Japanese game shows coming to America

This show is not in its "purest" form. It is still run through a filter of sorts for the American audience. The spectators (probably Japanese citizens) have various noisemakers when they are "cheering" their favorite team on. Also, the spectators appear they are fake-laughing.

Many have told me that this will do nothing for the stereotypes and misunderstandings that already exist in the minds of some Americans.

Still, the show makes its point, and is over the top with crazy games that only Japanese producers could come up with. It's still entertaining, and it is a great chance for another sliver of the culture to come to light. That's the entertainment culture.

Talk about an "unwelcome export".

Honestly, Japanese TV is so pedant that it seems they wouldn't want the rest of the world to see it. They already pulled "wai wai", and this will replace it in spades!

Isn't it bad enough to have to suffer through the mindless slapstick idiocy of shows here? Now we have it to look forward to having it added to the long list of uninspired TV when visiting the US. I am so happy that my TV is really just a monitor for DVDs and very select shows. J-TV makes me want to toss out my TV. US TV has an edge in producing some truly great shows with a little depth. Sadly the other 90% is pretty lame too.

Isn't it bad enough to have to suffer through the mindless slapstick idiocy of shows here?

Great news - you don't have to suffer, either here or in the US. Or anywhere. (Except maybe North Korea, where watching state-run telly might be compulsory). All TV sets now come with two handy devices built-in. One is a 'channel switcher' - if you don't like what's on, you can change the channel to find something you do like. And the second is even more revolutionary; it's called the Off switch.

The U.S. tried importing Shiwase Kazuko a few years back but it didn't really click in the states, I guess.

I really liked that show. I always thought it was funny that by day three, the dad wanted to give up, got drunk and was then yelled at by everyone in his family until he started practicing again.

Taka

as mindless as most japanese game shows are, i think they'll be a reasonable hit in the States. Its just entertainment, and if you go in understanding that, you'll probably enjoy some of them. The old Takeshi-Jo is still, after all these years, one of my favorites.

It's about time! I think if people can see a man wearing diapers that this will become a more acceptable practice in the States. I used to wear diapers all the time but got the rudest stares even in Walmart. But now, with the influx of these Japanese comedy programs, maybe all sorts of interesting things will start to happen in the US. Hint: invest in diapers.

They don't even have wacky game shows on J-TV anymore. It's all a bunch of talento sitting in the studio telling oh-so-zany tales.

It's about time! I think if people can see a man wearing diapers that this will become a more acceptable practice in the States. I used to wear diapers all the time but got the rudest stares even in Walmart.

Now they'll know to hit you over the head with a giant banana and toss you into an oversized pool of cream instead.

cool let's add to G-4's Unbeatable Banzukee and Ningaaaa Warrrrior!!! To bad these are re-runs over an over again.

I am looking forward to it!

They should broadcast "Kinchan Kaso Taisho" overseas but I guess like Sasuke (Ninja Warior), Viking the shows are not held often enough.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VmMUQ_SUmKM&feature=related

Other could one would be the one where the pro-sports compete in an athletics tournament(can't recall name). Nice to see the sumo guys showing their skills outside the ring.

As for the wacky TV-Shows those seem to have died some time ago.

"A grown man wearing a diaper is spun around until he can barely stand, then is made to try an obstacle course carrying pitchers of milk without spilling any."

Sounds like the teacher training at a certain Eikaiwa.

"Ninety-five percent of the world are voyeurs, and 5% of the world are exibitionists"

This should be the next JT survey question: Are you a voyeur or an exibitionist?

I like it. It's one of the best shows I've seen in a while. In California, we don't have very much J-TV so I welcome any. It's not really J-TV but it's close. I like it just because it's different, honestly...I'm tired of the myriad of stupid reality shows. While this is reality at least it's different. I hope they continue the show.

There was one show I used to watch in SoCal, where it was a composite of J-gameshow clips, with american voice overs of the Japanese participants and hosts. All I can remember was one guy kept saying "Right you are Ken!" and I'm pretty sure they used that line in the movie "Dodge Ball"

Cleo read my post before suggesting channel switchers. Just because I don't watch J-TV does not mean I don't wish there was quality TV to watch. The desire for quality TV is something I think a lot of people share. And no one is saying stop the mindless shows. It would just be nice if switching channels had the desired outcome of leading someone to something a little less... uninspired and dim.

I watched "I Survive". It's not really a true game show. The game show is fake, but in the style. But there is a huge (and annoying) Reality show aspect to it. Even worse, it's typical Reality show contestants. Which aren't stable to begin with. They aren't exactly ambassadors of the US material. To enhance the show, producers typically create a schedule where contestants get little to no sleep. I guess it's not as bad as most Reality shows, but that isn't saying much.

Haven't seen the show as I am in Japan.

But for me "reality" shows are NOT real. Granted they don't follow a script but the producers still guide the shows.

What we see in the edits has been cut/edited to the show producers liking.

Look at most of the reality shows, there are still tons of crews and interviews with the producers who say do this and that.

Worst are the "reality" survivor shows on discovery, etc showing a guy "surviving" dangerous environments. Never mind the 4~7 people crew that follow him got GPS, radio, heli, etc on standby.

Watched a recent episode of an SAS guy climbing up a crack in a mountain, it was soo tough that a non-sas guy holding a camera could follow him and another guy on top was waiting for him(again with camera).

It is all fake and anyone with 2 brain-cels can see through it.

tkoiind2 -

I was just trying to put your mind at ease; Even if every single channel has nothing but 'mindless slapstick idiocy' 24/7, there is no reason at all for you to 'have to suffer'. There is quality TV to watch, it's just that you have to pay for most of it. Or use torrents. Otherwise use the Off switch and pick up a good book. Rent a video. Take the dog for a walk. Chat to the missis. Take up macrame. Invite friends over for a game of bridge.

For the first time in my life I actually feel sorry for the Americans exposed to this so-called entertainment. I guess it won't be long before it hits Australia either. OMG! Is it really entertainment?

What's next? Travelling around the US to eat special food?

Tv has to be as numbing as possible... Idiocy sells... geography is not a factor...

thank god I cant watch tv at my place, I have no intention of buying a tv antennae........you shud all try it

Matada-what do you mean by pedant? Perhaps pedantic?

How about bringing those show back to Japan. Japanese TV now is sooooo boring.

God help them.

Whenever I turn it on it's just some mediocre "celebrities" talking about food.

Hopefully it will die a horrible death, since I think it is only a summer replacement show. With a possible actor strike coming up though, ya never know....

I also agree that this type of show doesn't seem to exist in Japan anymore. There are shows where comedians or TARENTO do zany stunts, but not everyday people.

I used to enjoy watching Beat Takeshi's Genki Ga Deru Terebi. They had a lot of "Candid Camera"-like stunts. There was one stunt where they had about a hundred guys dressed like sumo wrestlers, and they set up a camera at one end of a small quiet street. As an unsuspecting person walked up the street, the sumo guys would run around the corner directly at them, toward the camera. The looks on the faces of the people running to get out of the way are priceless. This kind of "Candid Camera" humor is hilarious, as long as you're not the person being fooled.

I don't think it will be that great since American humor it far different than Japanese humor. I have shown people first hand Japanese humor and they just thought it was "weird" or "stupid". People will watch it at first but will go back to watching Survivor or some other crap. I actually like watching Japanese comedy shows because sometimes the simple things put you at ease.

I'm living here in Tokyo and I've seen the two episodes of "I Survived..." that have aired in the US. It's a silly and sometimes funny program.

I don't understand why the producers "Americanized" the games that they play during the "Majide" game show. Can't the Americans cope with the original versions?

The reality part of the show is terrible. I just about wanna kill all of ten of them (well, 8 now) except for the tall blonde. She's yummy.

Bring on the Human Tetris!

I tried to get into I Survived A Japanese Game Show. I was all ready for it, but when the reality part of it kicked in I was turned off. The reality part of it reminded me of Survivor.

I enjoyed watching Takeshi's Castle (Beat Takeshi's Genki Ga Deru) or as it is known here as Most Extreme Challenge. Now that was a Japanese Game Show.

Right you are Ken! - Vic Romano - MXC

Days of US innovation and creative is thinning by the day. This is further proof.

this is junk

Oh NO... The Americans are going to Brutalize it. . . .