# #132【本編】いんだよいんだよ

- Show: 金魚番長のデメキング
- Published: 2026-10-16
- Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1739038068_958dcc83a6d5.html
- Audio: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TBS5934211059.mp3
- Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary.

Kingyobanchou (金魚番長) report clearing M-1 Grand Prix Round 2 and advancing to Round 3 — but the day came with a puzzle: a stranger in Asakusa congratulated them 30–40 minutes after their set, long before any result could have been announced. The episode also digs into M-1's brutal early-round attrition numbers, a viral off-duty video of fellow comedian Ikuto, and a heated debate over what the word "meroi" really means.

## What this episode answers

### Did Kingyobanchou pass M-1 Grand Prix Round 2?

Yes — they passed and advanced to Round 3. On the walk from the venue to Asakusa Station, an unknown woman congratulated Furuichi about 30–40 minutes after their set, before results were out; he was baffled but instinctively replied 'thank you.'

### How many acts participate in each round of M-1, and what are the odds at each stage?

Round 1 draws over 20,000 acts; roughly 2,000 advance to Round 2; 377 reached Round 3 last year; the quarterfinals cut to about 130; the semifinals to around 30. The single biggest elimination happens between Rounds 1 and 2, where more than 10,000 acts drop out.

### Why was being told 'congratulations' by a stranger near Asakusa Station so puzzling?

Results are not announced until well after performances end, so being congratulated a mere 30–40 minutes after their set — when no outcome could possibly be known — made no sense. Whether competition information had leaked remained unclear; they only confirmed the result later.

### Why did Ikuto's SNS video go viral, and how did people around him react?

A video of Ikuto in Fukuoka with glasses on and his hair down — the opposite of his usual slicked-back look — accumulated over 500,000 impressions and 5,000 likes. When the excitement spread to the greenroom, both Ikuto and Mantaro tried to play it cool, but Mantaro's act collapsed when it turned out he had no idea what was being discussed.

### What does the word 'meroi' mean, and where does it come from?

Two interpretations were laid out: the original sense is a 'paternal or discovery-based feeling' (e.g., noticing your boyfriend still uses a gacha prize you won him), while a second use treats it as a softer stand-in for 'attractive' when saying so directly feels too loaded. The root word 'meromero' was traced to Kamakura-period records meaning 'spinning/swirling,' debunking the widespread theory that it derives from the English word 'mellow.'

## Article

## M-1 Round 2: The Mysterious "Congratulations"

Kingyobanchou performed in this year's M-1 Grand Prix Round 2 and made it through, advancing to Round 3. The day itself, however, came with an odd moment. Walking from the venue to the station in Asakusa, an unknown woman approached Furuichi (フルイチ) and said, "Congratulations." The timing made no sense: it was only 30 to 40 minutes after their set, long before any result should have been announced. Furuichi laughed recounting how he reflexively said "Thank you" while internally thinking, "Is this M-1? Has there been a leak?" The truth — that they had passed — only became clear later.

Back in the greenroom, another incident unfolded: Furuichi accidentally sent another act's thermos flying with a loud crash, right after their senior Regular (レギュラー) had just asked whether he was nervous. He described getting through the apology with what he called a full deployment of his acting skills. The duo also shared that Gingiragingino Gin-san (銀ギラ銀の銀さん) passed the same round, and both expressed genuine relief.

## M-1's Odds: Over 10,000 Acts Gone Before Round 3

The two laid out the numbers round by round. Round 1 brings in over 20,000 acts. About 2,000 advance to Round 2. From Round 2, 377 made it through to Round 3 last year. The quarterfinals narrow the field to roughly 130 acts, and the semifinals to about 30. The largest single cull — more than 10,000 acts — happens between Rounds 1 and 2. Furuichi compared it to "wiping out 20,000 soldiers in one go." Because Kingyobanchou qualify directly for Round 2, he noted with some satisfaction that they start with over 10,000 fewer rivals already gone.

The conversation also turned to an era when student acts felt unwelcome at M-1. That changed, they said, when Lalande's Nishida-san (ラランドの西田さん) reached the semifinals while still holding amateur status, which opened the door for student entrants. They also mentioned that their peer Majime ni Skip (真面目にスキップ) was eliminated at this year's semifinals, and both said they were genuinely disappointed.

## Cashless Payments and the Crumpled Thousand-Yen Note

Years ago, M-1 entry fees were cash only. Furuichi once arrived without cash and Minowa (ミノワ) had to cover him. Furuichi later complained on radio that refusing cashless payment was absurd for the era — and the following year, cashless was adopted. He told the story with obvious pride. The punchline: in the very first year of cashless, Minowa turned up with a crumpled thousand-yen note and tried to pay in cash. "Why are you going cash today of all days?" The moment was described as pulling a bench-warmer's crumpled note out of nowhere, and it got a big laugh.

## Ikuto Goes Viral, and the Art of Playing It Cool

Their peer Ikuto (イクト) posted a video of himself off-duty in Fukuoka — glasses on, hair down, a complete contrast to the slicked-back, imposing look he usually sports. The video racked up over 500,000 impressions and 5,000 likes, and word spread quickly that it was "meroi."

In the greenroom, Bomu's Takao (ボムの高尾) was enthusiastically recapping the whole thing when Ikuto himself strolled over and shut it down with a cool "I don't know, whatever." Mantaro (マンタロウ) then tried the same move — only for it to emerge that he had not actually been following the conversation at all and had no idea what was being discussed. His attempt at nonchalance immediately unraveled, which drew the biggest laugh of the sequence.

## What Does "Meroi" Actually Mean?

The two went deep on the word. One theory holds that the original meaning is something like a paternal or discovery-based emotion — the feeling you get when you notice your boyfriend still uses a small knick-knack holder you won him from a gacha machine, or when you spot a sticker your daughter gave you still stuck to the back of someone's phone. In Ikuto's case, a different dynamic was at work: calling him "cool" would imply attraction, so "meroi" functions as a more deniable, arm's-length substitute.

Furuichi added a personal story: he once attached a pink keychain from a former girlfriend to his bag, only to be told relentlessly by male comedian colleagues to "take that off, it's gross." By today's standards, he said, that would read as "meroi" — and female fans would absolutely have appreciated it.

The duo also looked into the etymology of "meromero," the root form. The commonly circulated theory that it derives from the English word "mellow" turned out to be mistaken. Records from the Kamakura period use the word to mean something like "spinning" or "swirling," suggesting the term is native Japanese.

## Ending: Culture Festival Season

The episode closed with updates on their autumn culture festival circuit. Last year the duo finished second at a school festival — which Furuichi characterizes as "effectively first place." This year they performed at a high school and at Nihon University College of Science and Technology near Jimbocho. At the Nihon University show, almost no announcement had been made that Kingyobanchou would be performing a comedy show, leaving them bracing for an empty room. By the time they walked out, though, there was a solid crowd waiting.

## Takeaways

- Kingyobanchou cleared M-1 Grand Prix Round 2 and advanced to Round 3, in a competition where more than 10,000 of the 20,000-plus Round 1 entrants are eliminated before Round 2 even begins.
- Peer comedian Ikuto's off-duty video in Fukuoka surpassed 500,000 impressions and 5,000 likes, and the ensuing greenroom excitement produced a chain of failed 'playing it cool' moments that became the comic highlight.
- The word 'meroi' carries two distinct readings — a paternal discovery-based emotion and a low-commitment stand-in for 'attractive' — and its root 'meromero' traces to Kamakura-period Japanese, not the English word 'mellow.'