Notes for Discommunication Seireihen chapter 13

v1.0.0, 2011-09-06
For the latest version of these notes, or to use the hyperlinks, go to http://www.ikaga.org/notes/seireihen13.html

Inside Cover

Once again, a list of topics:

• Mazinger Z
• Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
• Chōdenji Robo Combattler V
• Space Sheriff Gavan
• Space Sheriff Sharivan
• Space Sheriff Shaider
• Cyborg 009

The Specium Ray is Ultraman's special attack, and the Rider Kick is Kamen Rider's. (Someone sure worked hard on that WP article.)

Yeah, he does say "meta-nude". And "Hazuki" is from Ojamajo Doremi. At this point I think I'll quote something from an old 2ch Ueshiba thread, which contains the FAQ-style question, "Is Mr. Ueshiba a lolicon?" Answer, "If you think this because the drawings are lolita drawings, nothing in this world is quite so simple (that "he draws lolitas because he's a lolicon"). If you think this because he's into Ojamajo and such, that's hardly a good reason; would you make that assumption about Mr. Kouta Hirano? If you think this due to your investigation of this subject, you are probably not correct. Please give your argument in detail."

It also seems that Ueshiba could've used the term "tsundere", but this is 2000 and the term hasn't been invented yet (2002), much less achieved widespread usage (2004—2005).

Anyway, I messed up in a past chapter when I thought Shokupanman was a pun, but he's actually a character. The notes have been updated.

Page 04-05

The stack-thing near the older Rinko's bag is known as the Gorintō, where each level represents one of the Five Elements. Like other stuff we've seen in this manga, it's something from esoteric Buddhism. The circle above it with the scarecrow-ish figure says "Shikigami".

Page 10

I think Touko's statement can be read as either "seirei powers" or "seirei's powers." I guess they roughly mean the same thing, though I wish Ueshiba would explain this seirei thing a bit more.

Page 12

The term used here, ga-rei, isn't in dictionaries and only shows up in 1) Japanese "lists of ghouls," heading the parts containing things we'd consider "undead" 2) long spiritualist dissertations. It contains the first kanji in jama, "to bother."

Page 14

See this if you've never heard of the id. The quote in the original Freud is structured a bit differently than how Ueshiba has it: "It is filled with energy reaching it from the instincts, but it has no organisation, produces no collective will, but only a striving to bring about the satisfaction of the instinctual needs subject to the observance of the pleasure principle."

Chihayaburu is evidently what they call a "pillow word" in classical Japanese poetry, a sort of set phrase. Some dude wrote a whole book about it, but this other one looks more informative.

Page 18

I asked /m/ if they knew of any mecha that have both a cannon form and plane form. Judging by the responses, I think it's safe to say that Ueshiba is riffing off of all sorts of stuff and nothing in particular. Some fun facts: Shadowmaru from J-Decker is a repainted Sixshot, and his gun mode is pretty awesome. Space Sheriff Shaider's ship, the Vavilos, transforms into a robot. Also consider DekaWing Robo and Gunkid.

Page 29

Panel two. That is all.

Page 31

You may have seen this jagan ("evil eye") concept elsewhere, notably in YuYu Hakusho.

Page 33

Kayousei: "Tuesday star". Or perhaps "Tsukai Mars" à la "Sailor Mars."

Ueshiba is reusing this joke from last chapter, but let me remind you that "sekisha jouchaku" is the process by which Space Sheriff Sharivan gets his suit beamed onto him.

Page 34

The Ueshiba stand-in is saying "bye-bye-kin" as he flies off. This is a reference to the basic mechanic of the Anpanman series, where the villain Baikinman ("bacteria man") gets sent flying by Anpanman at every opportunity, shouting his trademark "bye-bye-kin"/"bye-bai-kin". Thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can watch Japanese people play an Anpanman-themed whack-a-mole game from the comfort of your own home.

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