[STEAM] Pragmata Japan Comedy Reference

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There are all sorts of hidden cute moments with Diana and Hugh in Capcom’s

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. But some players have recently spotted a Japanese comedy reference that Diana makes when handling the Globe REM collectable.

Pragmata sees you switch between space mercenary Hugh and his human child-like android companion, Pragmata D-I-0336-7, whom he dubs Diana, as they try to escape a lunar base overrun by a hostile AI. As you explore the base, you can

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(Read Earth Memories), 3D holographs of items from back home on Earth that you can give to Diana as presents to decorate the Shelter with.

The first REM you come across is a globe. This unmissable item comes with a Japanese comedy reference that eagle-eyed Japanese-speaking commenters on X have been pointing out (as spotted by

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). “It’s so over-the-top gorgeous that it’s funny, but it’s also hilarious because overseas players won’t get the joke as it's aimed at Japanese audiences,” commented the poster below.

ゴージャスすぎておもろいけど日本向けで海外の人には伝わらんの含めておもろいなw

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— ぽど (@POTY0521)

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Diana’s globe spinning antics are actually a reference to a well-known sketch by Gorgeous, a Japanese comedian who dresses as a space pirate. In the sketch, Gorgeous acts out the situation of being stranded on a mountain top, with his companion in danger of succumbing to the cold. He mimes trying to shake his invisible companion awake while proclaiming “mada tasukaru” (“we can still make it/be saved”), before dramatically spinning a globe and saying “Madagascar!” as his finger lands on the African country. Madagascar is ‘Madagasukaru’ in Japanese, which kind of sounds like ‘mada tasukaru’- and this wordplay is the short skit’s punchline.

Gorgeous himself confirmed the reference in a recent tweet, sharing the clip of Diana spinning the globe: “Spin it round and round! Then point to Madagascar. I want everyone to play Pragmata and experience it for themselves.”

地球儀キターーーーーーー

ぐるぐる回すんだ

そしてマダガスカルを指で指し示せ

みんなもプラグマタやって体感して欲しいね

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— ゴー☆ジャス(宇宙海賊) (@Gorgeous55555)

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Players will notice (especially if they zoom in) that after Diana rapidly spins the globe, her finger lands on where Madagascar is located, prompting some Japanese commenters to say that they heard Gorgeous saying the punchline in their heads.

Gorgeous is also a prolific gamer with an active

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channel where he regularly discusses and plays games, most recently Koei Tecmo’s Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake (in an official

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), old school Castlevania, and Resident Evil Requiem. In another Capcom connection, the comedian not only livestreamed Monster Hunter Wilds but also appeared in a

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for MHW, which had him running around outside with a PS5 controller and battling superimposed monsters from the game to introduce gameplay elements like the new Focus Mode. Therefore, a Gorgeous reference in Pragmata is something that players in Japan are likely to notice and get a chuckle out of.

This is not the only Japanese game in recent years to sneak in a comedy reference aimed at the domestic audience. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach contained

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to Japanese comedy troupe The Drifters, which can be stumbled upon when Sam is in a hot spring, of all places.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.

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