I Was Almost Coming

About

“I was Almost Coming” (Japanese: ほぼイキかけました, Hobo ikikake mashita) a catchphrase coined by the Japanese baseball player Ichiro Suzuki. It became to a buzzword shortly after it was uttered in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.^[1]

Origin

The interview which Ichiro says “I was almost coming” aired after the victory ceremony in the 2009 World Baseball Classic on March 24, 2009. Regardless of the context in dialogue, it was nevertheless seen as an unacceptable expression for broadcasting. Eventually, Ichiro released a public apology by saying “Sāsen”, an easy pronounciation of “Sumimasen” (lit. “I’m sorry.”):

Spread

This superstar’s utterance immediately caught everyone’s heart and became to be dubbed as “The Coolest Dirty Joke in The World” (世界一カッコいい下ネタ). Then, the notorious soundbite became to be utilized in many MAD videos on the Japanes video sharing service Nico Nico Douga (NND) alongside another phrase appearing in the same interview “Azāssu” (アザーッス), an easy pronunciation of “Arigatou Gozaimasu (lit. “Thanks.”).^[2] Among those MAD remixes, This video below, “Ichro’s Gourmet Race”, a derivative of Kirby's Gourmet Race Remixes, had been watched over 1million times.^[3] It was posted to NND on the same day of Japan’s WBC victory.

As a result of this online frenzy, “I was almost coming” succeeded to be ranked in the 4th in Japanese Internet Vogue’s Word Award of 2009. that was held in November of that year.^[4]

Notable Examples

【ニコニコ動画】W.B.C.イチローはほぼイキそうなのか？最終日本代表英雄イチロー・S 【ニコニコ動画】【WBC MAD】　野球先進国　ほぼイキローキャニオン【サンドキャニオン】
Left: U.N.Owen was Her? | Right: Sand Canyon
【ニコニコ動画】ほぼイキかけマイム　【イチローxマイムマイム】【ニコニコ動画】【イチロー】イきかけの一朗信仰～ Laser Fusion【東方地霊殿】
Left: Mayim Mayim | Right: Nuclear Fusion

Illustrations

As a parody for his utterance, illustrations related to this phrase on illustrators community, pixiv^[5] and Nico Nico Seiga^[6], often feature Ichiro’s face of “ecstasy”. Additionally, his goodbye pose at the end of the interview is also a subject for tributes.