On July 14th, students gave original “Manzai” (Japanese standup comedy) presentations as part of the International Co-learning Class, in which Tohoku University students and international students study together led by Professor Kazuko Suematsu (Global Learning Center, Tohoku University).
The event was attended by a total of 86 people, including 32 students from the course, Tohoku University faculty and staff, and 22 students from member institutions of the APRU international consortium.
The students split into 7 groups and presented Manzai they had worked on together, from script writing, and acting, to producing, shooting, and editing, for one semester. The students talked in interview-style about how they worked hard to make routines based on the theme of “miscommunication due to cultural differences.”
Professor Suematsu praised the students for their creativity commenting, “The class was held without face to face communication due to the pandemic, but it was a great surprise for me to see how all of you worked together and created amazing works, overcoming differences in culture, language, and time zone. I hope you can make the most of this precious experience.”
The event was filled with smiling faces, and included a surprise presentation by Professor Suematsu.