(Konishi)
Translators: Andrei Cunha
Translator's introduction:
"shiritori" is a japanese game the first player says a word, the second player must say a word beginning with the last character (syllable) of the first player's word, the third player must say a word beginning with the last character of the second player's word and so on the players are not supposed to say the same word twice
this track consists of two shiritori matches: the first one features maki-chan and the two kids from ugo-ugo lhuga the second one features other characters from the programme
ugo-ugo lhuga was a programme for kids, now discontinued it had a cutting edge quality to it that assured it became a legend among kids and adults who watched it it often featured very surrealistic sketches some of the crazyness of the programme was immortalised in this pizzicato album, especially this track, shiritori shimasho
(Editor's Note: Although theoretically for kids, the show's title is the phrase "Go-Go-u Ga--Ru" pronounced backwards, a "go go girl" being slang for the kind of party-all-night young lady so often sung about in P5 songs This was a hint that the show was also aimed at the hip young party-goer returning home at the break of dawn, having just caught the first train out of Tokyo The animated title sequence, indeed, featured a Godzilla-size party girl rampaging through the streets, only to be felled by three young boy superheroes Other signs of the show's hipness: background posters featuring such bands as Big Drill Car, and others)
it was very difficult to translate this track because a lot of the humour and irony of the original just wouldn't work in english after i had finished the translation and re-read it, i realised it sort of reminded me of the tea party with the mad hatter from alice in wonderland (and i certainly used much of its language as a model for the translation, unconsciously) -- all those people playing this game in a completely subversive manner, going really crazy about it, but acting as if everything had strict rules which should be properly observed the dialogue is absurd, but everybody is so serious about what they are doing one forgets they are not actually making any sense
my favourite line is 'oyamada keigo? otona? hito?'
hope you like it
maki: namae wa?
ugo-ugo: ugo-ugo desu
m: namae wa?
lhuga: lhuga desu
m: ja ugo-ugo-kun
lhuga-chan
shiritori demo
shimasho ka?
u: ii yo
l: ii yo
m: ja
watashi kara
saru!
u: roulette
(ruuretto)
l: to? tomato
m: to? togarashi
u: shika
l: kame
m: megane
u: nezumi
l: mi? mimizu
m: zu? mmm
su demo ii no ne? (*)
suika
u: kamome
l: medaka
m: ka kamome
yutta? yutta? (**)
u: yutta yutta yo!
boku ga yutta yo
m: so ka? ka kaki
u: kitsune
l: neko
m: ko koinu
(muzukashii)
u: nuri-e
l: e? entotsu
m: tsuki
u: kitsutsuki
l: ki? kiji
m: jidosha
u: ya yari (***)
l: rika
m: kagaku
u: ku kuri
l: risu
m: suzume
u: menko
l: ko? koma
m: ma? mammoth
(manmosu)
u: su? suzume!
l: yutta!
u: mm yutte
nakatta yo ne!
l: yutta!
u: yuttene yo!
m: yutta yo ne
u: ah ja maketchatta
l: su da yo su!
u: skunk (sukanku)
l: ku? kuma
m: ma marimo
u: mo
mori da yo mori
l: ri? mata ka yo
ri ri risu
yutta yo ne
m: pass shitemo
iin da yo
l: ri pass
m: atashi ga ri?
ri nai yo ne ri
u: boku wa aru
m: honto? ja pass
u: rito-kujira

what's your name?
it's ugo-ugo
and yours?
it's lhuga
ok so ugo-ugo-kun
lhuga-chan
shall we play
shiritori?
ok
ok
ok so i'll start
saru!
(monkey)
ruuretto
(roulette)
to? tomato
to? togarashi (red pepper)
shika (deer)
kame (tortoise)
megane (spectacles)
nezumi (mouse)
mi? mimizu (worm)
zu? mmm
it's ok if use su too, right? (*)
suika (watermelon)
kamome (seagull)
medaka (killifish)
ka kamome
oops! somebody already said that?
i did!
i did!
really? so kaki (persimmon)
kitsune (fox)
neko (cat)
ko koinu (puppy)
(this is so difficult)
nuri-e (colour book)
e? entotsu (chimney)
tsuki (moon)
kitsutsuki (woodpecker)
ki? kiji (pheasant)
jidosha (automobile)
ya yari (spear)
rika (science)
kagaku (chemistry)
ku kuri (chestnut)
risu (squirrel)
suzume (sparrow)
menko (a japanese game)
koma (horse)
ma? manmosu
(mammoth)
su? suzume!
we already said that!
we did not!
did we?
we did too!
no we did not!
i think we did
well then i lose
come on! su!
sukanku (skunk)
ku? kuma (bear)
ma marimo (duckweed)
mo
mori! (forest)
ri? no, not ri again!
ri ri we already said
risu right?
you can pass
if you don't know
ri i pass
it's me? ri?
ri i can't think of anything
i know one
really? ok i pass
rito-kujira (wild whale)

yume no kyoen
shuuru-kun
tomato-chan
terebi-kun no
otona no
shiritori desu yo!
terebi-kun ga
saisho ni
iimasu kara
tsugi wa
tomato-chan
shuuru-kun
desu kara ne
shuuru-kun,
tomato-chan:
haaai!
te: oyamada keigo
to: oyamada keigo?
otona?
te: otona desu
to: hito?
te: hito desu
so iu koto
janakute
shiritori desu yo
dozo!
to: go ne?
gogo no yugure
s: kirei desu ne
te: kirei desu ne
to: ufufufu!
s: lemon tea
(remon tii) chodai
te: o-suki nan
desu ka?
lemon tea wa?
s: so desu ne
te: lemon tea
chodai no i no
ikuko-chan ga hai!
watashi no
shiriai nan desu
terebi-kun no
totemo kawaii
to: i?
inu no
mawari-san no
koinu
s: nu
te: irun
desu ka?
to: mochiron!
s: nu?
otona no
shiritori desho?
te: otona no
shiritori
desu yo!
s: nu ne?
nureteru ne
kore wa mata
zentaiteki na
koto ne
fuinki desu ne
te: fuinki (**)
s: nureteru ne
te: otona no
shiritori
desu ne
to: nan daro!
te: ne kotchi e
kite no te
otona no shiritori
desu
terebi-kun mo
ko iu koto
ierun desu yo
to: tomato-chan wa
tsugi? te?
tendon
tabeta
o-hiru? (***)
s: ta
tamaru misuzu
te: ko iu meishi ga
ii no kana?
tendon tabeta
o-hiru?
s: ru? ru ne? ru
right?
ru ru ru ru ru
te: utatte wa ikemasen
s: dame da ne
ruby (ruubii)
te: takusan
o-kai ni natta
to iun
janai desu ka?
s: tanjoseki desu
te: bi to bo-tsuki
de bi ne?
beads (biizu) no
tsuita
jacket (jaketo) mo
suteki
kamoshirenai
no i!
to: mata i na no?
te: otona no shiritori
desu kara
to: kimatterun janai!
inu no mawari-san no
otona
otona no shiritori!

and now the dream team
shuuru-kun (*)
tomato-chan
and terebi-kun
will play
shiritori for grownups!
i will say
the first
word
and then
tomato-chan
and shuuru-kun
in this order
ok!
oyamada keigo (cornelius)
cornelius? what's that?
a grownup?
a grownup precisely
you mean like a person?
a person yes
this is
beside the point
we're trying to play
some shiritori here
ok so go
gogo no yugure (twilight in the afternoon)
oh that's so lovely!
really lovely
he he he
remon tii chodai
(could i have some lemon tea?)
i gather
you are quite fond of
of lemon tea
you could say i am yes
chodai ends with an i
so
ikuko-chan ga hai (ikuko-chan is)
ikuko-chan is an
acquaintance
of mine
she's very cute
i?
inu no mawari-san no koinu
(the puppy that belongs to
the policeman with a dog)
nu
you don't mean
he actually has one?
he does too
nu?
this is supposed to be a shiritori
strictly for grownups right?
yep
this is strictly
for grownups
ok so nu it is
nureteru ne (it's so wet!)
this is just
a general remark
i don't mean anything by that
it's just for the atmosphere
yeah i know the atmosphere
it's so wet!
this is
a shiritori
strictly for grownups
i wonder what he meant by wet!
ne kotchi e kite
(hey you come over here)
this is a shiritori
for grownups
me too
i can also say
this sort of thing
i'm next?
te?
ten don
tabeta o-hiru
(did you have fish and chips for lunch?)
ta
tamaru misuzu (a person's name)
i wonder if this utterance
complies with the rules of the game
fish and chips?
for lunch?
oh i'm so sorry! it's not ta! tis ru
ru (sings) ru ru ru ru
singing is not allowed!
it isn't now is it
well ok ruubii (ruby)
you mean
you have bought
a lot of them
of late?
it's my lucky stone
ruby ends with
a bii
biizu no tsuita
jaketo mo
suteki kamoshirenai!
(i wonder what a jacket
with beads
would do for me)
no! not i again!
i just said that because
this is a shiritori for grownups
well my answer goes almost without saying
inu no mawari-san no otona no shiritori!
(the shiritori strictly for grownups
being played by the policeman with a dog)