What do you think of the quality of Japanese TV variety programs?

Monday 28th July, 06:44 AM JST

Latest 15 of 100 Total Comments Show All

MrMukatsuku at 08:20 AM JST - 30th July

Sorry cleo, you're not a member of the Evangelical Choir of Consumption - with the current 'quality of Japanese TV variety programs' you dog must have very clean ears.

Oxymoron example: 'the quality of Japanese TV variety programs'.

I had a post removed too! It was a doozie.
Richard_III at 10:36 AM JST - 30th July

A couple of weeks ago I saw that Weens had become a news commentator on one of the news programmes at around 10pm. He was trying his best, and didn't do too bad from what I saw. However, if that was in the UK (not that the news on the TV in the UK is that good) or any other country which aspires to serious news, the accusation of "dumbing down" would probably have made the front page of some newspapers.

In Japan it's perfectly normal. As blvtzpk queries, how these "talents" become so omnipresent really is quite curious.
MrMukatsuku at 02:53 PM JST - 30th July

Having not seen a single positive response to the question of "What do you think of the quality of Japanese TV variety programs?" the judgement must surely be a resounding: "cr@p!"

Everyone wants to be famous, but doesn't want to put in years of work at stage school... are there any stage schools in Japan?

Current technology, used so often in the production of mainstream, J-pop singles, or any single for that matter, means that any old howler can sing like an angel. This promotes an endless stream of talentless bodies that will forever be paraded on terrestrial Japanese TV, who can do no more than warble into a microphone and make out like it's Friday night at the local karaoke bar. Only, next Friday night you are not on the TV, you've been dropped for a new flavour of the month.

The true talent, and I say this with a bucket of salt, are those who come into mainstream media via a 'traditional' Japanese theatrical background.

The point I am making is: The selection process of discovering 'Talent' and putting it straight on the TV is flawed. Talent must be developed before its debut. Oh, and I'm sick of the way the word 'debut' is used here in Japan. A debut is made ONLY AFTER the debutante has been polished and schooled in the ways of 'high-society'. The word debut in the Japanese context literally means: Here now, still debuting tomorrow, still debuting next week, and is gone after a month or so. A debut happens only once folks - one day, one time then your debut is over. I digress... Talent must be developed before its debut.

Being a performer in the TV Media light is a profession, and must be treated as such. Talent must be developed. First, three to five years of stage school would weed out the deadbeat-wannabes - wannabes who want all the fame but don't want to work at it. A school that produces everything from actors to writers to sound engineers. Once you have your stageschool production line going, it should steadily churn out cohorts of real talent. Second, and this will go against the Japanese salaryman ethos of: "Wring 'em dry and throw them away", your talent must be developed and grown through a series of increasing challenges.

I can't see anything like a stage school happening, but I though I'd express the idea anyway to promote a bit of discussion.

Comments? Ideas? Insults?
NICOLE77 at 08:16 AM JST - 31st July

Mr Mukatsuku - There are some positive posts - I for one said i liked Japanese variety TV...

I think the 'debut' and 'talent' thing is a difference of language. Japanese dont use many borrowed words with their original meaning. I think 'debut' in Japan means 'first -- ' and 'talent' means 'TV personality'...
MrMukatsuku at 10:26 AM JST - 31st July

ack. your positive post NICOLE77.

I was looking for feedback on an idea about how to develop 'talent', in the western sense of the word, not the Japanese (Engrish) sense of the word. Note, I am not suggesting western style stage schools, Japan would obviously want to do it their own way ...

Japanese TV currently harvests talent for corporate profit, rather than culturing talent for 'quality' entertainment. (talent used in the western sense of the word)

Thanks for the Engrish translation of 'debut' and 'talent'.
blvtzpk at 11:08 AM JST - 31st July

The Japanese use of 'talent' harks back to old TV studio (and maybe movie?) lingo - 'the talent' is whoever is in front of the camera - perhaps the underlying suggestion is that anybody in front of a camera has 'talent', but the reductive meaning is that they're just warm bodies to be filmed and transmitted to an auidence - possessing 'talent' in the general and traditonal sense is of no importance. Understanding that, calling the people who appear on Japanese TV 'talentos' ideally matches the industry definition - warm bodies.
MrMukatsuku at 11:38 AM JST - 31st July

blvtzpk - Might I presume that they are only 'warm' because of the studio lights? In all other respects they don't do anything that warrants their appearance in front of the camera!
RepublicofTexas at 11:39 AM JST - 31st July

Same as in any country, some are good, some are bad.
GJP2006 at 04:56 PM JST - 31st July

I tuned out to Japanese TV years ago and now it is all I can do to stop my child from watching it! I need to be more vigilant before his mind turns to mush...
helloklitty at 10:24 PM JST - 31st July

amazing how the natives seem to love it - 5-1/2 hours per day, more than any other country in the world. how do they ever find time for their precious "hobbies"?
sarcasm123 at 03:25 AM JST - 2nd August

RepublicofTexas "Same as in any country, some are good, some are bad."

Congrats, you are the first person to post here who has any common sense.

I agree that there is some crap out there, but on average I would pick Japanese tele over what I had to see at home (being repeats of repeats, repeats of family shows a la wheel of fortune, repeats of crap that came over from the US, and interviews with the local celebreties who are in my opinion not a but more funny than the Japanese ones).

If all of you truly think that Japanese television is worse than that of your home land it can mean 4 things: 1. you are not watching Japanese television 2. you are not watching television in your home country 3. you are not watching either of them 4. you are a liar
USAPatriot at 03:35 AM JST - 2nd August

sarcasm123

This post is a joke huh!

Japanese tv is as low as it comes, heck! Probably N Korean tv is better. Tee Hee!

US tv is the best tv, most watched and exported. Don`t that tell you something. How much Japanese tv does the rest of the world watch, pecious little thank god.

US tv is easily world number 1, followed by the Brits, Japan must be at or very near the bottom of the list.
sarcasm123 at 07:16 AM JST - 3rd August

"US tv is the best tv, most watched and exported."

And as 95% of people are idiots, that proves it is crap indeed.

"Don`t that tell you something."

Well, since all Japanese mostly watch it, it means - by your standards - that it must be great!

"US tv is easily world number 1, followed by the Brits"

... both of which are English speaking countries allergic to foreign languages. Tell you what, when did a European movie last become a hit in the US? Ask the film critics what they think about European movies, and connect the dots.

Moderator: Readers back on topic please. The subject is Japanese TV programs.
DrSim at 07:13 PM JST - 3rd August

USA Patriot obviously your name says it all..

'How much Japanese tv does the rest of the world watch, pecious little thank god.'

Want to know something? How much of the rest of the world can speak Japanese? I dont see Chinese shows in Australia and I dont see American shows in Japan. So please re think your comments. The reason why American shows are shown around the world are because they are in ENGLISH.

Please think before you say.
virtualdev at 05:23 PM JST - 4th August

As i'm not living in Japan, i couldn't judge the quality of Tv Programs but on other hand judging from the quality of Japanese manga, i think that japan Tv programs must be good.

Other thing, we mustn't forget that, we humans, tends to see the problems than solutions and disadvantages than advantages so wherever you go you'll find that a lot of people don't like the national Tv programs. I'll take in example Canada, where i lived for 3 years; before i get there, i thought Canadian TV programs will be the best and once there i was disgusted by some TV programs and later realized that wherever you go you'll find good and bad and that everything depends on our perception of what we see.