nintama

(this is a crosspost from tumblr!)

Our translation of the movie is finally available to download! whee!
I had made a similar cheat sheet post for the first movie that you can find here (tumblr link). Movie 2 is longer and I have more to say about it, but hopefully it won't be too boring a read. I know I made a post about this same movie before, but since we finalized the subs I wanted another go at it. I'll be honest, I'll paste and reword some part of the older post into this one and then add new thoughts, observations, and comments about the finalized subs into it. Consider it a V2... Enjoy!
This time again, I'll try to follow the movie chronologically (though some back-and-forth can happen) and write about all my thoughts and comments about the movie itself and translation choices we made. Let’s begin under the read more! Beware of spoilers if you haven't watched it yet, and forgive my bad English.

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Hi! This is a crosspost from my tumblr account, but it's pretty relevant in the fandom lately so I'll share it here.



The Strongest Tactician is having a collaboration with the public baths chain Raku Spa next month! There will be merchandise, themed baths and food available at select venues.

The promo art features Rankirishin, Doi, Tenki and the fifth years in kabuki attire! Everyone looks so good!

Rantarou, Kirimaru and Shinbei respectively play the role of Matsuoumaru, Sakuramaru, and Umeoumaru, triplets from Act III of Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami.
(In kabuki, plays aren't often played in their entirety, but rather specific scenes are picked, making some more iconic than others)

Matsuoumaru (Rantarou) sides with the villain in the play, and is an antagonistic figure. He wears clothes with a pine (matsu) pattern.
Sakuramaru (Kirimaru) is a more gentle character, as his more subdued makeup shows. He wears clothes with a cherry blossoms (sakura) pattern.
Umeoumaru (Shinbei) is the intense, brave hero archetype, hence the more dramatic makeup and expression! The type of dramatic acting you first imagine when Kabuki is mentioned? That one archetype. He wears clothes with a plum blossoms (ume) pattern.

Doi and Tenki are both from Rokkasen Sugata no Irodori, telling of the life of great poets from the Heian period through a mutual poetry contest.
Doi plays the role of Ariwara no Narihira, noble poet and "the most beautiful man in the world."
Tenki plays the role of Ootomo no Kuronushi, the villain of the play who ends up caught plagiarizing Ono no Komachi's poetry. He's among historical figures who ended up being deified after his death.

I find it interesting they kept Tenki's white headscarf for this role. It adds a layer of softness to an otherwise evil character.

The fifth years all take roles from Aoto Zoushi Hana no Nishiki-e, specifically the Shiranami Gonin Otoko, the Five Thieves. As the name suggests, the play is about the elaborate schemes of a group of charismatic thieves! The umbrella they hold is from a scene where they make their entrance and introduce themselves.

Kanemon plays the role of Nippon Saemon, leader of the group. He's portrayed with ropes, anchors and compass on his clothes, symbolizing his leadership. The lack of white makeup shows his humble background and "rough" personality.
Heisuke plays the role of Benten Kozou Kikunosuke, a beautiful young man at the center of the play's most famous scene, where he dresses as a woman to steal in a cloth shop together with Rikimaru. He's portrayed with chrysanthemum (kiku) patterned clothes as a call back to his name, and a moon shaped scar on his forehead he got after being caught stealing in the cloth shop.
Hachizaemon plays the role of Nangou Rikimaru, former fisherman, most violent of the bunch, and partners with Benten Kozou in the famous cloth shop scene. His lack of white makeup shows his roughness, and he wears thunder cloud pattern clothes to evoke his temperament.
Raizou plays the role of Akaboshi Juzaburou, a young fallen samurai turned thief. In the play, after a failed attempt at stealing money, he tries to commit seppuku. He's stopped by Tadanobu Rihei, who gives him the 100 ryo he had attempted to steal earlier, and convinces him to join the band of thieves. He wears stars and a rooster pattern on his clothes, evoking his name Akaboshi, morning star. Like Benten Kozou, the white makeup signifies his soft, elegant character.
Saburou plays the role of Tadanobu Rihei, a young thief disguising himself as a ronin. He has a dragon emerging from the clouds on his clothes, evoking the idea of an evil thief being able to suddenly appear out of nowhere, and violence hidden behind a calm appearance!

I hope this was a fun read! I like the story of Shiranami Gonin Otoko, so I was so excited seeing this earlier today. Of course it's a rushed explanation, feel free to look up Youtube to see the performances I mentioned!