The Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (東方M-1ぐらんぷり) is a series of CD/DVDs released by R-Note (formerly YELLOW ZEBRA) wherein the characters from Touhou perform animated manzai skits. The project is built around a mock manzai tournament, also hosted and judged by the characters from the series. There are currently 8 seasons of the M-1 Grand Prix and a remake of the 1st M-1 Grand Prix.
You can find English translation efforts ongoing over at Youtube. dgreater1 translated most of the 1st and 2nd Grand Prix but stopped afterwards. Furienify and a few others subtitled the 3rd and the 4th Grand Prix. Railkill subtitled the 6th Grand Prix, while bonnet12341 subtitled the missing scenes of almost all previous editions, and has also started subtitling some parts of the 1st M-1 Grand Prix R.
Some of these efforts have used the work of Japatirador, who has subtitled every Grand Prix in Portuguese.
Editions
1st Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Reitaisai 4)
Judges: Ran, Kaguya, Lily White, Shikieiki
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Aya
Prize: The Hourai Elixir
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WhuvR5Yqw0
First Round:
- Scarlet Mansion (Remilia & Flandre)
- The Scarlet Devil Mansion gets on fire. Flandre guides Remilia to rescue Sakuya.
- Yuyuko & Youmu (Yuyuko & Youmu)
- It is Yuyuko's birthday and Youmu asks what kind of present she would like.
- Border Girls (Reimu & Yukari)
- Yukari confesses she knows everything about Reimu, except her full name.
- Witch Doll (Marisa & Alice)
- Alice wants to buy a new house near to Hakurei Shrine. Marisa teaches her how to "deal" with real estate sellers.
Finals:
- Witch Doll (Marisa & Alice)
- Alice plans to get married in the future, but Marisa won't let her go that easily.
- Scarlet Mansion (Remilia, Flandre & Cirno) — WINNER
- Flandre lets Cirno join their team as a tsukkomi (straight man). Both Remilia and Flandre are unsatisfied with her performance.
2nd Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Comiket 73)
Judges: Yukari, Flandre/Cirno, Komachi, Akyuu
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Keine
Prize: 100,000 Goku worth on Human Village Territory
Full: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLhA4BICvIc
Opening: http://youtu.be/268Dkho--3Y
Commercial Break: Nitori's Translator (Nitori & Lily White)
First Round:
- TeiReisen (Tewi & Reisen) Judging
- Reisen wants to appear on TV commercials. Tewi distracts her to get some attention herself.
- Yakumo Chen (Chen & Ran) Judging
- Ran runs a "Touhou Questions & Answers about everything" business. She trains Chen for the job.
- Hourai Teruyo (Kaguya & Eirin) Judging
- Kaguya wants to get a job for the first time. Eirin helps her write a resumé.
- Patchu Mirin (Meiling & Patchouli) Judging
- Meiling helps Patchouli confess her feelings for Marisa by doing physical exercise.
Pre-Finals: http://youtu.be/IXRDN7wwmQM
Between Finals: http://youtu.be/nmPktLXY2Iw
Finals:
- Hourai Teruyo (Kaguya, Eirin & Mokou)
- Mokou attacks Kaguya in the middle of their performance. Kaguya tricks Mokou into thinking she's a special guest for her own "TV show".
- Yakumo Chen (Chen & Ran) — WINNER
- It's hibernation time for Yukari. Ran teaches Chen how to defend their home from noisy people.
Final Judging + Ending: http://youtu.be/ODPY3AR1R-o
Extra scene: http://youtu.be/YtOrc6JevUY (Ran,Chen,Reimu & Marisa)
3rd Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Comiket 75)
Judges: Yukari/Ran, Suika, Kanako, Suwako, Shikieiki/Komachi
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Eirin
Losers Bracket Studio: Keine
Prize: Becoming the Main Characters
Full: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrtHPX7WVCc
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2pC0HSa30
Commercial Break: "Mystia's Grilled Lamprey" (Yuyuko,Youmu,Flandre,Mokou & Mystia)
First Round:
- Yuyuko & Youmu (Yuyuko & Youmu) Judging
- Yuyuko & Youmu talk about different kinds of snacks, and Yuyuko's like for eating birds, just like Mystia's...
- Wind Girl (Aya & Momiji) Judging
- Aya doesn't want to become senile like her grandma. Momiji plays as Aya's grandma to represent a situation.
- TeiKourin (Tewi & Rinnosuke) Judging
- Tewi insinuates Rinnosuke's job at the store is really easy. Rinnosuke plays as a robber to show Tewi his job is harder than she thought.
- Witch Doll ("Marisa" & Alice) Judging + Loser Resurrection + "Burning Love" mini-manzai
- Marisa interviews Alice at her house. The manzai goes wrong with a shocking surprise.
- MikoMiko Spark (Reimu & Marisa) Judging
- Reimu and Marisa get in a double date. Marisa is nervous about it.
Pre Finals: http://youtu.be/fYKbcaX7oFQ
Finals:
- TeiKourin (Tewi & Rinnosuke)
- Tewi believes American rabbits are cooler than Japanese rabbits. She then decides to do an American-style manzai.
- MikoMiko Spark (Reimu & Marisa) — WINNER
- Reimu and Marisa discuss which of them is the coolest character.
Final Judging: http://youtu.be/AI_xC3B0RAA
Ending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIGOMFjesR8&feature=related
4th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Comiket 77)
Judges: Ran, Remilia, Reimu, Parsee, Kaguya
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Sanae
Losers Bracket Studio: Eirin
Prize: 10,000 Goku worth on the Capital Moon
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OruQXnex6E
Commercial Break: Nitori's Radio controller (Nitori & Hina)
First Round:
- Oni Goddess Girls (Suika & Yuugi) Judging
- Yuugi wants to compete in boxing. Suika announces her entrance.
- WerePhoenix (Mokou & Keine) Judging
- Mokou will assist a funeral. Keine teaches her the manners for such event.
- Satorin Okyuun (Utsuho & Satori) Judging
- Satori opens her own hot springs and wants some promotion. Okuu plays as a reporter and interviews Satori.
- MoriyaKero (Suwako & Kanako) Judging + Loser Resurrection
- Kanako claims she can "sing" any song. Suwako teaches her how to sing properly.
- Cat Stone (Koishi & Orin) Judging
- Satori is angry at Koishi. Koishi wants to make her feel better by becoming a TV star and performing a sword fight along with Orin.
Before Finals: http://youtu.be/lp1iozBqRCI
Finals:
- Tokamak Club (Utsuho & Orin) — WINNER
- Okuu believes Satori doesn't like her anymore. Orin gives her advice on how to get Satori like her again.
- Satori Koishi (Satori & Koishi)
- Satori and Koishi make a skit contest. The one who messes it up will get a painful punishment...
Final Judging: http://youtu.be/KfP9q_jzdOQ
Bonus Material:
- KourinSpark (Rinnosuke & Marisa)
- Rinnosuke keeps messing up his lines and Marisa threatens to finish off their manzai... several times.
5th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Comiket 79)
Judges: Akyuu, Sakuya, Marisa, Komachi, Shikieiki
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Ran/"Chen"
Losers Bracket Studio: Sanae
Prize: 10,000 Kan
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toFv9POpJgY
Commercial Break: Gensoukyo Ears Book (Aya & Hatate)
First Round:
- Shou-chan Chuchu + Judging(Shou & Nazrin)
- Shou teaches the audience the Gensokyo slang while Nazrin exemplifies the words.
- Shutter Girls + Judging (Aya & Hatate)
- Aya tests Hatate's knowledge about Gensokyo's facts.
- Myourensen + Judging (Byakuren & Murasa)
- Byakuren opens a bar in which both humans and youkai can drink together. Murasa is their first client.
- Spin Kappa (Nitori & Hina) Judging + Loser Resurrection
- Nitori tries to make Hina angry. She plays as an employee with very bad manners.
- TeiReisen (Tewi & "Reisen") TeiReisen (Railkill)Judging
- Tewi wants to start over in the Lunar Capital. Reisen scolds her and reminds her of the "Five Laws of Earth Rabbits". However, what Reisen says starts to sound suspicious.
Finals:
- Myourensen (Byakuren, Murasa & Unzan)
- Murasa wants to confess her love for someone. She asks Byakuren an Unzan for help
- Spin Kappa (Nitori & Hina) — WINNER
- Nitori wants to be part of the technology era and she tries to make an account in a social site.
Final Judging + Ending: http://youtu.be/nPDfu08kdR8
- Extra scene 1 (Talking Statues)
- Two talking statues haven't received any offers for years, so they're starving. Ran and Chen stop by to have lunch.
- Extra scene 2 (Flandre, Patchouli & Cirno)
- Flandre is hoping to participate in the next Grand Prix. She then decides to practice with Patchouli and Cirno, making Cirno mimic a manly voice.
- Extra scene 3 + Credits (Nue & Kogasa)
- Nue reflects about what she learnt at the end of the 5th Grand Prix. Her thoughts get interrupted with a surprise.
6th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Comiket 81)
Judges: Akyuu, Yukari, Lily White/Lily Black, Yorihime, Warai Uzume no Mikoto
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Sakuya
Prize: Go-Reisho Document
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EY8D6RTQUg
Comercial Break: Gensoukyo Armpits Book (Hatate, Momiji & Aya)
First Round:
- Scarlet Mansion(Remilia & Flandre) Judging — 5th Place
- The Scarlet Mansion gets on fire again. This time Remilia must rescue her little sister.
- Yakumo Chen (Ran & Chen) Judging — 3rd Place
- Chen goes to school. Ran has to scold her for getting bad influences from her classmates.
- MikoMiko Spark (Reimu & Marisa) Judging — 4th Place
- Reimu complains that worshipers don't come to her shrine. Marisa interviews her to raise her popularity on TV.
- Tokamak Club (Okuu & Orin) Judging — GRAND CHAMPION
- Utsuho wants to ask a human for marriage. Orin plays as her mother-in-law.
- Spin Kappa (Nitori & Hina) Judging — 2nd Place
- Nitori tries to make Hina angry again. This time by doing grafitti on her wall.
Grand Champion Judging: http://youtu.be/GrSnG4N8z5c
Finals:
- Tokamak Club (Okuu & Orin) Between Finals
- Okuu witnessed a murder next to her house. Orin interviews her about it.
- Binary Drop (Shikieiki & Komachi) — WINNER
- Shikieki decides to become a pop singer. Komachi is her accompanist.
Final judging: http://youtu.be/qE6bSgC_HhI
Ending + Credits: http://youtu.be/krXMbbnumBU
7th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Comiket 83)
Judges: Seiga/Yoshika, Orin, Reimu, Mamizou, Shikieiki
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Toyosatomimi no Miko
Losers Bracket Studio: Kyouko
Prize: 10 million Yen
Trailer: http://youtu.be/hNmfiVQUUx4
Opening: http://youtu.be/DgxnTMY5m2w
First Round:
- Troupe Miko (Futo & Tojiko)
- Tojiko says that Futo is afraid of youkai. Futo denies it.
- Mystery Parasol (Kogasa & Nue)
- Nue teaches Kogasa how to narrate ghost stories. Kogasa is not very scary though.
- Jealousy Star (Parsee & Yuugi)
- Parsee is trying to not use jealousy, but goes too far by saying "thank you" everytime.
- Yasaka Kanako (Kanako & Sanae)
- Kanako is running for president, but her oath of honor seems suspicious.
- Patchu Mirin (Meiling & Patchouli)
- Patchouli revealed she doesn't have asthma, but anemia. Meiling cheers her up with other characters when her anemia is in severe state.
Finals:
- Jealousy Star (Parsee & Yuugi) — WINNER
- Parsee trains marine animals. Yuugi is a seal, but she is acting stubborn.
- Patchu Mirin (Meiling & Patchouli)
- Meiling does an anonymous interview with Patchouli, but Meiling goes too far by following everywhere she goes.
8th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix (Comiket 85)
Judges: Yukari, Toyosatomimi no Miko, Satori/Koishi, Tenshi, Yuuka
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Shou
Losers Bracket Studio: Ran
Prize: Seed of Senka and 10 million Yen
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ6FhzIXUr8
First Round:
- Kumo-Gumi (Team Cloud)(Ichirin & Unzan)
- Unzan wants to prove himself he can be a host of a children TV show. His thunderous voice and mean looks are not helping though.
- KourinSpark (Marisa & Rinnosuke)
- Marisa insinuates Rinnosuke should get a girlfriend. She then decides to act as her girlfriend and go out in a date.
- Bakusen Nyan Nyan(Seiga & Kasen)
- Seiga creates a song and asks Kasen to be her accompanist. Kasen gets frustrated as Seiga keeps changing the lyrics, and even the whole song.
- Suzu-kyuun♪ (Akyuu & Kosuzu)
- Kosuzu acts as a thief in her own book store. Akyuu refuses to follow her demands as she affirms Kosuzu is not acting as a proper thief.
- Autumn Leaves (Minoriko & Shizuha)
- The Aki sisters run their own cooking show. They fail at making something simple.
Finals:
- Suzu-kyuun♪ (Akyuu & Kosuzu)
- Akyuu and Kosuzu play Statues. Akyuu isn't a very good Curator though.
- Bakusen NyanNyan (Seiga & Kasen) — WINNER
- Seiga and Kasen enact their reactions as if they were to win the Touhou M-1 Grand Prix. Seiga forces Kasen to overreact.
Remake
On June 15, 2013, R-Note announced on their site they were working on a remake of the 1st Touhou M-1 Grand Prix, using their current animation style and voices.
The remake titled "1st Touhou M-1 Grand Prix R" was released at Comiket 84 on August 12. The script was rewritten in some cases and it also includes new characters, like Yuuka in the jury table.
1st Touhou M-1 Grand Prix R (Comiket 84)
Judges: Ran, Kaguya, Lily White, Yuuka, Shikieiki
Hosts: Rinnosuke, Aya
Prize: The Hourai Elixir
NOTE: All manzai follow the same script as the originals, although some of them are slightly different in some parts.
First Round:
- Scarlet Mansion (Remilia & Flandre)
- Yuyuko & Youmu (Yuyuko & Youmu)
- Border Girls (Reimu & Yukari)
- Witch Doll (Marisa & Alice)
Commercial Break: Alice's Kiri-chan Doll (Alice & Remilia)
Finals:
- Witch Doll (Marisa & Alice)
- Scarlet Mansion (Remilia, Flandre & Cirno) — WINNER
Dubbed Videos
4th Touhou Grand Prix Commercial Break: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocdbdiRe53E
Unsubbed Videos
1st Touhou M-1 Grand Prix
- Final Judging: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h-sV47nHWI
3rd Touhou M-1 Grand Prix
- Bonus 1: http://youtu.be/LvM4SBaSgi0
- Bonus 2: http://youtu.be/sQckTFeX3wI
4th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix
7th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix
Full Unsubbed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qIHdhbiCN0
- Mystery Parasol
- Jealousy Star
- Yasaka Kanako
- Patchu Mirin
- Jealousy Star Finals
- Patchu Mirin Finals
- Final Judging
- Credits
1st Touhou M-1 Grand Prix R
- Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoNOQxkqAgM
- Trailer (Portuguese): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_syhL3MX0
Full Unsubbed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6w9OHe8agM
- Opening
- Scarlet Mansion
- Yuyuko & Youmu
- Witch Doll
- Commercial Break + Pre-Finals
- Final Judging
- Credits
8th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix
Full Unsubbed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB4B8M46LL4
- Opening
- Kumo-Gumi
- KourinSpark
- Suzu-kyuun♪ + Loser Resurrection
- Autumn Leaves
- Commercial Break
- Suzu-kyuun♪ Finals
- Bakusen NyanNyan Finals
- Final Judging
- Credits
Fun Facts
- Rinnosuke is the only character who has appeared in all seasons, as a permanent host.
- Shikieiki Yamaxanadu is the founder of the Touhou M-1 Grand Prix and the director of judges.
- However, she only appears at the jury table once every two Grand Prix (1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th).
- Ran is the only character who has appeared as a host, a judge, and in manzai. She has even appeared as the host at the losers' studio.
- Marisa has done the most number of manzai: six (not counting the one with the fake Marisa; the bonus one with Rinnosuke from the 4th GP; nor the one from the remake of the 1st GP).
- She has also appeared doing manzai in the most number of seasons: four (1st, 3rd, 6th and 8th). Tewi and Reimu are tied in second place with three.
- Moreover, she has changed partners more than once. She has been with Alice, Reimu and Rinnosuke.
- Marisa, Utsuho, and Orin are the only characters who have gotten into the finals twice.
- Even though she has appeared as both a host and a judge, Sakuya has never done a manzai at all. This is not a coincidence, as she even declares she is too busy doing her job as a maid. However, Shikieiki states this is because she didn't have a good partner.
- Shikieiki didn't reveal who Sakuya's partner was at that time, but Sakuya is seen next to Koakuma at the losers' studio in the 8th Grand Prix.
- The SA cast is the one with the most number of winners: four (Utsuho, Rin, Parsee and Yuugi). Satori and Koishi also got into the finals once.
- On the other hand, the UFO cast is the one with the most number of losers: It is the only one in which all characters have participated in manzai. None of them have won a Grand Prix and only two have got into the finals.
- MikoMiko Spark have been the only resurrected losers who have won a Grand Prix.
- TeiResen have been the only couple to break the 10 minutes time limit.
- In the 5th Grand Prix, Nue transforms in various characters: Reisen midway the TeiReisen manzai (you can tell by the different colors of her ears and you can see her silhouette when Tewi attacks her); Murasa that apppears during Nitori and Hina's manzai (you can see the different colour of the scarf); and Chen during the last judgings.
- In the 6th Grand Prix, the antenna placed on the TV which broadcasts Yorihime from the moon is actually the face of Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
- Mima is the only character from the PC-98 era who has made a cameo.
- Iku Nagae is the only character from the Windows era who hasn't made a single appearance.
- Nitori, Hina, and Tewi are the only characters that have done a manzai in two consecutive seasons.
- Yukari and Akyuu are the only characters who have been judges in two consecutive seasons. Komachi can be considered too as she replaced Shikieiki in the 3rd Grand Prix.
- All the characters from MoF appeared in the 3rd Grand Prix.
- All the characters from Subterranean Animism, appeared in the 4th Grand Prix.
- All the characters from Undefined Fantastic Object appeared in the 5th Grand Prix.
- All the characters from Ten Desires appeared in the 7th and 8th Grand Prix.
- The 7th M-1 Grand Prix is the very first season that doesn't feature any member of the Yakumo family (Yukari, Ran or Chen). Yukari and Ran returned for the 8th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix though.
- The 8th Touhou M-1 Grand Prix features the most number of characters doing manzai who are taken from Touhou mangas: four (Rinnosuke, Kasen, Akyuu and Kosuzu).
- It is also the very first Grand Prix ever to feature two male characters doing manzai: Rinnosuke and Unzan (actually the only two Touhou male characters with official portraits).
- Hata no Kokoro makes an after-credits cameo in the 8th Grand Prix.
- Nitori, Hina, Yuugi and Okuu are the only winners of a Grand Prix that haven't appeared as judges or hosts yet.
- Since the 1st Grand Prix, Lily White has been known for being speechless, communicating only with the chirping sound she makes in Phantasmagoria of Flower View. Nitori invented a voice translator for her, using the voice of Hatsune Miku.
- All characters who have won a Grand Prix, except Reimu, Marisa and Yuugi, have done it in their first appearance doing a manzai.
Warai no Uzume no Mikoto
Warai no Uzume no Mikoto, one of the judges for the 6th Grand Prix, is an original character, which is probably why her face is censored. She is the goddess of laughter and comedy, and she might be based in Ame no Uzume no Mikoto, just adding "Warai" to her name which means "laughter".
She has won several Lunarian M-1 Grand Prix, and she is also a judge for the preliminary rounds of the "Kingdom of Gods M-1 Grand Prix". She is seen in the credits roll of the 6th Grand Prix next to her partner, who is a man probably based on Sarutahiko Okami, Ame no Uzume's husband.
Go-Reisho Document
The Go-Reisho Document is a book written by the goddess of laughter herself. Whoever reads this book will gain as much skills for comedy as the gods.
Warning: Several spoilers below
During Kekkai Shoujou's judging in the 1st Grand Prix, Yukari asks Ran to get a human for her. At the end, Ran kidnaps Marisa for Yukari.
In the extra scene of the 2nd Grand Prix, Marisa reappears in front of Reimu. Marisa tells Reimu that she was able to steal the Go-Reisho Document, and that way, they would win the next Grand Prix easily.
Marisa officially comes back as Reimu's partner in the 3rd Grand Prix, however, Alice had used a fake doll Marisa as a replacement. When Alice sees the real Marisa coming, she explains herself saying that everyone had thought Marisa had been eaten by Yukari.
In the 6th Grand Prix, Warai Uzume, the goddess of laughter, appears as a judge, next to Yorihime and Yukari. The prize for this Grand Prix would be the Go-Reisho Document, which was won by Tokamak Club, but happened to be fake as Shikieiki's stated in an intermission. Then, Yorihime explained what really happened, just before Yukari fled:
Marisa exchanged the actual Go-Reisho Document for a fake one, the one that was used as the prize for the 6th Grand Prix. When Yukari kidnapped Marisa, she kept the actual Go-Reisho Document, erasing Marisa's memories. However, while nobody was at Yukari's house, Komachi had gone to get back the actual Document.
Shikieiki and Komachi, together as Binary Drop, then had to defend their property over the actual Go-Reisho Document in a final round against Tokamak Club, which they won with an unanimous decision by the judges.