Don’t blow your top, blow theirs!

It’s fireworks season in Japan again, and our resident pyrotechnical maniac Masanuki Sunakoma is hard at work finding the most unique artistic works of fire in the land. This time his search has led him to Crazy Head sold by Tateiwa Shoten in Nagasaki. Where they found it is anyone’s guess.

Tateiwa Shoten has been in business for over 100 years, and sells many unconventional fireworks that you can’t find in convenience stores or other major retailers. And despite the shop’s age and distance from Tokyo, Masanuki was still able to purchase Crazy Head online for 660 yen (US$4.64). 

According to Tateiwa Shoten, Crazy Head consists of a young couple named Sid and Nancy, whose wild personalities frequently clashed in one of the most mutually destructive relationships in history.

If you’re luckily, you might catch them both on a good day and everything’s peachy keen. But slowly they turn…

▼ Sid: “Oi, Nancy!”

▼ Sid: “If it weren’t for me mum’s kindness, we’d be out in the f&%king streets.”

And anyone who’s been around Sid and Nancy knows how this is going to turn out.

▼ Nancy: “Yeah? And it if it weren’t for your own stupidity, we’d be living in Paris, France!”

Tateiwa Shoten goes on to say: “Which face is real? They say people are either good or evil, so which one are you? American-style fireworks are here! These are never-before seen fireworks!” Masanuki really had never seen these before, so that was an honest claim.

In fact, he didn’t really know what to expect when lighting Crazy Head up. It seemed like a standing-style firework similar to the 60-shot Rokumaru Damashi He brought from Amazon recently, so perhaps this also spews out a wave of sparks straight into the air.

Only one way to find out, so Masanuki decided to light up the big red stoge sticking out of angry Sid’s mouth.

It erupted into a shower of sparks as rough and crude as Sid’s rendition of “Born to Lose.”

The sheer force of it caused his head to spin around violently.

It was accompanied by a violent hiss as good Sid and bad Sid’s faces blurred together into one.

After a while the sparks seemed to turn into a single column of flame pouring out of his mouth.

And then, just like that, it was over.

Now that he knew what Crazy Head was all about, Masanuki decided to wait until it got a little darker before lighting Nancy up.

He decided to document her self-destruction in video this time so you can really see what the show is like.

Perhaps it was the added effect of nightfall, but Nancy seemed to really let loose.

And much like Sid, even after the sparks died down, the momentum continued to drive her head around. 

And as it slowed to a halt, a thick ball of fiery plasma continued to pulse from her mouth.

Really, the whole show lasts about 10 seconds, but like they say, it’s better to burn out than to fade away. It would also make for an exciting alternative to flipping a coin.

▼ Ha! Evil Nancy! I get to ride shotgun.

All in all, Crazy Head was a satisfying little piece of pyrotechnics and a nice little appetizer to any fireworks festivity. It ranked higher than the cheap weightlifter but not quite as good as the one that spits out a teddy bear. Check it out if you like, and stay tuned for whatever flammable toy Masanuki digs up next!

Related: Rakuten/Crazy Head
Photos © SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]