ダニエルの冒険

I saw this ad on TV recently and thought it was hilarious. This evening Hiroshi sent me a link to the youtube clip and helped me with the transcription and figuring out what some of the words meant. Maybe some other people can get as much enjoyment out of it as I did. I love how Tommy Lee Jones, who I remember from films such as Batman Forever, the Fugitive and Men in Black, is in the middle of cutesy Japanese subculture and loving it.

Video

(note: please contact me if the video does not work)

English translation

Text: The Alien Jones Currently Surveying Earth TV Guy: “… and we’ve arrived at Akiba. However it’s quite cold today…” VO: The “Akihabara” area of this planet is engulfed in a bizarre aura… Girl 1: “I’m Cherry!” Girl 2: “I’m Alice!” TV Guy: “It seems that this is how Akiba is becoming…” VO: Except… Maid: “Moe moe rock-paper-scissors!” Maid: “Aah~!! I lost!!” VO: This planet’s omerice is… Maid: “Here comes the airplane!” Maid: “Nyom!” Maid: “Your nyom-nyoms make my heart flutter!” VO: Moe~ VO: BOSS Canned Coffee. Rainbow Mountain. Text: This useless, wonderful world.

Japanese transcription

Text: 宇宙人 ジョーンズ 地球調査中 TV Guy: 「・・・ということで、アキバの方にやって参りました。しかし肌寒い・・・」 VO: この惑星の秋葉原といわれる土地は異様な熱気に包まれている。 Girl 1:「チェリー(Cherry)です」 Girl 2:「アリス(Alice)です」 TV Guy: 「アキバはこんな風になっているらしいです。」 VO: ただ・・・ Maid: 「もえもえ じゃんけん じゃんけんぽん」 Maid: 「あ〜。負けてしまいましたぁ」 VO: この惑星のオムライスは・・・ Maid: 「あ〜ん」 Maid: 「ぱくっ！」 Maid: 「ぱくキュンキュンしちゃいますぅ。」 VO: 萌え VO: 缶コーホーBOSS. Rainbow Mountain. Text: このろくでもない すばらしき世界

Commentary

At the beginning of the video you can see a crowd of otaku cheering on a girl who seems to be a neko-mimi maid. Possibly a seiyū. If you look at her stockings, you can see what is sometimes known as zettai ryōiki. This is seen again on “Alice”.

Jones receives omerice with 萌 (“moe”) written in a heart in the centre. He’s playing moe rock-paper-scissors with his neko-mimi maid. She uses parental words with him when feeding him, though these words are also used by couples sometimes. Generic usage cutesy vocabulary I suppose. It’s been said to me before.

Vocabulary

• anime (アニメ): an abbreviation of the english word “animation”. Refers to Japanese cartoons.
• janken (じゃんけん): Japanese form of rock-paper-scissors. Full name “Jan-ken-pon”. “Gu” = stone. “Choki” = scissors. “Pa” = paper.
• maid (メイド): a girl dressed up as a maid who treats customers as if they were her “master”
• moe (萌え): I’ve explained this twice. Use the search button
• neko-mimi (ネコミミ/猫耳): Literally “cat-ears”. A girl with cat’s ears… it’s cute.
• omerice (オムライス): “omelette” and “rice” put together. It’s basically rice with an egg on top, and then whoever’s serving it to you draws something on the top for you with ketchup. Yoshie made this for me before and drew me a smiley face.
• otaku (ヲタク): a guy (sometimes a girl) who has an obsession about a particular aspect of this subculture, be it a particular anime, collecting figures in general, etc.
• seiyū (声優): a voice actor from anime.
• zettai ryōiki (絶対領域): when a girl wears high socks over the knee and hotpants/a short skirt so that she shows her thighs. About half the girls here do this daily. This name is not in common usage; it’s usually just described verbose.