The Best of Japanese TV

[Fred]

There is a lot of talk about how bad Japanese TV is, but I did see a few shows that cracked me up.

I saw one show where they had a group of celebrities talking about whatever dull stuff celebrities talk about. There were about five or six young women scattered about the room. Each woman wore some kind of uniform/outfit. For example, one woman had on a nurse’s uniform. A large circle had been cut out of the back of each uniform in such a manner that the woman’s butt was completely exposed. Each woman was positioned with her butt directly above some object. Each object was similar in that it would make a distinctive sound when struck, (e.g., a drum or a cymbal, something with water). Each woman was given a handful of pachinko balls which she inserted into the crack of her ass. Her task was to clench her butt and hold on to those balls as long as she could. What made the whole program truly surreal was that the camera focused almost entirely on the group of celebrities having their mindless discussion. At random intervals, you could hear a pachinko ball hitting one of those distinct objects and no one really reacted to the sound. It was like the two events were existing in parallel and I happened to click on the channel showing the discussion. However, they were connected. Once the discussion was over, one of the celebrities gleefully collected the remaining (warm) pachinko balls to determine which woman had the most balls remaining. She was the winner. They spent some time examining each woman’s outfit and even more time examining the modification to the backside of each woman’s outfit. The whole thing was so bizarre I could not imagine who thought of it. What was their conversation like?

Guy #1 – What are we going to do for this week’s show?
Guy #2 – How about inviting a bunch of celebrities to talk about boring stuff?
Guy #3 – That’s a good idea! People will love it…but it needs something more.
Guy #4 – I think I have the answer…

There must be other stories of odd Japanese TV programs. I can think of at least two other shows that burnt a fuse in my brain. What stories do you have?

[kilreli]

sometimes they do some obstacle courses. there was one sho where one of the things is IMPOSSIBLE, but people try it anyways. in that part they always acted like some other celeb. Not holding-my-side hilarious, but not so bad.
its got nothing on Takeshi's Castle though
:mario:

[Masa the Masta]

I dunno, Ninja Warrior is pretty legit.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=QkBkZpK-fYQ

[Eddie Echoplex]

That's awesome.

[Azrael]

Weird, I actually thought about making this thread like two weeks ago. Anyway, yeah, Japanese TV is f'n horrible...but there are some gems among the steaming piles of shit.

-- Tokumei Kakarichou - Tadano Hitoshi - This show is awesome. It's about this guy, Tadano Hitoshi. He works for a major electric company called Denodo. The company president dispatches him on special missions to stamp out corporate corruption/protect the company interests. Tadano is the ultimate man - a genious at sex, VERY well endowed, an unrivaled fighter, etc. On the other hand, his "alter ego", Kakarichou, is an awkward, bumbling, quiet guy.

Show has a lot of crude humor - many penis jokes (especially revolving around how big Tadano's is), at least one sex scene per ep, and usually a couple of exposed breasts as well. But it's one of those things where it's just so absurd, you have to laugh. With all the stories about corporate corruption, the Japanese may be hard to understand for anyone who's not fluent, but the show can still be enjoyed for all the tongue-in-cheek humor and action scenes. Currently airing at 12:30AM Friday nights.

-- Ainori - A reality show similar to Road Rules - 7 Japanese people tour the world in a pink van. The catch is, the cast is supposed to hook up with each other. If a cast member comes to like another, he/she will confess. The confessee gets a night to think about it, and must answer the confession the next day. If the confessee says yes, they become a couple and both go back to Japan. If no, the confesser must go back to Japan alone.

Not the best of TV shows, but better than most Japanese TV. How interesting it is sort of depends on the cast members - right now it's kind of bland, but there have been some interesting stories in the past (such as Hide). Casual/intermediate Japanese level - since it's about young people and their interactions, the show is a great opportunity to listen to casual Japanese. Airs Monday nights at 11PM, though this changes from time to time depending on specials and what not.

-- Trivia no Izumi - This was the best show, not just for Japanese TV, but for any TV anywhere. Though it features a geinojin peanut gallery, the main point of the show is to present trivia tidbits that various viewers have sent in. Even if the particular piece of trivia is not interesting, the show usually found a way of presenting it in a way that was completely hilarious. Another aspect of the show is "Trivia no Tane", where readers send in questions that they hope can become trivia. This show has gone through some incredible lengths for this segment - they once counted every single leaf that bloomed from a sakura tree!

Japanese level ranges from low/intermediate/somewhat advanced, based on the trivia topic. Usually, if you don't understand the Japanese, you can figure out what's going on in the explanation. It used to air every wednesday, but they changed it to air once every three months, as the Saturday night premium. The next air date is March 10th.

More as I think of em.

[TommyA]

Az my girl LOVES Ainori, we watch that all the time.

Other stay-ons = Enta no Kamisama (I love Oriental Radio, but they have their own show now which was FUNNY AS HELL!!!), and hmmm, I didn't get the name, but 2 weeks ago they had a guy in a tank with an octopus that was sucking the hell out of him and he had to bite somewhere near it''s eye, which makes them docile.

The funny part was when he THOUGHT he got it all, and the bastard tried getting out and he stopped biting and the octopus started sucking again and kinda yanked him back in.

[MNJetter]

I have three shows that I like to watch. My favorite is Ai no Epuron (Apron of Love) [Wednesdays, 7PM]. It's basically a cooking contest where you have a group of people who all make the same thing (like hayashi rice or cake) or something with the same theme (like just generally "seafood"). Then their concoction gets taste-tested by a panel of judges, and they get points awarded based on how good it is. The winner gets a gold frying pan (or at least a gold-colored one ;)).

Since my hobby is cooking, I laugh in sympathy with the people who had spectacular failures, and watch the people with actual cooking talent for some tips. Especially during some episodes where the contestants get to have a tutoring session with a famous chef! Good for any level of Japanese language ability - you might not be able to understand the explanation, but they show video versions of everything they say, and people's reactions to the food is pretty universal.

Next is Bokemon [I really wish I knew the schedule for this one. Haven't seen it in weeks]. It's not so much a show in of itself as it is a segment of the notorious Warakin. Basically, two "players" have a set of "bokemon cards," which look suspiciously like pokemon game cards and feature caricatures of well-known comedians. Said comedians are also present.

The players each lay down one card per round, and the comedian on that card has to try and get a certain group of people to laugh (for example, once they had a group of foreign elementary school students, and once they had a group of middle-aged housewives, and once it was salarymen). They have about thirty seconds to do a routine, and during this time, their audience must try and keep a ping-pong ball in their mouth. If they laugh hard enough to spit out the ping-pong ball, it gets counted as a point towards that player. Also good for people with any level of Japanese, since the comedy routines usually involve a lot of slapstick and physical humor.

Third comes Nodo Jiman [Sundays, 12:15 PM]. It's basically a karaoke contest that travels around from place to place in Japan every week. Contestants come on stage and begin singing a song, and if they pass initial judgment, a chime rings, and they must stop singing. If they don't pass, a different chime rings. Naturally, they also must stop singing then, too. In the end, the judges pick a champion from the people who passed.

It's a pretty simple show, straightforward and not quite as gimmicky as the other two I mentioned. But I've always liked talent shows, and of course, since it's a singing contest and pretty easy to figure out, this is possibly the easiest one of the three to understand without actually being able to speak Japanese.

[OaklandZoo]

you are all forgetting 相棒, the best drama I've found since returning to Japan. 花より男子, I've found to like it a lot too.

[mpz]

Tantei! Knight Scoop. Best show ever. Been watching it religiously for over 5 years now.

[Scott]

I liked Hana Yori Dango until this season. It seems kind of weak now.

[koku]

The Language of Testicles

I mean, The world of eggs!

I mean, Kintamago?

[Scott]

I just remembered... I really, really enjoy the New Docchi Cooking Show.

[kilreli]

-- Ainori -

Az my girl LOVES Ainori, we watch that all the time.

Az, i love you...and i also love your girlfriend, TommyA.
I always watched this show in Japan. I even got many of themoffa the internet....
That show was awesome.
I remember in my class, all the guys would watch it and bring it up sometimes during our breaks in class. the girls...didnt. they were nasty though...

Just like the Real World/Road Rules, but without the MTV vibe of everyone doing everyone else every night when their dead drunk. those kind of shows get retarded.
Ainori ftw. :mario:

[Chinpokomon]

The World of Golden Eggs
エンタの神様
ギャグマンガ日和
アイチテル
あいのり
ことばおじさんのナットク日本語塾
世界不思議発見
世界ウルルン滞在気

To be honest, I haven't watched much lately though.

[stsparky]

I watch kids' shows but I watch "PythagoraSwitch" for the Rube Goldberg devices and for the Algorithm Taiso!

I also tend to watch the offbeat cop mysteries (there's a show on Wednesday here called Partners that's wacky fun)

[Pierrot le Fou]

Monday: Q-sama (8-10pm), Ainori (11pm)
Tuesday: London Hearts (9-10pm)
Wednesday: Hexagon (7-8pm)
Saturday: IQ Suppli (7pm)
Sunday: Soko made itte iin kai (2pm?)

Those are the shows I regularly watch. I also catch Lincoln (with Downtown), Junk Sports, Sekai fushigi and ururun, as well as hey! hey! music champ often.

Japanese TV doesn't suck.

[six-eight-ten]

I second the vote for Q-sama. I don't watch TV often, but if I happen to catch Q-sama while flipping through the stations, it stays on.

I liked the HBC drama last Sunday (maybe shown only in Hokkaido?), but that's just because I was an extra in a couple of scenes.

[mpz]

People who say Japanese TV sucks just haven't watched enough of it.

Kind of like Japanese porn. ;-)

[mikem]

y 花より男子, I've found to like it a lot too.

I liked Hana Yori Dango until this season. It seems kind of weak now.

Wait. What? I would have never read that dango in like a million years. How does that work?

[Daishikaze]

I loved the classic Zatoichi Monogatari TV series, at least the eps I have seen.

The Mute Samurai was good tv show too, Wakayama Tomisaburo was awesome as the lead.

the 1994 TV movie, Takeda Shingen, was very well done I thought.

The 1980 TV movie, Assassination Orders, was quite entertaining. Hideki Takahashi and Isao Natsuyagi were perfect in their roles. some great action at the end too.

[Scott]

Wait. What? I would have never read that dango in like a million years. How does that work?

It's a pun on dumpling. dan as in dansei, go as in ko. It's a play on a Japanese idiom or something.

[MNJetter]

I have heard of the show before, so I just saw 花より at the beginning, and my head finished it off with "Dango" without even looking at the last kanji.

Though I suppose, technically you're supposed to read that "danshi." I mean.....it's even a real word. 男子.

I never even thought about that before.

[mikem]

So does anyone know the rest of the explanation? I of course just read the title "hana yori danshi", but I've been cramming the compounds over break to make sure I'm ready for next semester. I wasn't even thinking about the title.

(There was a manga right? I think I remember a manga ...)

[Azrael]

People who say Japanese TV sucks just haven't watched enough of it.
I'll see that, and challenge you with a "People who say Japanese TV doesn't suck just haven't watched enough of it". I've ranted enough about Japanese TV over the years, I guess it's about time I finally explain why I hate it so much.

Japanese TV revolves around variety. Sure, there's drama, news, and sports thrown in here and there, but for the most part I'd say 70-80% is variety. That's a guesstimate, I don't have the time now but maybe later I'll go back and confirm it. Variety is really what I hate.

So much of Japanese TV revolves around the geinojin world. They are literally used in EVERY show. Even shows where they are wholly unnecessary, like Ainori. It's like instead of just watching Road Rules, MTV breaks it up into segments and then brings in Carson Daly, Justin Timberlake, and Paris Hilton to give commentary on the episode between the segments. It's pointless.

I don't like Japanese geinojin. I don't like celebrities in general, but I really dislike the Japanese geinojin. The vast majority of them are one-dimensional - they're famous because of an act/attribute, and they pretty much just stick to that forever. Many of them pretend to be stupid - and quite a few actually are genuinely stupid.

Because EVERY show uses them, and the geinojin pool isn't that big to begin with, you pretty much just see the same damned people on TV over and over again. People who I never thought were interesting to begin with. I remember when ABC was exploiting "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", showing it five times a week - between that and his morning show, people were complaining about over-exposure to Regis Philbin. Imagine that, but then multiply it by 100.

With these limitations, most variety shows can be boiled down to the following -

-- "Talk". Just gather a bunch of geinojin together, perhaps give them a subject, and have them talk. ...Whoopee.

-- Food Shows. It amazes me just how much of Japanese TV revolves around food. And it follows the same damn formula every time - take the geinojin to some speciality restaurant. Show the food. Have the camera zoom in on a portion being held up by chopsticks. Announcer says the price and how it was cooked. Have the geinojin eat. Slight pause, before their face lights up as they say "Umai!" Have the geinojin talk about how sweet/fresh/soft/spicy/sharp/lemony/whatever the taste is. Rinse, repeat. Maybe its just me, but I find NOTHING entertaining about watching people eat.

-- Rankings. Japanese people love ranking shit. Why, who knows. Include the geinojin, have them talk about the rankings, or try to guess the rankings/which is number 1/why its number 1. Yawn.

-- Game Shows. Now, I kind of like Japanese game shows. A lot of them have interesting premises, like for example Nep League. But, of course, there's the geinojin factor - regular people don't play the quiz games, no no no. Geinojin. Of course. So basically, every Japanese game show is like Celebrity Week on Jeopardy/Millionaire. And we all know how interesting those shows are. The other thing that really irks me is that not only do the geinojin play the games, they actually win the cash prizes. Basically, the rich get richer. Great.

-- Quizzes. If geinojin aren't eating, then they're taking quizzes. Have them write their answer on a whiteboard, and then explain why they think their dumb-ass answer makes sense. Yay.

-- Travel. Again, send the geinojin out to an exotic location. Have them eat! And take quizzes! Except, not in Japan! Ah, the joys of living vicariously.

And that's basically it.

[silentplummet]

My favorite ones are the ones where they have geinojin go to a restaurant and order food. They eat the food, invariably saying that it is "umai", even though it is quite obviously high quality food. Cut to a panel of other geinojin in a studio somewhere, who are served the same food. They eat it, and also remark that it is umai.

I can take being told once that delicious-looking food is delicious by a Japanese celebrity. But I'm not about to spend 20 minutes of my life having it confirmed for me twice.

While I lived with a family in Nagoya, I asked my host sister what was the point of these shows. I asked her, "why watch a show where celebrities tell you that delicious looking food is delicious? Twice? Why is this interesting to anyone?" She didn't seem to understand the question.

[Niff]

I liked Hana Yori Dango until this season. It seems kind of weak now.

god, that show seemed so lame. my japanese isn't up to scratch enough to understand everything, but.. it seems rather generic. my host family loved it though.

i like rock fujiyama, but that only plays in tokyo from what i know.

[Scott]

So does anyone know the rest of the explanation? I of course just read the title "hana yori danshi", but I've been cramming the compounds over break to make sure I'm ready for next semester. I wasn't even thinking about the title.

(There was a manga right? I think I remember a manga ...)

There was a manga, and I think there was an anime.

Wikipedia is your friend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hana_yori_dango

The series' title, Hana Yori Dango (literally "Boys before Flowers"), is a pun on a Japanese saying, "Food before Flowers" (花より団子, more exactly "dumplings rather than flowers", see Dango "団子"). "Food before Flowers" refers to the fact that food, being more practical and more necessary to survival, should be chosen over flowers, something pretty but not essential to life (and the real reason most people today attend Hanami). The author furthers the pun by changing the kanji of the title to mean "Boys over Flowers" (花より男子), implying that boys, like food, maybe are a necessity to life rather than a luxury like flowers. Note that "Boys" (男子) is normally read danshi (だんし), but the furigana force the reading "Dango" (だんご)

[Comazon]

I can confirm that there is a Hana Yori Dango anime. I haven't watched it personally, but know it exists.

[mikem]

Wikipedia is your friend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hana_yori_dango

Ah, sorry. Had a rough weekend and my brain isn't working very well today. Thanks for looking it up for me! :clap:

[Ceirnian]

-- Rankings. Japanese people love ranking shit. Why, who knows. Include the geinojin, have them talk about the rankings, or try to guess the rankings/which is number 1/why its number 1. Yawn.

Ugh tier lists, ever shifting tier lists D:

[Daishikaze]

I can't stand variety shows either, and alot of german programming seems to be shows like what Az describes, a load of celebrities sitting around gabbing about this and that. I don't see the appeal either, but at least the Japanese have some good dramas and so on, German TV is pretty fuckin' terrible, mainly because german's don't seem to be very good at acting at all. That must be why alot of german tv is american or british tv shows dubbed in german.

[Pierrot le Fou]

It's a big mistake to believe that geinojin on the whole are rich -- most of them aren't, because they sell their souls to a talent agency who whores them out until they get their big break and have a chance to make it on their own. And there are hundreds upon thousands of these people, you just don't realize it because you watch the same groups of shows time and time again which tend to be for the same demographic, and therefore dip into the same group of 'tarento.'

To demonstrate this to yourself, watch TV an hour a day next week (variety only) and record the name of each person who is shown on the show in a semi-prominent role who's in the geinokai. I think you'll find that it's well over 100 people.

Watch the next week, and you'll see over 100, with maybe half to 2/3rds overlapping.

Some of the shows (like Hexagon) employ 18 geinojin for the players, then the two announcers, and they often change.

Being a geinojin is a job here. Some get big and famous -- most don't. Those who do get rich and famous, those who don't live out their lives being semi-famous but not wealthy. For every Shimada Shinsuke there are several dozen podunk local tarento who get on variety shows on Kyoto TV or ass-nowhere Kyushu variety. Honest. And they aren't wealthy in the slightest.

[Azrael]

I can take being told once that delicious-looking food is delicious by a Japanese celebrity. But I'm not about to spend 20 minutes of my life having it confirmed for me twice.

While I lived with a family in Nagoya, I asked my host sister what was the point of these shows. I asked her, "why watch a show where celebrities tell you that delicious looking food is delicious? Twice? Why is this interesting to anyone?" She didn't seem to understand the question.
What on God's Green Earth is entertaining about watching people eat food? Seriously, what? I'm gonna invite some Japanese people over to my house, and then eat dinner right in front of them, while explaining how delicious it is. That should be a-ok, right?

Yeah, I've also tried asking Japanese people about it, and they just don't get it.

You know what else I hate? When they're showing a video, and they have the picture-in-picture of the geinojin watching. Why do I need to be able to look at people watching TV?! Argh!

It's a big mistake to believe that geinojin on the whole are rich -- most of them aren't, because they sell their souls to a talent agency who whores them out until they get their big break and have a chance to make it on their own. And there are hundreds upon thousands of these people, you just don't realize it because you watch the same groups of shows time and time again which tend to be for the same demographic, and therefore dip into the same group of 'tarento.'

Even if they aren't rich, I still feel that it's utterly pointless to have the talent pool participating in the game shows. Part of the appeal of a game show is seeing someone seriously go for it. It's money that will change their lives. Regardless of whether or not the geinojin are filthy rich, they at least have a higher standard of living than your average Japanese person. Their job is to, what, go on TV? Eat food and take quizzes? They don't even have to memorize scripts! It seems to be enough to at least live comfortably - I've never heard of any geinojin taking on any side-jobs just because their TV jobs aren't coming through.

Any I wouldn't say that there are hundreds of thousands of geinojin. I don't watch the same shows, I don't even watch the same channels and you see a lot of the same people always popping up. True, there are a lot of lower-ring geinojin who don't appear that often, but the ones who do are just so invasive, so everywhere, you just can't avoid them.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Actually, they don't -- that's the thing. A salaryman, on average, makes more than the average geinojin. Or perhaps we should talk about medians, depending on if you count executives in the ranks of the salarymen, or something bigger.

And I said 'hundreds upon thousands' to means 'hundreds or thousands' which in hindsight, aren't really equivalent. But there are many.

Personally I'd like to see normal people playing the game shows, but there is a certain benefit to having 'professionals' do it. When it comes to shows like Wheel of Fortune, people make REALLY DUMB MISTAKES, and since they're normal people, the hosts aren't allowed to make fun of their idiocy. Not so when their job is to be made fun of.

(just for reference, Hard Gay, for instance, in that one year, was living in a one bedroom apartment because he was under contract to the agency, and couldn't make a better deal despite being on TV constantly -- it ain't as glamorous as US celebs. You don't hear about them taking side jobs because they are either famous and don't need the side jobs, or so unfamous that we wouldn't hear about their part time job because they're not in the public eye yet -- how often do you hear about B movie actors in the US taking side jobs? Read something like 'If Chins Could Kill' by Bruce what's his face of Evil Dead fame and how piss poor they were before becoming semi-famous)

[Azrael]

Either way, regardless of whether or not geinojin are already rolling in cash, it is just ultimately unsatisfying to watch geinojin play these games and win money. As I said before, Celebrity Week on Jeopardy/Wheel/Millionaire are widely considered to be boring as hell, despite the fact that the money goes to worthy charities. But in Japan, it's not Celebrity Week, it's Celebrities...All The Time. I don't think Quiz Millionaire even uses regular people anymore.

IIRC that Hosoki Kazoki woman actually won the top prize on Millionaire. ...You know SHE of all people doesn't need it.

And back home, the hosts weren't afraid to poke fun at the guests. In good taste of course. Regis used to take shots all the time on Millionaire. Trebek had his subtle little ways. I watched the "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" show, and Foxworthy laid into a guy for saying he wanted a camoflauge Lamborghini (as he should have). But when regular people make a mistake and lose a lot of money because of it, I mean, that's disappointment - a real person who just blew a great chance, quite possibly their one and only. When a geinojin blows it, it just turns into - "Ha ha you lunkhead. Well, see you tomorrow on London Hearts."

Anyway, more TV shows that I actually like...

-- SMAP x SMAP - You can actually skip the first 30 minutes of this show, as it's dedicated to Bistro SMAP, which is essentially just more geinojin eating. The last part of the show though often features skits or games that are worth a look. The final segment is singing - you can also probably skip this too depending on the night. If SMAP's released a new single lately, then they're probably just going to perform that single 10-15 times or so.

-- Gaki no tsukai yarahende - It doesn't come on that often, and I have no idea what kind of schedule it's on...but if you ever catch it, stop whatever you're doing and watch it immediately. This is the show with some of the infamous video clips like the Silent Library. I watched the New Year's special, the 24-hour no laughing police station, and that was honestly one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen. They have DVD's of past seasons, unfortunately they sell for 6800 yen. You can rent some of the older shows from a video store - I'd recommend the 24-hour tag one.

-- Beat Takeshi's Unbelieveable - Not a must-watch, but if I'm at home on Thursday night I'll tune in. The stories are usually pretty interesting, and if nothing else, you get to see some Gaijin actors turn in some of the worst acting performances you will ever see. Ever.

I'll cover some dramas in a different post.

EDIT
The gf says that any geinojin who is at least name-recognizeable is getting a decent salary, way more than any salaryman. She used to be heavy into the warai too (she often went to see shows) so I don't really doubt her. Also, I remember seeing at least a few TV shows about how much geinojin make, and how much money they spend and on what. None of them were exactly living a conservative lifestyle.

[Scott]

I liked Bistro SMAP and other assorted shows that at least feature cooking (i.e., The New Docchi Cooking Show). They're different from the eating shows in that you get to watch someone cook and perhaps learn something. The eating part is a bit boring and repetitive, yes, but the cooking is not -- for me, at least. And SMAP at least, is entertaining about it.

[Crowley]

I find regular run-of-the mill gameshows with normal boring people mind-numbling skull-invadingly tedious. But I'll at least sit and watch a celebrity fucking up on the first round of Millionaire before my boredom sensor lights up and I'm distracted by something mildly shiny out of the corner of my eye.

[gentlemanandscholar]

-- Gaki no tsukai yarahende

I'm surprised it took so long to get highlighted what with its youtube popularity.
Definitely one of my favourite shows. Tanaka rules.

[Pierrot le Fou]

It ain't a show though -- there is no regular time or date for it to be on, they only do specials.

[Masa the Masta]

I seriously think Japan needs to do more stuff that fucks with the public.

Let's see another Jackass, Trigger Happy TV, Borat. Give it a theme and run with it.

[Digital Masta]

I remember while in Japan on MTV they aired a show called "assholes" or something which was like the japanese equivalent to jackass.

I was too busy hanging out and getting drunk to watch much TV while in japan. Oh that whole school thing too.

[OaklandZoo]

It ain't a show though -- there is no regular time or date for it to be on, they only do specials.

which show, ガキの使い？
it is on Sunday nights from 22:56,
according to the NTV website.
the stuff they do within the show may not
have a regular routine, but the show itself runs
every week.

[Masa the Masta]

I'd be willing to do something crazy and mess with people in Japan.


Though in doing so, I'd screw up the image of foreigners and make us look like troublemakers.


...But I'd get paid a lot of money.


Hm.. this is difficult.

[Pierrot le Fou]

You sure 'bout that?

[Masa the Masta]

I have morals too y'know.


Money is just... a very nice motivator/bargaining chip.

[OaklandZoo]

You know, I was channel surfing last night and I actually ran into the show. it was the same cast, and they were playing a "frisk" game, where they went in order and see if they could get the candy out of the container with one shake. Everyone got Hosei got it, but I didn't watch what the penalty was.

[Azrael]

Drama

Dramas are really a mixed bag. There are a lot of mediocre/crappy ones out there, and a lot of really good ones as well. The Fall season may offer 3 great dramas you want to watch, but then the summer dramas may all be completely boring.

If you watch enough drama, you'll notice that most of them fall into certain patterns. So it's not like there'll be too many twists and turns, but hopefully the storytelling is good enough to keep you entertained. Also, Japanese dramas aren't nearly as big-budget as their American counterparts, so don't look for anything on the scale of a 24, or Heroes.

I'll list some of the dramas I've enjoyed, but really, this is all subjective and depends on personal taste. For example, I thought that Hana Yori Dango was one of the silliest things I'd ever seen in my life (and not in a good way).

-- Konshu, Tsuma ga Uwaki Shimasu - This one's only first because it's currently airing. It stars Yusuke Santamaria as your typical hardworking salaryman who finds out that his wife is planning to cheat on him. Borrows a few vague elements from Densha Otoko as Yusuke's character takes his problems to an online messageboard for help. Pretty standard marriage drama, but worth a watch at least.

-- Dr. Koto, Shinryojo - My personal favorite. Its about a skilled doctor, Kensuke Gotoh, who accepts a position as the clinic doctor for a tiny fishing village on one of Japan's remote islands. He arrives to find the island people already wary of doctors, having had one bad experience after another. Gotoh must work to gain their trust, and resolve his own personal issues which lead him to the island in the first place.

This drama has a lot of heart-pulling emotional moments, as well as a very nicely rounded cast of characters. Unlike many other dramas, the story of Dr. Koto continued on with a special, "Dr. Koto, Shinryojo 2004", and then a second drama series, "Dr. Koto, Shinryojo 2006". It allows you to see how the characters grow and change over the years. The only thing about this drama is that you sort of have to forgive how often these island people get sick/injured, but other than that, this is definitely a powerhouse drama.

-- Nodame Cantabile - This story centers around two university music students - Megumi Noda (Nodame) is a musical genius who can play complex piano melodies after only hearing them once, but her life seems to be a complete mess and her goal is to play the piano for children. Chiaki is also considered to be a budding prodigy when it comes to conductors, but despite his looks and popularity with women his tendency to be aloof and standoffish drive him apart from those he is supposed to lead.

This is really just a fun drama. It's almost like a manga come to life - there are a lot of crazy moments (Chiaki bludgeoning Nodame with a frying pan, dragging her across a room, etc) but the drama manages to pull it off without being too hokey. The story that comes with it is also interesting.

-- Boku to Kanojo to Kanojo no Ikiru Michi - SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi portrays your typical Japanese salaryman - the company above all else, even his own family. However, one day he returns home to find that his wife has left him - and in his care, their 5 (?) year old daughter Rin. Kusanagi's character finds he knows nothing about taking care of children, and even less about his own. He must rely on Rin's home English teacher, Yuura (played by Koyuki) to help him understand his own daughter, and how to be a father.

This one joins Dr. Koto as one of my all-time favorites. Just really, really good drama. Actually does not really follow any sort of formula - I never really knew what the outcome was going to be or where they were going next. Quite possibly/probably is deeply rooted in reality - Japanese salarymen who work until late hours and never see their children.

-- Densha Otoko - I suppose no drama list would be complete without this one. If I have to tell you what this one's about...where have you been? As someone pointed out to me once, Hermes's character is a bit stiff/flat, and Densha's tendency to cry IN EVERY EPISODE just makes you want to smack him around a little bit, but the colorful cast of supporting characters more than make up for it.

If you just can't get enough Densha, there have been, to my knowledge, two specials - one focusing on the supporting cast (including Densha's friend "Guitar Otoko" and the Hanshin Tigers Otaku guy), and another special which dealt with the "unveiling" of Densha to the general public.

-- Yamato Nadeshiko - The beautiful Sakurako is known as the "Gokon Queen" - she can make any man fall for her charms within the first meeting. Despite already having a rich boyfriend, she continues to make the Gokon rounds, always looking for someone richer. Beneath her pretty smile, she hides a childhood in poverty. When she was old enough, Sakurako left her destitute home and swore to find herself a rich husband so she would never worry about money again. Meanwhile, Osuke is a genious mathematician. He was doing a study at an American university in Boston - however he threw it away to come back to Japan and take over the family's fish business when his father died. Though not destitute, Osuke is pretty poor, and financial troubles threaten to close down the fish shop.

The two meet at a gokon arranged by one of Osuke's doctor friends. Sakurako mistakenly believes Osuke to be the richest man she's met to date, and quickly uses her charms on him. Osuke is drawn to Sakurako because of her striking resemblance to his ex-girlfriend from college. The two come together and...yeah, you can figure out the rest.

Probably the definitive Japanese star-crossed lovers from different worlds story. There aren't a whole lot of curveballs in this one - you know how it's going to end, it's just a matter of how they get there. The storytelling is good enough though to make this one a standard title. You also realize that this is Matsushima Nanako's drama - all the other actors are really just there to kill screen time (despite that, they do manage to steal much of the spotlight, as Sakurako's character is thoroughly unlikeable for the better part of the drama).

Jo-oh no Kyoshitsu - A sixth grade elementary class finds themselves under the strict rule of Akutsu-sensei, a very harsh and unforgiving teacher who wears all black and literally darkens a room whenever she enters it. As the kids are nearing graduation, they'd like to come together to make their last year of elementary school one to remember, but the devilish rule of Akutsu-sensei threatens to give these poor tots nervous breakdowns before they even get to middle school. The girl whom Akutsu-sensei targets, Kasumi, finds she must bear an unusually high level of abuse - even though she just wants to be friends with everyone.

I sort of caught this one in repeats, and actually did not get to see all of it. What I did see was interesting enough to make me at least want to recommend it. However, after the primary drama, there are two specials - Episode 1 and Episode 2, which show how Akutsu-sensei transformed into the cold-hearted teacher she seemed to be in the series, and why. ...Believe me when I tell you that this Episode 1 and 2 did a FAR BETTER JOB of painting a hero's fall from grace than George Lucas did with Anakin Skywalker and Star Wars. I liked Episode 1 and 2 a lot, and for that reason alone I think the primary drama is worth watching.

Akutsu-sensei's theme is kinda catchy, too.

[Sock Full of Boiled Dimes]

Doesn't this topic title seem a little redundant?

[Masa the Masta]

I wonder if this makes for a good J-Dorama.


Read my lips (an idea I had): This guy is very popular with women. In fact, he says to his friends while walking on the street that he can pick up any woman he wants. When they take him up on this bet, they point him out to a girl. He whispers something into her ear, but you don't get to hear what he says, as he puts his hand on the girl's shoulder. She turns around and slaps him, wondering what he was planning on doing. He's confused, usually his lines ALWAYS work..

As it turns out, she's deaf. She speaks fine and knows sign language, and she understands reading lips. The story revolves around how he deals with the fact that she's deaf and a little naive, while she discovers more about herself, and other good things.

[Chinpokomon]

It's been done...sort of.
「愛してると言ってくれ」
http://www.kanshin.com/keyword/799579

[gentlemanandscholar]

I hate Japanese dramas so much. The acting is usually so horrible and the plot so cliched it makes my everything bleed.

[mikem]

-- Nodame Cantabile --

This is truely great. It sounded so stupid when someone told me about it, but I just can't stop watching it. :clap:

[Seaflower]

Ah Japanese TV...The mind numbing horror...

I must say I am not the biggest fan...I espically dislike food shows, watching people eat i s extremely boring. But I am a fan of "My Boss, My Hero" for reason beyond my control.

But I must say Japanese animation rocks. Esp. Bleach. When I need a TV fix, anime everytime...

[Scott]

As it turns out, she's deaf. She speaks fine and knows sign language, and she understands reading lips. The story revolves around how he deals with the fact that she's deaf and a little naive, while she discovers more about herself, and other good things.

Most people can read lips to some extent; deaf people are just forced to practice. As someone who was forced to practice as a kid, I can tell you that it's just as impossible for a deaf person to lip-read a whisper in their ear as it is for a hearing person. >.>