Two Extremely Weird Exercise Videos
Which is stranger, a Japanese exercise video in which three women do jumping jacks while happily reciting such useful phrases as "Take anything you want, spare me my life," or a workout regime for poodles led by a woman who has just recovered from her own makeover at The Island of Dr. Moreau's Poodle Weight Loss Clinic?
Check them out them and let me know: [download Zuiikin' English video, 13 megs, mpeg format, or youtube it, and download Marika Takahashi's Poodle People, 17 megs, mpeg format, or youtube it].
Personally, I'd be more comfortable among the poodles.
Zuiikan English is a weekly TV show in Japan where each week's lessons are reviewed at the end of the episode. This particular episode dealt with the dangers of traveling abroad. youtube user SkillfullAbbot has more Zuikkan episodes here. Thanks Tom!
The Poodle Fitness video was supposedly made by Marika Takahashi for Panasonic for their 2006 Winter Olympics promotion (who says the Winter Olympics are worthless?). Takahashi felt that the poodles are inherently buff, thereby breaking down all cultural boundaries. More info here. Thanks Mark Allen and Brian!
Another weird exercise video: "Whatareya". Actually, it's a music video by the Australian group TISM, which deserve a blog posting of their own. I'll have to get right on that.....
Posted by: jima | June 21, 2006 at 11:45 AM
I just don't understand the poodles. It's kind of terrifying. How? What? ...
Posted by: Joe | June 21, 2006 at 12:23 PM
The Japanese are freakin' insane. Not only do they have fucked up cartoons, game shows, and video games, they venture into the realm of undeniably odd exercise videos. They must all be on crack.
Posted by: Rick | June 21, 2006 at 01:42 PM
Obviously, you've never seen Drawn Together, Fear Factor, played Grand Theft Auto - Vice City, or seen any Susan Powter or Richard Simmons execise footage. My friend, we are equally insane... just too tight to admit it.
Posted by: Matt Silvey | June 22, 2006 at 03:14 AM
We (americans) aren't even close to the level of insane that Japanese game-shows are at. Fear Factor and the rest of our game-shows have been so sanitized and filtered to avoid any possible issues with offending people - and by the time you get past all the celebrity and commercial endorsements, you've got about 22 minutes (per 1 hour show) of something thats mildly gross but nothing insane by a longshot.
American television has lost the opportunity to be completely insane due to fear of multi-million dollar FCC fines and loss of advertising. Same with FM radio.
Posted by: Steve PMX | June 22, 2006 at 01:22 PM