Angles Sensei Guest Lecture

 

アングル先生のレクチャーは とても たのしかたでした。    

マーティンのおすしは よかったです。 でも  おやつは おいしす。

I found the talk to be really interesting, especially the discussion about incorporating ideas and cultural phenomenons present in the mother tongue to the new language that you are beginning to learn and appreciate. I did find it interesting to see even well accomplished speakers like Professor Angles joke about frantically asking native speakers about specific structures and phrasing. After the event, I asked professor Angles about different questions related to translating, not only in terms of literature and the difference between speech patterns and colloquialisms of the era, but also the more modern development of international entertainment like film, television, and music. His comments were insightful, consisting of utilizing historical evidence to support certain ideological representations as well as purposefully mistranslated or mischaracterizing patterns to establish lower intellect of characters(like that of Huckleberry Finn utilizing less kanji than was typical in Japanese in order to represent his lower education status). I am curious about how Japanese natives who grew up in epicenters outside of Japan, like the US or Brazil, view translating, specifically how connotation and ideological representation vary between the two locations. I also found it interesting to see the continued reverence displayed to the art of poetry in Japan, a sharp contrast to the United States which has turned more to lyrical composition.

The event itself had a large turnout, with the room becoming filled quickly before it began, and the food afterwards was good, though the flavors of some of the snacks had a unique taste.

Kimagure Cook- Japanese Home Cooking Channel

 For this weeks Listening/Learning, I took a dive into the world of Japanese content creation- more specifically the world of Kimagure Cook- a home chef in Japan. The channel itself revolves around the creation of delicious looking dishes similar to a number of food channels found in the states, but largely focusing on locally sourced ingredients from Japanese Markets, typically seafood.

In the video, Kimagure created Red Tongue Sole Meuniere with Mashed potatoes, that looked so phenomenal that I was hungry despite having recently eaten dinner. Below is a picture of the finished product:

Other than the handcrafted nature that Kimagure displays in his dishes it was interesting to the cultural difference displayed in the approach to their creation.  In addition to using locally sourced ingredients like freshly caught Sole or Hokkaido raised butter and milk, Kimagure also used some ingredients exclusive to Japan like Sudachi a Japanese vegetable similar to lime to instill Acidity in the dish.

                                                            

The video was also a good way to familiarize myself with Japanese cooking terms, as he adapted terms like Han to describe thing like half amongst other variations that I typically only associated with time and numerical denominations. It was also interesting to hear the use of English phrases like "Number 1" to denote ranks and praise compared to the ichiban learned in class. I'll be sure to to go back and watch more of Kimagure's content, though I wish I lived by the sea to be able to try(and ultimately fail) the recreation of the dishes displayed

Top 5 Japanese Singles(and one more for fun)

 For this weeks Blog activity, I listened to the top grossing singles of all time(by physical copies sold) as well as the top selling digital single, そばにいるね. It was very interesting to see the tastes of Japan in terms of music and lasting appeal. 

 

Starting off the list was  およげ!たいやきくん, a childrens song that held the top sales for over 11 consecutive weeks. Oddly enough, I thought this was one of the best sounding songs though one of the most simplistic in lyrics- with the song featuring lyrics depicting the taiyaki's journey as he swims.

Oddly enough the fifth ranking song was also from a children's tv show, Dango 3 Kyodai- an intro of sorts that  establishes the three brother dango and their different character traits.

                                             

I also found the third ranking song to be quite fun,世界に一つだけの花, especially in comparison to other boy bands at the time- specifically that of NSYNC and Backstreet boys three years prior. This song was arguably the easiest to understand with the lyrics surrounding the idea of being the "prettiest flower in the world"- utilize a lot of ichiban terms as well as the hito identity for humanity.

Though I found the top grossing songs to be fun, it was interesting to see how popular music in japan has changed, as well as been influenced by other pop cultural standards- like that of the US. This was seen not only in 世界に一つだけの花, but also the R&B atmosphere ofそばにいるね, but I am unlikely to add any of these songs into my daily playlists.

Survive Style 5+

    For this week's watching and listening assignment, I dove into the world of Japanese absurdist comedy with Survive Style 5+ by Sekigushi Gen. Rather than a standard narrative, the film intertwines 5 seemingly unrelated stories all linked together through the presence of an English hitman played by Vinnie Jones. From these different narratives we are able to see the different lives and lifestyles that are present in Japan, ranging from the NEET lifestyle of youth, the Japanese Salaryman and his family, and even the world of Japanese advertisement creation.

                                      

The film was extremely engrossing, utilizing the absurd nature of the plot to keep the audience invested despite the lack of a standard plot line. I particularly found the recurring plot line of the man turning into a chicken to be a great gag, as well as the science fiction heavy plot of the wife constantly returning from the dead in order to attempt to murder her husband.
                            

            

            

Because Sekigushi was primarily a TV advertisement director, the film is interspersed with absurd commercial structures including the pouring of water on one's head to grow hair as well as a Janus esque man arguing with himself as to whether he wants bread or rice. These gags, along with the themes of the film itself create a slapstick style of humor that fully enthralls the audience into the narrative as they watch eagerly for the next aspect of comedy.

         Because of the absurd nature of the film, the dialogue and sound design of the film almost comes as an afterthought, though I did find it interesting to highlight the absurd variation between the english terms used by hitman Vinnie Jones and his Japanese translator. These scenes that link the plot of the film together depict the indirect way that the Japanese society and language take in approaching the world around them. It is due to this difference that multiple problems ensue, including the death of one of the three NEET/hoodlums in question.

         All in all, I found the film to be quite entertaining, though I would focus on a more traditional film in the future if your goal is to further your understanding and appreciation of the Japanese language as a whole.

 

                    

The Voice Actress

 

For this week's blog project, I watched the short film The Voice Actress by Anna Takayama.  As the name entails, the documentary follows the world from the perspective of Kingyo, a veteran voice actor in Tokyo. As a voice actor in Japan’s entertainment world, the world she views differs drastically compared to that we are typically accustomed- with her embodying not only the characters she plays in the video game or anime, but even the emotions of the walkway as she boards the train. One of the most evident differences in perspective comes from her response to her fish dying, with the creation of an elaborate funeral procession on the beach.

 

 

 

She is able to utilize this different perspective in the creation of different emotional narratives, an ability possible only by her immersion into the roles and the impact that even the smallest things have on life. The film leaves the journey of Kingyo part way along her journey, as she completes an emotional reading for a new character.

In terms of furthering my Japanese understanding, I found it somewhat difficult. The video itself gave a unique perspective into the world of Japanese entertainment as well as the niceties of Japanese work culture. Despite this, as the monologue behind the shows were older in nature(antiquated to an extent), the terminology and speech patterns represented the older patterns filled with flowery language surrounding life, death and nature. 

I found the video to be quite interesting, with shockingly vibrant colors dominating some of the drabber aspects of life as well as a fun look into the life of people behind the anime that dominates different aspects of Japanese entertainment.

Alice in Borderland

For this weeks watching/learning activity I dove into the world of JDrama with the consumption of Alice in Borderland on Netflix. The premise itself is quite interesting with the the protagonist having to undergo different challenges to stay alive or be killed by the unseen moderators. The protagonist, Arisu, a gaming neat, is transported into the world with his only two friends Karube and Chota, forcing them to adapt to the games and the new rule structure or perish as those around them have.

                                                     

The challenges themselves take an interesting spin, often with a violent/horror twist on popular children's games. The show itself is based on manga written by Haro Aso back in 2010, with its ultimate completion in 2015.

                                                                    

I find myself pleasantly surprised by my understanding of various events with the show, as well as the dialogue used by the characters. Due to the game like structure of the challenges and the use of decreasing time to increase suspense, much of the dialogue comes in the form of counting, the changing of locations and location verbs and even life and death. I do, however, find myself relying on the subtitles to understand some of the heavier nuance of the show, including ideas of relationships, dreams, and desires.

All in all, the world of Alice in Borderland is interesting and I recommend giving it a try, reminding me of the horror aspects of shows like American Horror Story and the competition structure of shows like the Korean Squid Game.

Dashi Journey- Documentary

 

For this week's Japanese Listening/Viewing, I watched the mini documentary Dashi Journey by Eric Wolfinger.  The documentary itself was an interesting look into the world of the Japanese culinary world- tracing the various steps required in the creation of dashi, a stock that serves as a base for many different dishes in Japanese cuisine. Guiding the journey is the head chef of L'Effervescence Namae Shinobu, a three star Michelin restaurant. In the video we learn about the rigorous steps of Kombu farmers in Hokkaido to the Katsuobushi farmers in Makurazaki.

 

      

Despite the arduous nature of the production of the different ingredients, the producers of the ingredients have dedicated generations of lives into producing high quality basics for Japanese cuisine around the world.

In terms of my ability to understand the dialogue within the Documentary, I found myself pretty reliant on the english subtitles as the speech patterns focused on a combination of casual speech and instruction based dialogue that I was unfamiliar with. I was however able to follow some of the steps that the Katsuobushi farmers took to achieve their love of their craft, and the different role they played in producing content.