Mahou Shoujo × Haiboku Saiban - Vol. 4 Ch. 20 - Case 07 Hitomi Silica Part 2

[sassinos]

Is this the first time we've seen women in the audience? It's usually just a bunch of horny men rooting for a guilty verdict, but the two schoolgirls on the first panel right after the title page really stand out. Made me wonder and, sure enough there are more women in the crowd later on.

 

[kirby_422]

Given we already know every defendant is going to be found not guilty, that started with telekinesis as the person likely at fault. Her lying already elevated that chance greatly. We really just need the details on how she caused this, whether she floated some bait, or moved the monster, etc. Even if she can't see invisible girl, she could likely feel her by moving things like air telekinetically finding the invisible object, etc. Honestly, it would be nice if some people really were guilty sometimes, just so it wouldn't be so predetermined.

 

[Sakuyadorf]

that cook is too happy
i dont trust her

 

[Seyclops]

Something smells fishy and it is not the omuanko, but it's coming from that dirty lying trapping chef.

 

[UdenEmpati]

Is this the first time we've seen women in the audience? It's usually just a bunch of horny men rooting for a guilty verdict, but the two schoolgirls on the first panel right after the title page really stand out. Made me wonder and, sure enough there are more women in the crowd later on.

Could be signalling that things are shifting within the Defeat Trial Court system. It's a neat detail to catch, and enough about this series relies on visual cues, even in the background, that I have to imagine it's purposeful and plot-relevant.

 

[UdenEmpati]

Given we already know every defendant is going to be found not guilty, that started with telekinesis as the person likely at fault. Her lying already elevated that chance greatly. We really just need the details on how she caused this, whether she floated some bait, or moved the monster, etc. Even if she can't see invisible girl, she could likely feel her by moving things like air telekinetically finding the invisible object, etc. Honestly, it would be nice if some people really were guilty sometimes, just so it wouldn't be so predetermined.

The trials we've seen have all been used to show how screwed up the entire Court System is, and both how fallible the Courts are and how exploitable "Magical Girl Defeat" can be for ne'er-do-wells. The concept of Defeated Magical Girls being "guilty" and thus subject to horrific sexual sentences points to any win on the prosecutor's side as an abhorrent moral failing of the Court and society (at least in terms of tone, given the sorts of things being threatened that we've seen thus far).

Plus, Yuuri's a defense counsel. So a guilty verdict would mean her losing. Not entirely out of the question, of course, but I imagine it would have to be for major plot reasons where the trial itself is more a vehicle for what's actually happening, and thus the "guilty" verdict would be an afterthought.

I could see a development where they want to get access to something they otherwise couldn't, so they fake a "guilty" verdict with a defendant and then use the opportunity to go along with the punished MG and break into some secret facility or other.
But the actual punishments being doled out to those who are deemed guilty are so objectionable that I suspect it won't happen just on its own to "spice things up".

 

[nisashi13]

The monster's eggs aren't inherently magical on their own, and require magical girls to properly imbue them.

Meaning they're serving Magical Girl Eggs, not simply monster eggs.

I like this particular hypothesis, actually.

can't imagine that the case since they also mention the monster is pretty chill and not like the restaurant know for changing staff that often either.

 

[Monstrengo]

so between invisibility and telekinesis, the twist is gonna be that invisigirl was unprepared and head chef unlocked the cage at a distance.

I hadn't thought of that, but I think you're on to something. Poor Hitomi. I'm guessing that Lily must have been her first 'true friend'. Or Hitomi's a lesbian.
Love that last chapter's omuanko pun has legs.

 

[Vmpslushie]

How was a monster able to attack an invisible girl in the first place? She must have been sprayed with perfume or something. I'd wager that's the reason they didn't allow perfume in the establishment. This is a clear act of sabotage, your honor!

 

[runedKnight]

Is this the first time we've seen women in the audience? It's usually just a bunch of horny men rooting for a guilty verdict, but the two schoolgirls on the first panel right after the title page really stand out. Made me wonder and, sure enough there are more women in the crowd later on.

In a panel from chapter 1 Page 15 you can see a women as well, they were there from the start. I think you can find them in other chapters as well.

Given we already know every defendant is going to be found not guilty, that started with telekinesis as the person likely at fault. Her lying already elevated that chance greatly. We really just need the details on how she caused this, whether she floated some bait, or moved the monster, etc. Even if she can't see invisible girl, she could likely feel her by moving things like air telekinetically finding the invisible object, etc. Honestly, it would be nice if some people really were guilty sometimes, just so it wouldn't be so predetermined.

The girls are always guilty technically. Most of the cases are written like this since the law is very clear cut. It's less of a trial and more of a formality in practice as we've been told. Since the trial is not gonna happen unless the prosecution already knows the actual circumstances are true (it would be pointless with the Judge's power to do otherwise). So the author needs a third party for the defense to fight against the prosecution and find some exonerating circumstance. They aren't really proven Not Guilty in the end they are merely exonerated (which is why I've also changed the Not Guilty > Innocent in the newer chapters)

We might get a new Judge with a different power (or none at all) at one point that will make the stakes higher...

 

[habisain]

In a panel from chapter 1 Page 15 you can see a women as well, they were there from the start. I think you can find them in other chapters as well.

The girls are always guilty technically. Most of the cases are written like this since the law is very clear cut. It's less of a trial and more of a formality in practice as we've been told. Since the trial is not gonna happen unless the prosecution already knows the actual circumstances are true (it would be pointless with the Judge's power to do otherwise). So the author needs a third party for the defense to fight against the prosecution and find some exonerating circumstance. They aren't really proven Not Guilty in the end they are merely exonerated (which is why I've also changed the Not Guilty > Innocent in the newer chapters)

We might get a new Judge with a different power (or none at all) at one point that will make the stakes higher...

A small point about your use of English here: "Innocent" in this context would be "innocent adjective (NOT GUILTY); (of a person) not guilty of a particular crime". So changing a translation from "not guilty" to "innocent" isn't really a change of meaning. Similarly, to exonerate is "to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something", so if someone is "merely exonerated" then, uh, yeah, they're shown to be not guilty.

I think what you're trying to get at is actually inculpability - "not deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad". Of course, changing the translation to something like "found inculpable" just isn't a particularly good translation.

 

[runedKnight]

A small point about your use of English here: "Innocent" in this context would be "innocent adjective (NOT GUILTY); (of a person) not guilty of a particular crime". So changing a translation from "not guilty" to "innocent" isn't really a change of meaning. Similarly, to exonerate is "to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something", so if someone is "merely exonerated" then, uh, yeah, they're shown to be not guilty.

I think what you're trying to get at is actually inculpability - "not deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad". Of course, changing the translation to something like "found inculpable" just isn't a particularly good translation.

I initially took the Not Guilty translation from the previous translator for consistency sake back when I started translating from chapter 4 without much thought. One thing regarding the original text is that the Furigana for 無罪(not guilty) is イノセンス (innocence) used as Gikun to add additional meaning. In this sense I assumed the meaning the word should carry was "Innocence" (in the moral sense) or "Purity", but I thought that might cause some confusion so I settled for Innocent in hopes that would come across better to the reader, because to me legality is not the center focus here, but perceived moral wrong in the sense of going against ones social obligation (義理) by being defeated.

Someone with more knowledge on the subject might chime in on this.
Inculpability is an interesting word here, but perhaps I'm looking for something else entirely. I'm not well versed in the language of law (in any language ) and perhaps I'm digging into this far deeper than necessary.

 

[habisain]

I initially took the Not Guilty translation from the previous translator for consistency sake back when I started translating from chapter 4 without much thought. One thing regarding the original text is that the Furigana for 無罪(not guilty) is イノセンス (innocence) used as Gikun to add additional meaning. In this sense I assumed the meaning the word should carry was "Innocence" (in the moral sense) or "Purity", but I thought that might cause some confusion so I settled for Innocent in hopes that would come across better to the reader, because to me legality is not the center focus here, but perceived moral wrong in the sense of going against ones social obligation (義理) by being defeated.

Someone with more knowledge on the subject might chime in on this.
Inculpability is an interesting word here, but perhaps I'm looking for something else entirely. I'm not well versed in the language of law (in any language ) and perhaps I'm digging into this far deeper than necessary.

Well, when quibbling translation definitions I always check my Japanese dictionaries and both seem to prefer 無罪 to be translated as "Innocent" rather than "Not Guilty", never mind the gikun.

I suspect the intent is probably innocent as in law for the most part. The "law" in question is that a magical girl cannot be defeated by a monster, and in most cases the "trials" have shown either human/magical girl interference (cases 1, 3, 5) or that the rules did not technically apply (4, 6), which would legally be an acquittal, i.e. being found innocent of the accusation. The only time I think this isn't the case would be Aoi's trial, where the argument is more that Aoi was inculpable.

 

[runedKnight]

Well, when quibbling translation definitions I always check my Japanese dictionaries and both seem to prefer 無罪 to be translated as "Innocent" rather than "Not Guilty", never mind the gikun.

I suspect the intent is probably innocent as in law for the most part. The "law" in question is that a magical girl cannot be defeated by a monster, and in most cases the "trials" have shown either human/magical girl interference (cases 1, 3, 5) or that the rules did not technically apply (4, 6), which would legally be an acquittal, i.e. being found innocent of the accusation. The only time I think this isn't the case would be Aoi's trial, where the argument is more that Aoi was inculpable.

I appreciate your clarification here. One thing I find frustrating with translating this is that I'm not always sure as to the authors intent on certain things. Use an improper word somewhere and things can easily get confusing especially in a court drama like this. Having originally studied Japanese through non-English sources I've found some mix-ups here and there when it comes to the meaning of certain words.

 

[IamIzan]

Please add Vietnamese subtitles.