American man’s dramatic nine-second snow struggle captivates Japanese netizens 【GIFs】

Have you ever laughed at someone falling or giggled uncontrollably when your server dropped those plates all over the restaurant floor? Then you my friend, have experienced the untranslatable German word schadenfreude: taking pleasure in others’ misfortune. And there has been a whole lot of schadenfreude going around the Internet in Japan the past few days after netizens discovered a hilarious video of a poor winter-weary guy in America falling in the snow for a solid nine seconds.

Click below to see more the man’s struggle and how the Internet has made him surf, play hockey and even dodge Darth Maul’s light saber in Star Wars Episode I.

While the origin and validity of the video is fuzzy, what is for certain is this man encapsulates perfectly the feelings of every person living in the northeast United States this past winter of never-ending snow and frigid temperatures. And on this one day, our hero, who probably has been shoveling snow nonstop for months, just couldn’t take it anymore and had the most epic fall that was oh so fortunately recorded.

▼ “I forgot how to winter”

▼ Or in GIF format, for your looped enjoyment

Imgur

After laughing until its collective sides hurts, the Internet did what it does best and started to put the man’s snowy ballet of sorts into other scenes to make it look like he was surfing, dancing or playing hockey. And one of the more memorable ones for Japanese netizens was a video clip of the snow shoveler’s forgotten role in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Netizens were amazed at how seamlessly the man’s slipping and sliding seems to fit into the fight scene where Obi Wan and Qui Gon face off against Darth Maul.

▼ Even without a backstory, this snow shoveler is still more compelling than the Trade Federation subplot

A few people even had trouble finding the man, because his falling seems almost choreographed to fit the light saber battle and Darth Maul’s red head matched the snow shoveler’s red knit cap. Take another look at a GIF of the battle to make sure you’ve spotted our winter-troubled friend.

YouTube (VidGeo)

After battling with Darth Maul, the man was featured in a few other GIFs around the Internet that made us crack up. Check them out below and let us know what you think. What other movie roles or sports should he take up next?

▼ Is that an NHL regulation shovel?

Imgur (KingsKnight)