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The origins of "heavy condaller"
Aug. 3rd, 2011 11:10 pmFrom the freaking incredibly creative Illbleed fansite ILLBLEEDMANIACS:
heavy condaller = omoi kondara ["heavy kondara"] --> omoi~kondara~ ["if you concentrate..."] - meaning, the baseball in-joke from the theme song to [baseball anime] Kyojin no Hoshi. Heh, I wonder if the gaijin got this.
No, evidently; the closest explanation we all concocted was that it was a particularly creative spelling of "contender." ILLBLEEDMANIACS' site maintainer links to a Wikipedia page, which explains further:
"Kondara" is a Japanese slang term. It refers to a "ground roller," "fill roller," or "hand-powered soil-preparation rolling machine" used in baseball grounds maintenance. It was popularized by an urban legend stating that it was the actual formal name of the device and thereby fixed itself in popular usage. ... It comes from "Yuke Yuke Hyuuma" ["Go Go Hyuuma"], the theme song to the 1968 televised anime Kyojin no Hoshi [Star of Giants]. Many viewers misheard its first line, "omoikondara/shiren no michi o" ["if you concentrate/on the trials that lie ahead"], as "omoi kondara" ["heavy condaller"].
So the line would actually translate as something like "steamroller." Note that "Star of Giants" is also graffitied on the walls of the practice stadium.
(While we're on the topic of Illbleed-related misunderstandings, I always thought Cashman's unearthly form - particularly when interpreted through the Cashman Jrs. you see throughout the level - was more reminiscent of a tick than a spider. It fits better thematically, too - Cashman, the bloodsucking, gluttonous pest who leeches money that's not really his, etc. Apparently not, though. Gee, and after the Toyhunter level, I expected this game to be so coherent.)
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heavy condaller = omoi kondara ["heavy kondara"] --> omoi~kondara~ ["if you concentrate..."] - meaning, the baseball in-joke from the theme song to [baseball anime] Kyojin no Hoshi. Heh, I wonder if the gaijin got this.
No, evidently; the closest explanation we all concocted was that it was a particularly creative spelling of "contender." ILLBLEEDMANIACS' site maintainer links to a Wikipedia page, which explains further:
"Kondara" is a Japanese slang term. It refers to a "ground roller," "fill roller," or "hand-powered soil-preparation rolling machine" used in baseball grounds maintenance. It was popularized by an urban legend stating that it was the actual formal name of the device and thereby fixed itself in popular usage. ... It comes from "Yuke Yuke Hyuuma" ["Go Go Hyuuma"], the theme song to the 1968 televised anime Kyojin no Hoshi [Star of Giants]. Many viewers misheard its first line, "omoikondara/shiren no michi o" ["if you concentrate/on the trials that lie ahead"], as "omoi kondara" ["heavy condaller"].
So the line would actually translate as something like "steamroller." Note that "Star of Giants" is also graffitied on the walls of the practice stadium.
(While we're on the topic of Illbleed-related misunderstandings, I always thought Cashman's unearthly form - particularly when interpreted through the Cashman Jrs. you see throughout the level - was more reminiscent of a tick than a spider. It fits better thematically, too - Cashman, the bloodsucking, gluttonous pest who leeches money that's not really his, etc. Apparently not, though. Gee, and after the Toyhunter level, I expected this game to be so coherent.)
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