Notes for Discommunication Seireihen chapter 8
v1.0.1, 2010-09-04
For the latest version of these notes, or to use the hyperlinks, go to
http://www.ikaga.org/notes/seireihen08.html
Page 34-35
The title of this chapter literally means "rebirth," but in the context of the plot, it also translates to "reincarnation."
There are two pachinko boards at about the centerline of the image; the left one features
Henshin Ninja Arashi (
youtube) and the right one features
Inazuman. The drum-playing clown at the bottom right is the
Kuidaore Ningyo, an Osaka landmark; however the restaurant it was associated with has closed, so its future is uncertain. The television is showing an image patterned after the
Ultra Seven opening. The board with the triangle has some
I Ching stuff on it, as well as the
Chinese zodiac, so it's got something to do with divination.
Page 37
The board says "July 12 (Tues) schoolwide sketch event."
Page 41
The
Jōmon period (14,000-300 BCE) was an early period of japanese prehistory. Some of the clay figures (
dōgu) can be seen
here and elsewhere.
Page 47
The
shijin are a fairly common occurence in anime and manga.
Page 48
I'm not sure any of this occult stuff makes sense, but that's the beauty of it. Here's some more about the
Takamatsu-zuka burial mound.
Page 52
Bullton (Four-Dimensional Monster Bullton) is a monster from the
Ultraman franchise.
Page 53
I can't find any information about the "Kegyaaru" thing in the second panel, but it does appear to be real. After searching without misspelling it, I've learned a little bit about this "Kekyaaru" thing. It's a manga by
Imiri Sakabashira, who was inspired, quoth the Japanese Wikipedia, to become a mangaka after reading Yoshiharu Tsuge's "Screw Style." His work has appeared in the avant-garde magazines
Garo and
Ax, as well as in
Afternoon. The article describes his work as being surreal, like visiting a foreign country or being within a dream. Drawn & Quarterly has recently published his work
The Box Man in the U.S.
I'm going to try to track down "Kekyaaru" because it sounds totally awesome: a one-eyed cat company president on the lam in India, running away from bill collectors, having car chases, fighting aliens...
Page 60
In case it isn't clear, Touko is reading the issue of
Afternoon that this chapter originally ran in.
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