The theme of TV Asahi's new variety show, "Jungle Book" (Tuesday, 7 p.m.) is "making friends with animals all over the world." The producers send "young rangers," who are invariably teenagers, on various "assignments" in foreign countries where they interact on a long-term basis with both domestic and wild animals. In many cases, the locations are remote, which means the animals aren't normally used to human contact.
The main reason young people are chosen to be rangers is in order to show how "pure hearts" can merge: innocent young humans and guileless wildlife. As a result, the show aims to "discover ways in which we, as humans, can coexist with nature," by attempting to understand a particular animal as completely as possible.
The premiere installment follows 14-year-old Minami to an animal orphanage in Nairobi, where she is introduced to Muweya, a baby elephant whose mother was killed by poachers when he was only 3 months old. Minami learns that baby elephants will only take food from persons (or, presumably, other elephants) they trust completely. Minami is placed in charge of Muweya, so it is her main job to get the baby elephant to eat, a task that becomes physically and mentally trying for the young girl. All the while, celebrity panelists back in the studio joke and comment on Minami's difficulties and triumphs. The host is beanpole actor Takenori Jinnai.