Fastest Obsession Ever - Zuiikin’ English

Okay, it’s official. I am now totally obsessed with Zuiikin’ English, the amazing Japanese show that helps you learn English through a variety of dance moves and (I think) badly reenacted scenes from Western movies.

For example, check this amazing Terminator scene:

Here’s the information that I have gleaned so far (mostly from this Google translation of the show’s home page):

1. I believe the show originally aired in 1992 but it is currently airing on Fuji TV in Japan. I am not sure if the episodes airing now are re-airs or new content.

2. I think the basic idea is that by adding muscular repetition to language learning that it will make the words/phrases sink in easier.

3. The posted clips that feature the girls dancing are from the end of the program where the entire lesson is resung/redanced to help the viewer keep the words/movements at top of mind. I’m guessing that the Terminator clip from above is part of the main show.

3. It looks like it was created to be mostly entertainment. But I could be wrong. It certainly achieves that goal in spades.

Major thanks go to YouTube user SkillfulAbbot for uploading these in the first place.

Sir Abbot, please grace us with more.

TViJ readers, please help me fill in the gaps on the info above.

For now, I leave you with the one remaining clip. It’s another set of the girls wrapping things up, this time focusing on how to make sure you stand up for your rights in a relationship. Truly awesome.

UPDATE: SkillfulAbbot has made contact. Here’s his personal website. He just grabbed another episode so hopefully more will go up soon. Oh and ‘Zuiiken’ means muscle. Which pretty much makes sense. I think.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 28th, 2006 at 11:28 pm and is filed under Culture, Dance You Fool!, Music, Truly Awesome, Weird, Zuiiken!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

12 Responses to “Fastest Obsession Ever - Zuiikin’ English”

Skillful Abbot May 29th, 2006 at 3:03 am

Hello Gavin,
Its me Skillful Abbot. I’m glad you like the show. Unfortunately I found it late and this Thursday will be the last show. Some notes about the show: Zuiikin means muscle. Saito Rei is the main chick on the show. The girls are the Zuiikin Gals. And they arent really dancing, but doing aerobics.

Anonymous May 29th, 2006 at 4:43 pm

truly awesome indeed, and yet at the same time, truly disturbing…”You drive me crazy…you drive me crazy…you drive me crazy…” *shudder*….hehe…

oh my god, that terminator clip is great. i find it funny that “hasta la vista” isnt even english…

Skillful Abbot May 29th, 2006 at 5:59 pm

Sorry, I don’t mean to spam, but I mistyped my web url earlier. Gavin edit posts as neccessary. Thank you.

correct URL.
http://wa.ctk23.ne.jp/~rei-00/

Zuiikin Boy, P-low the Skillful Abbot

Gavin Purcell May 29th, 2006 at 6:15 pm

Great thanks Skillful Abbot!

Get the rest of those things up there!

Yours,

Gavin

Josh McCormick May 30th, 2006 at 8:05 am

Wow. This is really… interesting… at least, that last video was. Although, Hasta la Vista isn’t English, it is Spanish, but hey, I’ll give them a pass.

Skillful Abbot December 5th, 2006 at 1:50 am

Gavin
I closed my youtube account. You were the only person who actually gave me credit for the capturing and encoding of the zuiikin caps. I got kinda pissed after hearing that they appeared E! So anyway, I actually recapped a bunch of snippets and if you want them I can pass them on to you.

Sam December 8th, 2006 at 1:08 pm

I would really like to get a copy of a clip or two. I wanted to show someone, but all the youtube clips were gone.

gavinpurcell December 8th, 2006 at 1:10 pm

Dear Mr. Abbot,

Message me again via my yahoo email and we shall work something out.

SOG knives July 18th, 2008 at 9:14 pm

Interesting ideas… I wonder how the Hollywood media would portray this?

Sarah Palin September 7th, 2008 at 6:42 pm

Sarah Palin - “the anti”…

Sarah Palin, could she be more anti?…

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