雛子･･････雛の子･･････
羽ばたかずには死ねぬ ということか･･････
Hinako... A baby bird...
cannot die until it spreads its wings.... Does that mean...
So this is a line Kotoyuki says during the Shichibi fight that was changed in English. This is what he muses on when Hinako explains her desires to live freely and have a passionate life like he did.
While I think the meaning was retained, the impact is slightly different. Because this line gives a different perspective on "death," where it leads to "rebirth".
Firstly, this line is a callback to "Letter from a Woman" and "Fragrant Letter," where Hinako opens up to Kotoyuki about her uncertainty and not knowing who she really is anymore. Kotoyuki in response reassures her by saying what she feels is natural. It's a sign that she's growing up and, like her namesake, she will soon "spread her wings and fly".
(the English is pretty faithful to the jp script imo but i put them both here if someone wants to read them side-by-side)
For Hinako, the concepts of marriage, womanhood, and specifically adulthood was always linked with death, mainly in the sense of permanence. Death always meant finality, the end. There's no point of return once one has died. Once you're trapped, there's no escape. To allow yourself to change is the same as allowing the old you to die.
But Kotoyuki speaks of another perspective.
What is the difference between a "baby bird" and an "adult bird"?
It's being able to fly.
A baby bird is raised preciously, but is incapable of surviving on its own. It is dependent on others to provide for it, and only receives as much happiness as others give it. On the other hand, an adult bird may not have a comfortable life, but it can seek out its own happiness. It has freedom and opportunities as long as it has the willpower to fly.
Only when a baby bird learns to fly does it cease being a baby and becomes an adult. That is why a baby bird cannot "die" until it "spreads its wings".
In this line, "death" isn't portrayed as finality or as a fixed permanent state, but as a companion to "rebirth". Rather, it's through experiencing new things, by knowing joys and hardship, by learning to understand others, by acknowledging life's impermanence, that Hinako will cease being a "baby bird" and instead become closer to who she wants to be.
For a baby bird that has never tried spreading its wings before, the concept of flying must be terrifying. What happens if it falls? What if it ends up in horrific pain? What if the bird gets left behind?
Those are the sort of fears Hinako herself has. She's petrified by her anxiety, which is why she avoids flying entirely in the neutral endings. In Ending 2, Fox Hinako chooses the Tsuneki "cage" to settle in. In Ending 3, despite saying she wants to fly, Fog Hinako instead remains in her Ebisugaoka "nest".
Since both Hinakos are part of her, killing off one side is the same as ripping out one of her wings. This means Hinako is never able to fly, thus stopping her from maturing. Both neutral endings lead to Hinako losing her spirit and remaining as "Hinako the baby bird". She never becomes an "adult bird" because she never learns to "spread her wings".
Even in Ending 4, Hinako's still hasn't truly become an "adult bird" because she hasn't "flown" yet... But she is making preparations and looking forward to it, rather than running away or hiding. Change is terrifying, but you don't have to remain that way. You can keep changing even after you've grown up. As long as you have the courage to keep spreading your wings.
(image from the "Chizuruya" entry in Hinako's journal)
I saw some speculation in JP circles that the boy playing in the dirt with Hinako here is Kotoyuki... 👀
Sakuko is the one eating candy in front of the store, in reference to how she loves candy and "dreamed of owning a candy store" according to Hinako.
Meanwhile, Shu is the one with the net walking towards them. He talked about it before that he used to catch fish and tadpoles. Hinako also drew him like this on a different page (the "Middle School" entry in her journal)!
I don't think Hinako would draw herself with a random boy on a whim, especially one who isn't Shu. So that leaves only one possibility... Hinako is playing with another Space Wars comrade, Kotoyuki!
私に最後まで付き合ってくれて ありがとう･･････
Thank you, for being with me to the end....
This is a callback to the ring scene with Hinako, where Kotoyuki said something similar: 「よくここまで付いて来てくれた」 ("I'm grateful to you, for accompanying me this far.")
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貴方の求愛を
生涯忘れません･･････
そして ありがとう
Your courtship
I won't forget it for my entire life....
So... Thank you.
In Jp, Hinako specifies that she won't forget Kotoyuki's courtship for her entire life. This ties into their discussion during the boss fight, when Hinako says that Kotoyuki's intense courtship inspires her to want that same intensity with her own life.
Hinako saying she "won't forget it" is especially poignant when we keep in mind Hinako has had amnesia for most of the game, which included forgetting Kotoyuki and their relationship. Hinako saying she "won't forget it for her entire life" means she will always remember him and the time they spent together, even when they decided to part ways here.
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早くいくといい･･･････
私が宇宙人の役になって
君を食べてしまうことも出来るのだからね
You should hurry...
I could play the role of an alien and eat you, after all.
As I mentioned previously, Kotoyuki's words here sound more casual and friendly after Shu recognizes him as his childhood friend. He also plays along with the Space Wars comment by saying he could "play the role of an alien".
-------
男なら引き際も大事か……
For a man... Knowing when to retreat is also important...
引き際 (hikigiwa) is a word that refers to "knowing the right moment when to quit," typically in the case of leaving a job or stepping down from a position.
So in this case, Kotoyuki's use of hikigiwa could refer to him commenting on Shu leaving, and referring to himself stepping down from his "husband role".
I chose to translate it as "knowing when to retreat" to keep the dual meaning of "quitting/leaving" while also playing into the Space Wars comradery discussion earlier.
So this is one of my favorite kotohina lines from the JP text that got slightly changed in Eng...
In JP, Fox Hinako says "we're together" when they are completing the final rites. She refers to her and Kotoyuki as a unit. This is not just her following behind him, they walked this path together side by side.
The English dub’s choice to use “I” and “you” instead of “we” takes that aspect away. The implications are more ambiguous, read as either positive (“I made it here thanks to your support”) or negative (“it’s your fault I’m here”) when the JP line doesn't have that ambiguity.
It completely removes how Hinako perceives herself with Kotoyuki, changing it to Hinako now attributing everything solely to Kotoyuki's efforts/decisions rather than it being a joint effort between them.
Fox Hinako uses 「一緒に」 later on during Ebisugaoka in Silence when she wants Kotoyuki to be with her when they're escaping the wedding... So it's also a callback to this particular line.
ohh I found another callback to this ring scene in Fox Wets Its Tail....
よくここまで付いて来てくれた
I'm grateful to you, for accompanying me this far.
私に最後まで付き合ってくれて
ありがとう……
Thank you, for being with me to the end.
Kotoyuki uses similar sentence structures for these two scenes, both showing his appreciation for Hinako.
During the ring scene Kotoyuki says ここまで (kokomade, "to this point") while in FWIT he says 最後まで (saigomade, "to the end")
The verb ～てくれる refers to someone doing a favor for the speaker. So in the first screen, Kotoyuki appreciates Hinako for accompanying him so far, which Hinako then corrects him by saying "It's because we were together that we could make it this far". In the Shichibi scene, instead of using 付いて来て (tsuitekite, "accompanying/following") Kotoyuki says 付き合って (tsukiatte, "to keep company", also can mean "to go out with" romantically, but it's not exclusively used that way).
How I interpreted it is Kotoyuki is thanking Hinako not just for their time together as a couple, but for the support she's given him in the years prior. For helping him on the playground, for being his friend, for the letters they exchanged, for motivating him to overcome the hardships he faced in the Tsuneki household. He's thanking her for being with him to the end.
Hinako in response says this:
貴方の求愛を 生涯忘れません･･････
そして ありがとう
I will never forget your courtship for all of my life....
So... Thank you.
Hinako tells Kotoyuki she will never forget his courtship for all of her life. She says this knowing the meaning and weight it carries. This is not just a moment that will disappear for her. She will carry these experiences and the time they had together with her for the rest of her life.
Hinako saying she will "never forget it" is especially poignant when we remember she spent a large part of the game having amnesia. Part of that included forgetting Kotoyuki and the relationship they have.
So FWIT is especially heartwarming... Because even though Hinako rejects him in the end, Kotoyuki and Hinako don't regret their time together. He instead thanks her for being with him all this time, and she in return thanks him for inspiring, encouraging, and courting her.
So I found a big translation difference during Fox Wets Its Tail that I felt was a shame was lost in Eng, during the conversation between Shu and Kotoyuki.
早くいくといい･･･････
私が宇宙人の役になって
君を食べてしまうことも出来るのだからね
You should leave soon...
I could always play the role of an alien and eat you, you know.
In JP, Kotoyuki also recognizes Shu as his childhood friend.
His tone here becomes much more casual and familiar compared to earlier. For example, prior to this Kotoyuki says 「 行きなさい」 (ikinasai, "Go now") which is a polite, authoriative way to request someone to leave. But here, he instead says 「早くいくといい」 (hayaku iku to ii, "you should leave soon") which is more casual and closer to friendly advice.
He even does lighthearted banter here, saying that he could "play the role of an alien". This shows how Kotoyuki recalls their time playing Space Wars and fighting aliens together.
This banter is completely gone in the Eng text.
Eng Kotoyuki instead says he's "still a monster who won't hesitate to consume you". Eng Kotoyuki sounds more like he's reaffirming his role as a domineering nobleman, when that's not what he does in JP.
In JP he speaks to Shu like a friend and even plays along when he mentions Space Wars. Here, he's not the Tsuneki heir. He's their Space Wars comrade Fujitori Kotoyuki.
