me and my random japanese translations and rambling about the japanese things i translated

[museganjin]

i'm decently passionate about translating, but i don't have the time or desire to do scanalations or join a group. i also want to talk to people about japanese stuff i found that i like. so why not make a lounge thread about my translations of those things and the process of translating them?

the stuff i currently plan to post is stuff thats very small and bite-sized for me. they should take minimum less than an hour, maximum around three hours to research if needed, type, and proofread. im thinking the official descriptions of oneshots i read and liked, plus the lyrics for songs from an educational musical tv show. im going to make a blog and crosspost on a another site for the second one.

 

[museganjin]

Gaiaku Ojisan Ten (Harmful Old Man Gallery)

An art college student who calls herself Mary appears in front of Hachiya, a gallery stalker who attempts to get close to and harasses female artists who catch his eye. As Mary talks to Hachiya familiarly despite supposedly no prior acquaintance, and their relationship deepens in spite of Hachiya's suspicions, the situation takes an unexpected turn—?

translation notes:
gallery stalkers are real and are another example of how young notable people, especially women, are treated extremely poorly in Japan. here's one English article about it:
'Gallery stalkers' targeting university art students at graduation exhibits
i got a whole lot of results in japanese too just by searching up ギャラリーストーカー.

Spoiler: explanation of a name pun that's a spoiler

Hachiya is his last name, written 蜂谷 and meaning "bee valley." purposefully ironic considering he underestimates Mary, falls for her honeytrap and gets murdered. i think he deserved it.

 

[museganjin]

Gojikan no Otouto (Five-Hour Little Brother)

On a whim, the protagonist uses a sibling-rental service she found online. But due to a typo, the "little brother" that appeared in front of her was a middle-aged man!? A slightly embarrassing fake brother-sister experience with an "older little brother"♪

my thoughts:
yeah it's one of those rent-a-close-relationship stories. i liked the humor and the final twist.

 

[Manko-sensei]

So these are titles + official descriptions of said manga into English, right? At least for these two, it's not the usual series scanlators pick up. And well, one good part is that with practice it would take less time, so the scope of things will naturally increase. How about one-page manga with little redraw?

 

[museganjin]

How about one-page manga with little redraw?

i want to focus on my writing, phrasing, and vocabulary. currently i don't want to do anything with actual editing software because that's going into a different hobby that requires learning a new set of skills. i also assume you need a decent desktop computer setup, and i only own a shitty chromebook. simply transcribing audio or translating displayed text suits me because i can just do it in a browser application with a few tabs open.
as for one-page manga, they don't really interest me that much. they're not what i want to work on.

 

[museganjin]

【Guro Chuui】 Moshi Ice ga Tatakattara (【Gore Warning】 If Frozen Treats Fought Each Other)

Spoiler: transcript

[I wonder what's the strongest frozen treat? That's right! Let's make them fight!]

[First Ultimate Frozen Treat Championship]

Now it's started! The First Ultimate Frozen Treat Championship! This time's four participating contestants are [Gari-Gari Kun], [Azuki Bar], [Manjuu Ice], and [sUIkA　ｂあR]!

First up is [Gari-Gari Kun] versus [Azuki Bar]! The round has now started! They're glaring at each other to observe the other's appearance! Oh! Suika Bar makes the first move! Oh my! It's Azuki Bar's counterattack! Gory! It's gory! Gari-Gari Kun's brains are splashing out!

The winner of the first round is Azuki Bar!

Next up is [Manjuu Ice] versus [sUIkA　ｂあR]! It's started! Oh! Suika Bar has disappeared into the air above! Manjuu Ice has no idea what to do! It's hesitating! What should it do now? Oh! Suika Bar has pierced it! However, Manjuu Ice is quite rigid! Oh! It's pushed Suika Bar down now! Oh! Here comes Manjuu Ice's comeback! Oh! Suika Bar has been split into two! *****! Gory! It's too gory! Put on the mosaic b-

The winner of the second round is Manjuu Ice!

It's the final round now! It's the battle of the two azukis! The round has now started! Oh! Manjuu Ice makes the first move! However, Azuki Bar is hard! So hard that attacks aren't working! Azuki Bar doesn't even flinch! Oh! It's Azuki Bar's counterattack! Ah! Gory! It's too gory! Manjuu Ice's brains are jumping out! We need the mosaic for-

[VICTORY]

The First Ultimate Frozen Treat Championship has ended with Azuki Bar as the wi-

[Result]
[Azuki Bar is strong]

{like and subscribe, links to creator's twitter and other channels, that stuff etc}

translation notes:
アイス (aisu) is short for アイスクリーム (aisu kuriimu), "ice cream", but i went with "frozen treat" because アイス tends to be a very general term for frozen treats in japan.
the azuki bar keeps on winning because they are infamously hard.

my thoughts:
the label actually says "Ice Manjuu". i guess he got so excited he said it wrong.
this is literally just filmed in a small apartment kitchen. really adds to the sense that this guy is bored at home. its from 2015 though so it wasnt covid-boredom induced.
i like how even though he's making a mess, he at least had the forethought to put plastic wrap on the table so it wouldn't get anywhere.

 

[NotGary]

neat. I also really like to ramble about stuff I make but I personally never talk about it cause I'm eitheir never asked or I know it's not too interesting.

 

[museganjin]

neat. I also really like to ramble about stuff I make but I personally never talk about it cause I'm eitheir never asked or I know it's not too interesting.

luckily on the internet you can shout into the void. as for real life, me and my friends like rambling to each other, so i have an outlet.

 

[museganjin]

well i forgot about that frozen treat one. for like three weeks. it's finally done now.
now for my personal opinions on reading manga recently. i got excited that akujiki-san no gohan got a regular serialization, but i haven't read the new chapters because shogakukan changed the official coro coro website on me with zero notice and im still getting used to it. at least the navigation and layout is similar to ciao's because the two of them are both owned by shogakukan. the aesthetic of coro coro's new layout kinda feels way more sterile than the old one. they should do things like ciao covering their site in pink and cutesy minimalist designs. coro coro needs to ooze enough cool.
as for what i'll post next, it's gonna be a vocaloid song. other people have made their own translations, but im gonna ignore that.

 

[museganjin]

this is gonna be multiple parts because besides the lyrics and translation notes, which i think are already long themselves, i have a lot i want to say about what happens in the animation itself

Obeka / Surii feat.Kasane Teto&Kagamine Len (Flattery)​

video description: おべっか (obekka, "flattery")
To fawn on someone else in order to please them.

other creators' comments according to the vocaloid wiki (scroll down to "Background")

Spoiler: lyrics

Excuse me, excuse me
Mister officer
Catch the turtle right in front of you
Spin, spin, to the right
You
You're arrested, arrested
Well then, bye-bye

Excuse me, excuse me
Mister officer
Catch the crane, crane, unable to fly
Let's try, try, jumping up high
You
You're arrested arrested
You got laughed at

Bit by bit, covered in mud
A lullaby for a naughty brat
Let's talk it out, guys
On whom
Shall go
Over there

S-s-sway, oh sway
Dance, flattery
Wonder if you can get away
Ocharaka
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, that's how we'll play
Who can bark like a dog

S-s-sway, oh sway
Sing, flattery
Don't you cry just yet
Ocharaka
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, that's how we'll play
A dog picks up the phone

Excuse me, excuse me
Mister officer
Catch the trend-chasing monkey
Let's try, try, listening to your heart
You
You're arrested, arrested
Well then, bye-bye

Excuse me, excuse me
Mister officer
Catch the goat, goat, that can't spit it out
Let's try, try, swallowing paper
You
You're arrested, arrested
You got laughed at

Na-na-na, covered in scratches
A nursery song of going through life
Let's talk it out, guys
On whom
Shall go
Over there

S-s-sway, oh sway
Shout, flattery
Until you're rewarded
Ocharaka
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, that's how we'll play
Who will give their love

S-s-sway, oh sway
However, flattery
Until you survive to the end
Ocharaka
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, that's how we'll play
In front of the mirror, see

S-s-sway, oh sway
Dance, flattery
S-s-sway, oh sway
Sing, flattery

S-s-sway, oh sway,
Dance, flattery
Wonder if you can get away
Ocharaka
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, that's how we'll play
Who can bark like a dog?

S-s-sway, oh sway
Sing, flattery
Don't you cry just yet
Ocharaka
Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, that's how we'll play
A dog picks up the phone

So I guess that's enough

transcript of additional text displayed in the video:

• {the red text above the red arrows, which were shown several times, will be explained later in translation notes}
• {hiragana in circles at the corner will be explained in video analysis}
• the sign with the red text changes multiple times
  • 0:09 "Don't leave dog poop"
  • 1:15 "Don't feed the cats"
  • 2:56 "Happily ever after"
• the ball shown in close detail at 0:26 and 1:32 has "Friends forever!", "Rebecca ♡", "Shimobee", "Kaiju", "Kacchin", and "Konkon" faintly written on it
• the credits that show up at 0:57 and 2:14-2:20 say "Music by Surii", "Video by Nekozemon", and "Colors by Sachiko"
• 1:00-1:05 have the title of the song "Obeka", and "To be continued"
• the post card at 1:23 has the す (su) of Surii's logo as the stamp

 

[museganjin]

extra obeka youtube shorts and stuff by surii (for reference, full mv posted on august 17th):
song demo (posted july 27th)
song/animation preview (posted july 30th)
surii's self-cover (posted september 28th)

and the one i'm most interested in for character info, posted august 5th

Title「Obeka」Yukai na Toujou Kyara Shoukai (Title 「Obeka」Introducing the Cheerful Appearing Characters)

Spoiler: transcript

Gives off the sense he's trying too hard
Kacchin

Will do whatever you say
Shimobee

Konkon
Doesn't come to school on Mondays for some reason

Apparently dreams of becoming a kaiju
Kaiju

Self-introductions and such are a pain, so I'll pass
Rebecca

hmmm where have i seen these names before. on a less sarcastic note, the spinning silohuettes are the same as the spinning animations in the mv from 0:06-0:08. its interesting to catch a glimpse of how the production of the song and mv followed each other.

name notes:

• Kacchin - tanuki mask. reference to "Kachi-kachi yama" (Fire-crackle Mountain), a Japanese folktale where a crooked tanuki is set on fire.
• Shimobee - dog mask. sounds similar to 下部/僕 (shimobe), meaning "servant". he acts like a loyal servant, and a dog is often thought to embody one.
• Konkon - fox mask. the onomatopoeia for the sound a fox makes.
• Kaiju - lizard-like mask. appearance matches the name.
• Rebecca. ohhhh i have so much to say about your name young lady
  • "Obeka" sounds suspiciously similar to "Rebecca", almost as if it were a nickname for the latter. There is a way it could happen. The "O" brings to mind a Japanese honorific convention where a female name is shortened, and "O-" is added as a prefix. Applying this to "Rebecca" yields "Orebe", which doesn't sound too right, and "Obecca". Now there's the connection. But why is おべか (obeka) repeatedly in the song and its title, if the mv description, a japanese dictionary, and the nickname I made all point to the fact that おべっか (obekka) is more accurate? Given the themes of childhood, it would be fitting to have a word misspelled or mispronounced, just like a child would.

 

[EchoGirl]

Gaiaku Ojisan Ten (Harmful Old Man Gallery)

An art college student who calls herself Mary appears in front of Hachiya, a gallery stalker who attempts to get close to and harasses female artists who catch his eye. As Mary talks to Hachiya familiarly despite supposedly no prior acquaintance, and their relationship deepens in spite of Hachiya's suspicions, the situation takes an unexpected turn—?

translation notes:
gallery stalkers are real and are another example of how young notable people, especially women, are treated extremely poorly in Japan. here's one English article about it:
'Gallery stalkers' targeting university art students at graduation exhibits
i got a whole lot of results in japanese too just by searching up ギャラリーストーカー.

Spoiler: explanation of a name pun that's a spoiler

Hachiya is his last name, written 蜂谷 and meaning "bee valley." purposefully ironic considering he underestimates Mary, falls for her honeytrap and gets murdered. i think he deserved it.

That art style looks familiar, isn't that the same artist as SNS no Kaibutsu?

this is gonna be multiple parts because besides the lyrics and translation notes, which i think are already long themselves, i have a lot i want to say about what happens in the animation itself

Obeka / Surii feat.Kasane Teto&Kagamine Len (Flattery)​

video description: おべっか (obekka, "flattery")
To fawn on someone else in order to please them.

ooh, we def need more translators on the lyrics wiki, you could contribute there too (though you do need to submit for approval first)