One of the most popular new game shows is "Nep-League" (Fuji, Monday, 7 p.m.), starring the comedy trio Neptunes. The quizzes are based on word games that test knowledge of Chinese characters and arcane vocabulary. The show is also famous for its game-arcade atmosphere. The tests are time-intensive and the audiovisual components mimic those of video games, with flying monsters and loud sounds.
But the hook of the show is the way it groups its celebrity contestants. There is always a Neptunes Team, which consists of the three comedians and two guests. The opposing team, however, is usually conceived in terms of a theme. One week it was celebrity housewives, another it was gay tarento.
This week Neptunes' nemesis' are the Sexy Boys Team, which consists of infamous actor-adulterer Junichi Ishida; the superhero ikemen (handsome young man) Noboru Kaneko; legendary "charisma host" Jin Sakazaki; the red-vinyl-clad comedian known only as Michael; and Razor Ramon HG, "hard gay" himself. All college-educated, the Sexy Boys Team give the Neptunes a real run for their money.