Konbini / Convenience Store
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About
"Konbini" (Japanese: コンビニ; An abbreviated name of Convenience Store) is series of hand-drawn animated videos based on a song with the same name by the Japanese comical folk song duo Brief & Trunks (ブリーフ&トランクス, abbr. ブリトラ).[1] In 2008, this song became to a popular subject for a parody among amatuer animators/illustrators on the Japanese video sharing service Nico Nico Douga (NND).
Origin
The song of making a late night trip to a local 24 hour convenience store, "Konbini", was first included in their 3rd album "Our Extracts" (僕らのエキス) released in September 1999, and also released as their 6th single in November of that year. An official music video for this song was also aired on music channels (shown below, left).
Meanwhile, the trigger of this hand-drawan animated video fad was posted to NND by user on February 16th, 2008 (shown below, right), which follows the story by featuring Touhou Project characters. Besides, the impressive defiant duck face in the latter part is a citation from Nijiura Seven, a famous flash animated video made in the Japanese anonymous imageboard community Futaba Channel (2chan) in 2005.
| Japanese (Romanized) | English Translation |
|---|---|
| saa oya ga neta kara | Well now, my parents have fallen asleep |
| nande mo yaritai houdai yo | I can do whatever that I want |
| nani wo shiyou? | What should I do? |
| yonaka ja tomodachi neteru shi | It’s midnight so my friends are asleep |
| TEREBI mo sude ni suna arashi | And the TV’s showing nothing but static |
| sou da wa! KONBINI ikou ka na! | I know! I’ll go to the convenience store! |
| nijuu yo jikan (konbinien sutoa) | 24 hours (Convenience store) |
| nenjuu mukyuu no (konbinien sutoa) | Open all year (Convenience store) |
| bouhan KAMERA (konbinien sutoa) | Security cameras (Convenience store) |
| kochira atatamemasu ka? (konbinien sutoa) | Shall I warm this up for you? (Convenience store) |
| furyou no tamari ba (iriguchi de tamuro) | Gathering place for punks (Gather at the entrance) |
| kowakute hainikui (iriguchi de tamuro) | I’m too scared to go in (Gather at the entrance) |
| koe kakerareta (soko no oneechan) | They called out to me (Hey there, miss) |
| na-na-na nandesuka? (NOO BURA desu ka?) | Y-y-yes?! (Are you bra-less?) |
| saa furyou wo sugireba | Now, that I’ve walked past the delinquents |
| jidou doa ga watashi no tame ni hiraite kureru | The automatic door slides open for me |
| ERO hon yonderu oyaji to | I stand next to an old man reading porn |
| narande zasshi yonde kara | As I browse at the magazine stand |
| nani wo kai ni kita wake ja nai kedo | Though I’m not here to buy anything at all |
| kau mono wo sagasu | I’ll go find something to buy |
| nijuu yo jikan (konbinien sutoa) | 24 hours (Convenience store) |
| nenjuu mukyuu no (konbinien sutoa) | Open all year (Convenience store) |
| koukyou ryoukin (konbinien sutoa) | Public utility bills (Convenience store) |
| KOPII hayaku shite yo (konbinien sutoa) | Hurry up with the photocopies (Convenience store) |
| muguchi na ARUBAITO (shikamo muhyoujou) | Silent part-timer (With a blank look on his face) |
| watashi wa SUPPIN (mayuge mo kakazu ni) | I have no make-up (With drawn-on eyebrows, too) |
| ANPAN kudasai (choudou kiretemasu) | Red bean paste bun, please (We’ve just run out) |
| jaa nikuman de ii wa (kashikomarimashita) | I’ll have a meat bun, then (Coming right up) |
| chotto otsuri no watashi kata | Hold on there, the way you hand me change |
| watashi no te no hira katte ni tsukai | Onto the palm of my hand, any way you please |
| kozeni wo bunchin kawari ni RESHIITO okuna | Piled up like a receipt paperweight |
| SAIFU ni irenikui no yo | It’s difficult to put into my wallet |
| chotto MUKA to shichau no yo | It really annoys me |
| sonna toki wa watashi kara mo shikaeshi suru no | When that happens, I’ll want to get my revenge |
| ODEN kudasai (nani ni shimasu ka?) | Oden, please. (What would you like in it?) |
| eto eto (nani ni shimasu ka?) | Um, um, (What would you like in it?) |
| eto eto (REJI ga kondekita) | Um, um, (you’re holding up the line) |
| eto eto (hayaku kimete kure) | Um, um, (hurry up and decide) |
| tamago kudasai (tamago hitotsu) | An egg, please (One egg) |
| tamago kudasai (tamago futatsu) | An egg, please (Two eggs) |
| tamago kudasai (tamago mitsu) | An egg, please (Three eggs) |
| ijou de ii wa (tamago dake desu ka?) | That will be all (Just eggs?) |
| otsuyu oome ni (kashikomarimashita) | I want more broth (Coming right up) |
| oikura desu ka? (ni hyaku ni ju en desu) | How much is it? (220 yen) |
| ichiman en kara (kozeni wa nee no ka yo?) | Here’s ten thousand yen (Don’t you have change?) |
| ichiman en kara (kozeni wa nee no ka yo?) | Here’s ten thousand yen (Don’t you have change?) |
| KARASHI tsukete yo (kashikomarimashita) | Add mustard! (Coming right up) |
| RESHIITO iranai wa (ichi ichi URUSEE na) | I don’t need a receipt (Shut up already) |
| TOIRE wo kashite yo (UCHI ni wa arimasen) | I want to use your restroom (We don’t have one) |
| anata wa doko de suru no yo? (makemashita) | Where do you do you go, then? (You got me…) |
| nante koto shiteiru uchi ni yoru wa | While I’m doing all these |
| mou owari wo tsugete | It’s the end of the night |
| NIWATORI mo naku | The rooster crows |
| oya ga okiru mae ni | Before my parents wake up |
| ouchi ni kaeranakya YABAI | I must go home or else I’m doomed |
| konya mo mata KONBINI koyou ka na~ | Maybe I’ll go to the convenience store again tonight |
| Let’s go to convenience store! | Let’s go to convenience store! |
| Let’s go to convenience store! | Let’s go to convenience store! |
| Let’s go to convenience store! | Let’s go to convenience store! |
Background: Konbini Culture in Japan
To better appreciate the humor behind the song, it should be noted that chain convenience stores are an integral part of everyday life across Japan. In contrast to convenience stores in the US, most Japanese Konbinis tend to serve as a local hub providing a broad range of services, from courier/postal service and photocopying to buying airline/concert tickets and paying utilities & taxes.
Spread
This Touhou version was well received favorably among amateur illustrators/animators, and many hand-drawn animated videos following the style, especially Nijiura Seven face, are uploaded to NND by them. As a result, more than 350 videos in this series had been posted to NND in its first year. Following videos are called with the phrasal template "Convenience Store by X" (Xでコンビニ, X de Konbini).[2] And the tag name usually used in this hand-drawn animated video series is "コンビニ(ブリトラ)", putting the abbreviated duo name.[3]
"Konbini" is also a well-known series on YouTube.[4] Though most of them are unauthorized reprints, several popular ones have been watched over millions times.
Various Examples
Left: One Piece | Right: Pokémon
Left: Sonic The Headgehog | Right: Inazuma Eleven
Left: Super Smash Bros. | Right: Attack on Titan
Search Interest
External References
Editor’s Note: Registration is needed to browse the original videos listed in this section.
[1] Wikipedia – Brief & Trunks
[2] niconico – Search results for the keyword でコンビニ
[3] niconico Douga – Search results for the tag コンビニ(ブリトラ)
