I’m a Survivor : Japanese American Tony Sano talks about hosting ‘I Survived a Japanese Game Show’
June 23, 2008
The latest reincarnation of a Japanese game show on American soil is in reality not a reincarnation at all. Rather, it’s a combination of reality TV and a zany Japanese game show.
In I Survived a Japanese Game Show, which debuts June 24 at 9 p.m. on ABC, 10 Americans will travel to Japan and compete in hilarious obstacle courses and antics to win $250,000. The trials of these Americans, many of whom have never left the country before, create the bulk of the slapstick so familiar to Japanese humor.
Guiding and translating the contestants is Tony Sano, a Japanese American actor of mixed race descent, along with his Japanese counterparts (the famed comedian Rome Kanda and Mamasan, a maternal figure for the show).
Sano said in a recent interview that he was excited to bring a part of his home country and his story to the American public.
“The show has brought me back to my Japanese roots, because it has a lot to do with my background and my language ability in Japanese,” said Sano, a Bay Area native.
His mother, a modern dancer who still operates a dance studio, Mary Sano Studio, in SoMa, and his grandmother played a large role in his decision to go into entertainment. “My grandmother is a huge hero and mentor of mine,” said Sano, who previously worked on an American remake of the extremely popular Japanese show Kamen Rider, one of the longest running TV shows in Japan.
Sano’s position as a multiracial Japanese American gave him a unique perspective on the interaction between the American and Japanese crew. “It was great to see people from different cultures coming together,” Sano said.
Sano said there was both overlap and difference in the two cultures’ humor. “The Japanese crew didn’t always understand the type of comedy that the American producers were going for, but they went along with it. I think it kind of melded together.” Sano added that Americans are also getting more into the Japanese style of slapstick comedy, and the show should please both American and Asian senses of humor.
Many Japanese game shows have found great success on American TV, either translated or as American remakes. This may be proof that the type of humor on I Survived a Japanese Game Show, such as a blindfolded teammate operating a moving crane with another teammate precariously dangling and trying to collect stuffed animals, can find audiences both in America and Japan.
For anyone concerned that the show would offend or Orientalize modern Japanese culture, Sano offered comfort. “ABC made it a priority to highlight Japanese culture, which is why we have the cultural awards and punishments on the show,” Sano said, referring to the rewards or penalties contestants receive (in the form of various physical cultural exercises) for wining or losing challenges. Some cultural punishments involve older traditions of Japanese culture, such as mochi pounding or pulling rickshaws.
“I hope that no one’s offended by it,” Sano said. “I’m sure there’ll be some overdone, dramatic stuff for comedic effect, but Japanese people like over-the-top comedy as well. I think it will be a much better representation of Japanese culture.”
Sano said he is proud to be representing a new generation of Japanese American. “One of my short-term goals in the Hollywood community is to make it hot to be an Asian American male,” Sano said. “I’m very proud to represent Japan and Asia. I think Asia and Asian Americans are on the rise and doing great things.”
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As an American who’s been living in Japan for most of the last decade, speaks fluent Japanese, and has a deep respect for Japanese culture both traditional and contemporary, I just have to comment on this story and the gameshow it talks about. I’m very glad that Mr. Sano (and other Asian Americans, like George Takei of Star Trek and more recently, Masi Oka of Heroes fame) are being given more opportunities to represent Asian culture to Americans in a somewhat “accurate” way. I’m afraid, though, that “ISAJGS,” while certainly not offensive, misses the mark as an introduction to Japanese culture!
In terms of look and feel, the gameshow is more “Pan-Asian” than Japanese–not many dragons or cymbals around today. Thematically, though, it does illustrate what many Japanese gameshows are actually like. I’m very familiar, for example, with the “bug” stunt done in the first episode, where contestants have to jump onto a wall and stick to it to earn points. Not the pinnacle of humor, in my opinion, but in tune with the Japanese slapstick aesthetic. Mr. Sano commented that some things may be “overdone” or “dramatic,” and that’s certainly to be expected–however, the American producers seem to be taking a bit too much license with the Japanese language itself. As one of the bigger American contestants ate mochi balls as part of a competition, the harmless words, “How far did he get, folks? Looks like he ate FOUR mochi!” were translated into the far more offensive, “Look at that chubby face go to work!” There were plenty of other comments that, as stereotypical as they were, were at least translated accurately. The point being that there is a difference between “exaggeration” and simply being wrong. It may be fun to see “the other side” as racist, but intentionally upping the ante like that for no good reason? Give me a break.
Also, while I’ve met some annoyingly strict people in Japan, I’m quite certain I’ve never come across anybody quite like “Mama-san.” I can only assume that her broken, martial English and overly strict demeanor are supposed to paint her as some kind of female version of Mr. Miyagi, underneath whose tough chop-saki we will (no doubt, in future episodes) discover lies a cultured woman who loves banzai or something. So the former example shows “Them” stereotyping “Us,” while we dish it back in the latter. Way to go, everyone!
Finally, almost as an attempt to show that the program is not racist, that “it is all in fun,” and “we Americans can make fun of ourselves, too,” the producers have chosen all the most clueless soundbites from each contestant. The fish-out-of-water theme works well for reality shows, but I simply can’t believe that most Americans have not at least read somewhere about removing one’s shoes before entering a house in Japan, etc. I refuse to believe that we are that ignorant of each other!
As Mr. Sano mentioned, ISAJGS may indeed highlight some interesting aspects of Japanese traditional culture (in the first episode, the rickshaw service). However, it does a great disservice to Japanese culture by painting it as so totally alien to that of America. It also doesn’t do much to flatter Americans, who frankly should know better. The program isn’t terrible, but when compared to far better efforts of late (Heroes, Lost in Translation, and Babel, to name three) it loses out.