#translation notes

[societyofbattleconnoisseurs]

A small not directly spoilery aside for the DLC. I saw some Japanese Twitter artists remarking on this line, and it’s because in English they toned it down.

The Japanese is:

ハルジオ『このままではユカリさまに……

あんなことやこんなことを……！

Harujio: "If things keep going like this, Lady Yukari will... ...end up doing all sorts of things...!"

I leave this knowledge in your capable hands, fellow shippers. 🫡

[yridenergyridenergy]

Mortal Downer media blitz summaries - part 3

This last part is quite long, but it has some very interesting pieces of information, especially about the band dynamic.

General trivia:

Shinya agrees with the interviewer's view that Kyo's vocal melodies are easy to sing along to. He feels that there is an influence of J-pop in them, which is something that Kyo and Shinya have in common.

When Shinya goes to see sukekiyo, he finds that it's like watching a band led by a completely different person than the Kyo he knows.

(Yet again, don't be a dick - don't plagiarize or take screenshots of this post.)

Toshiya always feels like he is navigating in a fog once a new album gets released, but that fog is especially thick with Mortal Downer. Things become clearer after they play the songs live.

Since ARCHE, Toshiya has tried to make his playing style simpler.

Toshiya described Shinya's drumming as very unique. For Mortal Downer, he tried to make it shine more by playing less bass, essentially.

Toshiya thought at first that Dir en grey wouldn't last long because each of its members had strong wills. Toshiya feels like all the members have the same desire to "make a cool band", and that is what has united them and kept them working together for so many years.

He also sees that doing things outside of the band, such as his photograph and art projects, is necessary to continue contributing to Dir en grey, otherwise he might run into a wall eventually.

Kaoru considers that Mortal Downer is the first chapter to a new era of Dir en grey.

Kaoru feels that there are things better left vague and undiscussed among the band, because otherwise it would lead to awkward moments between them. It's better to let them independently figure things out by hinting at them instead, showing what kind of atmosphere one is leaning toward. He said that they all try not to be too categoric and assertive, because then it could kind of scare off one of the others. But after 30 years together, the members have become agile at thinking along the same wavelength. They are mindful of the others' feelings and avoid asking personal questions, instead deducing their mood through their demeanor.

They don't read each other's interviews.             

The band agreed that they would all wear black for the promotional photos. The photoshoot for Burrn! was the first time they got snapped together: even the official band pictures were shot individually.

Die attributes the band's longevity to Dynamite Tommy, who was a pillar to them according to him. If it had just been the five of them at the mercy of a recording company, he thinks that the band might have ended years ago. For Die, there was a moment around Dum Spiro Spero when he had a lot of internal conflict, but after a while, he came to accept things and endure them.

Die said that they didn't start out as friends, but once they moved to Tokyo for the band, they hung out together like friends at first because they only had each other. As time passed, they made their own friends and their lives changed. They learned more about their respective personalities and kept a distance so that they didn't pry too much into their lives.

In the dressing room, the members don't talk to one another, the atmosphere is "gloomy" because all you can hear is the metal music playing in the background. The same thing would happen if you just put the five of them together: nobody would speak.

Toshiya also talked about the tension among the band, which has always been there and which might be the key to why they all stay on their guards, respect one another and have been able to survive for so long. Toshiya says that there has never been a sense of "security" in the band.

Die has lived his life reminding himself every daythat he is "Die from Dir en grey", doing things that he thinks Die from Dir en grey should do, even in his workouts.

Shinya considers that his drumming style was perfected 20 years ago. Also, he hasn't noticed any sign of aging, and he thinks that that's due to living a stress-free life wherein he does what he wants when he wants, and never does what he doesn't want to do.

Apparently Shinya used to get a lot of criticism for his drumming?! And he finds that his life has gotten easier since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shinya described Dir en grey as a miraculous band and quoted a trend that he noticed on Twitter recently, where Dir en grey was nominated whenever people had to think of "a band that looks like they make a blunder but who hasn't done anything wrong".

Shinya didn't mind that the album took so long to produce, because it put off the promotional activities surrounding it like interviews, which he dislikes because he can't answer questions like: "What were you thinking/feeling when you wrote this song?"

If Kyo had to give "Mortal Downer" a Japanese title, it would be 報復 (悪意) Houfuku (akui), or Retaliation (malice). Kaoru preferred to abstain from answering that question because nothing came to his mind instinctively, but in Ongaku to Hito, he offered that the album could be described as "vocal-oriented". As for Die, he would summarize the album as the kanji character 渦, vortex. Toshiya's kanji is 重, heavy. Lastly, Shinya's choice is 滅, metsu, as in metsubou – extinction.

Kaoru was hoping to work with Tom Lord-Alge to mix their songs even from the year The Insulated World was released, but their schedules didn't align until now, from The Devil In Me onward.

Kaoru doesn't ever take into consideration to compose stuff that doesn't sound like something that Die would make, even if the two of them are the musicians who help shape Dir en grey's sounds. Kaoru was more focused on leaving behind the trend of writing songs that start vaguely and which the vocals then carry the atmosphere on their own. He concentrated on coming up with guitar phrases that were cool and grabbed the attention individually. Die is more considerate of avoiding making songs in Kaoru's style.

Die finds Dum Spiro Spero to be their densest work and their most difficult to perform. Kaoru feels like it has been really hard for him to compose songs ever since Dum Spiro Spero, like he won't be able to do this much longer.

Kaoru always wonders whether his young self would find his new songs cool.

The album ended up being completely different from what Toshiya had imagined at first, one year prior to completion. He thought that it would be more varied, but it turned out to be more focused.

To Toshiya, although Dir en grey aims for a heavy and negative atmosphere, he finds that those feelings are just one side of a coin, and that delving into that atmosphere can help lift people afterward. He thinks that people come to live music venues to vent their feelings and come out purified.

Die thought that Dir en grey would never last this long, that they would break up when the time comes and that being in a band isn't forever. But after passing the 20th anniversary, Die has been even more cognizant of the fans' expectations, how Dir en grey and going to see Dir en grey perform has become part of their own lives, as well as the responsibility toward all the staff who supports Dir en grey and their livelihood.

Interviewers and even the members constantly refer to Mortal Downer as a "vocal album", with characteristic "choruses" that are not typical but more like riffs. Toshiya felt like there were a lot more of those "choruses" this time around. But nobody really understands what's being sung even when they follow the lyrics while listening to the songs.

Toshiya agrees with the interviewer in Burrn! that each song on Mortal Downer could fit into one of their past albums, but that wasn't their intention while composing.

Regarding the festivals where Dir en grey performed in 2025-2026, Kaoru thinks that those who invite them know that Dir en grey are not normal people, so they don't adjust their performance and just go all in. Apparently Dir en grey rarely gets invited, so when they do receive an invitation, they positively consider it. But whoever invites them to a festival needs to have gone to one of their shows first.

Shinya doesn't feel any need to escape reality, ever.

In the past, Shinya was frustrated that his songs didn't make the cut for albums, so he used to go out to record stores to listen to nu metal albums to study that sound, because those were the kinds of songs that tended to be selected by the rest of the band. Even this time around, the demos that he was most confident in were the ones that got rejected. It's difficult, but he has come to accept this. Instead, he turns to SERAPH for music that he wants to create.

Die always flinches when Kyo unexpectedly bumps his mic on something during the interludes.

The interviewer in Phy vol. 29 made Kyo realize that he had changed, that he expressed his anger more simply, and more in general. Kyo nuances that he realized that he has become an unpleasant person and, seeing as he now finds it pointless to be angry at someone because it wastes time, nowadays he might just react by thinking or saying: "Oh, is that so? So you're that kind of person." and let the anger simmer below the surface.

Kyo clarified that he is focused on doing as much as possible within an impression that he has very little time left not only because he wants to have no regrets, but he thinks that he is doing it as a way to save himself in the end. Essentially, if he can look back and name a few things that he has done, then he won't have led that bad a life.

Kyo hopes that his songs can bring a bit of relief by helping people realize that they are not alone with those feelings.

Kyo likes the way that being in bands "distorts" him. He ruled out doing completely solo songs because he cannot compose any.

Kyo's look in the photoshoots for the Mortal Downer release represents his image of the album.

He thinks that a ballad with acoustic guitars wouldn't fit Dir en grey's vibe now.

When Kyo records his initial vocal melodies, apparently he sings the parts that he thinks should be in English in "words that sound like English".

Kyo thinks that Dir en grey's pace of releasing albums might become longer and longer and, objectively speaking, he estimates that Dir en grey could go on this way for another 10 years approximately.

One of Kyo's recent regrets was that he thought he should have studied English when he was younger.

Given the opportunity, Kyo might want to re-record his vocals for the songs that were written in 2024, but that's always the case, and this process might never end.

Although he's generally satisfied by Dir en grey's history, he feels that they should have pushed further maybe earlier, like going abroad sooner in their career. He also regrets listening to people who told him that he should write songs in English if he was performing abroad.

Kyo talks a bit in the Burrn! Magazine about modern visual kei and how almost anything can call itself visual kei these days. He attributes that to how easy it is to listen to music from anywhere in the world now and how much more freedom bands have compared to when Dir en grey started.

[soypim]

Translation Notes w/ Pim

Ball Boy Tactics Ep. 1

Per my last email abt the Gaga subs for this show, and bc my beloved mutual @watchthisqqq even vaguely alluded to not wanting to pay for another subscription, I’ve decided to do some Korean translation notes for Ball Boy Tactics. We’re only a few episodes into it airing, so fingers crossed the Gaga subs improve as the episodes go on. But just in case they don’t ☝️ I’ll be here to clarify some dialogue so that no one needs to run to iQiYi which admittedly does have some better subs for this show.

Disclaimer: I am not a native Korean speaker, but I have studied the language for many years. If I’m not confident in a translation or in the cultural context for a line then I won’t include it in the notes.

One Thing About This Show

They actually utilize dialogue really well. The writers/performers have done a really great job of using the dialogue to establish who these characters are. The way they talk and the words they decide to use do a really good job of showing us what these people are like and how they come off to others. So, as someone who’s really nitpicky about dialogue and is often like “hmmmmm a young man in his twenties probably would never say that to someone ever :/“ I’m having a lot of fun being like “yeah this dude probably would say that” lol

That's why it was a little frustrating to watch those character-defining aspects of the dialogue be poorly translated.

So, Who Are These Characters Then?

Just from what they say, and nothing else (not even considering how the lines are delivered!) here's how I would describe our 2 leads:

Ji Won: sincere, shy, meek, apologetic, overly-polite at times. This is someone who really avoids rocking the boat and tries his best not to piss anyone off. Does not exude the vibe of a national athlete who’s literally won international competitions.

Jeong Woo: suave, sarcastic, confident, playful. (Easy, breezy, beautiful, CoverGirl). A guy who would have no qualms telling someone to fuck off. He also has a pretty dry sense of humor, very deadpan. This often leads to Jiwon taking what he says literally.

I feel like some of those personalities were lost in the translations I saw on Gaga, so let's see if I can at least address the most egregious issues I saw

Honorifics/존댓말

This is more of a note rather than a mistranslation, but in this first episode, before they really know each other, Jiwon relies heavily on formal language with Jeongwoo. It’s very quickly dropped to standard polite and then to informal/casual language as they get closer. But while Jeongwoo uses standard polite language at the beginning with Jiwon, Jiwon on the other hand will use very formal language at times when he’s very apologetic or very thankful.

For example:

When Jeongwoo brings him his water bottle at the gym he says 고맙습니다 which is a very polite/formal way of saying thank you.

What stands out about these moments for me is that Jiwon takes his interactions with other people very seriously. In the above scene, it’s just someone returning his water bottle. This moment that could have been a simple “oh hey thanks, man” turns more into a sincere thank you. This definitely does seem like just a part of his personality as someone who’s known to be shy, but it could have also developed as a defense mechanism during his time in the spotlight since he was probably expected to be on his best behavior at all times (lest people say nasty things online about him). His sincerity and formality in these moments does read as genuine though.

Dronk Ji Won

So, when Ji Won is absolutely sloshed and mistakes Jeong Woo for his designated driver, there's a quite of few mistranslations.

What he said was:

I reek of alcohol, don’t I? Until we arrive, I’ll keep my mouth shut.

- said in a tone of “noooo worries, alllll goooood, problemo solvedo” as is customary with sloshed folk

Although Jiwon is bolder here than when he’s sober, he’s still being very considerate (and adorable)

My absolute favorite part of this scene is when Jeong Woo drops Jiwon off and Jiwon starts to come to his senses a bit.

When he realizes that he probably just forced Jeongwoo into driving him home and he says:

He’s actually asking him:

By chance, do also do designated driving?

Jeongwoo actually replies more along the lines of you don’t think so?

Very much the vibe of “I think you already know the answer to that question, chief”

This mistranslation peeved me a bit because with Jiwon’s line it’s clear that he’s already realizing that he mistook Jeongwoo for the actual designated driver he originally called and is clinging desperately onto the hope that maybe, juuuuust maybe he also happened to be a DD on the side. And Jeongwoo’s reply clearly shows his propensity for sassiness. He’s a little annoyed and inconvenienced, but is keeping it light and fun (and also plans on taking this man’s car lmao).

Give Me My Focking Keys

Ok this one isn’t that bad, but it doesn’t flow as well with the scene. What he actually says is more along the lines of

Whenever I see you, I want to tell you to live more shamelessly

because Jiwon goes straight into apologizing profusely and Jeongwoo tells him that Jiwon should have just demanded his keys back and told Jeongwoo to fuck off.

So, not that bad, but I didn’t love the translation they went with. Because he’s not asking him a question, he’s telling him what he thinks about him; that he’s a bit too meek for his own good. At least sober, anyway.

Ok that was episode 1! I whipped this up during my lunch break, so I’ll post the following episodes after work 🤲

[seeingteacupsindragons]

The Dr. STONE anime finally got here, so it's time for more translation diagramming from me!

For this part. Because while I don't entirely disagree with VIZ or Crunchyroll, I don't entirely agree either. I found this, actually, trying to determine for sure that Stan was like "I'll be a hostage for Xeno's help, obviously he cares about me and I know that" which is what VIZ said, but the Japanese may actually be gayer and is definitely a lot more ambiguous.

I think Crunchyroll got this a lot closer.

Okay! Let's get started. No, I'm still not using a read more. Skip if you want.

So before this page, we got this:

Senku telling Xeno that he'll see him later, basically, and Stan aiming. Stan, more obviously in the anime, can hear this conversation. So he knows for sure Senku is planning to wake Xeno up. Feels like relevant context. Context is super important here, because Japanese is a high-context language, and this is a terribly vague and unfinished dialogue.

This first panel is そうだ。 連中もゼノの知見は欲しい。

そうだ: That's right." Maybe, "Oh, yeah." "That is so." Etc.

連中: Those guys/those people/that pack of people. Obviously, the KoS

も: Particle indicating "in addition to" or "as well." Frex, Stan uses this in the anime only-scene of them meeting, when Xeno says this is his first handshake, Stan says 俺も. 俺 is "ore"—it's how Stan refers to himself. "Me, too" "Me, as well" "Also me"

So, that speech bubble is "Right, those kids also..."

ゼノ: Xeno

の: Particle. In this case, it indicates possession. Xeno's...something

知見: Expertise/information/knowledge. "Xeno's expertise"

は: Particle indicating this is the actual topic of the sentence. Xeno's expertise is actually what this sentence is about (not the KoS)

欲しい: Want. This is the word Ryusui abuses like it's going out of style

So now we have, "Right, those kids also want Xeno's expertise." Obviously, why else would Senku talk about waking Xeno up?

めでたいね。 つまりゲームに負けても。。。ゼノは治されて科学を続けれんだ。

めでたい: Happy or auspicious. It's not what Stan says that translates to "Not bad" (that's やんじゃん). It's more lucky for me/great news/oh, good/nice.

ね: Particle. This gets thrown onto the ends of sentences for because. It's kind of "innit?" or "right?"

So basically this "Isn't this nice?" Crunchyroll translated this to "How about that?" which is pretty much correct, but Stan is definitely on the positive side.

つまり: In other words

ゲーム: Game. It's a loan word. It's just "Geimu"

に: Particle that's kind of..."in regards to" or "as for" or "to"

"As for the game"

負けて: Lose/be defeated

も: Once again, "too", or, in this case, more like "even if"

"In other words, even if lose the game..." This is now a subordinate clause. But it's also referring to this whole thing as a game—those things which he never loses.

ゼノ: Still Xeno

は: Still the particle indicating the topic of the sentence (in this case, X)

治されて: Cured, healed. "Revived" in this case. It's conjugated as passive as the...Xeno...is being acted upon. As in, he's not healing, he's being healed (by something). The little て here indicates "and". "This verb, and also this verb."

科学: Science!!! (this isn't the verb)

を: Particle indicating the object of a verb. So, Xeno is the subject of the sentence, even though he's a passive subject. He's the main topic of the conversation. But science is also having something separate done to it

続けれんだ: And that thing is "Continued." 続 is often seen at the end of episodes. "To be continued." Per a friend, んだ means he is sort of. Reaffirming to himself that this is the situation, for sure

So, "Xeno will be revived AND Xeno will continue science."

So this panel is now, "Isn't that nice? Even if the game is lost, Xeno will be revived and continue science."

I will still argue that this is not just that Xeno wants to do science, but that Stan respects and likes science, but that's neither here nor there, really.

Stan: Neat, win win! (basically)

俺の石像の 未来永劫人質状態と引き換えにーーー

This is an unfinished sentence, and in Japanese, the verbs come at the end of the sentences. Usually, in situations where the verb can be implied or assumed, but in this one, well...

This is part of why I disagree with Viz. Crunchyroll, I think, managed to make this vaguer but not quite as vague. English doesn't allow for verbs to just be dropped this way. Our syntax is different.

俺: Still "Ore", still "Stan"

の: Particle, still possessive. Stan's...something

石像: Statue. Stan's statue

の: Stan's Statue's...something

未来永劫: Eternity, forevermore, eternal. Can be both a noun or an adjective. Since there's no particle after it, have to assume an adjective here

人質: hostage. I've actually looked this one up in the Japanese dictionary, and while it can mean something used as leverage in negotiations, it can also be something used as a guarantee. Like leaving your ID behind to get like roller skates at a rink, and when you return them, you get the ID back. Not used in those situations, but kind of like. The "you get this back when," except like. A person

状態: State/condition

Stan's statue's eternal hostage state

This is part of what niggles, because he's not talking about his statue, he's talking about his being a statue. Being a rock is the hostage, not the statue

と: Means a lot of things, usually "and." In this case, it seems to indicate what's being offered as a trade.

引き換: Exchanged/converted. Like, exchanging currency

に: Particle with "regarding" again. "As for the exchange..."

So..."As for the exchange of my eternal state as a statue..."

And...and that's it. The next thing he says is on the next page when he's saying, "Not bad, you win."

But.

He says, "In exchange for my eternally being a statue..." And then...this.

Xeno. He's thinking about Xeno. And the anime gave us a couple extra shots to make it clear he's thinking about Xeno, and even shows Stan breaking into a smile at the sight of Xeno doing his thing. Xeno doing science makes Stan happy. Xeno being happy makes Stan happy.

So, no, Stan doesn't say what being gotten in exchange for being a statue, and he doesn't say who's trading with who.

But personally, I think it's pretty clear that he's trading himself with the universe for Xeno. Not anything to do with the KoS trading him with Xeno. Fuck the KoS.

This just about him. The petrification beam. And Xeno.

The one time he loses a game is by choice. And it's for Xeno.

He is so gay.

[carnitiousabductor]

Re-reading Homestuck with a careful and highly focused translator's eye makes you realize just how much Rose says "I think" and "It seems" and also "I believe" or "It appears." My girl will NOT make a certain statement. Some excellent characterization going on here.

[tsukiyonoinerime]

So I've seen some confusion online about this statement and what it means, when Hinako says basically the same thing in both Eng and JP: She wants to live passionately, to the extent that she could even propose to Kotoyuki.

It's her resolve to live proactively, while also acknowledging her love for him.

To set it up, here's what the Two Hinakos talk about prior to this statement in JP:

寿幸さんみたいに 誰かをものすごく好きになって その人のために ものすごく努力して 情熱の全てを注ぎ込むような 一途で一生懸命な生き方をしてみたい

Just like Kotoyuki-san who fell deeply in love with someone for the sake of that person he put in tremendous effort as if pouring all of his passion into it I want to try living a life of dedicated, wholehearted effort (like him)

The message is pretty identical to the Eng translation. Hinako admires Kotoyuki's passionate efforts for the sake of the person he loved, so much so that she wants to have that same mentality with her own life.

Now let's look at the next part, the proposal statement.

今度は私から寿幸さんに求婚するくらいの勢いで 一生懸命に This time, I'll live life to the fullest -- with determination to the extent that I could propose to Kotoyuki-san.

This is again very similar to the Eng dub ("To live with such passion, that she might propose to Kotoyuki.") The main difference is that JP Hinako does not specifically say "when I'm ready," which is more of an implied statement (what matters firstmost is her desire for a "life of passion").

The key grammar here is the use of the particle くらい (kurai). A more thorough explanation can be found here, but basically くらい emphasizes the feeling/emotion of the phrase that comes after it, using the phrase stated before ("[B], to the extent of [A]").

In this case, the feeling being emphasized is 勢い (ikioi, lit. "force, intensity"). Hinako's feeling of "determination" is so strong, that she could propose to Kotoyuki, just like how Kotoyuki proposed to her. It's her acknowledgement of how Kotoyuki's own efforts led to him having the determination to propose. So this statement is Hinako sharing his sentiment.

If they wanted Hinako's feelings for Kotoyuki to be ambiguous, she could've instead said 「私から大切な人に求婚する」 ("I could propose to someone special"). Doing so would've mirrored the earlier observation where Kotoyuki "grew to love [someone] deeply".

But she specifically says "I could propose to [Kotoyuki-san]". There are multiple ways she could've phrased this statement but she chose 「私から寿幸さんに」 ("from me, to Kotoyuki"). The person she grew to love is Kotoyuki.

His passion inspired her, including the way he endured for years for the sole purpose of marrying her:

寿幸さんはずっと 私をお嫁さんにしたい一心で･･････ ずっとずっと努力してきたって･･････ 孤独にずっと･･････ ずっと･･････ 嗤うな! 一生懸命に悩んで 生きてきた寿幸さんを嗤うな! All this time Kotoyuki-san, with the sole, wholehearted desire of making me his bride, has been working so hard, for so long.... All alone... all this time... Don't laugh! Don't laugh at Kotoyuki-san, who lived his life so earnestly while struggling so deeply!

この人は、私に求婚するためだけに、今日までどれだけの苦労をしてきたのだろう。 子供ならば誰もが享受すべきいくつものことから目を背けさせられて。

How much hardship must this person have endured up to this day, solely for the sake of proposing to me. Forced to turn away from many things every child should enjoy.

She never once diminishes the efforts he has made, even if ultimately she never needed him to obtain everything for her. His feelings and efforts touched her heart more than any wealth or power his position as the Tsuneki heir could give.

There's also a reoccuring phrase that has shown up in the past few scenes: 一生懸命 (isshoukenmei, "trying with all one's might"). Ryukishi's writing style involves repeating information over and over to emphasize its importance to the story or to the character's. The emphasis here on "Kotoyuki trying with all his might" reflects how Hinako deeply admires his perseverance, even in the midst of struggle:

Also important to note... She's wearing the brooch again. Let's look at her words when she originally offered the brooch up to the Jizo statue (an important condition to reaching this ending):

こんな素敵な贈り物をありがとうございます 折角頂いたものですが･････ 私がこれを受け取るのに相応しいかどうか･･････ 考える時間が欲しいのです････ Thank you for this wonderful gift It was kindly given to me, but... Whether I am worthy of receiving this... I need time to think it over...

While she appreciates Kotoyuki's efforts and the sacrifices he made for her, it's also a burden that's too heavy for her to bear. She gave it back because of that power imbalance, and because rushing into it with halfhearted feelings based on "gratefulness" wasn't fair to both herself and Kotoyuki.

By choosing to wear the brooch again and stating she will have the "determination to propose to him", Hinako is approaching her relationship with Kotoyuki as true equals. It removes the imbalance and conditionals their previous engagement forced on her like the "Tsuneki branding" or the "mask" that takes away her personhood. She only keeps the brooch (which was a token of Kotoyuki's affection) and the fox arm (which was the only ritual she carried out herself, and is a visual metaphor of her adulthood).

If the creators wanted her feelings towards him to be more vague, they didn't need to include the brooch at all, simply her saying she "might propose" would be ambiguous enough. But here, she is wearing the brooch to signify her desire for a relationship on equal terms.

Not to mention Hinako already made her feelings towards him clear when she last saw him:

In JP, Fox Hinako says 「寿幸さん ････一緒に････」 meaning she wanted to go together with him (either to face the Kyubi, or perhaps even to run away together), but he stops her before she can elaborate, because he has to figure out his own feelings first.

もし私たちへの愛が…… 本物だったなら また会いましょう 私達も　しっかり悩んで 答えを用意しておきます If your love for us…. was real, let’s meet again. We will also properly think it through and have an answer ready.

Immediately after Kotoyuki explains that he wants to know if his feelings are genuine or not, Fog Hinako reaffirms her desire to see him again.

What's important to note here is the only condition Hinako has for him is if "his feelings are real." What he can "offer her" doesn't matter. The gods don't matter. Their family and friends' opinions don't matter. What they can gain from marriage doesn't matter. The only thing that's important is their own feelings. No more and no less.

Also, if she truly did not hold any affection for Kotoyuki, she would not be asking him to "wait for her" in her diary despite initially saying "she might not become what he wants her to be." He is someone she wants in her future, even if the form may not be the "ideal result" as others expect it to be. After all, Hinako does not want to be a housewife nor does she want to be endlessly provided for.

その結果は、あなたが望むものとなる保証はありません。 それでも私のために待ってくれますか? 寿幸さん。

There is no guarantee that result will be what you desire. Even so, will you wait for me? Kotoyuki-san.

When I first read this section in English I thought it was switching between "Fog Hinako" and "Fox Hinako," but it's actually not the case. Both the last two lines are written in teineigo, which is what Hinako uses when speaking with Kotoyuki (Fox Hinako speaks this way and this is also how Hinako and Kotoyuki write in their letters.) This shows that she has the resolve to stand on her own, while also hoping Kotoyuki will wait for her to catch up to him. She wants an equal relationship between two people who love and support eachother.

Anyway, all this to say that what Hinako means here is that she wants to live a passionate life just as Kotoyuki did, one where he is so determined to make the one he loved happy that he worked hard to achieve his goals despite the struggles and agony it brought. She is inspired by him, wants the same things as him, and wants to have the determination to someday propose to him just as he did to her, as true equals.

[zuzu-draws]

Is it possible to love a character more than you already do? SOBBING because so many intricate details important for Sukuna's characterization gets lost in translation and lightning is an amazing person for bringing this to our attention (go follow them on their platforms ;_; They deserve it so much)

Sukuna's use of words are honestly so poetic and romantic, there is a certain grace and elegance with the way he presents himself, no doubt like a king. It may seem like he's a hot-headed maniac, but he's clever, cunning and intelligent. He knows when to let loose and when to reign himself in.

"You cleared my skies" I would literally melt at the spot, :') aaahhh I'm glad both of them ended up acknowledging one another, this really hits you right in the feels.

[peach-thee]

hats off to every one of you that giffed the bed scene in ep 7. i tried giffing it and the quality was so bad i dropped it midway, but a couple things i noted about the translations while re-watching the scene without subtitles

-> Thee says "shan saaban..." when promising to love/taking care of/protecting Peach and his sister forever (please forgive me for the romanization i haven't learnt to write Thai yet 😭) and it's translated as "I swear" which is pretty accurate since saaban means to vow/to swear, but that also makes it sound a lot like wedding vows

-> Peach actually says "how long will this promotion period last" (i was so confused because they changed the subtitles too)

-> Thee's reply (roughly) translates to "As long as I breathe, I will love you"

Can you tell how I normal I am about them and this scene especially :) so normal <3

I AM NOT A NATIVE THAI SPEAKER. Nor am I professionally learning Thai, so if you spot any mistakes, please point them out, I'd love to learn more.

I did this mostly just for myself, because I need somewhere to vent about them and i needed to focus on something else for a while so i don't go insane <3