I had different intentions when I want to rent this movie. I new that "Ed TV" had tried to cash in on the popularity of concept of "The Truman Show" and that would suck completely and I was not wrong. It was a boring, highly contrived, and unfunny film. However, I didn't regret watching it for as I mentioned I had different intentions which were more study and research-like rather than entertainment-like. Let me clarify:
For the last 2 years I have been living in Japan. There are many strange and bizarre things about this unusual country in terms of culture, social interactions, and traditions some of which I guess some of you out there are aware of. However, here I would like to talk about a different kind of peculiarity of the Japanese everyday life-Japanese TV (JTV). The weirdness of the JTV transcends any historical, cultural, linguistic or whatever differences-it is just plain bizarre. OK let me try to explain in a few words: JTV strikingly resembles "Ed TV." Actually, the opposite.
The Japanese broadcast TV consists of around 10 channels. A group of around 50 people (out of 125 million Japanese) called TV stars, could be seen every single day seven days a week on those 10 channels, as sometimes one person could be seen on three different channels at the same time. All of them are multitalented: they sing, dance, and act (both in comedy and drama); in one show we can see some of them as hosts and on another channel the same people are guests. Some of them, the chosen ones, have 3-4 shows each (as hosts). The others are being sent to foreign countries to try their food, ski or sea resorts, others are taken to some tribes in Africa, South America or in Asia to live with the indigenous people for a week or so and then cry as they leave. And all this is being diligently filmed.
The same 50 people everyday. Filmed while playing golf, eating, surfing, eating, traveling, eating, working for example as farmers of constriction workers, eating, shopping, eating, fishing, eating, studying (foreign language or eating etiquette for example), eating bathing, eating, etc. and again eating. Yes that's right - eating comprises about 50% of the Japanese TV content. Amazing. You have to see it to believe it.
Which one do I like better JTV or "Ed TV." I would say "Ed TV." 5 stars out of 10.
For the last 2 years I have been living in Japan. There are many strange and bizarre things about this unusual country in terms of culture, social interactions, and traditions some of which I guess some of you out there are aware of. However, here I would like to talk about a different kind of peculiarity of the Japanese everyday life-Japanese TV (JTV). The weirdness of the JTV transcends any historical, cultural, linguistic or whatever differences-it is just plain bizarre. OK let me try to explain in a few words: JTV strikingly resembles "Ed TV." Actually, the opposite.
The Japanese broadcast TV consists of around 10 channels. A group of around 50 people (out of 125 million Japanese) called TV stars, could be seen every single day seven days a week on those 10 channels, as sometimes one person could be seen on three different channels at the same time. All of them are multitalented: they sing, dance, and act (both in comedy and drama); in one show we can see some of them as hosts and on another channel the same people are guests. Some of them, the chosen ones, have 3-4 shows each (as hosts). The others are being sent to foreign countries to try their food, ski or sea resorts, others are taken to some tribes in Africa, South America or in Asia to live with the indigenous people for a week or so and then cry as they leave. And all this is being diligently filmed.
The same 50 people everyday. Filmed while playing golf, eating, surfing, eating, traveling, eating, working for example as farmers of constriction workers, eating, shopping, eating, fishing, eating, studying (foreign language or eating etiquette for example), eating bathing, eating, etc. and again eating. Yes that's right - eating comprises about 50% of the Japanese TV content. Amazing. You have to see it to believe it.
Which one do I like better JTV or "Ed TV." I would say "Ed TV." 5 stars out of 10.