J!-ENT
Asian Entertainment News and Pop Culture

In a recent Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “One guy, two guys, three guys…The column’s all about guys this week starting with the most famous Guy of them all–Yoso Guy.”

“Congratulations to American Dante Carver who plays Yoso Guy, the older brother in those highly entertaining White Family cell phone commercials where the dad is a talking dog. It’s the long-running, 15-second continuing series that the whole country seems to love–and they love Dante.”

“In May, he was named the most popular CM Talent of 2007, up from his No. 37 ranking the previous year. It’s quite a feat since Takuya Kimura has held the top honor for the past eight years. Carver, Satoshi Tsumabuki and Tomoya Nagase have pushed him down to fourth place.”

“Dante is king now. Pretty impressive for a guy who only arrived on the Japan scene in 2004. Andy Warhol said everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame, but Carver has proven you can go even farther with just 15 seconds of prime commercial time.”

“In the women’s division, his commercial “sister” Aya Ueto and “mom” Kanako Higuchi took the top honors. There’s no category for animals, so no prize for dear old dad White. Sometimes parenting can be a thankless job.”

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In a recent Televiews article for the Daily Yomiuri, Wm. Penn wrote, “Want to reinvent yourself? Come right this way. The Japanese entertainment world beckons and one of its greatest charms is that it allows its denizens so much room to transform themselves.”

“The door to this world is wide open. Nationality, gender, looks, class or level of education make no real difference. Indeed, it is perhaps the most open, least discriminating sector of Japanese society. Just about anyone sexy or silly enough, bold or bizarre enough can have their chance at fame and fortune.”

“Of course, the competition in the silly, sexy, bold and bizarre categories is fierce. While most anyone can get into the entrance hall, most are kicked out of the “genkan” again in a matter of months unless they are very resilient and resourceful. But the point is one does not have to identify one’s self or plop down a fingerprint to get through the gate. There’s plenty of time to figure out who you are once safely inside, having secured at least a spot in the crowd if not the spotlight. Those not happy with their lot can eventually reinvent themselves.”

“Too numerous to mention are the idols and TV personalities of all persuasions who have morphed into singers, actors, comedians and talk show regulars. Comedians can become artists. (Remember Tsurutaro Kataoka and Jimmy Onishi? Both have had their work featured in Europe.) Variety show hosts turn into news anchors (Hiroshi Kume and Ichiro Furutachi). Retired sports figures get plenty of exercise as reporters and variety show regulars. Politicians and former bureaucrats can morph into commentators or clowning commentators like Hamako (former Dietman Koichi Hamada), while a long list of comedians have become politicians.”

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In a recent Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “How much news coverage is enough? It’s a good question with no easy answer–especially when the news is a random rampage like the June 8 Akihabara tragedy that left 17 dead or injured and the nation in shock.”

“Of course, the public wants and needs to know what happened. But is constant weeklong repetition appropriate, especially after the perpetrator, Tomohiro Kato, admitted that monopolizing the daytime wide shows was one of his goals?”

“Why fulfill his ghoulish wish, continually drum the story into the heads of potential copycat criminals and encourage the public to fear “pedestrian heavens,” which on a roster of the capital’s many potential dangers are surely pretty far down the list?”

“On June 14, Broadcaster (Saturdays, 10 p.m., TBS) reported the Kato case got 14 hours, 2 minutes and 9 seconds of wide show coverage last week–and that’s just daytime TV. It does not include the incessant regular news reports. The disturbing images were still center screen long after print media coverage had begun to subside.”

“The victims deserve eulogies and the alienation and employment challenges the young now face deserve more coverage, but making Kato the poster boy for the problem confuses the issue. Airing the haunting media images of Kato’s devastated mother, unable to even stand on her own, raises important questions about broadcasting ethics.”

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In the latest Televiews column for the Daily Yomiuri, Wm. Penn wrote, “Who wants to compete with the Beijing Olympics? It is no mystery the summer drama season will take a back seat to the ultimate quadrennial media matsuri.”

“The festival frenzy is beginning already. The latest in Speedo swimwear is a nightly news story. Volleyball has suddenly become very important again. Athlete profiles are everywhere. TBS devotes two hours of prime time to Japan’s medal hopefuls on June 18, 6:55-8:54 p.m. The networks are escalating the pressure on the athletes and have staked their claims to front row seats for the action. NHK will broadcast the opening ceremony on Aug. 8. NTV airs the women’s marathon Aug. 17.”

“On Aug. 23, Fuji has the baseball finale and TV Tokyo the men’s soccer final.”

“When the Japanese TV networks’ famed medal mania inundates the nation in August, who will be worrying about continuing dramas? Just those of us determined to resist donning our happi coats and hachimaki headbands and giving in to the matsuri atmosphere and the medal frenzy as long as possible.”

“The summer season starts July 3 with Code Blue (10 p.m., Fuji), a series about a helicopter medical rescue team with Tomohisa Yamashita of popgroup NEWS as the copter pilot. Yutaka Takenouchi will be brought in to financially rehabilitate a hospital in Tomorrow, (July 6, 9 p.m., TBS). Miho Kanno plays the dedicated nurse.”

“TBS combines the gourmet, shitamachi down-home spirit and dramanga categories in Andonatsu (starting July 7, 8 p.m.). Shihori Kanjiya is the super wagashi (Japanese sweets) confectioner whose name sounds like an “an” (bean jam) doughnut.”

“Yottsu no Uso, set for TV Asahi in July, focuses on four good friends, each with a hidden secret, and features a great cast–Hiromi Nagasaku, Shinobu Terashima, Reiko Takashima and Michiko Hada. This suspenseful drama could be the summer’s best bet.”

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In the latest Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn writes, “Stay tuned. It’s time for another episode of “Japanese TV Linguistics 101.” This week’s topic is the use of “monsuta” (derived from the English word monster) as an adjective in such phrases as monsuta parent, monsuta teacher, monsuta doctor and monsuta husband.”

“It’s just monstrous how the networks are promulgating the overuse of this word. It is being bandied about at such a frantic pace that, before long, we all will be labeled kin of Godzilla. (Can I be related to Mothra instead?)”

“In current usage, monsuta denotes self-centered people who refuse to go along with the group or the established game plan of Japanese institutions. Or in simpler terms, it describes people who are “cho (extremely) KY.” For anyone who has been in hibernation for the past year, KY stands for “kuki ga yomenai”–those poor souls who cannot read the mood of their companions or the atmosphere of a situation and do not perform as expected. These people take the “wa” (harmony) out of group relations, causing their compatriots to silently scream “Whoa!” or “What?” instead.”

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In the latest Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “This week: the winners, the losers and the question marks on the horizon. TV viewers have voted with their remotes and chosen four winners from the spring season private network drama lineup. Meanwhile, the vast majority of spring offerings battle the single-digit ratings demons with scripts that are not really up to the challenge.”

“At present, the big winner is Gokusen III (Saturdays, 9 p.m., NTV) holding firm with Video Research Co. ratings of 25.1 percent, which is about as high as one can realistically hope to get anymore. Viewers have seen it all before–twice–but still can’t resist watching ratings queen Yukie Nakama vanquish her foes and turn her motley crew of students into happy high school grads.”

“The only challenge to Nakama’s supremacy comes from Takuya Kimura’s Change, which debuted with 23.8 percent ratings last week. That seems a little low for a Kimura extravaganza, but those figures should increase. Eri Fukatsu and Hiroshi Abe gave excellent performances and did most of the heavy lifting in Episode 1 as the script called for Kimura’s character to do little more than look disillusioned and disinterested.”

“But by Week 2, the Kimura sparkle returned as Asakura, dubbed the “kokkai oji” (the new young prince of the Diet), settles into his new job. He asks his savvy political secretary (Fukatsu) to explain everything to him in terms a fifth-year primary school student (and the rest of us) can understand, making the fast-moving script informative, clever and easy to follow.”

“By next week, Asakura should be taking over the prime ministership. The party elders, realizing his potential as a political panda who can enthrall the media, have decided the country can run on auto-pilot for three months. They’ll install Asakura, reestablish the party’s popularity with the electorate and then retake the position and power themselves in 90 days. But will Asakura really be such a pliable, political puppet?”

“The current public mood and political atmosphere are being skillfully conveyed in Change. With a fantastic supporting cast giving it their all, Episode 2 was a joy to watch and the first four-star effort I’ve seen in a long time.”

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In a recent Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn writes about upcoming dramas including Kimura Takuya’s “Change”.

Penn wrote, “Get ready. Change (Fuji, 9 p.m.) is coming Monday. It has taken a while, but Takuya Kimura is finally on his way to save the day for Japan.”

T”he quest for a quality political drama seems to have caused some production delays that pushed the series debut back three weeks. There have been media reports of grumbling at the network and worries that the late start will affect the timing of the summer series set for the Monday, 9 p.m. slot.”

“Can’t quite see what the problem is myself. Until the private networks create more dramas that really excite viewers, staggering the start of each new season may be one of their best strategies for keeping the public interested in TV.”

“Most of this April’s offerings have already bored or alienated viewers, so it is nice to have something new to look forward to in May.”

“Fuji has not yet revealed how many weeks Change will run, but if it should preempt a few of the between-season, special marathon, 180-minute, triple talento, super-duper, silly noise extravaganzas, will anyone really miss them? So bring on the Change already.”

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In a recent Televiews column by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “How many early 21st century folks could turn off their televisions, cell phones or Internet connections? There’s no denying most of us have become the willing servants of our conveniences.”

“Will late 21st century humans confront the even more difficult challenge of turning off their robots? Will people really be able to shut down endearing automatons programmed to satisfy their every need and desire?”

“Watch a few episodes of Zettai Kareshi (Tuesdays, 9 p.m., Fuji) and you’ll understand the conundrum your descendants could face. This sci-fi romance, based on the manga of the same name, is not yet on the weekly drama ratings Top 10 list, but it probably will be by the time you read this.”

“Mokomichi Hayami is excellent and almost believable as our android Night Tenjo, model No. 01 in the Kronos Heaven Company’s “Nightly Series” of perfect boyfriend robots. Company engineer Namikiri has carefully programmed Night to meet all the specifications of Riiko Izawa (Saki Aibu), who has been chosen as a monitor to help detect any flaws in the product.”

“Riiko is somewhat skeptical at first and almost eager to get rid of him when he embarrasses her with his earnest statements of love and adoration and tells everyone he is her live-in boyfriend. But gradually, he does begin to grow on her.”

“Who else would make her omelettes with little ketchup hearts on them, deliver a box lunch to her office, work his tail off for her, save her from all danger and wake her with a kiss each morning? And all she has to do is recharge his battery now and then.”

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In the latest column for “Televiews” by Wm. Penn for the Daily Yomiuri, Penn wrote, “The first batter in the new season’s starting lineup April 3 was a pitcher. In Battery (Thursdays, 8 p.m., NHK-G, 10 episodes), Yuma Nakayama, all of 14 years old in real life, stars as high-speed hurler Takumi Harada. Sho Takada, 15, is Go Nagakura, the first catcher brave enough to face and catch his fast ball. The two Johnny’s Jr. lads are playing 12-year-old primary school grads ready to join the middle school team and already dreaming of playing at Koshien Stadium in the national high school baseball championship.”

“As the first new evening series, it deserved a glance, but initially I held out no hope at all for yet another youthful baseball tale.”

“Fortunately, it was surprisingly well done. NHK will rerun the first two episodes April 13 from 4:30 p.m. (except in Hiroshima Prefecture and the Tohoku region). Episode 2 will start at 5:13 p.m. plus 30 seconds. How’s that for precise?”

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In a recent column of Televiews for the Daily Yomiuri, Wm. Penn wrote, “Yes, that’s Toshiyuki Nishida sporting a long, straggly gray pony tail and a cowboy hat but we are not out west somewhere. The morning serial from western Japan, Chiritotechin, with its tongue twister title and tepid sub 20 percent ratings, has finally departed.”

“Its replacement Hitomi (Mondays-Saturdays, 8:15 a.m., NHK-G or 7:45 a.m., BS-2) is the story of reclaiming and rebuilding a family on the reclaimed island of Tsukishima in Tokyo Bay. We are back in good old down home shitamachi now, where, as the TV stereotypes go, the ninjo (warm human feeling) is thicker than the humidity.”

“While Katsutaro (Nishida) may look like shitamachi’s answer to country singer Willie Nelson, he will have to change his tune if he is to win back his estranged daughter Momoko (Naoko Iijima).”

“Seventeen years have passed since father and daughter had a major falling out. They haven’t spoken since, although Momoko’s mother did travel north to Sapporo for secret annual visits. Now she has died suddenly and the divorced Momoko and her daughter, aspiring dancer Hitomi, 20, (Nana Eikura), head south for the funeral. Eventually, they will stay on to help Dad with the three foster kids he has taken in–one abandoned, one abused and one neglected. Reuniting the family will not be easy, but Hitomi, who quelled a major battle between her mother and grandfather at the end of episode one by yelling “shut up” in English, looks like a heroine with the moxy to do the job. She’ll have the help of a strong supporting cast including veteran character actress Kin Sugai as Ume. Worth checking out.”