Comments on: For lucky best wash, use Mr. Sparkle!

For lucky best wash, use Mr. Sparkle!

XQUZYPHYR — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:12:08 -0800

Forgive being a day late on the Friday Flash tradition, but WHAT THE HELL? (.swf link) Link via Tom Tomorrow.

By: Stan Chin

Stan Chin — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:15:33 -0800

That music... I recognize it from somewhere.. BUT WHERE? ARRGGGH!

By: quonsar

quonsar — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:15:56 -0800

which part did you not understand?

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:18:13 -0800

Mmmmm...that decides it; it'll be sashimi tonight. Thanks, XQUZYPHYR!

By: squealy

squealy — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:18:51 -0800

Hell?? So xqwhatever,you got something against people with fishheads? For shame.

By: Steve_at_Linnwood

Steve_at_Linnwood — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:20:11 -0800

Like Kikkoman?

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:22:22 -0800

Sorry, wasn't sure if the traditional WHAT.THE.FUCK was acceptable on the Front Page. I'm frightened beyond belief at the newest Mr. Sparkle. This blows Hi-Ho out of the water. For God's sake, man, THE KITTEN HANGS ITSELF. I can only assume that this is an ad for Soy Sauce, hence the guy fighting the other condiment-men (the one labelled "Heints," I am assuming is ketchup.) Aha. On preview, Steve finds the mothership. Oooohm.

By: Steve_at_Linnwood

Steve_at_Linnwood — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:24:20 -0800

Kikkoman's American Corp Headquarters is about 20 min from where I live. A buddy of mine interned there last summer.

By: DBAPaul

DBAPaul — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:48:07 -0800

Hi-Ho? WTF?

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 12:52:42 -0800

Hi-ho was a series of Japanese Flash ads for Panasonic cameras. They had the same "For Lucky Best Wash Use Mr. Sparkle" theme, just not as absurd as this one.

By: alms

alms — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:04:09 -0800

There's a pun. "Shoyu" (pronounced somewhat like "show-you") is Japanese for "Soy Sauce". Was I the only one who noticed Kikoman going to bed with a little girl? What was that about?

By: Steve_at_Linnwood

Steve_at_Linnwood — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:07:28 -0800

I'm disrespectful to dirt! Join me or die...

By: tweebiscuit

tweebiscuit — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:14:44 -0800

Isn't anyone sick of the "weird and ineffable Flash movie set to Japanese music" trend yet? (Actually, upon viewing, this is definitely more interesting -- but not by all THAT much...)

By: Duck_Lips

Duck_Lips — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:32:36 -0800

so, it's kiko-man? or Kikkoman-man? or super shoyu man? the Shoyu pun and hangin' kitty are the kickers.

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:50:47 -0800

That was rad.

By: PrinceValium

PrinceValium — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:53:14 -0800

Their clothes are different from my clothes.

By: footballrabi

footballrabi — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:56:24 -0800

First let me say that I am disturbed. Also, did the kitten hang himself, or did fish-head Kikkoman guy hang him? He looked pretty outraged for a second there. Also, alms- I also noticed that fish-head Kikkoman guy appears to, um, use his condiment prowess(?) in a seductive manner.

By: hippugeek

hippugeek — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:59:06 -0800

Wait--you're supposed to put soy sauce on corndogs now?! I don't even like corndogs, but that's just plain wrong. What is the world coming to? And the sex and suicidal cat were worrying, too.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 14:18:03 -0800

The "Show Me, Shoyu" jingle almost sounds like a Westley Ellis number. And hippugeek, those were tempura, not corndogs.

By: Shane

Shane — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 14:20:52 -0800

REPLAY? Uh... no thanks. Maybe later.

By: spatula

spatula — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 14:43:01 -0800

Here's another japanese export in the same vein.

By: banjotwang

banjotwang — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 14:52:54 -0800

Hmm, I've never seen tempura on a stick.

By: Succa

Succa — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 15:12:38 -0800

Wait--you're supposed to put soy sauce on corndogs now?! Why do I get the feeling this sentence is going to be the next "these brooms...they vibrate?!?"

By: ncurley

ncurley — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 15:21:14 -0800

Maybe it would make sense if I understood Japanese. Wait. No, it wouldn't.

By: Kikkoman

Kikkoman — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 15:26:21 -0800

Someone called?

By: SweetIceT

SweetIceT — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 16:14:25 -0800

Very funny Kikkoman...perhaps you would care to translate? ...also one of the strangest things I have seen in a while...will have to send that link to my brothers girlfriend (she's Japanese). I think she will get a kick out of the fact that I have run across that.

By: hippugeek

hippugeek — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 16:43:15 -0800

I've never seen tempura on a stick before either. I guess it makes sense, but that's some mighty regular-shaped tempura, if so.

By: hama7

hama7 — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 17:22:38 -0800

Those wacky kitten-killing, plastic-fish-headed, singing pedophile superheroes really embody salty condiments, do they not?

By: oflinkey

oflinkey — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 17:31:57 -0800

Hama7, I for one welcome our new wacky kitten-killing, plastic-fish-headed, singing pedophile superhero overlords.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 17:38:57 -0800

I often wonder how I can find Japanese engrish and stuff so jaunty and funny and wacky and amusing, while the Korean version just depresses the hell out of me. Actually, come to think of it, the only Korean flash things I've seen the Worldwide Craphunters come up with and propagate via the usual meme-channels in the last couple of years have been completely concerned with defecation, nose-picking, rape, or some combination of the three. Maybe that's it.

By: hama7

hama7 — Sat, 16 Nov 2002 23:46:16 -0800

concerned with defecation, nose-picking, rape, or some combination of the three. Maybe that's it. That is it, actually. It's hard to laugh aloud at defecation, nose-picking and rape, and if it's animated, it's just all the more bleak.

By: hippugeek

hippugeek — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 02:19:19 -0800

It's hard to laugh aloud at defecation, nose-picking... You don't teach elementary school, do you, hama7?

By: hama7

hama7 — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 02:41:42 -0800

You don't teach elementary school, do you, hama7? No, not yet. But wait about six months and I may change that answer. *cringe*

By: atholbrose

atholbrose — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 03:25:52 -0800

This, and other flash animations like it, are actually full of in-jokes and references to a popular Japanese message called 2channel. Here's something similar, though more inexplicable -- and not safe for work: http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~helpme/flash/chinko_anesan.swf (that site has an English translation of the same if you poke around) Here's a page that lists many more, some NSFW, some offensive in some other way, almost all inexplicable: http://zerobrid.tripod.co.jp/

By: soplerfo

soplerfo — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 08:51:33 -0800

tofu-block-head-man is my favorite

By: asok

asok — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 09:33:54 -0800

Here in the UK we get our take-away soy sauce dispensed in these fish shaped dispensers, is that the case elsewhere? Why a fish shape has owt to do with the soya bean, I do not know. I would have thought that fish sauce would be more appropriate.

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 10:31:55 -0800

Why is there so much advertising on MetaFilter? Only kidding.

By: MUD

MUD — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 13:34:49 -0800

Also, did the kitten hang himself, or did fish-head Kikkoman guy hang him? He looked pretty outraged for a second there. The kitten was hanged for refusing to use soy sauce. See that shake of the head with the outstretched tongue? That's what really got Kikkoman's goat. Disobedience and insolence is too much to take in a pet.

By: chicobangs

chicobangs — Sun, 17 Nov 2002 20:39:23 -0800

Color me biased, but it would have been nice if Kikko-man could have worn some Kikko-pants. Anyone know if this came from the Kikkoman Co. themselves or some other kitty-hatin' kiddie-lovin' corndog'n'shoyu-fetish'd third party?

By: Slithy_Tove

Slithy_Tove — Tue, 19 Nov 2002 08:30:53 -0800

Probably too late for this thread, no one has posted in a couple of days, but if anyone's still reading... Verthandi on LiveJournal has posted an almost-complete translation, complete with footnotes explaining some of the Japanese cultural references.

By: epersonae

epersonae — Tue, 19 Nov 2002 16:24:13 -0800

thanks! (my best friend, husband, and I watched this in horrified giggling fascination on Sunday.)

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Tue, 19 Nov 2002 17:17:30 -0800

Yeah, cheers Slithy!

By: hippugeek

hippugeek — Tue, 19 Nov 2002 18:53:12 -0800

From the translation: Soy sauce is good for you. It also works as a disinfectant. Prior-Art-O-Matic, anyone?