Ninja Warrior: Playground Dominance for Grown-Ups

If your kids are school age, you are likely convinced that between gymnastics lessons, karate and WrestleMania impersonations, you see more that enough stunts every day.  Make room for a few more with Ninja Warrior, a Japanese show airing on cable channel G4.  Our family has had many side-splitting laughs at the expense of these wanna-be warriors.

 

Rather than having participants compete with one another, Ninja Warrior matches competitors against a series of increasingly difficult obstacle courses that are essentially souped-up playgrounds, with features like a balance bridge, Tarzan swing, and Hop Rocket.  Instead of swaddling the contestants in protective gear, the course obstacles themselves are padded.  Participants range from former Olympic athletes to gas station attendants, and while you root for their success, it is their miscalculated leaps and spectacular face plants that appeal to your most banal sense of humor.  Any guy will love it.

 

All commentary is in Japanese, so the programs are subtitled in English.  I like to think this is forcing my kids to read quickly while attending to the action on the screen.

 

The G4 channel is not family entertainment; much of its programming falls on the raunchy side.  Out of dozens of finalists featured, there are two male competitors – one a transvestite, one wearing a sumo style thong – that may be objectionable for young kids, though you may find they add to your amusement.  They certainly provide irresistible opportunities for the commentator (“Enough of that angle, Mr. Cameraman!”). If you record the shows, you can skip over the commercials or just re-play that fantastic wipeout for one more laugh.