a
television's workshop
e.p.
pizzicato five
COCA-11506 COLUMBIA TRIAD

original soundtrack from "ugo ugo-lhuga"

(released 2/10/94, triad/columbia)

 

Introduction


Translators: Andrei Cunha

man from studio: hai sassoku
o-kiraku gokuraku kara ne

ugo-ugo kun: o-nen-ne
o-nen-ne toka

lhuga-chan: (laughs)

man: hai ii?

lhuga-chan: ochitsuite yo

man: oi, chanto tatte,
tatte ita ho ga ii.
(asks someone else:)
tatta ho ga ii desu ka?

ugo-ugo kun: hora
koboshimakutte
koboshimakutte

man:
daijobu.
swatta mama
no ho ga ii desu ka?
hai ja.
o-kiraku gokuraku
kara ne.

ugo-ugo and lhuga:

o-kiraku gokuraku!

a new stereophonic sound spectacular
man from studio: ok let's do it.
start from 'o-kiraku gokuraku' (*)

ugo-ugo kun: hush hush
little baby...

lhuga-chan: (laughs)

man: you're ready?

lhuga-chan:
calm down!

man:
hey you! be a nice boy
and stand up.
(asks someone else:)
should they be standing up?

ugo-ugo kun:
look out!
you're spilling this
all over the place.

man:
it's ok.
should they be
seated?
ok we're all set.
start from
'o-kiraku gokuraku'

ugo-ugo and lhuga:

o-kiraku gokuraku!

a new stereophonic sound spectacular

Bonjour


Translators: Andrei Cunha

m: ugo-ugo lhuga no pizzicato five

r: bonjour mademoiselle

m: bonjour

r: ca va?

m: ca va?

r: oui tres bien.
sate...ja...kono
album no chanson wo
furansugo koza de
yatte mimashoka?

m: yatte mimasho!

r: ja saisho no kyoku...
premiere chanson wa
"tokyo wa yoru no shichiji"

m: hai

r: kore wa furansugo de wa...
"il est sept heures de nuit
a tokyo" (*)

m: il est sept heures... euh..
a tokyo...

r: sept heures de nuit

m: sept heures euh..
nuit

r: so! "de nuit" wa "night"
tte iun desu ne

m: mmm

r: sept heures de nuit
a tokyo

m: "yoru" tte iu
koto desu ne

r: so! repetez
apres moi...
il est sept heures de nuit
a tokyo

m: il est sept heures euh...
nuit a tokyo

r: c'est ca!
tres bien mademoiselle
subarashii desu
sate
nikyokume
deuxieme chanson
love love show

m: love love show

r: love love show
sugoi title desu ne

m: kore wa...
eigo janakute
nihongo janakute
furansugo de iu to

r: kore wa desu ne...
amour amour mon amour

m: amour amour mon amour

r: so desu.
kanari ii yaku desu ne
dakara mon amour wo
chotto kanjo wo komete
mon amour

m: mon amour

r: c'est ca.
godard no yo na
eiga wo ukabete
mon amour mademoiselle
mon amour

m: mon amour

r: oui c'est ca tres bien!
sate
troisieme chanson
kore wa shiritori (**)

m: hai

r: shiritori wa furansugo ku
arimasen
desukara
nihongo de
yatte mimashoka...
shi-ri-to-ri

m: shi-ri-to-ri

r: so desu ne
"ri" no hatsuon wo shite
itadaku to ikki
furansugo ni
narimasu ne
kore wa furansugo no
yosa desu ne
shiritori

m: shiritori

r: tatoeba
oyohen de
yakitori (***)

m: yakitori

r: so desu ne
yakitori
yakitori tte iu
to furansujin ga
tabete iru yakitori
ni narimasu ne
sate tsugi tsugi no
kyoku wa
nan desu ka

m: tsugi no kyoku wa
do re mi
to iu kyoku desu

r: do re mi
do re mi tte
iun desu ne
ja kore mo
chotto furansugo
ppoku de itte
mimashoka?

m: hai

r: tatoeba "do" wa "du" (****)

m: du

r: du re mi

m: du re mi

r: tatoeba chotto
agereba
du re mi
toka ne

m: du re mi

r: du re mi

m: du re mi

r: du re mi

m: du re mi

r: oui c'est ca
sate
yonkyokume
yonkyokume wa
nan desu ka
kore wa

m: tsugi no kyoku wa eh...
me japanese boy

r: me japanese boy
so desu ne
me, japanese boy
desu ne
kore wa desu ne
moi, garcon japonais

m: moi garcon japonais

r: so!
onna no ko no furansugo
tte arimasu
onna no ko no
furansugo wa
totemo kawaii
"moi"

m: moi

r: so!
kuchi wo motto ageru
wa wa!

m: moi

r: so! c'est ca
moi garcon...

m: moi garcon...

r: so!
"comme des garcons" (*****)
no garcon
moi garcon japonais

m: moi garcon japonais

r: mademoiselle!
tres bien desu ne
ii seito desu yo!

m: arigato gozaimasu

r: iie iie
sate la derniere chanson
saigo no uta wa
nan desu ka

m: otona ni narimasho

r: ah! ii title desu ne
kore wa furansugo de wa
sois sage

m: sois sage

r: sois sage

m: sois sage

r: soyez sage

m: sois sage

r: soyez, soyez
soyez sage
otona ni narimasho
sois sage
otona ni narimasho
kore wa desu ne
meireikei desu
otona ni nare
otona ni narinasai
to iu imi desu ne

m: hai

r: nomiya-san
otona desu ka

m: otona desu

r: watashi mo
ja kono ato de
yukkuri

m: pizzicato five's ugo-ugo lhuga

r: hello mademoiselle

m: hello

r: how do you do

m: how do you do

r: i'm fine thank you
so... what if we tried to
pretend this is a french class
and translated all the songs
titles to french?

m: let's do it!

r: ok so... the first song is
"the night is still young"
(seven pm in tokyo)

m: you got it

r: so in french you should say...
"il est sept heures de nuit
a tokyo"

m: il est sept heures... euh..
a tokyo...

r: sept heures de nuit

m: sept heures euh..
nuit

r: that's it! "de nuit" means
"night" in english

m: mmm

r: sept heures de nuit
a tokyo

m: it means "yoru" in japanese,
right?

r: precisely!
repeat after me...
il est sept heures de nuit
a tokyo

m: il est sept heures euh...
nuit a tokyo

r: exactly!
very good mademoiselle
wonderful!
okay so...
the second song's
title is...
love love show

m: love love show

r: love love show
*some* title we've got here

m: so how do you say this in
english i mean
japanese i mean
how do you say this in french?

r: this is
amour amour mon amour

m: amour amour mon amour

r: that's it!
and a good translation it is
now let's try to give it
some feeling
mon amour

m: mon amour

r: that's it.
try to think of
a godard film
mon amour mademoiselle
mon amour

m: mon amour

r: that's it very good!
ok now
the third song
is called shiritori

m: yes...

r: the french don't have
an equivalent to
our shiritori
so we'll have to stick to
the japanese word
shi-ri-to-ri

m: shi-ri-to-ri

r: yeah...
all you have to do is
say "ri" with a french accent
and it sounds
like french...
that's what's good about
french
shiritori

m: shiritori

r: for instance let's try to
apply the rule
say "yakitori"

m: yakitori

r: that's it
if you pronounce
yakitori that way
it sounds like
you're a french chick
eating
yakitori
ok so
what's the next song?

m: the next song
is called
do re mi

r: do re mi
so dore mi it is
ok so
shall we try to
pronounce this
with a french flair
to it?

m: ok

r: for instance "do" goes "du"

m: du

r: du re mi

m: du re mi

r: for example you
might try to
sing it
do re mi

m: du re mi

r: du re mi

m: du re mi

r: du re mi

m: do re mi

r: that's it
ok so
the fourth
what's the fourth
song?
it is...

m: the next song is... mmm...
me japanese boy

r: me japanese boy
yes it's
me japanese boy
this in french
would be something like
moi garcon japonais

m: moi garcon japonais

r: that's it!
in french
there's a special way women talk
in french
women go like
really cute
"moi"

m: moi

r: exactly!
the mouth a little up
wa! wa!

m: moi

r: you got it!
moi garcon...

m: moi garcon...

r: there you go!
garcon like in
comme des garcons
moi garcon japonais

m: moi garcon japonais

r: mademoiselle!
that was tres bien
such a good student

m: thank you very much

r: i mean it!
ok let's see the last song
the last song
what's it called?

m: let's be adult

r: classy title!
and in french you say
sois sage (behave, act your age)

m: sois sage

r: sois sage

m: sois sage

r: soyez sage

m: sois sage

r: soyez, soyez
soyez sage
let's be adult
sois sage
let's be adult
this is
a french imperative
get adult
become an adult
that's the meaning

m: i see

r: mademoiselle nomiya
are you an adult?

m: i suppose i am

r: yeah me too
so what do you think
about later...

NOTES(*) this is incorrect. it should be "il est sept heures du soir a tokyo"
(**) "shiritori" is a japanese game. the first player says a word, the second player must say a word beginning with the last character 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. never play it when you are drunk, it's sure to give you a headache
(***) "yakitori" is a very popular dish in japan. chicken chunks roasted on a skewer, generally seasoned with soy sauce. delicious
(****) this is also incorrect. "do" is "do" in french. however, japanese people cannot pronounce the french "du" (the sound does not exist in japanese). for instance, instead of "dupont" they say "dopon" and instead of "de gaulle", "dogoru". so the japanese who study french have a tendency to overdo it and transform all "do" into "du" when they make an effort to pronounce words adequately (english teachers who worked in japan might have noticed a similar tendency in japanese students to say "wasing masine" instead of "washing machine"). all those mistakes might be interpreted as a cynical exaggeration, like "the greatest fright (flight) you've ever had" in romantique quatre-vingt seize
(*****) comme des garcons (just like boys) is the name of rei kawakubo's pret-a-porter line, a very popular brand in japan, and, for that matter, in the world
--A. Cunha

The Night is Still Young

(Konishi)
Translators: Sound of Music L.N./Ted Mills

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
yeh yeh yeh ooh!

bonyari terebi o mitetara
okashina yume o miteita
ki ga tsuite tokei o miruto
tokyo wa yoru no shichiji

anata ni aini yukuno ni
asa kara 'dress up'shita
hitobanjuu aisaretai
tokyo wa yoru no shichiji

machi awaseta
'restaurant' wa
mou tsuburete nakatta
onaka ga suite
shini sou nano
hayaku anata niaitai
hayaku anata niaitai

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
uso mitai ni
kagayuaku machi
totemo samishii dakara aitai

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
hontou ni aishiteruno ni
totemo samishii anata niaitai

bonyari kaze ni fukareta
'taxi'no mado o akete
anata ni ai ni isogu no
tokyo wa yoru no shichiji

rusuban denwa ga totsuzen
hitori de mawari hajimeru
hitobanjuu shaberi tsuzukeru
tokyo no yoru wa fushigi

kousaten de
shingou machi
anata wa itsumo yasashii
kyou mo sukoshi
chikoku shiteru
hayaku anata ni aitai
hayaku anata ni aitai

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
'christmas'ja nai kedo
totemo samishii dakara aitai

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
hontou ni aishiteru noni
totemo samishii anata ni aitai

sekaijuu de
tatta hitori
watashi o aishite kureru?
machiawase no
'restaruant' wa
mou tsuburete nakatta
bara no hana o
kakaeta mama
anata wa hitori matteru
yume de mita noto
onaji bara
hayaku anata ni aitai
hayaku anata ni aitai

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
uso mitai ni
kagayaku machi
totemo samishii dakara aitai

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
hontou ni aishiteru no ni
totemo samishii anata niaitai

tokyo wa yoru no shichiji
tokyo, 7 p.m.
tokyo, 7 p.m.
yeh yeh yeh ooh!

as I watched tv vacantly
I had a strange dream
woke up and saw the time
tokyo, 7 p.m.

just to see you
I've been dressed up since morning
I want to be loved all night
tokyo, 7 p.m.

the restaurant
where we were to meet
had closed and disappeared
and I'm dying
from hunger
I wanna see you soon
I wanna see you soon

tokyo at 7 p.m.
this glorious city
is like a lie
I'm so lonely so I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.
I truly love you
but I'm so lonely and I wanna see you

a breeze hits me
as I open the taxi window
I'm rushing to see you
tokyo, 7 p.m.

suddenly, an answering machine
starts by itself
and talks all night
the tokyo night, mysterious

waiting for the lights
at a crossing
you are always so kind
today again
I'm a little late
I wanna see you soon
I wanna see you soon

tokyo, 7 p.m.
but it's not christmas
i'm so lonely, so I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.
I truly love you
I'm so lonely, and I wanna see you

In the whole world
can you
love only me?
the restaurant
where we were to meet
had closed and disappeared
holding only a
bouquet of roses
you are waiting alone
the same roses
I saw in a dream
I wanna see you soon
I wanna see you soon

tokyo at 7 p.m.
this glorious city
is like a lie
I'm so lonely so I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.
I truly love you
I'm so lonely and I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.

Love Love Show

(Konishi)
Trans. Andrei Cunha

me to me ga atta
shiranai hito
dakedo fushigi
doki doki suru

konnichiwa tte
hanashikaketa
me to me ga atte
nikkori shita
(makka ni natta)

me to me ga atta
shiranai hito
dakedo fushigi
koi ni ochita

dare demo so
suki na hito wa
sugu ni wakaru no
me to me ga atte
doki doki shite
koi ni ochiru no

yuki dashite
hanashi kaketa
ima ga chance
hanashi kaketa

me to me ga atte
makka ni natte
mo nannimo
mienaku natta

otoko no hito to
onna no hito ga
kyo mo meguriau
otona ni nareba
suteki na koi ni
kitto meguriau

me to me ga atte
koi ni ochita
kuchibue datte
fukitakunatte

otoko no hito to
onna no hito ga
kyou mo aishiau
otona ni nareba
bokutachi datte
kitto aishiau

me to me ga atta
suteki na hito
dokidoki shite
mitsumeau no

yuki dashite
hanashikaketa

koi ni ochita

dare demo so
suki na hito wa
sugu ni wakaru no
me to me ga atte
doki doki shite
koi ni ochiru no
our eyes met
someone i don't know
but it's strange
my heart beats fast

i said hello
to strike a conversation
our eyes met
i smiled
(and blushed)

our eyes met
someone i don't know
but it's strange
i fell in love

it's this way with everybody
when you meet mr right
you know it right away
our eyes met
my heart beats fast
i fall in love

gathered all my courage
struck a conversation
that's my chance now
struck a conversation

our eyes met
i blushed
and couldn't
see anything

boys and
girls
will meet today
when i become a grown-up
i'm sure i'll meet
someone really nice

our eyes met
we fell in love
just whistling
and breathing

boys and
girls
will fall in love today
when i grow up
we will surely
fall in love

our eyes met
a nice guy
our hearts beat fast
what I've been looking for

gathered all my courage
struck a conversation

we fell in love

it's this way with everybody
when you meet mr right
you know it right away
our eyes met
my heart beats fast
i fall in love

Shi-Ri-To-Ri

(Konishi)
Translators: Andrei Cunha

Translator's introduction:
"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 kindof party-all-night young lady so often sung about in P5 songs. This was ahint that the show was also aimed at the hip young party-goer returning homeat the break of dawn, having just caught the first train out of Tokyo. Theanimated title sequence, indeed, featured a Godzilla-size party girl rampagingthrough the streets, only to be felled by three young boy superheroes. Other signsof 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)

translator's notes:
(*) maki-chan is cheating. she can't change zu into su like that. but the kids are so much better at the game than she is that i suppose they decided to give her a chance.
(**) yutta (the past tense of the verb 'to say') is incorrect japanese. the right way of pronouncing it is 'itta' but people from tokyo pronounce it 'yutta.'
(***) sha=shi+ya

terebi-kun:
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)
translator's notes:
(*) ugo-ugo lhuga always began with a scene where ugo-ugo-kun and lhuga-chan would talk to a character on tv. terebi-kun is the bossy teacher who knows everything about everything. shuuru-kun is the french guy who teaches the kids words in french (he wears a beret and carries a brush!). tomato-chan is a very stupid tomato with manga eyes who starts crying whenever the kids bully her and although she's supposed to give the kids advice always ends up asking them what they think she should do with her boyfriend.
(**) fuinki is tokyo dialect for fun-iki
(***) tendon is fried fish served on top of rice. very popular in japan, a bit like fish and chips in britain.

Do Re Mi

(Bobby Troup, trans. Konishi)
Translators: Ed Valdez and Ted Mills

do re mi, do re mi
okashi na tegami
anata ga kureta
onpu de kakareta tegami
zenzen yomenai tegami
do re mi ga watashi no nayami

demo
anata no tegami wa
itsumo onajimi
'I LOVE YOU' toka souiu tegami
yomenaku tatte wakaru wa do re mi

ai no kotoba wa itsumo tsukinami
"watashi wa anata no koi no dorei"
yomanaku tatte wakaru wa do re mi

do re mi, do re mi
okashi na tegami
anata ga kureta
onpu de kakareta tegami
zenzen yomenai do re mi
tegami ga watashi no nayami

sou
anata no tegami wa
itsumo onajimi
'date' shitai toka souiu tegami
kondo no doyou no 'date' no tegami

do re mi, do re mi
okashi na tegami
anata ga kureta
onpu de kakareta tegami
demo 'date' shite ageru
doyou wa watashi mo yasumi

do re mi, do re mi
do re mi fa so la ti
do re mi, do re mi
that amazing letter
you gave me
wrote in musical notes
totally unreadable letter
do re mi is my trouble

but
your letters are
always the same to me
like "I LOVE YOU" you write to me
To know without reading is do re mi

words of love are always conventional
"I am your slave of love"
To know without reading is do re mi

do re mi, do re mi
that amazing letter
you gave me
wrote in musical notes
totally unreadable
this letter is my trouble

yes
your letters are
always the same to me
like "Do you want to go on a date with me?"
"How about a date next Saturday?"

do re mi, do re mi
that amazing letter
you gave me
wrote in musical notes
but I'll go on a date with you
Saturday is my day off, too

do re mi, do re mi
do re mi fa so la ti

Me, Japanese Boy

(David/Bacharach/trans. Konishi)
Translators: Jun Yamashiro, David Kamil, Ted Mills

tooi mukashi
hi no izuru kuni de
koibito doushi ga
ai o chikatta

sou
ohayou gozaimasu
konnichiwa
ai shimasu

sayonara
THANK YOU
YOU LOVE ME
sou desu ne

sakura no ki ni
ai no shirushi
namae o kizamu no
furui narawashi

sou
ohayou gozaimasu
konnichiwa
ai shimasu

sayonara
THANK YOU
YOU LOVE ME
sou desu ne

ao to shiro no kimono
kinrandonsu
futari wa shiawaseni
kurashita to iu

soushite kyou mo
hi no izuru kuni no
koibito doushi ga
ai o chikau no

sou
ohayou gozaimasu
konnichiwa
ai shimasu

sayonara
THANK YOU
YOU LOVE ME
sou desu ne

ao to shiro no kimono
kinrandonsu
futari was shiawaseni
kurashita to iu

soushite kyou mo
hi no izuru kuni no
koibito doushi ga
ai o chikau no

sou
ME JAPANESE BOY
I LOVE YOU
ai shimasu

YOU JAPANESE GIRL
YOU LOVE ME
sou desu ne

sayonara
THANK YOU
honto ni
sou sou
ii desu ne
A long time ago
In the land of the rising sun
Lovers with a shared intent
Pledged their love

So
Good morning
Good day
I love you

Goodbye
Thank you
You love me
Yes, you do

On a cherry tree
A symbol of love
He cut their names
As is tradition

So
Good morning
Good day
I love you

Goodbye
Thank you
You love me
Yes, you do

A blue and white kimono
With golden brocade
Two people were living
so happily, it is said

And today also
In the land of the rising sun
Lovers with a shared intent
Pledge their love

So
Good morning
Good day
I love you

Goodbye
Thank you
You love me
Yes, you do

A blue and white kimono
With golden brocade
Two people were living
so happily, it is said

And today also
In the land of the rising sun
Lovers with a sharedintent
Pledge their love

So
Me Japanese boy
I love you
I love you

You Japanese girl
You love me
Yes, you do

Goodbye
Thank you
Truly
It is so
And it's good

Let's Be Adult

(Konishi)
Translators: Andrei Cunha

a new stereophonic
sound spectacular

kono album omoshirokatta?
yokatta desho.

dewa owari no kotoba desu.
ii desu ka?

otona ni narimasho!
otona to ittemo
obasan ya oyaji wo
image shite wa dame desu yo!
tsurai koto ya
kanashii koto ga attemo
maa ii ka tte omou
hito ga otona desu ne...
shitsuren shitemo
watashi ga otona da to omoeba
tachinaoru
wakatta?
otona ni narimasho!
otona ni nattemo
o kiraku gokuraku!
a new stereophonic
sound spectacular

did you enjoy this album?
i'm sure you did.

ok so now it's 'the end' time!
listen carefully.

let's be adult! (*)
by this i don't mean
'old.'
no! 'adult' means something else.
an 'adult' is someone
who even when everything seems sad
can tell herself:
'it will be okay' and start again.
even when you are heartbroken
if you think 'i'm an adult'
you'll be fine.
okay?
let's be adult!
but even if you are an adult
don't forget to have fun! (**)

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES
(*) 'otona ni narimasho' means 'act you age' but the 'let's be adult' rendering is the officially accepted one. 'otona' means 'grownup' (**) 'okiraku gokuraku' was the programme's motto and it's an untranslatable pun. it means 'have fun in heaven' or something but i cannot think of a suitable equivalent