#dvd translation

[skania]

Oshi no Ko Chapter 154 Thoughts - Or the many many parallels between Ai/Kamiki and Akane/Aqua

In my post about last chapter, I listed a number of parallels showing that the way Kamiki felt about Ai is very reminiscent of the way Aqua felt about Akane.

I also said:

if Aka pulls that, then that would confirm that all of these parallels are very much intentional.

And what did Aka pull this chapter?

To top it off, now it isn't only Kamiki's feelings that parallel Aqua's. Ai's feelings are very much like Akane's, to the point that she nearly quotes her word for word at times 😭

I'll start chronologically because the amount of parallels is just insane. To keep this short, I won't bring up the Kamiki/Aqua parallels since I already went over those here. I'll just focus on Ai!

Ai didn't want to break up with Kamiki, but she did it because she feared that she and her children would be burdens to him, who was almost on the verge of breaking due to the weight of life.

Does that ring any bells?

Akane didn't want to break up with Aqua, but she was willing to do so because she feared that she and their fake relationship were burdening him by worsening the weight of his guilt.

Ai wanted to stay with Kamiki forever, just like Akane with Aqua.

Ai wanted to carry Kamiki's burden and walk into the future with him, just like Akane with Aqua.

Ai didn't know what loving someone felt like, but Kamiki was the first time she felt she wanted to love someone that way. Akane didn't know what loving someone that way felt like, either. Aqua was her first.

Most importantly:

Ai wanted to save Kamiki, just like Akane wants to save Aqua. While it was translated as "help" in English, in Japanese Ai uses the exact same verb as Akane when she says that she wants to "save" Aqua.

Even their expressions when thinking about their wish are similar 😭

And the thing is that — technically, logically ��� none of this can be a coincidence, because this is a fictional story and Aka is nearly using copy-pasting to stablish these parallels. But since this is Aka we're talking about, whether this will lead anywhere or turn out to be just bait remains to be seen lol

I feel like Ai isn't only paralleling Akane this chapter though, it's also possible to establish parallels between her and Aqua. Namely, Aqua also broke up with Akane to protect her, Aqua didn't understand what love was and he showed that he wanted to love Akane despite it.

Plus, when Aqua broke up with Akane to protect her, he did so in a way that would deliberately paint him in a bad light — just like Ai with Kamiki.

I'd also like to point out that in this chapter, Ai's feelings are described as, well, "Ai" 愛. In Japan, "Ai" 愛 is the strongest form of love, which can be either platonic or romantic. This is very relevant, because by making Ai's feelings for Kamiki so strikingly similar to Akane's for Aqua, Aka has essentially confirmed strongly implied that the kind of love Akane feels for Aqua is "Ai" 愛, too.

And Ai's "Ai" 愛 was romantic.

For those who aren't familiar with the concept of "Ai" in Japan, I feel like this post explains it very well:

愛 (Ai): sacrificial, unconditional, love for the other person's sake (often parallels the Greek agape, but can extend into philos as sawa mentions) 恋 (Koi): selfish, conditional, love for one's own sake (often parallels the Greek eros) While both can be used for romantic love, you cannot simply swap out one for the other. The contrast between the two shows up clearly in the したい forms of 愛する and 恋をする: 愛(Ai)したい I want to love [someone in a deep, unconditional way] 恋(Koi)がしたい I want to [fall in] love [with someone and experience the "high" of being in love]

If you ask me, the contrast between those two types of love perfectly exemplifies the difference with the way Akane's and Kana's feelings are being written. Coincidentally, Kana herself described her feelings as 恋 (Koi) in Chapter 150 lol

So considering all of this, I'm having the hardest time not seeing Kamiki and Ai as a sort of "failed" Aqua and Akane. Kamiki and Ai were too broken, and neither could handle their relationship in a healthy way despite their best intentions and how much they loved each other. Kamiki was too dependant on her, Ai broke up with him in the clumsiest way possible and Kamiki lashed out in a selfish, tragic way.

I'd argue that despite their mishaps, Aqua and Akane have already shown that they're healthier than Kamiki and Ai were. Even when he was at his lowest, Aqua was self-aware and did his best to not depend on Akane too much. When he faltered, Akane reminded him that it's important that they remain independent so they can have a healthy relationship.

Which takes me to something I think is very important:

Ai thought that Kamiki would be fine without her, but she was wrong. If she had been right, then maybe she would be alive today and she and Kamiki would've gotten back together later down the line.

I'm sure that Akane, too, thinks that Aqua will be fine without her. Aqua most definitely thinks the same thing about Akane.

And for them to be able to have a healthy relationship, it's important for them to be right. They need to be able to be fine without the other, and as of now, it seems like Aqua is finally making progress in that regard.

But what about being happier? Akane was at her happiest when she was with Aqua, and according to Aqua himself, it was the same for him. If we forget all the recent fiascos for a second and entertain the thought of Akane and Aqua once again, I feel like this should be the biggest factor into whether or not they get back together.

After all, if they get back together it shouldn't be because Aqua can't function without Akane. It should be because he wants to be with her (and she with him). So if Aka were to be a good writer allow them to find their way back to each other, this time spent apart could be crucial to let them restart on a healthy base.

But I digress! 😂 Instead of getting ahead of myself, I just want to enjoy the fact that these parallels are right there for everyone to see. At least no matter what happens, we now pretty much have confirmation that the way Aka wrote Aqua and Akane was both, romantic and the strongest form of love.

As for the plot, the fact that Ai's wish was this clear kind of opens an entire can of worms questions-wise. Moreover, I feel like if telling Kamiki that Ai loved him was Aqua's revenge plan all along, things like these would make very little sense in retrospective:

So for the sake of logic, I'm inclined to believe that Aqua, who didn't know what love was and who held a grudge against Kamiki, may have wanted to believe that Ai truly couldn't love Kamiki. He may have desperately wanted to believe that Ai was saying the truth, because otherwise taking revenge against Kamiki would mean going against Ai's wishes.

I feel like Aqua originally misinterpreting Ai's words is supported by the fact that even during the movie recording, Aqua was shown to not understand Ai.

So, what changed his mind? What made him finally realize that Ruby's portrayal was right and that Ai truly did love Kamiki?

Plus, Aqua has had that DVD for years now, which means that nothing was stopping him from realizing that Akane herself was echoing Ai's feelings for Kamiki throughout their relationship.

But I better stop myself right here, because if I start theorizing about this there will be no end to it. The possibilities are endless, so I'd rather just wait and let Aka either pleasantly surprise like he did this chapter me or continue to disappoint me as he is prone to do 😂

edit;

I just realized there are even more parallels when you get down to it. I mentioned before in my Chapter 97 post that during the phone-call that ultimately leads to their break-up, Aqua and Akane are like two ships in the night. They both want the same thing (to stay together), but in her haste to help him, Akane makes a choice that leads to their separation.

The same thing happens with Ai and Kamiki. They both want the same thing (to stay together), but in her haste to not burden him, Ai chooses to walk away from him.

Ai doesn't understand her own love and is thus unable to understand the extent of Kamiki's. She makes the mistake of thinking that the best way to save Kamiki is to not impose more burdens on him, when all he wanted was to stay with her. I'd argue something very similar happened with Akane. She made the mistake of thinking that the best way to help Aqua was to carry out his revenge for him, when all Aqua wanted from her was to remain by her side.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

new art for merch?

They’re really hyping up this release for some reason 🤔 so maybe it’ll be an extensive line of new merch featuring this art??

It seems to feature the TWST boys in the more classic Disney traditional animation art style. The clothes are suits with sashes and crystalline sleeves, which look like something a Disney prince would wear (just with less color).

So far only two examples have been released (Riddle and Leona, pictured below). We will see more designs in the days in come!

[eighthwholove]

Doctor Who (1996) + VHS & DVD covers, variations.

Featuring Australia's M rated cover, and the very rare US VHS.

I included Finland's release of the VHS, for apparently (according to The TARDIS Library), it translates to "1999: Destruction of Earth." And I found that quite interesting!

Bonus: The Chinese Laserdisc, Japanese VHS, & Czech Republic VHS:

Sidenote: The Czech Republic & French VHS both translate to: The Lord of Time. How intriguing!

[thesarcasticism]

fuuka & natsuki's duet, "gentle blindfold," from p3wm act 4

[sandreeen]

Hell Dogs Audio Commentary with Tak (Okada) and Muro's (Sakaguchi) Actors

[tnbscans]

Comments from English voice actors Wally Wingert, Yuri lowenthal, Kari Wahlgren, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Patrick Seitz, Michael Sinterniklaas, John Eric Bentley, Darrian Norris, Liam Obrien, Steve Blum and voice director Jaime Simone from the English of Heroes set.

[munchboxart]

Did the full episodes of Kirby Right Back at Ya! (mainly JP but I've noticed a lot of EN too) get taken down on Youtube? That's sad if that's the case, since I always watched the episodes there. I'd even boot up Wii Youtube a lot just to watch it when I was younger, LOL

[hydranomago]

"[I have the most fun] when I'm sleeping."

- Enoki Junya, 2022

[Video translation + Facts revealed about Enojun under the cut!]

Event Name: Talking Stand Morinoth (Morikubo and Amasaki's talk show)

Rough Translation:  { Key: E = Enojun, M = Morikubo, A = Amasaki }

E: When do you feel happiest or when you have the most fun?  M: You’re asking us (as the guest)? On the other hand, what about you? When do you feel the most fun, other than when you’re working?  E: What time's the most fun… I wonder what it is…Well, somewhat… M: You don’t drink alcohol either do you?  E: Well, I have the most fun when I’m sleeping maybe.  M, A: When you’re sleeping?! E: Like a (refreshing) 15-minute nap, something like that– Ah, but I’m not conscious at that time.  A: Is that really "fun"? E: Ahh that’s not really “fun” is it… Ah but–I’m not a huge movie buff–but I do enjoy going to the cinema alone. You can momentarily forget about everything while you’re in there. 

Revealed Facts:

Enojun's Personal interests: 

- is into movies like "Back to the Future", "Drive My Car"; and director Yasujiro Ozu’s works  - loves ramen, but is worried about calories (in Yuuma's radio show he brings up his worries about becoming fatter with age too) - doesn’t drink alcohol  - wanted to be a basketball athlete as a kid - likes teaching children, would read manga and watch shows for children to learn from them - [when teased, Enojun: "I'm not a lolicon!"] - studied to be a teacher for children in university; but pursued a path in the entertainment industry during his second year - would love to have kids eventually, but also values his alone time [Morikubo: “Choose one side already!] - loves theatre and acting till now (prefers acting in smaller and more compact theatres) - doesn’t care much about earning lots of money; more focused on life fulfilment 

2. In his youth: 

- was in Kendo and Baseball clubs - used to collect Yugi-Oh cards in primary school (gave them all away now to children who were interested)  - parents used to tease that his older brother is the good child, so Enojun must be the "bad kid" 

3. As a voice actor: 

- told his parents he would become seiyuu in 3 years (made it just in time with a regular role in Beyblade) - originally planned to be an actor, but felt that he won't measure up physically (being a seiyuu was a much more possible option to him)  - used to practice lines from manga during his free time at the convenience store he was part-timing at (and felt embarrassed by it)  - likes the challenge of trying to nail a role (esp at the start when everything is uncertain, and there's potential for everything)  - interested in pursuing a career in cinema, but not right now - praised by Morikubo as being "true neutral" -- he is able to adapt to anything/any side with ease - has thought about quitting as a seiyuu before; if it becomes a "boring" job  - would become an Explorer/Adventurer if he quits -- Amasaki  & Morikubo fully support this venture - The three of them now have plans to go camping + the director teased for them to release an "Adventure DVD" [ngl I'd watch that]

[le-trash-prince]

If I trust what gtranslate told me I’ll lose my fucking mind so I am just going to ignore the way it said that Garfield said I Don’t Know Why He Likes to Undress in Front of Me because what am i meant to do with that

*edit* oh he really did just fucking say that

(x)

[salvadorbonaparte]

I keep finding out really cool things on eBay. Did you know the film "the heart is a lonely hunter" was screened in the GDR and also the film posters spoiled the ending???

[schlock-luster-video]

On February 3, 2004, Lost in Translation was released on DVD in the United States.

[almondmilkmaddie]

if you criticize your wife for smoking a famous actor in the hotel bar will light up her cig and give her more attention in the span of a few days than you have in your two year marriage

[paquita-alpaca]

My Google Translate history sure is something lately.

It is safe to say that I'm learning new vocabulary while writing Finnish Tutor Jere at least.

[otomehonyaku]

hmmmm I also found a really fun live mini drama from Rejet Fes a few years ago....... maybe I'll translate that one next if it hasn't been translated already ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ I'm really motivated now

[nuzzle]

baby, the stars shine bright "gothic & lolita bible" dvd title menus (2010)

[tnbscans]

Hiroaki Hirata, Masakazu Morita, Masayuki Ozaki UStream Special Digest Interview Part 1 (Tiger & Bunny TV)

Part 2 can be found here

The below is transcribed from the DVD release.

Ozaki: This is the first time we've had a discussion with the three of us, isn't it?

Morita: Yes.

Hirata: Yeah, it is.

Ozaki: What is your first encounter, or rather, impression of Tiger & Bunny?

Hirata: The screen showed more screens within, and then a lot of captions flashed by, and scenes changed… It was very busy. Ohta-san was reading his lines, and I couldn't follow it. I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep up. It moves very fast. I was very overwhelmed, but when Wild Tiger came out, I felt I could do it. I was a bit relieved.

Morita: You usually get reference material sent to your office for an audition, right? When I got it, I was told that it was for a foreign film.

Hirata: That's the kind of impression you get from it.

Ozaki: It must have been difficult for you to capture Barnaby's personality.

Morita: Yeah. Even after the rehearsal for the first episode, the director kept telling me "act colder, act colder." I wasn't quite sure how cold I should make him.

Ozaki: Hirata-san, did you struggle gauging your distance to Morita-san?

Hirata: Very much so. But compared to how much Bunnykazu-kun was struggling, mine wasn't as bad.

Ozaki: How was Kotetsu or Wild Tiger described to you?

Hirata: He seems irresponsible, but he still needs to show the difference, as an adult. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to differentiate him as the mature one, because he does stuf like take a silly photo of himself on Bunny's cellphone, and it's not something an adult would do at all. Right?

Ozaki: Yeah.

Hirata: He's thinking, "What? Who is this guy?" "What a weirdo. I have to team up with him?" But he doesn't totally shun him. He doesn't want to do it, but he does it anyway. It's the things he doesn't say… The fact that he can mentally switch gear, to do things that he doesn't want to… This must be what it means to be mature. That's how I felt way later.

Ozaki: I see.

Hirata: It's difficult.

Ozaki: There's a wide range of emotional spectrum within the 25 episodes.

Morita: It's like a roller coaster.

Hirata: Yeah, it is.

Morita: It's crazy.

Ozaki: It must be uneasy when that happens.

Morita: The way he acts in front of Kotetsu…The way he acts towards other Heroes and people…The way he acts towards his audience…And the way he acts when he's alone… There are four different Barnabys.

Ozaki: I see…

Hirata: Four different ones?

Morita: Yeah.

Hirata: That's amazing. I can't do that. I have a Kotetsu involving Kaede and a Kotetsu not involving Kaede. Just those two.

Ozaki: The way he acts with his family and the way he acts when he's not.

Hirata: He's either a doting father or he isn't.

Morita: There were some terrible gossips.

Ozaki: Yeah, at the beginning.

Morita: Before we started… More than I thought, people's focus was on the series being influenced by American comics. There was a rather negative impression in people…

Ozaki: It's not based on anything famous, either.

Morita: Yeah.

Hirata: It was a pretty bad start, wasn't it?

Morita: It was a terrible start. And then, its popularity skyrocketed. I was like, "See? It's great, right?"

Hirata: But you anticipated all of that, didn't you?

Ozaki: -Uhh…

Morita: -Aha!

Hirata: Like Bunnykazu-kun mentioned earlier, I knew it was great. But when it actually became crazy popular, none of us saw it coming. And we were all excited and grateful. None of us, except you. You said, "This was expected."

Ozaki: Yeah. I was certain that Tiger & Bunny would be a hit. I really believed it.

Morita: This series is aimed at middle-aged men who are fighting at the top right now. But when you look deeper, there are a lot of female fans. Naturally, there are a lot of male fans, but also female fans. Those young female fans are attracted to the Old Man. Just like this. Did you expect this?

Ozaki: Well, not really.

Morita: Did you expect it to be this popular with female fans?

Ozaki: That was unexpected.

Morita: Right?

Hirata: It took many years for me to get the title of Pirate Voice Actor.

Morita: Because you've done it for so long.

Hirata: Yeah. It took over ten years for me to be called that. And in three months, I became the Old Man Voice Actor. Three months! They kept calling me Old Man.

Morita: But when they call you that, it's meant as a term of endearment, with a little heart at the end.

Hirata: I would like that to be so.

Morita: This is new. Old men are back in fashion.

Ozaki: Yeah.

Hirata: That's part of Kotetsu's character. He's kind to women. For example, he doesn't understand Blue Rose's feelings. He's rather dense, but humble. And with his daughter, he's a doting parent. I think women find this endearing.

Ozaki: Were there any memorable events or happenings in the past year?

Morita: For me, that would be the Tiger & Bunny Hero Awards 2011 after the series ended.

Ozaki: We did that in November, right?

Morita: That was shocking, wasn't it? At the end, everyone in the audience got together and sang…

Ozaki: Yeah, when we did "Orion wo Nazoru."

Morita: And that happened at theaters across the country. I heard everyone cried. Some people tweeted that it was their first time crying at an event. To be honest, when it was over, I teared up as well.

Hirata: A live event was a first for me. But prior to that, we had another event to watch the final episode together.

Ozaki: Oh yeah, on the 17th of September.

Hirata: I thought that was nice, to be able to watch all the action on the big screen. Naturally, everyone in our theater was excited, but the fact that people were laughing and cheering in other places too made me feel like we were connected.

Ozaki: Connected and together with everyone. I think that's something symbolic of Tiger & Bunny.