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The story
The 46th National High School Quiz Championship (Nippon TV), broadcast on September 21, has become a hot topic on social media. Viewers were moved watching high schoolers compete in tests of knowledge and stamina across locations like Yokohama Stadium, Odawara Castle, and Hokkaido — but at the same time, the heavy use of “reaction cam” cutaways to the celebrity panel’s expressions, along with studio chatter asking contestants for their thoughts after every correct answer, sparked a wave of complaints that “the quiz itself barely comes through.” On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports News+ thread, discussion ranged from questioning whether the reaction cam is even necessary to comparisons with the production style of the old Trans-America Ultra Quiz era.
The 46th National High School Quiz Championship (Nippon TV; hereafter “High School Quiz”), broadcast on September 21, has become a hot topic.
The 16 schools that made it through the qualifiers competed in tests of intellect and physical endurance across locations like Yokohama Stadium, Odawara Castle, and Hokkaido, and X (formerly Twitter) saw comments like “The bond between these high schoolers really moved me!” At the same time, though, this broadcast also drew comments like:
“The quiz itself barely comes through at all. Do we really need the celebrities and studio guests? I just want to watch the quiz, plain and simple.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
I get it, I just don't have the vocabulary to explain why 🥺
The questions were way too easy, it was basically just a game of luck
Different vibe, but that old Drifters clip-show did the same thing (a classic Japanese comedy troupe)
Stuff like old Drifters clips alone probably can't pull in sponsors, so they bring on celebrities to prop it up like that
Embarrassed myself over and over, and I'm supposed to be the household quiz champ
Then out of nowhere Hatori's crying in the studio
Why did they go with such a terrible format
Doesn't matter how good the concept is if nobody watches in the first place
That's not really it
It's just that they have to use them to keep the talent agencies happy
Wonder what they'll do with Trans-America Ultra Quiz though
Setting aside Fukudome's personality, that show was fun
"Just Meet" didn't have much drama to it, couldn't get into it
Just have the guests come on as question-askers instead
Worst of the worst
Wish every show would just scrap it
Kind of like having an "oshi" (a fan favorite you root for) these days
Don't need the extra celebrities getting in the way of that
Even overseas YouTubers are copying the reaction-cam bit these days
Wish I could've been on it back when I was young
Back then
➝No studio
➝One network announcer as MC
➝Quiz was just the high schoolers
Now
➝Studio set, lots of celebrities
➝MC is an announcer plus celebrities
➝Celebrities popping up everywhere
These days it's just celebrities using the High School Quiz as material to chat about, so honestly every show's the same — only the reaction-cam small talk changes
If you remember them you're a serious High School Quiz otaku
I remember Super Yagihashi Kenta though
In an industry running out of ideas, it's probably become the safe, reliable go-to method
Compared to how it was when broadcasting first started
Whether it's "gotten weird" or not, 70 years on, plenty of things change — not just TV
They don't even know what's good or bad anymore, that's why they can't get ratings
Well, nothing changes as long as there are big sponsors happily throwing money at networks like that
That said, it's its own kind of hard — stuck in that tiny box with barely anything to work with, you still have to say something funny or you're branded as bad at your job. Easy, but not a job anyone actually wants
Background and Key Points
The High School Quiz has aired on Nippon TV since 1983, and the concept traces its roots back to the legendary Trans-America Ultra Quiz, which ran from 1977 to 1992. The central point of debate on the thread was the pros and cons of the “reaction cam” cutaways showing the celebrity panel’s expressions throughout the broadcast. Defenders pointed out that it’s become a standard technique for boosting ratings, while critics pushed back that it undermines immersion in the quiz itself. It’s also worth noting that reaction-cam cutaways aren’t unique to this show — they’re a technique used broadly across variety programming in recent years, so much of the frustration voiced here reflects a wider grievance with current TV production trends rather than an issue specific to this one program.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Nippon TV] “High School Quiz” Draws Viewer Backlash Over Excessive Reaction-Cam and Studio-Talk Format: “Can’t Focus on the Quiz at All” — Fallout Spreads to “Ultra Quiz” Comparisons” on 5ch.
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