The cartoons are the same, and yet they aren’t.
Okay, so it’s Japan, so all the cartoons are anime – I can accept that. But some of it is just plain odd.There’s this one show, The Prince of Tennis , which is about these kids who play tennis. (Duh.) But they’re so good instead of just playing tennis they’ve got crazy anime ninja-esque tennis skills. This show is big in Korea too, but I’d never seen it while I was there since my TV got a grand total of zero channels.
Yugioh is pretty much the same show as in the US, but it’s in Japanese. There’s also this weird Gundam show that’s done in CGI, but cell-shaded, so it looks like a cartoon.
Of course since I know about 20 words in Japanese, all I can understand is when they’re saying something is cute, crazy or excellent.
The coolest thing is probably the commercials. Firstly, unlike in the US, there’s no law prohibiting advertising toys related to a show during the show. (Never mind that most cartoons are just 30-minute ads anyways…) And second, the videogame commercials are so much better than what you’ll see in the US.
They actually show you the game, for one thing.
Yes, they show you actual gameplay footage instead of some CGI stuff that bears zero resemblance to the actual game. And they manage to do it in 15-second commercials. Plus, they’re entertaining! Check out this one for Super Mario Pinball – click the button that says “CM.”Okay, it’s not high art, but it made me laugh.
That’s it for cartoons (for now). Next up – late night TV!