#caption means bitter in Japanese | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

amberfaber40 · 1 year

Text

The 21 Best Grumpy Cat Memes And Quotes About Love And Life

Who Is Grumpy Cat? The viral cat whose real name is Tardar Sauce is a viral sensation on social media. These are the best Grumpy Cat memes, videos and snarky quotes about love, relationships, and life to share on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

What's wrong with you?

Look at All the Cute Celebrity Kids (and Grumpy Cat) at the 'Cinderella' Premiere

Stars big, small, and furry came out to celebrate the live-action 'Cinderella' over the weekend.

This Japanese Grumpy Cat Will Be Your New Spirit Animal

A new cat with sass is on the rise and she even makes Grumpy Cat look nice. Introducing Koyuki, a 9-year-old Scottish Fold cat from Yokohama, Japan, who's

The Surliest Pics of Grumpy Cat and Her Many Celebrity Fans

The Internet's most beloved cat died this week at age 7

Grumpy Cats Meme Generator

Love makes the world go round... except when it doesn't. We've all been there before, to that place where your outlook on love is, well, not so bright. We've all experienced our fair share of relationship challenges, heartbreaks, and messy breakups.And who else out there has the power to remind you with just a momentary glimpse of their bitter face of just how incredibly terrible love can make you feel than Grumpy Cat herself?That's right. In case you missed it, Grumpy Cat is a feline of the female persuasion. No wonder she's so gosh darn pissy all the time. Have you been a female on the Internet (let alone in the world!) lately?It's rough out there, I tell you. ROUGH. Previously known by the name she was given at birth (on April 4, 2012), Tardar Sauce, who has both an underbite and feline dwarfism, became an overnight sensation at the tender young age of 5 months, when owner Tabatha Bundensen's brother Bryan took some photos of her perpetually "grumpy" facial expression and posted them on Reddit with the simple caption, "Meet grumpy cat."Meet grumpy cat from pics Reddit user magicsebi decided to help a (literal) brother out, taking it upon themselves to create what seems to be the first ever Grumpy Cat meme.Comment from discussion Meet grumpy cat. From there, a true star — and countless hysterical Grumpy Cat memes — were born.Tabatha, who was a waitress at the time Grumpy Cat memes first started to go viral, told the Telegraph: "I was able to quit my job as a waitress within days of her first appearance on social media and the phone simply hasn't stopped ringing since." And according to Business Insider: "In two years, Bundesen... generated nearly $100 million from Grumpy Cat's paid appearances, book deals, and modeling career, according to The Telegraph (Bundesen tells Huffington Post that amount is inaccurate, but doesn't say if it's high or low). Bundesen believes Grumpy Cat is 'unstoppable.'" While it's been awhile now since we've seen quite as much of Grumpy Cat and her famously bitter memes around these parts of the social media woods, she does appear to be one of those classic staples of comedy history that will never be completely absent. Well, that is, unless Grumpy Cat died, as some people believe is actually the case, but alas, we are not here for such conspiracy theories at this time.RELATED: 8 Most Popular Illuminati Conspiracy Theories About Celebrities, Murders And Famous SongsSo while sweet and sour mixed breed Tardar (her mother is a Calico and her father's breed is unknown, the scoundrel), she remains a potentially eternal symbol for all that is bitter, somewhat angry, sarcastic and resentful about love and romantic relationships.For those of you who have ever known what it means to be crushed by some romantic ideal of love, here are 21 Grumpy Cat memes that will make you feel like the cat's meow once again.1. A Grumpy Cat meme for those who have no time for love."Love is in the air? Get out the gas mask."2. Who needs a relationship when you can stay at home?"Why socialize when there's perfectly good wifi and food at home?"3. A harsh (but totally relatable) Grumpy Cat quote."I'm not saying that I hate you, I'm just saying that if you got hit by a bus, I would be driving that bus."4. No cares given."If I have said or done anything to hurt you, I don't care."5. A Grumpy Cat friendship meme for those people you truly just don't care about."I still can't see us ever being friends."6. Get out of here with those "Free Hugs" signs."Free hugs? Go hug a cactus."7. Share this Grumpy Cat meme with your friends that aren't so bright."I'm sorry that I offended you when I called you stupid. I honestly thought you knew."RELATED: What Does "Salty" Mean (And 12 Memes To Use When You're Feeling It)8. A love quote that starts out cute — but who wants cute?"Love is an open door. Close it."9. A Grumpy Cat quote your talkative friends need to hear."I like the sound you make when you shut up."10. The only Valentine's Day meme for single people you'll ever need."If you're sad about being alone on Valentine's Day, just remember... no one loves you on the other days of the year either."11. There are only two types of people in this world..."There are two kinds of people in this world, and I don't like them."12. There's no truer long-distance relationship meme."You know what's great about a long distance relationship? Nothing."13. Another perfect love quote. "Love is in the air. Try not to breathe."14. People suck."The problem with some people... is that they exist."RELATED: What It Means When Someone Is Being 'Extra' — Plus 17 Hilarious Memes That Explain How To Use It15. The best Grumpy Cat meme for people who love sleep.Related Stories From YourTango:65 Funny Monday Memes To Get You Through The Worst Day Of The Week100 Funny Valentine's Day Memes To Make You Laugh (Or Cry)30 Funny New Year Memes To Ring In 2023 With A Laugh"Why fall in love when you can fall asleep?"16. No hugs, please."You're feeling kinda huggy? I'm feeling kinda stabby."17. An (unrequited) love quote. "If you can't be with the one you love, hate everybody."18. Share this Grumpy Cat meme with the one person you just can't stand."You're like a ray of sunshine hurting peoples' eyes and giving them cancer."19. The best Grumpy Cat meme for scorned women."Flowers and candy? How about fire and brimstone?"20. Shut that Aladdin quote down real quick."I can show you the world. I can show you the door."21. This Lion King quote stood no chance."Can you feel the love? No."RELATED: These 23 Relationship Memes Will Get You Through ANYTHING TogetherGet the best YourTango advice, celebrity news and giveaways in your email inbox daily. And it's free.

0 notes

anime-dub-transcripts · 2 years

Text

Hetalia: The World Twinkle Episode #17: Netherlands and Isolationist Japan Transcript

This episode has Netherlands and Japan hanging out during Japan's isolation.

Narrator: Long ago…

{Caption: Netherland}

Narrator: …Japan used to have diplomatic regulations with Britain, Spain, and Portugal. However, after closing the country, Mr. Netherlands was the only one with whom Japan continued his trading relationship.

Osaka: Welcome! Oh, Mr. Netherlands, I’m sorry to say since you came so far, but Mr. Japan is not well…well…well! Yes, that’s it! He’s sort of not feeling well, so, ah, hahaha! So, ah, do you mind coming back on a different day? OH NO!

Netherlands: Shut your mouth and get to work. I need tea, a cute little cake, and Japan. Right now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Osaka: I can let you see Mr. Japan, but because of all the stuff going on, he’s a bit more delicate than usual at the moment, so please be courteous. And by courteous, I mean nice.

Netherlands: Delicate? Has he been hanging out with Austria?

Osaka: Also, he’s in layer form, but don’t let that bother you too much.

Netherlands: What the stront does that mean?

(Stront: Shit → Dutch)

Netherlands: Hey, Japan! I’ve come to discuss something with you. May I come in?

{Caption: Weep… Weep…}

Japan: Beuah! Beauh beauh beauauh!

Netherlands: Mm!

Japan: Oh! Ohohoh! Shut the door! No sunlight! Please!

{Caption #1: The country is closed. He doesn’t want to go outside no matter what}

{Caption #2: Boing}

Narrator: At the beginning of the nineteenth century, ships from Western countries started loitering around Japan’s borders, so Mr. Netherlands decided to let Mr. Japan know just exactly what was going on.

(America: Hey! Hey! Look at me! Look at me! Over here! Hey hey hey!)

Netherlands: This tea is bitter, ja?

(Ja?: Yes? → Dutch)

Japan: I cannot imagine why. What brought you here today? You seem to be under some pressure; are you under some pressure?

Netherlands: Oh, ja, about that.

(Ja: Yes → Dutch)

Netherlands: What---

Japan: Ahuoha!

{Caption #1: Flat}

{Caption #2: Opening…}

Netherlands: Do-overs. That was too fast. Let me try again, but slower.

Japan: No, don’t apologize. The fault is mine. You see, I’ve become rather sensitive to the word “opening”.

Netherlands: Look, try not to lose it, but according to information I’ve been given, America is heading in your direction.

America: Hahahahahahaha!

Netherlands: And, since he’s young and cocky, he might be aggressive.

(America: Hahahahahahaha!)

Japan: Of course, I understand. Ever since king was defeated, I had a feeling something of this sort would come to pass. Those who live around me have been changing, so I suppose it’s only natural for me to change along with them.

Netherlands: This is no surprise then?

Japan: Correct.

Netherlands: Then open up---

Japan: Ehouh!

{Caption: Flat}

Osaka: Excuse me! I brought tea and more cute cake for you.

{Caption #1: Sizzle, sizzle…}

{Caption #2: Bam, Bam…}

Netherlands: Open the country. Open the country.

(Japan: Eh ohoh ohoh…)

Osaka: WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULDN’T UPSET HIM!

(Netherlands: Open the country)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

{Caption #1: Dogs should pay taxes, too. The collected taxes are to be used for cleaning up ‘dogs’ droppings’ [Dog Tax Law, Netherlands]}

{Caption #2: Of course it’s the owner who needs to pay the tax. The dog owners are excused from cleaning up after their dogs when they walk them, but in return, they pay about 10,000 yen as tax every year}

{Caption #3: I’ll do it if I get paid}

Netherlands: Open it.

Netherland’s rabbit: Konnichiwa, Mr. Japan’s adorable doggy.

(Konnichiwa: Hello → Japanese)

Netherland’s rabbit: It is me, Netherland’s rabbit.

Pochi: Mmhm.

Netherland’s rabbit: Ever since my owner and his little sister had a fight and separated, he’s kind of become a busybody, probably because he feels lonely.

Pochi: Mm.

Netherland’s rabbit: Why, it seems like all of Europe has been turned upside down! You might go through hardships too, but just be strong and you’ll be okay.

Pochi: Mah!

Netherland’s rabbit: Ooh, right. It was your first time being licked; you must want it to be my fault. I’m just a rabbit though, don’t blame me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

{Caption #1: [Mr. Netherlands and Miss Belgium]}

{Caption #2: In 1815, Mr. Netherlands tried to establish the Kingdom of the Netherlands with Belgium, who had been separated for a long time. However, it did not work out well and Belgium declared independence in 1830. This was because Netherlands tried to forcibly unite with Belgium when 1) there was a big rift cause by their 200-year separation, and 2) Netherlands, a Reformed Church country, was in a close relationship with England and focused on commerce and trade, while Belgium was a Catholic country with a strong French culture and focused on agriculture and industry}

Narrator: And then, in 1854…

Dutch man: Hey! Mr. Netherlands!

Netherlands: Stop yelling. What is it?

Dutch man: Heah heah heah! I’m sorry. It’s just…I got some big news. Japan accepted America’s repeated demands to open the country. They signed an official peace treaty and everything.

Netherlands: Hmpf. Hey, give me light.

Dutch man: What? You mean it’s not already lit?

Netherlands: Two thirds of the time, it’s not lit. I wouldn’t want to waste it, would I?

Dutch man: Ehah…I guess not. Aheh…here. Then have a light.

Netherlands: Huah!

Dutch man: Mr. Netherlands?

#anime #anime transcripts #anime dub transcripts #hetalia #hetalia dub transcripts

0 notes

fishylife · 3 years

Text

Street Dance of China, Season 4, Episode 8

- I don’t remember if I’ve said this before, but Poppin’C seems like such a chill guy. He always seems very optimistic, very open-minded, very friendly. I was just reminded when he was talking about what he thought of the first freestyle battle challenge. The thought it was difficult, but he wasn’t like, bitter about it or anything. He just takes the challenges as they come. But even from episodes past, we see that he’s very non-judgmental of stuff and things in general. Side note, the Chinese subtitles always call him Christian (which I assume is his given name).

- Henry’s outfit here is cute.

- The relay freestyle dance challenge got really fun as we got through more rounds, and got dancers of different styles dancing to the same music.

- In the relay freestyle dance battle, you could tell who the versatile dancers are. We already knew Bouboo had range, but what I think is interesting is that his stage presence is so strong is that his dancing ends up overshadowing the song. It’s not bad, it’s just an observation, because a lot of his performances, even with very different music, sometimes have more of a similar feel, because his dance style is so strong. On the other hand, some dancers like Rochka or even Xiao Jie (even though he didn’t get to battle much) seem to fit themselves to the music, which makes them very entertaining to watch. It feels like I’m watching a different dancer when I see them dance to different sorts of music.

- The dancers praising Yixing for earning two points in the relay battle 🥰🥰

- This panel made me laugh because just as Rochka was going up against Yang Kai and very in the zone, someone shouted “Rochka’s really cute!” I mean, he is, but in this moment, I think he was going for cool.

- My boy MT-Pop!!! I think this is the first time we’ve seen him actually freestyle (most of his previous performances were a prepared performance or a group performance) and I love how he maintains that creativity in his movements! Bouboo’s response to his challenge was pretty cool too, I loved that Bouboo matched MT-Pop in terms of having really interesting movements and weird body placements.

- Yixing being the first team to win 7 points, and MT-Pop and Yixing each getting 2 points 🥰🥰 Sorry but I am biased. During the battle, Yixing did mention that he and his teammates tried come up with an order that would be to their benefit (i.e. in terms of using music against their opponents). So the strategizing worked.

- You did so good dude!

- Our little meowmeow was telling his team how he used all of his power on his first dance off and by the second battle he was already out of ideas lol. Except on his second battle against San’er he did have some good ideas!!

- Poppin’C said Yixing’s krumping was so shuai :P

- Is that Yixing running to grab the water bottles in the background?

- I did like Ibuki’s performances over Nelson’s in their second place dance off. Like Judge Philip said, she had a lot of variety in her dance moves. Especially during the popping music, Ibuki did some popping (?) moves that I had not expected from her. In the first episodes, I thought she was all about waacking so I love seeing her expand her repertoire.

- Lmao Yuwan called Ibuki “全村的希望” which is something like “the hope of the village” XD

- What’s also cute is that Yuwan called Ibuki 小吹, Xiaochui, because Weichui is the Chinese reading of the kanji for Ibuki.

- And then he called her 村花, “Village Flower,” which is something akin to the village beauty.

- MT-Pop and Poppin’C battled so many times together, and I had fun every time they did! The fact that they have so many routines is impressive. But I also just love how happy and cheerful they look every time. It makes their performances that much more interesting to watch.

- Not gonna lie, seeing Ma Xialong dance hip hop was really fun haha. I think Han Geng’s team didn’t really have some “general” hip hop specialists, so that was why they had to ask Eleven and Ma Xiaolong to go forth, but I think they at least delivered a product that was fun to watch. If anything, they have swag.

- Omg Xiaoji and Xiao Jie team for maximum entertainment

- Rochka and Boris are so interesting to watch, because they are both such big boys, and it’s like, how do they move their arms and legs that fast when they’re so long??

- It seems to me that the lockers always have very pleasant expressions, as in, they never forget to smile, which makes their performances very enjoyable to watch.

- Chika and Han Yu are such a cute duo.

- Okay but Han Geng? Sir? This fit? Old man team ftw.

- You were wearing two pairs of sunglasses the whole time????

- Han-xiansheng.....excuse me.....sir.....

- Dianmen and Rei-san from Gogo Brothers was such an interesting combo because Dianmen is a popper and Rei-san is a locker, and this music is rather slow compared to normal locking music.

- Ibuki and Eleven was pretty hype, even if they did lose their battle.

- Judge Tam was praising MT-Pop and Poppin’C :3 She basically said that they technically aren’t similar dancers, but they have cool chemistry and fun ideas.

- Yibo got a lot of praise in this challenge, because he danced three styles of battle (popping, locking, hip hop), which showed that he’s flexible, and as Judge Phillip said, it also means he has a good memory because he had to remember all those routines :P

- Poppin’C truly the realest dude ever. He was like we were happy that we were first, but can’t let your foot off the gas either, because Yibo’s team is going to be challenging them from second place.

- Henry’s team is lowest in points right now, and Rochka was saying how Henry was being very encouraging and motivating.

- Just a small note, Momo speaks in a combination of Japanese and English and it’s cute :P I remember Junna did that on the show too, but I think this is the first I’ve seen it in the interview section. Most of the Japanese dancers speak in Japanese even if their English is alright (e.g. Ibuki), though Momo more often speaks in English than Japanese from what I’ve observed.

- The 5 person performance from Yixing’s team was cute! It wasn’t the most explosive, but it was very cute and quirky. I can see all of the influences of the different choreographers though. The parts when the dancers were in a V shape (more hip hop) were probably choreographed by Kenken, the parts relating to the table were probably choreographed by Bunta, and I think Huang Xiao did more of the choreography for himself and Qiao Zhi, who were supposed to represent the Chinese chefs. And actually I MT-Pop might’ve had a hand in choreographing the part when he and Kenken burst through the table (the quirky eccentric stuff). But like Li Bingbing said, they were focusing a lot on the story part of the performance, so that’s why they couldn’t plan as many cool dance moves that were just cool from an aesthetic point of view, and not necessarily related to the story.

- Han Geng’s team’s performance was abstract and artistic. I think the wind as a prop was really interesting. Technically we can’t even see it, but the wind changes the “direction” of the dance. All of the moves revolve around the fact that the wind is coming from that angle. So it acts as both a prop to alter the “perspective” of the dance, as well as a prop for the story.

- The performance from Yibo’s team was more of what I’d expected out of this challenge, something that was just aesthetically cool from all angles. Like Ye Yin said, it wasn’t advantageous to compete from a storytelling perspective, so they might as well just focus on the visuals.

- After this performance, Rochka told Henry not to worry. He was like “psst Henry! 一劉 team? We’re great!” The captaon says 暖心卡寳. 暖心 means warm hearted, alluding to the fact that Henry might’ve gotten worried since other teams had such strong performances and they were behind in points and Rochka wanted to reassure him. 卡 is “ka” as in “Kaka” as in “Rochka.” 寳 means treasure, but it is also the “bao” in “baobei,” and it’s also something you can just add at the end of someone’s name to make it a cute nickname. So basically the caption is saying that Rochka is a warm hearted baby.

- Henry’s team had a cyberbullying theme going on. I thought this performance was cool because it was both visually very cool and it told an interesting story compared to how minimalist their props were (just masks). Basically the dance covered themes of online bullying, and how social media can be just as isolating as it is connecting. I was surprised that Judge Phillip said that the theme kind of lost him because he thought it might not be clear to everyone who was watching. But I guess it’s also because Henry mentioned that there was a cyberbullying theme so I wasn’t as confused as someone might be if they were going in blind.

- Han Geng came over to cheer on Henry’s team before the final battle.

- This was the first freestyle battle that Kenken did and can I just say, his dance style is just so hype. Kenken was up against Nelson though, who is tough to beat. Yixing said that he’d wanted Kenken, Bunta, and Huang Xiao to join in on the battle to at least have some fun, but he hadn’t expected him to run into Nelson ^^;;

- Yibo’s team won 6 points in a row and everybody was like “who’s gonna challenge them? who’s gonna dethrone them?” OUR MEOWMEOW KING IS!!!!!! Yixing stopped Yibo’s team’s streak lol. Yixing’s team went on to say how he inspired such confidence in them, that he was their hero haha.

- Henry tried to challenge next. He challenged Dianmen. But alas, Dianmen got the point. At this point, I feel super bad for Henry. He probably feels a bit powerless to help his team v.v Ahhh I hope some good luck comes his way!!!!! He deserves it!!!!

- In this last battle, where teams can change their challengers however they want, we see how important it is to win the point, because once you’re on the defence, you get an opportunity to get a point every battle, whereas for each of the challenger teams, if you lose, you have to wait another round for your turn.

- Lmao as San’er was going to challenge, Chunlin just started yelling “AHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Guess that’s his way of motivating his teammates XD

- Yibo’s team won the final challenged in the end. Here’s our boy Poppin’C being all “shucks, but we’ll get them next time!”

- 23 points wasn’t shabby for Yixing’s team.

- Yixing started singing Billie Jean but the subtitles are not right at all lmao

- Yixing’s team said that through the challenges, they felt like they’d grown closer as a team :3

- Han Geng being encouraging to his team. In typical dad fashion he was like “no matter what happens, let’s have fun, don’t think about winning or losing!”

- Henry’s team members were talking about how it kind of hurt to see that they had the lowest score by far :(

- Oh no :(

- Rochka explained that he had asthma, so after the first round, he was quite tired, so he felt very sad that he couldn’t help his team in the later battles. The words on the side say that Rochka stayed on scene after he got medical help, but Henry didn’t want to let him battle. Later on, Rochka was available to dance again, but Henry moved him to the back of their queue (probably so he’d have more time to rest), but as we saw in the challenge, it took a while for them to get their turn and thus Rochka didn’t end up dancing.

- Rochka kept apologizing and saying he had no excuses and Henry comes up being like “what are you talking about bro?”

- That’s right! Give him a hug!!!!

- These two really take every opportunity to flirt huh. Well it’s more like Henry issuing the flirt challenge and Rochka accepting the flirt challenge by returning with equally flirty behaviour.

- The way Huang Xiao described the competition was very cool. He said that the world cannot stop your radiance, but you also are not able to cover up someone else’s light.

- Nelson announced to the show that he had to leave, to go back to France to handle some issues about custody over his son. I had heard that he had left the show, I just didn’t realize it would be so soon. But like everybody else, family is important, so we can’t be mad for someone wanting to return home for personal reasons. After all, this is just a competition, just a game.

- Poppin’C patting Yixing’s shoulder. Iunno, I just thought it was fun :P

- This round did not end with eliminations, but I suspect that as the winner, Yibo will earn some sort of perk later on.

- Finally, all of the figures in a row!

- I know the hot pot show is now no longer members only, but I don’t think I have the time to watch it. Maybe I’ll just download it now and save it for later, maybe after I’m done SDOC, but I probably won’t watch it as I’m watching the main SDOC show.

#thinking out loud #cvariety #street dance of china #screencaps

4 notes · View notes

izzyizumi · 3 years

Photo

Digimon Adventure tri. ~ Japanese version KETSUI [“Determination”] (Movie 2) featuring DUO/SHIP: Jo[u] Kido [Jo[u] (“Joe”) Kido in US] x Mimi Tachikawa ; [ JOUMI ] ~ MOMENTS & INTERACTIONS gifs by @izzyizumi , { DO NOT REPOST } { DO NOT REMOVE CAPTION } { DO NOT USE MY POSTS FOR ARGUING/DISCOURSE } { DO NOT USE MY POSTS FOR SPREADING CANON HATE } { OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE BLOCKED } { THIS ALSO APPLIES TO TAGGING/TAGS ON THIS POST. } { usage of gifs may be allowed if permission is asked / or if credit is given. However, read my about & FAQ pages first. Please do NOT use / ask if you match anything in my “Do Not Interact” sections. } { Additional note: this post is mainly intended as ship. please remember + respect this when interacting please tag only as the ship name and DO NOT tag as only “brotp” or the like only*, thank you! } (*It is ok if you tag as “friendship” or the like along with the ship name!!)

(Girls in Mimi’s class; to Mimi) “You’re JIKOCHU!”

“JIKOCHU?”

“YOU DON’T KNOW? It means you’re SELF CENTERED and ANNOYING!” (Mimi) “...Are you skipping prep school?” “Is that ok, even with your exams?” (Jou) “What about you?” {deflecting it back at her} “Aren’t you busy preparing for the school festival?” (Mimi) {after a tense and long pause between them} “...Am I ‘JIKOCHU’?” (Jou) { turns, only slightly startled } “Well...” (Mimi) { with a bitter smile } “You don’t refute it.” (Jou) “...Sorry.” (Mimi) “It’s fine.” {a slightly long pause} “I did know on some level.” “These past couple days I was made painfully aware.” “When something feels right or I think something is good,” “I act like it’s good for everyone else too.” “But ultimately... I’m not seeing those around me.” “It ends up making them feel bad.” “I hurt Palmon too.” “I even lost my temper with Meimei.” {clenching her bags’ straps} I’m sick of myself.” (Jou) {near immediately after} “If you’re doing something JIKOCHU is still better.” (Mimi turns in surprise to regard Jou as he continues)

(Jou) “I’m disgusted with myself. I’m a worthless coward.” (Mimi) “Jou-senpai...” (Jou) “Why is it us, again, that have to take care of things?” “Because we’re the Chosen Children?” “Why is that destiny ours?”

(Mimi) {bitter grinning} “You still have that question, even now?” (Jou) “I know. I was over it.” “But even though you get over it once, the same questions return.”

{The heavy rain begins to fall, reflecting their current states.}

“How long must we be the Chosen Children?” “There’s so much I have to do at this point in my life.” “In order to join {Japanese} society. to become an adult.” “I have to choose my own way to adulthood. Not to the Chosen Children. That’s why I’ve been studying.”

{Mimi brings the topic back around to the opening line.} “And so you’re skipping prep school.” { refuting his line, ‘That’s why I’ve been studying’ because the truth is, Jou ISN’T studying in this moment. } (Jou) {incredibly bitter smiling} “You got me there.”

“I’m off to prep school.” “Jou-senpai...”

“ IT’S BETTER TO BE JIKOCHU...”

…THAN A COWARD.”

(a bit later on, Jou walks through the same rain alone.) “Saying that you HAVE to BE AN ADULT? YOU COWARD!” {while wiping tears from eyes underneath glasses.}

- The scene is slightly condensed to fit into gifset form; (specifically Hikari’s presence and mentions of Mimi feeling bad for yelling at Meiko are left out, but those moments are also relevant to this scene.)

BONUS:

“JIKOCHU , I guess ?”

“I THINK YOU’RE FINE THAT WAY TOO ,

… MIMI-KUN.” - tri.; Movie 2 - KETSUI [“Determination”]

+ J[Y]OUMI CHALLENGE 2020, DAY 2: (Month long challenge created by blog jyoumifeels!)

FAVORITE JOUMI MOMENT / INTERACTION

{ A lot of people may disagree with me on this scene. But I genuinely feel this scene describes JOU and MIMI and captures their relationship to each other 100 PERCENT. It’s one hundred percent the CENTRAL THEME of their storylines in the 2nd tri. movie, and actually even has some callbacks to their interactions in the Japanese version of Adventure. }

[Note: the word used here is ‘wagamama’ for Selfishness, but it still ties in nicely with the use of “Jikochu” in later tri, which took things a step further, to mean/highly imply in the original Japanese, “self-centered and annoying” by using the word “Jikochu” for Mimi originally, and making it central to BOTH their storylines by the end.]

( COMPARE to the above tri. scene where Mimi says, “I did know on some level.” ) { about her ‘selfishness’ }

[ Note: This and this post are both incredible takes that explain the Tri scenes’ intentions in depth much better than I can! The second linked post especially contains a lot more contexts into Jou’s role in this scene, but also explains some of Mimi’s. and how Japanese society ROLES & expectations play into both Jou and Mimi’s written personalities. ]

[ Note: commenting/tagging positively/respectfully is ok ! ] ( Please ACKNOWLEDGE BANNERS BEFORE interacting ) ( Note: click on the banners to enlarge ! )

#jyoumi challenge #jyoumi #joumi #jou kido #mimi tachikawa #joe kido #digimon #joe x mimi #jou x mimi #jyou x mimi #jyou kido #digimon adventure #izzyizumi gifs #izzyizumi posts #izzyizumi joumi gifs #joumi interactions #joumi moments #tri gifs #ketsui gifs #otp: its better to be jikochu #ketsui #tri spoilers #jou refs #mimi refs #(THERE'S MORE I WANTED TO ADD BUT THEN WE'RE GETTING INTO)#(JOUs ENTIRE STORY IN ADVS SO I MAY SAVE IT FOR A LATER POST)#(I feel it may help to have THE ENTIRE SCENE laid out in full because I CONSTANTLY see it and Jou getting taken COMPLETELY Out Of Contexts)#(but seriously I hope lying it out in full helps people just Understand it better with the links too because YEAH. This is a fav moment)#(EVEN WITHOUT JOUMI INTENTIONS it's SUPER SIGNIFICANT and i SERIOUSLY wish ppl could actually try and understand what its saying)#(AND YES the cultural contexts are very important here too!!! It's literally a part of their storylines ESPECIALLY Jou's but also Mimi's!!)

15 notes · View notes

jeidafei · 5 years

Text

D.Gray-Man Chapter 234 Translation Notes

I haven’t posted a note for many chapters, but this chapter dropped so many reveal-bombs I just can’t i just can’t aaaaaaaargh gurglegurgle

/regain composure /why am I listening to “Send In The Clowns” on loop while posting this?

Ahem. So, in short, this chapter is super LIT, but also a headache to translate. As with all reveal-heavy chapters, there is no knowing how disastrous the ramifications of one tiny misinterpretation can be on future reveals. Whoops!

So let’s peruse the story page-by-page, word-by-word, unraveling the story plus a little ramble on the Japanese language.

Warning: this post is incredibly long

(You can skip to 5 for my wild theory on The Pillar)

1. Gawd, I’ve always hated these opening captions T T

Because they always give me this feeling of I think I kinda understand what this means but I don’t know how to translate this so it makes sense!

紐解かれるかつての別離（わかれ）

I think I spent time on this one sentence even more than the rest of the chapter. Despite it being the first thing on the first page, this is honestly the last thing I translated this chapter.

Word-by-word, 紐解かれる (himo-tokareru) is the passive form of the verb 紐解く (himo-toku), which by definition means:

1) Unbinding and opening a new book 2) Unraveling (i.e. memories, history, the truth, etc.) 3) A flower blooming

紐 (himo) and 解く(toku) are also actually two separate words used normally in daily life. The first one means “rope” and the second means “to solve, to untie, to unravel etc.”

So, in essence, this word refers to something hidden, a secret being revealed. No surprises here, since we’re talking about D.Gray-Man.

かつての (katsute no) means “Once”, “Used to be” whereas 別離 (betsuri) means “parting, separation” but the furigana indicates must be read as わかれ (wakare) for some reason, and means farewell or separation as well.

I take it that as Mana and Nea were once separated by death, but now Nea has returned to Mana as he vowed to, the “farewell” is no more; it just used to be a farewell.

So now that we have all the pieces...

HOW ON EARTH DO I TRANSLATE THIS !!!???

You saw how it turned out above. To be frank, I’m still not satisfied with it, but as my period cramps are killing me and I’m literally typing this to distract my mind from it because I can’t sleep yet with this pain, and my brain is out of ideas, as always...

I’ll leave it to you guys to interpret freely!

2. Nea’s last words

Just when I thought I’d skip that troubling caption and start on the dialogue right away, manga-kun messes with me again! Who was Nea talking to? In the background, Nea is reaching up to Mana while decaying away. However, on the next page, turns out it is Cross recalling those words.

So I walked over to my bookshelf and picked up DGM volume 17 and 22.

In volume 17, in their last meeting before Cross disappeared, Cross told Allen that Nea promised him that he’d return to Mana if Cross kept watch over Mana.

In volume 22, however, Road reveals to Allen that “Don’t stop, keep walking.” were Nea’s parting words to Mana.

Um...so...which is it, exactly?

So if context doesn’t help, then should we turn back to the literal word? If it were some other language I might’ve said great idea! But this is Japanese; a douchebag of a language that assumes all parties must be native speakers and privy to the conversation beforehand. And thus omits subject, verbs, and objects whenever it pleases to screw foreign learners and outsiders alike.

Why, Nea’s sentence has no subject and object!

まってろ。必ずマナの元に行く。「アレン」が目印だ。それまでは立ち止まるな。

Literally this says “Keep waiting/Just you wait. (I will) definitely go to where Mana is. ‘Allen’ is the sign. Until then, don’t stand still.”

While Nea using Mana’s name might imply that Nea’s not talking to Mana, but to someone else, otherwise he would’ve used “you/your”. But in Japanese, usually people will refer to their convo partner by name as well, i.e. Lenalee and Allen refer to everyone by name instead of “you”. This is considered neutral and politer than the textbook pronoun “anata” (which is kinda condescending actually...so why do they still keep it in the textbooks!?).

In case you’re not that close with the person you’re talking to, and not sure which pronoun you should use, using their name is the safest bet to avoid offending them. (Don’t go calling your client omae, of course lol!)

So, back to Nea, going by this rule, he also could’ve been talking to Mana himself as well. See? Curse you, nihongo!!!

Anyway, Nea didn’t talk to Mana/Earl that way when they met in recent(? I dunno, my sense of time is already warped from too many hiatuses and hopeless waiting) chapters; Nea refers to Mana using the pronoun “anta” which is the shorter, more casual form of “anata”. And judging from his overall language, he’s not that polite or soft-spoken either, so the possibility is lower.

Also it’s kinda weird to tell someone who’s sitting right in front of you that you’ll “go to” where he is.

So, using my spidey sense plus all things considered, I finally concluded that since it’s Cross’ flashback, Nea was talking to Cross this time.

Looking back on this, I don’t know if I’d be able to translate DGM even with 50% accuracy had I not read the series from the start and have the volumes stacked on a bookshelf nearby just in case. Screw you, NIHONGO!

3. Pierrot, Clown, Auguste, Whiteface, Harlequin; What’s the difference?

In Lost Fragment of Snow, Mana is described as a Pierrot whereas Cosimo is a Clown. As I’m not well-versed in clown traditions, I did some Googling and Wikipedia, and learned the art is even more interesting and richer than I once thought:

In this informative blog , it’s explained that while in appearance, the Pierrot and the Clown are almost the same, there is one rule that sets them apart:

The Pierrot has tear marks under his eyes, whereas the Clown does not.

The Pierrot’s tear marks:

(I just noticed Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker also has tear marks)

The blog is long and detailed and very interesting, but in short, though both the Pierrot and the Clown are supposed to make people laugh by doing foolish things, while the Clown intentionally acts foolish to be laughed at, and can also joke back at and laugh at the audience as well, the Pierrot will always have to be laughed at and made fun of by the audience.

Deep down, though the Pierrot is hurt and sad, he must act as if he’s not, to conceal it from the audience. Thus the tear marks indicates a deep, profound sadness.

(*pause to sob for Allen and Joker*)

Back to Mana, we can clearly see he has a tear mark on his right eye. But Cosimo has what looks to be a tear mark and a star under his eyes as well.

So...aren’t they both Pierrots? Grrrrrrr! DAMMIT HOSHINO!!

Anyways, moving on. I think we remember that back in Allen’s epic showdown with the Earl in Edo, this scene happened:

The Earl compares Allen to the White Clown/Clown Blanc and himself to Auguste. In classic tradition, Blanc and Auguste are often paired together, and it is said that this originates from the pairing of the Pierrot and Harlequin.

No no no obviously I’m not talking about this one lol

Ahem, back to serious-ass clown lore:

Both Blanc & Auguste and Pierrot & Harlequin are similar in that the former (Blanc and Pierrot) is more sophisticated, stern, serious and melancholic, whereas the latter (Auguste and Harlequin) is the happy, clumsy, grotesque, sometimes rude fool that does the former’s bidding, to comical results.

In Lost Fragment of Snow, Mana is said to always be smiling and extraordinarily kind, and that he is an enchantingly elegant, beautiful clown, but when he smiles, he always looks as if he is actually crying, dying inside.

I mean, pretty much everyone has had that moment in their lives, no?

Okay, back to seriousness, again; Yes, Mana is the ultimate Pierrot, the Whiteface, the Blanc. The sad fool who must always be laughed at by the world.

And now Allen, who has taken on Mana’s personality, became the melancholic laughingstock of the world himself, constantly being pushed down and trodden on and used, but having no choice but to push on with a smile, hiding his pain deep underneath the white greasepaint.

Cue the music!

I started a joke, which started the whole world crying But I didn't see that the joke was on me. I started to cry, which started the whole world laughing Oh, if I'd only seen that the joke was on me.

(Bee Gees - I Started A Joke)

4. Great, Cosimo had a hard life too. One more confirmed-dead character I have to cry for!

I hated Cosimo. Still do. Heck, EVERYONE HATES COSIMO. I mean, until now, the guy totally has no redeeming qualities and no justifying reason behind his relentless cruelty.

But in the recent chapters, there are reveals not mentioned in LFS:

Cosimo was bought and forced to work as an errand boy, like Red, before he somehow crawled his way out and became the circus’s top performer. While drunk, Cosimo would also complain about how he was actually born a noble (this last one is also mentioned in LFS).

Imagine that. Your parents abandoned you for whatever reason (maybe he’s a bastard child?) and you ended up sold to slavery in a circus. After years of being worked to the bone and abused, you struck it big and thought you had it all, then new guy waltzes in with his stupid dog and takes your spotlight.

Heck, you don’t even have to live such a rotten life to feel bitter. In Toy Story, even brave and fair Sheriff Woody was reduced to a jealous wreck in the face of Buzz Lightyear stealing Andy’s attention from him, wasn’t he? And I think we can all relate to that. Most of us have been jealous of someone before.

Cosimo’s unforgivable actions towards Mana and Allen the Dog may have been fueled by insecurity, trauma and fear as much as jealousy. His abuse towards Red is a result of long years of being abused himself; his own way to cope.

While Red/Allen blames himself for his pain and not inflict it back upon others, Cosimo did the opposite, because everyone reacts and adapts differently. However, to be clear, both of these traits are not healthy.

There’s also the fact that Red was saved by the kindness of Allen the Dog and Mana while he is fortunately still young enough to regain faith; whereas Cosimo suffered alone all through his life, surrounded by selfish, two-faced scumbags like that guy handing out leaflets. Had things been different, who’s to say Red might not turn out the same as Cosimo?

In a nutshell, Cosimo is simply a product of his harsh environment. While I still despise him, I can’t help feeling some pity for him and understanding where all that evil had come from. I don’t believe he is inherently bad. Nobody is. Had he been raised with love, I’m sure he would have been a very different person.

5. The Pillar

I know, this is what y’all are actually here for. I mean who cares about Cosimo’s tragic life or the difference between a Pierrot and a Clown when there’s an honest-to-gods HOLY LIGHT SPLITTING THE SKY APART AND OBLITERATING THIS WHOLE WORLD FULL OF SINNERS!? And it’s even teased, like, waaaaay back in Timothy’s Arc (gawd how old was I back then?) !!

First, a recap of this chapter:

7,000 years ago, The Pillar destroyed the world (which seems pretty modern). The Noah survived and held a grudge against The Pillar for forever destroying their world, leaving them with nowhere to return to. Once they found the reborn Millennium Earl, they pretended to be his family, but instead are using him to exact revenge on The Pillar, because it is predicted the Earl will one day become The Pillar and destroy the world again. Cross however took pity on the Earl and chided Road for believing in that prophecy and causing the Earl so much misery.

Some IRL tidbits:

Hoshino-sensei revealed she traveled to Ground Zero of WTC for inspiration, now we finally get to know which scene that inspiration is for. And IMO, the instant obliteration coming out of nowhere on one fine day, the Pillar etching a line from sky to ground amidst the pile of rubble, reminds me of the A-bomb’s mushroom cloud over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And we all know which country Hoshino-sensei comes from, right? Could there be a link?

Now, my personal analysis (or rather, pointless rant with no answers coming out whatsoever):

This chapter both confirms, clarifies and also debunks important things we have believed from our time with the Order, listening to the Order’s side of the story.

1) In the very beginning, Komui tells Allen about the previous end of the world 7,000 years ago. The Bible calls it “The Great Flood”. The Cube calls it “The Three Days of Darkness.” However, we now learn it is neither rainy nor dark. Nope, one day all of a sudden, a blindingly bright shaft of light struck down from the sky, and The Capitol suddenly became The Scorch. How did it achieve that? No clue!

2) Komui tells Allen that the end of the world was caused by a war between the wielders of Innocence and the Earl + the Noah Family, and the ensuing flood that destroyed the world scattered the Innocence around the world.

However, in this chapter, we learned there was no war. There was no flood. Just the Pillar that appeared suddenly one day. And surprise, the Noah Family hated The Pillar for destroying their beloved world, their only home (wait, aren’t they supposed to hate the Innocence?).

Yet now the Noah are working with the Earl, who wants to destroy the new world and would someday become the Pillar and destroy the new world too? Yet Cross says they’re just using him for all this time?

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

My super duper wild theory is that since 1) The Earl is the Pillar-in-Making, 2) The Noah show hatred for The Pillar as much as they do for the Innocence, 3) The Pillar, like Innocence, could trigger their Noah Memory to threaten to swallow them, then it’s kinda implied that;

Mana = The Millennium Earl = The Pillar = The Heart of Innocence

And the Noah, knowing this all along and wanting to prevent the end of the world from happening again, tricked the Millennium Earl into thinking they’re helping him fulfill his raison d'être of Harbinger of the End of The F***ing World (sorry, another reference, heh), not telling him that he’s actually the Heart of Innocence itself, watch him go after Exorcists he suspects are the Heart, and gleefully accept his orders to kill those Exorcists looking for the Heart, in order to prevent the Black Order from ever getting the Earl aka the Heart on their side.

They also let the Earl create legions of Akuma to fight the Exorcists and destroy all the Innocence shards, literally using the Earl to destroy himself, keeping him away from his true allies, chipping away at his lifeline one shard at a time, like Harry crushing Voldemort’s horcruxes one by one, not knowing he’s a Horcrux himself. Until finally, when there is nothing left but the greatly weakened Heart with no army to protect it, then will the Noah have the chance to defeat it once and for all.

And of course while they keep the Earl busy searching for the Heart, old man will never pause and think hmmm, maybe I am the Heart?

Perhaps this is why Wisely said that all humans who have awoken into Noah will accept their duty once they learned of Noah’s mission. Since Noah’s mission now seems to be preventing the end of the world at the hands of Innocence, which I take as God’s power, and God’s weapon for “cleansing” the world whenever he deems it too sinful.

After all, we have seen the horrors Innocence can do, the lengths Innocence will go to punish people it judged to have sinned. Innocence is said to be a crystallization of God, and like God, it has been foreshadowed numerous times to have that ruthless, merciless, unforgiving streak within it that could alienate even Allen himself.

Anyway, I typed this one without checking the earlier volumes that much. I expect there will be several loopholes, so be sure to point out any inaccuracies and also please, please do let me know what you guys think of these reveals as well! I’d love to hear differing theories!

Other tidbits

The Garvey Troupe, not Garbeigh. Sorry, everyone. Phonetically, Japanese does not have the “v” sound. Nowadays, you can write it out by adding the mark on the ウ (u) letter like this: ヴ, but most words would still transliterate it to the “b” sound, and most Japanese people will still have trouble pronouncing the “v” sound properly anyway. For example, “Violin” could be written both as (v)ヴァイオリン or (b)バイオリン, and most people would pronounce it like the latter.

Do you think Road’s memories of the End of the World has anything to do with Lenalee and Allen’s shared dream of the End of the World as well? Though Lenalee’s nightmare features the Black Order in ruins and not the modern skyscrapers of Road’s.

So Cross knew Nea and Mana from childhood!? I’ve always thought he met Nea by chance when they are grownups and he was forced to do Nea’s bidding. Interesting!!

So, that’s it for this chapter! Phew! That was uber long. Thank you so much for bearing with me this far. Hit me up in comments!

#dgm #d gray #d gray man #d gray man 234

313 notes · View notes

let-me-love-you-loki · 4 years

Text

In A Day or Two-Ch. 24

Chapter 24

Three days. Thirty-six hours. God, the end was coming so fast that it made my head spin. The faster my departure date came, the more I felt sick at the thought of leaving Japan… leaving Kenny. It still amazed me at how quickly he had become so perfectly entwined in my life. How much I had let him become part of my heart. It scared me sometimes.

How could I go back to my normal life after this? After everything I’d seen and experienced since I first met Kenny Omega? He’d changed me in so many ways…. Sometimes I didn’t feel like myself.

I felt so very different. And I didn’t know quite how to make this new Shaye part of the old one. Or if I even could.

Snuggled beneath the blankets of Kenny’s bed, I tugged the pillows against my chest and breathed deep of the scent of him. I suddenly wanted to cry at the thought that in a few days, the scent would only be in my heart. It would be gone. I’d have nothing left of Kenny but pictures and memories.

As if my thoughts had conjured him, Kenny appeared in the doorway of his closet. His two-toned curls were damp from his shower. He was going through his gear, packing for a tour with Ring of Honor in California. “Shaytan,” he said sweetly. “I had an idea.”

I watched a slow smile ghost over his face as he caught sight of me hugging his pillows. Something wistful—almost sad—appeared in his eyes. For a moment, he leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, his gaze taking me in. He blinked a few times, as if there were tears in his eyes, before he crossed the room and plopped onto the bed beside me.

“What kind of idea is that?” I asked, settling my head atop his pillow.

He reached out, his fingertips brushing through my hair and across my cheek. “My tour starts in California the day after you fly out. What if I changed my flight?”

I looked up into his pale blue eyes and felt my heart thump with an overwhelming adoration of the man in front of me. “You’d do that?”

Kenny grinned, happiness bleeding into the curve of his lips. “To get another twelve hours with you… I’d do anything.”

I felt the tears before they actually came. They slipped down my cheeks so fast that I couldn’t catch my breath. I couldn’t explain exactly why I had devolved into tears at the thought of him doing something as simple as changing his flight. Maybe it was the ease with which he would change his plans just to spend a few extra hours with me.

“Kentan,” I whispered, pushing the pillow away and curling toward Kenny.

He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me against his chest and pressing faint kisses against my forehead. “Don’t cry, koibito,” he murmured. He chuckled faintly. “That wasn’t quite the response I was expecting.”

The sound of his laugh filled me with warmth. Kenny wiped the tears from my face with his thumb and kissed the tip of my nose. I couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re too sweet, Kenny,” I whispered, bumping my nose against his.

He grinned again, holding up his hand with his middle two fingers folded down and pressing against his thumb, index and pinky held up. It was the universal sign of The Bullet Club… the too sweet. I smiled a little more.

***

We stood in the sitting room of the apartment I’d lived in the first few weeks I’d been in Japan. The clock had ticked down to twenty-four hours, and I wanted to do a last sweep of the place so I could make sure that I wasn’t leaving anything behind. We found a few small things, but nothing that I couldn’t have replaced when I got back to New York. Then we gave it a good cleaning before locking it back up.

As we were leaving, my phone rang. It was my mother. Worry spiked through me. It was one in the afternoon in Tokyo, making it midnight in New York.

“Mama? What’s wrong?” My heart raced in my chest. Had something happened to my dad while I was gone? Had my brother done something horribly stupid and gotten himself arrested or hurt? “Mama!”

“Stop shouting, Shaye,” my mother said calmly. “Nothing’s wrong. But I would love to hear about this young man you’ve been spending so much time with over there.”

I stopped dead, nearly collapsing against the wall. “What? What do you mean?”

My mother sighed. “Don’t try to talk your way around it, Shaye Marie. The pictures are all over Page Six.”

“Page Six?” My heart thumped in my chest, and I swear the floor was rising up to meet me. “I have no clue what you’re talking about, Mama.”

“You aren’t traipsing around Tokyo with some muscle bound blond amateur wrestler,” she spat the words as if they tasted bitter, “named Kenny Omega?”

Kenny stepped up close, resting his hand on the middle of my back. “Shaytan? Are you alright? You look like you’re about to be sick.”

My mother practically cackled with glee on the other end. “Oh, is that him? He certainly sounds attractive.”

“Mama, can we please talk about this later? And for God’s sake, have Mr. Antony get those taken down!”

“Oh, it isn’t going to be that easy, Shaye. Everyone is gossiping about your Japanese tryst. Of course, why wouldn’t they? It’s a scandal.”

I sank onto the steps and put my head between my knees. “Only if you make it one, Mama. And he’s not an amateur. He’s brilliant, and he’s the star of his company.”

My mother hung up, being very elusive about whether she would talk to our family attorney, Mr. Antony. I dropped my phone onto the step below me and fought against the black spots that flickered on the edges of my vision. Kenny hovered nearby, finally coming to rest kneeling on the stairs in front of me.

“Shaye? What’s the matter?” his voice was deep and gruff. There was a worried shadow in his eyes.

I felt sick. I could see every moment of the last three months crumbling out from beneath us. For a few brief weeks, I’d lived a lifetime that I never thought I could have. My eyes stung. I bit back the tears, desperate to not break into tears on the steps of a Japanese apartment block.

“Kenny… I’m so sorry.” Without another word, I picked up my phone and opened the Page Six website. I couldn’t look him in the eye as I handed it over.

It was quiet as he tried to figure out what I meant for him to see. When he finally did, I watched him sag lower onto the steps. “These pictures are about you… why?”

I hid my face behind my hands. “My family is… kind of a big deal in New York City. My father is a CEO of an international firm. And my mother is… old money. Like Rockefeller and Carnegie old money.”

Kenny tapped the screen of my phone, looking at the pictures again. I held out my hand, my curiosity getting the better of me. My guts churned when I saw them—photos of us from multiple different days. Coming out of the arcade, red faced, grinning, and holding hands in jeans and sneakers. Walking through the Shinkowa with messenger bags and groceries. Walking arm-in-arm ahead of the Young Bucks and Adam Page, me in a Bullet Club sweatshirt. Every caption made mention of my obvious lack of high fashion and the new company I was keeping. They named Kenny and the rest of them.

I swallowed back vomit as I turned the phone off. “I understand if you’re upset… if you don’t want to speak to me again.”

He moved lightning quick. No sooner had the words come out of my mouth than he’d taken my hands in his. Kenny drew my fingers to his lips and kissed them gently. “I’m not upset, Shaytan. I’m just… confused. Why didn’t you tell me? It wouldn’t have mattered to me. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“I’ve spent my entire life being Shaye Marie Walker, Upper East Side debutante. I just wanted to be… Shaye. Just for a while.” I finally looked up, our eyes meeting. Kenny smiled softly and brushed my hair behind my ear.

“You are just Shaye to me,” he murmured. “Just Shaye… my unmei no akai ito.”

Tag List

@mox-made-me-do-it @imagineall-the-fandoms @waywardstrong @maelleoute @lilred91 @not-that-kinda-gurl08 @lakamaa12

#in a day or two #kenny omega #kenny omega fanfiction #aew #aew fanfiction #ofc #oc #real person fanfiction #japan #shaye walker #kenny x shaye #japanese #travel #boy meets girl #multi-chapter

39 notes · View notes

japanessie · 5 years

Text

MY FIRST STORY on Hey! Hey! NEO! with Downtown 30 Sept 2019

MFS was so excited over this one. Must be an honour to be invited to be a guest for these famous comedians, eh?

Disclaimer: I did this with a lot of help from FujiTV onscreen captions and Google speech capture technology wherever possible. My ears can’t do this 100% on their own LOL. Not to mention listening to this a countless number of times! Hundreds! I also rephrased things liberally here and there. The photo collages only serve as a summary. Surely a lot of things were misheard too. Sorry for all the mistakes and fails 🙈 . Here, I picked some parts of the lively conversation and left out the rest that I’m so hopeless at. Words in italic or bracket are my own addition. I also selected some Japanese words to remember and left out the ones I’m not ready for. Sorry it makes things look messy.

A bit of background…..

DOWNTOWN is a popular Japanese comedy duo from Hyogo consisting of members Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. So, this means, they use a lot of Kansai-ben. I can’t even pass standard Japanese, let alone Kansai dialect LOL.

MY FIRST STORY held a lottery for Fan Club members to attend the recording at FUJI TV, Odaiba City on 23 Sept 2019. I didn’t apply because I knew I would not be able to understand things on the spot. Not to mention I had no money to go anyway 😂. Congrats to those who got picked to go!

——————————————

MFS the “handsome"band?

Hitoshi Matsumoto: You guys are kinda like "Visual Kei”.

Hiro: (surprised) Really??

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Very handsome*.

* Not sure if he mentioned someone’s name or what with it.

Masatoshi Hamada: EH? (…looking at Hiro’s face…)

Everyone: (laughs)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: But I’m sorry ok (…putting his hand on Nob…), you are the least popular, I understand that*.

* Oh my God, that’s brutal (but I’m still laughing). Sorry Nob.

Everyone: (laughs hysterically) Nob: (smiles and nods*)

* Aww…. Nob is so gentle & accepting. It’s not like he’s ugly though. Far from it. Especially if you’ve seen him in person. But it’s hard not to look super “unpretty” when sitting next to pretty boys like Hiro, Teru and Kid'z.

Masatoshi Hamada: But first, they debuted seven years ago.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Since we know nothing about it, were you guys already this good-looking from the band’s formation time?

MFS members: (… err… how to answer this one?…)

Hiro: (…awkwardly..) I guess so. Maybe.

Masatoshi Hamada: Any huge place you guys want to perform in*?

* Actually I’m not really sure what he said. Just guessing ….haha.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (putting his hand on Nob again) Any problem with him*?

* Kinda like any problem with having a not-so-handsome guy in a band of handsome guys? OMG, brutal LOL

Everyone: (laughs)

Nob: (..somewhat startled…. what, me?)

Hiro: (raises his hand and laughs) No, no. We’re not that kind of band. He’s fine.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (nudging Nob) Don’t take it to heart, eh? Don’t take it to heart *.

* Not sure if that’s what he meant. Just guessing … huhu.

Everyone: (laughs)

——————————————

Hiro is such a chatterbox, they think he should just enter a grand competition

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (to Hiro) You’re such a talker*! (pretending to look annoyed) Are you going on R-1 Grand Prix or what!

* 喋り達者 / shaberitachisha (?) / master talker, chatterbox

Everybody: (laughs)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: I can’t even talk at all (when Hiro talks)!

Hiro: (laughs) No, no! I’m not going on R-1!

*R-1 Grand Prix is a popular competition where entertainers compete with each other making jokes or whatever funny things to win the title of champion.

* LOL Do you think Hiro talks too much?

——————————————

The Downtown guys know Hiro’s parents very well and are particularly good friends with Mama Mori

Masatoshi Hamada & Hitoshi Matsumoto: (bowing to Hiro in respect to Mama Mori) Send our regards to your mother.

Hiro: (bowing back) Thank you.

* Mama Mori did background narration for the comedy duo for many many years.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: I’ve been to your father’s concerts too.

Hiro: Ah, thank you so much (bowing to Matsumoto-san)

* Sorry, I don’t really understand everything else 😕. Matsumoto-san also mimicked Papa Mori’s onstage self-introduction but I couldn’t capture what was the joke… huhu 🙈.

——————————————

MFS team’s penchant for pranks & Nob’s heart of gold

Masatoshi Hamada: You guys like pranks very much, don’t you?

Hiro: We are mischievous with each other, either with the members or the staff. We do some light-hearted* “hidden camera” thingy. Playful**. Playing stuff on each other (laughs)

* 軽い / かるい / karui / light

* *遊び心 / あそびごころ / asobigokoro / playful

Masatoshi Hamada: (pointing at Kid'z and Nob) It was labour intensive* on you two.

* 骨 / ほね / hone / labourous

* 粗大な / そだいな / sodaina / grand

Kid'z & Nob: (smiling & nodding together)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Well, keep telling. About the after party and all.

Masatoshi Hamada: You did that in Taiwan!

Everyone: (watching clips of Kid'z and Nob being pranked)

* ネタバラシ / netabarashi / spoiler

Masatoshi Hamada: (patting Nob) That’s horrible, ne~? Did you feel it was really serious, that being overseas?

Nob: Well, I didn’t know a word (of Chinese). So, I was like, “Could I have brought this powder with me or what?” (gesturing being shown a packet of powder with his hands).

* 粉 / kona / powder

Everyone: (laughs)

* Both Matsumoto-san and Hamada-san couldn’t believe what they heard.

Masatoshi Hamada: (walking up to Nob and tapping his body)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (reaching for Nob too & repeatedly slamming his hand up & down) Then you (should) just clearly* DENY** it!

* 明確 / めいかく / meikaku / clear, firm, solid, assure, precise

** 否定する / hitei suru / deny

Nob: (looking blurred & clueless)

Everyone: (laughs)

Hiro: (astonished at how goody-two-shoes Nob can be) You don’t say, “Could this be my powder?” in that situation!! You didn’t bring that, right?!

Everyone: (laughs)

Hiro: In order to do that hidden camera prank, we firstly had to go on a special* trip to Taiwan. Then we had to add one Live performance to it too.

＊わざわざ / waza waza / specially, doing something specially rather than incidentally

Hitoshi Matsumoto: So, you did not do that onwards from that Taiwan live show?

Hiro: Yup, it was the other way round.

Audience: Eh??!!

Masatoshi Hamada: (referring to the clip) That (felt like) half a year…

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (…looking at Nob…) Dang! THAT entire time you were getting nothing BUT scolded* (by those actors?)?

* 恨まれる / uramareru / get scolded, get cursed ~ from the word 恨む / uramu

Everyone: (laughs)

Nob: (smiling and shaking his head)

* OMG, Nob is unbelievably nice! He’s not bitter at all.

Hitoshi Matsumoto: You’re the stuff for Wednesday’s Downtown*! (laughs)

* Wednesday’s Downtown is their famous comedy show.

——————————————

Why Teru was never picked for pranks?

Masatoshi Hamada: (puts hand on Teru) You are the only one who has never been pranked?

Teru: Yes, that’s right. I don’t know, (…looking at Hiro….) do you hate* me or something?

* Aww 😍…. so all this time, Teru actually feels being left out by Hiro 😮? He was like, Hiro, why you never want to pick me 😕?

嫌わる / kirawareru / be hated ~ from the word 嫌う / kirau / hate, dislike

Hiro: No, no! The thing is, if it’s him (….pointing at Teru…), it wouldn’t be as funny.

Everyone: (laughs)

Masatoshi Hamada: How is that?

Hiro: He’s like (…still pointing at Teru …), whatever that’s happening*, he is unperturbed most of the time **.

* 起きる / おきる / okiru / get up, rise, occur, takes place

** 動じる / どうじる / doujiru / move, shift, motion

Teru: (laughs)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Aah you know, my eyes can see around and filter out for certain* who’s funny and who’s not.

* 確かに / tashikani / certainly, surely

Note: I only guessed the rest of his sentence LOL

Everyone: Ok (…. anticipating Matsumoto-san’s verdict….)

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (…looking at Teru “scanning” him with a very serious face…) This one so totally NOT funny.

Teru: (…covers his face in embarrassment…)

* Spot on 😄! Teru oh Teru. When he tries to be funny, he just becomes corny & awkward instead. Strangely, when he’s not trying to be, that’s when he’s accidentally downright hilarious 😂

Everyone: (laughs)

Hiro: You may stop it right there * (laughs).

* Haha, so, it basically just stops there with Teru. Pranks may not work well on him because of his non-reaction to abnormal situations 😄. But a true bromance story 😍. Hiro spared you all these times because he knew your character so well, Teru 🤗❤️💕.

* Aww... Teru was so embarrassed to be branded unfunny 😄.

——————————————

I don’t fully understand the joke where they asked Teru if he had some prank ideas on Hiro 🙈😭

*Disclaimer: Below is my best guess.

Masatoshi Hamada: (putting hand on Teru) How about your own?

Hiro: (realizing Hamada-san’s intention) For me?

Teru: (scratching his head) Hmm

Audience: Aaahhh!!

Hitoshi Matsumoto: (to Kid’z & Nob) Do you have something good for (prank) ideas?

Teru: (pointing to Kid’z, Nob & himself) The three of us are setting it up*. (nodding)**

* 仕掛ける / shikakeru / set up

** Does that mean “Yes, we’re thinking of pranking Hiro” 😍 ?

Hiro: (wide-eyed & taken aback by Teru’s answer) Holy cow! !

Masatoshi Hamada: Ah, good (….making a hand gesture as if putting something into something else….)*

* Don’t know the words he said here. Sorry 🙈.

Hiro: That’s not even a hidden camera thing!

Everyone: (laughs)

Masatoshi Hamada: You 3 guys can (shackle) him down and ….

Hiro: (looking at Hamada-san) That’s not even…!

Nob: (pretending to …hmm…. pour water onto something?)

Hiro: Normally I would already be complaining*!

* 訴えます / uttaemasu / complain

Hitoshi Matsumoto: Maybe make it like Masako-chan’s* hair or something (gesturing 2 pointy things on his head).

* If Matsumoto-san meant Masako-chan as Mama Mori, then I guess he was saying to tie Hiro’s hair into two girly piggy tails like his mother likes to do during her comedy skits as まーちゃん (Maa-chan).

Everyone: (hysterically laughs)

Hiro: (waving his hand & shaking his head) Ehh! How are you even going to get close to doing that?!!*

* Lets’s take Matsumoto-san’s suggestion LOL 😂 😂 😂

* Hiroki, you cunning little one! You’re so NOT wiggling your way out of this LOL

——————————————

How was that, my fellow MFS fans? I hope the rough idea is there even if I couldn’t get the thing 100% right.

Help and corrections are very much welcomed. Hehe!

Would love to hear your feedback about this talk. Do you think MFS is visually pleasing to the eye? Does Hiro talk too much? Do you feel Teru has no funny bones? Do you want to see Hiro getting pranked?

Oh wow! To me, I can see why DOWNTOWN is such a popular comedy team in Japan. They truly are hilarious! Thank you Matsumoto-san & Hamada-san.

#my first story #maifasu #teruki nishizawa #hiroki moriuchi #nobuaki katou #japanese comedy #kid'z didn't say a word

71 notes · View notes

retrauxpunk · 4 years

Note

Rain, I ask you: ALL the quarantine asks!

Animated character that was your gay awakening? not really an ‘awakening’ so much as a ‘hint’, but Azula from Avatar: the Last Airbender ... yep

Grilled cheese or PB&J? GRILLED CHEESE

What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on? I don’t really experience this mood, but my go-to watch is the vlogbrothers YouTube channel

Your go-to bar order, if you drink? if it’s a low-key/work outing, lager or cider (esp the ones with non-apple fruits too); if it’s getting more serious (lol) or with closer friends or a more celebratory mood: vodka with sparkling apple juice

What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? these Doc Martens that are white with red hearts got ’em with my first ever full time design job paycheck. i did not take care of them well so they’re super scuffed/beat-up and very much not Perfectly White ... but they’re still comfy as heck, i still love the design, and they’ve lasted 3 years so far, let’s see how much longer we can make it ... also i think they’re a limited edition so i likely won’t get my hands on any replacements...

Top three cuisines? my cheap-ass answer would be, like: East Asian, South-East Asian, Western European ... but my non-shit answer is... Japanese, Chinese, Italian (ftr i’m not a seafood fan ... i just love the ramen and non-seafood stuff that japan makes hehe)

What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)? i have no clue

What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had? cold-calling strangers to ask them to do market research phone surveys (y)

Look up. What’s directly across from you? the kitchen

Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general? i have a messenger bag that i got signed by Jeph Jacques of the Questionable Content webcomic that i once adored ... and I think my boyfriend has gifted me a signed Matthew Reilly hardcover.

Preferred way to spend a rainy day? curled up indoors wearing something cosy, reading and eating something delicious. playing animal crossing lol. aaaaand listening to music, a good podcast, watching stand-up comedy, drawing, getting intoxicated...

What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted? occasionally the standard smoked salmon and cream cheese, but i slightly prefer the meat to be, like, prosciutto

Brunch or midnight snacks? ehh fuck it, both???? both!!

Favorite mug you own easter limited edition waitrose mug, squat and round and yellow, painted/shaped like a very round chick. a Borb,,,,

What coffee drink would you describe yourself as? i actually thought about this and, uh, peppermint mocha. not for everyone, slightly weird, never fitting in with the regulars/being a default, but???? obviously awesome?? also: about 65% on the mainstream/hipster scale

Pick a song lyric to describe your current mood (and drop the name and artist!) The Wombats is the artist. lyrics are either “Let's dance to Joy Division / and celebrate the irony / Everything is going wrong, / but we're so happy” from Let’s Dance to Joy Division or “the edge of nowhere’s such a beautiful place” from Emoticons

Fruity or herbal teas? herbal but i agree with @queenofslime, black tea is the best

What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless? ...do i experience embarrassment about what i like to watch on TV? i don’t know if i do, because i watch relatively few shows ... and have relatively little shame? maybe???

That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying? ftr i wasn’t bitter about this before reading, i had no preconceived biases against, and i was pretty open to liking it -- The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Do you match your socks? if they’re of a really nice design then yes always, if they’re of a more standard/generic design then ... not necessarily

Have you ever been horseback riding? yes a few times ... on the last time which was like five years ago ... the lady said i was a natural and asked if i’d ridden much before, which was. flattering. and yes this is a Brag.

What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc) didn’t have much of a hardcore phase but i was pretty much always into fantasy ... oh wait yeah i did! i had a spy phase :)

Have you ever been to jail? to closed-down ones, yep

What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)? pretty great idea unequivocably, right?

Puzzles? i tend to enjoy riddles/lateral thinking puzzles, i am impartial about jigsaw puzzles. i enjoy escape rooms.

You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it? apple ... but elderflower if i’m feeling reckless (y)

What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore? young adult ... or stationery

What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now? Russian language :( it’s going не так хорошо

Who’s your go-to musical artist when you’re feeling upbeat? not sure if i have a go-to artist so much as go-to playlists i’ve made but some good ones are The Wombats and Bastille

Where could someone find you in a museum? mammals/birds in natural history

What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to? i swear i was talking about this recently but i clean the fuck forgot what it was ... oh yeah, i have this short-sleeved black minidress festooned with silver buckles/buttons and also featuring decorative suspenders ... which, yes, does make me look like a sexy military officer,,, anyway it’s pretty badass and somehow it hasn’t occurred to me till now that i can just wear that every day now if i want? ftw i do get the chance to wear it, it’s just a little bit Extra so i get self-conscious. i’ve worn it a few times though. including to work. because fuck it, right? i didn’t become a graphic designer to be shy about sometimes looking like a prototypical emo/scene kid-turned-adult??? (ftr i was never an actual emo/scene kid. i lacked the requisite guts, commitment of feeling, and permissive parents.)

Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds? sunset-coloured clouds :)

If you could own any non-traditional pet (dogs, cats, fish, rodents, etc), what would it be? how about a shapeshifting feathered dragon that could range from, like, two thirds of a foot long (20cm) to sit on your shoulder, to ... the size of a massive draft horse? (but longer and thinner)

Do you have more art on your walls or more photographs? photos, though if i didn’t live with a partner, it might be art

You have to get one meme tattooed on your body, what meme is it and where does it go? i’ve already got a meme tattooed on my body ... a private meme i have with my boyfriend, one on each leg (left: outer side, just above knee; right: outside, a few inches above the ankle)

Pick a superhero sidekick to hang out with ?????? is this a sidekick to a known superhero, or a superhero to act as your sidekick? also i don’t know? who are the standard heroes? i’m not up to date on this.

Lakes, rivers, or oceans? rivers or oceans

Favorite mid-2000s song i can’t decide a favourite, it’s too stressful, but one that i like is Rob Thomas’s Little Wonders

How do you dress when you’re home alone? either a t-shirt and PJ pants, or a dress (usually short-sleeved/sleeveless minidress)

Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)? on either side of the couch haha

Knives or swords? BOTH but ok swords.

A song you didn’t think you’d enjoy but ended up loving hmmmmm like all of Linkin Park’s first three albums with some exceptions? hahahah

Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie i don’t think i.....know any????

Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online? explanation, though on instagram quite often the photo and caption are unrelated

Name a classic Vine there’s only one thing worse than a rapist...

What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store? dumplings! as in the gyoza type.

How do you top your ice cream? that ‘magic’ chocolate sauce that hardens into chocolate. that stuff. i watched those ads all childhood long but my parents were immigrants and therefore very thrifty so we NEVER bought it iirc and then in my adulthood i got it a bunch of times. but now i live in the uk and can’t find it. and forgot it existed. and have never seen it anywhere.

Do you like Jello? the kind that’s served on a plate as a dessert? meh. the kind that are found in asian grocery stores as individual fruit-flavoured serves in little plastic cups? YES

What’s something that you don’t have a picture of that you wish you did? future stock prices? LOL ... or i’m gonna go with @queenofslime‘s answer again -- how others see me. it’s a great answer.

How are you at climbing trees? not............ good. i mean, i like climbing, but i have absolutely terrible upper body strength. i did bouldering for a couple months but only stuck to the first like... three out of nine difficulty levels.

#thanks!! hehe #quarantine asks #queenofslime #asks

4 notes · View notes

infinityskitchen · 4 years

Text

Andrew Brenza and Concrete Poetry: "Playing with the Material of Language"

What if a poem is modeled after a rock garden and each letter is transformed into a stone?

If anyone would explore this idea, it would be Andrew Brenza. Brenza is an experimental poet and librarian, whose work creative work merges language and visual art. His mini-poetry collection, “Rock Gardens,” organizes language into, well, a rock garden. This poetic masterpiece appeared in 8th issue of Infinity’s Kitchen Literary Journal.

What does “Rock Gardens” look like? The piece consists of five separate poems that each use a single word to create intricate visual patterns (see excerpt images below). The issue describes Brenza’s concrete poetry as a “linguistic Japanese rock gardens: simple in presentation, highly ordered, but open to the air.”

Image excerpts from the Infinity’s Kitchen vol. 8.

These word-gardens use repetition and organization to evoke something maddening and beautiful. It’s the transformation of word into abstraction and design. The first image above repeats the word “Reset” while the second one uses “Heathiest.” I fell in love with these poems’ airy complexity the second I saw them.

You might be wondering why “Rock Gardens” matters…well, buckle up, because this post will talk about visual poetry and how it captures the ‘in-a-pickle’ mess of life and the soul.

Brenza’s Art and Experimentation I had the chance to email Brenza some questions about his creative life and work. He was generous enough to dig into his motivations and creative process.

‘Experimentation’ can be a shifty word—not because it’s sketchy in nature, (although its definition can be), but because it means different things to different creators. So, thinking back to “Rock Gardens,” I asked Brenza if he still considers his work experimental.

While he does believe his work is “very experimental,” (his words!), Brenza doesn’t concern himself with this label during his creation process. Or, as Brenza says,

I do not really think about whether my work is experimental or not these days. I just do it.

This might be one of the healthiest approaches to writing and art. Don’t concern yourself with labels and genres, just create. Follow the impulse and see where it leads.

Not surprising, Brenza recommends young poets (who want to experiment) take a light-hearted approach to new projects. Just play. Let creativity flow through you and see where it leads! Let yourself become part of the process and the experimentation.

In Brenza’s own words,

I would say, try not to take yourself too seriously. Play around, see what happens, let the piece come into its own. If the work stinks, try again. Rushed judgment can easily shut down the creative process. So take your time, and let the piece breathe.

I love this piece of advice. It reminds creators that good writing (or good art) takes patience and try-and-error. Its okay to mess up, to revise, to start again.

Automatic Souls and the “Predicament of the Soul” Over the years, Brenza’s poetry has become increacingly visual. Recently, Brenza published two books of visual poetry.

One of these books is Automatic Souls (Timglaset: Publisher of Visual Poetries). This collection merges language and icons to create visual wonder. Brenza told me that he is very proud of this book and that the publisher did an amazing job, doing his visual poetry justice.

Text is inserted within or underneath visuals, captioning and contextualizing robotic scenes (see images below). Using Bauhaus era typography, Brenza evokes mechanical creatures that capture predicaments, to use his word, of human life.

Images taken from the publisher’s website

There is something archaic and futuristic, organic and mechanical, in this world. The images pull me in with their glyph like nature.

In the afterword, Brenza said

The characters in this world did not ask for their predicaments. They did not ask for the nature of their compositions. Yet they respond to those predicaments given the nature of their compositions. This is how it goes in the half-light of a fading free will.

The publisher sees this book as “a chilling reminder of the predicament of the soul,” and I’m inclined to agree. Genes dictate our compositions; circumstances we have no control of surround our birth. The world doesn’t give us much consideration either. How do we respond to our own predicaments?

Album, in Concrete and How it Draws on Art, Music, and Writing Brenza also recently published Album, In Concrete (Alien Buddha Press).

This book, as the title suggests, is like an album. It contains Brenza’s visual poetry and asemic writing, which Brenza’s website says “explores visual representations of melody in specific keys/letters.” Ah, the merging of music, art, and poetry!

Art (usually) strives to express something real or felt. Music also works to reveal or support something—I mean, haven’t you ever listened to a song to feel happier, or maybe even listened to one to feel even sadder?

Visual poetry and asemic writing function on this premise. Because our world and our emotions are complex, its natural to explore reality in hybrid and cross-genre creations. Album, in Concrete arises from such a wonderful overlap (see image below).

Image taken from Brenza’s website

Brenza’s Creative Process Now that we’ve seen some of Brenza’s concrete and visual poetry, you may be wondering what his creative process is like. At the very least, I was super curious to learn how Brenza’s unique style came to life.

Brenza said this about his craft:

much of my process in making these [experimental] works comes from playing with the material of language until I stumble upon something that looks interesting to me.

We see this play with linguistic materials in “Rock Gardens” and Automatic Souls for sure. There is a deconstruction and rebuilding of meaning, words, and symbols.

Brenza’s creative process begins each morning, before he heads off to work. Running on coffee, Brenza spends about an hour writing. He says “all of [his] recent work has come out of this daily ritual.”

Writing rituals are pretty important. They force your mind to take the time to create and may involve you going to a café, using paper and pen, or meditating before you sit to write.

According to Brenza, experimentation is central to his creative process. It guides his creative play.

Brenza pulls, pushes, massages, and rearranges language “until something interesting happens.” That takes a lot of patience, but Brenza doesn’t stop until he feels “a piece is done, or hopeless, or [he] runs out of time and have to go to work.” Experimentation gives Brenza the freedom to play with language’s building-blocks, to explore, mess up, and find something strange yet compelling.

Time, of course, limits how much anyone can do. Experimentation is not as constraining.

I asked Brenza what makes his creative process effective. For this visual poet, it boils down to the emotions he experiences as his creation unfolds. I guess an effective creative process is one that makes the artist feel something extraordinary.

As Brenza says,

I suppose it is the feelings that are unleashed as a result of the creative process, of the thing that is created.

Obliviously, Brenza’s creativity demands digital platforms. His craft requires a proficiency in publishing software.

I’m sure many contemporary artists and hybrid writers would agree that mastering digital art and publishing applications is central to producing compelling visual poetry.

Life as a Motivation What drives Brenza onward? What compels him to create and stretch language into the visual? Like any artist and writer, he must have some sort of inspiration or motivation. Brenza claims the latter.

Brenza creativity is a lifeline. Expression and creation give him an outlet and the opportunity to get in touch with his selfhood. He wants

to feel human despite [his] often-stultifying middle-class existence. In short, it is the making of and exposure to art that allows life to be bearable.

I wanted to add in Brenza’s own words because so many of us feel trapped by our circumstances or limited one way or another. Writing and art alleviate our stagnation.

—

Andrew Brenza’s recent chapbooks include Poems in C (Viktlösheten Press), Bitter Almonds & Mown Grass (Shirt Pocket Press), Waterlight (Simulacrum Press), and Excerpt from Alphabeticon (No Press). He is also the author of three full-length collections of visual poetry, Automatic Souls (Timglaset Editions), Gossamer Lid (Trembling Pillow Press) and Album, in Concrete (Alien Buddha Press). He can found somewhere in North America.

Learn more about Brenza’s work here.

Huge thanks for Brenza for taking the time to discuss his creative life!

2 notes · View notes

scyllua · 5 years

Text

While chap.203 hasn't stirred that much of a reaction in the Japanese fandom as the previous chapter did, it prompted many fans to emulate Sugimoto's art style. Nothing of this comes as a particular surprise, as the chapter serves as sort of a recap of the events from vol.14 (the Abashiri Prison assault)... and because Sugimoto's drawing talent would be on par with his sniping skills.

The highlights of this chapter have to do with the confirmation of the Russian sniper's identity and goals and the hint at Noda pursuing the plotline regarding the Partisans. It was rather obvious who that Russian sniper was from the very moment he (re)appeared in the manga, but given this is Golden Kamuy and the weird things that have already transpired in the plot made me think it's a very crazy Meiji era the one they are living in, I'd rather wait for the author's clear confirmation on ANY matter before taking anything for granted. Let us not forget that, for starters, I think most of us had already assumed our Russian sniper pretty dead. We can always speculate, however, and this chapter leaves enough room to reflect on a certain other sniper (this one, Japanese and now one-eyed) and how soon (or not) he could make it back to the plot.

I should work on my summaries so they aren't that long. In the meantime and to everyone who had the patience to read my previous chapter post: thank you very much and fear not, for I have no random movie comments to make here! There should be some fan comments, of course, and the usual warnings about mistakes and mistranslations apply as well. Onto the fun of two amateur artists sharing their Ogata fanarts then!

In short, as no further shots are made, Tsukishima believes Sugimoto got to the sniper and Asirpa runs off to meet him. Meanwhile, Sugimoto and the sniper -now confirmed to be Vasily- overcome the language barrier by using the latter's hand-drawn pictures to explain to each other the circumstances in which they crossed paths/met Ogata. Upon the arrival of the rest of the group and after Asirpa recognizes Vasily as probably one of the men who ambushed them in the frontier, Tsukishima explains to him Kiroranke is already dead and they don't know about the current whereabouts of Ogata, their only purpose in Karafuto being finding Asirpa and going back with her. As a rather annoyed Shiraishi complains to Vasily for shooting him, it's revealed he can't speak because of the shot wounds he sustained. As Sugimoto's group resumes their journey, Vasily keeps following them on horseback from a distance. They deduce he's now keen on meeting Ogata again and engaging in another snipers' duel, and that he's sticking around convinced the wildcat will eventually come after them. Questioned by Asirpa, Sugimoto says as long as they're still looking for the Ainu gold, there's always the possibility of Ogata coming back; as per his motivations, Sugimoto adds it might be that Ogata is simply messing with them as opposed to being after an actual goal. In their way back, the group visits Svetlana's parents to hand them a letter she wrote; even though Sugimoto would rather search for Sofia and find out the truth, he understands their primary purpose in Karafuto has been fulfilled already. The chapter ends with Sofia meeting Gansoku and Svetlana in a port city in Russian territory. After exchanging a few hits, Sofia invites Gansoku to come with her, but he turns down the offering, stating he'll travel west with Svetlana. Sofia then states she'll go to Hokkaidou in pursue of their hope... and revenge.

Ever wondered why streets are always so conveniently empty whenever there's a chasing or a shooting going on? I have, even if my question is probably answered in the same question already (because... they're so conveniently empty: easier to describe, draw or animate, and with a minimum of casualties, as well!) In any case, and even though our group seemed to be the only bystanders at the time the shooting began, there's now the usual traffic and activity you'd expect in a town street. In fact, a man in a sled is just walking down the street when, alerted by Koito and Tsukishima not to come that way or otherwise risk being shot, he good-naturally asked what the soldiers are doing. Tsukishima comments it seems as though Sugimoto has already done his magic, ie. he did what he's best at (hint: it isn't sniping or drawing, as we'll see in this chapter), and Asirpa runs off to meet him.

Here follows some good 4 pages of Sugimoto and Vasily proving the language barrier isn't an hindrance when it comes to relatively difficult tasks, such as explaining the events from vol.14 up to that point or how both of them have survived being shot in the head by the same sniper. It turns out Vasily has made enough drawings of Ogata to start his own Pixiv account -putting aside the fact that he's one century ago from that website being created-; actually, Vasily could begin posting full illustration logs, as he even took the care and time to draw the wildcat sporting different expressions, including one smiling. I'm suspecting he might have more study sketches of Ogata in the fiction than author Noda in the real world. This would pose a question for me: just how well could he see Ogata during their snipers' duel? In the extended passage as it was compiled in vol.17, they do spend many hours watching and studying each other... but let us not forget that Ogata's face was obscured in such a way, Vasily couldn't tell for sure where it was him or not. Well, following last chapter's caption at the end, I'm just going to assume here Vasily has nothing short of a photographic memory, sharpened to perfection through his sniping skills, and that he could commit to memory the features of a man he only seemed to have caught fleeting glimpses of partly because the wildcat is unforgettable. Being shot can arise that kind of reaction in people, after all. Going back to the chapter, and given the amount of Ogata portraits he has, Sugimoto asks him whether he's been requested to find him -bounty hunter-style, we may speculate-, but then Vasily uses some of his many (MANY) drawings to explain he went into a showdown with Ogata... and lost. This chapter's title could be translated as "portrait" (似顔絵, nigaoe), though its exact meaning would be more in the lines of a "drawn sketch/picture of a face". Why, yes, a portrait indeed, only that the term in Japanese suggests it isn't as precise as a taken photograph, but a close enough depiction.

I'm always making jokes and complaining about the cast in this manga being so prone to trust in others no matter what terms they might have been on in the past, but I have to admit that being able not to hold grudges, apart from preventing bitterness and anxiety in addition to other negative feelings, also helps greatly when it comes to pace the story forward. Remember how Sugimoto was about to kill Vasily in the best of Friday the 13th traditions (only that less bloody I might presume, given this is still a seinen manga and not a R-rated story), all of this happening in the previous chapter, 7 days ago in real time, 2 pages prior in the manga, like 10 seconds previously in the story's timeline? Well, let's put aside all that negativity for the sake of a couple of souls bonded by the same sniper (different bullet obviously, same rifle and all) sharing an artistic moment.

In addition to their fanboying over Ogata -for the wrong reasons, though, as they'd be both after the wildcat to settle some scores-, Sugimoto and Vasily manage to summarize the manga from vol.14 up to that point, using their respective drawings to explain to each other the events. "Explaining to each other" wouldn't be a wrong statement in this case because they do appear to be understanding the other quite well through the drawings, some gesturing, and the usefulness of somatic language, even though Vasily doesn't seem to know Japanese (as he's puzzled at Sugimoto's questions). When he produces drawings of Kiroranke, Shiraishi and Asirpa, Sugimoto explains to him the latter two aren't related to the Partisans: the bad guy here, no doubt about it, is Ogata, as he emphatically conveys by hitting his portrait with his fist. Now in quite the roll because Vasily is assimilating the ideas very fast (as he also hits Ogata's portrait), Sugimoto then explains he was also shot by the wildcat... and reveals his artistic sense might be on par with his sniping skills. ...and while I'll keep joking about his awful aiming until the day he finally manages to shoot anything down -as opposed to pummel or pierce it with his rifle or affixed bayonet-, I won't make much fun of his artistic capabilities because, I'm afraid, he might draw better than I. As I state in my blog's sidebar, I color manga panels partly because I can't draw a straight... or crooked... line for the love of it.

Sugimoto explains Ogata was in cahoots with Kiroranke -and as well as the readers, he doesn't how for how long-, shot him in the head in Abashiri Prison and then ran away taking Asirpa with him. Unlike their previous exchange, I can deduce Vasily didn't get a single word of any of it, as he mistakes Sugimoto's drawing of himself for a spider. And I must confess it took me some time to realize Sugimoto drew himself being shot: those tendril-like things sticking out of his head -that Vasily takes for a spider's legs, it seems- are meant to show the bullet's trajectory when impacting him. A parenthesis here: Let's just check Sugimoto's drawing of Ogata running away on horseback. I don't pretend to make fun of it, but I still find quite the noteworthy detail that he draws Ogata with an arrow sticking out of his right eye, and not sparing even the lock of hair that frames his face. Or at least, I'm assuming that's a lock of hair on Ogata's head. The caption Sugimoto writes in katakana reads, "Ogata escaped". That scene, may I add, has been a fan favorite -mine included- and a source of inspiration for many works in the Japanese fandom. Some speculative fanworks have to do with the circumstances Ogata runs away, and thus some fans have posed quite the questions, ranging from where he got that horse, to whether it didn't hurt too much to ride it in such conditions as, you might remember, he was wearing a hospital gown only and had no underwear to speak of. If you take a closer look at the panel, however, you'll notice Ogata is carrying a sack when he's riding away, implying he managed to gather his belongings and probably a couple more things for the road, and thus wouldn't be dying on us due to exposure or some painful horse riding to wherever it was he ran away .

Back to our amateur artists (because I'm assuming Vasily's main occupation revolves about being a sniper... with an eidetic memory for faces and some outstanding artistic talent as bonus) and resuming his recapping of the latter half of the manga and unabated by the debatable poor reception his drawing skills might be getting, Sugimoto explains Asirpa involuntarily shot an arrow that hit Ogata in the eye. Here comes a short passage -it's a single panel, in fact- that killed my Japanese pretty dead, so I wouldn't risk a translation of it... though I think, it seems to me, I could grasp that blah blah etc. etc., Sugimoto further and quite lively states Ogata's death would have "stained" Asirpa -meaning, would have dirtied her hands-, and thus he saved the wildcat because he'd do anything in his power to keep everything surrounding her pure for her sake. The actual word in Japanese he uses is 綺麗 (kirei), which you might know as meaning "cute" and "pretty", but it can also be understood in the sense of "clean", "pure" or "neat." Given Sugimoto literally uses 汚い (kitanai), "dirty", "unclean" or "foul" (used as a verb in this case) to describe how Ogata's death would have impacted Asirpa, I'm going with "pure" in my previous sentence. ...I'm aware my explanation of Sugimoto's statement makes it sound as though he's belittling saving Ogata, but I can reassure you that his lines are way more poetic and moving: it's just that my Japanese -and my English, come to that- is just that lacking, sorry about this! The scene is more moving because Asirpa arrives at the precise moment to hear Sugimoto's words, but he doesn't notice her.

The rest of the group arrives and cuts off Sugimoto and Vasily's artistically driven moment of plot exposition, though. And now, please allow me to state that God bless Tsukishima for being himself, acting as the sane man every story needs, accompanying the group in this journey, and knowing Russian, not in that particular order: I'm 100% convinced this manga wouldn't progress half as smoothly as it does weren't he around. And Tsurumi and Koito wouldn't be probably around either if he didn't have that presence of mind and swiftness of action, specifically when projectiles and explosions are involved. After Asirpa says she thinks Vasily was part of the group of men that ambushed them in the frontier, Tsukishima explains to him Kiroranke is already dead and Ogata ran away, his whereabouts unknown to them. Their only purpose in Karafuto was to find Asirpa and go back with her, he adds, and they have nothing to do with the Czar's assassination by the Partisans. Vasily says nothing in the metaphorical sense, as he keeps quiet and seems to accept the explanation. Now, and I've already written above, I've always complained about the GK cast for being this trusty and, let's say, think nothing of the repeated risk of a headshot by accepting in their ranks a traitorous character who left their previous party after shooting a couple people in the head, but I have to admit yet again the characters being this quick to understand, accept and come to terms with practically anything and everything does help move forward the plot. Very much so.

I wrote Vasily said nothing in the metaphorical sense because it's revealed -just as we were speculating- he can't speak due to the shot wounds he sustained during his duel with Ogata. Once outside, Shiraishi complains to him about shooting him; when our Escape King snaps whether he doesn't have anything to say or it's just that Russians don't know how to apologize (he literally asks whether there are no words for apologizing in Russian), Vasily shows him his face, prompting a reaction in Shiraishi that might make readers grateful we aren't shown the state of his lower face. Sugimoto comments at that moment he might not be able to speak due to those wounds. I was also wondering whether Vasily knew or at the very least could grasp a little Japanese. It seems to me he might not after all, as there are some panels throughout the chapter that show him with an interrogation mark -indicating he isn't understanding- when Sugimoto was talking to him. In the above panels as well, Tsukishima seems to be translating Shiraishi's complaints for him.

Just before the group resumes their journey, Shiraishi tells Vasily -in not so kind words- to go back to Russia, but he's shown to keep following them from a distance. Shiraishi ponders whether he doesn't believe Kiroranke is already dead, but Asirpa points out he used the back of Kiro's wanted poster to make some of his drawings, leading her to conclude he isn't interested in the latter anymore. As discussed by the our main protagonist trio, it seems Vasily is sticking to them under the belief they'll eventually cross paths with Ogata; as Sugimoto puts it, given he's still alive, he considers their snipers' duel to be not finished (I suppose a more poetic way to put it would be, "as long as he draws breath, he can keep fighting"). The immortal also thinks there's always the possibility of Ogata coming after them because of the Ainu gold, prompting Asirpa to wonder if that's actually his goal: let us not forget he showed quite the intent to kill her (chap.187) and thus, eliminate the one person who holds the key to solving the tattoo puzzle. A somewhat serious and pensive Sugimoto comments it might be that Ogata... is simply messing or toying around with them. Cue a full-page panel depicting a lynx (in Japanese, an ooyamaneko) crossing the path in the snowy forest. (I should point out I'm assuming it's a lynx because of its ears, making it very similar to the one shown in chap.169, vol.17.)

A not-so-random fan comment here: I always refer to Sugimoto as not being the sharpest knife in the drawer. Actually, I'd say he's the kind to smash the drawer against a wall and use the sharpest fragments of it to cut open whatever it is he might need cut, even if I'm compelled yet again to admit his approach, while not the most strategically planned, tends to work. But he also seems to be quite understanding of others in addition to his natural kindness, and it comes as not much of a surprise then that he could be the person with the better grasp at Ogata's personality. Or the only person who might have any grasp on it at all, in any case. I must say my opinion of Ogata's character pretty much coincides with that of Sugimoto as he stated it in chap.196 and now in this chapter: specifically, that Ogata doesn't have a particular motivation to act as he does (apart from being driven by the most negative and dangerous of his traits, of course). I think his character isn't meant to have any specific motivations or goals other than being chaotic for the sake of it; however, as Noda has given a background to every single recurrent and relevant character in the manga and spares no revelations for some of them no matter how far into the plot we might be (the most recent flashback regarding Koito's past should be an example), I can't discard the possibility of the author having in store some plot twist or equal revelation about Ogata.

Given Sofia is the only one who knows the truth now (I'm assuming here Sugimoto thinks Ogata might have sided with Kiroranke for a reason that lies with the Partisans' intentions), our immortal comments he'd liked to look for her. He's aware, though, that Tsukishima and Koito's mission was to find Asirpa and get back with her to Hokkaido, whereas Tanigaki joined in the entourage for the sake of the girl as well and thus, they should have no reason to pursue other ends at the time. They still stop by the lighthouse to hand Svetlana's letter to her parents, and just as the manga implies they won't be going after more subplots, Asirpa points out Sofia was planning to reunite with her comrades in the continent and then go back to Japan: she wouldn't just run away to Europe after everything that just happened.

Right in cue, Sofia meets Gansoku and Svetlana in a port town in Russia. Just as Gansoku seemed to be involved in yet another cathartic moment pummeling around men who can't put a dent on him, he's challenged by Sofia but refuses, stating he only fights other men. He's quick to change his mind and declare the world does have many surprises in store ("The world is so wide!") after Sofia not only punches him, but manages to get in quite the equal grounds with him. This yet again poses another question for me: given Gansoku is one of the toughest men in this story -in the strictest physical sense at the very least: we can't forget everything Nikaidou has gone through the manga, after all-, how come Sofia can beat him so badly? The obvious answer would be that Sofia happens to be just that tough -or the toughest woman of the Meiji era-, but since this is a Shueisha and a Jump-published manga, I also want to believe she might be using Haki to hit that hard. Just as Nami in One Piece, her blows manage to harm a man's heart and soul.

Before their fight can further escalate (but after Sofia has pulled off the almost obligatory Rip Open my Shirt scene, only that she isn't exactly wearing a shirt and the scene isn't that common when female characters are involved because of censorship), Svetlana intervenes and stops them, saying it'll be quite the problem for her if Sofia kills her bodyguard. Implying here she was at least sure of what the outcome of the fight would have been. The three of them have a talk then and Sofia invites Gansoku to join her, but he turns down the offer and explains both he and Svetlana intend to make their way to the west, to the cities where a larger population means a larger possibility to find stronger people (to beat the **** out of them in more cathartic instances, I'm presuming). As Svetlana asks Sofia where she's planning to go now, she replies that she's going to Hokkaido... for their hope and revenge.

I should note I'm not including any more panels of Sofia in this chapter because I'm assuming Tumblr would flag this entry otherwise. I was never told why they put my blog "under review" when I barely had any posts on it, so my best guess has to with an entry I wrote explaining about the terrorist groups that operated in my country. I made that post partly because to poke some fun at Sugimoto's wielding a hammer and a sickle in chap.145 (vol.15), and how that would have been merited a ban for this manga were some conservative Congressmen in my country to see the panels (the largest terrorist group operating in my country originally followed the Communist ideology). Well, as Sofia begins exchanging blows with Gansoku, she uncovers her torso and her breasts remain visible for the rest of the chapter, even when she's speaking with him and Svetlana in the freezing Russian landscape. Her breasts are so big, they cover part of the chapter's title in the last page... making me suspect Tumblr could flag this entry just because her nipples are equally big.

Some (more) fan comments on this chapter: The story is unfolding as I'd anticipated in a very broad way, as it seems Vasily will stick around with the group for at least some more chapters. While none has proposed an alliance, I don't think any will have any inconvenience cooperating with each other as long as their goals align: even if it's true Sugimoto's group isn't that elated at the possibility of meeting Ogata again, they're obviously expecting to cross paths with him in the future, and extra help is always welcomed. Specially if things come to a sniper against another sniper, I'd say: the manga is hinting at another confrontation between Vasily and Ogata. After all, Noda is a noteworthy narrator and all of his plot elements turn out to be relevant (even those related to food and cultural traditions which could have been seen at first as more trivia-informative to the reader than important to the plot), so I don't think he brought Vasily back to the story for no reason. Or just to show off Vasily's artistic talent, in any case, * ahem *. The plot would still have to take shape, but it seems to me all elements are aligning so that Noda can solve several pending subplots: Vasily's reappearance can tie up with the plot regarding the remaining member of the Partisans trio, Sofia, and also provides the proper scenario for Ogata to make it back to the story. It'd be a viable, solid and swift way to focus in the current open subplots before focusing on the main premise of the Ainu gold in Hokkaido.

I'd just speculate then about how soon the subplots would meet a resolution. I'm wondering whether we'll see the rest of this arc taking place in Karafuto, as Sugimoto's group has already made their way back to its southern region, whereas Sofia is in Russian soil, but making her way to Hokkaido. If Vasily doesn't have any trouble with following them to Hokkaido -given he's already in Japanese soil-, then I see no reason as to why the action might not unfold in the island that is the main stage of this manga, but I'm thinking this arc could wrap up while the group is still in Karafuto. We'd need to see at least one more chapter to see how things progress from this point on; unless Noda suddenly feels like jumping back to Hokkaido and showing us what Hijikata has been up to since vol.18 and whether Tsurumi reunited with his men already, with the arc “introduction“ over and the situation laid out to both the cast and the readers, chap.204 should serve as the starting point for the resolution of the current subplots.

My last fan comment of the entry has to do with Vasily. While I'm happy to see him back in the plot and sticking to the protagonist cast for the time being (and hoping he stays in the plot and with the cast for at least the remainder of this volume), his personality as shown in the current events has caught my attention. I wouldn't say he's that different or plain out-of-character in comparison to his first appearance in vol.17, but it's also true he now acts carefree enough as to join Sugimoto in a fanart-sharing moment, and is more emotional as opposed to his cool-headed demeanor during the ambush in the frontier. And adding to his minor hairstyle change, he also looks more youthful now, even if the only we get to see of his face are his eyes. We'd need to see more of him in upcoming chapters to have a better grasp at his character... but if you'd ask me, I'd say Noda has made some changes to his personality, or rather, is shaping his character in a different, though not drastic, way. Why? Well, it seems to me Vasily would fit our protagonist cast and all the weird things bound to happen in this convulsed Meiji era just fine and even better now; in comparison, the group he first appeared as part of acted colder, more focused and serious. Until we see more of him, I'm just going to assume Noda decided to give his character another direction because Tsukishima was plenty of a sane, serious man for the group. Any more sane men in the same group at the same time and I might begin doubting what happened to this manga.

#golden kamuy #fan talk

16 notes · View notes

beertengoku · 6 years

Text

Here at BeerTengoku, we believe in bringing people to drink together and talk over a few pints of craft beer. We may not agree with what makes craft beer, what constitutes a good beer, or even if a beer is any good or not. Yes, Joe and myself do make jokes at each other’s expense. However, one thing that we can all agree on is that everyone should be treated equally and with respect.

Women make up 50% or so of the population of Earth – give or take a few hundreds of million people. Japan makes up 127,000,000 or so of that population, with a female to male ratio standing at roughly 0.95. That means for every female in Japan, there are 0.95 males1, which means Japan has a population of 66 million females vs 61 million males or so. An important statistic that we’ll come back to later on.

While times are changing, with more and more women remaining in the workforce, or reentering after childbirth, some things do not change. Household finances are one of them. Japan is very different to other countries, besides the oft-told-myth of Japan having four seasons.

In Japan, the wife is usually the head of finances – something that is often long talked about and is a very different custom, compared to other developed nations. The husband tends to work full time hours, sometimes staying late in the office as he tries to out-sleep his coworkers to show how hard he is working. The salary for all that sleeping goes to the house account, where he then is dealt a monthly allowance by the wife, who has carefully calculated the outgoings and balanced them to ensure the kids can go to school, everyone is fed, and all are sorted for the month.

Even though roles are showing signs of changing, some things still persist in Japan and that is advertising. Women are still used as advertising tools, be it from your clothes, house hunting, toys, family stuff, right through to more dubious circumstances such as beer modelling. While the former are usually done tastefully or are often intermixed with both sexes, the latter still needs a lot of work. Drastically.

Starting with the perhaps least condescending. Some breweries advertise their beers towards women with a belief that the sweet, gentle beers are more suited towards a woman’s palate. Some misguided notion that the bitter, hoppy kick to the face can’t be handled by such nice people. Yet go down to your local bar and you’ll see men drinking weizens and women drinking IPAs. Go even further afield and you’ll see women drinking imperial stouts and imperial IPAs too.

Beer bottles. While Japanese breweries do tend to lack with imaginative designs, some of them really do need changing. Shonan Beer Tsuma and also Barbaric Works Lick Me All Over use the naked female form to advertise their beer. The former features a full frontal nude of “an Oiso wife”, while the latter features a topless nude of a women with her tongue sticking out. Something that is truly unnecessary and smacks of an immature approach to their customers. While the bottles may be eye-catching and a talking point, it’s more than likely going to be towards a negative turning point, bringing negative impressions on the brewery.

Look at those bottles – and the final one. Is it necessary? (Courtesy of Barbaric Works)

Shonan Beer Tsuma – bodyshaming or a joke? (Courtesy of Shonan Beer)

While some may find that offensive, it does get worse. The big four breweries are known for producing posters each year, with bikini clad girls drinking their beers. Perhaps they hope that this will appeal to people to drink their beer. Does it work? Who knows. The big four produce so much beer that it seems like a moot point to use this way. However, Bay Brewing Yokohama have also taken this same approach. Go to any off their bars, and you can find their model posing with their beer. Does it convince me to drink the beer? No. Does it convince me to tell people about their beer? No.

So now we’re getting warmed up – the posters of bikini girls modeling a beer is outdated and out-fashioned but fewer breweries are using that idea to advertise their beers. Yet it still gets worse. For those who went to the Japan Brewers’ Cup then you know what’s coming up. “Entertainment” we shall say. While we all love some music, it should be appropriate to the surroundings. You wouldn’t really play thrash metal in your office at full volume as others are trying to work, unless you work at Rolling Stone? So why are there idol bands cavorting around stage at a craft beer festival? That’s right, using women as an advertising tool to encourage people. It’s a weird underbelly in Japan where grown men seem have a thing for teenage girls dressed up to the nines. And that’s before we get onto the pole dancers. Why are there pole dancers at a craft beer festival? Seriously? We get that it is a skill unto itself; however, I can’t really think of many actual reasons for having pole dancers at a craft beer festival unless you’re trying to attract people to your craft beer festival…

Saison Sayuri (Courtesy of Baird Beer)

Four Sisters Springbock (Courtesy of Baird Beer)

Minoh Beer Oshita sisters

Harvestmoon / Sonoda-san (Courtesy of Jbja)

It’s important to note that not all breweries do this in Japan, with some taking inspiration from women and using them in a positive form. Examples are Locobeer that produce an annual beer towards the Pink Boot series and Baird Beer with Four Sisters Springbock, Saison Sayuri being two examples of breweries that are being inclusive rather exclusive. Minoh Beer, Harvestmoon, and Oriental Brewing are just three of the breweries that have head female brewers. With a potential domestic market of 66 millions females (well let’s ignore some of the underage drinkers for now), why bother alienating them, when you could be encouraging people to drink?

Footnotes

1 – https://knoema.com/atlas/Japan/topics/Demographics/Population/Male-to-female-ratio

Soapbox Article 12 - Women & Beer #craftbeer #beer #japan Here at BeerTengoku, we believe in bringing people to drink together and talk over a few pints of craft beer.

#Soapbox

1 note · View note

tadakixd-blog · 7 years

Text

Takahito Mura: "Yuzu and Shoma's Existence Drives Me"

-- His reason for continuing to compete, and his thoughts about Pyeongchang

Takahito Mura (HIROTA Co,Ltd) burned silently. In the 2013-2014 All Japan National Championships, upon which the chance to go to the Sochi Olympics hung, he came in 6th place - a bitter experience. It's been roughly 3 years since then. Mura, who is now 26, has once again thrown himself into the battle for the Olympics. Most of the skaters in his year have left competitive skating, but Mura is spurred on by the existance of his juniors Yuzuru Hanyu (ANA) and Shoma Uno (Chuo University), and continues to polish his skills.

Caption: The season towards the Pyeongchang Olympics has finally started. 4 years ago, Takahito Mura was bitterly disappointed. He talks to us about his current thoughts and feelings. (Courtesy of Sports Navi)

----- What was it about Hanyu that spurred you on?

When you reach this level, you feel like you need to surpass your limits by one more (level). Talking about jumps, when Yuzu told me "I think if you moved just a little bit more like this it would work, you know?", I practiced accordingly and my 4T stabilized. When I began practicing the salchow too, he taught me the details saying "the image I have is this kind of movement". Everyone uses their body differently, but I looked at where my movements and the movements he talked about were the same and where they were different. Looking at the things in common, when I thought about what the points (to pay attention to) were, it gave me a hint of what I could do to increase my success rate with my jumps. When it comes to who helped improve my skating, Yuzu was a key person for me.

A very nice (and rather long) interview with Takahito Mura, who has always flown just under the radar in his figure skating career. Also known as Mu4a for his reported attempt at the 4A during an ice show last year, of which only tweets lived to tell the tale.

In this article by Moritaka Oohashi, he talks about his motivations, the quad race, and his plans for the season.

Full translation under the cut. All photos from original article. (Yes I know the title is click bait, but don’t blame the messenger! To make up for it, I put the key excerpt with Yuzu mentioned up there XD)

4 years ago, when (he) had no insight into his "self"

----- The season heading towards the Pyeongchang Olympics has finally begun.

Precisely because I was in a position to seize the Olympics 4 years ago, (I feel like) I lost to the Olympics at least on a mental level, and I have the impression that that season did not go well. With that frustration and regret as a springboard, I've come to this point, 3 years later. Up till now, I've been wrestling vaguely with figure skating but after Sochi, I became more conscious of how "I should do this" and "I should do that". I thought "I need to grow (stronger)", so I've been setting a theme for each season since then. Over 3 years I've challenged many different things, and finally with this season, I feel like this is finally the start for me.

----- Comparing the season 4 years ago when you made a challenge for the Sochi Olympics and this season where you will make a challenge for the Pyeongchang Olympics, what kind of differences are there specifically?

I think at the time, I was not capable of having insight into ‘myself’. Now I have a very clear awareness of exactly what kind of performance I want to give as I tackle (this season), and that's very different from how I was 4 years ago.

----- What kind of performance do you want to give?

Well age is age, and there are alot of young skaters coming up. In this kind of situation, I do find myself paying attention to quad jumps and technical things like that, but for myself, I plan to bring my masculinity to the table, and am making the preparations required to be able to give such a performance.

----- Right now, where do you think you stand?

Up till the Sochi season, there were many skaters who came before me, starting with Dai-chan* (Takahashi Daisuke), who had raised the level of (Japanese) skating higher than ever before. Looking at what they were like as a person (t/n: here he means every aspect of them, mentally, physically, as a skater etc) made me think that I too wanted to become such an existance (t/n: ie, such a being). And then Dai-chan, (Nobunari) Oda-kun and (Takahiko) Kozuka-kun retired and left, and as I grow older I have consciously tried to become someone with the same presence they have, as a person and as a skater.

Performing "The Phantom of the Opera" Once Again

Caption: Playing The Phantom of the Opera - which he used in the 2014-2015 season as well - once more. “It really fits you”, he was told by many people which encouraged him to use it again. (Photo by Kiyoshi Sakamoto)

----- To you, what did you feel the most regretful about in the past 3 years?

It was last year's All Japan National Championships. Of course up till now I've had many competitions that went well and those that didn't, but still. I was in such a good condition and yet I kept making such unbelievable mistakes in the second half (of the long program). I was once again struck by my lack of ability, and precisely because things had been going well, that frustration and regret was a big thing for me.

----- On the other hand, what were you happy about?

The 2014-2015 Skate Canada, and the Four Continents Championship before Sochi. I was first at both and that experience gave me confidence. Even I myself have a very good impression of (the 2014-2015 season's) Phantom of the Opera, and this season I'm skating to a new, reworked version of it for my long program. Because I have the confidence that I can do an even better job than I did the last time, I'm going to challenge myself (with this) this season. I've been told by many people that "this is definitely going to turn out well", and I feel like that may be the result of all the improvements in expression I have made.

----- Please tell us how you came to choose this piece of music.

Out of all the programs I have skated, the one that made me think "I want to skate to this piece again" was The Phantom of the Opera. It was the piece that I used when I began to change myself, and if I were to use the season to explain, as good as Skate Canada and 4CC went, I did actually have mistakes but a lot of people told me "It really fits you" and hearing that was something that pushed me to choose it again this time. I think that doing it once more means you have to do it better than you did before but because I have the confidence that I can surpass (my previous performance), I decided to use it this season.

----- What about your short program?

It's a dance number that I haven't done before and I'm still at the stage were I'm practicing a lot (to accumulate experience), I'm using Alex Clare's The Lateness of the Hour. Around April when I was deciding on my LP, I told (my choreographer) Massimo Scali "I'm thinking of doing Phantom", and he said "In that case, let's go in a different direction for your SP". Because he said to do something that was completely different (t/n: literally, 180deg different), I was contemplating what kind of music would be good to use. Since Massimo had decided that the short would be a program that displayed strong movements, we followed that (line of thought) and listened to over 10 songs before deciding on this one. I think it will be a program where I simply bring out the coolness in full force.

// Page 2

How far can One draw (someone) in with One's ability to perform?

Caption: The parts he can’t keep up with technically, he’ll make up for with the the performance ability he’s polished over these 3 years. Photo by Kiyoshi Sakamoto

----- Previously, your father, who was also your coach, said "I want him to have a greater desire to be first". How do you feel about that?

Up till now I've always thought of the things that I should do instead of being bothered by what was going on around me, but conversely during the Sochi season there was a part of me that was swallowed up by everything that was happening around me and on a mental level, I lost to it all. I think that I have to put more thought into what I need to do to become number 1. Also, I do feel like I don't have that hunger that I used to when I was in my teens. "That guy can jump it so I'm going to jump it too" - that was something I was missing. (t/n: it's not clear here when he's talking about his current situation and when he's talking about his previous self, since he kept switching tenses)

----- You were hungrier (for success) in your teens?

When I was young, I was competitive even during the pre-competition practice sessions, but gradually I've felt like I can't keep up with things like that anymore. However, lately the technical level has raised to the point where it can't be compared to what it was back then, so with the thought that I too need to increase the types of quads I can jump - even if it's just by one - I've been practicing. Up till now I've been able to do one type of quad but I've now become able to do a second type, the salchow, so I'm trying to improve it to the point where I can use it in competition. After that, I want to increase the consistency of landing it so that I don't make mistakes in competition. I do think that on the technical side, I won't be able to catch up, but in terms of the program in general, just how much will I be able to recover (those lost points); how far can I draw the judges and the audience in with my performance ability? That's what I want the main theme of this season to be for me.

----- As a skater, how do you feel about the current Quad Era?

I did imagine that it would become like this at some point, but I never imagined that it would come this fast. After China's Jin Boyang jumped the 4Lz in competition, Nathan (Chen, USA) added both the lutz and the flip and on top of that jumped 6 quads in his LP. Since then, it's really gained momentum, hasn't it? On one hand, while I do think that figure skating is not all about jumps, the rest of us still have to think about what we need to do in order to compete with them (t/n: literally, to cross swords with them). At this age, increasing the types of quads I have to 3 or 4 is very tough, so to make up for it I think I need to improve my performance ability.

The Key Person Who Improved (Mura's) Skating

Caption: The driving force behind the continuation of his competitive career - the existence of Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno. It seems like there is a lot to learn from them. (Photo by Kiyoshi Sakamoto)

----- Most of the skaters in your year have retired. What is your reason for continuing your competitive career up till now?

What's driven me to continue on in competitions is the existence of Yuzu (Hanyu) and Shoma (Uno). They are younger than me but there is a lot I can gain from watching their movements. Contrary to what you may think, now I'm hit by the feeling that "I can't lose, I want to catch up to them even by just a little bit". If I didn't have those kind of feelings, Maybe I'd have given up a lot earlier. After the Sochi Olympics ended, what made me want to continue for another 4 years was also because of Yuzu's existence, I believe.

----- What was it about Hanyu that spurred you on?

----- Even as fellow competitors, you give each other advice don't you?

When practicing together, you often pay attention to a person's movements. It's not a give-and-take kind of thing but we do talk about what each other thinks, that's the kind of relationship we have. (t/n: not clear if he means just with Yuzu or with everyone else, because he talks about Yuzu right before this and Team Japan right after.) Personally I feel like the reason why the Japanese men on a whole are strong is because of things like that. As Team Japan, in order for everyone to improve, I think it'd be good if I could play my part too. With that kind of feelings, I talk about a lot of things with Yuzu and Shoma.

Caption: In view of his age, this could be his last Olympics. Will he be able to stand on the stage of his dearest wish? (Photo by sports navi)

----- In terms of your age, it's possible that this fight for the Olympics will become your last. What do you think is needed for you to be able to qualify for the Olympics?

Definitely I need to head into it without compromising and take it seriously. I think there is a need for me to analyse what is needed for this event that we call the Olympics. For competitions, (I need to figure out) just how far I'll be able to stay calm and bring out what I usually do in practice. Even if it's the Olympics, instead of paying attention to what's going on around me, I want to keep the thought of "I'm the one going (to the Olympics)" at my core. With that I want to give everything I have to every single competition, the short programs and long programs. 4 years from now I'll be past 30, so with regards to the Olympics, I feel that this is my last chance, and I want to grab hold of it.

(Interview and essay by: Moritaka Oohashi/Sports Navi)

*-chan, -kun (along with -san and -senshuu) are all suffixes that you attach to a person's name and represent varying degrees of familiarity and formality. Mura calls Daisuke "Dai-chan", which is what most of Team Japan calls him. It's a cute way of addressing him and implies closeness. He calls Nobu "Oda-kun", which does imply familiarity as well but slightly less so (most of team japan call him Nobu-kun, but really Oda-kun and Nobu-kun are pretty similar). Both Yuzu and Shoma are younger than him, so he drops the honorifics and simply calls them by his name (Yuzu is mostly referred to as Yuzu, Yuzu-kun or Yuzuru-kun by team japan afaik).

#takahito mura #fstranslations #sportsnavi #interview #mura and yuzu used to make bets with each other on who could quad better at ice shows #mura's really nice and but competitively he's been down on his luck #kinda like kozuka #and also do I see a glimpse of Coach!Yuzu?#btw mura's 3a is really nice too #he was a great team captain at WTT back then too #むらガンバー！！

97 notes · View notes

toldnews-blog · 5 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/business/carlos-ghosn-and-japans-hostage-justice-system/

Carlos Ghosn and Japan's 'hostage justice' system

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Things are looking tricky for Mr Ghosn

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s former chairman, has now spent three months in jail and faces many more.

Japan’s former chief prosecutor was, until he unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday, his lawyer, and has declared Mr Ghosn to be a victim of “hostage justice”.

It is a term few outside Japan will have heard of until now, but what does it mean?

Living in Japan it’s easy to become complacent about crime – there is so little of it. Japan’s incredibly low crime rate is often attributed to a homogeneous culture, small income gap and full employment, but it’s also true to say that many people are just terrified of being arrested.

I got my first inkling of why in 2014 when an artist I knew, Megumi Igarashi, was arrested for distributing “obscene material”. Igarashi had made a digital scan of her own genitals, and used that model to make items such as key fobs and a large yellow kayak.

Most people thought it hilarious and she was dubbed the “vagina artist”. But Tokyo prosecutors were not amused. They held her incommunicado for three weeks.

“Why on Earth would they hold her for three weeks over something so silly?” I asked a friend.

“Because they can,” she responded.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Ms Igarashi’s case caused a sensation in Japan which has strict obscenity laws

In Britain, only terror suspects can be held without charge for 14 days – and that is controversial. In Japan a shoplifter can be held for 23 days.

The pressure to confess

“The Japanese criminal justice system is focused on interrogation. The aim is getting a confession,” explains Nobuo Gohara, who spent 23 years in the prosecutor’s office before resigning. He now works in private practice and campaigns for reform of Japan’s justice system.

“A suspect who admits to the crime is released from imprisonment,” Mr Gohara tells me. “But if a person refuses to admit to a crime, the prosecutor’s office will strongly oppose release until the suspect makes a confession.”

That is what happened to Tomohiro Ishikawa. In 2010, the then sitting MP was arrested and accused of taking bribes. For three weeks he was held in a tiny unheated cell. Each day he was interrogated for 12 hours without a lawyer present. He eventually admitted to a lesser offence and nearly 10 years later he is still bitter.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Tomohiro Ishikawa was held three weeks in a tiny cell. He later admitted to a lesser offence.

“Japanese prosecutors are very persistent,” he told me. “They write the plot out before they make the arrest.”

“Then they force you to confess according to their storyline. In my interrogation they didn’t write down what I had said. [Instead] they would show me what they had prepared beforehand then demand I sign it. Many times, I told them I would not sign, because it [the statement] was not what I had said.”

“Sometimes they shouted at me,” he said. “At one point the deputy chief prosecutor started crying, asking me why was I lying.”

This pressure to confess is even more worrying given that 89% of criminal convictions in Japan are based partly or wholly on confessions.

There are numerous examples of people spending years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit or where serious doubts have emerged because of apparently “unsafe” confessions.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Iwao Hakamada is still fighting to clear his name

A former professional boxer named Iwao Hakamada was sentenced to death for murder in 1968. His conviction was based on a confession he made under prolonged interrogation and later withdrew.

In 2014, after 46 years on death row, Mr Hakamada was released because his sentence was considered unsafe and there was no evidence to support the confession. At 82, he is still fighting to clear his name as he awaits a possible retrial.

The power of prosecutors

According to Mr Gohara, the root of the problem is the enormous power of prosecutors.

“Under Japanese law, the prosecutor’s office has the exclusive right to indict. They also have the right to drop charges. This means that the prosecutor’s office is very powerful in the Japanese criminal justice system. On top of that in most cases, the courts follow the prosecutor’s decisions.”

In a recent editorial in the Japan Times, Doshisha University law professor Colin Jones described the extraordinary position senior prosecutors hold:

“While the top official at the Justice Ministry is ostensibly the administrative vice minister, in reality he is inferior both in terms of seniority and pay grade to the prosecutor general and several other top prosecutors and, unlike most other senior bureaucrats, their uppermost ranks are appointed through a process that involves attestation by the Emperor.”

This is the system the accused, like Carlos Ghosn, find themselves up against, where if you don’t confess you will be held longer and more serious charges will probably be laid against you. If prosecutors do file charges your chances of being found guilty stand at 99%.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption The former tycoon says he is being treated as guilty before he can prove his innocence

“Officially there is presumption of innocence” says Mr Gohara. “But even if the suspect is not guilty, there is an advantage for them to admit to the crime. This is the most evil effect of Japan’s hostage justice system.”

After the first 23 days of detention the ordeal is not necessarily over. Prosecutors are permitted to re-arrest a suspect on a slightly different accusation, with approval from the courts. The clock is then reset and another 20 days of interrogation begin.

This is what happened to Carlos Ghosn, twice. In all he was held in interrogation for 53 days before being formally indicted.

No bail for Ghosn

In many countries, formal indictment would be the trigger for a suspect to be released on bail. But again, not in Japan – as Carlos Ghosn has found out.

In a recent interview with the French news agency AFP, Mr Ghosn said the refusal of the Tokyo court to grant him bail would “not be normal in any other democracy”. He accused the court of “punishing me before finding me guilty”.

Mr Ghosn has now been allowed to meet with family members – for 15 minutes a day, through a glass window.

Contrast his treatment with another recent high-profile arrest, this time in Canada. On 1 December last year, Chinese businesswoman Meng Wanzhou was arrested at Vancouver airport. Ms Meng is the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei. She is wanted in the United States, accused of conspiring to breach international sanctions against Iran.

Ten days after her arrest, on 11 December, Ms Meng was released on bail of 10 million Canadian dollars. She is now staying in one of her two Vancouver homes, and is obliged to wear an electronic ankle tag.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou merely has to hear an electronic ankle tag

Japanese prosecutors point out there is no legal provision for keeping suspects under house arrest or compelling them to wear an electronic tag. But former detainee Tomohiro Ishikawa says he does not believe the courts’ refusal to grant bail is because it fears Mr Ghosn will flee.

“I think it would be very hard for someone like Mr Ghosn to hide. If he did (flee) his reputation would be destroyed. I think they are keeping him to harass him. They want his confession. They want him to admit he is guilty.”

Defenders of Japan’s system deny that confessions are behind the 99.9% conviction rate. They say it is because Japanese prosecutors indict at a much lower rate than in the US. In other words, they only indict when they are sure they can win. In 2015, the prosecution rate was 33.4%, official figures show.

The gatekeepers of justice

But Carlos Ghosn’s case raises questions. Several lawyers have told me the case against him looks weak. In an editorial in the Nikkei newspaper, corporate lawyer Stephen Givens describes the case against him as “thin soup”.

“By any objective measure, the misconduct alleged was less serious than the corporate misfeasance that is routinely overlooked in Japan,” he writes. “Nothing we know that [Mr] Ghosn allegedly did smells like a serious crime deserving prison.”

So why is the special investigation unit of the Tokyo prosecutor’s office pursuing this case so hard? Mr Ishikawa believes Mr Ghosn’s real crime, in the eyes of Japan’s prosecutorial elite, is greed. He was the first CEO in Japan to earn millions of dollars a year, and that changed Japanese corporate culture.

“The Tokyo prosecutor’s office… is driven by their belief that they are the gatekeepers of justice. In an era of economic inequality, they want to make their name as the ones who nailed the rich.”

As Mr Ghosn sits in his detention cell planning his strategy, he must know there is one more sting in the tail of Japan’s justice system – there is no double jeopardy.

If he beats the odds and is found innocent of the charges against him, the prosecutor’s office can appeal to the high court to have that verdict overturned. It is, say critics, one more reason so many Japanese criminal suspects confess.

0 notes

fashiontrendin-blog · 6 years

Text

Serena, Nike, Colin, and What “Respectable Protest” Really Means

http://fashion-trendin.com/serena-nike-colin-and-what-respectable-protest-really-means/

Serena, Nike, Colin, and What “Respectable Protest” Really Means

or most of my childhood, I never had more than four pairs of shoes at a time. There were shiny school shoes and church shoes that met the requirements of countless morning masses and school days at my black and brown Catholic school. There were dirty sneakers and winter boots caked with salt. Plastic summer sandals that I’d wear on weekends and days when I’d racked up enough points on my “N.U.T: No Uniform Today” card to shed my itchy nylon jumper for the freedom of oversized outfits from The Gap.

When I inevitably left for a bigger, whiter public school, the way I dressed didn’t just indicate that my family was lower-middle class or that there were limits to our shopping budget. My glasses, my sneakers, my skin color, the way I wore my hair and collected keychains on the zippers of my JanSport, like jingling mementos of a former life, took on a collective connotation that I didn’t understand at the time. I wasn’t sure why I was being judged, but the loneliness I felt that first year was evidence to me that I didn’t fit in.

During my first parent-teacher conference, shocked by the chasm she perceived between my light skin and the shade of my philosophies, my sixth grade humanities teacher asked my mother why she was raising me to be “so black.” There, concealed beneath her bubbly voice, was the question that would determine how I fit into the classroom culture. Was I the “acceptable,” amiable sort of black girl or not?

When, a few years later, I began buying Jordans on Saturdays, plastic-wrapped Air Max 95s from shops on 125th street, Air Force 1s I could only afford after weeks of eating crushed Ritz crackers and cheese for lunch, I saw it as a form of self-expression — but I see now that it was a rejection of the people who did not accept me, the logical, actionable response to my teacher’s concern. I answered her, through the way I dressed, in the same tone of voice my mother had used years before: “…Because she is black.”

Over the past few weeks, Nike has addressed conflicts that affect its black customers with images that have invoked discussions about race and that notion of acceptability. Last week, in reply to the blacklisting that resulted from Colin Kaepernick’s extensive protest of police brutality, the company released an image of the athlete, captioned, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” It was paired with a television commercial that ran during the first NFL game of the season.

Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018

In August, when Serena Williams’s medically beneficial catsuit was banned at the French Open, Nike responded with an image of her competing in the spandex outfit, captioned, “You can take a superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers.”

You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers. #justdoit pic.twitter.com/dDB6D9nzaD

— Nike (@Nike) August 25, 2018

That statement could almost serve as a description of Williams’s U.S. Open experience, as well. In the recent title match between her and Naomi Osaka, Williams was accused of cheating and, after she angrily responded to the accusation, was doubly penalized. Both women were in tears when they took the stage and Osaka accepted her trophy.

On each of these occasions, social media cracked in two. There were those who agreed with Nike’s support of Kaepernick and those who didn’t, literally ripping check marks out of apparel or setting clothes ablaze. A leaked memo went viral detailing the Nike ban a Louisiana mayor put in place for his city’s recreation centers. Days later, it was a caricature of Williams throwing a tantrum on the court in a match against a white, blond, straight-haired Osaka that was being shared and re-shared. (Osaka is Haitian and Japanese and has a head full of dark, highlighted curls.) According to both the tournament officials and people boycotting Nike, it was Williams’s and Kaepernick’s blatant rule-breaking that inspired their uproars.

The problem with that explanation is that until they were “broken,” no rules existed governing catsuits or protesting during sporting events. And the rules against coaching and arguing during tennis matches are rarely enforced with such stringency. Institutional discrimination and segregation may technically be outlawed in this country, but when the invisible racial boundaries that separate the privileged and marginalized are crossed, black and brown Americans are slingshotted back into place, implicitly discredited by the way their very existence breaks rules of acceptability.

It is easier to categorize certain people as too loud, too opinionated, too reckless, too offensive, too kinky, too dark or “too black,” than to admit that those people are right about the way the comfort and success of the privileged are reinforced through oppressive systems that categorically diminish others.

When men and women are sprayed with bullets by a racist man invited to pray with them, it is easier to hear, “We forgive you,” than “This was unforgivable.” When protesters are barrelled down by an enraged driver or beaten bloody by white supremacists, it is easier to believe that, “Those violent people aren’t real Americans,” than “This is part of America’s tradition.” It becomes easier to accept the black and brown people who sometimes sugarcoat bitter truths than the ones who smash stereotypes and draw awareness to oppression.

So, is a catsuit truly such an offensive garment that is must be banned? Is black, female anger so indecent that it needs to be contained even as it is being expressed rationally and articulately? Or is the woman wearing the ensemble and asking for the apology such an unstoppable force that she must be reigned in in order to maintain the image associated with a sport?

Or is the issue that the dissenter is publically pointing out fissures in our national edifice, a structure that has historically been bolstered by false images of untouchable whiteness?

Is the national anthem a tune that inspires such reverence that even quiet gestures of dissent must be regulated? Or is the issue that the dissenter is publically pointing out fissures in our national edifice, a structure that has historically been bolstered by false images of untouchable whiteness?

The kind of powerful emotions Williams displayed on the court should never be enough to incite the personal and pointed attacks she received. But when we consider the way her presence alone challenges definitions of strength and decorum that so many privileged men rely on to gain traction in the world, it makes perfect sense. Similarly, the inflamed responses to Kaepernick’s quiet protest may seem irrational until we consider how he is revealing the hypocrisy in our country’s ethos. For some, acknowledging the reality of the police brutality Kaepernick is demonstrating against means also acknowledging that their lives do not continue because of the quality of their values or life choices, but because of an unspoken and unfair birthright.

I suppose these realities highlight the monumental challenge at the center of true allyship: Allies must be willing to tear down oppressive institutions that may simultaneously make their own lives easier.

Perhaps that’s also why Nike’s series of ads struck me — not simply because the brand that chose to run them once represented my own youthful, awkward way of finding my style and my tribe when I was being tragically misunderstood, but because they are a gesture of allyship, however small. And Nike’s choice is an example of what we ask of privileged friends all the time: Please use your voice to speak about me, no matter the cost.

Collage by Emily Zirimis.

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

0 notes