Disclaimer: Everyone translates differently for different audiences. This is not meant to disrespect the official translation team in any way because they are subbing for a more general audience and have different pressures, so please don't come at me or them for our different priorities. That said, I'm happy to discuss MY translation choices so please feel free to drop in about any line.
Subtitle Corrections
Including nuances + cultural tidbits
EP 1 || EP 2 || EP 3 || EP 4 || EP 5 || EP 6 || EP 7 || EP 8
Segasaki x Yoh - Language Analysis
Series looking at how the dynamic between Segasaki and Yoh is reflected in the way they speak - specifically, in the way they address each other, and the style shifting, or speech level shifts that they both demonstrate with each other.
Part 1
- What are Speech Levels & Why Shift?
- Segasaki x Yoh: Vertical & Horizontal Distance
aka power dynamics expressed linguistically
Part 2
- Segasaki x Yoh: Shifts in Emotion and Acknowledging Roles
aka reading between (spoken) lines
Part 3 [In Progress]
- Segasaki x Yoh: In the Presence of "Polite Company"
aka Segasaki's "face off" with Man-san
Part 4 [In Progress]
- Segasaki x Yoh: Addressing One Another
aka a look into the various ways to say "you"
Cultural Tidbits
The Importance of Amae in My Personal Weatherman
- Cultural Differences: Independent vs Interdependent Self-Construal
"May I ask Officer Luo, pulling your subordinate over in the middle of the night like this - is there some instruction or guidance you're not done imparting yet? " - Pei Su
Just to make it hurt more, here are Huai Xin's messages to his brother:.
哥，咱爸爸出事了。
Ge, something happened to our father.
(yesterday)
你赶快回来吧。
It's better you come back quickly.
(yesterday)
哥你回来了吗？
Ge are you back yet?
(1220hrs)
今晚能到家吗？
Will you be able to reach our house tonight?
(1221hrs)
你快回来吧，他们解决不了啥正经事。
Come back quickly okay, these guys can't settle anything properly.
(1415hrs)
怎么不回话啊，上飞机了吗？
How come you aren't replying, have you boarded the plane?
(1733hrs)
哥，你下了飞机就给我回话。
Ge, once you get off the plane reply me.
(1933hrs)
哥，你走到哪了？记得给我回电话。
Ge, where have you reached? Remember to call me back.
(2033hrs)
On this day, it is with a deep sense of remorse and a heart heavy with guilt that I write this letter of reflection. As (a member of) the special investigations department, due to my own individual actions...
🤭🤭🤭
(It sounds a little over the top in English, but these are just "key words" you'd normally use when you've been forced to write a letter of reflection as punishment 🤣🤣)
Stills from JITD Ep 9 (the second is possibly from Ep 10), courtesy of entertainment news site Real Sound JP.
Airs 4th April 2025 at midnight JST
Synopsis (courtesy of Navicon Jp)
***SPOILER ALERT***
EP 9: Captivated Insanity
Su Ruo Wan maintains her silence, but Pei Su easily draws out the whereabouts of her mother's remains and belongings. Luo Wei Zhao and Pei Su arrive at the specified columbarium and find a diary within the urn. In it records the unusual life of Su Ruo Wan's mother Su Ling Na, and the warped relationship she had with Wu Guang Chang. A photo within the diary confirms that someone had taken secret photos of Wu Guang Chang and Su Ling Na together. At this point, Guo Shi Nan arrives at SID and begins to retrace his memory of the day he stabbed and killed Wu Guang Chang...
Quick tutorial in case anyone wants to sign up (and later cancel) for a WOWOW on Demand account in order to watch Justice in the Dark when it airs at midnight JST on the 7th of March (aka Thursday night going into Friday morning).
Under the cut to reduce spam!
Before you start, please know that whilst you will sign up on the website, you will only be able to watch the shows using the phone app itself, because the website blocks VPNs.
You will need:
The ability to install the WOWOW on demand apk on your android phone (for iPhone users, it's available on the Jp app store, but I can't help beyond that)
A VPN (I used surfshark)
Access to a JP phone number (I used the number given on my forwarding service)
A credit card
2530 JPY per month (JITD is expected to end sometime in June 2025)
STEP 1: Set your VPN to Japan, go to the WOWOW website as shown, and click on the blue tab circled in orange
STEP 2: This just informs you that the service costs 2530 JPY/mth. Click the blue tab again.
STEP 3: Key in your email and click the button to receive a 4-digit OTP (it will be the first and only string of 4 digits you see in the mail). Major email domains should work.
STEP 4: You should receive the OTP within 3-5mins. If you don't receive the email, check your junk folder etc I lost patience after 2 mins and clicked the button 😅
STEP 5: This is all pretty self-explanatory. Don't ask me to translate the T&C/privacy agreement because I didn't read it either 😬
Congratulations! You have successfully created a WOWOW Online account (this is the normal account which lets you watch free videos/livestreams for eg, Spirealm Ep 1 is free to watch for now).
Next, you want to create a WOWOW on Demand account, which is the service that will give you access to JITD, the rest of Spirealm episodes, and if you are in Japan with a BS Cable subscription, the ability to watch and record WOWOW shows on your TV.
STEP 6: FINALLY we get to the most important bit, so of course I forgot to screencap it. For your Surname and First name, you will need to type it in Japanese text, so go ahead and google translate your name. For the phone number, I used the number from my Jp forwarding service (tenso), but I did try again by changing a few numbers, and it actually went through to step 4 so... if you don't have a forwarding service, you could try random numbers following the 03-1234-5678 format? Don't quote me on that.
Click the blue button at the bottom (which I accidentally cropped out) to move on.
STEP 7: A confirmation window will pop up, keep clicking the blue button...
STEP 8: Almost there. Ignore all the blue buttons and choose the credit card payment option.
STEP 9: Scroll down and key in your credit card details (doesn't have to be Japanese), agree to the service agreement and then hit the blue button again. You will not be charged yet.
STEP 10: Confirm you really do want to spend 2530 JPY x per mth (which for JITD would be 3 months = 7590 JPY = USD$50) and click the blue button again. Your CC will be charged here.
Congrats! You're done (and broke)! Now, using your log in details, log on to the app and search 光淵 or こうえん (you will need to use your VPN on your phone too)
HOW TO CANCEL WOWOW
You will be able to watch shows for one month from that date your subscription was charged. Ie, if charged on the 3rd of July, and you cancelled on the 31st of July, you would be able to access WOWOW on demand till the 2nd of August (1 month from the 3rd of July). Hence, please remember to cancel a few days before your subscription is charged, just in case the application takes a few days to be processed.
STEP 1: Log in and go to My WOWOW
STEP 2: You'll be brought to your profile page, choose the 2nd option from the left (right next to the word TOP)
STEP 3: Look for the 解約 button
STEP 4: Look for the same word, and confirm cancellation
That's it! (When july comes, if there are extra steps required, I'll post a follow up 😅
On the advice of a redditor, I trialed a different VPN, and wasn't blocked on the website, so I can finally watch JITD in all its HD glory:
1) Set your VPN to Japan (I used ExpressVPN this time)
2) Change the time zone on your computer to UTC +9 (Japan's time zone)
3) Voila! You should have no issues!
This is the error code you will see if you don't change your time zone:
heyy I came to Tumblr because of your mpw analysis I can't believe you disappeared 😭 I am honestly always worried about you and I wonder what must have happened. I hope you are okay and only gave up on this account because you didn't wanna do analysis anymore or the like, that is my best hope.
Hey thank you so much for the message and I'm so sorry for causing you so much worry 🫂 Life got too hectic and I couldn't continue, and then things just dragged on, and "Ep 7 subtitle corrections" has been on my to do list in red for 2 years now 🥲🥲🥲
Thank you so much for messaging and caring, and again I'm really sorry for just disappearing like that - I didn't sign in to tumblr so I didn't get any notifications. I still hope to complete MPW's analysis tbh, I hate to see it unfinished. Coming back and seeing messages like yours does give me a lot of encouragement! So really, thank you!
Quick tutorial in case anyone wants to sign up (and later cancel) for a WOWOW on Demand account in order to watch Justice in the Dark when it airs at midnight JST on the 7th of March (aka Thursday night going into Friday morning).
Under the cut to reduce spam!
Before you start, please know that whilst you will sign up on the website, you will only be able to watch the shows using the phone app itself, because the website blocks VPNs.
You will need:
The ability to install the WOWOW on demand apk on your android phone (for iPhone users, it's available on the Jp app store, but I can't help beyond that)
A VPN (I used surfshark)
Access to a JP phone number (I used the number given on my forwarding service)
A credit card
2530 JPY per month (JITD is expected to end sometime in June 2025)
STEP 1: Set your VPN to Japan, go to the WOWOW website as shown, and click on the blue tab circled in orange
STEP 2: This just informs you that the service costs 2530 JPY/mth. Click the blue tab again.
STEP 3: Key in your email and click the button to receive a 4-digit OTP (it will be the first and only string of 4 digits you see in the mail). Major email domains should work.
STEP 4: You should receive the OTP within 3-5mins. If you don't receive the email, check your junk folder etc I lost patience after 2 mins and clicked the button 😅
STEP 5: This is all pretty self-explanatory. Don't ask me to translate the T&C/privacy agreement because I didn't read it either 😬
Congratulations! You have successfully created a WOWOW Online account (this is the normal account which lets you watch free videos/livestreams for eg, Spirealm Ep 1 is free to watch for now).
Next, you want to create a WOWOW on Demand account, which is the service that will give you access to JITD, the rest of Spirealm episodes, and if you are in Japan with a BS Cable subscription, the ability to watch and record WOWOW shows on your TV.
STEP 6: FINALLY we get to the most important bit, so of course I forgot to screencap it. For your Surname and First name, you will need to type it in Japanese text, so go ahead and google translate your name. For the phone number, I used the number from my Jp forwarding service (tenso), but I did try again by changing a few numbers, and it actually went through to step 4 so... if you don't have a forwarding service, you could try random numbers following the 03-1234-5678 format? Don't quote me on that.
Click the blue button at the bottom (which I accidentally cropped out) to move on.
STEP 7: A confirmation window will pop up, keep clicking the blue button...
STEP 8: Almost there. Ignore all the blue buttons and choose the credit card payment option.
STEP 9: Scroll down and key in your credit card details (doesn't have to be Japanese), agree to the service agreement and then hit the blue button again. You will not be charged yet.
STEP 10: Confirm you really do want to spend 2530 JPY x per mth (which for JITD would be 3 months = 7590 JPY = USD$50) and click the blue button again. Your CC will be charged here.
Congrats! You're done (and broke)! Now, using your log in details, log on to the app and search 光淵 or こうえん (you will need to use your VPN on your phone too)
HOW TO CANCEL WOWOW
You will be able to watch shows for one month from that date your subscription was charged. Ie, if charged on the 3rd of July, and you cancelled on the 31st of July, you would be able to access WOWOW on demand till the 2nd of August (1 month from the 3rd of July). Hence, please remember to cancel a few days before your subscription is charged, just in case the application takes a few days to be processed.
STEP 1: Log in and go to My WOWOW
STEP 2: You'll be brought to your profile page, choose the 2nd option from the left (right next to the word TOP)
STEP 3: Look for the 解約 button
STEP 4: Look for the same word, and confirm cancellation
That's it! (When july comes, if there are extra steps required, I'll post a follow up 😅
my observations and take on some nuances not conveyed in translation
my drawn out summary part 2!
*Disclaimer: I'm not critiquing existing translations, I think the translators have done a phenomenal job! Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth.
Part 1
Language Use in Kiseki
Ep 4 Cont
More tears. This scene hurts so bad. Ai Di actually says "Blind or what? Having followed him for so long, it's not as though unaware of whom he likes..." It's difficult to translate these lines because there are no first person pronouns used. On one hand, it's Ai Di scolding himself for holding on to his unrequited feelings for Chen Yi (seen in the translation above). On the other hand, he is also scolding Chen Yi for the same thing with regards to CDY.
Ep 5
Time for some comedy to soothe the angst. Our boy really went to school punning and naming himself Edison (and I think the intent was with Thomas Edison in mind lmao).
Ep 8
There's so much we don't know about Ai Di. Here Chen Yi actually asks if Ai Di wants to return to school. Coupled with how Ai Di deflected and told him to stop joking around, and how he told Zong Yi he doesn't need to attend school because he's a genius, it suggests that Ai Di has some regrets about not having the normal life peers his age lead.
Ep 9 💔
This was the most heartbreaking scene imo. Here Ai Di says "你再怎么喜欢他，你再怎么努力，他看的永远不会是你。" - "No matter how much you like him, no matter how hard you try, the one he looks at will forever not be you." While it's clear it's directed at Chen Yi, to a degree it's also Ai Di directing it at himself.
He goes on to say "会看着你的他妈只有我。" 他妈 is a vulgarity (essentially meant to insult someone's mother) which the subtitles and translation have censored, and this line translates into "The only fucking person who will look at you is me."
Let's make it angstier. Ai Di says "只有我，从小看到大。我蠢，我猪。", which has been translated into "Only I, for all my life...I'm such a stupid fool". The translation is fine but it doesn't reflect just how vulnerable Ai Di was in this moment, as though he heart was breaking right alongside Chen Yi’s. My translation would be "Only I, since I was young till now when I am old, have been looking at you. I'm naive. I'm foolish."
This is the line that has made me teared every single rewatch. Ai Di isn't stupid but he is aware that he is being foolish, chasing so desperately all his life after someone who doesn't see him as anything more than a brother .
Ai Di regrets and he says "这件事我帮你扛，抵昨天晚上的事情行吧。我说行就行。" which has been translated into "I'll take the blame for you to make up for what I did to you last night. It's a deal." I felt it was more of a resigned question Ai Di poses, "I'll carry the blame for you, to make up for yesterday night's affair, alright? If I say that's fine, then it's fine."
I was surprised to see this! Here, because Ai Di will not follow willingly, Chen Yi picks him up, and he purposely steps over the pot of burning coal on Ai Di's behalf. I'm not too sure if it's a Chinese thing or religion thing, but in my home country, some Chinese (esp the older folks) say that upon returning home after incarceration, one has to step over burning coal to wash away the bad luck. Very neat that they included this custom!
The same thing Ai Di tells Zong Yi not to say "再见" - see you again; they wouldn’t want to see prison again (which has been translated into goodbye).
This is why people think ChenAi switch, also courtesy of Hsu Kai who pointed this line out. Ai Di says "做回来就不欠啦" which translates into "Do it back and I'll no longer owe you". (more context in comments)
Ep 10
Matt Lee's character who was Ai Di's friend at the bar before jail mentions that Ai Di even dyed his hair blonde upon going overseas to further his education. Meaning, Ai Di's friends were told that he was schooling overseas when he was actually in prison 😢
Ai Di tells Chen Yi "应该多培养一些人在你旁边了，被开枪的时候，才有人帮你垫背" which translates into "You should cultivate relationships so more people will be by your side, so that when the gun is fired, there will be someone to take the bullet for you". Ai Di's done it once, he doesn't want to do it again. And Chen Yi smiles weakly after Ai Di says this because Ai Di just confirmed that he went to jail in Chen Yi's stead.
Ep 11
Like Xiao Jie says, Chen Yi really sucks at wooing someone, so much so that even Xiao Jie is better. On receiving the signature, Ai Di asks if Chen Yi thinks he is BTS (bangtan) and that he can sell his autograph 😂
Ep 12
Chen Yi says "我是在你离开之后，我才发现自己真正喜欢的是你" which has been translated into "It's true I realised you are the one with whom I'm in love while you were gone." I would prefer if it had been "It was only after you left that I realised the one whom I actually love is you". Keyword 真正 - really/actually.
Ai Di uses more heart-rending words. Instead of "Don't make me your rebound just because you can't get the one you love", it would be better translated as "Don't randomly use anybody as a substitute just because you couldn't have the person you love."
Cake scene translations
The most heartbreaking line of this scene. 再 - again. Ai Di actually says "Never again will I step aside for anyone." Implicitly, he was previously going to give up on Chen Yi for CDY.
ok this was a longass post but I wanted to keep most of the angst here
my observations and take on some nuances not conveyed in translation
to cope while waiting for Tuesday, I've been rewatching Ai Di scenes and noticed some things! this is my drawn out summary
*Disclaimer: I'm not critiquing existing translations, I think the translators have done a phenomenal job! Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth.
Part 2
Language Use in Kiseki
Ep 2
Here I realised, Chen Yi was the one who first said these lines to Ai Di, before Ai Di repeated them to Chen Yi in Ep 12. And the wording is exactly the same...sighs...these two
Ep 3
I died. After Chen YI delivered his line "我不找你，你就不会跟喔" - "Like as if you wouldn't have tagged along if I didn't find you", Ai Di actually mouthed "我就不会跟" - "I wouldn't have come". Given his facial expressions mocking Chen Yi's brooding face, I think he was being snarky and just parroting Chen Yi 😭
Chen Dong Yang asked them "当回总堂是回娘家" - basically asking them if they take HQ to be their maiden home. 回娘家 doesn't really have any deep meaning (except returning to your maiden home), but chinese/taiwanese dramas usually have female characters use this term when they are being bullied by their husband's family...make of it what you will...
Furthermore, before this he asked them to "叫老爸" (call me dad) when they called him 老大 (boss) and he kept making excuses for them in front of Zhou Ming Lei.
CDY really sees himself as their papa...
Ai Di calls Chen Yi "竖子". Coward fits the context but more directly, it is a derogatory way of calling someone a brat. Chen Yi gets upset because a punk younger than himself is being rude, and I think he got Ai Di's hidden barb - a reminder that Chen Yi is but a kid, especially in CDY's eyes, and how CDY will never see him as a man.
Ai Di makes a double entendre. He says "他会变老，你会长大。长大。" - "He'll grow old, you'll grow up. Grow big." 长大 in mandarin usually means growing up but can also mean /ahem/ growing big. To let Chen Yi know he's thinking dirty, Ai Di purposely looks down in the vicinity of Chen Yi's crotch and smirks.
Ai Di continues provoking Chen Yi, calling him 大哥哥 mockingly. Big bro is a correct translation but doesn't convey Ai Di's feelings. Here he's ironically calling Chen Yi the mandarin equivalent of onii-chan.
Our boy is a big ball of hurt and only knows how to express it through antagonising Chen Yi 🥲
Ep 4
Sighs. I really believe Zong Yi has a profound impact on Ai Di. Zong Yi is the one who told Ai Di that birthdays should be shared with people you like, and Ai Di took it to heart! He repeated this to Chen Yi in Ep 12.
Chen Yi I love you but I wanna smack you. Here he is speaking to CDY and in reference to their birthday, he uses "我的" (my), before adding on "还有艾迪" (and also Ai Di's), instead of using “我们的" (ours). Boy here really wants to be special in papa's eyes...
The translation is correct but the emphasis is lost. 那么 - so much. Ze Rui is asking Ai Di why he likes Chen Yi so much. Ai Di's dejection must have been so palpable Ze Rui felt he had to ask Ai Di just why Chen Yi was so good that Ai Di has to subject himself to so much pain.
Time for some Chen Yi redemption. Ai Di explains why. Again, translations are okay but nuances are lost. Chen Yi is the one who found Ai Di when he was so ill he was on the brink of death. Chen Yi is the one who cares for him the most (alt. gets in his business the most), the one who scolds him the most. And Chen Yi is also the one who looks after him the most.
替他 - substitute for him. Chen Yi really is Ai Di's everything so much so that he is willing to die on behalf of Chen Yi. There is a fine nuance between dying for (为他去死) vs dying on behalf (替他去死). I can't put it into words well but to me, I would say the former means there is an intentionality in following your fate, while the latter means there is an active choice in exchanging your fate for someone else's.
this post is getting too long, continued in Part 2
I have a language question! I am going to tag in @notfreetoday because I'd love their thoughts, but I'm interested in any input. My understanding is that '-kun' is a suffix added in affection, like it is one that you would put on the name of someone that you like (or are very close with). This is based off of livejournal discussions regarding Sailor Moon circa 2004, so I won't say this belief is coming from a fully trustworthy source, but it's kinda been reinforced by the Japanese media I've consumed since that time, like I can't think of a situation where I've seen that used outside of a close relationship (not necessarily romantic, but very close) and so I'm just wondering if Segasaki choosing to to call him Yoh-kun essentially immediately is something that would be considered normal. I imagine age dynamics/seniority are probably a factor as well, though I don't know specifically how they would factor in. And because of their individual personalities and interpersonal dynamic, I wouldn't expect Yoh to have pushed back on the use of '-kun' even if it was out of the ordinary. But yeah, if anyone has insight into this, I would appreciate it. My googling essentially led me to conflicting answers so....
First of all - Sailor Moon was my first anime and I still have the Sailor Moon cards 🤣🤣 Thank you for the tag and the question!! As usual, I have taken something that could be answered in 30secs and turned it into 30mins! I hope you don't mind the length 😅
I'm just wondering if Segasaki choosing to to call him Yoh-kun essentially immediately is something that would be considered normal. I imagine age dynamics/seniority are probably a factor as well
Yes, this would be considered normal, and you are right that seniority plays a part! (the short answer ends here 🤣)
The suffix -kun is usually used for males, although it can, in certain situations, also be used for females. It is considered a polite form of address, though is comparatively a little less polite than -san. Hence, in modern day Japanese, it's usually used to refer to someone who is either of equal rank to you, or lower.
Wrt it being used to signify a close relationship - it really depends on the context. Going from -san to -kun definitely signifies a change in relationship to one that is closer, or more intimate. The use of -kun alone without any prior comparison though, does not tell us anything about the horizontal distance between the two speakers - ie, how close they are - particularly when they are both males, since in University it is very common to use -kun amongst males to address their peers or their juniors (we could sort of take a gander at the possible vertical distance between them though, using other contextual clues).
So, as the senior, Segasaki is well within his right and the social norm to address Yoh as -kun. Of course, if Yoh had actually remembered to give his full name, Tanada Yoh, and Segasaki chose Yoh-kun instead of Tanada-kun, then we could make the argument that Segasaki was at least interested in coming across as friendlier/closer by choosing to use Yoh's first name over his last name. (Going straight to Yoh, without any suffix, would just be plain rude, unless they were in the same university activity club or something similar).
But, if Yoh had jumped straight to Mizuki-kun, then that would be unusual and slightly presumptive, because that would technically imply that he might not be respecting Segasaki's position as his senior, and could come across as rude (again, context plays a big part). Tbf, as the junior in the relationship it's already presumptive to jump straight to Mizuki-san, so the fact that Segasaki simply laughs this off without correcting Yoh signals to us that he's probably a pretty nice guy. (In case you were wondering, both Mizuki and Yoh are very obviously first names, so Yoh can't exactly claim ignorance here.)
This is a slight tangent but - it is common practice to use -kun as a term of reference when addressing fellow politicians at the National Diet (link in Jp), regardless of gender, in order to ensure that social hierarchy does not interfere with the political discussions.
Anyway @halliescomut hope this answers your question and feel free to ask anything else you want to know! Or tag me in your meta again, like that incredibly detailed analysis of Yoh's drawings!
I made a tumblr account bc of your amazing posts about MPW! Never used the platform b4 but I love it, just wondering if you will continue to post about the last 2 episodes? You opened up a new world for someone like me who does not speak the language or have insight into the culture! U are really awesome! thank you for the hard work with the posts!
Hi Anon welcome to tumblr and thank you!! Glad you've enjoyed them!! 😁😁
Yes I will finish the last 2 episodes for sure, as well as at least 2 more analysis posts (part 3 and 4, as listed on the masterlist). I'm still very well stuck on MPW and am not going anywhere just yet 😆😆
Thank you for the encouragement!
(PS usually we change our DP because leaving it as the default...shape means you might sometimes get confused for a bot!)
Segasaki x Yoh: Shifts in Emotion and Acknowledging Roles
Masterlist || Language Analysis Part 1 || The Importance of Amae ||
In Japanese, one cannot utter a sentence without communicating at least two things:
(1) the actual content of the message itself, the referential meaning; and
(2) a metamessage about the relationship between the speaker and the listener, an indexical meaning.
A striking feature about Japanese is that it is the latter message that most often assumes greater importance.
From: Creating an Ideal Self: Theories of Selfhood and Pedagogy at a Japanese Ethics Retreat by Dorinne K. Kondo
Every sentence that Segasaki and Yoh say to each other carries 2 meanings - the one we read in the subtitles, and too often, the one that never travels across the screen. The "miscommunication" that many perceive to be happening isn't always just about "using actions vs words" (though there is much to be said about that too) - the words are being used, but it's hard to hear them when said words are in Japanese and packed with information English is simply not designed to carry.
So, with 6 episodes of corrections made and nuances explained, it's finally time to get back to actually talking about how all of this adds to our understanding of the characters and of their relationship. In these 6 episodes, both Segasaki and Yoh have run the entire gamut of speech levels - but where Segasaki shifts consistently and with purpose, Yoh tends to shift as a reflexive, or reactionary response.
Or, what Segasaki choosing to shift up a speech level means to Yoh, and what Yoh's inconsistent shifts tells Segasaki (and us), about his emotional state. I'm kinda sorta not really sorry about this but ah, it's maybe possibly probably even longer than usual??
Quick Recap of Part 1:
We established two key aspects of their relationship:
1) They both acknowledge the power differential between them
- Segasaki, by using "rougher" speech patterns, and Yoh, by tending to stick to the more polite end of the scale.
2) They both consider themselves to be from the same "in-group"
- Both of them default to informal speech patterns when speaking to each other (even Yoh, despite being the junior/lower on the social hierarchy)
And now on to Part 2!
Changes in Emotion: Yoh
Yoh tends to experience his emotions rather intensely, and through his monologues we understand that he isn't always able to process these emotions immediately. As such, the shifts in his speech levels tend to happen subconsciously - there isn't an immediately obvious, predictable pattern to those shifts, because they are simply a reflection of how he's feeling in the moment.
Y: あ、いや。なんでもない…です*
Y: Ah, iya, nandemonai…desu*
Y: Ah, no, it's….nothing*
The shift to polite form, and the awkward manner in which he does it, reflects Yoh's growing insecurity (See EP 2 for other examples).
From the moment Segasaki starts returning home late, Yoh becomes more and more unsure of where he stands with Segasaki, and this growing emotional distance is conveyed through his speech patterns becoming (awkardly) more polite than in Ep 1. He speaks hesitantly and indirectly, until he gets drunk (and even then, his insecurity still shows in how he barely switches down to rough speech during their not-argument).
In Ep 3, we again see Yoh shifting up to polite forms often, except this time, the shifts show his gratitude as well as sincerity.
Because of how ridiculously expensive the pork bun is, Yoh expresses his thanks by saying the full ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu) here as opposed to just "arigatou" or other more casual forms. In return, Segasaki acknowledges the formality Yoh pays him with a nod (and a mouthful of pork bun).
Y: すいません
Y: suimasen
Y: I'm sorry
This is the more formal version of "I'm sorry" (textbook pronunciation is sumimasen, but textbooks are for nerds Yoh's version is very common as well and still polite)
In both these scenes, Yoh switches to suimasen as opposed to his usual, and more casual, ごめん / ごめんなさい (gomen/gomen nasai), that he also uses in this episode. As previously mentioned, "sorry" in Japanese can also be used to mean "thank you". Here Yoh is doing both - apologizing for Segasaki having to "go the extra mile" to take care of him (ie, he feels he has imposed upon Segasaki - a fear he has mentioned a few times), and at the same time also expressing his gratitude for being taken care of. However, it's the shift up to the polite version that conveys his sincerity, and carries the extra message that - despite his regret at imposing on Segasaki - Yoh still values these moments and feels touched by them.
Both times, you see Segasaki taking note of this, albeit slightly confused, and probably a little shy too (Segasaki is after all, very good at picking up on social cues - especially Yoh's - and spends the whole of Ep 3 doing just that).
Y: 漫画が とてもだめです
Y: manga ga totemo dame desu
Y: (My) manga is... really bad.
Yoh spends most of Ep 5 safely ensconced in the informal speech level, switching up only twice - the above scene, and later when he attributes his recovery to Segasaki's care as a way of thanks. The switch in the bathroom is sudden, and adds a sense of certainty to his statement that reflects the intensity of the despair he feels (even though he comes across as more kicked puppy than anything). The formality is also a way to "distance" himself from the reality of it, because it does hurt to acknowledge this.
All of these instances show us that Yoh's shifts up in speech levels tend to reflect when he's feeling vulnerable in some way - when he's insecure, dejected or hurt, or when he feels that he has imposed upon Segasaki.
So then, does Yoh also shift down?
Well, yes and no.
Left (Ep 4):
Y: ふざけんな [very rude]
Y: Fuzakenna
Y: The hell are you doing!
Right (Ep 5):
Y: バカにすんなよ！[slurred vowels]
Y: baka ni sun na yo
Y: Don't look down on me!
Even if we include (just barely) the non-argument of Ep 2, there honestly aren't many scenarios in which Yoh shifts down to a "rougher" speech pattern - and he never drops as low as Segasaki does. This has to do with both his acknowledgement of the power differential that exists between Segasaki and him, as well as his less assertive nature. In fact, even when speaking to Man-san, with whom he shares his thoughts more freely, Yoh remains casual, but not rough. (Man-san is waaaay rougher than Yoh, tbh). Hence, when Yoh does shift down, it tends to be explosive and short lived, just like his frustration or anger.
So why "yes and no"? Because being lower in the social hierarchy also introduces another, more interesting way to express yourself - by choosing not to switch up.
We see this in Ep 5, when Yoh tries to lie about going to Man-san's place. He sticks to his baseline informal speech when he announces this, whereas he previously used polite speech in Ep 4. Is it possible that Yoh was simply overcompensating and trying too hard to sound casual to hide his lie in Ep 5? Yes. But before coming to that conclusion, there is another important detail to note - that instances like this, where Yoh doesn't switch up, have gradually been increasing as the show progresses.
In Ep 5 and 6, Yoh uses the slightly less formal gomen nasai to apologize (contrast this with Ep 2's suimasen mentioned earlier). Given that Yoh himself mentions in Ep 5 that he thought Segasaki would be angry, and in Ep 6 clearly underscores his apology with a proper bow (yes, there are standards to how you should bow in Japan) - you would think that these 2 situations would be the perfect time to switch back up again. So why? Once again, the key to unlocking the metamessage is the wider context; i.e., we need to consider what Segasaki has been doing. please indulge my desire to sound cool and mysterious despite already announcing it in the title
Establishing Roles: Segasaki
In direct contrast to Yoh, Segasaki is very consistent with his speech shifts, and a clear pattern emerges. First off - when Segasaki is angry with Yoh, he drops straight down.
Left (Ep 2):
S: てめぇ [very, very rude]
S: temee
S: You
Right (Ep 5):
S: 分かってねぇだろ 分かってねぇから 泊りで仕事とか言い出すんだろうが [slurred Rs, word contraction, slurred vowels]
S: wakattenee daro wakattenee kara tomari de shigoto toka ii dasun darou ga
S: You don't do you? You don't understand and that's why you can just say things like you'll stay out to work overnight.
Like, waaaaaaaay down. The argument in Ep 5 is the most obvious example of this, but using "temee" to address someone like he does in Ep 2 is very very rude and, together with the "haaah?!" Segasaki says before this line, also does a lot to convey that he is Not Happy.
S: 明日は仕事すんのか [word contraction]
S: ashita wa shigoto sun no ka
S: すんのかしないのか、どっちだよ [word contraction, informal, assertive end particle]
S: sun no ka shinai no ka, docchi da yo
S: Are you working tomorrow?
S: Working or not, which is it?
The lines in this interaction from Ep 3 aren't really rude per se - certainly not compared to temee - but they are rougher than his usual and very direct. We've seen Segasaki do this multiple times throughout the episodes - dropping his levels when he's being assertive, and it is in response to that assertiveness, that Yoh gives the following reply:
Y: いや、ないです [plain forms, but with the addition of desu form]
Y: Iya, nai desu
Y: No, I don't [have anything planned]
Mixing plain forms with -desu at the end makes Yoh's reply a little more formal, and is another way in which Yoh acknowledges the power differential between them. Being higher in the social hierarchy means Segasaki enjoys a greater sense of linguistic freedom, and shifts down in speech level are therefore unsurprising, and indeed, expected.
So, if there is no real need for Segasaki to shift up, then, what does it mean when he chooses to do so?
Left:
S: まあ 残念ながら 相手は大嫌いな俺ですけど
S: Maa... zennen nagara aite wa daikirai na ore desukedo
S: Well, unfortunately, your partner is me - who you hate so much
Right:
S: 好きにさせてもらうけど...な ？
S: suki ni sasete morau kedo... na?
S: I'll gratefully do as I please...yea?
After an entire episode of using Yoh's own words to tease him as a way to try and get Yoh to face his own feelings, Segasaki lands his sharpest and strongest push of the day in these 2 scenes not by reinforcing the hierarchy between them, but by subverting it. Shifting up to a more formal speech level when he doesn't have to, particularly in the second scene where he uses deferential word forms, creates the illusion of elevating Yoh in the hierarchy, which is then immediately undermined by the irreverent tone in which Segasaki says them.
In other words, Segasaki only shifts up as a power play.
S: よくできました
S: yoku dekimashita
We first see Segasaki use this formal way of saying "well done" at the end of Ep 3 and again in Ep 4, and it brings to mind the literal stamp of approval that teachers often give to students in school. Here, there is no teasing or subversion of the hierarchy going on. Segasaki is establishing his role in Yoh's life - to provide and care for him - through the use of polite speech, and reinforcing the power differential between them in the most straightforward way possible.
This use of polite speech allows the speaker to indirectly index their social identity - often as one who is in charge or responsible. Within the Japanese household, it also happens when a role/obligation (often parental) is being carried out - eg , a parent might switch to polite speech to indicate their role as provider when asking the rest of the family "What would you like to eat?". Similarly, we again see Segasaki underscore his role in the following:
Left (Ep 5)
S: ごちそうさまでした
S: Gochisousama deshita
S: Thank you for the food
Right (Ep 4)
S: 寝るなら部屋いきな*
S: neru nara heya ikina
S: If you're going to sleep, then go to the room alright?
In Ep 5, Segasaki leads the saying of this standard phrase, customarily said at the end of a meal to express gratitude to everything that made the meal possible. It is the use of the full, more formal version (as opposed to just gochisousama) that indexes his role as Yoh's caregiver when he leads in saying this, and indeed he spends most of Ep 5 enjoying that role. In Ep 4, although he does not quite use the -masu form here, the imperative form "ikina" brings to mind a parent trying to coax their child to bed, the same way Segasaki is doing to a very drunk and sleepy Yoh.
This is the key we were looking for - with every episode, Segasaki consistently reinforces his role in Yoh's life, the same way he consistently responds to and encourages Yoh's amae. And with every episode, Yoh becomes a little more confident of his place with Segasaki, a little more willing to believe that maybe Segasaki might really return his feelings. It's easy to look at Yoh in Ep 2, see him push Segasaki away, and think that the same Yoh appears in Ep 5, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Because in Ep 2, a drunk Yoh barely drops to rough speech, whereas in Ep 5, a sober Yoh feels safe enough to even "curse" a little (well, as far as cursing goes in Japan at least, which admittedly is not far). In both word and action, they have both grown, and have both contributed to the strengthening of their relationship.
So! In conclusion (omg we made it to the end) we have established that:
Segasaki has a clear, predictable pattern in his shifts - he switches up to formal when establishing or reinforcing his role in Yoh's life, but when he's serious, or angry with Yoh, he drops all the way down.
Yoh is less consistent, because his shifts tend to be more subconscious and reflective of his emotional state. He's more inclined to switch up when he's in a vulnerable state, eg, feeling insecure or dejected, or when he wants to express his sincerity in apologizing or showing gratitude. When he's nervous, or in response to Segasaki either being direct with him or upset with him, he'll sort of switch up too (ie, he'll mix polite forms with informal forms, or he'll try to say things in an indirect way).
Through the use of speech level shifts, both Segasaki and Yoh indirectly reinforce and acknowledge their individual roles in each other's life, and by observing the changes in these shifts over time, we the audience are able to track the progression of their relationship as well.
In the next part, we'll look at the differences in the way they speak to others versus between themselves - looking specifically at examples from Ep 4, 6 and 7.
As always, thank you for reading, and feel free to ask any questions! (*ˊᗜˋ*)/
If there is one thing that's been worrying the Ai Di/Chen Yi faction is the number of times Ai Di mentions dying, specifically dying to protect Chen Yi. We've been hurt by foreshadowing before, and while I can't discount him getting shot (please LIVE), there might be another explanation for this theme.
Before I delve in, a quick shoutout to @notfreetoday who provided a rough summary of a livestream from Louis Chiang (Ai Di) and Nat Chen (Chen Yi). Please note I'm doing a bit of interpreting from a quick translation, so please don't read too deeply into any specific word choice.
There were a few interesting themes that the actors brought up around love. LC noted that although Ai Di loves Chen Yi, he doesn't recognize it as love, but rather a feeling of possession, wanting to both possess and protect Chen Yi. Chen Yi is the center of Ai Di's world, the only one who ever cared and protected him. We can see this often in the early episodes where Ai Di will do almost anything, including being an absolute pest, to get Chen Yi's attention. (Another little aside from @notfreetoday, LC ad-libbed virtually the whole scene. His instructions were 'be annoying'. God...I love him.)
Chen Yi, on the other hand, has misconstrued wanting their boss's approval and encouragement as love.
The important issue here is that neither of them have a good template for love. They both come from broken backgrounds and their life in the gang is the closest thing to family and love that they have ever experienced. It doesn't map on any usual template of love. What they do know is the specter of death and wanting to protect the other with their life. To them that is the highest form of devotion.
Also in the interview, the actors note that there is a sort of desperation to their love, especially since they feel like they could die any day.
The discussion in their interview puts this exchange in a different context. Ai Di brings up the fact that they could die at any time, who cares, and Chen Yi immediately counters that he cares. However, he tacks on the true killer for Ai Di, it's his responsibility. Ai Di doesn't want a declaration of responsibility. This is why he is so upset and they part angry with each other.
All this talk of death and taking a bullet for each other may not entirely be foreshadowing, but actually represent how they are communicating their feelings about their love in the only language they know. (Please, please, let this not be foreshadowing. I need my feral cat and his stoic love to live.)
A common criticism of My Personal Weatherman that I’ve been seeing is “why don’t they just have a conversation about it already?” I certainly sympathize with the truth behind that statement; it can be frustrating to watch fictional characters refuse to communicate for reasons that feel manufactured.
But that’s not what’s happening in this show. Segasaki and Yoh are constantly trying to communicate, taking steps to and from each other. They have such difficulty getting on the same page, despite the depth of their feelings for each other, because their individual neuroses and baggage place them in totally different books. To quote @notfreetoday again (it just happens to be the best encapsulation of the show!) "it’s not about what is being said (or not), it’s about what is (and isn’t) being heard." It doesn’t matter if Segasaki’s willing to vow eternal love (which he is, the big softie) if Yoh can't hear him because he believes he's fundamentally unworthy of love. Yoh has to hear him first.
And that’s why I love this finale, because I think it so beautifully demonstrates their growth over the course of the series, the ways they still have to go, and their commitment to finding a way forward.
First and foremost: they’re both willing to be more honest with each other. Yoh asking Segasaki to untie him is quite spicy, but also quite heartwarming; the reason Yoh wants to be untied, presumably, is to touch Segasaki back, and he’s willing to advocate for himself in bed to do it. * And when Segasaki teases him too hard with the idea of a new rule, Yoh (who doesn’t seem to understand he's being teased) calmly tells Segasaki no. These would be unfathomable actions to Yoh in Episode 1.
As for Segasaki... I really love Segasaki finally outright asking for Yoh to greet him when he comes home. It’s a moment of vulnerability for Segasaki, but it’s also a moment for Yoh to step up. Yoh specifically states in his internal monologue that he doesn’t get it; why would Segasaki get so happy over this one little thing? In the first few episodes, Yoh registers similar, more subtle requests by Segasaki as orders that he figuratively rolls his eyes at and dismisses because he doesn’t understand them.
But here, Yoh moves past that; just because he doesn’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s not important to Segasaki, and he wants to make Segasaki happy. So he does it, and promises to keep doing it, making Segasaki feel so affirmed and loved and cared for that he immediately pounces on Yoh (lol).
Things aren’t quite perfect, though, because communication is not a one and done proposition. It’s a continuous thing, and they’ve only just begun. Yoh not getting the manga confession is funny, but also demonstrates the degree to which he still struggles with subtext (which the manga confession barely qualifies as†) and overtures that fall short of, well, tying him up. Segasaki teases Yoh too hard with that “new rule” (though he does smooth things over with a “Just kidding”) and still clearly believes that the Shady Editor is at large.
But the important thing is that these things, which would once have derailed them, are no longer such staggering obstacles. They can reach out to each other without fear of rejection, even if the answer is no, because they’re willing to put in the work for a relationship that is so important to them.
The dinners in Episode 1 and Episode 8 are the bookends of the series; the same event (dinner at home), but featuring their relationship in very different places. In Episode 1, dinner is quiet and more dimly lit (the camera looks into the living room) with Yoh in his own head and not quite making eye contact... as well as lying to himself that Segasaki isn’t eying him up like he’s dessert. In Episode 8, we stay on a shot of them at the dining table, looking into the warmly lit kitchen, as they eat and talk and clearly take great pleasure in each other’s company. They’ve been together this entire time, but now they’re together. That’s why we can end the story here; that’s why this is a satisfying ending.
I think these two crazy kids are gonna make it after all.
(Although I would never say no to more My Personal Weatherman...)
* It took me a minute, but I howled at seeing that the sheets had been changed after this scene. Continuity!
