Due to more technical difficulties, I was not able to get my release out of Sunday. I thought I'd solved my video splitting problem, but those videos don't work in my subtitler. So I'm either off to find a new video splitter capable of splitting all the files I have, or I'm off to find a new subtitling program.
Anyways, I've managed to get you this week's BBB. This skit involves Hamada playing a business man who frequents a certain hotel on his trips. In his first visit, he was introduced to a friendly spirit, played by Matsumoto, who loves to play games and have fun with guests.
This is their second encounter and Hamada makes it known that he doesn't mind the haunted room.
I personally love moments like these shown in this clip. Sometimes Matsumoto's over-the-top personality even surprises Hamada, and they've been working together for years. The skits on Gottsu Ee Kanji are very special in that there's usually no completely solid script for the skits they do in studio. Usually someone starts laughing in an inappropriate place or someone gets hit. You can see that both Hamada and Matsumoto love toying with each other sometimes. Although they don't hang around each other in their spare time, they do seem to enjoy the time the spend working as a comedy team. You can't really ask for more than that.
And in what's becoming a usual around here: The BBB Topic of discussion! Um. . . Talk about your most memorable hotel experiences.
For me, it had to be my trip to Mexico when I was little. I was not used to geckos, but apparently they are pretty common in the Mexico. The outside of the hotel was covered in them. Okay, that was heavy exaggeration, but there were a few of them. Being foreigners, my family didn't really know about them, and freaked out whenever we saw one. The staff at the hotel, being Mexican natives, looked at us like we were wimpy idiots but tried to assure us that geckos were completely harmless and pose no threat. So we just figured we'd stay in our rooms when not sight-seeing, and we'd see as few geckos as possible. So the first night, after a long day of delayed flights and such, my father and I both laid down to go to sleep. The layout of the room should be fairly familiar: It's two beds with a nightstand in between with a lamp on it, all along a wall. Like this, with B being a bed and N being the nightstand:
____
B N B
My father and I both laid down facing the nightstand, and as soon as we did, we saw about 9 geckos clinging onto the back of the nightstand staring back at us. Needless to say that a 10-year old boy and a grown man have never shrieked so loudly in the history of Mexican tourism.
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Showing posts with label Itsuji Itao. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Itsuji Itao. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Eating with Kouji-chan!
It's time once again for another BlackGaki Boredom Breaker! *clap clap clap*
This week, we have another quick one from Gottsu Ee Kanji. (I promise I'll do something other than Gottsu Ee Kanji next week. I have some stuff I want to do, but I haven't been motivated enough to rummage through all the video files to find them.)
This time, the loving family tries to feed the young Kouji, played by the aptly named Kouji Imada, with apples.
This whole skit shows you how much fun you can have with a hole in the floor.
The first woman, I have no clue who she is. Perhaps an extra, even though an extra wasn't needed since Ryouko (the one in the red) didn't do anything. However, as for the rest of the line-up:
Grandma: YOU
Grandpa: Takahiro Kurano
Dad: Itsuji Itao
Other lady (in red): Ryouko Shinohara
Baby Kouji: Kouji Imada
EDITED 7/3 to add: The woman in black is Yayoi Nishihata. She joins Gottsu Ee Kanji as a regular during later seasons.
Short and sweet indeed, but THAT'S CHILD ABUSE, ITAO!
In an effort to spark conversation around here... hrm... Spankings: Okay or not? If okay, how young is too young? Proceed with discussion.
Read more!
This week, we have another quick one from Gottsu Ee Kanji. (I promise I'll do something other than Gottsu Ee Kanji next week. I have some stuff I want to do, but I haven't been motivated enough to rummage through all the video files to find them.)
This time, the loving family tries to feed the young Kouji, played by the aptly named Kouji Imada, with apples.
This whole skit shows you how much fun you can have with a hole in the floor.
The first woman, I have no clue who she is. Perhaps an extra, even though an extra wasn't needed since Ryouko (the one in the red) didn't do anything. However, as for the rest of the line-up:
Grandma: YOU
Grandpa: Takahiro Kurano
Dad: Itsuji Itao
Other lady (in red): Ryouko Shinohara
Baby Kouji: Kouji Imada
EDITED 7/3 to add: The woman in black is Yayoi Nishihata. She joins Gottsu Ee Kanji as a regular during later seasons.
Short and sweet indeed, but THAT'S CHILD ABUSE, ITAO!
In an effort to spark conversation around here... hrm... Spankings: Okay or not? If okay, how young is too young? Proceed with discussion.
Read more!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Ittsuji Shopping!
Hello Readers.
When I tried to sub the planned episode, I was getting the same problem I had with the "Matsumoto and Eri" episodes, where it thinks it's only an audio file when I try to split it. So, I went on to the next episode, but will return when I figure this out. So I got it done in a day, there's a small part or two with a sub gap, but I'll fill that in later.
On a PSA-type note, be sure to tell the people you love that you love them early and often. No one has passed away yet, but my grandfather's mental health is deteriorating. He's confused half the time and belligerent the other half. He took some joyride 4 hours away from home on his own and got stranded on the side of the road when he ran out of gas, and refused most of the help offered to him. Police had to bring him home (not under arrest, though, so one minor plus). It hurts to tell someone you've known your whole life that you love them, and they can't remember who you are. The only reason he probably thinks I'm related to him is because I look just like my uncle. In fact, he calls my by his name even though I'm 22, and his son would be in his 50's now. So, just as a small forewarning, if my posting here is late, sporadic, crappy, or just generally absent for a while, there's a reason. Probably family business to take care of.
Anyway, I'm just going to put the videos and after the jump.
Ah, the Gaki No Tsukai dressing room. The beginning for many a hilarious episode of Gaki No Tsukai. And with sitting in the dressing room comes... no, not dressing (oddly). . . it's insulting Yamazaki! Even better than the prospect nekkid or half-nekkid middle aged men! And in from the shadows of the corner of the screen comes none other than... Itsuji Itao! (Okay, if you couldn't guess who it is after reading the title of this post, you either don't know who Itao is or you're the person the short bus stopped by the blog for. I'll tell the driver to wait for you when school starts.) And with Itao is his usual entourage of his "wife" and "kid". These are the new wife and kids, and the Itao's first appearance back on the show after the "divorce" from his more popular wife. But this one looks pretty similar to the old one as far as body shape goes, but shows more facial expression. She seems to have slight comprehension of Japanese, if you talk slow. Anyway, they come in their Betty Boop printed wardrobe which has become a signature for Itao on the show. (He doesn't wear Betty Boop clothing on any of the other shows he appears on. Perhaps it's meant to be a trademark of the whole family as a whole? Wife doesn't appear on other shows except Gaki No Tsukai.)
This time, as per usual, there's an introduction of the new wife and kid, and then the unveiling of Itsuji's brilliant plan for making a quick buck. This time, he's invented an Internet shopping show called Ittsuji Shopping, and he wants to pitch it in hopes that SOMEONE (read as "anyone close-by with money") will buy it.
After the intro, Itao's all decked out in a nice suit *SLICK!* and he's ready to introduce the product of the hour! Today's product will be Erection King! The miracle product promises to cure erectile dysfunction and help save marriages.
In the spirit of infomercials and general love of innuendo on TV, there's tons of phallic objects and hip thrusting motions in the introduction, followed by the testimonials of "real" customers as well as a brief summary of the invention of Erection King.
After the first introduction of the product, Itao takes some quick prods at both Endou's fairly recent divorce from Chiaki by suggesting that maybe his love isn't enough but perhaps he could just bone her back into his life, and a quick jab at Matsumoto saying that he's probably impotent. LOL WRONG, ITAO. He may be a little too potent, or else he might not be getting this semi-shotgun marriage to his fiancee.
Then Itao brings out the sweat pants. These pants are just made of awesome and win and what dreams are made of. I want a pair. Someone make some. Now. He straps these huge phallic harnesses onto Matsumoto and Hamada, and then has them try on the sweatpants that feature a Wang Sleeve. He has them running around the studio feeling the man-centric design of the pants and then they are led through some light Jazzercise-style aerobics by Itao's Wife. (I don't think Itao can really get over the incredible dancing skill and success that his last "Wife" had dancing to 80's/90's tunes.) During this part, try to notice just how many times Yamazaki looks at Downtown's simulated junk and giggles to himself. You're married now, Yama-chan? Nice cover, but I'm not buying it.
After the Flop-a-Thon on Downtown's front ends, we watch another video about Erection King's other uses. This section features a fairly well-known comedian in Japan, who is part of a comedy team composed of himself (a foreigner) and a native Japanese. I'm pretty sure his name is Chad. I think. *note to self: research this later. It's on the tip of my tongue. He's always in cheesy Japanese commercials and short films where they need someone to overreact and speak a combination of Japanese and English* Anyway, let's just say, Erection King has many uses beyond a male stimulant.
Then, Itao moves onto the stereotypical "in-studio" explanation of how Erection King cleans everything and can ever cause time paradoxes. Then in stereotypical form of informercials, they play pretty much the same video that they already showed you two or three times during the allotted period and everyone goes "We've seen this already!" And then, it's time to unveil the items that you get when you purchase Erection King. You get a ton of Erection King in different forms as well as the sweatpants all for around 20 US dollars. *ponders calling*
And then they immediately sell out of all 30,000 available units. *slams down phone frustratedly* I just wanted the sweatpants. While Itao tries to convince Suga to purchase the rights to the show, I'm going to see. . . if I can get some of those pants.
I don't believe I've had this rated before, but I'd give it a 6/10 on my rating scale It's fun for the whole fami-- okay, it's fun for the grown folks and the incredibly immature. Things like this are why Gaki doesn't come on during primetime in Japan, and what's keeping it from coming on in most places overseas. That's truly sad.
Read more!
When I tried to sub the planned episode, I was getting the same problem I had with the "Matsumoto and Eri" episodes, where it thinks it's only an audio file when I try to split it. So, I went on to the next episode, but will return when I figure this out. So I got it done in a day, there's a small part or two with a sub gap, but I'll fill that in later.
On a PSA-type note, be sure to tell the people you love that you love them early and often. No one has passed away yet, but my grandfather's mental health is deteriorating. He's confused half the time and belligerent the other half. He took some joyride 4 hours away from home on his own and got stranded on the side of the road when he ran out of gas, and refused most of the help offered to him. Police had to bring him home (not under arrest, though, so one minor plus). It hurts to tell someone you've known your whole life that you love them, and they can't remember who you are. The only reason he probably thinks I'm related to him is because I look just like my uncle. In fact, he calls my by his name even though I'm 22, and his son would be in his 50's now. So, just as a small forewarning, if my posting here is late, sporadic, crappy, or just generally absent for a while, there's a reason. Probably family business to take care of.
Anyway, I'm just going to put the videos and after the jump.
Ah, the Gaki No Tsukai dressing room. The beginning for many a hilarious episode of Gaki No Tsukai. And with sitting in the dressing room comes... no, not dressing (oddly). . . it's insulting Yamazaki! Even better than the prospect nekkid or half-nekkid middle aged men! And in from the shadows of the corner of the screen comes none other than... Itsuji Itao! (Okay, if you couldn't guess who it is after reading the title of this post, you either don't know who Itao is or you're the person the short bus stopped by the blog for. I'll tell the driver to wait for you when school starts.) And with Itao is his usual entourage of his "wife" and "kid". These are the new wife and kids, and the Itao's first appearance back on the show after the "divorce" from his more popular wife. But this one looks pretty similar to the old one as far as body shape goes, but shows more facial expression. She seems to have slight comprehension of Japanese, if you talk slow. Anyway, they come in their Betty Boop printed wardrobe which has become a signature for Itao on the show. (He doesn't wear Betty Boop clothing on any of the other shows he appears on. Perhaps it's meant to be a trademark of the whole family as a whole? Wife doesn't appear on other shows except Gaki No Tsukai.)
This time, as per usual, there's an introduction of the new wife and kid, and then the unveiling of Itsuji's brilliant plan for making a quick buck. This time, he's invented an Internet shopping show called Ittsuji Shopping, and he wants to pitch it in hopes that SOMEONE (read as "anyone close-by with money") will buy it.
After the intro, Itao's all decked out in a nice suit *SLICK!* and he's ready to introduce the product of the hour! Today's product will be Erection King! The miracle product promises to cure erectile dysfunction and help save marriages.
In the spirit of infomercials and general love of innuendo on TV, there's tons of phallic objects and hip thrusting motions in the introduction, followed by the testimonials of "real" customers as well as a brief summary of the invention of Erection King.
After the first introduction of the product, Itao takes some quick prods at both Endou's fairly recent divorce from Chiaki by suggesting that maybe his love isn't enough but perhaps he could just bone her back into his life, and a quick jab at Matsumoto saying that he's probably impotent. LOL WRONG, ITAO. He may be a little too potent, or else he might not be getting this semi-shotgun marriage to his fiancee.
Then Itao brings out the sweat pants. These pants are just made of awesome and win and what dreams are made of. I want a pair. Someone make some. Now. He straps these huge phallic harnesses onto Matsumoto and Hamada, and then has them try on the sweatpants that feature a Wang Sleeve. He has them running around the studio feeling the man-centric design of the pants and then they are led through some light Jazzercise-style aerobics by Itao's Wife. (I don't think Itao can really get over the incredible dancing skill and success that his last "Wife" had dancing to 80's/90's tunes.) During this part, try to notice just how many times Yamazaki looks at Downtown's simulated junk and giggles to himself. You're married now, Yama-chan? Nice cover, but I'm not buying it.
After the Flop-a-Thon on Downtown's front ends, we watch another video about Erection King's other uses. This section features a fairly well-known comedian in Japan, who is part of a comedy team composed of himself (a foreigner) and a native Japanese. I'm pretty sure his name is Chad. I think. *note to self: research this later. It's on the tip of my tongue. He's always in cheesy Japanese commercials and short films where they need someone to overreact and speak a combination of Japanese and English* Anyway, let's just say, Erection King has many uses beyond a male stimulant.
Then, Itao moves onto the stereotypical "in-studio" explanation of how Erection King cleans everything and can ever cause time paradoxes. Then in stereotypical form of informercials, they play pretty much the same video that they already showed you two or three times during the allotted period and everyone goes "We've seen this already!" And then, it's time to unveil the items that you get when you purchase Erection King. You get a ton of Erection King in different forms as well as the sweatpants all for around 20 US dollars. *ponders calling*
And then they immediately sell out of all 30,000 available units. *slams down phone frustratedly* I just wanted the sweatpants. While Itao tries to convince Suga to purchase the rights to the show, I'm going to see. . . if I can get some of those pants.
I don't believe I've had this rated before, but I'd give it a 6/10 on my rating scale It's fun for the whole fami-- okay, it's fun for the grown folks and the incredibly immature. Things like this are why Gaki doesn't come on during primetime in Japan, and what's keeping it from coming on in most places overseas. That's truly sad.
Read more!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Itao's Car Crash!
(Original Airdate 7/18/1999)
Hello, hello! It's time, once again, for the Gaki members to let out some pent-up aggression with a dodgeball match. In commemoration of a new summer, the Gaki members head to a nearby park to shoot. [sarcasm] And like always, when Gaki doesn't shoots on location for playing sports, they always go off without a hitch. [/sarcasm] On the way to the location shoot, several things happen.
First, the other Gaki members put Yamazaki's ticket sales out in public, which made me laugh. It makes me smile to know that not everyone's just slobbering all over his tiny, shriveled testicles like the Japanese fan-girls do with the other, more testicularly-ample members.
The second, and in my mind the less gratifying thing, is they get into a car accident. The large Gaki location bus gets into a silent, non-fatal crash, all while staying about 5 feet from the car in front of it.
Stay tuned, BlackGaki readers, you are about to witness a tale of love, spilled stew, and murder on the dodgeball court...
It was a day like any other. Five celebrities, their manager, and TV production crew head out to do a shoot on-location in a local park. And like any other day as a Gaki member, when you do an on-location shoot, there will be several things that go wrong. So, yes, this will be a day like any other.
On the way to the park, Yamazaki tries to make friendly conversation with the other members about their experiences with dodgeball. When Endou tries to be analytical, Yamazaki takes the "sarcastic-ass" route and cuts the conversation short. Matsumoto, hereby demonstrating on why everyone loves him, blasts Yamazaki's ticket sales. For some reason, I can just see these empty audiences who come to see the shows. I'd wager a bet that at least 3 of the 25 people who came to see his performance in Nagoya were in his own family. Seriously, when only 25 people show up for a show, your material must suck. Even struggling comics can pull in 35-40 if they can get a gig. I can just imagine Yamazaki not being able to pull off a gag, and then resorting to whatever the Japanese equivalent is for the "Wow, all you ladies are looking good tonight" bit. Then, by his own mention, he only managed to sell about 1/3 of the seats in his performance in Tokyo. Haha, all these years on Gaki No Tsukai really built up your following, hasn't it?
Suddenly, the location bus stops. The car in front of the bus is waving the bus down to pull over. The driver gets out, and it's none other than our friend, Itsuji Itao.
This episode shows prime examples of several comedic elements that I love about the Itao episodes.
First of all, these episodes are filmed on the streets, so there's usually bystanders just watching. I -LOOOOOVE- seeing the occasional passer-by get completely starstruck and defecate all over themselves. I present to you a prime example, the woman right behind Itao :
You can practically see her bowels loosening at the sight of Hamada! She then seems to emit some sort of dork-summoning signal which calls in dorky goon to pop onto the left side of the screen for a second. It's always fun to see how many people just watch, like I may have commented on in the "Itao Is Watching" episode, where there's a random bystander on the roof of the building that the cameraman tried to zoom in to hide, to preserve the integrity of the storyline.
Itao's signature on the Gaki No Tsukai series, besides his love of money, is his use of his "wife". Over the years, there have been many wives. The one probably most of you are familiar with is the one with the long ponytail who dances, as seen in the High School and Police station penalty games. I plan to discuss the history of "Itao's Wife" in an episode shortly, including some facts you may not know. Over the years, we've seen several "wives" come and go. I believe we're on wife number 9 or 10. Yet, I digress.
The second thing I love is the "I signal, you say" type of interaction that Itao uses. Itao's Wife is usually limited in vocabulary. In most cases, she's a foreigner that doesn't and thus there's she just has to take body-language cues from the situation and give her usual response of "mochiron sou yo!" ("Of course so"). It's hilarious when they fool her into confirming something that only hurts Itao's position in begging for money.
Okay, so back to the action. While trying to settle this little accident, Itao goes through the contents of his car. I don't know how hard I laughed when I saw the spilled stew. I don't know what it is about it, but I just crack up. Maybe it's because I found it funny, and Matsumoto just cracks up laughing when he sees it, thus making it thousands of times funnier. Maybe it's because it's poop-brown with broccoli floating in it. I don't know, I just find it funny. So for my, and hopefully your, viewing pleasure here's pictures of the spilled stew. XD
Itao then reveals the slightly less comical contents of his trunk, and then begins the usual negotiations for some money. They agree to pay for the car repair, but like almost all people are starting to do in today's litigious society, he brings up the "Oh, my neck. It may be whiplash" line. I wonder if we have seen the last of him for this episode? Okay, we haven't. There's another video right below this.
We knew this was coming. They show up again in neckbraces and toting X-ray pictures. They're injured, and seeking compensation. So, after another round of negotiation with the Cowardly Lion -- I mean Producer Suga, Itao decides to make the most of this appearance on the show and try to earn the money by joining the dodgeball game. When he manages to get his foot in the door, he weasels his wife onto the other team, so no matter which team wins, his family gets a share of the prize money. I SEE WUT U DID THERE, ITAO.
And in breaking news, there's been a death on the park. Not from a rapist, not from a serial killer. This time from a rubber dodgeball. Today, a woman known as "Itao's Wife" was killed during a dodgeball match after being struck in the leg and getting too damned excited. (I'll admit the clutching of the heart during the fall was so funny though.)
And in an act of stubbornness and love, Itao fights to get his wife an ambulance as soon as possible. The only obstacle in the way is the prospect of the undivided prize money. It's just not Yamazaki's day, is it? First his underachievement is put out in front streets for all to see, then Itao fake-demeans him.
About three hours ago, somewhere almost halfway around the world, Chuck Norris farted. Those sacred sulfur molecules wafted all the way over to Japan and into the nose of one dead Itao's Wife, and brought her back to life and all lived happily ever after. (Yes, I made a Chuck Norris joke, even 4 years after those things went out of style.)
Clarification note: There seems to be some confusion, in both my translation and the interpretation of the removal of the Wife's face mosaic. Matsumoto asks "You aren't Itao's wife, are you?" to which she replies "Of course." This "of course" meaning along the lines of "of course not". Since she's not really Itao's wife there's not need to protect her identity and they remove her face censoring. This is what errors in your subtitle files gets you, kiddies. They have been fixed to display a more clear and correct translation.
I don't know how to rate this episode. This is another one of those episodes that I didn't attach a rating to. I want to give it around a 6 on my rating scale, but then again I want to give it a 9 just for the stew. You guys have no idea how long I spent laughing at just the 20 second interval where they were showing the stew. I have no clue why I find it funny, but I do. I'll just go ahead and give it a 6. Mochiron sou yo. (Maybe I should create some labels so you can search episodes by rating? I think I might do that.)
Read more!
Hello, hello! It's time, once again, for the Gaki members to let out some pent-up aggression with a dodgeball match. In commemoration of a new summer, the Gaki members head to a nearby park to shoot. [sarcasm] And like always, when Gaki doesn't shoots on location for playing sports, they always go off without a hitch. [/sarcasm] On the way to the location shoot, several things happen.
First, the other Gaki members put Yamazaki's ticket sales out in public, which made me laugh. It makes me smile to know that not everyone's just slobbering all over his tiny, shriveled testicles like the Japanese fan-girls do with the other, more testicularly-ample members.
The second, and in my mind the less gratifying thing, is they get into a car accident. The large Gaki location bus gets into a silent, non-fatal crash, all while staying about 5 feet from the car in front of it.
Stay tuned, BlackGaki readers, you are about to witness a tale of love, spilled stew, and murder on the dodgeball court...
It was a day like any other. Five celebrities, their manager, and TV production crew head out to do a shoot on-location in a local park. And like any other day as a Gaki member, when you do an on-location shoot, there will be several things that go wrong. So, yes, this will be a day like any other.
On the way to the park, Yamazaki tries to make friendly conversation with the other members about their experiences with dodgeball. When Endou tries to be analytical, Yamazaki takes the "sarcastic-ass" route and cuts the conversation short. Matsumoto, hereby demonstrating on why everyone loves him, blasts Yamazaki's ticket sales. For some reason, I can just see these empty audiences who come to see the shows. I'd wager a bet that at least 3 of the 25 people who came to see his performance in Nagoya were in his own family. Seriously, when only 25 people show up for a show, your material must suck. Even struggling comics can pull in 35-40 if they can get a gig. I can just imagine Yamazaki not being able to pull off a gag, and then resorting to whatever the Japanese equivalent is for the "Wow, all you ladies are looking good tonight" bit. Then, by his own mention, he only managed to sell about 1/3 of the seats in his performance in Tokyo. Haha, all these years on Gaki No Tsukai really built up your following, hasn't it?
Suddenly, the location bus stops. The car in front of the bus is waving the bus down to pull over. The driver gets out, and it's none other than our friend, Itsuji Itao.
This episode shows prime examples of several comedic elements that I love about the Itao episodes.
First of all, these episodes are filmed on the streets, so there's usually bystanders just watching. I -LOOOOOVE- seeing the occasional passer-by get completely starstruck and defecate all over themselves. I present to you a prime example, the woman right behind Itao :
You can practically see her bowels loosening at the sight of Hamada! She then seems to emit some sort of dork-summoning signal which calls in dorky goon to pop onto the left side of the screen for a second. It's always fun to see how many people just watch, like I may have commented on in the "Itao Is Watching" episode, where there's a random bystander on the roof of the building that the cameraman tried to zoom in to hide, to preserve the integrity of the storyline.
Itao's signature on the Gaki No Tsukai series, besides his love of money, is his use of his "wife". Over the years, there have been many wives. The one probably most of you are familiar with is the one with the long ponytail who dances, as seen in the High School and Police station penalty games. I plan to discuss the history of "Itao's Wife" in an episode shortly, including some facts you may not know. Over the years, we've seen several "wives" come and go. I believe we're on wife number 9 or 10. Yet, I digress.
The second thing I love is the "I signal, you say" type of interaction that Itao uses. Itao's Wife is usually limited in vocabulary. In most cases, she's a foreigner that doesn't and thus there's she just has to take body-language cues from the situation and give her usual response of "mochiron sou yo!" ("Of course so"). It's hilarious when they fool her into confirming something that only hurts Itao's position in begging for money.
Okay, so back to the action. While trying to settle this little accident, Itao goes through the contents of his car. I don't know how hard I laughed when I saw the spilled stew. I don't know what it is about it, but I just crack up. Maybe it's because I found it funny, and Matsumoto just cracks up laughing when he sees it, thus making it thousands of times funnier. Maybe it's because it's poop-brown with broccoli floating in it. I don't know, I just find it funny. So for my, and hopefully your, viewing pleasure here's pictures of the spilled stew. XD
Itao then reveals the slightly less comical contents of his trunk, and then begins the usual negotiations for some money. They agree to pay for the car repair, but like almost all people are starting to do in today's litigious society, he brings up the "Oh, my neck. It may be whiplash" line. I wonder if we have seen the last of him for this episode? Okay, we haven't. There's another video right below this.
We knew this was coming. They show up again in neckbraces and toting X-ray pictures. They're injured, and seeking compensation. So, after another round of negotiation with the Cowardly Lion -- I mean Producer Suga, Itao decides to make the most of this appearance on the show and try to earn the money by joining the dodgeball game. When he manages to get his foot in the door, he weasels his wife onto the other team, so no matter which team wins, his family gets a share of the prize money. I SEE WUT U DID THERE, ITAO.
And in breaking news, there's been a death on the park. Not from a rapist, not from a serial killer. This time from a rubber dodgeball. Today, a woman known as "Itao's Wife" was killed during a dodgeball match after being struck in the leg and getting too damned excited. (I'll admit the clutching of the heart during the fall was so funny though.)
And in an act of stubbornness and love, Itao fights to get his wife an ambulance as soon as possible. The only obstacle in the way is the prospect of the undivided prize money. It's just not Yamazaki's day, is it? First his underachievement is put out in front streets for all to see, then Itao fake-demeans him.
About three hours ago, somewhere almost halfway around the world, Chuck Norris farted. Those sacred sulfur molecules wafted all the way over to Japan and into the nose of one dead Itao's Wife, and brought her back to life and all lived happily ever after. (Yes, I made a Chuck Norris joke, even 4 years after those things went out of style.)
Clarification note: There seems to be some confusion, in both my translation and the interpretation of the removal of the Wife's face mosaic. Matsumoto asks "You aren't Itao's wife, are you?" to which she replies "Of course." This "of course" meaning along the lines of "of course not". Since she's not really Itao's wife there's not need to protect her identity and they remove her face censoring. This is what errors in your subtitle files gets you, kiddies. They have been fixed to display a more clear and correct translation.
I don't know how to rate this episode. This is another one of those episodes that I didn't attach a rating to. I want to give it around a 6 on my rating scale, but then again I want to give it a 9 just for the stew. You guys have no idea how long I spent laughing at just the 20 second interval where they were showing the stew. I have no clue why I find it funny, but I do. I'll just go ahead and give it a 6. Mochiron sou yo. (Maybe I should create some labels so you can search episodes by rating? I think I might do that.)
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
Itao is Watching!
(Original airdate: 2/7/1999)
Sorry about the late post AGAIN this week. Got stuck helping a friend move to a new apartment. Unfortunately, this friend has no sense of space and when to let things go, so there was a ton of unnecessary things that he wanted to take with him, etc. I was trapped all weekend, and it takes about 2 days for me to subtitle a video, especially one this speech-heavy. And then I've got to post a review here, which usually make take another night to really refine and polish, but since I don't want to be any later, I'm just going to throw one together in about an hour. Sorry for giving you less than my best. *bow*
Before we get started, a few reminders. The first poll is going to be ending! It looks like Matsumoto is far out in the lead, so I'll probably just declare him the winner now, as Yamazaki getting enough votes to take over the lead is probably the result of foulplay (I can see where the votes are coming from :P ). It ends at the end of Friday. Well, Saturday morning at exactly 12:00, but anyway. Just vote if you haven't!
Then stay tuned for one or two new polls. These polls will be shorter duration and have fairly little effect on the programming here at BlackGaki, but it's a way to get input out of you. So, on with the program.
It was a day like any other. The Gaki No Tsukai members and staff were going to play some badminton and try to shake off some cabin fever caused by the cold winter. Nothing out of the usual. We just get to sit back and enjoy the antics of 4 comedians as they try to play a game which they really have no idea how to play, with the help of a referee who has EVEN LESS idea of how to play. (If you swing and miss at a shot that lands out, it still landed out, Yamazaki! You'll see what I mean when you watch the video.)
Nothing out of the ordinary should happen here. . .
Just going to play some normal, fun, uninterrupted badminton. . .
We're all good at the beginning. Everyone's going to enjoy a nice refreshing game of badminton in a park in the city. The members are divided into Hamada-Endou and Matsumoto-Tanaka teams for the match. When the action begins the Hamada-Endou team (in blue) takes the first point as Matsumoto seems to lack hand-eye coordination with a racket. Both teams find their rhythm and coordination, and finally get a few rallies going, with Endou and Tanaka having some sort of unintentional "Who can hit the birdie the unnecessarily high?" match. After a point that requires a line judgement, Yamazaki spots a familiar face on the veranda of an overlooking residential building.
That figure is Ittsuji Itao, member of the comedy group 130R. Itao is also a member of Yoshimoto Kougyou talent agency, along with the other Gaki members, and worked with Downtown for about 7 years on the show "Gottsu Ee Kanji". One of his main gags is his "wife", who usually is just a sidekick to Itao's hairbrained get-rich-quick schemes. These "wives" aren't his real wife, as he is happily married. The comedy wives are usually foreigners, but in the earlier episodes, they were native Japanese. I believe so far he's had about 6-7 wife characters with the 4th or 5th one being the most popular (the one that dances, and uses only 3-4 phrases). I'll probably have some sort of post on the history of his wives and what I've been able to dig up on some of them.
Anyway, they don't want Itao watching them, which is understandable, as Itao does look somewhat creepy when he stares. He's got the buggy rabbit-eyes thing going on. Naturally, being a shot on location with skies looking somewhat gray, they want to wrap up the shoot as soon as possible. So, they send the doughy manager, Fujiwara, up to ask Itao to kindly GTFI, with I being "inside." After some arguments, Itao does in fact GTFI and the members are able to play.
The quiet doesn't last very long as Itao emerges again. This time, they send a squad of men, slightly more intimidating than chubby little Fujiwara, to make it clearer that Itao has to let them finish taping. And he does get the message and goes back inside disgruntled.
So we thought...
And ONCE AGAIN, Itao peeks his head out onto the veranda to watch the match. The part I found funny about this whole staged situation (Yes, it's staged. Sorry if I ruined the thinly-veiled surprise) is that there actually is a random spectator watching from the roof at 5:13. Ha! Anyway, Itao returns with a vengeance. He doesn't think he should have to go inside, as the place is his house after all. They chose that spot to work and they should just deal with it if he cares to watch from his own property. Minor hilarity and minor blackmail ensue. . .
So in the end, Itao wins the badminton tournament, and the legacy of Itao's episodes on Gaki No Tsukai begins. On my scale, I gave this episode a 4. It was fairly good, but compared to other Itao episodes this is just the basics. This episode itself isn't that iconic in the GNT universe, but this type of structure provides the foundation of what Itao's involvement in Gaki will be for years to come. I promise more Itao episodes to come, as those are some of my favorites (mainly for his wife though).
Read more!
Sorry about the late post AGAIN this week. Got stuck helping a friend move to a new apartment. Unfortunately, this friend has no sense of space and when to let things go, so there was a ton of unnecessary things that he wanted to take with him, etc. I was trapped all weekend, and it takes about 2 days for me to subtitle a video, especially one this speech-heavy. And then I've got to post a review here, which usually make take another night to really refine and polish, but since I don't want to be any later, I'm just going to throw one together in about an hour. Sorry for giving you less than my best. *bow*
Before we get started, a few reminders. The first poll is going to be ending! It looks like Matsumoto is far out in the lead, so I'll probably just declare him the winner now, as Yamazaki getting enough votes to take over the lead is probably the result of foulplay (I can see where the votes are coming from :P ). It ends at the end of Friday. Well, Saturday morning at exactly 12:00, but anyway. Just vote if you haven't!
Then stay tuned for one or two new polls. These polls will be shorter duration and have fairly little effect on the programming here at BlackGaki, but it's a way to get input out of you. So, on with the program.
It was a day like any other. The Gaki No Tsukai members and staff were going to play some badminton and try to shake off some cabin fever caused by the cold winter. Nothing out of the usual. We just get to sit back and enjoy the antics of 4 comedians as they try to play a game which they really have no idea how to play, with the help of a referee who has EVEN LESS idea of how to play. (If you swing and miss at a shot that lands out, it still landed out, Yamazaki! You'll see what I mean when you watch the video.)
Nothing out of the ordinary should happen here. . .
Just going to play some normal, fun, uninterrupted badminton. . .
We're all good at the beginning. Everyone's going to enjoy a nice refreshing game of badminton in a park in the city. The members are divided into Hamada-Endou and Matsumoto-Tanaka teams for the match. When the action begins the Hamada-Endou team (in blue) takes the first point as Matsumoto seems to lack hand-eye coordination with a racket. Both teams find their rhythm and coordination, and finally get a few rallies going, with Endou and Tanaka having some sort of unintentional "Who can hit the birdie the unnecessarily high?" match. After a point that requires a line judgement, Yamazaki spots a familiar face on the veranda of an overlooking residential building.
That figure is Ittsuji Itao, member of the comedy group 130R. Itao is also a member of Yoshimoto Kougyou talent agency, along with the other Gaki members, and worked with Downtown for about 7 years on the show "Gottsu Ee Kanji". One of his main gags is his "wife", who usually is just a sidekick to Itao's hairbrained get-rich-quick schemes. These "wives" aren't his real wife, as he is happily married. The comedy wives are usually foreigners, but in the earlier episodes, they were native Japanese. I believe so far he's had about 6-7 wife characters with the 4th or 5th one being the most popular (the one that dances, and uses only 3-4 phrases). I'll probably have some sort of post on the history of his wives and what I've been able to dig up on some of them.
Anyway, they don't want Itao watching them, which is understandable, as Itao does look somewhat creepy when he stares. He's got the buggy rabbit-eyes thing going on. Naturally, being a shot on location with skies looking somewhat gray, they want to wrap up the shoot as soon as possible. So, they send the doughy manager, Fujiwara, up to ask Itao to kindly GTFI, with I being "inside." After some arguments, Itao does in fact GTFI and the members are able to play.
The quiet doesn't last very long as Itao emerges again. This time, they send a squad of men, slightly more intimidating than chubby little Fujiwara, to make it clearer that Itao has to let them finish taping. And he does get the message and goes back inside disgruntled.
So we thought...
And ONCE AGAIN, Itao peeks his head out onto the veranda to watch the match. The part I found funny about this whole staged situation (Yes, it's staged. Sorry if I ruined the thinly-veiled surprise) is that there actually is a random spectator watching from the roof at 5:13. Ha! Anyway, Itao returns with a vengeance. He doesn't think he should have to go inside, as the place is his house after all. They chose that spot to work and they should just deal with it if he cares to watch from his own property. Minor hilarity and minor blackmail ensue. . .
So in the end, Itao wins the badminton tournament, and the legacy of Itao's episodes on Gaki No Tsukai begins. On my scale, I gave this episode a 4. It was fairly good, but compared to other Itao episodes this is just the basics. This episode itself isn't that iconic in the GNT universe, but this type of structure provides the foundation of what Itao's involvement in Gaki will be for years to come. I promise more Itao episodes to come, as those are some of my favorites (mainly for his wife though).
Read more!
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