Japanese name/reference for Magic Tester?

[Shinto-Cetra]

Relaying a question/photos from my Lunar Discord: "Recently I learned of the Japanese tourist attraction called Kuidaore Taro. It is a drummer clown statue that used to serve as a mascot for an old restaurant in Osaka, and has since become a landmark associated with the area. As soon as I saw it I was reminded of the Magic Tester boss fight in EB, and thought it was a cool peek into Japanese culture. (Sorry if this is common Lunar knowledge but it's a little tidbit that's new to me.) Does anyone know what the Magic Tester is called in the Japanese version of the game? I'm curious if it's a tongue-in-cheek reference to Kuidaore Taro."

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I tried swapping saves (battery saves and save states) around in Openemu, but it couldn't get my US saves to work with the Japanese version of Eternal Blue, as I have save state right before that battle. So anyone who has knows, please do comment.

[Sonic#]

Fascinating! There are enough points of similarity that I wouldn't be surprised if that was an inspiration. That said, it works well because the concept of a wind-up drummer or little drummer boy is well-known.

There is video of the moment from the Japanese version of Eternal Blue on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-fSrkUkhzaU?t=729 . I think it is this in Japanese:

マジカルバスターマシン

But I have no idea how to translate it, and the best Google gives me is "Magical Buster Machine."

[Shinto-Cetra]

Fascinating! There are enough points of similarity that I wouldn't be surprised if that was an inspiration. That said, it works well because the concept of a wind-up drummer or little drummer boy is well-known.

There is video of the moment from the Japanese version of Eternal Blue on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-fSrkUkhzaU?t=729 . I think it is this in Japanese:

マジカルバスターマシン

But I have no idea how to translate it, and the best Google gives me is "Magical Buster Machine."

I read the Kana, "Magical Buster Machine" is what that translates to. I will relay the info, thanks!

[Kizyr]

!!!!!

Wow, thanks for relaying the info! What a find!

This isn't common knowledge. I'm certain this is an intentional reference/similarity, whether directly to the statue or if they both draw from a common frame of reference.

[Alunissage]

Wow, cool! Will have to ask Temzin about this.

[Temzin]

WE LOVE THE MAGIC TESTER

Thanks for the heads-up, Alun! Yes, the Magic Tester (EN)/Magical Buster Machine (JP) is unmistakably a reference to Kuidaore Taro, the mascot of the postwar Osaka restaurant Kuidaore ("Eat 'til You're Broke!", allegedly a nod to the old saying that people in Kyoto go broke on all the expensive entertainment in kimonos while people in Osaka go broke eating a ton). The glasses and the drum attack cinch it.

To hear the internet tell it, the shop was really cutting edge and had television and AC before almost anyone else, and also was pushing the new idea of taking your kids out to eat rather than having it just be for adults...and that's where we get Kuidaore Taro as an attraction. He was a mechanical drumming doll, modeled after the old custom of Chindonya, or a marching band for hire who would advertise your products around town (their costumes were in turn a nod to old Osaka bunraku puppetry). Needless to say, with modern communication technologies, Chindonya are super-rare today, and I've never seen one in real life.

Anyway! Kuidaore Taro started becoming pretty famous nationally right around the time that Eternal Blue came out on MCD. He outlasted the Chindonya tradition, and Eternal Blue's boss does the same funny rat-tat-tat drum attack to character's heads that is of course from Kuidaore Taro's own incessant drumming. (One of the many, many vandalistic crimes that the slipshod Eternal Blue remake did to the nearly perfect MCD original was failing to use the jolly "Fleeing Hiero" theme when you fight this boss. And this after ruining the Haunted Mansion design. Ugh.)

Sadly, the original Kuidaore finally closed down in 2008 or so, but the character shall live on in our collective Lunar-playing imagination.

[Shinto-Cetra]

Thanks for the information, Temzin!

[ShugoHanasaki]

Ha! That's pretty cool. Also kind of terrifying lol! (^^')

[Kizyr]

Say come to think of it... Is this the first Japanese pop-culture reference used in a Lunar game that anyone has found?

The pop-culture references in the English version are pretty well-known (...and at times infamous), but just through the dialog. And, playing through all of the games in Japanese, there weren't any pop-culture references in the Japanese dialog that I could ever find. Not counting things like anime tropes (Hiro and Ronfar getting knocked to the sun, e.g.), but I mean direct references to specific pop-culture.

I'm struggling to think of anything else that anyone in Lunar fandom has found that's equivalent... but no, I think this may be the only example of a Japanese pop-culture ref in the games...? KF

[Sonic#]

^ In terms of visual reference, it reminds me of the reference to cathedral stained glass I found - something real that influences the design of an in-game element. But I can't think of any other bosses or designs that would qualify as a Japanese pop-cultural reference. (Not that I would be likely to tell anything about, say, Plaster Mel or the Saline Slimer.)

[Temzin]

Say come to think of it... Is this the first Japanese pop-culture reference used in a Lunar game that anyone has found?

I think it depends a lot on what you consider a (possibly fourth wall-breaking) "pop culture" reference and what counts as a more general cultural reference or homage, or something like a plot/visual trope that you use almost unconsciously! The Lunar I&II Design Material references are a great reminder of famous scenes Shigema and Kubooka were inspired by in some of the animation sequences. Kubooka may have sheepishly insisted that he had Hakushon Daimaou on the mind for Hiero and Lucia's parting rather than the more elegant Galaxy Express, but no one doing the animating or watching it could fail to call that famous classic scene in the latter to mind. The Masked White Knight (who is not Leo) is many pop cultural references at once...certainly Tuxedo Kamen in Sailor Moon, Tiger Mask and other famous wrestler heroes, and countless more. Like the generally very natural English dialogue, the dialogue in Japanese itself is full of expressions and idioms that are reflective of "popular" culture past and present. Sure, Lemina's giant robot is a jokey direct line to Kuidaore Taro, but I'm not sure how firm the divider is, really.

[Shiva Indis]

I know of a reference in TSS, and which is retained in English. The Vane Magic School honor roll is made up of references to TV witch characters. Westerners may recognize Samantha of Bewitched, which was a hit in Japan and a forerunner to the magical girl genre. Most of the others are the title characters from anime like Sally the Witch and Majokko Megu-chan.

[Shinto-Cetra]

I know of a reference in TSS, and which is retained in English. The Vane Magic School honor roll is made up of references to TV witch characters. Westerners may recognize Samantha of Bewitched, which was a hit in Japan and a forerunner to the magical girl genre. Most of the others are the title characters from anime like Sally the Witch and Majokko Megu-chan.

Very insightful! And some people complain over Working Designs pop culture references...granted WD put a lot more in but it just shows things are not as one-sided as certain literal translators claim...lol. I never knew Bewitched was a hit over there.

[Kizyr]

I know of a reference in TSS, and which is retained in English. The Vane Magic School honor roll is made up of references to TV witch characters. Westerners may recognize Samantha of Bewitched, which was a hit in Japan and a forerunner to the magical girl genre. Most of the others are the title characters from anime like Sally the Witch and Majokko Megu-chan.

Oh I absolutely did not catch that in either Japanese or English when I played through! I'm going to have to keep that in mind the next time I run through the games. KF

[Alunissage]

I had just been wondering about that honor roll line. I don't remember all of them, but two (in the English game) are Meg and Lalabo. I don't remember the rest, but they were more typical names. Will have to look it up when I have time.

[Nobiyuki77]

I don't know why I never made the connection; I've seen him a few times around Osaka, and knew it was a famous symbol 'round here. That totally makes sense! XD

[Kizyr]

I don't know why I never made the connection; I've seen him a few times around Osaka, and knew it was a famous symbol 'round here. That totally makes sense! XD

Hey snap some pics next time if you can! =D KF

[Alunissage]

I'll be spending a few days in Osaka in April. I'll keep my eyes open!

[Nobiyuki77]

Forgot to upload last time I was there, sorry. Here's a short video I took.

https://twitter.com/KingMetalZel/status ... 8818330629