#ah the joys of fan translations hahaha

[switch]

Moriarty's Inaccessible NA Translations

As I've mentioned, as of the current BiNY event, NA is in a weird state where CBC-patched voiceline servants are still either entirely untranslated or only partially-translated, and none of the translations can be played in My Room. most of these translations currently cannot be accessed in game as a result. 99% of these were already fan TL'd, but these are the official NA server TLs.

note: because they can't be played in my room, I'm not 100% which contexts or specific numbers a handful of these lines are assigned to due some seemingly wildly differing translations and some discrepancies between the original compilation + the original not having gray collar.

Battle Start 3 (Name Hidden): "Hahaha. I guess I'll work hard as the mysterious Archer."

Battle Start 4 (Name Hidden): "Mhm. Enjoy getting entangled by a spider."

Battle Start 3 (True Name): "Come now, let's fight as a hero of justice! This feels good, honestly!"

Battle Start 4 (True Name): "Now let's fight as evildoers. Well, maybe not fight. Rather, entrap our enemies."

Skill 3: "My web spins forever."

Skill 4: "This sure is fun!"

Command Card 4: "Diamond."

Command Card 5: "Club."

Command Card 6: "Spade."

NP Card 2: "I will shoot it through the heart."

NP Card 3: "It's time to dance with my magic bullets."

Attack 4 (Name Hidden): "I'm not sure about that!"

Attack 5 (Name Hidden): "Too easy!"

Attack 6 (Name Hidden): "That's a bit dim-witted!"

???: "Gotcha."

Attack ???: "Tricked, were you not?"

Attack ???: "Goodbye!"

Extra Attack 2 (Name Hidden): "I love destruction!"

Extra Attack 3 (Name Hidden): "To the end of chaos!"

Extra Attack 2 (True Name): "This is tough on an old body like mine!"

Extra Attack 3 (True Name): "I feel a little sorry for them."

Noble Phantasm 2 (Name Hidden): "Unsealing Pseudo Noble Phantasm. Fire at once, full power! Welcome to the world of chaos! Ah, how fun!"

Noble Phantasm 3 (Name Hidden): My True Name's a secret, okay? But I can tell you with certainty that you're going to die! Now crumble and fall!"

Noble Phantasm 2 (True Name): "Noble Phantasm, release! The world enfolds ruin, and our job is to knock it down! The ultimate crime has been established here! Hahaha!"

Noble Phantasm 3 (True Name): "Let me show you what the end looks like. The darkness of joy and the light of sorrow. In other words... The Dynamics of an Asteroid!"

Damage 3: "You sure overwork the elderly!"

Damage 4: "I can still go on!"

???: "I'm still standing!"

Defeat 3: "Damn... I may have... overdone it..."

???: "I can't believe it... you didn't even learn my true form..." (Not listed in the original sheet, but it's grouped with his pre-true name defeat lines)

??? (Retreat?): "Ah, it's time to retreat."

Defeat 3 (Shinjuku Clear): "I-it was surprisingly fun being...a hero of justice..."

Victory 3 (Name Hidden): "Well, I guess that's acceptable. But of course, I wasn't taking it seriously."

Victory 4 (Name Hidden): "Did you think you would give me a taste of defeat? That is a grave mistake."

Victory 3 (True Name): "Oh geez. My muscles are going to suffer tomorrow...or maybe the day after tomorrow."

Victory 4 (True Name): "Victory for Moriarty! Fuhahaha! Oh? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

My Room, Clear Shinjuku + SIN Intro: "Hello, my good Master. You seem well as usual. Well, not entirely, I suppose. But unfortunately, that sorrow is important. You mustn't let go of it, even if it feels like you're drowning. Do you understand? Ah, very good. And don't you fret. That's why we're here for you."

Gray Collar

???:

"To the point of drowning in it."

"Come now, it's time to pay your bill!"

"That's harsh!"

"I think that's being too easy!"

"Ah, there it is!"

"What'll you have?"

"Here you go."

"Ugh...I let myself get wasted. Well then, I shall take your life as payment."

"Sheesh. Labor sure is hard on a fiftyish sort like me."

"Not yet!"

"I can't believe I got wasted first..."

"Ugh...I have to close up shop."

NOTE: I was not able to find his Card Select 4, 5, and 6 files (the ones where he says aperitif and some other things) for some reason.

[grumpymacaron]

hello!! i was tagged by @staycgrls , @girlsgenerati0n , AND @yerinbaeks (thanks taylor, rin, and winter!!! y'all make me feel so loved 🥰 HAHAHA)

name: jolie~

sign : ♏︎

height : 5'3-ish! last time i checked i was 160.5 cm?

time : 11:18

birthday : won't tell~ but i will say i'm a taurus moon, if that narrows anything down hehehe

fav band/artist : top five all time would be (in no particular order)

baek yerin, f(x), day6, kwon jin ah, tvxq

last show : his man (남의연애) i highly recommend!!! it's a comfortable watch; i love everyone on the show and it's fun to cheer them on ^^

last movie : days of running wild (i literally just watched this... i just finished it at like 10:34...) it's very good, but maybe don't watch it after things don't work out w someone;;; LMFAO

when i created my blog : my first blog (under the same name) was created back in nov 2014 but then tumblr nuked it around july 2016;;; so i guess this particular instance has been around since then!

average hrs of sleep : it's been weird lately but if i'm feeling awesome great super fantastic i can get 'bout 9 hours in~

followers : 80. HAHAHAHAHA EXACTLY EIGHTY. MICRO INFLUENCER MOMENT AMIRITE

what i post : mostly kpop and aesthetics!! i used to be more about video games and the like but those fandoms have died out around here... sigh

do i get asks : whenever i post ask games (thank u for anyone who participates, i love u dearly)!!! i've been too busy as of late to really commit time to em tho so u'll see me post one whenever i'm in the headspace to write smth thoughtful

other blogs : i'm considering moving all my aesthetic posts to a sideblog, but i haven't yet! i do have a translation sideblog tho; plssss check it out @genuinemacaron !!!

instruments : i sing~ used to play the flute in elem + middle school tho; still remember the notes but i bet my lungs are not set up for it now

dream job : translator/linguistics researcher! or maybe a language teacher :o) i also love neuroscience and genetics so it'd be fun to do research on those topics, too

what am i wearing : giant merch t-shirt for a local ice cream shop i love~ it's very comfy and makes for a really nice sleep outfit hehe

dream trip : I NEED TO GO TO KOREA SO BAD

fav song : currently i'm a big fan of wine by jooyoung ft. gsoul but if u're talking about all time faves... i'd say top three are:

joy's be there for you, tvxq's before u go, and baek yerin's limit

tagging : @dalgonamilk @uknow @taeminsupremacist @ruoxin @igotaboy @bubblegunnm and @jazzclub ! there's no pressure, tho~ also sorry for the ping if u've done this already ;;;

[tigerintokyo]

IDOLiSH7 Part 1, Ch 3.5 side story

Side Story: The Feelings Grow

(other parts in the directory)

Translation under the break.

-

Banri: It's already been three weeks since live performances and lessons were suspended. Will Tsumugi-san's plan go well?

Takanashi: It'll be okay. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. The longer I am apart from my lover, the more I think about her, and the more I long to see her.

Banri: Is singing and dancing their lover? You sure are a romantic, sir.

Takanashi: It's just my real experience. Even after she went to heaven, I love her more and more each day. 

Takanashi: Thoughts become stronger, and dreams become bigger.... I hope that voice becomes even stronger, knowing the joy of singing, so that it can be heard all over the world.

-

Mitsuki: Ah........

Mitsuki: I want to go to karaoke! I want to do a lesson! I want to perform in front of the fans!

Mitsuki: TRIGGER's new song is really cool... I wish I could dance like that! Uh, is it like this...? 

Mitsuki: .......Ah, that was close! I almost did a dance step! It's just a little longer, so I have to be careful. 

Mitsuki: Ah..... The season changed. Even the shaded areas are now in the sun! Hahaha! It's great for you guys!

Mitsuki: I might be late compared to the other flowers, but the more I long for the sun, the more I will breathe in the warm air.

Mitsuki: You and me, let's all do our best! 

-

(Door opens)

Yamato: Nagi. This laundry, it was in my room.

Nagi: OH, thanks. Welcome back. My socks.

Yamato: Glad to be back. I was so lost. 

Nagi: ............? Where did that voice come from?

Yamato: I didn't say anything.

Nagi: .......?

Yamato: Don't put your socks to your ear. What are you watching? Kokona-chan, again?

Nagi: Magical☆Kokona is my dearest anime. Now, I'm watching another group's live performance.

Yamato: Oh, really? I didn't expect that. If you didn't have lessons, I thought you would have an anime festival or a picking up girls festival.

Nagi: YES. The feeling of wanting to sing is growing. It isn't my legs that are growing.

Yamato: What are you saying...? 

Nagi: Mitsuki scolded me. I want to show Mitsuki my good points.

Yamato: Haha... I see. He's a straight shooter and a hard worker. I think I get what you're feeling.

Yamato: You want to show your good points, huh? It would be nice if Tama could feel the same....

Yamato: He's not very good at getting along with other people. 

-

Tamaki:  I give up. It's all annoying. I'm going to tell the manager to end the ban.

Riku: Wait, Tamaki! We're all trying our best!

Tamaki:  Isn't it kinda weird? If we're idols, shouldn't they be telling us to sing and dance? I don't get it.

Tamaki:  What is this "don't dance" stuff? The manager is being weird.

Riku: You don't have to say it like that! The manager was thinking a lot about us....!

Iori: He's right. If you have complaints about her, you can tell them to me.

Riku: ......why?

Iori: Huh? Ah......... *cough* The manager is probably busy, so I'll take care of it for her. 

Riku: Iori, you get along really well with the manager, don't you?

Iori: Nanase-san. Focus on Yotsuba-san.

Riku: You can't do that, Tamaki! It's just a little more. Let's try our best!

Tamaki:  What's with you two? It's not like I'm trying to pick on the manager.

Tamaki:  I just don't like it. Why do they always take away what I like and what I'm good at?

Sogo: What's wrong?

Riku: Sogo-san. Tamaki wants to go to the manager...

Sogo: To the manager? About the ban? 

Tamaki: ......I don't want to hear it from you too!

Sogo: Tamaki-kun, calm down. You'll scare the manager if you go in there fired up like this.

Tamaki: What do you mean scare?! You're all trying to make me look like the bad guy.

Sogo: No, Tamaki-kun, that's not true. The manager is just smaller than you and a girl, so be a little more considerate of.... 

Tamaki: Fine, whatever!

(Slams door)

-

Sogo: Tamaki-kun!

Iori: What's with him? He's like a kindergartener. 

Riku: I think I said too much...

Sogo: I'm going to go check on him. The two of you go back to the dorm.

-

Sogo: Tamaki-kun.

Tamaki: Don't follow me. 

Sogo: Let's go back. I don't think you're the bad guy.

Tamaki: Whatever....

Tamaki: Sou-chan, you don't get it. When they told you to hold back from singing and dancing, you didn't say like "no way" or "I don't want to hold back."

Tamaki: That just shows how much you don't actually like it.

Sogo: ...........Is that what it looks like?

Tamaki: ...... Am I wrong?

Tamaki: If you like it, and then they tell you to not do it, how can you be fine with that?

Sogo: I'm not fine with it. But, everyone else is being patient, so I thought I would cause trouble if I complained about it.... 

Tamaki: ...........Huh? Are you talking about me?

Sogo: N-no..... That's not what I meant. I didn't mean it to sound like indirect sarcasm.

Tamaki: ............

Sogo: …………..

Sogo: .......I'm used to holding back from doing what I want to do. But, it must be hard for a free-spirited guy like you.

Tamaki: Free-spirited?

Sogo: Maybe like freedom?

Tamaki:  Alone in freedom? 

Sogo: What’s that about?

Tamaki: It’s something Iorin said.

Sogo: I'm not sure.... Even if you don't have freedom, you can still be alone.

Sogo: Maybe he didn't know I liked him because I don't raise my voice and say that I was upset, like you did.

Tamaki: Who didn't know?

Sogo: Someone important to me.

Tamaki: ………….

Tamaki: But, if I don't hold back, I'll end up being hated.

Tamaki: I like Rikkun, Iorin, and the manager. It's not like....

Sogo: No one hates you. ......It's difficult. To get along with people.

Tamaki: Yeah......

Sogo: I like music, so I miss being able to sing. And, I get anxious when there's nothing to do.... 

Sogo: But, I'm thinking of the TRIGGER concert as a reward, so I can do my best. Do you know about TRIGGER?

Tamaki: Not really.

Sogo: I'm sure you'd like TRIGGER too, Tamaki-kun. They're all cool like you.

Tamaki: Hm......

Sogo: Do you still want to talk to the manager? If you do, I'll go with you.

Tamaki:  No..... I'll try a little bit more.

Sogo: I see. That's great.

Tamaki: Haha.... I guess.

Tamaki: What's TRIGGER like? Who's the best one?

Sogo: They're all amazing. They're a powerhouse that shot up to stardom right away. But, if I have to choose, then it’s....

-

Iori: Kujo Tenn.

Riku: ........w-what? 

Iori: His performance is outstanding. As the center, he has great stage presence.

Riku: Is.. that so....

Iori: While we watch the TRIGGER DVD, are you taking notes for reference? Nanase-san.

Riku: I'm not taking notes for reference. I don't want to watch anymore.

Iori: There's no need to turn it off though?

Riku: I'm done watching! I'm going to take a bath!

(Slams door)

Iori: ………….

Iori: That's unusual for Nanase-san. He's usually pretty carefree.... There seems to be a strange rivalry growing between him and TRIGGER.

Iori: It's good that Nanase-san has a hungry spirit as our center.

Iori: TRIGGER....... I hope that the inspiration you give us is of the highest level.

-

Nagi: OH! Beautiful...! The flower is blooming! 

Nagi: Tomorrow is finally the TRIGGER concert! Tamaki. Let's get to the venue before everyone else, and we can show them how good we are!

Tamaki: OK. Sounds good.

Yamato: I'm moved! Then, how about I follow along?

Nagi: Fufu.... I'm sure Tsumugi will be happy to see the reborn me. She will fall in love again. 

Tamaki:  Hey, Yama-san. Freedom or holding back, which would be left all alone?

Yamato: What is this, out of nowhere? Neither are alone. If you think it's just one person, then you can add and subtract.

Tamaki: Hmm?

Nagi: There are seven people in IDOLiSH7! No one is left alone.

Nagi: The shady season is over. Soak up the bright light, and shine like a flower!

To be continued...

Next chapter

-

Please do not use my translations without my permission.

[kelolon]

On “Agape”

(Or, The Closest I’ll Ever Get to Meta, Probably)

This is like some kind of weird, disjointed masterpost on why I love Agape. It’s not particularly deep or thought-provoking and it has a lot of bad words (sorry) - I’m not the best at this stuff. But it’s something I felt like writing about, so here we are. Enjoy! (Or don’t, see if I care.)

6/22/17: Updated with info from the guidebook!

So. Agape.

Where to even start? I love everything about Agape. The song, the choreography, the overall message - it’s far and away my favorite program. Please allow me to talk about it at unnecessary length.

Yuri: “Damn it. Who cares about agape?”

Me, that’s who.

The official stuff

The guidebook has this to say about Agape (this is a somewhat rough translation - feel free to correct!):

With unconditional love as its theme (in opposition to Eros) is the impressive "In Regards to Love ~Agape~", with its boy soprano overflowing with the feeling of translucence. When he was assigned the song by Victor, Yuri said "this innocent image makes me wanna barf," but during his mandatory trip to a waterfall, memories of his time with his grandfather surfaced, and he put those feelings into the program. He had realized that the feelings from when he was very young and he skated to see the joy on his grandfather's face were agape. From the choreography, it was said to be "made in the image of things like a white bird or something holy (Miyamoto)", so it feels light as a feather, and yet you can also feel the strength of the will of someone who has something to sacrifice.

There's beauty in the limit of what can only be done "now" with an androgynous appearance. It's an earnestly flexible and delicate program, but the jump composition includes two quads in the second half, putting it at a high level and prompting Yuuri to name him "a beautiful, ever-evolving monster." Although the triple axel is in the first half, you could say that the program composition is challenging for Yuri, who is still young and lacks stamina. Also, in the same way as Yuuri's "Eros", the filler between components is strong, making it a difficult program as well. With a firm foundation in ballet thrown in, movement is in the orthodox Russian skater way, and the costume can't be overlooked.

The concept

What is agape? baby don’t hurt me Okay no, this is serious shit. It’s one of at least four Greek words for love, two of which should be immediately recognizable to YOI fans (the other being eros, of course). The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a lot to say about love, including agape-flavored love:

Agape refers to the paternal love of God for man and of man for God but is extended to include a brotherly love for all humanity. [...] Agape arguably draws on elements from both eros and philia in that it seeks a perfect kind of love that is at once a fondness, a transcending of the particular, and a passion without the necessity of reciprocity.

Beautiful, right? Almost brings a tear to your eye. Or maybe that’s just me. Anyway, I feel like this sets the stage pretty well. Agape evokes certain themes: purity, selflessness, clarity, innocence. Not necessarily traits that embody Yuri as a character, but that’s what makes it interesting, isn’t it? (I’ll go into this more later.)

The song

Yuuri: “It’s very clear and innocent, like someone who doesn’t know what love is yet.”

Holy shit. I really, really love this song. I can listen to it over and over and have done so many times. It’s just gorgeous. I do enjoy Eros, too, but something about Agape just really resonates with me. I’m going to punctuate this liberally with lyrics (fun fact: music with lyrics wasn’t allowed in ISU competition until 2014), which I have taken from the YOI wikia in the case of the Latin-English translation. The Japanese-English ones were done by me.

Since my life is only temporary, it desires ardently the eternal love

The translation of this line from Japanese to English (rather than Latin to English) is somewhat different:

This life, driven by passion, is like the briefest flicker I pray for an eternal love

The addition of “driven by passion” is fitting (as opposed to the Latin’s use of “desires ardently”). It makes it seem a little more forthcoming, which is very appropriate for Yuri, who is very obviously driven by passion.

I will believe, I will give, I will wait, I will honor I will work, I will give thanks

Here, too, the Japanese-English translation differs slightly:

I believe, I sacrifice, I seek, I revere, I bear it and I give thanks

I feel like these lyrics in particular do speak to him at least a little. When you remove the religious connotations (whether or not he’s actually religious at all seems to be up for debate - personally, I take the giant, gaudy cross necklace he wears in WttM with an equally giant grain of salt), a lot of these words ring true. Sacrifice? Check. This kid provides for his family, who he rarely gets to see, and has little in the way of friends. Work? Double check. He’s been busting his ass almost his whole life. The waiting part is iffy, but I guess I have to give him credit for holding off on doing quads while still in the junior bracket, even if that was only to get Victor to choreograph his next program. It totally counts.

And at the end, opening doors hidden to us, solemn and famous, it will take care of us to us, solemn and famous, it will take care of us

And the Japanese version:

At last the hidden door is exposed God's great spirit appears, bringing with it pure healing

Clearly, the second is more explicit when it comes to the religious themes. I think in some ways the Japanese version kind of expands on the Latin version, which seems a little more vague.

One can certainly speculate that there are death themes at play in this song, with death presumably being the “hidden door.” The final two verses can be interpreted to be a reference to death as well (the Japanese version is not much different, so I’ll only share the Latin):

The grand, grand Mercy. Ah! I hear your voice My freedom is near! My life with love, the peace of benevolence That this is the eternal happiness, I pray.

The only real difference between the Latin and Japanese versions are that "Mercy" is replaced with "god's love" in Japanese. Whether this “eternal happiness” refers to something like the afterlife is probably subject to interpretation unless there’s some translated commentary floating around that I haven’t seen (which is certainly possible).

On the other hand, it could just be some kind of reference to opening your heart to God’s love or whatever. Who knows? Not me, clearly. 

Yuri: “Switch them! That piece isn’t me at all!” Victor: “You have to do the opposite of what people expect. How else will you surprise them?”

Yuri makes it no secret that he doesn't care for this song. He's Not Into It. When Victor plays it for him and Yuuri for the first time, he proclaims that "this innocence crap makes [him] want to barf." He wants Eros, but of course that's not how Victor assigns them and he winds up with Agape. This is the part where I admit I'm really glad, because Yuri is my favorite character and Agape is my favorite program. What can I say.

The choreography

How do you take a song (and concept) like Agape and a character like Yuri and make it actually work? The program itself, of course. Choreographed by Victor (as he originally promised), it does a fantastic job of turning an angry little hellspawn of a teen into the embodiment of the highest form of love.

(Please excuse my extremely fake photoset - tumblr will not let me do what I want. Thanks tumblr.)

The program begins with him facing the ground, and then reaching up towards the sky. Possibly to a higher power? As the program comes to an end, he’s got both arms extended upwards, hands clasped together as if in prayer. That makes it a little less ambiguous, especially considering the song closes with the words esse oro, or “I pray.” 

The program composition is as follows, according to the official guidebook:

Triple axel Flying sit spin Change-foot camel spin Quadruple salchow/triple toe loop Quadruple toe loop Step sequence Combination spin

It also notes that the planned components were not changed for the Grand Prix Final.

You can watch the choreography as performed by a real person on the second BD, and you can also watch Johnny Weir do part of it on Instagram!

The costume

Yuuko: "It's the see-through costume of legend from Victor's junior days! I never thought I'd see it in person! It's so beautiful..."

I don’t know what to say here. It’s pretty. Look at it. (It’s my phone case.) I do think it’s worth noting the vague cross shape over the chest and the fact that the shoulders look somewhat like angel wings, tying into the religious themes of the song.

The part where I ramble aimlessly

Yuuri: "Everyone's drawn into Yurio's agape performance. I can tell it's completely different from what I saw in practice. No one can look away from this beautiful, ever-evolving monster!"

I think the fact that Agape is at such odds with Yuri's personality has a lot to do with why I enjoy it so much. He's called "a beautiful monster," and aside from the implication that his off-ice persona is quite different from what he typically exhibits on the ice (with the obvious exception of Welcome to the Madness, which is basically him going “hahaha, fuck you” and finally doing what he wants - I highly recommend reading @ice-tiger-kitten​‘s fantastic WttM meta!), Agape (and Allegro, I guess) really embodies the “beautiful” part of that, whereas the monster comes out in WttM. Agape is very ethereal and angelic, playing into his “Fairy” nickname quite well. Which he undoubtedly hates, but hey. I happen to enjoy it. In the end, the “Punk” nickname comes out on top, anyway - WttM cemented that pretty solidly.

Yuri: “Agape... unconditional love. To me, that means grandpa.”

With that said, I don’t think Agape is that outlandish a choice for him. He did find his “agape” in his grandpa, after all. It takes him a little while to realize it - and even longer to really embrace it - but it’s a perfect example of unconditional love. It’s when he’s with his grandpa that we get to see what he’s like underneath all the prickly bullshit. He may not form relationships easily, but I think when he loves someone, he really loves someone. Maybe not unconditionally, but it’s obviously a mistake to think he doesn’t feel things besides anger and arrogance. Aside from the scenes where he’s with (or thinking about) his grandpa, he also shows this side of him when he goes out of his way to bring Yuuri pirozhki on his birthday and in his friendship with Otabek, who he actually roots for in spite of their inherent rivalry. Honestly, that’s a post of its own for another day, but I think it’s worth mentioning.

Yuri: “Sorry, grandpa. I'm too busy trying to skate the program to really think about agape at all!”

At Yuri’s first performance of Agape at Hasetsu, his performance is technically correct, but the “agape” feeling isn’t there, and he winds up losing to Yuuri. The next time we see it, at the Rostelecom Cup, he’s thrown off when he discovers his grandpa can’t stay to watch his performance and becomes angry, falling on a jump he hasn’t screwed up in a long time. In his inner monologue, he claims that he’s “not feeling agape at all.”

Despite the initial difficulty getting into it, though, Yuri nails Agape during the Final and manages to break Victor’s world record short program score. If he was simply going through the motions, stringing together jumps and spins, he would not have scored as highly as he did. This isn’t to say he doesn’t employ strategies to maximize his points (like backloading programs and doing Tano/Rippon jump variations, aka the thing where you raise one/both arms in the air), but there are elements of IJS scoring that focus on presentation - the program components score, which includes the following:

Performance/Execution: Performance is the involvement of the skater/couple/teams physically, emotionally and intellectually as they translate the intent of the music and choreography. Execution is the quality of movement and precision in delivery.

The performance aspect of this score includes “style and individuality/personality.” In addition, choreography is scored based on things like “purpose (idea, concept, vision)” and interpretation is based on the following:

Effortless movement in time to the music

Expression of the music's style, character, rhythm

Use of finesse to reflect the nuances of the music

Needless to say, if Yuri wasn’t able to pull off the concept of Agape, his scores would have suffered. It can certainly be argued that it’s just the performer in him that gets the job done, but I think the fact that he becomes able to infuse his own feelings into the program is what closes the gap.

Lilia: "His short program will have 'agape' as its theme. I believe he's found an entrance to 'love' through his many encounters with others. People shine brightest when they seek to understand what kind of love sustains them."

He may not like it - indeed, when left to his own devices, he does things like WttM, which could not be more different from Agape - but it works. They both do, somehow. He really does make Agape his own, and it’s completely believable.

...Well. Mostly.

[nanodayum]

Haikyuu!! Drama CD feat Bokuto Koutarou and Akaashi Keiji! Based off the Fukurodani omake here.

My friend translated this for me some time ago, and Fukurodani fans, please share your joy with me!! More insights into Akaashi’s character (AND HIS VOICE IS JUST NNGGH!) and yell with me about cinnamon roll Bokuto! 

Akaashi: Otsukaresama desu.

Bokuto: Why is that so?!

Akaashi: Hmm? Only Bokuto-san is here?

Akaashi: Mmm, everyone is late to arrive for club activities today.

Bokuto: Ask me “Why”, Akaashi?!

Akaashi: “Why”, Bokuto-san?

Bokuto: Compared to saying 忘れた(wasureta) as per normal, why is it that saying ど忘れした(do-wasureshita) makes your crime/sin seem smaller?!

Akaashi: Sorry, I don’t quite understand.

Bokuto: When you add ど(do), it has a more intense feeling right? For example, ど迫力(do-hakuryoku), ど根性(do-konjou) etc.

Akaashi: Well, I guess so.

Bokuto: Yet, only for ど忘れ(do-wasure), it’s like “I kinda forgot right at this moment, but I knew it up until the moment before.” It has a feeling like it’s some shrewd excuse, doesn’t it?! That is unforgiveable!

Bokuto: Or rather, you change your clothes really fast.

Akaashi: In other words, even though ど忘れした(do-wasureshita) is a worse kind of “forgot” compared to 忘れた(wasureta), in reality it has a lighter (less wronged) kind of feeling, and that is unforgiveable. Is that what this is about?

Bokuto: Exactly! That’s exactly what I mean.

Akaashi: The “ど” for ど忘れ and the “ど” for other words that start with “ど”, aren’t they supposed to be different things? The character is also different.

Bokuto: Character? Hmm…

Akaashi: If I’m not mistaken, the “ど” for ど忘れ is written as “度”, and the “ど” for ど迫力 is…I wonder what it is.

Yukie: Ah, he’s here. Bokuto! Where’s the notebook I lent you last week?

Bokuto: Notebook? Did I borrow it?

Yukie: The one that I told you 100 times to return it by today.

Bokuto: Now that you mention it I seem to have borrowed it…I’ve left it in my bag all this time…

Yukie: So? Where is it now?

Bokuto: Hmm…it’s not in my bag. In other words…

Yukie: In other words…?

Bokuto: ど-忘れした (I forgot)!

Yukie: *hits Bokuto* Mou~ And the test is tomorrow...what are you going to do about it?

Akaashi: The timing to use the word, and depending on the person who uses it, it has an opposite effect, doesn’t it? The word ど忘れ.

Bokuto: What did you say?! Are you trying to say that I do not have the right to use the word “ど”?!

Yukie: What kind of conversation is this?

Akaashi: Bokuto-san is saying that when you say ど忘れした, your sin is lighter compared to when you say 忘れた, and that is unforgiveable.

Yukie: But rather in this case, the sin became greater, didn’t it?

Bokuto: ど–why?!

Yukie: Because, I’m saying that it had an opposite effect. In the first place, Bokuto you’re better off not using that word ど, don’t you think?

Bokuto: Heeehhhh?

Akaashi: That’s true, because it’s already easy enough for Bokuto-san to invite misunderstandings.

Bokuto: Haaahhhh!!!! Let me use it too!

Yukie: Eh? Didn’t you say that it’s unforgiveable (to use that word)?

Akaashi: In the end, Bokuto-san wants to use it, right? The phrase ど忘れ.

Bokuto: That’s because, even if I do something (i.e. do something wrong or cause trouble etc.), I’ll be forgiven if I use that word. It’s convenient! It’s a bargain! Teach me how to use this word too!

Yukie: *Sigh*

Akaashi: -cant catch what he says, but it seems he’s giving an example how to use ど-

Bokuto: Oh!! That was good! I give you 2 zabuton for that. Carry it away, you thief (どろぼう)! Thank you, thank you (どもども)! (1)

Akaashi: That…is fundamentally different from the ど in ど忘れ.

Yukie: Isn’t it better to just give up?

Bokuto: I beg you, don’t abandon me! Let me use ど as well!

Akaashi: *Sigh* Speaking of it, you haven’t returned me the 500yen you borrowed recently, have you?

Bokuto: Ah~ ど忘れしてた

Akaashi: *Sigh* Something doesn’t seem right (with Bokuto’s response). Why do I feel irritated?

Yukie: Isn’t it because your conversation partner is Bokuto?

Akaashi: I guess that’s true.

Bokuto: I am ど–shocked.

Yukie: Mm…ah. I got it!

Bokuto: What is it, what is it, what is it?!

Yukie: Bokuto, even though we normally can’t feel sincerity coming from you, when you use ど, you appear to be cockier.

Akaashi: I see. Depends on the person using it, ど can help to soften the effects, but for Bokuto-san it goes past the softening effects to his nose. (2)

Yukie: Well so, Bokuto, just give up using ど.

Bokuto: Wa-wa-wait! I beg you! Make me qualified to use ど.

Yukie: We told you it’s impossible.

Bokuto: ど–I beg you!

Akaashi: We told you, it’s not about randomly attaching ど to any word. Rather, in Bokuto-san’s case, it’s become clear in this conversation that using ど has an opposite effect for you.

Bokuto: Huuuuh…you won’t teach me, huh.

Akaashi: What’s with that look?

Bokuto: ど–stingy.

Akaashi: *Guh*

Yukie: Ah, pretty good. That was the best ど for today.

Bokuto: どおおおおおだ?! (How about that?!)

Akashi: …

Bokuto: Ah-hah! Wasn’t that ど–good? Wasn’t it good, wasn’t it good, wasn’t it good say yeah!

Yukie: Hmm? *Gasp* Even though he only has limited expressions, Akaashi’s face is like a Noh mask…I’m not going to care~! (3)

Bokuto: Akaashi! The ど I just used, どうよ (how was it)?

Akaashi: Indeed, it was a good ど.

Bokuto: Ah?

Akaashi: It was good. Right in the center, Bokuto-san.

Bokuto: Here you go again. Don’t you seem…angry? Akaashi…

Akaashi: No, it’s true. It was a perfect ど. ど–stingy. Excellent.

Bokuto: Forgive me. Forgive me Akaashi!

Akaashi: That’s why, I said I’m not angry. Ah~

Bokuto: Huh? What’s wrong, Akaashi?

Akaashi: Speaking of it, recently, putting aside the 500yen, you borrowed 10,000yen from me, didn’t you?

Bokuto: *Frightened*

Akaashi: See? It’s the fee for the Shinkansen ride when we went for the Eisei.

Bokuto: ど…忘れした

Akaashi: I lied.

Bokuto: Ah-hah! ど–surprised. Akaashi, are you taking revenge on me?

Akaashi: No, I’m just playing.

Bokuto: Huh?!

Akaashi: Speaking of it, Bokuto-san, the club expenses for this month is very high.

Bokuto: Huh?! Was it?!

Akaashi: Indeed, Bokuto-san. Did you ど忘れした again? That is troubling.

Bokuto: Ah…

Yukie: Ah~ Scary…Akaashi is scary.

*Bell chime*

Akaashi: Ah, it’s already this late. Everyone is still not here. Shall we head to the gymnasium first?

Bokuto: Eh? What about my ど忘れ problem?

Yukie: Isn’t it enough already? It’s not like a conclusion would be reached.

Akaashi: That’s true. In the end, rather than the problem of the wordど忘れ, we’ve understood that the problem lies in Bokuto-san himself.

Bokuto: What is that?!

Yukie: That’s true. Before Bokuto remembers what method to use (for the word), it’s better for him to correct his personality.

Bokuto: *Grumbles* どおおおおおいうことだ?! (What is this about?!)

Akaashi & Yukie: *Sigh*

Bokuto: どおおおおおいうことだ?

Akaashi: It’s fine. You can use it (that way).

Yukie: Regarding the ど忘れ problem, who cares/anything is fine, right?

Bokuto: Who cares?

Akaashi: This is bad, he’s fixated on adding a -ど to his speech.

Konoha: Oisu.

Akaashi: Otsukaresama desu. You’re late.

Konoha: Yea, my test marks were bad so I was made to stay back.

Bokuto: Konoha! What do you think about ど?

Konoha: What? What conversation is this?

Bokuto: When you forget something, compared to saying 忘れた, your sin is lighter when you say ど忘れした, so what do you think, is what we’re talking about.

Konoha: Ah~ Oh yes, yes. I forgot. In my bag…not this one…ah, here it is! Here you go, Shirofuku’s notebook. I thought I’d copy the notes, so I kinda borrowed it from Bokuto’s bag. Thank you!

Yukie: Eh?

Konoha: Sorry, sorry. I was late in returning it, the test is tomorrow, so it’s borderline safe, isn’t it?

Yukie: Well, that’s true but…

Bokuto: Isn’t that great, Shirofuku? With this, your test review can proceed!

Yukie: Bokuto…somehow…sorry.

Bokuto: Huh? What about?

Yukie: Just now, I kinda hit you…

Bokuto: It’s fine, it’s fine! Study for your test with more ど根性 (willpower/spirit) than me!

Yukie: Ah, the ど just now, that was good.

Bokuto: Really? Awesome! It’s seems that I have managed to solve the problem and use ど!

Yukie: Bokuto…is a nice person, isn’t he? Even though he’s an idiot.

Akaashi: Yeah…どういします(I agree).

 ==

Notes

(1) There’s this comedic talk kind of thing in Japan and if the speaker says something good or funny, they get to receive cushions (zabuton) to sit upon. Otherwise, they sit on the tatami directly and…it’s not as comfortable? Bokuto is just randomly using words with ど in it.

 (2) My friend thinks its kinda like this feeling like he’s stick his nose up!:

(3) I think that’s what it is, and I think it means Akaashi’s face got all stiff like a mask? :) HAHAHA BOKUAKA FOR LIFE