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New on Netflix: kids shopping all alone – and you can watch

19/4/2022

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

The Japanese cult classic «Old enough!» is now streaming on Netflix and shows toddlers running everyday errands without their parents. Boring? Far from it, this is great entertainment. But concerning.

«Bye! Bye! Bye!» Hiroki looks back at his waving mum several times before walking off, flag in hand, XL drinking bottle around his neck. Hiroki’s task is to walk to the supermarket that’s a whole kilometre away. All alone. What’s more, he must remember what was on his mother’s shopping list. Sweet curry, fish cakes and flowers for his grandmother. If only there weren’t so many exciting things on the way: branches on the ground, a bus driving away right in front of him. And then there’s an ambulance on the side of the road, which is actually a police car.

What great adventures for a two-and-a-half-year-old. And you the viewer get to watch him master his quest.

Three things Hiroki must get at the grocery store: curry, fish cakes and flowers. But where are they?
Source: Netflix

Three hours boiled down to ten minutes

Many viewers in Japan tune into the show. Hiroki is one of the protagonists of the reality show «Old Enough!» – a cult classic that’s been broadcast in Japan for 30 years. There are only two episodes per year, but each last three hours and the plot is always the same: two- to six-year-olds run errands alone for the first time in their young lives. It’s likely that you’ve come across the series on Netflix in the last few days. The streaming service recently bought 20 episodes and shortened or sped up each episode to around 15 minutes.

What sounds both unspectacular and simple turns out to be a real grower. The show is a refreshing alternative to your standard reality trash TV. It’s heart-warming to watch Hiroki proudly waddle into the supermarket in his squeaky shoes after 23 minutes – that’s an impressive average speed of 2.6 kilometres per hour after all. It’s also astonishing to watch him get his bearings in the midst of thousands of products and ask where the flowers are like a grown-up. Seeing his futile efforts to get a shopping basket out of the big pile is also an entertaining scene. You’ll also have a smile on your face when he remembers that he forgot the curry on his way home and sets off for the store again.

An emotional roller coaster ride

The Twitter community, which has been lively discussing the Japanese show since its Netflix launch, is also positively surprised and moved to tears. Numerous users are already calling for further episodes.

Indeed, watching the show is an emotional roller coaster ride. Why? Because it has you rooting for the kids, feeling for them every step of the way. The little ones make your heart melt. But the show also keeps you wondering if the format is OK.

Are toddlers actually old enough? Not for their errand mission, but for taking part in this kind of format. It makes you wonder how the kids will feel one day when they see themselves on TV. How they’ll feel when it dawns on them that the whole nation was amused by their mishaps and boo-boos.

This is probably why the production company Nippon TV emphasises its extensive casting and preparation procedure for the show. The children featured in the show all go through an elaborate casting process. All paths they have to walk are closely examined. Dangerous roads are out of the question. There’s a security team that accompanies them every step of the way. In addition, all people in the vicinity are told about the show beforehand.

Pushing the right buttons

And yet, the show probably wouldn’t work in Switzerland. Kids at the centre of a reality TV format? The uproar would be huge. Meanwhile, the rights have already been sold to Italy, England, China, Vietnam and Singapore, according to the production company.

In its country of origin, Japan, the show remains a phenomenal success despite some critical voices. One in five people in Japan tune into every episode. Its popularity also reflects «the country’s high level of public safety, as well as a parenting culture that sees toddlers’ independence as a key marker of their development,» writes the New York Times.

Two-and-a-half year-old Hiroki masterfully accomplishes his mission in the end, despite having to go back to the supermarket a second time. With a snotty nose, a semi-intact bunch of flowers – he dragged them behind him because they were too big for him to carry – and a confidence boost, he returns home. His mother and father are mighty proud. As a reward, everyone’s served soup with the fish cakes he bought all by himself.

Awwws and aaahs are guaranteed. The question remains: should I watch the next episode? Do I want to? Is it OK to do so? Admittedly, the show is great for the soul. Its makers know exactly which buttons to press to throw all your reservations overboard. Their formula worked perfectly in my case.

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Katja Fischer

Senior Editor

Katja.Fischer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Mom of Anna and Elsa, aperitif expert, group fitness fanatic, aspiring dancer and gossip lover. Often a multitasker and a person who wants it all, sometimes a chocolate chef and queen of the couch.

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