Shiomibashi Mulls Added Show After Instant Sellout — Robot Partner 'Harisen' Draws Its Own Fans
Comedy duo Shiomibashi, pairing a human performer with a non-humanoid cleaning robot, said on the 22nd that it is considering an added show on the same date, following the previously reported same-day sellout of tickets for its first-ever solo show on the 20th. With the previously reported Torek Prize special-category nomination from the 19th also in the mix, attention is growing around the robot partner, 'Harisen,' in its own right.
As previously reported, tickets for Shiomibashi's first-ever solo show next month sold out within 18 minutes of going on sale at noon on the 20th. The shopping district's office said inquiries from people who missed out poured in immediately. Daisuke Namekawa, 31, the duo's straight-man performer, said, "Honestly, I didn't expect it to sell out that fast. The office has been asking us if we could do it one more time, and that's caught us off guard too."
As previously reported, the duo's partner is Harisen, a cleaning-type symbiotic robot whose operation grew unstable after parts production ended in 2021. Originally brought into comedy on the verge of retiring from its workplace cleaning job, the robot has, by the 22nd, drawn its own stream of inquiries to the shopping district office, including several asking, "Isn't there any merchandise for Harisen on its own?" Namekawa laughed ruefully, "I thought I was supposed to be the star at first, but these days it feels like Harisen is the one people love. It's frustrating, in a way — and a little proud-making, too."
As previously reported, Harisen retains a non-humanoid appearance that stays within the anti-humanoid-likeness regulation — a boxy, angular body with nothing more than a simple indicator light. A shopping-district office representative said, "That something this popular has grown out of a robot that still looks every bit like a robot is, I think, an interesting case for how far things can go within the regulation's bounds." A Robotics Legal Status Council member who commented on the 19th's Torek Prize nomination had already remarked, "Cases like this accumulating is useful material for debating the regulation's merits."
The street-corner theater where Shiomibashi performs is, as previously reported, a small venue, and realizing an added show will require working out seating and setup. The office representative explained, "Whether it's a same-day double bill or a separate date hasn't been settled. Given the open-air venue depends on the weather too, we want to work this out carefully." An announcement is hoped for "by the end of this month, if possible."
A neighboring shopkeeper, 48, who missed out on tickets right after they went on sale, said, "I never imagined Harisen, who sweeps in front of my shop every day, would ever headline a solo show. If there's an added performance, I absolutely want to go." A regular customer, 62, who did secure a ticket, said, "I think the rapport between those two is something you only get from watching them on the street corner for years. I'm curious whether that feeling holds up in a different venue."
Namekawa said, "If the added show happens, Harisen gets more stage time. It's a robot with no more spare parts left, so I don't want to push it too hard, but the unit itself actually seems eager." He closed by saying, "I'll make sure the material's properly reworked so Harisen doesn't get embarrassed up there." At the street-corner theater in Shiomibashi shopping district, the human-and-robot pair's well-timed rehearsals continue tonight, ahead of next month's real performance.
