#versionが変わりました

[i-heart-hxh]

A Day in the Life of Killua

I wanted to share a translation of an excerpt from this Hunter x Hunter Characters Book, published in 2001.

Translation:

A Day in the Life of Killua

My own big prediction!

Although he has lived a life soaked in blood, Killua is probably no different from a normal 12-year-old. Let’s take a closer look at the life of Killua, who says he loves sweets!

10:00 Wake up

11:00 Gon arrives.

While I was dozing off in the morning, I hear Gon's voice inviting me to play with him. I’m embarrassed for some reason, so I hit him without thinking.

12:00 Play with Gon

14:00 Lunch

We have lunch while wandering around town. I feel it’s more fun to eat outside than in a restaurant.

15:00 Snack

16:00 Play some more

17:00 Discover Illumi.

While I was making a pit trap to trick Gon, somehow I found Illumi. I dash away like I'm about to die, and calm myself down.

17:05 Buy Chocobo

19:00 Dinner

20:00 Go to Gon's room

22:00 Go to bed in Gon's room

While talking with Gon about what we did in town, it gets to be late at night. It’s too much trouble to go back to my room, so I go to bed next to Gon.

A word from Killua

You're totally wrong! Why do I keep eating sweets all the time? And why is my brother Illumi buried in the garden? You're making fun of me!?

Japanese Transcript:

(Just because I went through the trouble to transcribe it, and in case anyone wants to do their own translations!)

とある１日のキルア

勝手に大予想

血に染まった人生を歩んできつつも、たぶんは普通の12歳となんら変わりのないキルア。そんな、おかしが大好きだというキルアの生活に迫る！

１０：００　起床

１１：００　ゴンがやってくる

朝、ぼーっとしていると、ゴンの遊びを誘う声。なぜか照れているので、おもわず殴る。

１２：００　ゴンと遊ぶ

１４：００　昼ご飯

街をブラブラしながらの昼食。お店で食べるよりも、外で食べたほうが楽しいと感じる。

１５：００　おやつ

１６：００　さらに遊ぶ

１７：００　イルミを発見

ゴンをだまそうと落とし穴を作っていたら、なぜかイルミがいた。死にそうなくらいダッシュでにげて、心を落ち着かせる。。。

１７：０５　チョコロボくんを買う

１９：００　夕飯

２０：００　ゴンの部屋に行く

２２：００　ゴンの部屋に就寝

ゴンと街で遊んだことを話合っているうちに、深夜に突入。自分の部屋に戻るが面倒なので、そのままゴンの隣で就寝。

キルアより一言

ぜんっぜん，ちげぇーよ！なんでずっとおかしばっかり食べてんだよ。それにどんな意味があって、庭にイルミ兄が埋まってるんだ？バカにしてるだろ！？

Another thing I want to note about this book is that it has a full story in it, which you can find translated here! It's an interesting read in general--it's based off episode 46 of the 1999 anime, which deviates from the manga and has its own original story, and this story then expands upon that original story. One thing I think is especially interesting is the story starts off with Gon and Killua sleeping in the same bed, so this book makes two separate mentions of that being something they do, which is cute. ❤️

While Togashi didn't write the story himself or likely the contents of this book, he did write an afterword to it, so I'm guessing he must have at the very least read it over and approved of the contents before it was published, and it's certainly possible he had more involvement than that as well. Take the canon status of it all with a grain of salt, I'd say it's more semi-canon/a different version of canon than 100% canon to the manga (similar to how I consider the 1999 anime additions/changes as well), but it's interesting nonetheless and fun as far as shipping fuel goes!

[hiromusicarts-blog]

ヒロオガワの新譜「叙情 - Lyric Suite」修正版マスタリングプルーフとサンプル盤

2回目の修正で、素晴らしく生まれ変わり、初回で感じていた違和感（４曲目と１０曲目）も薄らぎ、全体に纏まった感じです。

以下、メール文を抜粋 「どこをどう手直ししていただいたのかは、正直よくはわかりませんでしたが、初回盤での違和感が全くなくて驚きました。淀みのない「流れ」そして４曲目１０曲目において、高音部の最大音量の箇所でのキシキシ感も除かれていて（感覚的で、センシティブな問題でした）とても満足しています。」

と言うわけで、ゴーサインが出ましたので、修正版を元にさらに煮詰めていただいている最中です。 そのプルーフから、サンプル盤を作り、４月後半に、関係各所にプレゼンしていきます。

Hiro Ogawa's new album "Lyric Suite" revised mastering proof and sample edition With the second revision, it was wonderfully reborn, and the discomfort I felt the first time (songs 4 and 10) faded, and it came together well as a whole.

Below is an excerpt from the email Honestly, I wasn't sure exactly what they had changed and how, but I was surprised that there was no sense of discomfort in the first edition.

Theflow'' was smooth, and the treble part of the fourth and tenth songs was… I am very satisfied with the fact that the squeaking sensation at the highest volume has been removed (this was a sensitive issue). ” So, now that we've been given the go-ahead, external engineers are currently working on further refinement based on the revised version. From that proof, we will create a sample record and present it to related parties in the latter half of April.

ヒロオガワのCD, 音楽配信​など ​iTunes(AppleMusic)​ ​タワレコ​ ​レコチョク​ ​レコチョク２​ ​CD Japan​ (international shipping , in any currency of the world) ​​​dミュージック​ ​dミュージック２​ ​HMV​ ​Amazon​ ​facebookページ​ ​​ホームページ​ ​YouTube

[ekakisblog]

低賃金労働のエンジェルダスト

Angel dust of low-wage labor

エンジェルダストの声がパイロット版とあまりに似ていたので、声優が変わっていたのについ最近まで知りませんでした。

Angel Dust's voice was so similar to the pilot version that I didn't know until recently that the voice actor had changed.

元ネタ（アメイジングデジタルサーカス）

original source （The Amazing Digital Circus）↓

[melliae]

Regarding the last Arcana in Persona 3

For those that are curious, this post serves as a clarification on the somewhat misunderstood final battle and all that happened in there… as well as a revision of the atrociously written imgur I created some years ago. It also contains some minor spoilers from other gamers, but hopefully nothing major.

Now, with that said, let’s begin with the first mention of the Universe in P3: Edogawa’s explanation of the major arcanas.

“この“愚者”から始まり“宇宙”で終わる22枚の大アルカナは... 番号順に一つの連続した物語になっていて、 それ自身が人間の成長過程を表しています。人間の苦難や、変節、成功... 文字通り、 人生の線図があります。カードがそれぞれ、人が人になるため、必要な要素をあらわしてんですねえ。大事ですから、22枚のカードを一つ一つ見てみましょうか。 [...] そして最後の“宇宙”。やがてたどりつく、あなた自身の場所です。” “Beginning with the 'Fool' and ending with the “Universe”, the 22 major arcanas are one continuous story in numerical order, which itself represents the process of human development. The hardships, betrayals and successes of humans… Literally, they are a diagram of life. Each card represents the necessary elements for a person to become an individual. Since they’re that important, let's look at each of the 22 cards, shall we? [...] At last, it’s the Universe. It’s your own place that you’ll eventually reach.”

As you can see, the explanation in japanese is somewhat different from the one we got in english version of both FES and Portable:

“Beginning with "The Fool" and ending with "The World"... they tell a story in numerical order that is a metaphor of an individual's journey through life. Each Major Arcana represents a stage on that journey... an experience that the individual must incorporate to realize his oneness. They are all important, so let's take a look at each of the 22 cards, one by one. [...] The final card is The World, which represents the individual's full awareness of his place in the world.”

Though, despite being worded differently, both explanations refer to the same fundamental process: the journey of individuation. This is a concept belonging to the branch of psychology founded by Carl Jung, analytical psychology, from which almost all ideas of the series come from (ie. Shadow, Persona, Demons, etc. I recommend watching Edogawa’s extras on P4G), and this one in particular is defined as the “development of consciousness out of the original state of identity”, integrating the contents of the personal and collective unconscious with the goal of achieve psychological healing and unity, thus achieving or at least getting close to the archetype known as the Self, which is nothing but the totality of the psychic contents and processes of an individual – everything.

It’s no brainer to compare such process with the Fool’s journey used in the modern trilogy, with several of Jung’s students and scholars establishing the relation:

“Like paintings, these Trumps are so-called projections holders, meaning simply that they are hooks to catch the imagination. Speaking psychologically, projection is an unconscious, autonomous process whereby we first see in the persons, objects, and happenings in our environments those tendencies, characteristics, potentials and shortcomings that really belong to us. We people the exterior world with the witches and princesses, devils and heroes of the drama buried in our own depths.” - Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey, Sallie Nichols.

Such is one example, and there are many more if you look at the section of literature regarding Jung’s theory and tarot, which fits wonderfully with the japanese explanation. However, the english one isn’t wrong by any means, since such a description still fits with how Jung explained the process of individuation:

“The unio mentalis, then, in psychological as well as in alchemical language, means knowledge of oneself. In contradistinction to the modern prejudice that self-knowledge is nothing but a knowledge of the ego, the alchemists regarded the self as a substance incommensurable with the ego, hidden in the body, and identical with the image of God. This view fully accords with the Indian idea of purusha-atman. The psychic preparation of the magisterium as described by Dorn is therefore an attempt, uninfluenced by the East, to bring about a union of opposites in accordance with the great Eastern philosophies, and to establish for this purpose a principle freed from the opposites and similar to the atman or tao. Dorn called this the substantia coelestis, which today we would describe as a transcendental principle. This “unum” is nirdvandva (free from the opposites), like the atman (self).” - Mysterium Coniunctionis

The process of individuation, due to its integration of the collective unconscious or the collective memory of all life, it’s equal to the mythological process of cosmic union or henosis: becoming one with the cosmos’ underlying nature. This means the Universe, as the end point of the Fool’s journey, is the embodiment of the universe as a whole which is referenced in-game

“Hmm... I see nothing in you... It seems you no longer need your fortune told... All potentials are within you... You can go anywhere, become anything... The universe is within you... And you are within the universe... You and the universe are one and the same... That is my belief…” - Fortune Teller, P3

It’s important to note the same Fortune Teller, in a previous prediction, also references the World as an equivalent to the Universe, meaning the english translation isn’t entirely wrong (and that all I’ve written applies to the World too). Furthermore, we have this explanation on Edogawa’s part:

“Now, one of the most important ideas of Kabbalah is the Tree of Life, formed of the ten Sefirot. Most illustrations depict it as a chart shaped like a tree. The 10 stages represented by the Sefirot… and the 22 paths connecting them represent the stages of Creation God formed from his own self, as well as the direction in which humanity should evolve. Where did we come from? Where are we going? These answers lie in the Sefirot. [...] By the way, did you all notice that I said there were 22 paths? Yes, that's right. The same number as the Major Arcana I spoke about earlier.”

The tree of life is one of the most common symbols of western (and jewish) mysticism, commonly syncretized with the 22 major arcanas to create a sort of system that allows people to rejoin the ineffable godhead – called Ein Sof (funnily enough) – at the root of everything. That’s to say, it’s another symbol of individuation, with even Jung interpreting the tree itself, with no connection to tarot, as such:

“The figure of Tifereth belongs to the Sefiroth system, which is conceived to be a tree. Tifereth occupies the middle position. Adam Kadmon is either the whole tree or is thought of as the mediator between the supreme authority, En Soph, and the Sefiroth. The black Shulamite in our text corresponds to Malchuth as a widow, who awaits union with Tifereth and hence the restoration of the original wholeness. [...] In the Cabalistic view Adam Kadmon is not merely the universal soul or, psychologically, the “self,” but is himself the process of transformation, its division into three or four parts (trimeria or tetrameria).” - Mysterium Coniunctionis.

This means that, in jungian terms, the tree of life (which is equal to the archetypal man in jewish esoteric thought) is both a symbol of the process and of the result at the same time, strengthening the cosmic and personal nature of the major arcanas within the series, being symbols of the individual soul’s journey and of aspects of the world at large. Naturally, the Universe, as the culmination and integration of all arcanas, is nothing but the very own archetypal tree and man embodied, the potentiality of life as Aleister Crowley described it, the founder of Thelema and creator of the Thoth Tarot from where the Universe comes:

“In the card itself there is consequently a glyph of the completion of the Great Work in its highest sense, exactly as the Atu of the Fool symbolizes its beginning. The Fool is the negative issuing into manifestation; the Universe is that manifestation, its purpose accomplished, ready to return. The twenty cards that lie between these two exhibit the Great Work and its agents in various stages. The image of the Universe in this sense is accordingly that of a maiden, the final letter of Tetragrammaton.” - Book of Thoth.

As the final arcana, the Universe is also the end of existence and its meaning. It’s the full realization of the primordial Nothingness that the Ein Sof is, not through being anything in particular but through being everything that has existed and exists, thus truly being nothing. Naturally, this aspect of the Universe is also referenced in P3, though in the movies this time:

“You have acquired the answer, I presume? [...] Right now, you just might arrive at the Answer to Life. [...] Are you aware? An arcana is an entity that reveals one’s entire life. Those who have taken possession of them, and said to have truly lived, are able to arrive at the Answer.” - Elizabeth

It’s very obvious the answer that Makoto and Kotone arrived at is the meaning of life and existence itself, of the unconscious godhead that created the world (ie. the arcanas and humanity) from its essence. Such an understanding can only be born from the full integration of the archetypes that compose the universe (ie. the human experience), which means becoming one with it – the individual soul merging with the anima mundi.

“As a result of the complete detachment of all affective ties to the object, there is necessarily formed in the inner self an equivalent of objective reality, or a complete identity of inside and outside, which is technically described as tat tvam asi (that art thou). The fusion of the self with its relations to the object produces the identity of the self (atman) with the essence of the world (i.e., with the relations of subject to object).” - Psychological Types.

This is also mentioned by Igor during the Universe’s scene, though it was mistranslated as “space” when the original was “宇宙”, which was used by Edogawa to refer to the thelemite Universe. In that scene, Igor also described the card as “全ての始まりの力であり、そして、全てを終える力でもあります”, or “the power of the beginning of all, and the power the will end it all”, referencing the nature of the Universe as the embodiment of the ineffable creator and its final realization – the union of opposites that characterizes the Self.

“The archetype of the self has, functionally, the significance of a ruler of the inner world, i.e., of the collective unconscious. The self, as a symbol of wholeness, is a coincidentia oppositorum, and therefore contains light and darkness simultaneously.” - Symbols of Transformation.

“When it represents a complexio oppositorum, a union of opposites, it can also appear as a united duality, [...] Empirically, therefore, the self appears as a play of light and shadow, although conceived as a totality and unity in which the opposites are united” - Psychological Types

“Hmm... I feel a strange aura around you... In my mind, I see visions... People's past, present, and future... For most people, I see clearly, and far ahead... But you are different... Your future is filled with both blinding light and stagnant shadow... I can see but a small portion... What lies beyond that is shrouded in mystery.” - Fortune Teller, P3

By nature then, the power of the Universe may not necessarily refer to only the physical one, but to its psychological analoge as well: the collective unconscious. This is supported by Elizabeth’s route in Arena, where the japanese version refers to the collective unconscious as “内なる宇宙” or “inner universe”, a term both used in the P3 Club Book, in the protagonist’s profile, and in the very own description of the Great Seal: “内なる宇宙を開放し、死の母星ニュクスを封印する力” (“Release the inner universe, the power to seal the mother planet of Death, Nyx”).

However, calling the collective unconscious an “(inner) universe” isn’t exclusive to P3, because P2 does it as well. Firstly, the party in IS collectively confuses the Sea with “宇宙” in the japanese version (I wouldn’t say it’s mistranslated in english however, just that the nuance is lost), and then Virochana comes in Tatsuya’s Scenario describing it as the following:

“Thy reflection on the water’s surface: that is thy Brahman, the truth of the universe, which is in turn thine Atman. Thou thyself art the universe, and thine self is itself the light that illuminates the soul.”

Due to his nature as an archetype, Virochana is speaking purely symbolically here, referencing only a psychological reality and not a physical one, and since Jung understood the Atman and Brahman as symbols of the Self, further explanation is not needed. And by that matter, the following section, the one with the archetype of Buddha, doesn’t contradict that conclusion, since Jung also acknowledges buddhahood as another symbol of the Self.

“Hence in its scientific usage the term “self” refers neither to Christ nor to the Buddha but to the totality of the figures that are its equivalent, and each of these figures is a symbol of the self.” - Psychology and Alchemy.

And I don’t think I’ve to delve into Philemon’s whole schtick about humanity understanding its “purpose” or, in japanese, “存在意義” – the “meaning of [its] existence”. Tatsuya’s Scenario doubles down on that, with Philemon’s avatar, Nodens, literally saying humanity should try to understand the meaning of why life exists, with the option of denying the meaning of life giving you Death cards. The writers aren’t really that subtle in trying to say Makoto’s/Kotone’s “answer to life” is the “meaning of existence” stated by Philemon.

So all in all, this means the Universe is the collective unconscious itself. Not a fragment of it, or just holding a part of its power, but ALL of it. And at the same time, it’s also the full realization of it, the dispersal of all unconsciousness and primitiveness into an harmonic whole that knows itself, equal in every sense to the incarnation and realization of the Ein Sof within the tree of life. It’s the archetype of all humanity (ie. the source of the previously mentioned Adam Kadmon) and life, their potentiality and meaning, their purpose.

“Not only do things appear personified as human beings, but the macrocosm personifies itself as a man too. ‘The whole of nature converges in man as in a centre, and one participates in the other, and man has not unjustly concluded that the material of the philosophical stone may be found everywhere.’”- Alchemical Studies

“This place called Kadath Mandala is constructed in the shape of a hexagram, containing an older pentagram emblem. The hexagram represents the vast macrocosm of space and the pentagram is a symbol of the microcosm known as humanity.” - Cat Lieutenant General Zula, Gone Without Trace, Tatsuya’s Scenario.

That’s why Igor was so surprised at someone achieving the Universe. That’s why he said that “nothing is beyond your reach”. Because the Universe is the “godhead”, the collective and unconscious soul of life, finally realized. The manifestation of what once created a future out of a certain death… out of what can be better described as the primordial nothingness that precedes creation

“I see nothing... No... What I see is nothingness... It is the void... But do not lose heart... Emptiness is not necessarily the end... The void is infinite... As is the universe... Whether this marks an end to all things, or a beginning... It is in your hands…” – Fortune Teller, P3

If the Universe is the full realization of life and the collective unconscious, then “Nyx” can be understood as its origin, as pure unconsciousness, neither stagnant nor chaotic, but both at the same time. Such universality is actually supported by the developers themselves, with Soejiro even stating the following in regards to Tartarus:

“This was drawn with the notion that the higher you climb in Tartarus, the deeper you delve into the subconscious. It also reflects the fact that Tartarus and the Shadows are one in the same since they both represent the human psyche.” - Art of Persona 3

And it’s important to keep in mind Tartarus has seven blocks: Thebel, Arqa, Yabbashah, Tziah, Harabah, Adamah… and Eretz, its rooftop. Each name is derived from one of the seven earths Adam wandered after being expelled from the Garden according to jewish folklore, meaning each block represents a more primitive and ancient layer of the unconscious until the origin of humanity, the Garden of Eden, is reached beyond Eretz, beyond the first earth and upmost floor of Tartarus, within Nyx’s own body. And I genuinely don’t think I’ve to explain the significance of the Star Eater’s core being a golden egg in this context, when such an object is common through a majority of creation myths.

Even more, returning to the tree of life, we have to look at the P3 x P4 World Analyze (transcriptions kindly uploaded by Elle-P), which states that every block of Tartarus also symbolizes the different sephirot of the tree, with the whole tower representing the body of the godhead being hanged upside-down. In particular, Eretz is said to represent Binah, Chokmah and Kether, the three highest sephirot, meaning that Nyx’s body exists beyond the tree of life itself, and only the Ein Sof exists beyond it…

(Well, the Ain and Ain Soph Aur exist beyond as well, but they aren’t that important)

Now, I could go on about the symbolism of Nyx and the protagonists, but that would only keep supporting what I’ve written so far, that the Star Eater may indeed be the most primitive, oldest form of the collective unconscious, being the anima mundi or “light” that shattered at the beginning of “time” to allow the creation of the universe (ie. life and consciousness). “She” is the Sophia turned into demiurge that must be rescued by its own creation – by itself.

Then, the final confrontation between the protagonists and Nyx isn’t only for the sake of present life, but also for all that has existed previously and its legacy, even Nyx itself. It’s the affirmation of life’s meaning and purpose against what once was and wishes to return to… and what must be ultimately confronted. It’s both the separation from everything that has happened, and its acceptance and forgiveness. That’s why the Universe can’t really go against Nyx, because they are the same, and thus the arcana must accept it.

In a certain way, it would explain the protagonists’ sacrifices and improve even more their development: after a life of repressing (and likely yearning for many things), when they confront what essentially is what everyone yearns for at some level… they let it go. They let themselves be filled by everyone’s wishes and hopes, and finally understand their relation to all of it, their value and meaning. They understand what they have in front of them and what it wishes for, and they accept it as well, for that’s what they are too - it’s a complete mirror for them and all of humanity.

The protagonists understand everything and how it bonds with itself - they understand themselves.

[krdc]

マジカルラブ - 黒沢心の声だだ漏れVer. (magical love - kurosawa's overflowing thoughts ver.) — full version

spotify

(lyrics & unofficial translation below, kurosawa's thoughts in pink)

magical love　be with you

すげー可愛い　すげー好き

suge kawaii suge suki

you're so cute, i like you so much

やばい　めっちゃドキドキする

yabai meccha dokidokisuru

crap, my heart is beating so fast

指の隙間でチラ見 (最初はただ)

yubi no sukima de chira mi (saisho wa tada)

glancing through the cracks of my fingers (at first...)

僕にはもったいないって？ (そばにいられたらって)

boku ni wa mottainai tte (soba ni iraretara tte)

aren't you wasting it on me? (being by your side...)

今までだったらそれで終わり (思ってただけなのに)

ima made dattara sore de owari (omotteta dake na noni)

if it had been before, this would've been the end (was enough for me)

一味違うthis love　wow

hitoaji chigau this love wow

this love is different, wow

まさかこの年になってこんな

masaka kono toshi ni natte konna

i never thought i'd experience it at my age

初恋みたいな気持ちになるなんて

hatsukoi mitaina kimochi ni naru nante

this feeling that feels like a first love

ああ　もうずるい

aa mou zurui

ah, it's just not fair

これ以上どうしろっていうんだよ

kore ijou dou shirotteiun da yo

if this keeps up, what am i supposed to do?

瞬間　近づく鼓動

shunkan chikazuku kodou

the moment i got near your heartbeat

聴こえた　マジかよ　マジカル！？

kikoeta maji ka yo majikaru

i heard them, it's for real, it's magical?!

ヤバイ　近いっ　可愛いーっ！

yabai chikai kawaii

crap, you're so close, you're so cute!

もう　ムリ無理　見て見ぬフリ

mou muri muri mite minu furi

i can't keep pretending i don't see it

夢でも　胸高鳴り

yume demo munadaka nari

even in my dreams, it makes my heart race

運命変えちゃう love

unmei kaechau love

a love that changes destiny

君と　僕が？　あわわっ

kimi to boku ga awawa

between you and me? i can't deal!

ハッピーエンドの途中

happi endo no tochu

on the way to our happy ending

焦る i want you (yeah)

aseru i want you (yeah)

i want you right now (yeah)

一緒なら越えてゆける

issho nara koete yukeru

as long as we're together, we can overcome it all

明日は七色　君と甘色　wow yes

asu wa nanairo kimi to amairo wow yes

tomorrow will have a rainbow, with you and the sweet colors, wow, yes

安達...

adachi...

四六時中　夢心地 (こんなに可愛くて)

shirokujichu yumegokochi (konnani kawaikute)

day and night, i keep dreaming (is your being this cute...)

そんなの聞いてないって (大丈夫なのか！？)

sonna no kiitenai tte (daijoubuna no ka)

saying things i've never heard you say (really okay?!)

想定外　好きが渋滞 chu (俺だけのものにしたい)

souteigai suki ga jutai chu (ore dake no mono ni shitai)

unexpected feelings stuck in a traffic jam (i want you to be only mine)

大胆不敵 this love　wow

daitan futeki this love wow

this love is fearless, wow

これ以上好きにさせて

kore ijou suki ni sasete

why do you have to...

どうしようっていうんだよ

dou shiyoutteiun da yo

make me fall for you even more?

ああ　このまま時が止まれば良いのに

aa kono mama toki ga tomareba ii noni

ah, i wish time would just stop right here

敏感　本音と嘘

binkan honne to uso

my sensitive true feelings and my lies

気づいた　マジかよ　マジカル！？

kizuita maji ka yo majikaru

you noticed them, it's for real, it's magical?!

ヤバイ　近いっ　可愛いーっ！

yabai chikai kawaii

crap, you're so close, you're so cute!

もう　ムリ無理　見て見ぬフリ

mou muri muri mite minu furi

i can't keep pretending i don't see it

夢でも　胸高鳴り

yume demo munadaka nari

even in my dreams, it makes my heart race

運命変えちゃう love

unmei kaechau love

a love that changes destiny

君と　僕が？　あわわっ

kimi to boku ga awawa

between you and me? i can't deal!

ハッピーエンドの途中

happi endo no tochu

on the way to our happy ending

焦る i want you (yeah)

aseru i want you (yeah)

i want you right now (yeah)

一緒なら越えてゆける

issho nara koete yukeru

as long as we're together, we can overcome it all

明日は七色　君と甘色　wow yes

asu wa nanairo kimi to amairo wow yes

tomorrow will have a rainbow, with you and the sweet colors, wow, yes

隣にキミの笑顔 (love is the magic)

tonari ni kimi no egao (love is the magic)

with your smile next to me (love is the magic)

yeah (love is the magic) oh

魔法が解けたって　大丈夫さ　ふたりなら

mahou ga toketa tte daijoubusa futari nara

even if the magic is undone, we'll be okay as long as we're together

安達！

adachi!

幸せすぎてもムリ

shiawasesugite mo muri

i'm too happy, i can't handle it

未体験の胸騒ぎ

mi taiken no munasawagi

the apprehension of something unfamiliar

世界の数だけ love (あーっ) love (まって) love (もうっ) wow

sekai no kazu dake love (aa) love (matte) love (mou) wow

for every world out there, there's just as much of our love (ah...) love (wait...) love (jeez...) wow

大好きだ！

daisuki da

i love you!

初めてだらけのストーリー

hajimetedarake no sutori

in this story filled with our firsts

誰にも邪魔させない

dare ni mo jamasasenai

we won't let anyone interfere

特別以上の love

tokubetsu ijou no love

a love that's beyond special

愛しい　嬉しい　気持ち

itoshii ureshii kimochi

and the precious, happy feelings

ハッピーエンドの途中

happi endo no tochu

on the way to our happy ending

もう全部 i want you

mou zenbu i want you

i want you, all of you

一緒なら越えてゆける

issho nara koete yukeru

as long as we're together, we can overcome it all

明日は七色　君と甘色　wow yes

asu wa nanairo kimi to amairo wow yes

tomorrow will have a rainbow, with you and the sweet colors, wow, yes

magical love　be with you

もう　幸せすぎる

mou shiawase sugiru

jeez, i'm too happy...

[cerealandchoccymilk]

Units in Trigun (+α)

(source will be linked in comments)

edit: GUYS. THESE MEASUREMENTS ARE NOT CANON YOU UNDERSTAND THAT RIGHT. NIGHTOW JUST PULLED THE HEIGHTS OUT OF HIS ASS. LIKE HE DOES WITH MANY OTHER LORE ASPECTS. READ THE DESCRIPTION PLEASE. STOP SAYING " :O i didnt know vash was actually so short" HE IS NOT. THIS INFO IS NOT CANON.

Remember how I've mentioned at least twice that there are actually real conversions for the weird units in Trigun? I found em. They were on the inside of the DVD sleeve for Trigun '98. There's also some other nice info about money and Nightow's character/worldbuilding (or lack of thought about it lol)

And guess what? I just checked the conversions, and these lengths (provided in metric) are almost exactly the same as their real-life imperial counterparts. The character heights are also completely wrong. Using these units, Vash's height converts to 158cm, when we know that he's canonically 180cm in the '98 anime.

So take all this with a grain of salt!

> Length 1 iich ≈ 2.54cm ≈ 1 in 1 feel ≈ 30.5cm ≈ 1 ft 1 yarz ≈ 91.4cm ≈ 1 yard 1 ile ≈ 1.6km ≈ 1 mile

> Money 1 $$ (double dollar) ≈ 100 ¢¢ (cescent) $$ are worth a bit less than USD.

> Character ages Vash: about 150 years old Wolfwood: 26 – 28 years old Meryl: 23 years old Milly: 21 years old

> Character heights Vash: 5 feel 2 iich (158cm !??!??!?!) Wolfwood: 5 feel 3 iich (160cm same as my mom lol) Meryl: 4 feel 5 iich (134.7cm girl youre shorter than the shortest person i know. and shes pretty damn short) Milly: 5 feel 2 iich (158cm)

> Character name origins? "Hmm... To be honest, I didn't put much thought into them. It's not like I didn't think over them at all, but I focus on what sounds cool when pronounced, rather than the meaning of the name. I mean, if you turn 'Vash Stampede' into Japanese, it becomes 牛の暴走 (a wild rush of cows)! (lol) That doesn't match his character, does it? Well, maybe it does...?" -Nightow

> Population density Very low, since the ships made emergency landings across a large area of the planet.

> Length of 1 Day About 24 hours, same as Earth.

Translation of the source tweet and transcription of images under the cut:

I was so happy about the Trigun re-screening that I dug back out the TV version's DVD out of nostalgia... I found lots of important information on there, so feel free to use this as a reference! However, I think this is just information for the anime version at the time. (like Wolfwood's age)

The height measurements are wrong! Be careful! (Even though it's official material…lol)

トライガン豆知識　・・・メインキャラクター編・・・

■ヴァッシュたちの年齢は？ ヴァッシュは約150才位、ウルフウッドは26〜28才、メリルは23才、ミリィは21才です。【内藤】

■ヴァッシュたちの身長（コレを参考にフィギュアスケールを決めよう） ヴァッシュは５フィールと２イーチ位、ウルフウッドは５フィールと３イーチ位、メリルはメインキャラでは一番小さい４フィールと５イーチ、ミリィはヴァッシュと同じく５フィールと２イーチといったところでしょうか？【内藤】 ※㎝での身長はＤ－２のオビ裏に記載されている、単位を元に割り出してみてくださいね。

■キャラクターたちのネーミングの由来は？ ん〜素直に言っちゃうと、何となくつけたという感じです。全く考えてないというワケでもないけど、名前の意味というよりは語感というか、発音してカッコイイとかそういう雰囲気を重視してます。だって、ヴァッシュ・スタンピードって日本語にすると牛の暴走ですよ（笑）キャラのイメージとは違うでしょ？あ、ハズレてもいないか……な？【内藤】

トライガン豆知識　・・・世界編・・・

■尺の単位 ●イーチ（約２.５４㎝）●フィール（約３０.５㎝） ●ヤーズ（約９１.４㎝）●アイル（約１.６㎞）

■お金の単価 ●$$（ダブドル）●¢¢（セスセント）セスセントの単価はダブドルの約百分の一の単価になります。ちなみに、ダブドルは実際の米国ドルとと比べると価値を低く見積もっています。【内藤】

■重さの単位 あ、特に考えてませんでした（笑）【内藤】

■トライガン世界の人口密度はどれくらい？ 惑星の広範囲に渡って移民宇宙船が強制着陸したため、人口密度はめっちゃまばらになっています。【内藤】

■トライガン世界の一日は何時間？ トライガン世界の１日は約２４時間位。地球時間の１日と変わりありません。【内藤】

[sabukaru-blog]

(There is an English version below)

はじめまして。

ジャパンサブカルチャー研究発信会です。

私達は日本に住んでいる高校生です。

日本には素晴らしい文化がたくさんあり、日常に溢れている四季折々の移り変わりを愛でています。

中でも日本のサブカルチャーに心惹かれ、ぜひ世界中の人々にも日本のサブカルチャーをもっと知ってほしいと願っています。そんな有志が集まり発足した会です。

これから色々なジャパニーズサブカルチャー情報を高校生目線でお届けします。私達と一緒に大好きを楽しみませんか？

Hello everyone! We are Japanese Subculture Circle.

We are junior and senior high school students from Japan.

Japan has a lot of wonderful cultures and the change of the beautiful four seasons. People can enjoy the change lying around in everyday life.

We really love Japanese subculture and want people to know more about that. So we decided to start this club and provide you with information from a view of high school students.

Shall we enjoy our favorites?

[nanairoarts]

Excerpt from Cowboy Bebop: The Jazz Messenger - History (translation below)

HISTORY 西暦2022年、地球上空で開発中の位相差空間ゲートが大爆発を起こしたとき、すべては始まった。 爆発に巻き込まれた月の破片が地球に振りそそぎ、放射線汚染と環境の変化でもはや地表に人類は住めなくなってしまった。残された人類は地下シェルターでの生活を余儀なくされ、そこに入りきれない人々はほかの惑星へと移住せざるを得なくなった。幸い、研究段階にあったテラフォーミング技術が位相差空間ゲートにより実現のメドがたち、皮���にも、人類はゲートにより地球から放り出され、ゲートによって地球以外の惑星で生活できるようになったのである。 国家は、なしくずし的になくなり、人種は入り乱れた。 西暦は終わり、宇宙暦が始まった。 時が経つにつれ、各惑星や衛星は独立国家へと姿を変え、 経済も徐々に復興し始める。スパイクたちの乗るような小型の宇宙船も、ぞくぞくと市場に出回ることになった(要免許) そのかたわらで経済格差も広がっていき、スラム街も増え、犯罪は増加の一方をたどっていく(とくに宇宙暦初頭は法もロクに整備されておらず、犯罪組織が暗躍する時代でもあった)。 激増する犯罪に対抗するため、各惑星はついに太陽系刑事警察機構（I. S. S. P. = Inter Solar System Police）を設立、国家を超えた犯罪者に立ち向かうと同時に、賞金制度を設け、賞金稼ぎに対して超法規的措置（犯罪者をとらえるためなら多少の違法行為も帳消しにされる)をとることも決定した。 ゲート事故から50年、「ビバップ」はそんな混沌とした時代の物語である。

HISTORY

It all began in the year 2022, when a catastrophic explosion ripped apart a hyperspace gateway(*1) under construction in Earth's orbit.

Caught in the blast of the large explosion, pieces of the moon rain down onto the surface of the earth, rendering the planet uninhabitable due to widespread environmental destruction and radioactive contamination. What remained of humanity was forced to live underground in shelters. Those that could not find room in these shelters, were forced to migrate off-world. Luckily, the terraforming technology that was still in its research phase gained traction after the hyerspace gateway incident. Though it was the destruction of the gate that had forced humans from Earth, it was thanks to this very same technology that humans were able to establish a new life on planets beyond Earth.

Nations ceased to exist, and the races of old Earth began to mix.

And so ended use of the Western Gregorian calendar in favor of the Space calendar(*2).

Over time, each planet and satellite became its own independent nation and the economy began to recover. Smaller spaceships, like the one used by Spike and his crew, flood the market in droves (license required).

At the same time, economic inequality was rampant, there were more slums, and crime continued to rise (especially in the early years of the Space calendar when there were few laws in place and criminal organizations thrived).

In response to the surge in crime, the I.S.S.P (Inter Solar System Police) was established on every planetary body to fight against these interplanetary criminals. At the same time, a bounty system was implemented that granted bounty hunters extrajudicial power (which allowed the execution of any illegal acts committed in the process of apprehending criminals).

The story of Bebop takes place during this chaotic era, 50 years after the hyperspace gateway incident.

*1: I think a closer translation for the Japanese word for this gate, 位相差空間ゲート, would be phase shift gate, as that seems to be the scientific phenomenon referred to with the Japanese name, however, since your average viewer likely doesn't know what ‘phase shifting’ is, I understand why translators would go with a more localized term like ‘hyperspace’ or ‘astral gate’.

*2: I couldn’t find any references for how 宇宙歴 is translated in the English version. It’s possible the term was avoided altogether if it never showed up in dialogue.

[mayimkjs]

ES Japanese Transcription

And it starts. This ended up breaking my family's scanner so I bought my own. These are probably going to trickle out sorta slowly because of how much time it takes me to transcribe one of these. Not to mention I'll be doing edited and unedited versions of Yuno's T1 to fix an error and both of Mikoto's for clarity. Anyways, the PDF will be out soon. I've only scanned T1 right now so both books will have it's own page on archive.org.

Feel free to use this how you like with no credit to me required. Credit should go to Yamanaka.　

エス: Es

ジャッカ: Jackalope

1 | ミルグラム監獄内 エスの部屋

薄暗いエスの部屋。

深く椅子に座っているエスと、その膝の上に乗っているジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「わかったな…...お、 そろそろ囚人どもが気づく時間だな。準備はできてるな？」

ジャッカ　「ミルグラム第1審開始だ」

ジャッカ　「……ってな。さぁ、行くぞエス」

ぴょんとエスの膝から飛び降りるぽふっと間抜けな足音。

エス　「……どこへ？」

まだ少しうつろなエス。

ジャッカ　「『パノプティコン』。囚人共の部屋を一望できる場所だ」

エス　「パノプティコン......」

ジャッカ　「記憶が曖昧なんだろ？道案内がてら色々説明してやるよ」

エス　「あぁ、頭に霞がかかっているようだ。......すまない」

ジャッカ　「良いってことよ。いつもそうなんだ」

エス　「……？大丈夫だ。仕事に支障はない」

ジャッカ　「オッケー。じゃあいくぜ」

エス　「あぁ」

顎でドアの方を示すジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「……ん」

エス　「…...どうした？」

更に顎でドアの方を示すジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「……ん！！」

エス　「撫でればいいのか？」

ジャッカ　「チゲぇよ！開けろよドア！見りゃあわかんだろ！」

気づき納得するエス。

エス　「あぁ……」

ドアに手をかけるも途中で止まるエス。

エス　「疑問なんだが······ひとりでドアも開けられないのになんでそんなに偉そうなんだ？」

ジャッカ　「うるっせぇなぁ。開けられないのはオマエの寝室だけだ。他の部屋は俺様用の小さい入口があんだよ……誰が小さいんだコラァ！」

エス　「僕は何も言ってない」

エスがドアを開ける音。

2 | ミルグラム監獄内 通路 エスの部屋前

通路に出た2人。

長くて暗い通路が続いている。

エス　「…...長い通路だな」

ジャッカ　「ここ、お前の寝室が通路の端っこだ。この通路を挟むようにしていろんな部屋と施設があるわけ。全部説明してたキリがねぇから、今日ははぶくけどな」

真正面の小さな扉を見て問うエス。

エス　「僕の部屋の向かいは何だ？」

ジャッカ　「俺様の部屋だな。許可なく入んじゃねぇぞぉ」

エス　「予定はないから大丈夫。それに、見たところ人間が通れる大きさの扉がない」

ジャッカ　「ふん、それもそうだ」

通路を歩き始める2人。

コツコツとエスの足音が響く中会話をする。

3 | ミルグラム監獄内 通路

先を行くジャッカロープが部屋を紹介していく。あるきながら会話。

ジャッカ　「ここが囚人用のシャワー室。向かい側が倉庫。必要な備品はたいていココ」

エス　「囚人用......この通路は囚人も出入りするんだな」

ジャッカ　「あぁ。通行を許可する時間やら、シャワーを男女別にするかどうかやら細かい生活のルールはオマエが後で決めりゃあいい」

エス　「僕が決めるのか？」

ジャッカ　「おう、このミルグラムをどう管理・運営していくかオマエに全部任せてる。地獄にするも天国にするもオマエ次第よ」

ジャッカロープの言葉に何の気無しにうなずくエス。

エス　「……わかった」

ジャッカ　「なんでか？とは聞かねぇんだな」

エス　「そういうものなんだろう。僕にはこの監獄を管理する義務ある。不完全な記憶の中でも、それだけは覚えている」

その言葉に満足そうに微笑むジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「......上出来だ」

エス　「……なぁ、ジャッカロープ」

ジャッカ　「あんだよ」

エス　「……もっと早く歩いてくれないと踏んでしまう」

ジャッカ　「体のサイズ考えろ！人間様がウサギに合わせろや！！！……誰がウサギだコラァ！！」

エス　「僕は何も言っていない」

ジャッカ　「ったくよぉ……。あ、ここが食堂な」

工ス　「……そういえば誰が食事を用意するんだ？ここに僕とお前以外に管理人がいるのか？」

ジャッカ　「オレ様が作ってんだよ」

エス　「なるほど。……ん？なるほど？」

予想外の答えに若干うろたえるエス。

ジャッカ　「実はオレ様はこの監獄の料理長でもある。和・洋・中なんでもござれさ」

エス　「……ちょっとした疑問なんだがその手でフライパンやら、包丁やら持てるのか？」

ジャッカ　「ぐっっと気合を入れたら持てる」

エス　「持てるのか……。その、毛とか入らないのか」

ジャッカ　「毛の生え変わり時期はすごく入る」

エス　「すごく入るのか……」

話している間に通路の突き当り、大きな扉の前にたどり着いている。

ジャッカ　「おら、馬鹿言ってる間についたぞ。その扉を開ければ、ミルグラムの中心部パノプティコンだ」

扉を開けるエス。ギギギと重い扉が開く音。

4 | ミルグラム監獄内 パノプティコン

円形のホールのような空間。

等間隔で扉が存在している。

エス　「これがパノプティコン。ドーム状になっているんだな」

ジャッカ　「おう。今オレ様たちはこの丸い部屋の北側、22時の位置にある扉から入ってきたことになる」

エス　「それぞれの扉が囚人の部屋か？」

ジャッカ　「そういうこった。この部屋を時計に見立てると、囚人番号と時刻が一致してるってわけよ。覚えやすくていいだろ？」

エス　「なるほどね」

壁にかかっている時計をチラッと見やるジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「ふむ。まだもうちょっと時間があるな。軽く囚人どもの紹介をしといてやるよ。つってもオレ様もツラしか見てねぇんだけどな」

こつこつと円形の部屋を時計回りに一周しはじめるエスとジャッカロープ

1時の部屋で足を止める二人。

ジャッカ　「まず、1時の位置の部屋。囚人番号1番サクライハルカ。ややこしい名前だが、男だ」

エス　「サクライ......ハルカ......」

ジャッカ　「根暗そうな顔してやがったな。ま、うまいこと心開かせて色々聞き出してくれや」

エス　「ただ、その顔すら本当かはわからないのだろう？」

ジャッカ　「フン、よくわかってんじゃねぇか。オレ様たちをあざむく擬態かもしれねぇ。ニンゲンは嘘をつく生き物だからな」

エス　「…...覚えておく」

歩きはじめる2人。

2時の部屋の位置に。

ジャッカ　「次、2時の位置。囚人番号2番カシキユノ。若い女だった。高校生くらいじゃねぇかな」

エス　「高校生くらい？囚人の年齢もわからないのか？」

ジャッカ　「囚人のパーソナルなところに興味ねぇからな、オレ様。看守のオマエが把握しとけばいい

3時の部屋。

ジャッカ　「次、3時の位置。囚人番号3番カジヤマフウタ。てアホそうな男だ。オレ様こいつ嫌い」

エス　「……顔を見ただけなんだろう？」

ジャッカ　「ニンゲン、第一印象が9割だよ。俺様に投票権があったら迷わず有罪にしてるね」

エス　「そういうものかな」

4時の部屋。

扉に刻まれている文字を読むエス。

エス　「囚人番号4番はクスノキ、ムウ？女性か？」

ジャッカ　「おう。やたら美人の姉ちゃんだ。逆にこっちは無罪にするな。美しい遺伝子は残すべきだ」

足を止めるエス。

エス　「はぁ……。そんな欲にまみれた判断基準でいいのか？」

ジャッカ　「へっ…...じゃあ何を判断基準にするんだ？ただ法律に照らして裁くんだったらオマエである意味がない」

エス　「む……」

ジャッカ　「言ったろ、オマエ自身の基準で決めればいいって。それが性や愛でも文句は言わねぇよ。監獄内恋愛を禁止しやぁしねぇからよぉ」

いやらしくニヤつくジャッカロープ。

それを見て少し口をとがらせるエス。

エス　「……くだらないな。次は？」

ジャッカロープを置いて歩きはじめるエス。

追いかけるように歩くジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「へっ。今回の看守さんはウブだこと。囚人番号5番、キリサキシドウ。歳は三十くらいかな。こいつはオレ様に負けず劣らずの男前だな。......色恋目線でいくと、こういう奴が集団に波乱を巻き起こしたりするんだよなぁ」

エス　「…… (ため息)」

ジャッカロープを無視して歩き6時の位置に。

エス　「真南6時の位置。これで半分か」

ジャッカ　「ここは囚人番号6番、シイナマヒル。20代前半ってとこかな。……オレ様的にはこれくらいの女が一番好みだな」 下世話なジャッカロープにイラつき、足を止めるエス。

エス　「ジャッカロープ。遊びじゃないんだろ、この仕事は」

ジャッカ　「くっくっ…...遊びのつもりはねぇよ。この仕事の本質 は人間を見ることだ。オマエにもいずれわかる」

エス　「……ふん」

釈然としない様子のエス。歩きはじめる。

ジャッカ　「囚人番号7番。ムクハラカズイ。おっさんだ。今回の最年長じゃねぇかな。体格的にも、戦闘になったらこいつがナンバーワンだろうな」

エス　「……そうだ。囚人に襲われたらどうする？その、あまたらどうする？その、あまり言いたくはないが、僕の体格で抵抗できるとは思えない」

足を止め、後半少し恥ずかしげに言いよどむエス。

ジャッカ　「安心しな。囚人どもはオレ様たち管理者への攻撃はできない。そういう仕組みになってる」

エス　「『管理者へ』つまり囚人同士はそうではないと」

ジャッカ　「ふん、冴えてるじゃないか。そういうこともあるかもしれない。お前の判決次第じゃな」

歩きはじめ、8時の部屋。

ジャッカ　「さ、次は囚人番号8番��モセアマネ。聞いて驚け。なんとランドセル背負った女子小学生だ」

エス　「そんな小さな子まで…… "ヒトゴロシ" だというのか」

ジャッカ　「くっくっく、知らねぇけどよ。幼ければ純粋で、無垢で、善良で、ってのもまた思い込みなんだろうぜ。だからこそ……」

エス　「だからこそ」

ジャッカロープの説教をさえぎるように言葉をかぶせるエス。

エス　「それを見極めるのが看守の役目だというのだろう。まるで保護者だな、ジャッカロープ」

ジャッカ　「へぇへぇ。わかってんなら、構わねぇよ」

9時の部屋の位置。

ジャッカ　「次、囚人番号9番。カヤノミコト。男だ。特に特徴がなくて言うことねぇな。量産型ってかんじ」

エス　「逆に気になる」

ぼそりと小声でつぶやくエス。

10時の部屋の位置で足を止めるジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「最後が囚人番号10番、ユズリハコトコ。こいつは要注意だな。見るからに只者じゃなさそうな女だった」

エス　「これで10人か」

ジャッカ　「これで囚人紹介は終わりだな。ま。あとは実際話して確かめろよ」

なにかに気づいたエス。

エス　「ジャッカロープ」

ジャッカ　「ん？」

エス　「あそこは？11時の位置。あの部屋には囚人はいないのか？」

11時の部屋に歩いていくエス。

ついていかないジャッカロープ。

エス　「他の部屋の扉よりも古いな錆びついている……外側からの錠もない」

ジャッカ　「あぁ、そこはいい。何もない」

感情の乗らない返しをするそっけないジャッカロープ。

エス　「……それは」

エスの声を遮るようにゴーンと鐘のなる音。

パノプティコンの中に強く反響する。

エス　「何の音だ......」

ジャッカ　「時間だな。囚人共が目覚めるぞ。ついに顔合わせってわけだ」

うろたえるエスに向き直り、真剣なトーンで話すジャッカロープ。

ジャッカ　「いいか、オマエ自身が持つ不安や戸惑いや疑問はすべて殺せ。お前は看守なんだ。おそれるな。囚人共にとっての権威と恐怖であれ」

エス　「……言われるまでもないよ。ジャッカロープ。業はミルグラムの看守だ。僕にはそれしかない」

ジャッカロープに背を向けるエス。

エス　「それに、実は今少しだけ楽しみなんだ。ここに集められた囚人たちと出会うのが。そして彼らの罪を知るのが」

ジャッカ　「……」

エス　「お前の言う通り、僕は僕の意思で彼らの罪を暴こう。僕はどう感じるんだろう。赦したい、赦したくない、どう思うんだろう」

自分の掌を見つめるエス。

エス　「僕は、彼らを通して、僕自身のことも知りたいんだ」

ジャッカ　「……エス」

エスの背中を見つめていたジャッカロープ。

顔を下げ、冷めた声色でつぶやく。

ジャッカ　「哀れなことだ」

突如ガシャンガシャンと囚人の部屋の錠が次々に開いていく。

ジャッカ　「……来るぞ。ぶちかましてやんな」

工ス　「あぁ。看守としての初仕事といこう」

それぞれのドアが開き、囚人たちがパノプティコンへ踏み込んでくる。

囚人たちの足音が響く。

エス　「ごきげんよう、囚人諸君。僕の名前はエス。この監獄の看守をしている」

エス　「ここは監獄ミルグラム。お前たち10人の罪を裁くために存在する」

エス　「僕がお前達について知っていることは少ない。知っているのは、お前たち全員『ヒトゴロシ』だということだけ」

[ashlynnsramblings]

Loser, Baby Japanese Lyrics

Let's start with one of my favorite songs! Here are the lyrics of the Japanese version of Loser, Baby in Japanese, romanized Japanese, and English translation. Lyrics transcription, romanization, and translation all by me. If you use these lyrics elsewhere, please credit me by linking to my blog! Thanks, and enjoy! :3

ハスク Husk JP 何もかもうまく行かない ちっぽけでもいやんなる 酒と薬に身を任せ 目を背け続けた 人生ろくでもないって それはきっとそうだ Romaji nanimokamo umaku ikanai chippoke demo iyannaru sake to kusuri ni mi wo makase me wo somuke tsuzuketa jinsei rokudemonai tte sore wa kitto sou da EN Nothing is going well You're fed up with even little things You've kept on giving yourself up to alcohol and drugs And turning your eyes away Life is worthless, you say That's certainly true

エンジェル Angel JP えっ何？ Romaji e nani? EN Huh, what?

ハスク Husk JP そうさ　どう見ても 君は負け犬 ただのちっぽけなクズ野郎 Romaji sou sa dou mitemo kimi wa makeinu tada no chippoke na kuzuyarou EN That's right, no matter how you look at it You're a loser Just an insignificant piece of shit

エンジェル Angel JP おい！ Romaji oi! EN Hey!

ハスク Husk JP 俺と同じさ　 Romaji ore to onaji sa EN Just like me

エンジェル Angel JP うるせえよ Romaji urusee yo EN Shut up

ハスク Husk JP だってどう見ても レビュー低評価 人生どん底でも そうさ　一人じゃない Romaji datte dou mitemo rebyuu teihyouka jinsei donzoko demo sou sa hitori janai EN But no matter how you look at it Your reviews are low Even if you're at rock bottom in life That's right, you're not alone

エンジェル Angel JP あんたそれ慰めてるつもり？ Romaji anta sore nagusameteru tsumori? EN Are you trying to make me feel better with that?

ハスク Husk JP これほどにもひどい人生 俺だけと嘆いてた けど無駄な期待を捨ててみて 意外に悪くもない Romaji kore hodo ni mo hidoi jinsei ore dake to nageiteta kedo muda na kitai wo sutetemite igai ni waruku mo nai EN I've lamented that it was just me Who had a life this terrible But try throwing away useless expectations It's surprisingly not bad

エンジェル Angel JP 飼い主はサイコパス野郎 Romaji kainushi wa saikopasu yarou EN My owner is a psychopathic bastard

ハスク Husk JP ハハ！悲劇のヒロインかい？冗談よせよ！ そうさ　どう見ても 俺ら負け犬　ただの・・・ Romaji haha! higeki no hiroin kai? joudan yose yo! sou sa dou mitemo orera makeinu tada no… EN Haha! What, are you the heroine of some tragic play? Quit joking! That's right, no matter how you look at it We're losers, just a…

エンジェル Angel JP ヤク中のあばずれ？ Romaji yakuchuu no abazure? EN Drug addict bitch?

ハスク Husk JP 何が悪い？ Romaji nani ga warui? EN What's wrong with that?

エンジェル Angel JP 誰がどう見ても　 俺は負け犬 でも悲しくなんてないさ Romaji dare ga dou mitemo ore wa makeinu demo kanashiku nante nai sa EN No matter how anyone looks at it I'm a loser But I'm not sad

ハスク Husk JP そう　一人(+ エンジェル)じゃない Romaji sou hitori (+ Angel) janai EN That's right, you're not alone

ハスク Husk JP 止まらないギャンブル Romaji tomaranai gyanburu EN Can't stop with the gambling

エンジェル Angel JP 止まらない衝動 知りたい流行りのプレイ Romaji tomaranai shoudou shiritai hayari no purei EN Can't stop with the urges I want to know the latest sex play fads

ハスク Husk JP もっと聞かせてくれ　カモン！ Romaji motto kikasetekure kamon! EN Tell me more, c'mon!

エンジェル Angel JP 穴はすべて使用済み Romaji ana wa subete shiyouzumi EN All my holes are used

ハスク Husk JP 魂売却済み 悪魔のペット Romaji tamashii baikyakuzumi akuma no petto EN My soul's been sold I'm the devil's pet

二人 Both JP 悪化するばかりの日々 Romaji akka suru bakari no hibi EN Every day does nothing but get worse

エンジェル Angel JP そうさ　どう見ても Romaji sou sa dou mitemo EN That's right, no matter how you look at it

ハスク Husk JP 俺は負け犬　でも Romaji ore wa makeinu demo EN I'm a loser, but

二人 Both JP 君がいれば　明日は変わるかも Romaji kimi ga ireba asu wa kawaru kamo EN If you're here, maybe tomorrow will be different

ハスク Husk JP 肩の荷を下ろして 自分甘やかして さあ　君は君でいい Romaji kata no ni wo oroshite jibun amayakashite saa kimi wa kimi de ii EN Take the weight off your shoulders Go easy on yourself You're fine as you are

二人 Both JP 俺たちは負け犬 Romaji oretachi wa makeinu EN We're losers

[systematicallycapricious]

Here at last, my observations for English P4AU manga volume 4! Same formatting as my prior ones, no holds barred for spoilers, and fair warning that I'm writing this off of notes from 5 months ago; so if I miss some details, I apologize. Hectic life shenanigans have limited my ability to reread the volume. xP

-----------------------------------

General Vibes

On the whole, I found this volume to be the best reading experience out of the 4 Udon-translated volumes. Aside from the persisting issue of conflating Sho and Minazuki via calling both “Minazuki”, as well as a few confusing absences of clarifying quotation marks, the narrative is cohesive and comprehensible.

I also think that it stands really well on its own, so, as I said before, I'd highly recommend Eng-Sho and Minazuki fans pick up Vol 4, even if you've been iffy on the Udon translations up until this point. In all honestly, I think Udon did a better translation of Vol 4 than the fan-translation that's out there on the internet, at least in terms of justice done to the characterizations of Minazuki and Sho. Their dialog, with a couple small exceptions, fit their expected lexicons much better.

(No shade to the fan-translation, of course! I'm still super-grateful that people took time out of their lives to give us some form of accessible translation long before Atlus got on printing an official translation, and the fan-translation is still pretty good with it's own wins.)

Also, Narukami's dialog was translated pretty well too, from what I recall, so fans of his might also find his inclusions in the story enjoyable. As for Adachi and Kagutsuchi... I'm not very well-versed in their characterizations, so I wouldn't be able to say. Adachi's lexicon did seem a bit out of character to me, though; like the underlying vibe is kinda the same as his typical lexicon, but the execution feels more 'censored', I guess? It's just the impression that I got, though.

-----------------------------------

Specific Things

• ...They were so close to getting it right throughout the entire translation, but they stumbled at the finish line. Literally – this was within the final few chapters, and may have even been the final mention of Plumes of Dusk in the story, lol. And it's definitely the same kanji and kana that “Plume of Dusk” is always spelled with, so how or why they suddenly fabricated “darkness” in place of “dusk” is beyond me.

Also, for Eng reading context, what gets translated as “the other me” is “もう１つの人格を” with a gikun of “ミナヅキ” in the Jap text. So whether or not that should have vocally been “the other me” or “Minazuki” is up to you to decide. ~(•_•)~ (And for anyone who wants the full Jap transcription of that text bubble: ”黄昏の羽根”ってヤツから生まれたもう１つの人格を消す手術から眠ったままだったらしい)

• I wish that translators would interpret Minazuki's use of “黙れ(damare)” as “Silence.” rather than “Shut up.” It fits his pre-established (by Ultimax-the-game) lexicon far more, in my opinion.

(Jap version of the page [here], because I forgot to take a picture of it, apparently. :P)

• Kanazuki, my beloved nickname. (Though, because pursuing lore details, I'm not sure if Udon's “the two sides of Minazuki” is an accurate translation in this case? It seems to be more like “the two Minazukis”, like how fan-Eng interpreted it, but I don't know enough Jap to tell. For those who want the transcript: ところで２人の皆月のことみんななんて呼んでる？皆月？ミナヅキ？文面ならまだしも打ち合わせの時彼らは大変混乱を招いてくれやがりましてね......)

• It's nice to have the uncropped version of the original Yu cover art... But I'm a bit sad that we don't get the original Sho/Minazuki back-cover as a poster as well.

• Interesting detail: despite reprinting and reformatting the title logos, they seem to have kept the signature color for each volume the same (Vol.1/yellow, Vol.2/red, Vol.3/pink, Vol.4/blue).

• I've already stated some of my thoughts on Ch.28 and Ch.30 here, but for a few things that I didn't cover...

1) Minazuki specifically thinking “The humans are shouting.” gives us an interesting window into his mindset at the time.

2) The doctors were shouting at him because he was climbing up into an open window more-so than just shouting at him in general, lol.

3) The Ikutsuki death report reads more as if Minazuki was narrating it rather than it just being Sho staring at information on a screen, which I think is a neat interpretation.

4) Sho might've been attempting to finish the 'Minazuki extraction procedure' that Ikutsuki began, rather than just blindly attacking Minazuki? I'm not entirely sure, but it's an interesting angle to consider nonetheless.

5) Ikutsuki spinning Minazuki as an “evil spirit” as another generally useful tidbit to employ in Sho characterizations.

6) “Murder pit”. I'm keeping this for my Minazuki characterizations going forwards, lmao.

• Generally adoring the larger page size, 'cause I can see more details in the art that also help me understand the context better in a lot of scenes. For example! After Tsukiyomi takes the full-power hit from Izanagi, I can see the clear signs of exhaustion and Minazuki pushing his limits in the continuation of the fight. His movements are more desperate, he gets pronounced bags under his eyes, he has a kind of wide-eyed look to him, etc. Which I think is a really nice detail, because it shows that Minazuki isn't invulnerable: his desperation to protect Sho is just that strong.

The dialog at the beginning of that scene also helps to demonstrate that: rather than continuing to think in fluent and complex words, his internal monologue is reduced to simple, fragmented instincts (“Can't falter... Must protect... Must...!"). Which, again, a very interesting window into how Minazuki thinks. Even when put under the physical strain of grievous injuries, his first instincts (in this situation, at least) are to hold his ground in order to protect Sho.

(...Though, the Jap text of the aforementioned dialog is a bit different than Udon's translation, lol. It's more like “If I... don't protect... I—" (俺が......守らなければ...俺が――...))

• I don't have much to say about the fight against Kagutsuchi due to not having the best focus when I read through that part of the manga. Hopefully one day I'll reread it with better success. ^^;

• Suicidal Sho? I'm not entirely sure, though, as the “思ってた” in the Japanese version of the text (死んじまうかと思ってた時...) seems like it could mean either “I believe (that this will happen)” or “I plan (on making this happen)”? I don't know what linguistic contexts lend to what definitions, unfortunately, and the visual context could support it either way. (Not to mention, I have no clue if the sentiment is being expressed in a literal or frivolous capacity, given Sho can be hyperbolic at times. >_>)

...Also, I'm not counting Sho knifing his own face as an intentionally suicidal action, because (to the best of my ability to understand) that was intended to be homicidal. It's just that it would have also had a suicidal effect on him.

• Shadow puppet-Yosuke, Shadow puppet-Narukami, and Yosuke are great, lmao.

• Translations of General Teddie's script.

• Lastly, and maybe bestly: They got!! It right!! They kept Sho's name in Minazuki's “What are you going to do to Sho, Kagutsuchi?” line!! (Context: a previous observations/musings post of mine [here].)

-----------------------------------

(If you wanna see the fan-Eng in higher quality than the screengrabs I used, you can find it on Mangadex [here].)

[toadxhunter]

So, regarding that ending

I want to deliver an interesting nugget. I'm being led to believe by translators in the r/HunterxHunter discord server (no longer associated with the reddit cause reasons) that the Japanese audience reaction has been more positive generally? I mean, obv it's entirely possible the Japanese fanbase has just as many if not more 'dudebros' who are just eating it up uncritically. I however am interested in the possibility that our rough translation is making it somehow even worse? Apparently, if the translators are to be believed in there, the image out right now was translated using chatGPT. So if it feels like it reads janky to anyone else, there's that. Said translators in there, (that mostly work on manga scanlations) are working on a hand translated version, so I'll share it when it's out! In the meantime, someone scalped this together somehow, it's the original Japanese text of Togashi's Letter to the program. Go nuts!

池のほとりで釣り竿を握り微動だにしない少女。突然竿が大きくしなり、少女が叫ぶ。彼女の名前はギン。ギン「来た来た来たァァ!!」池の主を担ぎ、得意気にギンは1人の女性の前に立ち言い放つ。ギン「約束通り主を釣ったよ!!お母さん!!」さらに女性に近づき小さな声でギンは続ける。 「これでもう二度と私にハンターになれとか言わないでしょ…！」仕方なくうなずく女性。ギンは主を担ぎながら去って行く。 母親「主を釣り上げることで狩猟（ハント）に目覚めてくれると思ったんだけど…ねぇ？」女性が隣の夫に同意を求める。父親「島から一生出ないで店を継ぐ…。それが現在（いま）のギンの希望なんだ。尊重してやろうよ」。 女性はまだ不満気だ。母親「まぁ、途中で気が変わるかも知れないしね。全くあなたもギンに何でそんなに…って、そりゃミト大ばあばとノウコばばの血筋よねェ…。」どうやらミトとノウコが血縁関係にないことを女性は知らないらしい。夫は静かにほほ笑む。あきらめきれず、女性は続ける。 母親「でも！ゴンじいは有名なハンターだったんだし…！あの娘（コ）だっていつかはきっと島を」　ギン「出ないからねッッ!!」姿すら見えなくなった森の奥から、両親のやりとりが聞こえるはずもないのに叫び返す娘。父親は楽しそうにつぶやく。父親「お見通しだね」 場面が変わり、ミトのころから続くお店。主はきれいにさばかれ全ての部位が下ごしらえされている。作業をしながらギンの独白。ギン（お母さんはわかっていない…）（じいがハンター時代の思い出を楽しそうに話す時、大ばぁばがさり気なく席を外していること） （ノウコばばの相槌が全て誰かからの伝言で、ばばがじじのそばにいられなかった寂しさを控えめに滲ませていること）包丁を持つ手でまな板を強くたたく。（私はまっぴらだ!!）（誰かの帰りを何ヶ月も何年も心が締め付けられる想いをしながら待つのも!!自分が誰かを待たせるのも!!）（私は…） 扉が開く音。のんびりとした穏やかな声が響く。小太りの少年が植物を抱え入ってくる。少年「山菜とったよ～　おおっすげ～本当に主を釣ったんだ！」「よ～し島民全員にふるまおうぜっっ」 ギン（私はずっと…ずっと一緒にいたい人と）　少年「皆の喜ぶ顔が目に浮かぶぅ」「さあ、始めよ～」　ギン（ずっと一緒にいる!!）「うんっっ!!」満面の笑顔で料理を作る2人。 島から一羽の鳥が飛び立つ。大空を鳥が舞う。鳥の下にはどこかの街。様々な人々。誰かの息子、誰かの娘、誰かの孫が色々な場所で暮らし、誰かと笑顔で交している。それはあのキャラの子どもや、あのキャラの孫かも知れない。鳥が空の彼方へ飛び去る。それを見送っている誰かの後ろ姿。　完

[utanonicolechan]

KIR☆MEKI EMOTION (Uta no Prince-Sama Live Emotion) Lyrics TL! + Do Read Notes!!

|| Hi, so this is my first time writing out lyrics TL with the help of jisho and translator **COUGHS** also my Japanese skills T-T sorry if it is kinda stiff!! I hope it is alright, and might make some edits from time to time!!

If you do have some money around, please do buy the CDs! Look at me, I bought two HE★VENS jacket CD due to me not getting my oshi card T-T

Also sorry if the lyrics are like..far away from the original one(?) I am intending to write the translation like that so it will fit if you sing along the English version! ||

|| Lyrics are from the CD booklet! Also, sorry! I don't know how to color code on Tumblr :( ||

︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵

Kira☆meki Emotion

︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵︵

人生はミュージック（Music ! ) Our life is a Music (Music!) 大切なラブソング（Love song !) Such a precious love song (Love song!) 繋ぎ合うシェイクハンド（Shake hand ! ) Let’s connect by shake hand (Shake hand!) ずっと離さない I won’t ever let you go! 君の為に歌うよ愛を込めて I’m singing this song for your sake and it is filled with my love 世界中に☆(ほし)よ輝け Let us shine the stars all over the world KIR☆MEKI (SPARKLING) EMOTION ⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉ (REN) 最高のステージは夢じゃなく現実にある The best stage isn’t a mere dream but it’s the reality we have to face (MASATO) 未体験のDEEP ZONEに飛び込んだあの感覚 That nervous feeling of jumping into the unexperienced DEEP ZONE  (NATSUKI) Waku x2 越えて Surpassing the feeling of excitement (SYO) Doki x2 以上!? More than your heart throbs?! (NATSUKI) ハマっちゃいましょ Let’s get hooked onto it! (SYO) 超絶LIVE A Transcending LIVE (NATSUKI-SYO) 重ねるほど熱くなるから The more you repeat it the passionate it will become (OTOYA) 幸せを見える形へと Getting into the form where you can see happiness (TOKIYA) 自分次第で変わる飛べる Future Depends on you, you can change your Future (TOKIYA) いつだって待っているから I will always wait for you all the time (OTOYA) ときめく煌めく Paradise Throbbing and sparkling Paradise (CECIL) 心から楽しむだけこの時間を This is the time where you can enjoy from the bottom of your heart (OTOYA-MASATO-NATSUKI) さあ行くんだみんなの待つ丘へ So, let’s go to the height where everyone’s waiting (TOKIYA-REN-SYO-CECIL) いっせーの！で声を空へと高く！！ Ready, set, go, and raise your voice onto the sky! 叫ぼうよレッツスタート（Let's start) Let us shout let’s start! (Let’s start!) らしくあれマイソング（My song) Just be yourself my song (My song) 伝えようハッピー（Happy) Let’s convey it Happy (Happy) 笑顔をあげるよ Giving you the brightest smile いっちゃえJump ! 頂点を目指す旅は Go for it, Jump! Aim for the journey towards the peak 終わりのない勇気の歌だ The song of courage that is never-ending KIR☆MEKI (SP☆RKLING) EMOTION ⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉ (REN) 初めて出会った時の衝撃を覚えてるかい？ Do you still remember the impact that happened when we first met each other? (MASATO) 未経験のRED ZONEに振り切った夢の出会い Having a dream that makes me want to break from the inexperienced RED ZONE (NATSUKI) きゅんとしたでしょ？ Do you feel your heart skipping a beat? (SYO) だけど更なる But furthermore (NATSUKI) その1000倍の That 1000 times (SYO) きゅんをGive you Give you your heart skipping a beat (NATSUKI-SYO) 一緒にいるよどんなときでも Let’s be together at any time right now (OTOYA) 照らしたい君との道(ﾛｰﾄﾞ)を Showing you the road where I want you to shine (TOKIYA) 闇を裂く光になると I swear As you become the light that separates the darkness I swear (TOKIYA) 立ち止まり涙しても Even if you stop for a while and cry your heart out (OTOYA) いつでも、いつも、いつまでも  I promise always, always, even until the end (Cecil) 側にいて共に今日を歩いてこう I'll always be by your side and walk through this day with you (Otoya-Masato-Natsuki) 分け合おう辛いことも全部 Come on just share all of this painful feelings with me (Tokiya-Ren-Syo-Cecil) 過ぎ行くこの時をLOVEへと変えて And turning this passing time into the feeling of LOVE 打ち鳴らせハートビート（Heart beat) Let us resound Heart beat (Heart beat) 響き舞えトゥルーソング（True song) Echoing and dancing True song (true song) 信じようドリーミング（Dreamin') Just believe it Dreamin’ (Dreamin’) こんなに生きてる Let’s live our life like this 今こそJump ! 一人じゃないって誓うよ Right now Jump! I swear you aren’t walking alone! Forever x2 君が大好き Forever x2 I love you always KIR☆MEKI (SP☆RKLING) EMOTION ⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉ (CECIL) 足りないものだらけで Even if things aren’t enough for me  (SYO) 大丈夫 It will be alright (REN) 自分の色だけ Never ever you even forget (TOKIYA) 忘れずにいよう your personal color (NATSUKI) どんな色だって Whatever the color you are  (MASATO) 虹の一部に It's a part of a rainbow (OTOYA) いつでも俺たちのことを Until whenever I hope you feel the love from 感じられる All of us ⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉⑉ 人生はミュージック（Music ! ) Our life is a Music (Music!) 大切なラブソング（Love song !) Such a precious love song (Love song!) 繋ぎ合うシェイクハンド（Shake hand ! ) Let’s connect by shake hand (Shake hand!) ずっと離さない I won’t ever let you go! やっちゃえJump ! 夢は夢じゃないんだよ Just go for it Jump! Because your dream isn't ordinary! 世界中に☆(ほし)よ輝け Let us shine the stars all over the world KIR☆MEKI (SP☆RKLING) EMOTION

[ethereal---spirits]

Moi-même-Moitié has brought back their high socks without lace! Great timing because I need socks like this for winter. So of course I bought Rose Diamond High Socks in the three colorways.

Moi-même-Moitié がレースなしのハイソックスを復活させました。冬にはこういう靴下が���要だったので、素���らしいタイミングでした。ということで、もちろんローズダイヤモンドハイソックスを3色購入しました。

Honestly, the vintage Moi-même-Moitié that I wear more than anything else is the high or knee socks. Because they are great with skirts, dresses and especially pants. And yes I have a pair of the original Rose Diamond Socks.

正直に言うと、私が何よりもよく履いているヴィンテージの Moi-même-Moitié は、ハイソックスまたはニーソックスです。スカート、ドレス、特にパンツとよく合うからです。そして、はい、私はオリジナルのローズダイヤモンドソックスを一足持っています。

In comparison, the new version, on the right, is longer and a little bigger than the vintage socks. But not too much bigger. With the stretch, some men can even wear these. I don't know what the material is for the vintage socks. The new version is 80% cotton, 18% nylon and 2% polyurethane. Cotton with nylon is a good combination for comfort. The new version knit feels a little thicker than the vintage socks.

それに比べて、新しいバージョンはヴィンテージ ソックスより長く、少し大きめです。でも、大きすぎるということはありません。ストレッチが効いているので男性でも着用できる方もいると思います。ヴィンテージソックスの素材は分かりません。新しいバージョンは綿 80%、ナイロン 18%、ポリウレタン 2% です。綿とナイロンの組み合わせは着心地が良いです。新しいバージョンのニットはヴィンテージソックスよりも少し厚いように感じます。

The bands at the tops of both socks are similar, with the new socks having a bit of scalloping at the top. Both stretch and seem to be good at holding your socks up when worn.

両方のソックスの上部のバンドは似ていますが、新しいソックスには上部に少し波形があります。どちらも伸縮性があり、履いたときに靴下を持ち上げるのに適しているようです。

The Rose Diamond design is similar for both versions. It is woven in the sock and can be felt inside but the fabric is soft. This is better than printed on, which can wear off over time. The design on the vintage socks is a little bigger, but the size difference could be due to changes in manufacturing. The blue color is really close to the vintage blue!

Overall I can say the new Rose Diamond High Socks are comparable to the 2007 version and are really nice. I look forward to wearing them when the weather is colder. My experience with Moitié socks is they hold up well, even when going to multiple Moi dix Mois live shows.

ローズ ダイヤモンドのデザインはどちらのバージョンでも似ています。ソックスに織り込まれていて、内側で感じられますが、生地は柔らかいです。これは、時間の経過とともに擦り切れてしまうプリントよりも優れています。ヴィンテージ ソックスのローズ ダイヤモンド デザインは少し大きめですが、サイズの違いは製造方法の変更によるものかもしれません。ブルーの色はヴィンテージ ブルーにとても近いです!

全体的に見て、新しいローズ ダイヤモンド ハイ ソックスは 2007 年バージョンに匹敵し、本当にニース だと言えます。天気が寒くなったら履くのが楽しみです。Moitié ソックスの私の経験では、Moi dix Mois のライブ ショーに複数回行っても、しっかり持ちこたえることができました。

[pulsar-the-northstar]

Grief as concept in The Gazette's 'Dark Age' - Part 2

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

In the structure of Dark Age, slower and even darker songs follow, among which the first is the dignified DERACINE. The title itself ("rootless") suggests someone disconnecting from their surroundings: it brings back the isolation that characterizes grief in atomized (Western) societies. The mourner is alone, bargaining again, seeking the meaning of the loss ("In the womb / Was the fate decided?"), while struggling with its physical symptoms ("I’m going to be sick"), with the past, the emotions, and the secrets carried away by the deceased ("The feelings that I hid / 4…3…2…1 / That can’t be counted"), with the rekindled anger towards the deceased, trying to break free from pain and memory ("Go away / I say good-bye to hateful you once again") and naming their grief ("overpowering grief", "My heart is disturbed by you"). DERACINE is about the pain of realizing the loss, as if referring back to Baudelaire's poem „A Carcass" ("I know your ugliness" / "My feelings for you never change"), where the poet says: here's this carcass, look how disgusting, but when you look like this, I will still love you. In this lyrics, Ruki applies a reversed logic: he inserts some Japanese lines among the English ones, summing up only the secondary meaning of grief (裂けだした未来 / 飾る言葉が無い "our future is torn apart / there are no words to make it beautiful again"), thus the loss has permanently settled in the mourner's life, it cannot be comforted.

Within the setlist, we have arrived at the darkest phase of grief, depression, which was introduced by DERACINE, but it's actually VACANT that unfolds it. This song is found on the Undying single, specifically on its limited version, a rarely played, dark-toned song with beautiful lyrical vocal and guitar themes. Both the title ("empty") and the lyrics of VACANT suggest from the beginning that we have truly reached the depths of grief, which is the depression phase in Kübler-Ross and Wright as well, but Wright complements this with the period of loneliness and self-reflection (理解して / 取り戻せないから - "I understand / that I can't go back (to my old life/myself)"). The mourner understands that they "lost sight of the other" (在るべき姿を見失う) and their subconscious mind plays with them, they are already "unable to dream" (夢さえ見れない). As mentioned above, a common physical manifestation of grief involves alterations in sleep patterns and restfulness. During certain phases of grieving, individuals may either experience a lack of dream recollection or encounter exceptionally vivid and colorful dreams. These dreams, linked to grief, may manifest as both daytime and nighttime reveries. Mourners frequently yearn for such dreams, hoping to reunite with their departed loved ones. Conversely, the absence of these dream encounters or the relief experienced upon seeing the deceased in dreams can evoke intense emotions.

Ruki in VACANT uses expressions that almost clichély embody loss, such as "the sunset, which reminds of the moment of parting" (落陽にいつかの「別れ」を思い出す), tears, or even cherry blossoms (止まない泪を聴きながら 桜はただ揺れる, "while I listen to the unstoppable tears, the cherry blossoms sway"), which symbolize various losses in Japanese culture, from the loss of virginity to premature tragic death at a young age. The pain over the loss intensifies, and it's "still unable to disappear" (今でも消えない), even though some time has passed since the loss, and yet we have to face again that "our shared dreams are shattered" (幾つもの壊れそうな夢と終わりが). It's beautiful how Ruki mourns not only the shared future in the lyrics but also the present in which the other is no longer there (変われないままの今を嘆き / 思い出して / あの日失くしたもの, "I mourn the unchanging present / and remember / what I lost that day").

Returning to the core of the Dogma album, still in the depression phase, anger and resentment resurface in the form of GRUDGE. This is also a conceptual song, similar to BIZARRE, as Ruki was inspired by the film "Gone Girl": the agony of a woman who possesses both the ability and readiness to go to great extremes, all the while grappling with profound grief: her lost opportunities, her marital bond, and the dreams of a shared future. GRUDGE depicts an anger where love and desire to "hold you in my arms" are still present (出来ればあなたを抱いて), but we'd rather "descend into the cold sea" (冷たい海に溶けたい), into the "sea of resentment" (怨恨の海). But the situation is not as straightforward because alongside anger, there arises a desire for union in death: to sink together, knowing that there can no longer be a physical connection between the mourner and the deceased (二度と触れる事も / その手には抱えきれない, "I can never touch you again / I can no longer hold your hand").

It's worth noting that while grief process theories include depression as a stage, it's a distinct concept from clinical depression, and it's essential to differentiate between them. The mourner's desire for death typically relates to the object of grief (to reunite again with the person we lost), while the depressed person's desire for death relates to themselves, their own lack of self-worth (“I am nothing without the other person, my life is worthless, I don't matter to anyone anymore”). Distinguishing grief from depression is is best left to professionals. While there are criteria for differentiating symptoms, self-diagnosis is definitely not advised.

In addition to the longing for death, a prevalent aspect of grief is the tendency to assign blame to others. In certain instances, this escalates to a desire for retaliation, as depicted in the theme of MALUM (a Latin word meaning "bad, evil, wrong"). This song is an indictment against a murderer, which, however, can refer not only to the perpetrator of a violent death but also to innocent or even completely blameless third parties, such as doctors and nurses who (from the mourner's perspective) did not do everything to save the deceased ("Why did you KILL?), while the mourner is aware throughout that no accusation can bring back the deceased ("Though I lament / She can't return").

GODDESS is a beautiful, lyrical song about the sufferings experienced in grief: the rhythm of the song and the panting sounds almost suggest that the narrator is running or fleeing from something. The lyrics give the explanation for the rush right from the start: the mourner is searching for answers (生きる理由 / 底突く答えに抱く, "the purpose of my existence / to embrace the answers in the depths"), by reintroducing the motif of sinking into despair, stemming from GRUDGE, what remains now is not just anger towards the loss but rather a profound sense of pain and sorrow.

The last two lines express the mourner's desire for the pain to begin to subside and to be able to face life without the deceased: 言葉にできない悲しみすら分け合って / 壊れ鬱向く現実を認め生きていけたら, "if only I could share the grief I can't put into words / if only I could accept the reality of broken despair and live". These last two lines beautifully resonate with the first two tasks of J. William Worden's four tasks of grief: accepting the reality of the loss, and processing the pain of the loss.

WASTELAND once again distinguishes itself within the collection of Dark Age tracks. Like BIZARRE, it too is a conceptual piece, delving into the cruelty of our world and the judgmental nature of people. As grief is a shared experience, members of the community often anticipate certain expressions of mourning, such as specific attire or abstaining from certain activities. Those in mourning might face criticism from family and friends who feel they aren't grieving sufficiently or intensely—or someone might suggest that their grief is lasting too long, implying they shouldn't be so deeply affected by the loss.

Following the slower melodies, we transition to the faster, more intense, and angrier songs. Ruki mentioned that the main theme of the track LUCY is greed, but upon closer examination of the English-language chorus, greed is just one of the key expressions ("Greed (lust), folly (lie), bluff (crime) / Over again"). The song's protagonist seeks an escape (逃げ惑う/ 愛おしき Lucy, "you're trying to escape / beloved Lucy"), into a life tainted by sin, where desires for possession and pleasure, deceit, and lies hold sway. Neimeyer addresses avoidant grief, wherein the mourner endeavors to uphold their mental framework of the world by disregarding anything that challenges it. This marks a smooth transition from WASTELAND, contrasting the "normal" grief concept of the community with the grief of someone who indulges and lives a life very much tied to the earthly world, driven by money, sex, and power— a lifestyle society condemns, deeming it inappropriate during mourning. Stigmatization and isolation are common experiences in Western society during grief: mourners often feel alienated, yet this isn't always intentional. Rather, it reflects the struggle of both immediate and broader communities to adequately support those grieving.

INCUBUS carries on from LUCY, drawing from the myth of a nocturnal beast (the incubus is a mythological creature that visits sleeping women in their dreams and copulates with them): the protagonist returns home from a night of indulgence, but the allure of that lifestyle persists in her dreams, confronting her with all she sought to avoid ("I cannot get out away now from the maze"). In her night, "nightmares mix with reality" (現実と悪夢 交差する夜が), the shared past resurfaces (ざらついた舌に忘失の憶這わす, "forgotten memories spread on a dry tongue"), and at the boundary between dream and wakefulness, a new theme emerges: fate (“God, is this a sign / Tell me my crime / Is it my fate to suffer"), which will later take center stage in the final song, UNDYING.

As mentioned earlier, dreaming about those who have passed away often carries deep meaning for mourners. In certain cultural or religious traditions, there are even expectations about when and how the departed soul might visit their loved ones in dreams. In the lyrics, the grieving individual reunites with their departed loved one and ponders the significance of this encounter: What does it signify for them to appear now? Do they pass judgment on the mourner's actions? Is it their destiny to endure sorrow and anguish indefinitely?

INCUBUS might be the initial song in Dark Age that raises the question (and partly self-blame) of how the future self can progress and whether such progress is permissible at all—calling for the creation of a fresh identity, for adaptation. It is symbolic how Ruki puts the "you" in  brackets (「君」が欲しがるもの / 何だかわからない, literally: "what (you) desire / I don't know what it is"), as the deceased person and the relationship with them evolve: communication persists, the mourner "keeps conversing" with them, summons their presence, and lets the deceased be a part of their life, even if only indirectly. Progressing forward presents the challenge of grappling with secondary grief, as aspirations for a shared life intertwine with memories of the departed (浴びるほどの悲しき憶 / 目を伏せても消えないのは / 終わりのない夢に / 自分が見えたから - "this flood of sad memories / still won't disappear when I close my eyes / because in that endless dream / I see myself"). However, it becomes clear at the end of the song that no matter how much the mourner struggles, they have not yet reached the consolidation phase—they push away the memory of the deceased and no longer seek answers ("So fuck the why / And get lost").

The anger associated with rejection and the suppression of grief is reflected in the lyrics of UGLY as well—perhaps the angriest, most aggressive song in the entire Dark Age. In this, the mourner truly expresses the anger stemming from feeling betrayed by the deceased through their death: as if there had been an agreement between them regarding who would die first ("Please die... Before I die"), and the deceased upset this agreement (虚偽と嘯く目 – roughly meaning "a lie without batting an eyelid"). The fact of death is irreversible, with the physical form of the departed already undergoing decay (醜さと散る君は, "you, who are ugly and falling apart"), yet the soul is still very much present with the mourner (今でも死の淵に立つ, "you're still standing on the brink of death"), who still sees the deceased as part of the present ("Are you still alive?"). However, this kind of communication between the mourner and the deceased already represents the oscillation phase of grief, in which the restoration of life and the consolidation of grief, as endeavors, clash: the old self, in whose identity the deceased played a role, resists making space for the new self, sustained solely by memories.

The last song of the consolidation phase of grief is BLEMISH, which not only concludes but also summarizes the aggressive, powerful, fast-paced block. BLEMISH deals with the inner anxiety and shame that many mourners experience in the healing phase: Is it acceptable for me to desire to move forward? If the pain fades, what is left of the person I lost? Is grief allowed to cease at all? Did my love for the other person lack depth if I can move forward without difficulty?

Every line of the lyrics explores the dilemmas of this struggle. Suffering is constantly present in the mourner's life ("Redo the pain pain start all over"), and they seek to remove that part of their life—the shared past—that is the source of their suffering ("I want to kill the past"), but they are tormented by guilt because of this desire ("I feel the shame shame it's never over"), often even considering how much better it would be to die after the other person ("These days / I'm better dead"), or to start their life completely anew ("I want to be reborn", "Out of sight / And reborn somewhere else"), where the lost person can no longer reach them ("Leave me alone"). In an ambivalent manner, however, alongside shame, desperation also emerges at the end of the song: they plead with the deceased not to leave them alone ("Don't just abandon me"), the plea is repeated four times (in Japanese, the number four is associated with death), but no answer is coming, so the mourner, with one last desperate cry ("Fuck you"), withdraws from the conversation.

Continue to part 3

[krdc]

マジカルラブ (magical love) — full version

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(lyrics & unofficial translation below)

magical love　be with you　wow baby

指の隙間でチラ見 (キミの smile)

yubi no sukima de chira mi (kimi no smile)

glancing through the cracks of my fingers (at your smile)

僕にはもったいないって？ (ちょっと待って)

boku ni wa mottainai tte (chotto matte)

aren't you wasting it on me? (hang on a second)

今までだったらそれで終わり (チャ　チャンス？)

ima made dattara sore de owari (cha-chansu)

if it had been before, this would've been the end (ch-chance?)

一味違うthis love　wow

hitoaji chigau this love wow

this love is different, wow

まさかまさかの展開

masaka masakano tenkai

there's been a surprising turn of events

心もカラダも限界

kokoro mo karada mo genkai

my mind and body are at their limits

寝癖　ドキり　照れる　素振り

neguse dokiri tereru soburi

your bedhead, your nervousness, the bashful way you act

超 cute　ズキュン

chou cute zukyuun

they're super cute, they've struck my heart

瞬間　近づく鼓動

shunkan chikazuku kodou

the moment i got near your heartbeat

聴こえた　マジかよ　マジカル！？

kikoeta maji ka yo majikaru

i heard them, it's for real, it's magical?!

もう　ムリ無理　見て見ぬフリ

mou muri muri mite minu furi

i can't keep pretending i don't see it

夢でも　胸高鳴り

yume demo munadaka nari

even in my dreams, it makes my heart race

運命変えちゃう love

unmei kaechau love

a love that changes destiny

君と　僕が？　あわわっ

kimi to boku ga awawa

between you and me? i can't deal!

ハッピーエンドの途中

happi endo no tochu

on the way to our happy ending

焦る i want you (yeah)

aseru i want you (yeah)

i want you right now (yeah)

一緒なら越えてゆける

issho nara koete yukeru

as long as we're together, we can overcome it all

明日は七色　君と甘色　wow yes

asu wa nanairo kimi to amairo wow yes

tomorrow will have a rainbow, with you and the sweet colors, wow, yes

四六時中　夢心地 (キミの voice)

shirokujichu yumegokochi (kimi no voice)

day and night, i keep dreaming (about your voice)

そんなの聞いてないって (もっとキテ)

sonna no kiitenai tte (motto kite)

saying things i've never heard you say (come closer)

想定外　好きが渋滞 chu (che　cherry？)

souteigai suki ga jutai chu (che-cherry)

unexpected feelings stuck in a traffic jam (ch-cherry?)

大胆不敵 this love　wow

daitan futeki this love wow

this love is fearless, wow

一歩進んで後悔

ippo susunde koukai

the first step forward, there's regret

二歩目は　あら単純明快

ni home wa ara tanjun meikai

the second step, it's just plain and simple

a b c d x y z

妄想ばかりじゃいられない

mousou bakari jairarenai

i can't keep staying in my fantasy

敏感　本音と嘘

binkan honne to uso

my sensitive true feelings and my lies

気づいた　マジかよ　マジカル！？

kizuita maji ka yo majikaru

you noticed them, it's for real, it's magical?!

もう　ムリ無理　見て見ぬフリ

mou muri muri mite minu furi

i can't keep pretending i don't see it

夢でも　胸高鳴り

yume demo munadaka nari

even in my dreams, it makes my heart race

運命変えちゃう love

unmei kaechau love

a love that changes destiny

君と　僕が？　あわわっ

kimi to boku ga awawa

between you and me? i can't deal!

ハッピーエンドの途中

happi endo no tochu

on the way to our happy ending

焦る i want you (yeah)

aseru i want you (yeah)

i want you right now (yeah)

一緒なら越えてゆける

issho nara koete yukeru

as long as we're together, we can overcome it all

明日は七色　君と甘色　wow yes

asu wa nanairo kimi to amairo wow yes

tomorrow will have a rainbow, with you and the sweet colors, wow, yes

隣にキミの笑顔 (love is the magic)

tonari ni kimi no egao (love is the magic)

with your smile next to me (love is the magic)

yeah (love is the magic) oh

魔法が解けたって　大丈夫さ　ふたりなら

mahou ga toketa tte daijoubusa futari nara

even if the magic is undone, we'll be okay as long as we're together

幸せすぎてもムリ

shiawasesugite mo muri

i'm too happy, i can't handle it

未体験の胸騒ぎ

mi taiken no munasawagi

the apprehension of something unfamiliar

世界の数だけ love love love wow

sekai no kazu dake love love love wow

for every world out there, there's just as much of our love, love, love, wow

初めてだらけのストーリー

hajimetedarake no sutori

in this story filled with our firsts

誰にも邪魔させない

dare ni mo jamasasenai

we won't let anyone interfere

特別以上の love

tokubetsu ijou no love

a love that's beyond special

愛しい　嬉しい　気持ち

itoshii ureshii kimochi

and the precious, happy feelings

ハッピーエンドの途中

happi endo no tochu

on the way to our happy ending

もう全部 i want you

mou zenbu i want you

i want you, all of you

一緒なら越えてゆける

issho nara koete yukeru

as long as we're together, we can overcome it all

明日は七色　君と甘色　wow yes

asu wa nanairo kimi to amairo wow yes

tomorrow will have a rainbow, with you and the sweet colors, wow, yes

magical love　be with you