This is Japanese history lesson week. Let's half-ass these notes real fast.

3:42 - Showa was the name of an old emperor of Japan. The Showa period lasted from 1926-1989. We're currently in the Heisei Era that's been going since the end of the Showa period.

12:49 - Tenpo was emperor from 1830-1844. The Edo period lasted from 1603-1868 so the cat dance started at the end of the Edo Period.

12:52 - To learn more about the Tenpo Reforms, see this page.

13:23 - All of the cats' names mean something, if one would feel like translating them. Shiro = white, Buchi = spotted, Tora = tabby, and Tama = something like a cat curled up into a ball. Generic Japanese cat names, really.

13:35 - Raccoons have been thought to be tricksters since long ago in Japanese history.

14:24 - Since the cat talks and has the ability to do humanly things, it's considered a demon, unholy, etc. More Japanese folklore.

15:19 - There are several versions of repayment or kindness stories, most involving men who rescue birds. The most famous is The Crane's Gratitude, found with variations. The common theme concerns a young woman coming as wife to a poor man's house. To ease their poverty, the wife goes into a room to weave, advising the husband not to look. She comes out of her room looking very weak, with a magnificent piece of cloth that he can sell for a handsome price. The man is prompted to ask her to weave again, either from greed or at the urging of a powerful lord. She reluctantly agrees, insisting again that he not look. Out of concern, or curiosity, or at a friend's urging, the man looks and finds a nearly naked crane weaving her feathers into the cloth. Having repaid her debt (the man had saved a crane from a snare), she leaves, telling him they could have lived happily together if he hadn't violated her request. Taken from this page.

17:42 - For more info on fairy rings, see this page.

24:44 - This whole scene is filled with really stupid puns. Some we've explained in the subs, but not the one at this time. Gokai = 5 times, Gokai = mistake. Roku = name of dog but it's also the number six. Double puns suck. Really bad. So lame.

Also, the very last line has Old Lady Okaka comparing her name (Okakababaa) to the Japanese word for pillowcase (Makurakabaa). There is also a visual pun here, in that the clothes she is wearing looks like something a transvestite might wear to a gay bar in Japan (Okamabaa). Yes, this really is as lame as it sounds.