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by A.K.

It’s no secret that Japanese films, especially horror and anime, have become enormously popular in the United States.

Now, Spike TV, one of the newest cable networks to pop up on American television sets, has taken the immigration of programming from the far east a step further by airing Japanese game shows on its evening
schedule.

The first to appear was “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge”, called “MXC” for short. The program, which debuted on Spike TV in April 2003, is actually “Takeshi’s Castle”, a legendary Japanese game show from
the 1980s.

The original plot of the Japanese version of “Takeshi’s Castle” concerned a group of ordinary citizens lead by General Hayati Tani who took it upon themselves to endure several grueling and difficult obstacle courses in an attempt to conquer Emporer Takeshi’s castle.

According to a list of injuries endured by contestants during the entire history of the show, the obstacles weren’t exactly a walk in the park: There were 41 broken ribs, 312 bruised chins, 282 bruised shins, 35 concussions, 2 fractured skulls, 112 black eyes, 62 torn muscles, and 9 people who were knocked unconscious.

Don’t expect the American version to be anything like its Japanese counterpart, though. All Japanese dialogue has been wiped away and replaced with completely new scripts full of bad puns and other total silliness written and voiced by Los Angeles-based comedians.

Sex, drugs, and fart jokes are commonplace on “MXC”. Gay jokes and sexual double entendres are also the norm. Not quite entertainment for the whole family, but the show has become overwhelmingly popular with high school and college students.

Also airing on Spike TV is “Hey! Spring of Trivia”, a game show that’s been popular in Japan since 2002. Unlike “MXC”, “Hey! Spring of Trivia” is almost identical to its Japanese counterpart, including actual translations of the original scripts.

The American producers took fifty hour-long episodes of the Japanese version and edited them down to 26 thirty-minute “Americanized” versions that debuted on Spike TV in November 2004.

Viewers send in obscure trivia that is presented in video clips to celebrity judges who rate it with a “hey” button. “Hey” for the Japanese is more like “Wow” for English speakers. They more “hey’s” a piece of trivia receives, the more impressive the trivia is. The winner receives The Golden Brain and other prizes.

Translated episodes of Fuji TV’s “Iron Chef” have aired on America’s FOOD TV for almost ten years, but the concept was taken a step further by the development of “Iron Chef America”, which debuted earlier this
year.

“Iron Chef America” is almost identical to the Japanese version. With the exception of Masaharu Morimoto and Hiroyuki Sakai, the Iron Chef’s have been replaced with a an array of world-class chef’s from the western world, including Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Wolfgang Puck.

Actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos, who plays Chairman Kaga’s (Takeshi Kaga from the Japanese version) American nephew, takes his uncle’s place as proprietor of Kitchen Stadium. And, like the Japanese version, American celebrities and food critics serve as judges to determine “whose cuisine reigns supreme.”

More information about “MXC” and “Hey! Spring of Trivia” can be found at http://www.spiketv.com.

Information about “Iron Chef America” can be found at http://www.foodtv.com.