Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 2

In a school where the worst are trained to bring out their best, little nitpicks can lead to big trouble. When little nitpicks turn out to be from organizations that are just as bad as the Otokojuku bunch...someone needs to stand up to them!

Chp. 2: School Specialty! Oil Bath

37.
Servant: We’re here, son. This is the school that you will study-visit for this month.
Servant: Welcome!
“Boy”: Otokojuku……Ke, this building is dirty.

38.
(Title Page)

39.
“Brim Hat”: A passage for my death…………
(TN: The “brim hat” makes a comment of a “jisei”, which is a poem recited for a person’s death, usually notable whenever someone is about to commit suicide)
“Brim Hat”:
When a macho man
Just isn’t macho at all
Then their youthful blood
Will then end up surging out
Quietly seen on their hands.
(TN: The “jisei” made is notable as a style of poem called a tanka, a style of “waka” poem depicting emotion written in a syllable form of 5-7-5-7-7. I tried my best to make the poem work in both syllables and content)
“Brim Hat”: I don’t need an assistant.
Onihige: You wise to conclude your life with your own hands.
(TN: I really don’t know if they ever give “him” a name, but I read that “General” that I called in chp. 1 was nicknamed “Onihige” so I’ll call him as such from here)
“Brim Hat”: Father and mother, forgive me for dying before you. I think it was a short and beautiful life………………My life is like the falling cherry blossoms…
(TN: A typical metaphor of the Japanese mentality up to and including WWII was that a short and brief life was seen akin to the short, brief existence of cherry blossoms on the trees, showing their glorious colors yet easily fall on them own or thrusted into blowing wind)
Onihige: Well you don’t have a reason to boast on forever~~~! Shouldn’t you hurry up and cut your stomach open--!!

40.
Student 1: Why is that Togashi cutting his stomach open?
Student 2: Somehow it seems Onihige got exposed for taking out his bento during class.
Student 3: Well that shouldn’t be enough for our lives.
Togashi: And now I die.
Togashi: Uh!!
Togashi: Uooorya-----!!

41.
Onihige: Ooh--!!
Students: Ah, that idiot, he actually did it---!!
Togashi: Thanks for letting me die for my crime. Th…this is how a man dies---!!
Onihige: Wo, wonderful Togashi!! Stand still and show me your wound!!
Togashi: Uuh…!!
Onihige: Fugo--!!
Togashi: Chi, that cat had no guts.
Student: ………………

42.
Onihige: You were teasing in cutting open a cat--!! I’ll send you to hell with my own hand--!!
Togashi: Oh!!
Togashi: Right, I get it. If you do that, I’ll kill him. You’d love to do that.
Togashi: What are you doing here?
“Boy”: Are you practicing a school art festival so you can welcome me?
Students: ?
Onihige: What is this brat---!! This isn’t a kindergarten for shrimps like you to come to--!!

43.
Onihige: Uh!
Security: Shouldn’t you hold back! This person is the child of Genzou Gokukouji, boss of the Kanto Gokujuu Alliance……
(TN: I had a really hard time translating “Gokujuu”, with “goku” as “top”, “poll” or “extreme” and “juu” as “animal” or “beast”. Thus probably the best translation is the “King-of-Beasts” as I saw it but somehow it probably is wrong so I kept it in Japanese…that and it’s closeness to “Gokukouji”)
Security: Hidemaro Gokukouji-sama---!!
Student 1: The…Gokujuu Alliance………they’re the strongest and worst gangsters in Kanto…!
Hidemaro: Ke ke ke, don’t that hurt, don’t that hurt.

44.
Edajima: I am the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi.
Hidemaro: I’m Hidemaro Gokukouji.
Sign: Principal’s Office
Edajima: I am the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi.
Hidemaro: I’m Hidemaro Gokukouji---!!
Hikouboushi: We, well, not here principal……
Hidemaro: The story is I didn’t think my dad would ask me to come here. I didn’t really want to come to this school for some unknown reason, but I came since dad was really bossy about it.
Hidemaro: I’ve heard many rumors of here. This is a super-Spartan school that even the demons of hell run away from.
Hidemaro: However, I won’t lift a finger while here. By just a bit of pressing this pager, a thousand of my supporters will rush over here. Kekeke, I’ll do my best here.
Edajima: I am the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi.
Hidemaro: I’m Hidemaro Gokukouji----!!

45.
Hikouboshi: And so from this month, Hidemaro Gokukouji will be our friend.
Hidemaro: You all shouldn’t make careless mistakes.
Hikouboshi: Well let’s begin class. Today is “Hagakure”, the masterpiece that shows the manly way of life through the spirit of warriors in the era of the Tokugawa Bakufu. We’ll start from pg. 45.
(TN: A bit more for our knowledge: “Hagakure”, which translates as “In the Shadow of Leaves”/”Hidden Leaves” but also known as “The Book of the Samurai”, is a collection of commentary of the samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo collected from conversations between 1709 to 1716. The book is notable on it’s commentary of bushido, the warrior’s way of life involved in the samurai’s “way of dying” and stating that they are already dead when they take up this position due to their obligation to their lord)
Hikouboshi: Matsuo, read from there.
Matsuo: Osu, first-year Matsuo will read.
Matsuo: Bushido is a familiarity with death…to die in vain for not doing as expected becomes the martial art that is greatly raised in Kyoto-style…
Matsuo: From dawn to dusk, you live as a permanent corpse, dying again and again…
Hidemaro: Boring.
Hidemaro: This is boring--!!

46.
Hidemaro: I can’t help being bored, even if everyone was asked to give a Buddhist prayer without knowing the reason. Your duty is to keep me from getting bored.
Hidemaro: Do it in the melody of Pink Lady’s “Sinbad of the Shore”. Make yourself stand out.
(TN: “Sinbad of the Shore” or “Nagisa no Sinbad”, is the 4th hit record by Pink Lady, originally released in 1977)
Matsuo: Wh, why would I do that…………!!
Matsuo: Osu, Taio Matsuo will stand out singing it as “Sinbad on the Shore”.
Matsuo: Bushido is—a familiarity with death!
Hidemaro: Kekeke, don’t that hurt, don’t that hurt.

47.
Hikouboshi: How about this, Hidemaro-sama? They’re really strong. Even in our kendo classes, this school has serious matches without any protection at all.
Hidemaro: Chi, these are serious matches--!!
Hikouboshi: Huh…!?

48.
Hidemaro: Kekeke, this is great.
Hikouboshi: Hoho, this is a great idea, Hidemaro-sama!
Student: Re…real swords
(TN: This is a bit of a strange pun: Hikouboshi tells that they have “shinken” matches, which is a “serious” match such as “fighting without the protection”. However “shinken” is also a practice match with real swords, which is how Hidemaro has changed the match)
Hidemaro: Now don’t that hurt. It’s best that you fight
Hidemaro: Hey, what’s wrong---!!
Student: Uo!!
Hidemaro: Ke—kekeke.
Students: Gi Gie~~bl…blood---!!
Student: Damn, that brat’s making fun of us.
Togashi: He’s gone bad with his parent’s menace……

49.
Hidemaro: Forward, forward---!!
Hidemaro: 200 laps around campus remains!! Those who chicken out won’t get lunch---!!
Hidemaro: Further, you will show me when it’s time.
Hikouboshi: Wh…what is that…………!?
Hidemaro: Otokojuku’s specialty: the Oil Bath.
Hikouboshi: O…Oil Bath………

50.
Narration: The Oil Bath……AKA: the Hell Boat, it was used for criminal torture long ago in the Edo period.
Narration: Filling up a metal basin completely with oil, you boil it with a fire below while you float a sasabune with a lit candle set on it.
(TN: “Sasabune” are toy bamboo boats)
Narration: The warm oil will rise, but if you move your body even once, you will overturn the boat, setting the oil on fire and inevitably covering yourself in flames……
Narration: The fear and agony is continuing until the flame on the candle completely goes out……it’s a battle of emotional strength. Even today, it’s said to still be performed as a test of guts for crooked companies.

51.
Hidemaro: What’s wrong! We don’t have anyone to do the Oil Bath!! Are you men of Otokojuku that well refined----!!
Hidemaro: Hey, how about it you!?
Student: He, well this is a gathering of physically strong leftovers after all…!!
Hidemaro: Well how about that guy who committed seppuku by cutting a cat’s stomach?
Momotarou: I’ll tell you, brat.
Togashi: Hold on, Momo.
Togashi: The nominee will be me.
Momotarou: Hmhmhm.
Students: To…Togashi………

52.
(No dialogue, just Togashi bearing the unbearable)

53.
Hikouboushi: Wahaha, have you lost it Togashi? Even in the long history of Otokojuku, there’ve been 5 that could bare this balance.
Hidemaro: Kekeke, it’s still getting warmer. But you’ll get burned up if you move even a bit.
Togashi: Well, can’t you come in too? It’s really nice oil.
Hidemaro: Well, if you get out alive.
Togashi: You’ve got a steady stomach with that speech.

54.
Hidemaro: Kekeke, do you plan to have will forever. Don’t overdo it, you’ll cry.
Togashi: Shu…shut up, shrimp. Will I be put down by a twisted brat like you?
Hidemaro: Cut…cut it out. My greatest worry is being a shrimp. D…die, I’ll kill you---!!

55.
Togashi: I will then show you: show you the guts of Genji Togashi, first year of Otokojuku----!!

56.
Hikouboshi: I…don’t believe this. That idiot Togashi has………
Hidemaro: ………………
Togashi: Hehehehe, that was nice oil.
Students: To-Togashi--!!
Matsuo: A-tanka---!!
(TN: This is a really weird joke but it really does work: from the combined comments made by Togashi on pg. 55 & 56, he ended up making another tanka! I had a hard time trying to match it up, but here’s how I ended up making it:
I will then show you
Show you the guts of Genji
Togashi, first year
Of Otokojuku|He
Hehehe, that was nice oil.
A tad stretched, like the Japanese version was, but it fits 5-7-5-7-7)

57.
Hidemaro: Chi, how boring. So—then, where will we play next…
Momotarou: Hold on.
Momotarou: You promised you would go in after Togashi.
Hidemaro: Don’t that hurt, don’t that hurt.
Momotarou: Not him.

58.
Hidemaro: Eeeh---! How could you do this---!! I’ve already pushed my pager. Currently a thousand henchmen are coming to punish you.
Momotarou: Fufufu, do as you please.
Matsuo: You brat.
Momotarou: We’ll take them down, a thousand or ten thousand!!
Hidemaro: Here they come---!! Po…pops, I’m here--! Hurry and kill all of them---!!
Matsuo: Ah—those are your thousand henchmen………
Hidemaro: Po…pops, how did you get………!?

59.
Genzou: The Kanto King-of-Beasts Allience was destroyed…since we were unprepared; we were attacked by those guys from the Shuuei Alliance--!! Hahaha, and further, we were taken in by the police……
(TN: Won’t really say anything further: “Shuuei” obviously is in reference to Jump publishing company “Shuueisha”
Hidemaro: De…destroyed………
Hidemaro: Osu, I am Hidemaro Gokukouji! I am a weakling, but please guide me well.
Hikouboshi: You’re a dummy, but what can you do now---!!
Student: This brat hasn’t felt hurt yet--!!
Momotarou: Yawn~~
Edajima: I am the principal of Otokojuku, Edajima Heihachi!!
Hidemaro: O…osu, I’m in extreme pain.

TN: Let me start with this: as bad as the last chapter was in translating, this one...felt worse. Not in it being horrible but in getting to Bo-bobo-levels of references to Japanese culture and the particular code that exists for the maintenance of Otokojuku. Regardless, this chapter introduces both a semi-major and a major character we're going to be keeping an eye on for the rest of the series. (well aside from Momotarou and Edajima who we met last time) The first of which is Hidemaro...who obviously was the "spoiled rich brat of gangsters" this time around but is someone who really could use the "Otokojuku method". (that or another "introduction war" with Edajima) It's weird to see how annoying Hidemaro was in this chapter, but it was sort of to lead to his well-deserved humiliation at the end. The other, more important character we meet this time, though, is Genji Togashi, a comedic character with a lot of manly gall! Whether it's standing up to seppuku by forcing a cat to be slashed in it's place or the climactic oil bath showdown with Hidemaro, Togashi shows what it really means to be an Otokojuku student! (well Momotarou shows it too but he keeps his cool so much that you don't see it aside from his moments) And...well, there's also Matsuo, but he's stuck singing weird songs again. (though I need to listen to that Pink Lady song myself now...)

BTW: Tankas are harder than haikus.