[BOYS Be MAID!] Short Voice Drama - Episode 1 "Kouki Academy's Maid Boys Club"
Please read alongside listening to the original short drama on Youtube!
Yoka: *Flutter flutter* Authentic elegance draped in royalty, classical maid boy, Kisaki Yoka.
Rou: *Cliiiiing* Coffee as a breather from camping, military maid boy, Amaki Rou.
Shumei: *Ta-daaah* Serving others is an investment in yourself, Chinese-style maid boy, Kiku Shumei!
Aimery: *Rustle rustle* Black & White REPRESENT! Thee Noir is Histoire, steampunk maid boy, Aimery Cénoir.
Rei: *Glisten* Representative of tea green and a mind of hospitality hidden deep within, Japanese-style maid boy, Himeutsugi Rei.
Ranto: No!
Ranto: Nononono!
Ranto: Why maid uniforms?
Ranto: And aren’t these way too wasteful to begin with!?
Ranto: They’re frilly, changing into them eats up time— it’s inefficient!
Ranto: Please give me an explanation!
Ranto: A convincing explanation!
Yoka: You see… Ranto-kun—
Yoka: That’s because this is the noble maid boys club!
Ranto: Not only a concise but clear answer!
Ranto: I understand now!!!
Rou: He’s sure obedient
Ranto: Then I shall also participate!!!!
Ranto: *Cha-chiiing* A newbie! Fresh! Surprisingly quick on his feet! Jersey maid boy, Takashina Ranto!
Ranto: Uu… uuwgh….
Ranto: Are we seriously going through with this project…!?
Yoka: Yeah. Also we’re basically only gonna show our faces going forward.
Ranto: Eh, only our faces?
Yoka & Shumei: Yup
Ranto: Even though we’re wearing maid clothes?
Ranto: Is that okay!?
Rou & Aimery: Yup
Ranto: Isn’t that terrible cost performance?
Ranto: Isn’t it!?
Ranto: Not just for cost but for time performance, too!?
Yoka: Well, it’s a short drama so gotta keep the time side of it in mind~
Rei: Suppose we’ll begin with our club activities without delay.
Aimery: Let us start.
Rou: On with the motley!
Shumei: Fungahhh!
Ranto: AAAH Stop wasting dialogue lines on nonsense!
The Maid Boys club's activities have begun!
TL note:
Yoka mentions ワイプ (wipe) as in the term used on Japanese television. This refers to having a small rectangle with someone's face in the corner, commonly seen on variety shows where someone is reacting. If you’re watching a livestream and someone has their webcam on in their corner, that too can serve as an example for a “wipe”. There is also the video editing technique called a wipe, but that’s mostly referring to a transition style.
Rou’s 行くでがんす is a term often associated with Lucky Star’s anime opening which in turn is probably a reference to an old anime Kaibutsu-kun. The full sequence is 「始めるでざますよ。行くでがんす。まともに始めなさい。」 がんす doesn’t hold any particular meaning. What translation I could find made it simply “let’s go”. I initially wanted to use “let’s roll” but that is apparently heavily associated with 9/11. That’s your fun fact of the day. Anyway, settled for “on with the motley”, given the original is some vintage reference. Maybe not 1800s tragic clown forced to wear his clown clothes vintage, but still vintage.
I think Shumei’s ふんが might be a reference to Typhon from Final Fantasy because that is quite literally the whole extent of his vocabulary, but could be nonsense either.
Ok so 尺 in Ranto’s 要らんこと言って尺が is like, the length of a scene, image, dialogue line in Japanese television. In comedy (owarai) it’s also used as a tsukkomi retort indicating someone is wasting time on useless garbage. Your second fun fact of the day.