Kinnikuman 29

Choujin from around the world have gathered to win the Choujin Olympics and dethrone the prevoius winner, Robin Mask. But who exactly is in this tournament? What will the tournament be? And what preliminaries will be needed to whittle the competition!?

Chapter 29: The First Preliminary

18.
(Choujin Clockwise…well outside Meat in the center)
Skyman (Mexico): Idea by Masami Watanabe of Shizuoka Prefecture
Curry Cook (India): Idea by Yoshi Yoshida of Mie Prefecture
Koubellman (Steelbellman) (Ancient Inca): Idea by Ben Saitou of Tokyo
Lupin (France): Idea by Shousuke Saitou of Hiroshima Prefecture
Specialman (America Northern Group): Idea by Jun Tsutsui of Fukuoka Prefecture
Kinnikuman (Japan)
Gokuuman (China): Idea by Toshiaki Matsuoka of Yamaguchi Prefecture
Ramenman (China): Idea by Ben Komiya of Saitama Prefecture
Robin Mask (England): Previous Competition Champion
Terryman (America Southern Group)
Kanibase (Italy): Idea by Soutarou Minamoto of Yamaguchi Prefecture
Zoroman (Italy): Idea by Takashi Mitsuya of Mie Prefecture
Canadianman (Canada): Idea by Ryuu Sawada of Yokohama
Kintaman (Africa): Idea by Hideyuki Kobayashi of Tokyo
Sphinxman (Egypt): Idea by Kouji Ryuumoto of Tokyo
Amazonman (Brazil): Idea by Akira Nakajima of Hokkaido
Brockenman (Germany): Idea by Kouka Nagao of Nagasaki Prefecture
(TN: Take these creator names at face value, since I knew I screwed up many of them)

19.
Announcer: It’s cleared up as there’s not a cloud in the sky. We’re here at the National Stadium as the World-Order Choujin Olympics finally opens!
SFX: WA—WA--WA—WA—
Old Man: There is one…a cloud, there!
SFX: WHAM
Announcer: Really, keep quiet. The people watching us on TV won’t understand……
Old Man: At this moment…
Old Man: I spray out my Kincho.
(TN: Kincho is a brand of bug spray)
SFX: PZZZ
Old Man: Ahahaha, it’s amazing.
SFX: FALL FALL FALL
SFX: BOOM
Announcer: It’s…it’s really true…

20.
Man: How long will we have to wait, hurry up.
Kazuo: Hey, I pawned my wife to get here.
Yudetamago: Hey there, I ate Yan Sui in my Umeboshi! Is this for light laughs?
(TN: Yan Sui is a type of coriander (also known as cilantro), while Umeboshi is a pickled plum notable in Japanese cuisine)
Voice: S**t~~this isn’t suitable.
Door: Waiting Room
Suguru: How did that Meat get chosen to be the Choujin Olympics mascot?
Terry: Isn’t it cause he’s cute?
Suguru: If he’s cute, then moreso. I wasn’t taken though over Misha of the Moscow Olympics!
(TN: Misha the bear was the mascot of the 1980 Moscow Games…which Japan among other countries boycotted due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Of course, at the time of this printing in 1979, Japan was still anticipated to take part in those games, thus the joke)
Terry: ……………

21.
Announcer: Now then, it’s the entrance of the players! First is the champion of the previous competition, Robin Mask!
SFX: KYAA KYAAA
Voice: OVER HERE, ROBIN!
Natsuko: This is wonderful. Wherever Robin Mask goes, I have to take a picture.
Mari: Fun, that frivolous woman…
SFX: SLIP / BOUNCE
Announcer: Next up is the representative of the American Southern Group, Terryman! And the representative of the Northern Group, Specialman.
Signs: America Southern Group: Terryman / Northern Group: Specialman
Voices: TERRY—TERRY—WA—WA—
Special: Ha ha ha, as expected, Terry, your popularity is no match in Japan.
Voices: TERRY—TERRY—
Terry: No way.
Girls: KYA—TERRY--!
SFX: DODODO
Natsuko: Ah!

22.
Natsuko: Don’t get near him, Terry is mine!
SFX: WHAM BAM
Girls: IT HU—RTS KYA—KYAAAA
Kazuo: TERRY--!
SFX: WA—WA—
Natsuko: He—y, you insistant Aderans!
SFX: SLAM / SURU
Announcer: And here’s the entrance of the Japanese representative: Kinnikuman!
Sign: Japan Representative: Kinnikuman
Voices: YOU’RE A DISGRACE TO JAPAN! PIG~~WILD PIG TURN PIG~~!
SFX: BOO—BOO—WHAM BAM WHAM
Suguru: OWA—
Old Man: This is amazing, I’ll throw stuff too.
Suguru: S**t~~why must they make fun of me……
Signholder: It’s because you were holding up Terryman’s placard.
(TN: I really didn’t translate this one very well)

23.
Announcer: And now a greeting by the Competition Chairman.
SFX: WA—WA—WA—WA—WA—
SFX: SLIP BAM
Chair: ………
Chair: Uuh…damn…alright, now I’ll jump onto the platform with a deep-blue Ultra C like Comaneci.
(TN: Ultra C is a gymnastics maneuver, and Nadia Comaneci is obviously the genius gymnastics competitor, most notable from the 1976 Olympics in Montreal)
SFX: BOING SPIN WHAM BAM
Chair: TA—
Mayumi: Why are you playing around, chair!
Terry: However, some amazing members have been gathered…
Suguru: Hmm?
Terry: The Canadian representative Canadianman. The African representative Kintaman.
Suguru: Pathetic names.
(TN: While the ridiculousness of “Canadianman” is said enough, “Kintaman” is close to the word “Kintama”, Japanese for “testicle”. Though I think the creator was more trying to use the ambiance of Kunta Kinte similar to Kunta back in the Roots Island story)

24.
Terry: And Skyman from Mexico.
Terry: Brockenman from Germany.
Terry: Lupin from France.
Terry: Kanibase from Italy.
Robin: An oath! We heroes pledge to fight fair and square while capturing our spirits! The representative of the heroes on November 13, 1979, Robin Mask!!
Mari: Aah…I’m fainting!
Natsuko: Hmph, that frivolous woman…
SFX: FAINT~~
Natsuko: U…that’s ten cm higher than me…
(TN: Note that both Natsuko and Mari use the expression “Shirigaru”, which translates into “frivolous” but literally translates into “light butt”)
Mari: So? Were you surprised?
Natsuko: It’s mortifying~~!!
Announcer: Next is the entrance of the Olympic Flame.

25.
Announcer: Well—then, the bright, romantic torch, as you see, is now…being carried around by Meat!
SFX: CLICK CLICK CLICK WA—WA—
Suguru: I thought you weren’t here, you short-legged thing—
SFX: TATATATA
SFX: BO
Meat: OW…
SFX: POKE
Suguru: OWA~~~
SFX: WHAM
Kani: WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU?
SFX: CLAMP

26.
Suguru: What are you doing, you—
Kani: SHUT UP--!!
SFX: WHAM BAM WHAM
Special: Hey, you guys, stop that.
Announcer: Hey—there, those comrade Choujin started to fight!
Old Man: Ooh, yeah, this is amazing, go go
Announcer: So then, prior to the start of the contest, the rules will be explained by the Kinniku Daiou.
Suguru: Hey dad.
Mayumi: Yo!
Chief: Ma…Mayumi-kun!
Mayumi: Everyone, each competition is a must win battle, since only 8 of you can appear in the finals tournament. Starting here and now, we think we want to decide the eight appearing in the finals tournament by decisive competitions.
Mayumi: So then, before we enter the competition, I want you to gather together in groups of two.
Kani: He he, he said we’re goint to have a fight…
Suguru: I don’t think we should be fighting this early.
Terry: Whenever it happens it’s the same, whether it’s sooner or later.
SFX: MOVE MOVE
Mayumi: Fine then? The first event will be…

27.
Mayumi: JANKEN!!
(TN: “Janken” is the Japanese name for “Rock-Paper-Scissors”)
SFX: DODODODO
Kani: What, Janken…
Suguru: Dad, are you joking again?
SFX: WA—
Mayumi: No way, I’m not joking. It’s necessary for superheroes to have luck. This will help you against kaijuu with bad luck.
Kani: Che…it’s so ridiculous we have to do it that way.
Kani: We’re not going to do Janken!!
Koubell & Canadian: Right, right.
SFX: BOO—BOO—
Robin: ……………

28.
Robin: Anyone who says no will leave now!!
Robin: If you were like me, you will fight in these Olympics to the end…
Robin: Pardon me, Daiou. Please begin with that.
Mayumi: Ah…aah, alright!
Suguru: Hold on, I have to change partners! Change!
Mayumi: Turn quickly, Suguru!

29.
Mayumi: O—K, are you all prepared!!
Mayumi: Ah, Jan Ken
Mayumi: PO~~N!! (to himself) Ridiculous…
Suguru: Ya~~y, you’re stuck~~
Kani: Hey you, let’s talk this over~~
Terry: OH! TODAY’S A NICE DAY!
SFX: WA—WA—WA—

30.
Voice: Fu fu fu…
Kinkotsu: I see now that Choujin from every nation in the world have gathered. We’ll mess up these here Choujin Olympics.
Everyone: WA—WA—WA—WA—
Meat: As expected, of the champion candidates I spoke of, all of them are remaining.
Meat: Superheroes have strong luck after all…then perhaps our prince is also a superhero…
Everyone: WA—
Mayuri: So……sorry, my hand slipped.
Suguru: Ow~~
Meat: If I’m not mistaken…

TN: Somehow I've noticed that a lot of shonen use a bizarre preliminary to reduce the competition...and yet when done right it never gets dull. Thus, seeing the first round of competition in the Choujin Olympics being a mere rock-paper-scissors competition was just gut-busting...a bit traditional considering it's used all the time in Japan but it worked. (well that or Robin Mask would bust faces and would instantly be repeat champion) Of course, Suguru getting an opponent who only knew how to make scissors (he's a crab, of course he won't have rock or paper) did work to his advantage...though Kanibase is probably angry about that bungle. Probably the most notable thing in this chapter is how many new characters we have with the Choujin Olympics created by the Japanese fans. One thing you have to realize though from this point is that with as many characters that emerge at one point all the time in this series, many of them won't really be used. You see many of them in this chapter but consider this: many Japanese fans send in ideas, some get on the cover, even less take some considerable part of the plot, and less still (see Robin Mask) are really important! Even getting cover acknowledgement from Yudetamago is an amazing thing...but still, look at some of these weirdoes in this competition: Kintaman!? Canadianman!? (well we'll get more into his ridiculousness later) Amazonman!? Ramenman!? Heck I highly doubt Ramenman will ever be of importance since he didn't even show up in this chapter! And speaking of Ramenman, why the heck did they allow two Chinese and two Italian entries? I understand them splitting up the American entries (though Specialman is somewhat disturbing in himself), but we have both Gokuman and Ramenman from China and Kanibase (well, OK, no more Kanibase after this chapter) and Zoroman from Italy! And furthermore, we have Sphinxman from Egypt, which is part of Africa...which is actually represented by Kintaman as a whole! (luckily many later African Choujin get better countries but it is weird)


BTW: Don't take my Ramenman comment seriously: Ramenman is actually one of the coolest characters in the series, but it's just weird not seeing him in this chapter making one think at this point he's pretty much going to mean nothing to the story...at least compared to many of these other newbies.