Poking Around Pt 80 (Patreon)

Phew, done at last. This is probably one of the most loaded pages stuffed to the brim with references and trivia. And it took quite a while to draw. I originally wanted the first three panels to be more akin to Ōkami to play up the historical angle (since the whole game was imitating the ukiyo-e style) but it was too much work for me at this time. I’m sorry.

That’ll be all for Poking Around this month since I’ve a much shorter time-frame to work with and I’m fighting to get all my Patreon Tiers committed before December and the Christmas countdown are upon us (just 10 days’ at the time of posting this, eek!).

I was a bit worried about this segment coming across as old-fashioned edutainment (it’s how a lot of kids shows get their Government-backed funding, hence why they tend to be so moralistic) but it was rather surprising finding out how little actually get contextualised for Westerners (that and for whatever reason, there were a number of television documentaries focused on Japan lately).  I certainly remember having to give a lot of additional footnotes when me and Spirit watched Hinomaruzumō back in the Spring… (thank god for enthusiasts and the NHK and such…)

Anyway, please do enjoy and if you’ve time on your hands, enjoy reading the TL Notes below. In a first, they’ve been split into Panel-by-Panel blocks because there’s so much info this time but I left out the stuff that’s pretty common knowledge in the West.

TL notes:

• どうよう事?: Reads as “do yō koto?” or “what’s the meaning of this?”.  A dohyō (sumo wrestling ring) is spelt with this Kanji instead 土俵.  How punny. I tried my best with an English approximation. 

1st Panel

This is very loosely based on a screen door illustration of Oda Nobunaga watching a sumo bout in 1578 at Azushi Castle.  Nobunaga is revered in Japanese history as one of the first warlords to try and unite the country (which then split into feuding prefectures) --- think of him as being as influential as George Washington or Abraham Lincoln in American History but much earlier.  Nobunaga was a sumo enthusiast and actually curious about the West when Japan was still an isolated nation. The people in the tall hats are either noblemen followers or religious observers, which I’ve drawn to emulate the old NPC sprites. 

The flaming things in front are flaming tomoe, said to be related to the sun-god, Amaterasu-omikami.  In ancient times, they were believed to keep away bad spirits but they eventually became a comma-like circle pattern used as a print on banners rather than actual fire on a Catherine Wheel-like structure. You can see the pattern on taiko drums and such.

• Blastoise vs Feraligatr: The Japanese name for the Pokémon episode that inspired this whole segment.  The ones sitting behind actually competed in said episode.
• “Hollywood Hogwash” Referring to certain American live-action re-imaginings of Japanese media that didn’t get it quite right, e.g Dragonball Evolution, Death Note, Memoirs of a Geisha… 
• 両国国技館 Ryōgoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall):  A sports venue initially constructed in 1909 for sumo matches; the present-day version was constructed in 1985 and houses a sumo museum. Professional sumo tournaments or honbasho 本場所, are held there, 3 times a year for a fortnight each time: 初場所 Hatsubasho (New Year’s), 夏場所 Natsubasho (May), and秋場所 Akibasho (September).  Plenty of sports manga and anime use the Sumo Hall as a reference point for big tournaments, WWE were there themselves in 2015.

2nd Panel 

This is based on Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s coloured woodblock print, Kanjin Ōzumō Dohyō Iri no Zu (Sumō Wrestlers Entering the Ring at Kanjin Matches) from the mid 1880s. You can read more information about it here. The monsters depicted are a reference to the Pokémon Sumo Tournament held right at the end of Pokémon Best Wishes, during the Decolores Arc. 

3rd Panel

This is based on another woodblock print, though unattributed.By the 1800s, sumo wrestlers became what would nowadays be sports celebrities. So it wasn’t uncommon for woodblock prints to be commissioned depicting matches.  There's a great YouTube channel dedicated to woodblock prints I'm subscribed to:  https://www.youtube.com/user/seseragistudio

• “Brag-on Pest”: A reference to the dialogue boxes used in Dragon Quest XI. The previous page, Tori’s dialogue box was spoofing Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon.
• Mamoru: Means 守る “to protect”. So 守り人 mamoribito, for example, means guard or watchman.
• “How Utterly Incromulent”: I was ripping on The Simpsons but cromulent is an actual word nowadays.
• “The System Failed Us (Again)”: I was quoting Daria here but turns out it’s also a song! (official link here, alternate here)
• “I heard of this one town…”: Odagawara is making a reference to the J-drama, Ama-chan.  I swear that's the last time I'll do it!

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