I have not seen the original Japanese version of "I Survived a Japanese Game Show," but I imagine it is more entertaining than the show that premiered on ABC tonight. Don't get me wrong...there were definite funny moments (the angry mama-san, the tambourine-banging audience, and the mochi game cartoon demo come to mind), but I think the translation loses something. Tossing American game show contestants into that atmosphere makes it both slightly annoying and - in an ironic way - less absurd. Coincidentally, is the game show host the same man who appears in Lost in Translation? I think so.
Tonight, the stereotype of the ugly American was broadcast to folks across the nation. Loud, ignorant and judgmental were my first impressions of this motley crew. God I hope reality TV isn’t full of too much reality. Television as a byproduct and reflection of our culture sometimes makes me want to crawl under a rug.
Out in space a million miles away, we're a singular little planet. Doesn't it make you wonder how our cultures can be so divergent? I'm tired.
