Freddy read a week or so ago that Japanese game shows were starting to make their way into the US TV market. Freddy wonders if they will be showing original Japanese game shows, or trying to make their own shows to be like Japanese game shows. If it is the latter, Freddy thinks they will never get close to producing the same ...er... quality of game shows. Besides, some of them would never make it past the censors. They are just to crude or violent, or both. Freddy will share a crude and violent game show with you, but first let him tell you about a fun and creative one.
Freddy doesn't have time to watch TV as much as he used to, but when he last lived in Japan, about ten years ago, he still remembers some of his favorite game shows. One was more of a reality TV show. (The Japanese were doing "reality TV" long before Americans ever heard the term). Anyway, it was quite entertaining. Two non-Japanese were shown a 5000 yen note. On the back of the note is a famous view of Mt. Fuji. There is a certain spot where this picture was taken and many tourists will stop there to take pictures. The two contestants were told that they had to find their way to this spot and the first one there was the winner. I believe they started off somewhere in Osaka/Kobe. Of course, neither spoke Japanese and they didn't even give them a 5000 yen note to help them out. They had to get there completely on their own. Freddy remembers one of them made it to Kyoto, and was just wandering around Kyoto station asking in a loud voice, "Does anyone speak English?" "Does anyone have a 5000 yen bill?" It was an entertaining program and eventually, they both made it to the goal.
Sometimes, though, Japanese TV producers just go for the lowest common denominator (which is usually sex, violence, or ... well, poop and farts) In this case, they went for the farts. Now, those who know Freddy will know that Freddy loves a well-timed fart, and the more embarrassing, the better it is. Like in this YouTube Clip, for example (it disappeared for awhile, but Freddy is glad to see that it is back)
Ha ha ha, that never gets old.
Anyhow, the Japanese game show was again a traveling show. Two contestants (this time, Japanese) were given a goal to reach. They were given no money, so unless they could get some, they had to walk there (not impossible, but would have taken more than a day to walk all the way.) They were actually given a way to earn money, though. Every time one of them farted, they would get 50 yen or something like that. Freddy thinks it actually depended on the volume and the length of the fart. So if they farted enough, they could earn enough for the bus fare for part of the way, or to buy a drink or snacks or something like that. So the whole show was following these two fellows on their journey and watching them as they rejoiced every time one of them tooted his trouser trumpet.
Well, the traveling trouser trumpet show is a bit crude, but Freddy thinks it still might make it onto the US networks. But this final game show likely goes a bit too far (and this is not the worst, by the way.) Freddy found this by mistake a year or so ago while searching for clips of a different game show. The contestants here are given a tongue twister, and a time limit. If they fail to say the tongue twister without any mistakes, or they go over the time limit, they are ... physically harmed. (The ladies will likely enjoy this more than the men)
Funny Japanese Tshirts
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment