JJ & Jeff, alive and well 2010 C.E.

[esteban]

Folks, you are probably aware of my passion for JJ & Jeff (and Kato & Ken) these past few years. You may also recall that I thought this game was merely mediocre 20 years ago.  UPDATE: I added images from each performance to lure more folks into watching these fantastic videos. Enjoy.

--> Takeaki Kunimoto (JJ & Jeff composer) LIVE 04/04/2009

Takeaki Kunimoto (he composed all these songs!!) and Ken Matsuzawa (me).
These are old game music from "J.J. & Jeff".
Title～Stage1～Sea scene～Night scene（カトちゃん＆ケンちゃん / J.J. & Jeff）

HIGHLIGHTS:
02:20 -- New vocal arrangement!
05:18 -- The best goddamn rendition of "Night Scene" you'll ever hear (or see)... ---> Takeaki uses a FRIGGIN' Diamonica (a melodica with a tube attached to the mouthpiece...I suppose this made it more comfortable to play). I used to play the melodica when I was a kid...it was totally fun.






--> Takeaki Kunimoto LIVE 11/22/2009
Unfortunately, this video isn't as great as the previous. Nonetheless, it has at least one nugget of goodness:
03:00 --  a fantastically slow and moody 30-second intro that segues into the familiar harpsichord-laden sewer tune.  Goddamn, it makes me cry. This track ends abruptly, IMO.


NOTE: You may not appreciate these videos. You will probably listen to 10 seconds and say "meh". Whatever. JJ & Jeff friggin' rule. And the music, with it's neo-Baroque-harpsichord-meets-lounge-act-organ goodness, is fantastic. Give it a chance, you goddamn jaded bastards. Give it  a friggin' chance.





To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of obtaining JJ & Jeff for free from Electronics Boutique (a story for another day), I would like to share the following goodies with you:

[ScumBum]

Those were cool videos .    Long Live JJ & Jeff !

[alexsduo]

man, that is sooo cool!

[esteban]

My favorite moment is when Takeaki uses a Diamonica (a melodica) and really gets into it.

Wonderful!

[ScumBum]

I've been playing JJ & Jeff alot lately and have been wondering is there a way to continue or do you always have to start at the beginning when you get game over ?

[Otaking]

Awesome! love this!   


Check the Kato & Ken PC-Engine TV add

 

and a bit of Ken Chan Ramen... yum yum... hope he doesn't piss in it

[esteban]

Check the Kato & Ken PC-Engine TV add

 

and a bit of Ken Chan Ramen... yum yum... hope he doesn't piss in it

Ha! I had never seen the PCE advertisement before.

As for the ramen... crazy, goofy stuff!

[esteban]

This thread needed to be resurrected for:
(1) any JJ & Jeff fan
(2) any JJ & Jeff hater who wants to see Takeaki play a Diamonica
(3) any fan of the Diamonica (a melodica)

[MrFlutterPie]

I have been playing JJ & Jeff recently myself and have been enjoying it.  It's no Bonk but it's pretty decent so far

[esteban]

UPDATE: I added wonderful screen captures to the original post! Now you can see the Diamonica and the bass guitar that Kunimoto plays.




Also: WHY OH WHY DOES NO ONE CARE ABOUT THESE AWESOME VIDEOS?! I must be the only person obsessed with this

I have been playing JJ & Jeff recently myself and have been enjoying it.  It's no Bonk but it's pretty decent so far

Essentially, if you enjoy the original Wonderboy (SMS) or Adventure Island (NES), then you will probably enjoy JJ & Jeff since it is a variation (dare I say "evolution") of that platforming formula.

[DragonmasterDan]

Heh, I love this game, even the bastardized localization that is JJ & Jeff. Particularly the music.

[MrFlutterPie]

This is sweet!!!

[JoshTurboTrollX]

Maybe I need to give this game another try.  I only ever thought it was just ok....

[MrFlutterPie]

The game is more on the average end but it features sweet music and a ton of secrets and exploration that bumps it up a bit.

[blueraven]

I think I just threw up a little.

[Bardoly]

I just got this game recently, and I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.  I'll have to give it a play soon.

[DragonmasterDan]

I love hearing this music performed live, sheer awesome!

[geise]

HOLY HELL!  How did I miss this thread years ago?  I love JJ & Jeff!  I have both versions just for the crazy differences.  I never bothered to track down the music composers for some odd reason.  Thank you esteban!  I love crazy music like this.  One more reason I'm a huge Mats/Morgan fan.  Haha everyone at that show is at least in their 30's.  Totally awesome!

BTW Matsuzawa posted this himself?  Nice!

Also why is tats not there drunk and dancing around!?   I figured he'd be bum rushing the stage when the diamonica got pulled out.

[Keith Courage]

I like the game. Never really liked the music though....

[SignOfZeta]

This...is pretty great. Not sure what I was doing in 2010 that caused me to miss this thread.

BTW, if you have the Saturn version of Puyo Puyo Tsu there is a pretty fucking awesome concert bonus. It was a live event to promote the game (these terrible things happen all the time in Japan) and its basically three guys with vintage (even then) Korg junk making really cool music. Maybe I'll upload it to Youtube some day.

[Mathius]

Not sure why JJ & Jeff get so much hate. I enjoy it for what it's worth. It's actually very playable compared to the lower tier Turbo games.

[esteban]

Also why is tats not there drunk and dancing around!?   I figured he'd be bum rushing the stage when the diamonica got pulled out.

Exactly! My best guess: he's passed out in the bathroom.

I love hearing this music performed live, sheer awesome!

BTW, if you have the Saturn version of Puyo Puyo Tsu there is a pretty fucking awesome concert bonus. It was a live event to promote the game (these terrible things happen all the time in Japan) and its basically three guys with vintage (even then) Korg junk making really cool music. Maybe I'll upload it to Youtube some day.

You gotta upload that!

[geise]

BTW, if you have the Saturn version of Puyo Puyo Tsu there is a pretty fucking awesome concert bonus. It was a live event to promote the game (these terrible things happen all the time in Japan) and its basically three guys with vintage (even then) Korg junk making really cool music. Maybe I'll upload it to Youtube some day.

You gotta upload that!

Word.

[SignOfZeta]

OK, I lied, its actually five guys.

BTW, Youtube was the only way I could even watch this video without putting it into an actual Saturn. Quicktime X, classic Quicktime wouldn't play it. VLC played it, but with no audio. This is good news since I don't have a capture card anymore.

Puyo Puyo Tsu Promo Convert

Now *thats* how you rock %0.25 of a football stadium.

BTW, early 90s dorks are a lot less scary and pathetic looking that current day dorks.

[blueraven]

Not sure why JJ & Jeff get so much hate. I enjoy it for what it's worth. It's actually very playable compared to the lower tier Turbo games.

JJ and Jeff is horrible. Although it is more playable than Falcon.

esteban will surely change the word horrible in the previous sentence to something like "spectacular", and then say "fixed it for you"

[Mathius]

Not sure why JJ & Jeff get so much hate. I enjoy it for what it's worth. It's actually very playable compared to the lower tier Turbo games.

JJ and Jeff is horrible. Although it is more playable than Falcon.

esteban will surely change the word horrible in the previous sentence to something like "spectacular", and then say "fixed it for you"

I wouldn't call it, "Horrible." More like "Semi-Awesome!"

[DragonmasterDan]

JJ and Jeff is horrible. Although it is more playable than Falcon.

esteban will surely change the word horrible in the previous sentence to something like "spectacular", and then say "fixed it for you"

I like JJ & Jeff, admittedly a lot of it is nostalgia but it controls pretty well has nice graphics and a funny theme. It was many years later that I got a chance to play Kato and Ken and I get why people say JJ & Jeff is so butchered.

[esteban]

Not sure why JJ & Jeff get so much hate. I enjoy it for what it's worth. It's actually very playable compared to the lower tier Turbo games.

JJ and Jeff is horrible. Although it is more playable than Falcon.

esteban will surely change the word horrible in the previous sentence to something like "spectacular", and then say "fixed it for you"

JJ and Jeff is horrible. Although it is more playable than Falcon.

esteban will surely change the word horrible in the previous sentence to something like "spectacular", and then say "fixed it for you"

I like JJ & Jeff, admittedly a lot of it is nostalgia but it controls pretty well has nice graphics and a funny theme. It was many years later that I got a chance to play Kato and Ken and I get why people say JJ & Jeff is so butchered.

You guys are forgetting that I *originally* (circa 1990) thought JJ & Jeff was mediocre/average, at best. Yes, I played it and enjoyed it, but I thought it was fundamentally lacking.

Fast forward a decade, with a chance to compare JJ & Jeff (and, eventually, Kato-chan & Ken-chan) to all the other platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit world...and I realized that it wasn't such mediocre bilge as I had previously thought.

Years ago, my favorite description of JJ & Jeff was "the bastard-child of Wonderboy/Adventure Island."

Well, now, I love that bastard.

OK, I lied, its actually five guys.

BTW, Youtube was the only way I could even watch this video without putting it into an actual Saturn. Quicktime X, classic Quicktime wouldn't play it. VLC played it, but with no audio. This is good news since I don't have a capture card anymore.

Puyo Puyo Tsu Promo Convert

Now *thats* how you rock %0.25 of a football stadium.

BTW, early 90s dorks are a lot less scary and pathetic looking that current day dorks.

Do you know what is more amazing than the plumpness of the singer? The fact that I wish I was at that damn "concert"!. I was old enough to go with getting a permission slip, too. 

[Tatsujin]

Also why is tats not there drunk and dancing around!?   I figured he'd be bum rushing the stage when the diamonica got pulled out.

Exactly! My best guess: he's passed out in the bathroom.

LOL, if I knew about this event then, you probably really would find me there drunk and dancing around..lol.


btw. the songs REALLY sound PCEish

[Tatsujin]

regarding kato-chan & ken-chan. I always thougt of it as a very good and outstanding game (for its time). I first saw its graphics in a german game mag back in the end of 1988, and I thought I was dreaming, it looked so good and full of life. Watch at those woods, it's just like you're actually right there the adventure takes place

/katoken.png

[Otaking]

Rise from your graaaaaave!

Had to bump this awesome thread.

[Galder]

Haha. Well, I have to admit that my perspective has changed towards these 2 fellas.

[esteban]

I still can't remember the name of that crazy instrument (melodica) without looking it up.

TG-16 NEEDS MORE MELODICA.