But the announcement of Japan’s Got Talent has netizens wondering if Japan is truly ready for an international-style talent show.

The ‘Got Talent‘ franchise is one of the biggest television franchises in the world, with the show being broadcast in over 194 countries worldwide. There have been original spin-offs in 72 different countries since the show was first piloted in 2006, but for Japanese performers like Yuriyan Retreiver or Mr. Uekasa, the lack of a homegrown ‘Japan’s Got Talent’ meant they had to travel abroad to get their talents on a Got Talent stage.

But a recent announcement by Japanese streaming service Ameba TV means any Japanese performers dreaming of being on Got Talent may not need to travel too far anymore, as Japan’s Got Talent is finally becoming a reality.

The format of Japan’s Got Talent will be the same as other instalments in the Got Talent series; hopeful participants will perform their talent in front of a panel of judges. If their talent is good enough, they will advance to the next round, but if the judges deem their performance unworthy, they’ll press their X-buzzer, and if all judges press their buzzers the contestant is automatically eliminated from the competition. The winner of the competition will net a cool 10 million yen (US$69,913) in prize money.

As for who will be pressing the buzzers, famously tart-tongued Japanese comedian Masatoshi Hamada, best known for being one half of legendary comedy duo Downtown, has been announced as one of the judges. The three remaining judges on the panel have yet to be announced.

Hamada commented, “Each judge will have their individual preferences on what they think is good or fun, but I’ll be interested in seeing something that makes me go “Oh!! I didn’t expect to see that!””

But while Hamada seems excited, Japanese netizens aren’t exactly buzzing with excitement at the news. In a society like Japan, where people try to avoid conflict by not using direct language, many were wondering if a Japanese version of the hit show would be able to create the same kinds of strong emotion.

“Foreign versions work because the judges are direct with their critique, sometimes even too harshly. I can’t imagine Japanese judges will be able to be so open and honest.”
“These kinds of shows Japan imports from abroad are hit and miss, but having Hamada as a judge is really interesting to me.”
“When I hear ‘Got Talent’, I think immediately of Simon Cowell. He’s produced so many famous artists, so he’s clearly a capable judge of talent. Hamada is a great presenter, but I’m not sure he’s suitable to find new talent, unless its a comedian or something.”
“There are so many negative comments here, but I for one can’t wait to see this! We have a lot of talented people in Japan, and I’m looking forward to seeing some amazing and surprising acts.”

Japan’s Got Talent will be streamed in February 2023 on Ameba TV. In the meantime, you can keep yourself entertained with the slew of talented Japanese artists appearing on other iterations of Got Talent, like Travis Japan.

Source: Oricon News via Otakomu
Image: YouTube@ABEMA【アベマ】公式
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