Quarrel - Image Shiritori has begun (#78)

(#77) Entrance Exam → 'Ken' → Quarrel

A fish in a shop knows nothing of the great ocean.

Though it's tough that even if you do know, the future waiting ahead isn't necessarily all bright (￣∀￣)

Even so, fundamentally, setting out into the unknown great ocean should not be dismissed out of hand. It is far better to take action and fail than to regret doing nothing.

I even think failure is a medal given only to those who take action.

So, let's keep failing! ＼(^o^)／♪

You might lose something by failing, but the things you gain from failing should be far greater than what you lose.

For humans, as long as it's not a failure that leads to death, there are always opportunities for a comeback.
Yes, for humans, the only irreversible failures are dying yourself or causing someone else to die. Any other failure can be managed depending on your mindset.

The featured image this time is an original number from 'Hirake! Ponkikki', released at the end of 1975, which recorded an unprecedented mega-hit of 4.533 million copies—

'Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun'.

This sales figure of 4.533 million copies is still the highest sales record in Japan. Well, given the current situation where physical CD sales are being replaced by digital downloads, it's safe to say that this record will almost certainly never be broken in the future.

Here is that best-selling single in history.
The 9th song this week, Masato Shimon with 'Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun'

First of all, the thing I wonder most is, why did Taiyaki-kun even get into a fight with the shopkeeper in the first place? The reason is unclear.

In the opening lyrics, he grumbles, 'Every single day, I get grilled on the iron plate and I'm sick of it,' but no, no, I'd like to ask him in return, do you have anything else to do besides getting grilled on an iron plate?

In the end, the reason is unclear, but the next shock is the sight of Taiyaki-kun, who fought and escaped into the sea. This Taiyaki-kun is swimming in the sea with a crawl. Well, indeed, looking at the image, now that I think about it, he does have both hands lol

His first time in the outside world, his first base in the sea is a shipwreck. The lyrics here shine with a golden rule for the children who might listen to this song✨.

'Sometimes I get bullied by a shark, but at times like that, yeah, I run away'

School is not the whole world. There is a final choice of 'running away' as an option. I just don't want you to forget that (*1).

It has been nearly half a century since I first heard this song, yet I still have questions about it. Specifically, the fact that the story of this song is clearly a bad ending from the perspective of Taiyaki-kun.

Even in this music video, despite the consideration shown at the end where the anthropomorphized Taiyaki-kun reverts to an inanimate Taiyaki snack, the Taiyaki-kun who was so spirited and enjoyed his freedom so fully in the first half of the song ends up being eaten by a stranger.

"The old man swallowed his saliva and ate me up deliciously."

And then, the song ends with a cut-out, without an outro.
...What are listeners supposed to find in this abrupt ending?

Is it "the self-inflicted end of a Taiyaki-kun who went on a reckless adventure"?
Is it "a positive conclusion to an adventure that sought freedom, even if it is a bad end"?
Is it "the simple, undeniable fact that a Taiyaki is eaten as a Taiyaki, or perhaps a sense of resignation"?

Since it is up to the listener to interpret it, I think any interpretation is correct, but since the creators must have had a certain intention, I would like to know where that intention lies.

Personally, what I took away from it was that this stranger doesn't look as surprised as one might expect, and that he possesses a courage perhaps as great as the first human who ever thought to eat a sea squirt, as he swallows his saliva to eat a fish that was caught out of nowhere.
(￣∀￣).

Now, there are several later cover versions of this ultra-mega-hit song, and I would like to introduce a few of them.

First is the rock band MUCC's version.

By MUCC, I don't mean the one with the rolling eyeballs that looks like a red mop monster, but the three-piece visual kei rock band consisting of Tatsuro, Miya, and YUKKE.

For starters, it is shifted much more clearly toward sorrow than the original. They have crafted that sorrow into a hard-edged rock sound, with the screams of their souls bursting out at full throttle (￣o￣)

When a band of this type includes such an unusual song as a cover, it is usually treated as a bonus track, a little extra they tried out during the album production process, but this song is placed right in the middle, as the 9th track out of 15 on the album "Homura Uta." I am a bit surprised by how highly it is treated, to the point where it makes me wonder if it is the core concept of this album.

Well, it is true that you can feel a considerable amount of passion for this song in the way vocalist Tatsuro sings it (￣∀￣)

Next is the "Taiyaki Tabeta no Nande?" version.

"Taiyaki Tabeta no Nande?" is a unit consisting of three singers from Hello! Project: Ai Takahashi, Reina Tanaka, and Miyabi Natsuyaki.
Perhaps
" (Ta)iyaki" Ai Takahashi "
(Ta)beta no" Reina Tanaka "
(Na)nde?" Miyabi Natsuyaki, is that how it works? (I don't really know lol)

And this music video is also quite well-made.

The part where they are handing out tissues during "Every day, every day, only fun things happen"—well, I don't see how that is fun at all lol.

I was wondering how they would handle the last scene, which is a point of contention even in the original music video, and it turns out the shrimp is an unscrupulous promoter, and the three of them, hooked by the fishing line of sweet talk, end up being eaten.

Like the original, they softened the ending, but including the metaphor of "being eaten," it is made in a way that suggests the entertainment world is scary, which is quite interesting (￣∀￣)

Oops, it's already this late tonight.
Seriously, the magic of the pumpkin carriage is about to wear off ( ﾟДﾟ)💦

And so,
I hope that tomorrow, as many people as possible will take the utmost care not to be the sea bream caught by the shrimp, and have a better weekend✨

■ Bonus

　This is the car before the current image shiritori train (78th car). If anyone felt curious about the title "Entrance Exam" and the joke image in the bottom right, please take a look when you have some time.