Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Video Subbing [REQUEST]: Murakami Shoji Ninja Class from GAKI NO TSUKAI YA ARAHENDE! (2006.09.17)

Gudentaag!

University has recommenced for me this week, so I won't be getting as much time to work on subtitling. I still will try to when I have the time to but they probably won't be released as often as before. Better than nothing though.

Here's an episode from the long running show, Downtown's  "Gaki no Tsukai Ya Arahende". This show has a very strong following on the internet by people around the world, largely thanks to their 24 hour batsu games, which have been uploaded by some people onto youtube. Even if you don't know what I'm talking about already, you quite probably have seen some before. The most famous seems to be a comedian called Jimmy Ohnishi trying to count in English but says, "ten ten" instead of 20 and "ten ten ten" instead of 30 and so on.
If you haven't seen it.................WATCH IT! You are missing out on one of the greatest pleasures of this earth.
I'll be happy to give you links if you can't be bothered searching  yourselves.

So this video is the first volume of Murakami Shoji's Classroom Series. It's the only one I have seen so far, as there are so many Gaki episodes to watch, I haven't gotten around to them yet. There seem to be lots of interesting sounding ones (such as pirates and Ghostbuster classes) so I'm curious as to what they're like. Well anyway, for their first lesson they learn how to be ninja..........sort of.

Thanks to al4bandi for the timing :D
GET FROM MEDIAFIRE [193 MB]

 



Gaki no Tsukai (Ninja) by juxtapose31


TRANSLATION NOTES

MURAKAMI SHOJI
Murakami Shoji is a veteran comedian mostly famous for his 'suberi' comedy, which basically means 'not funny' comedy. Kind of paradoxical, but the laughs are due to the awkward atmosphere it creates rather than the actual joke. He is the senior of all of the gang here, including Downtown (notice how Hamada called him 'big bro').  He has a long history with Downtown as well as the comedian Akashiya Sanma and often appears on their shows.


YAGYU CLAN
The Yagyu Clan were a powerful clan of feudal lords and also founders of one of the most famous styles of swordsmanship, the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu. They were also very close to the Tokugawa family, who were the rulers of Japan at the time, by teaching them sword fighting and kind of being their elite squad of samurai.

IGA and KOGA
These are the names of the two most famous Ninja clans/provinces. I'll let wikipedia do the explaining.

The Iga and Kōga clans have come to describe families living in the province of Iga (modern Mie Prefecture) and the adjacent region of Kōka (later written as Kōga), named after a village in what is now Shiga Prefecture. From these regions, villages devoted to the training of ninja first appeared.[25] The remoteness and inaccessibility of the surrounding mountains may have had a role in the ninja's secretive development.[24] Historical documents regarding the ninja's origins in these mountainous regions are considered generally correct.[26] The chronicle Go Kagami Furoku writes, of the two clans' origins:
There was a retainer of the family of Kawai Aki-no-kami of Iga, of pre-eminent skill in shinobi, and consequently for generations the name of people from Iga became established. Another tradition grew in Kōga.[26]
Likewise, a supplement to the Nochi Kagami, a record of the Ashikaga shogunate, confirms the same Iga origin:
Inside the camp at Magari of the Shogun [Ashikaga] Yoshihisa there were shinobi whose names were famous throughout the land. When Yoshihisa attacked Rokkaku Takayori, the family of Kawai Aki-no-kami of Iga, who served him at Magari, earned considerable merit as shinobi in front of the great army of the Shogun. Since then successive generations of Iga men have been admired. This is the origin of the fame of the men of Iga.[27]
A distinction is to be made between the ninja from these areas, and commoners or samurai hired as spies or mercenaries. Unlike their counterparts, the Iga and Kōga clans produced professional ninja, specifically trained for their roles.[21] These professional ninja were actively hired by daimyos between 1485 and 1581,[21] until Oda Nobunaga invaded Iga province and wiped out the organized clans.[28] Survivors were forced to flee, some to the mountains of Kii, but others arrived before Tokugawa Ieyasu, where they were well treated.[29] Some former Iga clan members, including Hattori Hanzō, would later serve as Tokugawa's bodyguards.[30]
Following the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, Tokugawa employed a group of eighty Kōga ninja, led by Tomo Sukesada. They were tasked to raid an outpost of the Imagawa clan. The account of this assault is given in the Mikawa Go Fudoki, where it was written that Kōga ninja infiltrated the castle, set fire to its towers, and killed the castellan along with 200 of the garrison.[31] The Kōga ninja are said to have played a role in the later Battle of Sekigahara (1600), where several hundred Kōga assisted soldiers under Torii Mototada in the defence of Fushimi Castle.[32] After Tokugawa's victory at Sekigahara, the Iga acted as guards for the inner compounds of Edo Castle, while the Kōga acted as a police force and assisted in guarding the outer gate.[30] In 1614, the initial "winter campaign" at the Siege of Osaka saw the ninja in use once again. Miura Yoemon, a ninja in Tokugawa's service, recruited shinobi from the Iga region, and sent 10 ninja into Osaka Castle in an effort to foster antagonism between enemy commanders.[33] During the later "summer campaign", these hired ninja fought alongside regular troops at the Battle of Tennōji.[33]


HADAKA NO TAISHO
Hadakano Taisho was a drama shown between 1980~1994. In short, it's about a wandering artist that goes to various towns and ends up settling disputes of the people he meets. The main character is a fat slobby looking kind of guy.

Friday, 24 February 2012

Video Subbing [REQUEST]: ARAGAKI YUI on Shabekuri 007 (2011.12.05)

Hey there, here's another Shabekuri 007 episode. This episode features the second appearance of the actress, Aragaki Yui. Her previous appearance was on 2010 October 23rd, and can also be found on this blog if you search for it. Hmm......not much else to say. Hope you enjoy it!


GET FROM MEDIAFIRE [261 MB]





Shabekuri 007 (2011.12.05) Aragaki Yui by juxtapose31



TRANSLATION NOTES


SOUHTERN ALL STARS
Are a one of the most famous and influential pop/rock bands in Japan. Formed in the mid 70's and lead by the singer, Kuwata Keisuke, they brought a more Western feel to Japanese music. One significant thing that is usually thought to have been originated form this band is the stylised pronunciations of words when singing. For example, changing the 'ら り る れ ろ' letters to be pronounced as 'ra, ri, ru, re, ro' rather than the proper Japanese way (which I can't really write in English letters....as it doesn't exist). In general this and other changes to the pronunciation made the language more flexible and more ably suited for different styles of music.


MOCHI-TSUKI
This is the process of hammering mochi-gome (Sticky rice) with a large wooden hammer. There are usually one or two people hammering and another person to turn the mochi around in between hammer strikes. This is all done rhythmically over and over again, and skilled people will do it at a very fast pace. It's slightly harder than it looks, especially if for the one turning over the mochi as it can be very hot and must be done quickly or your hand will be pounded by the incoming hammers.


KANPUMASATSU
I just wrote this as "dry towel body scrubbing" or something on the video because.....well that's what it is. 
Here's an explanation of what it is and why they do it:

http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/03/03/dry-towel-friction/


ASHURAMAN
Ashuraman is a character off the popular manga Kinniku-man. He has three faces; one on the front, and one on each side of his head. That's why he was mentioned by Ueda.



Monday, 20 February 2012

Video Subbing [REQUEST]: NOT INCULDING AKB48 IDOL SPORTS CARNIVAL from Mecha Mecha Iketeru! (2011.09.17)

 Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I last posted here compared to usual. I was away for a bit doing other stuff.
So anyway, here's the latest video sub job. This time it's a show that I haven't subbed before, but an extremely popular show in Japan called Mecha Mecha Iketeru! (aka Mecha Ike). It means something like "Super Super Cool" kind of thing and is hosted by the comedy duo 'Ninety-nine' and a bunch of other lesser known comedians. Ninety-nine consists of Okamura Takashi and Yabe Hiroyuki and shot to stardom with this show. To be honest, the show isn't quite what it used to be like back in the 90's when they did a lot of crazy funny stuff. I think it has been toned down a lot now because censorship has become much more strict in Japan nowadays. Also, Okamura who is the life blood of the show was hospitalized last year and has seemed to lost quite a bit of his characteristic hyperactive energy. I'm intending on subtitling some hilarious older episodes eventually so keep an eye out for those.

This one was a requested episode where they have an 'Idol Sports Carnival Not Including AKB48'. You may know that AKB48 are right now the undisputed top idol group in Japan and dominate TV and music. Well this episode features the other moderately popular idols (although no Morning Musume either) battle it out at some challenges. Here's the list of contestants:

S/mileage
IDOLING!
PASSPO
SUPER☆GIRLS
Berryz Koubou
Nakano Fujoshi Sisters
SDN48
Ebisu Muscats 

Just thought you should know beforehand that Ebisu Muscats are a group with 50% AV stars and 50% gravure idols.
Well anyway, it's a fairly funny episode but you may be annoyed by some of the girls......


GET FROM MEDIAFIRE [294 MB]



TRANSLATION NOTES
I'm sure there were more than this but oh well.

MONSTER PARENTS
Monster parents are described as parents who repeatedly make unreasonable demands to their children’s school and prevent it from functioning normally. Like demanding a teacher to be fired because he has a speaks in a different dialect. There's a TV drama about something like that actually...

GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!


YABECCHI FC
Yabecchi FC is a soccer show hosted by Yabe Hiroyuki of Ninety-nine. As Yabe hosts this without his comedy partner, Okamura is often teased about this. That's why he was extra angry (said "Shut up!") when the girl mentioned it.



DICK DRUM
You possibly may have used your imagination to understand what this was? Well I'll explain it anyway lol
If a male did that Jamaican dance movement, his .......dick would slap onto both of his thighs and be like a drum.

Not really a good idea to post a picture of actual dick drumming so.....

Tuesday, 14 February 2012

Video Subbing: AMETALK (2010.06.17) Baki the Grappler Comedians



Here's another episode of the show, Ametalk. This time they talk about the popular fighting manga, "Baki the Grappler". It's kind of similar to the other episodes I've subbed how they talk about stuff you probably won't understand. It's still quite funny though, and I hope you watch and like it.






GET The vid [262 MB]



Friday, 10 February 2012

Video Subbing [REQUEST]: Aramaki Yoko on Shabekuri 007 (2011.10.24)

Bonjour!

Here's another requested Shabekuri 007. It's only the second half of the 2011.10.24 episode featuring Aramaki Yoko. The guest before her was Watanabe Naomi, a young female comedian, which was moderately funny but wasn't requested/couldn't be bothered. (-_-). If someone wants it, they can request it, although I'm sure there are many more that are much better to do instead.

'Monomane' means impersonations and is a much more popular form of entertainment in Japan than most other countries. I don't know why though. They even have annual competitions at the end of the year and a few others throughout to decide who the best 'monomane' artist in Japan is. They type of monomane artists can usually be broken up into two categories, a comedic or a serious one. Comedic ones are usually originally comedians who have discovered that they have a knack for impersonating and so then make skits and such involving famous people. The serious type however, sing seriously and usually have good singing skills too.

This current guest, Aramaki Yoko, falls under the 'serious type' and is quite a newcomer to the business. However, she has quickly risen to the top grade group for her singing abilities and skill at capturing the distinct peculiarities of the voices she impersonates. You probably won't know most of the people she does impersonate, but I can tell you confidently that she is very good.

GET FROM MEDIAFIRE [188 MB]


Shabekuri 007 [2011.10.24] Aramaki Yoko by juxtapose31


SONG LIST
Here's a list of the songs and links to youtube vids of them.


Members' Choices

HITOMI - LOVE 2000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iVauHaI4Eg

MISIA- AITAKUTE IMA
Great song by MISIA, and was used as theme song for the drama 'JIN'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAg7_P0vBtc&feature=related


OTSUKA AI- PLANETARIUM
Was a nice theme song for the super popular drama, 'Hana Yori Dango'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFdT_cIQ-5I


SAKAMOTO FUYUMI- MATA KIMI NI KOI SHITERU
An excellent enka style track. Really nice song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0BRKQbVTug

YASHIRO AKI - FUNAUTA
Another nice enka track
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO4zAkps9UE&feature=related

SHIMABUKRO HIROKO - WHITE LOVE
Former member of popular girl group SPEED.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIi5RgBPDXk

YAGAMI JUNKO - MIZUIRO NO AME
This one was very well impersonted.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej7_Yj2ph88

OGURO MAKI - LA LA LA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoC9Tc6Cwjg&feature=related



10 Successive Impersonations

HAMASAKI AYUMI - M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxMRwemx5WQ&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL8DF66D20D23FED97

MIHIMARU GT - KIBUN JOUJOU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS16c-ls3SM

HIRAHARA AYAKA - JUPITER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEZWyW4b4W8


OGURO MAKI - ATSUKU NARE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfDtiyYD-ek

ISHIKAWA SAYURI - AMAGI GOE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3f3LBWxGh0&feature=related

NISHINO KANA - AITAKUTE AITAKUTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6KLmKErVNQ

EVERY LITTLE THING- TIME GOES BY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YGPJWcQvm0

CHARA- YASASHII KIMOCHI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OJP42UyDlo

KODA KUMI - CUTIE HONEY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvpkUHTTmDA

HIROSE KOUMI - ROMANCE NO KAMISAMA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzupowzHzAc&feature=related

Thursday, 9 February 2012

Five Japanese Movies You Should Watch

 
Hey there, I thought I might do one of those rare written posts that sometimes appear on this blog. To be honest I'm a little too lazy to write in depth about one particular thing.....and I can't really think of something to write about. So here's another one of those five item lists that I've been doing recently.

Most previous things that I've written about have been about music so I'll try something slightly different this time.........So movies. Five of them. That I enjoyed and would like to recommend. Think of it as my 'Tsutaya 007' for those who are familiar with Shabekuri 007. Too bad you probably don't have a Tsutaya to go borrow your movies, but I suppose the internet will be a more than adequate replacement....

These aren't in any particular order and not exactly my favourite top five. Just some that I recommend from various genres.

TASTE OF TEA 
(茶の味 CHA NO AJI)



'Taste of Tea' was a very nice surprise of a movie. I wasn't really expecting anything of it as it just somehow made it's way onto my computer from someone's hard drive. I watched it as I had nothing better to do. It doesn't really have a 'story' in the traditional sense but rather has several little unusual stories of each member of the Haruno family, who live in the beautiful Japanese countryside of Tochigi Prefecture. For example, about Sachiko, the young girl of the family who keeps seeing a giant sized copy of herself, or Hajime and his experiences of girls, puberty and playing Go (board game). This may sound random and not very exciting well....that's true, but mainly because I only mentioned it in this short amount on text. Obviously you won't get gun toting and car chasing kind of action but you'll get a nice, feel good comedy. The tempo of the movie is really kind of consistent with the name of the title too. Slow but pleasant, like when you drink tea. There are also  a number of surreal scenes that may appeal to some and it may deter other people. Personally I like quirky things like that. Even if you don't, this movie will have other things that will appeal to you as it has many unexpected comedic moments that suddenly have you chuckling/snorting slightly. Not sure that this description made it sound particularly great but....it's kind of hard movie to explain. Nevertheless, it is good and you should give it a chance.  

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CONFESSIONS
(KOKUHAKU 告白)



Confessions is a dark psychological thriller. It starts off strangely, inside a classroom with a teacher giving a lecture about life to noisy teenagers who aren't listening. That bit is kind of slow and boring......and then it suddenly changes completely, when she says that someone in the classroom killed her young daughter. Her daughter (played by Ashida Mana) was found drowned in the school pool, and although it was ruled as being an accidental death, the mother is convinced that she was murdered by some people in the class. She then gives an account of how that was done, and points out suspects before threatening them that she will get her revenge. She then and scares them by putting something in their lunch milk (in a way I won't tell you) and quits her job. The story then continues from the next semester with a new replacement teacher and follows the lives of the two suspected boys, one of which is an evil mofo and plans to kill more people. Little does he know that everything he is doing is according to his former teachers plan to exact sweet revenge on him......

This is a dark movie. Some people may be disturbed by it but it's not the worst thing that has been made on film. I've also heard opinions that it's too slow, and, also uses too much slow motion, or uses it inappropriately. I didn't really notice it though. Anyway, you should watch it and judge for yourself.....

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SEVEN SAMURAI
(SHICHININ NO SAMURAI 七人の侍)



Well, you've probably heard of this one. The film by legendary filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa is widely regarded as a masterpiece and one of the greatest films ever to be made. It is in black and white and may be too old in style for many modern viewers to enjoy, but it is a very beautifully shot (even for now actually) and edited one for it's time.

It' is set in the feudal times of Japan when bandits pillaged and samurai were the main authority figures. The story is about a village that gets raided by bandits who just stop short of destroying it before deciding that it will be better to leave it and return several months later when their crops are harvested. Faced with the knowledge that their resources are just going to be plundered as soon as they get them, two villagers set out to the city in hopes of employing samurai to defend them. However, because they only have food to offer as payment they obviously have trouble finding any willing people, until they convince a charismatic veteran warrior who then searches and persuades five other warriors to join the battle, which might even ultimately be their last.

This part of the movie is interesting but there is also an epic battle scene when they clash with the bandits towards the end. It's amazing how black and white can make images look so dramatic, and it's especially intense in the scenes where it's raining heavily and the ground is muddy.

You should check out this classic tale of courageous heroes just to see what all the praise is about....
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FIREWORKS

(HANABI 花火)



This is a film directed by Kitano Takeshi, also known as Beat Takeshi in Japan. He was originally a manzai comedian in the duo 'Two Beat' before becoming an incredibly successful TV host/personality alone. He was one of the biggest stars of Japanese entertainment through the 70's~90's and is still a very highly respected figure in the industry. Amid controversy in Japan, he began to direct movies, and released his debut work in 1989 with Violent Cop. It was canned by the media at the time but is now a cult favourite in the West, along with the rest of Takeshi's work. This movie, Hanabi (Fireworks in American release) was released in 1997 and won the Golden Lion and the Venice Film Festival bringing him attention from the West.

It is about a violent cop who retires after an incident that renders his partner into a wheelchair and then takes up looking after his wife who suffers from leukemia. Pretty dull sounding? Well yeah sorta. But something about it is beautiful. The way you can tell that he obviously loves his wife without him saying it is touching, despite knowing that he can suddenly burst into a fit of brutal violence against the Yakuza that come to reclaim a debt that he must pay. The soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi is also excellent and matches the film wonderfully, The theme song 'Hanabi' must be one of my favourite songs by him actually. Like most of the other films here, it's probably suited for the general person's taste, but there's no harm in taking a look.....

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SUMO DO, SUMO DON'T

SHIKO FUNJATTA しこふんじゃった。



This is a movie that anyone can watch and enjoy (finally). It's a comedy about a group of misfit males in a university sumo club that is close to being closed. Despite having a rich and successful history, the club only had one member until the lead character is forced to join or be kicked out of university for his poor grades. From there the two go about desperately attempting to recruit other club members so that they can compete in a tournament. The first time I watched this was when I was only about 9~10, so it's a great memory of my childhood. I remember mimicking one of the guys that always get's diarrhea when it's his turn to fight and runs off in a hurry lol......It's a very entertaining movie, and is fun to watch. The title in Japanese is 'Shiko Funjatta', which means, 'I Stepped Shiko'. Shiko is a ceremonial feet stamping thing that Sumo do before matches, as it is supposed to drive evil spirits away. 

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Well I hope you find some movies that will interest you in this list. And hopefully when you watch them, you'll like them.... I know I did. Well until we meet again (won't be long) see you!

Monday, 6 February 2012

Video Subbing [REQUEST]: Abingdon Boys School on MUSIC FIGHTER (2009.02.27)


Heya peeps

Here's another video for people who want it?
You might be wondering why it was so soon after the previous video. That's because I had been gradually doing this one slowly and finally finished it today.

It's an episode of the show, MUSIC FIGHTER featuring the band ABINGDON BOYS SCHOOL. Many of you may know of the vocalist, T.M. Revolution from his solo work as he is a very successful artist. They are quite a cool band, well obviously depends on your taste of music but you should at least check them out if you're interested. They seem to have a lot of non Japanese fans from what I've read in various places of the internet.

So yeah~, here it is.

GET FROM MEDIAFIRE [113 MB]


Music Fighter Abingdon Boys school by juxtapose31

Here's the song "STRENGTH" they were going to play on the show.

Credit to jehrolgi for uploading onto youtube


TRANSLATION NOTES

MIWA AKIHIRO
Miwa Akihiro is a very famous singer/ movie star of the Showa period. He is a cross dressing male, and one of the first and biggest gay celebrities of Japan. I've actually done a little post about him/her, HERE



MONSTER HUNTER
Monster Hunter is a super awesome game, mainly popular for the handheld psp version as you can easily link up with friends and go 'hunting' together. Apparently a lot of Japanese celebrities also played it. Basically you go around hunting down dragons and other exotic monsters with an array of weapons you can choose from and upgrade. Sounds like an ordinary idea for a game. Well it is, but it's still super special awesome.



TAKOYAKI
Takoyaki is a food that is a symbol of Osaka/Kansai region. Basically its a ball made out of octopus and batter. Common toppings are katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings), green shallots, takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise. It is also seems to be a name given to this hand sign when you put it up to your face.


 I've never heard of it before this so maybe it's a Kansai thing? Who knows. Anyway, this is what real takoyaki look like.


SENNIN  
A sennin is an old hermit/wizard guy that usually lives secluded on top of mountains. They appear in mythology as wise men who are experts in many things such as magic, martial arts, etc. Typical appearance is similar to a Western wizard. Generally an old man with a long white beard (but bald head) and carries a staff. Think Master Roshi from Dragonball. He's actually called Kame-sennin (Turtle Sennin) in Japanese. They're supposed to spend most of their time meditating, and generally people meditate in the lotus position. Hence why one of the guys called SUNAO a sennin.

Saturday, 4 February 2012

Video Subbing: Suberanai Hanashi 2 (2005.03.29)


Hello again, hope you've been good.

It felt like it took a while subbing this episode of Suberanai Hanashi compared to the previous one. It's not quite as funny and has a few unmemorable ones....but also still had some hilarious stories too.

GET FROM MEDIAFIRE [242 MB]


Suberanai Hanashi 2 (2005.03.29) by juxtapose31


TRANSLATION NOTES

SHIMAKI JOUJI + NGK
Shimaki Jouji is a veteran comedian now mainly known for his role in the Yoshimoto Shin-kigeki, a comedic stage play performed at the Namba Grand Kagetsu. One of his staple jokes involve banging his head with a pair of ash trays.

Observe from the youtube.....





YAMAMOTO KANSAI
He is a famous fashion designer, mainly noted for his avante garde designs. Among his works include costumes for David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust tour.



UETO AYA
You might know of her. She's a very famous, cute faced actress and appears in so many commercials that she is known as the CM Queen.

GOT MILK?

AIKAWA SHO
Is a very famous actor, mainly known for his yakuza roles and v-cinema movies. V-cinema are direct to video movies of Japan. There is less censorship of this type of movie so you usually get the experimental types and ultra violent stories with these videos. Anyway, he is/was one of the biggest stars.



BLIND PILE
A blind pile is a lump from when a part of the wall in you anus gets swollen.

Hemorrhoids is a scary illness....I'm not gonna go into a lesson but you can research yourselves....