In one of the scenes in episode 18, Konata and Kuroi are shown in a video game like scenario. They are filling in for Sousuke (Konata) and Gauron (Kuroi) and acting out a typical battle animation from Super Robot Taisen W, which is part of a popular cross over serues of Strategy games by Banpresto.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skane
Full Metal Panic!
Kanon(2006)
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu
Cat's Eye
Code Geass
CrayonShin-Chan
Da Capo
Doraemon
Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Quest
Fate/Stay Night
Full Metal Alchemist
Galaxy Angel
Getter Robo (Way off, though there is a show called Getter Robo-Go, this one wasn't it)
Top O Naere! Gunbuster
Initial D
Jigoku Shoujo (aka Girl From Hell)
Keroro Gunsou
Kiddy Grade
Konami Games (Various)
MariMite (Maria Sama Ga Miteru)
Mobile Fighter God Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
NHK Ni Youkuso
One Piece
Pokemon
Rozen Maiden
Saezan-san (Search me, I may have it wrong too)
Saiyuki
Scrapped Princess
Shakugan No Shana
Shuffle!
Strawberry Panic
Super Robot Taisen
Super Sentai Series
To Heart
Utsuu Tetsujin Kyodain
Yoake Mae Yori Ruri Iro Na -Crescent Love (Cabbage Love)
Yu-Gi Oh!
Added and fixed ones in Bold.
Last edited by Kaioshin Sama; 2007-08-05 at 23:23.
Otaku Crime
AGAIN L*S features TV broadcasts relating to otaku-related crime. I'm pretty sure its a form of self-parody, but I'm not sure how many otaku actually find it funny in Japan. The first case the Konata and Yutaka saw on TV should be the world-famous case of the teen who beheaded his own mother, carried it to an internet cafe, and then turned himself in. Yeah the kid was found with lots of manga and games in his room. Of course the media went wild about how his otaku-ness cause the crime/etc... The joke here is rather dark... Read the news and watch the segment again.
I'm not sure exactly what incident Konata and Kagami was talking about sepcifically, but what I do know is that during the first part of 2007 the news media and blogs was focusing a LOT on "harmful" manga. There was news about police raiding bookstores and proposals to ban "harmful lolicon shojo manga". They could be talking about these incidents. You can read a lot of about it in this English post.
We corrupt young girls, ne!
24
The sequence in which the Izumi family prepares for Kotana's birthday bash is of course parody of the hit FOX TV drama "24". Jack and friends are so big that even Crayon Shin-chan parodied it. Okay, you say "so and so is big in Japan", what does it really mean? Well, if a Hollywood celeb does one of these, then he or she is "big in Japan". Jack is SO BIG and he does a bunch of them in a MINI-SERIES way. That's BIG.
Spoiler for Unhide to watch Video:
Jack Bauer Loves Calorie Mate: part 1 to 6. Watch in ORDER!
Only thing in the world which can stop JACK BAUER? Japanese High School Girls, of course.
College Major Declarations
HS kids in Japan has to decide exactly what major they want to go into during their 3rd year in HS. This is because unlike the US, when you enter a Japanese college you go into your major right away. What the girls are doing is actually picking not only the major, but exact college which offer those majors. They are doing this because in order to get into a good, public college, a student has to 2 tests - a national administered test and a test administered by the college that's based on the major. For example, to get into Todai, you need top grades from the national and Todai tests. The system in Japan is one of the hardest in the world. The declarations are important, because your declaration plus your score decide if you get into to your school. For example, if you're Kagami and you picked law or economics or , you can't decide to apply for a medical major AFTER you've discovered your grades can qualify for a medical school. Thus, these sheets can decided your future career, and you have to do it when you're just 17.
Wohoo! I'm in ToDai!
Kaiten Zushi
Kagami like to pick fresh items when visiting cheap sushi places called "回転寿司", where you eat by picking sushi out of a conveyor belt and pay by the plate. She's so seasoned....
We be cheap!
Ito Yokado and Otsuka Kagu
When Kagami and Konata was arguing about Light novels, they were standing outside of stores called Ito Yokado and Otsuka Kagu (Furuniture). Ito Yokado a "General Merchandise Shop", similar to our Wal-mart or Target, but it also sells food items as well (open 'til 11PM!). Otsuka Kagu is a major furniture showroom and it's diagonal from Ito-yakado. It's the backdrop when the camera is facing Kotana. Both are famous Japanese chain stores, and both are right outside the Kasukabe JR Station.
Ito-Yokado Kasukabe
Otsuka Kagu Kasukabe on the left
Credit: the image came from this blog about Saitama (not L*S related!)
FamilyMart
The store in which Kagami forgot her to bring money to is the 3rd largest Convenient Store chain in Japan (behind 7/11 and Lawsons) called FamilyMart. FamilyMart is famous for its technological innovation and they have stores in Korea, Taiwan, China, and Thailand. The one she visited is probably the 東鷲宮店 location near the Washinomiya Jinja. Yes, 2ch otakus are already adding the poor store to the "Holy Site" list. If I were them I'd put a life size display of Kagami right outside the store.
FamilyMarts are better than 7/11! (The FamilyMart near Waseda U)
Octopus with Wasabi
The food item Tsukasa was looking for in her PJ is a specialty food item called "タコ山葵" (tako wasabi). It's chunks of octopus marinated with chopped wasabi. I've not had this one but I've always dipped cooked octopus pieces in wasabi soysauce like a sashimi. It's good!
Oishi...i?
Oyoyo!
The sound Tsukasa made after she discovered the censored food item is a reference to a famous Japanese professional rakugo artist (rakugo-ka) named 桂三枝 (Katsuka Sanshi), Rakugo is a older form of story-telling art that is the precursor to today's manzai and other comedy formats. It's basically one guy telling a funny story. "Oyoyo!" is an expression made famous by Katsuka Sanshi.
Katsuka-sensei:
Tanshin Funin
Yui-nee-san is crying about the fact that her husband has to perform Tanshin-Funin. 単身赴任 is when the husband leave the wife and family behind to take a job in a far-away location, sometimes even out of the country, for an extended period of time. The husband will then live in company housing while away. This happens because Japanese companies tend to train employees by sending them to various part of the operations for a period of time before given them more responsibility, so a salariman can often expected to be called to be stationed at a remote location for a year or so. Due to short length of stay and the firm Japanese belief that uprooting family is bad, the husband often go by himself. This practice has created huge social problem of husbands/wifes cheating on each other during these stays.
Tokyo Walker
The magazine Matsuri was reading while waiting for the twins is the July 3, 2007 issue of "Tokyo Walker" magazine. Tokyo Walker is a young people mag about what's cool in the greater Tokyo Area; there's a walker magazine for most major cities in Japan and in Asia. Usually you want to find out something cool or a great place to eat, you'll pick up a copy of Tokyo Walker.
July 3rd issue of Tokyo Walker:
Paella
Matsuri-one-chan made a very traditional Seafood Paella. It uses saffron to create the orange-ish color of the rice, and that's why Kagami was late looking for it. Saffron is rare and expensive. One of my favorite dish to make, since it was so simple. Also, the fact that the older sisters order the younger ones to run chores are quite normal - older siblings get to order younger ones around, but Kagami isn't liking it one bit.
Paella - this photo looked pretty close to the anime
Kagami's New Book
Kagami wanted to buy the latest book by somewhat famous author 山田真哉 (Yamada Shinya) called "食い逃げされてもバイトは雇うな" He's famous for writing about the intricacies corporate finances and accounting, being a licensed accountant himself. His book is actually more about economics, and since Kagami wanted to major in econ, it make sense she wanted to buy the book.
Collectible Choco Wafer
The chocolate wafer Konata was generously sharing with everyone was something that can only be invented in Japan - it is a collectible card game made by Bandai called "神羅万象" (Shinranbanshyo). What's great about this game is that when you buy a new card packet, you also get a - CHOCO WAFER! So the kid gets the card AND a snack. Perfect marketing. Why does Konata have so many? She probably have a card she really wanted and got carried away. Any card game fan can identify with that, only you no get no choco wafer.
Munchies for all your battles!
Lucky * Animals
Just a short list of the RAKI * Doubutsu:
Konata - Fox
Tsukasa - Puppy (she's no bia.. )
Yutaka - Squirrel
Kagami - Rabbit
Yui-nee-chan - Leopard
Minami - Eagle
Miyuki - Sheep or Cow
Super-Smart Animals
Man this EP is all about animals! When the Tsukasa and Kagami were talking about dogs, the TV show which triggered this debate is a very, very popular TV show called 天才!志村どうぶつ園 (Tensai! Shimura Doubutsu En). This is a show loved by everyone and hosted by a Japanese comedic Legend, 志村けん (Shimura Ken). He was the first manzai comedian to make it big on TV and he has hosted numerous shows which is the model for today's comedic variety shows. Everyone in Japan knows him. This particular show he's hosting is is about animals... especially smart animals doing tricks or performing impossible tasks. There are a lot of segment featuring dogs and cats, but the most famous animal from the show is the Chimpanzee named パンくん (pan-kun) and his pet dog James. Yes, he's one of the smartest non-human primate in the world, with the IQ of a 3-yrs old, so he gets a pet dog. With his dog James, Pan-kun performs human tasks such as shopping, riding the bus, feeding his dog, cleaning his room, visiting his vet, and cook his own meals, all by himself. A lot of cele talentos such as Aoki Sayaka (we like her) host segments on this show due to the popularity. It's a great show, folks.
Here's a video of one of the Pan-kun segments. Watch as Pan-kun board a train with James, his faithful Pitbull. That old guy on the top left is Shimura the host.
Japanese Elections
Konata complaining about how Japanese Diet Election Coverage has disturbed her anime viewing. Japan held an Diet Upper House election last week and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in the Upper House. Since the Lower House is more powerful, the still rule Japan but the LDP Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, refused to resign even though the election was seen as a referendum on his rule. His brief reign was marred by scandals and some moves to change Japan's pacifist constitution, while economy and reform stagnated. His ratings were as low as Bush before the election, and his party took a great loss. This election was followed closely by Japanese TV, and and many otakus were inconvenienced by the coverage. But what Konata may not know or care is that the current Foreign Minister, Aso Taro, an otaku who likes "Rozen Maiden" and even campaigned in Akiba, is next in line for the PM job. He is big on the export of Japan's "Soft Power", meaning anime/manga, and even sponsored events like an International Manga Award to promote it. If he becomes PM, we'll probably see the Japanese military actively develop Mobile Suits and female government employee will be required to wear maido outfits. (Aso has a lot of problems I won't get into here.)
Rozen Aso with Rozen Maiden: Vote for me and Suiseiseki neh!
Kick Boxing One
We found out by accident that Nanako-sensei liked to watch K1, Japanese professional Kick-boxing-based "Martial-Arts Fighting Competition". It's like Ultimate Fighting Champtionship in the US, only that K1 focus on Muay Thai and other boxing styles more so there's less grappling moves dominated other ultimate fighting circuits. K1 is popular in Japan, although Pride Fighting Championship is probably more so. This is what non-otaku guys in Japan watches.
Akebono, the former Sumo Yokozuna, versus Musashi, a fan favorite, in a K1 match:
Japanese Cell Plans
Getting a phone in Japan is really similar to getting it in the US, even though the phones are vastly different. Usually you get a phone for free or really cheap for signing a two-year contract (that's why Kagami said 2 years), but the plan can be much cheaper than the US. The only thing that's really expensive in Japan is the data rate, which is counted by packet. You don't pay for receiving phone calls but you do when you initiate the call (which is norm in most countries except the US). That's why many girls would carry multiple handsets, so she can give out number to specific handset to different types of people; this is especially true under the Japan-only PHS system, where you pay zero or very little monthly fee and only pay for the outgoing calls you make (which is usually cheaper too). Negative part of PHS is that it's only available in certain cities and the handsets are not as advanced/cool. Selecting a handset and a carrier/plan is an art in Japan...
Konata's grade school aspirations: Vet and lawyer
Possible manga/game inspirations:
Manga - "動物のお医者さん" (Animal Doctor)
Game - 逆転裁判 (Phoenix Wright I) for the GBA, 2001
The light novel Kagami forced Konata to read:
"君の居た昨日、僕の見る明日１ －STARTING BELL－" (The Yesterday of Your Existence, The Tomorrow that I see - Starting Bell)
Konata's Lament: When Konata said "I have not reached that level yet" in response to Kagami, it's a reference to KyoAni's Yamakan Resignation Announcement, which stated the exact same words: "まだその域に達していないので"
Yamakan self-portrait, taken from his mixi page:
Konata vs Nanako
This scene parodies the "スーパーロボット大戦Ｗ" (Super Robo Taisen W) game for DS. The two robots are: ARX-7 Arbalest and Venom Plan-1058 Codarl-M from Full Metal Panic!
Girls Chasing Each Other in the Rain
The girls in the rain are two characters from "MUNTO(ムント)～時の壁を越えて～" ( Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time OVA). The first girl is Suzume, and the chasing gilr is Ichiko. This is also a Yamakan anime.
PART B
Tsukasa Manga
The manga Tsukasa's reading is "ラグーンエンジン" (Lagoon Engine) volume 5.
Seme! Uke!
Since Hiyori's automated response to "攻め" (seme, "aggresor" in BL), is "受け" (uke, "receiver" in BL), she is a certified 腐女子 (Fujoshi).
The Nagano Fujoshi Sisters Otaku Idol Group:
Japan's Three Major Holy Sites
According to Patty, it's not Kamakura, Kyoto, or Nara, but Akibahara (Tokyo), Nipponbashi (Osaka), and Oosu (Nagoya). Plus Nagano and Kichigyoji as the local Tokyo semi Holy Sites.
Nipponbashi DenDen Town
Hiyori's Manga Collection
Some books on Hiroyi-chan's bookshelf. Boy she has some good seinen taste!
"将太の寿司" (Shota no Sushi) [My favorite cooking manga/dorama]
Otome Road and K-books
Patty the gaijin otaku was actually giving a tour information to two local girls about the famous Otome Road in Ikebukuro. She offered all the important info so I won't repeat it. Like Tora no Ana at Akiba, K-Books at Otome Road is where the hardcore gather for their doujin needs.
Hiyori's code name at the bowling alley, Suzaku, is a nod to the Code Geass character Suzaku Kururugi.
You do realise that Suzaku is not exactly an uncommon name in anime? Without another point of reference, this is not so much as a maybe than it is unlikely.
You do realise that Suzaku is not exactly an uncommon name in anime? Without another point of reference, this is not so much as a maybe than it is unlikely.
I agree. I for one can remember a Suzaku in Yu Yu Hakusho, who knows how many others may exist.
A little comment concerning an anime fan culture moment in episode 20:
Spoiler for Ep. 20:
Konata's comment about patterns in recently opened boxes containing trading figurines/cards is true. Most companies usually have a pattern when it comes to the location of certain figurines/cards (especially the rare ones) in a "unit box" that is used by stores to hold trading figurines/cards, and if the "unit box" is recently opened (with none of the content moved around), you can not only tell which individual packages may contain the rare figurines/cards (if any), but also, when it comes to figurines, if you have more than 1 "unit box" of a certain series of figurines, you can tell, from a recently opened box, which figurine is in each individual box. An example of this method: when it comes to the rare figurines, the Konami Figumate brand, if the "unit box" does contain a rare figurines, usually puts it in the furthest back package of the box's right hand side.
Kona no Petto
There sure are plenty of dog references in L*S. We know that the Hiiragi Twins wanted one, since EP13 the sponsor graphics has been a husky, and now Kona mentioned that she has a game dog. I think everyone can agree that the game she's playing must be Nintendo's first big hit for the DS, Nintendog. In this game you do talk to the dog, so it matches what she said.
The cutest Nintendog cover:
That CHINCHIN is ADORABLE!
Okay before you think I'm dirty, hear me out. As most of you have figured out, "chinchin" is what little children called a penis. But that's not what Tsukasa was asking... they were talking about DOGS so she was asking a very valid question about dog training terms. "ちんちん", in addition to be a term for male genital, is also used to describe the act of a dog standing on its hind legs. Why is it called that? Well, most Japanese, like you and me, believe that it's because when a male dog performs this trick, it's penis will be shown to all. Thus the girls all blushed (except Kona of course). What Miyuki said was that it's an imported term from Chinese. Well, I personally never heard of such usage, but it's possible. "親親" (qing1 qing1, same sound as ChinChin) means literally "kiss kiss". It's used when you wanted someone to kiss you. When a dog raises its hind leg and thus raise it's head, it's possible that the trainer could be asking the dog to raise its mouth high enough to kiss the trainer. Thus our MiWIKI has a plausible point.
Good looking Chinchin right there!
Gundam Research
Due to possible licensing issue, L*S could never reference Gundam out-right, even though you can tell they're dying to do so. Finally in this episode they can't wait much longer so they let it all out, hoping that their expertly applied censoring skills will avoid Bandai lawsuits. According to the Japanese Gun-ota, the following is what some anonymous akiba-kei chibi-cosplayer interview her lolicon gun-ota hentai chichi about:
Canon Series:
V - Mobile Suit Victory Gundam or V Gundam, 1993
W - Mobile Suit Gundam Wing or New Mobile Report Gundam W - 1995
X - After War Gundam X or Mobile New Century Gundam X - 1996
Parody Series:
Gundam Serial Murder Cases: It's actually "ポートピア連続殺人事件" (Portopia Serial Murder Cases) , a 1983 adventure game made by Enix for NEC PC and Nintendo Famicom.
Famous Detective Gundam: - Of course this is "名探偵コナン" or "Detective Conan/Case Closed" The image shown here looks like "Turn A Gundam" though.
Gundam Chara Age versus Densetsu no Shojou A:
Amuro Ray (15) - K****a (18): According to wikipedia, Amuro was 15 at the beginning of One Year War. Perhaps by the end of the War, he's 16 and thus Girl A is correct.
Bright Noa (19) - K****a in years (20): Again, Bright is also just about 20 at the end of the One Year War. Guess that's the reference age point for the anonymous otaku - end of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series.
PC version of Portopia:
The Good Gift
When Kona-jiji returned with a bag of omiyage from the neighbor, Konata asked "What? A vase?". This is another Mobile Suit Gundam reference. Right before the Zeon colonel M'Quve died, he stated "Uragan, give the vase to Lady Kycilia, it's very valuable!". Only a highly-trained child of a Gun-Ota would automatically feel that something valuable should instinctively be a vase. A lolicon dad also should not using Princess Maker-like lines when describing his own lilo-moe daughter.
Makube and his valuable Vase:
Tsukasa's Fear
The movie Tsukasa used to keep herself awake is the very famous Japanese horror classic "呪怨" (JuOn). The film has been remake by Hollywood as "The Grudge", and the most scary thing in that movie is how all the main characters living in Japan all became English speaking gaijin.
You know how long it takes to put on all this makeup?
Otaku-Nee-San
Yui-Nee-san is actually reading Fate/stay Night manga volume #3. She's actually an otaku!!! Actually if you think about, what else is she doing in the Izumi house? Reading Kona's wall of Otaku manga. She has been turned...
Rider is so sexy...
Konata Decoration
Thing in Konata's Room:
On Top of TV: - Atelier Sai 1/6 Mikuru Asahina Waitress Version Pink
Hanging next to bookself: Large version of "彗星ヒヨコ" (Suisei Hiyoko) from the Gundam parody 4-koma manga "機動戦士ガンダムさん"
Wall Posters - Kiddy Grade (?) and ???
Kawasugi!
Nanako the Violent Teacher
When Nanako said to Konata "Correct It!", that seemed to be reference to Mobile Suit Gundam's Bright Noa. When she hits Konata, two person appears in the flash": Akira and Kanata. The hitting scene is from the Thai martial arts movie "The Protector" (ワンカット in Japanese) starring Tony Jaa. The quotes on the black boards are from: Che Guevara, Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre, and John Lennon.
Typhoon Family
When the girls were talking about the weather after the Typhoon, they were making a Japanese pun. What Konata was trying to say is "台風一過" (Tai Fuu Ikka), which is the calm weather after the typhoon, but she thought she the term was "台風一家" (Tai Fuu Ikka), which means "The Typhoon Family". Then she proceeded to make seemingly funny comment about the big typhoon's siblings. Kagami, knowing the real meaning of the term, asked Kona if she's serious. Of course she was. Seemed like Tsukasa was in Kona's boat as well. This happens to a lot of kanji-semi literate Japanese teens.
The Typhoon Family Photo:
Pro Baseball In Japan
The Japanese pro-baseball season is now in full-swing. Overtime game would push midnight anime further back, forcing many otaku to re-adjust their VCRs. There are no Tivo-like service in Japan (I checked) so even with a DVR, they will have to do this manually. Thus many otaku in Japan hated baseball with a passion. Trivia: It seemed that Nanako's favorite Pro Baseball Team is the Lotte Chiba Marines, and the main reason for this was that one of the team's star pitcher, 小林宏之 (Kobayashi Hiroyuki), is Katsukabe KyoEi High School's most famous alumni. He helped the team won its' first Japan Series title in '05; I remember him cus I watched the game. What's really unbelievable was the fact that Kona-jiji was watching baseball... isn't he an otaku? Another trivia - The Koshien Summer High School Baseball Tournament (something I watch live every night) does NOT hurt the Otakus as much because 1. All games are played during the day and 2. The games have a 15 inning max rule. Otakus should only hate PRO baseball, but I doubt many can tell the difference.
Yoshimizu loves his senpai:
Cool Biz
As many of you know by now, Cool Biz is the environmental policy promoted by the Koizumi government - from the first working day of June to the last working day of September, salarimen in Japan should try not to wear a neck tie or a jacket. All AC should be set at 28 Celsius. Maybe Kona-dad's not so lolicon after all...
Former PM Koizumi with his Cool Biz shirt:
Waitress Kagamin!
In the imaginary sequence where Kagami became a waitress, she's actually Cosplaying as an actual waitress of a famous Japanese restaurant chain for American food, Anna Miller's. The restaurant actually started out in Hawaii and then expanded to Japan, and it's famous for its breakfast and Pennsylvania Dutch pies. Cospla-Ota also love their cute and a little ecchi uniform, which is probably why it's in L*S. While you have to admit Kagami is super tsundere in their orange apron, It's too bad that KyoAni really failed to show the most interesting part of the uniform - the apron's "supporting feature" (see below).
A real Anna Miller's waitress-san demonstrating why cosplayers love her dress:
Wonderful Discoveries!
The show they Hiiragi Twins are watching is again, a very popular TBS show "世界・ふしぎ発見!" (Discovery of World's Wonder!). It's a combination travel/quiz show where they show the audience a place or city in the world and what' so special about it. There will be trivial questions asked during the show and the 6 or so tarento (talent-less guests) will try to answer them correctly in order to win the big prize - a travel package furnished by LOOK JTB (name beeped), Japan's largest travel agency. The TBS staple is the longest running quiz show ever, having just broadcasted their 1,000th episode this year.
The joke here was the LOOK JTB travel package offered was "one month trip to (a frozen) Tundra", like that's an ideal vacation. The "wonder" featured that night was Australia's Ayer's Rock, based on the voice over from the TV. The Ota in me found that the show DID recently visit Ayer's Rock this year, with it's 998th episode aired on 2/17/2007. The date doesn't quite match up but you can't expect KyoAni to be 100% accurate all the time.
Takeuchi Kanae (show's on-location host) in Australia:
Quickie Reference: Kona's desire to know more about their school's "idol" and the staus of her "bodyguard groups" is probably a reference to "D.C. ~ Da Capo" and "SHUFFLE" games.
Shower/Bath in Japan
Nanako-sensei was shown to have taken shower/bath before going to bed. This is normal in Japan, just in case you don't know from watching all those anime. People do not shower in the morning; a bath is always before bed time. The Japanese believe bath is stress-relieving and it's required for a restful sleep. Another reason for the absence of morning shower (unthinkable in the US) is the lack of the need for deodorant (good luck finding it in Japan) - when you don't really smell bad when you wake up, you're less likely to want a full shower. However, some Japanese has been adopting the morning shower to appear Westernized. These people ended up taking a shower in the morning and a bath at night, as many Japanese will tell you, they can't fall asleep without a proper Ofuro.
Joy is falling asleep after being neck deep in a Japanese tub!
2007-08-05, 21:18
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