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)