Super-Deformed Double Feature

Translation & Cultural Notes

Scramble Wars:

Ital and Sahari's Mentaiko Stand: Mentaiko is eggs of cod or pollack, salted and spiced. The banner that reads "Pirittokaraiyo!" means "Spicy hot!" but the original Japanese expression is especially apt because "Piri" is a cute little pseudo-onomatopaeia that's perfect for the scene. And, to make it all even funnier, Ital and Sahari are talking in Hakata-ben dialect, a very heavily-accented dialect from Kyushu. In other words, they are "local-yokels," selling a sea-food delicacy in the middle of the desert!

The sketch of Ital's "training" by Randis is based on the legendary sports manga/anime series "Kyojin no Hoshi," (Star of the Giants) which focused on the life of a poor boy, Hoshi Hyuuma, aspiring to be a successful pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants. It contains at least 5 spoofs on the series.

1. Ital starts singing "Omoi…" which is how the KNH theme song starts.
2. In KNH, Hyuuma used tire-tubes and a training harness, to strengthen his muscles.
3. Hyuuma's sister cried as she watched Hyuuma, and Sahari does the same.
4. Randis points out the "Senshi no hoshi" (Star of the Warriors).
5. Hyuuma's father did the same flipping over the dining table while screaming "Moron!" stunt.

When Zaxon appears, the Chindonya (special-sale) music and the crow cawing are sound effects that emphasize silliness and misery.

Nene's "Autumn Safety Campaign:" Such so-called "Campaigns" are often held by idol-singers who become one-day traffic officers.

"Tempara Grease Hardener:" this is a real product in Japan, used to solidify grease so that it can be thrown out with the trash, rather than washed down the drain and into the sewer system, where it can become an environmental pollutant. It's the reverse of how grease is generally treated in the States, where, instead of solidifying it, grease is attacked with detergents designed to break it up.

Sylia's reference to the "Bubble" bursting is a pun with a double meaning. On the one hand, it refers to the end of Japan's "Bubble economy," which popped some two, three years ago, as of this writing. Many businesses are now reporting big losses, just as she is. But it also refers to the end of her series, "Bubblegum Crisis."

When Catty inadvertently pulls the trigger of the Planetary Destruction Cannon, instead of saying "oops,"… there's a bird (An Uguisu, a native Japanese bird somewhat related to the nightingale) chirping. It's usually used in traditional plays etc, but when used like this, it becomes a piece of comic relief. Also, there is a deliberate blooper in the targeting sequence dialogue. Extra points if you noticed it.

"Making of 'All My Love:'"

"Take one:" Even the best singers can rarely finish recording projects with just one take. Good luck, ladies.

Tomizawa Michie mimicking Mita Yoshiko: Ms. Mita is a legendary actress who's been one of Japan's highest-paid actresses for 3 years in a row. In 1992, she supposedly took home Yen150,000,000--about $1,400,000.

When Ms. Tomizawa says she looks like Kyooko, the vocalist for the Barbee Boys, a famous rock group, the consensus of her fellow voice actresses is that she really does. At present, though, Kyooko is a solo artist as BB has broken up, though it isn't clear how permanent a break-up it is.

When Honda Chieko says she looks like Minamino Yooko, it gets even funnier. Ms. Minamino is an actress, who recently starred in a high-rated drama series, "Kimi no tame ni dekirukoto" (What I Could Do For You). But a few years before that, she was an idol singer, who actually looked like Ms. Honda. This is what she means by "from a little while back."

"Let's see what the director says…" It's not so obvious in this scene, but J-Pop recording projects are generally conducted in a discrete, company-like fashion, especially when they involve idols.

Ten Little Gall Force:

When Shildy and Catty first walk onto the set, Catty says (in the subtitles), "Oh, Shildy…" But in the original Japanese, she says, "Shildy Oneesama…" which, literally translated, would come out as "Big Sister Shildy…" Terms of reference like "Onee-sama" are the bugaboo of Japanese translation as they have no natural English equivalent.

In the scene where Lufy is being scanned, there is one caption which was translated as "totally shameless." The original, "Tsura no kawa ga buatsui," literally means one's "facial skin is thick." The expression comes from an old saying, "Tsura no kawa ga atsui," which actually means "shameless," or "bold." Adding the prefix "bu" strengthens its meaning to something like "totally shameless." A similar expression is "Shinzoo ni ke ga haitteru," meaning one has "hair on one's heart." This expression means much the same as the previous one, with the additional nuance that one's boldness, shamelessness, etc. comes from one having some quality about his heart that sets him apart from everyone else, like hair growing on it.

The scene where Aoki, the Assistant Director, and Catty are discussing the possibility of live wires is funny to the home audience because ADs are perhaps the most put upon beings in the tv/movie industry, as they have to take abuse from everyone, higher-ups and actors alike.

During a stop-motion sequence, you shoot one frame, move the figures a fractional amount, then shoot another. Here a figure fell down, so they have to reshoot the whole thing from the beginning.

When Patty is "riding" the machine, she screams, "Mommy! Mommy! I'm scared!" Children riding on a coin-operated "ride" such as this for the first time, almost always cry.

Everyone faints when Catty sings badly because there an industry saying that idol stars can survive just on their looks, despite a mediocre singing talent. Apparently Catty didn't even rank "mediocre!"

At the end, when the Assistant Director asks Commander Dawn for a few last words, Dawn replies (again, in the subtitles), "It all sucked!" This line is funnier in the original Japanese, because of an untranslatable pun. The original line, "Komatta dawn," is the expression "komatta," meaning "I(we)'ve got a problem," or "it's no good," but it is also very similar in sound to the Japanese pronunciation of the word "commander."

The yellow box next to Sonoyan when he's coloring his sketches may be (it's hard to tell in this shot) "Morinaga Caramel," a popular snack that's been around for several generations.

In the video extra, Tomizawa Michie says, at one point, in the subtitles, "They say 'A sleeping child is a Sonoda child' after all… Hey, hey! That's 'a growing child…'" It's another excruciatingly bad pun. The original line is, "Neru ko wa sonoda to iu no… Oi, oi, are wa sodatsu," a play on a saying which translates as "A child who sleeps soundly will grow up well." The key here is the word "sodatsu," which means "to grow." Ms. Tomizawa substituted "Sonoda" for "sodatsu" in this scene, where she finds him sound asleep. This Japanese saying is often used when an adult is found snoozing.

The caption, "This is the Artmic Coloring Center (how pathetic!)" refers to the fact that the tiny facility doesn't deserve to be called a Center. In Japan, a typical "center" is a large building.

The reason three o'clock gets such a notable mention in this segment is because 3:00 PM is "oyatsu no jikan," snack time for Japanese. Sonoda-san's 3:00 (AM!) snack includes instant miso-soup and katsudon (pork cutlet put over rice) in a takeout box.

In the special anime segment, "This is Why Gall Force 2 Was Late!" when Lufy beats up Rabby, she shouts, "RIDER KICK!" which is an homage to the long-running Kamen Rider (Masked Rider) live-action superhero series. With some thirteen incarnations spanning over 20 years to-date, this legendary series has become part of modern Japanese culture. It and the other maneuvers she calls out are a cliche: like so many classic anime and live-action characters, Lufy is yelling out her assault technique. "Yamabuki-iro" is the color of the yamabuki flower, which is a gold-yellow, similar to Lufy's hair.

Lufy's line, "I'm not the one shelling out for this…" is a reference to the fact that Sony Video is paying for it all, in the end!

Sonoda saying, "Hmm… Well… I really can't mention anything about other companies… But, well… please continue to support Artmic productions!" refers to the business taboo against talking about competitors, especially when you're someone like Sonoda-san who has outside commitments.

The composer of the ending theme song, Seo Ichizoo, is one of the most popular arrangers around. Some of his most famous clients include Tokunaga Hideaki, Chage & Aska, and Nakamori Akina. He also produced Nakajima Miyuki's "East Asia," considered by many to be her best ever.

Production Credits

Voice Actors

Song Lyrics