Takiko has found five celestials, and spends this volume battling, separately, the fifth and sixth. That’s par for the course. What I’m interested in today is the translation. I can’t speak or read Japanese, so I have to rely on fan translations to compare and contrast, to understand what choices are made.
Written and carefully illustrated by Yuu Watase
Takiko has found another Celestial Warrior—in a house of ill repute! But the proud, bitter Inami has no interest in following the priestess, and she intends to test Takiko’s mettle in a duel. Can Takiko’s skill with the naginata withstand a full Celestial attack? And when a dark force engulfs the women of the brothel, can Takiko and Inami join forces to save them?
Notes on translations:
I borrowed volume six from the library, which was professionally translated, but I also read a fan translation. I like the fan translation better in three specific ways.
1) A powerful horror of sorrow and regret is slowly enveloping the madame at the brothel. The professional library edition calls this “the grudge,” but I prefer the fanlation of, “enma.” I like how it just slightly hearkens to Jung’s concept of “anima” being the primal feminine psyche. (Knowing that, I might have to rewatch the fairly terrible movie, “The Grudge.”) On an artistic note, this monster is unfortunately not the pants-shitting abomination that a mangaka like Junji Ito could have drawn. There is one great panel that plays up the terrifying strangeness by dropping the background, but except for that page, Watase’s artistic strengths doesn’t shine in horror.
2) When the madame is fighting the enma, she says, “I’m a scarlet woman who sells girls.” In the fanlation, she only calls herself a “horrible woman.” I’m guessing “scarlet woman” is an evocative Americanization. I’m also guessing it’s a reference to The Scarlet Letter. On one hand, that book is about a woman who wears a scarlet letter A as a mark of shame, but on the other, deeper hand, she wore that letter with dignity, and to protect a man she loved. So if all my guesses are accurate, and “scarlet woman” is supposed to be reference to that Hawthorn classic, then I’m a mite bit disappointed because the reference only works on a superficial level.
3) In the fanlation, when Hikitsu hears about enam he says, “Can’t do anything about that. Namane, turn into a horse!” and just leaves.
Notes on continuing themes:
Continuing on the theme of transsexuality of Limdo, the author stated that Limdo is a male. I predict that after the climatic ritual summoning, if Limdo is alive, he will lose his female form, since a female Limdo is not the “real” Limdo, disappointingly.
Continuing the theme of everyone having a secondary power, Namame can split into two equally sentient and capable halves.
Continuing on theme of love, Limdo cannot find it in him to compliment Takiko without looking away in an emo-filled shame.
The sound effect of suddenly and aggressively being covered in hair is FOOM. I wouldn’t know this, because I have the theme of baldness.
Just Notes:
When Yuu Watase uses inset panels for memories, they are border-less, and overlay on the person reminiscing (Limdo, in this case). A subtle and good choice.
My favorite piece of villain logic. “Shouldn’t we get rid of her, so her friends don’t come for her and wreck our shit?” “Nah.”
Takiko has no idea was a prostitute is. Just none. She says, “they force you to kiss them, right?” I believe the true story of “Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden” is one of a sheltered, middle class kid learning that lower class suffering exists.
Hagus’ power is to steal and reflect other people’s power. Inami’s power is hair. In terms of the power lottery, we have the biggest winner and biggest loser right here.
Filmmaking use a simple techniques like cutting from one person to another to quickly create a deeper connection. Comics has its own bag of tricks to show a deep love between two people at a distance, but most American comics only use panel transitions mimicking the limitations of film. Yuu Watase transcends that small-mindedness, and accomplish all she needs with a single panel, just by drawing one person in front of the other. She’s unconcerned with the actual background, or anything resembling the realistic composition of a camera’s eye. It’s raw imagery, drawn to perfect affect.
Takiko’s main power is inspirational speeches. If she were a website, she’d be Pinterest.
