The great thing about this big blue marble we live on is that we're all gloriously different. We have different joys, sorrow, pursuits and interests. And that goes double for TV.
Especially, it seems, in Japan.
You know the many splendors of Japanese game shows with the odd tasks, freak show scene and day-glo color schemes, but it looks like the nether region of self-help and education combined at some point in this show in the '90s called Zuiikin' English - zuiikin means "muscle," apparently.
The show was meant to teach people, among other things, to speak English. That included many useful and common everyday phrases, like "I have a bad case of diarrhea."
At the tvinjapan blog, there's a short breakdown on the show, which includes these useful bits of knowledge:
1. I believe the show originally aired in 1992 but it is currently airing on Fuji TV in Japan. I am not sure if the episodes airing now are re-airs or new content.2. I think the basic idea is that by adding muscular repetition to language learning that it will make the words/phrases sink in easier.
3. The posted clips that feature the girls dancing are from the end of the program where the entire lesson is resung/redanced to help the viewer keep the words/movements at top of mind. I'm guessing that the Terminator clip from above is part of the main show.
The dancing and repetition in this particular episode are reminiscent of the Pepto Bismol spot that kept gurgling up in the company's memorable campaign that listed every nasty gastrointestinal issue you might have. Hmm, homage?
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