I read Julianne's posting about Takeshi's Castle, or what every knows as MXC. I always knew that it was an actual Japanese TV show, which was a little hard to believe based on the extremely stupid stunts that all the people do. But obviously that it was makes it so hilarious. That and the commentators. Does anyone else ever wonder what they're really saying? I guess it doesn't really matter because some guy running around in a shark suit, being interviewed by Guy LeDouche will always be amusing. Hopefully there is some sort of prize money or something at the end; or at least a little motivation for doing all those things.
- Emily
I love this show. My friends and I watch it all the time. It reminds me a lot of Mystery Science 3000, which was on the Science Fiction channel in the late 90s. Three 'guys' would go into a movie theatre and insert hilarious quips for whatever the actors were saying in the Japanese movies. This show seems like a cross between that and Wild and Crazy Kids (another show from our generation that was on Nickelodeon). MXC definitely stereotypes the Japanese contestants and announcers, but I think there is something that can be squeezed out for anthropological education.
Posted by: Pierce Owings at September 22, 2004 08:08 PMI find MXC to be extremely funny, however the voice over editing is on the brink of being vulgar. I guess this is why it is funny, but it always leaves me wondering how different it is from the Japanese version. I feel guilty watching the show sometimes because of how easy it is to see the complete mockery of these people but I'm also sure that they know what they are getting into when they go on the show.
--Bob
Posted by: Bob at September 27, 2004 02:14 PMTakeshi's Castle is an incredibly entertaining show but I also wonder how funny it would be without the voice overs. I guess it would be funny because it is very similar to America's Funniest Home Videos where the whole point of the show is that people do stupid things. I cannot imagine why anyone would want to be on this show; they are clearly going to be made to look hilarious. At the same time, I find it very interesting that this show has become so popular and is now broadcasted all over the world. The voice over is done by a English man, the same one who does Robot Wars. I would be interested to learn exactly where this show can be seen and how long it has been aired. I often find myself watching it, laughing, and wondering why the contestants participate on the show but i guess they probably ask these questions about us. I also would like to know just how many East Asian shows are aired with voice overs throughout the United States. I know that Iron Chef is from that area and has in fact sparked an American version that has been airing for a few months.
Posted by: John Baker at September 27, 2004 07:40 PMMXC combines ingenious humour with razor sharp wit. The obliviousness of the contestants to their absurd actions can make anyone laugh. In short, I love this show and I find the act of watching it a rollercoaster of hilarity every time.
However, while part of me thoroughly enjoys this guilty indulgence, another part of me feels a slight bit of nausea when I think of how these people are being exploited. The words that flow out of the commentators' mouths are, yes, hysterical, but more importantly borderline risque most of the time. Granted, Japanese viewers find pleasure in watching the competition in the show, but they must still have a good bit of pride for their show, their culture. What we have done is to simply make a mockery of the Japanese tradition of healthy, good hearted fun and competition.
That being said, I will now go watch MXC.