Comparing Magical Oranges to Magical Apples.

[Zeta]

My boyfriend and I saw an episode of Super Milk-Chan where the protagonist and the landlord played a word game called "Magic Orange". He really wants to know if it's a real Japanese word game, and how it's played.

Anyone know?

"Stupid Otaku! that game was invented to make you westerners think there was such a game and try to reconstruct the rules with your homosexual lovers!"

[G.Silver]

I don't recognize the name, how did they play it?

The most common word game played in anime (and perhaps in Japan generally) is the one where you say a word and the next person says a word that begins with the final sound from the previous word. Words than end in "nn" are off-limits because no words can begin with it, and you can restrict it to certain catagories, usually food (as seen in Excel Saga). It rarely translates into English well.

[Zeta]

Well, they would use adjective that would lead into eachother.

One character said "Wrinkled as a dried up old prune" and the other one would go on about "dried up like an old ugly hag" and then "An old ugly hag like the landlord!" And so on.

[Brazillian Cara]

Sounds worthwhile.

[chriscaffee]

I remember playing a game in Japanese class called like "James Bond" or something. It was weird and I don't remember it. Silv?

[G.Silver]

No idea.

[Kishi]

One character said "Wrinkled as a dried up old prune" and the other one would go on about "dried up like an old ugly hag" and then "An old ugly hag like the landlord!" And so on.

Sounds like an attempt at making Western Sense of shiritori, the game Silv mentioned. Like he said, one person says a word, and then the other person has to say a word beginning with the last syllable of the first word, and they go back and forth until one of them can't think of a word or accidentally says a word ending in "n," since no words can begin with that.

So, a typical game would go like kata -> tasuki -> kimono -> nori -> ribon oh shit you lose sucker.

[Green Gibbon!]

In one episode of UY, Ataru and Mendou play something I think they translated as "look that way" or something. They were playing rock-paper-scissors, which Ataru kept winning, and everytime he won he bent his hand in some weird direction and Mendou as the loser had to bend his head in that direction and play the next round like that. What game is that? It doesn't seem like it would be possible to play it for very long...

[Kishi]

Yeah, I don't know that one.

[Green Gibbon!]

Well, fuck you.

[chriscaffee]

I played that game before. I think it's like you get a rematch if you look in the direction the winner slaps, else you just lose. Or something.

[G.Silver]

That's the deal. In order to make sure that your janken (rock scissors paper) match never actually ends, you take on an extra round, the winner says "achi mitte hoi!" ("hey look over there"), and if you are looking in the direction he points (left, right, up, or down) then he wins, otherwise you just go back to jankenning. With only a 25% chance of actualling winning the second stage (and the possibility of cheating) this kind of match can go on all day.

The Japanese play Janken at lightning speed. They do it one-handed, there is none of the American (at least how I learned it) "rock-into-palm" motion before you show your move, they just shake their fist in the air while shouting "Jan Ken Pon!" (the speed may be partly due to the fact that it's so much easier to say than "rock scissors paper!") In case of a draw, they should "Aikou deshou" ("we are tied") instead for all subsequent rounds, unless an "achi mitte hoi!" is called, in which case you revert back to "Jan Ken Pon!" as you start up again. The way we play it around here is slower and more psychological, and in case of a tie there tends to be a stunned silence while both players size up their adversary and consider their next move. This stage can be unnerving and may cause lesser players to crack.

The Japanese also use Janken to break up into teams--I've forgotton exactly how it works, but again, it happens very quickly and is very effective.

[j-man]

You wacky Yanks. I've always played Janken with one hand, and I do it relatively quickly too, possibly stemming from the fact that nobody I know bellows "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS" when they're making their move.

[Baba O'Reily]

In the U.S, it's something like this:
"I'm going to pick either rock, paper, or scissors. And I'm doing it NOW!"
Perhaps it makes us feel somehow more important.

[Kishi]

Well, it's a big deal.

[-wyvern]

I learned Janken from alex kidd. When someone lost we dropped weights on him and stole his pogo stick.

[j-man]

Yeah, I figured that was the standard procedure too.

[chriscaffee]

Your mom bellows.

[Omni Hunter]

Chris is his own mum.

[Grant]

Real men play rock-paper-scissors like it's a duel. You stand back to back with your opponent, take five steps, turn around (having the option of including a stare down at this point, as well) and then fire off the three quick fist shakes screaming "ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS ... SHOOT!"

Then the winner gets to fuck the loser's sister while he watches.

[G.Silver]

stemming from the fact that nobody I know bellows "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS" when they're making their move.

Does anyone actually say "Rock Scissors Paper?" I just meant that we don't say anything because it would take too long and be stupid, whereas the Japanese have their stupid quick phrase, which fits the "1, 2, 3" motion.

They also do it on the "three," is it "1, 2, 3, GO" (either spoken or just in motion) in english or something else?

[chriscaffee]

I've heard people call out "rock, paper, scissors" before. And the way I learned it is 1-2-3-go. So you show your "hand" on the fourth hit.

[Segaholic2]

I learned it as "Gai Bai Bo", which is what the Koreans say.

[Green Gibbon!]

At my school, it was always "paper-scissors-rock".

[Delphine]

At my school, it was always "paper-scissors-rock".

Paper-scissors-rock? What are you, some kinda fag? It's Rock-paper-scissors, you queermonger.