Written by Chris Yeager, on 05-14-2008 14:54

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For the most part, Japanese “Game Shows” would be more accurately described as “Variety Shows,” as they are dissimilar to programs such as Family Feud and Who Wants to Be a Millionare?, and more along the lines of Saturday Night Live or Jackass. The closest American equivalent “Game Shows” would likely be those aimed at families and younger audiences, such as Double Dare and Figure It Out, which often put contestants through an unusual physical trial in connection with some test of intellect or wit. The Japanese take, however, is typically distinguished by the following ways:

• Relatively unrestricted vulgarity
• Greater discomfort and danger to contestants (or the illusion thereof)
• Contestants are usually known celebrities such as singers or comedians
• Loosely scripted performances (while not all actions are choreographed in advance, all major the details, including contest outcomes, are typically determined beforehand)

Combining the variety and celebrity participation of Saturday Night Live, the crude and ridiculous stunts of Jackass, and the competitive format of the Western gameshow, Japanese “game shows” give native viewers the pleasure of watching known celebrities encounter bizarre and often precarious situations. Western viewers, who might not be familiar with the participants, are humored by the sheer spectacle that is as similar to the American game show as anime is to Disney.

Here are some examples of Japanese “game shows” with links to clips hosted on YouTube:

	MojiMojikun HYPER: Human Chicken Race In this segment, contestants are seated in a cart that is pushed down a large shuffleboard, and depending on the stopping position of the board may or may not receive a creatively served smack to the face.
	Brain Wall (aka Human Tetris): A segment of Minasan no Okage desita Clips of this contest have been widely circulated on video sharing sites and have brought it the unofficial title "Human Tetris" due to it's involvement of the human body within a premise similar to the game of Tetris. Adaptations of this show have been produced in over 20 countries including Australia, Russia, Indonesia, and America.
	Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!: Silent Library Staged in a fake library, contestants each choose one of six cards and whoever overturns the skull and crossbones suffers some absurd form of punishment. The game takes place under the pretense that the contestants must remain silent, so the struggle to keep from laughing and the frequent outbursts of muffled laughter make up a great deal of the humor in this segment.

Last update: 05-22-2008 12:30