It is my sad duty to report that the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards Japan, held May 24 at the Tokyo International Forum, was a less than spectacularly successful affair.
The event was plagued by some very lame presenters, technical glitches and missed cues. And whoever had the idea of hiring "comedy" duo London Boots to host the show should be given the boot. "Lonboo" were clearly out of their depth. "Ware ware wa all-nihongo MC desu (We are all-Japanese-language MCs)," the Boots proudly proclaimed.
Those of us who attended the event were subjected to excruciatingly long breaks while the stage was being prepared for the next award presentation or live performance. MTV viewers saw a streamlined, somewhat tarted-up version of the show, but even clever editing couldn't hide all the rough edges or the fact that between a third and half the seats in the first floor of the hall -- set aside for industry types, the media and artists -- were empty.