My Japanese Video Final from Highschool. Let the Embarrassment Begin.

27. May, 2008 Comments

The other day I came across a copy of the video I made (with a few other folks) for my Japanese final at the end of high school. I’m probably wrong, but I feel like video finals in Japanese high school classes are very common. It’s something that links us all together somehow.

Our video was originally going to be a two minute Japanese Mentos commercial…which then turned into a candy commercial…which then turned into a twenty minute ridiculous film that barely references candy or Mentos at all. I’ve abridged the video down so you can see just the interesting parts (including my commentary). You can see the abridged version (as well as the full, twenty minute version), after the break. Keep in mind, this was my first video ever, so it’s ever crappier than more recent work.

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At the part where we shoot the gun, our teacher let out a yelp of terror. This video was so violent that Tomoko Sensei (our teacher) told the class we got a C, even though we got the highest score possible. Still, what else can you expect from a bunch of high school guys? If anything, knowing us, I’m surprised there weren’t more fight scenes.

Here’s the full version, if you want to sit through the whole thing. Keep in mind that the entire thing is dubbed horribly, and should only be watched when you’re really really bored. One fun thing I like to do is go through this video and count how many times Viet’s limbs appear in the shots when they aren’t supposed to. How many can you count?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=492307733129000407

I don’t know if the people in the video want their identities to be told, so I’ll only include first names. Still, I’ve got to credit everyone. Here’s the rundown.

Directing / Editing: Koichi & Sean
Jack, the main character: Sean
Buddha: Koichi
Melvin, Great Warrior of the East: Viet (yep, Tofugu’s Viet)
Vincent, the roommate: Greg
Qwest Employee: Tom

So, how many of you have made Japanese video finals? I bet a lot of you have, at some point. I also bet half of them contained seppuku scenes. If you have one, please share! Link us somewhere down below, I love watching these kinds of things, haha.

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  • Jesse
    I can see why your teacher gasped. Buddha getting shot and all.
  • ah, i was thinking of Melvin, Great Warrior of the East. At least Buddha was attacking the guy :)
  • Fredy
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
    Oh man...
    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
    I honestly thought it was funny. Hahaha. Well the abridged version.
    Maybe I should just make a video. Maybe I'll do it while in Japan with the students I'll meet. Maybe me and my exchange family can make one. Hahaha.
    I also thought that was Viet before the video.
    I think my favorite thing was the decisions on the background music. Was that the Naruto theme I heard?
    As for videos, i never got to do something like that for Spanish and I was very disappointed because of it. We did a bunch of improve and those were hilarious. Some were really good and I wish I had a camera. My friends in their classes did little videos on various topics like food.
  • It could be naruto music. I edited about half of it. Myself and Sean (listed in the credits) took turns throughout the night before it was due sleeping and editing. It was on his computer, which basically means I'd look for random music on his computer. Good times that was.
  • randi
    I do believe that was Naruto theme music.... god knows we heard it in all the not-very-important battle scenes in the filler episodes of the series...(thank our lucky stars for shippuuden)
    i also believe i detected a theme from Death Note...but people use the dramatic opera thing for a lot of stuff..
    loved the vid...totally awesome. well done! funny, it makes u appreciate mentos a lot more, even if u dont like them, like me!
  • David
    Your video is alright. It is very funny though.
  • You dick.
  • hahaha, good times, eh? Maybe this video will help us find Tom :P
  • I can't believe it's still there on Google Video....


    Best part is the mailbox scene.
  • well, i re-added it to remove the credits at the end, but the old one was there until i took it down today.
  • Haha good seppuku reference. I guess you are still bitter that you and Sean couldn't replicated the awesomeness we did in our だんじり祭 presentation.
  • Glad you caught the reference ;P
  • Maybe if the Tofugu audience is lucky, you'll show them your samurai business man video, too. Honestly, though, I think some things should be kept private, eh?
  • Fitz
    For the love of god keep that one in your HD... no internet... same goes to the Celeb Chef vid...
  • Ah, it is so tempting.
  • Those special effects were EPIC.

    I totally forgot how awesome and catchy those mentos commercials were * 0*
  • 仏はすごい馬鹿でした　XDDD
    That's the part I LMAO'd and couldn't stop laughing hard till the end.

    Oh, soetimes doing things "FOR TEH LULZ" is the best thing to do.
    Thanks for sharing!
  • zattsu-ooru
    Quick guestion for Tofugu;

    Do the Japanese get circumcised?










    P.S. ...nice video.
  • The usual answer to that question is no, not too commonly (especially not during infancy), but I have a feeling that it is becoming more popular among Japanese men. Why'd you want to know?
  • zattsu-ooru
    Just out of curiosity. I have no idea what's Asia's view on this matter. Never heard about it. Not mentioned in their history either. I sound like a pediatrician, don't i? The matter has recently sprung up in Greece too, that's how it got into my head.
  • circumcision was a very 70s / 80s thing. even now it is becoming much less popular in the United States as well. It isn't very popular in much of the rest of the world, either, though there are definitely exceptions.
  • by the way, super random. haha.
  • Kitsune_the_Feytouched
    Off hand, the best part for me was "The tree of Reisen"... Let's just say I was expecting a different Reisen. LOL. And finishing it off with the mentos... It's just sort of thrown in there as though you'd forgotton until the last moment that you were supposed to be making a commercial! Definately Epic!
  • Rinrin
    This had to be the best 19 minutes and thirty two seconds of mentos commercial I've ever seen.
  • Vier
    My friends made one, but not in high school.

    The Adventures of Jacket-san 2

    It's on google video, but I don't know how to link it. It references Densha Otoko and whatnot
  • You link by copy / pasting the URL, here it is, I'm gonna watch it now :)

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-555402...
  • Bence
    What a polite video.
  • gueru
    great soundtrack *o*
  • WOTDsctoo
    Awesome.

    We're actually in the process of writing the script for our movie in class now, but I don't think our fight scene is going to measure up to that. XD The Mortal Combat theme = win.
  • Fitz
    I want to kill you... I pray people from California never see this.
  • Evil P.O.'ed Fitz
    By the way... guns do solve everything... especially this.
  • kekekekekekekekekekekekeke
  • Fitz's poo poo butter
    I know where you live, unlike everyone else... feces in mail >.>
  • you know my new address??
  • Fitz
    Ha, I like how you just now took it off facebook.
  • Guns killed Melvin!!
  • poor melvin! tomoko sensei freaked out on that part
  • Rua
    *rotfl* XcD
    Sugar rush + ADD = this...

    Guns, guns, guns!
    Make the world go round.
    Explodes a lovely wonderful sound.
    Up in the air!
    Leaves holes everywhere.
    Guns, guns, guns!
    Are fun!

    Mommy!
    Daddy!
    May I have one please?
    So that I may massacre all my enemies.
    If I cannot have one I'll hold my breath.
    I just wanted to put bullets in my pet Duckie's head.

    "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" O_O
  • kevinnwhat
    that was the freaking best thing ive ever seen. im sorry but that was more entertaining that all your previous tofugu videos, that was amazing, hahahahha i loved it.
    (im kidding your other tofugu vids are entertaining as well.)
  • mmnessa
    there's candy on the tree! lol. I dont understand why koichi thinks this video is ridiculous , in fact, I think he should make more videos like that....without trying so hard
  • Chimiko
    I think so too.

    That was brilliant Koichi, and I wonder, why was Viet where he was during those odd moments when we could see his leg/body/shirt sleeve..?

    I wish it was more colourful. At least at the end where he eats the Mentos XD;;. Great job though. Do more~ XD
  • The directors didn't know how to control their sets properly. They'll say otherwise, but that's what it boils down to.


    :P
  • Fitz
    Actually, its called small view finder that doesn't show all whats being recorded, and it was my first time using Adobe Premiere... so no cropping of the footage.

    Also if Viet wants to back me up on this... Koichi was the 5th man on this project, he wasn't even in the class, this was after he came back from a 9 month stay Japan. He helped to edit at one point, but I deleted it and remade the video, since he was just playing around with Premiere for a few hours. Granted he helped a ton with the Japanese dubbing, but besides acting, that's all he did. Just pray he doesn't show the Samurai Business Man video... his edited version is even longer and slower then this one.

    You can debunk whatever I just said, Koichi, since I really don't want this video to haunt me in California. Plus I don't think you want to lose face in front of your online fans. Please find better and newer material to vlog about. No more of this >.<
  • i dunno, i might have been "fifth man," but I came up with pretty much the entire story, edited a big chunk of it, and did a bunch of the directing. I was also technically in the class, though I was a "fifth year Japanese" student that just hung around with Jung in your class :)

    Samurai businessman wasn't even in Japanese, so I wouldn't show it here, and when you say "his edited version," you mean the "only edited version." If I remember correctly, you only edited one or two scenes :P

    Don't be so hard on yourself, everyone knows this was made a long time ago and was for a mere high school project. In fact, nobody would know who you were except for the fact you keep bringing attention to yourself, and have now given away a good 75% of your entire name. bwahaha.

    And I agree with viet, we didn't know how to control our set properly. It was your second video and my first, you can't expect the world
  • けんか、けんか！
  • Yes... けんか in SSBB!
  • Unfortunately, when I came home, I brought my Wii with me. Also, since I don't technically have internet (don't ask), I can't play online with you, boo. I held my own that one time, though. Oh my, look how itty bitty our comment boxes are getting.
  • starboy55555
    This video is awesome. I can't wait until your next one.
  • keikan16
    I think this is a great video for the first time. Most high school students wouldnt even bother trying. Watashi wa daisuki desu ( Hope I said that right )
  • ghindo
    I too had to do a video final for high school Japanese. Our premise was "What would life be like if you were a Gundam?" It's here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=uTwPXPCL8eM

    Another group did a "making of" for their project, which was cool.
  • I was wondering when you were going to show up.
  • jtiger
    hehe.. when budda comes with the sword, he drops the sheet, but then the next second he is holding it again.. hehe xD nice video.. possible to text it? :P arigato gozaimasu!
  • mountaincritter
    Best parts (in no particular order)

    1. Silly plot
    2. Budda coming out of mailbox
    3. Tree of Riesen
  • paranoid
    Seesmic video reply from Disqus.
  • that would be fourth year high school - i was in a "special" class, so I didn't have to talk. I was the buddha guy.
  • Zaywex
    I liked the part where Melvin kept yelling 'おい,ばか' at Buddha. x)

    Oh, btw, we watch your videos in class. : )
  • ken-chan
    It could just be me, but did most of the part about training come from Kill Bill? I couldn't help but see similarities b/t Melvin and Pai Mei...
  • Yep, good observation. We were still a little hyped up from watching Vol. 2 a couple months earlier.
  • amy
    i'm not sure why you keep saying you're embarrassed
    that was pretty good
  • Fitzy
    He should be embarrassed, I'm embarrassed. We do so much better work these days... granted it took a day to make this as I remember. Pretty good I guess for a 24 hour or so clock in.
  • Ryuk
    funny vid!

    My favorite part was when Buddha came out of the mail box with a sword!
  • japaneseethan
    well not as retarded as i though it would be
  • libii
    What the hell.... you guys got really cared away. Funny though. xDD
  • Maciel
    yeah Koichi it wasnt boring at all lol especially with all the fight secenes
    but melvin and buddah getting shot were the funniest parts
  • SarahXin
    WOW. Now than ever, I wish that New Hampshire high schools taught Japanese. :P
  • SarahXin
    now more than ever*...[/fail]
  • mody-kun
    LOL XD THIS FTW !!
    just wonderin ,, what role did u play? XD
  • well, the only one that didn't show my face :)
  • the knight who says ni
    i just realized this was supposed to be YOUR high school video final but you didn't say a single word lol
  • Aaaack, you need to reupload your full-length video. I actually found it very entertaining . xD; Please, please, please do! I'd really appreciate it. :'>
  • vivian
    hahaha this video is amazing!!! I loved the mailbox and mortal combat parts!

    (obviously your teacher had no sense of humor cause i would have been cracking up)
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