Shintetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo 40

With the 3rd's ultimate plan finally in action, Bo-bobo's team has headed off to get some much needed training for the final battle! But as Torpedo Girl's harsh training comes forth, the empire makes its move against it's enemies...

Shinsetsu 40: Superior Training!! Hell Torpedo's Crash-Course!!!

151.
(We now join this invasion of Cyber City, already in progress)

152.
Wan Ronga: UOOOO, IF YOU STOP THIS ROUGOKU SHINKEN---
(TN: Considering how fast it's going, I'm a bit shocked Wan Ronga has the means to shout out his Shinken. But as reminder: "Rougoku Shinken" = "Fist of Prison/Jail")
J: CORNERSTONE-CATHARSIS OF THE BLACK SUN
Porstroi: AKUMA SHINKEN OUGI: GENOCIDE STREAM!!!
Wan Ronga: GUWAAAA---6 DENNOU KNIGHTS BANZAI!!
Hiiragi: THANKS FOR THE EFFORT, POR...WHAT'S LEFT IS JUST GIGA. ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT
Hiiragi: GIGA SEEMS LIKE THIS ROOM.
Namerou: This is Giga's aura...we have to be prudent from here......
SFX: !!!
Porstroi: PARDON THE INTRUSION!

153.
Sign: HIGH SPIRITS ARE HOPELESS
(TN: Obviously this "show" is under the control of our old buddy Zetsubou; the show he is running is in Japanese "Gokigen wa Zetsubouteki", with the "Zetsubouteki" standing for "Desperate" or "Hopeless"; while "Desperate" sounds better considering we're dealing with a guy whose name stands for "despair", hopeless just sounded better for the title)
Zetsubou: WHAT WILL APPEAR? WHAT WILL APPEAR?
Porstroi: HE'S IN HERE!!?
Zetsubou: IT'S APPEARED!
Die:
Top: Hopeless Talk
Right Side: Talk that becomes Hopeless
Left Side: Success
Zetsubou: "HOPELESS TALK"; FOR SHORT: "Z-TALK"--
(TN: The "for short" joke really didn't work in a way I wanted it to here considering that the short version of "Hopeless Talk", which in Japanese is "Zetsubou no Hanashi" is "Zetsubana", the combination of the first kanji for "Zetsubou" and the kanji for "Hanashi"; I ended up making it "Z-Talk" as opposed to, say, "H-Talk"/"D-Talk" to try and keep a bit of the concept that this is all tied to Zetsubou himself as well as his consistantly hopeless/desperate nature)
Porstroi: DISSAPPEAR!
Zetsubou: IT'S HOPELEEESS-----!!!
Hiiragi: !
Giga: OBJET SHINKEN OUGI: GIGA-NATE ART!!!
(TN: Reminder time: "Objet" is the French term that is connected to "Objet D'Art", a French term for art of a particular importance standard)
Jobus: !!
Porstroi: WHAT!?

154.
Giga: THE 3RD'S DOGS? HARMFUL INSECTS WILL BE KILLED IMMEDIATELY!
Caption: Emperor of Cyber City: GIGA
Porstroi: GIGA
Hiiragi: EVERYONE STEP BACK. HE'LL BE DONE IN BY ME.
Namerou: Hiiragi! His power will finally be known!
Giga: DIE! OBJET SHINKEN OUGI: HOMING OBJET!!!
Hiiragi: HERE WE GO

155.
Hiiragi: RAISE THE CURTAIN
(TN: The kanji we see here, and on Hiiragi's outfit for at least this chapter, is the kanji for "laughter" or "smile")
Hiiragi: BAKUSHOU MANZAI SHINKEN CHOUOUGI: SUPER-FUNNY COSTUME
(TN: The "Bakushou" in this Shinken style is a "roar of laughter"...but that's the easy word in this Shinken style. "Manzai", on the other hand, has a couple different meanings: one is merely "comedian" or "comic", the other being tied to the "manzai comedy-style" that Bo-bobo takes to heart involving the strange dialogues and situations between the comic and straight-man...considering someone we meet later [not to mention this manga at it's heart], the best way to translate Hiiragi's style is "Hilarious Manzai"...or if you want to just go with who he is as is, "Hilarious Comedian", which works too)

156.
Namerou: HE'S A WEIRD GUY----!!!!
Hiiragi: LEGENDARY TSUKKOMI HARISEN!!!
(TN: The "harisen" is a fan-like artifact usually used in Japanese comedy act, usually in manzai by the tsukkomi (the straight man) to clear up the idiocies of the boke (the comic))
Giga: RIDICULOUS
Hiiragi: NOW, INVOKE THIS WEEK'S COMIC EVENT
Wheel Stop: BOILING-WATER CLOTHES-PIN BATH
Hiiragi: DECIDED!
Hiiragi: BAKUSHOU MANZAI SHINKEN OUGI: BOILING-WATER PENALTY GAME 2006!!!
Giga: GUWAAAA---WHAT IS THIS RIDICULOUS TECHNIQUE!!

157.
Hiiragi: I'LL SHOW YOU THE ULTIMATE REACTION! STARTING WITH A THOUSAND WASHBINS...
(TN: "Washbin" is in reference to a "tarai", a specific Japanese style bin that is wide but shallow in depth, made either of wood or more recently metal and used in washing clothes)
Giga: !
Hiiragi: BAKUSHOU MANZAI SHINKEN CHOUOUGI: VIOLENT FARCE! RAPID-FIRE 1,000 WASHBINS!!!! WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN WASHBIN...
(TN: The first part of Hiiragi's technique name is a slight punning of a term: the "shougeki" that he is referring to his the Japanese word for "comedic farce", but the second kanji is changed from the "geki" which is for "play" to the kanji that also reads "geki", which in this case stands for "violent")
Giga: GUOAAAAAAA

158.
Namerou: IT'S SUPER-POWERFUL, BUT WHAT A RIDICULOUS OUGI. HIIRAGI...I ABSOLUTELY DON'T WANT TO FIGHT JUST HIM.
Giga: GAHAA!!
Hiiragi: ...TOO BAD. YOU TOO AGAIN AREN'T THE VESSEL WHO WILL BE MY ACCOMPANIEST...
Jobus: SOMEDAY THERE WILL APPEAR A PERSON WHO WILL JOIN TOGETHER INTO A COMIC COMBINATION WITH LEADER...
Namerou: HE'S SEARCHING FOR AN ACCOMPANIEST!?
Zetsubou & Super Rabbit: WE'RE THE ULTIMATE COMBINATION
Namerou: ARE YOU! I'LL KILL YOU
Namerou: ...At any rate, I'm being lead by Hiiragi and the others...Honestly, I've become uneasy about it...
Hiiragi: WELL, EVERYONE, LET'S GO BACK TO THE HOUSE.
Jobus: Yes.
Namerou: Turn back to normal...

159.
Narrator: At that moment, Bo-bobo and the others were piling on training under Torpedo Girl...
Bo-bobo, Don Patch & Tennosuke: GYABARABEBAAAA-----
Caption: TORPEDO SECRET TRAINING GROUND: GYORA PARTY

160.
Torpedo Girl: This secret training ground, "Gyora Party", has 100 stages in all. If you can clear them all, then you'll your power will increase several times of that before your training!
Beauty: EVERYONE, YOU CAN DO THIS----!
Caption: STAGE 35
Bo-bobo: UOOOOO!!!
Caption: STAGE 20
(TN: Gaou's current training stage is akin to that of the classic Hudson video game series "Bomberman")
Caption: STAGE 31
Caption: STAGE 27
Caption: STAGE 37
Caption: STAGE 39
Hatenko: S**T
Beauty: UWAAAA: LOOKING CLOSELY, THEY'RE JUST TRANSCENDINGLY HARD----!!!

161.
Don Patch: YOU S**T-----DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS TRAINING---I'M GOING TO DO A MUCH MORE FLASHY TRAINING!
Don Patch: .........
Beauty: THE RASENGAN!!? (THAT'S BRAZEN)
(TN: The "training" Don Patch is doing is the exact same training for the first stage of the Rasengan in "Naruto", where the learner must pop a water balloon by spinning the water inside in multiple directions at once with only chakra)
Tennosuke: WELL, I'LL BE USING THE "FAMILY TRAINER". It's a similar athletic system...
(TN: The "Family Trainer", also known in the US as the "Power Pad", is a notable accessory to the Famicom/NES in the form of a pad used for making video games where the player would have to move their feet and body to make the character move, allowing both to play the game and get fitness. Strangely the accessory was created by Bandai in Japan, but bought out and released by Nintendo themselves in the US and Europe)
Beauty: WHAT TRAINING WILL YOU GET WITH THAT!!!
Caption: STAGE 40
Pokomi: EHE! IT'S INTERESTING HERE
Hatenko: OYABI--N
Torpedo Girl: Fufu...everyone's finally arrived at Stage 40. From here is the real thing-gyora.
Bo-bobo: N

162.
Torpedo Girl: PROTOTYPE TORPEDO GIRL
Everyone: !!!
Torpedo Girl: THESE PROTOTYPES ONE-BY-ONE BOAST THE SAME ATTACK ABILITY AS ME.
Bo-bobo, Don Patch & Tennosuke: WHAAT----!!!
Tennosuke: N?
TG Mark-II: KILL TENNOSUKE...KILL TENNOSUKE...

163.
Tennosuke: KYAAAA, CLEARLY ONE OF THEM SEEMS DANGEROUS---AND FURTHER IT'S ATTACK TARGET IS ME----!!
Everyone: UWAAA, THEY'RE COMING ALL AT ONCE---
Hatenko: THIS IS JUST THE BEST STAGE FOR CLEARING STRESS, MASTER GYORA
Hatenko: KAGI SHINKEN OUGI: LOCK!!!
(TN: As before, "Kagi" = "Key")
Beauty: AMAZING! HE INSTANTLY STOPPED THEIR MOVEMENT. KAGI SHINKEN IS IN GOOD HEALTH
Tennosuke: GYAAAA, WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THIS?

164.
Bo-bobo: WE WILL DEFEAT TSURULINA THE 3RD. CAN WE STUMBLE THROUGH THIS TRAINING---
Bo-bobo: HERE WE GO: SHINSETSU HANAGE SHINKEN CHOUOUGI: NOSTALGIC RETRO-GAME KILLING-MATCH S!!!!
(TN: Obviously Bo-bobo's technique is all in reference to classic Famicom/NES games. While I don't quite get what the one regarding Torpedo Girl stabbing Tennosuke is, Bo-bobo is mocking "Ice Climbers", Don Patch is mocking "Balloon Fighter" and Pokomi is merely doing an easy stomp akin to "Super Mario Brothers", all in a "Mario Brothers" inspired stage)
Beauty: A ROUGH TECHNIQUE WHICH WILL ONLY ELIMINATE FRIENDS HAS APPEARED---!!
Don Patch: HEY YOU, DIE
Bo-bobo: EXCELLENT, I'LL KILL YOU
Beauty: HEY...STOP THAT
Torpedo Girl: Their basic physical strength is the best...I'll gradually take their training to the next stage: acquiring super-special techniques-gyora!!

165.
3rd: KUKUKU...I'M GRADUALLY COMPLETING IT: MY ASPIRED EMPIRE...
3rd: THIS TOKYO IS CHANGING INTO MY IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS.

166.-167.
3rd: GIANT FORTRESS CITY: TOKYO-MARUHAGE 23 WARDS

TN: This is the type of chapter that makes me just...well, makes me just wonder what has happened to Bo-bobo. Well alright, I can't really say that about the whole chapter considering there is some really cool stuff and a certain character finally shows what he's made of. But before I get to them, I just need to comment about...well, the fodderization of every other character in this series. When we saw a chapter ago the 3rd make his declaration against all Shinken users, we saw some familiar faces re-emerge from the shadows. Honestly when I saw characters from the original Bo-bobo again, whether or not they were my favorites, I figured that maybe they would have some sort of importance in this phase. Sure they weren't Bo-bobo's team, but somehow seeing an all out battle between the 3rd's forces and the rest of the forces who fought for/against the Maruhage at some point would be neat to gain allies or something. Of course...this chapter proves me wrong and demonstrates a common problem with a lot of shonen authors: increasing threat levels at the cost of other characters. Look, I get we need to see some victories by the Neo-Maruhage forces in order to show they mean business and such, even though...well, some of them are on drugs (yeah, that's what the Zenmetsugan are) and others...well, how the heck could they be under the radar for so long. (well aside Namerou, he had an excuse) But to see characters we've seen before fall without resistance like they're nothing...(Gunkan? Halekulani? And...wait, why the heck are the Under-Maruhage forces there, shouldn't they have just vanished or retreated considering Hydrate was crushed?) just shows how many shonen authors handle these things: only the ally and his friends (well some of them) get stronger, everyone else means nothing. Instead of getting a balance and maybe an entire army facing against the 3rd, it's up to Bo-bobo's group...as usual. Strangely the main reason behind my complaint may have something to do with a "Sakigake! Otokojuku" chapter I just translated this week: when I saw certain characters actually return even if they only seemed to be important in the first year of the series, I flipped out! Seeing them in action doing something that just feels so natural and important to them and to the characters of this series without being seen as weak or unnecessary or fodder shows that characters don't have to be useless as you go further and further along. Sadly...Sawai never got that memo...but then again, neither did most shonen authors. (aside Oda)

Aside from that complaint, the chapter actually did have two major saving graces. One is some of the crazy training regarding Torpedo Girl's training ground. Somehow seeing all these wacky courses just defines what is so lovable about this series even at times where it feels like it's rapidly falling apart. The other...well, the epicness of Hiiragi. While it does feel bizarre a character like him would work for the 3rd (then again he used to have Hanpen and Bi-bibi had Shigeki X so there must be a precedence of having a weirdo be so close to the top), the mere fact that we have a manzai-themed Shinken user and seeing his craziness crush Giga made up for the fact that...well, Giga was fodderized. (well a lot of Bo-bobo's weirdness did take Giga down last time so at least it was a needed power demonstration...even with him as the victim) Trust me: aside from Pokomi, Hiiragi is probably one of the few brilliant things about this phase of the series...