Kansai Regional Accent: Difference between revisions

Osaka-ben (Osaka dialect) used to be the stereotypical villain accent until Osaka comedians performing with their accent became popular in the nineties. These days Osaka-ben is generally used to indicate a fun loving, impatient, loud, boisterous personality. (See also [[The Idiot From Osaka]].) Osaka-ben speaking comedians are common in [[Real Life]] and in anime, and the [[Boke and Tsukkomi Routine]] has its roots there. Recall, for instance, the scene in ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]'' where Tomo learns that the new transfer student is going to be from Osaka, and wonders if she'll have an incredible tsukkomi. The comedy routine consists of the Boke, who generally says stupid things, and the Tsukkomi, who corrects the Boke though physical devices, such as a [[Dope Slap|rap on the head]].

 

 

A few quick tips for catching a character speaking Kansai-ben:

* Using "meccha" (not [[Humongous Mecha|that mecha]], the "ch" is soft like "Charles") instead of "tottemo" as an intensifier.

* Listen closely to when they say something like "e~to" (uh; um; er...). The "e", which is pronounced "eh", will be pronounced ''a bit'' more like "ih" (IPA: ɪ). This is easier to pick out when singing, as it is more exaggerated, making words like "shonen" sound ''a bit'' more like "shon'''ih'''n" or "shon'''uh'''n".

 

Depending on the country, [[Accent Adaptation|preserving these dialects through translations and dubs]] can be tricky. The usual British equivalent is Cockney, though a Northern accent might represent the geographic and societal differences better than a dialect of the capital (and for Osaka-ben specifically, Brummie might be more accurate, being that Birmingham is Britain's second city, with a gritty industrial image and a local accent with markedly different intonation patterns and pronunciation from those of the southeast; Scouse may be even more appropriate, since it combines the gritty industrial image with a reputation for good humour). In American adaptations, Kansai usually translates to either a Southern or Texan accent (comparisons between Osaka and Houston as large, business-oriented cities with rowdy reputations in the southern part of their respective countries are perhaps not without merit), or a nasal New York or Boston accent (closer in terms of the actual nasal ''sound'' of the accent, and New York's fast-paced reputation isn't far off from Osaka's). The location of the company making the decision seems to be more than a little important in which gets chosen. They're considered stupid like [[Deep South|rednecks]], but rude and brash like [[Brooklyn Rage|New Yorkers]]. A good approximation for a thick one would be a Brooklyn accent a la Tony Soprano, while a softer one might be good as a North Jersey accent (a real one, not the stereotypical and completely inaccurate "Joisey" one).

 

{{examples}}

* Maeda, the main character of [[Rokudenashi Blues]], slips back into his natural (and extremely thick) Kansai accent whenever he gets mad.

* [[Ranma ½]] has [[Bifauxnen|Ukyo Kuonji]], an Osakan who averts [[The Idiot From Osaka]] by actually being very smart, cunning, and a workaholic (which is a different sort of Kansai stereotype). As is common in Western translations, her accent is translated into a soft, vaguely American South accent. Except for one scene in the anime, where her accent is thickened for comedic purposes.

* Sakura the Kyuubi-fox in ''[[Hyper Police]]'' has one of the thickest Kansei accents in all of anime. Even non-Japanese speakers can pick it out.

* In the ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' English dub, the appropriately-named Osaka Naru was given a thick New York (specifically Brooklyn) accent. Despite the otherwise [[Macekre]] reputation of the dub, this is probably a fairly reasonable equivalent.

* Tina Foster in ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]'' is an "American" who was raised in Hakata, Fukuoka, on Kyushu, southernmost of the main islands. She speaks in Hakata-ben, a dialect that varies even more from the Standard language than Kansai-ben. In English, as in some of the other examples here, she gets a cornpone southern accent.

* Keroberos from ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]''. It's explained that the magical book he protects was stored in Osaka for an extended length of time, and he picked up the accent.

** [[Excel Saga (manga)|In the manga]], however, his dialect is not Kansai at all, but Okayama (which happens to be much closer to the series' setting of Fukuoka, as well). His accent in the manga could even be considered a bit of [[Lampshade Hanging]], commenting indirectly on the fact that everyone in Fukuoka is inexplicably speaking Standard Japanese, rather than Hakata-ben.

* In episode 18 of ''[[Keroro Gunsou]]'', Kururu invents a machine to change one's accent to Kansai-ben in order to make them better at a [[Boke and Tsukkomi Routine]] contest. The English dub goes for a different tack, where it makes Natsumi "[[Blue Collar Comedy|swear like a comedian]]".

* The American dub version of Osaka from ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]'' speaks in a Houston accent. The translated manga version of the series actually portrayed her with an unwieldy Brooklyn accent ("Fughedaboudit!") in the first volume before inexplicably switching to a Southern/Texan one. Osaka herself is a reversal of the personality stereotype, and initially goes through the standard 'Not all Osaka folk are like that' speeches. When it comes to loud boisterous behaviour, Osaka herself ranks with [[Gentle Giant]] Sakaki, child genius Chiyo, and possibly bits of the architecture.

** In the Russian translation of the manga the "Kansai" phrases that Osaka uses in her first appearance are in Ukrainian. Considering the Russian sterotypes of Ukrainians as unsophisticated and greedy, the fit seems close enough. The translator also makes a side note to the effect of "Kansai-ben is not ''that'' different from standard Japanese, but Yukari probably thinks otherwise".

* An episode of ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]: Stand Alone Complex'' has a character (actually a brain in a box) faking a Kansai accent. The English dub has him doing an overblown Texan accent.

* Something of a bit character, Cho of the Juppongata from ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' receives a hilarious "southern" accent in the English dub. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-ne93Ve1Ck Take a listen.]

* It's not too clear why Tentomon, from ''[[Digimon Adventure]],'' uses this accent.

** The English dub drops it more or less completely; Tentomon is distinguished primarily by his vocabulary, rather than his accent.

* Hayate of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. This may be why some fanworks portray her as infatuated with the [[Boke and Tsukkomi Routine]].

* Aoi Nogami from ''[[Zettai Karen Children]]'', or just many of the characters played by her seiyuu, Ryoko Shiraishi, who is from Nara. Incidentally, Aoi uses the Osaka dialect, but she herself is from Kyoto (the one place in Kansai where the Japanese usually use the right dialect).

* Toji in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' uses Kansai-ben, rendered in the manga as a heavy Brooklyn "wise guy" accent.

* The Tigers team in ''[[Zoids]] New Century'' all have thick Kansai accents. However, they appear to have been engineered as a deliberate [[Shout-Out]] to the Hanshin Tigers...

** Browning in ''[[Transformers Super God Masterforce]]''

** Diver, Thrust, Dirge, and Ikard in ''[[Beast Wars II]]''

** Hitoshizuku Amaō and Teletraan 10 in ''[[Kiss Players]]''

* Antonio/Spain from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]''. Himayura [[Accent Adaptation|typically renders Spanish speaking countries speech as Kansai accents.]] Also, Berwald/Sweden speaks Touhoku-ben, Denmark speaks Ibaraki-ben, Belgium speaks Shiga-ben, and Feliks/Poland, like, totally speaks Nagoya-ben.

* Mako from ''[[Nerima Daikon Brothers]]'', being [[The Idiot From Osaka]], speaks with this accent. In the dub she's given a thick southern belle sort of accent which is pretty over-the-top--but the series ''itself'' is very over-the-top, so that was probably an intentional choice.

* Aizawa Sakuya from ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]''.

* Hadzuki Nouge from ''[[Koe de Oshigoto!]]'' is from Kyoto and speaks Kansai-ben. While being somewhat airheaded, she is far from an idiot, having the second best grades in her class.

* When the other people on the riverbank think Recruit is a leech in ''[[Arakawa Under the Bridge]]'' it serves as a [[Berserk Button]]. He becomes so enraged he starts speaking in a Kansai Accent.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]

[[Category:Language Tropes]]

[[Category:Accent Tropes]]