Literary Work -- CHILI SAUCE NINJA

The Story of the Chili Sauce Ninja.

Starring: 

Mr. Santos

Mike Miller

Yamada-san

Kimura-san

The characters read from left-to-right. ENJOY!!!

I decided to focus on several of the characters from the video series that accompanies "Minna no Nihongo." I found the characters to be endearing and charming and, while under the influence of "osake," I decided that it might be a good idea to incorporate some of the themes we learned in this video series with an animation/plot theme more aligned with Quack Experiemental Anime's "Excel Saga."

Here is an explanation of the various Katakana I used in this project:

ミラーさん：Obviously, this is the "Japanization" of "Mr. Miller."

キムラ：Mr. Miller is obviously incapable of speaking Japanese well. He refers to "Kimura-san" as "Kimura," and I decided that the best way to demonstrate this misunderstanding and cultural faux-pas would be to transcribe it in Katakana. Since Katakana is used to write foreign loan-words, I believed it would be logical for a foreigner to use Katakana to demonstrate "foreignness."

バキ："Baki" is Japanese onomatopoeia for "crush" or "bam." I wanted to illustrate the sound of Yamada-san thwomping Mr. Miller, and this choice seemed appropriate.


コンサート：Foreign loan-word for "concert."

チョット：In order to illustrate Kimura-san's disproval of Mr. Miller's invitation, I chose to spell "chotto" in Katakana rather than Hiragana.

ワタシノカノジョ：Yamada-san really wants to make it clear that Kimura-san is HIS girlfriend, and by using Katakana, I believe it resonates more clearly with Mr. Miller.

スミマセン: Mr. Miller seems to be increasingly upset/frustrated/agitated as Yamada-san continues his torment. By writing "sumimasen" in Katakana, I illustrate not only his lack of command of Japanese but ALSO the emphasis/sincerity of his apology.

ダレ：Yamada-san really wants to know who the mysterious figure is, so "dare" in Katakana seemed appropriate with regards to emphasis.

ニンジャ：Yamada-san is terrified and bewildered at the prospect of a ninja being before him, hence the Katakana use.

サントス：This is the "Japanization" of Mr. Santos.

ナン：Yamada-san seems highly inquisitive as to the package Santosu-san is holding, so the question word "nan" is written in Katakana to call attention to the desired vocal inflection.

ホンノキモチデス：In the video from chapter 2, "honno kimochi desu" is the term Santosu-san uses when presenting Yamada-san with coffee. Since this time the phrase is being, presumably, shouted or exclaimed, I chose to write it in Katakana.

グオ："Guo" is the onomatopoeia in Japanese for "blast." Santosu-san is BLASTING chili sauce and coffee at Yamada-san, so this was an obvious choice.

フルフル："furu furu" is Japanese onomatopoeia that mimics the sound of trembling. Miraa-san is obviously scared at this moment, and is trembling as a result.

コーヒー：This is the foreign loanword for "coffee," "kouhii."

チリソース：This is the foreign loanword for "chili sauce," "chiri sousu."

ドキドキ："doki doki" is the onomatopoeia for heartbeats. For a fun Google search, look up the video game "Doki Doki Panic," especially if you are familiar with Super Mario Bros. 2.

ナニ：Miraa-san cannot BELIEVE Yamada-san's change of heart. Hence his Katakanization of the word "nani."

ヒクヒク：The shock is so great, in fact, that Miraa-san begins twitching, and "hiku hiku" is the onomatopoeia for "twitch twitch."

イキマショ：Relieved that the experience is over and overcome by the indescribable and transcendental bliss offered by Santosu-san's chili sauce, Miraa-san emphatically agrees to go to the concert with Yamada-san and Kimura-san, hence the implementation of Katakana for "ikimasho."

I hope you enjoyed my project!

Katakana Final Analysis

Katakana is a particularly mystifying component of the Japanese language. While the syllabary obviously symplifies both reading and writing of Kanji (the characters from which the syllabary is formed), Japanese already *has* a syllabary based on the aforementioned characters -- the Hiragana syllabary.

So why is Katakana used instead if Hiragana in certain instances? Many textbooks would lead you to believe that the occasions wherein Katakana would be used over Hiragana (or, for that matter, Kanji), would include onomatopoeia, emphasis, or foreign loan-words. The delineations between these categories, however, is not so simple. By examining the use of Katakana in the "Pokemon" series, we may be able to draw new conclusions about the syllabary's purpose. 

For my first Katakana sample, I have selected the box for the collectible Pokemon figurine, “Pikachu.” The figurine itself sells under the moniker: ともだちピカチュウ.

“Pikachu” is the name of the character in the show “Pokemon.” According to at least one textbook that explains the origins of Katakana, this syllabary is occasionally utilized to emphasize names. In the show, Pikachu’s signature move is a discharge of electricity. During this discharge, the small electric mouse screams “Pi—Ka—Chuuuu,” which is a term that one might associate with electric discharge, thereby suggesting that the katakana writing is justified through onomatopoeia. Bulbapedia, a compendium of Pokemon, corroborates this notion, with the name translating to "Sparkle Squeak," with ピカピカ　meaning "sparkle" and "チューチュー” meaning "squeak." 

Pikachu, however, is not the only Pokemon that uses Katakana to spell its name in Japanese. “Dodrio,” which is a portmanteau of the words “Dodo” and “Trio,” is written as: ドードリオ. This Pokemon may have its name written in Katakana for the same reason as Pikachu, to reflect an emphasis of its name, but its transcription may have more to do with the fact that it is a combination of loan words. Even so, the fact remains that “Dodrio” is *still* the Pokemon’s name, and an emphasis of the name may be the reason that the Pokemon’s name is written in Katakana.

Perhaps the strongest rationalization for the writing of both Pikachu and Dodrio  in Katakana arises from the fact that the main area of Pokemon, Kanto, is also written in Katakana in both the game and the television show. In Pokemon, Kanto is written as カントー, as opposed to its formal Kanji. Kanto, apparently, is a region of Japan (Honshu) that occupies seven prefectures. Therefore, it is *neither* onomatopoeia *nor* a loan word, since it has its natural Japanese derivation. We can therefore assume that Kanto is written in Katakana for perhaps the previously posited suggestion regarding Pikachu: That the advertisers and marketing directors chose to write the name in Katakana to either simplify or emphasize the name. One should note that the targeted demographic of the television show is "young children." As young children typically do not possess the advanced Kanji knowledge of their parents or college-aged students, the spelling of names and places in Katakana may simplify reading for the children, thereby enhancing their entertainment experience.


There are numerous reasons why textbooks define Katakana in different ways. Perhaps one reason has to do with the textbook author’s familiarity with both Japanese and the language into which she is translating. There are so many nuances in both English and Japanese, that it would be difficult to find a translation that encompasses each of these variations. Furthermore, language is always evolving. While Kanji is fixed, there are a seemingly infinite number of loan words and “new words” entering the lexicon on a nearly daily basis. The Japanese language must accommodate these new phrases, and Katakana is the means with which it can do so.

Katakana Analysis Draft

For my first Katakana sample, I have selected the box for the collectible Pokemon figurine, “Pikachu.” The figurine itself sells under the moniker: ともだちピカチュウ.

“Pikachu” is the name of the character in the show “Pokemon.” According to at least one textbook that explains the origins of Katakana, this syllabary is occasionally utilized to emphasize names. In the show, Pikachu’s signature move is a discharge of electricity. During this discharge, the small electric mouse screams “Pi—Ka—Chuuuu,” which is a term that one might associate with electric discharge, thereby suggesting that the katakana writing is justified through onomatopoeia.

Pikachu, however, is not the only Pokemon that uses Katakana to spell its name in Japanese. “Dodrio,” which is a portmanteau of the words “Dodo” and “Trio,” is written as: ドードリオ. This Pokemon may have its name written in Katakana for the same reason as Pikachu, to reflect an emphasis of its name, but its transcription may have more to do with the fact that it is a combination of loan words. Even so, the fact remains that “Dodrio” is *still* the Pokemon’s name, and an emphasis of the name may be the reason that the Pokemon’s name is written in Katakana.

Perhaps the strongest argument that both Pikachu and Dodrio are written in Katakana arises from the fact that the main area of Pokemon, Kanto, is also written in Katakana in both the game and the television show. In Pokemon, Kanto is written as カントー, as opposed to its formal Kanji. Kanto, apparently, is a region of Japan (Honshu) that occupies seven prefectures. Therefore, it is *neither* onomatopoeia *nor* a loan word, since it has its natural Japanese derivation. We can therefore assume that Kanto is written in Katakana for perhaps the previously posited suggestion regarding Pikachu: That the advertisers and marketing directors chose to write the name in Katakana to either simplify or emphasize the name.

There are numerous reasons why textbooks define Katakana in different ways. Perhaps one reason has to do with the textbook author’s familiarity with both Japanese and the language into which she is translating. There are so many nuances in both English and Japanese, that it would be difficult to find a translation that encompasses each of these variations. Furthermore, language is always evolving. While Kanji is fixed, there are a seemingly infinite number of loan words and “new words” entering the lexicon on a nearly daily basis. The Japanese language must accommodate these new phrases, and Katakana is the means with which it can do so.

ポケモン！！

Here we have an example of Katakana wherein the representations include both loan words AND onomatopoeia. We see the PikaPika and Piyu words to represent the sounds the camera is making. The word "kamera" itself is represented in katakana. 

McDonald's, or Makudonarudo Hambaagaa as it is known in Japan, is a classic example of a foreign loan word. I realize that this isn't the most complex example of Katakana, but I find it interesting nonetheless for the simple fact that, unlike here in America, they have to further describe the restaurant with the Japanese word for "hamburger." I wonder if we do similar things to Japanese words and products? 

Pikachu is one of the most well-known and beloved characters from the "Pokemon" franchise. Incidentally, "Pikachu" is both the name of the adorable electric mouse and the onomatopoeic sound he emits when discharging electricity. Therefore, there is a bit of ambiguity as to whether or not this use of Katakana is strictly onomatopoeic or also used to emphasize Pikachu's name. According to Bulbapedia, Dodrio's link: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dodrio_(Pok%C3%A9mon) indicates that THIS Pokemon's name is written in Katakana as well. Is it a loan word? Not really, although the root "dodo" is indeed borrowed. Is it onomatopoeic? Nope. Pokemon, therefore, provides some very interesting uses of Katakana.

オカリナ！

たつみせんせいはオカリナとてもじょうずです。でも。。。

このおんあのひともじょうずです。

ファイナルファンタイジがすきですか。

きれいなおんあのひととオカリナ。

はじめまして

はじめました。わたしはオーギーです。

コロンビアだいがくのがくせいです。よんねんせいです。ペンスバニアとフロリダからきました。

まいにちごぜんじゅういちじにあるいてがこうへいきます。えいがをべんきょうします。

きにょうびのばんバスでちちのうちへいきます。やきゅうをみます。わたしわやきゅうがすきです。

どぞうよろしくおねがいします。

I would post in Japanese, but...

... the link in the email to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/recommended/ime/default.mspx
does not appear to be working correctly.