Notes for Discommunication Seireihen chapter 2

v1.0.0, 2009-07-07
For the latest version of these notes, or to use the hyperlinks, go to http://www.ikaga.org/notes/seireihen02.html

Page 29

Title page stuff, in no particular order:

• The sign at the upper right ("chu yu", "anoyo", "konoyo") is patterned after a typical train station sign. The current location, "chu yu" (also "chūu") is the Buddhist version of limbo. In Japanese Buddhism, one's consciousness spends 49 days in chūu after death and before being reborn. "Konoyo" is literally "this world," or "this life;" and "anoyo" is literally "that world."
• Evidently, Ueshiba is a big fan of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, a seminal Japanese electropop band. Here he's drawn the US cover of their first album.
• Rinko is sitting in front of a complicated-looking instrument emblazoned with "Technopolis 2001." I'm not sure where the 2001 comes from, but "Technopolis" is a YMO song. Here's a few Youtube videos. Man, so totally '80s.
• Togawa is sitting in front of a pachinko machine.
• The sign behind Matsubue is advertising all the other volumes of Discommunication, just like the previous title page.
• In the middle is a set of dolls for Hina-matsuri, or Girls' Day.
• Touko is leaning on an old-fashioned Japanese mailbox.
• The board under the frog dude looks like it's related to the I Ching.

Page 30

• The upper-left of the chalkboard says "today is Yamada-kun's birthday." Directly to the right is the slogan "always smiling, shining class." Along the right edge of the board is the day duty assignment.
• The sign to the right of the clock says "Inoue-kun and Ueshiba-kun will not fight."
• Upper left, above the board, "selected works."
• The podium is scribbled with words of appreciation for YMO. Besides "the best", there's something about a Snake-man Radio Show, and something else that I haven't been able to track down.

Page 31

This penguin design seems to be rather iconic.

Page 34

The message on the podium is something about a "hardcore techno pioneer" MC "UT" parody which made the author laugh like crazy. Not sure I understand completely. There is a YMO song titled "UT" though.

Page 35

From top to bottom, left to right along the cubbies:

• At the top, above the weird dudes, it says "what I think an alien would be like."
• The turtle tank is labeled Gamera. To the left is feed, and to the right is a feeding duty sign (I think).
• The cubby with hearts says "Akiyoshi -- recruiting cute boyfriends."
• The boarded-up cubby simply says "blocked."
• "Saitou-kun has been arrested for a political offense." WP-ja?
• "Heart's companion Hakaider." From Kikaider.
• "A widow returns to the household altar." Presumably this is porn of some sort.
• "Do not open, snapping turtle inside."
• "Koike-san is below." Koike-san is a character from a gag manga who's gained some popularity of his own. He loves ramen. (WP-ja)
• The Tower of the Sun from the World's Fair, Expo '70. It seems to be a highly nostalgic symbol. (WP-ja)
• "Saizansu- Tony Tani." He was a vaudevillian, and his best-known piece of entertainment is the Saizansu Mambo. 1953, man. (WP-ja)
• "Recess."
• The kid running out the left side has a shirt that says Public Pressure, which is a YMO album.
• The book on the ground is "Shōnen Japun," a pun on Shōnen Jump. The cover shows Sun Wukong, probably a reference to Dragon Ball.
• On the desk is scribbled "I don't drink alcohol~ Sanomoto." ?

Page 36

Yeah, school on Saturday. And you thought you had it tough.

Page 40

I put "monster" for simplicity, but she says kaijū, which refers to monsters of the Godzilla and Mothra variety.

Page 56

There's a sort of color language for female underwear in Japan. When Togawa says that she would never wear black underwear, it's because black shows some eroticism on the part of the wearer. Don't ask why this is. The only English-language source that I've been able to find is this, but it discusses colors only briefly.

As mentioned in the previous set of notes, Touko appeared in chapter 5 of Discommunication and didn't make another complete appearance until next chapter.

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