vendredi 18 septembre 2015

Odoru Ponpokorin - おどるポンポコリン (Eng)

One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball left behind by a schoolgirl ! Here comes the one with who I share a part of my pseudo: Chibi Maruko-chan (ちびまる子ちゃん) who celebrates in this year of 2015 her 25 years of broadcasting and more than 1000 episodes, with her cult tie-up culte covered by numerous artists (B.B.QueensE-GirlsGolden Bombers, Momoiro Clover Z...)  ^^ !!

Odoru Ponpokorin

Forever young




Version française ici.
1st English version: 18/09/2015.
Last update: 27/12/2019.

Menu
Story
Videos-clips
Lyrics and romaji
Personal Translation
Anecdotes, posterity
Main performers

Links


Story


Yes, in Japanese animation, fame isn't just a matter of big muscles and  this funny little girl, while less reknown abroad, as well as Doraemon for instance, is as big  in Japan as these mainstream shonen. And you can see them regularly if you come to visit Japan: ads, ramen, sweets... And artists step in a row to sing for them, as it means success and fame !
Chibi Maruko-chan is at the beginning an autobiographical-inspired manga by Sakura Momoko (さくら ももこ) which is thus the real name of the heroine, published in Ribon mascot comics from 1986 on. It's a pure "slice of life" as we say today, where only the imagination of the forever young (9 years old) Maruko offers sometimes a little bit of fantasy. Besides, her privileged relation with her "Ojii-chan" (grandpa), as much a dreamer as her, makes me think of the American comic Calvin & Hobbes, in cuter way, whose simple drawing is also a shared point.
Its success is thus mainly due to the comical aspect, sustained by a dreaming, naive though a little bit mischievous and capricious heroine, the caricatural minds of her friends, and by a narrator with well-placed irony who makes the parents to have there own fun. Not to forget the voice performance of Tarako who reminds me here a little bit Hayashibara Megumi (Lina in Slayers...) and who played in several Miyazaki Hayao movies, and anime series such as Noir, Patlabor, Inuyasha, Hunter x Hunter...

Chibimaruko chan / Animation
Animation

The anime, by Nippon animation, holds in 2 series, one began in 1990 with 142 episodes and the 2nd still in run since 1995, reaching nearly 1000 episodes, and it comes with the same simple but effective  graphics of the manga. Generally speaking, one episode tells 2 independent stories. At first, and as often at that time, producers did not look for a great name to sing the opening and ending, neither to place a future star, as it is the case nowadays in most of the shonen I quoted. The anime was not supposed to be such a phenomenon anyway: no supernatural power, no suspense, no sex-appeal. The opening, which aired all season 1 long, and which I love too, is thus sang by Seki Yumiko (関 ゆみ子) : Yume ippai (ゆめ いっぱい) - Plenty of dreams. The 1st ending is then Odoru Pompokorin, "just" an ending, even not deemed to air all the season long, which lyrics are written by Sakura Momoko herself and sang by an on-purpose band, the B.B.クィーンズ (B.B. Queens).
Sakura Momoko
In spite of all, the success is brilliant: the single reaches n°1 of weekly +ORICON STYLE in 1990, and sells nearly 2 millions ! During the season 2, it is honored to come back as the opening this time, in different versions including a new one from B.B.クィーンズ (below). A hint to understand this success, in addition to the anime itself:  as a compositor, there was a "hit-maker" of this time, Oda Tetsurô (織田 哲郎) !
Sakura Momoko died on the 15th of August 2018 of a breast cancer. The announce, widely reported in the media, was made on the 27th to respect the intimacy of the family at the funerals.

Videos-clips



Dans la Playlist ci-dessous, vous pourrez retrouver les principales versions du générique, par les B.B.Queens, les E-Girls ou encore les Golden Bombers (cf. Interprètes notables), en live ou en dessin-animé !




Lyrics and romaji

Source: anime sur Animax, clips

(Tie-up part)
なんでもかんでも みんな
Nandemo kandemo minna
おどりを おどっているよ
Odori wo odotteiru yo
おなべの中から ボワっと
Onabe no naka kara, BOWAtto !
インチキおじちゃん 登場 (Oh ye!)
INCHIKI ojichan tôjô

いつだって(チャチャ)わすれない
Itsudatte (clap-clap) wasurenai
エジソンは(チャチャ)えらい人
Edison wa (clap-clap) erai hito
そんなの常識 タッタタラリラ
Sonna no jôshiki ! Tattata-rarira

ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ x2
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa x2
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ おへそがちらり
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Oheso ga chirari
タッタタラリラ
Tattata-rarira
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ おどるポンポコリン
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Odoru Pompokorin
ピーヒャラピー お腹がへったよー (yeh)
Pîhyarapî ! O-naka ga hetta yoo

ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ おどるポンポコリン
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Odoru Pompokorin
ピーヒャラピー お腹がへったよー
Pîhyarapî ! Onaka ga hetta yooooo

(The following on the single part)
あの子も この子も みんな
Ano ko mo, kono ko mo, minna
いそいで歩いているよ (Baby !)
Isoide aruiteiru yo (Baby !)
でんしんばしらの かげから
Denshinbashira no kage kara
お笑い芸人 登場 (yeh)
O-warai geinin tôjô

いつだって迷わない
Itsudatte (clap-clap) mayowanai
キヨスクは駅の中
Kiosque wa (clap-clap) eki no naka
そんなの有名 タッタタラリラ
Sonna no yûmei ! Tattata-rarira

ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ x2
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa x2
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ ニンジンいらない
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Ninjin iranai
タッタタラリラ
Tattata-rarira
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ おどるポンポコリン
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Odoru Pompokorin
ピーヒャラピー ブタのブータロー (yeh)
Pîhyarapî ! Buta no Buutarou

いつだって(チャチャ)わすれない
Itsudatte (clap-clap) wasurenai
エジソンは(チャチャ)えらい人 (That' right !)
Edison wa (clap-clap) erai hito (That's right !)
そんなの常識 タッタタラリラ
Sonna no jôshiki ! Tattata-rarira

ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ x2
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa x2
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ おへそがちらり
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Oheso ga chirari
タッタタラリラ
Tattata-rarira
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ おどるポンポコリン
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Odoru Pompokorin
ピーヒャラピー お腹がへったよー
Pîhyarapî ! Onaka ga hetta yoo

ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ パッパパラパ
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa
ピーヒャラ ピーヒャラ おどるポンポコリン
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Odoru Pompokorin
ピーヒャラピー お腹がへったよー
Pîhyarapî ! Onaka ga hetta yoo

Personal Translation

Each and everyone*
let's dance !
From the middle of the nabe, boom,
A tricky genie** appears.

Never (clap-clap) forget:
Edison was (clap-clap) a great person.
But everybody knows such a thing ! Tattata-lalila

Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-lapa x2
Pîhyara Pîhyara My navel gets glimpsed
Tattata-lalila
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-lapa
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Dance the Ponpokorin***
Pîhyarapî ! I'm so hungry!

Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-lapa
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Dance the Ponpokorin
Pîhyarapî ! I'm so hungry !

(Following on the single part)
This child, and that one to, everybody,
Walk fast. (Baby !)****
From the shadow of an electric line pole
An humorist appears !

Never (clap-clap) get lost:
The kiosque is (clap-clap) inside the station.
This is well known ! Tattata-rarira

Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa x2
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! I don't want carots !
Tattata-rarira
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-rapa
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Odoru Ponpokorin
Pîhyarapî ! Buu-Tarou the pig ***** !

Never (clap-clap) forget:
Edison was (clap-clap) a great person. (That's right !)
But everybody knows such a thing ! Tattata-lalila

Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-lapa x2
Pîhyara Pîhyara My navel gets glimpsed
Tattata-lalila
Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-lapa
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Dance the Ponpokorin
Pîhyarapî ! I'm so hungry!

Pîhyara Pîhyara Pappapa-lapa
Pîhyara Pîhyara ! Dance the Ponpokorin
Pîhyarapî ! I'm so hungry !

E-girls and Ohara Sakurako (in the centre) performing Odoru Ponpokorin at Kouhaku 2015 on NHK.

Interpretation notes:

* なんでもかんでも is an expression similar to "everything but the kitchen sink"
** Oji-chan shall be translated as "uncle" or a related whose age is close to one's father. But I chose "genie" because of the parallel to the magical lamp, because of its aspect in the 1st ending.
*** Pompokorin : if it reminds you of "Pompoko", the Ghibli animation movie with its chubby tanukis, it's not necessarily a fortuity. "Naka Pompokorin" designates indeed the round stomac of little children. It can also be wirtten with the following alternate romaji: Ponpokorin et Pompokolin.
**** Baby ! preferred interjection of Hanawa, the class' dandy, when he talks to girls. 😘
***** Buu-Tarou is another classmate, with a piggy face and who regularly ends his phrases by a "Buu !" lika a little pig ("buta" in Japanese). 😉
- The nabe (o-nabe in polite form) is an ustensile like a cauldron, pot... in which are prepared broth-based dishes such as shabu-shabu ; in extension, it designes also the broth and this kind of cooking.
- To learn why it talks about Edison, you'll have to wait nerly the end of season 1. You will see that even Maruko's family was wondering about it ^^ !


Anecdotes, Posterity


B.B. Queens band was created on purpose for this song by the Major Being. It is through an audition for this band that the famous Sakai Izumi, the singer behind ZARD, in a less childish style, was scouted !

As you can see in the above playlist and in the following section, the song was covered by numerous artists until the 2010s !


Yôkai Watch's 1st opening and ending received the same unexpected success, surfing on the children madness about the franchise: Geragerapo no uta by unformal trio King Cream-Soda, and Yôkai taisô daiichi by Dream5. Moreover, the 1st one has the same male soul-rock vocal touch than Odoru Ponpokorin.


Main Performers

B.B.クィーンズ (detailed presentation here): the band was set in 1990 by Being agency in purpose of the serie. They will perform Odoru Pompokorin several more times with some variants during season 2 of Chibi Maruko-chan, especially for the 25th anniversary of the paper version (Music video above). 
This version and the original are available on the same single of May 2011:
Odoru Ponpokorin - Chibimaruko-chan Tanjo 25th Version - / B B QUEENS

Other performers who were used as tie-up of the anime:

ManaKana : The Mikura twins, born in 1986, performed it in 1998 (and in 2000).

Kimura Kaela : the famous English-Japanese J-pop / electro singer covered it in 2010, in a more "house" version (album "5 years", Limited Edition, double platinum disc).

E-girls : The girls band formed by the Dream, Flower and Happiness band on the same model as EXILE Tribe (separate dancers and singers), released it in a single in 2014, and in the album "E.G. Time".  Only 16 members participated to the MV , including singers  Ami, Aya, Fujii Karen and Washio Reina (who are drawn in the anime opening).
It was not there best single sale : "just" 5th at the weekly +ORICON STYLE and 9th in the +Billboard Japan Hot 100 ! But regarding all the preceding tie-up versions, it's very well, and moreover it stays close to the original (see the MV in the playlist : Videos-clips)



Golden Bomber: The (air) Visual Kei pop-rock band takes its turn in mid-2016. They also appear in the opening of the anime (see the music video in the playlist : Videos-clips).
Odoru Ponpokorin / Golden Bomber
Golden Bomber


Momoiro Clover Z: the "familial" Idols band released it as their 19th single in August 2019. They also appear in the opening of the anime (see the music video in the playlist : Videos-clips).

Other versions without direct relation to the anime:

Clémentine : The French singer quite famous (in Japan...) covered it in a tie-up compilation, in French and with a more "lounge" style in 2012.

KinKi Kids : the very famous Johnny's duo sang it in live in 1993. Since then, they made another, "official" this time, tie-up for Maruko-chan : KinKi no Yaru Ki Man Man Song !


Links




Sources : Wikipedia JP, Animax, Japan Times, Nikkei, Official Twitter...

3 commentaires:

  1. One of the best anime I WATCHED.

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    Réponses
    1. Thanks for your comment ^^ ! So you watched it ? Great !

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  2. I just love Chibi Maruko Chan more than anything else in life!!! This anime is one of the reasons of my happiness. And this is not just an anime, but a beautiful way to see the most precious thing we all have as "life".

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