#Aえ!Group

[j-gravure]

小田えりな (Oda Erina)

[landmine-doll]

im the sort of person who destroys the relationships that matter to me the most because of my paranoia short temper and self-destructive urges so its best to keep your distance

[asnowperson]

Tasogare ni Kaere by Aoike Yasuko (1976)

I am afraid of not having any more Eroica to read, so decided to stall reading it and check out Aoike-sensei's other works. Nanatsu no Umi, Nanatsu no Sora was the first one. The first volume had an unrelated one shot at the end, and I was awestruck by the luxurious hair of the guy on its cover:

Couple that with my eagerness to read more BL from the 70s, it was a given that I would try to translate this. With the help of your Aoike HQ, The Iron Rose Team, we bring you this 1976 oneshot! You can get it here, or head over to MangaDex to read it online.

Nothing is better then a tortured and fabulous artist!

[fa-cat]

Ｗ杯バレー中継のフジテレビ、ジャニーズ「スペシャルサポーター」の発表なし

　９月に開幕する「ＦＩＶＢ　パリ五輪予選／ワールドカップバレー２０２３」を中継するフジテレビは２８日、開幕５０日前イベントを東京都内で開催し、応援ソングなど番組概要を発表した。これまでジャニーズ事務所所属のグループが務めてきた「スペシャルサポーター」の発表はなかった。---読売新聞

Aぇ! group『24時間テレビ』3年連続SPサポーター就任 関西らしく発信&“ジャにの”にも「会いたい!」

　人気グループ・Aぇ! group／関西ジャニーズJr.が、日本テレビ系『24時間テレビ45』（8月27日・28日放送）の大阪・読売テレビスペシャルサポーターを務めることが決まった。---ORICON NEWS

[bnhaobservation]

Did Enji atone to Touya (and his family) and stepped up on his role as a father?

Boku no Hero Academia has a grave 'flaw'. The fact that's strongly tied to Japanese culture and Buddhism makes it a very interesting work but also makes it a hardly international work because way too many cultural things are left unexplained because they're assumed to be a given. Only they're not when the work is read by foreign readers. And this lead to confusion.

The Todoroki plotline is an example of this.

In the west many feel Enji did nothing for Touya or did too little because the little he did is a given in the west. The point is... it's not a given in Japan. In Japan is a BIG DEAL. So let's go though it.

First, the fact that he doesn't want to kill Touya even though he's a criminal

Todoroki Enji ‘Ore wa ikinobite mo... ENDEAVOR wa shinda. Tairyō satsujinsha (read: musuko) to tatakaenai.’ 轟炎司「俺は生き延びても...エンデヴァーは死んだ。大量殺人者（むすこ）と戦えない。」 Todoroki Enji “Even if I survived... Endeavor is dead. I can't fight against a mass murderer (read: my son).”

Let's compare it to these two scenes of "Death Note" and see how Yagami Soichiro, a policeman, is taking the idea his son might be a killer and how, although Misa protests, the story doesn't present it as him being crazy but as it being his duty.

That's why Hawks doesn't want to send Enji, who's on an atonement path, to face Dabi, because Enji might end up in a situation in which he would have to kill his son and he would refuse... which is more or less what happens.

Second, Enji acknowledges that what Touya said is true, Touya is his son and Enji did what he did. In such a situation many would lie. Dabi's video proves nothing. He is a Villain, they had a doctor in the team who could create Nomu, the paternity test could be fake, even if Dabi were to provide a sample of his blood or skin they could insist that's fake.

Society didn't want the truth, they don't want Enji to confess, they wanted him to reassure them, they even commented he should have lied because yes, that's what's done often.

Basically he put his honor on the chopping block. A public apology like this one is a BIG DEAL in Japan. It's much more serious than in western countries and he does it when he could have spared himself and say Dabi lied but that would have meant to deny his son.

Third, it connects to the first in a way. While Enji is unwilling to kill Touya, he's willing to die with him. It's ‘shinjū’ (心中 Lit. “Mind/heart center/inside” but more likely means “oneness of hearts”, probably reflecting a psychological link between the participants) and it’s a word used in common parlance to refer to any group suicide of two or more individuals bound by love, typically lovers, parents and children, and even whole families. People who commit shinjū believe that they would be united again in heaven, a view supported by feudal teaching in Edo period Japan, which taught that the bond between loved ones would continue into the next world, and by the teaching of Pure Land Buddhism wherein it is believed that through shinjū, one can approach rebirth in the Pure Land. By volunteering to die with him, Enji is basically agreeing to remain with him in their next reincarnation.

For us it's crazy, it's Enji giving up on saving him. In Japan it sounds like 'I love you and I want to be with you'.

Forth, he'll apologize to Touya. As said before it's a BIG DEAL, especially since Enji is the family head and, although for us most of what he did is wrong, in Japan most of what he did is well within what he can do. Marrying a woman you don't love in a combined marriage to expect the child who'll be born from it will fulfill your ambitions and not really bothering to raise it because that's a mother job, well, things are changing in Japan but none of the above is a crime. In a not so distant past it was actually the norm. Yet Enji apologizes even though normally a family head wouldn't.

Fifth it's a bit in the first point and in the second but it'll drag on through all the story, Enji won't reject Touya. He's the only one (except Fuyumi who however doesn't get to say much) who never calls him Dabi after the reveal, and he won't strike him out of the family register but will keep on considering him his son.

Look at the Tobitas instead and at how they kick their son out.

Don't think Hawks is cutting strings with his parents solely because they were abusive, the Tobitas show us how you should just cut strings with a criminal. Same as the Togas.

Have "Theseus no fune" in which a man accused to be a murderer, send a birthday gift to his son and watch the reaction of his wife.

They don't want to keep contact with a criminal. It's scary because they'll be mistreated if they are discovered to be related to him.

And, in this vein, the fact he wants to go see him, that he'll keep on seeing him till the end instead than turning his back on him, is seen as important. It's seen as him being his father.

To many of us it seems as if he's forcing his presence upon Touya. Actually, from a Japanese perspective he's instead not abandoning him like many others would.

And since Touya is dying, very likely the talking will be the talking that's done in a Buddhist culture when someone is dying. Death should occur in a calm and peaceful environment, with close friends and family in attendance. Together they should reflect on the good deeds the dying person has done throughout their life, in the hopes it will help them in their next reincarnation. Additionally, family and friends can perform good deeds on behalf of them, which they believe will be of merit to the deceased.

So, since Touya is dying he won't get a scolding like Chisaki, they'll all only tell him nice and soothing things so he'll die peacefully.

Now... in the west all this is absolutely way too little, and in some points even feels wrong. Dying together instead than insisting in trying to save him? Deciding unilaterally to show up every day? Not our thing...

We can totally say 'thanks, I hate it' because we grew up with Darth Vader who instead gave his life to SAVE his son. All this accepting that Touya instead is going to die so Enji can at best die with him or keep him company until he does... well, it's mostly not our cup of cultural tea.

In in Japan though, all Enji does is important. Enji is doing something for Touya as a father, something important many fathers wouln't do for their sons.

Does it would satisfy a Japanese audience? They'll get the message better than us... but things are changing and anyway it can still feel too little. "Death Note" is dated 2005/2006 and back in it Misa was already questioning the idea of a father killing his son and then killing himself. BNHA is more innovative as Enji doesn't think to kill Touya but he still goes for the 'let's die together' route... and Horikoshi subtly criticizes it by having the rest of the family decising they'll try to stop the fire before just giving up. They're willing to die, but not before trying.

Enji represents plenty of old theories after all, which Horikoshi acknowledges were moved out of wrong beliefs, not moved by mean intents... which, is possible, would still not be enough for Japanese readers either because among teenagers, the target audience, there's an increasing number of teen who, in Japan, are forced to leave home (the Toyoko Kids) and often ends up committing crimes to survive and the league seems to be based on all the kind of homeless people Japan has.

While for a kid at home with a loving family being told that your father will die with him if he messes up instead than just dumping him might be comforting... for a kid that was abused and forced to leave home this might feel not enough.

People want to be saved, being told it's too late to save them, might be a lesson for those who hadn't done anything wrong yet so that they won't do it, but it's surely not a hopeful message for who instead got himself into troubles.

But well, that's something for the Japanese audience to ponder.

There's also to point out that, even though the message is not hopeful, Horikoshi is seeing the homeless people and acknowledging they should be helped.

Japan in regard to the Toyoko kids is mostly like the old woman who pretended not to see Tenko but that, in the end, helps that new boy.

I think Horikoshi's message desperately wants to be hopeful even for them, that he wants BNHA be like Midoriya's final stand, something that will push people to acknowledge they exist and reach out to help them.

It just that... it gets lost in what I'll call the 'litteral translation'.

No one explains us how we should jusge the scenes and, since we lack the cultural background, to us they are perceived differently because to us things work differently.

And, personally, even when I think I figured out the author's intent and can see the positivity of it, the cultural filter is still too tick and the picture gets blurried.

It's like being beginner at speaking a foreign language and having to constantly translate it in your head. The message loses its natural beauty, get simplified and not fully grasped.

I think I understand how Enji's atonement work in regard to Touya... it still doesn't feel fulfilling to me. But enough about Touya.

'Now,' you might rightfully say, 'fine, I'll bite, let's assume what Enji has is an atonement arc for Touya. It doesn't work at all in the west but let's give it a pass. What about his other kids?'

Natsuo and Fuyumi's wishes are in conflict.

Fuyumi wants the five of them to be a family (at the time she doesn't know Touya is alive), Natsuo doesn't want to be part of a family with Enji.

Enji's solution is giving Fuyumi a house in which she can welcome her mother and live with Natsuo (and Shouto when he comes home), while he removes himself from the equation. The solution fulfills Natsuo's wish of not seeing Enji because it makes him feel bad. It only partly fulfil Fuyumi's wish because it'll allow her to have her mother back (Rei couldn't bear meeting Enji either) and to stay with her siblings... but Enji takes responsibility for it, he doesn't tell her it's due to Natsuo that he can't live with them, so, in theory, it won't be Natsuo the one who's stressed to be at home when Enji is there and the one who has to leave home because he can't stand the sight of Enji.

There are many things I can say on how this is not a good solution (it doesn't make Natsuo feel better, it just stops him from feeling worse), but there are two points to consider. The first is that Enji is getting old and it would be his children's duty, due to filial pity, to take care of him, instead he's basically giving them the means to leave and take his wife with them.

Actually, since Natsuo is now the oldest MALE, it should fall on him specifically. Yes, Enji always intended to have Shouto inherit his mantle but this doesn't free Natsuo from his duties. Instead Enji is letting all his children free.

Even with Shouto, he doesn't insist anymore for Shouto to learn Flashfire Fist as his heir but just as an intern.

I take this is big in Japan.

Here again, not so much, especially in the countries in the west that think kids should leave their parents' home as soon as possible and we don't think our children are obliged to inherit our mantles.

Note how the story implies that this was meant to be the end for the Natsuo/Enji arc.

Natsuo made clear he didn't want to meet Enji again, he does it solely because they've to stop Touya and, once they've stopped Touya, he makes clear he doesn't want to see him again.

If we want though, the fact he's leaving the family can be seen as a concession in a way.

Since apparently Rei wants to stay with Enji (and likely their old house was devasted because that's what happens to relative of criminals) Enji can now move with Fuyumi and Rei and Natsuo won't have to see him because he'll leave home... to make his own home.

As for Shouto... Horikoshi answered his request by basically showing him Enji being a father for Touya and then promising he would protect them from the fiery fallout, which Horikoshi doesn't show at all because it's another thing that's a given in Japanese culture, it'll be hell for Enji to protect them, but not for us.

Just to get an idea of the fiery fallout here are some images from "Theseus no fune" again showing you how bad is this sort of thing.

Back to Enji, Horikoshi gives us verbal confirmation that Enji is now being a father by being willing to do this, by having Natsuo, who never called him as such, calling him father for the first time.

For Horikoshi that's Enji being a father.

Again, we've no idea of which hell Enji will suffer because that's not part of our culture. I've posted above screencaps of "Theseus no fune", that's how the fallout should be so not pretty at all.

So the fact that Enji will try to protect them from it is, again, BIG.

So yeah, Enji did do BIG things to atone and keeps on doing them and if he'll ultimately get forgiven by Natsuo (the rest of his family wanted to forgive him way before he were to do something), that's up to Natsuo... Horikoshi likely left this as open ending because he wanted to let it up to readers so as not to make them feel they were forced to forgive Enji.

In the general hopeful theme of the manga and with Natsuo acknowledging him as a cool father I guess his idea is that Natsuo too will eventually forgive him because he's kind.

I don't want to say that Natsuo forgiving Enji would be a culture clash because there's people even here that forgive their horrible parents and that's valid. Forgiving is a personal choice and one has the right to make it even if said horrible parent did nothing to deserve it.

It's up to you.

But sure is, if again we take the story at face value and not in its cultural contest, we can't see what Enji does to atone, because for us is nothing big.

It's even made worse by how Horikoshi doesn't show at all the hell Enji will go through (as for him is a given) so for us IT DOESN'T EXIST. We see Enji as having it easy, talking big but not having to face anything at all.

Honestly though... I think this is a bit of a flaw of the manga as a whole.

Way too often it prefers to focus on the good than on the bad so that the bad gets sidelined to much to the point people forget it.

There were horrible Heroes who committed crimes and had no intention to repent or stop... and we never met them. Nagant killed them off but we never met them.

Mountain Lady, who became a Hero for money and fame, then sticks to the job even when it's bad. Desugoro, who left the job when it turned bad, then came back to help. Enji is on an atonement path and, anyway, on work he was always a good Hero.

In the same way Horikoshi prefers not to show Enji's hardship but focus on how he'll have the support of his sidekicks, driver and Hawks... partly also because it ties in so well with the general message of everyone reaching out.

The result is that the Midoriya plotline of everyone reaching out becomes more important of the Enji atonement arc and overshadows it.

Enji's atonement arc ends in 426, chap 430 doesn't feel the need to tell us if Enji is keeping up with it despite the hardship, nor how his family is doing. It feels the need to reassure us that people will reach out for him even if he's in hell, that even if he had to give up on his family, he now as a new found family.

It's thematically consistent with the theme of reaching out but... the fact it overwrites the atonement arc honestly FOR ME doesn't work so great.

I think it's an overall problem of the 'reaching out message'.

While in itself is beautiful... it saves nothing I was lead to care about.

In Enji's case I was interested in his atonement arc, in how he could help his kids. I wanted more of that, partly because his atonement arc is so far from my culture, partly because it touched characters I cared about, I wanted to be reassured he would keep on working on it and that his family would be well.

Yes, he should be in hell, but the story didn't really work hard on trying to make me worry for him as it established already a support network for him. The story made me worry for the kids, for Touya, who was dying, for Fuyumi, who wanted back her family and won't have it, for Natsuo, who's marrying an unknown character so young, for Shouto, who has to cope with the loss of the brother with whom he wanted to connect.

I don't really care Burnin, Onima, Kido and Hawks are willing to continue to protect Enji, to reach out to help him, I knew they would, I wanted to be reassured Enji's kids are safe, well and protected. I wanted to see ENJI reach out and help them.

In this vein I don't really care the old grandmother saved a nameless abused kid, or, at least, not as much as I cared for Tomura to be saved. It's nice she saved him, it's nice he gets to live the life Tomura was denied but honestly, he's a mob character with a super tragic backstory created deliberately to force us to emotionally connect to him.

The message he now will be saved is good, but my emotional investment to him is too little.

The same applies to Uraraka's Quirk counsueling program, we knew next to nothing about the Quirk consueling previous program beyond that it didn't work (a real problem in Japan as they have a school consueling program that didn't work... and changes are in progress) and that now it supposedly does.

To how Shouji now solves peacefully plenty of conflicts caused by Heteromorph discrimination, which Horikoshi tossed in later and never really showed how to solve (and, don't take me wrong, it's not solved even by Shouji, he just solves peacefully the conflicts, how is up to everyone's speculation).

Long story short, I think Horikoshi worked really hard for BNHA to have an optimist, hopeful message... but part of it goes lost in cultural differences and part of it goes lost in how the story didn't try to get me invested in the things it's now saving.

So yeah, I'm still sad for this little panel in chap 430

I guess I'll eventually get over it. Today though, it's not that day.

On a positive note... if we count the pages of all the chapters that should go in vol 42 they're only 132. The chapters that were meant to go into Vol 39 had 165 (which yes, Horikoshi further expanded once the volume was released).

So yeah, unless Vol 42 will be slimmer than usual or that he'll add to it some sidestory or extra story, it's possible we'll get more plot in terms of epilogue. We'll see.

(also yes, I'm not touching Rei in this post. Rei is another can of worm entirely and one, I fear, Horikoshi doesn't care about. The poor woman doesn't even get a profile while Ikoma Komari does. And really, I do think Rei is much more important than Ikoma Komari)

Last, but not least, since someone seems to get the wrong idea, in case it wasn't clear enough, I'm not Japanese. I research on this. Through books, through the net and yeah, since I like to read manga and anime also through them which I often use as a source of comparison because they're easy, accessible to many and represent the same kind of media BNHA is so they more or less move according to the same or similar rules. I might have messed up somewhere. I encourage you to also research on the topic and take everything with a grain or two of salt.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 428 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 中継で、AFOとの戦いを見て… ちゅうけいで、オール・フォー・ワンとのたたかいをみて… chuukei de, OORU FOO WAN to no tatakai wo mite... "On the live broadcast, watching the battle with All For One..."

2 私は体育祭から轟先輩が… わたしはたいいくさいからとどろきせんぱいが… watashi wa taiikusai kara Todoroki-senpai ga... "For me, ever since the sports festival Todoroki-senpai was..."

3 俺も…！指針になったんです！ おれも…！ししんになったんです！ ore mo...! shishin ni nattandesu! "Me too...! It became my compass!"

4 私も わたしも watashi mo "Me too."

5 僕も…！ ぼくも…！ boku mo...! "Me too...!"

tagline 1 新１年に囲まれて… しん１ねんにかこまれて… shin-1nen ni kakomarete... Surrounded by the new first years...

6 憧れるのはいいが彼らも人間だ集団で追い回されたら驚いてしまうよ！ あこがれるのはいいがかれらもにんげんだしゅうだんでおいまわされたらおどろいてしまうよ！ akogareru no wa ii ga karera mo ningen da shuudan de oimawasaretara odoroite shimau yo! "It's okay to admire them, but they are also humans, and if they're chased by a big group it will take them by surprise!"

7 一人一人となら話せるんだが ひとりひとりとならはなせるんだが hitori hitori nara hanaserunda ga "But I can talk to you if it's one by one."

8 轟くんが対話をほっぽり出すなんて余程だ とどろきくんがたいわをほっぽりだすなんてよほどだ Todoroki-kun ga taiwa wo hopporidasu nante yohodo da "Todoroki-kun throwing out conversation would be reasonable."

9 廊下を走ってたぜ廊下をよォ‼︎委員長‼︎ ろうかをはしってたぜろうかをよォ‼︎いいんちょう‼︎ rouka wo hasshiteta ze rouka wo yoO!! iinchou!! "They were running in the hallway! In the hallway!! Class rep!!"

10 うむ規律は守らねばならない！ うむきりつはまもらねばならない！ umu kiritsu wa mamoraneba naranai! "Hmm, you must abide by the rules!"

tagline 2 No.428　笑顔が好きな女の子　堀越耕平 ナンバー428　えがおがすきなおんなのこ　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 428 egao no suki na onna no ko  Horikoshi Kouhei No. 428 The Girl Who Loves Smiles Kouhei Horikoshi

11 後遺症もある！安静にさせてやってくれ！ こういしょうもある！あんせいにさせてやってくれ！ kouishou mo aru! ansei ni sasete yatte kure! "There's also the aftereffects! Please do them the favor of letting them rest!" (Note: I assume by aftereffects Iida means the trauma but who knows, maybe he means Katsuki's medical condition. Yes this line is updated.)

12 ご…ごめんなさいなんてことを！… go...gomen nasai nante koto wo! ... "I'm...so sorry, for such a thing! ..."

13 お見かけしてつい…‼︎ おみかけしてつい…‼︎ omikake shite tsui...!! "It's just we happened to see them...!!"

14 爆豪ってワーキャーされるの好きだと思ってたけど ばくごうってワーキャーされるのすきだとおもってたけど Bakugou tte WAAKYAA saseru no suki da to omotteta kedo "But I thought Bakugou liked being oohed and aahed over."

15 数が多過ぎてさすがに困惑してるな かずがおおすぎてさすがにこんわくしてるな kazu ga oo sugite sasuga ni konwaku shiteru na "There are too many of them, anyone would be flustered."

1 いいなァ‼︎ ii naA!! "Seems nice!!"

2 昔からかっちゃんわりと女性に距離置かれてたから慣れてないのかも むかしからかっちゃんわりとじょせいにきょうおかれてたからなれてないのかも mukashi kara Kacchan wari to josei ni kyou okareteta kara naretenai no kamo "For a long time, Kacchan was relatively kept at a distance by girls, so maybe he's not used to it."

small text 僕幼なじみなんだ ぼくおさななじみなんだ boku osananajimi nanda "I'm his childhood friend, [that's why I know.]"

3 へー意外 へーいがい HEE igai "Eh? That's unexpected."

4 意外じゃねェだろクソが いがいじゃねェだろクソが igai ja neE daro KUSO ga "It's not unexpected, damnit."

5 活躍は認めるが… かつやくはみとめるが… katsuyaku wa mitomeru ga... "I acknowledge his service contributions, but..."

6 ヤンキーがモテるのは認められん ヤンキーがモテるのはみとめられん YANKII ga MOTEru no wa mitomeraren "I can't acknowledge that a Yankee* is popular." (*Note: "Yankee" in this context refers to a type of delinquent subculture that Katsuki's character directly takes after.)

7 とっとと去ねや‼︎ とっとといねや‼︎ tottoto ine ya!! "Hurry up and leave!!"

8 ひ！本当に失礼しました！ ひ！ほんとうにしつれいしました！ hi! hontou ni shitsurei shimashita! "Eek! We're really sorry*!" (*Note: Literally, this phrase means "We were really rude.")

9 確かに意外じゃなかった たしかにいがいじゃなかった tashika ni igai ja nakatta "That was certainly not unexpected."

10 あ！あの！ a! ano! "Ah! Um!"

11 緑谷先輩‼︎ みどりやせんぱい‼︎ Midoriya-senpai!! "Midoriya-senpai!!"

12 あの！ ano! "Um!"

13-14 見てました みてました mitemashita "I was watching you."

15 マジで勇気もらいました！ マジでゆうきもらいました！ MAJI de yuuki moraimashita! "It really gave me courage!"

16 自分もなんかしなきゃ！って じぶんもなんかしなきゃ！って jibun mo nanka shinakya! tte "[I thought] I have to do something, too!"

17 ほんと…！思ったんです！ ほんと…！おもったんです！ honto...! omottandesu! "Really...! That's what I thought!"

18 あの… ano... "Um..."

19 ありがとうございました！ arigatou gozaimashita! "Thank you very much!"

20 失礼します！ しつれいします！ shitsurei shimasu! "I'll take my leave now*!" (*Note: This phrase means a lot of things. Again, it literally means "I will be rude," but in this case it's something someone says before taking their leave.)

1 えと…いやあ… eto...iyaa... "Uh...thanks..."

2 ……��の痛みはーーー… ……このいたみはーーー… ......kono itami wa---... ......This pain---...

3 緑谷と轟はいい…‼︎ みどりやととどろきはいい…‼︎ Midoriya to Todoroki wa ii...!! "It's fine for Midoriya and Todoroki...!!"

4 オイラはヤンキーがモテる事を認められない オイラはヤンキーがモテることをみとめられない OIRA wa YANKII ga MOTEru koto wo mitomerarenai "I can't accept that a Yankee is popular."

5 魂がそうなっている たましいがそうなっている tamashii ga sou natte iru "That's what's happening in my soul."

6 まア maA "Well,"

7 戦いがでかすぎたよ たたかいがでかすぎたよ tatakai ga deka sugita yo "the battle was too big."

8 んでその中心にいたんだ んでそのちゅうしんにいたんだ nde sono chuushin ni itanda "They were at the heart of it all."

9 無��ねえよ むりねえよ muri nee yo "It was impossible."

10 (sound effect) ズキン… ZUKIN... Throb... (Note: This sound can indicate the throbbing or stinging of a physical or mental pain.)

1 職員室 しょくいんしつ shokuin-shitsu Staff Room

2 また２ーA取材交渉 また２ーエーしゅざいこうしょう mata 2-EE shuzai koushou "Again with the 2-A interview negotiations."

3 Noで ノーで NOO de "Give them a no."

4 受ケタイ奴モイルンジャナイカ？ うケタイやつモイルンジャナイカ？ uKETAI yatsu MO IRUNJA NAI KA? "Isn't there someone who wants to take it?"

5 峰田トカ みねたトカ Mineta TOKA "Such as Mineta."

6 そうじゃない奴もいるんで そうじゃないやつもいるんで sou ja nai yatsu mo irunde "There are also some who aren't like that."

7 そっち優先です そっちゆうせんです socchi yuusen desu "They are the priority."

8 じゃ　今日はここの復旧再建だ じゃ　きょうはここのふっきゅうさいけんだ ja kyou wa koko no fukkyuu saiken da "So, today the restoration and reconstruction will be here."

9 お！A組やないか！ お！エーぐみやないか！ o! EE-gumi ya nai ka! "Oh! If it isn't Class A!"

1 ファット‼︎お願いします‼︎ ファット‼︎おねがいします‼︎ FATTO!! onegai shimasu!! "Fat!! Please [have us]*!!" (*Note: This is a standard greeting that translates literally to "please do me this favor" that is used when someone is about to work together with someone else on something, sort of like "If you please" in English.)

2 おうよ ou yo "Sure!"

3 サンイーターももうサイドキックやっとるで！ SANIITAA mo mou SAIDOKIKKU yattoru de! "I also hired Suneater as a sidekick!"

4 君らはあっちを きみらはあっちを kimira wa acchi wo "You all [will handle] over there."

5 金属類はこちらへ きんぞくるいはこちらへ kinzoku-rui wa kochira e "Put various metals here."

6 っし！ sshi! "Okay!"

7 まず聖地だ まずせいちだ mazu seichi da "First, the holy site."

8 ん！ n! "Yeah!"

9 相当なダメージデニムだろ そうとうなダメージデニムだろ soutou na DAMEEJI DENIMU daro "Aren't you equivalent to distressed denim?"

10 おとなしく休んでいればいいものを…まったく おとなしくやすんでいればいいものを…まったく otonashiku yasunde ireba ii mono wo...mattaku "It's okay if you just rest quietly...jeez."

11 軽作業かっちゃん けいさぎょうかっちゃん keisagyou Kacchan Light-duty work Kacchan

12 やっぱそのままなんスか yappa sono mama nanSU ka "So you really are still in that state, huh."

13 気にするな徐々に回復している きにするなじょじょにかいふくしている ki ni suruna jojo ni kaifuku shite iru "Don't worry, I'm gradually recovering."

small text 手ができた てができた te ga dekita "I can make hands."

1 元には…戻るんスか？ もとには…もどるんスか？ moto ni wa...modorunSU ka? "Will you...go back to the way you were?"

2 俺は元より全部獲りに行ったつもりだ！ おれはもとよりぜんぶとりにいったつもりだ！ ore wa moto yori zenbu tori ni itta tsumori da! "I plan to attain something greater than what I was originally!"

3 おーい君たち おーいきみたち ooi kimi-tachi "Hey, all of you!"

4 これお昼 これおひる kore ohiru "Here's lunch."

5 うわぁーおにぎり‼︎ uwaaa onigiri!! "Wow, onigiri!!"

6 いいんですか!⁉︎ iindesu ka!!? "Is it [really] all right!!?" (Note: This is an expression of politeness, like "Is it really okay for us to eat this?")

1 ウチの土地は今回の戦いでふっとんじゃまったがーーーーー ウチのとちはこんかいのたたかいでふっとんじゃまったがーーーーー UCHI no tochi wa konkai no tatakai de futtonja matta ga----- "Our land was was all of a sudden done in by the battle this time-----"

2 全部取り戻します ぜんぶとりもどします zenbu torimodoshimasu We'll bring it all back.

3 ごめんなさい gomen nasai "I'm sorry."

4 いや！責めるつもりで言ったんじゃねぇワリィ いや！せめるつもりでいったんじゃねぇワリィ iya! semeru tsumori de ittanja nee WARII "Oh no! I didn't say that with the intention of blaming you. My bad."

5 君たちの頑張ってる姿を見たら俺たちもクヨクヨしてらんねーって思ったんだ きみたちのがんばってるすがたをみたらおれたちもクヨクヨしてらんねーっておもったんだ kimi-tachi no ganbatteru sugata wo mitara ore-tachi mo KUYOKUYO shiterun nee tte omottanda "When we saw how you all were doing your best, we also thought 'We can't mope.'"

6 任せっきりじゃなく自分たちでまたいくらでもつくりなおすさ まかせっきりじゃなくじぶんたちでまたいくらでもつくりなおすさ makasekkiri ja naku jibun-tachi de mata ikura demo tsukurinaosu sa "We can't leave everything to you forever. We'll rebuild however many times it takes."

7 いやあこんな飯まで戴いたんだ いやあこんなめしまでいただいたんだ iyaa konna meshi made itadaitanda "Wow, and we got all this food!"

8 今日中に片そうぜ‼︎ きょうじゅうにかたそうぜ‼︎ kyou-juu ni katasou ze!! "Let's clean up everything today!!"

9 それはさすがに人手が足りんわ それはさすがにひとでがたりんわ sore wa sasuga ni hitode ga tarin wa "That's because we don't have enough helping hands."

10 ん？ n? "Hm?"

11 何だァ予定にないハズだ なんだァよていにないハズだ nandaA yotei ni nai HAZU da "What's this? This definitely wasn't the plan."

12 すみませんイレイザーヘッド sumimasen IREIZAA HEDDO "Sorry, Eraser Head."

1 ウチのがどうしてもお詫びをと ウチのがどうしてもおわびをと UCHI no ga doushitemo owabi wo to "My [class] really wants to apologize..."

2 先程は失礼致しました さきほどはしつれいいたしました saki hodo wa shitsurei itashimashita "We apologize for our rudeness earlier."

3 皆さんの事情も配慮せず みなさんのじじょうもはいりょせず mina-san no jijou mo hairyo sezu "We didn't even consider everyone's circumstances."

4 マジですげえな一年…‼︎ マジですげえないちねん…‼︎ MAJI de sugee na ichinen...!! "The first years are really amazing...!!"

5 なんでつれてきた nande tsurete kita "Why did you bring them?"

6 詫び圧が凄くて わびあつがすごくて wabiatsu ga sugokute "The pressure to apologize was immense."

7 皆の為に戦った先輩たちのように みんなのためにたたかったせんぱいたちのように minna no tame ni tatakatta senpai-tachi no you ni "Like our upperclassmen* who fought for everyone's sakes," (*Note: It's "senpai.")

8 俺たちも先輩たちの力になりたい‼︎ おれたちもせんぱいたちのちからになりたい‼︎ ore-tachi mo senpai-tachi no chikara ni naritai!! "we also want to be helpful to our upperclassmen*!!" (*Note: Still "senpai.")

9 仮免どころか入学間もないですが かりめんどころかにゅうがくまもないですが karimen dokoro ka nyuugaku-ma mo nai desu ga "We haven't been inducted into school* let alone received our provisional licenses yet." (*Note: In Japan there is a concept of "entering school" called nyuugaku which is basically the opposite of graduation. It's an induction or welcoming ceremony.)

10 やれる事やらせて下さい‼︎ やれることやらせてください‼︎ yareru koto yarasete kudasai!! "Please let us do what we can!!"

11 ２年生の邪魔になるから隅で軽作業ね ２ねんせいのじゃまになるからすみでけいさぎょうね 2nensei no jama ni naru kara sumi de keisagyou ne "So that you don't become disturbances for the second-years, please do light-duty work in the corner."

12 ハイ‼︎ HAI!! "Yessir!!"

13 後輩ってこんな未知の生物だっけ こうはいってこんなみちのせいぶつだっけ kouhai tte konna michi no seibutsu dakke "The underclassmen are such unknown creatures." (*Note: This word is "kouhai.")

14 飯こんなに用意してないんだけど めしこんなによういしてないんだけど meshi konna ni youi shite nainda kedo "We didn't prepare food for this many though."

15 食べてきました！ たべてきました！ tabete kimashita! "We ate and then came [here]!"

1 なんかよくわからんが……… nan ka yoku wakaran ga......... "I don't really understand, but........."

2 こんな感じで頑張りが数珠つなぎになっていくんだな こんなかんじでがんばりがじゅずつなぎになっていくんだな konna kanji de ganbari ga juzu tsunagi ni natte ikunda na "it's like this that hard work links people together*, huh." (*Note: This idiom literally reads as, "string together like rosary beads.")

3 ……お茶子ちゃん… ……おちゃこちゃん… ......Ochako-chan... "......Ochako-chan..."

4 うんーー un-- "Yeah--"

5 …少しずつだけど …すこしずつだけど ...sukoshi zutsu dakedo "...It's little by little, but"

6 前向きになってるようで まえむきになってるようで maemuki ni natteru you de "looks like things are looking forward."

7 良かったなって よかったなって yokatta natte "That makes me glad."

1 そんだけ！ son dake! "That's all!"

2 ごめんね！梅雨ちゃんデクくん何食べてる？ ごめんね！つゆちゃんデクくんなにたべてる？ gomen ne! Tsuyu-chan DEKU-kun nani tabeteru? "Sorry! Tsuyu-chan, Deku-kun, what are you eating?"

3 高菜⁉︎ 私も高菜がいい たかな⁉︎ わたしもたかながいい takana!? watashi mo takana ga ii "Takana*? I also like takana." (*Note: Takana is a type of Japanese mustard greens vegetable.)

4 高菜と梅干しこそ至高‼︎ たかなとうめぼしこそしこう‼︎ takana to umeboshi koso shikou!! "Takana and umeboshi* especially are supreme!!" (*Note: A pickled plum condiment.)

small text おめぐみや omegumi ya "Such a blessing."

5 (sound effect) ズキン… ZUKIN... Throb...

1 PM 7:00 ピーエム7:00 PIIEMU 7:00 7:00PM

2 寮制は緩和され りょうせいはかんわされ ryousei wa kanwa sare The dormitory system was relaxed.

3 自宅へ帰る事も選べるようになった じたくへかえることもえらべるようになった jitaku e kaeru koto mo eraberu you ni natta Now we can choose to return home, too.

4 麗日一旦家帰るって うららかいったんいえかえるって Uraraka ittan ie kaeru tte Uraraka said she'd go home for the moment.

5 お茶子ちゃん… おちゃこちゃん… Ochako-chan... "Ochako-chan..."

6 既読がつかないの きどくがつかないの kidoku ga tsukanai no "It won't show that she read [my text.]"

1 ああ!!!くそお!!! aa!!! kusoo!!! "Ahh!!! Shit!!!"

2 何⁉︎ なに⁉︎ nani!? "What!?"

3 しくった！ shikutta! "It screwed up!"

4 急にヘリ出せなんて言うから…‼︎ きゅうにヘリだせなんていうから…‼︎ kyuu ni HERI dase nante iu kara...!! "It's because they suddenly told me to go out on a helicopter...!!"

5 カメラのバッテリーが KAMERA no BATTERII ga "The camera battery"

6 切れた‼︎ きれた‼︎ kireta!! "died!!"

7 あの日 あのひ ano hi That day

8 私たちの結末は わたしたちのけつまつは watashi-tachi no ketsumatsu wa our conclusion

9 カメラには映らなかった カメラにはうつらなかった KAMERA ni wa utsuranakatta wasn't shown on camera.

1 もう街並みが元通りだ もうまちなみがもとどおりだ mou machinami ga motodoori da The cityscape is already back to normal.

2 少しずつだけど前向きになってるようで すこしずつだけどまえむきになってるようで sukoshi zutsu dakedo maemuki ni natteru you de It seems like things are moving forward little by little.

3 良かったなって よかったなって yokatta natte That makes me glad.

4 事態が良くならないあの日からまるで日が沈むにつれて影が伸びていくような じたいがよくならないあのひからまるでひがしずむにつれてかげがのびていくような jitai ga yoku naranai ano hi kara maru de hi ga shizumu ni tsurete kage ga nobite iku you na Ever since that day when the situation didn't get better, it seems like, as the sun sets, the shadows go and grow longer.

5 これまでと違って本当に終わったんだ これまでとちがってほんとうにおわったんだ kore made to chigatte hontou ni owattanda Unlike before, now it's really over.

6 決着がついた けっちゃくがついた kecchaku ga tsuita The conclusion has arrived.

7 良かったんだ よかったんだ yokattanda It was good.

8 明るく前向きに取り戻していく時だもん あかるくまえむきにとりもどしていくときだもん akaruku maemuki ni torimodoshite iku toki da mon It's time to get back to being bright and positive*. (*Note: The grammar pattern here notes a sense of disatisfaction with what was said, like "but I don't like this.")

9 私は皆が笑ってるのが好き わたしはみんながわらってるのがすき watashi wa minna ga waratteru no ga suki I love when everyone smiles.

10 水を差したくない みずをさしたくない mizu wo sashitakunai I don't want to put a damper on things.

1 だから dakara That's why

2-3 ずうっと痛むこの傷もしまっておくんだ ずうっといたむこのきずもしまっておくんだ zuutto itamu kono kizu mo I'll put away even this wound that hurts all the time.

4 うぐっ ugu "Ngh."

1 うぅ uu "Uu" (Note: These are sound effects for grunting and sobbing.)

2 うぐ… ugu... "ngh..."

3 麗日さん うららかさん Uraraka-san "Uraraka-san."

tagline 少女が秘めた想いデクはーー… しょうじょがひめたおもいデクはーー… shoujo ga himeta omoi DEKU wa--... The girl's hidden feelings, and as for Deku--...

[benkyoutobentou]

LGBTQ+ Japanese Media for Pride Month

Happy pride month! There's no better time to read and watch queer media than June. I tend to read and watch mostly queer content, so I thought I'd drop some things that I've enjoyed over the years for those looking for something that they maybe haven't picked up before. Since lots of Japanese media tends to have multiple versions and adaptations, I'll be organizing this by representation rather than type of media. The version(s) that I've personally seen or read will be bolded. This will also be a little bit different from my usual Japanese media recommendation posts, as I will also be including media that I've read in English or watched with English subtitles. This is also an invitation for anyone to recommend things to me, especially ones that have LGBT rep outside of just gay and lesbian characters. I'm always looking for more stuff to enjoy!

MLM

同級生/Classmates (manga/anime movie): Two seemingly opposite boys meet during the choir festival at their all boys' school and develop a relationship. How could this not be the very first thing I recommend? This is one of my all time favorite BL series and one of my favorite movies as well. Seriously, I watch this at least three times per year (once being during June!). Nakamura Asumiko is one of my favorite manga artists, and this won't be the last series of hers on this list.

ひだまりが聴こえる/I Hear the Sunspot (manga/movie): This follows a college student who agrees to become the designated note taker for a deaf classmate. I love this series and one of my favorite things about it is how much the romance takes a backseat to other things happening in the characters lives. It also has a large cast of deaf characters! If you're looking for something with representation outside of only LGBT and doesn't focus too much on romance, this is a really great choice.

30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい/Cherry Magic! 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard (manga/drama/anime): After waking up on his thirtieth birthday, a businessman discovers that he has gained the ability to read minds. And with that, he discovers that his male coworker has a crush on him. For such a zany concept, this series is very cute and sweet. It's also always nice to see something that follows older characters (ie. not high school or college).

美しい彼/My Beautiful Man (novel/drama/manga): This follows a social outcast who ends up falling in love with a boy in the friend group of his high school bullies. This isn't a sweet and heartwarming romance at all, but it's also not pure toxicity. The drama is extremely bingeable and the author is a juggernaut in the BL light novel community for a reason.

消えた初恋/My Love Mix Up (manga/drama): Due to an eraser mishap, a boy admits to having feelings for another boy in order to save his actual crush from embarrassment. This series is The Blueprint for me in terms of romcoms. It does everything right for me and the characters especially stand out. It covers topics from discovering your identity and first love to dealing with homophobia and it does it all spectacularly. I also think that the manga does visual humor extremely well.

スリーピングデッド/Sleeping Dead (manga): After being stabbed to death on a routine patrol, a popular high school teacher wakes up on a metal table. I have no words [words]. This is definitely up there in my favorites, I love it so much. If you like queer horror, this is definitely one you need to pick up. I also found it very funny and the characters were extremely charming.

僕らの地球の歩き方/Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide (manga): A couple decides to travel the world together, promising that they'll get married upon their return to Japan. Probably my all time favorite manga ever. I love every single thing about this, especially how much this series loves the queer community. This manga is overflowing with love in all ways, and I'm overflowing with love for this manga.

きのう何食べた？/What Did You Eat Yesterday? (manga/drama): This series is basically just snippets of a gay man's daily life. He likes to cook. And you know what? It's all the better for it. This series is award winning and such a great time. The main character is so relatable and it covers some great LGBT+ topics. Honestly, it's a crime that I haven't seen the drama yet.

WLW

独り舞/Solo Dance (novel): After a violent encounter, a Taiwanese woman makes the choice to move to Japan. When reading this, I saw it mention Qiu Miaojin's Notes of a Crocodile, which I had just bought, and now that I've finally read it, I can easily see the influences that Qiu's works had on this one. This is a tough book to get through emotionally, but ultimately a worthwhile read, especially if you're looking for something more on the literary side.

ささやくように恋を唄う/Whisper Me a Love Song (manga/anime): A girl confesses to an upperclassman that she loves her music, but the upperclassman misunderstands it as a true confession of love. I adore this series and the relationships in it. It has a huge cast of female characters and also has a driving plot outside of just the romance. I'm a sucker for series about music and this one is one of my favorites.

あさがおと加瀬さん/Kase San and Morning Glories (manga/anime movie): A shy gardener and a popular track star become friends and begin dating. This series is so cute! It feels like a GL staple to me and is one I've been following for practically as long as I've been reading manga in Japanese. It also has a sequel series called 山田と加瀬さん/Yamada and Kase San which follows the two of them after high school.

メジロバナの咲く/A White Rose in Bloom (manga): After not being able to go home for Christmas, a girl is stuck in her boarding school with one other student, who seems to not like her. This is another one by Nakamura Asumiko and there's something about her writing which always sucks me in. I can't get enough of this series, it has wonderful vibes, impeccable art, and I just want more and more of the characters.

欠けた月とドーナッツ/Donuts Under a Crescent Moon (manga): This series is a slice of life following two coworkers and their growing relationship. It's very slow burn and puts a lot more emphasis on the feelings of coming into and realizing your sexuality as an adult and dealing with compulsory heterosexuality. I really loved this series and how it focused on issues surrounding but not directly related to the central romance.

気になってる人が男じゃなかった/The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All (manga): A girl develops a crush on a worker at a music store after bonding over their shared love of music. Little does she know, he's actually the girl who sits next to her in class. This manga has taken the world by storm to the point of having a collaboration with Nirvana, and let me tell you it deserves every bit of hype you've heard about it. The art and characters are both stunning and is absolutely worth the read.

ハロー、メランコリック！/Hello, Melancholic! (manga): A talented trombonist enters a high school without a wind band, but is scouted anyway by a drummer looking for a new member to join her combo band. This is another one where the romance takes a backseat to other stuff in the plot, can you tell that I love that sort of thing? I also really loved the ways they talked about music in here, and I could definitely relate to it as a musician myself. Apparently, all the chapter titles are songs as well.

さよならローズガーデン/Goodbye, My Rose Garden (manga): A young woman moves from Japan to England to find her favorite author and is hired on as a maid. Her boss agrees to help her find this author so long as she agrees to help her with a grisly task. This is another really lovely series with gorgeous art. Set in the Victorian era, this does have some time period appropriate homophobia but overall it didn't strike me as a very dark manga.

Transgender

彼らが本気で編むときは、/Close Knit (movie): A young girl goes to live with her uncle and his transgender girlfriend. This movie is so sweet and cute! I watched it a couple years back now, but I feel like a lot of specific scenes have stuck with me. This is definitely a good heartwarming Pride month movie night candidate.

不可解なぼくのすべてを/Love Me For Who I Am (manga): A nonbinary teen is offered a job at a crossdressing cafe run by a classmate's family. Although this series has a cast with multiple LGBT identities, I chose to include it here because the main theme seems to revolve around gender. I do recommend this series if you're looking for a cute and sweet story about gender issues, but I did have some hesitations about the way lesbians are portrayed in this manga.

ボーイミーツマリア/Boy Meets Maria (manga): A boy who dreams of being an actor falls in love at first sight with a girl he sees dancing in his high school entrance ceremony, only to later find that she is actually a boy in his class. I feel like I always need to preface any recommendation for this manga by saying that a lot of people took issue with the way certain things and tropes are handled in this regarding being transgender. I personally didn't find it transphobic but I'm also just one person and can't speak for every nonbinary person out there. Regardless, I really enjoyed this. Be aware of trigger warnings when going into this one, it gets extremely graphic.

ボーイズ・ラン・ザ・ライオット/Boys Run the Riot (manga): Two high school boys bond over their shared love of fashion and start a brand together. I read this one a while back and never ended up finishing it but I do remember enjoying what I read! It's also by a transgender mangaka!

放浪息子/Wandering Son (manga/anime): This is a slice of life coming of age series that follows a middle school friend group revolving around two transgender friends. It's more of a slow paced series and a little bit on the more depressing side. The anime is also award winning and the manga was nominated!

星合の空/Stars Align (anime): This is a sports anime about a middle school boys' soft tennis team. I always hesitate to recommend this one because it was greenlit for a twenty four episode anime then cut down to twelve episodes during production. Rather than condense the story, the creator chose to animate only the first half of the series, so it's perpetually unfinished. Despite that, I still think it was a really wonderful anime and I would really love to see the rest of it one day because so much good stuff was set up!

Other/Multiple

しまなみ誰そ彼/Our Dreams at Dusk (manga): A gay teen is about to commit suicide after being outed to his classmates but sees a mysterious person jump from a balcony, which then leads him to a drop in center for LGBT people. I cannot say enough good things about this manga, it is phenomenal and is always my go-to for anyone looking for queer manga. It's heartfelt and beautiful and written by another one of my favorite mangaka, Kamatani Yuhki, who also happens to be X gender!

ヒラエスは旅路の果て/Hiraeth: The End of the Journey (manga): After the death of her best friend, a young girl decides to join a forgotten god and an immortal man on their journey to find death. Another Kamatani manga! This manga deals more with grief and mortality rather than queer identities, but if you want something with casually queer characters, this one is worth picking up. Also, this is one of only two manga to ever make me cry, and boy did I ugly cry at this one.

恋せぬふたり/Two People Who Can't Fall in Love (drama): Though I haven't watched this one, it's been on my radar for quite a while and I've heard so many good things. It's also harder to find series that have explicit aroace representation. This is about a woman who feels ostracized by her lack of romantic interest in anyone around her until she finds a blog about asexuality.

わたしは壁になりたい/I Want to Be a Wall (manga): This series is a marriage of convenience plot between an asexual BL fangirl and a gay man who never got over his childhood crush. I loved the relationship between the two characters and the depiction of a nontraditional family that still has love within it, even if it's not romantic.

Bonus- Music

I'm not one to look much in to the person behind the music, so I often don't know much about band members or singers of the music I listen to. However, there are two wonderful transgender artists that I listen to regularly in Japanese and couldn't pass up the opportunity to share their works with the world! Nakamura Ataru is a pop singer who also takes inspiration from traditional Japanese music. I love her enka styled songs such as 廃墟の森! The other artist is a bit more popular, and that's the rock band QUEEN BEE, whose lead singer is the incredibly talented Avu Chan. Avu Chan also voiced Inu Oh in one of my favorite movies, Inu Oh, which isn't (explicitly) queer, but is definitely worth watching anyways, even if just to hear Avu Chan's insane vocal abilities.

And so, those are (just a few) of my recommendations for Japanese queer reads to celebrate Pride month! If you have any recommendations for me, regardless of whether it's a movie or novel or manga or other, I would love to hear them!

[ventismacchiato]

23 behind the lens — and there’s only one bed !

scaramouche x g!n reader

notes; translations for the japanese will be at the bottom of this chapter!

Since Kuni insisted he carried your bags you took the key card from him and attempted to unlock the door to your hotel room. Instead you were met with the dreaded red light on the scanner.

“Did Jean give us the wrong one?” Kuni asks as you try swiping it again.

“No, the number matches the door. I think I’m just doing it wrong,” you frown.

He sets your bags down and comes up behind you, one hand on your waist and the other on your hand holding the key card. His palm felt cold on yours.

“Let me try,” he murmurs into your ear as he glides the card through the scanner. It turns green.

“Oh,” you lamely let out as he gently pushes you into the room.

You take in your surroundings, slightly surprised at how nicely Jean had set you up. The stream of light sneaking through the curtains with the candle lit in the corner made for a romantic atmosphere. And the sight of the bed looking so inviting made your eyelids feel heavy.

“Are you tired?” Kuni asks, locking the door behind you both.

“A little,” you hum. But you had just landed in Paris, you’d feel bad if you didn’t go out to explore.

“Rest then, we can go out tomorrow,” Kuni says, as if he’s read your mind, “I have to go check in with my manager, will you be okay alone for a while?”

“Yeah,” you nod, watching as he gave your shoulder a soft pat and left the room.

Once he was gone you flipped open your suitcase for something more comfortable and less sweat-drenched from the flight to change into. It was an odd feeling, sharing a room with someone you liked. It made your stomach feel all tingly for the upcoming nights.

You climbed atop the bed, taking a quick picture to send to the Celestia group chat to let them know you’re alive, before sliding underneath the sheets. You didn’t want to fall asleep but with the way the sun was setting on your face and how the mattress sunk beneath you, drifting off was inevitable.

An hour or two later you were in a haze as you heard distant footsteps in your room and a cold hand touched your forehead. The comforter shifted and the mattress beside you sunk as you instinctively turned to face the cause of the weight.

「 kuni’s pov 」

“Hey,” Kuni greeted, his voice low as he gently tapped your cheek. There was no reply as you had passed out from exhaustion.

He peeled back the comforter to join you in bed, trying his best to not cause too much commotion. He settled beside you, turning on his side to face you.

“あなたは私の隣のベッドでとてもきれいに見えます,” Kuni whispers, watching the rise and fall of your chest.

He’s never been able to look directly at you on dates, either due to his nerves or from yours. He never was great at eye contact. But with your defenses down and you being in a weak state, he could finally look at you and take you in. Memorizing every detail you tried to cover up.

“私は嬉しい私はあなたに会った,” he hums, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. You groggily open your eyes for a second, slowly blinking before falling back asleep. You unconsciously shuffle closer and throw an arm around his waist. His heart skips a beat.

“私は嬉しいあなたはこれを読むことができません,” he adds, feeling embarrassed for his words, “おやすみ.”

behind the lens !

masterlist — prev | next

scara is trilingual in this 😴 english, japanese, and french! bro can seduce you in all three

satanic__000 on tiktok as scara

just realized i used the wrong kazuha and venti account in the parent trap gc pleek ignore that!

translations:

(1) あなたは私の隣のベッドでとてもきれいに見えます = you look very pretty in bed beside me

(2) 私は嬉しい私はあなたに会った = i’m glad i met you

(3) 私は嬉しいあなたはこれを読むことができません = i’m glad you don’t know what i am saying

(4) おやすみ = good night

author’s notes — shoutout to my pookie bear amy for helping me translate the japanese for me 🥺 ty!!

synopsis — you, better known as STARDUST, and BALLADEER have always been in competition for the top streamer spot on twitch, which is especially impressive since the two of you have never shown your faces. you’ve never been on good terms, constantly one-upping each other in matches and getting into petty arguments on twitter, causing your fans to also dislike each other. that’s until BALLADEER does a face reveal that breaks the internet with his good looks…which makes you realize it’s the same guy you went on a date with last night. the type of date that made you crave to see him again. the only problem was he didn’t know you were STARDUST and he was way different behind the lens than he portrayed himself online to you. should you keep your identity a secret to salvage the relationship or just let him go?

taglist is closed — @captainzep @elysiumarchieve @plinkuro @sakkakuu-squared @eliqusgenma @vuvulia @kunikuzushiit @heehooyeslol @stxrgxzxr @lilneps @uma-umie @goubaia @mitsukifilms @caesars-bubbles @wheneverthesunrise @its-like-twilight @kazuhalvrr @erosdevil @thenightsflower @p1utto @noodleshark420 @lxry-chxn @orbitscara @court-jester-stuff @lauragalliart @veyu002 @kaeyas-eyepatch-69 @leathernourishingshoepolish @satowaluverr @lexlapis @drunkwithfever @exhaustedcommunist @vincanzu @ainlaw @ovaliz @kitsuvil @whatamidoing89 @celestair @kunihaver @kazioli @xiaosoneandonly @cridtiins @cherrybeomgyu @asukahiriko @moon-320 @orionicchaos [1/3]

[yuurei20]

Will you write an in depth detail or summary of the midorikawa talk show?

Hello hello! Thank you for this request! Certainly!

They discussed the chapters one by one from 7-1 to 7-7 (and a little mention of 7-8), but this blog pretends that content not released on EN does not exist 💦 So here is the topics from the video from the beginning through 7-4! ^^

An interesting revelation was that it seems the VAs have actually been told very little about the direction of the story 👀 Midorikawa says multiple times that he'd had no idea that this is where Book 7 was going!

*Note: everything outside of quotation marks is only paraphrased from the conversations between Kato Kazuki (Malleus) and Midorikawa Hikaru (Lilia) and is not literal quotes.

Opening

・They compared guest rooms. ・Kato’s has a kitchen area and living rooms, a mix of various dorms and holiday furniture. ・The 1st floor of Midorikawa's guest room is Ignihyde themed, and the 2nd floor is Diasomnia themed. He is proud of having all their tsums. ・Kato says he will update his room for when they meet next time. Midorikawa says he’ll be reminding him.

7-1

・Everyone was surprised by Lilia’s announcement that he will be leaving the school.

・緑川：「皆、先の話知らないから、誰も。『え？出なくなんの？』俺、別事件で動揺していたからな」 (Midorikawa: “No one knows how the story will go.  So I was upset for a different reason than everybody else: ‘I’m not going to be in the game anymore?’”)

・Kato and Midorikawa discuss their favorite flavors of shaved ice: the “basic” flavor of strawberry for Kato, and milk flavor for Midorikawa, which he says is harder to find these days. Kato says that there was a place in front of a public pool when he was a child that sold chocolate milk-flavor shaved ice, but he’s never found it anywhere else.

・They were both surprised by Lilia’s magearm.

・The appearance of Lilia’s general design silhouette: Midorikawa saw it before it was revealed and thought it was very cool. 

7-2

・Midorikawa enjoyed the farewell party where Lilia was able to speak with all of the characters, which is so rare.

・緑川：「僕もその後の、リリアの出番的に知らないので…中退しちゃうのか…出番、ぼちぼちなくなるのかな…という、ね」 加藤: 「確かに、先知らないって…不安っすね」 緑川: 「そうそう。知らん。全く…全然知らないからね」 (Midorikawa: "I don't know how things are going to progress, with Lilia's appearances in the story...dropping out of school...I guess his appearances are going to drop off, then...is what I started thinking." Kato: "That's right, not knowing anything...it's a little nerve-wracking." Midorikawa: "Exactly. I don't know. At all...I have no idea.")

・Silver is the only one different from the faerie group, he is in a difficult situation.

・Gao Gao Drakon-kun is cute. And they both want one.

・The humming scene. Midorikawa says that he'd thought the game had ended, and Kato explains how hard the humming was as he would run out of breath, so recording took a long time. He had wanted to do his best, since it was such an important point in the story.

・Malleus’ overblot line is directly a line that Maleficent has.

7-3

・And now everyone is asleep. Midorikawa says he is jealous because he does not sleep very well at night.

・They both wanted to know more about the Mickey situation, but that will probably not be for a while. They don’t know anything about the future of the story, but that is the assumption. Meeting Mickey felt like seeing something they’re weren’t supposed to see.

・Malleus’ magic was beyond what they’d imagined. 

・Since the previous book’s characters tend to have a role in the next book they had expected Idia staying behind from the farewell party to be how he escaped Malleus, but then he was asleep with everyone else.

・Idia’s parents voiced by veteran actors Tange Sakura and Onosaka Masaya. Mother is adorable. 

・Sebek’s dream: Kato says that keeping the balance between Malleus’ voice in his overblotted state and how he speaks in the dream is difficult, and he will often slip into overblot-voice and need to be corrected.

・Cerberus Ortho is a very cool card.

・The forest background from Lilia’s dream was illustrated in the same style as the forest in the original Sleeping Beauty.

7-4

・Midorikawa knew that Lilia was based on a bat from the audition but he was very surprised by the realism of Lilia’s bat mask. 

・Midorikawa had no idea about anything to do with Lilia's past. Nothing was mentioned about it in the audition or anything. He’d been told nothing in advance. It was a whole new perspective of the character. If he had been told in the audition then he would’ve understood that they had finally arrived at the part of Lilia’s life, but no one had ever told him anything. And he has so much more dialogue in the dream. 

・And Baur appeared—that was a surprise. Midorikawa had had a feeling that his voice actor would be Koyasu Takehito. (Note: Midorikawa and Koyasu have worked on the same projects very often, with both of them voicing characters in Gundam W, Slayers, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Fushigi Yugi, Weiss Kruez, Shaman King and more.) 

[desultory-novice]

Is it true that Magolor, in the Japanese version of his Epilogue, says Marx's characteristic なのサ (nano sa!) at one point?

He doesn't just use it once, he uses it TWICE! Rather, twice does he end his sentences with 「のサ」 (rather than the full 「なのサ」) The fact that he uses サ instead of, say, さ (or ノさ) makes it a pretty obvious reference to Marx's characteristic way of talking!

When you look at the two places he uses it, it's pretty likely he's referencing Marx as well! Because he says it in the level five upgrade for Levitation (ie: flying, which would be one of the more obvious places to reference Marx, with his characteristic wings.)

I'm not gonna turn down even MORE time flying. There'd be no gap I couldn't cross!

And when you upgrade Trickery to level six! Which is just... I mean, of course he'd likely reference Marx when talking about tricks!

Being invincible for a while after I take damage would fool so many enemies. Their confused faces.... Oh, now I'm gigging! Hee hee hee!

Now, I've put the English here because there's little point in translating the Japanese to show it off, as 「のサ」 doesn't even have a translation, so they would look like any old sentences. But...

"There's nothing I can't fly over!" ボクに こえられないモノは ないのサ!

and 

"Attacks don't work on me!" ボクにコウゲキは きかナイのサ。

...There you! That's where he says it.

It's a little surprising he doesn't reference Marx this way while describing his Black Hole or his Magolor Cannon, as both are curbed from the jester too. I guess Mags isn't that humble! XD

And since this directly follows Magolor's defeat by Kirby, we have all the more reason to believe that Magolor met and talked with Marx sometime before the Master Crown incident!

Lastly, for those wondering why two moji would be "evidence" of anything, in the realm of Japanese fiction, these quirky sentence enders are almost iron-clad as far as character dialogue goes! No one talks this way in real life, of course, but a fictional character with one of these will stick to it till death in many cases! The only time they drop it / borrow another's tends to be when they are specifically trying to disguise who they are or mimic someone else with one!

In short, there is almost zero chance of this being a "coincidence." Especially when Marx, Magolor, and Taranza were already known in the fandom for years for their characteristic sentence enders and even got a group fan nickname for it: "Sa-Yo-Ne"

(Marx using "nano sa" Magolor using "yo~" and Taranza saying "no ne!")

HAL Labs would know what this would mean to their audience.

[onigiriforears]

Vocab pt. 1 | 「伝える力」が伸びる! 12歳までに知っておきたい語彙力図鑑

I've recently started reading 「伝える力」が伸びる! 12歳までに知っておきたい語彙力図鑑 (or what I only refer to as "Words You Ought to Know as a 12-year old") as a means to up my vocab game before the JLPT.

I'll probably post a review about the book once I actually finish it.

But in the meantime, here are some of the words that I learned just from reading the sections about how to use the book and all 5 of it's sections. I was quite pleased at the amount of words that I've already learned (and how many of them were N2 words).

語彙力 (ごいりょく)- (the extent of) one's vocabulary

図鑑 (ずかん)- field guide; illustrated reference book

目指す (めざす)- to aim at (for; to do; to become); to try for

各 (かく)- each, every, all [prefix]

繰り返す (くりかえす)- to repeat; to do over again

基礎 (きそ)- foundation; basis

言い換える (いいかえる)- to say in other words; to put another way; to rephrase

言い換え (いいかえ)- putting in other words; paraphrase; rephrasing; rewording

状況 (じょうきょう)- state of affairs; circumstances; situations; conditions

鍛える (きたえる)- to drill; to train; to discipline; to forge; to temper

変換 (へんかん)- change; transformation; conversion

観察眼 (かんさつがん)- observing eye

目の付け所 (めのつけどころ)- focus of one's attention; what one is looking for; viewpoint; point one is trying to make

文豪 (ぶんごう)- literary master

候補 (こうほ)- candidate; contender; prospect; pick; choice; list

まつわる- to be related; to concern; to be associated with

登場 (とうじょう)- entrance; appearance; arrival

表現 (ひょうげん)- expression; representation; description; representation (of a group)

解決 (かいけつ)- settlement; resolution; solution

ワンパターン - following a single pattern; conforming to the same pattern; repetitive; stereotyped; predictable [Wasei-eigo]

Hopefully, I'll be able to consistently post some of the vocab lists that I continue to compile for this. I'm in the Step 1 section of the book where it gives you synonyms and explains the connotations behind them/situations in which to use them. The first section I read was for やばい~

[tokidokitokyo]

間違えやすい「以」から始まる言葉

Vocabulary beginning with 以 that may be tricky

以前　いぜん　prior to X

2020年以前　2020ねんいぜん　prior to the year 2020

以上　いじょう　X or more

4人以上のグループ　4にんいじょうのグループ　a group of 4 or more

以内　いない　within X

5日以内　いつかいない　within 5 days

以後・以降　いご・いこう　after X

10時以後・10時以降　10じいご・10じいこう　after 10 o'clock

以下　いか　X and under

30歳以下の女性　30さいいかのじょせい　women 30 years old or under

Bonus Vocabulary:

未満　みまん　less than X

14歳未満の少年　14さいみまんのしょうねん　boys under 14 years old

[daily-hanamura]

If Rise is a proxy for the game trying to give Yu a thinly veiled "default romance", then her parallels with Yosuke and the way they interact with Yu make for a fascinating comparison

(aka follow me down this weird delusional rabbit hole. Strap in because this is going to be a long and very weird one.)

1. Similar patterns of flirting

Unlike Rise, Yosuke is of course a lot less intentional and a lot more oblivious to what he's actually doing, but his behaviour is actually very similar to Rise's in some ways.

For example, the both of them find an in with Yu through "being shown around" Inaba.

(actually there's a scene with naoto's first day at the school, where a few girls are trying to flirt with naoto using the same lines of showing him around, so that's fun.)

There's a difference in context here - Yosuke is playing that senpai-adjacent role for Yu, whereas Rise is asking Yu to play it for her (even though Inaba is Rise's hometown, and when you take her to souzai daigaku she says she's always wanted to go there).

But this difference is also important because...

Yosuke's type is someone he can look after. (Btw, this is an extremely common male response in Asia - that men like dating someone they can look after. Remember this because it'll come up again later.)

I think throughout the course of the game Yosuke is very much consistently someone that likes taking care of people - quite obviously he looks after Teddie, but he's also always looking out for Kanji and everyone else, actually.

But there's something that changes slightly between him and Yu - as their relationship develops, Yosuke becomes more willing to be the one being looked after, but by Yu especially! This is something that is picked up on by others in the group, such as when Kanji says that Yu tends to spoil Yosuke, or when Chie tells Yu that Yosuke is going to come begging him soon.

Neither Kanji nor Chie talk about how Yosuke asked them for help - because Yosuke, for the most part, is pretty resistant towards asking people for help... unless it's Yu. Yu is the exception in this regard, because where most people see Yosuke as being reliable, they also know that if Yosuke has issues, it's Yu that he turns to. And he does! In front of Yu, Yosuke lets himself be vulnerable, both in more serious settings but also in casual ones. Look at how Yosuke playfully ask Yu to "save him/them" (from Yukiko, Rise and Chie's cooking). It's a little dramatic. It's a little whiny. And it's all part of that role!

But this is exactly the kind of role that Rise is playing as well.

In Japanese culture, there is the concept of 甘え (amae), which is closely related to the (perhaps more commonly known) Chinese notion of 撒娇 (sājiāo). It's hard to explain this in English because it's not really a concept that exists in Western contexts in the same way, but I think it's important because Persona is ultimately a Japanese game, and so the cultural norms and contexts that inform the relationships there are important. It's been talked about in more detail by people smarter than me (see: Takeo Doi, 1971) but the tldr is that it refers to a kind of childishness employed as a means to seek indulgence from a loved one - it's a little bit affirmation, it's a little bit flirtation, but really, the point is looking for someone to care for them. And it works the same way for the other person as well - to indulge is to love! (Remember Yosuke's response of wanting someone he can look after? Yeah.)

When Rise drawls out the word "senpai" and whines a little, that's one example of her playing up that role so Yu would pamper her (actually I don't play in dub, so I'm not sure if she does this in EN too). But we see this with Ai as well, when Ai tells Yu to carry her shopping or buy her coffee. Ai is of course perfectly capable of doing both things, but the point is to have someone like you so much they do things for you.

Compare this to the way the others ask Yu for help - there's hesitation, and it's framed in a "if you have time, could you..." sort of manner and is markedly less playful. I think to some extent it's also their personalities, but that's kind of the point here.

I think it's important to caveat at this point that this "submissive" role during amae isn't, like, a fixed role that they assign themselves into in their relationship - critically, it's temporal, contextual and momentary. Yosuke and Rise are only playing up their childishness so they can get attention from Yu in that moment, but it in no way speaks to how they expect their relationship to function, because it's just brief instances of flirtation. For both Rise and Yosuke, their relationship with Yu is still primarily defined by their equalness and what they can do for Yu as well. It also goes both ways - Yu is also welcome to do the same with Rise and Yosuke! It's also very much a purposeful demonstration of vulnerability, because if you've read the signs wrongly, then it may not be perceived as flirting, just general annoyingness. Which is why...

I think they're both particularly sensitive about accidentally being a bother to Yu, and the way the both of them speak has these layers of boldness and shyness interspersed and folded into each other.

To put it another way, you can think of this indulgence as an extension of the love language of acts of service - and amae is essentially a way of pretending to be helpless to encourage that act of service. (this is an extremely dumbed down definition stripped of nuance)

The point here as Rise flirts with Yu in this manner... I think so does Yosuke, even if he's not totally conscious of it.

2. The shared fear of loneliness

Both Yosuke and Rise express this same fear - Yosuke's shadow reveals his fear of being alone so he actively surrounds himself with as many people as he can, while Rise reveals in her slink that she was a shy, lonely child and became an idol because she thought it would help her connect with people and make more friends. There's this powerful desire of acceptance on their part that forced them towards behaviour that they felt would make them desirable and liked - Yosuke makes jokes and buys food for his friends and tries to be a dependable big-brother type, and his shadow says he's only like that because he's terrified of being alone, while Rise's idol image is about being bright and enthusiastic and bubbly, but her vulnerable moments reveal her to be withdrawn and she says it was all an act.

I think there's a really interesting parallel here, because they both learn that it doesn't really work the way they hoped - the relationships that they had previously formed can be superficial (Yosuke talks about this point with Marie and Yu on the rooftop, while Rise learns that people only see Risette but not her), or temporary and easily forsaken (Yosuke doesn't really have anyone calling him back after his move, while Rise talks about how quickly people moved on from her).

Critically though, it's also in how they are resolved, and in both cases, Yu is the catalyst that helps them understand that not only is that desire normal and understandable, but that both that desire and their responses to it are all part of them. Yosuke's and Rise's cheerfulness and care are not any less meaningful just because of where that sentiment came from. There's no real Yosuke or real Rise, and while this is also a theme for the rest of the IT, I think it's with Yosuke and Rise especially that this particular thread of a fake self created to be accepted and help them make friends is especially pronounced.

(for Kanji, his violent, abrasive self was created to hide away and push people further away, while Naoto wasn't seeking acceptance amongst peers, but their individual ideal of whom they should be).

The distinction here is meaningful insofar as it then speaks to how Yosuke and Rise subsequently perceive Yu in relation to themselves and the rest of the team. For both of them, Yu was the first person where they actually felt Seen with, and in Rise's case, it's what sparked her attraction to him, with her starting to flirt aggressively with Yu after her rescue. I think that in Yosuke's case it's very much the same thing as well, which is how we have Yosuke calling Yu his 相棒 (aibou) shortly after the fight with Yosuke's shadow. I can't place exactly when Yosuke starts doing so, because it can be as early as Marie's slink rank 1 if you did it right after, but in their conversations after the fight at the liquor store, I think the foundation is already there.

In English, 相棒 is translated as partner, which I guess is a fair translation that is captured by the sentiment of "partners in crime". It's a term that is also used in, say, buddy cop pairs (like Reno and Rude in FF7. It's also how Adachi refers to himself, as Dojima's aibou), but it's intended to capture that essence of someone that you trust above and beyond everyone else. Working on a case and your boss and colleagues say no? Doesn't matter, you aibou's got your back. It's the person that you share this absolute connection with, that knows you like you know them, maybe even knows you more than you know yourself.

But imo there's a bit of nuance that is lost, because there's also the weight of exclusivity inherent in the term - you can have a lot of friends, but only one aibou. It's one of the highest, most intense and exclusive relationship that you can have with someone... platonically.

Kick that platonic label off and we find that Yosuke and Rise are the only two that end up attached to Yu with that same, absolute intent, and hold this similar wish for some exclusive relationship with Yu. By helping them understand their loneliness and what the intimacy of being seen means, Yu has triggered the same reaction in both Yosuke and Rise - just coloured slightly differently, romantic for Rise and platonic for Yosuke. But Yosuke's route wasn't even intended to be necessarily platonic so

3. They're the two that ask Yu about his type the most

I think that with a heteronormative lens, it's easy to interpret Rise's question as one coming from romantic interest and flirtations, while Yosuke's questions are coming from patterns of locker room talk, but fuck that, I think they're both testing the waters of romantic interest and looking to see what Yu would say.

Of course, if Yu takes that one opportunity he has to say Yosuke is his type, Yosuke gets flustered and his hair-trigger nohomo reaction kicks in... but then he goes into a thing where he talks about how yeah, he'd make a pretty good boyfriend! He likes Yu's answer here, he even has the little flower animation of happiness!

In contrast, if Yu picked Kanji, the conversation derails into a thing about Kanji's manliness. Furthermore, considering that Yosuke's romance route was cut but all of the previous conversations and interactions remained, there's no reason not to think that Yosuke wasn't responding positively to Yu's affirmations, even if he didn't necessarily understand what they meant at that time.

In the same way, if Yu responds positively or goes along with Rise's questions, Rise is also noticeably happy about it.

Because at the end of the day, they're not actually asking because they want to know what it is - they're asking because they want to hear Yu say that they are Yu's type. And I think Yosuke is guilty of this, even though he hadn't realised it yet.

[pikahlua]

MHA Chapter 407 spoilers translations

This week’s initial tentative super rough/literal translations under the cut.

1 その娼婦は一年程前から病に罹っていた そのしょうふはいちねんほどまえからやまいにかかっていた sono shoufu wa ichinen hodo mae kara yamai ni kakatte ita That prostitute had been ill since about a year prior.

2 硬質の疣贅が左腕に生えていた こうしつのいぼがひだりうでにはえていた koushitsu no ibo ga hidari ude ni haete ita A hard wart had been growing on her left arm.

tagline 1 "個性"が起こるよりも昔… "こせい"がおこるよりもむかし… "kosei" ga okoru yori mo mukashi... Long before quirks arose...

tagline 2 No.407　超常遺児　堀越耕平 ナンバー407　ちょうじょういじ　ほりこしこうへい NANBAA 407  choujou iji   Horikoshi Kouhei No. 407 Paranormal Orphan  Kouhei Horikoshi

3 彼女が自身の懐妊に八か月もの間気付かなかったのは かのじょがじしんのかいにんにはちかげつものあいだきづかなかったのは kanojo ga jishin no kainin ni hachikagetsu mono aida kidzukanakatta no wa The reason she didn't realize she was pregnant for eight months

4 浮浪生活だけが原因ではなかった ふろうせいかつだけがげんいんではなかった furou seikatsu dake ga gen'in de wa nakatta was not only because of her vagrant lifestyle.

5 全く身に覚えがなかったからだ まったくみにおぼえがなかったからだ mattaku mi ni oboe ga nakatta kara da It was because she didn't remember it at all.

6 ソレらはいつの間にか彼女の胎に住みつき ソレらはいつのまにかかのじょのはらにすみつき SOREra wa itsu no ma ni ka kanojo no hara ni sumitsuki Before she knew it, they settled in her womb

7 彼女の生きる力を吸い取っていた かのじょのいきるちからをすいとっていた kanojo no ikiru chikara wo suitotte ita and were draining away her life force.

1 川のほとりで双子を産み落とした女性は かわのほとりでふたごをうみおとしたじょせいは kawa no hotori de futago wo umiotoshita josei wa The woman, who gave birth to twins by the river,

2 そのまま死亡した そのまましぼうした sono mama shibou shita died just like that.

3 彼女の疣贅はなぜか かのじょのいぼはなぜか kanojo no ibo wa naze ka For some reason, her wart

4 きれいさっぱりなくなっていた kirei sappari nakunatte ita disappeared without a trace.

5 赤児達は あかごたちは akago-tachi wa As for the babies,

6 二人きりだった ふたりきりだった futarikiri datta they were alone, [just the two of them].

7 ねずみがやって来て遺体と赤児をかじり始めた頃 ねずみがやってきていたいとあかごをかじりはじめたころ nezumi ga yatte kite itai to akago wo kajiri hajimeta koro Just as the rats came and started to gnaw on the corpse and the babies,

8 増水した川が ぞうすいしたかわが zousui shita kawa ga the rising river

9 双子をさらっていった ふたごをさらっていった futago wo saratte itta swept the twins away.

1 一年後 いちねんご ichinengo One year later,

2 "発光する赤児"を皮切りに世界各国で"異能"の報告が相次ぐ "はっこうするあかご"をかわきりにせかいかっこくで"いのう"のほうこくがあいつぐ "hakkou suru akago" wo kawakiri ni sekai kakkoku de "inou" no houkoku ga aitsugu starting with "the luminous baby," reports of "meta abilities" emerged one after the other from all over the world.

3 "異能"は先天性のもうだけではなく "いのう"はせんてんせいのもうだけではなく "inou" wa sentensei no mou dake de wa naku Meta abilities were not just congenital.

4 二次性徴前後の青少年にも後天的に発現した にじせいちょうぜんごのせいしょうねんにもこうてんてきにはつげんした nijiseichou zengo no seishounen ni mo koutenteki ni hatsugen shita Around when they developed secondary sex characteristics, adolescents also expressed them as acquired [traits]. (Note: "Secondary sex characteristics" means puberty basically.)

5 未知の病として調べていた研究グループは みちのやまいとしてしらべていたけんきゅうグループは michi no yamai to shite shirabete ita kenkyuu GURUUPU wa A research group investigating them as an unknown disease

6-7 "異能"を「ヒトから枝わかれした新たなる遺伝子」と発表した "いのう"を「ヒトからえだわかれしたあらたなるいでんし」とはっぴょうした "inou" wo 「HITO kara edawakareshita aratanaru idenshi」 to happyou shita announced that meta abilities were "a new gene branched off from humans."

1 それはあまりに無神経で早計だった それはあまりにむしんけいでそうけいだった sore wa amari ni mushinkei de soukei datta That was too callous and rash.

2 群生性命を隔つその発表は ぐんせいせいめいをへだつそのはっぴょうは gunseisei mei wo hedatsu sono happyou wa That announcement that subdivided gregarious life* (*Note: "Gregarious life" may be a bit too literal to be comprehensible. I think the best way to think of this phrase would be something like "social species.")

3 混沌を加速させた こんとんをかそくさせた konton wo kasoku saseta accelerated the chaos.

4 コンビナート方面で"異能"の連中が結集し始めたそうだ コンビナートほうめんで"いのう"のれんちゅうがけっしゅうしはじめたそうだ KONBINAATO houmen de "inou" no renchuu ga kesshuu shi hajimeta sou da "It seems that the meta abilities gangs have begun to gather around the industrial complex."

5 昨夜デモ隊が衝突した奴等だな…… さくやデモたいがしょうとつしたやつらだな…… sakuya DEMO tai ga shoutotsu shita yatsura da na...... "They're the ones the demonstrators clashed with last night......"

6 連中が決起する前に叩くぞ れんちゅうがけっきするまえにたたくぞ renchuu ga kekki suru mae ni tataku zo "Let's hit them before they rise up."

7 なんだ？ nanda? "What's that?"

1 超常遺児か ちょうじょういじか choujou iji ka "A paranormal orphan, huh?"

2 可哀想だが放っとけ！遺児は保菌者の可能性が高い かわいそうだがほっとけ！いじはキャリアのかのうせいがたかい kawaisou da ga hottoke! iji wa KYARIA (kanji hokinsha) no kanousei ga takai "I feel bad for him, but leave him be! The possibility for an orphan to be a carrier is high."

3 ん n "Right."

4 何の音だ なんのおとだ nan no oto da "What's that sound?"

5 ん？ n? "Hm?"

6 え e "Huh?"

1 それは母親から「奪った」異能 それはははおやから「うばった」いのう sore wa hahaoya kara 「ubatta」 inou That was the meta ability he "stole" from his mother.

2 その赤児は生まれながらに不遜だった そのあかごはうまれながらにふそんだった sono akago wa umare nagara ni fuson datta That baby was born conceited.

3 身の回り全てが自身の所有物であり みのまわりすべてがじしんのしょゆうぶつであり mi no mawari subete ga jishin no shoyuubutsu de ari Everything around him was his own property.

1 泣けど喚けど自身を見ない なけどわめけどじしんをみない nakedo wamekedo jishin wo minai He cried and screamed, but he didn't see himself.

2 何も与えない者が なにもあたえないものが nani mo ataenai mono ga Those who gave him nothing

3 ただただ tada tada were simply

4 疑問だった ぎもんだった gimon datta problems*. (*Note: The word here means "problem, doubt, question." I think the description is saying that the baby would look at others and see them as the same as everything else in the world: something that existed as his property. Therefore those that gave him nothing were confusing, were question marks, and he harbored doubts and suspicions about them as a result.)

1 ダメ DAME "Don't."

2 イタイの ITAI no "That hurts [them]."

3 母親から与えられる筈の栄養を ははおやからあたえられるはずのえいようを hahaoya kara ataerareru hazu no eiyou wo The nutrition his mother should have given to him

4 ダメ DAME "Don't."

5 ほとんど兄に奪われたので ほとんどあににうばわれたので hotondo ani ni ubawareta node was largely stolen by his older brother, so

6 弟はとても小さく脆弱だった おとうとはとてもちいさくぜいじゃくだった otouto wa totemo chiisaku zeijaku datta the younger brother was very small and frail.

7 自身に何も与えない存在だったが手に持っていた所有物なので じしんになにもあたえないそんざいだったがてにもっていたものなので jishin ni nani mo ataenai sonzai datta ga te ni motte ita mono nanode [The younger brother's] existence gave nothing to [the older brother], but [the younger brother's existence] was a possession [the older brother] held in his hands, so

8 兄は弟を決して手放そうとしなかった あにはおとうとをけっしててばなそうとしなかった ani wa otouto wo kesshite tebanasou to shinakatta the older brother tried to never let go of the younger brother.

1 ーー溝が深まる一方で"発光する赤児"が自ら先頭に立ち ーーみぞがふかまるいっぽうで"はっこうするあかご"がみずからせんとうにたち --mizo ga fukamaru ippou de "hakkou suru akago" ga mizukara sentou ni tachi "--While the gap* intensified, the "luminous baby" has taken the lead" (*Note: The "gap" is referring to the rift between humans with meta abilities versus those without.)

2 平和と安全を訴えています賛同者は日増しに増加しておりーー へいわとあんぜんをうったえていますさんどうしゃはひましにぞうかしておりーー heiwa to anzen wo uttaete imasu sandousha wa hima shi ni zouka shite ori-- "to call for peace and security, with the number of supporters increasing day by day--"

3 僕に黙って何を読んでる？ ぼくにだまってなにをよんでる？ boku ni damatte nani wo yonderu? "What are you reading without telling me?"

4 まだ文字の勉強中で難しい本は読めないんだけど… まだもじのべんきょうちゅうでむずかしいほんはよめないんだけど… mada moji no benkyouchuu de muzukashii hon wa yomenainda kedo... "I'm still learning letters so I can't read difficult books, but..."

5 すごいよこのコミックって本 すごいよこのコミックってほん sugoi yo KOMIKKU tte hon "this comic book is amazing!"

6 絵で読めるんだ えでよめるんだ e de yomerunda "I can read it by the pictures."

7 描いた人の願いが絵で伝わってくる かいたひとのねがいがえでつたわってくる kaita hito no negai ga e de tsutawatte kuru "The wishes of the person who drew it are conveyed through the pictures."

8 ヒーロー… HIIROO... "Hero..."

9-10 僕もいつかこんな風になりたいな… ぼくもいつかこんなふうになりたいな… boku mo itsu ka konna fuu ni naritai na... "I want to be like this someday too..."

11 弟はまだ兄を諦めきれなかった おとうとはまだあにをあきらめきれなかった otouto wa mada ani wo akirame kirenakatta The younger brother couldn't give up on the older brother yet.

1-2 かすかに憶えているあの手を兄の優しさだと信じたかった かすかにおぼえているあのてをあにのやさしさだとしんじたかった kasuka ni oboete iru ano te wo ani no yasashisa da to shinjitakatta He wanted to believe that hand he faintly remembers was his older brother's kindness.

3 三年後 さんねんご sannengo Three years later

4 例の"発光する赤児"さぁ…あいつのシンパがとうとう1000万人を超えたんだってさ れいの"はっこうするあかご"さぁ…あいつのシンパがとうとう1000まんにんをこえたんだってさ rei no "hakkou suru akago" saa...aitsu no SHINPA ga toutou 1000mannin wo koetanda tte sa "Well, for example, that 'luminous baby'...they say that guy's sympathizers finally surpassed 10 million people."

5 兄さん… にいさん… niisan... "Brother..."

6 おかしいよなだってあれは戸籍登録が一番早かったってだけで おかしいよなだってあれはこせきとうろくがいちばんはやかったってだけで okashii yo na datte are wa koseki touroku ga ichiban hayakatta tte dake de "That's strange, isn't it? Since it's just because his family registration was the fastest."

7-8 インドなんかじゃその二周間前には50人は異能が産まれてたって話だぜ インドなんかじゃそのにしゅうかんまえには50にんはいのうがうまれてたってはなしだぜ INDO nanka ja sono nishuukan mae ni wa 50nin wa inou ga umareteta tte hanashi da ze "They say that, in India, 50 people with meta abilities were born two weeks before that."

9 その姿は そのすがたは sono sugata wa "That appearance..." (Note: Yoichi is reacting with surprise at how AFO looks like he's been in a fight or something.)

10 おかしな話だよそんなので人を集められるなんてさ おかしなはなしだよそんなのでひとをあつめられるなんてさ okashina hanashi da yo sonna node hito wo atsumerareru nante sa "It's such a strange story, that he could gather people together like that."

1 だから殺して「奪って」やった だからころして「うばって」やった dakara koroshite 「ubatte」 yatta "That's why I killed him and 'stole' [his meta ability.]"

2 ……なんで… ......nande... "......Why..."

3 だって datte "Because"

4 あのコミックに描かれていたろ あのコミックにかかれていたろ ano KOMIKKU ni kakarete ita ro "it was depicted in that comic."

5 ONE FOR ALL… ワン　フォー　オール… WAN FOO OORU... "One For All..."

6 ALL FOR ONE良い言葉だよな オール　フォー　ワンいいことばだよな OORU FOO WAN ii kotoba da yo na "All For One, they're excellent words."

1 ヒーローは正体を隠して孤独に戦っていたけれど ヒーローはしょうたいをかくしてこどくにたたかっていたけれど HIIROO wa shoutai wo kakushite kodoku ni tatakatte ita keredo "The hero was hiding his true identity as he fought alone, but"

2 悪の魔王は皆が恐怖して全てを差し出すんだ あくのまおうはみんながきょうふしてすべてをさしだすんだ aku no maou wa minna ga kyoufu shite subete wo sashidasunda "everyone feared and offered up everything to the evil Demon King."

3 おまえがそうであるように…皆が僕の為だけに存在する世界 おまえがそうであるように…みんながぼくのためだけにそんざいするせかい omae ga sou de aru you ni...minna ga boku no tame dake ni sonzai suru sekai "A world where everyone exists just for my sake...just like you do."

4 僕にも夢ができた！ ぼくにもゆめができた！ boku ni mo yume ga dekita! "I was also able [to come up with] a dream!"

1 待て何故行ってしまうんだ まてなぜいってしまうんだ mate naze itte shimaunda Wait, why are you leaving?

2 "力"を与えてやったじゃないか！ "ちから"をあたえてやったじゃないか！ "chikara" wo ataete yatta ja nai ka! Didn't I give you power?!

3 なんだおまえは！離れろ！ なんだおまえは！はなれろ！ nanda omae wa! hanarero! What are you? Get away [from him]!

4 僕のだ僕を見ていろ！ ぼくのだぼくをみていろ！ boku no da boku wo mite iro! [That's] mine, look at me!

5-6 僕のものにならないなら ぼくのものにならないなら boku no mono ni naranai nara If you won't become mine,

7 もう���ー mou-- then--

tagline その手はー… そのてはー… sono te wa-... That hand is-...

[benkyoutobentou]

Beginner Manga Recommendations for Japanese Learners

It's time, you've done your due diligence in studying. Now it's time to jump into native material. But where to start? Here are a few manga series that I've read that I think would be a reasonable place for a Japanese learner to start their immersion journey.

Disclaimer: I haven't read every series, and the manga that's interesting to me might not be interesting to you. We also all encounter different words as we go along our language learning journeys. A series that I find relatively easy might have you looking up every other word. The trick is to not get discouraged and just keep on pushing through! As with everything, it gets easier the more you practice.

消えた初恋 - アルコ＆ひねくれ渡: This BL series follows a group of four friends and their experiences with love in high school (it also has a drama adaptation that I highly recommend! Available to watch for free on Viki). This series is so silly and just a fun time. The art has great visual gags and it's definitely a series where you can sit down and not even realize that suddenly you've gone through an entire volume and why didn't you buy more of this series to start with? It has furigana on everything, but the characters do speak pretty casually, so there's some slang and less standard language. This series is completed with nine volumes.

佐々木と宮野 - 春園ショウ: This is another sweet BL about Miyano, a high school first year, who catches the eye of an upperclassman, Sasaki. After asking to borrow Miyano's book, the two bond over a shared enjoyment of BL manga. The vocabulary is pretty simple in this one as well, but it does use quite a bit of otaku slang, which can be difficult if you've never encountered it before. It has furigana on everything, though! This series is ongoing with nine volumes and also has a spin off series titled 平野と鍵浦 which is also ongoing with four volumes.

月刊少女野崎くん - 椿いづみ: The first manga I ever read in Japanese! This series follows a high schooler, Sakura, as she confesses to her crush and classmate, Nozaki. However, Nozaki thinks that Sakura is just a fan of his shoujo manga series, and recruits her to be his assistant. This series is so enjoyably silly with a wonderful cast of characters that absolutely steal the show. There's a bit of vocabulary specific to the process of making manga, but it isn't too overwhelming. There's also plenty of casual speech and some great moments that can't quite come out in translation (bonus fact: I actually wrote a paper on this series and how humor is translated in one of my university linguistics class). It also has furigana on everything. It's ongoing with fifteen volumes.

加瀬さんシリーズ - 高嶋ひろみ: This adorable little GL series follows two high school aged girls, popular and athletic Kase and the shy gardener Yamada, as their relationship develops over their high school years. The vocabulary in this one is relatively simple with the exception of some more specific words, but those tend to pop up time and time again. This one doesn't have furigana but I think it's a great introduction to readying manga without furigana! This series is completed with five volumes, but there's an ongoing sequel series called　山田と加瀬さん that currently has three volumes released.

ささやくように恋を唄う - 竹嶋えく: This is a music based GL series about a high school first year, Kino, who tells an upperclassman, Nagi, that she loves her music. Nagi, however, misunderstands this as Kino confessing her love for her. The story follows both the relationship between Kino and Nagi as well as the trials and tribulations of Nagi's band. This is another one without furigana, but the vocabulary tends to be simple enough that I think it's still pretty accessible. It's ongoing with eight current volumes.

かけた月とドーナッツ - 雨水汐: Our last GL, this follows two coworkers, Uno and Satou, and their blossoming relationship in a society that pushes conformity and marriage on women. I really loved the way this series depicted coming into one's sexuality as an adult. Another one without furigana, but simple vocabulary regardless. A possible difficulty with this one might be the office vocabulary, though. This series is completed with four volumes.