Mar. 28th, 2024 02:30 pm
FuteHodo Ep8: Drama Notes
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earth_colorsEp. 8: "Is It All Over If You Messed Up Once?"
The Three Year Itch. The main theme for this episode obviously is infidelity. In the west, there is something called "7 Year Itch" which is a "popular belief that happiness in a marriage or long-term relationship declines after around seven years" that could lead to discontent or boredom, and in turn, leads to seeking companionship outside marriage. In Japan, it's 3 years or what they call "3-Nen-me no uwaki" (cheating on the third year of marriage). This is the title of the 1982 song by musical duo "Hiroshi and Kibo". This is also the song inspiration of this episode's musical number (more explanation below). Kurita also revealed in this episode that he cheated on his 3rd year of marriage.
Most notable examples of "3-Nen-me no uwaki" among famous Japanese celebrity couples, were those of couples, Nakama Yukie and Tanaka Tetsushi (he was caught cheating on 3rd year of marriage but are still together), and Adachi Yumi and Idoda Jun (who divorced each other after 3 years of marriage).
Kotatsu articles or critiques. KudoKan really took a swipe (lol) against these so-called journalists who does "flimsy articles" from the "comforts of their kotatsu", without having to get scoops or go out and do their own original research or interviews. They mostly get available info from the internet, and rehash them into "articles". They also take quotes from comments of netizens from social media, and call it "news". This article quotes Sawai Atsushi, a Keio University professor, who said kotatsu critiques are "based on assumptions on information gathered from TV news and the web, often distorting the truth and adding catchy subtitles in aim to earn click-through counts."
Adultery Scandal of Japanese Celebrities. Viewers were wondering who is the model that the character of sports announcer Kuramochi Takeru is based on. There is no clear answer since there were plenty of cheating scandals for the past few years. But the closest one is probably comedian and TV presenter Watabe Ken who is married to Sazaki Nozomi. Watabe admitted to committing multiple affairs. But the couple are still together, and even had a child 3 years after the cheating was exposed. He was suspended and stopped appearing on TV because of the scandal. But he is reportedly gradually starting to show up first in minor, non-terrestrial TV shows starting 2022, and currently seems to be working his way back into national terrestrial TV.
Tsumamigui. Announcer Kuramochi's wife Yoko asked the public to forgive her husband for doing "tsumamigui". It basically means "snacking on the sly" or "nibbling on the side" or "eating with one's fingers", and It could also be used as a slang for "philandering" and "embezzlement".
Kyon Kyon. None other than Koizumi Kyoko, no need to explain. But viewers noticed that Kyon Kyon appeared on this episode about cheating scandals while she herself was involved in one recently.
Kyon Kyon "appeared" in this episode as her 1986 self. If you want to see what "small-faced" Kyon Kyon looked like in 1986, watch THIS.
Sailors. Take note that little Sakae-chan is wearing authentic Sailors in this episode, with the logo of "Sailor-kun" on her shirt. This was a famous apparel brand mentioned in Ep 1, which were mostly trainors or sweatshirts that were popularized by idols in the 80s most especially Onyanko Club. It started selling in 1985, and there was only one store that sold it exclusively in Shibuya. It was so popular that the store can only handle 2,000 customers per day or 40 customers per 15 minutes. That is why Junko was delightfully surprised at first when she thought her father was able to buy her one.
Delinquent Youths of Japan. There were many slang words for delinquent youths (abazure, yankee, color gang) that were mentioned all throughout this drama. More terms:
Sukeban. Refers to either the leader of a girl gang or the entire gang itself. More HERE.
Tsuppari. Term used to refer to boys and girls who engage in delinquent behavior or delinquency.
Gure. From "gureta wakamono" which means wayward or delinquent youth or a young person who strayed from the right path.
They are basically a subculture that have their own look, way of speaking, and rules. They look like the above pictures, and they are the ones that Junko was talking about, that have gone "extinct", or are no longer existing today. There are still troubled youths and gangs up to today but they certainly don't look like that anymore.
"This is just like KinTsuma!". Aside from the patio, what made Kurita's patio party look like KinTsuma? The families in KinTsuma (Season 3 in particular) were from above middle class status, and lived an ideal, stylish, above average lifestyle. That is why, we get to hear the husbands' occupation (architect, clinic director) to indicate their above middle class status. And the wives' nicknames "Pocky" and "Taiko" were a nod to the nicknames of some of the main women characters in the KinTsuma S3 as well: one was nicknamed "Take" (bamboo) because of her slender appearance; another was "Okoma" because she was always doing something in a hurry like a "koma-nezumi" (a small mouse); and also, there was "Noro" (slow) because of her laid back personality and slow movements.
By the way, as mentioned in the notes of Ep5, "Pocky" is played by Yashima's real-life wife, Miyashita Kyoko. But instead of Pocky, she now looks more like Kinoko no Yama or Chocorooms.
Song Inspiration:
As stated, the musical part, "3 Year April Fools" song sung by Ichiro and and Yuri (above) was based on this song "3-Nen-me no Uwaki" by Hiroshi and Kibo, listen HERE. Based on the lyrics, a man and woman are arguing over the man's infidelity while they're saying to each other: "Don't say stupid things ("Baka itten janaiyo" or don't be ridiculous)!". That is the joke behind the exchange in the scene below when Ichiro was quoting the song:
In the song, it seems the woman is leaving him. The man is arguing with the woman, basically saying she is overreacting, that it was only a 3 Year Itch, and citing the usual "I'm a man, it's only natural I cheat" excuses, plus it's a man's pride that women are attracted to him, and that she should be proud that she married a popular man like him. But the woman is adamant, and says "I don't like that attitude", and she won't ever forgive him "even if he puts up his arms in apology". The song ends, with the man "begging" her repeatedly (in his manliest way possible, without actually saying sorry) : "It's just a 3 Year Itch, give me some slack".
BACK to the FUTEHODO EP GUIDE
The Three Year Itch. The main theme for this episode obviously is infidelity. In the west, there is something called "7 Year Itch" which is a "popular belief that happiness in a marriage or long-term relationship declines after around seven years" that could lead to discontent or boredom, and in turn, leads to seeking companionship outside marriage. In Japan, it's 3 years or what they call "3-Nen-me no uwaki" (cheating on the third year of marriage). This is the title of the 1982 song by musical duo "Hiroshi and Kibo". This is also the song inspiration of this episode's musical number (more explanation below). Kurita also revealed in this episode that he cheated on his 3rd year of marriage.
Most notable examples of "3-Nen-me no uwaki" among famous Japanese celebrity couples, were those of couples, Nakama Yukie and Tanaka Tetsushi (he was caught cheating on 3rd year of marriage but are still together), and Adachi Yumi and Idoda Jun (who divorced each other after 3 years of marriage).
Kotatsu articles or critiques. KudoKan really took a swipe (lol) against these so-called journalists who does "flimsy articles" from the "comforts of their kotatsu", without having to get scoops or go out and do their own original research or interviews. They mostly get available info from the internet, and rehash them into "articles". They also take quotes from comments of netizens from social media, and call it "news". This article quotes Sawai Atsushi, a Keio University professor, who said kotatsu critiques are "based on assumptions on information gathered from TV news and the web, often distorting the truth and adding catchy subtitles in aim to earn click-through counts."
Adultery Scandal of Japanese Celebrities. Viewers were wondering who is the model that the character of sports announcer Kuramochi Takeru is based on. There is no clear answer since there were plenty of cheating scandals for the past few years. But the closest one is probably comedian and TV presenter Watabe Ken who is married to Sazaki Nozomi. Watabe admitted to committing multiple affairs. But the couple are still together, and even had a child 3 years after the cheating was exposed. He was suspended and stopped appearing on TV because of the scandal. But he is reportedly gradually starting to show up first in minor, non-terrestrial TV shows starting 2022, and currently seems to be working his way back into national terrestrial TV.
Tsumamigui. Announcer Kuramochi's wife Yoko asked the public to forgive her husband for doing "tsumamigui". It basically means "snacking on the sly" or "nibbling on the side" or "eating with one's fingers", and It could also be used as a slang for "philandering" and "embezzlement".
Kyon Kyon. None other than Koizumi Kyoko, no need to explain. But viewers noticed that Kyon Kyon appeared on this episode about cheating scandals while she herself was involved in one recently.
Kyon Kyon "appeared" in this episode as her 1986 self. If you want to see what "small-faced" Kyon Kyon looked like in 1986, watch THIS.
Sailors. Take note that little Sakae-chan is wearing authentic Sailors in this episode, with the logo of "Sailor-kun" on her shirt. This was a famous apparel brand mentioned in Ep 1, which were mostly trainors or sweatshirts that were popularized by idols in the 80s most especially Onyanko Club. It started selling in 1985, and there was only one store that sold it exclusively in Shibuya. It was so popular that the store can only handle 2,000 customers per day or 40 customers per 15 minutes. That is why Junko was delightfully surprised at first when she thought her father was able to buy her one.
Delinquent Youths of Japan. There were many slang words for delinquent youths (abazure, yankee, color gang) that were mentioned all throughout this drama. More terms:
Sukeban. Refers to either the leader of a girl gang or the entire gang itself. More HERE.
Tsuppari. Term used to refer to boys and girls who engage in delinquent behavior or delinquency.
Gure. From "gureta wakamono" which means wayward or delinquent youth or a young person who strayed from the right path.
They are basically a subculture that have their own look, way of speaking, and rules. They look like the above pictures, and they are the ones that Junko was talking about, that have gone "extinct", or are no longer existing today. There are still troubled youths and gangs up to today but they certainly don't look like that anymore.
"This is just like KinTsuma!". Aside from the patio, what made Kurita's patio party look like KinTsuma? The families in KinTsuma (Season 3 in particular) were from above middle class status, and lived an ideal, stylish, above average lifestyle. That is why, we get to hear the husbands' occupation (architect, clinic director) to indicate their above middle class status. And the wives' nicknames "Pocky" and "Taiko" were a nod to the nicknames of some of the main women characters in the KinTsuma S3 as well: one was nicknamed "Take" (bamboo) because of her slender appearance; another was "Okoma" because she was always doing something in a hurry like a "koma-nezumi" (a small mouse); and also, there was "Noro" (slow) because of her laid back personality and slow movements.
By the way, as mentioned in the notes of Ep5, "Pocky" is played by Yashima's real-life wife, Miyashita Kyoko. But instead of Pocky, she now looks more like Kinoko no Yama or Chocorooms.
Song Inspiration:
As stated, the musical part, "3 Year April Fools" song sung by Ichiro and and Yuri (above) was based on this song "3-Nen-me no Uwaki" by Hiroshi and Kibo, listen HERE. Based on the lyrics, a man and woman are arguing over the man's infidelity while they're saying to each other: "Don't say stupid things ("Baka itten janaiyo" or don't be ridiculous)!". That is the joke behind the exchange in the scene below when Ichiro was quoting the song:
In the song, it seems the woman is leaving him. The man is arguing with the woman, basically saying she is overreacting, that it was only a 3 Year Itch, and citing the usual "I'm a man, it's only natural I cheat" excuses, plus it's a man's pride that women are attracted to him, and that she should be proud that she married a popular man like him. But the woman is adamant, and says "I don't like that attitude", and she won't ever forgive him "even if he puts up his arms in apology". The song ends, with the man "begging" her repeatedly (in his manliest way possible, without actually saying sorry) : "It's just a 3 Year Itch, give me some slack".
BACK to the FUTEHODO EP GUIDE
