Often, TV references are quite obviously intentional, like the 河豚 quote below. I actually had to do a search to explain that reference, since I did not remember the scene and wasn’t positive what it was referring to (but I suspected/hoped it was Breaking Bad, since apparently my brain has forever linked the name “Jesse” to that show).
Other times, there’s something which was probably not intended to be a reference, but it still triggers a connection in my brain. A few I’ve posted about before:
And yet there is a third category, where I’m honestly not sure if it was intended to be a reference or not. Take 囲む for example. I cannot stop thinking that the mnemonic has to be a reference to the classic scene below, but… I’m honestly not sure.
Share your own!