Zac Oyama Makes Simplicity Interesting (Unsleeping City Spoilers)

ricky is the best ''If we’re all admitting secrets… I wasn’t always a firefighter''

Zac is a master of restraint. The make some noise episode with Brennan as the attorney proves that.

Shout out to that interview with Brennan talking about Ricky Matsui, he talked with Zac alone when all the characters were set because everyone had such deep character backstories and personalities that Ricky seemed too plain in comparison, so Brennan said to him that it worried him that Zac's PC wouldn't shine enough or be boring in comparison, and in response Zac only said, and I'm quoting: "don't worry, I've got this"

Ricky’s arc is called a flat arc! Flat arcs are when a character doesn’t necessarily change over the course of the story but either they change those around them, or become a truer/strengthened version of themselves(or something else! These are examples.) another example of a flat arc is Aang from avatar last airbender.

Can’t forget during Fantasy High when Gorgug’s satyr girlfriend rattle off all her favorite music (rage metal, scream metal, scream-o, etc.) he just says, “those are my favorite too.”

He's an incredible improviser. It's easy to get fixated on the Yes-And principle, but he's the perfect example of someone who is listening, finding and playing the game.

It feels to me that Zac also plays the straight man to compliment the more bombastic performances of his cast mates such as Emily and Lou.

i also think zac puts a lot into the physicality of his performances. even if he isnt speaking, he is CONSTANTLY reacting with his face, body language, with pantomime, etc. that style of performance is underrated imo, and the show's editing can sometimes make it easy to miss

The man is a comedy assassin. Quiet, stays mostly in the background, then strikes with deadly accuracy when you not expecting it.

i think Starstruck is a great example of Zac’s gift of perfect restraint. he purposefully picks a character who is a fish out of water but trying to blend in, can barely speak english/common when the campaign starts, and is literally trying to figure out his basic senses, wants, and needs. though there are some great slapstick scenes that come from this, most of what Zac communicates is Skip’s internal process, while his external words and movements are very simple — “right on” “gimme that” “my name is norman takamori” — he says these words almost exclusively through the first half of the campaign, but each time they are said with such intonation and correct timing that it communicates so much about how his character is moving through the world and processing it. kind of like when a child doesn’t have a super wide vocabulary yet but wants to convey complex emotions. he was really the star of that season for being what I and other fans have named him as: the master of the word economy.

I think Zac's Characters are absolutely amazing. Pib from Neverafter is slowly becoming one of my favorite PCs of him, but also he plays a NASTY ASS Rogue. Skip and Pib are exact examples of how he plays a damn insane rogue.

His play style absolutely mirrors his comedic style which I LOVE

zac has always been my favourite with his little quips; he's very sharp and has been rightfully described as a "comedy sniper". it's why i fucking loved Lapin Cadbury in ACOC (RIP). people see his 'minimalist' style and interpret it as a deficit, but i think he's just precise in where he chooses to interject with his magical one liners to make them that much more effective

“There should be the potential for everyone to have a dream” is the most beautiful thing I’ve heard in my life…

Zac is the king of "yes and.... what now?". As a player and as a comedian he builds on what his colleagues are doing. He aikidos the energy that is already there but then takes an opportunity to be funnier or more profound. Also, thank you for choosing Ricky as the example. He is one of my favourite characters in media full stop.

He's also the often most intelligent guy at the table. He's figuring things out even when he playing a "dumb". When he stepped out as Pib and said "I'm here to play smoke on the water". I was like dude what an idea!

one of the best examples of zacs physical roleplaying is with gorgug playing the drums in fantasy high season 1 you can see him listen and change his physicality as brennan continues to speak

i think another testament to the simplicity of zac’s characters comes in USC2, where ricky facing his first-ever personal challenge doesn’t totally change his character, but almost makes him a truer version of himself

Zac’s comedy gels so well with his role play, being able to insert the perfect line on a whim. Ricky’s “I wasn’t always a fighter.” To Gorgug’s “You’re not my dad, you’re definitely not my dad.” Even to Lapin sneaking up on Amethar are things that I can see Zac doing in CH sketches

I had people tell me that Zac’s characters are the most boring and flat out of everyone in dimension 20, and now I can show them this video! He’s such a great improvisor, and not just the one-liners, but the whole essence of his comedy. So good.