Japanese TV, long derided by newcomers to the country, has really hit its stride in the age of social media. An old show, repackaged for Netflix, underlines why.
¡°Hajimete no Otsukai¡± has popped up intermittently on Nippon TV since 1991, and it¡¯s a local favorite. The premise is simple: A toddler is sent out on an errand by themselves ¡ª buying a cake, delivering something to a neighbor ¡ª and a camera crew films (and assists when needed) from close by. The parents look on, watching their child take their first wobbly steps into being a responsible person and almost always tearing up.
The show has been a hit on YouTube for years, and was inspired by a . But that¡¯s nothing compared to the Netflix bump, which brought ¡°Friends,¡± ¡°The Office¡± and another Japanese favorite, ¡°Terrace House,¡± into the streaming diets of Generation Z. Netflix has repackaged it as ¡°!,¡± removed the between-segment banter from Japanese TV personalities and chopped its typical three-hour run time down to 10-minute-long clips that focus on just the kids, albeit with a studio audience laugh track intact.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.