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Japanese TV pranks - Japanese culture 2014/4/12 06:31
Aren't Japanese pranks sometimes just taking it too far?? (I would love to get some responses from Japanese people that can give me some insight of their culturec).
Recently I have seen some videos of Japanese practical pranks that were broadcast on Japanese TV. The thing that really struck me, and quite frankly offended me, was the seemingly CRUELTY brought upon the involuntarily and often random victims of the prank. I believe there is a fine line between a funny prank and a cruel assault, and some of the following examples in my mind really passed this line by far.
Some of these pranks really scare the snot out of people, but so intensely that it's not unreasonable to assume that it might risk in causing a heart failure to whom is not in the best medical condition, or cause long lasting psychological scars like post-traumatic stress disorder that might really hurt one's quality of life, or just great deal of humiliation.
For example one prank showed a staged event of a gunman shooting dead other people in the room and taking the terrified victim as hostage: http://www.snotr.com/video/5462/Cruel_Japanese_Prank_Show
Another one showed an elevator prank in which the electricity and lights went off (scary enough for me), and when they returned, a scary "ghost" appeared in the elevator as if out of nowhere, and then terrorized the victim and scared him to panic (and sobbing in one case): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py5QVtk1xAI
Here's another example of waking up a sleeping man by launching him on a rocket to a few hundred meters in the air: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPWZnYlF3ug

Other pranks just seem to humiliate and violate the victims, like dropping unsuspecting men nude in public or making a man fall to a hole in the floor into a pool of water on a stage in front of a crowd of people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnciH4B6kWc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tirhQrbDe5Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaAC1GnQS0I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uUNQoUCHIY

Other than that some of these pranks seem a little risky, physically speaking, like in this flipping chair prank https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tirhQrbDe5Y, looks like a great way to break one's neckc

Another thing that annoys me about these pranks, is that it seems it gives a great laugh to the viewers, watching the victim scared to death, crying, screaming, humiliated and what notc The enjoyment of another person's trauma or humiliation I find disturbing. I guess it's human's nature to laugh at other's misfortune (although I've never been a fan of this, maybe I'm a little too sensitive), but to this extent - I think it's really too much.

Cruel pranks are perpetrated all the time all over the world, but it's another thing to broadcast one's humiliating moments to potentially millions of viewers and giving it legitimacy as a TV show for the amusement of the public. I wonder if they even ask their victims' permission to air this.

I think if such pranks were done for example in the US or Europe it would prompt many victims to sue the pranksters (justifiably I might add), and many viewers will feel about it more of an assault, rather than just a funny prank.

Maybe assault for the amusement of others is just legitimate in Japan?
Or maybe they don't find it as cruel as I do?
by GASAF (guest)  

Re: Japanese TV pranks - Japanese culture 2014/4/12 07:48
This might ruin it for those who enjoy these videos and are not familiar with Japanese TV culture, but basically the 'victims' are well known comedians and actors, and the pranks are staged. Don't take the videos too seriously, that'd be like watching The Office or Jackass and mistaking them for documentaries.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: Japanese TV pranks - Japanese culture 2014/4/12 08:16
Hello~!
For foreigners, I do understand that you would find our pranks and comedy entertainment VERY over the top and crazy. But that is our humor and it is considered normal! We want it to be realistic as possible even if it embarasses or makes people upset...I don't know how to explain but I guess if you was a Japanese and born in Japan you would understand and also think that all these pranks and our comedy acts are normal. But then again we also want to be different and unique from westerners! It is a part of our culture :)
hope that this helped???
by Aiko (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Japanese TV pranks - Japanese culture 2014/4/12 10:45
as other poster mentioned most of the so called 'victim' are so called tarento@'talent'or 'geinojin'/tv personalities. most of it do not aimed toward public.

if you were to look more thoroughly you will find the european/us/latin american pranks tv shows are more or less the same and almost all victims are public.much worst and .....

FYI i am foreigner in japan and still don't get it with the japanese tv shows and their untalented 'tarento'..
by dokkiri.. (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Japanese TV pranks - Japanese culture 2014/4/12 19:07
Hey guys, did you really view the youtubes to see what the OP was talking about? They aren't the so-called o-warai-talent nor are the "reaction gag"s. And they aren't normal here either! Those are among the extreme ones! I don't think I've seen something as extreme as that for a while, as far as Japanese production is concerned.

But as suggested, Japan is not the only country that is extreme on TV pranks, and yes, the PTA keeps on complaining anyway. Of course, the ones that are broadcast are done with permission from the "victims" but still, they're not very educational and is indeed debatable here in Japan.
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Japanese TV pranks - Japanese culture 2014/4/13 01:49

Uco san, did u even watch it yourself..?

the prank that involved public were the toilet & massage chair (old footage 80's or 90's), the rest (ghost, bungy bed, shooting, hot water) "victim" were geinojin/tarento/owarai geinin..

nowadays it mostly involved geinojin/tarento/owarai geinin..something must happened where no more public victim involved..
again
by dokkiri.. (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Japanese TV pranks - Japanese culture 2014/4/13 14:23
dokkiri-san,

the prank that involved public were the toilet & massage chair

Okay, I'm talking about that, then.

OP,

Perhaps this is an example showing that people think that as long as the majoriy is done buy show people, a few ordinary people getting involved won't hurt. But again, this tendancy is not unique to Japan.
by Uco rate this post as useful

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