Razor Ramon slices along Japan's cutting edge

Razor Ramon "Hard Gay" Sumitani's cutting humor parodying stereotypical homosexuals has made him a firm favorite of Japan's fickle schoolgirl fans, according to Asahi Geino (7/28). 

Looking akin to an outcast from the Village People, clad entirely in black leather -- a body-hugging, sleeveless, shirt, micro-hotpants and a studded black cap -- and his every move accompanied by Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" blaring out in the background, 29-year-old Razor Ramon is fast becoming one of the most recognized faces on Japan's small screen. 

Calling his brand of humor Haado Gei, which can be translated as either "hardcore art" or "hardcore gay," Razor Ramon HG first made a name for himself on the Saturday night TBS variety show "Bakuten." 

Hosted by comic duo Bakusho Mondai, "Bakuten" screens at a family hour despite Razor Ramon HG's raunchy rolls and bondage rig-out that many deem to be "too erotic," the men's weekly says. 

Razor Ramon HG has a corner on the program where he helps others, whether they want his assistance or not, suddenly springing up in front of them, holding his arms above his head, then wildly gyrating his hips and thrusting his pelvis forward while screaming out a piercing, "Whoooooo!" and announcing himself as "Haado Gei!" 

Among those he has helped in his stints on the show include crying children, tissue distributors and old women he has piggybacked across pedestrian overpasses. He claims to gain his apparently boundless energy from memories of late Queen singer Freddie Mercury. 

"While out filming, he manages to keep the tempo up well enough until we can record things. He really livens things up," a "Bakuten" insider tells Asahi Geino. 

"When they're in the studio, everybody has got to take turns to have their say, so his handlers are keeping him away from that scene so he can be on his own. On a special program recently, the ratings went over 14 percent, which kept the show alive. As far as those making the program are concerned, he's our savior."

Japan has had plenty of comics who've made their way playing the gay card from drag queens, transsexuals and cross dressers, but Razor Ramon HG is the first comedian in the country to make his living taking the mickey out of militant homosexuals, which has divided some opinions over how to take the leather-clad cad. 

"People either love him completely, or absolutely despise him," a screenwriter says. 

Razor Ramon HG made his performing debut under the same name in 1997. But he was not a comedian then. Instead, he was a professional wrestler. 

"He was in the professional wrestling club when he attended Doshisha University. His comic partner, Makoto Debuchi, had wrestled at Ritsumeikan University. The pair of student wrestlers formed a comic duo whose show focused on wrestling tricks. 

Some of the stunts were fantastic, but they weren't really that well received," an Osaka TV production staff member tells Asahi Geino. "In the Kansai area, you've got to be a quick talker and tell funny stories to make it big." 

In 2001, Razor Ramon HG moved on to join Yoshimoto Kogyo, Japan's biggest comedy troupe based in Osaka. 

"He played a punk and a priest whose main laugh came about because his weakness involved having his nipples tweaked," the TV production staff member says. 

Razor Ramon HG came up with the idea of the militant homosexual performer during a discussion among several Yoshimoto members, including Kendo Kobayashi, who told him that he made a perfect hardcore gay. Razor Ramon HG picked up "La Vida Loca" as his theme song and has rarely looked back. 

His Haado Gei act gained more notice when he continued as a wrestler, making the semifinals of last year's R-1 Grand Prix while competing under the guise of a gay grappler. 

Despite the raucous reputation regarding Razor Ramon HG, the real thing is apparently nothing like his public persona. 

Asahi Geino 7/28 edition"He's an extremely well mannered gentleman. He says that he's probably the quiet type. He lives in a Nishinari-ku apartment in Osaka that he rents for 40,000 yen a month," a sports newspaper reporter tells Asahi Geino. "He's a smart guy. He know the hard gay character won't last forever. He's getting by appearing on TV and in Yoshimoto shows. One day, he'll eventually be up there challenging for a top position in Yoshimoto." (By Ryann Connell)