[GUIS & H-S] Kakuranger 13 DVD & Blu-Ray Movie!

Kaku 13 DVD

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Kaku Movie Blu-Ray

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We have a great episode for you today, and, we have the movie! This is a really good episode. It has a wacky MOTW, and he really shines in a show like this. Also, the Dad in this episode is the same one from the DoraCirce episode of Zyuranger! I knew I recognized him from somewhere!

The movie is amazing. It feels like a love letter to Japanese Horror Films. When the narrator says that “today’s story is scary”, you laugh and think that it’s “kid’s scary”. The kind that little kids will think is “skehwee” and makes them hide behind the couch. But you, like I, would be wrong. Very, very wrong. So don’t watch this movie in the dark! And have sweet dreams with Sadako-chan and Kayako-chan!

Lynx’s notes are under the cut!

Episode 13 notes

[02:09.56] Kanedama

The Storyteller’s description of Kanedama as a yokai typically thought of as benevolent is entirely accurate. In folklore, a kanedama may appear in the house of someone who has performed good deeds and cause their coffers to overflow with coins. Despite being a benevolent presence, Kanedama is still counted among the ranks of the yokai in Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Yagyo series.

[02:36.17] Here’s my coin-throwing attack! For Zenigata Heiji to weep!

Zenigata Heiji is a tremendously popular character from Japanese pop culture, originating from a 1937 novel written by Kodou Nomura. Similar to other famous literary characters like Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, Zenigata Heiji quickly transcended his origins and became a character regularly featured in TV shows and films (many of which were produced by Toei). As Kanedama’s quip implies, Zenigata Heiji was famous for throwing coins in the course of capturing his adversaries.

Now, why would Kanedama’s coin-throwing attack make Zenigata Heiji weep? Well, because Zenigata Heiji was a classic “good guy,” an Edo period police officer (or okappiki) who patrolled the area around Tokyo’s Myojin Shrine (known in modern Japan as the Kanda Shrine). Kanedama, of course, is a yokai and (as we see) a con artist on top of that. Zenigata Heiji would certainly disapprove of a crook throwing coins, especially in the service of stopping a hero like Ninja Red!

[04:47.23] “I am the Yokai Exorcist, Fukuo Daikichi!”

The name that Kanedama’s human form gives would translate roughly as “Fortunelord Goodluck.” While it’s theoretically possible for someone to end up with a name this over-the-top, it’s not terribly likely. It’s meant to sound like an obvious fake name.

[05:25.15] Seven, never odd or even!

Kanedama’s line here is an old Japanese palindrome. It would be written in Japanese as “bainana, nanaiba.” To be honest, we’re not sure why he’s saying it here.

[06:26.07] Seven makes eleven! Lorem ipsum!

Almost everything Kanedama says in this line is nonsense. The only words that would have conventional meaning are “chomechome,” which is used as placeholder text, or for those round censor marks you may see obscuring part of a word in printed Japanese. “Lorem ipsum” refers to a particular chunk of Latin text written using the standard English alphabet, often used as placeholder text in graphic design and publishing.

[13:01.37] How dare you, Mr. Hare!

This line is a popular Japanese idiom, taken from the title of a folk song that’s a Japanese retelling of Aesop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” In the song, the Tortoise says this line to the Hare, when the Hare bluntly accuses the Tortoise of being a slow, crappy, inferior sort of animal.

The idiom functions along the lines of English sayings like, “Why, I never!” It’s something said, somewhat jokingly, in response when someone feels a speaker has been too rude, forward, or accusatory. You can listen to a performance of the folk song, “Nanto Ossharu, Usagi-san” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vFwVkvy64o.

Kakuranger Movie Notes

This movie originally aired in Japan as part of a triple bill, alongside the short films Kamen Rider J and Blue SWAT: The Movie. Sequentially, it’s meant to take place roughly between episodes 7 and 8. Several “upcoming” monsters appear as extras in certain shots, which at the time would’ve offered fans a taste of what they’d see in future episodes. That said, you can really watch this movie at any point in Kakuranger before episode 14, which introduces certain long-term changes to the status quo.

[03:35.37] yakisoba

Yakisoba is a Japanese derivative of the Chinese dish chow mein, usually consisting of noodles, meat, and vegetables stir-fried in a distinctive sauce. Yakisoba made at home  would typically use a store-bought yakisoba sauce, cabbages, onion, carrot, and diced pork or chicken. Different regions of Japan add all sorts of garnishes to the dish, ranging from mayonnaise to aonori (or seaweed powder). Culturally, Yakisoba is viewed by Japanese similarly to the way Americans tend to view mac n’ cheese, as an easy-to-make comfort food.

[07:12.87] Hitotsume-kozou

In folklore, hitotsume-kozou (or “one-eyed boys”) are bakemono-type yokai. You could translate “bakemono” roughly as “ghost monster,” and that sums up roughly what they are. These yokai are spirits who take on a solid form for the purpose of interacting with other creatures (usually humans). Hitotsume-kozou imitate the form of little boys dressed like Buddhist monks, but have only a single eye and an unnaturally long tongue.

Hitotsume-kozo are generally not depicted as dangerous creatures in folklore. They’re mischief-makers, who delight in pranking their victims (or simply yelling at loud people to shut up). Unless warded off, hitotsume-kozou will take up residence in a house and delight in tormenting the residents, while also drawing bad fortune to the household. Much like the children they imitate, hitotsume-kozou are amoral and play pranks for the fun of it.

As an aside, in Kakuranger, we usually treat the yokai’s species as its name. Usually, the one you see in that episode is effectively the only one you ever see in the show, and is used to represent all creatures of that type. We’ll make an exception a few times in this movie, since there’ll be cases where the Storyteller is clearly talking about species of yokai and not individuals.

[07:21.72] They look a bit like a cyclops! Bring three of them together, they might be a triclops!

The Storyteller’s original joke here is “But you can’t bring three of them together to get a mitsume-kozou!” Mitsume-kozou is a yokai that’s similar to the hitotsume-kozou, but usually depicted as having three eyes. As you might expect, its name translates roughly as “Three-Eyed Kid.”

[07:32.65] They’re often considered friends of Zashiki-Warashi.

Zashiki-Warashi is another type of child prankster yokai, though it takes on a different appearance. Where hitotsume-kozou bring bad luck to a household, a zashiki-warashi would bring good fortune if it could be encouraged to stay. Zashiki-Warashi will appear in a future episode of Kakuranger, so we’ll get into his folklore a bit more then.

[10:59.05] Onyudo

Onyudo, in folklore, is another bakemono-type yokai. Stories about him vary greatly by region, and so do descriptions of his appearance. Most frequently, he resembles a Buddhist monk or a type of living shadow. Regardless of his form, onyudo is consistently described as a gigantic being, whether two meters tall or the size of a mountain. Onyudo’s fondness for model trains in the film is probably a reference to this yokai’s desire to be bigger than others. Unlike the hitotsume-kozou, onyudo in folklore are usually quite evil. In many legends, just the sight of an onyudo is enough to make a human fall ill.