#translation summaries

[chocosea]

Article Title: プリキュアの“恋愛描写”は20年間でどう変わった？　「彼氏」すら表現できなかったプリキュアがわんぷりで「カップル誕生」を描けるまでに至った理由

What has changed in 20 years of Precure's depictions of romance? Reasons behind the change from seasons that couldn't include boyfriends to the birth of a couple in Wonderful Precure

Some basic summary of this post written by Kasumi, the guy who keeps track of Precure sales and makes handy graphs and whatnot.

The beginning of this article is summary of Wonderful Precure's Satoiro developments.

Later in the article, there's some quotes from Narita. Summarized: After the first few seasons, the response they got from parents was that they would prefer not to have romance because the girls watching this were like 3, 4 years old. So it was a taboo to write about romantic relationships.

The first few seasons were about falling in love with older boys shoujo manga-style, then we have Fresh's whole "I'm not telling you my answer" ending.

In Happiness Charge Narita was uncertain about whether they should do romance as one of the main themes but Nagamine wanted to go for it. So they did a love triangle as one of the main writing setups. Narita still asked multiple times if it was okay to write what she was writing. When Megumi lost in love at the end of the series it became a big topic.

After Happiness Charge they took a step back again and romance barely features besides crushes that don't go anywhere.

This changed in Hugtto when Homare gets turned down by Harry, and Hana's whole thing with George (aka her future schrodinger's evil husband).

None of these depictions are like focused on romance as something that actually leads to a mutual, intentional relationship.

Tropirouge was made specifically to have 0 romance

Black Pepper was created with the idea that he was supposed to work with the girls to save each other rather than just saving them from a pinch. His feelings were only written in to add a bit of spice to the show. But he signals a shift from possible love interests being a prince you admire to a partner that fights with you.

Every season that has served as a turning point in Precure's depiction of romance has had Narita in charge of series composition (Happiness Charge, Otona, and Wonderful).

Article mentions that while before it was unthinkable for idols and actors to have romantic partners, in the 2020 era it's become more normal for actors and TV talent to declare that they're dating and for idols to continue their idol work while being married.

プリキュアでも、かつては「コクる」「彼氏」という言葉1つだけでも保護者から大ブーイングだった時代がありました。

In Precure as well, there was an era where the words "confession" or "boyfriend" were met with loud booing from guardians.

But the times and mindsets have changed so now we have a married Precure and a Precure with a boyfriend.

梅澤　実は大ブーイングでした。「コクる」「彼氏」というセリフも評判が悪かったです。中学生だから、必然性があるから、大丈夫というわけじゃない。両親が観せたくない作品になっては『プリキュア』じゃない、と痛感しました。 ぴあ『プリキュアぴあ』（P87）

This quote is basically what was just summarized above. In addition to the booing thing, Umezawa (producer for Fresh, Heartcatch, Suite) says that he realized that if they wrote things that parents wouldn't want to show their kids then it wouldn't be Precure

So I guess parent opposition is indeed a big reason why they've been avoiding romance. But nowadays:

Satoiro has been massively popular with elementary school girls.

The target range for Precure has risen now also with the cosmetics and the like, ranging from elementary schoolers to young women.

We should expect to see more depictions of romantic love in Precure in the future.

"Change is Precure's strong point."

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

So, in Brazilian, USAmerican, and LGBT+ politics news, transgender Brazilian congresswoman Erika Hilton has received from the USA a visa marking her gender as male.

Hilton canceled a trip she was going to make to the US this month, where she was going to participate on Saturday (12) in a panel at the Brazil Conference, and says she will take action against US President Donald Trump at the UN (United Nations) because she considers the case to be transphobic and disrespectful of her Brazilian civil records.

(x)

[1000sunnygo]

Wanted to send this when the volume released but I forgot and was just reminded from your other post about it; but here's the OP School vol.9 Sengoku bonus if you want it! (imgur /a/wiVrfD2) It's spread through the volume, not back-to-back - part 1 after ch.40, p.2 after ch.41, and p.3 after ch.44

One piece Academy Vol. 9 Extra: Principal Sengoku's Picnic

Doing great service to the fandom once again, thank you so much 🫡💕

[yuuyami-the-wanderer]

Tbh...

Aces dream just makes it more of an incentive for him to gain a White Rabbit inspired dimension travel or portal travel UM.

Like, that's his dream, his biggest wish, what he thinks most about.

He has to develop one now.

[kuroshitsuji-wiki]

Chapter 214: The Butler, Ascending

The new chapter is now out!

The English translation is available on MangaUp! Other places do not have it yet.

[zenshigarakilover]

Apperently Hori said that AFO was unable to form emotions and only viewed the world through a logical lense. His final words to Yoichi were an attempt to manipulate him.

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS More,Blood Character Popularity Poll Short Story ☽ Shuu ver.

Original title: 人気投票ショートストーリー、シュウ編 English translation by @otomehonyaku Requested by @aoi-hitomi-50 (happy early birthday to you and Shuu!) Original text can be found here.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SUMMARY | In this short story, Yui (not mentioned by name) has been with Shuu for a while—a bittersweet feat, since the vampire is not very vocal about his feelings. One morning, Yui accidentally drops her spoon at Shuu's feet while she's having her belated dinner. Spicy events ensue, and Yui cannot help but beg for answers. Will Shuu finally tell her how he truly feels towards her?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

—Just like that, I became your captive. Even though I could no longer go back, I…

In the small hours of the morning, I was belatedly having dinner by myself when Shuu appeared next to me out of thin air.

“Shuu? It’s unusual for you to still be up this early…” I was so surprised that the hand that was carrying my spoon to my mouth unconsciously paused in mid-air, still laden with soup..

“Yeah, well…” Shuu said curtly while he sat down across from me. 

Was I only imagining it, or did he seem in really good spirits today? I thought I even heard him humming.

“...Um?”

“What?”

“Did something… happen?” I asked him gingerly.

Shuu rested his elbows on the table, still humming, and stared at me intently with a gloomy look on his face.

“Uh…?”

“...Shut up. This is Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major, fourth movement. Look up the title yourself.”

I inclined my head in confusion at his profound answer. My knowledge about classical music was, unfortunately, limited. My mind drifted to the hymns we used to sing in church, and when I moved my spoon again, Shuu suddenly spoke.

“Hey… didn’t you say that I’m the one you love most in this world?

“What?!” I accidentally dropped my spoon because of his off-kilter remark. The shrill sound of the metal hitting the floor reverberated through the dining room. 

“Guess I was right,” Shuu said coolly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. He eyed me curiously as I tried to regain my composure.

“W-why, all of a sudden…”

I clumsily stood up to retrieve the spoon from under the table. When I lifted the tablecloth, I saw that it had rolled over to Shuu’s feet. It was actually quite convenient that I dropped the spoon—it gave me a way out of the conversation so that I didn’t have to see eye-to-eye with Shuu.

“Ah, there it…”

Just as I slid under the table to pick up the spoon, I heard Shuu’s voice from above me. “What are you doing?”

“Huh? Um, well… I just wanted to grab the spoon…” I said, flustered. I reached for the spoon, and then, suddenly—

“Ah?!”

“Hahaha…”

Of all the things he could have done, Shuu brought down his foot on my hand. I looked up at him with a start. Our eyes met—he held up the tablecloth on his end and leered down at me kneeling before his legs, which were spread wide.

“We’re not done talking yet. Who said you could pick it up?”

“It h-hurts…”

“Of course. That’s because I’m making it hurt.”

I’d thought he was in a good mood at first, but I was at a loss at his behaviour now. I bit my lip. 

“If you want me to let go of your hand, come closer,” Shuu continued.

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I’m telling you to come closer… and put your face between my legs.”

“...B-but…” I would die of embarrassment if I were to position my body between Shuu’s legs. Just when I wanted to tell him that, he pressed down on my hand harder.

“Are you saying you’re disobeying me… because you actually like it when I hurt you like this? I guess it’s only to be expected from a hardcore pervert like you.”

“That’s… not…!”

“Not true? Well, how about you hurry up and do as I say, then?”

I’d lost count of how many times I’d yielded to his will when he cornered me like this. It was frustrating, but… I knew it was pointless to go against him. No matter how much I protested, he always made sure he got his way in the end. 

“Ah…”

Feeling defeated, I did as I was told and braced my hands on Shuu’s thighs so I could poke out my head from under the tablecloth. Then, I stuck my face between his legs, careful so as to not bump my head. 

“Hahaha… You look awful.”

“You’re the one who told me to do it…!”

“Well, that’s true, but aren’t you the one who actually decided to follow my orders?” Shuu ventured, his lips curving upward in a suggestive smile. “You’re a stubborn little thing, you know. You’re so in love with me you just can’t help yourself. At least, that’s what I heard… I figured you like this kind of stuff.”

“Who told you…” My voice wavered unintentionally, my heartbeat out of control.

“You’re so red. Bullseye. It’s obviously true, so  it doesn’t even matter where I heard it. Now, come closer.”

Shuu’s unusual talkativeness and assertive behaviour overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t help but obey him. No matter the things he did to me, no matter the cruel words he said to me… I was madly in love with him, just like he said. 

It was not a matter of not being able to go against him. I just…  wouldn’t.

“Come, hurry up… I’d rather you be grateful that I’m giving you this much attention…”

“Ah…”

“That’s it. Come closer. Actually, how about you sit on my lap?”

As if he’d seen right through me, Shuu’s voice was suddenly sickly-sweet, his gaze unrelenting in his efforts to persuade me. Despite my slight hesitation, I was internally overjoyed to hear this side of him. I simply did as I was told.

Our bodies were flush. I wriggled against him to get out of the tight space. It was incredibly embarrassing, but in the end, I managed to lower myself into Shuu’s lap. I braced my hands on his shoulders, facing him directly.

“Hehe… Look at you. I knew you could do it. Complain all you want, but I know you actually love doing naughty things like this.”

“Oh…”

“You aren’t really in the position to say otherwise, you know. Well… I’ll make you do much naughtier things. You love me more than anyone else in the world, right? I like the sound of that. As your reward… I’ll let you kiss me.”

“What…?”

“I’m too tired… so kiss me already. Come here…” 

Shuu narrowed his eyes at me impatiently. 

“Mm… ah, this isn’t bad after all. Your scent… the taste of you… Mmh…”

He had me completely at his mercy. Shuu’s lips found mine over and over again, deepening the kiss, from various angles… From an outsider’s perspective, it must have looked like we were sharing an intimate moment, but I was simply unable to resist his seduction. No, rather… this was…

I actually wanted this.

“Shuu…”

“What?”

“...Does this make you happy? Or… am I just a bother?” I asked him outright in between kisses. I’d been wondering about it for a while now. 

Shuu brusquely lifted me off of his lap and sat me down on top of the table. “You’re putting words in my mouth now? Shut up.”

“I… I figured you’d say that…” 

Maybe, in my heart, I wanted to hear such a predictable answer. Was it because I actually liked his harsh manner of speaking? My thoughts were still racing, but Shuu started stroking my hair and placed kisses on my ears.

“It’s not worth worrying about whether or not I like you… that’s not what I’m interested in. However… if anything, I’m interested in your blood. I crave you… do you understand what I’m saying? You can draw your own conclusions.”

Shuu’s sadistic voice sent incessant chills down my spine. That was all I needed to hear.

“Shuu, I love you…” The words just tumbled over my lips before I could catch myself. 

Shuu chuckled. “Heh… I know. You’re such a lewd woman. I know what you want… and you think I’ll give it to you, don’t you? I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll humour you until you’re satisfied.”

I could feel Shuu open his mouth wide. I waited for his fangs to pierce my skin with bated breath. The sharp tips of his canine teeth slowly hovered over my skin. He seemed to be holding back at first, but his demeanour quickly changed—in a flash, his fangs were buried in my neck.

“Mh…”

To this day, I still didn’t know how to describe this feeling. It hurt, of course, but at the same time, there was no way to put into words the absolute assault on my senses, the numbness that spread through me.

“Ha… Mmh… What a great expression… Agh…”

“Ah…” I came dangerously close to crying out while he drank from me. I desperately pressed my lips together. 

Shuu let out a low laugh. Surely, he thought I was only writhing in agony, but I didn’t mind—that wasn’t exactly wrong, either. 

“You’re greedy for such a meek girl, but… this is a reward, so… I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Mmh…”

A reward… the fact that he used such a word for it was proof that Shuu knew exactly how he was making me feel, and enjoyed it. It made my heart swell with joy. It had probably been a bit tactless to beg him to confess his feelings outright. I was already more than happy that, slowly, piece by piece, he revealed himself to me. 

“Let’s go over here now...”

Shuu’s hands impatiently groped at my chest. A feeling of endearment surged within me at the sight of him behaving like this.

I was completely head over heels for this man. I was far beyond saving, but at least I had some self-awareness. 

My mind wandered as my fingers became entwined in Shuu’s hair, my hands stroking his head. I wanted to shout my love for him from the rooftops, but an indirect approach was more befitting of this musically inclined man. 

Then, suddenly, Shuu lifted his face from where it had been buried in my chest, and told me flat-out, “I love you. Or, rather, I love you, the girl who is completely smitten with me. Got that?”

“Ah…!”

Now I really felt like I would go mad. Unable to contain my happiness, I instinctively covered my face with my hands. My cheeks were red-hot. Shuu saying the words I’d wanted to hear for so long was, without a doubt, the best reward. 

It seemed that, somehow, this languid, young nobleman of the shadows had laid his claim on both my body and soul. There was no going back anymore. And yet…

—I found myself smiling, thinking that might not be so bad after all.

[pastellus]

Classics: What is Lost in Translation

There's a lot of discourse on the faithfulness of retellings, but today I want to talk about the sources themselves. A lot of us engage with the classics in languages that are far from the ones that they were originally written in, and to do so we must do so through translations.

Translators are incredibly skilled people. When it comes to Greco-Roman works, most of them are Classicists who have dedicated their lives to the study of these. But, we should remember that no translation is perfect, by virtue of being translated. What does this mean? It is very rare, even in languages that are related to one another (think Romance languages, like Spanish, French, and Italian) for a word to have a direct translation that carries over every meaning and connotation of the original. This means that while there may be an apt word to take the place of the original, certain meanings can be lost in translation, especially when translating literature, where the choice of word in itself is an artform that can convey much more meaning than what's evident (wordplay, implications, rhyme, etc.). A translation should convey all of the original meaning of the work being translated, but what is the best way to do this? Is it through coming as close as possible to word-for-word faithfulness as we can, or by taking some liberties in favour of trying to expressing what the original author conveyed? This is a question that has been a topic of debate for as long as translations have existed, and people are divided on the answer still. Personally, I stand at a middle ground: faithfulness to the text is important, but oftentimes, it can result in us missing a lot of meaning, so a degree of liberties taken is acceptable if it does result in conveying that meaning. Let's also keep in mind that translations can become dated overtime! Language evolves as time passes, and with it, the meaning of words changes. Such being the case, what conveyed a certain meaning to someone a century ago may no longer do so for the modern reader. This also why translation from an older form of a language to its modern one may result in a loss too. Are all translations bad, then? Not at all! If you want to engage with a piece of literature that isn't in your language, you can and you should! The classics are classics for a reason, and I personally believe that everyone should know these works because they're wonderful and there's so many incredible translations of them out there! So, mainly, I just want people to be aware that not everything that we see in a translation may be entirely faithful to the source; we may never know exactly every single thing of what Homer intended to convey, because we're not his original audience, engaging with his work at the time that it was written, and in the language that it was written. Some translations come much closer than others and are praised as much more faithful, and you can find a ton of discussions online where the virtues and faults of one translation vs another are compared. I would love for people to be encouraged to look into different translations of works that they enjoy, because it's fascinating to see the differences in choices made by one translation and another. Translation is an art in its own accord, it takes incredible skill, and when reading a translation we're not just engaging with the work of the original author, but with the interpretation of a certain translator — viewing the classics through their eyes.

[kunikiiida-kuuun]

Sillies spotted in the latest wan update ❤️

BSD Wan Chapter 188 - Link

[kusanagihaku]

happy lunar new year! ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆.˚ sending you blessings and protection from: obscuary!

[cheesy-09]

[CN] Upcoming Kiro Date

🌸 Note: This post contains detailed spoilers for content that hasn't been released on the EN server yet! 🌸

"I will love this world, and like light, love you."

"Thank goodness, I can embrace you. Otherwise I'd think that you too are like the sun."

Translator: @cheesy-09

[chocosea]

Fresh Novel Summary Chapter 1

Chapter Title: Fresh Precure Once Again!

One year after the fight with Labyrinth, Love, Miki, and Inori are in their 3rd year of middle school (9th grade).

They have to prepare for high school entrance exams. Inori is in Love's room to help tutor her. They were supposed to be studying together, but since Love is bad at school Inori basically became her tutor. Inori is studying for a high school that's connected to a college that has a vet program, so she has to do extra studying by herself after tutoring Love. Love has lost interest in studying and zoned out; Inori marked her answer book with a bunch of red marks. Love's mom (Ayumi) brings them snacks, and they quit studying for the day and talk about friend stuff. They recount their surprise at hearing Miki say that she wasn't going to high school and instead plans to attend beauty school. She's decided not to become a top model and wants to become a beautician now to take over her mom's shop.

Inori is wondering if Miki is really okay with that. Chiffon and Tarte come to visit by appearing outside of Love's window. Love lets them in and they take some donuts that were on the snack tray. Chiffon can speak a lot more now but doesn't seem to always understand the words she repeats. She has picked up some Kansai dialect from Tarte. They often move between Earth, the Sweets Kingdom, and Labyrinth. So they have stories of how Setsuna, Wester, and Soular are doing their best to make Labyrinth a happy country.

Love feels lost in comparison to her friends, who are all working towards a dream.

After school, Love has a 1-on-1 with her homeroom teacher as the teacher has to interview all the students about their plans for the future. The teacher, Manami Kudou, says that Love is still in middle school, so it's fine if she wants time to think about it in high school. Love agrees, but says that she feels like her friends are all working towards a dream, so she has to do her best to get her happiness also. Manami doesn't understand Love's catchphrase so Love clarifies that it's like how Manami's engaged, which is like getting super happiness. Manami protests that this has nothing to do with her own private life, but breaks out into a smile and Love teases her. Manami changes the subject to Love's terrible grades on the recent mock exam, and tells her that she won't be able to get into the school of her choice with this. Love is like, "Yeahhh, you got me there!" and says her polite goodbyes.

Manami thinks to herself that Love's a strange girl that makes you feel happy by being around her. Then she thinks that probably should be expected as Love is… (It trails off here.) She gets a call from her fiance, but her smile freezes over at the first thing he says: "I'm sorry. I really don't think I can get married…"

The sudden break in her happiness leads Manami to momentarily mentally blame Love for leaving, though she realizes how unreasonable that is. Just because Love's presence made her feel happy doesn't mean that she took it away when she also left. And yet, Love had only talked about getting happiness until this point, so her timing was truly something. Manami isn't processing anything else her fiance says; she just realizes that happiness and misery are two sides of the same coin that can be flipped over at any moment.

Meanwhile, Daisuke is hanging out at his baseball club even though practice has long ended for 3rd years. He told his friends he wanted to see his club since they're almost graduating, and got laughed at for saying something so uncharacteristically sentimental. However, his true purpose was to intercept Love coming back from her counseling session so that he could talk to her and find out what high school she's aiming for. Which is exactly what he does. He confirms that she's aiming for Yotsuba High School, which is where most of their middle school students go.

Love asks Daisuke where he's aiming for, and he says that he's unsure. This surprises her. He mentions that Yuki's (guy who had a crush on Miki) family owns a sushi restaurant, so he's planning on studying to become a chef rather than going to high school. Kento (guy who had a crush on Inori) is from the Mikoshiba conglomerate so he's going to study abroad in America. Daisuke says that he feels like the only one who doesn't have things figured out. Love immediately grabs one of his hands in both of hers and says she feels the same while shaking it up and down.

Daisuke's heart skips a beat. At the intersection, he says that he was thinking of trying for the private high school a town over since they have a strong baseball team, but if Love is going to Yotsuba High he might try that instead. He says this while blushing. Just then the signal turns green, and Love bounds off on the road while bidding him goodbye. She wasn't listening to him at all. Daisuke is left standing there, and the signal turns red again.

At home, Love speeds through dinner and her bath to start studying immediately in her room. There, though, she finds that Tarte has put Chiffon to sleep and is demanding that she stay quiet. She says sorry, and then points out that this is her room. She starts trying to study and it's not going well; she doesn't even know what questions she would have to ask to get an explanation that would make sense. Tarte goes on about how he agrees with her teacher and she doesn't need to compare herself to Pine or Berry. Love tells him to shush it so she can focus on studying. He apologizes and goes back to reading his manga magazine. All is quiet until Love starts making sleeping noises; she fell asleep at her desk. Tarte puts her cardigan over her.

The next day, Manami is absent from school. Everyone expects that she'll show up later in the day, but she doesn't. They feel that something's off as there's rumors going around that something happened with her fiance. Love doesn't believe it since Manami looked so happy on her counseling day and the wedding was only a few days away.

Daisuke is looking through reference books, thinking he's going to get serious about studying now that he's talked to Love, when Kento and Yuki appear. They get chummy with him and say they heard about how he was actually waiting for Love that one day. Daisuke denies it, but they tell him that they're rooting for him since their own crushes have no future (Yuki not being able to go to high school with Miki and beauty school doesn't match up with owning a sushi restaurant; Kento leaving for America). The two of them then march him off to the game arcade despite him saying he needs to study. He realizes that this is why he hasn't gotten serious about studying, since these two don't have entrance exams to worry about.

Daisuke loses a fighting game to Kento because Kento is rich and has every new game at home that he can play as much as he wants (though they always hang out on the second floor with the old games, so I guess Kento just is game buff). Daisuke goes to get something from the vending machine and looks out the window to see Manami sitting at a cafe.

At school during break time, Daisuke whisper reports to Love what he saw in a hallway. He saw Manami at a cafe in front of the station arguing with a man. Daisuke says that this must be her fiance. Love asks if Daisuke saw the man's face or knew what they were talking about, to which he answers no to both. Love says that he actually doesn't know if it was her fiance or not then. Daisuke insists that they were arguing about something and that it's weird for their teacher to skip school just to argue with a man in a coffee shop.

A few days later, Love is heading to Inori's house for studying. Passing by the park, she sees Kaoru's truck and decides to get some donuts to go. From the truck's shadow, she sees Miyuki sitting alone at the seating area. Love stops in her tracks. They had all stopped dancing after that competition they won due to having to study for entrance exams, so she hasn't seen Miyuki in a while and feels awkward about calling out to her. Love gathers up her courage and starts to call out her name, but Miyuki doesn't notice and suddenly leaves with a serious face.

Kaoru greets Love and asks if she wants donuts. Love asks him about what's going on with Miyuki, but he says he didn't notice anything.

Love arrives at Inori's house, which is behind their vet hospital in Clover Town Street. The person that opens the door for her isn't Inori, however, but Miki. Miki was at Inori's house to return a book and heard that Love was coming, so she thought she'd give her a little scare. Miki gets ready to take her leave so she won't get in the way of them studying, but Love tells her to stay and study with them. Miki asks why she should do that when she has no entrance exams. Love says that it's too bad then, since she brought Kaoru's donuts with her, which catches Miki's attention. Inori plays along and says that they should just eat them between the two of them, while Miki protests that they should've brought the donuts up first and joins them. Love jokes that this is her return-fire knockout surprise move.

That night, Miyuki thinks over the day's events in her room. Reika had suddenly said that she wanted to quit Trinity during a break in their dance lessons. Miyuki and Nana had pressed her for reasons, but Reika only cried and said that it was due to family matters and that she had to return to her hometown immediately. Miyuki knew that Reika was the one in most pain, but she couldn't help herself and snapped at her, saying she had enough and Reika could just do whatever. Miyuki wonders why she said that and why she didn't run after Reika and thank her for all the hard work she put in their group until now. She didn't want Trinity to break up, but in the end she was the one who broke them apart. Now crying, Miyuki concludes that she's the worst.

Just then, she feels a presence of a person in her room and lifts her head to look behind her. In the corner of her room stands a man in a dark hooded cloak. Normally she would yell, but for some reason she doesn't feel any sense of fear. She feels fascinated, like she's been hypnotized.

The man introduces himself as Maphisto, which uses the Kanji 魔 (demon, evil) for the "Ma" part. The rest of the name is in Katakana. His face isn't visible under the shadow of his hood, but his eyes shine with a strange light that she can't look away from. He asks her if she's sad, and she says yes. He asks again, and she says yes. He says he knows a way that will take away the pain of mourning a happiness that will never return. Miyuki begs him to tell her what that is. He tells her to say magic words, and she pleads with him to tell her what they are. He says that she already knows them. The words appear in her head, and at his goading she says them aloud: "Happiness is worthless." (Note about the Japanese: "幸せなんかいらない" literally translated, it could be "I don't need something like happiness." as well as "I don't want to be happy." いらない carries both the idea of not wanting something and not needing something; therefore I used "worthless" given the gravity of this statement in this particular context.)

The next moment, a murky darkness flies out of Maphisto's mouth and attacks Miyuki's body.

Daisuke is in the next room over and was listening to music with headphones, but took them off thinking he would buy a snack. When he does, he hears Miyuki scream. He immediately rushes to her room and sees her turning into a monster. Once fully a monster, what-was-once-Miyuki breaks the window and flies outside. It chants "Fushiawase" (Unhappiness) and also the word "Dancing."

Love, Miki, and Inori have finished studying and are heading out (Inori to see them off halfway). Love recounts how she saw Miyuki at the park. Miki jokes about how Love is always worried about other people when her own studying isn't going well, when they hear a yell. A beat later they hear a crowd screaming in fear. They run over there and see a 3 meter tall monster moving jerkily, as if dancing, as people scramble away. It grabs people with multiple long arms, and the people caught begin dancing in the same manner against their will. The book compares this to the fairy tale the red shoes; the people must dance until they die.

Miki wonders if it's the Labyrinth at work again, but Love immediately denies it since Setsuna is working to make that place better. The three of them start helping people escape. The monster is using anything around it to attack people.

Elsewhere, Tarte (with Chiffon on his back) has climbed onto a lamp post to see what's going on.

Love sees a man in his 20s looking up at the monster with a sad look on his face and directs him to escape. As he leaves, she sees a dolphin keychain on his bag, which she feels like she's seen somewhere before. Before she can recall where, Daisuke comes running over and calling her name.

Daisuke tells them that the monster is Miyuki and begs them to transform into Precure to save her. The three of them can't though, because they gave their items back to the Sweets Kingdom. The three of them try to call out to Miyuki but the monster only attacks them. They keep trying to no avail. Love shouts that she wants to save Miyuki, and from the lamp post Chiffon suddenly cries out. A light shines from the mark on her forehead, and the next moment Love, Miki, and Inori all have their Linkruns in their hands. Their Pickruns come flying down from the sky. The girls are surprised, but Pirun tells them that Love called them when she said she wanted to save Miyuki. The girls look at each other and then raise their hands all at once and shout their transformation phrase. Tarte finally catches up with them once they've transformed.

The Precure fight the monster, and it takes them a bit to get used to their roles again. Once they get the hang of it though, they hit it with a Love Sunshine Fresh and Espoir Shower Fresh, but as Cure Pine tries to cast Healing Prayer Fresh, a lone pet dog jumps in front of her. Pine immediately leaps and grabs it, and is hit directly by the monster's flailing arms. She crashes hard into concrete walls. The dog however is safe, and runs off happily once it hears its owner calling for it. Relieved, Pine passes out. Berry and Peach try to run over to her but are hit by the monster and go flying.

Peach spots a gallant figure lit by the moonlight on the roof of a building for a moment and immediately recognizes it as Cure Passion. Passion casts Happiness Hurricane, giving them that last purifying power they need to beat the monster. The people stop dancing, finally free.

The three of them, transformations undone, run over to Inori and help her stand. Inori asks about Miyuki, and they turn around to see Daisuke at her side. All four of them rush over. Miyuki struggles to remember what happened, and then recalls Maphisto. She tells them about the hooded figure that was standing in the corner of her room, but can't remember anything after that. Miki tells Daisuke that they should get her home so she can rest. Daisuke and Love help Miyuki up, and Miyuki finally notices the girls' presence. When she sees Love, she comments that it's been a long time and that she feels better getting to see Love. She asks Love to say her catchphrase so Love replies with a "Get your happiness!" with a thumbs up. Miyuki thanks her and says she can feel her energy returning.

They see Miyuki off. From the shadows, Maphisto watches them and scoffs at Love's catchphrase. Setsuna notices his presence and turns around, but he's already gone. The other three surround her and welcome her back, and she replies with a smile, already forgetting about the presence she felt. Tarte and Chiffon also welcome her back, and Setsuna calls their names and opens her arms wide. Tarte tries to leap into her hug but she only hugs Chiffon. Tarte makes a corny joke about how painful ("Setsunai") it is to get this from "Passion"-han. No one hears this pun and Setsuna greets him after and asks how he's doing.

Love asks Setsuna why she's here, and Setsuna recounts for them. When Chiffon's light shone, she was eating her handmade donuts with Wester and Soular. They said her donuts were good, but she noticed that they were holding something back and pointed it out. The other two were hesitant but told her that though her donuts were good, they didn't really match up to Kaoru's. She took a bite herself, said she'd do her best (catchphrase), then laughed, and the other two laughed as well. At that moment, her Linkrun suddenly appeared in her hand and Akarun came flying in. She realized that for the Linkrun and Akarun to cross dimensions from the Sweets Kingdom like that it must mean that the Precure team was out there fighting. Wester and Soular came to the same conclusion and told her that she should go, with Wester saying she had to bring back Kaoru's donuts as a souvenir. She transformed and the two of them clapped when she finished, to which she said, "Cut it out". After that, she used Akarun's teleportation powers to get to where they were fighting.

Setsuna and Love surprise Love's mom with Setsuna. Ayumi is touched to see Setsuna and welcomes her home. Setsuna shyly replies that she's back, and addresses Ayumi as her mother again. Ayumi hugs her hard. The same thing happens when Love's dad (Keitarou) returns, except he hugs Tarte hard because he can't hug Setsuna. (I don't understand why not.)

They have their first dinner together as a family in a year. Ayumi says that Love should have told her that Setsuna was coming because she didn't prepare anything special. Dinner is stuffed green bell peppers, which Love says is no good since Setsuna hates bell peppers. Setsuna laughs and starts eating them, and actually looks like she's finding them delicious. Love insists that she doesn't have to force herself, but Setsuna says that she's now able to eat them. Ayumi praises Setsuna and then gets on Love's case about not eating carrots. Love protests that her mom hates spinach, but her mom retorts that she can eat them if she forces herself. Setsuna starts laughing. She thinks about how much she loves this family.

Love and Setsuna go upstairs and Love says that Setsuna's room is just how she left it. Setsuna remembers that one time Northa acted as a fake Ayumi that Setsuna immediately clocked, but when she tried to convince Love that that wasn't mom, Love didn't believe her and took offense that Setsuna would be so mean. Ultimately, it was Ayumi's feelings towards Setsuna that was the key to saving her, and Setsuna started calling her "Mom" that day. The red heart bracelet from that day is something Setsuna brought with her to Labyrinth and is sitting on her desk there. (Episode 40)

Love entwines her arm around Setsuna's and tells her that she should stay for a while because it's been so long, and she's sure Setsuna wants to talk more with Miki and Inori. Setsuna had told them she was going back the next afternoon, but she has second thoughts now and decides to stay, thinking it might be okay to leave matters to Soular and Wester for up to a week.

The next day, another Fushiawase appears on Clover town street, this time sunflower themed. Now having gotten back into the swing of things, the four immediately transform and purify it quickly. The Fushiawase continue to appear day by day, at any time. The people they save say the same things as Miyuki did, and the team figures out that the "Happiness is worthless" phrase is the trigger. They visit Miyuki and ask her what she had been upset about, and Miyuki tells them that Trinity is disbanding and of the mean things she said to Reika. She has since met up with Reika to apologize, and they made up. The girls resolve to catch this Maphisto.

The Fushiawase keep coming and they keep purifying them, but they get the sense that the monsters are getting stronger. Tarte and Chiffon go to retrieve the Clover box from the shrine in the Sweets Kingdom, but when they get there they find the box missing.

Personal Commentary:

Forcing people to dance until they die? Is this Space Channel 5?

Despite having cell phones, they continue not to use them. Daisuke could have phoned Love but instead he had to book it over and hope she would already be at the scene of action.

At the donut scene I legit thought Setsuna was gonna rake Wester and Soular over the coals. I guess this is redeemed Setsuna, but it's really boring how they sanded off all her edges when they redeemed her. I think she should be able to to make annoyed jabs sometimes.

I really think that Ayumi should stop getting on Love's case about not eating carrots. There's so many reasons why specific foods don't work for people rather than just being selfish, and I really didn't like that part of Ayumi when watching the show. Love eats other vegetables so it's fine if she doesn't want to eat carrots. Lots of people with sensory problems have specific items they can't eat, and treating it as a moral failing helps no one. (Of course, everyone should eat vegetables because they vastly help your health. In cases where someone isn't eating vegetables at all, it's better to experiment to see what they can eat, slowly increase their tolerance by pairing it with food they like, and otherwise hiding the veggies and letting them know so they have a good method to eat veggies in the future. But anyway.)

Otherwise, a good first chapter. Really can see every part of this animated like in the show.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

So, in Brazilian feminism and technology news, the Chamber of Deputies has approved a bill that criminalizes the creation and sharing of nude images and videos created by artificial intelligence.

The text, authored by deputy Erika Kokay (Workers' Party) and reported by deputy Luisa Canziani (Social Democratic Party), sets a penalty of 1 to 4 years in prison, in addition to a fine, for anyone who creates or disseminates “montages or modifications that aim to include a person in a nude scene or sexual act, including the use of artificial intelligence in video, audio or photography."

The bill now heads to the Senate.

(x)

[lavalampstealer]

Time will pass, and you’ll forget all that was

Between you and me

Between you and me

No, I won’t wait for you, but know this, that I loved you

For the last time

For the last time

For the last time.

[Lyrics from В последний раз]

[jasper-unofficial]

JASP.ER on the Digital Cover of SUDSAPDA

[pikahlua]

y’all aren’t sending me messages complaining about a chapter that hasn’t been translated yet, right? you’re definitely not sending me messages about a chapter based on rushed Twitter summaries, right???