#twilight isn’t a spy for fun… yor isn’t an assassin for no reason there is MEANING behind both of their roles

[twixfamily]

i completely understand being relieved that the bus hijacking arc is over, but i disagree with a few posts i’ve seen calling it unnecessarily long. for manga readers it dragged on due to how spread out the time before each chapter was (trust me, i was ready for some change too) but i think that reading it back in one go is far more impactful and cohesive.

in a series called spy x family you expect and emphasis on the FAMILY aspect, so it’s strange to see them not interacting for months on end while the manga updates. however, in keeping with the SPY portion the readers need to be both reminded and informed of the political landscape they’re dealing with.

yuri’s plot seemed a little inconsequential, but it’s supposed to show you that the sss is operating behind the scenes where you might not expect AND that some of its agents disregard their orders to carry out their own version of justice. twilight removing his disguise at the end seems lame when he doesn’t have an emotional reunion with anya, but again we’re seeing that even the readers were unaware of the presence of wise agents AND that sometimes they don’t actually accomplish their intended mission. yor arrived later than the other parents to give anya a moment alone with damian AND to show that she’s strong and fast and dedicated but can’t possibly be there to save anya every time she needs it. billy squire exemplifies the evil that war can push people to AND his genuine desire for a fairer world for the non-wealthy. it’s all about revealing the fight for power that has steadily grown to be more convoluted than westalis vs. ostania.

to focus solely on the family relationships and relegate the political atmosphere to the background does a disservice to the series and to endo’s intended message. yes, family makes unrest and war easier to endure. had twilight’s parents survived he likely would’ve had an easier time emotionally and been less likely to engage in such heightened violence (the same could be said for yor). but that doesn’t eliminate danger, ESPECIALLY the danger that is often hidden from the public eye.

you’re supposed to feel exhausted reading this arc, you’re supposed to want it to be over, you’re supposed to long for an emotionally satisfying ending and feel somewhat let down at the lack of a grand reunion. but that’s their reality. they long for the same thing that you do. they can’t have it. so you have to wait and want and hope for a happy ending to the story right alongside the characters.

[thelreads]

JP reader still here! Fear not! I’m honoured to hear you liked it and happy to repeat ^^ I remember most of what I said and came onto the app so I wouldn’t have to number the ask this time lol.

So the translation of the wedding vow in ch 2 is also a victim of editor meddling.

When making their vows, the ENG line Twilight and Yor think to themselves is ‘Until my mission/my killing do we part’ which references the famous vow, ‘Until death do us part’.

But the JP is ‘任務が/殺しが続く限り…’ which actually translates to ‘For as long as my mission/my murders may last’ and references the famous vow ‘For as long as we both shall live’!

So the reason I blame editor meddling is that the current translation isn’t easy to understand. I remember reading some ENG comments thinking Yor meant to kill Loid in the end! I don’t know why they insisted on twisting it to force the line to reference the other vow when the original works just fine. Executive meddling, meh.

But yeah, so one interesting thing is how the original JP line shows how Twilight and Yor both started out as bad as the other - they both went into this marriage thinking they would only keep it up for as long as it was ‘useful’. Loid until his mission ended and Yor until her assassinations ended. But.

BUT.

BUUUUUUT.

The real fun to be found in the original JP line is it’s secret 2nd meaning! Kukuku.

As many may know, Japanese has no plural/singular - a noun can be understood as both ‘one’ or ‘multiple’ and it’s the context which decides the meaning.

So, the line ‘任務が/殺しが続く限り…’ can also be accurately translated as ‘For as long as my missions/my murders may last.’ - missions&murders, plural.

Now, the series has shown us that Twilight and Yor are really dedicated to their jobs. They don’t, won’t, can’t quit. In reality, neither of them will ever retire. They’ll stop when they’re dead.

So, although both of them inwardly intended to just give a temporary vow, effectively it was just as good as a lifelong vow. Because Twilight and Yor will not ever stop going on missions/murders…for as long as they both shall live. ;)

It’s absolutely brilliant foreshadowing on Endo’s part, which is why I’m even more sad the ENG editors mangled it! But yeah, that’s the original JP line for their vows. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it ^^

Oh and a side note I remember I had also added was about the ENG line ‘I pledge myself to you’ that Loid said. This was also changed - probably to make it sound more romantic, but I like the original even more ‘共に助け合おう’ which means ‘let us be there for each other’ (literally ‘let us help each other’).

I like the original JP more because I genuinely think it’s more romantic.

Like, 1) it’s more honest. The ENG line rings false to me since we all know he wouldn’t truly mean such a pledge -he’s pledged himself to his life as a spy first and foremost- but Twilight offering Yor a mutually beneficial alliance, on the other hand, is very sincere and is exactly what they’re both knowingly agreeing to do anyway.

And 2) that line ‘let us be there for each other’ very accurately describes how the twiyor relationship really works - they are a true alliance, through and through, helping and supporting each other at every turn.

This has been a JP reader announcement, thank you for tuning in ^^

OH HELL YEAH! THAT`S THE STUFF, THANK YOU FOR THE INFO!

Unfortunately I don`t remember what I wrote in response to it last time lmao but I`m just glad that I`m able to share those interesting details about the chapter