Unraveling the mystery of Ogami.

Gordion Knott — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:12:17 -0800

In the "Lone Wolf and Cub" mangas about the fictional samurai Ogami Itto, is there any discussion about how Ogami selects and fabricates the weapons for his son's perambulator? Last night, I watched the DVD version of Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Hades (子連れ狼　死に風に向かう乳母車、Kozure Ôkami: Shinikazeni mukau ubaguruma), the third installment of the manga-based movie series. In the beginning of the film, Ogami launches the perambulator into a river, where it floats. The movie ends with an epic battle between Ogami and an army of samurai, many of whom he mows down with a battery of guns concealed in the baby carriage.

Now, I know that the story is fictitious and will dissolve if placed on an analytical dissection table. But I couldn't help wondering if a scene had been elided in which Ogami had added the guns to the perambulator midway in the movie. Were this not the case, and if the guns are an ongoing weapons complement of the carriage, it obviously wouldn't float.

In the manga version, are there any scenes showing Ogami's selection of armor for the perambulator? Did he build it from scratch, or did he hire a blacksmith who (like Q in the Bond movies) modifies the perambulator from time to time for different strategic goals and battles? Is there any discussion of how Ogami decided upon the standard complement of weapons?

Do the weapons change at different intervals in the series? I seem to remember that, in one of the later movies, Ogami flees ninjas on primitive skis using sled-like attachments on the perambulator. Is there any mention of this or other one-time-use weapons in the manga version?

Language Learning for Lonewolves?

qvantamon — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 10:16:36 -0800

What is the most efficient way to learn the native language of a country while traveling there on your own? My friend gone from beginner to fluent in Italian in about a month in Italy, but his situation was very favourable: He was in a church community oriented to dialogue and integration, living with foreigners, working, and having a lot of social interaction with Italian as lingua franca.

What I want to know is: in the lone backpacker situation, not previously knowing anyone around, and with no organized group activity, how to maximize social interaction in the local language? Staying in a hotel and watch TV all day won't do it, and placing orders in restaurants is not enough.

Is it better to stay in the same city/hostel or vagabond around all the country? (consider a country like France, Italy or Germany, with lots of dialects)
Is it common for groups of lone backpackers staying in the same hostel to band together and talk in the local language? (most cross-language interaction I've seen in hostels has been in english instead of the local language)
Is there some protocol for traveling people to meet local slackers to talk and walk around? (If you know a place to do this, in any country, please list it)
For someone with beginner knowledge of the language, is it smart to take a course about some subject (not about the language) just to meet people?
How about using some local relationship site to setup casual dates?

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Unraveling the mystery of Ogami.

Language Learning for Lonewolves?