Mike Hale’s review of “Unbeatable Banzuke” is a well paced, clear cut, simple article. Going into the background from where Banzuke originated, Hale provides easy context for Americans to understand the show: by comparing it to Jackass.
Although Hale seems to lean on the rave side with a “but” early in the article, his position remains ambiguous. The only argument he really makes is that Banzuke is about as good as Jackass and only abandons his neutrality on the subject to keep Banzuke in parallel with Jackass.
Maybe not everyone would be satisfied with this comparison, but Hale politely explains the similarities and also the differences between these two similar shows; a healthy compare and contrast. By doing so the reader gets two things:
Firstly, by comparing the article to Jackass, Hale has allowed the assumption that if someone doesn’t like Jackass, they probably won’t like Banzuke and that is useful for a reader who will now not waste his time on a show he won’t enjoy. Secondly by contrasting the shows he has allowed the reader who does like jackass to use that as a standard that he can grade Banzuke from. The result is an article that is of practical use to any reader who is interested in the show.
p.s. i couldnt find the link but its in monday's paper, page B10.
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2 comments:
Good job - you address the relevance of this type of review and I am curious, is this a type of show that you would want to see?? :)
The article can be found online at
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/arts/television/18banz.html?scp=1&sq=Hale+tasers&st=nyt
I look forward to hearing you talk more about this in class, Regis!
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