Japanese TV Lesson: チャンネルはそのまま！ Weatherman Scene

It's time for another breakdown of a short scene from a Japanese show. This time, let's take a look at チャンネルはそのまま! Stay Tuned!

VIDEO:

I really like チャンネルはそのまま！ It's hilarious (at least to me) and full of fun words—especially jargon in the TV industry. I will say the overarching story is a little weak, but each episode is full of fun.

Prior to the events in today's scene, Yukimaru had come in from the terrible rain all wet. The weatherman 降谷 陽介（ふるや ようすけ） asked her if she hadn't watched his weather report from the morning. Yukimaru assured him she had enjoyed watching the weather report. Then, Furuya-san, the weatherman, realized he failed to get the message that it would rain across.

Knowing that explains why he dresses up and plays this lame おやじギャグ (dad joke). He wants to get everyone's attention. Unfortunately, we learn by Yukimaru's reaction (the last line), Yukimaru didn't get the intended message.

CHARACTERS:

• [Yukimaru] 雪丸 花子（ゆきまる はなこ）- Yukimaru, the bumbling rookie reporter
• [Yamane] 山根 一（やまね はじめ） - Yamane, the very serious rookie reporter who was hired at the same time as Yukimaru
• [Furuya, the Weatherman] 降谷 陽介（ふるや ようすけ） - the weatherman who is working very hard to get Yukimaru to understand his weather report

THE TEXT WITH FURIGANA

チャンネルはそのまま！

[Furuya, the Weatherman] にわか雨(あめ)の心配(しんぱい)もなく

[Furuya, the Weatherman] 夏(なつ)らしい一日(いちにち)が期待(きたい)できそうです。

[Furuya, the Weatherman] ということで

[Furuya, the Weatherman] あしたの天気(てんき)は

[Furuya, the Weatherman] ハーレーです

[Written] ＜硬直(こうちょく)＞

[Written] ＜あすの天気(てんき)は晴(は)れ（ハーレー）で気温上昇(きおんじょうしょう)＞

[Man #1]  今(いま)、確実(かくじつ)に視聴率(しちょうりつ)落(お)ちたよな

[Yamane]  何(なに)やってんの、ふるやさん？

[Yukimaru] かっこいい、バイク。

[Written] えっ？そこ…？

The Text with Translation and Vocabulary

[Furuya, the Weatherman] にわか雨(あめ)の心配(しんぱい)もなく

Without concern for rain

• にわか雨 rain shower [にわか雨 is a light rain. It comes suddenly and ends just as suddenly. You sometimes hear this in weather reports. The にわか means "sudden" or "momentary."]
• の (modifier) [connects "rain" with "concern"; limits the "concern" to "rain"]
• 心配 worry; fear of; concern for
• もなく without (worry)

夏(なつ)らしい一日(いちにち)が期待(きたい)できそうです。

It'll be a hot summer day.

• 夏らしい like summer [夏 (summer) + らしい (seeming…; appearing…; -ish; like a…)]
• 一日 one day; full day; throughout the day
• が (subject, sometimes object, marker)
• 期待 expectation
• できそう seems it will be
• です (copula)

ということで

Therefore…; so…

• ということで therefore; due to that; so… [という (such a) + こと (thing) + で (by; with)]

あしたの天気(てんき)は

Tomorrow's weather will be

• あしたの tomorrow's
• 天気は as for the weather

ハーレーです

a Harley sunny warm day!

• ハーレー Harley motorcycle [of course, this is a play on the Japanese word for "sunny": 晴(は)れ]
• です is (copula)

[Written] ＜硬直(こうちょく)＞

<Frozen>

• 硬直 stiffening; rigor; stiffness; petrification

＜あすの天気(てんき)は晴(は)れ（ハーレー）で気温上昇(きおんじょうしょう)＞

<Tomorrow's weather will be Harley with rising temperatures>

• あすの tomorrow's [the most common word for "tomorrow" is あした which is mostly used in spoken Japanese. あす is mostly written Japanese]
• 天気 weather
• は as for (topic marker)
• 晴れ（ハーレー） sunny (Harley) [as if the joke wasn't on the nose enough, the furigana written to the side of the kanji spells out "Harley"]
• でand; with [connects "tomorrow will be sunny/Harley" with "rising temperature]
• 気温 temperature
• 上昇 increase; rising

[Man #1]  今(いま)、確実(かくじつ)に視聴率(しちょうりつ)落(お)ちたよな

Without doubt, the viewer ratings dropped just now.

• 今 (just) now
• 確実に absolutely; certainly; without doubt
• 視聴率 ratings (of a TV program); viewing rate
• 落ちた dropped
• よな it seems; I have a feeling that

[Yamane]  何(なに)やってんの、ふるやさん？

What's Furuya-san doing?

• 何 what
• やってんの doing?
• ふるやさん？ Mr. Furuya (the weatherman)

[Yukimaru] かっこいい、バイク。

That so cool, the motorcycle.

• かっこいい cool; neat
• バイク motorbike; motorcycle [Usually バイク means "motorcycle" in Japanese; notice the inverted position: she first says "cool" and then the object of that coolness.]

[Written] えっ？そこ…？

What? That's what you noticed?!

• えっ？ what? [a show of surprise; the small っ indicates a sudden stop (surprise)]
• そこ…？ that? [the implication is he is surprised Yukimaru's attention was on the bike rather than the really lame joke or the station's reputation.]