Translator’s notes Parts 1-4

Howdy, gaki fans! Marga speaking 🙂

Since Part 7 is out and the new website is looking good, we can only wait for Part 8 now, so I thought it would be a good moment to post the tranlator’s notes that some people were requesting.

PART 1

SCHOOL WARS:
School Wars is a 2004 movie set in the mid 70, about a japanese rugby teacher, who turned-around a failing high school in Kyoto (Kawahama High School), giving special attention to the rugby team, which included the most disruptive students among its members.

 

HAKA CHANT:
I’m pretty sure most of you know this already but the Haka Chant is an ancestral war cry from New Zeland that the rubgy team made widely known because they perform it before games. A video here:

 

KINPACHI SENSEI:
The way the “enthusiastic teachers” are dressed isn’t random, they are imitating the look of “Kinpachi sensei”, the lead in the Kinpachi sensei tv series. The show is about Kinpachi Sakamoto (played by Takeda Tetsuya), a teacher who tries to deal with issues like delinquency, homosexuality, gender identity disorder, psychological pregnancy, bulling, etc, using a blend of charisma, honesty, humor and wit. The series began in 1979, and over the span of 32 years, it has spawned 8 series. The series ended in 2011.

 

SEKINE TSUTOMU – Osugi & Piko

Sekine Tsutomu is a very known comedian and actor and in this bit he’s impersonating Osugi, a famous “talento” and movie critic. Osugi guests often in variety shows with his twin brother Piko, and they are usually very mean and very sharp xD They’re both openly gay, and while Osugi is more interested in films, Piko is a fashion critic. If you want to tell them apart, I think Piko normally wears orange tinted sunglasses.
By the way, as it’s said in the video, Sekine’s ex-manager is currently dating Endo.

 

COWCOW
Cowcow is a comedy duo, but either they’re not very popular or they’re new, cause I don’t know them at all xD Yamada is the Tsukomi and Tada the boke. His most famous act is “Atarimae Taisou” or “Obvious exercise” where they say a bunch of really obvious stuff and common things and that’s what makes it funny. In this youtube video they start with things like “if you put your right foot on the front and then your left foot… you end up walking” and “if you bend your knees together… you end up sitting”. In the gaki video, they do a version of this act but with “Obvious Endo”.
Here for the curious:

PART 2:

HIROSHI – MANDA HISAKO:
Manda Hisako is a Japanese actress. She was the Japanese representative at Miss Universe 1978 in Acapulco, Mexico, but did not advance to the semifinals. Her most recent job was an appearance in two episodes in Rich Man Poor Woman tv series last year. In this year’s special she’s mimicking Hiroshi, a comedian that looks like a host who is famous for his dismal stand-up act. His skit always follows the same formula: A simple introduction followed by a recollection of past and present pitiful episodes in his life after which he repeats, “I am Hiroshi” (Hiroshi desu), while Italian singer Peppino Gagliardi’s “Che vuole questa musica stasera” plays in the background. Hisako simply just changes the name and says “Hisako desu” instead of “Hiroshi desu”.
Here’s a video of Hiroshi for the curious. Some of his lines:
Hiroshi speaking. I was caught up in the middle of a cat fight.
Hiroshi speaking. I don’t understand the difference between café au lait and cafe latte.

 

TAKENAKA NAOTO:
Takenaka is an actor, comedian, singer and director. He can also do impressions. I know him as the “weird music director” in Nodame Cantabile’s live action series, but you might know him from other movies like Kurosagi, Mutant Girls Squad, or Good Luck!!. I don’t know if it’s only my impression but his characters are always very weird and extravagant! But always funny:

 

KOSHINO JUNKO:
At some point, Matsumoto tells Hamada that he looks like Koshino Junko with that wig. I don’t know her (she’s a designer it seems), but after a quick google search, this image came up. You be the judge:

 

PART 3:

No translation’s notes needed in this part.

 

PART 4:

SENRYUU:

Senryuu is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction. Senryuu tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryuu are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious.

 

FAMOUS PEOPLE IN THE TEACHERS’ MEETING:

Chairman – Suzuki Sawa – Vice Chairman – Hakata Daikichi
Suzuki Sawa is a famous actress, and Hakata Daikichi a famous comedian. Nothing interesting to say about these two.

Panzetta Girolamo
Girolamo is an italian “talento”, and does everything from dramas to cooking shows. He’s a womanizer and dresses very stylishly.

Chousuu Riki
Japanese professional wrestler of Korean descent. Considered one of the most influential wrestlers in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s and known as the first wrestler to popularize the sasori gatame, better known in English as “scorpion deathlock” or “sharpshooter”.

Tenryuu Genichiro
He’s also a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling.

Oshima Miyuki
She’s a comedian from trio Morisanchuu. If you don’t know about her, you haven’t seen enough japanese variety! Things I know about her: She loves watching korean dramas and korean idols, and she’s in love with Arashi’s Matsumoto. She’s funny, and nice, and Hamada enjoys hitting her and gropping her :/

Kohinata Shie
You can see in the video that she’s Tanaka’s wife. She’s also an actress and a singer.  I think her main activity right now is dubbing. Here’s one of her songs:

 

MATSUKO DELUXE:

Matsuko is a gay Japanese columnist, essayist, and tarento known for his cross-dressing stage persona.  He currently hosts and guests in a lot of shows and is very popular.  Most of you probably know him already from past Batsus.

 

 

That’s it. Parts 5-7 probably will be ready around tomorrow. Have a nice day and if you have any doubts or anything, leave a comment! 🙂

 

Marga.