Jungle no Ouja Taa-chan 12

On a never-ending quest to lose her virginity, Helen will do anything to please Ta-chan...and pacify his nosy wife Jane!

No. 12: Helen’s Present

90.
Jane: Eh—for me?
Helen: Are you pleased with it? It’s a souvenir of when mama went to an academic meeting in New York last week but
Helen: It’s a T-shirt of super-star Michael Chackson.
(TN: Obviosuly “Michael Chackson” is a parody of famous “King of Pop” Michael Jackson)
Narrator: Jane actually was supremely pleased as a big fan of Michael, but she frankly couldn’t express her thanks.
Jane: Th…th…th…
Jane: That anteater, good day to you.
Caption: Great Anteater
(TN: A couple things:
-The Great Anteater [Mymecophaga tridactyla], is the largest species of anteater, though usually living in and around an area of Central and South America..
-Jane’s joke here was tough to really get out because it starts with her beginning to say “ari” as in “arigato”, but ends up changing it to “arikui-san”. I ended up using the “th” and changing it to “that anteater” to try and attempt to make the pun work)

91.
Jane: Th…th…th…
Jane: That’s a good mood, alligator.
(TN: That’s another pun using Jane’s “arigato” attempt, this time tied to “arigeetaa”, the Japanese word for “alligator”)
Caption 1: Alligator – Crocodile -> The Difference
Caption 2: The one with two large teeth sticking on the outside of the lower jaw is a crocodile.
(TN: There are a lot of differences between alligators and crocodiles besides this, such as the different snouts and the crocodile having the same width of both jaws while the alligator has a wider upper jaws as well as even in coloring and sizes, but I really don’t want to get into the whole alligator/crocodile debate for the moment)
Helen: Right: she did buy a souvenir for Ta-chan too but…it’s a doll of Michael’s pet, Pubbles-kun.
(TN: “Pubbles” is in reference to Bubbles, a chimpanzee adopted by Michael Jackson and seen as his closest companion for a major portion of his career, particularly during the period in the late 80s and early 90s. Eventually Bubbles matured into an aggressive adult not suitable for human companionship by the early 2000s and has since been relocated several times to his current home at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida.)
Jane: Huh? It’s not here. It should have been in here and yet.
SFX: Bako bako bako bako
Sign: Pubbles-kun

92.
Ta-chan: Ahahahahaha, I…I’m sorry—
SFX: Pori pori
Caption: He tore it.
Jane: Th…thank you.
Helen: So the, from here, it would be great if I go swimming together with Ta-chan.
Caption: Has her heart in saying that.
Helen: Actually, this was a swimsuit.
Jane: That’s fine. Go out there. Even if you do, that black one-piece is plain. It’s ultimately early to add in sex appeal for a 16 year old.
Helen: So, let’s go.
SFX: Puri
Jane: Hold on!!

93.
Narrator: She has a cute face, but she’s a dangerous girl planning on taking her virginity with Ta-chan.
Caption: Ta-chan’s typical outfit.
Caption: Ta-chan’s swimsuit
Narrator: And further, it’s the dangerous king of the jungle!!
Jane: Right—then, it’s good to have a swim occasionally. You brought those souvenirs, so I’ll be going together with too.
Ta-chan: Chie
Jane: Let’s go to the nearby lake--!!
Caption: Her violent high-spirits are sarcastic.
Caption 2: Zebra

94.
Caption: Lake Oman
(TN: There is a Lake Oman, but it’s actually in Canada, located in the northern border between Saskatchewan and Alberta and the Northwestern Territory)
Helen: Wa—there’s this wide lake in Africa.
Jane: It’s impressive.
Tokuhiro: Hehe—Hehe—they’re filled with them even in Africa: Lake Nyasa, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria and Lake Chad. (that’s good)
(TN: Tokuhiro lists several real lakes in Africa here that I’ll go into for the moment:
-Lake Nyasa: Also known as “Lake Malawi”, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, at the southern edge of the Great Rift Valley. It is stated that more species of fish live here than any other body of water on Earth.
-Lake Tanganyika: The second largest freshwater lake and the second deepest lake, between Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia
-Lake Victoria: also known as Victtoria Nyanza or Ukerewe, it is the largest lake in Africa and the largest tropical lake in the world, bordering Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. It is key for a major fishing industry in Africa.
-Lake Chad: A historically large lake that has shrunk in recent years, bordering Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, being a crucial water supply for these four nations.)
Caption: He thought they only had bogs.
Book: Maps
Jane: Ah—it’s cool.
Ta-chan: Helen-chan, you’re skilled at swimming.

95.
Helen: Hey, Ta-chan, can’t we go swimming at once to that sandbank.
Helen: Jane-san has just been floating in that shallow place since earlier. I’m certain she can’t swim. It’s our chance to be just the two of us.
SFX: Puku
Ta-chan: Ye…yes!!
Jane: That isn’t sold wholesale at the store.
(TN: I really don’t quite get what Jane is saying here, but she uses an expression of “Touya ga orosanai”; “touya” is a “wholesale store”, while “orosanai” refers to the verb “orosu” or “to sell wholesale”. I translated it as seen above but I am not really certain if it makes that work too well)

96.
Helen: Fu—we’re here at last.
SFX: Pipipipi…
Helen: Jane is pursuing us riding on otters!
SFX: Dodododo
Helen: Wa—I’m sorry!
SFX: Gusha
Caption: Shellfish
Jane: A thanks for riding on you.
Narrator: Jane is a step higher than them.

TN: A little traveling music if you please:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crbFmpezO4A (probably the best song to depict Michael in this phase of his career...and all those weird Bubbles rumors)

You do have to wonder about the measures by which Helen wants Ta-chan so badly that she would...well, try to do this. I mean, for the most part the whole purpose of the chapter was "Helen bribes Jane to get on her good side, gets some time with Ta-chan, then Jane screws them over", sort of like the last few times. I wouldn't have expected Jane to be a Michael Jackson (yeah it's not him but it sounds like him so we say it's him) fan and for her to fall for it...but of course being Jane she obviously didn't. There were some really weird and tricky word jokes this chapter as well, which in some ways are way funnier than some of the visual bits...I just sort of hope we get someone to sew that Bubbles dolls after what Etekichi pulled on it...