Extra Translation Notes for Touhou M-1 Grand Prix EX4



Watching the full video before reading this is recommended if you'd like to avoid spoilers.



SPOILERS BELOW

















--[Cloud Gang]--

The English script for this manzai is probably the most heavily modified in the entire Touhou M-1
series as of its release, overtaking Dango Over the Moon's "Earthling Dialect" manzai from 10.
The general vibe, pacing, and subject matter were kept as close as possible to the original, but
most of the original punchlines don't make sense in English, thus adjustments were made.
The functional purpose of Unzan's lines is still the same as the original
even though the actual words being said are different in several instances.

Take, for example, the "La chancla is coming!" line from Unzan:
The entire setup for this punchline and any consequent references to an "angry mother" were modified
for English. In the original dialogue, rather than anything mother-related, Unzan is being told to
speak in an Amakusa dialect, something that can't be conveyed well in English.

"La chancla is coming!" is not what Unzan originally says; the word "chancla" isn't even English,
let alone Japanese, and it's an extremely indirect translation of what was said. In the original
dialogue, Unzan is threatening to hit someone in what he thinks of as an "Amakusa dialect" style.
So for the English subtitles, it was replaced with Unzan doing so in a way that he assumes an
angry mother would, using a stereotypical phrase that conveys the same idea as the original line
and one in which the term being used originates from a different language rather than dialect.
The context was tweaked to accommodate the modified punchline but the flow is still the same.

Tweaks like this are weaved into this manzai and explaining every line modification would be beyond
the scope of a small text document. But hopefully the above example does a decent job of demonstrating
the way in which the lines were tweaked. All of the tweaks were done with the intent to preserve
the original humor of what's happening. Any banter, setups, and punchlines should feel similar to how
the Japanese dialogue would feel for those who don't use the subtitles and the moving parts
of the manzai come together similarly to the original script.

As an additional note, Unzan carrying the portable shrine is based on a festival in Amakusa.
That joke was lost in translation.



--[Tewi Reisen]--

Tewi: "I can do anything that Kane Kosugi can."
Reisen: "On what basis?"
Tewi: "People say I look caned."
Kane Kosugi is an actor who's known for martial arts. In the original dialogue, Tewi's response to
Reisen's question is, "My character is 'kosugi'," with "kosugi" literally meaning "too thick/dense".
This word is also a word used to refer to when someone or something has one conspicuous thing that
it's known for, despite other features. For example, it can be used to refer to a comedian who's
known for and overuses a single joke. In the context of Tewi's original line, aside from the pun,
"My character is 'kosugi'." effectively means "My character gets Flanderized."
It's additionally worth noting that Kane Kosugi has starred in Lipovitan commericals before.



--[Kaguya's Room]--

Kaguya: "I have Broken Wings!" + "I have Broken Halos!" + "This is a Broken Home!"
The original version of these lines is Kaguya quoting the titles of the following songs respectively:
"Tsubasa No Oreta Angel"
"Kowarekake no Radio"
"Heya to Y-Shirt to Watashi"


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Disclaimer / Clarification:

This document was voluntarily put together by the translator/subtitler.
It was written based on my personal understanding and interpretation of the dialogue.
It's possible that I've missed some jokes or references.

This is not an exhaustive list of every joke--only ones obscured by language or cultural barriers.