BY MAKOTO HASE

There are many people who say that they like to watch TV. The most probable answer to the question of what kinds of dramas you like best is "video drama." The so-called video dramas include various types such as love stories, thrillers, etc. Foreign dramas can safely be added to this category. Recently, foreign dramas, especially American dramas, have found public favor in Japan.

Japanese dramas are on the air for a limited period of about three months, or at most six months, whereas foreign dramas are usually on the air for a couple of years or more. I will talk about "ER," which is one among a few foreign dramas on Japanese TV and has been running for seven years now. Undoubtedly, the drama will find a large audience as time goes by.

"ER" is a medical drama set in Chicago, Illinois. There are quite a few people who associate a medical drama with many unpleasant and bloody scenes. It is true that the drama contains a few scenes like that, but it has something to entertain viewers through the characters' human relations and in the story development: a lot of problems that doctors and nurses have, their haughtiness, and patients who have their own unique personalities and suffer from respective diseases. We tend to think of doctors as being rich and arrogant but the actors are drawn like real doctors.

In the present society, medical problems are given a huge weight. It is this drama that gave me a chance to think seriously about worldwide problems such as brain death and internal organ transplants. Suppose people around me or I myself were placed in such a situation. What kind of feelings would I have and how would I cope with the situation? My probable answer is that I would have an internal organ transplant, and I would choose a mercy killing. If patients and their families continue holding a painful feeling, it would be better for them to get over it as soon as possible. This is the best way for the organ donors and organ recipients. This is what I have obtained from this drama.

"ER" has won great popularity since it started; I remember a thoughtful episode on "ER." Two patients were carried to the emergency operating room. One was a white man and the other was Afro-American. The doctor on call gave priority to the white patient's treatment as a result of first the examination. However, the situation changed, and the Afro-American patient took a sudden turn for the worse and he finally died. After this, the family accused this doctor of racial discrimination for postponing the treatment of the Afro-American patient. This doctor was a white man.

In Japan, there are no such a racial issues as the one between Afro-Americans and whites like in the United States. This situation results, in my understanding, because Japanese regard racial problems as being unrelated to them.

However, we can understand that the problem in question is not unrelated to us by considering matters such as drugs, guns, single mothers, racial issues and AIDS like in the United States today. This is the reason I recommend this drama. Even if there is a difference in medical systems between the two countries, I want to recommend this drama to persons who are considering engaging in the medical profession as doctors, nurses, and so on.

I have found that there are two commonalties in these kinds of dramas. First, a drama of this kind gains popularity first by television and then by the appearance of its video and DVD increases Japanese fans afterwards. Second, such a drama has a high popularity among people and for this reason great actors and actresses appear as guest performers. It's difficult for Japanese movie fans to understand or imagine that movie stars appear in TV dramas, but in fact a lot of movie stars appear on them and there are some cases where they win awards. For this reason I recommend that movie fans watch TV dramas from foreign countries. Moreover, these dramas are telecasted as bilingual broadcasts in Japan. This is a wonderful chance to listen to English by native speakers not only for people who are learning English like us, but also for people who are interested in English.

We can enjoy foreign TV dramas such as "Friends," "Ally McBeal," and "Full House" in Japan, and learn about foreign cultures. Foreign TV dramas give us not only enjoyment, but also an opportunity to think about various social problems. I'd like to continue to enjoy foreign TV dramas!