#ogawa shizu

[youngpettyqueen]

and i can’t recall the last time i was kissed

(an unexpected act of mercy)

[aru-art]

@itsanappl​ / @bee--soup​ / @youngpettyqueen​

lots of screenshot edits! original images under the cut

[flibbityflob]

When the Last Sword is Drawn/Music Revolution!! (Yukigumi, 2019)

After 6 viewings and the shinko, I'd say I've seen this show a lot. I had high hopes going in, and for the most part, this show met them. The movie is stunning, and the story at its core is heartbreaking. The revue didn’t immediately stun me, but after watching it as many times as I have, it’s really grown on me. Beware for Many Many spoilers within. Also this thing is LONG, it’s a fairly detailed summary and i have a LOT of opinions about this show, this troupe, and the revue.

In brief. Or as brief as I can be with this confusing show. In a framing device, we see a ball at the Rokuemeikan in 1885, attended by a group of high ranking people; Matsumoto Ryoujun (Nagina Ruumi), his wife Toki (Chikaze Karen), and Nabeshima Nagako (Himehana Yukino). It's interrupted by a group of thugs who are swiftly defeated by Police Inspector Saitou Hajime (Asami Jun) and his deputy, Ikenami Rokusaburou (Agata Sen). The doctor and nurse of the Rokuemeikan, Oono Chiaki (Aya Ouka) and his wife, Mitsu (Asazuki Kiwa), come by, and it turns out there is some kind of history between Saitou and Mitsu's long dead father.

(For eases sake, I'll skip commenting on the rest of the transitions, just know they're there at fairly regular intervals. I'll get to my opinions on those soon).

We flash back around 40 years. Yoshimura Kanichirou (Nozomi Fuuto) proposes marriage to Shizu (Maaya Kiho), who, after some teasing, accepts him. They're poor, but happy with each other. She meets Yoshimura's best friend, Oono Jiroemon (Ayakaze Sakina), the lord of their domain, who at one point also wished to marry her. After a short scene with Oono's mother, we skip forward 20 years or so. Yoshimura's mother has just passed, and his son, Kaichirou (Ayami Sera), comes to tell him the news that Shizu has attempted to drown herself. After rushing home, he finds Shizu safe and alive. It comes out she tried to kill herself because she's pregnant again, a third child that they won't be able to feed, they're struggling as it is with the harvests as poor as they are. He'll have to find another way to provide for them, and he resolves to abandon his position as a samurai and join the Shinsengumi in Kyoto.

In Kyoto, we meet the Shinsengumi. The introduce themselves with their theme song (something I have not been able to stop singing). The three most important members are Saitou Hajime, only now with long hair, Hijikata Toshizou (Ayanagi Shou), and Okita Souji (Towaki Sea). They lead the rest of the group in a number excelling how good they are. After some conversation, the group has a photo taken of themselves, one ruined by Tani Sanjuurou (Souno Haruto), a man trying to push his brother to succeed Kondou Isami. He is not popular.

Yoshimura leaves his home, gifted a travel pass to allow him safe passage through the country by Oono. Yoshimura and Shizu sing a duet as they part in the snow, Yoshimura leaving his children and wife behind to ensure they survive another year. Yoshimura swears to return home no matter what and after a really fun song sung by Ai Sumire, he's officially part of the Shinsengumi.

This is one of my favourite scenes in the whole show, it's this chaotic mess of a scene where everyone is doing something fun. Tani is entertaining the crowd, whilst his brother Shuuhei (Manomiya Rui) looks on ashamed. Agachin and Nagakura Shinpachi (Machi Yuuka) are bickering in the background. Yoshimura is running around keeping the sake flowing, and soon sits next to Saitou, who he enthuses about his homeland of Morioka to. Saitou fucking hates him almost instantly. The next scene, Saitou tries to kill him for being a sappy, uneducated, family man from the country, before Yoshimura handily bests him.

The Shinsengumi too, do not approve of Yoshimura. He constantly asks after money, not caring much for propriety, and he doesn’t care much for the senseless violence that most of the Shinsengumi are rather famous for. Back home, we see how Yoshimura’s family is. Shizu, Kaichirou, Mitsu, and the baby have been left in the care of Otora (Satsuki Aina) and Okane (Anno Konnomi), who steal the money Yoshimura sends back. In essence, they’re unhappy, still poor, and often ill. Shizu has to sell a hairpin Yoshimura gave to her in order to pay for the medicine her youngest child needs. All in all, nobody is particularly happy.

Back in Kyoto, Ogawa Shintarou (Kujou Asu), has been accused of theft. Hijikata tries to make Souji, Harada Sanousuke (Tachibana Kou), and Nagakura all take on the role of his second (the person in a seppuku who beheads the one killing himself), but all resist his commands. Saitou argues the one who should act as second should be his division comander, Tani, and Hijikata agrees, but Yoshimura will also aid, given Tani’s reputation. During the seppuku, Ogawa fails to properly cut his stomach open and Tani fails to behead him. After a small scuffle, Yoshimura beheads him (in a truly fantastic bit of design, wherein Asu and Daimon head behind a screen, and by using lighting design, sihlouettes, and sound effects, it genuinely does look like a beheading). Many of the Shinsengumi call for Tani’s death, but as personal disputes are banned in the Shinsengumi, Kondou puts a stop to this. Saitou is not happy. Yoshimura begs Hijikata for more money, and after he leaves, Saitou comes onstage to tell Okita, Harada, and Nagakura his plan to eliminate the man they all hate. Some members of the Shinsengumi have defected, and during a fight they know will be happening soon, they can take advantage of the confusion to execute him and pass his death off as casualty in battle.

After a brief interlude in Morioka, where we hear that Oono is moving to Osaka with his family, and that by and by, Yoshimura’s family are doing well, we come to the Aburakouji incident. Kondou and the Shinsengumi ambush Itou Kashitarou (Kiraha Reo) and Toudou Heisuke (Suwa Saki), who are attempting to asssasinate Kondou. After a scuffle, Yoshimura excecutes both Itou and Toudou, and soon after Saitou assasinates Tani. This leads to my favourite encounter in the whole play, wherin Nagakura and Harada “discover” Tani’s body. They comically overact the whole thing, and Okita and Saitou make some snide comments about how bad of a pair of actors they are.

Following this, we’re introduced to Miyo (also Maaya Kiho), the daughter of the family hosting the Shinsengumi in Kyoto, who’s been in love with Yoshimura for years and wishes to marry him. She wants to convince Kondou and Hijikata to let Yoshimura leave the Shinsengumi and lead a peaceful life.

Saitou comes across Yoshimura investigating the body of Tani, and Yoshimura quite deftly points out that there’s no way Tani could have died in the brawl, and that the only person who could have assasinated him was Saitou (Saitou wields a sword with his left hand, and the wound was inflicted by a left hander). Yoshimura blackmails Saitou into paying him off, and walks away twenty ryou richer. Shuuhei comes on, desperately screaming at the murder four (Saitou, Okita, Nagakura, and Harada) to bring his brother back. Hijikata pays Saitou back the twenty ryou he paid to Yoshimura.

After another of the framing device sections, we come to the marriage interview between Yoshimura and Miyo, Yoshimura clearly completley distressed by the whole affair but too terrified of losing his position to say anything. Hijikata and Kondou speak of their plans to let Yoshimura divorce Shizu, and to leave the Shinsengumi. Yoshimura cannot find the words to reject them, but Ikenami steps in and tells them all how they don’t understand the pains of the common people. Yoshimura slaps him, hugs him, and then leaves, followed by Miyo, who he waxes lyrical to about his wife. This leads into a beautiful tanbata scene, where Yoshimura allows himself for just a second to indulge in hugging Miyo, before the guilt gets the better of him and he runs off.

The people of Kyoto and Oono’s forces in Osaka sing of the troubling times as the Shinsengumi begin their march to Osaka, ending as the curtain rises on the thoroughly beaten and bruised Shinsengumi. After some time, Hijikata orders a retreat which Yoshimura rejects, leading a suicide attack on the government’s forces, during which he is shot and stabbed. He makes his way to his clan’s storehouse, to get permission to return to Morioka to be with his family, and meets Oono there. Oono, bound by his duty, orders him instead to commit seppuku, which he does, after a truly heartwrenching sequence in which Yoshimura counts the money he was going to spend on things for his family. His sword and hair are brought back to his family, and his son resolves to fight alongside Oono in the upcoming conflict. Both die in battle, with Oono dying heartbreakingly so onstage.

We return to the framing device, where the Meiji players contemplate what kind of man Yoshimura was. Ryoujun leads a reprise of Yoshimura and Shizu’s duet, which they take over, as the whole troupe joins in and cherry blossoms finally bloom.

I loved this show a whole lot. A whole whole WHOLE lot. My tastes lie deep in “tragic nihonmono that don’t involve a lot of politics,” “Nozomi Fuuto as a dad,” and “Agata Sen having just The Best Time.” I got all three in SPADES. This show is a character driven one, in my eyes, with the core conflict being internal. Yoshimura does arguably terrible things to keep himself afloat, and to keep providing for his family, and all the while daimon ACHES with this need to return home. Whenever given the chance, he waxes lyrical about how much he loves his homeland, his family, and especially his wife. When dying, the last words he speaks are his wife’s name. Yoshimura loves his family more than anything else in the world and it comes through with literally everything Daimon does. The tragedy is clear from the start, and once the last 15 minuites or so start you know there’s only one ending. But there’s even more beautiful tragedy that I can’t bring myself to spoil that just makes everything worse, more painful.

My biggest issue with the show is the framing device. Whilst I don’t mind it too much, I know others hate it a LOT more than I do, and I get why. Every so often, the Rokumeikan crew will walk along the ginkyo or across the stage and exposit about where certain people were at certain points, and it did have the effect of completely breaking the flow of action and tension. Hime and Agachin stand out as the MVPs of those scenes, but Agachin was only in a few of them and Hime can only do so much alone. I didn’t hate them, but I do get why one might.

Nozomi Fuuto as Yoshimura Kanichirou was fucking fantastic, genuinely one of the best performances i’ve ever seen her bring. She has the unenviable task of delivering a really nuanced, sad character whilst also speaking perfectly in a very strong accent, and does it without breaking a sweat. I don’t have enough good things to say about her accent, by the way. I feel like it could be a touch controversial, and it does make her impossible to understand (my Japanese friends agreed, it’s a HARD one), but it adds so much to her character. Daimon’s face was designed to look good when sad, and this show is no exception, she has a kind of mastery over these faces that just ache lonliness like nobody else in the world does. Her voice as she’s dying is so broken, these little gasps of pain are just sublime and her voice as she’s counting out the coins she’s earned over her six years is so beautifully sad. Her performance is exceptional in how subtle it is. She doesn’t bring anything big or ballistic to the table, she just tries to create a picture of this man desperate to do what’s right for his loved ones and to his own code of honour to the table. His last moments are so desperaetly sad because you know full well he regrets everything he’s done to get there, and in the same breath knows it’s his supposed duty as a samurai to have done what he did. Yoshimura is a hard role and Daimon made him look easy, and carried off the accent too. I can’t imagine anyone else in this role.

Maaya Kiho played two roles in this, and I fucking loved them both. I will say, I wish her role as Shizu had been given a little more weight, but I loved Miyo enough that I can’t stay too angry. She plays Shizu at two points in her life, first young and giddy in love, and then older, married, a mother, and far far more tired. As that younger Shizu she plays her with such life, her Shizu is teasingly affectionate to Yoshimura, but clearly in love with him. On my last performance I noticed that during her first scene, before Yoshimura proposes to her, she’s fixing up her hair and kimono, making herself look as pretty as she can. It’s adorable. As the older Shizu she carries this utter grace with her, world weary and hard done by. Her and Daimon have amazing chemistry together, they play this old married couple so well, both softly amused by their children even when it’s their last moments together. Her maturity is so quiet, so calm, and it’s another half of these two incredibly subtle performances the top combi give. As Miyo she’s a bratty selfish teenager, and it’s her earlier maturity as Shizu that makes Miyo even more entertaining. She’s selfish in that way only spoiled kids are, saying she’s completely in love with Yoshimura when she’s barely shared a conversation with him, and acting as if he’d be perfectly willing to abandon his whole family to marry her. It’s not the biggest role but she imbues it with such grace and charm I can’t help but adore it.

Ayakaze Sakina was unfortunately typecast again as the best friend, and it’s absolutely detremential to her. Oono, in my eyes, is just straight up not an interesting character. His major role is acting as the exposition dumper, and his few scenes of humanising moments don’t work for me like they should because I don’t buy him as a character properly. I want Saki to get a good, interesting role that forces her out of her shell as just the best friend and I’m annoyed she didn’t get it here.

Asami Jun was the nibante, to be frank. Her Saitou was gruff and angry and simmering with barely restrained loathing for Yoshimura, and I fucking loved it. It didn’t blow me away like I think that role could have but Aasa I think tried her damn hardest, biting onto what she got given and trying with all her might. The relationship between Yoshimura and Saitou didn’t land quite as it could have, and I can’t blame all of that on the writing (only a decent chunk of it). Aasa’s Saitou hated Yoshimura too much, which I think made her sudden face turn at the end of the play towards sympathy to Yoshimura feel a little flat, but I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really looking at her during that scene at all (and we’ll get to why soon).

Shou is still our sanbante but it’s entirely in name only at this point. Hijikata is a tiny role, she gets to sit and scowel, and grumble “Mendoksei, mendoksei” at the murder four, and it’s just. Not interesting. And I so wish it was, because I love Shou. She’s quietly endeared, to my eyes, by their nonsense, which I think was perhaps more of Shou than the role, but it was rather fun all the same.

Towaki Sea got a role on the smaller end too, but definitely one bigger than Shou. Okita Souji is a fun role, a violent shitty dude, but also a really fun genki one. Her and Aasa have a really fun dynamic together, really fed up with the bullshit of everyone around them, especially from Yoshimura and Tani, who they hate for very different reasons. Her adlibs with Aasa, Macchi, and Tachi were really fun, and she really played the heart of that group, if a very violent angry one. I don’t know what I CAN say about her Souji, though, because he wasn’t the biggest role in the world. What I can say is that Hitoko is putting her heart and soul into everything, even moreso than I think she was in mura, what with the looming transfer and all.

Aya Ouka was… I don’t think she’s tracked any more. On paper she has a role the same size as Agachin’s but whilst Agachin was taking what she was given and running with it, Ayana was projecting at a brick wall. Ayana played Chiaki, Oono’s son, who I think could have acted as another half of the emotional core of the story, but it would have required a damn sight more than what Ayana was giving. I don’t want to be too harsh on her, but she just wasn’t bringing anything at all to the show. The script wasn’t amazing towards her but I think she well could have made something of it. I know this, because…

Agata Sen fucking DID. I have fallen completely and utterly head over heels with Agata Sen and anyone who knows me knows that fact but I am writing this with as little bias as I can be (but I WAS watching her with opera glasses for literally every show so like. Only so much). Ikenami Rokusaburou also wasn’t a huge role on paper, and could well have been boring and forgettable but Agachin did SO MUCH for it. Ikenami is one of the only survivors of the Shinsengumi, and ends up a police inspector with Saitou. She’s present in the Shinsengumi scenes and ends up forming a very sweet bond with Yoshimura in the process, going from actively antagonising him (with the aim of sucking up to Kondou) to defending him in a really lovely scene, calling out the bullshit of Kondou and Hijikata, and how they just don’t get the struggles of common people. Her line delivery of her speech to Kondou and Hijikata told a story without saying any of it, and it’s absolutely fantastic. And she’s the fucking BEST in the background, I know full well the blu-ray won’t capture any of it but every single day she and Macchi were pulling out new types of bullshit and I think Macchi is going to kill her sometime soon. I love her so very much and she’s going to be Something very very soon. Just you wait.

Kacha was. There. Completely irrelevant and doing nothing for the plot, just awkwardly hanging around during the Rokumeikan scenes. I don’t think anyone enjoyed this role, she didn’t actually DO anything, and I took particular insult to her starting off the finale because there was no emotional reason for her to do so! I didn’t like this role and I can’t imagine her die hard fans did either.

Other people of note

Mana Harutou was a really fun Kondou, playing him as a rather useless leader, stuck in indecision and almost inept at points. It was a nice role, and I hope she keeps getting roles like this, not enormous, but still big. She’s one of my favourites.

Kiraha Reo is still playing two roles in a show (though only one of them matters) and I can’t help but laugh. Itou isn’t the biggest role either, but she gives him a decent amount of depth, clearly holding some resentment towards the Shinsengumi from the start, and dripping with loathing as they take him and his rebellion out.

Kujou Asu gets the worst role of the lot, a nothing samurai who has to commit seppuku and fails terribly at it, but she has a lot of fun running around with her hair loose, covered in blood.

Souno Haruto, our new Kumichou, also having the time of her life as the comedic side relief Tani Sanjuurou. Every day during one scene she’d force Manaharu into a love suicide and every day it had me quietly losing my SHIT. She’s the best.

I’ve wanted better things for Ai Sumire for the longest time and so hearing her get a solo in this? Thank the LORD. she’s a great singer and it’s great we’re using her more.

I just really like Manomiya Rui, y’all? She has the friendliest otome picture and her energy is so nice. She was fun as Shuuhei.

Tachibana Kou and Macchi Yuuka were my absolute favourite part of this show by a country MILE. Comedic side relief and vicious killers all at once. I can’t wait to see how absolutely awful their fake acting gets by raku.

Music Revolution grew on me. It’s a Nakamura revue and it is, to its core, a Nakamura revue, but in my eyes it’s one of his best. Not just because of copious amounts of Agachin but good GRIEF she is a spectacular dancer and this revue shows that off.

The theme song is a complete banger, black and dark grey outfits and some really genuinely tight choreography from Yukigumi. Daimon’s voice could fill the whole theatre without a microphone and so could Kiichan’s and they absolutely owned the show. Daimon seems absurdly full of energy, and it’s REALLY nice to see her leading the troupe having so much fun at the same time. Everyone on the track gets a little moment, even down to Agachin and Ayana, and I can’t help but feel an enormous amount of pride for the whole troupe. I love them, they feel like home so very much.

The revolution scene fucking OWNS. Daimon leads a group of argentinian revolutionaries against the forces of the British army and comes out on top. Everyone’s singing at 200%, especially Maaya motherfucking Kiho, and dancing in really tight formation. They look and sound amazing. Aasa and Hitoko lead the British forces and they also look DAMN good in those red uniforms, and dance REAL good too. I would say it’s my favourite number of the revue but practically every number is, so.

Then comes your standard Nakamura B jazz number, led by Saki with Agachin and Ayana behind her. It’s a really fun couple minutes, just the whole troupe leaping around and dancing, culminating in a fake music duel between Agachin on the trumpet and Ayana on the saxaphone, and it’s super fun! Agachin does this flying leap every day and it’s fucking fantastic, I love watching her dance. Aki and Hime get a duet (a reoccuring feature, and not one I’m mad about, they’re really fun together), and it’s just a really good time.

The chuuzume I couldnt love more. It goes on forever and yet every single kangeki I was sitting in my seat BEAMING when Aasa starts singing and neon lights blast, it was so fun. It goes from one extreme to another with lightining speed, and yukigumi moves in absolute harmony, and it’s just. Great. Every day Daimon, Kiichan, Kacha, Saki, Aasa, and Hitoko find new nonsense to do on the ginkyou as the rest of the troupe goes into the aisles and it’s just such a warm feelgood time I can’t help but be happy watching it.

Hitoko gets a really fun little number, to fucking Pachabel’s Canon, which I went in expecting to hate (as a musician i’ve heard that damn song too many times) but ended up loving (I’m a sucker for electric guitars). Following the transfer announcement the amount of applause Hitoko got for this scene skyrocketed and that’s something I can’t help but love. She’s an excellent dancer (not that i’d know it. Agachin was in that scene. I was looking at her literally every single time).

Inexplicably Nakamura decided to add in a taidan number for Daimon and Kiichan, though I suppose the real taidan is for Hitoko’s heart (poor dear is already starting to crack and will absolutely be a wreck by raku). It’s fun and catchy and it’s nice to see the remaining 89ths have fun together, and for Daimon and Kiichan to just be completely nerdy.

We finally, after two years, have a Daimongumi kuroenbi and it’s absolutely fantastic. Everyone looks stellar in tailcoats, we dance with precicion and order and Daimon sings like nobody’s business. They look good, they sound good, and it’s just. The best.

I adore the duet dance. Daimon and Kiichan gently dance whilst Ai Sumire sings and it’s just overall really really nice. It’s almost ethereal, purple outfits and a shit ton of smoke and Daimon and Kiichan clearly just. Adore each other. Their freindship is clearly so strong and sweet and they really suit each other.

I loved this whole show. Whilst I think I prefer Hikarifuru as a show, this takes the cake for my favourite pairing of shows. They’re both super strong and I can’t help but love the shit out of them. Daimon and Kiichan’s chemistry feels so easy and comfortable, two people who just Get Each Other, and it’s so nice to see them play off each other. I wish Kiichan had more to do, but like. She deserves everything. Fingers crossed our next revue does right by her (please give us an Uekumi revue i’m BEGGING you).

[mintbubblegumsims]

Shizu made a quick stop by Ichika and Kosuke’s one day.

“I have some news,” she said. “I’m pregnant!”

“Shizu! That’s great! I’m so happy for you!” Ichika can’t help but smile at becoming an aunt again.

Kosuke smiles too, “Congratulations.” He was happy for her; he knew she’d wanted another child for a long time. But he couldn’t help feel sad that he has yet to have any of his own kids.

[revuetraversees]

GIRONDINE, Rome Deguergue, éditions Traversées, 2018.

GIRONDINE, Rome Deguergue, éditions Traversées, 2018.

Éric Faure   Grâce à la générosité et l’ouverture d’esprit de la passeuse de poésie et elle-même délicate poète japonaise, Shizue Ogawa, également bien connue de l’équipe et des lecteurs de Traversées (lire différents articles dans les archives du site), le professeur de littérature française à l’université de Kyôto, Éric Faure, qui en outre étudie avec passion les « contes et légendes du Japon »…

[recentanimenews]

How Shizu Gave and Defined the Goals of Slime in Only Two Episodes

To anyone going in blind watching That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, a couple of things are apparent: the main character is a slime, there’s a lot of monsters and cool fights, and the girl with the black hair is probably important. It takes a while for Shizu to appear, and her introduction is prefaced with that she is the person that ‘Rimuru is destined to be with.’ Thing is, Shizu only appears for a handful of episodes before her untimely death. She is without a doubt, an interesting and tragic character, but she still sticks around—in the opening, the ending, and is referenced fairly often. In most series, a character that dies is remembered, but usually in flashbacks to give the main character a necessary boost in motivation. They are rarely put in the opening and ending sequences for multiple seasons, and even more rarely feel like they never left. Why is she so important, anyway?

When Shizu and Rimuru finally meet, it’s on good terms instead of as enemies. Rimuru goes into their meeting expecting to meet the love of his life, but finds something completely different. As it turns out, Shizu is also a foreigner in this fantasy world, having been yanked from the real world during the bombing of Tokyo in WWII. Although she has grown up in this new place as an adventurer, it isn’t exactly her home, and she still feels somewhat out of place. Above all things, she is still a visitor, and can’t shake the sentimentality for her own home. This rings true with Rimuru, who is also part of a world that he doesn’t entirely understand. They’re both Japanese, they both came from Earth, and so Rimuru feels a kinship towards her. They also share similar values, in wishing for the world they're in to find happiness and peace. It isn’t necessarily romance and it isn’t necessarily friendship, but rather a deep sympathy and respect.

As a leader of a village now nation, Rimuru has taken upon a great responsibility. He isn’t just a strong political figurehead, but a leader where the majority of the decision-making power rests. Being a ruler comes with diplomacy, bartering with other nations, and possible war, all for the sake of his country. Granted, this massive responsibility isn’t one that is unwelcome, for he very clearly cares for all his citizens and put all his efforts into making their lives better. Rimuru doesn’t treat any of his people like tools, but is concerned for their safety when the situation becomes dangerous, and is willing to take risks to ensure that his kingdom flourishes. At the same time, while this has become a motive that Rimuru is heavily dedicated to, it’s not one that he chose; rather, it was pushed upon him during a miscommunication. He wants to do his best during it, but that is Rimuru the leader, Rimuru the figurehead of Jura Tempest—not entirely Rimuru himself. Rimuru didn’t make the choice to become the leader of a nation, but rather stumbled into the role. Unlike Shizu, Rimuru doesn’t have many personal aspirations, but instead had dedicated himself to fulfilling his position.

However, unlike Rimuru who is taking things as they come, Shizu quickly found her own drive in this new world. Her transition was filled with hardship, but she has since embarked on her own journey. Ifrit draining her life and going on a rampage cut her dreams short, leaving her to die without fulfilling her main goal: to once again find the Demon Lord that brought her to this world. Her death was a shock to Rimuru, as he had quickly lost someone that was able to understand and sympathize with him, and vice-versa. Rimuru taking on Shizu’s form after her death isn’t just so he can gain a humanoid body, but as a way of showing respect to her.

Due to Shizu’s unfinished business, Rimuru now has more personal goals, dreams that he wants to fulfill beyond his leadership obligations. Helping Shizu’s former students and going after the Demon Lord that put Ifrit inside her isn’t necessarily Rimuru’s problem; likely, he could have avoided involving himself in them altogether. Neither of the two would mean much to Rimuru, unless either threaten the stability of Jura Tempest. It is, however, the least he could do for someone who left that strong of an impact on him. Meeting with Shizu has turned Rimuru from a pure leader to someone with concrete, personal goals, even if those goals weren’t originally his own.

In many series, the death of loved ones or mentors are a crucial impetus for the main character. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is no different, for Shizu’s death proves to be crucial to Rimuru in more ways than one. Shizu was only around for a short period of time, but she and Rimuru formed a deep connection, one shared by two people both lost in a distant world. She wasn't the love interest, and she wasn't the traditional heroine; her dreams became Rimuru's dreams, her drive his drive. Most importantly, death doesn’t make a character less important; they may not be alive to travel with the rest of the cast, but what they stood for would still persist. Sometimes, that character continues to live on, not physically, but in what they bring to the cast. 

  What do you like the most about Shizu? Let us know in the comments!

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Noelle Ogawa is a contributor to Bubbleblabber and Cup of Moe. She can be found on Twitter @noelleogawa.

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By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[mintbubblegumsims]

Aito is married to Kosuke’s sister, Shizu. They have a daughter named Nari. Shizu’s mother also lives with them. Kosuke can’t help but be frustrated over the fact that Aito is living the life he wants.

[revuetraversees]

Lieven Callant

Revue Traversées, n° 82, décembre, 2016 Traduction

On pourrait penser que la poésie est traduction, qu’elle instaure un rapport au monde en le traduisant. Le poète est dès lors un passeur, qui sans cesse traverse l’espace du langage, des langages. D’une rive à l’autre, il construit, établit le poème avec le même soin que l’épeire tisse sa toile. Il semble primordial que la trame reste presque invisible, que les points d’attache soient choisis avec une précision qui donneront l’impression au lecteur attentif qu’un mot et celui-là uniquement a le droit d’occuper la place que lui a tout spécialement réservée le poète. Toujours, parce que les environnements, les temps se modifient, le poète garde en lui le privilège de retravailler son ouvrage. Traversées consacre régulièrement des numéros à la traduction. Aux traducteurs. Car c’est surtout à leur travail que ces numéros rendent hommage. Le numéro 82 n’échappe pas à la règle. Nous lirons en version bilingue et trilingue de nombreux poèmes. J’ai particulièrement apprécié ceux de Shizue Ogawa, D’Emily Dickinson, de Yorgos Thémélis, de Xavier Bordes naturellement. L’attention est portée d’abord aux poèmes traduits vers le français et puis ensuite aux poèmes traduit du français vers d’autres langues comme pour souligner que ce que transmet le poème est universel, que ses frontières ne se limitent pas à sa langue d’origine. Beaucoup de poètes sont les traducteurs d’autres poètes. Si la tâche de la traduction d’une langue à une autre, d’un poème me semble être un acte d’une grande bravoure, un acte de haute voltige qui implique bien plus que d’exemplaires connaissances linguistiques, il faut aussi savoir agir avec respect. Respect des mots, respects des messages, respect de l’auteur, respect du lecteur. La traduction a pour vocation de passer inaperçue, le traducteur est donc forcément quelqu’un qui est en mesure de s’effacer devant l’autre, d’être à ce point discret que la voix qu’on entend est celle et uniquement celle du poème. Horia Badescu nous rappelle que « traduire ce n’est pas trahir », Zéno Bianu évoque la « chambre d’échos » qu’est le poème en cours de traduction. Michèle Duclos nous assure que « le plus sûr moyen de comprendre et d’apprécier un poème est de s’attacher à le rendre dans une autre langue. » Idée rejointe par Patrice Breno dans son édito qui regrette que l’enseignement d’aujourd’hui tente de plus en plus à bannir l’apprentissage du grec ancien et du latin. L’apprentissage du passage d’une langue à l’autre mais pas seulement, l’apprentissage de l’analyse linguistique qui nous invite à penser et repenser les origines de notre langue (comme si nous en avions une commune), à en explorer les structures, à les questionner. Nous aurons toujours besoin de traduire pour comprendre le monde, de trouver une langue pour le rendre.

Photo © Jacques Cornerotte

Enfin, je terminerai le compte rendu de ma lecture de ce très bon numéro, en évoquant les photographies de Jacques Cornerotte. L’image photographique est aussi d’une certaine manière la traduction d’un moment très particulier. Un instant sans mot et pour lequel il n’y a peut-être pas de mots. Une pensée fugitive, une énigme silencieuse. L’une des photos représente une jeune violoncelliste en train de jouer. Son visage reflète à la fois l’inquiétude, le doute, le questionnement. L’effroi lorsqu’on se retrouve à interpréter l’œuvre musicale d’un autre. Cet autre qui nous le demande au travers d’une partition qu’il nous faut interpréter. Peut-être que cette photographie résume à elle seule les propos du n°82 sur la traduction?

« La liberté est clé en main, elle est comme un poème inachevé. »  Károly Fellinger

©Lieven Callant

Revue Traversées, n° 82, décembre, 2016 Traduction Lieven Callant Revue Traversées, n° 82, décembre, 2016 Traduction On pourrait penser que la poésie est traduction, qu’elle instaure un rapport au monde en le traduisant.