MovieChat Forums > Sakigake!! Cromartie Kôkô (2003) Discussion > 'dear mother'

'dear mother'

posted 14 years ago by vandwedge
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Everytime Kamiyama writes to his mother (which is often), he opens by saying something that sounds like "Zendiek..."

1, can anyone correct my spelling
2, what exactly does that mean? "dear"? "dear mother"? just "mother"?

All the plot you need is that The Warriors have to "bop their way back to Coney." —alanmc1uk

[–] jadow81 14 years ago

1, can anyone correct my spelling

It should be Zenryaku (say it like zen-rya-ku.)

2, what exactly does that mean?

Kamiyama atually says "Zenryaku, *beep*
*beep* roughly means "dear mom".

"Zenryaku" is a kind of a conventional phrase to start a letter.
It literally means "forewords omitted".
In traditional Japanese letter, it's expected to have some formal forewords (greetings) before the body of the message.
But between close persons, such forewords can be omitted.
"Zenryaku" indicates it, and serves as a light apology to do so,
like "Pardon me for not writing formal greetings."

BTW, "Zenryaku *beep* is also the title of a popular TV show in 1970s.
That show was told through the lead character's monologue in the form of letters to his mother, starting with that phrase.
IMO Kamiyama's letter to his mother is apparently a nod to it.