Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 16

They've survived robot sharks and nutty whale-hunting captains...but as the Otokojuku first-years finally reach the last of their Ocean Tour islands, they will have to survive the horrors of war...alongside a notable fictional hero!?

Chp. 16: Ocean Island Tour (4): Battleground Island

154.
Tazawa: This is the final island of Otokojuku’s Ocean Island Tour: Kinoni Island…!! It’s a moonlit night, but it’s so dark I can’t see a thing.
Togashi: Damn, wh—at is this Kinoni Island---!! Can’t we just quickly finish this and say goodbye?
Tazawa: Ge

155.
Togashi: Sorry, sorry, are you OK Tazawa? I’ve been worked up by how our calamities are continuing………………
Togashi: Th…that’s………!!
Tazawa: Hi…Hie~~!!
Student: Hey, look. There are skeletons on the beach……………
Togashi: Uwawaaa—wh…what’s that----!!

156.
Students: Huh!!
Rambo: I am Otokojuku’s Battle Practice teacher Major Rambo, in charge of Kinoni Island.
(TN: Another bizarre pun of a name but, considering Onidako and Ahab, obviously in reference to the fictional character John Rambo connected both to the novel “First Blood” and made famous by Sylvester Stallone. “Rambo”…or “Ranbo” as written in Japanese, is read in kanji as “War Boy” or “War Priest”)

157.
Rambo: Attention--!!
Rambo: Well, this island is a battleground. Battlegrounds are the best stage to bet life-or-death for polishing body and spirit.
Rambo: Here you all will be performing battleground practice based on the survival manual of the Green Berets, the special forces of the US Army.
Student: Gr…Green Berets…!!
Tazawa: I don’t get the reason again, but we have to do this. We’re so weak.
Togashi: No matter how much I look at his appearance, I don’t think he’s sane at all either.
Rambo: Fufufu, if you don’t want to be like a light skeleton on your feet, then put your heart into this.

158.
Rambo: Lesson 1: “Minefield Penetration Practice”.
Rambo: First we’ll penetrate a minefield buried under here by the enemy………!!
Student: Mi…mines……!?
Rambo: Look over there: you’ll sprint with all your strength alone to the flag. Of course you can run this course as you please, but there are innumerable amount of real landmines buried and it will be your end if you step on them.
Tazawa: W…what----!!
Rambo: Sazae-san-head over there!! We’ll start with you.
(TN: Though we didn’t mention it prior, Matsuo’s hairstyle is obviously a reference to the main character of the manga/anime series “Sazae-san”, written since the 1940s about the day-to-day life of a housewife and her family)

159.
Matsuo: O…ossu, I have a problem Major!! I’ve still haven’t been taught the way to detect a landmine hidden underground but……………………so do you have a mine detector…!?
Rambo: Idiots shouldn’t have that. The most important things on a battleground are only luck and intuition.
Matsuo: Lu…luck and intuition…………
Rambo: So then, get out there immediately---!!
Matsuo: Uh!!
Matsuo: A**hole—so then this is desperation---!!

160.
Matsuo: UORYA~~~!!
Rambo: Hoo, he’s really doing it.
Matsuo: Ah, just five more meters!!
Togashi: Jump!! Fly, Matsuo--!!
Matsuo: I’ve done it---!!

161.
Matsuo: Huh!!
Matsuo: Uwaaa--!!
Tazawa: Ma…Matsuo--!!
Togashi: That’s dirty. There was a mine at the goal………
Rambo: Wahhahaha, idiots: on a battleground, unpreparedness is your greatest enemy---!! Don’t get yourself killed so easily. Reduce your amount of gunpowder!!

162.
Rambo: Lesson 2: “Shooting Practice”!!
Hidemaro: What is this.........!!
Rambo: I don’t need to formally reveal the importance of heavy weaponry in modern warfare.
Togashi: ………………
Rambo: Soldiers must be perfect with their shooting arm.
Rambo: This is a shooting practice called “The Hanging Bottle”, devised by the US Naval Marines.
Rambo: As you see, the dynamite will explode if you don’t fire at the water bottle above his head instantly.
Hidemaro: Wh…what, then I’d…………

163.
Tazawa: Da…damn…………that’s dirty behavior.
Matsuo: Hii hii
Rambo: What’s the matter? The dynamite flame is already down there. Wahhahaha, are you going to let your war buddy die without doing anything---!!
Hidemaro: To…Togashi…………
Togashi: Fufufu, isn’t this good.
Togashi: HIdemaro, I’m in control of your life---!!

164.
Hidemaro: NO--!!
Hidemaro: Wh…where are you aiming and firing, To-Togashi--!!
Togashi: Ev…even if you say that, this is the first I’ve fired a gun and worse this machine gun has a big kickback--!!
Togashi: So—on the number fired will………!! !?
Togashi: I’m out of bullets………!!

165.
Hidemaro: Uwaaa---!!
Togashi: Da…damn---!!
Rambo: Fufufu………
Students: N…no, not enough time---!!
Rambo: !?

166.
Hidemaro: Hi…hie--!!
Tazawa: Phew~~
Rambo: Fufufu, what are you intending with your unnecessary behavior?
Rambo: On a battleground, it’s natural for idiots to die.
Momotarou: Fufufu, not really. Then you shouldn’t be alive either.

167.
Momotarou: A commando knife…………
Rambo: Fufufu, exactly. Lesson 3: I’ll teach you how to use that knife.

168.
Rambo: “Knife the Tightrope”
Rambo: When I was a Green Beret, my many good-blooded colleagues did this when we had too much free time. This was originally done during a ceremony to decide the chiefs among Indians of the American West.
Rambo: A match whether you live or die. With this chain binding both our wrists, you can never run.
Tazawa: Momo……!!

169.
Rambo: Let’s go--!!
Rambo: Soryaa---!!
Rambo: Wahhahaha, what’s wrong? This is training. Don’t be reserved though I’m your teacher!!
Momotarou: Fufufu, isn’t that pleasant?

170.
Rambo: Uwahhahaha, there isn’t anyone superior to me in using a knife!!
Rambo: Uuh……!!
Rambo: It’s over. Take this---!!

171.
Rambo: Wha……!!
Momotarou: Fufufu, Green Berets aren’t taught karate?
Rambo: Guwa!!
Rambo: Ooh!!

172.
Rambo: Gee!!
Rambo: Wa…wait--!! Practice is over---!!
Momotarou: Don’t be selfish. This is a battleground.
Rambo: Uwaaa---!!

173.
Momotarou: Fufufu, stabbing this wins hands down.
Rambo: A…scorpion………!!
Student 1: Wahhahaha, that’s the end of our island tour---!!
Student 2: If you love these sorts of wars, then you can fight them on your own---!!

TN: Yeah, I think I know what you're thinking now: he looks nothing like Stallone at all! Sure he may act like him, survived wars in the Green Berets and be really nuts like Stallone (well his version of Rambo, not the one from the original "First Blood" novel), but it definitely wasn't him...and in a weird way, I'm happy it wasn't. If this was some American show like "The Simpsons" or "Family Guy", they would have a Stallone charicature with the annoying accent and probably end up being as obvious as possible. (heck, even "Fairly Oddparents" did that with a funny Stallone parody...then again Butch Hartman worked alongside the likes of Seth McFarlane...) But in a funny way I'm happy Miyashita avoided that and just made him "Rambo" without going Stallone on us...considering how much of a jerk he was. In a strange way, one thing I noticed about this chapter is that we more and more see Momotarou's purpose as the one who sort of gets everyone out of their troubes while letting the likes of Togashi, Matsuo, Hidemaro and Tazawa take fall after fall...and suddenly it seems appropriate, even almost classic. Momo himself knows of this stupidity and tries to avoid it except finding unique ways out of situations (like using karate on Rambo in the knife fight), while the ones who try to play by the rules either suffer...or nearly do and handle things their way. (like Togashi) In any case, with the battle against an American homage over...it's time to take on some real Americans next time! (though..."he" won't be showing up for a few more chapters)