Tell me what you watch on TV
Authentic Japan in Gyakuten Saiban pt.7
Wow, an update! What a twist.
But seriously, I've brought you a new installment in the «Authentic Japan in Gyakuten Saiban» series. This time, we'll be talking about the animation referenced in this franchise.
The dialogues I'm referring to are triggered in case 2-4, when Naruhodō and the Ayasato sisters arrive at the banquet at the Banto Hotel at the very beginning of the episode. And all this before the dialogue with the actor for Tonosaman (the Steel Samurai), so if possible, don't open all the dialogue with Mayoi just yet, but poke around the location (so you can check for yourself). By the way, I'll be referring to and translating the Steel Samurai as «Tonosaman», just to avoid confusion.
ああ、ホント、今日はユメみたいだなあ。
Ah, seriously, today feels just like a dream.
いろんなヒーローにスター、カントクさんまで見られたし。
We got to see all kinds of heroes, stars, and even the director.
ぼくはほとんど知らなかったぞ。
Well, I barely knew anything about it myself.
ダメだなー、なるほどくん。ニュースばっかり見てちゃ。
That's no good, Naruhodo-kun. You shouldn't spend all your time just watching the news.
日曜日の朝8時はトノサマン・丙でキマリ!
Sunday mornings at 8 AM are officially locked in for Steel Samurai: Third Generation! (Tonosaman: Hei)
Hei (丙) is the third character in the ancient Chinese system of cyclic characters (ten stems). In modern Japanese pop culture, it is often used to denote a third season, a third version, or a new generation of heroes. And as we know, Tonosaman and Himesaman already have a son – Wakasaman, who was translated in the localization as «Iron Infant» for some reason, although he is actually a «young master» – wakasama (若様). (Someone in their head heard Sebek shouting in admiration of Young Master Malleus, and someone else heard Agni trying to reason with Prince Soma.)
そうだ! 来週からいっしょに見ようよ。
I know! Let's watch it together starting next week.
At this time, Naruhodō is not yet enlightened by the Tonosaman franchise, as his knowledge of them is limited to a former client and nothing more, so he's not particularly interested in people from the industry (he firmly adheres to the rule: I don't need to know about this yet). But he always watches the news to keep up with what's going on in the country (which is actually quite useful for a lawyer). So Mayoi decides to take matters into her own hands:
あたし、たたき起こしてあげるから。
Don't worry, I'll beat you out of bed to make sure you're up.
Haha, but the problem is that Tonosaman is broadcast at 8 AM on Sunday, which, judging by Naruhodō's reaction, is quite early for him.
But apparently, everything is solved by brute force:
たたき起こして (tatakiokoshite) is a verbal expression of 叩き起こす (tatakiokosu).
Composed of 叩く (tataku - to hit, to beat) + 起こす (okosu - to wake). It means «to unceremoniously shake», «to lift from bed by force», «to knock out of sleep».
As I would say in the same context: «will you kick me?» (meaning «wake me up at the right time», not something truly terrifying).
････いいよ、気をつかってくれなくても･･･。
…It's fine, you really don't have to go out of your way for my sake…
Okay, I promised to tell you about the animation, not dwell on the fact that Naruhodō is still asleep on Sundays at 8 AM.
はみちゃん、知らないの?《トノサマン・丙(へい)!》。
Hami-chan, you've never heard of it? It's «Tonosaman: Hei (Third Generation)!»
はい。わたくし、日曜日はもっぱら 『世界こども名作劇場』を……。
Yes. On Sundays, I devote myself exclusively to the «World Children's Masterpiece Theater»…
It's noteworthy that here Harumi (whom Mayoi calls «Hami-chan») uses the word もっぱら (moppara). This means «exclusively», «to do nothing but…», «to devote oneself entirely to something», emphasizing Harumi's proper, old-fashioned, and modest upbringing (her personal address «watakushi» already speaks volumes, even though she's only eight years old).
Meanwhile, Mayoi has surprisingly absorbed all of modern culture and is replete with slang and loanwords on par with the Kansai dialect.
ダメだよ、はみちゃん。ヤングはみんな、トノサマンなの!
That won't do, Hami-chan! All the cool youth watch Tonosaman!
なるほどくんもやはり、トノサマンがお好きなのですка?
Do you also happen to be a fan of the Tonosaman, Naruhodo-kun?
あー、ダメダメ。なるほどくん、 もうヤングじゃないから。
Ah, no way, no way. Naruhodo-kun isn't part of the «youth» anymore.
She excludes Naruhodo from the ヤング (yangu) group. This word is a direct loanword from English («young»). In Japanese in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, this word was used as slightly ironic or, conversely, playful slang for «advanced youth» or as a designation for media/magazines/etc. for young men/women (for example, there's the magazine Young Gangan (ヤングガンガン), which published things like DARKER THAN BLACK and WORKING!!).
I'm not very good with English slang and haven't kept up with all the latest trends (Naruhodo🤝), but now it's something like «woke» or «slay»? (While searching for examples, I discovered that I'm apparently now a «chuegy» lol).
By the way, by that logic, Mitsurugi is quite «advanced» since he's captivated by Tonosaman's charm.
そうだな。ぼくは『世界こども名作劇場』のほうが好きだけど。
True. Though personally, I actually prefer the «World Children's Masterpiece Theater».
うわあ。 お子さまだねー、なるほどくんは。
Wow, what a total kid you are, Naruhodo-kun.
Here, Mayoi calls Naruhodo お子さま (Oko-sama), which is a respectful form of 子供 (Kodomo - child). But this is literally just another insult we hear from Mayoi directed at Naruhodo. I don't know how to translate this into a single word (slaaaaaang), but it literally means «you look like you've just crawled out of kindergarten».
Now, let's get to the program that the «uncool» Naruhodō and Harumi watch on Sundays.
It's called 世界こども名作劇場 (Sekai Kodomo Meisaku Gekijou - World Children's Masterpiece Theater), a direct reference to the real-life program 世界名作劇場 (Sekai Meisaku Gekijou – World Masterpiece Theater), which sometimes appears under the abbreviation 名劇 (Meigeki).
It aired on Fuji Television from 1975-1997 and from 2007-2009 in prime time (7:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.) and was produced by Nippon Animation. It was preceded by Calpis Comic Theater (running from 1969 to 1974), then Calpis Children's Theater (1975 to 1977), and immediately before that, Calpis Family Theater (1978-1979).
The first series aired under the World Masterpiece Theater title was Anne of Green Gables in 1979.
At this time, the official websites of both the animation studio and the program itself list DOG OF FLANDERS (1975) as the first series created for this program block. This happened because production of the series, starting with episode 21, transferred from ZUIYO Co., Ltd. to Nippon Animation (employees of the former company founded the latter). Therefore, DOG OF FLANDERS formally continued to air in the Calpis Children's Theater program block, but it was produced by a different studio, as were three other series that followed.
By the way, you can find the full list of programs here (the Nippon Animation website) and here (the World Masterpiece Theater website itself).
Each series has between 26 and 52 episodes (not including feature films). The timeslot showcased a different classical book or story from European or North American children's literature each year.
We can only assume that this is most likely how Naruhodō spent his Sunday evenings (the game doesn't discuss the airing times of this particular program, but we know about Tonosaman), so his interests aren't limited to watching the news. Naruhodō is generally quite secretive – you have to listen carefully to discover his interests. The very fact that he's incredibly strong, can play poker well, perform simple magic tricks and acrobatics, has a keen appreciation of art, and is adept at making his interlocutors or opponents listen to him speaks volumes about his background (I'd like to clarify a couple of facts in Japanese, but few people check the details I need in letsplays, so I'll have to dig around and search from scratch).
So, that's the kind of reference to classic Japanese animation that was presented to us in a somewhat veiled form. I'd love to see your comments and reblogs!
blakekathryn
titsay
germansingergirl
areudirty
romaincrisis
