Thursday, January 29, 2009

DOMO KUN !!!


Domo (どーもくん, Dōmo-kun) is the mascot of Japan's NHK television station, appearing in several 30 second stop-motion sketches.
Domo, the main character, is described as "a strange creature that hatched from an egg." Domo's favorite food is Japanese-style meat and potato stew, and he has a strong dislike for apples, due to an unexplained mystery in his DNA. Domo can only communicate via producing a low-pitched noise which sounds somewhat like his own name, but other characters appear to understand him. Domo-kun is known to pass gas repeatedly when nervous or upset.

Domo lives in an underground cave with Mr. Usaji, known in Japanese-language versions as Usajii (うさじい, Usajii?), a portmanteau of the words usagi (うさぎ, usagi?), (rabbit), and jii (じい, jii?) (old man, grandpa). Mr. Usaji is a wise old rabbit who loves to watch television and drink astringent green tea. Mr. Usaji is not into any "new" materials, and does not own a telephone. In terms of fashion, Mr. Usaji focuses on materials instead of shapes. Mr. Usaji's favorite food is carrots, and his least favorite food is "something that is meaningless."

Also in the cave live two bats, a mother named Maya (Shinobu (しのぶ, Shinobu?) in the Japanese version) and her child Mario (Morio (もりお, Morio?) in the Japanese version). Maya has a drinking problem; her favorite foods are seasonal while her least favorite food is, ironically, alcohol. Mario's favorite food is Japanese-style tomato spaghetti, while his least favorite food is shiitake mushrooms.

The other main character in the shorts is a weasel girl named Tashanna.(Tā-chan (たーちゃん, Tā-chan?) in the Japanese version). Tashanna, 17 years old, is a weasel who aspires to be a fashion stylist or model in Tokyo and is always using technology (televisions, mobile phones, and cameras). In English Tashanna has a "weaselly accent" (いたちなまり, itachi namari?) and ends her sentences with "y"s. In the Japanese version, she ends her sentences with "chi" (ち). According to the English site, she is also looking for a boyfriend. Tashanna's favorite food is apricot and mint tarts, and her least favorite food is sea urchin.The Japanese name originates from the word "multichannel" (多チャンネル, tachanneru?) of digital broadcasting.


No comments: