#裏世界ピクニック
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
communist-ojou-sama · 9 months ago
Text
Otherside Picnic manga vol. 11, Side Story excerpt
"It's okay, I won't do anything. I'm just curious."
"Curious...?"
"That's right. I'd like to be friends with Kamikoshi-san. That eye of hers is so pretty, I'm really taken with it."
"Friends, huh."
"I mean, there aren't many chances to meet other girls who have experience with the Blue World, right? If she was also Satsuki-sama's fan, then I'd have to make a little "request" and have her give up on her, but Kamikoshi-san isn't, so I might be able to become friends with her without using my gift, right?"
"Haha, I wonder about that. I don't think that girl... is suited for friendship."
"Why? Is she a bad person?"
"No... she's not exactly bad..."
As she mumbled, Kozakura wondered to herself what exactly she's trying to defend Sorawo for.
From her perspective, Sorawo's personality isn't a matter of good or bad. As twisted as it may seem at times, at others it's it's shockingly straightforward. She's reckless and shortsighted, but lacks the maliciousness that'd lead her to try to control or constrain the will of others either.
She's no saint or sage, but she's no demon either. In other words... she's ordinary.
The problem is that she's fatally unhinged along a totally different axis.
"I don't get it."
Kozakura thought she heard a hint of impatience in Luna's voice, and suddenly she hoisted herself forward. She brought her face in close to Kozakura's and met her gaze from below.
"You sure are anxious to defend her, just what is she to you?"
"What do you mean 'what'? I don't understand what you're ask-"
"Won't you tell me?"
Kozakura shuddered. Without even a moment to run, Runa's whispers flowed into her ear.
"Eek...!"
With a smoothness that elicited a shiver of disgust, Runa's voice slipped in through her ears, and went inside of her. It felt as if there was some sort of soft, invisible organism inside of her. The most blood-chilling part of all was that, even though it was clearly a foreign entity, her body wasn't rejecting this intruder. If anything, it was the opposite. Like cool water flowing down a thirsty throat, her ears were rejoicing. Her brain, her spine, her whole body were yearning for, and greedily feasting upon Runa's voice.
ASMR doesn't even compare. This is something... something totally different. This voice was something different from the mere airwaves produced by the vibrations of an ordinary human voicebox.
"Stop... it..."
Even though she was no longer tied up, her body wouldn't move. As she sat frozen upon the chair, Kozakura struggled to rebel against the sensation Runa's voice was causing within her. In her ever-blurrier vision, she could see Runa's underlings standing behind her. Each and every one was watching with entranced, envious expressions.
It irritated her to imagine that she was also making such a slovenly expression-- but, she could feel even that irritation being ground to bits by the overwhelming power of the voice.
"Tell me. Just what is Kamikoshi-san to you, Kozakura-san...?"
She didn't understand what she was being asked. Who is Sorawo? To me?
Something like that... that's...?
Contrary to the confusion in Kozakura's mind, her body attempted to obey the voice. Her mouth opened, she sucked in air, and spat out:
"...I DON'T KNOW!"
The words came out like a roar.
"Huh!?"
"What is she? I don't KNOW. I have no idea. What in the world is she?"
Runa, seeming shocked, kept looking at her for a moment with her eyes wide, but then abruptly opened her mouth and began to laugh.
"Ahaha! you don't know! That's so funny!"
"...What's so funny about that?"
Kozakura managed somehow to squeeze that question out. The sweet sensation brought on by the voice began to fade. It seems that after obeying her "request", the dominating power of the voice was lifted. Kozakura felt that made sense, and tucked it into the back of her mind. Runa's victims indulge in the sensation once, and from there on grow to await her further "requests".
"I didn't think I was asking such a serious question. But I see. To you, Kozakura, Kamikoshi-san is someone so important you can't put it into words. That's fun! I'll have to ask Kamikoshi-san how she feels about you, later!"
Kozakura didn't have the energy to reply to this taunting intimation. Luna flashed a smile at her as she leaned, drained, against the back of the chair.
"Well, putting that aside! The real thing I wanted to ask about was Satsuki-sama. Will you bear with me for just a little longer, Kozakura-san?"
Runa's voice tickled her ears and brain pleasantly. Her mouth opened and began to answer Runa's questions of its own accord, and she was now powerless to stop it.
(translation courtesy of yours truly)
62 notes · View notes
blenselche · 10 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
trying to remember how 2 anime w/ the spooky picnic lesbians
i lov them sm
69 notes · View notes
hurpdurpburps · 2 days ago
Text
Otherside Picnic Vol 7 Cover Art - Kanji Deciphered
Tumblr media
Top:
美 - Beautiful 驚 - Surprising 嚴 - Strict 可笑 - Laughable 寂 - Lonely 怪 - Strange 疑惑 – Suspicion/doubt 不安 – Uneasy/anxious
Left:
欲 - Desire 満足 – Contentment/Satisfaction 希望 - Hope 樂 – Fun/Easy 嬉 - Happy 喜 – Joy 懐 – Nostalgia 親 – Kin/Parents/Closeness 愛 – Love 恩 – Gratitude/“Great Kindness” (in the context of a significant favour bestowed upon you by someone that leaves you somewhat feeling morally indebted to them) 妬 - Jealousy 羨 - Envy 戀 - Romance 畏 – Awe(-inspiring) 誇 – Pride/Confidence 安心 – Relieved/Rest Assured/At Ease 憐 – Pity/(to find something) Precious
Right:
大望 - Ambition 哀 - Sorrow/Grief 好 – Good/Like 恥 - Shame 怒 - Anger 恐 - Fear 氣味 – Feeling/”Vibes” 諦 – Give Up/Resign (eg. to fate) 心配 - Worry 悲 - Sad 不満 – Discontentment/Dissatisfaction 悔 - Regret 苦 – Bitterness/Hardship 憎 - Hate 怨 - Grudge 厭 – Detest/To be very “sick” of something 蔑 – Contempt/Despise 歎 – Lament/Sigh
NOTE: Some of the English translations are my personal contextualisation as I felt that the dictionary definitions/explanations don't carry across cultural-specific or other adjacent/relevant concepts very well, so they won't align exactly with the answers you get on Google.
Additions/corrections/differing opinions welcome. Might have missed out a kanji or two as well bc I'm blind (legally and quite almost literally).
Worked off this tweet by a Chinese reader which naturally wasn't all that accurate due to their Chinese interpretation of the kanji.
13 notes · View notes
voidoftheotherside · 2 months ago
Text
🦢Soratori edit/animation practice🐠
I was gonna post the gifs without other effects too but to fit the size requirement I’d have to squish them super bad
Translations by @vgperson and song is:
12 notes · View notes
ninaryo · 1 year ago
Text
Tumblr media
「裏世界ピクニックのキャラにリコリス・リコイルの服を着せてください」とのオーダーで描きましたが、思った以上に良い感じになってお気に入りの1枚です。
53 notes · View notes
animehouse-moe · 2 years ago
Text
Otherside Picnic Volume 3
Tumblr media
Yeah yeah, I'm pretty well behind on having only just read this volume, I know. I'm slow with a lot of light novel reading because I really want to be in it, you know? I want to savor every moment and feel like I don't want to put the book down while I'm reading.
And it just happened that lately I've really been craving for the horror and fear that stems from Miyazawa's expert understanding of net and folklore horror. So imagine my surprise when I pick up the volume and see just how far Shirakaba's art has come. Sure, it was never bad by any means. But my god, this volume's illustrations are amazing. The level of detail has skyrocketed, but at the same time a more clear and personal style appears. Heavy and dark contrast, an overall feeling of weight with each piece of art. Even though they can look vastly different due to moments, the overall feel of it remains. Really, hats off in that regard, truly some outstanding art.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Of course, Miyazawa's writing withstands the shock of this incredible improvement from Shirakaba.
Their perception of horror - what comprises it and causes fear- remains absolutely expert. From the endings of the previous omnibus volume we continue the downwards spiral into Sorawo's personal hell. The types of contact, and the overall fear that arises from it are spine chilling.
Perhaps the biggest proponent is Miyazawa's ability to guide readers to answers. You can connect the dots as things go on, realize that there is something wrong, that there's a heavy feeling in your stomach and that all your hairs stand on end as your mind races to the finish line. It's such an incredible experience, where at times they don't even tell you the answer. Instead, you're left with a lingering feeling and concern for what things are and why.
Personally, it's my perfect definition of horror. Beyond us. You can come up with as many answers as you want to everything that unfolds, but for just as many things there are that Sorawo and Toriko resolve, there are just as many spine shudderingly disturbing pieces left hanging.
Of course, Otherside Picnic does like to remind readers that it's not just about disturbing and scary stuff. It's a healthy mix of characters that are poorly adjusted in the social sense (among many others), and their attempts to grope through their incredibly odd predicament. All of the characters that appear in this volume are so full. They're all hopeless and oddball versions of the more "simple" characters that they're portrayed as in the anime. They all have very glaring character issues, and present as far less perfect even in spite of how others view them. It's incredibly refreshing, and they all stumble through their interactions in an endearing and believable way that develops as the story continues.
The biggest thing from this volume though is just the sheer effort Miyazawa puts into the horror. It's not middle of the ground, on the spot horror stories they themselves come up with, but a far deeper and darker world that they draw from. Hours upon hours of historical and archival searching of books and webpages and chat forums to produce countless stories that end up interwoven and meld together into a cohesive framework to address the Ultra Blue Landscape via.
It's insane. Not only are we, as readers, attempting to understand the Otherside and its creators and/or inhabitants, Miyazawa is translating it. They're pulling from our reality, adding their own spin and twist to it, and spitting it out in the form of communication. The sheer talent to preserve the original value of the stories used, while at the same time repurposing them is incredible.
In terms of horror, I truly feel that Otherside Picnic stands comfortably separate from so much of what makes up the genre, not even just within the framework of animanga, but of modern media in general. So much of what's popular and talked about is on the absolute fringes of what horror is: that sense of dread and fear. Not 30 seconds of buildup into a single jumpscare reveal that the characters run away from. Rather, the tension building and things seeming wrong, like something is lurking around the corner and you absolutely must find out. Or that there's some terrible figure/creature staring right at you that has you frozen in place. Horror is not thriller, and Otherside Picnic continues to establish that beautifully.
Also, for the best reading experience, the anime OST is actually outstanding for furthering that fear. Plenty of songs that will put you perfectly on edge. You can find the full playlist right here.
82 notes · View notes
haveyoureadthisscifibook2 · 1 month ago
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
vote yes if you have finished the entire book. vote no if you have not finished the entire book.
(faq · submit a book)
6 notes · View notes
gladosluver · 10 months ago
Text
裏ピク漫画!うれしいよ!!!!!
urapic manga!!! IM SO FUCKING HAPPY!!!!!!!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
8 notes · View notes
mjintm · 1 year ago
Text
"Are you the real Sorawo Kamikoshi?"
Tumblr media
Drawing Otherside Picnic fanarts is my coping mechanism as I wait for the next pre-pub chapter.
(please ignore the badly drawn gun. i have never seen nor held a gun in my life. im just making excuses lol. It's my first time drawing a gun have mercy on me.)
24 notes · View notes
yuu707yuu · 2 years ago
Photo
Tumblr media
Otherside Picnic keychain and Warrior Nun postcard now available on Kofi!!
Keychain: ko-fi.com/s/493d043e98 Postcard: ko-fi.com/s/e3f99d0130
34 notes · View notes
ayanos-pl · 7 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
宮澤伊織『裏世界ピクニック9』(ハヤカワ文庫JA)読了。裏世界を介した私たちふたりの独自の関係が世間一般の恋愛の文脈に回収されてしまうのが嫌だ!という空魚の心の叫びに至極共感した。
Tumblr media
キャンプで焼くソーセージがめっちゃうまそうで、急遽フランクフルターを買ってきて食った。
0 notes
communist-ojou-sama · 9 months ago
Text
Otherside Picnic (manga) vol. 12, bonus chapter
Bonus Chapter: Flashback to That Night
“...Hey, Sorawo.”
Nishina Toriko had been quiet for a while, as I was thinking she was making an odd expression as she opened her mouth, her next words were “What should we do about the wrap-up party?” for a moment, Kozakura lost the thread of the conversation.
...Hm?
Kamikoshi Sorawo, like Kozakura, was looking at Toriko quizzically. Seeing those looks, Toriko added, as if making an excuse,
“Look, we went into the Otherside this time too, right? Then we’ve gotta have a wrap party.”
If you didn’t know anything about these two’s usual routine, this addition wouldn’t serve as much of a justification, but with that Kozakura was able to reorient herself within the conversation. Toriko and Sorawo have a habit of going out for food and drinks after coming back from exploration of the Otherworld, and calling it a ‘wrap party’. To Kozakura, who’s so afraid of the Otherside that she can’t help herself, the exploration that serves as a precondition to this celebrating is already so abnormal that she couldn’t imagine wanting to celebrate it, but on the other hand, she could undertstand it a bit. As a sort of ritual of return to daily life from a dangerous environment full of fear, the idea of a wrap party didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Perhaps the reason why she felt that way was because she herself was in need of such a ritual.
As she lifted her gaze, her eyes met with Migawa, who was standing with butler-like good posture. As if reading her thoughts, he nodded once. After finishing the rest of her tea, she set the cup down on the table with a clack.
“All right! Got it! Let’s go eat some meat!”
The two girls on the sofa looked up at her in surprise.
“Eh? But I don’t have that kind of money.”
Hearing Sorawo say something so timid brought an involuntary laugh to Kozakura’s lips. She trapises into the Otherside without a thought, but she’s afraid of an expensive meal.
“This time, I’ll treat you-- You did save me after all.”
We settled on the meat bar in front of the Shakujii Park station for our celebration. Ordinarily, Kozakura was not much of a meat-eater, but right now she felt like her body was craving some animal protein.
It had only been three days since she and Sorawo were abducted off of the street. Just three days! In that short span, entirely too many things have transpired.
Getting kidnapped is a big enough deal on its own, but then they were brought to a ruin in the middle of the mountains of Hannou. The person waiting for them there was a 4th-kind contactee, and had the ability to brainwash anyone with the sound of her voice.
Urumi Runa-- the teenage wannabe streamer.
Just remembering it sent a shiver down her spine. It was a terrifying voice. Far beyond the domain of ASMR, this voice from the Otherside rendered anyone who heard it a literal prisoner.
Urumi Runa brainwashed untold dozens of people with it, and made a cult centering around worshiping her. Kozakura was interrogated by Runa’s voice, and made to spit out everything she knew.
That said…
As she watched Sorawo and Torako across the table choosing from the wine menu, Kozaku was spurred into a bittersweet train of thought.
While she might have told her everything she knew, Runa’s questions were mostly about Uruma Satsuki, or well… the version of “Satsuki-sama” that existed exclusively in her mind. And in being asked, Kozakura realized that her knowledge of Satsuki didn’t really amount to much at all.
Ultimately, just what sort of person was she?
As she succumbed to Runa’s voice, that’s all Kozakura could think of.
She never did find an answer to that question, and she may never have a chance to get an answer, going forward.
“What drink do you want, Kozakura-san?”
Sorawo’s question brought her back to the present.
“What are you two drinking?”
“We’ve never had rosé before, so we were thinking of trying it.”
“Ah, is that so. I’ll just go with that.”
After she answered, Sorawo wrinkled her brow.
“Are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seemed a little bit out of it.”
Kozakura was internally surprised that this girl had developed the capacity to worry about others.
“I’m fine. Well, I am tired, so I might be a bit out of it.”
“Ah…”
The two of them nodded.
“I’m sure you are tired…”
“Thanks for everything, really.”
“You two, too.”
The information Runa wanted to hear about “Satsuki-sama” was, from Kozakura’s perspective, all inconsequential trivialities. Where she lives, what food she likes, whether or not she ever mentioned Runa, whether there were any pet-peeves of hers that she should avoid… While her ability was terrifying, Kozakura understood straightaway that the girl herself was nothing more than a mentally immature fangirl. This realization depressed her more than anything.
After a litany of mostly unanswerable questions and questions to which Kozakura didn’t know the answer, Runa clearly became a bit irritated at the slow going, but when she learned of the existence of Satsuki’s office at DS Research, and that notebooks written by Satsuki herself were stored there, she got excited, and ordered her underlings to to prepare for a raid.
Runa’s impulsive armed forces, driven on enetirely by her voice…While their organizational principles and doctrine were all childish and immature, If you have no way to deal with her voice, they’re quite formidable.
As she was worrying about the safety of the people at DS research, Runa ordered her followers to detain her and handed her over to them.
It was then that Sorawo saved her.
While her consciousness was still hazy from the effects of the questioning, Runa’s followers seemed to have a falling-out, and before she had any idea what was going on Sorawo had saved her and woken her up. While she was a bit disconcerted by how different Sorawo’s aura was from usual, they attempted to escape from the ruins, but…
The wine and ham arrived.
“Wha!? Sorawo, this isn’t sweet!”
“You’re right. This isn’t what I was expecting.”
“But this also tastes good in its own way.”
“It’s nice and refreshing.”
Sorawo and Toriko are surprised at their first time drinking rosé. When they’re relaxing and chatting like this, you could never take them for a woman who mercilessly destroys others’ minds, or a woman who’d raid a cult’s base of operations, assault rifle in hand. Not unlike Urumi Runa, Kozakura felt unease about the mismatch between these girls’ capacity for destruction and the childishness of their mentalities.
However, it’s also true that that immaturity likely saved her. Had they not been so foolhardy, she may not have made it out of that situation.
Their escape attempt came to a dead end, and Kozakura and Sorawo were once again caught in the basement of the ruin. Kozakura, now Runa’s hostage, passed through the gate and was brought into DS Research. Perhaps because she was rendered unable to resist by the voice, her consciousness became vague, as if in a dream.
And then, when she came to, Satsuki was there.
But what stood there was… that, was not Satsuki.
It was some completely different thing, imitating Satsuki’s form. Kozakura understood the the first instant she saw it. Within the empty husk of the woman she’d once loved, some unknown creature was was wearing it and moving it around.
And Toriko was moving toward that monster. While calling Satsuki’s name.
Stop it, Toriko.
Can’t you see? That’s not Satsuki.
From the depths of terror that kept her body frozen, Kozakura desperately clawed her consciousness back together. Summoning up all her irritation at Toriko for not recognizing this Satsuki as a fake, and her fury at Satsuki for trying to involve herself with such a young and immature girl, desperately, she moved her body.
Get yourself together, Sorawo-chan.
Hurry! Grab her! Toriko’ll get taken away!
She squeezed out that shout, and had no memory of what happened after that. When she came to, she was back at DS research.
There was no sign of Satsuki, and Runa was unconscious with her mouth gruesomely torn open.
Kozakura, with her mental and physical energy entirely spent, fell asleep on the spot without being able to take so much as a step-- in fact, she felt like she fell unconscious.
The main thought in her head as her consciousness faded was surprise that Sorawo and Toriko brought her back with them and didn’t abandon her. It was that extreme of a situation.
They might be hopelessly impulsive brats, who’ve matured in bodily terms alone, but they’re good kids. That was Kozakura’s appraisal of the two of them now.
So, well, there’s no harm in treating them to some overpriced steak, just for today.
As she gazed in a generous frame of mind at the two of them eating their meat, suddenly, a scene that she’d forgotten about flashed back across her mind.
Kozakura and Sorawo, having escaped from the cultists, hiding in a narrow locker.
Sorawo’s hand resting on Kozakura’s head as she trembled.
Her head being petted, as if to pacify her.
Over, and over.
Back then… why the hell did this maniac pet her!?
Kozakura couldn’t take her eyes off of Sorawo, who was cutting meat with her knife.
...No, really, why the hell did she do something like that???????
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Sorawo looked up.
The instant before their eyes met, the smartphone on the table began to shake. On the screen was a message from Migawa.
Sorawo looked curiously at her, and Kozakura looked back.
“...It seems like they finished cleaning.”
Kozakura replied, unnecessarily evasively.
END
62 notes · View notes
solspuren · 9 months ago
Text
図書館で借りて裏世界ピクニックの小説を読んでるけど、
8巻が図書館になくて7巻止まり。
ネットの怪談ミームネタがちょくちょく出てくるから、
某イルカ某夢が出てきたらおもしろいなと思ってたけど
8巻完結で7巻まで読んで、これは出てきそうにないな。
0 notes
voidoftheotherside · 6 months ago
Text
This is incredible! And extra interesting to me as someone who is learning Japanese with influence of otherside picnic. My addition isn’t nearly as significant or in depth but I do have something minor that I noticed was lost in the language difference to add.
In volume 1 (file 4 - Time space and a middle aged man) Kozakura threatens Toriko while they are searching for her, the English version reads:
“I’ll turn that bird brain into fried chicken… Or chicken soup… If we had a saucepan, I’d add some fish and make a hot pot…”
And this one is noticeable even without reading the Japanese version if you know some Japanese. I can’t find the Japanese version online as hard as I try and the only Japanese copy I have is the junior edition so I’ll include it for context but sorry if it’s different to the original.
「唐揚げにしてやる……水炊きでもいい……鍋なら魚も入れて寄せ鍋もいいな」
I am not confident enough In my translation to provide one, but the important difference is that the insult “bird brain” isn’t in the Japanese version. Why is that? Because it’s already a pun without it! Toriko’s name uses the Japanese characters 鳥子, the first of which literally translates to bird. But there’s more! Not only is Kozakura threatening Toriko in this scene, she is also threatening Sorawo, who’s name 空魚 includes the Japanese character for fish (you can even see it in the Japanese text up there!)
I wouldn’t call this a mistranslation as it’d be pretty hard to get across the full meaning without a translation note, and the use of bird brain was actually really smart, but it’s still pretty cool to know.
A Casual Comparison Between The English vs Japanese (and a bit of Chinese) Versions Of Otherside Picnic
Just a ramble on my thoughts as someone who buys and reads both the English and Japanese versions of all the novel and the manga volumes.
Some of my commentary might come across as a bit too pedantic but it's coming from my thoughts as a current formal translator and former manga scanlator.
Spoiler Warning: events up to Vol 8 are mentioned.
Overall thoughts
Generally, I quite like Sean McCann's translations of the novels. I think his style strikes a nice balance between the need for needle-sharp accuracy and smoothness that localisation brings. He seems to have quite a mind-boggling amount of experience under his belt according to Kindle, and also translated Side-By-Side Dreamers (another fantastic read that I will fangirl here about one day!!!), which is a standalone novel by Miyazawa.
On the other hand, the English version of the manga feels rather clunky from time-to-time. Kindle doesn't credit anyone for the English translation of the manga and I don't think it's McCann. Redrawing is also pretty lazy, with English words often simply slapped on next to the original Japanese SFX, which is kinda terrible for an official publication.
Another aspect of the English manga I don't understand is why they chose to flip the reading sequence of the Kozakura POV short stories at the end. After reading through dozens of pages of the manga right-to-left I don't think it's any more difficult to read the story in the same direction. Having to skip to the very last page then resume reading left-to-right in reverse page order is so mindbogglingly tedious and unintuitive.
Dialogue, Nuances and Characterisation
A big issue with translation is the difference in how many words it takes to convey the same sentence in different languages. Extreme cases can call for bolder deviations from the original to maintain some semblance of narrative flow.
Here's a minor example - the following lines are from Vol 3 (File 9 - Yamanoke Presence), when Toriko is slapping the shit out of Sorawo's back:
“Ow! That hurts! [1]” “Suck it up. [2]”
「いった! 痛いって! [1]」 「我慢して [2]」  
The more literal translation of [1] would be "I said that hurts!" but I guess the translator opted for something that's shorter and more natural-sounding.
There's also the issue of characterisation stemming from dialogue style. Sometimes I feel like Toriko comes across as slightly more aggressive in English than the original Japanese version.
[2] in Japanese is simply and most accurately translated as "bear with it."
There's a similar scene in Vol 6 (File 20 - T is for Templeborn), when Toriko sticks her fingers inside Sorawo's right eye:
“Whoa! Hold up! That’s my eye!” “Suck it up.” “You’re kidding me, right?!”
「ちょ、ま、そこ目!」 「我慢して」 「噓でしょ!?」
Personally, I feel that "suck it up" should've only been used if the original text said "我慢しろ", which implies a more callous or harsher, commanding tone. To me at least, "我慢して" is pretty neutral.
Here's another example from Vol 6, when Sorawo begrudgingly compliments Toriko for having a pretty smart idea:
“Why do you always sound so frustrated when you compliment me on that, Sorawo? [1]” “Urgh.” I hadn’t expected her to call me out on that, so I didn’t know how to respond. “Well, I’m nice [2], so I won’t get mad at you for thinking I’m an idiot.”
「その褒め方するとき、いつもなんか悔しそうだよね空魚 [1]」 「うっ」  思わぬ指摘をされて言葉に詰まる。 「鳥子さんは優しいから [2]、バカだと思われてても怒りませんけど」
[1] is more of an observation and not a question in Japanese. "You always look kind of frustrated when you compliment me like that, Sorawo" feels perfectly serviceable and fits with the line that comes next, so I'm not quite sure about the reason behind this translation decision.
As for [2], Toriko actually referred to herself in third-person ("Toriko-san is kind") in the Japanese version, which is supposed to a convey a sense of satirical self-grandiosity. Without that part, I think Toriko comes off as more direct and less playful in the English translation.
That said, there are also positive examples of localisation in the series. Take a look at this conversation from Vol 5 (File 16 - Pontianak Hotel):
“Why would they go to all the trouble of decking the place out in Balinese style, then go and push honey toast, of all things?” I asked, but Toriko had a simple answer. “It’s honey in Bali [1], right?” “Wait… That’s it?! Because they rhyme?! [2]”
「なんでこんなにバリ島モチーフなのに、フードはハニートースト推しなんだろ」   私が何の気なしに疑問を口にすると、鳥子がさらっと言った。 「バリ島でハニトー [1]ってことなんじゃない?」 「……えっ、そういうこと!? 駄洒落!? [2]」
[1] actually says "Honey toast in Bali", which can be romanised as "bari-tou de hani-tou". Sorta catchy in Japanese but doesn't swing in English, so the rationale for the change is fairly obvious.
[2] literally means "pun", or I guess it's supposed to be slightly more loosely interpreted as "wordplay" in this context, but that too has to be altered so that the earlier changes to [1] make sense.
We opened all the bottles and had another toast of the not-bread variety [1]; there was a loud clinking of bottles [2].
ビール組の小瓶の栓が全部抜かれて、改めて乾杯した [1]。グラスと瓶の触れ合う音が高らかに鳴り響く [2]。
[1] can be read as "we made a toast for a change", which without alteration can be fairly confusing so the translator seized the opportunity to add a little funny spin to it.
A more literal translation of [2] would be "The sound of glasses and bottles touching rang loudly". I suppose the localisation here could be considered as a minor but factual mistranslation, as cocktail glasses were actually present in this scene, in addition to beer bottles.
For our final example of missing nuance, here's a quick glance at Vol 6 (File 20 - T is for Templeborn), where Sorawo and Toriko went for a quick builder's lunch after a morning of breaking concrete:
Settling on a place that served Western-style dishes, we joined the salarymen and construction workers for a hearty meal.
あんまり気取らない感じの洋食屋を選んで、スーツ姿のサラリーマンや工事の作業員に交ざって、がっつりボリュームのある定食を食べた。
The bolded part roughly translates to "We chose a rather unpretentious Western restaurant...", with "unpretentious" in this context referring to a place that doesn't feel very conscious/fussy about attire/appearances.
I don't think it's a big deal per se, but it's the inclusion of small details like that which adds flourish to Miyazawa's writing, and it's kind of a pity for them to be missing when they don't have to be.
Prose and Structure
Japanese is a high-context language, so writers often take it for granted that their readers can intuitively grasp who's saying what, which is not very helpful for English readers. There are certain parts of the Japanese version that is just a whole dozen lines of uninterrupted dialogue. The text below from Vol 5 (File 16 - Pontianak Hotel) is a very good example:
“Phew… Toriko, did you eat your share?” I asked. “Yeah, I sure did. It was delicious.” “Is that really true…?” “She does seem to be putting on an awfully calm face,” Akari agreed. “I feel like she was just eating the ice cream on top,” Kozakura interjected. “See, I knew it!” “Hey, hey, don’t worry about it,” Toriko tried to mollify us. “You’ve all finished your drinks, right? Let’s have another toast.” “Whose is this one, with the orange and… blackcurrant?” Akari asked. “That’s mine,” said Natsumi. “Pass it here.” “Everyone else ordered beer, huh?” Kozakura noted. “Which’s yours, Toriko?” “The Bintang.” “I had one of those too,” Kozakura said. “Well, I guess these must be for Senpai and me. Bali-hai?” “Yeah, I’ll pass around the bottle-opener,” I said.
Note all the speaker names bolded above... and how they completely don't exist in the Japanese version below:
「ふー……鳥子、ちゃんと食べた? [1]」 「食べた食べた [2]。おいしかったね」 「本当かな」 「それにしては涼しい顔してますよね [3]」 「そいつ [4]、上に乗ってるアイスばっかり食ってた気がするな [4]」 「ほらやっぱり!」 「まあまあ [2]、いいじゃん。みんなお酒なくなったでしょ。もっかい乾杯しよ」 「このオレンジ入ってるやつ、カシスかな? 誰のですかー?[3]」 「それウチ [5]の。ちょうだい」 「ほかみんなビール頼んだんだね」 「鳥子のどれ? [1]」 「ビンタンとかいうやつ」 「あたし [4] のもそれだ」 「じゃあ、センパイと私がこっちですね [3]。バリハイ?」 「うん、栓抜き回すね」
You might be wondering how the hell Japanese readers tell apart who's who? Thanks to the Japanese language's rich vocabulary of personal pronouns, 'tiers of politeness' and three different writing systems, personalities are easily demonstrated via dialogue.
For example, the most common personal pronoun, "watashi" (meaning "I" or "me"), can be expressed in kanji (私), hiragana (わたし) or less commonly katakana (ワタシ). The kanji form is considered "true neutral" and also used in formal contexts such as emails, while the hiragana is more cutesy.
In the case of this specific conversation, we can roughly tell the speakers apart using the process of elimination via each person's relationship with the others:
[1] This is clearly Sorawo, as she's the only one apart from Kozakura who addresses Toriko without any honourifics, and her tone soft and casual.
[2] Toriko says "食べた食べた" and "まあまあ", which translates to "I ate it, I ate it" and "Oh well, oh well" respectively. A common speech pattern of Toriko's is to say things twice, representing her casual and chirpy demeanor.
[3] Akari is the only one who uses polite language (the -masu form) in this group of misfits, and also the only one who addresses Sorawo as "senpai", notably in katakana (センパイ).
[4] Interestingly, Kozakura uses "atashi" (あたし), which is considered less neutral/softer/more feminine than the standard "watashi", but the rest of her speech style is consistently rude and masculine, such as addressing the rest as "お前ら" or Toriko with "そいつ", which has a "top-down" tone.
[5] Natsumi uses the personal pronoun "uchi" [ウチ], which is sorta a gangsta/delinquent stereotype.
Mistranslation
Translation errors are for the most part very rare, minor and always come across as a case of careless misreading rather than a lack of fluency.
Apart from the ones already mentioned in passing above, I'll list two more such examples below (taken from my OP Pilgrimage List Pt. 1):
Example 1: Vol 7 (File 22 - Toilet Paper Moon)
“I hear there’s a lounge on the fourth floor here.” “A lounge…?” “It’s got a night view and you can drink there.”
「ここ、四十五階にラウンジがあるんだって」 「……ラウンジ?」 「夜景が見えて、お酒が飲めるとこ」
Here, the Japanese text says 45th floor, instead of the 4th floor.
Example 2: Vol 6 (File 20 - T is for Templeborn)
I ordered tonkatsu curry with a black roux and lots of cheese, while Toriko had roasted flounder with ginger.
私は真っ黒なルーにチーズのたっぷりかかったカツカレー、鳥子はヒラメのカツと生姜焼き。
The bolded part states "flounder katsu and shougayaki", which actually means a piece of breaded, deep fried flounder, with pork stir-fried in ginger sauce on the side.
Chinese Censorship
As most would know, censorship is heavy-handed in China, so how does a certified Yuri series get processed over there?
The Gay™ parts get re-written or entirely scrubbed and replaced with something more 'innocuous'.
I don't read OP in Chinese, but I stumbled upon this tweet by a professional Chinese translator complaining about the censorship in the Chinese version of the novels.
In Vol 5 (File 19 - Hasshaku-sama Revival), Toriko gives Sorawo a surprise kiss after they escape Hasshaku-sama:
“With no time for me to close my eyes, our lips touched… then parted again. Freed from her hands [1], I stumbled backwards. As I covered my mouth and stared at her [2], Toriko said, “Let’s call it even with that.”
This is the original Japanese:
目を閉じる間もなく、唇と唇が触れて……離れた。 しつこい両手から解放されて [1]、私はよろよろと後ずさった。 口を押さえる私と目を合わせたまま [2]、鳥子が言った。 「これでチャラにしてあげる」
Translation: "With no time for me to close my eyes, our lips touched... then parted again. Freed from her stubborn arms [1], I stumbled backwards. As I covered my mouth, Toriko's eyes met mine [2], and she said, "Let’s call it even with that.""
Here's the Chinese text:
我甚至来不及闭上眼,���见鸟子弹了下我的额头。 好痛! 抓紧不放的那双手放开了我 [1],我趔趄着后退了几步,捂住嘴巴。 鸟子依然注视着我的眼睛 [2],说道:“这样就一笔勾销了。”
Translation: "With no time for to close my eyes, Toriko flicked me on the forehead. That hurt! Her arms that were gripping strongly released me [1], and I staggered back a few steps, covering my mouth. Still looking into my eyes [2], Toriko said, "Let's call it even with that.""
As you can tell from the underlined parts, the Chinese version replaces the kiss with a flick on the forehead, but keeps the part where Sorawo covers her mouth. You can think of it as the translator screaming "it's NOT her forehead and it's NOT a flick" with their mouth taped and their hands tied behind their back.
Honestly... I can't wait for the Chinese translation of Vol 8 to come out lol, if it ever does. I'd buy a copy just to see how they deal with censoring the entire book LOL.
I also bolded some of the other parts so you can compare/contrast how the same scene is written across three languages. Apart from the censored kiss, the Chinese translation actually follows the Japanese text more closely than the English version.
Classification
A pet-peeve of mine is people calling the books light novels. OP is not LN!!! It's a bona fide novel series under the banner of a respected major publishing house which is also the largest sci-fi publisher in Japan. Don't let the illustrations on the cover fool you.
45 notes · View notes
voidoftheotherside · 5 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
Backstory: I feel like Toriko bought the patch for her while drunk, Sorawo called it embarrassing but wore it anyway for her. For anyone unaware Sorawo’s name (空魚) includes the kanji for fish (魚) so fish really is her!・:༄🐠༄・:
Based on this post by @/i-am-a-fish
17 notes · View notes
saccharinescorpion · 2 years ago
Text
4 Things You Can Try Now That You’ve Read THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR
(technically 5 things)
Tumblr media
Mabel - a podcast by Becca De La Rosa and Maybell Marten.
Tumblr media
Anna Limón is a home help worker currently looking after the elderly Sally Martin. When Sally has a bizarre and frightening reaction to a box of letters Anna finds in her attic one day, Anna attempts to seek answers by contacting Sally’s only known living relative: Mabel Martin.
“A podcast about ghosts, family secrets, strange houses, and missed connections,” Mabel is a story that is difficult to describe, but one of the most important points is that the vast majority of it is an epistolary narrative between Anna and Mabel, just like how This Is How You Lose The Time War is an epistolary narrative between Red and Blue. It also has a very distinct writing style- dramatic, flowery, and a little bit intimidating. However, if you loved the writing style of TIHYLTTW, I personally think that Mabel is a perfect match for you.
Tumblr media
And I’m not just saying that because Mabel is a story about two extremely overdramatic women who are somehow both frighteningly caustic yet almost adorably useless.
Tumblr media
The Honey Month - a book by Amal El-Mohtar 
I certainly hope I don’t have to tell you this, but Amal El-Mohtar is one of the authors of This Is How You Lose The Time War, and The Honey Month is a short book she wrote several years ago.
Tumblr media
The Honey Month is almost more of an experiment than a book- in its introduction, a friend of El-Mohtar explains how she sent her several small samples of honey, leading El-Mohtar to use the gift as in a unique way. For one February, every day she used a different vial of honey as inspiration for a small piece of writing.
Tumblr media
The Honey Month contains 28 short pieces of writing, poetry, prose, and some things in between. It’s a small book full of things with big impact, and contains the lyrical yet meaty writing I enjoyed from El-Mohtar in TIHYLTTW.
Tumblr media
Otherside Picnic (裏世界ピクニック) - A series of novels by Iori Miyazawa (illustrated by Shirakaba)
Tumblr media
College sophomore Sorawo Kamikoshi longs to find an escape from other people, and in trying to find it discovers the Otherside, a strangely beautiful yet unfathomably dangerous parallel world inhabited by the-once-fictional creatures she knows from net lore. She also meets Toriko Nishina, another young woman with a knowledge of firearms and a desire to find her missing mentor. Together, these two girls explore the Otherside and find themselves changing little by little, both due to their adventures, but also due to their relationship with each other.
Tumblr media
If you know me you probably aren’t surprised at this reccomendation. Otherside Picnic is a truly odd beast- it’s sci-fi, it’s horror, it’s comedy, it’s yuri. It’s about trauma, it’s about Japanese creepypasta, it’s about useless lesbians, and it’s about how the scariest thing of all is being vulnerable with another human being. I think fans of  This Is How You Lose The Time War  will enjoy it- Otherside Picnic’s writing style will likely feel almost spartan compared to TIHYLTTW, but in my opinion there’s a similar level of poetry in it. There’s also a similar level of women who are “badass” yet kind of messes. You’ve heard of “Enemies to Lovers,” get ready for “Accomplices to Lovers”!
Tumblr media
(there’s also a manga adaptation by Eita Mizuno, as well as an anime adaptation directed by Takuya Sato)
Tumblr media
The Handmaiden (아가씨) - a movie directed by Park Chan-wook (written by Park and Chung Seo-kyung, based on the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters)
Tumblr media
In Japan-occupied Korea, the pickpocket Sook-hee is recruited by a con-man to aide him in his scam of a Japanese heiress, Lady Hideko. While the con-man poses as “Count Fujiwara” and woos Hideko, Sook-hee will play the part of her maid and subtly push the heiress towards him. But as time passes, Sook-hee begins to realize there are things occuring in the mansion that are even more sinister than her and the Count’s scheme, and there is much, much more to Hideko than meets the eye.
Tumblr media
This is a list of recommendations for “people who have finished “This Is How You Lose The Time War,” but I try to recommend The Handmaiden to as many people as I possibly can. I’ve described it in the past as the cinematic equivalent of running a marathon: with a 144 minute runtime full of gorgeous direction and set design, dark machinations, twisted yet romantic writing, often troubling themes, and so, so many plot twists, it’s a movie that nearly feels like too much of a good thing. But for fans of TIHYLTTW, I’m sure what will intrigue you most is the relationship between the two main characters, one so complicated that “Enemies to Lovers” can’t hope to capture the roiling feelings of pity, guilt, hatred, desire, annoyance, sympathy, and everything in between. 
It’s also just really hot.
Tumblr media
The Handmaiden is a movie that is best enjoyed going in knowing as little as possible. That said, it is also a story with dark and often upsetting themes that are absolutely crucial to its narrative. If you are concerned about that statement,  I reccomend looking at the movies’ entry on DoesTheDogDie, which I have looked at and found to be a pretty comprehesive list of content warnings that can be examined in a way that doesn’t spoil the twists of the story.
Tumblr media
Fingersmith - a novel by Sarah Waters
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I swear I’m going to get around to it!! I can’t technically recommend the book that inspired The Handmaiden since I haven’t read it yet, but I have at least one friend whose opinion I trust who sings its praises, so it’s good enough for me. Besides, if the recent popularity of This Is How You Lose The Time War has showed us anything, it’s that people constantly crave stories about complicated women, so it certainly can’t hurt, right?
708 notes · View notes