This is without a doubt, my favorite show from Japan ever. I'm sure at least ONE person here has seen or heard of this show, and if not, then an introduction is in order.

For those who haven't heard of this show, it features a comedian named Shinya Arino, the "kacho"(section chief) of a fictional company where he attempts to finish various Japanese retro games from the 80s and early 90s within a day. He plays various classics like Mega Man 2, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Super Mario Bros(1,2,3, World, and even 64), Final Fight, Mighty Bomb Jack, and also relatively obscure Japan-only games like Umihara Kawase.

While the Kacho is a well-known otaku in his own right, he's no diehard gamer, and it shows in his game runs. Recording sessions go literally up to 10-12 hours(including a 9-hour live broadcast session on Christmas Eve), trying his best to clear even just one stage. Luckily, he gets help from "Assistant Directors" who help him with moral support, advice on how to clear a particular obstacle in a level, or clearing that obstacle themselves. The kacho even receives various snacks sent by fans for him to munch on during gaming sessions(his favorite is dried squid), giving off more of a "gamer" feel to the show. Another one of his trademarks is he uses special cooling pads which he sticks onto his forehead, sometimes even writing motivational slogans on them.

The show was popular enough for a DS game to be released last November, which sold a respectable 100,000 copies in Japan. The game itself is actually a collection of various minigames, all of them parodies of old retro games covering genres like shooting, platform, and even RPG.

I think this is one of the greatest shows from Japan that I've ever seen. Almost all of the sessions are exciting to watch, and downright hilarious. It helps to know Japanese to get all of the humor in the show, but watching the Kacho's expressions are good enough for laughs. Just watching him clear the 3rd stage in Contra is exciting to watch, and he has had some LEGENDARY sessions playing through Ninja Gaiden(NES) and Ghouls 'n Ghosts(Genesis). He beat Mighty Bomb Jack in a packed auditorium, with thunderous applause from the audience afterwards.

Currently, FujiTV(the network that broadcasted this show) is looking for a US distributor to release the show through subtitled DVDs under the title "Retro Game Master". You can watch their promotional video here:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=U-KC3bkZ5 ... re=related

You can watch various clips of the show on Youtube, or full episodes on Crunchyroll. Search for "Game Center CX" or copy-paste " ゲームセンターCX ". I dunno if they are subtitled, but regardless, they're worth watching.

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I've only heard of it because of the video game adaption of the show for the DS

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