Takeshi's castle and the water margin?

[Sakura flood]

Hi Guys

I watch takeshi's castle in the uk on challenge tv and i love it. But my question is, is that the commentator craig charles says the emerald guards are all extras from the water margin. Is this true and what type of programme is the water margin thanks?.:)

[MonkeyBoy0314]

ain't that the show that Spike TV's "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC)" is copied from?

[Ken-Ohki]

copied from? it's the same show! only redubbed

[Suiko Eiji]

ain't that the show that Spike TV's "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC)" is copied from?

It is. The original Japanese version was called Takeshi's Castle. I saw it first in Germany when I was on summer vacation in 2001 and then it came here that I saw it again (depsite looking for Japanese copies of the original). From what I remember of the German and the American versions, the jokes are pretty localized, so perhaps it would be a question better suited to some British pop-culture (or even sub-culture) geek.

The entire show is one, huge, hillarious joke, so I wouldn't take it far too seriously.

[MonkeyBoy0314]

It is. The original Japanese version was called Takeshi's Castle. I saw it first in Germany when I was on summer vacation in 2001 and then it came here that I saw it again (depsite looking for Japanese copies of the original). From what I remember of the German and the American versions, the jokes are pretty localized, so perhaps it would be a question better suited to some British pop-culture (or even sub-culture) geek.

The entire show is one, huge, hillarious joke, so I wouldn't take it far too seriously.
thanks, anyway, I LOVE THAT SHOW!!!!! :)

[Sakura flood]

Hi again guys

I was shocked when i found out that takeshis castle ran on japanese tv from 1986 to 1989. My favourite game is skipping stones some of the falls people take on that game look really bad. My auntie thinks general lee is quite dishy looking and also the prize for winning is a million yen but it was only won three or four times.:)

[Suiko Eiji]

general lee

I think we call him Captain Tenile; just a way to show the pop-culture humor.

[Lunay]

The dub commentators for Takeshi's Castle shown on Spike TV is very perverted. I personally like the spine crusher (?) where they try to cross to the other side jumping on giant rolling pins. If they showed it sub I would watch it more.. but the dub is kind of a turn off. The older Japanese host was in Battle Royale right? What's his name again?

[Michael]

Takeshi Kitano. a.k.a Beat Takeshi.

[Kurai_hisui]

I saw an ep of MXC when I was back home at Xmas, and the English commentary has absolutely nothing to do with the Japanese commentary, or anything really. They're completely ad-libbing. I don't know if there's a more accurate dub though. (It was much more fun when I couldn't tell what the Japanese were really saying :(

Though there are still maybe half a dozen shows along the same lines currently running on Japanese TV.

ja, ne

[Suiko Eiji]

MXC, as far as I've seen it, was never intended to be a straight or strict translation of the original. It was intended to be a zany sports knock-off (which the visuals do a wonderful job of adding to), in fact I think it was intended to be more of a parody of sports casters and professional sports rather than a misconception of Japan.

[D.Strong]

Yeah it has nothing to do with Japan other than the fact that it was a convenient vehicle to dub as a whacky and crude show for America. I do like watching it for the humor, and to see the whacky side of Japan, not to mention the amazing stunts they do. I would love to do that.

[giko]

I just watched an American version of "Takeshi's Castle" through youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NldwuOuPtYY

Hey! The fashion of the Japanese is so old and clumsy! It's 80's!
Americans edited the original work so much!

But I had a fun to watch it.:P
I always love "Honey Comb Maze".:P

[Prons]

Water Margin (Chinese: ShuiHuZhuan) or as it was once known in English translations, outlaws of the marsh was one of the four great novels of Ancient Chinese Literature, even though they were Chinese novels, the four great novels (Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dreams of the Red Chamber, and Journey to the West, the later of which inspired Dragonball Z, Saiyuki, and countless other anime) influenced many other asian countries, and each country made little TV and film adaptions of it, including countless Chinese TV Shows, and the PSX game Suikoden. It was also an awesome shaw brothers film.

Because the 108 heroes of WM were known as rough, wild manly men, that may be why Takeshi makes the comparison. There was a 1980's Hong Kong TV series , I wonder fi that's what they were reffering too?

[tenshi_a]

There's some important things you must understand first.

* Craig Charles is a jerk. His job in Takeshi's Castle is to talk over funny things in order to make them unfunny.

* The Water Margin used to be a series on UK TV, same as Takeshi's Castle is. It was a Japanese dramatisation of the Chinese story and was *kinda cool*. But not as cool as "Monkey" (adaptation of Journey To The West), but I probably only think that because it's more of a Tokusatsu show. ^_^ A lot of people the same age as Craig Charles have seen that show, it's part of popular culture here.

Put the two together, and what probably happened was that Craig Charles has nothing funny and original to say, so he says the first thing that comes into his head, and he's seen The Water Margin before in the past. Therefore *any* soldiers he sees are now Water Margin soldiers. It's not factual. Nothing he says is.

My favourite Takeshi's Castle was one where all the contestants were dressed as Ultraman Kaiju (random monster-of-the-week), and had to run up a hill while a large group of different Ultramen were standing at the top pushing boulders towards them. An instrumental of the Ultraman theme playing in the background. They all bounced off and down the hill. :lol:

Craig Charles probably thought they were Water Margin extras, too.

[giko]

My favourite Takeshi's Castle was one where all the contestants were dressed as Ultraman Kaiju (random monster-of-the-week), and had to run up a hill while a large group of different Ultramen were standing at the top pushing boulders towards them. An instrumental of the Ultraman theme playing in the background. They all bounced off and down the hill. :lol:


Oh, boulders are always fun.:P
I love "Bowling" too. Ah, the poor pins...

[Tidusauron12]

It is. The original Japanese version was called Takeshi's Castle. I saw it first in Germany when I was on summer vacation in 2001 and then it came here that I saw it again (depsite looking for Japanese copies of the original). From what I remember of the German and the American versions, the jokes are pretty localized, so perhaps it would be a question better suited to some British pop-culture (or even sub-culture) geek.

The entire show is one, huge, hillarious joke, so I wouldn't take it far too seriously.

I love the show, but the dub really sucks. I never really laugh at what they say.

[Prons]

* The Water Margin used to be a series on UK TV, same as Takeshi's Castle is. It was a Japanese dramatisation of the Chinese story and was *kinda cool*. But not as cool as "Monkey" (adaptation of Journey To The West), but I probably only think that because it's more of a Tokusatsu show. ^_^ A lot of people the same age as Craig Charles have seen that show, it's part of popular culture here.


Can you find me some info on this Water Margin series? Wiki has a dreadfully low amount of WM info.

[tenshi_a]

Ummmm..... [googles]

It doesn't seem to have quite the cult following "Monkey" does...

http://www.martinday.co.uk/water.htm
http://epguides.com/WaterMargin/
http://www.culttelly.co.uk/content/monkey/infop3.html

It's listed as a 1976-1978 show, 26 episodes long. If you look it up on Amazon.co.uk, you can get it on DVD in a 13-disk box set for £79.98 (almost $160 US), English dub-only. And in those days, it was ok to dub Japanese people playing Chinese roles speaking English into horrible London-actors-using-fake Chinese accents. I mean, the acting is perfectly ok, but the fake Chinese is quite annoying. To me, anyway. But I'm used to an authentic Chinese accent.

[Sakura flood]

Hi Guys

Tenshi_a and prons thanks for the info guys greatly appreciated thanks again.:)

David

[Bronze21]

Now...if you really like the Spike/MXC version, I've seen Season One (first 13 episodes) out for sale at Best Buy and FHE for $30.ooUS.