Kinnikuman 34

And now, the first two matches of the Choujin Olympics tournament! First, the defending champion Robin Mask vs. the wonder from the north, Canadianman! And meanwhile, the brutal Nazi Brockenman takes on the bizarre Ramenman!

Chapter 34: The First Round Begins

86.
Poster 1:
Robin Mask vs. Canadianman
CHOUJIN OLYMPICS A-BLOCK
ROBIN MASK (England)
CANADIANMAN (Canada)
KOURAKUEN STADIUM
JANUARY 5TH
6:30 (MATCHES BEGIN)
RINGSIDE: 20,000 YEN
A-SEATS: 15,000 YEN
B-SEATS: 10,000 YEN
C-SEATS: 8,000 YEN

CHOUJIN OLYMPICS B-BLOCK
BROCKENMAN (Germany)
RAMENMAN (China)
KOURAKUEN HALL
JANUARY 5TH
6:30 (MATCHES BEGIN)
RINGISDE: 2,000 YEN
A-SEATS: 1,500 YEN
B-SEATS: 1,000 YEN
C-SEATS: 8,000 YEN
(TN: Note the outfits Meat and Kazuo are wearing, in celebration of the New Year for 1980. Welcome to the new decade…one Kinnikuman fans will surely love.)

87.
Announcer: We’re here at Kourakuen Stadium for the first match of A-Block between Robin Mask and Canadianman to start, but however the amazing cheering is flying all over.
Officers: It’s dangerous if the guests are cheering. We have to subdue those cheers~~~OOH!!
SFX: WA—WA—WA—WA—WA—WA—WA—
Officer: He~~y, you’re sloppy. Watch my arm.
SFX: WHAM / WA—WA—
SFX: WHAM / WA—
Officer: OWA—
Announcer: Now, A-Block is being broadcast over live satellite to the entire world!!

88.
Announcer: We’re here at Kourakuen Hall to hold the first match of B-Block between Brockenman and Ramenman, but please wait a little while longer. Now, B-Block is being aired on the radio.
SFX: BAM WHAM
Suguru: HEY, BOXERS IN THERE, END THE MATCH. YOU’RE DISRUPTING US.
Boxer: Are all of you disrupting us…
Suguru: Oh! Do you humans have the guts to challenge a Choujin?
SFX: WHAM BAM WHAM
Suguru: OWA~~~
Meat: Is it really true what I investigated at the Planet Kin library……
SFX: YAWN~~
Suguru: Ow—

89.
SFX: BAM
Suguru: Your yawning is cheeky!!
Father: WHO CAUSED THIS BUMP?
Kid: That pig did.
SFX: POINT
Father: What, isn’t there anyone here?
SFX: CHING
Narrator: Kourakuen Stadium
Announcer: Well~~then, I don’t see Canadianman.
SFX: WHISPER WHISPER
Sign: Morinaga Cocoa
Announcer: Where the heck did he go?
Announcer: Wa~~it, is that an earthquake~~~
SFX: RUMBLE

90-91.
Announcer: No, Canadianman is shaking the ballpark~~~!!
SFX: WA—WA—WA—KYAAAA
Announcer: And now, this time he’s grown huge and has cornered Robin Mask with his specialty, the Canadian Back Breaker.
Robin: GUWA
SFX: WA—WA—
Announcer: And~~~now Robin Mask has destroyed the Breaker~~
Announcer: And a German Suplex aimed for inside the stadium.

92.
Announcer: AND~~~NOW BOTH ARE PLUMMITING INTO THE RING IN ORIGINAL SIZE~~~!!
SFX: KIIIIN
SFX: WHAM
Announcer: AND~~NOW ROBIN MASK HAS DEFEATED THE CANADIAN~~
SFX: CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP WA—WA—
Terry: As expected of the great champ…

93.
Meat: ………
Announcer: And so the first match of B-Block between Brockenman and Ramenman shall begin.
Announcer: IN THE RED CORNER, THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM GERMANY, BROCKENMA~~N
SFX: FLAP
SFX: FLAP
Ramen: Uwa…
Announcer: Well~~then, he placed his uniform on Ramenman’s head before the gong and is stomping on him!!
SFX: STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP
Suguru: Th…that’s dirty. What sort of Choujin is he!

94.
Brocken: He he he he he haa haa haa
SFX: CHING
SFX: WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM
Brocken: DIE~~~
Ramen: GYAAA
Announcer: And~~~now, Brockenman is spitting out a gas from his mouth.
Announcer: I…I’m sure this is a return to the horrors of the Nazi gas chambers!!
Meat: Cr…cruel……
SFX: SLAM
Announcer: Well~~now, Ramenman has wiped down Brockenman’s leg~~~
Ramen: He he he
SFX: LICK
SFX: BA

95.
SFX: STOMP
SFX: STOMP STOMP STOMP
Ramen: UHEHEHE…
Announcer: And he’s held against his will…
Ramen: He he he he
Announcer: And damage by Chinese kenpo!!
SFX: WHAM BAM WHAM BAM
Ramen: DAHAHAHAHA
SFX: GRAB
Brocken: GUGU
Ramen: HE HE HE

96.
SFX: RIIIP
Ramen: GUWAAAHAHAHAHA!
Announcer: Wh…what would have happened if this match was broadcast on television…Thinking about this, I’m calmed and my heart relieved that it was on the radio.
SFX: PLO—P PLO—P
Meat: Wh…what was in that book was true~~~

97.
Suguru: Ge, he looks like a bad man…
SFX: LICK LICK
Suguru: Wi…will this also happen to me with Curry Cook
Suguru: WA~~~~
Meat: Prince--!!
Announcer: Now then, it won’t be long until the start of the second match of A-Block at Kourakuen Stadium between Terryman and Skyman.
SFX: WA—WA—WA—WA—WA—WA—WA—
Announcer: Here in the broadcasting booth, we have Robin Mask come up. Robin-san, about this match, do you have something to say?

98.
Robin: A sky-battle…
Announcer: Is…is that it…Thank you very much.
Old Man: You can do this, you can do this, young Choujin…
Robin: Wa…amazing…
Announcer: YOU CAN DO THIS~~
SFX: BOUNCE
Robin: Hey hey.
SFX: STUMBLE STUMBLE
Old Man: Wa—don’t shake me~~
Announcer: Now, shortly Terryman and Skyman will enter!!
SFX: WA—WA—
Announcer: Presently, we’ll send you to the second-match of B-Block between Curry Cook and Kinnikuman.
Curry: WAHAHAHAHA
Mayumi: That Suguru, where on Earth did he go?
Meat: Prince~~

TN: I really don't know if there was anything to say about that chapter except...ouch. Many have said that the match between Brockenman and Ramenman was a turning point in the series, turning away from comedic battles into more brutal, semi-realistic portrayls where everything is literally on the line. But of course, there were several other brutal battles before this: heck everyone died back in the tiebreaker preliminary outside Kinnikuman and we've seen other sorts of brutal, disturbed attacks before. But there is one bizarre thing I've noticed in particular at least with this arc of the series: character who die...don't come back. While a lot of the later arcs have even more brutal and bizarre matches, by then there are many characters who somehow or another return no matter how many ways they are taken down...but of course, Brockenman doesn't come back and neither do any of those guys from the final preliminary! (well OK, those guys were rather pathetic but still...) Then again, we sort of do get someone "like Brockenman" later down the line...but we won't mention him for a while yet.

On the other hand...yeah, Canadianman. You can't say he didn't try but he was sort of destined to be like this from the moment we found out his name. (and that he was put up against Robin Mask in the quarterfinals) Now let me be blunt for a moment: I am a fan of Canada. I've been there a few times and it's a beautiful and amazing country. But of course, many in other countries, including my own, really don't feel the same way, sort of usually just seeing Canada as "just there". The same can be said about Japan, considering how this turned out. But then again, it does make me wonder: why is Canada...or Canadian characters, always get no respect in manga or anime? I mean if you think about it, there are many countries that Japan always seems to have heroes or characters from: besides themselves, they always give good coverage to their neighbors China and Korea, Russia, several countries in western Europe including France, England and Germany, and the United States. If you're from somewhere outside those countries, then your chance that you'll be represented well...goes drastically down. Of course, outside Canadianman, I can think of a few other Canadian manga/anime characters...and they are either extremely minor or killed off rather quickly! So maybe it's not just this pathetic Choujin...but just in general the whole stigma they have. But trust me...one day, a Canadian character will be created that will have lasting impact...and no I don't mean Wolverine cause he's an American character who happens to live in Canada!