Shi-Ri-To-Ri

"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)