Gonna stick my neck out just a little bit here and talk about Documental. I agree with Brandon’s warning that it includes plenty of old fashioned bigotry, and I would not generally recommend it either. I do think it holds some real interest though for anyone interested in the theory of comedy across different cultures. Japanese comedy can often be impenetrable to people who, like myself, can’t speak the language worth a damn, but I’ve come to understand it like this: imagine standup never existed, and all modern comedy was still rooted in the conventions and sensibilities of vaudeville. In this way I find the show pretty interesting even when it’s not so funny - a bit like that documentary The Aristocrats, for anyone who’s seen that.
I do think there are genuinely funny moments of pure absurdity, people barely holding it together in the face of joyfully stupid jokes, and those are the high points that keep me watching. And on that note I have a recommendation: Joshimental, a special one-off episode made with only female contestants, many of whom are not comedians (but are otherwise in the entertainment industry). It’s widely regarded as funnier than the regular series and I have to agree. @exodus, if you haven’t seen this yet, I’m callin’ you out - this is worth your time.
https://mega.nz/folder/K88V2QQS#jIFiXJKJRrTemjFQcBk0xw/file/Kg0iQTrZ