American Ninja Warriors

We have discovered a new TV series that the whole family loves. It's on G4 and it's called American Ninja Warrior. We also enjoy Ninja Warrior and Jump City Seattle. All of these shows are about male athletes pushing themselves to the limit and doing risky and exciting tricks. Several consequences have followed our television watching. On the show Ninja Warrior, which is filmed in Japan, Makoto Nagano is the big star. He is Japanese, of course. Recently we went to the local garage to get my car inspected. The mechanic is of Asian descent. Claire whispered in my ear, "He kind of looks...." I didn't understand what she said. Then she said it again. Preparing for her to make a comment about his race, I was thinking of how I could address the issue. Then I understood what she said. "He looks like Makoto Nagano." No compliment could have been greater. Uncomfortableness avoided. Another consequence of watching these shows as a family is that the kids want to imitate Makoto Nagano and the other stars. They've been doing flips off of their bed and jumping off furniture. We try to discourage this, but sometimes fail. Of course they're not really performing dangerous tricks, yet. Here's a video of Claire being a Ninja Warrior on her bed.