Ikoku Nikki - Vol. 7 Ch. 31 - page.31

[MangaDex]

 

[livesofflight]

How does Asa begin to mourn a father she never really knew? No strong feelings of love or hate, a presence in her life that upon further reflection was more like an absence.

As for the form of the storytelling I like how the panels feel more cinematic rather than a traditional comic layout, it’s intriguing.

Thanks again for the scanlation!

 

[seungyoon]

ahhh we finally touch upon this subject!! i like how the word vacuous became smaller and smaller the deeper the chapter went. thank you so much for the chapter 😄😄

 

[tickub]

I'm definitely reading too much into this but it wouldn't surprise me if there was something darker behind her father's demeanor.

 

[Chrana]

How they are together?

 

[Ixtab]

Asa probably never really had any deep connection with her parents, so when they died, she doesn't know how to react. "They're my parents but why am I not crying?" shit like that.
Her mother is a serious person that likes following the norm but she probably had something like a one night stand with the dude and got pregnant, so they had no choice but to marry, probably even forced the dude even cus being a single mother will break her off from that normal that she's obsessed about. Asa really is better off with Makio. Atleast she gave a shit about her in her own way

 

[Betony]

I'm so glad we're getting into this. I wonder if there was any real attraction between Asa's parents, or if Asa's mother ended up with Asa's father for some darker reason, like seeing him as someone who'd be easy to control.

 

[Darklight99]

Ahh, so the manga finally asked what we've all been wondering, who the fuck even was her father. Both Makio and Asa seem defined by their mom's with their fathers being barely more than a sperm bank.

 

[Serenata]

It's weird, unless Asa somehow finds her dad's tablet or email, I don't think we'll find out who the hell he was, or maybe some relative from her dad's side comes out of nowhere with answers.
Her mom loved Asa, but I think the dad was just filing the role that life had put in front of him, He said that marriage wasn't possible, he didn't want to be involved more than necessary with anything... But he had to have something or someone, a person can't be just vacuous.

And I think Makio said "vacuous" because the character on tv didn't have anything beyond trying to be loved by X person.

I like the word Machiavellian

 

[zokoi19]

@Serenata I'd like to uh, argue with you that a person can be vacuous. A person can have lots of things in their life but if they don't have a concrete idea of self then they're just empty. For example, Asa's dad is a lot of thing. He is a father, a husband who has a house, a family, friends maybe; but if you striped him of all that then what is he? Nothing (that we know so far). People like that are very much empty, I belive.

-----
Also, really, why are people questioning why they are together? In Japan, a single mom is something kinda frowned upon. Even if they didn't love each other, they chose to stay together to be Asa's parents.
I don't know why Asa's dad chose to stay with them even though he didn't want to marry, he felt responsible, maybe? Hopefully upcoming chapters give us an answer.

 

[Sandpaper]

I'm surprised...absentee fathers were somewhat of a norm in the past. It really begs the question, how to you mourn the passing of someone who wasn't really there? What is the emotional legacy of someone who had little to no association with you other than with their physical presence?

Asa is a child, and the story is centered around her. But I think this arc is definitely an adult one, especially considering the ubiquity of the subject.

 

[gabie]

thank you for translating!

 

[Pyoro]

... special praise to the translators for picking out all the "insult" vocab; that must have been a bit more challenging than usual

I agree with everyone that it's nice to get some insights into the dad. I'd personally also like some additional spotlight on Makio's parents ... I mean, I'd also be fine with not getting anything more about them, but this manga is just so good at making every new aspect interesting, I certainly won't mind exploring more people in-depth

 

[Sarsak]

I think trying to find out who he was probably lies in why he never wanted to get legally married. I think maybe they got married because Asa's mom was kind of on a warpath to become 'normal' by getting married with her presumably long term partner (they met each other as students), and assumed that a child was the way to get that happening. How they started dating, I have absolutely no idea.

 

[Nixnaw]

My first time coming across the word "vacuous", indeed a very useful word in that context of that actor's role. If the only thing you are is attempted to be loved that must be a pretty empty existence. It's interesting that we see that it applies to Asa's dad as well. To me, it seems like Asa's mom only picked her dad to be the role of a husband/father and not truly because she liked him. (from what is shown so far, but we never know what further chapters will tell us of course).

@Pyoro Agreed! Major props to the TL team, That insult booklet is really fun though lol.

 

[binhex]

My Dad was born in 1920, lived through the depression, went into the war, came out of the war and got a job that he did for 40 years. He worked swing shift mostly so he would be asleep when I went to school, at work when I went to bed and I think I only saw him on weekends and holidays. I was also born when he was between 40-42. We never really played ball, or catch, but since I had a ton of friends in the neighborhood I was never lonely. Somehow I never felt neglected, and always knew he loved me. I was glad that after I got married and my wife and I had our first child, my parents bought the house next to us. The difference is that whenever I wanted to talk to him he was always available. Well played author, I didn't think you would make me cry but I suddenly miss my dad who has been dead for almost 20 years.

 

[starlightcitypro]

How do you mourn someone who wasn't emotionally available to you?

I ask myself this all the time.

 

[thock3d]

Oof x1

 

[Konodera]

I feel like I would be like this father. Agreeable but not really having strong opinions on things.

 

[impendio]

this manga is truly hidden gem and deserves all the recognition and awards in the world, it’s so masterfully written and illustrated.
it could even work good as a live action series or movie, and i haaaaate live action adaptations of anime/manga, but honestly feels like a story that could win an oscar at times.