The cult of dieting takes on new meaning in Nippon TV's fall comedy serial "Kangei! Danjiki Goikko-sama," literally, "Welcome, Honorable Party of Fasters" (Saturday, 9 p.m.). The series is set at Rakuraku-jin, a Buddhist temple that accepts civilians who want to do the ascetic thing.
The temple is, in fact, well-known for its danjiki discipline and plays up its reputation in order to attract rich people who want to lose weight. The head priest (Tetsuro Tanba) takes his guests' money and then puts them through such suffering paces that they often end up fleeing without asking for it back.
Anna (Yasuko Tajima) and priest Shoraku (Satoshi Nakamura) in "Kangei! Danjiki Goikko-sama"