So I have been watching The Office American version at last, as it is being streamed on Netflix in Japan.
I am a great fan of Ricky Gervais, and I enjoyed The Office U.K. version thoroughly. As many people would agree, The Office is arguably one of the best comedy shows ever made, in its creative juxtaposition of the comic and tragic, somewhat reminiscent of Shakespeare.
I have naturally watched some episodes of The Office American version now and then, mostly on international flights, but have not viewed the series systematically until now.
I had my own trepidations, but the American version has actually turned out to have some fine points.
Particularly interesting is the fact that perhaps in the U.S., there is not such a layer structure between the comedians and the "ordinary" people. The comedian (in this case the boss in the office) is also a member of the mediocre society. In the U.K., on the other hand, the comedian is probably superior in intelligence and dramatic grasp of life, a tradition carried by Ricky Gervais himself, although in an implicit style compared to, for example, Stephen Fry.
The fact that everybody is on the same board with equal humbleness makes The Office American version quite moving from time to time.
