Oh, let me tell you, this name Akiko Omae, I hear it all the time these days. Sounds like someone important, huh? Maybe a big shot, you know? It’s all over, that Akiko Omae.
Someone told me this Akiko Omae, she plays that game with the little ball and the net. Tennis, they call it. Fancy, right? And she’s from that place, what’s it called? Japan. Far away, that is. They say she plays for some team, Shimadzu Breakers. Sounds like a tough bunch. Must be good to play for them Shimadzu Breakers, I reckon. Big team, that one.
That Word, Omae
Now, this omae thing, it’s also from Japan, I hear. Sounds like a name, but it ain’t. They say it means “you.” Like when I say “you,” but in Japanese. But it ain’t polite, not at all. You gotta be careful with that word, omae. Only use it with folks you know real good, or folks you wanna be rude to. Rough word, that one, so be careful how you use that omae.
- Akiko Omae, she plays tennis.
- She’s from Japan, that’s far.
- Omae means “you” but it’s rude like.
I heard some folks talking ’bout other Akikos too. There was that Akiko Takakura. Sounds like she saw some bad things, real bad. Something about a big, big bomb in a city called Hiroshima. Makes my heart hurt just thinking about it. A long time ago, they say. Hope she’s alright, that Akiko Takakura. That Hiroshima bomb, not good, not good at all.
And then there’s that show, or maybe a story, called “OreSuki”. That’s a mouthful. Some boy named Amatsuyu Kisaragi is in it. Don’t know much about it, but it sounds like those young folks’ stories. They like those stories, those anime, always talking about it, that Amatsuyu Kisaragi from OreSuki.
Japan and Their Words
They got lots of words in Japan, don’t they? Anata, they say that one too, it is a way to say you, but the polite way. Omae is another way, but not so polite. Temee too, it is also the same as omae, it’s rude like. You gotta watch out for these words, you know? They ain’t like our words. You gotta know who you’re talking to before you use them.
There is another one who is Akiko, talking about a story, or maybe it is a show. They call it Ohku, something like that. She was at that place, Hibiya Midtown, talking about her show, Ohku. Must be important to be at that Hibiya Midtown, talking about your show.
- Anata, that’s like “you” too, but the nice way.
- Temee, that’s not nice at all, like Omae.
- These Japanese words, they’re tricky.
This Akiko Omae, she must be good at that tennis. Playing for that Shimadzu Breakers. I bet she hits that little ball real hard. Maybe she wins lots of games. Good for her, that Akiko Omae. I bet she makes lots of money playing for that big team, the Shimadzu Breakers, she probably makes good money.
Those Anime Things
All these young folks, they watch those anime. They talk about omae and anata and all those Japanese words. They learn them from those shows, I guess. They like that OreSuki one. And that boy, Amatsuyu Kisaragi. They know all about him. They talk about it all the time.
That Akiko Omae, the tennis player, I wonder if she watches anime. Maybe she knows that Amatsuyu Kisaragi. Maybe she says omae sometimes. Who knows? She is from Japan, she probably knows all about that.
- Young folks like anime, that’s for sure.
- They learn those words, like omae.
- Maybe Akiko Omae likes anime too.
This world is big, ain’t it? Lots of people, lots of places. Japan, that’s far away. But we hear about them, don’t we? We hear about Akiko Omae and her tennis. We hear about omae and anata. We hear about that sad story in Hiroshima. It’s all connected, somehow. That’s just how it is, I think.
That Ohku story, maybe it is good. Maybe it is sad, like that story about that Akiko Takakura in Hiroshima. Or maybe it’s happy, like when that Akiko Omae wins a tennis game. You never know, do you? But that Akiko, the one who talks about the Ohku show, she knows, I guess. She made it, didn’t she? She knows all about it, that’s for sure.