Strap It Down

Japan, we salute you.

There have been complaints from the readers... Complaints that the content here at HPO has become a bit "too Japanese." We must admit, most of you make valid points: True, we can't understand a word they are saying in those Japanese clips. It's also true that none of us are actually Japanese. We don't know very much about Japan's history, and probably do not research our material about Japan adequately enough. We've never traveled to Japan, and can't say with any certainty whether we will or we won't.

But for the love of all things that are good and decent, the Japanese have struck gold, people! They use TV the way it was meant to be used: Monkeys walking dogs, people getting humorously injured, overweight guys and ditzy girls, shirt-folding, baseball; all accompanied by silly music and bright colors. This is gourmet digital entertainment, reduced to the ridiculous. So, dear readers, to answer your questions, as long as we're in charge of this website, we will not be saying sayonara to Japanese popular culture.