Television

Variety Shows

Japanese entertainment provides a multitude of shows for viewing on television ("terebi"), things to appeal to everyone in its scope and unusual twists. Often highlighted by those new to Japanese terebi are the variety shows: springing up as fast as producers can think of new ideas, these shows go out of their ways to create embarrassing or just plain strange situations to plop people in. For example, in an episode of a show designed to introduce contestants to "new experiences," producers flew a man to Las Vegas to serve as a dealer in a casino. While dealing cards to two Americans looking suspiciously" dangerous," he had a gun pulled on him by one American, who yelled threatening in English and demanded money. The cameras zoomed in on the Japanese contestant's face as he stared in horror – and then caught his expression as the Americans started laughing and the producers appeared from outside to explain that it had all been a joke. 

Japanese dramas form another important branch of Japanese entertainment. 

Dramas

Japanese dramas have none of the typical plot twists and evil villains of soaps and share very few qualities with them. Mostly centering on romances and heart-twisting stories, dramas offer complicated plots, often with current issues embedded into them. "Majou no joken" is one such drama, with the story of a highschool teacher who falls in love with a student. Also associated with dramas are the important JPOP singers who sing the themes and the actors who star in them. It's not a step down to appear in a drama, but a step up.

Music Shows

Music is again in prominence with terebi: hosts of shows are available for viewing, all offering music performances, rankings, music video clips, anymore. "Music Station," one of the most popular of these shows, has 5-10 JPOP artists and groups as guests with each show: the two hosts chat with each artist for a few minutes before the artist or group goes up to perform their latest song."Utaban" is a show that has only 2 to 3 artists per episode, with the episodes sometimes approaching a variety show-like performance as the hosts interview the selected JPOP artists.

A final signature of terebi is its anime, or animated shows.

ANIME

Japanese animation, or anime, should not be associated simply with children's cartoons. Anime appeals to people of all ages and all tastes and boasts an amazing volume of works.

Japanese animation is the way the Japanese overcome the physics of reality, and as a way to set one's imagination free, and to produce series and movies that stun and hold captive the viewer. There are two categories widely acknowledged for teens and children, though many adults watch too: shoujo is anime that appeals to girls and focuses on romance, relationships, and character development. Shounen is anime that appeals to men and often involves fighting, beautiful women, and tough main characters. These categories often overlap, to create shows that appeal to many different people: Rurouni Kenshin, for example, is about an ex-Samurai turned ronin that features spectacular fight scenes but also has an excellent plotline, character studies, and romance. Another example is Slayers, a show that can be found on VHS here in America. A fantasy, this series has both magical and sword fights, great humor, and interesting plots.

Anime is a genre where spectacular graphics and animation can be displayed and flaunted. The Kenshin OVAs won wide acclaim with its breathtakingly choreographed fight scenes as well as its smooth animation. Blue Submarine #6 has a blend of computer animation as well as drawn animation that hints at becoming a facet of mainstream anime someday. Cowboy Bebop, a show made popular by its plot, premise, and voice actors, pays exquisite detail to animation and produces a flawless viewing. With a huge following and with a large role in television, anime is directed and produced as any top movie in America, and respected as thus.

Notable, too, are the role of seiyuu, or voice actors, in an anime. Just as anime is treated as a movie or such, so too are these voice haled with the popularity of actors. There are those who play a wide variety of roles and who can change their voices with a skill and talent not often paralled anywhere else. Fans watching a show will know all of the major seiyuu, and often seek out to watch a particular show because of the famous seiyuu that star in it.

Seiyuu take part in another aspect of anime: music. Not only are there carefully directed opening and closing songs, which often get expanded to into full-length songs on soundtracks, and insert songs that appear in the show or movie, but seiyuu often sing "character songs" on cds released for that purpose. Highly popular, the cds can often have up to 10 volumes, depending on the length of the series and the amount of characters. Instrumentals are also popular, and composers such as the legendary Yoko Kanno have risen to fame through composing anime music.

Though many watchers may not know it, anime is present in America, too. Robotech, Ronin Warriors, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Pokemon, Gundam W, Tenchi Muyou, and now Card Captor Sakura are all anime brought over from Japan. Unfortunately, with the limitations of dubbing and different perceptions of what a "cartoon" should be, these American versions are never as good as the original, and are often tailored to promote a "kid's show." I am happy to report, however, that this is changing. An ever-increasing amount of imported anime is finding their ways in stores such as Sam Goody and Another Universe, while there are quite a few stores that specialize only in Japanese animation. Groups of dedicated anime fans have also sprung up, and now are quickly moving towards the mainstream. As more and more people realize how amazing anime is, it can be hoped that this unique Japanese side of their culture will permanently find its way, unchanged, into America.