MXC--Anyone know about the actual Japanese Show?

[doom1701]

What's it called--Tasheki's Castle or something like that?

It's obvious that the overdubbing is pretty much brand new material--they aren't translating the original show. But just from the looks of the hosts, the skits, the banter, etc, it also seems that it must be pretty humorous and slapstick in Japanese as well.

Sometimes I wish they'd broadcast just a straight english translation on a separate audio channel--I feel like I'm missing out on part of the joke sometimes!

[dirtypacman]

LOL!

I have to say that show would be funny no matter in english or japenese... I am sure you can find a bit more direct through google.


Couple of fun facts about injuries occuring in these games:

Injury name Number of people who got this injury from playing Takeshi's Castle
Broken ribs 41
Broken jaws 19
Bruised chin 312
Bruised shins 282
Knocked out 9
Concussion 35
Winded 276
Fractured Skull 2
Black eye 112
Torn muscles 62

stats taken from --- http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kevin.kempthorne/Takeshi/

[whoknows55]

What network is this on?

[dirtypacman]

Spike TV

[doom1701]

dirty, that site is really cool. It's interesting to see where the little things here and there fit into the original concept--like how "Vic Romano" is actually Count Takeshi himself. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to explain who "Kenny Blankenship" is.

[dirtypacman]

I wish I could find the actual site for the original show but dont have the time at work to do the search.

[Steveknj]

Originally posted by doom1701
What's it called--Tasheki's Castle or something like that?

It's obvious that the overdubbing is pretty much brand new material--they aren't translating the original show. But just from the looks of the hosts, the skits, the banter, etc, it also seems that it must be pretty humorous and slapstick in Japanese as well.

Sometimes I wish they'd broadcast just a straight english translation on a separate audio channel--I feel like I'm missing out on part of the joke sometimes!

Think of this show as the game show equivilant to Mystery Science 3000. Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship are actually made up names for the two creators of the show who do the wisecracking. They take splices from the entire Takeshi's Castle series (which I believe aired in the late 80s and early 90s in Japan), and weave them into a show. From what I read in a USA Today article from May, they actually sit with hours of cuts and try different jokes until they find the ones they think work. They actually did do one or two shows using college kids from Florida, I think. Other than that, it is all from the original Takeshi's castle.

You should see if you can find the USA Today article about MXC, which gives a very good explanation about the show.

[doom1701]

Originally posted by Steveknj
Think of this show as the game show equivilant to Mystery Science 3000. Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship are actually made up names for the two creators of the show who do the wisecracking. They take splices from the entire Takeshi's Castle series (which I believe aired in the late 80s and early 90s in Japan), and weave them into a show. From what I read in a USA Today article from May, they actually sit with hours of cuts and try different jokes until they find the ones they think work. They actually did do one or two shows using college kids from Florida, I think. Other than that, it is all from the original Takeshi's castle.

You should see if you can find the USA Today article about MXC, which gives a very good explanation about the show.

I have a tough time seeing MXC as MST3K-ing of Takeshi's Castle (which, the more I write it, the more it stands out that you could also see the title as "Takes His Castle", which is the point of the game). Obviously the MXC version is totally different with radically different dialog and even a different object to the game, but there are plenty of totally ridiculous stunts that the "hosts" are often doing that make me think that the show is supposed to be off the wall.

[Steveknj]

Originally posted by doom1701
I have a tough time seeing MXC as MST3K-ing of Takeshi's Castle (which, the more I write it, the more it stands out that you could also see the title as "Takes His Castle", which is the point of the game). Obviously the MXC version is totally different with radically different dialog and even a different object to the game, but there are plenty of totally ridiculous stunts that the "hosts" are often doing that make me think that the show is supposed to be off the wall.

Since I don't know what is ACTUALLY said in the Japanese dialog, I'm referring just to the English dialogue that is dubbed in. Basically, they take a scene, watch it, and make funny comments or play by play. Just as they do in MST3K, or that new sports show in ESPN Classic, the name of which escapes me.

[doom1701]

Originally posted by dirtypacman
LOL!

I have to say that show would be funny no matter in english or japenese... I am sure you can find a bit more direct through google.


Couple of fun facts about injuries occuring in these games:

Injury name Number of people who got this injury from playing Takeshi's Castle
Broken ribs 41
Broken jaws 19
Bruised chin 312
Bruised shins 282
Knocked out 9
Concussion 35
Winded 276
Fractured Skull 2
Black eye 112
Torn muscles 62

stats taken from --- http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kevin.kempthorne/Takeshi/

BTW, the stats are fake:

Ok, these are not the real injury stats from Takeshi's Castle, but i thought i would have a little fun making up some stats of the injuries that the contestants on Takeshi's Castle pick up.

[Supfreak26]

Originally posted by Steveknj
Just as they do in MST3K, or that new sports show in ESPN Classic, the name of which escapes me.

Cheap Seats. Great show.

[beldar]

We showed an episode of MXC to an expat who works in Japan, hoping he'd be able to explain what was really going on. I was asking him about the group of guys always sitting behind "Kenny" and "Vic". It's almost always the same guys, but you see them go through different hairstyles (sometimes on the same MXC episode, which means they're assembling bits pretty much at random).

Our friend said they were people trying to break into comedy, and this was a good way to get national exposure. I didn't buy it, because it's the same guys apparently year after year, and they never actually do anything, other than react to what "Kenny" and "Vic" are saying.

Our friend claimed that sitting around reacting to comedians *is* a career in comedy. I guess I can't argue with that. So perhaps they're a living, onscreen laugh track.

[csyria]

SO, what is the point of the original show? I was just wondering this.

And is the original show based the same, funny dialog and not get yourself hurt?

[doom1701]

Originally posted by csyria
SO, what is the point of the original show? I was just wondering this.

And is the original show based the same, funny dialog and not get yourself hurt?

The web site that DP provided has a decent explanation. Here's my Cliff Notes version.

The two main "characters" on the show are General Lee (MXC: Captain Tenneal) and Count Takeshi (Vic Romano). Of course, the real show title is "Takeshi's Castle"--you can sometimes see the "Castle" in the background in the closing chant.

The story goes that every episode General Lee assembles 100 volunteers to help him storm the castle. The volunteers go through a set of challenges, weeding down their numbers. The first challenge is always one of the ones where everyone participates at once (like the (MXC) "Wall of Hidden Blistering Death"). After that, they proceed through various other challenges, and if a person doesn't make it, they're gone.

At the end of the show, General Lee takes his remaining volunteers and tries to storm the castle. I guess Lee even gets his own special vehicle for this. Either using water guns or laser tag guns, the guys that you see sitting with Takeshi (Romano) throughout the show attempt to defend the castle. Takeshi sits in his little tank thing (again, sometimes seen at the end of the show) and assists in the defending.

I thnk that Kenny Blankenship is supposed to be Takeshi's prince (no good pictures of him on any of the websites), and is the one that "comes up with" the challenges that Lee's forces must face.

The "Teams" are completely the product of SpikeTV.

[sieglinde]

I had heard here on Tivocommunity somewhere that the show was shown dubbed with proper English translations either in Canada or the UK.

[Fustanella]

The UK, according to the first website mentioned above.

[Cboath]

Originally posted by doom1701
The web site that DP provided has a decent explanation. Here's my Cliff Notes version.

The two main "characters" on the show are General Lee (MXC: Captain Tenneal) and Count Takeshi (Vic Romano). Of course, the real show title is "Takeshi's Castle"--you can sometimes see the "Castle" in the background in the closing chant.

The story goes that every episode General Lee assembles 100 volunteers to help him storm the castle. The volunteers go through a set of challenges, weeding down their numbers. The first challenge is always one of the ones where everyone participates at once (like the (MXC) "Wall of Hidden Blistering Death"). After that, they proceed through various other challenges, and if a person doesn't make it, they're gone.

At the end of the show, General Lee takes his remaining volunteers and tries to storm the castle. I guess Lee even gets his own special vehicle for this. Either using water guns or laser tag guns, the guys that you see sitting with Takeshi (Romano) throughout the show attempt to defend the castle. Takeshi sits in his little tank thing (again, sometimes seen at the end of the show) and assists in the defending.

I thnk that Kenny Blankenship is supposed to be Takeshi's prince (no good pictures of him on any of the websites), and is the one that "comes up with" the challenges that Lee's forces must face.

The "Teams" are completely the product of SpikeTV.



The rest of the story I read somewhere on this said that there were about 40 events to storm the castle and the first person to ever complete all 40 events won a huge grand prize and the producers of the show set it up that whenever someone made it past all the events, that was the end of the show for good. (I just googled it one day and found that article)

[Backslide420]

What a wonderful Show.. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh I love Tivo

[orome]

Orome's daily bit o' trivia: Takeshi was the evil crime boss in "Johnny Mnemonic."

[ashu]

This show is hilarious ... need to set an SP for it again!

[pawchikapawpaw]

i love this show.

i used to live in manila, and they showed takeshi castle in its entirety. of course, there was dubbing and i doubt it if they dubbed it correctly. but they showed the entire thing.

and by the entire thing, i mean, they showed it from start to finish, with the japanese dialogue playing in the background.

it starts out with the whole bunch of people being led by the captain. "ige!" was his battlecry. the premise was, a bunch of civilians are trying to defeat emperor takeshi and win a couple million yen. there's several challenges that they don't really show much on television, and it's not a vs. thing, it's more of there's just a lot of weirdos in there.

they start out with like 200 people and the challenges narrow it down to several people. then at the end, there's a water cannon shootout scene where they ride carts and try to blast takeshi and his minions' paper target mounted on their cart.

of the several years that we've watched the show, we've seen just a number of winners. the rest of them lose, because most of them end up eliminated, and there's only one or two left to fight an army of twenty.

it's great fun.

[doom1701]

Originally posted by pawchikapawpaw
i love this show.

i used to live in manila, and they showed takeshi castle in its entirety. of course, there was dubbing and i doubt it if they dubbed it correctly. but they showed the entire thing.

and by the entire thing, i mean, they showed it from start to finish, with the japanese dialogue playing in the background.

it starts out with the whole bunch of people being led by the captain. "ige!" was his battlecry. the premise was, a bunch of civilians are trying to defeat emperor takeshi and win a couple million yen. there's several challenges that they don't really show much on television, and it's not a vs. thing, it's more of there's just a lot of weirdos in there.

they start out with like 200 people and the challenges narrow it down to several people. then at the end, there's a water cannon shootout scene where they ride carts and try to blast takeshi and his minions' paper target mounted on their cart.

of the several years that we've watched the show, we've seen just a number of winners. the rest of them lose, because most of them end up eliminated, and there's only one or two left to fight an army of twenty.

it's great fun.

What's the sense of humor like on the (at least dubbed) version? I know it's probably nothing like MXC, but considering some of the little cut scenes they do with Takeshi and the prince (Vic and Kenny), there's got to be some real attempts at humor.

[Tsiehta]

Arent the voices of Vic and Kenny the same guys who played the commentators on MTVs claymation show Celebrity Deathmatch?

[mcdougll]

Originally posted by orome
Orome's daily bit o' trivia: Takeshi was the evil crime boss in "Johnny Mnemonic."

Do you mean the name is the same? or the actor/person is the same as in the movie?

[Cboath]

Originally posted by Tsiehta
Arent the voices of Vic and Kenny the same guys who played the commentators on MTVs claymation show Celebrity Deathmatch?


Not sure on that, but I know that one of them is the Unofficial Spokesman for Wendy's guy.

[orome]

Originally posted by mcdougll
Do you mean the name is the same? or the actor/person is the same as in the movie? Both; he goes by the name Takeshi.

http://imdb.com/name/nm0001429/

[pawchikapawpaw]

Originally posted by doom1701
What's the sense of humor like on the (at least dubbed) version? I know it's probably nothing like MXC, but considering some of the little cut scenes they do with Takeshi and the prince (Vic and Kenny), there's got to be some real attempts at humor.

oh it's very campy.

the thin guy on the wrestling event is usually the butt of so many gags in there.

it's actually funny. they show the people who didn't make it crying. especially the one where they run across the pond with fake rocks.

the way they showed it to us, was they overlapped the scenes with takeshi and the sidekick with local comedians. so that they can talk about the events, in the native language. but they were dressed in japanese kimonos. the commentary was done also in the native language.

and then for the interviews on site, they dub it in english with the japanese soundtrack faintly playing on the background.

[ccwf]

Originally posted by dirtypacman
I wish I could find the actual site for the original show but dont have the time at work to do the search. Searching the web and the TBS channel web site, I don't see a site for the show overall. TBS does seem to have pages for particular episodes, however (examples: episode 1 (http://www.tbs.co.jp/tbs-ch/lineup/v0058.html), episode 129 (http://www.tbs.co.jp/tbs-ch/lineup/v0001.html)).

[chebygal26]

I lived in Japan for 3 years and LOVED watching this in Japanese, even though i oonly knew a little Japanese. It is so much better even if you can't understand it!! Great show!!
What's it called--Tasheki's Castle or something like that?

It's obvious that the overdubbing is pretty much brand new material--they aren't translating the original show. But just from the looks of the hosts, the skits, the banter, etc, it also seems that it must be pretty humorous and slapstick in Japanese as well.

Sometimes I wish they'd broadcast just a straight english translation on a separate audio channel--I feel like I'm missing out on part of the joke sometimes!

[chebygal26]

i lived in Japan for 3 years and loved to watch it in Japanese even though i only understood a little. It is way better in Japanese, but still a GREAT show! Very funny!!

[doom1701]

i lived in Japan for 3 years and loved to watch it in Japanese even though i only understood a little. It is way better in Japanese, but still a GREAT show! Very funny!!

Could you pick up on the flow of the show, and how it's different than the way MXC works?

Also, when was it? Is it still in production?

[IndyJones1023]

I have a Japanese episode on VHS I acquired back in college in 1991. I have loved that thing and watched it on occasion for the last 15 years. When Spike broadcast MXC I knew exactly where it came from and fell in love with the dubbed version, too. Good stuff.

[debrax06]

I love this show... Cant wait for the first season to come out to Dvd on October 3rd... :).... everyone... get it today so that they will release a second dvd, cause i knw i am going to want more after i get the first...

[LordFett]

Lots of good info about it on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MXC