GG3 - Part 4

Ganbare Goemon 3 (English) Part 4

Hmm...I was going to include the video in this post, but it seems like I accidentally threw away the Quicktime file already, and I don't really feel like waiting for it to export again. It took about 20 minutes the first time. Oh well. The link up there should be good enough.

Anyway, yes, I know this is a long one (released after a longer-than-usual waiting period, on February 11, 2008). I was actually concerned that I might not be able to fit as many scenes as I had hoped I could, but thanks to some brutal cutting, I managed to fit as much as I originally planned. The long duration of this video is due almost completely to one scene. Speaking of scenes, it's time for some commentary.

Scene 18: All Squawk, No Bite

Koronda: Ga ha ha ha! I am this prison’s boss! (Squawk!) We’re going to donate your friend here to Lord Jurokubei. (Squawk!) But before we do that, I’ll be beating all of you! (Squawk!)
---
Yae: Thanks, Goemon! I owe you one!
---
Goemon: Humph! That was easy!
Ebisumaru: He talks big, but he wasn’t so tough.
Goemon: Come on, Sasuke and Yae are waiting.
Ebisumaru: Well then, let’s go!

The "gyaa" that Koronda has at the end of most of his sentences is a scream or, as I've used here, a squawk. This is similar to the way Kurobei and other cats end sentences with "nyaa" (Meow).

"Koronda" is the past tense of "Korobu", which means "to fall down/over." Kind of interesting when you look at the shape of his body. It seems that, like many enemies in the Goemon series, his appearance is based off of a Daruma doll, even though (again like many enemies in the Goemon series that are based off of a Daruma) he has arms.

Scene 19: Try to Run, Try to Hide

Goemon: This time period has the exact same walkers as the Edo period...
Ebisumaru: And Sasuke was able to find 4 of them. He did a good job.
Sasuke: When I was in the prison, I had a chance to listen in on the enemies’ conversation...
Yae: Kyaa! There’s a huge, weird robot coming from behind!
Goemon: Run!

Well, I was listening to "Break On Through" by the Doors when I was trying to come up with a title for this scene. Several minutes after the song had ended, I still had no idea what to call this scene, so I just went with my initial gut feeling.

Scene 20: Time for an Upgrade

Ebisumaru: Well, we did great, didn’t we!
Goemon: But the Wise Man’s inventions, the mechanical walkers, are terrible! They’re so fragile! Sasuke!
Sasuke: Be that as it may, Goemon, I won’t tolerate you insulting the Wise Man like that! Anyway, I heard from the enemy that the Wise Man was developing a new model of the mechanical walkers somewhere around here.
Yae: I wonder why the Wise Man is working with the enemy...
Ebisumaru: If that’s true, then we’re in big trouble!
Goemon: A new model of the mechanical walker...it won’t be a problem for this sly thief to get!
Sasuke: If I’m not mistaken, the prison’s factory building is to the south. We should gather information about how to enter the factory!

I never realized Sasuke was this impatient, even if it is about somebody presumably insulting the Wise Man. Then again, we've seen that his sense of humor is a bit screwed up. He really should lighten up. That's gotta be bad for his circuits.

Scene 21: The Cat Thief

Merchant: Thief! Somebody catch him!
Cat Thief: That’s impossible! I am the greatest thief in the whole world! Catch me if you can, though I’m certain you can’t! (Meow)
---
Cat Thief: What?! How did you find this place? (Meow) I ate too much of the fish I stole...I regret eating so much; I can’t move! (Meow)
Shop Master: Oh! You! Thank you very much for catching that sneaky cat, he’s really not as big as he claims. I want to give you this to express my gratitude!
Narrator: Ebisumaru obtained the reflection shuriken. Store energy and throw the shuriken, and it will bounce off things like walls!

I have no idea what the suffix "kichi" means in this case (I translated "nekokichi" as "Cat Thief"). I know it can refer to an enthusiast or a maniac, but I don't know if that works here. "Thief" makes much more sense, I think.

"Shujin" (which I translated as "Shop Master") actually just means master, or the head (of a household, for example). I put the "Shop" part in there to match it to his assumed profession.

Scene 22: Stupid is as Stupid Does

Omikuji: The 5 Omikuji Siblings’ Factory Manager, Kichi, is here! If you think you can get away from us so easily, you’re gravely mistaken!
Goemon: Pfft! You think I can’t escape? Haw, haw, haw, oh, that’s funny!
Ebisumaru: I heard you guys were stupid, but I never imagined you would actually be this stupid!
Omikuji: Oooh! I’d better keep quiet about my deep fried food before you idiots steal that, too.
Yae: A ha ha! You’re talking about fried food now? How stupid can you be? There’s no tofu here!
Sasuke: Don’t waste your time with this moron. It’s pointless to even try to talk to him. Quickly, let’s just get out of here!
Omikuji: Damn it! You tell me I’m stupid, but I think you’re the stupid ones! You can’t escape from this place and from us! There are many traps and mechanical bandits, and a door that requires 8 flat objects known as code plates to open. You have to set the plates correctly, or else you can’t enter the hidden base. You idiots don’t know anything about this door, so...
Sasuke: Aha, I see! If we collect the 8 flat code plates and set them in the door correctly, something good will happen.
Goemon: Well, we just picked up one of the plates!
Omikuji: What?! The code plate?! Argh! I can’t do this alone! I have to go for now. Farewell!
Goemon: Okay! Our objective is clear now, so let’s go!
Sasuke: The Wise Man and Omitsu must be in that base!
Ebisumaru: The problem is figuring out the locations of the remaining code plates.
Yae: We’ll just have to search the thieves' hideouts one by one.
Goemon: Mechanical bandits...I’ll destroy every one of them!

I don't need to tell you where I got the title for this, do I? I had a lot of ideas floating around my head, and this is one that I hoped I wouldn't have to use. One of my first instincts was to go with "When You're Stupid, You're Just Stupid", which is (I think) a line from "The Emperor's Club." This would've been my little homage to my mentor and favorite teacher in high school, as this movie was one of his favorites and he "quoted" this sentence several times in class. Unfortunately, he wasn't one for specifics, and I couldn't confirm on IMDB that the line even existed, so I just took the easy way out instead. Either way, it fits in with the general theme of the conversation, which is a "You're stupid!"/"No, you're stupid!" type of thing. Really mature, guys.

Oh, boy, was this one tough to write, and it certainly shows. The hardest part is the fried tofu bit, and I was really close to changing it to better fit what was going on, so that I don't confuse anybody with the randomness of the conversation. To get an idea for what I was going to put in, just replace the dialogue between Kichi (Omikuji) and Yae with the following (this is right after his hood ignites, I believe):

Omikuji: Oooh! You call me stupid, but I am rubber, you are glue...
Yae: A ha ha! Are you really gonna come back with something like that? How stupid can you be?

Yeah. Both options suck, really. But, in an effort to keep the translations somewhat accurate, I decided to go with the more confusing one. This is my best attempt, hopefully I don't have to do stuff like that too many more times.

I also left myself WAY too much time while recording the original video, apparently. There are subtitles on here that last over 9 seconds. I get kind of nervous when that happens, because it makes me feel like I might have missed something important.

I was going to show Sasuke grabbing the code plate, but cut it out for time. I later realized that it would be difficult to translate what's said when he grabs the plate anyway, since the symbols on the plate spell out one or more Japanese words when put together. I'll see if I can let you guys know what the full message is when you put the code plates together later on in the game. It would be really confusing if I did that later and said what sound was on the plates now ("ra" for example...and how would I translate a small "tsu"?). As a result, such lines will also be cut out of future videos.

Scene 23: Kites and Colds

Takosuke: Oh! That machine might be able to bring my kite back down! Please help me!
Sasuke: What do you need me to do?/I don’t want to!
Takosuke: I’m going to body slam the wall as hard as I can, and immediately after that I want you to punch with the machine. Get ready! Yay! My kite is back! And my cold is better, too. I know, I’ll give you and your friends this cold medicine, so you can feel better, too!
Narrator: Goemon and allies obtained cold medicine. With this, they won’t have to worry about colds anymore!

The word "tako" means "kite" in Japanese, so this is another name that is a pun. I don't remember if the other fat guys in this game were also called Takosuke.

Scene 24: You Should Really See a Doctor About That

Yorozuko: My father has a really bad cold, so we can’t open the store. (Sniff) I wish we had bought some cold medicine before. Ah! That medicine! Do you suppose this cold medicine can save my father’s life? Can I have it, please?
Sasuke: With pleasure!/I don’t want to give it to you!
Yorozuko: Thank you! Yorozuko is so thankful! I want to give you something to thank you, so wait right here. If my father drinks this medicine, his head cold will be cured in the blink of an eye! This delicious dog food will be my way of expressing my gratitude. It’s very tasty! Bye!
Narrator: Goemon and allies obtained dog food. Ebisumaru is drooling.

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I have a feeling that Yorozuko might be a combination of the word "yorozuya" (merchant) and "ko" (child, or young woman). Basically, that would mean she's either the merchant's daughter or a young female merchant, and both of them seem to make sense given the context of the scene. But that would make the line that I translated as "Yorozuko is so thankful!" even more awkward, so I just assumed it was her name.

By the way, I briefly entertained the thought of calling this scene "Take your Fun-Fun" as a reference to "Arrested Development", but quickly discarded the idea when I realized that nobody would get the reference.

Another week, another Goemon video. Even though I'm not really fond of this one in particular, I'm still very much enjoying making them.

Comments are very much appreciated, of course; feedback of any kind is very important to me. Remember that I'm also looking for help in translating these scenes. Tell your friends. (Hey, there's an Arrested Development reference!)