Zuiikin' English
Encyclopedia
Zuiikin' English or officially is a Japan
ese television series originally aired in 1992 by Fuji Television
. Eikaiwa, Taisō and Zuiikin mean "English conversation", "gymnastic exercises" and "voluntary muscles", respectively. The series combines English language lessons with gymnastic exercise programs. The series consists of 24 episodes.
, whose call sign is JOCX-TV, branded their late-night/early-morning slots collectively as JOCX-TV2 (meaning "alternative JOCX-TV") in an effort to market the traditionally unprofitable time slots and give opportunities to young creators to express their new ideas. The broadcaster produced numerous experimental programs on low budgets under this and follow-on brands until 1995. One such program tried to help viewers to fall asleep while another showed an actor reading out a well-known novel and nothing else. Zuiikin' English was born under these circumstances.
Then a sketch starts like an ordinary language lesson program. Every time a new English phrase is introduced, the sketch pauses and switches to the Zuiikin Gals, a threesome gymnastic exercise team. They start to perform synchronised exercises with innocent smiles on their faces while chanting the phrase hypnotically to idyllic techno-pop sounds. The choice of phrases include the following:
In the final episode, three English native speakers formed the Zuiikin Boys and demonstrated gymnastic movements while chanting supposedly useful Japanese phrases. One such phrase, "tsumaranai mono desuga" (つまらない物ですが） ends up translating rather roughly to "please accept this trifling thing". No translations are provided during these Japanese lessons as they are for the English lessons, only Japanese characters and romanisations.
was also broadcast in early mornings (around 6 AM). This early broadcast time was one of the main reasons why the series passed unnoticed to most people in Japan.
has been viewed more than a half-million times (as of October 2006). The show is often shown on popular American TV program The Soup
during Souper Fantastic Ultra Wish Time!. And recently, one segment was weird enough to land a spot in the What Were They Thinking? segment of Anderson Cooper 360, a nightly news show on CNN
. The clip of I Have A Bad Case Of Diarrhea was featured on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
in a feature called "Bad Aerobic Video". Prior to commercial break, members in the Tonight Show Band recite the exercise and chants of the Zuiikin' Gals.
In their native country, the Zuiikin Gals are still anonymous. The Zuiikin Gals are Maiko Miyazawa (宮沢麻衣子), Reiko Saito (斎藤レイ子) and Takako Inayoshi (稻吉貴子), whose names are displayed at the beginning of each exercise. Inayoshi is still active in the entertainment business as an actress.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese television series originally aired in 1992 by Fuji Television
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
. Eikaiwa, Taisō and Zuiikin mean "English conversation", "gymnastic exercises" and "voluntary muscles", respectively. The series combines English language lessons with gymnastic exercise programs. The series consists of 24 episodes.
Background
In 1987, Fuji TelevisionFuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
, whose call sign is JOCX-TV, branded their late-night/early-morning slots collectively as JOCX-TV2 (meaning "alternative JOCX-TV") in an effort to market the traditionally unprofitable time slots and give opportunities to young creators to express their new ideas. The broadcaster produced numerous experimental programs on low budgets under this and follow-on brands until 1995. One such program tried to help viewers to fall asleep while another showed an actor reading out a well-known novel and nothing else. Zuiikin' English was born under these circumstances.
Format
At the beginning of the show, the host and mastermind, Fernandez Verde, demonstrates his philosophy in learning languages. He proclaims that different cultures use muscles in different proportions due to their customs. For example, in one episode he states Japanese people have stronger lower back muscles (from bowing and keeping a lower posture), and a different leg muscle structure (due to squatting for long periods of time). He feels that using those particular muscles while learning the language of that culture will create strong connotations in your mind and faster learning.Then a sketch starts like an ordinary language lesson program. Every time a new English phrase is introduced, the sketch pauses and switches to the Zuiikin Gals, a threesome gymnastic exercise team. They start to perform synchronised exercises with innocent smiles on their faces while chanting the phrase hypnotically to idyllic techno-pop sounds. The choice of phrases include the following:
- Take anything you want
- Call an ambulance please
- Spare me my life
- I was robbed by two men
- How dare you say such a thing to me
- Unbelievable! It's amazing! We did it!
- I can't stand the sight of you
- Never mind
- You drive me crazy
- Don't make fun of me
- Leave me alone
- Is there anyone who speaks Japanese
- Let's go DutchGoing Dutch"Going Dutch" is a term that indicates that each person participating in a group activity pays for himself or herself, rather than any one person paying for anyone else, particularly in a restaurant bill...
- It's your fault that this happened
- Hasta la vista, baby
- I have a bad case of diarrhea
In the final episode, three English native speakers formed the Zuiikin Boys and demonstrated gymnastic movements while chanting supposedly useful Japanese phrases. One such phrase, "tsumaranai mono desuga" (つまらない物ですが） ends up translating rather roughly to "please accept this trifling thing". No translations are provided during these Japanese lessons as they are for the English lessons, only Japanese characters and romanisations.
Initial broadcasting in Japan
The program was initially broadcast in the spring of 1992. It occupied an early-morning slot around 5 AM. This allocation itself was probably a move to perfect the parody because the long-running gymnastic exercise program by national station NHKNHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
was also broadcast in early mornings (around 6 AM). This early broadcast time was one of the main reasons why the series passed unnoticed to most people in Japan.
International minor cult
It wasn't until the broadcaster decided to rerun the series from November 2005 on their satellite channels that the program, and especially the Zuiikin Gals started to attract international attention. One of the clips uploaded on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
has been viewed more than a half-million times (as of October 2006). The show is often shown on popular American TV program The Soup
The Soup
The Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week...
during Souper Fantastic Ultra Wish Time!. And recently, one segment was weird enough to land a spot in the What Were They Thinking? segment of Anderson Cooper 360, a nightly news show on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. The clip of I Have A Bad Case Of Diarrhea was featured on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
in a feature called "Bad Aerobic Video". Prior to commercial break, members in the Tonight Show Band recite the exercise and chants of the Zuiikin' Gals.
In their native country, the Zuiikin Gals are still anonymous. The Zuiikin Gals are Maiko Miyazawa (宮沢麻衣子), Reiko Saito (斎藤レイ子) and Takako Inayoshi (稻吉貴子), whose names are displayed at the beginning of each exercise. Inayoshi is still active in the entertainment business as an actress.