[TJ] 2009.12.02 - Noudouteki Sanpunkan (CD) [Single]

[a_grumble_cake]

thanks Glath! interesting stuff.

Originally Posted by miffunevii

OMG

better late than never!

[kuro_neko]

Originally Posted by Glathannus

Considering it only has 2 tracks on it in a day and age where 3-track singles are much more common, I would say that's quite a sales accomplishment.

We also have to take into account the declining CD sales throughout the industry. The latest singles might not be selling as many copies as the singles of 5 or 10 years ago, but Tokyo Jihen is still selling fairly well in proportion to whatever competition they face(d) in the past or the present.

3min has also been number 1 on iTunes Japan since it came out, which is a nice feat considering new music sales for this week have already gone out and Jihen is still on top of all the new music. The chart works in terms of songs or albums, so 3min is the top downloaded song. Considering albums are mostly foreign music and full length albums, it is rare to find a single on the list. Out of the 152 ratings listed, 125 are 5 Stars, 14 are 4 Stars, 5 are 3 Stars, 1 is 2 Stars, and 7 is 1 Star. Gaman is incorrecty listed as "mitei" meaning "without a title" so some of the negative reviews reflect the mislabeling and not the impression of music. Overall, Jihen still does very well for itself.

And while we are on the iTunes Topic, I saw Sanmon Gossip in the top 100 download albums while looking for the single, pretty good considering it fighting the entire foreign and domestic catalogue of new releases, including Gaga and such, and for being 6 months old at this point.

[frecklegirl]

After romanizing "Gaman" and seeing all the Osaka-ben (or Kansai-ben or what have you) written out, and then listening to her sing it, I have to say that I really don't think Ringo took full advantage of having a song in Osaka-ben. Whenever she samples different dialects (like the Yoshiwara dialect, or the old-style speech at the beginning of "Kenka Joutou") she has always seemed to take great enjoyment from rolling the different-than-normal sounds around in her mouth, and really getting into the accent.

But here, no. It sounds sterile and boring. It's like she's saying Kansai-ben words, but completely as a Kanto/Tokyo person--reciting them without trying to nail the accent. Sucking the life out of them. Ugh. I don't like it. Osaka-ben is soooo much fun, and this just sounds dull and lifeless.

Like take the first line, "zaken na." I've heard this phrase many times and it's always said like " 'zakeennn naaaaaaa!" But she just says it shortly, clipped. "za-ken na." So boring!! I can't get over it. I just don't think she took full advantage of the words here. (The parts of the song that do sound full and throaty? Not sung in Kansai-ben.)

Obviously, this was done on purpose to fit with their idea of how the song was meant to be, and I get that. But I don't like the end effect and how it sounds. And honestly, this sort of clipped, dull speech is something I've come to expect from Jihen/Variety-era songs. They just really know how to make any cool lyrics sound utterly boring when sung thanks to a lifeless melody. It drives me crazy.

On another note, does anyone want to be my Osaka/Kansai-ben consultant for the "Gaman" translation? I can already foresee some difficulties ahead. I'm not clueless about it, but there are definite gaps in my knowledge. Can anyone here be considered a good Kansai-ben source? I want to question you~

[Jonny]

I'm liking this single. Specifically the coupling track.

[frecklegirl]

Finally translated Noudouteki Sanpunkan. Gaman coming soon... after I confer with a native Kansai-ben speaker!

I'm open to any criticism or suggestions. I found these lyrics pretty difficult but I researched them thoroughly and tried to do my best, and I do agree with kuro_neko that it sounds very much like a breakup song.

[Ringo~Bingo]

It's more than appreciated.

Thanks sweetheart!

[momeraths]

Yes, thank you soooo much!

[Osiris12345]

Thanks for the translation! Much appreciated!

[frecklegirl]

Ridiculously late but here is the Gaman translation. obama917 helped me with the Kansai-ben and also checked over the whole thing when I was done and was a huge, huge help to me @_@ It should be like, super-accurate now!! haha

[mizer_unmei]

omgoodness, yaay! thanks so much!

I'm always soo interested in the different accents in Japan. "Fukurande kichatta" was one of my favorite songs, but after learning it was ann.. dialety-y it made it that much more awesome. And it's definitely the same with Gaman.

(still can't pick out the different differences though. @.@)