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Post by caucasoididiot on Mar 25, 2010 10:19:20 GMT -5
OK, just kind of a short subject until I can get another real post together, but I found a couple of Green Slime YouTubes. It's long been one of my favorite bad movies, and I really wish The Brains had given it the full treatment. Anyway, first we have the extended mix of the groovy theme song: www.youtube.com/watch#!v=YUE2jW61arA&feature=relatedAnd then the original Japanese trailer: www.youtube.com/watch#!v=qiFhntL-kuU&feature=relatedI always love Western actors speaking such rough, "guy" Japanese. It reminds me of a funny culture note from the occupation era: "G. I. go." Go is a Japanese suffix meaning "language," so Japanese is Nihongo, German (Deutsch) is Doitsugo, Russian is Roshiago and so on. Now when US forces occupied Japan at the end of the war they had an excellent corps of interpreters. I've read some accounts of their immersion training, things like calling out Japanese conjugations while doing their PT or writing "air-kanji" on the way to the chow hall. But the average G. I. had no Japanese at all, that is until they started hanging out with bar-girls or got a girlfriend. The problem is that Japanese is spoken very differently by men and women, and so what they picked up in this way were women's forms. For Japanese men to use these forms is a kind of verbal cross-dressing practiced by onnagata or the Japanese gay community. Thus to hear it coming out of so many US soldiers was apparently a real scream, and it came to be called "G. I. go." Actually, to this day you tend to get your best language lessons by hooking up with someone in this way, and the phenomenon is still a pitfall you have to watch for. そうですわ!
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 25, 2010 17:26:48 GMT -5
I knew I should have written kay, not key for Karaoke. Last minute indecision did me in. Hawaiian's the same: an a sounds like ah, e is like red(!), i sounds like the e in lee, o is like hole and u sounds like the o in pool. If you just break every Hawaiian word into one or two letter syllables, it makes it easier to read, like Ka me ha me ha. It's funny you mentioned the yoshi pronunciation. I was watching Yojimbo and Sanjuro on Kurosawa's centennial. There was a lot of YOSH in those movies. Also, Nande? and matte, the only other Japanese words I picked up besides baka. How would you say Nikon and Kirin in Japanese? Let's not talk about French. After all, it was invented by the French. I loved The Green Slime, when I was young. One of my brothers loved Science Fiction films back in the 1970's, before Star Wars, thank goodness. (I'm kind of ambivalent on Star Wars. I like it, but it's not the greatest thing in the world to me. It's just a western, or jedai-geki, or chambara, in space. Good guy wears white, bad guy wears black, how original.) The last time I saw this was after my Grandma's wake back in 1988. So, I was surprised at how much I recognized the theme song. I was, almost, able to sing along. Do you remember Journey To The Seventh Planet and In The Dust Of The Stars, two German films, I think? Besides the kaiju films, the only other Japanese SF film I, "remember," I've forgotten the title too!! A ship lands on a planet. Passengers start to disappear and there seems to have been vampires on the planet. Do you know it? If you don't, I'll post it on movie help, later. Maybe I should watch my DVD of The Face Of Another, it's the only "artsy" Japanese SF I own. Nice story on the G. I. go. I had never heard of that before. If I ever try to learn to speak "Nihongo," I'll make sure it's a male that teaches me. EDIT: I made a mistake, on the description, of the film I'm looking for. It's a plane that crashes and the passengers start disappearing. There seems to be vampire aliens involved and I think there is a monster at the end. Ring a bell?
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Post by caucasoididiot on Mar 25, 2010 19:37:58 GMT -5
Heh heh . . . learning from a guy is safer, but not necessarily the most enjoyable. (^_^)
Interesting, it sounds like Hawaiian vowels are pretty much the same as Japanese. Is it a syllabic language?
One thing that really marks English speakers trying to do Japanese is that we want to accent a syllable. To a first approximation Japanese is spoken in a monotone. Thus, one friend I have comes from Na-ga-no but has finally gotten used to being from Nuh-GA-no.
On the brand names, in the US we say "nigh-con," but the Japanese say "knee-cone." Kirin is tough for them to make out because we we tend to use short instead of long "i" sounds and our different "r".
I don't know Dust of the Stars but I have Seventh Planet. Heh heh, it was my euphemism for a while for an overly Sloaned word. As for Green Slime, I love it as the film which manages to be it's own bad dub. I found an interesting comparison of the two versions on imdb though:
"Although "The Green Slime" was released in the U.S. as a 90 minute version, director Kinji Fukasaku and his editor prepared a much more tightly edited 77 minute version (called "Gamma III: Big Military Space Operation") for release in Japan. This "Japanese" version eliminates the Robert Horton/Richard Jaeckel/Luciana Paluzzi relationship triangle, and is much more "militaristic" in tone. Several scenes are edited differently, additional alternate music cues are used (which are less "sci-fi" sounding than the "Amercian" version), and the rock and roll theme song is omitted entirely (replaced by a military march theme). The ending before the credit roll has additional scenes inserted with Paluzzi and Jaeckel, which change the tone of the ending from optimistic to downbeat."
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 25, 2010 21:43:26 GMT -5
Hawaiian is a syllabic language. There are only 12 letters: A, E, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, U & W. And it is monotone, no emphasis on any vowel. That's why Japanese words don't seem that foreign to me, while the Native American languages are incomprehensible. Pocawhatus? Lake Titiwatchamacallit. That's why I never try to say any Native American words without asking first. It's not that it embarrasses me, but it looks like I'm teasing their culture. I wonder why most folks can't figure that out? Just ask. So kirin would be Keeey 'd'eeen? I didn't know there were two versions of The Green Slime. I wonder why Hollywood always has to have a happy ending while, to the rest of the world, that wouldn't matter? I assume it's because of the 1930's, and trying to make people feel good about themselves, while they were going through the great depression. It just stuck after that. The Dust Of The Stars has a planet that's alive. It even has veins! That's why I remember it. The one thing I remember from Journey To The Seventh Planet is the theme song! 'Journey..to the seventh...PLanet" My brother Derek, always singing theme songs. "Akai, akai, akai kameno V3!" His favorite show ever!!
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Post by spackle on Mar 25, 2010 22:20:52 GMT -5
It's a plane that crashes and the passengers start disappearing. There seems to be vampire aliens involved and I think there is a monster at the end. Ring a bell? If you change the plane crash to a shipwreck and the vampire aliens to mushrooms, it sound like Matango. I'm so helpful, aren't I?
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Post by caucasoididiot on Mar 26, 2010 9:39:13 GMT -5
That reminds me, last time I watched Matango I noticed the name on the yacht's life preserver seemed to be Ahodori, which might be interpreted as "path of the fool." It might fit.
So is Hawaiian in the Polynesian linguistic family? I guess that would give it Far Eastern roots. The set of consonants is a bit different, and I've heard conflicting opinions on how related Japanese is to other languages in the region, but it sounds like there are a lot of similarities.
One tricky aspect is "long" vowels (which isn't the same as our meaning for that in English). Sometimes a Japanese vowel gets sustained, and that can change the meaning of a word. My son's name has one, and there have been many conventions for showing it in English (Yuuto, Yuhto or Yûto are all possible). There's also a kind of brief stop shown by double consonants in Romanization. Chotto and matte both have it, a sort of brief pause just before the "t" sound.
It's hard to do without being able to actually hear, but it looks like you've got the right idea on Kirin. I was just recollecting my last time on an ANA flight to Japan. I figured I'd get some practice in by speaking Japanese to the cabin crew, and when asked what I wanted to drink I answered, "Sapporo kudasai" ("Sapporo please"). She handed me a glass of water. I was thinking, "Jeez, has my pronunciation slipped that badly?" My boss told me she thought I still sounded fine, and speculated that she had heard the "sa" and -- assuming I must be speaking English -- figured I was saying "some water."
Hmm . . . seemed funnier at the time. (^_^)
Heh heh, I'm going to be remembering the haunting Seventh Planet theme all day now!
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 26, 2010 22:18:11 GMT -5
It's a plane that crashes and the passengers start disappearing. There seems to be vampire aliens involved and I think there is a monster at the end. Ring a bell? If you change the plane crash to a shipwreck and the vampire aliens to mushrooms, it sound like Matango. I'm so helpful, aren't I? In the voice of Darren Mcgavin from The Christmas Story, after a bowling bowl is thrust into his lap: "Thanks a lot!" ;D Hawaiian is Polynesian. The Hawaiian's were Tahitians who traveled and settled here around 2000 years ago. I guess next time, say watero kudasai? I hope I didn't just write something wrong. That'd be just my luck. I know what you mean, I now have the theme songs for The Green slime, Journey To The Seventh Planet and Kamen Rider V3 stuck in my head. At least they've replaced 'I Want It That Way!'
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Post by caucasoididiot on Mar 27, 2010 9:21:40 GMT -5
And now, the easy listening strains of the Journey to the Seventh Planet end credits . . .
Suddenly I have a tremendous urge to sip a martini. (@_@)
Edit: I can't resist adding this one:
OK, back to Japan stuff in the next post, cross my heart.
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 27, 2010 18:31:12 GMT -5
Up next: Al Martino! Who commissioned these theme songs? I haven't seen Dark Star, so it was a WTF moment for me. What next? A movie about Napoleon, with Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same as it's theme song? "I had a dream. Crazy dream."
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Post by caucasoididiot on Mar 27, 2010 19:11:55 GMT -5
I actually quite like Dark Star, even with (because of?) its low-budget, student-film aura.
Wait a minute, I'm pledged to say something about Japan, aren't I? OK, today's topic is . . . natto.
Natto is fermented soy beans, beloved by Japanese of the eastern Kanto region. This convinces both foreigners and many western Kansai Japanese that they're nuts. My wife loved it for breakfast, eating it just as Ken Tanaka demonstrates below:
Ken doesn't really give a very good look at the stuff in his vid, though. This one is much better for that:
I tend to like strongly flavored foods and don't mind the taste of natto, but as you can see quite well in the second vid it trails long, slimy strings. My wife does a little twirl with her chopsticks that just magically catches it, but when I try to eat it loose it makes a big mess and so I avoid it. I don't mind it in sushi rolls though, and once amazed my first girlfriend's family by taking some in a revolving sushi place.
Ken's "flesh juice" is a great Japan moment. Also, note those grilled fish on sticks at the end of his vid. They're a really common item at festivals, and I liked them. This convinced my wife that I was nuts, as you actually eat guts, head and all.
Natto! It's not just for breakfast anymore!
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 27, 2010 21:38:55 GMT -5
Natto: it's sticky and slimy and stinky and rotten. I want some! That Ken Tanaka video was funny. He was very likable in this episode. As soon as he said, "I think I taste the Pancreas," I blacked out. I'm assuming they mean fresh juice? I hope so. In the second one, I loved that the lady narrator seemed to become a little bored while mentioning the different varieties of natto. I've never heard of natto. I have to visit the cafeteria/food section in Shirokiya, next time I visit Oahu, and see if I can find it. I'm sure they have it. I think you'd be interested to know the Japanese influences in Hawai'i: We always take off our shoes or slippers before entering a living establishment. We are nice and polite. And the biggest influence, their food. White rice is our food staple, here. Even more then spam. Although, we do combine the two to make spam musubi. And eating sashimi on New Years Eve is a tradition. There are even mochi making festivals held before the new year. I think you would love it here. Hawai'i integrated a lot of other cultures into it's traditions. The Portuguese influence? Malasadas, Portuguese Bean Soup and, the most famous, the ukulele. It's a Portuguese instrument. And, we gave America John Philip Sousa.
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Post by caucasoididiot on Mar 27, 2010 22:38:47 GMT -5
That does sound cool. One of the things that was so interesting in Japan was seeing the integration of traditional and Western patterns, and what you're saying about Hawai'i rings bells with what I heard from a Spanish lady who had grown up there many years ago. I didn't know that about Sousa, neat!
Funny that you mention Spam. My radio comedy CD has Burns & Allen from '40, when their sponsor was Spam. Last time I was at Costco I thought about getting some but found it more expensive per pound than the ground sirloin!
Yeah, "Ken" makes fun of Japan but you can tell he really loves it. By the way, tokyocooney claims that a "completely different guy" does Cooking with Dog. Listening to the voice, though, I'm convinced that's in the same sense that "Ken Tanaka" and "David Ury" are completely different guys.
I think I would indeed love Hawai'i. A while back I watched a fun little movie called Hawaii Calling on Hulu, about a couple of '30s kids who stowaway to get there. One funny thing about growing up in California and watching US TV and movies was the belief that the whole world was populated by golden grass and scrub oak (as in: "Guys, this is so not Illinois"). Kiwis I've met say they're starting to get a similar feeling with all the stuff shot in New Zealand these days. I'm curious, do you get kind of a homey feeling watching, say, Codename: Diamondhead?
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Post by afriendlychicken on Mar 27, 2010 22:51:59 GMT -5
Lol! Your question has great timing. I just left this post, an hour or so ago, on the just finished watching thread: "Code Name: Diamond Head." Can't explain why, exactly, but I always enjoy this little-known episode. Why does the match stick in the door tip off the bad guys? Didn't Diamond Head put it right back where they left it? And why do they sort-of barge into the hotel room as if there's a chance of surprising Diamond Head in the room? If the match stick is in the door, he can't possibly still be inside. Sheesh! I hear you! If the match stick is there, he had to have put it back! And I don't think he could have done that if he was still in the room!! I, too, enjoy this episode. I was born on Oahu, and this film reminds me of how the island looked when I was growing up, so it's very nostalgic for me. During the scenes on the wharf leading to the villian's hideout, in the distant background, you can see the mountains that were a part of my backyard. I keep wondering what I might have been doing while they were shooting those scenes. Plus, Zulu's in it. A legend here. I think I'm listening to Burns and Allen tonight.
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Post by caucasoididiot on Mar 27, 2010 23:04:52 GMT -5
Heh heh . . . I was just heading up to my CD player too!
I did think to mention that, yes, "fresh juice" was what they were aiming for in Ken's vid. All jokes aside, "R" and "L" are a bugaboo if you're Japanese. For a while Yuuto's favourite Thomas character was Harold but my wife uniformly wrote it as "Halord" (except when she wrote "Halordo"). (^_^)
Just last night I caught a Magnum, P. I. on Hulu with the Lovejoy guy in it. Big time Codename: Diamondhead flashbacks!
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Post by spackle on Mar 29, 2010 12:11:47 GMT -5
I said before that I was fairly adventurous with food, but I have to say, natto looks, er, disgusting! I generally don't mind fermented, cultured, blue-from-fungus type stuff (tempeh is a fairly regular part of my diet, I had a Korean housemate who brought home homemade kimchi from his mom which I loved, and don't even get me started on staples like beer and cheese), but rotten stringy stuff... I just don't know.
Of course, if it was sitting right in front of me, with a big bowl of rice, I would try it. But just looking at those clips.... gaaah!
BTW, Thanks to you two, I have the Green Slime song stuck in my head. Groovy!
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