TRC Translation Notes Volume 16 (Chapters 117 - 124)
Even more fantastic translation notes from the even more fantastic @giniroangou.
Highlights include: Kamui vampire antics, Fai being a sweetheart, clone explanations, real understanding of what the seal was, insight on Xing Huo, and oh my lord Fai is a sweetheart.
Chapter 117
p.5 - The word Kamui says aloud is “nakami” (the contents/substance) but it’s written with the kanji for “soul” (tamashii/魂).
p.16 - It’s ambiguous (especially at this point in the chapter) but I’m fairly certain Kamui is speaking to Subaru here. His last line is, “Or were you pulled in by this thing’s sleep?” He expected Subaru to wake up once the feather’s power vanished and is concerned that Sakura’s soul is keeping him asleep now.
p.21 - Kamui’s tone is less questioning in the original text - it’s more like, “You’re game, aren’t you?”
p.22 - Kamui’s clarification here is just a change from katakana to kanji - エ to 餌 - so the word is still spoken as “e.” I have to assume communicating through telepathy allows him to convey the meaning of his words through something other than pronunciation. The kanji 餌 means “esa,” which is bait or animal feed. I think the use of the word “game” is a clever way to preserve the ambiguity of the term in earlier scenes, but I believe most people in the fandom prefer the word “prey.” Both lean more towards the word “emono” (獲物) in meaning, but that could easily be something CLAMP was hoping to evoke here as well and given the context either word feels appropriate as a translation.
Chapter 118
p.36 - Just a subtle correction, but Kamui says that Subaru fell asleep immediately after they arrived in Tokyo.
p.42 - There is a difference between Syaoran’s line here, “I will give them all back to her,” and his similar earlier lines. The verb he used in the earlier scenes was “torikaesu” (取り返す), which as I explained before means to take something back. In this scene, he uses “torimodosu” (取り戻す), which means roughly the same thing, but with a stronger implication of returning the feathers to where they came from. He also adds “subete” (全て) or “all of them,” where before he didn’t clarify, which I would interpret as a hardening of his resolve rather than a true difference in meaning.
Chapter 119
p.53 - To elaborate a little on Kamui’s explanation, he’s saying that beings who live off of blood keep “game” (in the sense of keeping an animal) to serve as their food supply.
p.54 - After Kamui learns that Syoaran doesn’t belong to Fai, I interpreted his line as questioning whether Syaoran belonged to Seishirou instead. The wording is ambiguous enough that I suppose he could be asking whether Fai works for Seishirou, but that wouldn’t have been my first instinct.
p.55 - I feel like the translation takes some of the punch out of Fai’s words here. They feel a lot sweeter in the original text - I actually started tearing up, lol. It’s not a huge difference, but what he should be saying is, “You’re wrong. He’s a really good kid.” ...this is never going to sound as nice in English as it does in Japanese but at least this should be slightly better?
p.59 - Lava Lamp is described here as Clow Reed’s blood relative (no mention of being his heir) using the same word that was used earlier to establish Fei Wang as part of that lineage as well.
Syaoran is described in the translation as an “image,” but the original Japanese word was “utsushimi” (写身). I discussed this word a bit back in chapter 66, since Ashura uses the same word with different kanji for feather-Yasha. To repeat what I said back then, the original word “utsushimi” is a form of “utsusemi,” meaning one’s transient body/existence, but it’s not written with these characters. The verb “utsusu” when written as 写す means “to duplicate/imitate,” so when it’s paired with “mi” (身/body), it implies a replication of a previously existing body, as is the case here. The popular fandom word for this is “clone,” which I feel encompasses the concept much better than the official translation.
This may already be implied in the translation, but Fei Wang says that Syaoran was created in order to gather the feathers.
p.62 - In the Japanese text, the implant isn’t Lava Lamp’s soul but his heart/spirit (“kokoro”/心). I think it amounts to the same thing, but this word allows for a little more focus on the potential to feel emotion, particularly love.
p.64 - The translation on this page is kind of unclear. Basically, the magic Lava Lamp used to implant his soul also caused clone Syaoran to fall apart if his eye was removed (as you’d expect from one of Clow’s bloodline, Fei Wang says.) The main reason Fei Wang decided to send Syaoran out as is was because it would have been too difficult to create another copy that held the same power as the original.
p.65 - Fei Wang describes Sakura specifically as the key to the power of the ruins.
Chapter 120
p.68 - Lava Lamp wasn’t just growing older. Yuuko uses the word “seichou” (成長), which refers to both growth and development. It’s often used to describe someone becoming more mature or improving their abilities.
p.70 - A correction to the first line on this page: Lava Lamp awakening is equivalent to the seal on Syaoran’s eye breaking. The first event inevitably causes the second.
p.71 - A tiny bit of key information got lost in the translation here. After confirming that Xing Huo sent Lava Lamp to Yuuko, Fei Wang says, “Considering your origin, I suppose it can’t be helped. And besides, you’re another one of my failed creations after all.”
p.72 - This line should be, “I guess you can’t hear me anymore,” which makes a lot more sense all things considered.
Chapter 121
p.99 - I feel the need to mention that there are no exclamation points or question marks in Kurogane’s original dialogue on this page. It’s not like family members getting eaten is anything new for him, haha… ha.
p.100 - Syaoran’s line here is, “I’m taking his right eye too.”
p.110 - Kurogane isn’t talking about Fai being able to smile, but about the kids being able to smile. It’s a callback to the conversation Kurogane and Fai had in Piffle (conveniently featured in one of the flashback panels here). Fai changed in order to do whatever he could to preserve Syaoran and Sakura’s happiness.
Chapter 122
p.122 - Lava Lamp specifically says that Fai tried to return Syaoran’s soul ALONG WITH his left eye. I’m assuming Fai managed to implant the soul within his own eye before Syaoran took it, hoping that by eating the soul along with the eye Syaoran would be restored. If you ever wondered why Fai didn’t even try to fight back, here’s your answer.
p.124 - VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTER NOTE about Lava Lamp: I’m thrilled you noticed that he isn’t using Fai’s name. Lava Lamp’s speech style is totally different from Syaoran’s - it’s something that isn’t nearly as apparent in translation, but in the Japanese text it establishes them instantly and obviously as separate personalities. Lava Lamp, like Kurogane, rarely uses other characters’ names. There are exceptions, but after so many chapters of hearing Syaoran say “Kurogane-san” and “Fai-san” it’s quite striking to see that disappear altogether in Lava Lamp’s speech. He also uses more casual language overall, which again creates a strong contrast with Syaoran’s persistent politeness. Mostly it makes him feel more mature, and it puts him on a more equal standing with Kurogane and Fai. (I’ll mention here as well: autopilot Syaoran doesn’t use polite language either.)
p.127 - Lava Lamp doesn’t just say Sakura is precious to Syaoran, he says “That Sakura.” Also, the official translation finally starts using “heart” here instead of “soul” but it’s still the same word, as I discussed earlier.
p.132 - Kurogane doesn’t ask for his sword in this scene, but he’s not specifically asking for Syaoran’s either. He just wants a sword, lol.
Chapter 123
p.143 - The use of “I am betting” in the translation doesn’t have quite the right nuance, IMO. When Lava Lamp implanted his soul into Syaoran, he knew it would only be temporary. He was taking a gamble and placing his hopes on Syaoran being able to grow his own soul before he inevitably lost the one Lava Lamp gave him.
Chapter 124
Cover page - “The Value of Life” isn’t a mistranslation, but I would probably translate this title as, “The Price of Life.” The word in the title is “taika” (対価), the same word Yuuko uses when she makes deals with people.
p.169 - There are not supposed to be any exclamation points on this page. *sighs deeply*
p.170 - I believe this is less that Lava Lamp doesn’t know where Fei Wang went (I don’t think he went anywhere?) but that he doesn’t know where he was being kept in the first place.
p.171 - The translation isn’t as consistent, but the original text differentiates between Syaorans by putting quote marks around the original Syaoran’s name, so it always looks like 『小狼』. There’s technically no difference in what people are calling him, but as readers we can still differentiate, and I suppose it implies a different emotion/perception on the speaker’s part.
p.176 - Kurogane’s anger is a little quieter in the original text - his line starts with an ellipsis and doesn’t have any punctuation at the end, which I feel evokes the underlying grief a bit better. He also brings back the same phrase he used in his conversation with Fai in the previous volume - “hara wo kukuru.” If I reference back to my translation of the earlier line, this one would be, “...who told you to resign yourself like that.” In the Japanese version it’s obvious Kurogane is seeing his own hand in the decision Fai’s just made and now that it’s too late he’s basically saying THIS ISN’T WHAT I MEANT.