ALLAY KIZINE!!! (The Iron Chef thread)

[anarky]

I've just got a dumb question.

Saw a program with Mark Dacascos last night on the History Channel. Entertaining enough, some pretty major factual errors, typical History Channel stuff. But he made a comment about most of his grandmother's family dying in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped, which made me wonder: how the hell could his uncle be the guy from the Japanese show?

Looked it up, and even the "chairman" thing is bullshit. The Japanese guy is a famous actor over there, it's just that no one here recognizes him or the seeming need of Japanese television to spice everything up. However, given the eccentricity (to say the least) of Japanese TV, that part makes sense. But why, when American audiences took at face value the backstory, add on more by hiring a random actor from Hawaii and continuing the backstory for what is, otherwise, a reality show?

Not a huge deal, just seems a bit odd and pointless.

[mabudon]

That's crazy that anyone believed that Chairman Kaga was "real", cos basically everything BUT him was genuine on the program. Kenji Fukui is an interesting character (the "floor reporter"), he spent time in jail for publishing some weird coffee-table book of erotica or something and is one of them "try multiple wacky and unrelated schemes to make money" type of dudes

"Chairman Kaga" became famous by being the first to play the lead role in the first big japanese production of Jesus Christ Superstar

The reason why the US version is the way it is (and thus unwatchable, to me) is that generally North Americans do NOT "get" most things Japanese at ALL, I would imagine- and for that I call exhibit "B", the shitfactory that was the US "Godzilla"

[vynsane]

you really believed that was his uncle?

also, i love the fact that on the american-aired japanese version of iron chef everyone is dubbed, except for "the chairman" who gets subtitles - must be in his contract or something.

[mabudon]

I am pretty sure that was just done "because"- he is the only "character" on the show, and is doing pure schtick- his presentation is SO good that it would have been a waste to dub over it, especially when he uses french terminology. Also, it helps that he speaks japanese in the opening bits to give a sort of "flavour" to the proceedings. Finally, due to the fact that all of his bits are all "arranged", the Chairman bits are really the only part of the show where subtitles actually could be employed- the rapid back-and-forth from the commenters would have been an awful mess if they tried to subtitle it. When Kaga speaks, his regal character allows him to be slow and dramatic.

[vynsane]

Finally, due to the fact that all of his bits are all "arranged", the Chairman bits are really the only part of the show where subtitles actually could be employed- the rapid back-and-forth from the commenters would have been an awful mess if they tried to subtitle it.

i dunno, man... they could easily subtitle the opinions of the celebrity guest panel when it's time to judge the dishes - it's not rapid back-and-forth at that point, but they're still dubbed. i'm almost certain it's in kaga's contract that everyone must hear his voice, wherever it's aired.

especially when he uses french terminology

i changed the title of this threadtopic to reflect the usage of french terminology, since i love how he yells that.

[anarky]

I never truly thought they were close relatives (or even relatives), but never questioned it, either. I's just wondering what the point was.

I figured Chairman Kaga was playing up the eccentricity, but didn't know he was a famous actor playing a character by the same name; I'm sure (like mabs said) most Americans don't "get" the point and don't know the actor, and think that he really is a rich benefactor who's as nuts as he seems. Hmmm... maybe Neil Patrick Harris should replace the dude from that shitty Double Dragon movie.

[Rollo Tomassi]

<--- Blissfully Ignorant of whatever it is youse guys iz talkin' abowt.

[anarky]

More importantly, why don't they officially start calling frequent judge Jeffrey Steingarten "The Evil Roger Ebert"? Every time he's on screen, I mute the TV and grumble, "Ah, it tastes like POOP!" Sad thing is, I'm never far off from what that guy's saying. If he hates food so goddamned much, why is he a food critic, and why does he judge a cooking competition?

[jdr3]

Some of the best episodes are when Jeffery and Ted Allen were judging together. You could see the hatred cut through the searing heat of Kitchen Stadium.