Job Discussion Forums

[Hoser]

Ok so I've been here going on 2 years now (well not quite) but I still don't get these variety shows. Are they genius? Are they garbage? I don't find them particularly funny but then of course I don't have the greatest grasp of Japanese. Can they be compared at all to American talk shows? And who are these people who are always showing up on the talk shows? I suppose they must be famous but I'd never be able to pick out any of them from a crowd. They seem to just sit around and talk and shout really loudly at each other and then roll around laughing. Do these people do nothing but make the circuit of all the various variety shows?

I guess what I'm wondering is am I missing out on something potentially great or is it all a boatload of Japanese garbage?

[furiousmilksheikali]

A boatload of Japanese garbage.

Which makes Jerry Springer, Rikki Lake and Dr Phil....

Oh! Before you say "What about Letterman, what about Leno, and that Conor O'Brien...?"

Boatload of American garbage!

[Gordon]

It's mindless stupidity.

[kdynamic]

I like Japanese variety shows. Sure, a lot of times they are kind of mindless, but what TV entertainment isn't? Other times they are really hilarious and very clever.

The people on them are "tarento"... famous for being famous and not much else. Most of them are also comedians or models (you should be able to pick out which is which).

[furiousmilksheikali]

The ones I can't stand are those that have the faces of tarento in the corner of the screen while we are shown clips of the crazy foreigners and their antics. Apparently the reactions of the tarento going "uuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeee!" are as important as whatever they're showing that day.

[Venti]

Nothing wrong with mindless entertainment now and then. Personally, I don't mind a lot of the Japanese variety shows. I even laugh quite a bit sometimes. There's a lot of talk, though; if the viewer has a limited grasp of Japanese, there's a lot to miss. Even if you're fluent, you're often not missing much. There are some golden moments from time to time. It's unbelievable sometimes how far they'll go in putting down others on the shows as well as the level of self deprecation. I laugh my a*s off sometimes.
I'll admit that the Razor Ramon (HG- haado gei) thing was a little too much, but he's gone and now it's Oriental Radio and The Tachi, the latter which I'm positive are a flash in the pan.
You can label it Japanese garbage (or fast food, if you like), but look at it this way: If it entertains you from time to time, that's a good thing, right? If you don't get it, or just hate it, turn it off. If you're watching a lot of it, you've got too much time on your hands.

[wolfman]

Conan O'Brien is a comic genius.

If you want to talk about "American garbage", talk about the sitcoms, Family Guy, or Adam Sandler.

[johncanada24]

[furiousmilksheikali]

[Venti]

[Hoser]

I've seen some funny things on variety shows but they usually don't take place in the studio. For example I thought the piece where they tested to see if owners' dogs would really protect their owner if attacked was hilarious.
Some of the stuff that goes on in the studio seems really pointless though. And yes the little picture in picture thing is also bothersome. Is it really so important that I see the reaction of somebody who might be famous only because they appear on talkshows?

[Venti]

[Eva Pilot]

Am I the only person that isn't a little kid that loves HG?

I think he is awesome.

And does Waratte Iitomo come into this discussion? Or is this more for night-time television debate?

[kdynamic]

[wolfman]

In response to the Family Guy fans... I've got a whole host of reasons for thinking it's garbage, all of which I'd be glad to go into if you'd like me too.