Masaki Sumitani
Razor Ramon HG (レイザーラモン HG、occasionally Razor Ramon HG) is the performing name of Masaki Sumitani (住谷正樹 Sumitani Masaki), a Japanese comedian, wrestler and tarento ("talent"). His act gained national attention and popularity when featured on the "Bakushō Mondai no Bakuten!" (Daibakuten) Saturday variety show on TBS Television in Japan, in 2005. He should not be confused with American professional wrestler Scott Hall, whose use of the "Razor Ramon" stage name predates Sumitani's. Although the WWE has trademarked the name "Razor Ramon" they have not responded against HG using the name Razor Ramon HG.
Early career
Masaki Sumitani was born December 18, 1975 in Harima, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Higashi Kakogawa High School, he entered Doshisha University and majored in Commerce. While at college he picked up wrestling as a hobby, and soon joined the Doshisha Professional Wrestling Alliance (DWA). Under his performing name “GiveUp Sumitani,” he won the heavy class Kyoto pro-wrestling championship co-hosted by DWA and the Ritsumeikan Wrestling Alliance (RWA) of nearby Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.
It was through wrestling in their college years, that Sumitani met Makoto Izubuchi, with whom he would later form the comedy duo "Razor Ramon" in 1997. During their college years, Razor Ramon won the "Fukuwarai award" in the Imamiya Kids' Ebisu Manzai Contest, and gained experience on the stage through the audition live performance “SABUKI” at "2chome-gekijo", an Osaka comedy club opened by the Yoshimoto Kogyo comedy troupe at which many comedians from the Kansai area start their career.
After completing his university education, Sumitani got a job at CO-OP KOBE, as a grocery delivery man. His desire to pursue a career as a professional comedian led him to quit his job after four months, when he joined Yoshimoto Kogyo with his partner Makoto Izubuchi. "Razor Ramon" made their TV debut in 1999, and won the "Judges" Special Award" in the "ABC Owarai (Comedy) Grand-Prix" in 2000. Both Sumitani and Izubuchi joined the Yoshimoto Kogyo-produced program Yoshimoto Shin-kigeki, one of the most popular comedy stage acts in Japan, in 2001, often playing yakuza, salaryman, udon restaurant owners, construction workers, and others.
Sumitani continued his wrestling aspirations in late 2005, working in the comedically off-beat HUSTLE promotion and defeating Yinling the Erotic Terrorist in his debut match; he has since gone to team with Naoya Ogawa and Yoshihiro Tajiri in leading the HUSTLE Army against Generalissimo Takada's Monster Army
Hard Gay
The most well-known character developed and portrayed by Sumitani is Hard Gay (ハードゲイ), introduced in 2002, as whom he finally rose to national prominence in 2005. While the official name is "Razor Ramon HG", he is most frequently known as "Hard Gay", or simply HG. Dressing in a tight black leather outfit reminiscent of the stylings of the Village People, he goes around performing acts of charity (yonaoshi, "social improvement") for unsuspecting bystanders while performing trademark pelvic thrusts and vocalisations, often accompanied by "Goldfinger '99" by Hiromi Go.
According to some accounts, the name Hard Gay was the suggestion of Sumitani's senior comedian in the Yoshimoto Kogyo group, Kendo Kobayashi, in reference to his "hard" dancing. The name has also been described as a pun on 芸, "gei", which means "skill" or "art". However, to develop his character, Sumitani visited gay bars in Doyama-cho, Osaka’s biggest gay area, and his costume, which consists of hot pants, a small vest, and cap, all in black leather, along with aviator sunglasses, was purchased at a shop called "VFTQ" in Minami-Horie, Osaka, which specializes in gay fashion.
Hard Gay makes regular use of a number of catch phrases in his act; he usually makes his entrance in front of the camera shouting "Dōmō Hādogei dēsu" (Hello, this is Hard Gay), with arms thrust out and a spin afterwards. His self-introduction is then followed by his famous “dance” moves. He often shouts "Fuuuuuu" (フゥ～!) or "Hoohhhh!" (フォー！), a running joke in his performances. He often stops people saying unfavourable things to him by shouting “sei sei sei sei sei” with his palm in front of the person’s face. Whether this means anything is debatable, although Sumitani has commented that “sei sei” is something that comes out from his mouth when he is happy, and that he does not mean "say" as in to speak something. (Note: "sei", 性, also means "sex" or "gender" in Japanese.)
He recently started working with "Razor Ramon" manzai partner Makoto Izubuchi again, with Izubuchi taking the name Razor Ramon RG. He was brought in on the gimmick after it gained immense popularity. Izubuchi's character wasn't nearly as well received as Sumitani's, and has since faded into obscurity.
In recent months, it has become common knowledge that Hard Gay is not in fact homosexual nor particularly outrageous, but a rather normal male comedian who is merely milking a character that led him to success. Television programs in which he has appeared have increasingly made reference to this, and he himself has significantly reduced his "comic" gay mannerisms in live appearances on variety and other types of programs. While this initially increased his popularity, it remains to be seen how long he can remain viable as the Hard Gay persona.
Criticisms
Sumitani himself is not gay. In fact, his supposed homosexuality was exposed as a gimmick when he was caught in the midst of a date, in "civilian" clothes with Japanese actress and swimsuit model Anna Suzuki. He has been criticised for his stereotypical depiction of gay men and for building a career on parodying a social minority with "bizarre and extreme" "erotically charged antics" [1]. Despite his popularity in the mainstream, Hard Gay is not popular among some Japanese gays and lesbians, and his best-selling book has not sold well in gay areas.[citation needed]
A spokesperson for the Hokkaido Sexual Minority Association Sapporo Meeting, a support group for gay, lesbian and transgender people, has said that "Hard Gay's acceptance by the Japanese public shows me that there is a strong tendency here to see homosexuality as something to be laughed at. That is sad" [2].
Openly lesbian Osaka Prefectural Assemblywoman Kanako Otsuji has been quoted as saying:
[The way the media treats sexual minorities] makes me angry. This morning I saw [comedian] Razor Ramon for the first time. I never watch TV. I'd only heard about him. He's not homosexual. He just uses gayness for his act, to make people laugh. I'm afraid that people will get the idea that gay people are all like that, yelling and pumping their hips[3].
Notes of interest
- The famous Japanese soccer player Hidetoshi Nakata was famously genuinely mistaken for Razor Ramon HG as he got off a plane in Japan. Nakata was wearing dark sunglasses at the time.
- Mixed martial artist Kazushi Sakuraba dressed up as Hard Gay as part of his ring entrance at the PRIDE Itadaki 2005 event.
- Sumitani released his first single entitled "Young Man" on February 8, 2006, which is a Japanese rendition of the Village People's song "YMCA".
- Razor Ramon HG made a small cameo in the May 2006 chapter of Gantz (chapter 233), shown on a television in Kurono Kei's apartment.
- He also made a small cameo in Episode 12 of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, at 2:29, with Akihiro Miwa.
- Some of the characters in the Japanese drama series '1 litre of tears' imitate Razor Ramon HG's signature pose and exclamations in episode 6.
- HG claims that he has gay friends.
- He is a regular performer with the HUSTLE Pro Wrestling group
External links
- Template:En icon MSN-Mainichi Daily News:Razor Ramon slices along Japan’s cutting edge
- Template:En icon Videos of Razor Ramon HG
- Template:En icon Bakafish Translations – Message board for the subtitled HG clips.