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ジャパングリッシュ

found in translation

japanglish

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the meek shall unfortunately inherit continued suppression.

Keith Haring; gone but not forgotten? Only barely, it would seem. Pictured is the current sorry state (2013) of the exterior wall of Haring's once-revered Tokyo Pop Shop in Jingumae, Tokyo (closed 1988). Someone apparently took it upon themselves to refurbish the faded artwork. Unsuccessfully, it would seem. Fading away seems the more attractive option. Hear the sound of Keith rolling over in his grave? 

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​by L. Mace  originally posted Feb. 28, 2014 

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japanglish leisure・social・art・entertainment  DICTIONARY

​​leisurelejā・socialsōshyaru・artāto・entertainmententātēnmento

warudokomento悪道小面当                     world comment

・JST, Tokyo (UTC+09:00)

Checklist: 10 Necessary Components for a Successful Japanese Variety Show;  Funny but True.

10. Japanese subtitles even though it’s a Japanese program, broadcasting to a Japanese audience, and the whole cast is already speaking Japanese.

9. Comedy Combi. For dim-witted hijinks consisting of high-decibal dissing, fumbling, shoving, and dependable slap-shtick shenanigans (think Laurel & Hardy in the 1920s, the Marx Brothers in the 30s, Abbott & Costello in the 40s, Martin & Lewis in the 50s…).

8. At least one SMAP member; at least once every day of the week.

7. Chubby-but-cute and/or utterly ugly gal, guy, or combi (see: Harisembon (ハリセンボン) and/or Angaaruzu (アンガールズ), whose physical peculiarities become punchlines for the slap-happy or conveniently bypassed by the more polite of fellow guests.

6. Ne-san, new-half or drag-queen (twin "sisters" double the entertainment factor). Urbane Japanese put forth a progressive image by sharing the stage with and delighting in the bejeweled and accessorized fellows, annoying as they may often be, furthering the facade of tolerance and inclusivity on Japanese TV.

5. Dolled-up, clueless cutie with corresponding chipmunk voice. For years now this position is often filled by any number of idol group members, the likes of Rola running through her repertoire of recognizable gestures & reactions, Mizusawa Arie, Serina or other equivalent.

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4. Foreigner du jour or half-breed National. For their involvement in pumping up a program's International Quotient (often that other  IQ as well) by being charmingly entertaining, they are humored as long as they play by The Rules and/or play The Fool. If you're lucky, the gaijin will be LiLiCo. If not, perhaps panda Dave Specter.

3. Dai Break Chuu newcomer. Think Becky circa 2000, Suzuki Nana circa 2013, or (insert name here) at the start of their career. Omnipresent on Japanese variety shows when promoting a product, showing up as co-host, panelist, participant or unsuspecting (willing?) victim. Overweight Monomane drag queens get extra credit (see: Matsuko Deluxe).

2. Screen-corner thumbnail view of tarento shown watching the same VTR that viewers at home are watching: lest viewers become lonely? Or a thumb-nosing reminder that tarento get paid  to watch TV?

1. Use every imaginable color, texture, shape and pattern as set decoration. Better when completely clashing, worse when causing seizures in viewers at home. Pink and green checkerboard tiling, star-shaped neon in orange and blue (flashing), chrome hearts, crayon drawings in gaudy renaissance frames. All side by side within camera shot. 

by K. Rie  column originally posted March 7, 2014

japanglish 101 © 2014 Lennie Mace   posted August 25, 2014

#4:    katori senko                 ​ Katori Shingo

japanglish 101   chapter 6:  name games

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​Academy Award-worthy film-promotion  Japanglish

SURIRUTOAKUSHONNOSASUPENSUDORAMA

THRILL and ACTION of SUSPENSE DRAMA

スリルとアクションのサスペンスドラマ   
Actual ''tagline'' used in Japan to describe and promote the

1959 Alfred Hitchcock spy classic North By Northwest.

The 4 English words transliterated with Japanese conjunctions.

AKB x MSN  pop culture curiosities further validated via real news

May, 2014: Two young members of Japanese idol group AKB48 were assaulted by a misguided young man wielding a folding saw during a meet-&-greet publicity appearance.  Unsurprisingly, the incident made headline news in Japan for a day or two, relevant points dutifully touched upon with requisite Japanese concern.  Associated Press picked up the story and it went global.  MSN news was among those recounting the story, albeit with only cursory mention as an entertainment sidebar and coverage which read more like a monthly AKB newsletter than news report.  An attack of this nature is  newsworthy, to be sure, but as much for reasons beyond the innocent-young-girls-beset-upon-by-evil, sympathetic slant expounded thus far.  

   At times like this, Japanese television customarily assembles every available standby-specialist to join authority-for-a-day panelists (tarento ) in rehashing every facet, dissecting details with ponderous theorizing and exchanging rhetorical questions, to no avail, while duly lamenting the victims' misfortune.  Expect no official inquiry.  There is  more to the story, but it's more likely that the focus of AKB's kowai  (scary) run-in will be kept on the bad guy; assailant in custody, no more to be seen here, folks, move along please.  In the end, corporate accountability will be conveniently overlooked or ignored by reporters, swept under the rug, kept hushed or suppressed by execs like reports from Fukushima.  This is not just a Japanese idol group, after all; it's big business, and board members sure don't want reporters nosing around any more than necessary.  No-questions-asked means no question unanswered.  

Such an attack not only pokes holes in foreign impressions of a crime-free Japan but also provides legitimate grounds to question the business practices of organized idolatry at an opportune moment, lest its leaders claim being singled out by critics.  The exorbitant cost of bankrolling such entertainment enterprises invites questions of whether the needs of the girls are as much a consideration as where the girls are needed, when, and how long.  Interchangeable, replaceable and disposable, the "talent" are herded and driven like cattle — primped, preened, and perfumed cattle — in service of the corporation.  The number of handlers among whom they're consigned raises questions of safety which only surface when competency is tested, as it was in May.  In this case, the two victims — cute, sweet and popular though they may be — were second-string stand-ins for A-list members who have "graduated" or gained seniority and seldom perform the menial functions which keep the operation running.  It is not presumptuous to assume an attacker would never get close enough to the headliners as this perp got to these kōhai  (junior workers).  

   The 2013 pseudo-scandal involving AKB's Minami Minegishi spending a night at a man's apartment climaxed with a bizarre videotaped apology by a shaky, buzz-cut Minegishi that played more like a hostage tape than contrition.  No outcry as to why a young girl (then 20) would punish herself to such extreme for such an understandably human lapse; the outcome outweighed the cause.  Were press conferences even necessary?  Didn't it seem more likely to anyone that the act might've come as punishment by order from The Top, to set an example?  There's a lot riding on these girls' images; reputations, jobs, futures… "Think this is a game? Off with your hair!"  

The glory of AKB has already been on the wane. Post-peak over-saturation now entails myriad junior groups nationally, sister groups throughout Asia and auditions for "adult" members.  A thinly veiled ploy to keep cashing in on teenage fans who are now grown up?  Interest beyond Asian countries continues to be minimal, limiting prospects for an apparatus which only becomes more and more costly to sustain.  Mari Yamaguchi, reporting for AP, presented a sufficient if slightly partial report when the news broke, but used superlatives such as "hugely popular" when she should've written "the ONCE hugely popular..."

   And why, then, is world news further abetting these Japanese corporate constructs anyway?  Ah, yes; real news doesn't attract real readers anymore and pop star tragedy has entertainment value.  US news outlets should know better, though, bearing in mind the unspoken truth that entities such as AKB-Corp — who could use the publicity now more than it did during boom times — stand only to profit by generating sympathy from sorrow. Keep the product's name in the news; free advertising.  Kanye Kardashian marriage minutiae anyone?

Best wishes to young ladies Rina Kawaei (19) and Anna Iriyama (18), who were not seriously injured.

by O. Lebron  posted June 7, 2014