Old Enough!
{{Short description|Japanese television series}}
{{Expand Japanese|date=April 2022|topic=culture}}
{{Infobox television
| native_name = はじめてのおつかい (Hajimete no Otsukai)
| genre = Reality television
| creator = Junji Ōuchi
| director = Junji Ōuchi, Kiyotaka Tokuei, Takehiro Moriishi
| producer = Masao Takahashi, Ako Fukuyo, Sachiko Yano, Hiro Tsuchiya
| starring = George Tokoro, Hiroko Moriguchi
| narrated = Shinsuke Chikaishi, Kanako Irie
| open_theme = "Do Re Mi Fa Daijōbu", by B.B.Queens
| country = Japan
| language = Japanese
| company = Nippon Television
| network = NNS (NTV)
| first_aired = {{Start date|1991}}
| last_aired = present
}}
Old Enough! ({{Langx|ja|はじめてのおつかい|lit=My First Errand|translit=Hajimete no Otsukai}}) is a Japanese reality show that has been aired irregularly since 1991 on Nippon Television. The program depicts, in a documentary manner, the efforts of toddlers going on an errand on their own, buying groceries and delivering packages, accompanied by the camera crew. The program has been distributed internationally since 2022 on Netflix.{{Cite web |last=Grabar |first=Henry |date=2022-04-11 |title=How Japan Built Cities Where You Could Send Your Toddler on an Errand |url=https://slate.com/business/2022/04/old-enough-netflix-do-japanese-parents-really-send-toddlers-on-errands.html |access-date=2022-04-12 |website=Slate Magazine |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=St. Michel |first=Patrick |date=2022-04-12 |title=Surprise Netflix hit 'Old Enough!' proves Japanese TV is good enough for Western viewers |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2022/04/12/tv/old-enough-netflix/ |access-date=2022-04-12 |website=The Japan Times |language=en-US}}
History
The show was a segment of the information program Tsuiseki ({{Langx|ja|追跡|lit=The Chase|translit=}}") that aired on NTV from April 1988 to March 1994, but after the program ended, it began to be broadcast irregularly as a one-shot special program of two to three hours under the title Hajimete no Otsukai.{{Cite web |date=2022-04-07 |title=Old Enough: the Japanese TV show that abandons toddlers on public transport |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/07/old-enough-the-japanese-tv-show-that-abandons-toddlers-on-public-transport |access-date=2022-04-12 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} Yoriko Tsutsui's and Akiko Hayashi's picture book of the same name (published in English as Miki's First Errand) was the inspiration for the program's launch.
Most of the children who try to perform errands are between 3 and 6 years old (nursery school children and kindergarteners), but in rare cases, children as young as 1 or 2 years old have also participated. Since the parents basically do not provide notes, but only verbally tell their children what they want, there are many cases where children forget to buy items for the errands or make a mistake.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/14/world/asia/japan-toddler-tv-show.html |url-access=subscription |title=Can Toddlers Cross the Street Alone? Yes, on Reality TV in Japan.|first1=Hisako|last1=Ueno|first2=Mike|last2=Ives|work=The New York Times|date=April 22, 2022}}
Currently, a winter special (broadcast on the first Monday of January or Coming of Age Day) and a summer special (broadcast on Marine Day) are broadcast twice a year. In addition to new works, the program also broadcasts the "XX years since then..." series, in which past participants and their children are reported on how they have grown up today.
One of the children featured on the show became a parent years later, and decided to send their own child on their first errand.{{Cite web |date=2022-04-29 |title=Yes, the 'Old Enough!' Kids Really Think the Camera Crew Are 'Electricians'|url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/how-is-old-enough-made |access-date=2022-05-14 |website=Tudum |language=en}}
Old Enough! has been distributed internationally on Netflix since March 31, 2022, stripped down to ten-minute segments focusing only on the children's errands.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-28 |title=Netflixで「はじめてのおつかい」。「ミッドウェイ」4月配信 |url=https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1398443.html |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=AV Watch |language=ja}}
Preparations
The children who participate in the show are chosen after a selection process. Before the filming, the program staff and the parents inspect the errand routes, checking to avoid dangers and suspicious people; the people in the neighborhood are informed beforehand. The camera and safety crew accompany the children from close by.
International version
Two international editions of Old Enough! have been confirmed. In 2018, a Singaporean-English version of Old Enough! aired on CNA. The show was part of the On The Red Dot before being spun off to a main show in 2021.{{cite web |title=Singapore adaptation of Old Enough! to return with third season, spotlighting young 'COVID-19 generation' |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/old-enough-singapore-season-three-japan-nippon-tv-series-mediacorp-covid-19-3024541 |website=CNA |access-date=21 February 2024 |language=en}}
A Canadian version of Old Enough! produced by Blue Ant Media made its debut on TVO in September 2024, with Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie as narrator.{{cite web|last=Whittock|first=Jesse|title=Colin Mochrie To Narrate Canadian Version Of Eye-Opening Japanese Format 'Old Enough!', In Which Toddlers Go It Alone|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/colin-mochrie-old-enough-canada-toddlers-series-1235807005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129051203/https://deadline.com/2024/01/colin-mochrie-old-enough-canada-toddlers-series-1235807005/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2024|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=January 29, 2024|access-date=February 8, 2024 }}{{cite web|title=About Old Enough! - TVO Today|url=https://www.tvo.org/old-enough|website=TVO|access-date=August 28, 2024 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.ntv.co.jp/otsukai/ Official site (in Japanese)]
- [https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html Official site (in English)]
- [https://www.tvo.org/old-enough Official site for Canadian version (in English)]
Category:Japanese reality television series
Category:1991 Japanese television series debuts
Category:1990s Japanese television series
Category:2000s Japanese television series
Category:2010s Japanese television series
Category:2020s Japanese television series
Category:Nippon Television original programming
Category:Japanese-language television shows