Care for a little trip to Japan and its peculiar formats of TV game show entertainment? Gyouretsu no Dekiru Houritsu Soudanjo (which I won’t even try to translate) is one of the most popular variety shows airing on NTV where serious legal themes are blended with popular comedy. Each night, new couples are invited participate and take the center stage, seeking legal help from a team of lawyers that informs them about divorce procedures or even monetary compensations for emotional damages. Hosted by the iconic Shimada Shinsuke (the man in the cover), the show often shifts the attention from the guest’s marital hindrances to a series of goofy games and activities that help alleviating the stress. Comic relief is also provided by the nonstop jokes and insults coming from Shinsuke, the foul-mouthed entertainer. The Japanese seem to laugh endlessly at this sort of exercise - please have a look.

The DS version is presented by Bandai, now part of the larger NBGI group, and features the voice talent from the actual cast of the program. As seen on the screens, the game is based on dialogue/consultation phases, with the big talking heads appearing on screen over a text box; but also on a far more exciting group of mini-games starring the hosts, advisers and regular celebrity guests.

These activities include a wall-drilling game using the head of Hoji Higashino (one of the hosts); a bizarre facial muscle exercise with Takashi Satoshi in which the player has to press screen buttons in timely manner; and a rhythm game where the lawyers dance to the tune of Taiko no Tatsujin’s lovely drums. Gyouretsu no Dekiru Houritsu Soudanjo for the DS will be released on February 25th in Japan, where it will most definitely remain for obvious reasons: even so, its very existence is highly reassuring as it proves that the Japanese game industry remains just as authentic and insane as ever.

For more information, please visit the game’s official website.

Guest post by Bruno de Figueiredo

tags / bruno / guest / namco / Gyouretsu no Dekiru Houritsu Soudanjo