Thoughts on Ouran Chp 81

First of all that was an extremely long wait!  And 52-pages was a lot of translating for me.  Fortunately, the print quality of that section of the magazine was excellent, so the pages were easy to clean.  Speaking of the quality, one thing I did notice is that a lot more care than usual was given to the drawings themselves.  There were some nice shadows:

And some all-around fine drawing:

It was a real treat to prepare the images for this chapter.

Onto the story itself.  Taken on the whole, I liked it, though, I thought it was a little long.  Finally, both Haruhi and Tamaki confess to one another and as expected, in the end, Haruhi is the rational one who screws Tamaki's head on.

I didn't like the early on thrash in which Haruhi tries to take back her confession after Tamaki goes stupid.  Before continuing on, let me say I called the cliche of Tamaki not being able to hear Haruhi initially over the jet engine noise.  I was hoping that wouldn't happen, but it did.  I was also hoping at that moment Tamaki would go stupid in a different way.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I thought after the ordeal he went through with his grandmother, Tamaki would be somewhat more mature.  I guess, the baka-ness I was expecting was for the kiss followed by an out-of-the-blue marriage proposal that would have set Haruhi off about how stupid he is.  Still, the little part about Tamaki yelling out to Hikaru and Haruhi's reaction was funny.

The kiss scene was very nice and just the kind of decisive and mature act that I wanted Tamaki to make:

I also liked the little bit where the club members rally around Hikaru to support his loss in love.

Onto the re-opening of the Host Club.  I wasn't really expecting this.  I would think that after settling his heart upon Haruhi, the idea of entertaining other ladies would be the last thing on Tamaki's mind.  I thought he would be instantly doting and driving Haruhi crazy trying to make up for lost time.  Not only that, though, as a girlfriend, Host Club would be a big no-no.  Seriously, Haruhi is far too saintly.  I was happy to see the twins point out this inconsistency.

Now on to the most interesting part, at least for me...it happens to be the little part were the girls and Renge are discussing what role in Greek Mythology Haruhi is playing. In one she's Adonis and in the other she's Hyacinthus. In both cases, her loss is sorely missed by the Tamaki character and the Haruhi character dies as a result of jealousy or a dispute between between two
Gods. In the Aphrodite and Adonis myth, to settle the dispute between Aphrodite and Persephone, Adonis spends part of the year with Aphrodite and part of the year with Persephone. In the Apollo and Hyacinthus myth, Hyacinthus is killed by a discus that Apollo throws, but is blown wayward by Zephyr (who Renge indicates is Kyouya). Hmmm...I wonder could this be some foreshadowing about Haruhi's decision to study abroad...

And back to Baka-Tamaki trying to plan a date.  Meh...the magic bit fell flat on me.  Thank goodness we can count on Haruhi to reign in the baka-ness.  I particularly like the last page.  I think Tamaki's expression as he teases Haruhi is priceless.

And so now we all wait a month for the first date.  I'm fairly sure that Tamaki won't be cool, leaving Haruhi to be cool for them both.  As for Haruhi's decision about studying abroad, I don't know if her answer will be revealed next chapter.  My guess is that it will be the cliffhanger to end the chapter.  I think, though, that she will decide to study abroad based on the foreshadowing from the Greek Mythology cosplay and also because she discussed the matter with Kousaka and we know that Kousaka thought it was a golden opportunity.  However, where does this leave chapter 83? Regardless of Haruhi's decision, wrapping the story up just after the first date seems a little rushed.  I really do hope there is a follow on or spin-off series that follows at least Haruhi, Tamaki, and Kyouya into adulthood.  There's a lot of their story left unfinished.  Of course after Kyouya and Tamaki graduate, it can't be called "Ouran High School Host Club" anymore, so...sigh...I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

Summer 2010 Anime I'm Watching

So far the only shows I'm watching are "Occult Academy" and "Shiki."  The rest of the new shows I found quite dismal.  However, I am watching a lot more American TV.  So far I'm hooked on "Warehouse 13," "Eureka," "The Glades," "Haven," and "Covert Affairs."

Ouran High School Host Club Chp 82 Previews

Here are the previews for Ouran chapter 82

So...what do you think? Will Haruhi accept the offer to travel aboard? (Take the survey!) It is my sincerest wish that she does and that Hatori-sensei continues these characters into a spin-off series. I would hate to see the end of these characters now.   Though...I suppose, Hatori could do a big fast forward several years into the future in the last chapter. That would suck.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more of these characters after the end of Ouran.

Also, Lala 10 will include the final Ouran drama CD as one of the freebies.  If you want the drama CD, then order this issue of the magazine.  I will put up an Amazon Japan link to Lala 10 once the listing for the issue appears.

Ouran High School Host Chp 81

Here it is!

Link to Ouran Chp 81 (07/27/2010 -- updated to include chp 82 previews and minor edits from Kuma-chan. Edits do not impact the story.)
Link to Ouran Chp 81 in PDF Reader Format -- RETIRED

I will be retiring Ouran one month after the release of the last chapter.

Also, please support the author and the publisher by purchasing the manga.  Volume 14 is currently available from Viz. Here's a link to purchase Volumes 1 - 14.

Chapter Notes
Here are some notes that will help you with some of the references within the chapter.

Aphrodite and Adonis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite

Apollo and Hyacinthus
http://www.online-mythology.com/apollo_hyacinthus/

Castor and Pollus - Gemini, the Twin Stars
http://www.online-mythology.com/castor_pollux/

Uranus and Kronos - (rather brutal of Kyouya wanting to castrate his own father)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus

Gokenin Zankurou
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320213/
images: 
http://www.jidaigeki.com/thanks/2009/img/photo_gokenin.jpg
http://www.baijaku.com/images/cd/cdshop/zankuro.jpg

Ouran Chp 81 Teaser #2 -- Baka Tamaki

Here's another teaser from Ouran chp 81.  This is from the first of many scenes where Tamaki is acting like an idiot.  He acts like an idiot through most of this chapter.  Personally, I think he's far better when he gets his head screwed on right.  Anyhow, don't look if you don't want any of the chapter to be spoiled.

Teaser #2

Judging from my progress and pace, the entire chapter should be ready before the 31st.  For the latest updates, check the schedule page.

Ouran 81 Spoiler

I know you want it, so here it is (image). But don't look at it if you don't want the chapter to be spoiled. This chapter includes lots of moments like this.
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While translating chapter 81, I noticed I had a small brainfart in chapter 80 on page 18 (should be "living" instead of "leaving" -- probably bad handwriting on my post-it notes).   I updated chapter 80 to match the flashback text in chapter 81.  Sorry about that.  Since "leaving" was spelled correctly it got passed the spell checker and so the error wasn't caught.  It doesn't change anything in the story, but it does make Haruhi's plea to Tamaki a tad more powerful.

Link in updated chp 80

Orange Chocolate Chp 15

I thought my eyes were going to melt out of their sockets while editing this.  I caught one of those irritating summer colds that starts with burning eyes.  Tears were streaming down my face as a I chased dots.  This chapter was particularly nasty in terms of the backside bleed through problem...ugh!!! 

Here's a minor translator's note:

Here's an example of "forest friends" to keep in mind as you get toward the end of this chapter (image used solely for educational purposes!):

And now the link --

Link to Orange Chocolate Chp 15

This chapter gives us yet a little more insight in Chiro's actual wish.  Enjoy the last four pages of this chapter :).  Chapter 16 is full of Chiro and Ritsu themed cosplay.  I guarantee that chapter will be lots of fun.  At the end of the next chapter a new character will be introduced that will drive Chiro and Ritsu closer together, culminating in a very lovely, visually and story wise, 20th chapter!

Next up the long awaited resumption of "Ouran High School Host Club" and the climactic chapter of "Kimi ni XOXO."

Hana to Yume Issue 16 -- Good Stuff (Spoilers!)

My copy of Hana to Yume Issue 16 came in 4 days early (I hope Lala 9 is this early too! -- can't wait!!!).  Anyhow...here's a couple of spoilers.

Gakuen Alice -- confession and Luka gives support!!!!  It's very cute (!!!) and bittersweet.  I almost feel like putting this chapter out myself.

Hana to Akuma Chp 52-- Vivi is in the process of leaving and there a nice 2-pages spread of a kiss scene.  I was pretty shocked.  Hmm...but is Vivi really leaving?  Poor Hana is left crying and begging him not to go.  There are some nice flashbacks to when when Vivi found Hana at his gate when she was an infant.  The end message said that the story would be resuming in issue 18 and at that point the story will be rushing into it's final chapters (very similar language to Ouran ending announcement).

I can't say much for this issue's freebie.  It's a "Love so Life" metal box with a hinged lid.  The first thing that came to mind was putting mints or candies in it -- but I can't be sure if it doesn't contain any lead...

Unfortunate Hana to Yume isn't available through Amazon, so unless you've got a Japanese bookstore near you, the only place I know of in the State to get it is from Akadot.  Unfortunately, Akadot lags about a month behind, so up to issue 14 are currently available.  Here's a link if you interested, though:

Link to Hana to Yume Issues from Akadot

You could probably also get a subscription to the magazine through Sanseido books (it'd get to you within a week of release, too).  It's not listed in their online shopping offerings, but I'm sure if you give your nearest location a call, a subscription can be arranged.  Here's a link to Sanseido Books in the US:

Sanseido Book Locations in the US

Merit in "Ouran" and "The Scarecrow of Oz," Plus, Other Fun Stuff

Here's some bits from an e-mail discussion I had with Corgi about "Ouran" and "The Scarecrow of Oz."  This might, also, give you some insight into the thought that goes into translation.

Black Text = Corgi
Red Text = Kuroneko003

Please feel free to add to the conversation or make you own comments.  I really like "The Scarecrow of Oz" and found a lot of meaning in it.  Furthering the discussion about "Ouran" is welcomed too :).
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Page 6: 'Merit' - heh.  Reminds me of Haruhi's discussion with Kyoya during his fake assault.  I keep thinking there's implications to the word-as-translated that I'm missing ever so slightly.

Indeed, there is more packed into the words than can come through in English.   But I think the discrepancy is cultural and I feel bad that I can’t get it across in English without writing an essay.  In this case there seems to be two themes about merit – what’s useful to a person and what’s useful in the competition.  Silvy Rose in her choice of a familiar wanted a companion and in her experimentation to heal the humans.  Whereas, Lillian Berry is wholly focused on the competition to become the next chief witch.  Interestingly enough, Lillian is so conceited that she thinks Silvy too thinks of nothing but the competition.  This is classic wisdom vs. vanity ;p.  It seems that Lillian will always continue to lose to Silvy, even though Silvy isn’t actively competing.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS ASPECT OF THE STORY :)  This is why I think it a good story for children.  I wonder, though, about the other witch who sought power…maybe there will be a sequel???

Oh, it's not just here - it's how Haruhi uses it too.  It's clear, but it also seems deeper than just 'merit' suggests, if that makes sense.


Ah – in the case of Haruhi in that particular situation with Kyouya, she means that there’s no upside for Kyouya in having a relationship with her or assaulting her.  At the same time, though, Haruhi is putting herself down, essentially saying that she has no value to Kyouya.   She seems to neglect the value of friendship, though Kyouya obviously values her friendship and intellect.  In this sense, Haruhi also underestimates Kyouya.  To me it feels like a throwback to social status in terms of royalty vs. commoners.  It’s a false barrier on both sides, though, I think in the case of the Ouran boys, regardless of who they associate with, their status is so high that it can’t be tarnished.

Ah, I didn't pick up on that aspect of it from Haruhi's side (her value) -- but yes, that's part of the character growth is all of them reaching beyond their little boxes because of Tamaki's catalysing influence, Kyoya perhaps even more than the twins.

Nonetheless, there seems to be this 'merit' concept that uses the English word like being the visible part of an iceberg.  There's a whole lot more 'merit' beneath the surface somewhere....
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Page 14: I like the 'patiently' litany. :)  Sometimes people miss out on the music language can have.   

In the Japanese, there’s only one patiently, but when I translated the entire story, it seems important to understand the intended function of a scarecrow – not only is it the waiting, standing and watching, but it’s patience, and that seemed to be what Silvy Rose needed most.  Plus, I felt it had a nice rhythm that mirrored the Japanese used of “mo” 3 times.

Mo meaning...?

“Mo” means “also”, “and”, or “more” depending on how it’s used.  In this case it’s “and.” 

It sounds like you got the intent exactly, not the literal translation (this is a good thing, don't mistake that).

Sometimes it’s hard for me to decide to do that.  I want to reflect the Japanese as written, but sometimes I can’t resist adding a little bit of my personality into it.

That's why translation's an art.  Sometimes the literal language is not the most expressive of what's being said.
 
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Page 17: 'She's a milk drinker'??

Japanese euphemism for big breasts – I guess they’re drinking the hormone filled milk from the US???  I don’t know whether I want to put in a editor’s note for that one…
I think it’s a teachable moment about the “merits” of milk for growing young ladies…I’ll add something, but I’ll keep it in line with healthy all around growth rather than spread a Japanese old wive’s tale and keep this out of the realm of bedtime stories for kids. How about the old US Dairy Farmer Association slogan , “Milk, it does a body good?”

That'd be cute
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Page 34: Pulsation?  (They're rarely born, either.)

This is tough…I think what’s trying to be expressed here is the idea of Kurou coming alive – so this would be a first “heartbeat” of sorts.  Going back to the Wizard of Oz lore – “a brain, a heart, the nerve” – all of things the scarecrow gains through the course of the story as he figures out his purpose.  The question for me, though, as the editor -- should I make the leap for the reader?  It seems to me that Kurou has no concept of a “heart” so a “pulsation” seems to be a way to describe the sensation.  The alternative word is “throbbing,”  but that word seems lurid to me. There’s also the duel implication for the beginning of a feeling of love toward Silvy.

Throbbing would be overwrought, yes.  Let's see... a new pulsation, a pulse from nowhere, a surge of feeling...?  I’ll think on it some more.  For now, I’m okay with what I’ve got.

[nod]
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Page 45: OK, this is a tricky bit - what's the /implication/ intended here?  I think Kurou's making an innocent comment, I'm not entirely sure about Silvy's reply! :)  I think that’s the point – Silvy’s age isn’t clear, and I did clean it up a bit to make Silvy’s words more vague.  She says, “What if we sleep together?”  It basically has the same implication in English and Japanese, which ruins the child’s bedtime story aspect…:(.  This would definitely be a bad place to use “throbbing”…:/  I think in this case, Kurou is the innocent one – he’s happy for the request, but he’s still a young man (if you get what I mean).  I suspect, Silvy on the other hand is old and very, very lonely…
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'Scarecrow of Oz', eh?  Hee.  Where'd the extra word go, then?  Well…Literally it’s the “Scarecrow Familiar of Oz” – but in given my epiphany and the “Oz” theme – “The Wizard of Oz” --> “The Scarecrow of Oz”  As for “kakashi tsukai” – it depends on how you look at it.  It could mean just “scarecrow” – as in a thing used as a scarecrow, or, it could be a witch’s familiar.  In this sense, the title has a lot more meaning in the Japanese, but it really sounds goofy in English, so I think “The Scarecrow of Oz” is a better “localization” of the title.
The familiar has more resonance (although I think that's one of the book titles, not that I've read them in forever).

"Ozu no Kakashi Tsukai" ("The Scarecrow of Oz") Chapter 1

 

Here it is!  "Ozu no Kakashi Tsukai" or "The Scarecrow of Oz"
Link to "Ozu no Kakashi Tsukai"

This is one of those stories that kinda sneaks up on you when you start to think of its deeper meanings.  I think the key themes in this story are what is merit and what does it mean to have merit.  Also, this story is rife with references to the "Wizard of Oz" and the themes within that story.  See how many of them you can catch :).

I had a very interesting e-mail conversation with one of my proofreaders, Corgi, about this story.  I will post this exchange in a day or two after enough people have had the chance to read the story.  I don't want to spoil the story or color your opinions of the story before you read it.  Anyhow, check back in a couple of days and give your own opinions if you want.

Check Out Silver Lunar's Sketches!!!

Silver Lunar (one of Omari's Sister's wonderful cleaners!) got a new toy and she's using it to great effect.  Jump on over to her blog to see what's she's been up to :).

Link to Silver Lunar's blog

Here's a sample!

New Manga Purchases: Week of July 4, 2010

• Mixed Vegetables, Volume 8
• Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 14

If you like Ouran, I recommend that you get this volume because the translation is closer to the actual Japanese and different in some parts than what's available in the scanlation.  This is especially true for the situation in which Haruhi is kidnapped.  This volume covers chapters 62 to 66.

• Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 3

One-Shot: "Nemurenu Kishi ni Hanataba wo" ("Bouquets of Flowers for the Sleepless Knight")

Here is the one-shot "Nemurenu Kishi ni Hanataba wo" ("Bouquets of Flowers for the Sleepless Knight").  This story and the characters seem very inline with Yumi Kiiro's current series "Library Wars: Love and War." Both characters are strong and likable and the story is a good mix of humor, romance and adventure.  I hope you enjoy this short story as much as I did.  Oh! and a big thank to our new cleaner, Sae, who helped get this out sooner than I expected.

Links to "Nemurenu Kishi ni Hanataba wo":  (Zip) (PDF -- Mobile and Tablets)


If you enjoyed this one-shot then I highly recommend "Library Wars: Love and War" to you.  It just began its English release from Viz and is still currently running in Japanese language magazines Lala and Lala DX (this series has LOTS of wonderful extra stories).

Next up is another one-shot called "The Useless Scarecrow Familiar."  After that, we will release the next installment of "Orange Chocolate."

Nemurenu Kishi ni Hanataba wo (Bouquets of Flowers for the Sleepless Knight) Preview

We're slowly slogging through "Nemurenu Kishi ni Hanataba wo" so I figured to get to folks interested, I've post a short preview of the story.  The first part is mostly humorous, but the ending might induce a few tears.  Anyhow...this isn't the final version and there maybe typos, but here you go:

This is a tough one-shot to clean and edit, so it will take a bit longer to complete than most of our releases.  Hopefully, we can get it out before the end of the week.

So, You Want to Order Lala Magazine from Amazon Japan...

Are you excited about the last chapters of "Ouran?"  Do you want to get some of that Ouran loot?  Well, here's some helpful hints on how to get some!

Direct links to Lala 8 and Lala 9 (pre-order):

Lala 8: http://tinyurl.com/23lpg6j
Lala 9:  http://tinyurl.com/2cqk68z

Here’s a link to the “English” version of their website.

Link:  http://www.amazon.co.jp/In-English/b?ie=UTF8&node=1094656

There’s still A LOT of Japanese, but it's manageable (the links and buttons are the same configuration as the Amazon US website, so if needed, just refer to the Amazon site in your country to figure out what the buttons and links are.).

Hints:
The little shopping cart icon is, indeed, your shopping cart.
  When you get into your shopping cart, look on the top left for a link to put the page in English again.  You will need to choose International shipping.  From here forward, there should be enough English to get you through the purchase.  If it turns back into Japanese, look to the top left again for the English link.

The cost of shipping is horrendous.  Shipping to the US is $30 for the first item and $3 per item after.  With this in mind, I usually order several items to spread the initial shipping cost  across multiple items.  My suggestion in this cases is to order both Lala 8 and 9 at the same time.  They will immediately ship Lala 8 and then Lala 9 will come when it’s released (even though they say they will ship at the same time).  The shipping will be $33 for both items instead of two separate $30 shipping fees.  I would encourage you to wait until Lala 10 becomes available for pre-order to spread the cost of shipping further ($36 for three magazines), but it’s very likely that Lala 8 will sell out soon.  The nice thing about this is that it's Fedex 2-day shipping, so your wait will not be long :).

I hope this helps those of you who want to buy Lala magazine directly from Japan and I will continue to post the direct links to the magazines as the pre-orders become available.

Oh, and a gentle warning...if you do purchase Lala magazine, as tempting as it may be, don't post the raw.  The Japanese publishers are *aggro* right now and you could get in a lot of trouble if you post the raw.

"Seirei Produce" Chapter 3

Update -- July 5, 2010:  Eep!  It looks like I missed a small dialog bubble on page 24.  It's an insignificant piece of dialog ("gah"), but I went ahead and added it.  The file has the same name, so the link below is still valid.
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Here is "Seirei Produce" chapter 3 (and no I wasn't joking about "strip rock-paper-scissors").  In this chapter we are more formally introduced to the kitsune character (though we don't learn his name).    We also get to see a new side of Gojou's character.  After this chapter I can't decide who is my favorite character.  Hmm...perhaps I'll make a poll...Anyhow, here's the link:

Link to "Seirei Produce" Chp 3

After reading the chapter, take the poll. (I will put it back up tomorrow -- seems to be broken today).  Here are some of my thoughts on the Seirei Produce characters:

Amane:  He's like a baby God.  He believes everything is his and he's more important than anyone else.  Sometimes I wonder whether he's actually insane because it seems that he has yet to do anything truly supernatural.  Either way he's adorable because he's so naive and I like how single minded his ambition is. 

Shiina:  I love her spunk!  I like the way she rolls with the punches and at the same time puts Amane back in place.  It seems within this chapter we see that Shiina is super human.  It makes me wonder what she really is and who's her daddy...I'm gonna laugh so hard if he happens to be the ruling God in heaven who gave Amane the fan.  That way it would make sense that she could break the seal.  It could also mean that Shiina's mom isn't joking by calling her "The God of Destruction."

Gojou:  He's very mysterious.  Is he a god or an angel or something else.  He's actually quite humorous.

Chisa:  She's Shiina's youthful looking mother.  Like Shiina, she adaptable.  She's very flighty and a little too easygoing.  I like the random crap that spews from her mouth.

Kitsune:  He's quite full of himself and speaks nonsense.  I'm looking forward to seeing his personality unfold more.

The Crow:  He's a rude little SOB.  I like his insults.  He's a nice little "chorus" representation.
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Next up are a couple of one-shots, "Bouquets of Flower for the Sleepless Knight" (it's a beautiful, funny, action-packed tear jerker.) and "The Timid Scarecrow Familiar," and "Orange Chocolate" chp 15.

Poll Results: Joshua's Punishment

• 21 Sack Beatings
• 17 Sack Full of Nickels Beatings
• 13 Hugs
• 26 Convenient Disney Deaths

I'm actually quite surprised by the number of people with sympathy for Joshua.  Well...I guess we'll see what will become of Joshua in a chapter or two.  I still maintain that he will be sacrificed.

On the matter of "Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen," I did read that chapter 17 was the climax of the story.  I suppose this means the series is ending soon.  I don't know how many chapters are left, but chapter 18 or 19 will be the end of the fourth volume.

New Manga Purchases: Week of June 27, 2010

• La Corda D'oro Volumes 11 and 12  -- 3/5 the story moves glacially and there's lots of filler extra stories (they aren't very interesting).  I do recommend this version over the scanlation for better image quality and smoother English.  It was interesting enough, though, to make me want to go back through the Lala magazines I have to catch up to the current chapter.  Perhaps I'll write up some chapter summaries.
• Two Flowers for the Dragon Volume 6
• Kaichou wa Maid-sama (Maid-sama!) Volume 5