Plus it's not like they actually had to find a boat to buy right that minute. All that and the route were planned out in advance. In addition, they can use the camera crews for help and for certain those crews are in touch with everyone they need to be.
Plus it's not like they actually had to find a boat to buy right that minute. All that and the route were planned out in advance. In addition, they can use the camera crews for help and for certain those crews are in touch with everyone they need to be.
Generally yes, but in this case even the camera/emergency boat was in deep shit (looked worse than the trio's boats)
Sorta the same vibe as Argentina where is stopped being a show and turned into a documentary
Plus it's not like they actually had to find a boat to buy right that minute. All that and the route were planned out in advance. In addition, they can use the camera crews for help and for certain those crews are in touch with everyone they need to be.
Imagine a Top Gear version where it would have been "the producers gave us each £250 to buy a river boat with...".
It wouldn't be "I'm going to get a brand new PBR built specially, and at extraordinary expense".
TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
They have the budget now, I would really like a combination of them building their own car.....from a factory assembly plant. You could easily make it a three part special over the course of a year in terms of building, tweeking, and a journey in some country. I just imagine Clarkson in the vacuum room where the GTR is made and just doing something that completely screws up his the turbo or Wrecking Ball nibbling on the wood of his Morgan causing a split at one point or James building a Fiat Panda and it's still not done a year later because he couldn't find the correct socket wrench.
TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
James' Japan show premiered today, six kawaii episodes desu.
He's going from North to South so the first episode is Hokkaido, and for the most part he's doing new things compared to usual travel shows (dogsled, snowball fight league, actual samurai sword apprentice stuff so he can master three-sword style, he got snowed out of a Ban'ei race it seems), but it does look like there's some of the same claptrap all travel shows do in Japan like they're going to show that penis festival and wacky vending machines and haikus (but he is spot on in regards to the restaurant vending machines it's the only time when I was there I felt genuine confusion and unable to do things). But overall it's fun and pretty snow landscapes and doesn't largely feel scripted. I wanna go back.
"What are you doing? It's terrible. Don't let me down."
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Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
edited January 2020
Watched the first episode.
I don't get why he struggled so much with the restaurant vending machine. Just take out your smart-phone and point it at the machine for a real-time translation.
James is the very definition of 'LOL Ok Boomer in Japan'.
Watched the first episode.
I don't get why he struggled so much with the restaurant vending machine. Just take out your smart-phone and point it at the machine for a real-time translation.
James is the very definition of 'LOL Ok Boomer in Japan'.
Have translating Japanese with that app before? It's not very accurate and screens tend to throw it for a loop.
Just finished watching the series and it was great. Pure James May Bim, James Maying Bimming all over Japan.
It's funny seeing all the arguing between James and the crew, I mean when you planned to have him try to assemble something how did you not expect it to turn in to an hour of incompetent pedanticism? I mean have you even met Bim?
Yujiro as the unofficial co-host was also great. That guy's perfect to counterbalance Bim.
Watched the first episode.
I don't get why he struggled so much with the restaurant vending machine. Just take out your smart-phone and point it at the machine for a real-time translation.
James is the very definition of 'LOL Ok Boomer in Japan'.
Have translating Japanese with that app before? It's not very accurate and screens tend to throw it for a loop.
Very much so. I struggled with that a lot when I was there in May. The app would get the basic idea, but if the item, sign, or whatever had a lot of kanji or hiragana it would get very confused.
The show is very fun though. It reminds me a lot of my trip in May where I did a mix of cultural things and off the beaten path experiences.
Top Gear's Nepal Special aired about a week ago. I haven't finish it yet but what I've seen has been pretty good.
That was a very entertaining video, but whoever edited that video should probably be reminded that background music should be in the background when there's dialogue
As well as several others, just god damn that carpentry scene.
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
Finally finished Man In Japan, and it was overall good but it did feel frontloaded, and by the last episode either the trip or the production crew was getting to Bim. The weird spat in episode 4 with Mt. Fuji seemed both unnecessary and scripted and making fun of the kawaii mascots really felt like Bim needed a slap upside the head. It is a dog that's also a lemon, you cherish them!
For an 11 week stay, they could have easily padded out the show to more episodes because there were things I wanted to see more of like the empty town or maybe some more WWII stuff like the brief stuff we saw in Hiroshima, and I am dumbstruck that they didn't even include an Okinawa episode or actually hike Mt. Fuji. Even something like those weird North Korean propaganda schools in the country that the Norks pay for would be interesting.
I'd love to see more beyond X-Ray type things, maybe have Wrecking Ball or Clarkson do their own version. Hell, I really enjoyed all the translators helping out, make them all team up and do a bit more in depth tour guide type show.
Ambitious, not rubbish, but not as peak class as say the GTR vs Bullet Train episode of Top Gear
Hammond and May make poached eggs. Hammond makes a few on-point observations about why on earth people watch this. Needless to say, I watched all of it.
Fuck that director for trying to rush James screwing around with the piano wires! He's severely misjudged the audience that watches James May.
I am in the business of saving lives.
+8
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DemonStaceyTTODewback's DaughterIn love with the TaySwayRegistered Userregular
Wow the James May show was legit really good.
Me and the gf are going to Japan in March so it was fun especially for her since she has never been there to get extra excited.
James May by himself just being James May is really damn entertaining.
Although it was weird that the Kyoto episode felt kind of lacking.
Kyoto has a lot of very interesting stuff and I feel like a lot of stuff that May would enjoy but somehow ended up being one of the weaker episodes.
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Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
I felt like there was a fair bit of producer aggravation in the show. There's at least two sequences where the producer is fighting with May over something and May just goes "whatever, I'm going to do what I want anyway".
Unless it's some sort of scripted thing, I'm betting this producer just doesn't "get" May.
There was definitely some scripting/hamming it up by both May and the crew, but I suspect they were also genuinely less fascinated by piano stringing than he was.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Also May is crotchety. Hell he was crotchety 20 years ago, and it's just gotten worse. He's going to butt heads with anybody if he wants his way.
See the problem is with the way they approached filming him, they went with the default travel show which is go to a place film a segment and leave, which doesn't work with James because he'll just wander around, take his time, go off script etc. The way they should have filled it is like a nature documentary. Have cameras follow him around at a distance for days if need be and then edit the good parts together with a David Attenborough V.O.
Watching a Top Gear: Top Fails in the UK. They showed the sequence from the US Special where they had the slogans (Hillary for President, Country & Western is Rubbish, Man-Love Rules OK, I'm Bi, NASCAR Sucks etc) painted on their cars and drove through Alabama, and almost got themselves killed. That had to be the scariest moment, at least this side of the end of the Patagonia Special.
Watching a Top Gear: Top Fails in the UK. They showed the sequence from the US Special where they had the slogans (Hillary for President, Country & Western is Rubbish, Man-Love Rules OK, I'm Bi, NASCAR Sucks etc) painted on their cars and drove through Alabama, and almost got themselves killed. That had to be the scariest moment, at least this side of the end of the Patagonia Special.
Is there a good place to catch up on the old episodes? I missed... basically all of them, only started really watching with Grand Tour.
Only place I can find is https://www.motortrendondemand.com/show/top-gear/524/ which requires a subscription, however a lot of the fun bits (challenges, races, specials) are available on youtube as shorter clips last time I looked
Watching a Top Gear: Top Fails in the UK. They showed the sequence from the US Special where they had the slogans (Hillary for President, Country & Western is Rubbish, Man-Love Rules OK, I'm Bi, NASCAR Sucks etc) painted on their cars and drove through Alabama, and almost got themselves killed. That had to be the scariest moment, at least this side of the end of the Patagonia Special.
Is there a good place to catch up on the old episodes? I missed... basically all of them, only started really watching with Grand Tour.
Prime has the entire thing for purchase; I've bought most of the specials and a few assorted others at this point
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H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
edited July 2020
Does anyone remember which cheap car challenge had a test where they had to brake before hitting a cement wall, but James' car's brakes kept failing during earlier tests, so as his turn starts, he begins calmly saying his farewells. It was dark and dry and I just about busted a gut at his delivery, but I've not been able to find that clip nor remember which episode it was.
Was it cement or was it brick? I vaguely recall Jeremy going through a brick wall when they were driving big rigs. I don't recall what Hammond or May did though.
H3KnucklesBut we decide which is rightand which is an illusion.Registered Userregular
I don't believe it was the big rig challenge. It was some kind of vintage cars, IIRC. I wanna say it was sometime early on, like during the first half of their tenure.
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I hear that, but...i dont know. Certain things are beyond that i'd think.
I'd suspect its more decades of experience being in front of cameras and putting on a face. Or good editing.
Probably both
Generally yes, but in this case even the camera/emergency boat was in deep shit (looked worse than the trio's boats)
Sorta the same vibe as Argentina where is stopped being a show and turned into a documentary
Imagine a Top Gear version where it would have been "the producers gave us each £250 to buy a river boat with...".
It wouldn't be "I'm going to get a brand new PBR built specially, and at extraordinary expense".
Steam | XBL
It was fitting that their last two Top Gear films were both of that ilk. Especially the SUV one.
Steam | XBL
He's going from North to South so the first episode is Hokkaido, and for the most part he's doing new things compared to usual travel shows (dogsled, snowball fight league, actual samurai sword apprentice stuff so he can master three-sword style, he got snowed out of a Ban'ei race it seems), but it does look like there's some of the same claptrap all travel shows do in Japan like they're going to show that penis festival and wacky vending machines and haikus (but he is spot on in regards to the restaurant vending machines it's the only time when I was there I felt genuine confusion and unable to do things). But overall it's fun and pretty snow landscapes and doesn't largely feel scripted. I wanna go back.
"What are you doing? It's terrible. Don't let me down."
I don't get why he struggled so much with the restaurant vending machine. Just take out your smart-phone and point it at the machine for a real-time translation.
James is the very definition of 'LOL Ok Boomer in Japan'.
Have translating Japanese with that app before? It's not very accurate and screens tend to throw it for a loop.
Just finished watching the series and it was great. Pure James May Bim, James Maying Bimming all over Japan.
It's funny seeing all the arguing between James and the crew, I mean when you planned to have him try to assemble something how did you not expect it to turn in to an hour of incompetent pedanticism? I mean have you even met Bim?
Yujiro as the unofficial co-host was also great. That guy's perfect to counterbalance Bim.
Very much so. I struggled with that a lot when I was there in May. The app would get the basic idea, but if the item, sign, or whatever had a lot of kanji or hiragana it would get very confused.
The show is very fun though. It reminds me a lot of my trip in May where I did a mix of cultural things and off the beaten path experiences.
Top Gear's Nepal Special aired about a week ago. I haven't finish it yet but what I've seen has been pretty good.
Heres hoping man lab is next
As well as several others, just god damn that carpentry scene.
For an 11 week stay, they could have easily padded out the show to more episodes because there were things I wanted to see more of like the empty town or maybe some more WWII stuff like the brief stuff we saw in Hiroshima, and I am dumbstruck that they didn't even include an Okinawa episode or actually hike Mt. Fuji. Even something like those weird North Korean propaganda schools in the country that the Norks pay for would be interesting.
I'd love to see more beyond X-Ray type things, maybe have Wrecking Ball or Clarkson do their own version. Hell, I really enjoyed all the translators helping out, make them all team up and do a bit more in depth tour guide type show.
Ambitious, not rubbish, but not as peak class as say the GTR vs Bullet Train episode of Top Gear
Me and the gf are going to Japan in March so it was fun especially for her since she has never been there to get extra excited.
James May by himself just being James May is really damn entertaining.
Although it was weird that the Kyoto episode felt kind of lacking.
Kyoto has a lot of very interesting stuff and I feel like a lot of stuff that May would enjoy but somehow ended up being one of the weaker episodes.
Unless it's some sort of scripted thing, I'm betting this producer just doesn't "get" May.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Steam | XBL
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Doesn't Amazon Prime have them?
Prime has the entire thing for purchase; I've bought most of the specials and a few assorted others at this point
Well, I'm all out of ideas. Goodnight everyone! 👋
And May knew his brakes were bad in that one too
They've driven into stuff on these challenges like this and May absolutely knows he's crashing in this one:
James May knows what content we want.