Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 1

It is a school unlike any other, taking in the worst boys society throws out and molding them into men. But unlike other academies, this school does it in a unique way, with a regime based on an anachronistic system, a Spartan training schedule and some of the strangest and most nightmarish tasks possible...and that's not even talking about the principal behind this madness! From Akira Miyashita, the forgotten gem that helped define Weekly Shonen Jump in the 1980s...is finally unleashed in all it's manly glory!

Sakigake!! Otokojuku by Akira Miyashita

Vol. 1: Go Straight to Hell
Chp. 1: Go Straight to Hell

Author Comment:
This year, I face the ?-th new year. I ate too much last year. And I got fat. My objective this year is to lose 20 of my ?kg. That's extremely gutsy. Wish me luck.

5.
Voice: Our target is 500 meters ahead!!
Voice: All hands in position---!!
General: YOU WILL DIE!! DIE AND BECOME THE SHIELD FOR YOUR FATHERLAND----!!

6-7.
General: CHARGE----!!

8.
Sign: Department of Education
Voice: Hoo, how nostalgic.
Sign: AMERICAN BRUTES
(TN: The expression “American” is actually “Beiei”, which is for both Americans and British. But due to the Japanese prominently fighting Americans in the Pacific war, I decided to just keep it the Americans)
Official 1: Arms practice?
(TN: “Jyuutou” is actually “the practice in the usage, maintenance and restraint/control of a gun and sword. “Arms” was probably a bit easier to write it as)
Official 2: Fufufu, I did many of those things too during the war.

9.
Solider: UOORYA----!!
Soldier: No~~!!
General: What’s with your showiness---!! Do you think that will kill off those American brutes-----!!
Narration: It was a cruel era. Many youths fell on the battlefield, having gained an education to just die for only their country, without free thought or individuality……

10.
Voice: Dispatch aircraft--!!
Voice: Dispatch the tank corp. ---!!

11.
Voice: This was over 40 years ago…Japan today has become a nation with a splendid democratic education. It won’t repeat an error like such ever again.
Official 1: But Education Vice-Minister, why would you show us this film of long ago…
Official 2: And at this emergency meeting.
Official: ?
Vice-Minister: ………………
Vice Minister: Th, this isn’t from long ago…!! Th, this is for real.
Vice-Minister: This film was stolen from them by one of our staff yesterday. Look closely at the screen.
Officials: ……………………!? They’re………!?

12.
Voice: Hey, we need much more conflict---!! We’re not playing, this is about death---!! Can’t we make these firecrackers much flashier---!!
Officials: Th, this is………!!

13.
Voice: Students must pledge allegiance as one!! You must value valor as one!! You must modestly take instructions as one!!
(TN: “Students” here is usually “gakusei”, but here it is read as “jukusei”, with “juku” representing a type of “coaching school” or “private school”. The “Juku” for this series is a “private school” for all purposes, thus “Otokojuku” is Japanese for “Otoko Private School”…with the “otoko” obviously being “man”)

14.
General: First year Matsuo, step to the front---!!
“Voice”: Osu, first year Matsuo is heading to the front!!
(TN: “Osu” is an acknowledgement of “yes” in blunt Japanese. I’m going to keep it as is in this series instead of translating it)
General: Open your legs and grit your teeth.
Matsuo: Osu, first year Matsuo is opening his legs and gritting his teeth!!
General: Do you know what correction you have to fix?
Matsuo: Osu, I really don’t know what correction I have to fix.
General: You don’t know---! You were singing a song while making a s**t in the bathroom this morning. Sing it once more here.

15.
Matsuo: Osu, with all due respects, first year Matsuo will sing!! Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”.
Matsuo: ‘CAUSE THIS IS THRILLER. THRILLER NIGHT!
Matsuo: AND NO ONE’S GONNA SAVE YOU…
General: You dummy, I don’t know if that’s rock or not, but why are you singing the enemy’s songs----!! His songs are electro-magnetic waves entering and rotting the minds of the youth---!! Well the songs recognized here at Otokojuku are only “Kimi ga Yo” and war songs---!!
(TN: “Kimi ga Yo” is the title of the Japanese National anthem)
Students: Osu!!

16.
Soldier: Ri—ght, next is this.
Soldier: Whose are these!? I discovered them when I was patrolling your dorms yesterday.
Soldier: Our school has a ban on all underwear except fundoshi.
(TN: Fundoshi is a type of loincloth)
Student: Br…briefs………
Soldier: Step forward, person who remembers. Do you think that such flirty things befit an Otokojuku youth?

17.
Soldier: Well what’s wrong? Nobody knows---!!
Student: You, you---!
Soldier: U—m.
Students: ………………
General: Fufufu, right, all of you are making fun of us.
Pilot Outfit: Hoo.
Soldier: If you are, then I’ll ask you.
Students: This is…dangerous. If a light would come out for the moment, then they won’t take our blood.
Soldier: Ke ke ke, let’s go.
Voice: It was me.

18.
Student: Mo…Momo……...you, you’ll do this for me……….
“Momo”: Fufufu, I don’t mind.
“Momo”: They’re mine.
Soldier: The head of the Otokojuku First-Years, Momotarou Tsurugi…………Fufufu, he’s got guts.

19.
Sign: Principal’s Office
(TN: Similar to “Jukusei” being “student”, “Jukuchou” is “principal” in this school)
Voice: Well, please tell us!!
Reporters: How the heck did this school become this way--! This school will never be ignored by the Department of Education.
Edajima: I am the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi.
(TN: And here we have the most famous line in this series. While I do realize his name is actually “Heihachi Edamjima” and I’m keeping it in traditional Japanese name order of having the family name before the main name, I’m keeping the line as is both for comedy’s sake and because it’s that priceless…well not now but it will be)
Reporter: According to investigation, the students all live here in dorms…the number of students from around Japan is around 300 for the three years. And that many of them have been expelled from their high schools for violent crimes and a lot of them aren’t able to go anywhere else.
(TN: 3rd Years = 12th Grade in Japanese High Schools...BTW: I'm not sure if it's "3rd year" or more likely "a three year school with 300 students"...probably the latter but I'm just adding this note now due to this.)
Edajima: I am the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi.
Reporter: You’ve already introduced yourself--!!

20.
Reporter: What are you doing taking these leftovers and giving them this anachronistic militaristic education! It’s clear this is a defiance opposing our democracy!!
Edajima: Fufufu, isn’t that funny.
Reporters: Wh…what………
Edajima: How can you raise these brats with your democratic education? Won’t that just make them wild youths whose big-head can’t even go to the bathroom alone?
Edajima: Otokojuku isn’t some assembly of leftovers. It’s a true elite group. The graduates who are trained here will come to take the helm of Japan in every field, including the arts, government and business.
Reporter 1: Uwahaha, did you hear?
Reporter 2: So then this isn’t a school, it’s like a hospital.
Edajima: Uwahahahaha----!!
Reporter: Ooh!?

21.
Edajima: Come back when you wash your face. So says the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi!
Soldier: Kiee---!!

22.
Momotarou: Fufufu………
Soldier: You, in the month since you clogged first-years entered this school, you’ve yet to understand how things are at this school.
Pilot: We’ve got a special thing for your case, Momo……
Momotarou: Aah.
Pilot: Therefore, today we’ll have Otokojuku’s famous Straight March.
(TN: This was really hard to translate: “chokushin” is “straight ahead” while “kougun” is obviously “march”. Considering what the match is, I had no choice but to call it the “straight march”)
Student 1: Straight march…!?
Student 2: I feel this is something bad.
Pilot: Fufufu, it’s simple, real simple. You merely have to go straight ahead.
Pilot: Right, the course will be north-northeast---!!

23.
Pilot: Now—depart!
Students: !?
Pilot: Even if you’re arrested by authorities, you will never spit on the name of Otokojuku!
Student: Osu, teacher, there are houses in front of us. Would it be fine if we could go around somehow if we can’t go straight!!
Pilot: Wahaha, where are your ears? Straight, you can only go straight---!!
Students: ……………………
Momotarou: Understood.

24.
Voice 1: Here, Sada-chan, say a—h.
Voice 2: Ufufu, it’s for this Miyako.
Miyako: Ara, what’s that sound…!?
Sada: N!?
Miyako & Sada: UWAAA---!!
Student: Excuse us.

25.
Miyako & Sada: ………………!!
Student: Pardon us.
Neighbors: Wh-what---what are they---!! Ca…call the police---!!
Matsuo: Is it alright to do this?
“Brim Hat”: This pilot hat guy is unreasonable.
Pilot: Wahahaha, whatever happens, it will be unforgivable to stop or turn! Straight, move straight---!!

26.
Old Woman: Grandpa, why would you die and leave me---!! Open your eyes---!!
Old Woman: Uwaaaah
Mourner: !?
Old Woman: Hii!!
Old Man: Washa, what’s going on now!?
Mourner: He, he’s revived--!!
Old Man: I’ve been in heaven once.
Mourner: And now gra-grandma is----!!

27.
Policeman: Sto-stop--!!
Policeman: I’ll fire if you don’t stop---!!
Policeman: Uwaaa---!!
Matsuo: I’m deserting.
Pilot: Whatever you’re thinking, you’re disturbing our school
Student: Ma, Matsuo………!!
Pilot: You dummy—desertion under enemy fire is the death penalty--!!
Matsuo: O…osu!!

28.
Students: Uwahaha, straight, straight--!!
Boy: Dummies.
Pilot: Test, test. With this, the men who overcome all obstacles will shine--!!

29.
Matsuo: It’s no use, I’ve had enough……
Momotarou: Hold on, grab my shoulder.
Matsuo: What is this really for? These pitiful eyes are watching us.
Matsuo: All of us should be enjoying our youth with girls and sports. Momo, don’t you think that?
Momotarou: Fufufu, I don’t know either. The only thing I know is that for whatever reason, here you just don’t move with your shoes.
Pilot: O—shi, everyone stop---!!
Pilot: Momo, you go in there alone.
Student: !?
Pilot: Show me your weight as the head of the Otokojuku first years.
Pilot: The others will head to the front--!!
Momotarou: …………………!?

30.
Momotarou: He~~ave ho.
Momotarou: Huh……
Men: …………………!!

31.
Man: Wh, what are you………!
Momotarou: Well haven’t we done this, pilot-hat guy? This can’t be the home of some ya-chan. (yakuza)
(TN: Yes, Momotarou calls them “ya-chan”, so I translated)
Yakuza: Where did you think you were--!!
Momotarou: Fufufu, did you know that?

32.
Voice: The Gokuakugumi Office!! They’re always enlivening the news. The many hot-blooded things they’ve done are famous…
(TN: “Gokuaku-gumi” is “Heinous Group”)
Pilot: Wahaha, do you realize it, stupid---!! Guys who defy Otokojuku like you will all end up like this---!!
“Brim Hat”: Mo Momo---!!

33.
Students: !!
Momotarou: Fufufu, shouldn’t we continue going straight…
Students: Mo-Momo---!!
Pilot: Damn, you hesitant fool.

34.
Pilot: Everyone stop---!!
Pilot: OK, today I forgive you for those things.
Momotarou: What’s wrong? With how we’ve been, we could go straight to the reverse of Earth.
Pilot: With this experience, you’ll gain character for tomorrow………….
Woman: Ara, dear, have you come home already?
Kid: Dad, did you get me something----!!
“Brim Hat”: A father.
Pilot: Fufufu, you wouldn’t………

35.
Momotarou: Forward---!!
Pilot: All of you, do you think you can do that where I live---!! Th…this is my home---!! I haven’t finished paying the loan yet---!!
Students: Wahahaha, teacher! We can only go straight!!
Edajima: I am the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi.
Reporters: We, we haven’t ca…caved in yet…

TN: Welcome one and all, both old and new, to my brand new translation project: the "forgotten" WSJ mid-80s classic known as "Sakigake!! Otokojuku". Now the first thing you have to ask yourself is...why do I call this series "forgotten"!? Well to tell the truth, it's mostly because it just was one of those Jump series that seemed to be off everyone's radar even when looking at Jump series from that time period. When you think of Jump from that era, what do you think of? Well dependent on the part of the world you live in and your experiences, there are tons of series that come to mind: Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken) are the first or most immediate but you've also got "Saint Seiya", "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", "City Hunter", "Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin", "Kimagure Orange Road", still running earlier classics such as "Captain Tsubasa", "KochiKame" or "High School! Kimengumi"...you probably get the point by now. With so much out there and so many series brought over in one form or another to various parts of the world, Otokojuku was just lost in the shuffle and never even got a hint of it's existence to the outside as much. Sure it got an anime in it's home and a lot of respect for it's 6 years running in the magazine...but it really never reached outside it's home. Part of that probably has to do with it's main concepts...which I will be getting soon enough to, but it could have just made people squeamish to try and see how it would have done out there in the real world. (though to tell the truth, at least Otokojuku has more respect than some other stuff...)

Personally, I actually never even heard of this series until it suddenly was part of "Jump Ultimate Stars" series/character lists back when it was first announced. At the time, there wasn't much out about it and there were only two characters in the game. To further complicate things, neither of whom seemed to stand out as to what exactly the series was about: Momotarou was "a high school swordsman"...and Edajima was this uber character who was 8-Koma only and who infamously introduced his classic catchphrase via said Koma. Since I never played the game, I never really knew too much more. Sure there was also the Wiki entry but that didn't say too much either. It was only when I got to translate the final chapter of the Giga arc in "Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo" that the series started to peak my curiosity a bit: while there were a couple sly Otokojuku references earlier in said fight (like something to do with Wan Taaren, who we won't meet for a while), the final "macho/manly" attack was full of bizarre references to Otokojuku and the mid/late 80s era Jump, right down to a weird reference to one of the attacks used during the final destruction of Giga! While I wanted to read the series though...there literally was no real sign of it anywhere....

It really wasn't until recently that I finally found a complete set of Otokojuku and downloaded it without really knowing what to expect aside from knowing of characters such as Momotarou and what I read on Wiki. And what I saw...was just everything talked about before and more. A WSJ series that seemed to take a lot from the mid-80s phase of "macho" (akin to HnK, early JoJo, God Sider, etc)...and created one of the craziest, zaniest and most fun series of the genre! It reminded me a lot of Bo-bobo...in fact, with a lot of what is done in this series, I wouldn't be surprised if Bo-bobo turned it up to 12! We won't get to why this series is so insane and unique for a couple of volumes though...but we do have some early "comedy arc" chapters we have to get through first. But those will start the set up for the brilliant insanity to come.

So with all that said...how did I feel on chp. 1? To tell the truth...somehow it makes sense in a fun but weird way. The main key of the series is all set up here: Edajima (the principal who always seems to introduce himself in a stubborn but hilarious way) has set up a special "private academy") for the worst bad-boys of society based on the super-militaristic/super-nationalistic style of education issued to all Japanese children prior to it leading to the horrible tragedies the nation faced due to World War II from it's philosophical faults. The concept in itself is really controversial and is one of the reasons it was so hidden away from most of the world: why would anyone want to go back to a "die for the country" philosophy, particularly one that made Japan so militaristic and horrible in the first place when manipulated by ruthless people? Well the answer this chapter provides is two-fold. First: in a way it allows for a psudeo-military school in a nation obsessed with peace since the end of the war, one to "reshape" the worst into something respectable And the second and most obvious reason...because they're making fun of it. Miyashita establishes from chp. 1 that the students, particularly the freshmen we see here, really aren't the types to want to be bossed around in this form while the teachers (along with Edajima) are a tad nuts in themselves. The school can be used as a means to create noble warriors, but they're so harmless in how they do these things that it's not like Japan's returning to the pre-war style anyway with them in charge.

I know I'm long winded this time around but I sort of want to say one more thing about the first "major" character introduced here: Momotarou Tsurugi (we'll be meeting a few of the others soon enough, though aside from Edajima the only one to take note of is the one in the wide-brim hat for the moment). Momotarou is introduced here as someone who seems to easily be manipulating the system, going along with Otokokjuku's style while showing it's faults along the way. He's the quiet one who just protects his fellow 1st years but also can make fun of the idiots in the process, such as pilot-hat who wanted to march forever and ever without realizing...he was going home. While not as crazy as many of the others, we already can see he's probably going to be the tentpole by which the rest of the cast will eventually hold on to, similar to him supporting idiots like Matsuo. (and yes, he did sing "Thriller", in case you were wondering)

I suppose you're all tired out from reading all that but basically if you made it down here, thanks and I hope you support me as I "attempt" to do more of this classic Jump series. Trust me when I say this: It's only going to get weirder...