Definition requested

[Eray]

I'm looking for the definition of the following kanji: 襄. It's part of the name of the bandit character たじょうまる（多襄丸) from Kurosawa's movie, Rashomon. I've not been able to find the kanji in my dictionaries.

Thanks for any help you might give.

Erick

[Javizy]

You should look for a program called Wakan. It's free, and there's all sorts of different ways of quickly searching for characters, including from the clipboard.

You might also be interested in this book, which has Rashoumon in an easy-to-read format, and a website with audio readings.

[minty247_]

I'm also wondering about the definition of the following term. I heard it on a television show.

無茶振り（むちゃぶり）

I have no idea what this means, and it doesn't show up in dictionaries either.

[Javizy]

I'm also wondering about the definition of the following term. I heard it on a television show.

無茶振り（むちゃぶり）

I have no idea what this means, and it doesn't show up in dictionaries either.

Try readingthis page. I had a hard time making sense of it though.

It seems to be a type of 前振り (lead-in to a joke) with a planned punchline, where one guy gradually builds up the joke and expectation of the audience, before passing the punchline onto the other guy. The punchline itself is usually an anti-climax, and the resulting reactions are what make it it funny.

Does that fit inline with how you've heard it used? If not, hope you can read it easier than me

[minty247_]

Thanks Javizy~

The person made an attempt at monomane, and then at the end he said
"muchaburi daisuki nan de..."

does that mean he likes the reaction he gets from the audience?

[Javizy]

There was a sneaky little AJAX link with some more text. It mentions impersonations:

1. 話を構成した人が途中で投げ出し、最終的なオチを他人に任せてしまうこと。
The person who composes the sketch stops midway, and leaves the final punchline to the other person.
2. 到底その人には出来ないと思われるモノマネや一発芸、身体的な芸などをやらせ、その結果や反応を笑いに変えること。
That person is stuck having to do an impersonation, or physical gag that the original person believes he'll be terrible at. It is the result of this which leads to the laughter.
3. 要求により期待を上げ（予め「この人は面白いです」と言うなど）あえて注目させることにより、ボケを行ったとしても笑いが起きにくい振りのこと。
By demanding and raising expectation (by saying "this guy is a riot", and suchlike, in advance), and by forcing attention on him, practically anything he does is made into an anti-climax.
4. 全く打ち合わせしていないにもかかわらず、テーマを決めアドリブで話をさせること。
Although not entirely scripted, the theme is decided and the gag is improvised from there.

"muchaburi daisuki nan de..." just means "since I love muchaburi...", it's hard to say other than that. I think I'm off to bed anyway