"Narrator" Tamory
The 2016 Spring Special episode of the longevity Japanese drama "The Wonderful Story of the World" (hereinafter referred to as "Shiqi") has been recently broadcast, and popular actors Sasaki Yuki, Masataka Wada, Hidetoshi Nishijima, and Ichisei Takahashi have starred in four stories, namely "Beauty Tax", "Dream Machine", "Commuter Troops", and "Uncle Guessing". Each story was brain-opening and terrifying, and immediately after it was broadcast, a wave of discussion was set off.
"The Wonderful Story of the World" is a long-lived and wayward TV series. The series premiered on Fuji TV in Japan in April 1990 and has been around for 26 years. Since 1997, the show has been broadcasting "Spring" and "Autumn" special episodes every year, consisting of 4 to 5 stories per season. Although it only airs two seasons a year, the show continues to thrive. These stories are either horror, or sci-fi, or funny, or warm, and the magical character settings and plot twists are amazing. Some netizens sighed: "You never know what will happen in the next second of "Shiqi"! "However, after watching "Shiqi" for so long, these cold knowledge, do you know?
How did the show come about?
The predecessor of "The Wonderful Story of the World" was the late-night program "Fantastic Events" that began in 1989, and each episode tells a horror story. Late-night programs have limited budgets, and even scripts are written by unprofitable and inexperienced people such as university clubs and newcomer screenwriters. However, after the show was broadcast, it was very popular with the audience, and many people waited until late at night for it.
In 1990, "Wonderful Events" was finally scheduled to be broadcast in the golden slot at 8 p.m., which is now "Shiqi". From 1990 to 1992, "Shiqi" was broadcast as a series, starting every Thursday at 8 p.m., with an episode of 54 minutes and a total of three seasons. In 1991, "Shiqi" received a 25.2% rating. Later, the drama was broadcast in the form of special episodes, adding some special episodes of seasons and festivals, such as Tanabata and Christmas specials; after 1995, it became a special chapter of spring, autumn and winter; since 1997, it has been broadcast regularly every year in spring and autumn, which has continued to this day.
The true identity of the "narrator"?
Each season of "Shiqi" consists of 4-5 independent short stories. Between the stories, a "narrator" wearing a black suit and sunglasses appears, leading to the next story in the form of a narration. The "narrator" has become one of the hallmarks of the show, but he also has another important identity - the leader who brings the ordinary people of the world (i.e., the protagonist of the story) into the wonderful world. As of the Spring 2016 special, about 500 people have been brought into the wonderful world by him. However, the identity of the "narrator" has always been a mystery, only that he can transform into a black cat, a crow, and a butterfly.
In fact, the episode once implied that the "narrator" had a family. In the winter special that aired in 1993, the wife of the "narrator" performed in a faceless form. However, after 1993, the crew abandoned this normal human setting, and the "narrator" himself became a "wonderful" existence.
Who is the narrator?
"Narrator" played by Tamori (formerly known as Kazuyoshi Morita) is a famous Japanese funny artist, host, actor and singer, who has been playing the "narrator" since 1990. Tamoli is the "enigmatic existence" of the Japanese showbiz, no matter what show he appears in, his dress is always a black suit, a black tie, and of course, the signature pair of sunglasses. He hasn't even changed his appearance much, 26 years later, just from an uncle with less hair to an uncle with less hair. In the early days of "Shiqi", in addition to playing the "narrator", Tamory also made cameo appearances in some roles in the series, such as passer-by who called, the policeman in the park, the hotel owner, etc.
Tameri, 71, still hosts three regular shows, including Japan's most famous music show, Music Station. The other two shows are "Tamory Club", which premiered in 1982 and is known as the "originator of the devious program", and "ブララㄣモリ", which is always "shopping and eating".
Who lives in wonder world?
The protagonists of the stories of "Shiqi" will become the inhabitants of the wonderful world. Most of them are ordinary people like you and me, and a small number of people have special functions. A lot of the stories take place "somewhere", where illusion and reality intersect, which is the charm of "Shiqi".
Each season of "Shiqi" will select popular actors to star. The spring 2016 special episode invited the recently popular "Gold Medal Green Leaf" Issei Takahashi, and the young actor Masataka Kuwata, who has attracted much attention with the role of the Japanese drama version of "Death Note" "Night God Moon". Over the years, Japanese stars such as Takuya Kimura, Ryoko Hiromi, Tadanobu Asano, Satoshi Mugi, and Shun Oguri have all starred in "Seki". It is worth mentioning that the members of Takuya Kimura's group SMAP are all "residents of the wonderful world". In 2011, "Shiqi" launched "SMAP Special" in the form of one episode per SMAP member, which was the only time in 26 years that "Shiqi" had an artist-themed theme.