Did You Know?

Apparently, "Jakarta" is also the Korean term for "The Perfect Crime". This gives a whole new (but not entirely unfamiliar) meaning to the city slogan "Enjoy Jakarta!"

Japanese Tokusatsu's Spoof: Lionman

The proof that idle hands can lead to either tears or laughters.

For those who aren't familiar with the term Tokusatsu (and too lazy to click the link to the definition in Wikipedia), it's a Japanese term for live action shows. Yes, I know, Peter North can claim that he also stars in "live action shows". But let's not digress.

One of the old, popular tokusatsu series in Indonesia is Lionmaru, basically about the adventures of a katana-wielding warrior, who can turn into a fierce, half-lion superhuman. I can't understand now how the fact that getting your head inflated so huge, everytime you try to locate your enemies you sprain your neck, could make you stronger. But around the 80's, I and a lot of kids bought it.

In short, some guy in Bandung made a spoof from an episode of Lionmaru. In this particular scene, for example, the Indonesian subtitles turn the supposedly evil villain into a son driven to desperation for his father's love.

I figure it will spread like wildfire. It has every element that sells like crazy in Indonesia: old school reminiscence, sophomoric humor, and soap opera-quality scripts on people dressed as half-lions and bats.

UPDATE: Apparently, the Subtitler's name is Yusuf Ismail, who also did the film editing for "Anak Naga Beranak Naga", a documentary of Gambang Kromong, an Indonesian cultural performance.