Once again the calendar has reached the lovely day of April 4 (three weeks ago)! That means it is (was) the birthday of my favorite Precure, Yukishiro Honoka! 20 years after her series she would be about 34 years old today, if she were real.
It's no great secret that the formula for the original series was taking two girls from opposite walks of life and teaming them up, to represent the strength of friendship. Honoka's charm was her intelligence and pursuit of science, while remaining kind and fairly humble despite her wealthy background. Without Nagisa's influence she probably wouldn't be taking many risks, and without Honoka's influence, Nagisa would probably be dead. Well, neither of them would be Precure so probably not, but both would definitely be worse off.
I haven't actually watched Otona Precure yet, but it is my understanding that Black and White appear at the very end of the last episode, looking the same as ever. I'm not clear if they have any dialog. The Kamikta Twins (the most consistently quality part of this fandom) released a piece of artwork that included aged up designs for Nagisa and Honoka. I have to assume they're official and Toei-sanctioned.
Last year, I said I hoped for an Otona-style sequel to FWPC. The middling to negative reception of the series has me second guessing that. But the art is nice.
As always, enjoy the gallery and congratulations to Honoka, and of course thanks to everyone involved in creating and bringing her to life: Character designer Iganami Akira, series director Nishio Daisuke, series composition/head writer Kawasaki Ryo, voice actress Yukana, and more.
TL:
p1
N: Happy birthday Honoka!
H: Thank you Nagisa!
N: Isn't it nice, you're older than me. It's not fair…
H: Come on, that's not really something to be jealous of, is it?
H: But when I think about it
p2
H: If I'd been born 3 days earlier, I'd be a grade higher than you.
N: That's true… it's really close…
N: *stare*
N: Thank goodness we're in the same grade! Thank you! *squeeze*
H: Eh, um, y…. y-y-y-y-you're welcome…?
And this one I didn't have time to translate:
Links to previous birthday posts:
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
いよいよ明日は月刊エンタメ表紙記念&フォトブックお渡し会イベントや〜🌻
Finally, tomorrow is the day for the Monthly Entame cover commemoration & photobook handover event~🌻
みんな気をつけて来てね!おやすみ😚
#すータメ #SUMIREgraph
Take care when you come, everyone! Good night😚
#Suutame #SUMIREgraph
Platypus, the preserver of manga history, showed this page he scanned from a 1978 issue of Monthly Manga Shounen (月刊マンガ少年) to me. It was great seeing a manga artist, Minamoto Tarou, acknowledged the importance of Fire! even back then, and hailed it as the grandmother of the 70s bishounen manga.
Here's a quick translation for you.
Monthly Manga Shounen, issue no. 1978/8
Minamoto Tarou
Speaking of show business, when I was watching Yamaguchi Momoe sing “Playback” on TV the other day, I was suddenly reminded of Takakura Ken’s youth. Her dreamy gaze when she sings, how she looks slightly bashful when her song ends... She was almost the spitting image of Ken-san of the past. Is it that there’s something "manly" in a woman’s charm? Or does a man’s masculinity has something akin to femininity?
...And it brings me to the topic of male-male romance manga drawn by women.
Things took off after manga like Mo-sama’s “Gymnasium” or “Thomas”, and Takemiya Keiko-shi’s “Yuki to Hoshi to Tenshi to.” And until now, there has been a plethora of works in that vein, and every magazine you pick up today sure to be full of such works. But when did it really start? When I think about it, Mizuno Hideko-shi shines bright. Yes, I'm talking about “Fire!”
“For the first time in my life, I loved someone more than I did my mother: Fire Wolf.”
Didn’t this whole world came to be in young Aaron’s cries as he was breaking down in tears before the flames of the explosion that killed Wolf? This is what I think.
文法:〜ては(If・Because + Bad Result/Whenever ~/Repetitive Actions)
A(て-form)+は、B。
In spoken Japanese, ては and では become the contractions ちゃ and じゃ respectively.
We’ve seen ては combine with phrases like ならない、だめ、いけない to mean something that you “must not do.” However, ては has several different uses.
If・Because + Bad Result
Aては、B。
(A[普通形]+のでは、B。)*
If/Because A, then B (Bad Result).
This is the base form for the grammars てはいけない and しなくちゃならない. ては is a conditional whose usage is very similar to ~たら, but while ~たら is neutral, ては carries a negative implication. It's used to express a negative result due to some action, or even just one's negative reaction to that action.* While it's common to see it paired with だめ・ならない・いけない like in the above grammars, it is not limited to those endings.
先輩 ついてきちゃ意味ないです[ビクッ]
Senpai, there's no point if you're just going to follow me. [Startled]
[Speaker is on an errand from Senpai to fetch a drink.]
(『月刊少女野崎くん』 Girl’s Monthly Nozaki-kun,vol. 1 by Izumi Tsubaki)
Of course, depending on the translation, these alternate endings can still carry the meaning of "that must (not) be."
未来の僕の奥さんに傷が残っちゃ大変だ
It would be a problem if my future wife were scarred. (= I can't allow my future wife to be scarred.)
(『魔法使いの嫁』 The Ancient Magus' Bride, vol. 1 by Yamazaki Kore)
Whenever ~
While て-form is used to simply connect two clauses to indicate a simple sequence of actions, ては is used to describe an action that keeps happening. In this case, ては is only formed from verbs.*
A(Verb) て、B。
When A, then B.
A(Verb) ては、B。
Whenever A, then B.
These actions are habitual, with B happening every time A occurs. This meaning is not necessarily negative, and the phrase is not repeated.* *
そっ!あの赤いの行ったとこ
世界のいろんなとこ見たくてさ
バイトで金貯めちゃ旅してんだ
Yeah! Those red pins are the places I've been.
See, I really wanna travel all over the world,
And I go on a trip whenever I save up enough money working part-time.
(『あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。』 Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, vol. 1 by Okada Mari and Izumi Mitsu)
Repetition
ては can be used to emphasize two actions happening over and over, similar to ~たり~たりする. However, while たり gives several examples (out of many), ては really stresses the repetition.* These two actions can be completely unrelated, even opposite actions. The ては phrase can be repeated twice, or the order of the verbs even inverted to further emphasize the repetition. This form is only formed from verbs.
A(Verb) ては、B。
Do A and B repeatedly, every day, constantly, always.
A(Verb) ては、B、AてはB。
Repeatedly A-ing and B-ing, A-ing and B-ing.
A(Verb) ては、B、BてはA。
Repeatedly A-ing and B-ing, B-ing and A-ing.
When repeated twice, the two actions are opposites (ex: turn on and off, draw and erase, eat and sleep.)*
だから何度も目覚めては 確認するにゃ
So I keep opening my eyes over and over, just to check.
[To keep the cat pun, consider: "meowny times" instead of "over and over".]
(『おじさまと猫』 A Man and His Cat, vol. 1, by Sakurai Umi)
白と黒の2つの神様がいました
白の神様はみんなに喜びを与えてやりました
しかし黒の神様はそれを取り上げては悪さばかりしていました
There were two gods, one white, one black.
The white god bestowed joy upon everyone.
However, the black god constantly took that joy away, and wrought only evil.
[Language purposely elevated to keep the fairy tale/mythic feel.]
(『とつくにの少女』 The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, vol. 1 by Nagabe)
On top of the 3 usages above, Maggie-sensei lists a few more. Be sure to check out her page for more examples from a native speaker!
Advice & Suggestions
This one is another usage that is similar to ~たら, this time giving the advice a more elevated feel than the casual たら, or softens the impact of a straightforward ていただけませんか.
Aてはいかがでしょう。
Aてはいただけませんか。
Aては… [unfinished to allow listener to fill in the blanks]
Attempt with expected failure
ては is used to modify てみる when you're not optimistic about the outcome of an attempt.
Aてはみます。
I will at least give A a try...
J-Rock Examples:
山際も星も/ぼくらに気付いては/お話もした
Both the mountain ridge and the stars / Whenever they noticed us / Told us stories as well
[赤い光線 - 交信]
東京にすがりついては/泣きじゃくって 言えやしなくて
I’m always clinging to Tokyo / and crying and I just can’t say it
[関取花 - 東京]
革靴は知らぬうちに/あのリズムを奏でては列車中に空しく響く
Whenever my leather shoes unconsciously / tap out that rhythm, it echoes through the train in vain
[関取花 - 石段のワルツ]
Behind-the-scenes footage of GSNK’s upcoming Chinese drama adaptation aka “The Comic Bang”! Here they were filming the part where Nozaki (aka Lu Ye Qi) tries to protect himself and Sakura (aka Zuo Qian Dai) from the rain with his jacket in very (un)romantic fashion.
Also a heads up that the drama’s Chinese title has now been changed from 月刊少女 (lit. translation: Monthly Girls’) to 开画!少女漫 (lit. translation: Start Drawing! Girls’ Comics - ty mod @variationa for helping translate this)! The official English title will stay the same afaik.
is there somewhere to read goemon’s goldfish days? :0 do you have a link to it?
unfortunately i dont know where to read, but i have the source!
五右衛門金魚の日々 (“goemon’s goldfish days”) is a parody manga published in several different issues of 月刊OUT magazine (during the 80s i believe?) and it was made by ai naniwa! maybe that helps?
M2
your rainy days
(Joshua Radin)
M3
あめふりヒヤデス
(UA)
M4
花・太陽・雨
(おおたか静流)
M5
あめふりくまのこ
(Pernika Trio)
M6
beautiful rain
(Little Tempo feat. Eddi Reader)
M7
la pluie et le beau temp
(Austine)
M8
laughter in the rain
(Ashley Maher)
☀️ i am so sad, i heared that they wont include anything from fes or portable, so no femc, no answer or the like. I hate it here, why this disrespect to my girl Minako i will fight somebody at atlus HQ
oh. well i will say it straight (the only thing straight about me i fear lol) but thats likely not entirely true, ☀️ anon. idk if youve seen this post but it sums it up pretty well https://www.tumblr.com/petorahs/719925542729695232
and the full article published a while later:
bad ign reporting aside, i was also pretty upset at first since no femc and the answer! but then i saw a good point someone made about the femc case:
persona 3 reload has reportedly been in development for four years. and in that four years thats standard time to build a game from the ground up, maybe even too little – anyone who's been in game dev can tell us that. p3re doesnt reuse assets, too, it's completely from scratch. so having femc isnt simply a matter of model swap. they'd also have to program the UIs and make everything pink - sure, that could be "easy", but there's also the changed social links and team dynamics (more writing to be done), weapon system and all that (more coding)? so its like... i'd be actually surprised if they managed a femc during those 4 years. its quite a lot of work to re-adapt base p3 as is i feel and modernizing it. also i feel like atlus themselves wouldnt want to do their character and her fanbase wrong so of course they wouldnt fkn slap on a few pink menus and call it a day. they surely want to rewrite the s links and everything too in accordance to her. art takes time.
(with all that being said bullying atlus for femc is warranted actually maybe then her inevitable dlc might come faster lmao )
similarly, im fine with no "the answer" now despite being its #1 defender. theyd have to completely rework the 30:2 hour grinding to story ratio which is just not sustainable on a modern gameplay perspective. that also takes time.
its why i made this post actually. i somehow trust them, and i feel like most of us can stand to chill a little and have healthier expectations. as in not overbloated and not have the bar set in hell either (altho we should also do that too)
and i know, like anyone who's played this game, it means so much to so many people. and thats why its maybe impossible to please everyone, because its so many different things: a game that saved their life, a funny goofy lighthearted one where you catch demons, the most depressing persona game ever (altho i feel like p2 would beg to differ on that one-), or for me personally, a game that just made me cry man.
and because it means so much, everyone wants to see it be the best it can be!! and that means having hamuchan. i get that all of this riot energy is out of love for the game, really. but. yeah.
a remake seems like it's "less work to do" since the foundation's "already there" and i dont know how many people worked on p3re but like. i highly doubt theyre just sitting on their asses pissing off fans on purpose lol. (or maybe they are and im just too optimistic damn 😭)
The end of the year is looming, and with preparations for Christmas and the New Year comes thoughts of the JLPT for many. Good luck if you are taking it this year! I won't be taking it, but I am definitely already thinking about my goals for next year. This will be my last regular monthly update, as next month I will review my progress over this past year and talk about my goals for the next year! Let me know how you are doing with your goal progress too!
Reading - I was able to read short articles daily, and manga or books when I had a little extra time
Listening - I can fairly easily pick up the dialogue in the children's shows, although it does help that I watch the same shows over and over again (love that repetition), and I even learn stuff (animal names, various phrases, etc.)!
What Were My Weaknesses?
Kanji - I have been slacking off on my kanji -practice during the second half of the year so I'll need to find a way to reintegrate it into my daily study habits. I used to do flashcards daily, but I'd like to try to increase the number of new kanji I'm learning too
Writing - I haven't been writing much in Japanese either, and although it wasn't a goal, I find that the lack of practice shows
Other Study Methods I'd Like to Try
Writing Practice - I do occasionally write on tumblr, but I'd like to write more often, and if possible get it corrected
Workbook - I love using the 総まとめ (Sou-matome) series workbooks (vocabulary, grammar, kanji, listening) but I don't have much time to pull them out and sit down to work on them, but I'd like to do more workbook study if I can
Grammar - I enjoy the short grammar videos from 日本語の森 (Nihongo no Mori) and I would like to get back into watching these videos a few times a week (and taking notes)
Keigo - I'd like to work on learning formal Japanese better, to improve my speaking ability when in conversational situations
I always say that the most important thing to improve your Japanese (or any language or skill for that matter) is to practice daily. I think that having daily conversations at home in Japanese helps me a lot, but the extra effort I put into continuously studying and trying to stretch myself and learn more really does pay off. When I use a new vocabulary word that I've taken the time to internalize in front of a group of people, they don't even notice the huge accomplishment it is for me, but I feel quite proud of myself when I can seamlessly communicate with native speakers for a majority of the time. When I learn something new about an animal and can communicate it to my son in Japanese, I feel excited about learning new things. When I can read and understand a whole sentence without looking up a single kanji or word (even if I'm guessing at some of the meanings), I feel quite pleased with myself.
Taking a look back at the time and effort I put in to my studies, I think that these small wins should be great sources of pride (for myself and for you too!). What are the things that you notice about your own Japanese progress?
"Les privilèges de la beauté sont immenses. Elle agit même sur ceux qui ne la constatent pas."
The above quote seems like something out of a 70s shoujo manga, but it's actually from Cocteau's Les enfants terribles! So, can French literature be shoujo? Mais bien sûr!
As I was looking through Hagio's works one day to find something to read, I came across 恐るべき子どもたち (Osorubeki Kodomotachi). When I started reading its synopsis, the name "Jean Cocteau" was the first thing that jumped at me, and that's how I found out that Hagio had adapted his novel Les enfants terribles into manga form. I am someone who first read three volumes of Le Comte de Monte-Cristo before watching Gankutsuou, so I knew what I had to do: I was going to read the novel, watch the 1950 movie adaptation, and then read the manga itself for the full experience!
Eyebrows are a game, and Dargelos is winning.
I borrowed the novel from a library because I wanted to read the original, and got the manga in print because this one wasn't digitally available as of time of this writing. Which makes me think: Just how much manga are we missing out on?
I love Hagio's page compositions like these. And I will forever be weak for her use of pointillism.
The manga was published in Monthly Seventeen (月刊セブンティーン) between May-August 1979. Although this is mainly a fashion magazine, titles such as Fire!, Orpheus no Mado and Banana Bread no Pudding were published in there. Imagine being a high school girl reading such titles in the magazine you buy to look at cute earrings... Wow... Anyway, the manga has four chapters:
少年時代 (Shounen Jidai - Boyhood)
夢幻世界 (Mugen Sekai - Fantasy World)
外界 (Gaikai - Outside World)
無限世界 (Mugen Sekai - Endless World)
For me, the art style is right between Hagio's signature 70s shoujo style and her kind of updated 1980s style. The character designs are more "realistic" so to speak, and the characters do not look so much like those ideal shoujo teenagers. I'd say Hagio is heavily influenced by Melville and Cocteau's movie adaptation of the novel, as you can recognize many scenes and outfits right from the movie.
Sure, they adapt the same source material, but the overall mood and paneling and composition really reminds you of the movie, with Hagio's touch.
Maybe it's because I was going throught the same story for the third time, but I must say that Hagio's adaptation was quite well done, and presented the story in a much more accessible way. Despite Cocteau's voiceover narration in the movie, it cannot reflect the characters' inner world as well as the novel. The manga gives the visual support the story needs, and the way it's presented in four chapters makes the story easier to digest. There is something very shoujo in how childish Élisabeth and Paul are, and the manga perfectly captures it. The movie, not so much. I also like how we can see them grow a little bit in the manga. In the earlier chapters, they are literally kids, but by the end, you can see the tortured teenagers/young adults in them.
Love this sibling energy.
I liked this experience of reading the manga adaptation of a novel. I always like it when manga makes me pick up and read some books. I will be a more cultured individual thanks to shoujo manga.