a point, the concept and jokes get monotonous. Thus, you lose interest in watching this series any further. Some moments do pull you back and create genuine laughter but the overall vibe of the series is not particularly one that can keep you gripped all the time.

The commentary, while mostly just a disturbance, is fun in some segments too. When Nobu explains certain situatuons out loud, it makes for a good laugh material.

The twists in this series make for equal amounts hilare, thrilling and boring. Comedy is a tough task and this series exhausts it to its full limit, to the extent that Last Man Standing is probably no one among the viewers.

Verdict:

Last One Standing is unique for sure. The concept is pretty interesting and has all the potential to become a huge success. However, that could not be seen with season 1 for the makers added unnecessary drama elements throughout the series. While the action in Last One Standing is surprisingly good, the show is simply mediocre in comedy and below mediocre in drama. One can even forgive the comedy because honestly, it is tough to come up with so many jokes at once and even tougher to make everyone laugh with each one. However, if this show sheds its love for drama and cut down on episodes, it could definitely become a huge hit. Season 2, maybe.