Just like the puns you are familiar with, it all has to do with sound; words or phrases that sound similar but are spelled differently. For a lot of these Dajare, different kanji characters are used to spell it out but, of course, they sound similar.
One of the most commonly used examples of Dajare is “A tangerine on an aluminum can”.
アルミ缶の上にあるみかん
(arumi kan no ue ni aru mikan)
This translate to “A tangerine on an aluminum can.”
Now, where’s the joke? Let me explain -
“Arumi” (アルミ) means “aluminum” and “Kan”(缶) means “A can” so Arumi Kan = “An aluminum can”. Aru spelled as such “ある” means “Exist” and Mikan (みかん) means a “tangerine/orange”.
So here you can see how both can sound very similar like puns that you might be familiar with.
Arumi Kan and Aru Mikan.
Dajare are unique in their own way. As stated before, dajare comes from “oyaji gyagu” which is old man jokes/Dad jokes. These jokes aren’t meant to be gut-busters. Dajare runs on the lines of its so bad and so cringe that it becomes ART and that’s why Dajare is funny. Similar to things you would see on ice cream sticks or Laffy Taffy candy wrappers.
Why are we talking about Dajare? Well, we have the pleasure of working with a one-of-a-kind Dajare artist, ANRAKU! Anraku is an artist/painter whose style is nostalgic to classic Showa era Japanese advertisements mixed in with Dajare jokes. Let’s take a look at some of his work…
Ichigoichie is a Japanese proverb that translates to something like “Once in a lifetime”/”One time only.” More specifically, the proverb tells us that each moment in our lives is unique and once in a lifetime, so all encounters should be treasured. Here (right) you can see this artwork by Anraku where twin girls are holding up a giant strawberry in what seems like a circus-style poster. Let’s break down the Dajare here!
As mentioned “Ichigoichie” is a Japanese saying that reads as “Once in a lifetime” but, if you break up the word “Ichigo - ichie” you can learn that Ichigo also means STRAWBERRY IN JAPANESE, which explains the giant strawberry in the image. Further, each girl has a character in front of them. The left means “friend” and the right means “affection.” The text down the left side translates to “growing the fruits of encounters.” Ba dum psst!
Teibo Curry is one of Anraku’s latest works. Let’s see if we can break down the dajare here! Let's start with the green wording that’s the biggest! 堤防カレー this would translate as “TEIBO KARE” in Romaji. The easy translation here is “Kare” which is Curry.
TEIBO on the other hand is where the joke/pun begins. The word “Teibo” is used in Japanese to explain the reinforcement of a building, often “Super Teibo”. Teibo itself can mean embankment/levee. Think of a dam. Teibo can also be considered to sound like the word “TABLE” in English.
The wording above the curry in black, “あふれない幸せ” translates to “AFURENAI SHIAWASE” which means “happiness that won’t overflow,” referring to the curry in the bowl as the happiness and that the “Teibo” will prevent it from overflowing.
Extra Translations:
せき止める安全のかほり(top of the design) =
“The smell of safety”
Now that you've gotten a bit of insight into how Dajare works you can start to enjoy art by artists such as Anraku! Thank you for reading and we hope you’ve enjoyed this bite-size information. If you want to see more of his collections click on the image below!
]]>
If on mobile switch browser to Desktop mode for optimal reading formatting
Gdalia's portfolio is no joke, from working with big-name brands to some editorial projects. One of his more recent works was with a sake brand called Soso which mixes sake and soda together to create a refreshing drink. Jeremy created visuals of their kawaii can mascot posing with beautiful anime girls.
Some of his editorial work has been featured in BOLD Magazine, FRST Look Book, and many others. When looking at Jeremy’s editorial work, his diverse talents and skills become clear. You can see very clean and unique work as well as his traditional anime-style imagery.
Jeremy truly shines when it comes to creating streetwear designs and album artwork. When it comes to this type of work, you can tell he truly enjoys the process. He’s created album art for artists such as YOURI for their album COMMENT, HIP DOZER for their Midnight Glow album, and Shaga for their single WHISKEY SANS GLACE. He has also used his work to create visually exciting phone covers. My personal favorites are the GROWN album covers you can see below as they show 2 different styles of design work Jeremy brings to the table.
Not only have we had the pleasure of working with Jeremy on having some of his work featured on Popkiller shirts, he recently let us have a short Q&A with him just for you guys to enjoy. Have a look below…
1. What Are Your biggest artistic influences?
I have always been passionate about Japanese popular and underground culture. Then, over the years, I have developed a specific interest in retro-futuristic universe, as well as, American midnight movies.
2. What is your favorite medium and why?
I started with traditional mediums like water and oil-based paints. Currently, I’m working mostly with digital tools to deliver faster results for my clients from all around the world. In the near future, you can expect to see more limited edition screen printing illustrations and clothing instead of digital. It’s almost like going back to my artistic routes.
3.When is your favorite time of day to create?
I will probably say at night when the town is dark and quiet, with a dim light. I love this atmosphere, I feel that I am in a character from a pulp magazine.
4.What motivates you to create?
A lot of things, it could be a book, a magazine, an exhibition, a film or even a song. I like to listen to a track and create an illustration around it.
5. Besides art is there anything else you’re passionate about?
My other passion is music, I am also a musician. I have been playing music since I was a teenager and I have been in several bands.
My musical project’s name is BALAFRE (@balafreband). The genre is dark wave mixed with Neo disco, really inspired by cinema and anime like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Blade Runner, New York 1997, etc.
6.Is there any artist living or dead that is a dream collaboration?
I would love to collaborate with the fashion designer Charaf Tajer of Casablanca.
7. A lot of your work is anime-inspired do you have a top 3 favorite series?
Cyber City Oedo 808, Cowboy bebop and Hokuto no Ken (1984)
8.Lastly, What would you tell any new up-and-coming artist?
As I still consider myself as a new up-and-coming artist, I will say to myself ‘keep working hard it will pay out at some point mate’
Even with this impressive portfolio, Jeremy shows no signs of slowing down in his pursuit of artistic success. If this is the type of work we are getting now at the early stages of his career I can’t wait to see what else he will bring to the table. If you want to support Jeremy and follow him on his adventures, you can find his links below. You can also check out his latest releases over at his collections page here or you can try your luck and enter our current giveaway for Jeremy’s new design on our Instagram!
Anime Expo 2022 Survival Guide
Whether it’s your first time ever, your first time since the global pepperoni or you’re already a convention going badass, it always helps to have a survival guide on hand ...