The Peruvian donkey from Hokkaido

[David Desser]

"Roshinante" is the Japanese pronunciation of "Rocinante," the donkey
mistaken for a horse by Don Quixote de la Mancha in the Cervantes classic.
Perhaps the name was chosen as a way of indicating the fancifulness of the
expedition/show.

David Desser

At 7:44 PM 3/4/99, Aaron Gerow wrote:
>In another incident that poses questions concerning not only television
>ethics, but also the relationship between fiction and documentary in
>contemporary Japanese media, one of the weekly magazines revealed that
>Roshinante (I'm using just the direct romanization of the Japanese), the
>donkey made popular through the TV show _Denpa shonen_, was in fact born
>and bred in Hokkaido, not in Peru, as the TV show emphasized in dozens of
>episodes.
>
>This would not be much a problem were it not for the fact that _Denpa
>shonen_, like other shows such as _Urinari_ (by the same producer), has
>gained its tremendous popularity through a kind of "reality TV" (though a
>different one than the US brand) in which talento are made to endure
>difficult "real-life" assignments.  In Roshinante's case, the comedy team
>Doronzu, after completing their hitchhike trek from the southern tip of
>South America to Alaska with no money, were made to travel from the
>northernmost tip of Hokkaido to southern Kyushu with, again, no money and
>a donkey to boot.  Much was made during the several month trek that
>Roshinante was from Peru and that the donkey would be returned once it
>was over.  The Peruvian "owner" even appeared at the end to try to take
>her back, after, of course, Doronzu and the audience had developed a deep
>affection for her.  Roshinante has been so successful that her "hair
>nude" photo book has sold 200,000 copies.
>
>Much of the success of the series lies in its borrowings from
>documentary.  The treks are usually shot in 8mm video or with a small
>digi-cam, mostly by a single cameraman or sometimes by the talento
>themselves.  You thus get the requisite hand-held camera shots, poor
>sound, grainy images, etc.  It also relies a lot on the phenomenological
>perception of reality: that the hardships and the situations are real.
>Elements of entertainment style are mixed in, such as comedic voice-over
>narration and titling of dialogue, but it is clear that those who watch
>the series latch on because they perceive "real" emotions and situations.
> Much of this is fueled by supplementary texts like the diaries of the
>talento which are published as the treks go on (all of which are
>best-sellers).  These peripheral goods should be mentioned, because it is
>in part this reality effect which has led to the successful sales of
>these goods (another _Denpa shonen_ creation, the down-and-out band
>Something Else, recently hit number one on the charts).
>
>The formula has bred such huge hits as Saruganseki's trek across Asia.
>But even with that case, there were charges of fakery, as it was found
>out that the comedy team was flown across danger areas (war zones, etc.)
>and thus did not make it across by themselves with no help.
>
>Nihon TV's response then and with this case is that the program is an
>entertainment show, not a documentary, and thus that they have the
>liberty to fiddle with things.  But clearly, as is evident from
>complaints from viewers, that is not how much of the audience sees this.
>Since this is not the first incident, the Ministry of Posts and
>Communications (do I have that right?), has said it will investigate.
>
>The incident poses a lot of issues: What is the place of "reality" or
>documentary in contemporary Japanese TV?  How does entertainment
>programming connect to "reality" programming and is there an ethical
>line?  Why are contemporary viewers seeking reality in TV not in
>old-style documentary, but in precisely controlled entertainment shows?
>What are we to make of the clearly calculated multi-market
>commodification of TV shows and of the "reality" within them?
>
>Any comments?
>
>
>
>Aaron Gerow
>Yokohama National University
>KineJapan list owner
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