momijiki

Join Date 01/2004

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Renting DVDs of the TV shows You Have Already Seen

Living in Japan without cable TV has been good for me in that it forces me to watch Japanese so that I get more language practice. I am getting to the point where I get most of what is going on in some of the shows I watch regularly. Still don't enjoy most of the variety shows as I think it is stupid to watch people whack each other or roll around on the floor laughing, but lots of people obviously do. News comprehension is according to topic and how much attention I pay at the time.

Our bilingual function on our TV has broken

so I can't cheat when some of the shows from North America or Britain come on TV . It has been interesting to watch CSI in Japanese dubbing. And of course, I rent movies on DVD switching the language function to English.

But sometimes, I crave TV shows. Shorter, more mindless and in some cases, can actually understand what people back home are referring to. My family refuses to tape shows on video and send them to me. Sigh...

So when I need a TV fix, I rent shows that are now out in the complete season set on DVD. Granted, I am often seasons behind and there are probably a lot of shows that I would like to see but can't rent at the video store. Best thing about it is not having commercials and being able to watch until the season runs out. And I can make sure that I can watch EVERY episode!!!! I hate waiting for a TV show to come on and I despise organizing my schedule around what's on TV.

The TV show rental situation back home in Calgary is not good. Usually, they just have a random selection of a box set that maybe has 6 episodes from a season. Buying the season worth of DVDs can be exhorbitant. Since I have the typical tiny Japanese apartment, I have to TREASURE that TV show, not just want to watch it before I will sacrifice the SPACE not to mention the money to buy a DVD set.

Currently, I am watching Season 2 of "Charmed." Fluffy, not deep, kind of entertaining. It's a lot like eating popcorn. It doesn't particularly fill me up, but I can't seem to stop at just one. Why do I watch this show? I have no idea. It's like a lesser, much lesser Buffy.

Other shows I have watched on DVD...
Sex and the CIty
X-Files
CSI
...
...
That can't be it!!!!

Shows I actually buy on DVD:
South Park
Simpsons
Stand Alone Complex
Seinfeld (season 1 and 2 which I recieved as gifts.... fun, but they've lost their cachet on rewatching them)

Shows I want to see:
Buffy (I have seen most but for some reason, the collection of Buffy DVD's is not complete like other shows. And for some wierd reason, the stores have been inundated with copies of "Tru Calling")
Little Britain

Shows I have been avoiding:
Tru Calling (caught a few episodes on TV while on vacation in Canada... not enough time in the world to make me watch)
24 (okay, I must be crazy .I was inCanada when 24 came out and just couldn't get into it. Life was not good then.. bad memories?)

OKAY...
Any recommends? Recommending for avoidance is as valuable as recommend to watch.

entertainment

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I guess it just depends on what you like. Personally I like Stargate SG1 and I know there are several seasons available out there now, but I am a sci-fi fan. It's well made, has a nice continuous story line, and some pretty good charactors.

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When I was in Korea, I watched Muppets (the original one) , Band of Brothers and the Sopranos. Not bad. I've watched Family Guy since then and loved it. Some people also kept watching Friends over and over. and over. and over. and over........and over. and over. and over......and over. and over.................you get the idea, 'bout drove me batshit crazy. Mostly just watched tons of movies though.

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Lost is great.
Desperate Housewives - great for completely unrealistic entertainment.

I would maybe try 24 again. Maybe rent the 2nd or third seasons. I never watched them on TV but when they came out on DVD I got totally into them. I am waiting for season 4 to come out.

Amazing Race is fun. I think it's the best reality show. Teams travel around the world and compete to win a million dollars. I know they have at least one season out on DVD already.

Buffy and Angel are both great.

I like Gilmore Girls. My husband says its a soap but I enjoy it. They are witty. I pick up some great lines from them and make them my own. And I want Lorelai's clothes.

Oh Veronica Mars is out now. I love Veronica Mars. Check that one out.

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Hey and I have to ask you on the Colbert Report they show clips from a Japanese show where Japanese woman have some kind of meat on their heads and they stick their heads up through a board with holes cut in it and theirs some kind of big lizard in there. Have you seen this? Pretty weirdo. I guess they definately have a different idea of what's entertaining over there. Though I do love Iron Chef. Not that I would eat all of their creations but it's fun to watch.

Also do Japanese woman really wear skirts with their underwear and legs printed on them - the famous "see through" skirt that I've gotten emails about? Just wondering.

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Okay I hope I'm not polluting your blog. When my brother was in Korea he said that he missed the commercials. When we first sent him the tapes we would take them out and he said to leave them in.

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Okay I hope I'm not polluting your blog.

lol no worries about that... interesting questions

Japanese woman have some kind of meat on their heads and they stick their heads up through a board with holes cut in it and theirs some kind of big lizard in there. Have you seen this?

Okay, this has probably occured, but it's not like people do this stuff while walking down the street. Lots of variety shows here have segments that are like "Fear Factor" where they use peer pressure to get people to do some stupid,scary stuff and other times it's like watching a weekly version of Jackass-Asia. On late night TV I saw two guys have a tug of war by attaching clothespins to their privates. Other shows offer 10 thousand dollars to who can do something the longest (like sit on top of a pole... takes days).

Some friends in Canada told me about a TV show where people have to do some kind of obstacle race while the dubbing makes nasty comments. I finally saw that in Canada on my last holiday there and I recognize the host, Takeshi Kitano (directed some award winning movies) and it is 20 years old. I also think that dubbing is completely made up in North America.

Though I do love Iron Chef.

Iron Chef... great show! No longer on here, sadly. I used to get some great cooking ideas. Best was shrimp scampi and fresh peach pasta.

Also do Japanese woman really wear skirts with their underwear and legs printed on them - the famous "see through" skirt that I've gotten emails about? Just wondering.

Hmmm... I thought that was a North American thing because they do that with the usher uniforms at the Cirque du Soliel Zumanity show in Las Vegas. I also remember seeing that in Canada when I was a kid but it was a bikini.

There are probably people who wear that skirt, because God knows, some people will wear anything. Also, young adults are really into "vintage" clothes from North America which basically means that some folks take a trip to the US or Canada, buy out the Salvation Army or other really cheap second hand stores and then sell old High School T-shirts or bowling shirts for $20 or more. I dunno. Maybe it is cheaper now, because there are more of those stores now than a couple of years ago. I don't go to those stores because for me, I really don't want to be wearing gym strip from high school.

So, if any of you JU people out there are missing a bowling shirt or your highschool sweatpants, don't worry, some kid in Tokyo has probably paid good money for your used stuff!

Ah, fashion.

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Link

Hey here is a link with pictures of the skirts. Check them out.

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Hey here is a link with pictures of the skirts

lol that was so weird! But are you sure that these weren't photoshopped? The last picture looks really suspicious to me.

My friend sent me a link last year that had some obscene train signs from Japan. THey had to be photoshopped. They looked completely legit, but the ones that I saw on the train were innocuous while the ones on the link were definitely sexually suggestive. Eg, On the train, the sign for people with injuries is a person with crutches, in the link my friend sent me, the crutches are positioned to look like an erection.

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I like Stargate SG1 and I know there are several seasons available out there now, but I am a sci-fi fan.

I love sci-fi, too. Have seen a lot of different Stargate episodes, but never in order. Maybe it is time to revisit. Thanks for the suggestion!

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Little Britain

I'm angling to get the DD set of that show for Christmas. I watch it on the BBC in America every week, and it is freakin' hilarious.

If you like LB, I'd also suggest that you try 'Only Fools and Horses' and 'open All Hours' - both classic British comedy, and deservedly so.

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There are so many good TV shows on DVD. I love the HBO shows, 24, the Family Guy, the Simpsons, Lost and many more.

If you are looking to buy some DVD box sets you might want to try ebay. I recently bought Law and Order Seasons 1, 2 & 3 all for $45.

I love that they have complete seasons of shows on DVD. Shows I completely missed I now can enjoy. Shows like The Gilmore Girls or Veronica Mars, which I wanted to see but would forget about recording I now can enjoy.

btw .. BOO to your family for refusing to tape shows for you.

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Alias!

Dan

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Alias!

OMG!!!!! How could I forget that one! Love that show!

Veronica Mars

I have read lots of good things about it. I will take a look for it on ebay. Thanks for the recommend (loccamamma,too)

I have only seen passing references to Lost. Friends have passed some mags to me that mention it and I go "Hmmmm" to myself.

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btw .. BOO to your family for refusing to tape shows for you.

thank you! I'm the only foreigner I know here who doesn't get shows from home mailed. I know, "wah" goes the whiner.

I can't really blame my mom because she is concerned about piracy issues and "what if they opened the box at customs!?" because she has to ship stuff to Japan. Actually, I don't think she knows how to record a show. That is what my dad is for

... and he wouldn't record something for me unless it is the Grey Cup or on History Channel.

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Since we've gone over a year without cable (or even antenna) TV, we have learned the guilty pleasure of renting (and in a few cases buying) shows we either miss out on, or just plain miss.

I can't say I've gotten into "Lost", but my wife and kids sure have. To me it's just a bunch of psychotic freaks stuck on an equally freaky island, but they like it, so hey, you might.

For me, I would suggest "Monk", "Lonesome Dove: The Series/Outlaw Years", I'll 2nd (0r is it 3rd) "Stargate SG-1", and you can NEVER go wrong with old episodes of "Night Court" and "Soap".

Share them with someone you love! ;~D

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Night Court! I remember laughing my head off at some of those episodes!

I also liked Three's Company at the time and especially the one where Jack goes loopy after taking medication for airsickness and then drinking alcohol and ends up doing the chicita banana lady dance with a potted plant on his head after he fell into it.

Does anyone else remember this episode?

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