Although this was started in November, and it's now February — meaning I'm really behind on the topic, I would like to contribute to this thread.
Okay, I'm about to go into a loooong list of games, so please bear with me. Unfortunately, it's very hard for me to narrow a list of the show's games down to one or two. So, I have listed all my choices here along with the description of the games and why I like them for a live event (it is worth mentioning that I have never performed inprov or stand up and am merely stating things on behalf of someone who would be a viewer of such an event).
WHOSE LINE : By far, my favorite game. This is definitely a good audience participation game since "they" come up with the lines for the two main cast members to use. I would think it'd be best to have most of the people email you one liners that they find funny so you have a wealth of them on hand prior to the event (just in case). Also, the day of the show, have someone representing the show getting people to submit one liners that day (I'd think trying to do it in advance, perhaps even the day before if it were to be held on the second or third day of the con, so there would be plenty of time to get them put onto scraps of paper for the cast members to read off). Take the top 20 funniest or absurdly random lines and divide them into one set of ten for one cast member and ten for the second cast member. The two act out a scene that is already planned out but have to randomly insert the lines they have been given. (An example from the show is Ryan and Colin were Scarlet and Rhett from Gone With The Wind and had the random lines they used. So, for the anime version, (as usual) any show and two characters from it would be just fine). Since skits don't usually run more than two to three minutes, I'd think even ten a piece would be pushing the time limit, so it would end up being however many they got to during their window of time. Regardless, there is nothing better than the two cast members in the middle of a serious dialogue only to have a random line thrown in to mess that up and force them to come up with an explanation for the line.
TWO LINE VOCABULARY : (no audience participation but it always seems to be quite hilarious to watch) Three cast members play out a scene where two of them can ONLY say two lines during the entirety of that scene, and the third can saw whatever he or she wants. (Example from the show : the lines were "Is it Always that big?" and "I don't think that's a good idea" for Brad; "Run that by me, again" and "Who needs this?" for Ryan link to a clip of this particular example
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VWHz-Hbq_E ) I think this would be a great game for Whose Line is it Anime to play, and I think that the two characters who have set lines should be two familiar fan favorite characters from a specific show. Such as Ed Elric and Roy Mustang of FMA, Jonouchi and Seto Kaiba of Yu-Gi-Oh (cause I'm old school and haven't seen the newer shows), etc. It's just somehow funnier if they have reason for conflict. I always seem to laugh at this game. There's so much going on for it.
SOUND EFFECTS : Another true audience participation. Two cast members act out a scene where two audience members provide the sound effects for said scene (one audience member is assigned to one of the performers, and the second to the other). When this game is played, hilarity seems to ensue. The only issue here would be finding a way to get the two audience members heard. If you had a fairly large cast (of about 6 to 8, although the show is played with 4 total), and had microphones for them all, I'm sure two mics could be spared for two audience members. Instead of something that the two participants might be familiar with, such as Pokemon, it'd be fun throw a curve ball and pick an obscure or underrated anime to use. When the participants seem to have no idea what sounds to make, those end up being the best skits.
WEIRD NEWSCASTERS : This is a fun game to watch, and I think it would be fairly reasonable for the cast to act out. A news anchor has a co-anchor, sports reporter, and a weather reporter, but the latter three all have a strange quirk or identity attached to them. (part of description came from whoseline.net) Instead of having them portray anime characters, perhaps have the three cast members could be set in three different anime with quirks such as "a duelist from Yu-gi-oh (any series)" which would seem to make trivial things melodramatic, or "Slowly turning into a Heartless," etc. The best part is the news anchor who is normal trying to deal with the others.
PARTY QUIRKS : Okay, this is very similar to weird newscasters, but it requires one of the four main cast members to guess who the other three are. The way you could accomplish this is by giving each of the three their weird quirk or identity and also have two people stand before the audience (off the stage, but still in front of it so the cast member who will be guessing the identities cannot see) with three 18-by-12 inch poster board sheets (the large cardstock sheets, I can't remember if that's the right name for them) each with the three cast members' identities written on them. That way, it's similar to the show in that the audience knows who these characters are while the cast member guessing does not. From the few videos on youtube I've watched of cons, it's what is really missing from the live events, that one over on the cast member. I don't believe that the poster board sheets are too expensive, and it'd be a great way to incorporate the audience into the joke.
PRESS CONFERENCE : Similar to party quirks, but the three cast members now know who the other is while he (or she) does not. That cast member is supposed to be giving an announcement or has done some sort unusual achievement (Once, the show had Colin be Batman coming out of the closet and another where Colin was the Tin man announcing his engagement to Dorothy). The three members are the press getting the breaking news for their newspapers or magazines and give clues to the fourth cast member by means of questions. Typically, after two or three rounds, the fourth cast member is asked who he or she is and what he or she has done.
LET'S MAKE A DATE : This is essentially
Party Quirks in the fact that it's four performers, and three of them have special quirks or identities attached to them. So, choosing either this game or Party Quirks for the show makes sense. Having both would be too monotonous. But, it would be best played the same way — giving the three scraps of paper with their quirk then having two people stand in front of the audience (one on the left, one on the right so everyone could see) with 3 poster boards with the quirks for each player (in order of appearance) written upon them. After three or four rounds, the fourth cast member must guess who the other three are. This game, however, tends to be less physical than Party Quirks.
HATS (aka World's Worst Dating Service Video) : I understand, to the extent I can having never performed improv, that this rapid action/ back and forth game can be trying for the improv cast because it can be difficult to think up something on the spot. But, this was one of the great skits from the show. It would also require people bringing in bizarre headgear for the sake of this game. I don't know how well that would go over. So, this one would probably give way to the great
Scenes from a Hat (which can often overshadow this game because it jumps here and there based on audience suggestions. Very Funny, indeed. Although for
Scenes from a Hat, might I suggest someone have the audience write down their ideas and turn them in prior to the event because shouting out can be hard to hear what gets suggested and ensues chaotic frustration and that is similar to what the show does for that particular game).
MOVING PEOPLE : I love to watch this game from the show. It's also audience participation. Two audience members (or more, if you have more cast members acting out a scene) come on stage and move their puppet/mannequin cast member as they act out a scene. As long as it was clarified that the participants are not allowed to position their cast member in an offensive (sexual or vulgar) manner, as well as not purposely attempt to harm said cast member, it would be fun to watch the game as the participants try their best to move their assigned character around.
*
Dead Bodies is another game similar to this that would be a fun trade-off, instead. It only requires one audience participant who will be part of the scene. The premises of this game is that three cast members (one being from the audience) are performing a play, and they "die." But, the show must go on! So, another cast member has to move them around (as well as their mouths for realism). It is typically done by having two of the three cast on the stage "dead" while the one who is to animate them is there, as well. The third cast member comes onto the stage then "dies" forcing remaining cast member to perform the entire scene by making everyone move and talk as if they were "alive."
INFORMERCIAL : This is a fun game that requires audience participation to find out what two cast members are selling( aka a "Personal problem improved by a miracle product"). For example, remedy for Bad Breath, Bad Body Odor, or removing Arm Hair. Although having the audience yell out suggestions is hard for the performers to hear, this game originally was created that way. So to keep in line with tradition, it should not be decided beforehand (although it might be easier to choose either the left or right side of the audience for the game, as was done when the show first started). This game also requires bizarre props (sometimes, they aren't "bizarre" in how they look but why they are there. There have been hamster wheel, large tubing, costume hazmat suit headgear, sprinkler, snorkel, red rubber wig, bubble blower, safety bath mat, Barbie doll, rubber tube, child's plastic play shovel, butterfly net, large rubber ball, yard reflectors, small plastic flags, foam feet, a miniature disco ball, lingerie, steering wheel, small plunger, cat toy, star-shaped pillow, jumper cables, shower cap, slinkies, magnifying glass. I'd suggest things such as crazy straws and several items you could pick up at the dollar tree as well as a few found objects from home to keep from wasting money. How this would be anime related would depend on the suggestion from the audience members and also on the improv of the cast members after that.
MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES : Three cast members act out a scene with props. But, each prop has an anime character attributed to it. (in the show, they had a map, canteen, and binoculars be Elvis, John Wayne, Beavis and Butthead respectively). For example, you could have a book of crosswords puzzles be Yugi Mutou, a wristwatch be Edward Elric, a key be Sora, a cloud picture or object be Cloud Strife, etc. The cast would then act out the scene (which has nothing to do with the corresponding anime or games) while impersonating those characters. It would be good if the objects were revealed one by one so the cast has no idea what character will come next (IE the last one may end up with a character that he or she is either really good at or really loathes). However, at any time during the game, they can swap props with another cast member to become the character connected to that prop.
QUESTIONABLE IMPRESSIONS : Basically "Questions Only" but the cast members must use a different impersonation of an anime character AND ask a question every time they are on stage. If they fail to ask a question, they are "buzzed out" and replaced by the next cast member waiting in line (the show had four members, so two per each side of the stage. If you work with more, then divide them up evenly between your count and use them all
). Regardless of how well the cast member imitates a character, they can
only be buzzed off stage if they do not ask a question.
QUICK CHANGE : Cast members act out a scene, but one member (or the host) off stage can shout "CHANGE" at any time — forcing the cast member who is speaking to swap what they said with another line. The host can shout "change" as many times as he or she likes, but three times is typically the most that I've ever seen used. It's funny because it forces the cast member to think on his or her feet and usually ensures that a crazy, off-the-wall line is used.
SCENES CUT FROM A MOVIE (or in this case, Anime) : Basically for this game is the audience shouts out names from their favorite anime, and the host (or someone) writes down the ones he or she likes. Again, the audience shouting out can end up being hard to hear suggestions, so it might be a good idea to have a second person helping out the host. Once all the titles are collected, the host calls out one at a time based on his or her liking. The cast members then must come up with a "scene that was deleted from the final production" of that anime. Essentially, it's like the blooper reel or alternate ending features on DVDs. It makes a pretty interesting game to watch for this reason.
FILM, TV, AND THEATRE STYLES : This and the previous entry are very similar in nature. This time, the audience calls out titles of anime, games, and other Japanese related styles such as music groups, etc. All of the suggestions are written down. Cast members then act out a scene with a previously planned set up (in the show, Ryan and Colin were two competitive fisherman, where Colin confronted Ryan because he thought he was cheating) while the host randomly calls out from the list of styles he or she has collected. So, the cast must alter their performance to fit the theme of the show, game, etc. Since this and the previous entry are so much alike, it would have to be decided whether, or not, having both would be repetitive.
I have left out the games with music only because that is a completely different concept for a live event. I know that Snow_Storm has offered to help perform for the show. So, if you did have a musical act, the games that I liked best with music involved are as follows:
THREE HEADED BROADWAY STAR : You could make this anime only by stating something along the lines that a company has decided to take an anime to the stage. The host would then ask the audience what anime they would like to see the most as a "hit Broadway musical." Then, they will be asked what is the name of big hit love song from this musical. Again, chaos may unfold trying to hear all the suggestions and assistants may be required (I'm not sure, again, I've never performed before a live audience yelling out at once ^^; ). Once the musical and its title song are chosen, three cast members stand on the stage together. Music starts (typically Laura Hall plays a generic love ballad on her piano for the show, and you could have your musician do that**), and the cast members each sing one word each until coming to the end of the song. It's often funny because the actors use more than their one word, or come up with a crazy word to throw the next guy off his game.
**An alteration to this game that would be better suited for the musician(s) is to already choose the anime that will be performed as a hit musical and merely let the audience decide the title of the musical as well as its big hit love song. That way, the musician(s) can play a theme that coincides with the shows typical music style and not be put to the mercy of the crowd. We don't want to abuse the musical act!
GREATEST HITS : Two cast members pretend to be trying to sell you a compilation of songs while another two perform songs based on titles they are given. The audience gets to participate and call out what the greatest hits is for "Songs of the... what?" Clearly, the album suggestion has to be something anime related (IE songs of the alchemists, or songs of the nobodies, etc). The songs, however, can be any genre the cast members think up (rock, country, salsa, jazz, metal, etc). This is a bit harder for the musician(s), since there could be so many varying musical styles. I would consider consulting the musician(s) prior to committing to this game and see if he/she (or they) might be willing to take on this task.
TITLE SEQUENCE : "Give me an example of two unlikely roommates" is the audience cue for this game. For Whose Line is it Anime, the choices must obviously be from anime, games, manga, etc. I would also say the host has full liberty to correct (scold) the audience for suggesting any character NOT from a Japanese related show/game/etc. Once the two characters are chosen, two cast members act out an opening sequence to a new show starring the two characters chosen set to music and vocals (provided by another two cast members).
Some other popular musical games of the show:
DUET : (often given a famous musical group or characters — the show once had Wayne and Chip singing as the Munchkins from munchkinland) A song performed to an audience member. Another where the style is planned out. That makes it easier for the musician(s) to perform.
SONG STYLES : (a solo cast member singing to an audience member, or sometimes about an object, such as a blender. Usually, the object or situation that is already planned and not taken from the audience. You could have an icon object from an anime and have it be the object to sing about). The styles have varied on this game from Church Gospel to Cabaret (where Wayne sun about a vacuum cleaner while Greg, Colin, and Ryan were the dancer girls behind him) Usually, the solo singer is always accompanied by the other cast members who have to act out parts of the song along with their singer. I would think this would be a crowd pleaser to have a singer and back up performers. It was usually always fun to watch on the show. This one is also already set to a type of music, so that makes it a bit easier for your musician(s) to perform the musical piece.
IRISH DRINKING SONG : obviously, it'd have to be some other type of style. But, the idea is the same. It's
Hoe-down set to a different style of music, and fans of the show really seemed to like this game.
BARTENDER : Four cast members act this singing game out. One is the bartender who listens to the problems of the other three as they come in one at a time (a variant of this game I haven't seen is Psychiatrist). Everyone sings for this one. The first to enter is in love with someone (the audience gets to decide what or who), the second is angry about something (again, the audience decides), and the third is crazy or wild over something/someone (audience decision). The bartender sings a solution for each of the problems. Typically, the style of music changes based on the mood of the cast member — a soft, happy tune for the one in love, an angry theme for the one who is mad, and a fast tune for the one wild over something. The bartender's theme I believe remains the same (forgive me, it has been too long since I've last seen this game). Also, props are used for this game. In the show, they used a bottle and two glasses (so the bartender could pour drinks and give the illusion they were really in a bar). Of course, I suppose it's fine just pretending that there is a bottle and glasses — after all, it is improv.
WRONG TUNE THEME : Although I have never seen this one (it's from the original, British version), the premises sounds awesome. The cast members act out a scene, but the background music clashes with the tone of their set-up. The example from the wikipedia page was cartoonish music for a western styled scene. The idea of having happy/silly music for a serious scene is rather amusing to me. Unfortunately that's because it sounds like it would be trying for the cast members to focus on the skit instead of the music.
Sorry for rambling on for so long since I know that most everyone has seen or heard of Whose Line is it Anyway before. ^^; I hope it was at least a
little useful in finding out what would make good segments to attempt. I did try to choose the ones that I thought would be easy to recreate as well as be amazing to see live. I know there are time restraints and these are far too many suggestions, but perhaps a couple of them could make it into the actual event. *shrug*
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