Asakusa Kid

Legendary comedian and director Takeshi Kitano is well-known in Japan and even around the world. In fact, this is due to the contributions of his mentors and friends. He studied under the once famous but little-known comedian Senzaburo Fukami, received help from many fellow actors, and carved out his own path to fame, but ultimately found that fame and results came at a high price: the price was those who had helped him succeed. Set in Asakusa in the mid-1960s, one of Tokyo's seedier areas, Takeshi Kitano dropped out of college in search of a better life and found a job at the Asakusa French Theater, a hall of fame for striptease and comedy performances, and soon became an apprentice to legendary comedian Sensaburo Fukami. Fukami was a master of comedy, and his students included many famous comedians, such as Tohachiro and Kinichi Hagimoto, who had no interest in the television performance format and only believed in live performance. Kitano worked hard under Fukami's tutelage and honed his skills, eventually realizing his dream and becoming a successful comedian. However, as home television became more popular, live comedy gradually declined.