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earth_colors) wrote2013-09-18 09:15 pm
earth_colors) wrote2013-09-18 09:15 pm
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1st Batch: Amachan: Trivia Notes (Part 1 of 3)
Here are some trivia stuff and fun "easter eggs" found in Amachan. Some of these are just my observations. Others are from ja.wiki and those spotted by Japanese viewers and fans of Amachan. Enjoy~!
The title, "Amachan". According to danburi, the title is from the title character's name (Amano), along with her profession as Ama and it also means naïve. It is also used for a newcomer or ones with little experience.
There can only be one. 1,953 girls auditioned for the title role. The final candidates were Nounen Rena and Mine Azusa.
(info: ja.wiki)
Filming locations. The fictional rural city of North Sanriku or Kita Sanriku is primarily based on Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, where outdoor scenes of the Hometown Arc are also filmed. The setting of Sode ga Hama (or Sodegahama) is based on Kosode village, known for its Kosode Coast, and the home of the Northernmost Ama Divers. The railway is the Sanriku Railway located at the Kuji Station. Kuji has also been "one of Japan's biggest producers of amber, dating back to almost a hundred million years ago."
(info/pic: ja.wiki, kuji amber)
Je Je! This is said to be spoken by the locals in the Kosode coast. Apparently, KudoKan heard it when he went there for location hunting, and decided to incorporate it in the script. Other local words used were "Bappa" (Grandma) and "Warasu" (kid).
(info: ja.wiki)
To Rise Up. KudoKan uses words like "above" or "up" maybe to symbolize Aki's attempts to rise up from certain situations. The kanji for "ama" in her last name means "sky" [天]. She goes to Ueno (with "Ue" also meaning "above"), and tries to rise above the "naraku" (hell, abyss or theater basement).
Senpaiii~!. Taneichi's name is derived from the birthplace of Nambu Diving (Nambu Moguri), a municipality called Taneichi in Kunohe, Iwate. Isozaki Sadakichi, the diver mentioned in Ep. 27 was born in Taneichi. The high school with the diving pool is actually, Taneichi Municipal High School.
And incidentally, when Taneichi went to Tokyo, he stayed in his company dorm located in Daiba, Odaiba which sounds like "diver" in Romaji.
"Hiroshi desu." Hiroshi's name and gloomy line is taken from stand-up comedian, Hiroshi, real name Saito Kenichi (left pic). Hiroshi is best known for his comic routine wherein the song Peppino Gagliardi's "Che Vuole Questa Musica Stasera" is played in the background while he's saying gloomy funny pitiful jokes, in between, repeated utterances of "Hiroshi desu." Watch a clip HERE.
Other names.
Mizuguchi's first name "Takuma" means "polished jade."
In Ep. 47, Haruko said Konno Yayoi was called the "Koshijiri Fubuki of Kitasanriku." Incidentally, Koshijiri's maiden name was "Konno."
Daikichi and Sugawara. Well, I don't know if there's a connection but if you notice, Yayoi's husband, Atsushi is played by actor Sugawara Daikichi.
Kyonkyon Idol Trivia!
In real life, Koizumi Kyoko, like her young character, was a high school drop-out. At age 15 she joined and became one of the winners in "Star Tanjo! (A Star is Born!), a famous singing TV contest which had produced legendary champions and future idols like Yamaguchi Momoe and Nakamori Akina. The audition song in the drama (Ep. 39) is titled "Hatsukoi" by Murashita Kyozo but in real life the winning song she sang in "Star Tanjo was "Hatsukoi" by Ishino Mako. Here's a CLIP of her, and Akina, during their first appearances in the show.
(info: ja.wiki) (pic of young kyonkon: youku)
"What Happened to the Girl?" The drama paid tribute to Kyonkon's idol legacy by way of Ep. 105, filling it with references to her first lead role in the 1985 TBS drama, "Shōjo ni nani ga okottaka" (What happened to the girl?), a Cinderalla-like story of a poor but talented girl forced to work as a maid for her late(?) father's rich family. Hence, the line "Usugitana nē Cinderella! (You filthy Cinderella)" was uttered by the character portrayed by Ishidate Tetsuo (left topmost pic above) while in Ep. 105, it was repeated by an irritated Aramaki Taichi as "That daughter (Aki) of the filthy Cinderella (Haruko)!" To watch a clip of the original, click HERE.
In Ep. 105, Daikichi wore a pin-striped suit he bought from Boutique Konno, similar to what Ishidate Tetsuo, was wearing in the 1985 drama (topmost pix). Lower left pic shows a scene wherein the girls in the original drama are wearing ballgowns for a dance; while right pic shows GMT girls wearing similar frilly "ballgown-ish" costumes.
The Best Ten. The fictional music show, "Best 10 Hits of the Night" is based on the TBS's "The Best Ten" that ran from 1978 to 1989. The actors in the drama had Itoi Shigesato and Shimizu Michiko (right pic) spoofing the actual emcees, Kume Hiroshi and Kuroyanagi Tetsuko (left pic).
Ryuhei's Papa. The drama also paid tribute to the Matsuda brothers (Ryuhei and Shota)'s late legendary dad, Matsuda Yusaku. In Ep. 93, when Mizuguchi Takuma went to Sodegahama to fetch Aki, the harmonica music playing in the background when he burst inside the workshed was inspired by the opening of "Bad City" the theme song from the older Matsuda's 1979 drama, Tantei Monogatari.
Then, in Ep. 113, when Aramaki Taichi saw Aki's CM on a tissue, he annoyingly shouted, "Nanja korya!" which were also the final words of Shibata Jun, Matsuda Yusaku's memorable character in his famous death scene in "Taiyo ni Hoero!"
"Hmm... That hallway looks familiar..." Viewers have noticed that the hallway in the set of "Expectant Lawyer" (Ep. 88) and the hallway outside the Amano's residence look somewhat strangely the same.
Three J Productions. Haruko's revenge finally begins by putting up her own production company, and even puts a framed slogan on her desk that says, "Don't get rolled in no matter what."
"There he is!" Otomo Yoshihide, composer and musician, and responsible for the drama's music, makes a cameo appearance as the guitarist in the big band in Ep. 116.
Mizuguchi the bassist. In Ep. 108, Mizuguchi revealed to Aki that he used to be a bassist in a band called "Birthday of Elephant." Apparently it's a reference to Matsuda Ryuhei's role of a bassist in the movie, "Nana."
"Don't erase it!" In Eps. 13 and 139, Konno Yayoi, portrayed by Watanabe Eri would panic when Daikichi tries to erase the whiteboard. Actually she was spoofing her running gag scene in the 80s comedy show "Beat Takeshi no Gakumon no Susume." In the original scene, every time the teacher (Takeshi) attempts to erase the blackboard, one of the students (Watanabe Eri) would cry out, "Oh! OHH~!..." "What?!" "I'm not yet done copying it."
(pix: gentarousen)
This is all I could collect so far (there's more but these are the ones I find worth mentioning). More trivia to come when I get to sub the earthquake episodes.
Trivia Notes:
Batch 1: (Part2) (Part3)
Batch 2: (Part1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
Episode Index: (link)
Song Translation: (link)
Character Guide (link)
The title, "Amachan". According to danburi, the title is from the title character's name (Amano), along with her profession as Ama and it also means naïve. It is also used for a newcomer or ones with little experience.
There can only be one. 1,953 girls auditioned for the title role. The final candidates were Nounen Rena and Mine Azusa.
(info: ja.wiki)
Filming locations. The fictional rural city of North Sanriku or Kita Sanriku is primarily based on Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture, where outdoor scenes of the Hometown Arc are also filmed. The setting of Sode ga Hama (or Sodegahama) is based on Kosode village, known for its Kosode Coast, and the home of the Northernmost Ama Divers. The railway is the Sanriku Railway located at the Kuji Station. Kuji has also been "one of Japan's biggest producers of amber, dating back to almost a hundred million years ago."
(info/pic: ja.wiki, kuji amber)
Je Je! This is said to be spoken by the locals in the Kosode coast. Apparently, KudoKan heard it when he went there for location hunting, and decided to incorporate it in the script. Other local words used were "Bappa" (Grandma) and "Warasu" (kid).
(info: ja.wiki)
To Rise Up. KudoKan uses words like "above" or "up" maybe to symbolize Aki's attempts to rise up from certain situations. The kanji for "ama" in her last name means "sky" [天]. She goes to Ueno (with "Ue" also meaning "above"), and tries to rise above the "naraku" (hell, abyss or theater basement).
Senpaiii~!. Taneichi's name is derived from the birthplace of Nambu Diving (Nambu Moguri), a municipality called Taneichi in Kunohe, Iwate. Isozaki Sadakichi, the diver mentioned in Ep. 27 was born in Taneichi. The high school with the diving pool is actually, Taneichi Municipal High School.
And incidentally, when Taneichi went to Tokyo, he stayed in his company dorm located in Daiba, Odaiba which sounds like "diver" in Romaji.
"Hiroshi desu." Hiroshi's name and gloomy line is taken from stand-up comedian, Hiroshi, real name Saito Kenichi (left pic). Hiroshi is best known for his comic routine wherein the song Peppino Gagliardi's "Che Vuole Questa Musica Stasera" is played in the background while he's saying gloomy funny pitiful jokes, in between, repeated utterances of "Hiroshi desu." Watch a clip HERE.
Other names.
Mizuguchi's first name "Takuma" means "polished jade."
In Ep. 47, Haruko said Konno Yayoi was called the "Koshijiri Fubuki of Kitasanriku." Incidentally, Koshijiri's maiden name was "Konno."
Daikichi and Sugawara. Well, I don't know if there's a connection but if you notice, Yayoi's husband, Atsushi is played by actor Sugawara Daikichi.
The real "Haruko", Koizumi Kyoko in one of her many appearances in
"Star Tanjo!" (left) and Young Haruko, portrayed by
Arimura Kasumi in "You Too Can Become a Star!" (right)
"Star Tanjo!" (left) and Young Haruko, portrayed by
Arimura Kasumi in "You Too Can Become a Star!" (right)
Kyonkyon Idol Trivia!
In real life, Koizumi Kyoko, like her young character, was a high school drop-out. At age 15 she joined and became one of the winners in "Star Tanjo! (A Star is Born!), a famous singing TV contest which had produced legendary champions and future idols like Yamaguchi Momoe and Nakamori Akina. The audition song in the drama (Ep. 39) is titled "Hatsukoi" by Murashita Kyozo but in real life the winning song she sang in "Star Tanjo was "Hatsukoi" by Ishino Mako. Here's a CLIP of her, and Akina, during their first appearances in the show.
(info: ja.wiki) (pic of young kyonkon: youku)
"What Happened to the Girl?" The drama paid tribute to Kyonkon's idol legacy by way of Ep. 105, filling it with references to her first lead role in the 1985 TBS drama, "Shōjo ni nani ga okottaka" (What happened to the girl?), a Cinderalla-like story of a poor but talented girl forced to work as a maid for her late(?) father's rich family. Hence, the line "Usugitana nē Cinderella! (You filthy Cinderella)" was uttered by the character portrayed by Ishidate Tetsuo (left topmost pic above) while in Ep. 105, it was repeated by an irritated Aramaki Taichi as "That daughter (Aki) of the filthy Cinderella (Haruko)!" To watch a clip of the original, click HERE.
In Ep. 105, Daikichi wore a pin-striped suit he bought from Boutique Konno, similar to what Ishidate Tetsuo, was wearing in the 1985 drama (topmost pix). Lower left pic shows a scene wherein the girls in the original drama are wearing ballgowns for a dance; while right pic shows GMT girls wearing similar frilly "ballgown-ish" costumes.
Then...And Now?. No trivia here. Just wanted to juxtapose Young Kyonkyon and the real Toshi-chan with the pic of Haruko and Toshi-chan impersonator. For more cool retro idol pix, go to hanpajanai@tumblr.
The Best Ten. The fictional music show, "Best 10 Hits of the Night" is based on the TBS's "The Best Ten" that ran from 1978 to 1989. The actors in the drama had Itoi Shigesato and Shimizu Michiko (right pic) spoofing the actual emcees, Kume Hiroshi and Kuroyanagi Tetsuko (left pic).
Ryuhei's Papa. The drama also paid tribute to the Matsuda brothers (Ryuhei and Shota)'s late legendary dad, Matsuda Yusaku. In Ep. 93, when Mizuguchi Takuma went to Sodegahama to fetch Aki, the harmonica music playing in the background when he burst inside the workshed was inspired by the opening of "Bad City" the theme song from the older Matsuda's 1979 drama, Tantei Monogatari.
Then, in Ep. 113, when Aramaki Taichi saw Aki's CM on a tissue, he annoyingly shouted, "Nanja korya!" which were also the final words of Shibata Jun, Matsuda Yusaku's memorable character in his famous death scene in "Taiyo ni Hoero!"
"Hmm... That hallway looks familiar..." Viewers have noticed that the hallway in the set of "Expectant Lawyer" (Ep. 88) and the hallway outside the Amano's residence look somewhat strangely the same.
Three J Productions. Haruko's revenge finally begins by putting up her own production company, and even puts a framed slogan on her desk that says, "Don't get rolled in no matter what."
"There he is!" Otomo Yoshihide, composer and musician, and responsible for the drama's music, makes a cameo appearance as the guitarist in the big band in Ep. 116.
Mizuguchi the bassist. In Ep. 108, Mizuguchi revealed to Aki that he used to be a bassist in a band called "Birthday of Elephant." Apparently it's a reference to Matsuda Ryuhei's role of a bassist in the movie, "Nana."
"Don't erase it!" In Eps. 13 and 139, Konno Yayoi, portrayed by Watanabe Eri would panic when Daikichi tries to erase the whiteboard. Actually she was spoofing her running gag scene in the 80s comedy show "Beat Takeshi no Gakumon no Susume." In the original scene, every time the teacher (Takeshi) attempts to erase the blackboard, one of the students (Watanabe Eri) would cry out, "Oh! OHH~!..." "What?!" "I'm not yet done copying it."
(pix: gentarousen)
This is all I could collect so far (there's more but these are the ones I find worth mentioning). More trivia to come when I get to sub the earthquake episodes.
Trivia Notes:
Batch 1: (Part2) (Part3)
Batch 2: (Part1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
Episode Index: (link)
Song Translation: (link)
Character Guide (link)
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-09-18 02:06 pm (UTC)(link)This trivia totally awesome...btw "Ama" means newcomer or have little experience??how about "Apoyan"??
naufaljiro
Hi, this is Danburi
(Anonymous) 2013-09-18 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-09-19 01:46 am (UTC)(link)btw, i wanna ask you regarding this series...
on episode 52 (week 9), Yui-chan introduce Aki-chan in the Parlour train (at 14:00).
it's Yui-chan said "Ama no Aki-chan desu" or "Amano Aki-chan Desu" (just said her full name)...from the translation by earthcolor-san it said "This is Aki-chan of the Amas".. a little bit confusing..heheheeh
naufaljiro
no subject
I just follow what the JP subs says.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-09-19 11:24 am (UTC)(link)btw, you already give many hint for next episode..for me i will keep waiting the sub and then i watch it later...even though i have raw video, i insist to wait...
earthcolor-san..ganbare!!!!!
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-09-19 12:20 am (UTC)(link)I have nothing to add here except your dorama notes are SO AWESOME!!
The context you provide is illuminating and complete.
no subject
Thanks etc
(Anonymous) 2013-09-25 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)A little late but thanks for all your subs too. This drama would've not been brought to my attention had you not picked it up. Though I ended up watching ahead of your subs, ahead of the raws and onto the streams on fc2, haha. Pity the script plateaued in the middle of the Tokyo arc (as you mentioned); fortunately it sorta picks up after the 1-year Earthquake anniversary. And after watching this morning's genius episode(152), I am declaring this asadora a keeper.
-ckb
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-12-08 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)大変お世話になります！ありがとうございます！
Shōjo ni nani ga okottaka
(Anonymous) 2014-04-17 09:32 am (UTC)(link)Re: Shōjo ni nani ga okottaka
I've been meaning to ask you to verify the pic of the ballgowns of the actresses above from the drama. I wonder if you could post a clearer pic of what they wore esp. Kyonkyon's gown. Looking forward to the drama! :)
Re: Shōjo ni nani ga okottaka
(Anonymous) 2014-04-17 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)Actually, Kyonkyon is not in that pic above. This is her dress http://imgur.com/tqyMw0Y. If it helps at all, the quality of the video is not that crisp unfortunately.
Re: Shōjo ni nani ga okottaka