Kacho ON!

Those who know me well will know that I am a big fan of Japanese anime. But that's not all I watch, of course. I watch American TV shows as well, animated and not. I like anime, sure, but I don't limit myself to it. So I thought I'd discuss the one show that I watch that is Japanese but not animated! Game Center CX!


Let's Play meets Japanese game show. That's Game Center CX in a nutshell. Comedian Shinya Arino is given a retro video game (Famicom/Super Famicom era) and 12-16 hours to finish them. He's not allowed to leave until he finishes the game or runs out of time. But Arino isn't a skilled gamer by any means. He's an average gamer with average abilities, so often easy games give him some challenge. The best part of the show is the man himself. He is good-natured and cheerful in the face of the worst games. Due to having no advanced knowledge of the game, he gets tripped up a lot, but laughs it off. And when he manages to succeed, his joy comes through.

In addition to the normal challenge segment, Arino visits local arcades, samples other games, gets taught life lessons from game strategy guides, and other such fun things. Game Center CX is, quite simply, a celebration of old video games. If you consider yourself a fan of the simpler days of video games, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

I found Game Center CX through Kotaku. Some months back, Gawker Media acquired the license to 12 random episodes of the show, and released them on Kotaku under the name "Retro Game Master." I thought it sounded interesting, and I haven't looked back since. After watching what Kotaku had to offer, I needed more, and found a dedicated community of translators who have subtitled almost 50% (as of this writing) of the available episodes. With 136 episodes across 15 seasons, that's no small feat, and it was equally no small feat to watch them all! But I had a great time doing it, and I can't wait for the next release. Watch enough of the show, and you can't help but root for Arino. When he wins, I feel good right alongside him.

If you're interested in checking it out, here's a list of the games he's played that have translations available:

Takeshi's Challenge
Angelique Trois
Steel Battalion
Roommania #203
Star Force
Astro Robo SASA
Galga
Door Door
Yie Ar Kung Fu, Gradius, Track and Field
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Mystery of Atlantis
Challenger
Ghosts 'n Goblines
Konami Wai Wai World
Metroid
Solomon's Key
Prince of Persia
Mega Man 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
J.J. & Jeff
Attack! Takeshi's Castle
Tokimeki Memorial
Milon's Secret Castle
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Ultraman
Final Fight
Adventure Island
Actraiser
Quiz: The Feudal Lord's Ambition
Doraemon
Super Mario 64
Ninja Gaiden
Kid Icarus
Umihara Kawase
Contra
Bonanza Brothers
Shadow Land
Street Fighter 2
Castlevania 3
Mighty Bomb Jack
Gargoyle's Quest
Adventure Quiz: Capcom World
SOS
Bio Miracle: Bokutte Upa
Ultraseven
Mega Man
Out of this World
Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Clock Tower
The Quest of Ki
Flashback
Masked Ninja Hanamaru
Bonk's Adventure
53 Stations of the Tokaido
Kid Dracula
Sonic the Hedgehog
Zombie Nation
The Wing of Madoola
Legacy of the Wizard
Lemmings
Fatal Fury Special
Kirby's Adventure
Battle Golfer Yui
Mega Man 3
The Genji and the Heike Clans
Punch-Out!!
Lemmings
Go by Train!
Ninja Gaiden 2
Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode
Hokkaido Serial Killer
Pac Man 2
Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
Bomberman
Robocop

If any of those interest you, I urge you to jump right in and watch. There's hardly any continuity so don't worry about watching in order. Just have fun!