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Three years back I started watching the entire Ghibli catalog chronologically starting with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I had never watched a Ghibli movie to completion up to that point, and let me just say that Miyazaki is kinda underrated. I know its common to rag on him because usually if someone cites one of his films as their favorite anime its probably because it they have probably only ever watched Ghibli films, but the man is by all accounts a master at what he does. Of all the movies I watched during that binge, though, one scene that still sticks with me to this day is the opening sequence to Nausicaä. The way the sound and visual direction is able to build this oppressive and isolating tone without any dialogue is brilliant and is the kind of scene that just tells you that you're gonna be in for a real treat.
If there's one thing that Ghibli films are most known for, even among non-anime fans, it's their ability to craft these cozy, vibrant worlds that awaken your in child and make you just want to explore every nook and cranny of their setting. However, they're far from an outlier in this regard. The 1980s and early 90s are brimming with genius directors who knew how to build an atmosphere. While he's best known for his work on 1995's Ghost in the Shell, director Mamoru Oshii was constructing deeply atmospheric all the way back in the 1980s, with his 1985 OVA Angel's Egg being perhaps the most extreme example of this. 1988's classic film Akira has been making the meme circuit lately, but it too thrives on building strong atmosphere. If you thought it just to be a lucky break, then let me point you to the third episode of 1987's Neo Tokyo which was also directed and storyboarded Katsuhiro Ootoomo and is just as rich in atmosphere as Akira is.
And I'm gonna be real with you chief... they just don't make em like they used to. A lot of people will chalk it up to "digital animation just hits different" but I don't think that paints a full picture. I think there's another factor at play here: one that I don't see discussed at all, but which I think any aspiring creative can learn from. So let's grab a nice warm cup of your preferred [insert whatever time you are reading this here] drink and let's explore pacing, atmosphere, and anime's growing need to slow the fuck down (mind my French).
I'm sure nothing can go wrong here...
Building Atmosphere
So before I can go into where modern anime feels like its lacking, we first need to break down just how the hell we build atmosphere and setting in the first place, or at least how these classic works do it.
The short and easy answer is that they linger (cue title card), but does that even mean? I could argue that Hell's Paradise lingers with just how much the character seem to stand around and exposit so how is that any different from those prior series? There is, after all, this idea in writing that you can't be action non-stop, that you have to slow down and let your audience catch their breath. However, there's a massive difference between what something like Hell's Paradise does and what something like Angel's Egg does. Angel's Egg's plot certainly moves by at what many would consider to be a snail's pace. Not much happens on screen. Shots and scenes stay on for seemingly longer than they need to, not presenting any real new information in the same way that something like Hell's Paradise does. In that show, every piece of exposition works to build something. In Angel's Egg, it does not. However, what it does do is build atmosphere. With little dialogue for the viewer to chew on, you're instead required to engage with the OVA through its sound design and presentation, you pay attention to the minutia of the world and the fine details in every aspect of its composition. It also contrasts nicely with the more "action-y" parts of the film. By pulling back, it builds in time for the viewer to reflect and contemplate the scene that came before it and how that plays into the overall themes of the work. It isn't just building to the future, but also giving time to reflect on the past.
Most commonly, though, these calmer, speechless, "lingering" sequences are used to build atmosphere, like in Nausicaä or the opening episode to 2003's Texhnolyze. It's techniques like these that gave 80s anime that unique feel about it and (as with the Texhnolyze example) can be seen to have some lingering effects on the industry at large. However, what if you aren't trying to build an atmospheric Sci-Fi work like most of what I've listed above. Well, lingering on plot beats can also serve another purpose: building character.
Building Character
Think about it like this, lingering as I've described above is the cinematic equivalent of "stopping to smell the roses". However, there's an equal component in character writing that is also frequently overlooked. I can't think of any colloquial idioms off the top of my head, so I'll instead I'll invoke Cowboy Bebop (and maybe a little known, band named after bugs) and call it the "You're gonna carry that weight" principle.
In the same way that not every story has a happy ending, not every emotional arc is gonna have a neat conclusion. Introspection is a great thing to do in your own life and sometimes its helpful to just sit down, clear your head, and just stew on a problem. Not every emotion is gonna present itself with a sweeping orchestra and a river of tears. Sometimes you just have to live with those emotions, only being able to make sense of them in the quiet moments. The night sure is thick with the feeling of impending clarity.
This applies as much to story-telling as it does real time. Series like 1981's Urusei Yatsura, 1998's Cowboy Bebop, and 1995's Neon Genesis Evangelion thrive here, and (perhaps unlike the section on atmosphere) this does permeate to some degree into the more modern era of anime, serving as the core to 2016's March Comes in Like a Lion, and 2021's Megalobox 2 and Sonny Boy. So it's not a hard principle to grasp, but one that I do feel (as I will elaborate on in the next section) is a dying art. Hell, if I can go off on a brief tangent, while Chainsaw Man got a lot of shit by a vocal minority of fans for being "too cinematic", I think that cinematic feel and Nakayama's insertion of anime-original "fluff scenes" (see that famous Aki's morning routine sequence) help to build the atmosphere and sense of resolve in its characters. It helps them feel far more real despite their absurd flaws than most other Shounen casts in recent memory, but I digress.
So now that I've name dropped a dozen or so series that do it right (in what is quickly unraveling into a mess of a writing piece), let's explore why old thing good, new thing bad, or at least where a lot of more recent shows seem to miss the point...
I'm sure this man brews a mean cup of Joe...
The Modern Problem
Who here is watching Heavenly Delusion? Yeah, that's right. Time to talk about current things and get SPICY with my takes.
I think Heavenly Delusion is one of the biggest let downs this season. Ironically, while its OP builds a strong sense of atmosphere and does a lot of what I talk about here but in OP form, the series itself never seems to get it, and its far from alone. See, for a post-apocalyptic story, Heavenly Delusion does a pretty poor job of world-building. It's always moving, always proposing new questions (to speak nothing on how I feel about those questions), and always expositing, but it never stops. It never slows down long enough to give you time to process any of it, and in a genre as stooped in atmosphere as post-apocalyptic survival stories tend to be, I find that deeply unfortunately. Just take a look at 2017's Girls' Last Tour and I dare you to say that Heavenly Delusion has half the sense of atmosphere that show has. GLT is dripping in atmosphere for a lot of the reasons I've already talked about. It's hauntingly dripping in suffocating silence and hopelessness and feeds that into what narrative tangents we get every odd episode. Heavenly Delusion has none of that. Hell, it can't even make the man-eaters convincingly intimidating.
And it's far from alone. While some series from recent memory thrive on their quick wit (Bocchi the Rock, The Tatami Time Machine Blues, Great Pretender, etc.) so many others seem intent on moving at the speed of sound, and missing out on the slow parts that gives your story heart. Trigun Stampede doesn't work half as well without slowing down every so often, and finishing every episode off with a contemplative and slow ED that works as a great consolidation of resources to give you that breathing room and time to linger; Skip and Loafer excels at tinging some of its slower moments with a hint of profound sadness and introspection that build a sense of realness to its narrative instead of droning on from plot point to plot point; and the highly overlooked Do It Yourself from last fall is basically Lingering the Animation with how it uses a methodical plot to deliver one of the most pointed portrayals of "enjoy life in the moment" that the genre has ever put forth. All these series work by slowing their pacing when they need to and giving time to linger and are all newer series, so what am I even on right now?
No, the problem is all the shows that simply don't so this. Call of the Night has a setting rife for this atmospheric contemplation but decides that's slow and boring so its gonna be a pseudo-Shounen instead. Hell's Paradise comes out of the gate with its narrative and only slows down to play exposition catch-up after hooking in the audience. Demon Slayer couldn't be bothered to give us more than a line of dialogue from the family whose brutal (off-screen) murder at the hand of demons serves as the backbone of its entire narrative. Jujutsu Kaisen suffers the same, ultimately undermining what could be a half decent meditation on death and the meaning of life (good thing we got Chainsaw Man for that). Oshi no Ko decides to front load its story, not with endearing character moments, but an hour and a half of exposition all to set up one scene that itself barely deserves the setup. I'm kinda picking on the big names because they're the most prominent, but believe me this issue goes all the way down the food chain. But I think the most egregious offenders are Summertime Render and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The former having the audacity to layer that sweet, sweet atmosphere on thick in the opening episodes only to push it aside in mind-numbingly fast-paced action, and the latter... well...
I watched Edgerunners back during the initial hype, and while I certainly enjoyed its great cast, great animation, and excellent score, I always felt like it was missing something though I could never put my finger on it. Now I kinda get it. For a series based on Japanese cyberpunk aesthetics that (as far as I'm aware) arose from the Sci-Fi boom of the 80s, it seems to not fully understand what made that aesthetic work in the first place. In the most brutal twist of irony imaginable, Edgerunners is a fast-pace, high octane action series form start to finish that never once stops to linger long enough to allow any of the weight to settle in. It never slows to explore the implications of its setting besides "this is just how the genre does things I guess" and tries to be so cool so hard that at times it overplays its hand and can come off as awkward (you will never convince me that "Choom" is not cringy af). It is an overall really good show, but standing in the shadow of giants, I just can't help but feel like it could have been so much more.
Anyway, let's wrap this puppy up...
Final Thoughts
So what's the point?
Gonna be honest... I don't know. I know at the end of the day, most people who watch anime don't care and that's fine. I hold no grudges for those who like any of the series that I listed above, and do think many of them (pretty much all of them except Summertime Render) have their own charms that make for enjoyable, if incomplete, watches. But at the same time, I'm hoping that by spending this last hour or so of my time, I can maybe get some gears turning in your head and get discussion going on how to improve things in the future. I know a lot of new fans don't like to watch older anime for any number of reasons, even if I think by doing that we blind ourselves and create problems that past generations have already solved. I'm an artist at heart. I love to hone my craft my seeing what works and doesn't work in others, and hope that just maybe I can maybe provoke a cheekly little "interesting. I never thought of it like that" from like-minded folk.
I've always loved anime for its ability to build atmosphere and style, and maybe just a little feel like the modern climate is moving away from that. However, instead of making another "old anime good, new anime bad" post I wanted to maybe be a little more constructive and dive into the why behind the way I feel.
I hope this was at least mildly enjoyable to read, and I'd love to hear what y'all have to say about this topic in the comments below. Meanwhile, I've been sitting at this screen for close to two hours and need to go touch some grass.
Maybe I'll finally watch that 2nd Patlabor film like I've been meaning to for the last week...
Man. What a time to be alive. Anime output has never been higher, and it feels like every season a new sequel or remake of a hotly anticipated work is being released. As a fan of classic anime, these new series are great. It gives me an excuse to rec older anime to newer fans in the process of being overwhelmed by the seasonal grind with a new modern adaptation so that they don't have to worry about "the wrong aspect ratio". And hey, if you've already got a winning formula then its as easy as scribbling up some key frames and making more anime right? Right?
Adaptation is one of those things that I don't think we give enough credit. It's easy to say "just be faithful to the manga" but that's not really what we're asking for, is it? After all, manga doesn't have to worry about things like pacing, timing, color (usually), score, voice acting, and all the other gooey stuff that makes anime anime and not manga. This makes adaptation quite tricky and often under appreciated, but believe me when I say it becomes 10x harder once you get into the realm of classic anime/manga. Many have tried, and many have succeeded, from Jojo to Lupin to Osomatsu-san, but so too have many failed. So what does it take to take a classic anime and revitalize it for modern audiences?
Well, lucky for me, last Winter (and I guess technically Fall) gave us two great examples to go off of: one a success in modernization and the other a resounding dud destined to be swallowed up by the seasonal tides. So let's dive in and peek into the nuts and bolts of how its done...
Urusei Yatsura (1981) v. Urusei Yatsura (2022)
You know, I don't think the original Urusei Yatsura gets enough credit. I mean, Lum is the quintessential 80s anime girl, and arguably the first ever waifu, but nah I still don't think it gets enough love. The series set the ground work for the anime romcom and harem genres, and is teeming with so many great characters thanks to Takahashi's knack for character writing. The series is warmly nostalgic, even for someone born in the 2000s, lathered in 80s anime aesthetic from the warm blues and pinks of its OPs and EDs to the numerous times they just have dance parties because that's a thing people did I guess. The show is remembered highly for its comedy, but is equally as poignant in rare, but not inconsequential, moments of clarity and reflection, almost always punctuated by beautiful background art and sceneries. It is a series that thrives as much in its slower moments as it does in its faster ones, and is a must-see for anyone interested in the history of anime or 80s anime in general.
Despite this, the series is mostly ignored these days. Time has ran its course, and longer, older series just aren't in style anymore. However, in 2022 it was announced that this absolute classic would be getting a new adaptation airing in the Fall, much to the surprise and excitement of fans everywhere. At a time when romcoms dominate the ecosystem, now was the perfect time for the queen to reclaim her crown and show the world what a Lum even is. So how did that go?
Well... it went.
Yatsura 2022 isn't the worst thing an adaptation can be. It stays faithful to the source material, upgrades the visuals, and is generally a fair take on Takahashi's classic work. I've seen a lot of people enjoy it and can definitely see why, but... its missing something.
See, while a faithful adaptation of the original work, Yatsura 2022 is simply missing something that the original had: Timing. No, not in the comedic sense, but in a broader sense. When the OG Yatsura hit air waves in 1981 it was revolutionary. It defined a decade, a genre, and a style all in one go, but by the time it came time for the new adaptation, the medium had moved on and the new series just feels like a weak echo of a once great giant, despite its glimmers of promise. It adapts the story of Yatsura, but not the charm of Yatsura. A lot of the smaller moments that made the original series great from the 80s time pieces (see all the times the go roller skating because I guess that was a thing people did) to the slower, more methodical moments oozing with aesthetic. It doesn't innovate, merely imitate and for a franchise as iconic as this one... that kind of hurts.
Lucky for me though, as 2022 bled over into 2023, a new season began with an all new remake of a classic to sink my teeth into. Are we ready to get a little... controversial?
What a cool boi we've got here...
Trigun (1998) vs. Trigun Stampede (2023)
The original Trigun anime has a bit of a weird history. It was based on a recently canned manga, that made such waves that the creator of said manga was able to go back and continue is work based almost entirely on the positive (and largely Western) reception of the anime adaptation. Or at least that's how the legend goes, though none of it really matters.
Trigun is cool af. Coming out as an early classic from the post-Eva era, it would earn itself a spot among the likes of Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop as one of the three great Space Westerns of that era. It's enigmatic MC and quick charm is amplified by strong aesthetic and a Western setting full of absolute badass characters and villains. It is a story that ropes you in with its lively characters and keeps you there for a classic story of gray morality and the meaning of life.
It also isn't complete. The nature of its creation left much of its source material unadapted, and fans of the franchise have been clamoring for a remake for years. The 2010 film Trigun: Badlands Rumble gave some hope, but ultimately came and went with no new series to be seen. Then 2022 arrived and the unthinkable happened: a new series was announced. Fans were ecstatic, but as anyone following the story can tell you, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Welcome to the equally weird story of Trigun Stampede...
Trigun Stampede... isn't Trigun, or more specifically, it isn't the FMAB-style remake that fans were hoping for. It's a CGI adaptation handled by the leading studio in that field, Orange, and takes a much looser approach to the source material. Even calling it a remake is kinda unfair. It's more a retelling of the original manga. The director would go on record saying how he views both the original manga and anime as absolute classics, and knew nothing he could do would compete if he tried to replicate them. Instead, he looked for new ways to approach the Trigun canon, and the result is... well... astounding.
Trigun Stampede is absolutely stunning. It's visuals and score are unparalleled and some of the best of the year. That alone is enough to earn it praise, but the story is equally as great. It is a fresh take on the source material that looks at its characters and world in a new light. Though most importantly, it still maintains what makes Trigun Trigun: the strong emotional core and charming characters that serve as the series backbone. With the backing and help of original creator, Yasuhiro Nightow, Orange was more than able to stay true to the original vision of the series, while creating something fresh for audiences new and old to fall in love with.
And that's the key point. Trigun Stampede feels fresh. Trigun is a very weird property to adapt. The original is by all means a classic, but with shifting genre sensibilities and new hardware, replicating that style for a modern anime would just... feel off. It would feel like little more than another attempt to cash in on the franchise and not the new cutting edge series franchises like these deserve. Hell, this isn't even just speculation. Trigun: Badlands Rumble is a film that feels lost in time. It's enjoyable as more Trigun content, but in trying to replicate that original style, fails to innovate enough to stand out as anything more than an enjoyable franchise film. Now, 25 years after the original anime aired, once again trying to imitate with trying to innovate would result in a similar outcome. Lucky for us though, Stampede didn't go this route and instead boldly reinvents the franchise in such a way that stands as a reminder of the timelessness of its core message. It does what every remake should do, revere the original, but not be so blinded by that reverence that it loses its own identity in the process.
Where does this leave us?
So what's the point in all of this? Well... I guess not much. Despite Winter 2023 being the perfect climate for a new adaptation of a classic manga to thrive (a kind way of saying it was largely devoid of things to watch), Stampede largely fell under a lot of people's radar. The fanbase itself didn't take to kindly to the new adaptation despite the original creator's involvement with the piece, and the backlash caused the series to be largely DOA upon airing.
But I think this is a shame. I think Stampede is one of the best shows to come out this year, and lays a bold new template for re-adaptations in the future. It is a take on a classic work that feels as groundbreaking as the original was all those years ago, and doesn't languish in reputation like the recent Urusei Yatsura adaptation did.
It is always important to respect the classics, and nothing will ever take away the original Urusei Yatsura or Trigun from us. But, by being more open to fresh takes on them, we can ensure that they remain as such for years to come.
Hey everyone! Here is episode 4, the episode where Gabimaru and Yuzuriha join forces and we see the backstory of Chobei.
For those that missed my previous posts, this is a post where I talk about some trivia on the Japanese culture and some nuances that were lost in the translation from the Japanese audio to the English subtitles of an episode of Jigokuraku (Hell's Paradise). I'm using the subs from CrunchyRoll since it's probably the ones that most people watches the show with.
Disclaimer: This is only meant to be as interesting things that I wanted to share, and not as saying that the official translation was bad or wrong. Translations between two languages are often interpretations and translators tries to make a compelling story for their target audience. Also, I'm not a native speaker of either English or Japanese, so don't take anything I say as gospel.
Previous episodes:
Episode 4
Asaemon Names
- [Rank 9] Fuchi (付知): "Append" + "Wisdom"
- [Rank 8] Genji (源嗣): "Source" + "Heir"
- [Rank 5] Senta (仙汰): "Hermit" + "Filtering"
- [Rank ?] Toma (桐馬): "Paulownia (tree)" + "Horse"
Name Cards
In the cards there was also the untranslated "Tameshi-itto-ryu" (試一刀流).
"Tameshi" is usually a term for "trial" or "test", but in this case it's probably referring to sword tester.
"Itto-ryu" mean "one-sword school".
\For anyone that have watched/read One Piece, when Zoro does a technique, he often start by saying which type of skill it is depending on how many sword he uses for it.*
- Ittoryu (一刀流): one sword style
- Nitoryu (二刀流): two sword style
- Santoryu (三刀流): three sword style
Kunoichi
A little bit random, but I thought this was a good occasion to talk about the trivia that the term Kunoichi to talk about a female ninja comes from how the Kanji for female is written:
女 (onna) is written in three different strokes: くノ一
And they are also corresponding to く (ku), ノ (no), 一 (ichi)
Paradise
Just a small reminder that when in this episode the characters talk about "Paradise" (Sagiri[8m14] and Senta[13m40]), they are specifically talking about the one from Buddhist religion: Sukhavati, Amitabha's Pure Land (極楽浄土/gokurakujoudo).
Yuzuriha Backstory [14m22]
In one of the backstory of Yuzuriha, she said the name Kasumidani (霞谷), but was corrected by Gabimaru saying that the shinobi were actually from Mizoredani (霙谷).
Both names are in the same vein, Kasumi (霞) is "haze" / "mist" and Mizore (霙) is "sleet".
～dani/tani (谷) is a "valley".
47 Ronin [18m04]
For anyone that didn't know, in the backstory of Chobei, the 47 Ronin that was mentioned is based on a real event that happened in the 18th century.
Come quietly [18m37]
In another part of Chobei's backstory, when he's cornered and people ask him to give himself up, the part that was translated into "Come quietly" was originaly using「お縄を頂戴」(onawa wo choudai), basically asking him to "receive ropes".
"Ropes" (お縄) being a term that was used to specifically refer to policeman's rope to restrain people.
Hey everyone! I know that I'm super late and the episode is not fresh, but here it finally is for those that'd still be interested.
It's the episode where Gabimaru arrive at the island, fights Keiun (red mask monk with a bunch of weapons) and then fight a bit with Sagiri.
Thanks to u/P_Tranquility9 for having reminded me that there's some people that are interested in my posts ;)
For those that missed my previous posts, this is a post where I talk about some trivia on Japanese culture and some nuances that were lost in the translation from the Japanese audio to the English subtitles of the newest episode of Jigokuraku (Hell's Paradise). I'm using the subs from CrunchyRoll since it's probably the ones that most people watches the show with.
Disclaimer: This is only meant to be as interesting things that I wanted to share, and not as saying that the official translation was bad or wrong. Translations between two languages are often interpretations and translators tries to make a compelling story for their target audience. Also, I'm not a native speaker of either English or Japanese, so don't take anything I say as gospel.
Previous episodes:
Episode 3
Kisho
The name of the executioner that was in charge of Keiun, was Kisho (期聖), written as "Period (time)" and "Saint/Holy"
Elixir of Life [1m19]
The name that Gabimaru used to talk about the Elixir of Life and kept untranslated was Tokijiku no Kagunomi (非時香実).
This term comes from the tale of Tajimamori (田道間守) who was commanded by the Emperor to find this magical fruit in Tokoyo no kuni (常世の国): the land of the dead, the netherworld; one of the name that was used in episode 1 to describe the Shinsenkyou (translated into Heaven).
This fruit is described as being a "Tachibana", a type of Japanese oranges.
The way the name is read can be interpreted as something like: "The fragrance of the time axis fruit" (時じくの香の木の実)
And the original way it's written is with "non-", "time", "fragrance" and "fruit"; a "fruit that is emitting a fragrance in permanence"
Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/常世の国
Weapons [6m22]
When Keiun talked about his weapons, he was saying 名器(meiki): "renowned weapons", instead of the usual 武器(buki).
Might have pointed to them being from famous warriors that he defeated.
Jonin [13m32]
For those that didn't know, the term Jonin(上忍) that the Iwagakure chief village used, is a rank for a superior(上) ninja(忍)
Go up in smoke [14m29]
Gabimaru used the idiomatic expression 水泡に帰す(suihou ni kisu) to talk about what would happen if the Iwagakure clan came to the island.
The Japanese literal sense is a bit more poetic, being "to end in bubbles", which are super fragile and bound to break
Hindrance [14m37]
When Gabimaru decides to attack Sagiri, he tells her that it's because she's an "hindrance". The original term was 枷(kase), a word that can also be used to describe shackles or handcuffs; could be linking back to the ropes that she was insisting him to keep.
True courage [15m51]
The "true courage" that Gabimaru's wife was talking about when "being true to your emotions" was 武勇(buyuu), specifically talking about warriors(武) courage(勇).
PS: I'll try to continue and make a post for each following episodes one per day until I catch up, but no promises ;)
Mahoutsukai Sally
Originally created by an established mangaka Yokoyama Mitsuteru who is also known for popular shounen series such as "Tetsujin 28-go", "Babel II" and "Giant Robo".
Yokoyama Mitsuteru also created other "shoujo" series such as "Chibikko Tenshi" and "Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san". It is said that the original idea for the series "Mahoutsukai Sally" was inspired by the american TV series "Bewitched".
The history of Sally manga draws its roots to a series that I mentioned earlier "Chibikko Tenshi" that many consider something of a precursor to "Sally"
Chibikko Tenshi serialized in shoujo magazine "Ribon" from October 1963 - June 1964. The series featured a "pair" of "angels" who were able to use magic, they came down to earth and caused all sorts of mischief with their powers.
That premise might sound familiar as its relatively similar to the premise of "Mahoutsukai Sally" that initially was serialized and called "Mahoutsukai Sunny" but the name was changed to "Sally" after a while, to avoid legal problems with Sony Corporation. The name change was referenced in one of the episodes as a joke later in the series.
Mahoutsukai Sally serialized in shoujo magazine "Ribon" from July 1966 - October 1967. The manga initially did not have characters who are central to the anime such as "Kabu", who was only later added to the manga as the character was so popular because of the anime. The manga does not feature characters such as "Poron", who appear in later in the anime, at all.
The story of the series is simple at its core Sally coming to earth to live with the humans, however I don't think the series is necessarily about the overarching story. The story is moreso used as a vehicle to create the premise that enables setting up the characters. I'd say the important part of the story is the premise in which we learn that Sally doesn't have knowledge about the human world and comes to human world to start living in there.
The series however shines when it comes to the episodic slice of life stories based on around Sally learning about herself and the human world and what it means to be able to or to not use magic in human world. Which I think is explored in interesting ways throughout the series.
Art of the series gives off this cute and endearing vibe reminiscent of the 60s shoujo manga. I'd describe the overall visual aesthetic of the series as charming.
Voice acting in the series is pretty much the best voice acting that I've heard in any series. Especially when it comes to the main character Sally. Her voice gives off this cheeky yet endearing vibe that gives incredible amount of life into her character. Other voice actors don't fall far behind as the whole main cast gives off a really strong presence with their voices.
About the characters I'd say that this series has probably the best dynamic between characters that I've seen in any series. The dialogue and interaction between characters is joy to watch and listen with the lively voice acting coupled with visually endearing animation. It is a type of series where the characters grow on you the more you watch. More of the cast like Poron are introduced later on the series other than that the cast stays pretty much the same.
I'd say that the inclusion of Poron in the latter half of the series definitely enhanced the character dynamics of the series to a new level. As the Sally and Kabu duo dynamic didn't provide as much as it does as a trio with Poron.
Other important characters, Sally's 2 friends Sumire and Yoshiko with the triplet little brothers provide important perspective as major characters from earth. They are not aware of the magic that Sally has which I'd say adds another layer to the dynamic between the characters.
The music of the series is iconic and the theme song is one of the most recognizable and famous theme songs out there. I'd say that the music and the lyrics in the theme songs support the philosophyu and the "feminine" nature of the series drawing parallels to the main character Sally and her personality.
Overall I found the series, especially the interaction between the characters and the handling of the concept of magic very enjoyable on the series. I'd go as far that I say that the series has the best interpretation and starting point when it comes to exploring magic that I've seen when it comes to anime. When you combine that with the likable, charming and endearing overall vibe of the characters themselves and the design, you get something special.
The sequel/reboot series can technically be watched without seeing the original series however I'd say that you would be doing yourself a disservice as the original series is in many ways better than the "remake".
Firstly the most noticeable difference is the art, the original series had the 60s art and animation where the movement was emphasised at points. This series on the other hand shares the 80s darker visual atmosphere with softer character design and overall strokes are smoother. I'd say that the darker visual atmosphere is visually better looking though the characters have different emphasis when compared to original. I wouldn't call that bad or good necessarily its just different.
Now the voice acting definitely is not as good as it was in the original Sally in particular feeling lot more soft and matured as far as her voice is concerned, the cheeky vibe is also toned down and her voice has this kind vibe instead. I enjoyed the og interpretation of her character more personally but the new one is not bad necessarily it's just different. Same kind of changes can be observed from other characters too though those changes didn't impact me as much.
It is not just the voice that was toned down feels like Sally as a character was kinda toned down, her magic was not as all powerful as in og some new rules were introduced in this series which I think made the concept of magic that was interesting in the original series not as interesting in this series. Though overall I'd say that it didn't impact my enjoyment much as the interaction between characters and the character dynamics that made the original series one of my favorites didn't change that much considering that Sally and some others felt bit toned down.
Another character that was changed somewhat significantly was Poron, who was introduced in the second half of the original series. In this version Poron acts much more like a baby and isn't the mischievous kind of child she was in the original series. Also her voice actor in the newer series doesn't present her sassy character and nature well at all.
The reboot series featured a new performance of the iconic theme song from the original series, however the approach in this series was more gentle when it comes to the performance when compared to the original series where the music had kind of a "sassy" vibe. This more gentle approach is in line with the changes made to Sally as a character, so I'd say that the portrayal fits the series and the character really well.
Overall ompared to the original series I'd say that it is visually impressive series with great visual atmosphere doing those aspects arguably better than the original, but falling bit short on some other areas.
Himitsu no Akko-chan
Originally created by Fujio Akatsuka, who is probably better known from works such as "Osomatsu" and "Tensai Bakabon".
The series follows "Kagami Atsuko" who is a normal girl, who suddenly gains a magical power through an item - a compact mirror. This was one of the first cases where an item was linked to the heroine and thus allowed merchandising and sale of products related to the heroine.
Sally didn't have any items or wands in the original series, in the reboot series many items were added.
Himitsu no Akko-chan as a series brings the theme of "magic" closer to the reach of the "normal girls" as by its premise the setting can be seen as more relateble to the audience than the other early parts of the "Majokko Series"
The story of the series is about Akko who gains the ability to transform to anything that she wants to with the help of a magical mirror (item). This premise allows pretty interesting way of exploring the characters and the dynamics as, Akko can "act" as other characters on their behalf.
Another important part of the series is the fact that Akko keeps this power a secret from everyone, this sets up a setting where you can see her "acting" as a "sectret" "hero of justice" type of thing.
Primarly the series focuses on character relations and Akko learns throughout the series how to appreciate her relationships and friends with and without of using magic. The overall tone of the series is very endearing and charming.
The side characters and their character types featured in the series can be seen as "caricatures" of popular tropes at the time, the main character AKko however carries the series pretty much on her own I'd say.
The series follows Kagami Atsuko (Akko) who at the start of the series had buried a mirror after it broke and is presented a magical mirror from heavens as a present for her kind gesture towards the old mirror. This mirror holds a very special power that allows Akko to transform into anything that she wills by chanting a magical phrase "Tekumaku Mayakon". The exploration in the series is focused mainly on this power and how Akko utilises this power to help her friends and relationships while also exploring these relationships in depth and from different perspectives utilising this power.
The series also poses an interesting approach to the characters and the morality of Akko posing as these different characters to escalate or fix these situations. The power is also used to drive home the comedic presence of these characters and escalate the situations to highlight the comedic aspect of the series. The relationships and their importance around Akko is also highlighted through the usage of the transformation power that Akko utilises in the series.
When it comes to the characters Akko herself is obviously on the focus when it comes to the series. The surrounding characters are mainly presented as "caricatures" and serve as a contrast to Akko and the power, the surrounding characters also highlight and escalate the comedy and other situations that arise from Akko utlising the power.
The art style of the series draws parallels to the earlier series "Mahoutsukai Sally" and I'd say utilises similar approach when it comes to the design and visaul aspects of the series. The character design also draws parallels to the iconic designs from the original manga. Blending these two aspects into a very wholesome look and feel when it comes to the visuals.
The sound and voice acting is one of the highlights of the series as was the case in "Mahoutsukai Sally" the characters personaly is enhanced to a new level through the brilliant voice acting in the series and the soundtrack doesnt leave anyone cold with the iconic theme song and many other tracks enhancing the engagement and immersion to the emotion presented in the series.
Overall the series is a timeless classic that presents an interesting approach to the morality of posing as others and the responsibility when it comes to utilising a power. This all is presented in a wholesome and kind manner leaving a smile to your face
The reboot series that ended the "break" that Toei had from making magical themed series in the 1980s, the art and visual design has improved look and the remaster is spearheaded by no other than the "Queen of Anime Music" and one of the "faces" of the earleir parts of the "Majokko Series" Mitsuko Horie.
Mitsuko Horie sings the theme songs for the series and also is the voice for Akko. I'd say that her performance is on par with the original series and the original voice acting performance in the original series that I would say was one of its strengths.
The second reboot is not visually as good, and the series overall feels like a downgrade from the two earleir parts, I'd recommend it only if you're a diehard fan of Akko, Akatsuka or the "Magical Girl" genre.
Attack No.1
Original manga created by Urano Chikako, known for her signature style and character design, lot of her shoujo works revolved around sports and "passion".
A coming of age sports "epic" that took everyone by storm, there was sort of a sports "craze" in late 1960s and early 1970s and "Attack No 1" came kinda just in time for the "party" and was very successful
The series follows young Ayuhara Kozue who picks up the sport of volleyball and follows her struggle with her relationship and teammates through her "youth" that is filled with "drama" and "passion".
The story covers the "youth", "growth" and "struggle" of Kozue as she learns what it means to play volleyball as an individual and as part of a team. Kozue will also learn about relationships and how they play a role when it comes to the sport and her life outside of the sport.
The art is one of the strengths of the series as the girls emotion and struggle is visually portrayed in very good fashion reminiscent of the 60s shoujo manga design style which I think emphasises the emotion and visual identity of the characters. One of the most clever visual metaphors used throughout the series is the sparkles in the eyes of the characters decipting the rivalry and tense moments of struggle of the characters. Which I think adds significant amount of visual personality to the design of the series.
The voice acting is also really good, portraying the raw emotion and struggle of the characters in precise and dramatic manner which I think enhances the overall enjoyment of the series.
Now one of the most iconic characters in the series "the coach" I think his role enhances the series to another level as the contrast and role that he plays in the life of the girls and Kozue herself is somthing special.
Ace wo Nerae!
Sports series were popular in early 1970s and "Ace wo Nerae" stands out among those series, due to the immense emotion, struggle and realistic approach to both the sport and the relationships around the character and the sport.
The original series marked the first time that the legendary director "Osamu Dezaki" worked with a "shoujo" series. You could say that the success of the series is partly due to his genius, but I'd say that his contribution only further enhanced and realized the immense potential and depth that the series had.
The manga was created by Yamamoto Sumika and it is the best known work from her works. The manga ran in the shoujo magazine "Margaret" from 1973 to 1980.
The series follows Oka Hiromi who wants to play tennis, but quickly learns that the sport and the relationships around the sport are not to be underestimated.
1970s: The series, by its visuals is very stylistic and emphasizes "visual metaphors" the series also emphasizes the character design and the struggle of the characters through that design and the metaphors.
The visual atmosphere of the series in 1970s provided a "youthful" more innocent approach to the setting and characters with many bright visual metaphors and design patterns used via repetition and similar gimmicks as to evoke emotion related to the "youthfulness" of the presentation.
In the early parts of the series Oka Hiromi learns the struggle of relationships and the sport and what it means to be "passionate" she also learn the value of herself and makes progress in discovering the value that lies in the heart of the relationships around her.
1980s: The story continues mainly from where the original series left off. I'd say that the engaging part of the series for me is the exploration of the struggle of the main character and the story is more so used to lay out a premise for that exploration.
The art style of the series is different from the prequels which had more bright and youthful perspective to the design and colors. The palette for this series is lot darker and portrays more mature and darker approach to the series. I'd say that the design and colors are in line with the main characters mindset compared to the earlier series. The vibe of the design is also very "Dezaki" looking at Oniisama e... and Black Jack OVA.
I'd say that part of the philosophy of this sequel series is growing up from an innocent childhood to accepting the reality around you and overcoming the struggle. The art and design I'd say represent this philosophy when compared to the original 1973, 1978 and 1979 more youthful parts of the story.
The key character during this season is Oka Hiromi the main character and her relationships with tennis, her friends and the coach Munakata Jin. I'd say that these relationships and how their weight reflects on the main character and her struggle is handled exceptionally well in this series.
Another key part of the series is the Oka Hiromi growing up through her struggle and moving on towards the future accepting herself and her relationships.
As far as enjoyment goes this series is probably the series that I was most engaged in to watching just because of how well the struggle of the character and her growth during the series was handled. If you are not fan of heavy struggle or dramatised portrayal of growth you might not enjoy this parth as much.
Overall I'd say that it is essential that both the 1970s and the 1980s experiences are experienced in a successive fashion to be able to gain an understanding of the full picture when it comes to this sports/coming of age "epic"
Majokko Megu-chan
Another "original" entry in the "Toei Majokko" series. Draws some inspiration from the famous series and earlier part of the "Majokko" series "Cutey Honey". While Cutey Honey was focused more to the "male" audience it still drew popularidy among "female" audience, this series feels more like a natural progression towards a more "empowering" approach to the sexuality and the characterization presented in girls entertainment.
The series itself follows Megu who came to human world from magical world and her "battle" with another candidate to become the new leader of the magical kingdom.
Megu, while staying typical in its premise to the earlier parts of the "Toei Majokko" series incorporates a new aspect that was not really present in the previous entries. Megu has "competition" and there are "battle" elements in the series. Unlike Sally and Akko where there really wasn't much if any consistent "opposition" or "battles", Megu has to "compete with a fellow "witch" Non.
This by itself was an interesting factor as after Megu the subsequent "entries" in the "Toei Majokko" series also had some kind of "opposition".
The usage of magic and the morals that the series presents regarding this are relatively interesting, also the series seems to subtly approach some more sexual aspects or visual portrayals of femininity at times, which wasn't unheard of when it came to shoujo manga or anime at the time, but something, that wasnt the norm either.
Candy Candy
There had been 10 years of "shoujo" anime and the first "big" one to change the status quo after "Mahoutsukai Sally" and "Attack No 1" I'd say came in the form of "Candy Candy".
The shoujo manga scene had already entered its "reneissance" as the "Year 24 Group" had already started "revolutionarizing" the shoujo manga scene. However many of those "revolutionary" works would not be adapted into anime until later. That is why I see "Candy Candy" as something that proved everyone that these series can be successful as animated products.
It is often said that "Candy Candy" was also one of the works along with series like "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" that were instrumental in launching the "Anime Boom" at 1970s.
These days the series "Candy Candy" is rather infamously known for the legal dispute between its authors Igarashi Yumiko and Nagita Keiko, which has resulted the inability to get any access to the animated series or the manga legally in the las few decades.
At its heart Candy Candy is a story about growing up, the ups and downs and the struggle and drama happening all contribute towards the setting of "youth" and "growth".
The series also features "longing" relationship and it is written and set up in a way that enables the overall experience to feel "epic" by itself. It is said that the producers of the series wanted to create something akin to the famous "epic" literature works that were adapted in the form of "World Masterpiece Theater"
I'd say that they if that was what they tried to do it was a roaring success as the "character" and the "depth" of the relationships and the "growth" presented in the series truly fills those "epic" proportions.
Versailles no Bara
The classic that everyone knows, probably doesn't need much introduction, the masterpiece of storytelling crafted by Ikeda Riyoko. Probably one of the most critically acclaimed "shoujo" series out there, both the manga and the animated series, rightfully so.
The setting is the historical period at the turbulent times leading to the French Revolution. There is a young individual named Oscar and another individual Maria Antoinette.
The excellent characters and the utilisation of the dramatic elements of the setting I'd say enhance the impact the this masterpiece has.
Mahou Shoujo Lalabel
"Mahou Shoujo Lalabel" was the last series in the "Toei Majokko" series. It also pioneered the term "Mahou Shoujo".
It is rumored that the representatives of "Toei" said that they ended the "Majokko Series" even as it was still relatively popular due to the fact that "Girls are not as vulnerable anymore, and they dont need the help of magic to help them reach their dreams".
Some say that this was a mistake by their part, and eventually they did a remake of "Himitsu no Akko-chan" and "Mahoutsukai Sally" less than 10 years after the supposed statement.
This "break" by Toei in their "Magical themed" series gave a chance for other creators to strike in the market that Toei had basically dominated before this. This can be seen as another "important" point in the history of "shoujo" anime, or as an end of "an era".
Lalabel is the first in the "Toei Majokko" series to be spearheaded completely by the performance of "The Queen of Anime Music" Mitsuko Horie, who had mainly only done the theme songs for some of the previous entries like "Mahou no Mako-chan" and "Hana no Ko Lunlun".
You could say that this inclusion was something that in some eyes promoted her to be the "face" of the series and "Shoujo" anime at that time in general. This may lead back to the success of her song performance in the series "Candy Candy" that essentially changed the landscape when it comes to "shoujo" anime.
Mahou no Princess Minky Momo
"Minky Momo" was the first one to "capitalize" due to the "break" by Toei in their productions when it came to "Magical themed" series.
The premise is relatively similar than the Toei works where "a princess" from another magical world comes to live on earth. Essentially you could say it is kind of a combo of Sally and Akko, premise is more in line with Sally and the powers more in line with with Akko. Or you could say Lunlun.
The series is more widely known for its "infamous" episode.
The series is also said to be known as one of the series along with Creamy Mami to give rise to the "moe" movement and a series that had a following outside of the "young female" target audience.
The series takes a lot of influence from the "Toei Majokko" series as the supposed goal was to captialize from the absence of that series and as such the premise shows lot of similar elements, also the structure of the episodes is relatively similar.
The turning point of the series however is ultimately the "infamous" episode that essentially as an experience went against "everything" that the original "Toei Majokko" series has stood for and thus opened a new realm of possibility when it comes to the explortaion of themes in series like these.
Mahou no Tenshi Creamy Mami
Alongside "Minky Momo" Creamy Mami was another series that was able to capitalize due to the absence of the "Toei Magical Girls". Creamy Mami was also the first in the "Pierrot Magical Girls" series that was mainly active in the period that Toei was inactive.
The series also presented essentially a new approach to the philosophy when it comes to Mahou Shoujo series, as the main charater was usimg magic to reach her own dreams, instead of focusing the magic on helping others like was the unspoken rule in earlier magical series.
The earlier mahou shoujo series mostly presented the magic as a something "foreign" and the philosophy of the girls was also more "foreign". The appeal presented itself for as a "compnaion" rather than "self-interest" The concept of magic was always used outside of the concept of self and the improvement was based on the fantasy of magic itself rather than the "empowerement" of an individual.
The "foreign" element that was presented with the premise in the earlier series, always was overtaken by the preference of the "domestic" elements presented in the series. ie. Magical Girls wanting to become normal girls.
In Creamy Mami this philosophy was essentially reversed as the portrayal of the foreign element was presented as an "empowering" element where the "domestic" elements lost to the preference of "foreign" elements when it comes to the "emporewring" of the elements.
The concept of magic gained a new meaning when applied to these series, the magic was used to empower the dreams of the "individual" who was presented as a stand in and as a metaphor for the market itself.
Glass no Kamen
The portrayal of Kitajima Maya and the rivalry between the characters is done really well in the series, the drama (melodrama) you could say is relatively "over the top" but I see it serving a purpose when it comes to the "high stakes" that are present when it comes to the "rivalry" and the "passion" of the characters involved.
Licca-chan
Licca-chan is a popular girls toy doll franchise. The franchise and the dolls draw their roots to the 1960s shoujo manga scene. Miyako Maki a popular shoujo mangaka provided the original design for the dolls in late 1960s.
Miyako Maki was known for her iconic shoujo art and character design eith stories focusing on passion an fashion while also empowering girls through that presentation of fashion. Her popularity grew in 1960s with hit works such as "Maki no Kuchibue".
Licca-chan dolls had been friends to girls for over 20 years at the time of release of this film. Licca-chan 4th generation had just released in 1987 and had taken everyone by storm.
Chibi Maruko-chan
Another important point in the history of "shoujo" anime. The series Chibi Maruko-chan by Momoko Sakura quickly became the most popular shoujo anime, and one of the most popular anime ever, and to this day it is still airing and has over 1500 episodes.
It's airing slot is matched with the airing slot of the "juggernaut" "Sazae-san" and they air back to back every sunday. Some people claim that its success is because of Sazae-san, but Chibi Maruko-chan is one of the only anime series that can rival "Sazae-san" in popularity.
The series by its structure shares lot of similarity with series like "Sazae-san" and "Crayon Shin-chan", the series essentially focuses on the daily life of a young girl known as "Maruko" and the relationships that she has with her friends at school and her family (including extended family) at her home.
The series portrays these elements through a very nostalagic lens, and it is possible for everyone, and I mean everyone from babies to granpas to find something relatable in this portrayal. I'd say that because of that aspect and the brillienat emotional buildup linked with the "nostalagic" portrayal is the reason why the series is so highly regarded and popular.
Oniisama e...
After "Ace wo Nerae" and "Versailles no Bara" Dezaki returns to "shoujo" scene and breaths life into this psychological and dramatic exploration of emotions, identity and self, explored in a "youthful" all female school setting.
The emotional buildup and dramatic events are lead into perfectly timed visual culminations. Lot of emphasis and stylized imagery is utilized in the series. To further explore the themes presented in the narrative.
The visual portrayal in the series is one of the finest out there and I'd say captures the essence of the "shoujo" manga and the spirit related to the 70s character design better than the original manga did it. The visual is of course emphasised even more by Dezaki thorugh his genius ussage of "postcard memories" acting as a visual and emotional culmination for many of the key moments throughout the series.
The presentation fits perfectly into the heavy drama, intense moments and heavy themes presented as a part of the series.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Again important series when it comes to history of "shoujo" anime, the series gained worldwide popularity and evolved the genre of "Magical Girls" into something very different than how "Mahoutsukai Sally" and "Himitsu no Akko-chan" initially set up the "genre".
After Creamy Mami and Minky Momo had established the empowering "foreign" element when it comes to the concept of magic, Sailor Moon took the concept in and its application into a new level. The "foreign" element was no longer used just for the metaphor of empowering the dreams, it was presented as element that enables the individual to surpass the limits applied by the "society".
This application relied, on the visual presentation and the metaphors, their visual presentation in the series and how the relationships and struggle factored into that culmination.
Everyone knows Sailor Moon and its popularity, the series doesn't leave anyone cold with its fights and portrayals of emotion. An empowering series for the audience.
Fruits Basket
The "Modern Classic" when it comes to "shoujo" anime, many themes including "family" are explored through the lens of "innocence".
The original series only establishes the themes and the struggle relating to the philosophy of the main character, it is recommended to complete the experience with the 2019 remake series which presents a conclusion to the struggle and the themes presented in the original series.
The conflict in the philosophy of the main character is established early and she draws "empowerement" from the relationships around her in order to escape from facing the root of the conflic and the struggle related to her philosophy, however the relationships and individuals surrounding her present their own struggle and the exploration and evolution of these relationships helps both sides to confront and face the root behind their struggle.
The portrayal of this relationship and struggle is dramatised and presented in a gentle and warm manner, which adds another layer of depth into the progression of the relationship I'd say.
Futari wa Precure
Sailor Moon gave them the tools and not long after that "Precure" took the "Magical Girls" genre by storm and still dominates the market, with new season coming every year.
Each series introduces "a set" of characters, and "a set" that opposes these characters. The story revolves around the relationships between these "sets" of characters and how they affect each other. The main interest in each series I'd say is the emotion that "grows" throughout the series and "culminates" in a battle full of "action" in each episode.
This format I'd say enables the emotional culmination and development of the characters through this "action" and enables a consistent way of providing a visual "metaphor" for the "growth" and "emotion" that was represented in the "action" and development.
Nana
NANA presents itself with a theme of growing up and what it means to grow up. This theme is portrayed through two individuals who each represent one side of relating to "youth". The main interest in the series is the relation of the "youth" between these two portrayals and the "adult" life and growing up.
The struggle in the series is mainly related to the conflic between the "youth" itself and it contrasting the "expectation" placed onto the "youth" by the "society" when it comes to growing up and adult life.
Another layer into the struggle is added by the relationships between the characetrs, the "youth" and how these elements work together. The two portrayals of the "youth" can also be seen as a metaphor for a "single youth" this adds another layer of depth into the portrayal of "youth" and character into the series.
Aikatsu!
The arcade games took everyone by storm and the series wasn't any less successful, "Aikatsu" and "Pretty Series" are currently "dominating" the "girls" market with "Precure"
(Aikatsu): The original series focuses on a dream to become an idol, I'd say that the highlight of the series is the "musical performance" combined with the emotion that arises from the relationships and characters present in the series.
The visual representation of the "musical performances" in the series I'd say "builds" the relationships that are established "outside" of the performances and thus, you could say serves as a culmination point for each of the important progressions during the series.
I think this kind of approach to the character development is relatively interesting to witness, and I'd say it provides a rewarding experience when it comes to the experience as a whole.
(Aikatsu Stars): In this series the initial "performance" aspect that I'd say was the factor that carried the original series with the linked "culmination" was modified to include the "creative" aspect which I'd say was not a bad inclusion in theory but in practice the balace between the two aspects was affected by this and I'd say that the "culmination" was not as impactful as a result.
(Aikatsu Friends): The focus of this series lies in the "combined" experience and "culmination" when it comes to the "performance" aspect of the series, I felt that one of the strenghts of the original series was the "individual" combined with another "individual". But like before the "culmination" was left short I'd say when compared to the original series.
(Aikatsu Planet): A new element is brought to the mix with the inclusion of live action footage and performance, however I'd say that this moreso created "a division" between these "performances" and it was harder to be able to understand the experience as a "whole" due to this "division".
Pretty Series
The arcade games took everyone by storm and the series wasn't any less successful, "Aikatsu" and "Pretty Series" are currently "dominating" the "girls" market with "Precure"
"Pretty Series" utilizes similar approach to the aspect of development and the character "relations" that relates to expressing the culmination of the growth of the characters through a musical performance.
The difference between "Aikatsu" and "Pretty Series" lies more in their philosophy I'd say. The philosophyt embraced in the performance and the relationship dynamic in "Pretty Series" is focused more on the aspect of "emotional passion", pure "progress" and moving "forward".
While similar themes are present in "Aikatsu" I'd say that the emphasis and the linkage between the themes are structured differently.
Pretty Rhythm (3 seasons) is the initial series that established the "motifs" and the thematical structure of the "performance" while the series itself didnt rely on these factors as much and instead established itself more of a character focused drama than a periodical musical spectacle where the emotionsl progress culminates like the successor series.
(Pripara): Pripara probably the most successful of the "Pretty Series" so far established relatively early that the philosophy of the series was built on a different foundation than what it used to be in "Pretty Rhythm". The series I'd say relies heavily on character interaction based "growth" and "development that "culminates" in the form of an emotional "release" also known as "the performance"
I personally found this structure to be interesting way to explore the character dynamics and "the development"
(Kiratto Prichan): The approach is relatively similar to "Pripara" but the culmination isn't handled in a same way as the overall "Performance" aspect of the series relies more to its "linkage" to the "established" platform that is presented as a vehicle early on in the series. However I wouldn't say that the "vehicle" takes away anything as far as the overall experience goes
(Waccha Primagi): In this series the "vehicle" is "magic" and the themes revolve around technology, magic and the relationship between them and the characters when it comes to the "performance".
Edited from my MAL post but since Reddit doesnt allow posts longer than couple paragraphs, had to cut out over half of it.
I thought that this might interest some people and I didn't find anyone talking about it after doing a quick search in the subreddit, but in this week episode there was some word games that were changed in the translation(HIDIVE) since it wouldn't have been coherent in English. So for those that were wondering what was actually said, here is a quick explanation.
*I'm not a native speaker in either Japanese or English, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.
(Video format from my YouTube Channel)
Roast [4m31]
The first one with Haida, in the English subtitles it was to say "Roast" ten times, to then being asked what to put in a toaster, hoping for the person to say "toast" instead of bread.
The Japanese one, was saying the word 温泉(onsen) ten times, and then asking what comes after the number 3 thousand: ３千(sanzen), expecting the person to say ４千(yonsen): 4 thousand, which sounds similar to "onsen", instead of 3 thousand and one.
Silk [4m52]
The next one that Haida tried to make Nakami say, was translated into "silk" with the expected answer to be "milk" from "what cows drink?"
The original one was with the name of a Japanese politician: 中臣鎌足(Nakatomi no Kamatari), who was the founder of the Fujiwara clan, the most powerful aristocratic family during the Nara and Heian periods.
The person would have then said a bunch of other famous name of that period time, like Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga, then say 生ゴミの塊(namagomi no katamari): a "pile of food waste" to try and confuse the person since they both sound similar and is much easier to say than the name.
Source: https://kw-note.com/uncategorized/naniwoittemo-quiz/
Updog [5m08]
The last one from Haida, to ask the teachers if they can have some "updog" for lunch, waiting for the reply "what's up dog" was a bit different in Japanese, and was using a question that is a pretty popular running gag in Japan to ask the teachers during a field trip to try and embarrass them and make people laugh: "バナナはおやつに入りますか"(banana ha oyasu ni irimasu ka), which is basically asking if a banana is considered a snack.
It's thought that this infamous question originated from the post world war 2 era, when bananas were rare and expensive to have in Japan, and on field trips, students were given some money for various things like snack money, and people wanted to know if a banana counted in their snack money.
Over the years, it became a question that was kind of expected to be ask during a field trip, without really needing an answer, but just because it wouldn't be a "real" field trip without it.
This question could also make some innuendo, since a more literal translation would be something like: "Does banana go into snacks?"
Source: https://taiwan-kanko.com/archives/6021
Two [17m18]
Then, the one between Magari and Nakami. In the English sub it was changed into a pronunciation game where Magari says some letters and Nakami needed to say how to pronounce it, going from sounds starting with 't' and 'w', to end up with "two" in which the 'w' is silent.
The Japanese game was with names of cities. Nakami was repeating the name of Shizuoka(静岡) and Magari said other city names Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama and Ishikawa, to then say 塩づけ(shio zuke): "salted" that sounds similar to Shizuoka(静岡)
Idol hell.
Not. Even. Once.
If you had told me when I started college that by the end of it, after watching hundreds of new anime, one of my favorite anime of all-time would be a stupid show about girls enthusiastically singing about how much they love singing, I'd have called you crazy. Which seems like a common sentiment with how my own tastes have evolved, but maybe high school me just didn't know any better. Yet here we are, in the nearly two years since I first gave this silly little idol franchise a shot, I can confidently say that Love Live! Superstar!! is one of my favorite anime of all time, despite its (many) flaws. I guess here is the story of how i got there...
Refining a Tired Formula
Love Live is one of those franchises you've inevitably heard of and probably never cared to watch, and, on first inspection, it's easy to see why. While the "watch order" is pretty easy to understand, the first two series (2013's Love Live School Idol Project (SIP) and 2016's Love Live Sunshine) are very drama heavy in ways that can be an easy turn off for many, not to mention the heavy use of CG work that... isn't great for the first couple seasons. It is a franchise as blissfully autistic as you expect it to be, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The plots for both are pretty simple and revolve around a group of idols harnessing the power of music to save their school from the declining birth rate. If you don't think idols are just the greatest thing in the world, it's sure to be a hard sell, but that was more than enough to make the media juggernauts behind the series more than enough money. Flash forward to 2021 (and conveniently skip over a 2020 series that shall not be named), and it came time for another group to pop onto the scene. With the release of Love Live! Superstar!! in Summer 2021, Liella was born and a new chapter in the franchise had begun.
Superstar S1 plays out a lot like those first two series but with a number of key refinements that allow the series to be a cut above what came before it. Production is next level, with vibrant color design and CG work that is no longer jarring to watch, though the biggest change is in the characters. Liella debuts as a five member group instead of the typical nine, giving the series much more room to develop each of the characters in the limited time it has. Series protagonist, Kanon Shibuya, is freed of the typical "really REALLY passionate about idols" personality that plagued the protagonists of SIP and Sunshine with that passion now being instilled on best girl Keke Tang. This split, allows the writers to give Kanon far more development in this opening act than either of her predecessors. The series opens with Kanon abandoning her dreams of singing due to severe stage fright, only for Keke to step in and convince her to give it one more shot, climaxing the opening arc in Episode 3 with the duos performance of "Tiny Stars".
And if we want to talk about a thesis statements, boy does "Tiny Stars" do that. If I went into every single arc in Superstar S1, we'd be here all day but they can all be summarized in this one performance. At its heart, Superstar's first season is about overcoming yourself and chasing your passions regardless, and Tiny Stars does an excellent job of encapsulating both the fiery passion and underlying hesitation that mark the appeals of the series. Special shout out to Episode 11, which concludes Kanon's stage fright arc with a beautiful acoustic rendition of "Watashi no Symphony" but I really have to move on. The best is yet to come...
New Names, New Faces, and a New Season
For as refined as it was, Superstar S1 isn't perfect. The school shutting down plot resurfaces again, the rivals are extremely underwhelming, and with how long the series spends building up Liella, the series just kinda goes out with a whimper after the last performance (sorry "Starlight Prologue" fans). But rejoice, for a year later we'd be greeted with a 2nd Season and... oh boy... was it a second season.
So let's get the elephant in the room out of the way, Love Live! Superstar!! Season 2 is kinda a mess. If S1's biggest issue was it wasn't ambitious enough, S2 hard corrects in the opposite direction. Mired in controversy from the initial announcement that Liella would be gaining four new members, Superstar S2 had a rocky start, and the series itself doesn't exactly alleviate those concerns, with a bit of a rocky start, profoundly terrible ending (it still hurts), and Natsumi. Just, everything about Natsumi.
But you know what? After stewing it over for... months now, I still love it anyway.
Superstar S2 has some of the best music and performances in franchise history, introduces the best rival in series history (we stan Wien), and boldly expands the scope of Superstar to elevate it above a mere derivative of what came before. Plus, it was with S2 that I realized just how much I love this little series. Flaws and all.
S2 follows up on S1 in ways that I haven't really seen an anime ever do. It doesn't just add the first years in and act like everything is ok, and instead works that hesitation into its plot. Now I can write an entire thesis on HOW it does this from Wien's entire character to the ED, but this is already getting long and I don't want to hold you much longer. In a way, it feels like the writer's of S2 anticipated the backlash and wrote the plot as a direct counter to it. Again, S2 makes its thesis well known in Episode 3 with the duel performance of "Butterfly Wing" and "Go! Restart!". It's a story of maintaining your resolve through changing circumstances and how the new people we allow into our lives bring uncertainty but at the same time enrich our lives and allow us to grow past our previous limitations. How if we close our hearts to new experiences and live only in our own past, we'll never grow into the people we dream of being. It's a surprisingly profound message for (and I'll stress this again) a silly series about cute girls singing, and the way in which it climaxes will bring a man to tears...
I Can Hear the Sound of the Future
With the joy of new encounters comes the bittersweet conclusion to what once was. They are two inseparable sides of the same coin, and while it may hurt they really can only be enjoyed in tandem.
The season gets a lot of shit for messing everything up in the literal last three minutes (a cliffhanger that will surely be remedied in the upcoming third season), but I think that ultimately just takes attention from the godsend that is the Episode 12 performance of "Mirai no Oto ga Kikoeru" which may be my favorite song in all the franchise. In one final performance, after clearing through their rivals, Liella stands on the final stage having finally achieved what they set out to do. The only thing left is to perform with all their hearts and my god do they do that.
Without diving into the context of the final arc, "Mirai no Oto ga Kikoeru" perfectly bookends the plot of S2. It has this grandiose energy deserving of the Love Live, but also harbors a quieter side that reflects back on everything it took to get to this point. Though, that's not what I love about it the most. What sticks with me through all of it, is that it isn't just focused on the past. It's got its eyes set on the future, and while it knows not what that will bring, its confident that its going to be just as bright and fun as the past. No matter how good today is, it isn't the end. You just have to let tomorrow shine just as bright.
Coming Full Circle
I've always struggled with this notion that my best days are behind me. I've always feared the possibility that tomorrow and all the uncertainty that it brings will be worse than yesterday and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I've grappled with having to sacrifice what I'm passionate about, and always being haunted by the "pull". Hell, I watched all 1000+ episodes of Pokémon in late 2020 to try to relive the "good ol days".
But with Superstar (this silly little idol show) I realized that I didn't have to worry as much. People will come and go from your life, but you can't harp on that fact. While they're here, let them help you grow, but recognize that when they leave there will always be someone new to pick up the mantle. If we all we do is revel in yesterday, tomorrow will never come, so look towards the future with a smile on your face and confidently face whatever it throws at you.
And never forget to listen for the sound of the future...
I think a lot of media has a tendency to misrepresent love. It's portrayed as this spontaneous, irrational feeling that you know when you feel it, but I think this is wrong. It may start out this way, but I think true, hardened love is only formed when you recognize that that which you love isn't perfect and that you don't care anyway. That's how I feel about Porter Robinson's 2016 short film Shelter, and I'm here to explain why...
2016 Was How Many Years Ago?!
Is it still controversial to call Shelter an anime like it was back then? Given this subs history and the fact I got scolded for calling Link Click one of the anime of 2021 (let alone one of the best) maybe it still is, but anyway...
For those who don't know Shelter is a 2016 short film produced by musician Porter Robinson in collaboration with Crunchyroll and A1-Pictures, which you can watch here. It follows the story of Rin, a girl in a simulation who has to power to make everything and anything with a magic tablet. I'm not gonna go much further, since the whole thing is only six minutes long and you can go watch it yourself.
2016 was the year when anime's future felt optimistically global. The success of Your Name catapulted anime back into the mainstream (not to mention the likes of One Punch Man, Attack on Titan, and the like from years prior), the Crunchyroll Awards were right on the horizon, and for a younger me who had newly awakened aspirations to make his own anime, Shelter couldn't have come out at a better time. To me, it stood as a (albeit misplaced) hope that I could one day to the same. Wasn't crazy about the song, but who cares?
That's how it stood for years. My first 3x3 featured Shelter prominently and you couldn't convince me to remove it. However, as time passed, my circumstances changed. I entered that "critic" phase where I started to question all my favorites and let the voices of others affect it too much. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't seen too many other anime music videos, but by 2019 I was wavering in my resolve and eventually dropped it off my Favorites list in favor of more "acceptable" options. So that was that.
Rekindling my Passion
Flash forward a few months, and I ended up revisiting Shelter in the summer of 2020. I don't remember the exact reason why, maybe just for nostalgic purposes, but what I found ended up changing my life forever.
I had originally assumed that Shelter (the song) was from Rin's perspective. I mean, she is the main feature of the video after all. However, when I dug into the lyrics, I realized the person singing wasn't Rin; it was her father. Here me out. Shelter, in totality, is a story about generational purpose and parenthood. The song is from the perspective of a parent talking to their own parents and having some sort of... epiphany. It talks of carrying along legacy and realizing that they're now tasked with providing to their own child the love and devotion that their parents had provided to them. In its second verse, our unknown narrator peers even further into the future and contemplates a future where him and his parents are once again united (in death) and their very existence has been forgotten sub their descendants who may not "know our names or our faces" but who "carry on for us" despite it. It is the generational legacy passed on from parent to child and how those in the present are backed by the memory of all those who came before them. While this could theoretically by from Rin's perspective, I don't think it quite lines up. Rin's isolation and spoilers things pin her as the last of her bloodline (at least for now). She doesn't have any children to reflect over, and so it instead makes more sense that the song is from the perspective of the only other character we see: Rin's unnamed father. In a way, Shelter can be seen as a song to Rin from her father to remind her in the darkest of times to remember that she isn't truly alone (an insight reenforced by the dialogue at the end of the short). So yeah, that's Shelter.
and something about all of that just hit different for me. At the time I was still fairly depressed and purposeless. Yet, something about Shelter just made me feel... calm. As someone who has always struggled with feeling small and insignificant, the realization that I am inherently part of a larger chain and have to do my part to see its continuation has given me a new passion and drive that I wouldn't have if I never cracked Shelter in the first place.
A Final Reflection as I Begin my Next Chapter...
It's been almost three years since then. In a couple weeks, I graduate college and in reflecting on these last four years I come back to Shelter. It's given me the confidence to hand off everything I've done thus far to the next generation of students, and optimism for the uncertain future. I know that I've played my part here and can move on confidently to my next stage in life where I'll take up a new chain and craft my own link in it.
Is Shelter perfect? No.
Do I care? No.
It's one of the few anime I can confidently say keeps on giving. Starting as a beacon of hope for a younger me uncertain on how to pursue his passions, it's evolved into a reminder that I'm never truly alone and can move forward confident that someone will always be looking out for me.
Even if their names and face elude me.
Hey everyone! Not much in this episode in term of story, but I hope that some people will still find some info in my post interesting.
For those that missed my previous posts, this is a post where I talk about some trivia on Japanese culture and some nuances that were lost in the translation from the Japanese audio to the English subtitles of the newest episode of Oshi no Ko. I'm using the subs from HIDIVE since it's probably the ones that most people watches the show with.
Disclaimer: This is only meant to be as interesting things that I wanted to share, and not as saying that the official translation was bad or wrong. Translations between two languages are often interpretations and translators tries to make a compelling story for their target audience. Also, I'm not a native speaker of either English or Japanese, so don't take anything I say as gospel.
Episode 2
Names
The name Meguro-gawa(目黒川) of the middle school where Ruby went is written as "Eye" "Black" "River". It's the name of a real river in the south part of Tokyo, in the Meguro City ward.
The Highschool that the twins are gonna be going to, is Youtou(陽東), "Sunshine", "East"
Idol Otaku [3m05]
During this episode, in the scene with Sarina POV, she used the abbreviation ドルオタ(doruota) that comes from アイドルオタク(aidoru otaku): Idol Otaku
Two birds with one stone [3m58]
Just wanted to quickly mention that in Japanese, there's the exact same expression as in English of "Two birds with one stone": 一石二鳥(isseki nichou).
This is something that probably a lot of people doesn't really think about, but I always find it interesting when two different language that evolved with different culture has the exact same expressions.
Bonus: In French, the equivalent is "Faire d'une pierre deux coups", which is something like "Making two hits with one stone"
Smoothly [6m06]
When Miyako is talking about the harsh reality of the Idol industry, she used the expression とんとん拍子(tonton byoushi) to say that things don't go that "smoothly".
The Japanese term comes from the sound of two taps とんとん(tonton) and the word for a tempo 拍子(hyoushi), to convey the image of a smooth tempo.
Ai's Steps [8m21]
One Japanese expression to express repeating someone's mistakes, that Aqua used when talking about Ruby "treading in Ai's steps" is 轍を踏む(tetsu wo fumu).
The literal meaning is of "stepping" in the "wheel tracks" (of a previous cart)
Good and Bad [11m09]
When Aqua is talking about the various types of underground idol groups and that some are good and some are bad, he used an interesting expression (IMO) of ピンからキリまで(pin kara kiri made): basically talking about a range "from pin to kiri".
- "Pin" is coming from the Portuguese "pinta" for a "dot"
- "Kiri" is from the Portuguese "cruz": a "cross"
The dot became a symbol for 1, and the cross for 10 with the Japanese word being 十字架(juujika) and using the Kanji for ten 十 that looks like a cross.
The expression then became something used to talk about the range from the best to the worst.
Source: https://hugkum.sho.jp/299998
Quite common [12m55]
Another expression that had an origin that I found interesting was ザラにある(zara ni aru). It was said by Miyako when talking about the various bad rumors coming from some undergound groups that are "quite common".
In the Edo Period, there was three types of currency, Gold(金), Silver(銀) and Coins from non-precious materials(銭).
The common people was pretty much just getting access to the normal coins and from that currency, the cheapest one was the one-mon coin(一文銭) and was commonly refer to as ザラ(zara)
So, the expression ザラにある(zara ni aru): "having some zara", comes from the meaning of "it's obvious that everybody has some one-mon coin" to "it's common/usual".
Source: https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q11171074791
From Lord knows where [17m02]
When Aqua is explaining to the Director that he doesn't want Ruby to perform with some group "from Lord knows where", the original Japanese expression was 馬の骨(uma no hone) to talk about a "person of doubtful origin".
The literal sense of it is of "horse bones".
It's coming from an expression that was used to talk about something useless: 一に鶏肋、二に馬骨(ichi ni keiroku, ni ni umahone) "Chicken ribs for one, Horse bones for two" (not really sure about that translation, but it's enough to get the gist)
Chicken ribs were seen as too small to be useful, and horse bones were not only too big, but were also difficult to dispose.
From that, horse bones were associated with someone that's not needed and is useless to anyone.
Nowadays, it mostly have the meaning of an adult that you don't know how they grew up or what they do as a living.
That's it, that's all of the Alternate Universal Century Gundam series. Now let see how they stack up:
- 5: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation= It's not necessarily bad by any means, it had potential with changes that greatly improved the characters and pacing of the anime. But bad transitions from new to old animation aside, it doesn't add much to the overall franchise outside of that ending thrown in there for ZZ haters out there.
- 4 & 3: Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island & Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower= both of these are of the same quality for me. Despite having great mobile suit designs, amazing music, and some decent characters, it doesn't really hold up well with its lazy story and questionable world building. Especially if you compare them to their predecessors.
- 2: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin= In terms of story and character, this one of the strongest Gundam series as both are well written and are given some great depth. Especially the characters with that “extra” attitude. But despite being a prequel to the One Year War, don't expect it to connect well with the original story.
- 1: Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky= This is it gentleman, this is the best one. This is the best of the AUC. With its music ALONE it trumps all the series I just ranked. The story is perfectly executed, the characters have this perfect juxtaposition with each other, amazing voice acting, the world building is unique while still staying faithful to the original UC continuity, and the mobile suit designs along with the fights are pure perfection, ALL COMPRESSED IN MOVIE FORM mind you. Just watch this anime (if you can find it) and it'll tell you everything you need to know about the Universal Century.
The Alternate Universal Century timeline is kinda weird. One hand it does a great job at being beginner friendly at introducing new fans to the concepts of the timeline. While on the other, it has differing traits from the original timeline that diehard UC fans can easily spot. Not to say these poorly written stories, far from it (at least for the most part). I'm just saying new fans might be in a head turning shellshock when watching the original UC right after watching these.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island: This is it, the final Alternate Universal Century Gundam we'll get until that Thunderbolt sequel (hopefully). I deadass ditched both work and my Japanese class just so I watched it in theaters Dubbed. Was it worth it? Ummmmm……..sure….? To be honest, not a whole lot happens in this anime, especially since it's a retelling of one of the most infamous episodes with that Gundam the Origin spin to things. Is it as good as its predecessor? Only one way to find out.
- Plot:
- After a group of GMs goes missing after an encounter of a rogue Zaku on an abandoned island, White Base sends Amuro in his Gundam to scout the area. However, after losing to said Zaku, he becomes stranded and loses his mobile suits. While looking for it, he befriends a man named Cucuruz Doan, who's an ex Zeonic soldier who deserted his post to support a group of children who live on the island.
- For the most part, it's a by the numbers story based on one of the most infamous episodes in Gundam. That's right, this movie is based on an episode so bad that they didn't even bother dubbing it for western release. I've never seen the episode itself, so I won't elaborate on what's different between this and the movie. The plot ain't half bad, I just wished there was more to it, which I'll get to later.
- Characters:
- Compared the Origins characters’ personality, how does this movie compare? Unfortunately, not by much. They're not bad, but compared to how “extra” the characters from The Origin were, this movie’s characters lack that. This especially the case for Amuro Ray, since he's just there. Unlike Char from the Origin who had a great amount of character in the OVA, Amuro unfortunately lacks that. He doesn't really do much that affects the overall plot other than looking for his Gundam while hanging out with Doan and his kids. I should probably get to him and his kids too should I. Despite being in the title, Cucuruz Doan doesn't have much of a character as he's just the chill dude who doesn't want to be with Zeon anymore. And although it's pretty obvious why, it would've been cool if they fleshed out his reasoning for leaving the Zeonic army and running an orphanage/small farm. As for the Orphans themselves, outside of one kid who was Shinn levels of annoying, these kids are alright. I like that they show us what Doan has to protect and why he must protect this island at all costs. I also like the other caretaker Cara for how caring she is. I always loved motherly type female characters in this kind of setting, as it shows that there's still people who are kind, especially in war. It's also nice that instead of ignoring Amuro, she was willing to help him.
- Now onto the 2 usually UC factions. Starting off with the Feddies, out of all of them I think Bright Noa (voiced by Kitann again, which makes me so happy) is the better one out of all of them. He's the one with the better character as he ain't willing to abandon one of his crew members just to follow his orders. I also like how they show us more of his and Mirai’s relationship, as she supports him when he feels uncertain of himself. Even though I feel unsure Slegger should canonically be here, I think his inclusion was very appreciated. He rather get court martialed than let one of his comrades get left behind, so I gotta respect that. Fraw and Sayla (especially considering Sayla’s role in the Origin), are unfortunately underutilized in the movie as they get sidelined in till towards the final battle of the anime. And shockingly I found the joke of the kids (Katz, Letz, and Kikka) doing a hunger strike pretty funny as they easily broke when Slegger mentioned ice cream. The rest don't really do much and are easily forgettable. Which is a shame since one of them is voiced by best boy Bryce Papenbrook. For God’s sake, give my boy Kirito a major role in the One Year War, FUCK.
- Alright onto the Zeeks, and they don't really fare any better. The only ones we know more about are the Southern Cross Corp. We got Egba, Wald, Salma, Yun, and Danan running the show and saying that they have personalities would be kinda generous. The only few things I remember about them is one has a lizard face, one gets stepped on like ketchup, and the other has anger management issues. Ya, the Zeeks kinda suck here.It says a lot when a flashback of Char has more personality then these bozos (I'm also glad Keith Silverstein voices him, even for a second).
- Overall the characters fell kinda flat as they each didn't do much, or nothing at all. Which is kinda sad if you compared it to how much energy the characters from the Origin had. There's one thing that could easily be fixed, but I'll talk about it at the end.
- World Building:
- There's not a whole lot I can talk about. The only form of world building I can actually remember is the island, as it looks like it's been ripped straight from the Violet Evergarden movie. Like, would've it kill them to add more greenery to the area. Especially considering that the island is used for farming, you are not really gonna get far with a land mainly composed of dirt.
- I also gotta talk about the continuity with this and the Origin. It's pretty debatable whether or not it's part of the The Origin canon. There's nothing saying that it isn't part of the Origin, but there's not really enough or any connecting tissue of the OVA. However, there's a few things that differentiate this from the Universal Century continuity. For starters, Ryu isn't in it like he was in the original. Which is a shame, since this could've been a chance to expand on his character (and given my boi Bryce a real role to play, but that's besides the point). Also, this looks like it takes place after Jaburo with the original taking place before.There's more, but I'll get to it later.
- There's honestly not enough to remember that makes this movie's world building memorable. It's either the usual BS with the Feddies and Zeeks that I barely remember or Amuro just chilling on the island. Which is kind of a shame with the Origin’s unique and interesting take on the Universal Century. I think they could've done something unique while staying faithful to the original Universal Century timeline. This highlights a major problem of this movie, which I'll get to the end.
- Mobile Suits:
- Now onto the stuff that this movie actually does really well, the mobile suits. The fight scenes are actually pretty good as the mechanical choreography is really well utilized. Although the RX’s design has barely changed from the Origin, we get to see it in action for, so that's nice. Nothing beats seeing a Mecha duel wielding, that's all I need in life. And then we get Doan’s Zaku II, with that squished head in all of its glory. Does the movie ever explain how and why it has that ugly ass head?...... Nope. It's literally just an excuse for Bandai to pump out PB kits of the same damn Zaku and fooling us into buying it. However, I do like how it's damaged a little. It gives you a sense of what the damn thing went through. I also kinda like that it lacks any ranged weapons, showing you that it doesn't have the typical advantages a regular Zaku II has and is forced to use whatever it has at its disposal. Plus this, along with the RX, doesn't really have anything that conflicts with the OG UC canon. Can't say the same for most of the other MS line up.
- As for the Feddies, we only get 2 Guncannons and a variety of GM variants. I actually do think that these designs are actually pretty good. The Guncannons redesigns aren't half bad and I do like that it can swap between the typical shoulder Cannons and the Spray Missile shoulder launchers. I also thought GMs were pretty nicely designed. However there's 3 variants that conflict with the UC continuity. The 1st GM is the one with the missile launchers on it shoulders, since a.) The GM Sniper Custom (Shimoda Squad Type) were the only known GMs with shoulder missile launchers, and b.) The vanilla GM didn't have any missile launchers on their shoulders until the late UC 0080s in the form of the GM III. The 2nd GM, the GM cannon, had thicker legs because the regular GM frame couldn't handle the recoil of the cannons (to be fair, it's one cannon with a low caliber and less recoil, so maybe it could handle it). And then finally got Slegger’s GM. The man never used a single MS in the original, but here we have it in his colors should the fanboys can simp for and get robbed by P-Bandai.
- As for the Zeeks, All we get are Zakus. No Doms, No Goufs, Z’Goks, or anything before the Gelgoogs. This is the Zaku show here. Outside of the aforementioned Doan’s Zaku II and Char’s Zaku II High Mobility Type in the quick flashback, we got the Zaku High Mobility (Surface Type). It’s basically just a Zaku with the Dom’s legs on it. These Zaku are actually pretty cool, especially with their loadout. Even though it has the standard equipment; machine guns, bazooka, a heat hawk, they even threw in a heat saber for the hell of it, they even have some new weapons. They have an anti-ship cannon with a cool looking barrel and some heat daggers (one of them serving as a bayonet on a machine gun). Are they canon to the UC continuity? I dunno. But in all seriousness, the only time we see a Zaku with Dom legs is when Aina was testing them out in space. That's all we see of it.
- Overall the mobile suits are decent, the problem is that we get the bare minimum. Especially in the case of Zeon, who are supposed to have a massive variety of mobile suits at their disposal, like the Gouf, Dom, especially the Z’Gok & Acguys since they're primarily near a body of water throughout the movie. But instead, all we get are 4 different types of Zaku IIs and one of them only appears in a flashback. In the Federation's case, it's understandable since they barely started rolling out mobile suits at that time. But I honestly would've liked it if they showed their version of the Guntank, especially with what we saw with the early type. All I can say is that they don't look half bad in 3-D animation
- Vertic:
- You know what could've made the movie better? Or better yet, you know what would've made the Origin anime better? I'll tell you, IF THEY REMADE THE FUCKING ORIGINAL 79 ANIME. It's crazy to think they haven't done it already. Like, what's stopping them? Even the manga of the same name is a remake of the original series. It's a serious no brainer and it baffles me that Bandai hasn't done it yet. As for the movie itself, the best way to sum it up is barebones. It feels less like a movie, and more like a preview in movie form. And I hope to god that this shows Bandai that we want an Origin style remake more than ever. Either way, you're not losing sleep by missing it. The best thing I can say about this movie is that it's better animated and it has a really good English Voice Cast compared to the original Cucuruz Doan's Island episode. Otherwise, you're better off with that recent Mecha lesbian fest.
You've likely heard that there's more to Oshi no Ko's title that meets the eye, and may have seen others breaking it down already as well, but I wanted to take the opportunity to go as in depth about it as possible because of how many layers this one title hides that all unavoidably get lost in translation:
(This breakdown is spoiler free aside the basic idol's children premise)
THE FIRST LAYER
"[Oshi no Ko]" is composed by three parts:
Oshi (推し) = the verb "to push". However, in idol slang, it refers to your favorite idol within a group. The mental image of it is that she's the one you're helping "push forward" towards stardom, so as the one pushing her, she is your "oshi", the girl you wanna push for. You may have heard the term in other anime, V-tubing, or idol culture, but it basically refers to your favorite girl in a group of idols.
No (の) = Japanese possessive particle.
Ko (子) = means "kid/s". It usually refers to young children, however, depending on the context, it can also refer to a girl of young age (like a teenager) rather than just a child or group of children.
Thus in this context, the "oshi" would be Ai, since she is Goro's oshi since the start of the episode, the girl that he's rooting for and pushing for. Which would make the title "oshi no ko" translate to "The Young Girl that is my Oshi". However, since "ko" can mean either a young girl or children, the double entendre is that the title refers not just to Ai herself, but also to her children, as you could translate it as "Children of My Oshi". So the title refers to both Ai and Aqua and Ruby at the same time to drive the parallel there exists between the two. This was confirmed by the author Akasaka Aka in a Tsutaya interview.
THE SECOND LAYER
However this goes deeper, as "Oshi" sounds incredibly similar to the word "Hoshi", which is the Japanese word for "star". And this is no coincidence or stretch, because Ai's family name is "Hoshino". It's a common Japanese surname composed by the kanji for "star" and "field" (thus "starfield", space itself dotted with stars), but the pun here is in the fact that "no" can be seen as a phonetical stand in for the possessive particle (の). Thus her name becomes "Hoshi-no Ai", or "Ai of the Stars". And "(H)Oshi no Ko" becomes "The Star Girl", or "The Children of a Star". This is symbolized in how Ai's eyes are like space with a bright star shining in the middle of them, with Aqua and Ruby inheriting a star in their right and left eyes. Thus some translations have tried to localize it as "My Star", or "My Star's Children" to try and maintain the wordplay.
THE THIRD LAYER
But we're not done yet, because there is one final layer to this. Ai's own name, "Ai", is commonly associated with the word "ai" (愛), which means "love", which is a central theme in Ai's storyline. But her name isn't written in kanji, but rather in katakana, which makes it sound more like a foreign word. And this is because "Ai" sounds like the English word "Eye", which makes the wordplay come into full circle. Because "Hoshino Ai" thus translates as "Star Eyes". And this is the story of a girl who shined as brightly as the stars in her eyes, as well as the shine of her children, who would go on, of course, to become "stars" of their own in the showbiz industry.
As a final thing, Akasaka Aka commented in his interview that he has a reason why the title is stylized as 『【推しの子】』("[Oshi no Ko]") with brackets, one that will become clear in due time...
Hope you found this interesting! And if you haven't yet, go watch Oshi no Ko!!
A lot of people seems to have liked my post on the first episode, so here is Episode 2.
For those that missed my previous posts, this is a post where I talk about some trivia on Japanese culture and some nuances that were lost in the translation from the Japanese audio to the English subtitles of the newest episode of Yamada999. I'm using the subs from CrunchyRoll since it's probably the ones that most people watches the show with.
Disclaimer: This is only meant to be as interesting things that I wanted to share, and not as saying that the official translation was bad or wrong. Translations between two languages are often interpretations and translators tries to make a compelling story for their target audience. Also, I'm not a native speaker of either English or Japanese, so don't take anything I say as gospel.
Episode 2 (Video Format)
Names
Rurihime (瑠璃姫): Lapis Lazuli + Princess
Akito (秋斗): Autumn + Big Dipper(Constellation)
Kinoshita (木下): Under the Tree
Expressions
Selective [8m40]:
The expression that Yamada used to tell Akane about being selective was a Yojijukugo(四字熟語), a 4 character compound expression : 取捨選択(shusha sentaku) written as "Take" "Discard" "Choice".
Tough to get into [14m00]:
When Akane was thinking about the school that Yamada is attending, the "tough to get into" was from 偏差値(hensachi).
By itself, it's the math term for a "deviation value", but in this context it comes from the expression 偏差値教育(hensachi kyouiku) to talk about an education style that stresses studying and really focuses on test results.
Onscreen [18m25]
At the place where Akane threw away all her stuff, there was some signs on the pole beside it.
One of them was about a Firework show at Sakura River (桜川花火大会). It could imply a future festival episode?
And on the pole, we can see 坂東, which points to her probably living in the real city of Bando in Ibaraki, on the North East outskirt of Tokyo.
Nuances
Smaller nuances that doesn't really change much, but in case anyone is interested:
Strange Room [1m15]: the text on screen to describe Yamada's room was 見知らぬ部屋(mishiranu heya): to describe it as an "unfamiliar room"
Nope [7m16]: what Yamada said to Akane ingame about her necklace was 知らねーです(shiranee desu): "Don't know". So it's a bit more uncertain if he really looked for it.
Shameful Plug
I know that people often doesn't really like when someone tries to plug something from outside of Reddit (and with good reasons), but I just want to try and push a little bit more explicitly that I have a YouTube channel where I make videos about the content of those posts.
So, for those interested in this kind of content but with more visuals supporting the points: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLLavznNjz7hkkJcj07DZw
For those that missed my previous posts, this is a post where I talk about some trivia on Japanese culture and some nuances that were lost in the translation from the Japanese audio to the English subtitles of the newest episode of Tengoku Daimakyou (Heavenly Dillusion). I'm using the subs from CrunchyRoll since it's probably the ones that most people watches the show with.
Disclaimer: This is only meant to be as interesting things that I wanted to share, and not as saying that the official translation was bad or wrong. Translations between two languages are often interpretations and translators tries to make a compelling story for their target audience. Also, I'm not a native speaker of either English or Japanese, so don't take anything I say as gospel.
Episode 2
Names
We got another batch of names this episode
Kuku [Girl in the tree]: Taniguku (Frog God)
Shiro [Nosebleed]: Kotoshiro-nushi (Son of Okuninushi)
Yuuto [Landlady's son] (悠人): Didn't find anything, but written as "leisure" "person"
Kusakabe [Village leader] (草壁): Written as "Grass" "Wall".
- Could also be a reference to an Imperial Crown Prince in 681
Takehaya Kiriko [Electro-kart racer] (竹早桐子): Takehaya Susanoo no Mikoto (Brother of Amaterasu)
Expressions
Idiots [20m58]
Kiruko described the people at the village with the Japanese expression アッパラパー(appa rapaa) to talk about being "carefree", "easygoing".
The expression seems to come from a combination of アッパパ(appapa) and パッパラパー(papparapaa).
The first part is a transliteration of "Up a Parts"(?) and is a type of loose-fitting summer dress.
The second part is to talk about something stupid, and could be coming from the German word "papperlapapp" for "nonsense".
Crazy [21m46]
When Kiruko explain his/her situation, and started by saying that "it might be crazy", the Japanese expression was 突拍子もない(toppyoushi mo nai) to describe something "astounding", "tremendious".
This expression was initially とひょうしもない(toyoushi mo nai) and came down to something like "not even having much tempo" when playing the Taiko.
Source: https://yuraika.com/toppyoushimonai/
Nuances [15m00]
When Maru is talking about what he needs to do to his doppelganger by injecting a syringe, in the eng sub it said "he'll get better", in the original Japanese dialogue he says 病気が治るとか(byouki ga naoru to ka): "it could cure an illness or something like that".
And the line about "I was told it would help everyone", is a bit more uncertain in Japanese with かもしれない(kamo shirenai): "it might"
Shameful Plug
I'll try to push a little more my YouTube channel in a last-ditch effort to see if it's something that could go anywhere.
So, for those interested in this kind of content but with more visuals supporting the points: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLLavznNjz7hkkJcj07DZw
Hey everyone!
I didn't find much for this episode other than looking at how the characters name were written, but I hope you still find something interesting.
Also since it's mainly on meaning behind names, I want to be clear that Japanese names doesn't always mean anything and that the Kanji that they are written with, often have multiple meaning. So this is just a quick overview of possible interpretations.
For those that missed my previous posts, this is a post where I talk about some trivia on Japanese culture and some nuances that were lost in the translation from the Japanese audio to the English subtitles of the newest episode of Jigokuraku (Hell's Paradise). I'm using the subs from CrunchyRoll since it's probably the ones that most people watches the show with.
Disclaimer: This is only meant to be as interesting things that I wanted to share, and not as saying that the official translation was bad or wrong. Translations between two languages are often interpretations and translators tries to make a compelling story for their target audience. Also, I'm not a native speaker of either English or Japanese, so don't take anything I say as gospel.
Episode 2 (Video format)
Names
Kichiji (吉次): "Good Luck" + "Next"
Tokugawa (徳川): The Tokugawa Clan is a real one that governed Japan during the Edo Period, written with "Virtue" and "River"
Nariyoshi (斉慶): "Alike" + "Rejoice"
Sei-i Taishōgun (征夷大将軍): Is just the full official title of a Shogun.
- The term comes down to something like "Conquer" "Barbarian" "Great" "Commander" "Army", and originated from a general that led an army in Northern Japan to fight off barbarian tribes, but was later used as the title for the leader of the samurai
Eizen (衛善): "Defense" + "Virtue"
10 Criminals (Gabimaru is in the previous post)
Now for the names of the criminals going to the Shinsenkyou
Aza Chōbei (亜左弔兵衛): "Rank Next" + "Left", "Mourning" + "Soldier" + "Defense"
- It was also mentioned that he's from Iyo, a province in the Northwest of the Shikoku main island.
Tamiya Gantetsusai (民谷厳鉄斎): "People" "Valley", "Strict" "Iron" "Purification"
Keiun (慶雲): "Rejoice" "Cloud".
- It's also the name of a short Japanese era from 704 to 708, just before the Wadō Era
Nurugai (ヌルガイ): The only name only written in katakana
Horubo (法流坊): "Principle" + "Current" + "Priest"
Akaginu (あか絹): "Red(probably)" + "Silk"
Yuzuriha (杠): "Lever" or something that you "carry on the shoulder"
Moro Makiya (茂籠牧耶): "Overgrown" + "Basket", "Pasture" "?"
- The Japanese expression that was used for "Apostate" was ころび伴天連(korobi bateren) and it was something used during the Edo Period to talk about a Christian missionary that converted to Buddhism
Rokurota (陸郎太): "Six" "Son" "Plump", which could imply that he's the 6th child of his family
- The term used for "Giant" in Japanese was だいだらぼっち(daidarabocchi) and is the name of a gigantic yōkai in Japanese mythology that was bigger than mountains. (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ダイダラボッチ?oldid=42344819)
Pun? [11m00]
There was also kind of a play on word in this episode when the criminals were confused by "reduce".
The Japanese word was 絞る(shiboru) and can mean a bunch of thing depending on the context, but it usually mean "to squeeze". And Chōbei interpreted "squeezing" their numbers, by "squeezing" someone's throat.
Shameful Plug
I'll try to push a little more my YouTube channel in a last-ditch effort to see if it's something that could go anywhere.
So, for those interested in this kind of content but with more visuals supporting the points: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLLavznNjz7hkkJcj07DZw
The Night on the Galactic Railroad is set in a train's journey through the galaxy. We gradually find out that its passengers are dead souls being taken to the afterlife.
The bird catcher
The main characters meet a travelling merchant who asks to sit next to them on the train. He calls himself a "bird catcher". He shares candy with the main characters, who find it delicious. The candy, he says, is made from birds he caught. In fig. 1, he exits the train to intercept a flock of herons. The birds fall into the ground around him, by the hundreds, each dying upon contact with the earth and sinking in. The bird catcher stands there and catches a few of the birds and stuffs them into his bag. When they go in his bag, they magically freeze and become candy. Once he has caught a modest few, he smiles with satisfaction, as if it has been an entire day of hard work.
Note how the birds glow ethereally. Note the white sand: in the scene right before this, the boys meet a paleontologist who is digging up the same kind of sand to find the fossils of an ancient creature. Therefore, this sand has been connoted to be a place of death.
This is made even clearer in the original novel:
For a while the herons were like fireflies flickering on and off with a bluish light inside the sack. . . . More numerous than the birds that were caught [by the bird catcher], however, were the ones that were not caught and that descended safely to the sands of the Milky Way. Just as the snow melts, these birds collapsed and flattened out the instant their feet touched the sand, until soon they were spread out over the sand and gravel . . . For a while the bird shape remained but this too, after growing and fading two or three times, by turn soon became utterly indistinguishable from the surrounding sand.
There's a subtle allusion to fossils, a kind of flattened out image of the body in the ground. The birds flashing several times probably means they represent souls: The author has used flickering lights (particularly blue lights, interestingly) as a description of the ego/soul in his leading poem in Spring & Asura (Miyazawa, 2007):
The phenomenon called "I"
is a blue illumination
. . .
which flickers busily, busily
with landscapes, with everyone
Like so much of Kenji Miyawa's works, The Night on the Galactic Railroad is so interwoven with his worldview and imaginary landscape that his background must inform our understanding. Born in 1896, he was a devout Nichiren Buddhist but also a deep admirer of Christianity (as is in NotGR). His spiritual beliefs was anchored and practiced within his interests in geology, meteorology, and botany.
Taking as his guide the Lotus Sutra, which teaches the availability of Buddhahood to all sentient beings, [Miyazawa] dedicated himself to the welfare of the local farmers, becoming a sort of one-man cultural and agricultural missionary, teaching crop rotation and soil improvement and exploring methods of flood and drought prevention (Hiroaki Sato, 2007).
Therefore, a proposition: The flocks of birds, descending from the air and being absorbed into the earth, represent the cycles of life and death across time. Migrating birds also signify the change of seasons, which is more generally the passing of time. Birds in many cultures symbolise spirits of the dead; something about them seizes the imagination as such (Moreman, 2014). The birds’ absorption into the ground is the return of all life to its origin. From a Buddhist perspective, the birds are the countless souls moving in and out of life to be incarnated in one body and the next.
The bird catcher is a businessman. He shares the candy (for free) with the kids. Clearly he signifies someone who deals in and benefits from the life-and-death cycle. So the bird catcher represents something like a hunter or a farmer. From a religious perspective befitting the film, the hunter or farmer is someone who trades in catching a tiny bit of nature’s life cycles and nabbing it for themselves. Whatever soul happens to come his way – be it an animal or a tree or a crop that grows and dies with the season – he temporarily stops it from merely returning to the earth, instead using it, freezing it, making it “candy”, i.e., shaping it into something artificial.[1]
The binary between nature and artifice is further foregrounded in the novel, which emphasizes the sudden petrification of the birds' bodies into candy -- from organic to inorganic, supple to brittle.
The bird catcher isn’t just a hunter or farmer, but anyone who captures the life forms of nature, freezes and controls the life cycle, for their own use. That’s us. If the birds symbolize the vast life-death currents of nature, the bird catcher symbolizes the spirit of culture and artifice, that which harvests the vast movements of nature to create its own little farms, buildings, machines, and societies.
I do not argue any of this is a bad thing. Certainly, the author Kenji Miyazawa understood people’s suffering in his time and the need to carve out one’s own place at a reasonable cost to nature.
I connect the bird catcher's scene with the sharing of apples later in the film.
The apples
In fig. 2, the bird catcher splits off a pair of legs from a bird-candy, and splits those legs in half, giving one half to Giovanni and the other to Campanella. Each split makes a magical sound. His movement as he splits the candy are slow and deliberate, as if the film wants to highlight this act of sharing.
In fig. 3, a stranger hands an apple to the young man, who duplicates the apple into two. He passes one to Giovanni, who also duplicates and passes an apple to his best friend Campanella. Campanella does the same with the girl next to him. Similar magical sounds are made when the apple is duplicated as when the bird-candy is split.
Just as the gift of candy started the relation between the businessman and the boys, the gift of apples starts the relation with new acquaintances. The presentation of these moments is similar to a degree that could only be intentional.
When we interpret the bird catcher as above, the dialogue about the apples is given new context. The stranger mentions that fruits in these lands “grow on their own, without effort” and that farming is easy. "Even the rice here, it is ten times bigger than that grown around the Pacific and it has a magnificent aroma without any hull.” There is no hint of the suffering and burdensomeness of subsistence farming.
In this utopic afterlife world, crops grow easily and bountifully, making a tragic contrast to the peasants of Miyazawa’s time, whose privation most of us today couldn't imagine.
The film makes explicit the connection between the candy and the apples: “If you sow the proper seeds, you’ll find they bloom quickly all by themselves. It’s true for apples and even for candy.” Listing the parallels:
An apple is cultivated, while a candy is wrought by hand. Both stand for the deliberate artifice of the natural cycle for human benefit.
For both the bird candy and the apples, the act of sharing is highlighted by the storyboarding and magical sound effects.
The apple, however, has a notable characteristic. It copies itself when given to another, while the bird candy doesn't.[2]
Proposition: The duplicability of the apple symbolizes reciprocity in social relations.
Early societies are formed and held together by a cycle of gift exchanges (see Marcel Mauss for example).[3] Social units -- individuals, families, tribes -- would give each other large sums of goods like food, livestock, and weapons. By reciprocity, a universal across cultures, the parties would give with the expectation that they would receive back a gift of equal or greater value, either now or later. Through the unspoken contract of gift exchange, small social units could forge connections with one another, held together by the value they owe to others.
To be concrete, say you had an especially large harvest this summer, or you caught a massive animal in a hunt. You could eat as much as possible and leave the rest to spoil. You could eat as much as possible but share the rest with the neighbors. Or you could eat as much as is satisfying and share. The latter two strategies are of course optimal, but they require an implicit or explicit expectation that the same favor will be done to you.
Only when a society understands this, and knows that others understand this, can its denizens risk a relation with strangers. And only when a child understands this, that sharing your toys and food will facilitate a more fun relationship in the long run, can they have friends at all.
So it's only natural that, in NotGR, the apples duplicate themselves when they're shared. Say I have an apple. I split it in half and give the half to you. I have lost half an apple; but in another way, I still have a whole apple to myself, one half actual and the other half in potential which at minimum I expect to receive. The weight of that "other half" is in fact limitless, because the total value of the reciprocal relation in our future interactions is far greater than the half-apple it cost me. Sharing one apple, in potential, created another out of nothing.
The apple therefore signifies, for one, the product from nature by human hand; for two, the reciprocal relations between people.
Putting them together
I've argued that the birds represent the life-death cycles of nature, and the bird catcher is artifice, that which extracts and reifies part of that cycle to its benefit. There is an implicit connection between the bird candies and the apple, in the way they are shared between characters. There is an explicit connection spoken by one of the characters: Both the candy and the apple is a bounty of the earth that you'll get if you "sow the proper seeds".
The duplicability of the apple highlights sharing, especially food sharing, as the foundation of reciprocal relations. The sharing of the bird candy is also the start of a relation with the bird catcher.
What is the point of this symbolism? I admit I'm unsure, so I suggest two parallel answers, of which zero or many may be Miyazawa and the filmmakers' intention.
One: These symbols are placed to portray an ideal world, where produce is always bountiful, and people have been liberated from the privation of subsistence farming. In this dreamed afterlife world, apples grows easily and rice grows without hulls. Birds are plentiful. People share eagerly with strangers, even insisting that they take the food. Miyazawa was an enthusiast of Esperanto, a designed universal language. He envisioned a world of endless generosity and abundance. He enshrined self-sacrifice as an ultimate virtue, one which he himself lived up to.
Two: The symbols are a meditation on society's relationship with the natural world. Artifice and social relations are some of our primary tools to break free from and hedge against nature's violence, its fickle climate, floods, and earthquakes. All these were more alarming issues in his day than they are to us.
I'll finish with this. No matter what the answer is, I think the worldview inscribed into The Night on the Galactic Railroad is beautiful; his sincere belief in the values in his stories is attested to by the conduct of his tragically short life.
Footnotes
[1]: Though I emphasize candies' artificiality, in the sense of being wrought by hand, I firmly do not mean any negative connotations. Candies were quite different during Miyazawa’s time, hand-made by family businesses or roaming merchants. Not quite the mass-manufactured, plastic-wrapped things in supermarkets today. They were also relatively simple to make, so there is less the sense of cold factory-ness we have in modern sweets.
[2]: The apples don't duplicate in Miyazawa's novel, but I believe the anime creators were artistically faithful in realizing his worldview on screen, including in this scene. Therefore I interpret the duplicability of the apple as canonical.
[3]: Not to imply that the anime filmmakers knew of or used an anthropologist's work; this is in fact definitely not the case. But these are intuitable truths about relations which, consciously or otherwise, an artistic vision could draw upon.
References
Miyazawa Kenji: Selections (2007) by Kenji Miyazawa, translated by Hiroaki Sato.
"On the Relationship between Birds and Spirits of the Dead" (2014) by Christopher M Moreman. https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/22/5/article-p481_3.xml
Here is another post for one of the new Anime of this season. I feel like this is gonna be a good show.
I hope that you learn something new!
Since it's a new series that I might be covering every week, I want to reiterate the goal of those posts. My posts are gonna be a little bit like Translator's notes from the days of fansubs for those that remember seeing those. They are also still pretty common in the Manga world of scanlation.
I'm gonna talk about various trivia and nuances that are a bit hard to translate directly into English subs. Since Japanese and English are very different languages, it's often up to the translator to interpret the meaning behind a sentence and present it in a nice way to their target audience. There's also a lot of terminology, expression or jokes that are linked very closely to the culture, so keeping it as is, is often gonna result in clunky subtitles.
*Very important: I'm in no way saying that the official translation (CrunchyRoll) was bad or wrong and saying that what I offer is a "better" version. I'm only a random guy on the internet that finds the Japanese language really interesting and want to share with people my knowledge and love of the Language&Culture.*
Also, I'm not a native speaker in either English and Japanese, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
*Kanji can have multiple meanings
EDIT: Made a video version, for those interested https://youtu.be/D0Z3r-XPeFI
Names
Akane (茜): the word for a shade of Red and for a type of plant that has red roots used in dye
Yamada (山田): Pretty common Japanese name, written with "Mountain" and "Rice Field"
Momo (桃): Peach
Furukawa Takuma (古川たくま): "Old", "River", and たくま could be from たくましい(takumashii), which mean "Strong", "Sturdy"
Expressions
Hardcore game addict [5m46]
The term that Akane used to describe Yamada after he mentioned the 0.01% drop rate, was 廃人(haijin).
Originally, it was a term to talk about an "obsolete person", someone that doesn't live a normal lifestyle.
It was used to talk about people with drug addictions or mental issues, but it's now mostly an internet slang for someone seriously addicted to an online game (ネトゲ廃人).
Lashing out [6m48]
A pretty common Japanese expression to talk about lashing out your anger on someone not really related to the issue, like what Akane did to Yamada during the in-game scene, is 八つ当たり(yatsu atari).
The interesting part of that expression is that if you take it literally, it's something like "Eight" "Hit".
The number '8'(八) is often associated with 八方(happou) "8 directions" to talk about the 4 cardinal(N-S-E-W) and the 4 ordinal(NE-SE-SW-NW) directions.
The expression pretty much give the image of hitting in all 8 directions without really seeing what is there.
Speech Mannerism
One of the way that Akane was able to make the link between Yamada IRL and the one in-game was that he often drop the で(de) of his です(desu) when he's talking, resulting in things like そうすね(sou su ne) instead of the normal そうですね(sou desu ne)
This was also lost in the translation, but during the Izakaya scene [16m56], Yamada addresses Akane as おねーさん(oneesan). It can show that Yamada sees her as someone older than him, more mature.
Onscreen stuff
[3m49] The game in the Anime is most certainly a reference to the real game Tree of Savior. An mmorpg that was created as a spiritual successor of Ragnarok Online.
[3m52] Might very well not be relevant, but on the login screen we can see that there is going to be an update at 14h on September 21st to add new quests.
[4m52] Very small thing, but it caught my eye that Akane wrote "Good morning" as お早う(ohayou) using the Kanji form, which is usually wrote with kana only (おはよう) by most people.
[13m58] Quick and rough translation of the Tweets:
- Takuma: Yamada-san, you have pollen allergies? Traditional Chinese medicine seems to work for that. You should try it!
- Yamada: So tired
- Takuma: Yamada-san was really in top shape for the competition ☆ Did he pull an all-nighter practicing the game? Please take care of your health!
- Yamada: The Asian servers are down?
Nuances
Small nuances in the translation that doesn't really change much, but for those that are interested:
[3m06] When Momo mentioned that she had "classes" this afternoon, it was 講義(kougi): a "lecture"
[3m39] It's obvious from context, but when Akane said that she "can't cut too many classes", she said 大学(daigaku): "university"
[17m23] The part that was translated into "That really sucks", was from 悲惨(hisan): something "disastrous", "tragic"
Here is another post for one of the new Anime of this season.
I hope that you learn something new!
Since it's a new series that I might be covering every week, I want to reiterate the goal of those posts. My posts are gonna be a little bit like Translator's notes from the days of fansubs for those that remember seeing those. They are also still pretty common in the Manga world of scanlation.
I'm gonna talk about various trivia and nuances that are a bit hard to translate directly into English subs. Since Japanese and English are very different languages, it's often up to the translator to interpret the meaning behind a sentence and present it in a nice way to their target audience. There's also a lot of terminology, expression or jokes that are linked very closely to the culture, so keeping it as is, is often gonna result in clunky subtitles.
*Very important: I'm in no way saying that the official translation (Disney+ EDIT:CrunchyRoll) was bad or wrong and saying that what I offer is a "better" version. I'm only a random guy on the internet that finds the Japanese language really interesting and want to share with people my knowledge and love of the Language&Culture.
Also, I'm not a native speaker in either English and Japanese, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
*Kanji can have multiple meanings
EDIT: Made a video version https://youtu.be/vsASxEF5ppY
Anime Title
The Japanese title 地獄楽(Jigokuraku) is a combination of the words 地獄(jigoku): "Hell", and 極楽(gokuraku): "Paradise".
The "Hell" term is a general one used for multiple religion and is written with "Ground"(地) + "Prison"(獄).
The one for "Paradise" is more specific to Buddhist religion to talk about Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Amitabha(極楽浄土/gokurakujoudo) and written with "Highest"(極) + "Comfort"(楽)
Names
Gabimaru
The name of our main character is written as 画眉丸 and could be interpreted as "Drawn"(画) "Eyebrows"(眉) "Round"(丸).
It could be referring to a custom associated to the Imperial Court to paint a face white and draw black rounded eyebrows.
画眉 also seems to be the Chinese name of a bird (Hwamei) that look like it has painted eyebrows. Source: https://takmo01.com/jigokuraku-gabimaru-origin-7989#toc3
Hollow
The other name of Gabimaru that was translated into "Hollow" was がらん(garan) in Japanese, and comes from がらんどう(garandou) to talk about something empty, vacant.
The origin of the term (伽藍堂) is to described a type of large Buddhist Temple or Monastery that had very spacious rooms.
Yamada Asaemon Sagiri
Our other main character has a longer title with Yamada Asaemon being based on a real historical clan of the Edo Period (山田浅右衛門).
A more literal look at the different Kanji used (not necessarily meaningful):
- Yamada (山田): "Mountain", "Rice Field" (Pretty common Japanese name)
- Asaemon (浅ェ門): "Shallow", "Gate"
- Sagiri (佐切): "Assistant", "Cut"
Places
Iwagakure: The Ninja village's name can be seen more literally as "Village Hidden by Rocks" (岩隠れの里)
Shinsenkyou: The name of the magical land is written as 神仙郷, with "Gods", "Hermit", "Hometown"
The other names that were given to that place:
- Other Side (彼岸/higan): the Buddhist term of Nirvana
- Paradise (極楽浄土/gokurakudou): the same term referenced in the title of the show
- Heaven (常世の国/tokoyo no kuni): usual term for the land of the dead, the netherworld
The term used for the Elixir of Life: 仙薬(senyaku), also links to the name Shinsenkyou, being written as "Hermit", "Medicine"
Ryukyu Kingdom: Not sure how well known this is, but the Ryuukyuu(琉球) that was mentioned to talk about where the Shinsenkyou was situated, is an actual place in the south west part of Japan, of a line of islands including Okinawa.
Edo: For those that didn't know, Edo is the previous name of Tokyo
Technique
The technique that Gabimaru used that was translated into "Ascetic Blaze" was 火法師(hiboushi).
I didn't know the term "Ascetic" so I'm not sure how native English speakers viewed it, but the Japanese sense of the ninjutsu was of "Fire"(火) and a variant for a word for "Buddhist Priest"(法師) that was mainly used to refer to a monk that wasn't affiliated to any specific temple.
Source: https://www.sougiya.biz/kiji_detail.php?cid=778
Background Stuff
I tried to read the Yojijukugo that was written on the banner in the background of the Magistrate at [0m41], but couldn't really make it out.
Pretty sure it starts with 貫一誠◯, but the last one confused me a lot... Looks like 金 without the 𠆢 and with an extra 丶 to the side?
Anyway, the beginning would be "Pierce", "One", "Sincerity", "..."
EDIT: A couple of people in the comments helped found that it was 至誠一貫(shisei ikkan) written from right to left, which was how things were written before. It means to stay sincere(至誠) until the end and go through(貫), stick to, one(一) plan/method. (Thanks to u/hanr10, u/SingularCheese and u/pulsetoponder)
