KEN: Le Survivant de l’Enfer (The French “Fist of the North Star”) Posted by Hichem on Jun 24, 2012 in Culture, Vocabulary
In the early 1990s, French teenagers did not exactly watch TV programs like “SpongeBob SquarePants” or “Hannah Montana”…
The show you are about to discover today was then considered the ultimate dessin animé (cartoon) not to miss on French TV for the 12-year-old boys on Wednesday afternoons.
And nevermind that the storyline featured some pretty violent scenes!
A fact which would eventually lead a consortium of concerned parents and even politicians (such as Ségolène Royal, the ex “partner” of French President François Hollande) to pressure the French TV channel TF1, leaving it no other choice in the end than pulling the plug for good on the show, to the greatest chagrin of millions of French kids who were ready to skip school just to watch an episode!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-NV7FG3974
The first French doublage (dubbing) of this cartoon is to this day deemed controversial: The fans of the original show see the “tongue-in-cheek” French style as an affront to the original Japanese version, while others seem to enjoy the various jeux de mots (puns) it often contains, such as the constant references to the martial art of “Haut Couteau de Cuisine” (literally “the High Kitchen Knife”) instead of “Hokuto”!
Ken, survivant de l’enfer
Ken, the Survivor of Hell
Ken, souvent croise le fer
Ken, often crosses swords
Ken, dans le chaos des esprits
Ken, in the chaos of minds
Ken, contre les fous les bandits
Ken, against madmen and bandits
Ken, survivant de l’enfer
Ken, the Survivor of Hell
Ken, souvent croise le fer
Ken, often crosses swords
Ken, dans le chaos des esprits
Ken, in the chaos of minds
Ken, contre les fous les bandits
Ken, against madmen and bandits
Héros du futur, il fait respecter la loi
Hero of the future, he enforces the law
Il est l’héritier des plus grands maîtres chinois
He is the inheritor of the greatest Chinese masters
Il n’a qu’un seul but, il n’a qu’un seul idéal
He has only one objective, he has only one ideal
Combattre et détruire les Forces du Mal
To fight and destroy the Evil forces
Ken, survivant de l’enfer
Ken, the Survivor of Hell
Ken, souvent croise le fer
Ken, often crosses swords
Ken, dans le chaos des esprits
Ken, in the chaos of minds
Ken, contre les fous les bandits
Ken, against madmen and bandits
C’est avec Julia sa fidèle compagne
It’s with Julia, his faithful compagnon
Qu’il fait régner la loi dans les villes et campagnes
That he enforces the law in the cities and the countryside
De la bombe atomique, il est le survivant
Of the atomic bomb, he is the survivor
Utilise sa force contre tous les méchants
Uses his force against villains
Ken, survivant de l’enfer
Ken, the Survivor of Hell
Ken, souvent croise le fer
Ken, often crosses swords
Ken, dans le chaos des esprits
Ken, in the chaos of minds
Ken, contre les fous les bandits
Ken, against madmen and bandits
Ken, survivant de l’enfer
Ken, the Survivor of Hell
Ken, souvent croise le fer
Ken, often crosses swords
Ken, dans le chaos des esprits
Ken, in the chaos of minds
Ken, contre les fous les bandits
Ken, against madmen and bandits
Ken!
Ken!
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