This is a frequent problem that I think many Japanese learners experience. You look at some Japanese sentences, and you understand the words, and most, if not all, the grammar, and yet still, it just doesn't seem to mean anything.
That is the case when I look at this ad that I recently saw on the subway:
The text says:
ほんとうの がきたいしょうは、 よわいもの いじめなんて ぜったいに しなかった。
むかしばなしでも しながら、 ま、 いっぱい。
And my rough translation:
The leader of the gang never bullied the weak ones.
While talking about old time, hey, have a glass.
がき means more like "punk", but in this case since it's plural, I opted for "gang".
一杯 means a full cup, but I went with "glass" as in "have a glass of beer".
The second sentence, that one should enjoy a beer while talking over the old times seems clear enough.
But... the leader of the bullies didn't pick on the weak? Am I reading that right? And if so... It's a weird assertion. Isn't the leader of the bullies by default complicit in bullying?
The picture adds to my confusion? I think the kid on the far left is the leader of the bullies, the kid with the broken net is the victim, and the rest are the gang. It looks like the leader is the one who broke the net...? It seems to contradict what the words say.
What the heck is going on? Does it mean what I think it means and I'm not getting some cultural aspect in order to understand it? Or does it not mean what I think it means?