I think I'm the only person in the world to still care about the kurokumo clan. They call them the 007 clan: 0 wins, 0 fans and 7 instances of getting beat up to show that somebody else is strong
oh this collar? no no it's not a sex thing, yeah it's not really for fashion either. yeah no it keeps my head attached. yeah my head? it's detached? yeah no it falls right off if i don't wear the collar, huge pain in the ass. the jingle bell is a sex thing though.
I am destroyed, dear void. Whump, less than ideal poll results, and a novel of translation notes have transformed me into primordial sludge.
Here's a special page (in somewhat sus English) on the official website and an official YouTube video for the popularity poll results. TL notes and useless opinions on that at the end of this long-ass ramble.
Editor's Notes:
First Page: 激闘!! [gekitou!!] "A fierce fight!!"
Last Page: 敗北、そしてー [haiboku, soshite-] "Defeat, and then..."
The Fight
Well then.
I'll admit that Yoshinojo going down doesn't bother me, though it's a bit hurtful to lose Hiroto. At least they probably only felt a fleeting moment of pain before dying. But I'm absolutely fucking wrecked by losing Mashiro. Especially after this:
Just two and a half pages and a half and I am obliterated. An orphan learning warmth and human connection for the first time by connecting with a senpai who influences him the "wrong way" according to society... a straight-laced government guy meeting a free spirit and becoming his partner like it's the most natural thing in the world... and then he dies in such a brutal way! After having so much faith in his senpai! Right up until the very end! And given his circumstances, Shiba is probably the only person who would really mourn him...
Ariu really twisted the knife by using the sword that Shiba had Kunishige make for Mashiro to slice his neck.
GOD.
How's Kunishige going to feel if he learns that one of his precious blades is in the hands of the enemy? That it was misused to hurt his best friend? He doesn't make swords for just anyone; Mashiro was special to Shiba, and Kunishige trusted Shiba enough to make one just for him.
Speaking of, how's Shiba going to keep going after losing so much and being spared in such a cruel way? We know he does, but damn. Damn. Ariu even dragged the couch over to sit in front of him to make sure he knew the difference in their power.
Shiba's Sorcery
It only took us a hundred and twenty one chapters, four bonus chapters, and a bunch of break weeks to learn what this man is doing when he's sending people flying. And the way it's phrased, it's absolutely nuts.
And once again there is something to think about due to the kanji used to spell it. 兒 (ko) is very, very old and not used outside of naming these days- it was essentially replaced by 児 (ko/-ko-/-kko). The overall "vibe" of 悪兒 evokes a small scion of an ancient evil... but the forced reading of いたずら (itazura) complicates things a little while reflecting on Shiba's character.
Itazura can mean two things: 悪戯 (mischief/prank, mischievous, fooling around with/tampering with) or 徒 (useless/vain/aimless/idle). I believe the ability name references the first spelling to tie it into Shiba's Devil-may-care attitude about a lot of things in life during this arc. He's a brat and a troublemaker that happens to have a near god-like ability which enables him to do some serious mischief. Dollars to doughnuts he's pranked more than a few people by making them lighter than air or suddenly appear somewhere else.
There's also some specific language about how it works used too. The term used- 一時的な不具合 (ichiji-teki na fuguai)- means "temporary glitch" in the most literal sense, but we again have some shenanigans in the Ruby above the phrase itself. It reads いちじてきエラー (ichiji-teki ERRAA), or 一時的エラー. This is a computing term for a temporary error. Basically, it's being described as if Shiba is hacking physical stats in a video game/program to perform short-lived "glitches". He's hacking reality itself! That is cool as fuck. (It also seems limited to himself and other people, no inanimate objects allowed. So no Wile E. Coyote shenanigans of dropping pianos on people's heads. Significantly less funny.)
Anyway, the feeling of the name is someone/something who's "just playing around" with horribly evil, ancient pranks (glitches) that result in serious consequences for the target(s).
The End... For Now
I took the gamble and lost. No twink death for Mashiro, only actual death. I am ruined and declare the rest of today a day of mourning for him.
The three guys who showed up on the island first -the diplomat and his two guards- also got names. I don't know which one is assigned to who so these are just for informational purposes I guess. Especially since they don't have any particular important meanings behind them.
日村 信春 - Himura Nobuharu; 日 (hi) - day, sun; 村 (mura) - village, town; 信 (nobu) - faith, trust, fidelity; 春 (haru) - springtime, spring (season). "Himura" isn't a common surname, but "Nobuharu" is a classic and somewhat old-fashioned name for guys.
針田 哲夫 - Harita Tetsuo; 針 (hari) - needle/pin/stinger/staple; 田 (ta) - rice paddy; 哲 (tetsu) - philosophy, clear, sage, wise man; 夫 (o) - husband, man. Another uncommon surname made with very common characters and a classic if somewhat old-fashioned name for guys.
高宮 晶 - Takamiya Akira; 高 (taka) - tall, high, expensive; 宮 (miya) - Shinto shrine, palace, constellations; 晶 (akira) - sparkle, crystal, clear; A common surname with a popular unisex given name.
(Name stat info is from 名字由来net)
I suppose next week we'll return to the mainland to catch up with Kunishige or Chiaki, maybe (hopefully) both. This chapter weighs heavily and we could do with a little levity. Well, I could at least.
Poll Results Yapping
If the total vote count of 23,196 seems kinda low, that's because it is. Kimetsu no Yaiba's first was also a mail-in campaign and it pulled in about 100k. Jujustu Kaisen's first poll was held at chapter 65 and pulled in a little over 163k (though it was held online, so that might have helped boost the results). Is Kagurabachi carried that hardcore by international hype? Did the Japanese suddenly decide it's too inconvenient to fill out and send in mail ballots? Are there a bunch of volume readers who didn't bother for whatever reason? There's no way to tell.
And thus we have some shenanigans in the results.
Only the gold text in the middle is relevant to translate (the rest is announcing the results, advertising vol. 11 being out in Japan, thanking participants, etc.)
纏らのは、強者の風格ー [matsura no wa, tsuwamono no fuukaku-] "What they don is the dignity of champions..."
Hokazono really pushing me to the limit here with the archaic readings... in short, 纏ら (matsura) is an old-timey and slightly poetic way to conjugate 纏う (matou), the verb for "to wear". It's like the difference between "he donned his cape and set forth" and "he put on his coat and left", but with the same verb (to wear).
Anyway it's supposed to sound solemn and impressive and a little Ye Olden Japanese because Hokazono loves drama in all it's forms.
So... how did we end up with those results?! Sazanami Enji in sixth place?!
The answer is simple: the only requirements to cast a vote were to
1) buy a particular issue of WSJ or volume of Kagurabachi that came with a poll form
2) fill it out
3) mail it in before the deadline (domestic mail only, no international submissions accepted)
This means that people who are crazy about one particular character can and absolutely did buy multiple copies to send in as many forms as they could afford to. Thus Enji's placement is most likely due to one very dedicated Yume shipper who spent thousands of yen to send in 1,004 forms for him. All filled out and mailed by hand. I don't really have a strong opinion about the character himself, but mad respect to his fan.
She notes that she spent 400,000円 to do this (~$2550 USD or ~€2166 Euros)
Shueisha, please make some Enji merch just for her. She deserves it. I also have it on good authority that 880 of Hiruhiko's votes came from three people. A handful of Fushimi fans are responsible for most of his too.
Hakuri should have been second next to Chihiro in my opinion, but at least it's Uruha that took the spot and not, say, a certain pink-haired brat. Hakuri will always be #1 in my heart anyway... even though he shouldn't be separated from Chihiro like that... watch your back, Uruha. Prove you belong there OR ELSE. Everyone else is more or less where I expected them to be. Well, not Enji. But a yume's love is just that strong.
Anyway, the EN blurbs on the official site are a bit weird and awkward (maybe they used AI?) so here's my crack at them. All of the characters have a comment under them but I don't have it in me to compare JP to EN for the whole list. My ask box is open if anyone wants a particular character outside of the top 15 looked at. _(´ཀ`」 ∠)_
I don't think there's any mistranslations, just stiff wording that sounds unnatural.
(The flair for the dramatics continues in Japanese since all the blurbs are using the same archaic/literary style as the colour spread text.)
Chihiro: その「侍」っぷりに誰もが惚れる!! 運命を斬り拓く主人公のチヒロが堂々の第１位を獲得!! || Everyone is captivated by his authentic "Samurai Spirit"!! Chihiro, the protagonist carving out his own destiny, takes the top spot!
Uruha: 熱きカムバックで人気沸騰!! 復活の剣豪が第２位に斬り込む!! || His popularity soared after his sensational comeback!! The resurrected swordsman slashes his way into second place!!
Hakuri: 不屈の闘志に魅了された者多数!! 紛れもない主力・伯理がベスト３に!! || His indomitable spirit captured many hearts!! Hakuri, a true core fighter, makes the top 3!!
(Note: The term used here, 主力 [shuryoku] - "core fighter", is what Hakuri was trying to convince himself he was back in chapter 81. Not important except for dweebs like me who like it when specific terms are re-used when appropriate for "I recognise that!!" moments. Many warm fuzzies for me!)
Shiba: いつだって頼れるお兄さんに皆が夢中！過去編での今後の活躍にも要注目!! || Everyone's crazy about the ever-reliable big brother! Keep an eye out for his future exploits in the flashback arc!!
Samura: 常にクールでスタイリッシュ、そして時々キュートな座村さんが第５位獲得!! || Always cool and stylish (and sometimes cute), Samura-san takes fifth place!!
(This incredibly cool and stylish action manga describes it's older men as occasionally cute? And has the protagonist's male best friend intentionally designed to be cute while occupying the heroine slot? With no traditional heroine in sight? Okay...)
Enji: イケてる髪型の男が大健闘!! 漣家「濤」の中ではまさかの第１位に君臨!! || The guy with the killer hairstyle pulls off a valiant performance! This upset means he takes the number 1 spot of the Sazanami family's "Tou"!
Hiruhiko: 毘灼勢の頂点に立ったのは、チヒロとの
熱戦で人気を博したトリックスター!! || This trickster is the top of the Hishaku; the fighter who skyrocketed to fame though fierce battles with Chihiro!
Azami: フィジカルNo.1の優しきお兄さんが熱き活躍と友情で読者の心も殴殺!? || The strongest physical fighter and kindhearted big brother type bludgeoned reader's hearts with his passionate actions and friendship!
(Why do they always downplay the violent language used for this extremely violent manga?)
Soya: 歪んだ愛が強烈な印象を残す⁉ お兄ちゃんは弟の６つ後ろの第９位!! || His twisted "love" left a powerful impression?! Big brother ranks 9th, six spots behind his younger brother!!
Fushimi: 命に代えて漆羽のため戦った姿が感動を呼ぶ!! ベスト10位入賞を祝って元気よく出迎えよう!! || The sight of him fighting for Uruha at the cost of his own life touched everyone's hearts!! Let's give him a warm welcome to celebrate his top 10 finish!
Hiyuki: 強くてヤバいその魅力に男女共にメロメロ⁉ 神奈備最強の女傑がランクイン!! || Men and women alike are enamored with her intense, irresistible allure! The Kamunabi's strongest heroine makes the list!
(女傑 [jouketsu], "heroine/great woman/brave woman" isn't exactly easy to bring across without sounding weird about it, but c'mon now.)
Sojo: 爆散してなおその存在感発揮中！国重と銭湯を愛する男を今後ともよろしく!! || He still makes his presence felt even after being blown up! Please keep supporting the man who loves Kunishige and public bathhouses!!
Yura: チヒロの最大の宿敵!! 第一部クライマックスで垣間見えた過去に注目集まる⁉ || Chihiro's greatest rival!! All eyes on are on his past that was hinted at in the climax of Part 1!
Iori: 過酷なる定めに抗う、可憐にして気高き剣士が上位入賞!!
これからの活躍にも刮目せよ!! || A delicate yet noble swordswoman defying a cruel fate places in the top ranks!! Keep an eye on what's in store for her!
Natsuki: 第一部佳境からの参戦ながら大奮闘!! 次こそはきっと漆羽に勝ってみせる!? || He put up a tremendous fight despite joining the fray during the climax of Part 1! Maybe he'll prove himself and beat Uruha next time?!
Okay. Time to enjoy the Maid Day art and mourn Mashiro. Stay chill, dear void.
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