trailer – p i x e l s c r i b b l e s

An internet subset, likely made up of Gen Xers, has been freaking out about this video:

At first glance, it might appear to be a teaser for a movie trailer. A more savvy inspection reveals it to be a teaser for a Super Bowl ad. And indeed, now there are reports that the ad will be for Honda.

I don’t really care. The premise is cute, I guess. But really, to me, today, with everything that’s going on with the economy, with unemployment the way it is (though apparently getting better), I really can’t get on board with a guy blowing off work.

Being something of a goody two shoes, I had trouble with Ferris even back in the prosperous 90s, when I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on TV and marveled at how much trouble his selfishness caused for everyone. But I enjoyed the movie, and it helped teach me not to take everything so seriously. (I went a little too far the other way my first year of college with some egregiously selfish behavior, and then, over time, found balance.)

I don’t know if the movie’s carefree attitude quite works now, though. We’re no longer living in prosperous times. There’s no economic safety net. Plus, Ferris was originally about the end of childhood. One final adventure before college. What would skipping a day of work symbolize? A midlife crisis? An inability to grow up and take responsibility? Or just being a normal person? Everyone needs a day off every now and then, and I support the idea of non-specific PTO. Regardless, none of these seem quite as compelling as the original story’s “last hurrah”.

I think what appeals to people about this teaser is the memory of what it was like in the 80s and 90s. Maybe they wish they could run and hide in the past. Maybe they think if they watch a Ferris Bueller Super Bowl commercial, or a movie starring the adult Ferris Bueller, they’ll be more able to pretend that things are the same now as they were then. That everything’s fine, nothing to see here, move on.

Do that, though, and you’re just letting things get worse. You’re giving up control. If you want things to get better, if you want a return to prosperity, then you need to work for it, not just punch your time clock and then distract yourself with entertainment. You need to observe, and you need to think.

Save Ferris? I say, kick Ferris to the curb. We’ve got bigger problems than just wanting a day off.

Edit: Here’s the full ad. Did you relive your glory days? :>

For those of you who are intrigued yet mystified by the Casshern trailer… this is my horrible “I’ve taken two whole years of Japanese, golly-gee-wow” attempt at “translating” it.

MAN SPEAKING IN BOARD ROOM: koko ni, hitotsu no seika wo happyo sasete itadakitai. sono nawa, shinzou saibougu.
[here] [one] [product/result] [announce receive/ask to do] [heart/mental image/newly made] [cyborg]

Here, I would like to present to you a product. That is, a new cyborg.

MALE VOICE 2: kore ga…[something? hu?] koko made [something] da na…
[this is] [this far]

What? It’s already come this far? (this is pretty much a guess based on the guy’s tone…)

MALE VOICE 3: okusama, ko-byokidatou wo okishimashita ka.
[Madam] [illness] [occurred]

Madam, have you become ill? (there seems to be a malicious undertone to this. also, it’s spoken very formally)

MALE VOICE 4: runa wa dou surun da.

What is Runa/Luna doing? (not specifically; more like, what is she up to? what’s on her mind? what’s her problem?)

MALE VOICE 5: tomodachi katta dakatte iru no ni jibun dake konnata tokoro ni du(?) wake de wakanai.
[friend][?][?][exist/are (a person/people)][nominalizer particle][directional/purpose particle][self][only][this place][reason] [of] [I don’t know]

(Um…yeah. Your guess is as good as mine.)

LAB TECHNICIAN (or something): geninfume desu!
[cause unknown] [it is]

We don’t know what caused it!

MALE VOICE: shinzou saibo wa mada kansei se no ka?

Isn’t the new cyborg finished yet?! (I’m pretty sure on this one, but I could be wrong)

MAN WITH RED LIGHT ON HIS FACE: dou yuu koto da?

What is the meaning of this?

MALE VOICE: gunbu gan go iteru to yuu koto desu.
[military authority/rural area/county] [frozen]

(These words could really mean too many things for me to even make a good guess. But I think the “frozen” bit must be correct, seeing as there is so much snow in that scene.)

GIRL EMBRACING BOY: naze hito wa tatakau no kana?

I wonder why people go to war… (This might be “So that’s why people go to war…” or something…I’m still sort of unsure about the “kana” form)

WOMAN: anata katta wa. nani wo shita no desu ka?

I found you out! What have you done?! (I’m pretty sure this is it, but I’m still bad about plain form because they leave out lots of particles that could help me figure out what parts of speech words are…also, when she says “anata”, she might be meaning “dear”, as in “my husband”. This is typically how the word is used these days. If that’s the case, then it’s just “I caught you, husband!” or something similar.)

MALE VOICE: shio wa samaru anata wo shinsou ningen to shioshu.
[opportunity][topic particle][?][you][preposition marker][depths/deep level/real] [human][part of speech marker][?]

(This looks something like “I took the opportunity to [do something involving] real humanity”, but who knows…)

MALE VOICE 2 (gasping): ningen wo?
[human] [obj.particle]

To humans?! (or maybe “Humans/humanity [are being ___]?!”)

ICY LOOKING GUY (Casshern?): minagoro shissuto. (sheest?)

(NO CLUE WHATSOEVER! I would like to just guess that he means “I’ll kill everyone”, but I can’t find any evidence for that theory :>)

FRANTIC MAN ON PHONE: kodomo(?) aru(?) no(?) kyu(?) hyaku shiro!

(Some details that probably explain everything. I don’t even know if I transcribed the words correctly ;_;) Quickly!

MALE VOICE (whispered): Hello. (I think, anyway…)

MAN (murmuring to woman): watashi no buwe no tsukutano fifu […?]

(People shouldn’t mutter. ;P Other than “my”, I have no idea what he’s saying.)

KNIGHT-LOOKING GUY (Casshern?): kisama…!

You…! (kisama generally refers to someone you are very unhappy with.)

WHITE-HAIRED MAN: dare da?!

Who are you?! (or “Who is that?!”)

MAN WITH SHINY ROUND THING ON HEAD (Casshern?): ore wa mo ningen ja nain da yo!

I’m not human anymore! (This doesn’t sound like a random statement, but rather he’s saying this in response to something, or as a reason for something)

MALE VOICEOVER: tatta hitotsu no inochi wo sutete, umari kawatta fujimi no karada. tetsu no akuma wa tadaite kudaku. Casshern ga yareneba. Dare ga yuru(?)
[only] [one] [power] [suteru-to abandon/throw away?][buried/surrounded/overflow/filled] [another/different/various/particular/unusual] [immortal] [body] [iron] [demon] [comes?] [break/smash]
Only one power (something), filled another immortal body (???). The iron demon comes to destroy. Casshern can’t be stopped. Who (something)?

So yeah, wasn’t that great? My attempt sure cleared THAT up!!! ^^;;; If anyone has a real clue, be sure to leave a comment or send me an email and let me know.