Story and art by Azuma Kiyohiko.
Translation by No-Name Anime.
© Azuma Kiyohiko, Mediaworks.
When Kasuga Ayumu, a new transfer student from Ousaka, is introduced, that's all it takes to get
Tomo all hyped up, convinced that the new girl will be her rival. This is the introduction of Ousaka-san,
although she doesn't pick up that name until later.
| Note: Tomo's "what do y'all mean" ("nande yanen" in
Japanese) is a well-known retort used in the Manzai comedy style from the Kansai district, where
Kasuga-san comes from. There are 2 parts in Manzai: Tsukkomi and Bo-ke. Generally, the Tsukkomi part is
a tall, slim person with a loud voice, while the Bo-ke part is played by a short and chubby person. Manzai typically starts with the Bo-ke actor saying something that is obviously unbelievable or ridiculous. The Tsukkomi actor then butts in with exaggerated gestures and a loud retort ("nande yanen") to correct or criticize. Hence Tomo's extreme (and mistaken) overreaction. This is such a distinctly Japanese (and Kansai) phenomenon that it's hard to translate, so we've done the best we could by rendering the Kansai speech into something like a US southern dialect. [Ed.: Much thanks go to Takagi-san for explaining Manzai comedy to us (and for pointing out Azumanga to us originally)! :) Any mistakes in this explanation are, of course, solely ours.] |
 |
 |  |
[Azumanga-Toons home]