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1:.. M A N G A J I N .Japan's yen to vend:
VENDING MACHINES
JAPANESE POP CULTURE & LANGUAGE LEARNING $4.50 No. 28
RISING SUN, the movie
The
Vending Machine Phenomenon
story by Matt Durbin
japan has more vending machines per capita than any other country in the world- about twice as many as the US. Vending machines in japan are 24hour retail outlets offering a dizzying variety of products, and utilizing gimmicks and hi-tech innovations to attract customers. Estimates vary, depending on exactly what you call a "vending machine" (Should gumball machines be included? How about change-making machines?), but the Japanese Vending Machine Industry Association ( 0 ~ § !fbll&:Jl:t~n:~thbi'n says there are approximately 4.1 million vending machines in Japan. And that's just machines that sell a product; there arc another 1.2 million "service machines," such a'S coin lockers, coin operated TVs, and parking meters. By comparison, trade sources say there 8
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are 4.5 million merchandise vending machines in the US (no statistics arc available for US "service machines"). More than half of the machines in Japan (2.5 million) are beverage vending machines. For the big beverage companies such as Coca-Cola, Kirin, and Suntory, vending machines are not only important retail outlets, they are also used as sales promotion tools for the endless stream of new sports drinks, juices, yogurt-based drinks, various types of water, tea and coffee prod-
Vending machines lined up outside a liquor store: these effectively extend the hours of the shop. and are convenient for tiiP small-purchase customer. Because of intense competition. once a rival places a machine in front of a shop. others companies must do the same or risk losing mctrket sharl'.
ucts that now onto the market. The success of Coca-Cola's Georgia Coffee in the very competitive canned coffee market can be at least partly attributed to the fact the Coca-Cola has 750,000 vending machines- about 30% of all beverage vending machines in the country. The competition to attract customers has led to new designs and technical innovations. Some newer beverage machines dispense the product at waist level. This requires an extra motor to bring the product back up, and cans take a little longer to come out, but the machines are considered convenient for the elderly and people carrying packages. At one time, roulette-type machines were popular. When a purchase was made, lights would nash, and every so often a lucky customer would get another selection for free. These were quire popular a few years ago, but lost favor when it was discovered that young hoys were gambling away their allowance money trying to win free drinks. Talking drink machines were tested by Panasonic ten years ago, but were unpopular with shop owners, who complained that they were being kept up at night by the chatty machines below their homes (many merchants live over their businesses). The "talkie" has a home, however, in banks and post offi ces, greeting customers, telling them to insert the card. enter their secret code, take the cash, etc .. with a polite "Thank you" at the end.
chines are usually placed in front of sakaya (liquor stores), hut can also be found on train platfonns, in hotels, discos and sometimes our in the middle of nowhere. It is only in the last 20 years that alcoholic beverage machines began appearing on streets. In the early days, the machines were rolled out in front of a shop and then wheeled back in at closing time. The government decided, however, that movable machines would he a hazard in an earthquake, and ordered them bolted down outside. In 1975 the Vending Machine Association introduced a voluntary measure restricting operation between II pm and 5 am, but the fi nal decision wa~ left up to the owner, and in practice many machines were left on well into the night. In 1989 the National Tax Administration released an official notice requiring shop owners to cut off their alcoholic beverage vending machines at I I pm, partly for the purpose of preventing minors from drinking. There are no penalties or other provisions for enforcement, however. and at most a warning might he issued. There is a warning printed on alcoholic beverage vending machines:
One major difference between the US and Japanese vending machine scene is the abundance of alcoholic beverage vending machines in Japan. These account for almost LO% of beverage vending machines and are nor just limited to beer. There are machines for wine, whiskey, sake, shochii (clear liquor di tilled from yams or grains), canned mizuwari (pre-mixed whiskey and water) and chfihai (shnclu7 with juice). Sizes range from small glasses of sake, known as '7 / tJ '1 7' (Wan Kappu, "one cup") to two-liter jugs of beer. Unthinkable in the West, these rna-
But there is nothing else to prevent underage drinkers from availing themselves of this convenient source. Consumer groups who view alcoholic beverage vending machines as contributing to alcoholism and teen drinking have recently stepped up their attacks. These groups arc small and face a formidable government bureaucracy. They have been largely ignored in the past, but some groups have now hired lawyers and have petitioned city governments with formal documentation, which means the government must respond.
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Miseinenslw no insltu oyobi inshu-unten wa hiJritsu de kinshi sareteimasu - Drinking by minors and drunk driving are prohibited by law.
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'} 7 r- r; x 7 ~ ~~.& :~t~ rJR:$J Snfutnuea lido Hanhai-ki Takeru Software Vending Machine Takeru More than just a vending machine, this is really a terminal connected to a database at the software vending company. The customer can scroll through choices of software products on the screen or search by product type, and see a demo before putting in money. The manual is printed on a laser printer, and the software is copied onto noppies. One machine can vend an almost unl.imited selection of software, and the customer is always assured of getting the most recent version. The costs of conventional packaging and distribution, as well as returns of unsold older product versions are eliminated. Takeru is the name given to the entire system. It was developed by Brother Industries, better known in the US for their sewing machines and typewriters. There are currently 280 of these installed in computer shops, large electrical appliance chain stores, and a few in bookstores. Further expansion is planned after completion of an updated version.
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Aji Kansei Atsu Ats u " tlavor c ry o f joy hot ho t" (lite ral translation ) Fried Food Vending Machine The name Aji Kansei implies that customers will let out a cry of joy whe n they discover how de lic io us the fried foods fro m thi s mac hine are. It fries up various combinations of frenc h-fries, c hicken nuggets, tater tots, and small sausages and de livers them in a paper cup. The food products a re sto red in a re fri gerated compartment a nd brought o ut to be fri ed when ordered . The machine c leans the fry ing o il eve ry six hours and automatically re places it as needed. In the ir promotional material, the mo tto of the maker, Wlirudo Ft7zu Shisutemu (" World Food[sl System[s j") is give n as: Furesshu • Narhura ru • Herushii & lijii " Fresh • Natural • Healthy & Easy."
Meanwhile, the beverage companies have begun defensive measures by building the machines into the walls of shops. This effectively removes them from the street and puts them onto private property where they arc less subject to regulation.
After beverage machines, the second largest single product category is cigarette vending machines. Japan has over 450,000 of these, compared to I 80,000 in the US-not so surprising if you consider
that 60% o f Japanese me n smoke (as compared to around 30% of men in the US). Like alcoholic beverage machines, cigarette units simply have a sticker saying you should be 20 years old, although some machines put them at the bottom, so they don't obscure important advertising messages. The remainder of the machines sel l an amazing variety of merchandise, from frozen beef, hot noodles, cakes, ice cream, batteries, cameras, film, phone
cards, CDs, panty hose, neckties, sex toys, magazines (often, but not always pornographic), and of course, manga. Machines sell ing pornographic material or sex toys often have a special fi lm on the front glass so the contents cannot be seen during the day. At night, a light comes on revealing the contents. Not just limited to entertainment districts, these machines are sometimes found in residential areas.
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- ~1- 6 (gamen o idiJ sasenagara) ichiran suru • unlimited= ;¥.~(7) musii no • be assured of = WIDE ~ :h. 6~ J3 :B '.' ~;J -9 oikakusu , • _pornographic material_= ;f- 11-- / +IJ:fj'~ poru~o kl_mkObut.w • vandalism = f~~tQh ~ hakailha.wn kiii • ATM =(automated teller machone V')'*) ffl.¢: FllliJJ fjj ~t11, ~,. '~ genkm)ldi5 azuh'·harm-kt • miSch•ef = \. ' t:; C:J uazura ---- -- - -- - - - -- - - - - -
hoshfi sa rent • obscure =
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More MANGAJIN! Back issues are the answer! No.17: Go back to eighth-century Japan with the philosophical story of The Phoenix, by the creator of cartoo n favorite "Astroboy."
/1(: ~ MJWi/1:,~ Kame Jido Hanbai-ki Rice Vending Machine This machi ne, located right next to a rice shop (-;f:~ komeya) provides a convenient outlet for housewives who just need the basic purchase-a bag of ri ce. T he shopkeeper can concentrate on larger sales, and the small-purchase customer doesn' t have to wait in line.
is transferred to the hard-driving, militaristic sales department of his company.
No. 19: Profes· sional translators d iscuss their trade in our series of interviews. Also: report on sumo, Japan's trendy old sport.
ff~ 9itlhll&;;ctt Yasai Jido Hanbai-ki Vegetable Vending Machine This machi ne hy electronics giant M itsubishi has a fan for ventilation, but docs not provide refrigeration, so like the rice machine above, it's most likely to be placed in front of a shop. It docs have lighting i nside so customers can check out the merchandise before purchasing. Last winter, a machine was set up in a hi gh pedestrian traffic area of Osaka, selling heads of l ettuce for I 00 yen, about half the supermarket price. Al though the machines are qui te different, bargain-priced i mported frozen beef is also sometimes sold through vendi ng machi nes.
No. 20: Two research physicians are forced to re-evaluate their ethics in Ningen K~saten.
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One important factor maki ng the entire vending machi ne phenomenon possible is the low level of vandalism in Japan. M ost vending machines in Japan are outdoors, on the street, but vandalism i s not really a problem. While some vandal ism does exist (phone card vending machines in phone booths have become a prime target), machines for the most part arc l eft alone. Nakajima Y asuo, president of the Ja-
pan Vending M achine Association, says. " V andal ism of vending machines is not really a problem. Unli ke ATM s and cash changers, they don' t have much money, and the penalties for vandalizing a machine arc quite high." I n addition, random acts of mischief like rakugaki (m:~ ~, "graffiti") are not that common either. While vending machines provide a marketing tool for business and conve-
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Toshiba Wan Shatto Bii "Toshiba One-Shot Bar" Whiskey Vending Machine The promotional material for this machine stales that as a trend for the 90s:
-If - !:::" A ~;jill Lfttt~ \.I'Q)iJflbi;(%0)-\T!:::"A Siibisu o oshitsukenai no ga suiko no slibisu - Not forcing service (on people) is the highest form of service. With the "One-Shot Bar," there is no need to worry about pesky or elusive waiters. You insert your money, select single or double of your favorite brand of liquor, and hold your glass under rhe spout. Ice and mixer arc provided separate ly. There are about 500 of these machines installed in places like Karaoke /Jokkll.\'11 ( iJ 7 -t 7 o;j{ ·J 'l "A, ''Karaoke Box") a fac ility with small cubicles rented out to individuals or small groups to practice their karaoke technique. They arc also well-suited to small resort hotels that can' t afford a bartender.
z-.J.!iilf!V~ gi) Meishi Kuruhu "Meishi Club" Business Card Vending Machine Never leave home without your meishi (business cards) but if you do (or if they are lost), just head to a meishi vending machine. These units look something like an ATM, and operate like a word processor. You choose from 18 basic sty les, then input your name, company name, address. etc. (For those who just can ' t cope with a keyboard. there is also a pen-type input device.) About 30 ·econds later, you have 30 meishi for¥ I ,000. Don' t expect the same quality you would get from a print shop, but these meishi are apparently considered adequate for some situations. This machine is imported from a company called KIS in France by H :<$: -t 7 (Nihon Oto Foto, "Japan Auto Photo).
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Cut Flower Vending Machine Say that you, an overworked salaryman, just remembered your wife's birthday on the way home from work late one night. Not a problem, you simply step up to the 24-hour flower vending machine. Found in major train stations, these units sell bouquets o f fl owe rs in the ¥2,000-3,000 range. The promotional material from the maker points out that it can also be used for fruit or other food stuffs.
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Nekutai Jidn 1/anbai-ki Necktie Vending Machine
Stanley Market in Nagoya sells imported neckties and belts, and has put a necktie machine vending in front of the shop. The customer can choose between Armani and Valentino, but the tics come already g iftwrapped, so you don't know what your tic actually looks like until you o pen the box. The tics cost ¥10,000 each- about half the usual retail price, and receipts arc given with each purchase. Stanley Market re po rts selling several ties a day. Bar hostesses, who buy ties for their favorite patro ns' b irthdays or o ther special occasions, are said to be regu lar customers.
nience for consumers, they have a cost. The large, high tech machines consume huge amounts of electricity. Many of the machines are cooled by Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) the ozone-eating material found in air conditioners, aerosol sprays and refrigerators. In the new atmosphere of e nvironme ntal awareness. however. changes are being made. Coca-Cola will test a new machine this September that uses a fuzzy logic microprocessor claimed to reduce e lectrical consumption by 50%. Coke also asked its bottlers in Japan to col lect
CFCs from the 60,000 o r so vending machines "temlinated" each year. Even though most vending machines provide a special bin for empties. all these can and boule machines lead to a tremendous amount of garbage. T ras h fro m vending machines is a apparently a serious headache for train stations, which collect tons of garbage every day. The economic s lump has a lso a ffected the vending machine industry. One result is that operators are replacing their machines every four or five years instead of every three years, as in the past.
Some say that in the heated competition of the last few years, most of the good spots have been taken, and that this factor alone will result in a plateau for the vending machine business. It's hard to imagine, however. that the vending machine will ever lose its place in the heart of the Japanese consumer. Matt Durbin is a free-lance writer in Tokyo. Thanx to: The Japan Vending Machine Association, Peter Evans, Karen Ma, and SSKC.
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A TASTE OF CULTURE
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Kisetsukan "A sense of the season" keeps Japanese menus fresh all year long. Kisetsukan, or "a sense of the season," is the Japan.csc national e thos. Seasonal feelings arc reflected in clothing and personal accessories, architecture and interior design, and most definitely in culinary matters. Despite mode rn technology which e nables consumers to enjoy exotic food s from a ll over the world throughout the year, the choice of what to serve at a Japanese meal is very much determined by seasonal cons iderations. ln effect, kisetsukan means allowing nature to direct your diet. . The Japanese notion of shun (1iJ, the time of year when a particular ing redie nt is at its peak) is acquired at a n early age. The observation and study of natural phenomena is an integral part of the yochien. (Y;/JfffiOOJ. pre-school ) curriculum. Japanese ch ildren spend their summer vacations keeping a diary on insects, plants, vegetables, and fi sh. Young school children learn that digging up fresh bam,boo shoots is a springtime outing, while going to harvest sweet potatoes is an auturnn school trip. As a resuit, most Japanese g row up appreciating the bounty of each season; genuinely regretting the passing of one season whi le eagerly anticipating the pleasures of the next. To Westerners, the most c urious aspect of Japanese culinary kisetsukan is the enjoyment of a s ingle ingredient prepared in various ways at the same meal. No matter how much in season tomatoes might be, it's unthinkable in America or Italy; for example , to serve at the same meal a fresh tomato salad and a meat or pasta dish sauced with tomatoes. The Japanese, on the·other hand, would think nothing of serving three eggplant dishes at one time, In fact , a recent meal prepared by a Japanese friend included nasu no o-miotsuke +O)!:>h-13-::>lt, chunks of eggplant simmered in miso soup), yaki nasu (J:JHiO small whole eggplants, grilled then chilled and garnished with fresh grated ginger), and shiba-zuke ( L
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Iii((, eggplant and gourd pickled with akajiso ,:tf;~~. an herb that imparts a pinkish hue). In a Japanese-planned menu, variety means a few ingredients used in many ways, not lo ts of different ingredients. Indeed , a professional Japanese chef' s skill is often evaluated on the basis of his or he r ability to transform a s ing le ingredient into a full menu. The omakase ryori (;t-31f.-tt:ll'I·:!IR, " leave-it-up-to-the-chef-to-decide-what-to-serve food") concept that prevails in most e legant kaiseki restaurants depends upon the chef's ability to obtain the best seasonal (and reg ional) ingredients avai Iabl e and then convert the m into a wide range of dishes. The Japanese cul inary imagination thrives within these rather narrow constraints, whereas American chefs tend toward more free-whee ling cu lina ry fantasies. Indeed , Americans arc often disappointe d with Japanese meals that feature just a fe w ing red ients. Of course, part of the pleasure of formal Japanese meals is in their presentation, not just in how good the food tastes. And kisetsukan plays an important role in culinary aesthetics. The various themes and motifs used to convey a sense of seasonal feeling are deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Many of these motifs are closely linked to natural phenomenon, others are associated with national folklore and ceremony. Most Japanese assume their symbolism to be self-evident, just as Americans assume that everyone knows Santa Claus means Christmas. But for those not brought up in a Japanese household, it can be difficult to decode many culinary clues. So, to help fill in those cultural blanks for you, I thought it might be useful to include a brief description of some of the major motifs used in Japanese food presentation. Despite the shift to the Gregorian calendar (January 1 is New Year's Day) in the later half of the 19th century, the Japanese still think of spring as the start of a new year: school
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Taste•of • Culture
enrollme nt, business rec ruitment, even television dramas and s itcoms star! afres h in April. The major symbol of springtime in Japan is the national emble m, sakura (t~. "cherry blossom''). The shon but beautiful blossoming of the cherry tree symbolizes the glorious, though fleeting, nature o f life ... an idea that captures the fancy of Japan's poetic intellect. How docs such lyricism affect people' s eating habits? To enhance the seasonal effect of foods with no parlicular growing season, they are often shaped to look like some seasonal motif. For e xample, carrots might be cut to look like cherry blossom petals in April, maple leaves in September, and plum blossoms in January. In Japan, the essence of summer can be evoked in an instant through association with the Tanabata -t: 9 festiva l, celebrated on July 7. Legend has it that Orihime (*'& t; .lll:i., " Weaving Princess") and Kengyt7 ('.$:4-,"the Cowherd") were so e namo red o f each other, neither could do his or her job right. The gods in heaven became angry with them- the Japanese work e thic is indeed legendary!- and banished them to opposite sides of the firmament. However, once a year, on Tanabata, they are permitted to meet by crossing the heavens o n a bridge of tars. which is the Milky Way. Tran ·lated into c ulinary activity, a favorite summertime
Somen noodles, a summertime treat
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di h. somen (-f ~ ti)!v, thin white noodles served tloating in
ice water), resembles the Weaving Princess's threads. In July, packages of somen often contain a few colored noodlesgreen, pink, and yellow-mixed with the white ones, to enhance the "woven" effect.
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Since summers in Japan can be stifling, it's little wonder that water, with its cooling, curative powers, is the chief hot weather motif in Japanese cuisine. Water is often sprinkled on the sidewalks and streets to cool surrounding shops and houses through evaporation. And, at fancy restaurants, water is sometimes deliberately sprinkled on the table or serving tray to suggest this. (Should you attempt to wipe these droplets away from your place? No, not unless they really interfere with your eating.) Some of the major autumn culinary motifs derive from the changi ng foliage . A popular fall dish is a wild mushroom pilaf called aki no sansaku f:kO)IJitR, or "Autumnal Stroll." This pilaf is often packed into a famil y picnic box and typically decorated with (carrot) maple leaves, ( t::. < cl; lv rakuan; yellow pickled radish) ginko leaves, and slender (green bean) pine needles strewn across the rice to resemble the forest floor on an autumn afternoon. Although the moon waxes and wanes throughout the year, the Japanese think that the early autumn full moon, around September 15, is the most spectacular. That is why circular, or round. moti fs are preferred at this time of year. j:all moonwatching (rsukimi .FJ ~) is only slightly less popular than • enhance= •} I (< "\f. -r ~~J~ht" hiki1merulma.w • srill ing = .'ii!J7l \- '/!A L :V.·' ' ikigumslliilnwslli m.wi • curmivc powers= iG·m~JJ.*O)tJ J., clli1)'17 k{ika no am • ~vuporation = !!P!kjoilal.\"11 • foliage= *O):l\)! ko 1111 lw
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MAN GAJI N
Taste •o f•Culture springtime tlower-viewing (hanami ~E~). But when c loudy weather is predicted for mangetsu (ifdllfl "ful l moon") e ve, softly poached eggs are often served for supper because their el liptical shape and filmy veneer evokes images of a moon hidden by wispy c louds-an interesting die tary quirk. The wintertime table in Japan focuses on celebrations of the ew Year. And that means, among othe r things, the triumvirate known as shiJ u~. "pine "), chiku (it. "bamboo''), and bai (f.fit. ''plum"). Since pine trees are always green. the pine branch cluster symbolizes the eternal nature of things. Bamboo symbolizes streng th (bamboo poles never snap; that's why life guards at sw imming pools depend on the m). Plum blossoms equate with he artiness because they bloom in J anuary, even when it snows. ( By the way, sho, chiku, and bai as category titles are used year-ro und to de note differently priced menus in many Japanese restaurants. I'm not sure why, but used this way, shiJ !also pronounced matsuj is the most expensive meal. chiku[also pronounced takel is medium-priced, and bai [also pronounced umej is the c hcapesl. ) The Japanese fondness for evoking seasonal attitudes is not limited to carving and shaping food into vario us stylized motifs. Tableware, inc luding plates, bowls, c ups. trays, and accessories s uch as chopstic k rests, also he lp convey season-
=
ality. Even the mate rials used to fashion these tabletop accoutrements have seasona l connotations. In the warm months, the Japanese favor g lass and crystal dinne rwa re because it reminds the m o f ice; a refreshing thought on a hot, humid day. Woven o r slatted bamboo is also popular in the summertime. probably because it provides ventilatio n, should a cool breeze happen by. The Japanese preoccupa tion with seasonal nuances requires enormous attentio n to detail when preparing meals. Americans often assume that o nly top food professionals can, or would, spend the necessary time and ene rgy on such tasks as molding rice, carving vegetables, and coordinating decorative garnishes to plate design. Actually, the average Japanese housewi fe-and-molhcr g ives a lot o f thoug ht to presenting attractive meal~ for her family a nd fri e nds. The basic kitchen ski lls of these home cooks arc greatly e nhanced by a dizzying array of kitchen paraphernalia- equipment and appliances. And that 's what we 'II be exploring in the next issue of "A Taste of Culture.''
Correspondence to: Eli~aheth Ancloh, do M ANGA.IIN, PO Box 711 9. Mariella, GA 30065- 1119
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· pouched egg= if\: 1::. L JJii mmlri twnafio • ettiplical shape +fJ I' J daen-kei • filmy veneer = 1\f J3 i 3 "h h t.:. ~~ u.wkn t;ll"areta maku · quirk = ~-:t!;l, kistJ • 1riumvira1e = ..:: '...>~il. mitmgwni • nccoUiremcnls ~ f,m,w, .w;bilrin • venliiUiion ilfi~~/ ilfiJ!filw7ki/1S17/ii • happen by = t.:. j: t.:.;!: -*~ ramatama ktlnt • diuying nrray = 1-li ~' t .td.:. ~ 1t ~ 11 <:i' t~ I) 1::. "iff;. k t3. memai o oko.m~em lwdo ~urari 10naranda • paraphernalia ittJ-4. d/Jgu
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NJSTAR "' Japanese Word Processor "
NJStar demonstrates itself to be the most usable Japanese word processor for DOS... At $50 it's an excellent buy for anyone w ith a PC and an interest in Japa.n ese. ~ -Douglas Horn, Mangajin Magazine
• User friendly interface with pull-down menu and mouse support, easy to use. • Easiest inputs of japanese Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana via Romaji • Automatic Romaji to Kana /Kanji lookup with user definable dictiona ry. • Ability to read Kanji and give Japanese pronunciation and English explanation. • Configurable key strokes, screen color, screen help, and many other parameters. • Rkh editing functions: block operations, macros, search / replace and multi-file editing.
• Supports EGA 19lines, VGA 251ines and SuperVGA 30s line japanese display. • Supports most dot matrix printers, Inkjet, and HP, Canon and Postscript laser printers. • Supports )IS standard, read /write EUC-JIS, NewjlS, Old-JJS, NEC-jlS and Shift-JIS. • Generates PCX files for FAX transmission or for importing to desktop publishing software. • 1t does not require japanese DOS, and it works under Windows as a DOS application. • Chinese version is available with same user interface and 20 Chinese input methods.
NJSTARJapanese V2.1j plus-US $49.9S • NJSTAR Chinese V2.1 plus-US $69.9S To order please include $10 per copy for international shipping and handling. Shareware versions are also available for $10 per copy. Please send your personal US dollar check or US dollar bank check to:
Hongbo Data Systems • PO Box 866 • Ken sington NSW 2033, Australia Telephone/Fax: +61-2-399-9876
MANGA JIN
17
Japan in Your Pocket! Within the vast array of Eng lish lang uage mate rial a bo ut J apan is a c uriou s genre, part g uidebook. part encyclo pe dia, devoted to explaining the intricacies of J apanalia to tourists and assorte d Japa no philcs. While these books run the gamut fro m hi g hly informative to mere ly quaint, until no w the y have all te nde d to delive r a madefo r-export ortho do xy g lo rifying tradi ti o nal c ulture while s lig hting mod ern develo pme nts. The Japan Tra ve l Bure au has broug ht this g e nre into the nine ties with a c hatty and accessible 14 vo lume set o f bo okle ts title d ( in Japanese) Nihon Etnki Jiten B.:*Zt ~ 'I~ ~-lite rally , "Japan pic ture-expl a ining encyc lopedia." Each bookle t is packed with the kind o f in valuable info rmatio nal nug gets us u a lly g leaned o nly thro ug h ye ars o f observatio n. One le arns, fo r e xample, that the fo rma l company seal is usually round (a square seal has limite d legal authority); that you can predic t the weather by kic king a wo ode n c log. Even more fascinating than the individual entries, howe ve r, is the s tance adopted toward the material. " Living Japanese Style," an indispensible guide to dail y life covering bo th ma tte rs triv ial (how to bet o n the ho rses) and consequential (ho w to pay y our re spects at a funeral) , is remarkable for its re fre s hing a ss umption that. Joe
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A Look Into japan • Living japanese Style • Eating in Japan • Festivals of japan • Must-See in Kyoto • Must-See in Nikko • A Look Into Tokyo • Salatyman in japan • Who's Who of japan • Today's Japan • Regard Sur Le japan • Vie au japan • japanese Characters • japanese Inn & Travel
Various authors. Tokyo: Japan Travel Bureau. 192 pages each, ¥950 (paperback).
Ga ij in might just acti vely pa rtic ipate in J apanese soc ie ty, ra ther than me re ly g awk in wonderme nt from the sidelines. Vo l. 8, " Sa laryma n in Japan." the most whimsical and e nte rta ining of the e ntire set , switches between sa rc as m and sympathy to ward the white-collar Japanese wo rker . The pli ght o f the middl e manager is d epicted by a g lum , bespec tac le d c hu mp s urro unded by c artoons representing" e lfish requests fro m subordina tes," "cheating wi ve s" " fun - loving daug hters" " re be llious sons ," and so o n. Above his head hove rs a tho ug ht-balloon: " I must be the most mi ·c rable man o n earth." Ins ide, he's no t in very goo d shape e ither, hi s anatomy mapped out thus : " headac he from han gover"; " lun gs hurt fr o m c hain s mo king"; " weak li ver fro m hea vy drinking"; a nd the real kicker. " he mo rrho ids fro m long hours of sitting." Makes yo u wo nder if the writers weren ' t just a little overly identified with the ir topic. Altho ug h numbe red in seque nce, the booklets a rc o rg anized not so much seri a lly as to pic ally, whic h some times leads to subject ove rlap, partic ularly with such common human denominators a s food , trave l, and entertainment. But this duplication isn ' t necessaril y a draw back: the differe nce in tone, breadth o f coverage, and spin fro m volume to volume re nders actual redundancy rare.
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On the whole, the series presents a more sanitized Japa n than the reade r mi ght pre fer: nocturnal amuseme nts in the e nte rtainment districts are dismi ssed with the c autio nary " it 's best to vi. it these places with someone who knows hi s way around." But he re. as elsewhe re in the collection , illustrations take up the s lac k, such that the accompa nying ske tch leaves no d o ubt as to the nature of the s ig hts the re in. In this way, each item is illuminated thro ugh a ba lanced inte rplay o f wo rd and image, to humoro us, ironic, or informatio nal effect, de pe nding upon the s ubject. The . c t itself ev inces some very Japa nese features: categorizing and encapsulating kno wle dge, miniaturiz ing, creating m atc hed "sets," infus ing a topic with "cuteness," integrating wo rd and image, as well as the very idea o f etoki *~t ~ (pic tu re e x planatio n ) in the series title . Perhaps most Japanese of all is the forc e that g ives ri se to the entire genre: the urge to de fine what is Japanese, both to the world and to themselves. Here, the result is an informati ve, ba lanced and candid collection that will have considerable appeal to weste rners and Japanese alike . (Note: selected volumes in this se-
ries are available through See p. 92 fo r details.)
M ANGAJIN.
Ginny Skord Waters is a professor of Japan ese language & literature.
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I
• intricacies = >WI"' jjfml ~ ~ konUJ/wi tokorolfukuzatsu-.w • Japana.Iia = H ;;$: ' {: Nihon-gaku • Japanophilcs = :tJl H shinnicllilw • run the gamut =- (J) ~ ~ 1: t> /,:: 6 - 110 Zf/1 iki IIi IV(I /U TU • gawk : ,Y. :IJ / /:: ~ n t i') ,0 p0/w11 IO IWJ.IUIIIUU • sarcasm: JilJJilj jlisiJi • chump: nfj( of ? ~ J{>'.)kan'aiS0-/1(1 Jll/.111 • thought-balloon = ~ ;l '( ~' 6 :.: C. ~ 1)~ ·j" IJjz ~ tl:l L. kangoete iru lwto o shimesu fukidashi • the real kicker = J>Di.lh ? It/~ It kiwametsuke/kessaku • overly identified =- (J) U r: t;t .., '(~· ;{_ ·j ~ 1.> ~110 mini 1w11e kangoesug iru • >pin = (llil, l !)3~.f0') ) V'P.IJ (sl'lsumei nado no) h.it~eri • lake up the slack = t::. 6 ~~ ~ ~I ~fill I'> 6 (fill) ~ PJ!If '¢- Mi 'J) tarumi o hiki.l'himeru (larinai tokoro o ogina u) • cv~ nces = lj: .., ~ IJ 1)~-t hokkiri shime.l'u
18
MANGAJIN
Book• R ev i ews
Made In Japan andother Japanese "Business Novels." Translated and edited by Tamae K. Prindle. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 1989. 202 pages, $15.95 (paperKomikku Nichi-Bei Masatsu: Waratte bakari wa back). Tamae Prindle's translation of iraremasen ( ::J ~ "J ~ B ~ ? l' (.ftJ' fJ (;t "' G 1:t fv, "Comic Japan-US Friction : Not Just a Laughing this collection of keizai shf"Jsetsu Matter"). Ono Kosei, transla("economy/business novels") tor; Lawrence H . Bielgelsen & offers the American student of John F. Neuffer, editors. ToJ apancsc corporate cuI ture a glance at the inside-or underkyo: Kodansha Ltd., 1992. 247 pages, ¥1500 (paperback). side-of Japanese business. Throu gh a presentation of The Japanese are always curious often purposefully stereotypic about how they arc viewed by other countries, and this book characters, the seven short novels provide perspectives that are helps satisfy that curiosity. Not often left unaddressed in more formal written approaches to Japanese business. Typical of the series is Takasugi Ryo's From Just a Laughing Matter includes I00 cartoons on Japan from newsParis, featuring a fast-track salaryman on assignment in France. When an executive wife from a client company visits, he acts papers and magazines across the as her translator and shopping guide, but he docs the job so US and around the world. The book is divided into LO categowell, it becomes his permanent position. His career comes to a stop, and we arc given a chilling portrayal of a company in ries. including Trade Tangles, Car ••• Wars, America for Sale, and Perwhich even the most talented individual is but a commodity in ils of the Persian War. A Japanese service of the corporate goals. translation of the cartoon and commentary (in Japanese and English) arc given on the facing page. In fact, everything. from the contents and foreword to the notes about the cartoons, is presented in both English and Japanese. No readings are given for the kanji, however, and there are no language notes or gramTl.- amaziiiR word f"Octssor for rhr Applr Macintosh mar explanations afa M ANGAJ IN . I n selecting cartoons, priority was given to those that evoked a chuckle, and even if you're not a language student or sociologist, you'll enjoy the book.
Book Shorts *'*'m :
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n
The word ~that
Japanese Business Etiquette. Diana Rowland. New York: Warner Books, 1993. 286 pages, $12.99 (paperback). Japanese Business Etiquette provides a focused, organized guide to business and personal relations with the ~JlPANESE Japanese as well as other practical information to help make living and working in Japan easier and more productive. A Practical GuicJ(' to Success with the J.1Panese The book covers a broad range of Rol\·l:md __,.,., topics from cultural values and eti~ .~::· . quette to communication, presentation, negotiation, and Japanese corporate culture. This new edition does an excellent job of beefing up existing sections, and new additions cover working for Japanese companies in Japan and in the West. Concise and easy to read, the book provides an ideal overview for business professionals and tourists alike. One caveat: because the book covers so much ground, it sometimes sacrifices depth for breadth, tending to focus more on "how" the Japanese behave than on "why" they behave as they do.
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE O~;u1 a
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MANGAJIN
19
r
RISING SUN, the • mOVIe by Rebecca A. Mundy
Police investigators Jolm Connor (Sean Connety) and Web Smith (Wesley Snipes) check out the scene of a young woman ·s murder in Rising S un.
The opening is brilliant. On the screen, the Japanese characters 0 lf. (a no nstandard kanji combination that would have to be read nissho, "sun rising") fade into a burning sun rising powerfully on the ho rizon. The red orb breaks apart to reveal a c ircle of worker ants rushing about on the desert floor, but whe n the cam era pulls back, we are in what appears to be a Japanese Western. The camera pulls back even more and we realize that the Japanese Western is a video for a karaoke version of Cole Porter's "Don' t Fence Me ln." Singing is gangster/playboy Eddie Sakamura and sitting at the bar watching him is sultry blond, Cheryl Austin. This witty and provocati ve beginning raises the viewer's hopes for the movie Rising Sun. Directed and produced by Philip and Peter Kaufman, and starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes, the fi lm is based on M ichael Crichton' s best-selling novel. It is the story of two special liaison detecti ves investigating a murder mystery that pulls them into a web of industrial and po litical intrigue. After reading the novel, I had envisioned a sophisticated, high-tech thriller, spiced with political plots and evoking a strong sense of Japanese style-maybe something like Black Rain. What I got instead was a Beverly Hills Cops version of Rising Sun- good ente11ainment in its own right, but somehow dissatisfying and certa inly not on a par with C richton' s far more controvers ial depiction of US-Japan relations. T his is not to say that the movie is without its moments. The pi vota l murder scene, where a beautiful call-girl is seduced and strangled on the boardroom table of Nakamoto Industr ies during the grand o pening celebration o f the Nakamoto Tower building in downtown Los Angeles, is a near perfect blend of sensuality and myste ry. Sean Connery (as semi-retired police detecti ve and Japan expert John Connor), and Wesley Snipes (as detecti ve Web Smith) create a dynamic partnership and add an interesting inteiTacial dimension to the plot. There is also a great deal of humor in the film that never existed in the book, including a hilarious sushi-eating scene reminiscent of Tampopo, Japan 's classic film o n the fi ne arts of food and sex. T aiko drum sequences, surrealistic karate fight scenes and a haunting musical score composed by Takemitsu To ru add a backdrop of Japanese aesthetic sensibility. But beyond that there is little in the film that gives the audience any real insight into modern Japan. Gone is much of the political commentary and the minilectures on Japanese culture that were so important to the novel. The spoken Japanese is sparse and repeats the same mistake as the book in the use of the word kOhai (as in senpai-kohai, the "senior-j unior" relationship); Connor addresses his j unior partner as "kOhai" rather than by name. To maintain the humorous to ne o f the movie, some o f the supporting characters are exaggerated caricatures of American politicians and trade negotiators who would be hopelessly inadequate in the reality o f upper level US-Japan business dealings. The intention of the producers was apparently to create a commercially viable film, almost a humorous take-off on C richton 's novel, focussing on the murder mystery rather than political contro versy. In spite of this, the film has already spurred protests from Asian American organizations, accusing the movie of villainizing the Japanese and perpetuating racial stereotypes. Actually, a cross-section of characters is presented for both nationalities-heroes and villains, Japanophiles and bigots. So me of the Japanese characters are definitely portrayed as good guys. Yoshidasan, a high-ranking Japanese businessman instrumental in the negotiations for the purchase of Micro Con by Nakamoto Tndusllies is portrayed as a man of impeccable integrity. Another Japanese character, Eddie Sakamura, the gangster • orb= J:.R kyil • sultry= 'gfi~li0 t.: kannoreki -na • intrigue = ~2if.ht!m' ~ inbO I sakubo • sensual i ty= 'E\IiE:t'l. km111osei • haunting = ·L•l: §£ J., kokoro ni nokom • a humorous take-off= .:z..- ~ 7 :J.. t.: ;ill.\jfilj yiimoraSU·IIQ fiishi • Japanophiles D ~ shiw richi-ka • bigots = A+f!A!Jflill#~ ~ ~'"{ ~ ' ¢ A"< jin slw -re ki heu keu o ida ire- iru hirobiro • impeccable= E~ L.. 5.)-<1:>t.: ~ 'IX !.'!:<1:>1d:~' moshibunuo nai I kellenrw nai • inlegrity = ~:;1::;/i:':i~ seijitsu I kokersu
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Photo by Sidney Baldwin 24
M A N GAJ I N
Movie •R eview
playboy, becomes the movie's unlikely hero. ultimately risking hi own life to ave Connor and Smith. The studio also made a major depanure from the novel in what appears to be a concession to Asian minority interest group . They change the nationality of the murderer from Japane e to American. although the film leaves hi identity somewhat ambiguou . The producers, perhaps overly concerned about commercial success and fearful of aggravating racial tensions, softened the political controversy of the movie too much, and shied away from the hard issues of US-Japan relations that are an integral part of the story. The film could have been directed in such a way that it shed some light on the complex state of affair between Japan and America without casting either country in a simple "good guy" or "bad guy" role. As the filmmakers responsible for the beautiful and controversial work Hemy a11d Ju11e, Philipand Peter Kaufman should have continued their precedent and taken a bolder stance on Ri.si11g Sun. It would have made a far better movie.
Stan Egi plays Nakamoto Industries corporate llot-sl!ot lsl!il!ara. and Mako is Yoshida.
Rebecca A. Mundy is public affairs director of the JapanAmerica Friendship Foundation in Los Angeles. • ambiguou., = ih \ '1 ~' aimai • aggravati ng racial tensions = A tRill] (l)~~'i.l~ ~ (.~ N:> 7o>_jinslmkan no kinchii o takameru • \hied a\\ay = L. I):: h. L. f.:.tM.It f.:. sl!irigomi shita I saketa • precedent = tiiJ~ ~enrei
Photo by Sidney Baldwin
UCHIKAKE --The japanese wedding kimono. Choose from our hand picked selection of exquisite vintage silk kimono. These make a striking wall hanging, the f ocal point of any decor. Shibumi Trading offers cultural items reflecting the spir it of J a pa n. Car ved granite la nterns, bamboo, obi, calligraphy sets, screens, a nd scrolls. O ur na rra tive catalog is a fascina ting a rmchair tour of Ja pa nese culture. For a catalog of our complete line, please send $3.00. For photos of each of our unique kimono call or send 10.00. which is refunda ble with purchase or ret urn of photos. ( ISA, MC a nd Amer ican Express accepted ). Call 1-800-8-B-6525. We also ell unique elementa ry school curricula on J apan or C hina which feat ure cultural items for ha nds-on learning.
Shibumi Trading Ltd. P 0 Box 1-F Eugene, OR 97440 1-800-843-6525
MAN GAJIN
25
Wari-in, a "ta/lyn seal used on the edges of papers to show they are connected or related in some way, can be found in two shapes.
Some women prefer more delicate-looking seals. Kaku-in, or square-shaped seals, are often used by artists to complete their works.
Jitsu-in (personal seals) are registered at town hall.
A mitome-in is used to acknowledge receipt of registered mail or other home-delivered items. They are often mass-produced.
Hanko: Japan's alter ego Hanko '1'11-=f, or seals, mark every turn in life for a Many kinds of seals Japanese person, from the cradle to the grave. They There are many kinds of inkan which can be placed are the proof of authenticity and identity in Japanese into two general categories, .fi..F-n shi-in (private seals) society; without their round, red impressions, Japa- and 0t:n ki5-in (official or government seals). More prenese do not "exist." cisely, they can be grouped into ~t:[l jitsu-in (one's Birth certificates and registrations of marriage need registered seal), iJHi'F.fl ginkoin (a seal used for banka seal to be acknowledged. The deceased are in limbo ing), ~F.fl m itome-in (a private seal/signet). U~t:fl without the imprint of a hanko on their death notice. shamei-in (company seal) , ~ t) t:n wari-in (joint seal/ One must affix a seal on one's will. The survivors can- tally), ft~~t:n daihyosha-in (company representative's not inherit anything they are entitled to without the mark mark) and others. The ~lOP jitsu-in, perhaps the most important, must of a hanko . One's registered seal is also indispensable for preparing registration papers for one's com- be registered at town hall, where officials issue upon pany or property, notarial deeds, and documents for request an F.flit:::U:I¥ll'F inkan shomeisho (certificate of bank loans. A seal is required on 1/.tA. ,~Jringisho(a draft seal verification). These certificates have specific peproposal circulated through the company for reaching riods of validity: in the case of registration of property, a consensus), contracts, applications, and written ex- 3 months, and for notarial deeds, 6 months. As menplanations. tioned, just about all important documents require The ubiquity of seals in Japanese society can be one's registered seal: the impression signifies approval noted from the number of synonyms: "1=11 han 'fll-T: or consent. hanko (band stamp, seal); t:P'I'IJ inban (seal) F.nff~ingyi5 (seal, signet, sigil); F.fl~ insho(seal, stamp); F.flii inkan Avoid damage (seal, seal impression), and others. Hanko is a ge- 1 One must be careful not to damage the face or neric term; the proper terms are inshi5 and inkan. material of the seal. If a seal is broken it will no longer
be valid since its imprint will not match the registered seal impression. Many people protect their registered seals with caps and leather bags, and it is customary to carry seals in sturdy cases to prevent breakage. Anyone, householder or non-householder, man or woman, can have a jitsu-in. Minors can also have registered seals with consent from their guardians. Seals, however, are for one's lifetime only and not to be passed onto later generations. They are engraved with both family name and personal name, but just one name will suffice if the individual can be identified by it. Identical mass-produced seals, rubber seals, stamps, and seals of pen names, however, cannot be registered. Registration of seals with a different name or which are difficult to make out is also prohibited. Registered seals are about 15mm in diameter for men, and 13.5mm for women, and about 60mm long in both cases.
Other uses No specific format has to be followed for the ifHl'E:n ginko-in, used for bank documents. This seal is an important one, but it does not necessarily need to be registered at town hall. Since it is for making deposits, savings and other transactions, the ginko-in must be registered with the bank, however, and mass-produced seals once again are not allowed. The ~!On mitome-in is also called an ~!On ura-in; ura ("behind" or "back") indicates that this seal plays a supporting role to the more formal jitsu-in. Its impression is affixed on the receipts of registered mail, parcels, door-to-door deliveries, and other items which come to the home. Its purpose is to Jg~ o mitomeru, "acknowledge" or "confirm"; it is usually one or two sizes smaller than the jitsu-in or ginko-in. This seal is also called :=.:lcf!J sanmonban (mass-produced, "three-penny" seal). The inkan plays an important role in the Japanese art sumi world, too. An artist finishing a painting or work in (Japanese ink) puts his or her signature and red seal on it. Without these two elements the piece not only lacks a sense of completion but also is not regarded as real. The work loses market value even if it is indeed a genuine piece by a major artist. A painter, famous or not, will not forget to add these identification marks. When works by maestros are occasionally forged, these two details are also skillfully coped. In a recent case, the genuineness of certain print works by Munakata Shiko came into question. Their authenticity was established finally on the basis of the genuineness of the signature and seal.
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Eurocentres courses receive the generous support and c lose cooperation of the Ishikawa prefectural Boord of Education. The programme provides opportunities to experience Japanese culture. history and tradition along with intensive language instruction. Optional programmes include calligraphy; zen practice. industrial/cultural visits and weekend excursions- to name o few. Learn Japanese ways of life while staying ~li with a Japanese family. Eurocentre Konazowo is o small cosmoPQ politan world with participants from many countries. Together they learn the Japanese language and culture. and also about each other. A course unit lasts 4 weeks; more than one may be taken at a time.
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Eurocentres is a non-profit foundation devoted to the teaching of languages to adults . We teach English. French. Ita lian. Spanish. German. Russian and Japanese in the countries where it is spoken. For a brochure please write to:
ECJAOOSmn•
:.;;;~~~~:,:.'; -~~S'f!t~1&4l'IIF
Next time: the corporate inkan
!Bil;;;l~ 2-12 ~=#t't:Jt-4F 2-12 Kanda Surugadai
Fuk81 Bu1ldmg • Chyoda-ku . To29ky5o5140411 Fax: (03)3295-5443 Phone: (03)3 •
by Sawane Fumitoshi ·. ·~
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Calvin: "Mom_, can I seUire toJ:!!Y.__Qed mattress?" ~ 77, ~·;t~'G7) 7·;t~l--A 1.: :Jd:i·tlt"'C"It'lt'? Mama, Mom
beddo
no
marroresu
ni
lri o rsukere ii?
bed
('s)
mattress
to
may ( I) set fire
Mother : "No. Calvin." ~
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J: o
Dame
ro.
we considered using Maroresu o moyashire ii?. "May I burn my mattress," but decided that the more literal Matoresu ni hi o rsukere ii? was perfectly OK here.
no good (~mph.)
0
Calvin: "Can I ride my tricycle on the roof?" -+ m.flG7) J:. ""{.' =-~ • 1: *')"'( "'"'? Yane no
ue
roof ('s)
top
de sanrinsha at
tricycle
ni
norre ii?
at/on
may (I) ride?
• tricycle (trike)
gflii
o~!-c>li~ L -r ~ 7 1 7
t §-? .: t 'b 0 .0 o
Mother : "No. Calvin': ~
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J: o
Dame
yo.
no good (emph.)
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Calvin: "Then can I have a cookie?" -+ t.~, 7 7 :1'--
kukkii
moraem?
well then cookie
can receive (;f,•
• then
l:l:l L -r -? i
0
;,.-r
,:.:;.~·
t,.-
l±l:.l61:~~.5~~~;J(tl:l:lVC:i:>P"(;j{jqol.::t:>c Lt~'lt ,
<7
'l -'\'- -
t
.of-t.: }._ tL J: -? t "' -? Q) ~{ 7J 11.- "/1 /
.J:-..t~
then- -i-it.l:-'1'0,
J;~\.
t,fi: ·l}Q)~;)<:t
Q) tl C:> "' o
Mother: "No. Calvin':
-+ -Y":J.
Dame
J: o yo.
no good (cmph. )
Calvin: "She's on to me." ~
WJ:I..{ ~, :tt t..:
;>j: o
minukarera
na.
was seen through (colloq.)
J.
• isonto ... I± (t.:.< l?h.~t't) ll<~-:>"(o'-0 ,
.
: f!<~i'Uv-c'l,\}.,Q):'ef:
.,
\
f,
( AQ)~t#i?t )
Call'ill & Hobbes, copyright © I 987 Uni\'ersal Pre'' Syndie<~te. All rights reserved. Rcprintedllran,htled by pernlio,,ion of Editor' Press Service. N.Y.
32
MA NGAJIN
(0\ViN •.J
HobbtS
~~
~
Calvin: "Where's Dad?" -+ /~/{ (li) c.··:: Papa (wa) dad
?
doko?
(as-for) where
• to be grammatically correct. the sentence does require the wa. but in actual speech it sounds more natural to leave it out. r,r.JJ.r
_
~.
~·
mt
t..t
_
•
:.,. '
..
u.ZJJ'f
l.""t=
t;,;...
!fiT ."l~ t VC.J Iii t -~~ 9(] 1: f-1! bit .0 BJ:ft,!li momo\ Dad -? !:mom li!!! ~ .0 fJJ ~'i'J1f'L' li ~ • t • ,!. JJIJ < ,:. :k A.J,t"ll ruJ 1: q:, ~ .15 ~,•·. 8 4>: ~ I? j,· L .1? I? t.: ?1~-c ~.:. , r.J:- ~ t ' t t;t:.d' -? ""?t-~ 11~'1: t ft btL .0 .: t tJ< ~ <, ;. c:"''' .!::(....._"? Lt.: ffl kt• liCli.ili; ~' : .: it r:~t .Jtl• L daddy ~ mommy li 11: r.JJ~\"..It't', k. A tJ
• dad ~ J
*
I
f I,
.~
-?.$'
~
f.: D'J<{f'IJ•Itq) ,;\li:i t L"C foj!h it 6
o
Mom : "He's in the living room. making a fire." -+ I,• Hill !.: ~,,.::, ~:~ o 'l<. t .t:> .:. l lma
ni
iru
u·a
Hi
o
-c :0
okosllire-ru
C. .:. 1:>
J: a
rokoro
ro
living room in i s/exist~ (fem. colloq.) fire (obj.) starling/making place/time (emph .)
• trans lat ing " making a fire" as H i o okosllire-iru spo ils the joke in a way. si nce it implies that the fire is being started in a stove or fireplace. The other option we considered was Hi o rsukere-iru, which could be interpreted to mean that Dad was sctling fire to the ho use - apparently Calvin's inte rpretati on of his mother's reply. Since it's Mom's line. however, we went with a word ing that would renect what she intended to say.
OJ
*
Calvin: "A fire! Oh, boyj" -+ t.!.-:>""(?! T:." P! Hi daue ?! Sugoi! fire
i~-(quotc)
;awesome
c: k' t ~'-? t..: It "t'li ~ C L -c ~ ' t.: n' f.·Ht
• fire IJ: tji.
• oh, boy .1?6'-'li'il-l: boy ~
,.
~· }.
t.: ~ ')c :.k •jlQ)fY:P~ t .1? 6 t.: ¥> , .: .: 'l'li Calvin
..
lJ.~..,
-nr t' t? I? t
' .':. ,.
Mf~
.:. -).i.A.
c± ---t.:-~,, -- ~~i
il?~ tt.~t·
tJ
• the English word "fire" in this frame is ambiguous. so ~aying kaji (:.k 'Jl) in Japanese would be to anticipate (and de tract from ) the punch line in the next frame. None of the other words we could thi nk of assoc iated w ith fire fit with Calvin's exci tement here. but we decided to use lri - so the Japanese reader doesn ' t realize what Calvin is th inking until the punc h line actually come~.
0
Ca lvin: "Oh . In the fireplace."
-+ t:tlvt.::, ll.&:t/i(.:
n'o
Nan da danro ni ka fireplace in
oh •
IUIII
da
i~
('!)
literall y ··what (is it)T but it is used as an expression of di sappo intment/let down.
M ANGA J IN
33
~·I~I"l0l Ueda Masashi's
'~f:l<~ Furiten-kun Fusuma
110
Akeshime
sliding paper door of open ing & closing
The Opening and Closing of Sliding Doors • f usuma refers to the k.ind o f sliding door pictured. The door has a wooden frame, which is covered with heavy paper on both sides. It's to be distinguished from a shoji screen/door. which has translucent white paper on only one side of a grid made of thi n wood laths. • ake is from akeru ("open") and .vhime is from shimeru ("close/shut").
Sound FX: J..Sii (effect of sliding the door open smoothly and quietly) ~.: , ( thinking) Johin-ni,
Yount! Wife: J:. £
H L.. t -? n' t.: o oshitoyaka -ni.
elegantly/gracefully gracefully/in ladylike manner
" Elegantly.., gracefully,'' (PL2) • j ohin-ni is the ad verb form of johin, w hich means "elegance/grace/refinement"). Here and in the next frame she is reminding herself how she has been taught to open and close the }iiStuna as a proper wife. • shitoyaka-ni is the adverb form gf shitoyaka( -na), which means "graceful/ gentle/polite/ladylike.'" The ho norific o- is almost always included when the word is spoken, less often when written.
Sound FX: J..Sii (effect o f sliding the door open smoothl y and quietly)
Young Wife: ff'P-1r t.:, ( thinking) Shizuka-ni,
~
L
utsukushi k u
quietly/softly/gently beauti fully/charmingly
" Quietly, beautifully." (PL2) • shizuka-ni is the adverb form of shi::.uka(-na), " quietlstilllcal nlfsoft/gentle.'' • ustukushiku is the ad verb form of utsukushii ("beautiful/lovely/chamling").
Mother: -:$ ;tt.O ? Wasureriiforgets
" She alwavs forP"ets somethint!." (PL2l • lengthening the end of the word gives it the feeling of a sigh o f disappointment/dismay.
•
© Ueda Masashi. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by T ake Shobo, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take S hobo.
4 0
M ANGAJIN
'!Jf:l< Furiten-kun
llli ·/C.til lido automatic
~ CD
Ha11bai-ki vending machine
Vendin_g Machines :I-7
Machines: :J .:1. - A
0
lltSLI
Kora
Juice
Cola !Ub'c~ Hrmbai-ki
Sign: ru1.1 l ido
~1im Seisaku-sho
automatic \ending machine manufacturing place
Vending Machine Manufacturingji:o_J Boss: .:hn'c, 1.-t i-ti-t (l!li1l!l!U~m Korekara
,,·a
11Wsumasu
jido ha11bai-ki 110
from now on a,· for more and more vending machines of
,t;t tn.
n{
setchi
go
in~tallation (~ubj.)
~
.z .o
t hffiJ ~ h .o o
ji1er11 will
10
increa~e
yosoku .w reru.
(quote)
is forecast
"The forecast is for more and more vendin machines to tieplaced in service in the future." (PL2) • -ki is a uffix for machine~ of various kind~. • seisaku-slw is literally "manufacturing place" - • "plant/factory.'' but is also commonly used in manufacturing company names. • korekara is literally '·from this:· meaning "from thi~ time forward." • setchi is a noun referring to the in~tallation of various kinds of equipment etc. • yosoku sareru is the passive form of yosoku sum ("predict/forecast") Shikam-11i
wagasha to shite wa sono j uyil a~- for
\oltherefore our company
l.:ki'£1: ji11sokL1 11i
11i
that demand to
<
~.z "t'v'n'fo: "t'l.t~ c, fo:'-' o kotaete ikanakw e wa 1Wra11ai.
~wiftly
must re<,pond and proceed
"Therefore our compa ny must swiftly respond to that (increasing) dema nd." (PL2) • shikaru-ni is a very formal word for ··but/however/nevenheless," but it is also sometimes used (strictly ~peaking erroneously) to mean "and so/therefore.'' • wagaslw to shite wa is more l iterally like saying "as for on the part of this company. (we must . ..).''but here you can think of it as just a formaVwordy equivalent of ll'o. to set up the tOpic (1rogosho wo = "as for thi s company, ..."). • kotoete is the -te form of kotaeru ("answer/respond to"), and ikanakute wa 11aranai is the "must/have 10" form of iku ("go"). lku is used after the -te form of a verb to imply the action is proceeding or will proceed on into the future.
0
A: to: 1v t!. ~', 0 fJ -t' ? Nan dai.
arya?
what is it?
as for that
"What' s that?" (PL2)
!!: El.fJJ lltb'c ~ lido hanbai-ki
Q)
110
r1
!lib lUi:/~~ t!. jidrl hanboi-ki da
t
J: o
to
yo.
vending machine of/for vending machines is (quote) (cmph.)
"T hey saxj!'s a ''ending machine for vending machines." (PL2) Sign: Blli1J !!& :/~~ lido
Hanbai-ki
automatic vending machine
Vending Machine Arrow:
i:>~
Okane
Mone Sound FX: ff 'I / Gatan
Kathunk (typical sound of merchandise dropping in/ out of vending machine) dai is
e Ueda Masashi. All right' rc~rvcd. Fi rst
publi~hed
in Japan in 1991 by Take ShobO. TOkyo. Engli~h translatio n rights arranged through Take Shooo.
MAN G A JI N
41
'!Jf:l<
~ I
Title: {E)(
L----~_r;_:!_~_rk_s-
Fu riten-ku n [Q
-
- - -- -- ------' (/) -? no-?
Boy: '7 - ,
wa,
hanabi
kalle kita
(cxclam.) fireworks bought-and-came (explan.-?)
" Wow! You bou ht some fireworks?" (PL2) Boy:
~ 1:J
~
Yaro
1:J o yaro.
let' s do let' s do
" Let's do ' em, let's do 'em." (PL2) • katte is the -te form of kau ("buy"), and kita is the plain/abrupt past form of kum (''come"). -Te kuru has a variety of meanings, including "do the action and (then) come'' and ·'go to do the action and come back," either of which is possible here. • asking a question with no strictly speaking asks for an explanation, "'is it the case that . .. ?" but such explanatory forms are used far more frequently in Japanese than is natural in English. • yariJ is a volitional ("let' s/1 shall") form of yaru ("do"). The repetition as well as the shortened final vowels reflect his eagerness to get started.
~v ' t ::.
Boy:
kurai toko de yareba-? in/at
if do?
if we do them in a dark lace?" (PL2) • yaue is the -te form of yaru ("do"); yatte mo is a conditional "even if (we) do." • amari followed by a negative means "not very"; yoku is the adverb form of iilyoi ("good/fine' '), so amari yoku followed by a negative means "not very well." • mien is a contraction of mienai, the negative form of mieru ("can see"). • zo is a rough/masculine particle for emphasis. • toko = tokoro = "place' ' • yareba is a conditional "if/when" form of yam ("do" ). It implies yareba do (desu ka), ''What/How about if we do?"
0
Sound FX: ;.,--\' ·;; Sha!
Y -\' ·;; sha!
;.,--\' ·;; shal
:,- -r ·;; shal
:,- -r ·;; :,- -r ·;; sha!
shal
(sound of sparks shooting/snapping out from the sparkler)
t!. 1:; ? Yappa
mien
daro?
after all/as expected can 't see probably/right?
" Like I said, you can't see it, r ight?" (PL2) • yappa is a shortened and more informal version of yappari. When yapparil yahari is used to confirm/restate one's own earlier claim/assertion, it is like "see, didn' t I tell you?" or "just as I said before." • mien is again mienai. • daro (= dariJ) means "perhaps/probably/1 suppose," so strictly speaking it makes a conjectural question, but it is a rhetorical question that expects the listener to agree, so it has more the feeling of "isn't it just like I said?/ wasn't I right?" © Ueda Masashi, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by Take ShobO, Tokyo. English translation righls arranged through Take ShobO.
42
MAN GAJI N
¥il•l\tll,l0l Ueda Masashi's
,~,':1~ Furiten-kun Title: ":! Jv 7 Gonifu
Golf
[!]
-c: -t tJ'?
Furiten-kun: H-?, s~ ~ Oya,
rsuri
desu ka?
(interj.) fishing is it?fare you?
"Well. well, going fishing, are you?" (PL2) ~
b tJ' o
t! 7:> o
Mirya
wakam
daro.
Neighbor: ":! Jv 7 t!. J: o J! t) Gonifu da golf -+
yo.
is (cmph.) if look come to know probably/surely
"It's golfing. If you look, you can surely tell." "I' m going golfing. Is n't it obvious?" (PL2)
• oya is an interjection of mild surprise. • mirya is a contraction of mireba, a conditional " if/when" fonn of miru ("look"). Mireba wakaru ="if (you) look, (you) will come to know." Mirya wakaru daro implies it should be obvious, and feels a little like "are you blind?/open your eyes!"
Sound FX: ' ' :--
Bashi
-----
Crack (sound of golf club hitting ball) FX: 7::..-1-Funya- (effect of ball flying weakly/unsteadily through the air) Sound FX: # 7- -1- / Bochan
-------~~--------
Splash (sound of ball landing in lake)
f.JIJ
t:~f.t.lt'TtJ' o
Nan da,
yappari
rsuri
ja nai su ka.
what is it?
after all
fishing
is it not?
Furiteo-kun: f.t.lvt!., -?·::>1!1')
-+
"Heck, it was fishing after all." " Heck, I was right after all. You did go fishing." (PL2)
• nan da is literally "what is it?" but by itself or at the beginning of a sentence it's often used to express the feeling that something hasn't lived up to expectations- in this case the neighbor's expectations. At the same time, the yappari ("after alUas expected") implies that the neighbor did live up to Furiten-kun's original expectations. • su is a colloquial contraction of desu ("is/are"). Ja nai (de)su ka is literally "is it not?" but the question is rhetorical so it actually serves as an emphatic observation, "ll is/was fishing"-+ "You did go fishing."
© Ueda Masashi, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by Take Shooo, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take Shobo.
MAN GAJIN
43
mrft
Tanaka-kun
~
51 -t- iJ 1:::: D
Title:
I Tanaka Hiroshi
;{-?
Plima
J\
Perm Sl~: ~§~ Bi,·o-shitsll
~-~
~§~
Tomi Biyo-shitsu
beauty parlor
(name) beauty parlor
Beautv Parlor Tomi Beauty Parlor • biyo refers to the cultivation of beauty, whether through exercise, diet. cosmetics. hair styling, or other means. but biyo-shitsu (shitsu =''room") usually focus just on hair styling. T oday their clientele includes both sexes.
[2]
Tanaka-kun: "- / ~ Hen-na
ata111a
ni
natchatta
na-.
strange/wierd head/hair to became-(regret) (colloq.)
"My head became weird." - "My head/hair turned out really weird." ( PL2) • kami no ke is the term for the hair on a person's head. but w hen peaking of a person's haircut it's common to refer to it as atama (literally " head"). • natchatta is a contraction of 110tte shimatta. the -re form o f naru ("become/ became") with the plain/abrupt past form of shimau ("end/finish/put away"). which after the -te form of another verb implies that the action or result was regrettable/undesirable.
0
Sound FX: 'f ;1.
'f ;1.
/
Clum
/
C/11111
Chirp chirp (sound of birds outside) Tanaka-kun:
-a
IYJ!t"t't
"'{:>--:>li'fJ
"-/
fl o
lchiya
akete mo
yappari
hen
da.
one night even when passed/dawned after alVstill strange/wierd is
" It's still weird even the next mornin~." (PL2) ;,.. fv ~ :k -? tl 7:> ~- 0 Minna
warau
everyone laugh
daro
na- .
probably /surely (colloq.)
"Everyone will surely laugh, won't they?" - "I bet every_one'lllaugh,_" (PL2) • akete is the -te form o f akeru ("[day ] dawns/[night]ends or passes"); -te 1110 is a conditional ··even if/when (the action occurs).''
• yappari in this case is "after all" in the sense of "stilUcontinuing even now."
Boss: IB'P
li?
Tanaka-kim wa? (name-hon.)
as-for
"(Where's) Tanaka-kun?" (PL2) OL: 7-1""'< iJt "-/ ~(f)""f {,f:tr Atama ga head
hen
na no de
yasu11111
sii desu.
(subj.) strangc/wicrd because/so take day off (hearsay-is)
" He savs his head feels (is) weird so he's taking the dav off." (PL2) • when ata111a is taken to actually mean " head," arama ga hen can mean either "(one"s) head feels strange" (i.e.. one feels dizzy/has a headache/etc.) or '"(sorneone"s) head is strange" (i.e.. the person is bany) - in this case the former. since she is reporting Tanaka-kun·s own words. That. o f course. is the meaning Tanaka-kun hoped she would take. but from his perspective his true meaning was " my hair looks strange:· • yasumu means " take a rest/go to sleep:· or in the context of work/school. " take a day off/stay home:· • ... so daldesu is used to report what you have heard from someone else. In this case we assume she has heard it from Tanaka-kun himself, but so dal desu is al so used for what one has heard indirectly from third parties.
44
M ANGAJIN
Hllft
by
.:;z -t- 7J 1:: D :..-- I Tanaka Hiroshi
Title: 7
v 1:::" PJ!:jifij Television Movie
Terebi Eiga
On TV: E1 .J:. -? o - ~· 'l 3 Niclriyo Rodo SilO Sunday
-
Owari
Roadshow
The End
Sundav Nil!ht at the MO\·ies The End Tanaka-kun:
I.' I.'
11!1!: tOO
t.:.-? t:.
~- o
li
eiga
dana
na- .
good/fine movie was (colloq. emph.)
" That sure was a good movie." (PL2) • rodo sho, from English "road show," when seen in movie advertisements refers to the "exclusive engageme nt" of a movie at a major theater prior to the movie's general release, so using rodo sho in the name of a te levision movie program is intended to give it a certain '·exclusive" feeling. • normally owari is wrinen tf b I) , but on television and at the end of movies the okurigana (hiragana after the kanj i) are sometimes dispensed with. • dana is the plain/abrupt past form of da ("is/are"). (j:
Eiga
wa
yappari
eiga·kan
de minakucha
movie(s) as-for after all/really movie theater at
h. t:. .:.
t t:
mita koto ni saw
~ c.,~\,\
naranai
if don't see
.J:. 0 yo.
thing to doesn' t become (emph.)
" If you don' t see a movie at a theater. it doesn ' t re-
allv count as seeinl! it." (PL2) • in this case yappari has the feeling of "in the end/in the final analysis (it really is so)." so his sentence could be trans lated a linle more loosely as, " In the final analysis. you really have to see a movie on the big screen. or else it doesn't really count a seeing it." • -kan (by itself read yakata) refers to a " large building," and is the final part of many words referring to theaters/assembly halls/sports faci lities/etc. • minakucha is a contraction o f minakute wa, a negative -te form of min t (" see/watch") plus wa, making a negative conditional "if (you) don' t see." • mita is the plain/abrupt pa t form o f mint (''see/watch"). The past tense of a verb plus koto ni naranai is an idiomatic expression meaning "it doesn't! can't count as (having done the action).''
Pocket oaperback
Bunko
• bunko literally means ''library/archi ves" but here implies :>'cW4: bunkobon, referring to a book from one of the numerous " li braries" of pocket-sized paperback editions Japanese publishers issue.
Sign: i$: Books
Hon
Tanaka-kun:
,,,::It
'b
~-? rt t)
Shosetsu mo yappari novel
.!i!fri$:
"(' Jx i t.t. < -? "~:> ~
tankiibon
de
yomanakutclw
also after all/really hardcover by means o f if don' t read
~)Uvf!.:.
C f: ~C.,~\,' koto ni naranai
~!
yonda
na!
read
thing to doesn' t become (colloq. emph.)
"I.tyou don' t read a novel in hardcover , it doesn ' t really_ count as reading it!" (PL2) • tankObon basically refers to books published as single volumes rather than as part of a larger series/library. The word actually includes original softcover editions as well (i.e. trade paperbacks that aren' t merely later reprints of hardcover books). but in this context the feeling of the original comes through best if we translate it as ''hardcover.'' • yomanakucha is a contraction of yomanakwe wa, from yomu ("read"), and yonda is the plai n/abrupt past form of the same verb.
M ANGA J IN
45
b 3Lrt~ ~ ::t:e~ Y T achibanaya Kikuta ro
Beranmei Tochan
DJ
,~
8 1.!'! Hyakuten ka!
TOchan: .iJ -? , 0!
?
(exclam.) 100 points
"Hey! You got a hundred!" (PL2) • -ten is the counter sufftx for points on a test. • the question particle ka is purely rhetorical.
0
Kachan:
~ -? !i ~ Yappari
atashi ni
after all/sure enough 1/me
nita
n
da nei.
to resembled/took after (explan.) is (colloq.)
"Sure enough, he takes after me, doesn't he?" (PL2) • atashi is a variation of watashi ("lime"), more common among female speak( ers than males. I!.. nita is the plain/abrupt past form of niru ("to resemble/be Hkeltake after"). • nei is a dialect form of ne, which expects the listener to confirm/agree with the statement.
[D
Tochan:
-r ~ lv 't" v'-? o Teyandei! "Horsefeathers!" (PLI)
Tochan: .iJ v' I? 1:
-IJ:J t:.
1:
nita
ni
~
i
-?
-r lv
t!..;;, v' -? o
Oira
ni
kimatte-n
Ume
to resembled/took after is for sure/obvious probably/surely
daroi!
"It's me he takes after, that's for sure." (PL2) -Gil~
3 ll
1
{j..x -;;::, ~
s
(-:::
1-= ••-w~
• teyandei is a slang/dialect phrase meaning something like "What the hell are you talking about?" or "You're full of it!" • oira is a mascuHne slang word for "lime," a somewhat softer variation of the rough ore. • kimatte-n daroi is a dialect contraction/variation of kimatte-iru daro, "is surely decided/definite." The expression ... ni kimatte-iru means "of course (it's) ... "or"... is the certain/inevitable result/conclusion."
Yowatta
na,
imasara
kanningu
weakened/troubled (colloq.) now/at this point cheating
C
b
to
mo
§ ,Z~ \r'
ienai
(quote) even can't say
shita did
l- o shi. and
"What a bind! It's too late to tell them I cheated." (PL2) • yowatta is the plain/abrupt past form of yowaru ("become weak"), which is used idiomatically to mean "be troubled/in a fix/at a loss." • imasara means " now," implying "now at this late point/now after all that has happened/been said." • kanningu, from the English "cunning," is the Japanese word for "cheating" on a test. The verb form is kanningu suru, and kanningu shita is its past tense. • ienai is the negative potential ("can't'') form of iu ("say"). The phrase . .. to mo ienai feels like "can't very well ;ay .. ./can hardly say . .." • shi is "and" for between two clauses. In this case, the syntax is inverted, with the clause that would normally follow shi coming at the beginning: lmasara kanningu shita to mo ienai shi, yowatta na would be the normal order. Kazuo is at a loss as to how to defuse the dispute between his parents. © Tachibanaya Kikutaro, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1991 by Take ShobO, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take Shobo.
46
M ANGAJI N
b
31:1E~~::t:fU~
Y T achibanaya Kikutaro
Friend: ? t:> (/).to X ~ />; IJ: Uchi 110 otosan
t.!. -tf 0
wa Nalwmura Masatoshi ni nite-n
my dad
as-for
(name)
da ze.
to resembles-(explan.)(emph.)
" My dad looks like Nakamura Masatoshi." (PL2) Kazuo:
Beranmei Tochan
.......,_ o He.
" Reali ?" (PL2) • uclri is literally " inside," but is used frequently to refer to one's own house/ family, company, or other group. Addjng no makes it possessive: " my house's/family's" "my." Saying uchi no otosan instead of chichi is considered a somewhat childish way of referring to one's father. • nite-n da is a contraction of nite-iru rw da, where nite-iru ="looks like/resembles," and the explanatory form n(o) da serves mainly as emphasis. • he is a light exclamation, like ''Gee!/Wow!/How about that!" or like "Oh yeah?/Really?" when the speaker isn't really questioning. It gives the feeling that the speaker is at least mildly impressed. • ze is a rough, masculine particle for emphasis. • the men the boys are saying their fathers look like are famous Japanese actors.
[2]
Friend: 71 ;( :;f ;
I±?
Kazuo-lum (name-ho n.)
chi
wa ?
house/family as-for
" How about ours?" (PL2) Kazuo: ? .. . ? t:> li -? -::>If t) EB:ft?-!j-71 ;( 1J'f.t. 7 U ...Uchi my dad
,
wa yappari Tamura Masalwzu lw nii, as-for after all
(name)
J\J\I' o
Ira Ira Ira.
perhaps is? (laugh)
"As for my dad, in the end maybe O'd say he looks like) Tamura Masakazu. (laugh)" -+
" I su ose I'd have to say mine's (like) Tamura Masakazu. Ha ha ha." (PL2)
• Kazuo-kun chi is a contraction of Kazuo-kun no uchi, literally "Kazuo-kun's house/family," or, since he is directly addressing Kazuo, "your house/family." • Kaztto-ktm chi wa becomes literally "As for your house/family,'' but the friend' s actual meaning is "As for your dad?"_. " How about your dad?" In turn, when Kazuo says uclri wa he means "As for my dad" rather than "As for my family/house." • ka nli asks a conjectural "I wonder if he is ... ?/Is he perhaps ... ?" but adding yappari makes it sound much more definite because it implies he is stating his "after aiUfinal" conclusion_. " I suppose I'd have to say . . ."
[TI
Tochan: .to ? , 0,
71 ;( :;t, !f- < It- :h.
.t o
Kazuo,
yo.
(greeting) (name)
Jrayaku
kere
quickly return home (emph.)
" He there Kazuo. Hurr on home now." (PL2) • hayaku is the adverb form of hayai ("quick/fast"). • kere is dialect for /were, the abrupt command form of lweru ("'return home").
GJ
Friend: ~ (J) A
t!. :h.?
Ano hito dare? that
person who?
" Who's that?" (PL2) Kazuo: c!:: •.• c!:: f.t. t.J (J) .to C ~ />; t!. To . .. tonari
no
ojisan
ne- next door
's
uncle/man
.t,
da yo,
J\ 1\ l ' o
ha ha ha.
is (emph.) Oaugh)
" H- he's the man from next door." (PL2) • tonari refers to an adjacent/neighboring location, so when speaking of houses it means " next door," when speaking of seats it means "the next seat," etc. Tonari no = " in/of the next house/seat/etc." • ojisan (lit."uncle") is commonl y used to address or refer to men who are past their mid-twenties or so. Tonari no ojisan ="the man (from) next door."
e Tachibanaya Kikutaro, All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1991 by Take ShobO. Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Take ShobO. MAN GAJIN
47
!H1liQ • Katsu-Shika 0
48
MANGAJIN
Katsushika Q was erialized in ~::· ·:; 7' -::1 ~ ·:; 7 A.~ 1) :t Jv (Big Comic Superior) during 1991- 1993. Katsushika is the name of a ward (~Mi!R, Katsushika-ku ) in Tokyo where the central character, Kyu-san, runs a coffee shop with his sidekick, Goro.
~ ~ffi Q Katsushika Kyu Kyii's name is sometimes written as the number nine in Japanese (}L), sometimes with the English letler "Q," and sometimes phonetically in kana. The stories combine lapstick humor. vi!>ual gags. and parody. and take some strange twists, but Kyu and Goro usually appear as humans. In our story, however, Kyu has turned into a penguin.
by
th~nT-![ Tomisawa Chinatsu
Sound FX : (:J)I} I} 1) 1) 1) :; 1) 1) 1) 1) 1) (1 i) ri ri ri ri ri 1 i ri ri ri ri ri Brri-i-i-i-nng, brri-i-i-i-nng (sound of alarm clock) Sound FX : 1- './ Chin Ding (slight ringing sound from hitting the alarm-off button) T itle: ""'-/.:¥''./ t: ~ "? t.:. Pengin ni /1(/1/(/ penguin
. "Sound" FX :
10
became
lL ~ !v Kyil-san (name-hon.)
Part 1 plito wan pan I
Q Turns Into a Penguin, Part I pengin ni naua is a complete thought/sentence ("became a penguin") modifying Kyt7-san. so the title is more literally, "Q, who became a penguin." 1::3-::J 1:::3-::J
Hyoko hyoko (bobbing/waddling effect)
Q:
~/.:¥''./
f.::' !!
Pengin
da!!
penguin
am/is/arc
" I'm a penguin!" (PL2)
© Tomisawa Chinatsu. All rights reserved. First published in Japan in 1992 by Shogakukan, Tokyo. English translation rights arranged through Shogakukan and Viz Communications.
MA NGAJIN
49
l!Sflii Q • Katsu - Sh i ka 0
it.!\ 'fiiJ "? "' jp
t:.
{> tp A.
t:t
?
50
MANGAJIN
~~Q · Katsu-Shika
Q: ~-'
~
" ' '?
0
t.:. . ..
maitta. U- , (sigh/groan) be dumbfounded/at a loss "Uuh, this is awful." (PL2)
tlv jt '? t.:. -IJ> t:t? ftit . .. fPI !D!: "' mon kutta kana ? Ore ... Nanika warui Ume ate Ill wonder something bad thing "I wonder if 1 ate something bad?" - " Was it s omethin2. I atel'' (PL2)
n'
Q : t ... ti'J~X.-f1i5
(: 1±\ t:t It tttf ...
mise ni denakereba ... To . .. toriaezu fo- for the time being shop to must go out " F- for the time beinl!. I'd b etter I!O out to the shop." (PL2) .(., ftJji. ~ l,"'( ~ }.; 'S -::> It J:: ~ o Shigoto o shire kokoro 0 ochitsukeyo. will calm work (obj.) do-and heanlmind (obj.) " I ' ll calm mvs elf bv doing s ome work." (PL2) " Sound" FX: -"\'- .::z. "/ Kyu! (effect of pulling bowtie tight) Sound FX:
?11/
• maitta is the plain/abrupt past form of mairu, "to be dumbfounded/at a loss/baffled." It's often used as an interjection with the feeling of "I' ll be darned." • mon is a contraction of mono, "thing." The particle o, to mark mono as the object of kutta (plain/ abrupt past of kuu, "eat") has been omitted. • ka na makes a conjectural question, "I wonder if ...?/is it perhaps that ... T • having ore at the end is inverted syntax. Normal order would be ore (wa) nanika warui mon kutra kana? • roriaezu introduces what must be done as an immediate response pending further action, "for now/for starters/as a stopgap." • denakereba is short for denakereba naranai, the "must/have to" form of deru ("go/come out"). Ni marks mise ("shop") as the destination of deru, so the meaning is "go out to" rather than "go out of/from." Q apparently lives in rooms behind or over the shop, but even when this is not the case, mise ni deru is the way shopkeepers would refer to going to work. • shire. the -re form of suru ("do"). here works Like an adverb. expressing how he will calm himself. • ochirsukeyiJ is the form of ochirsukeru ("to calm/ pacify") that shows will/intent.
Uiin Whee-e-e n (hum/grind of electric coffee grinder)
nttn ...
• aJsui could be either ''I'm hot" or "it's hot." 1 ?itm ~ .. Atsui! I Re- re- re- . . . reibo o ... hot a- a- a- air conditioner (obj.) " I'm hot! I 1- 1- 1- •. • (I' ll turn on) the air conditione r ." (PL2)
Q : ~-::>v'!
Goro:
-jl}-'{>~-
'
~"'
~'-'' o
Uhya-, samui samui. (exclam.) cold cold " Hoo-ooh it's cold cold." (PL2) Sound FX: tJ7/ tJ7/ Karan koran Ting-a-Iing (sound of bell that jingles as door is opened) FX:
t-• -"\'Doki (effect of heart mjssing a beat from being startled)
Goro:
~'
A, " Hey," Sound FX: r'j- / Vt7n Rrrrrrm (hum of air conditioner)
-c
n' ,
G o o : 'JL~Iv, {PI, !v -r: 1" ~m .A tt Kyt7-san, nani, reibo irete -n desu ka, starting (explan.-?) (name-hon.) what a.c.
::..rJ)
*"'
(J)
1: 0
kono samui no ni. this/so cold even though "0. what' re vou turning on the air conditioner for, when it's so cold?" (PL3)
• n(o) desu ka, with the explanatory no, asks for an explanation, and nani . .. n desu ka makes a question like "what are you (doing that} for?" • irete 11 is a contraction of irete-iru no, from ireru ("put in''). With many appliances, ireru refers to turning on the switch. from suittchi o ireru, but in the case of an air conditioner it refers to the e ntire process of cooling the room - i.e., to "running" the air conditioner. • kono is used colloquially here like konna (ni), to mean "to this extent/so ..."
M ANGAJIN
51
~ti Q • Katsu - Sh ika 0
12 t ~ ,!=]
?
1?
t" J:
"'?
t:. < !!
I
~· IJ, /J,
/J,
.". t......" ~
t:.."
52
M ANGAJIN
TII\l!i Q • Katsu-Shika 0 Goro:
i
'?
t:.
~
-)
-c'-9 J:!
12,Fl
• mauaku ( literally "completely/entirely"), is of-
Mo jt7nigatsu desu yo!
Mattaku!!
ten used as an exclamation of exasperation.
(exclam.) already December is (emph.) " She es h ! It's D ecembe r alread !" (PL3)
• yo is used to emphasize information the speaker thinks his listener doesn' t know, so the feeling here is something like "Don't you know it's December?" Yo is also used to e mphasize requests/commands with a tone of authority (see next frame and be low).
Sound FX: 111-
Kachi ("click' ' of turning off a.c. switch) Sound FX:
::r:t :t ... Go- . .. (sound of a.c. shutting down )
Goro:
..
<"
li ~ '? , ~ 7 T Hora!, mo sugu
"/;{ ga
;toeg=~/v
oJ..:yaku-san
"/)> ~
*J.,
kuru
kara
:1 - l::: kohii
.An ·cr ~ "' J: o irete kudasai
yo.
(cmph. ) (intcrj.) soon/shortly (hon.)-customers-(hon.) (subj.) will come because/so coffee please make "Look the cus tomers will be comin g s oon, s o would l'OU ~lease make the coffee." (PL3)
hora is an interjection used to get the listener to notice/pay attention to something: " Hey!/Look!/Come on!" o, to mark kohii ( from English ..coffee' ') as the object of irete kudasai, has been omitted. /rete is the -te form of ireru ("put in,'' or when speaking of coffee/tea, ''make/pour"), and kudasai after the -te form of a verb makes a fairly polite request.
Sound FX:
• purururu (or puru puru. bunt buru, burururu, etc.) represents shiveri ng/shak-
7' Jv Jv Jv ...
ing. Since a penguin prefers cold, he's apparently shivering from the heat.
Punt runt Brrrr (effect of shiveri ng)
Q: ;to"/;' l "'
Re- re- re- reibo on the previous page presumably represents a s imi lar e ffect of trying to speak while his teeth are chattering fro m the heat.
• mieru = "can be seen/appears"; the particle ni is
0
used to mark both the person who can see and what (so meth ing) can be seen as (i.e. what it looks like). When both are specified as here, context tells which is which. • the question indicated by no ka is rhetorical. The question form is often used like th is when a person is trying to figure out/clarify something in his mind "So it's ... , is it/I guess."
Okashii.
strange/odd " That's odd." (PL2)
:J' o Gori5
~= (;t ni wa
JL ~ lv ~= Je_,ZJ.,
Ky£7-san
111
(J) "/)>?
1nieru no ka ?
(name) to as-for (name-hon.) as appear (explan.-?) "To Goro I mus t (_still) look like Q," (PL2) Goro: "'~-? l~~t,iit- !!
lrasshaimase-.1.1
1L ~ !v .::c - .::.. / 7. 2-=' !! Ky t7-san.
moningu juratsui!
two (namc-hon.) morning Q, two mornings!" (PL2)
welcome " Welcome! (PL4)
:F ...
Sound FX: :J;F :J;F :1
Kopo kopo kopo ... Klu~ klu~ klu~ (sound of pouring coffee)
Sound FX:
11·~-'r'
Gosha
• irasshaimase is the standard greeting shopkeepers use to welcome customers. It is a command form of the PL4 verb irassharu (''come"). • at a coffee shop, moningu is short for moningu slibisu (from English " morning service"), which refers to special breakfast sets that can be ordered with coffee or tea until late morning. Typically the set includes toast, a boiled egg, and/or a small salad.
Cras h (sound of decanter falli ng o n coffee cup)
Q: t!.~ t!. !!
I
I
Dame da!!
'?'i
I')~/.:¥'/
Yahari
peng in
t!. !! da!!
after all penguin am no good is " It's no u se! I I r e alll' am a pen~min_!" (PL2) G_9ro:
• vahari means "after all/as expected," often with the emphatic feeling of '' it really is so."
A-a
(Goro's sigh/groan of dismay at Q 's spilling the coffee) Goro: 1L ~ !v :1-l:::- ';t Kyil-san kohii wa
")ii"\
"/)> ~ . ..
kara ...
(name-hon.) coffee as-for fine/okay because/so " Q,_furget the c offee." Goro:
-lT7Y Jot9li~t' liT to sarada on.egai shimasu
~ -:A ~ t
tosuto
J: o y o.
(hon. )-request (em ph.) toast and salad " Plea se (ma k e) th e toas t and s alad?" (PL3)
I
• the expression ... wa ii (kara) is literally "(because) ... is fine/okay," but often implies "it's okay for you not to do .. ." " never mind/ forget the ... " • to= ..and'' for between two nouns. • onegai is from negai, " request,'' and onegai surulshimasu, meaning ..(1) make a request/ask a favor," is often used as an equivalent of "please." The ho norific prefix a- is always neeessary for this use - though it can be omitted when us ing negai in other ways.
M ANGAJIN
53
t!&Q • Katsu-Shi ka 0
1:'1i1J T~ '/}• "'?
!11: A,
..... __
L-:iO*ffiia ~ p I A t;, ~, T ~,, ?r' -r "'? !! !I I t:t (J) I. \
1i'"f
5 4
M ANG A JIN
~'
-r
tSMQ •Katsu-Shika 0
@J
Sound FX:
-+r 7 . . -+r 7 .. Saku .. Saku .. (a crisp sound, here of knife cutting thro ugh bread crust)
Sound FX: / - / 81711 (hum of toaster oven)
~
C ustomer A: 7
'J
7 :..-
Fukkushi "Ach oo!" (sneeze; a variation on hakushon, the standard sneeze sound) C ustomer 8: ~ J.J..- o
Sanli-.
• sami- is a corruption of samui ("cold"), another adjective often used as an exclamation (see Basic Japanese in this issue).
cold
" Brrrr." Goro:
1L ~ lv "* t.:. Kyt7-san mata
if.> -?
A!
oh!/hcy!
~ ))}
~ !!
reibo
o!!
(name-hon.) again air conditioner (obj.)
"Hey, Q (is running) the air conditioner again!" - "Sheesh there go~ain with the a ir conditione r !" (PL3)
~-= L.-cr~v'!! ni shite kudasai!!
iPtflv kagen
Gor o: "'"' li
good/fine cxtem/degrcc
• kagen =''degree/extent," and shire (the -te form of .mru, "do/make") plus kudasai makes a request or gentle command. so ii kagenni shite kudasai is literally "do/make (it) to a good/ appropriate extent" - implying that "good extent" has al ready been reached-> "that's enough/stop it!"
please make it
to
" Pjease cu t tha t out!" (PL3) S ound FX: ;'\ 7 1'\ 7
;\ 7
Pata pata pata P atte r patter patte r G oro:
-+r 7 .Y "C" T Sarada desu salad
is
J: !! -+r 7 .Y!! yo!!
Sarada!!
(cmph.)
salad
" The sa lad ! I asked you to make) the salad!" (PL3)
FX:
~ /-\" 1) Hin 'yari
..
• yaue 11 is a contraction of yaue-iru no, the progressive ("is/are - ing") form of yaru ("do") plus the explanatory 110. • 11(0) desu ka asks for (or in this case demands) an explanation.
(effect of cool/chill) Gor o :
-c
Nani
yaue
lv "C" T ~'!! n desu ka!!
what
arc doing
{cxplan.-?)
~ -?
fiiJ
" Wha t a r e y_ou doing?" (PL3)
Q:
~ / .:¥ / t.:: Pengin da
penguin
~' ~ tl:H* "* -tt lv o
kara
am because/so
" I'm a penguin, Goro:
'b
dekimasen.
so I
cannot do
can' t do it." (PL3)
*- ,
MO-.
(interj.)
" Sheesh !" ~oro: ~
Wake
(J)
no
~\ lv 7'j: v\ .::. t L.l'j:v'--c'' f~v' !! wakannai koto shinaide kudasai!.t
b
reason/meaning (subj.) can' t understand
thing
please don't do
" Please don' t do things whose reason I can' t understa nd:· - " Plea se stop acting so irratio nally!" (PL3) Gor o: ti~-?,
Hora.t
t~Jv"C"l'j:l-'"C" ;t-:$" -0)
}J.t:>litv'LiT!!
Nayande-naide
ho onegaishimasu.t!
look/come on without brooding
odii orders
no
· s direction
please do
" C ome on, please go ta ke orde rs instead of (standing there broodingl" (PL3)
• dekimasen is the PL3 negati ve form of dekiru ('"can do"). • mo. literally •·now/already.'' is sometimes used as an interjection expressing exasperation/frustration. • wakannai is a colloquial contraction of wakaranai, the negative form of wakaru ("[can] understand/comprehend"). Wake no wakaranai is a complete thought/sentence ("[one] can't understand the reason/meaning") modifying k01o ('"thing")= "thing(s) one can't understand" "things that make no sense:· • nayande-(i)naide is from nayamu ('"fret/brood/agonize''). • hii is literally "direction/way": ... no ho is frequently used to direct someone towards one of several choices/possibilities.
M ANGA JIN
55
~MiQ • Katsu-Shika
!? {iiJ ;t "'[--:>
-t ?
-r
v 1 2
7
I
MANGAJII)I
~
0 ~~ "'? 1 ~ o _
-{
56
0
{f,fijQ • Katsu-Shika 0
C us tomer C: ~-:../7" 2 -::::> o
1:1 futatsu. lkko
Moningu
v~/71 - "t: o
reman tii
de.
morning two one lemon tea \\ llh " Two mornings. One with le mon tea." ( PL2) Sound FX:
/~
• -ko is a counter suffix for ~mall. relatively compact items. Its use here generic -tsu) is colloquial.
(in~tead
of the
7 ;-\ 7
Paku paku (effect of opening and closing mouth) Goro:
7... --:>? £!?
1PJ
--c !? tte!?
-c>-9 --:>
Nan desu
• nan desu lie (or less formally. nan da lie) is used to ask a speaker to repeat what he/she has just said. when you didn't hear/understand, or when you can·t quite believe your ears.
huh?/what? what is (quote) " Huh? What did vou s av?" ( PL3)
Q: 7.:\"-- ·:; Kukii! (sound of a penguin's cry of a ng uish ) Sound FX:
J~-7
J'\-7
J~-7
Pata pata pata Patter Qatter ~atter :tL~Iv!!
Goro: cl?--:>
A!
Kyii-san!!
oh!fhey! (name-hon.) " H eyLQl" ( PL3) FX: 7'7/
Puan (effec t of light c hangi ng) Sound FX:
:J":t :t
**
Gooooo
(roar of traffic)
Q:
m~ "' fi<:. '7 . . . Byoin e ikO. hospital to shall go "I~I Lgo to the ho_spital." (PL2)
Q: LiP L Shikashi
fr--:> t:. t.::.l:>-c> itta
tokoro de
• ikc7 is the volitio nal ("Let' s/1 sha ll") form of iku ("go").
t ' -) do
7j: 0? na ru ?
but went even if were to how/what become/happen "But even if I were_to_go what would happen?" ( PL2)
is the plain/abupt past form of iku ("go") . .. iliatokoro de mea ns "even if (one) were to ..... : it's s imilar to-te mo but tends to imply more strongly -w
that the result will be negative.
Q: ~/-¥ / -eT o Pengin
desu.
penguin am " I ' m a ~enguin." (PL3) Doctor:
-t--J-c>-9 J: o yo. (emph. ) is so " You certainly are." ( PL3)
So desu
m~ -to /v f.: !! Do setsumei suru n da!!
Q: t'-)
how explanation do (ex plan.-?) " How do_l exp la in it?" ( PL3) Sound FX:
• asking a question with da or n dais masculine and can sound very roug h. so the question he asks himself here feels something like " How the he ll do I explain?"
11-;;7-tJ·:;-T Katchi katchi C lick click (sound accompanying the nas h of the ped estrian light)
MAN GAJtN
57
l:'5MQ • Katsu-Shika 0
~'
?
1J b ~:f'
:~
~ ~
1J• ~ ;,;
"?1':, ~-
~-r~;.-0)
~
c· h
0)
t::.·-"')
t:: !?
n~
1 I
t;~
c t:. I?
58
MANGA JI N
:ff,fil5Q • Katsu·5hika 0
Q: .: tL li ~ (J) l.J- ,Z t:. ~** 7i (J) tJ' !? Kore wa kami no ataeta shiren na no ka!? this
~
as-for
god
(subj.)
gave
LriaVtest
(explan.-? )
"\-? .. .
Q) ~~ 1? {> b tJ'? "(if> ~f 7i ~ "\ t no kimochi mo wakatte age-nasai to
/ .:¥ /
Pengin penguin
's
feelings
also
understand for them
iu .. .
(quote)
say
"Is this a trial from God/the gods? Telling me to understa nd what it feels like to be a penguin . . ." (PL2) ~~- ~-
Sound FX: 7" 7" Gu gu
Bibii Bii
(''gripping/folding" wings together)
§]
Q:
/\ 'J
Ha!
7ffi
(car horns)
t..~· II
Aka da!!
(interj.) red
is
" Oh no! It's red." (PL2) S.oJ.md FX: ~Bii
@]
Q: l:: 1 Hii Sou nd_~X:
Beep "Yikes!"
1 :i:t:t:t
1 ~ 7 1~7
Para para I Goooo Patter patter I Vrooom (roar of lraffic)
@)
Sound_FX: Q:
/\ 7 /\ 7
Hii hii (effect of heavy breathing) 7i J.> f.£ ~ / .:¥ / Q) 1n ~ 1? 1Jf Naruhodo pengin no kimochi ga 1 see/indeed
penguin
·s
.t -
< b tJ'
yoku
feelings (subj.) very well
?
t::. 0
wakatta.
understand
"Yes, I r eally understand how a penguin feels now." (PL2)
c:- t.:
Q: b tJ'-? t.:. tJ' C-y Wakatta kara
do
t
Q) t.: !? yii no da?
~-
da to
understand because/so how/what is (quote) say (explan.-?)
..... " But so what if I do?" (PL2) Madame: cf:>C:J, JL~Ivo Ara, Kyil-san. (interj.) (name-hon.)
"My! It's Q." (PL2-3) Mada me: :::: ~ ~ t.:. Gobusata
t ~ 1i "' . . . ja nai .. .
long time no see
isn't it
" It's been a long time." (PL2-3)
li wa
.BT5
o-mise
1:
mi
ni kao
1:1:\l"C
dashire
~o
ne.
occasionally as-for (hon.)-shop to/at face please put out (colloq.)
"Show vour face at the club now and then okav?" (PL2) Woman 1: if> C-.J, 7L ~ lvo Ara, Kyii-san. "Mv! It's 0 ." (PL2-3) Woma n_2: 7L ~ - lv Kyii-sa-n " (Hi,) Q." (PL2-3) Woman 3: it.:. .:.·3=5~ L. "C Mara go-shimei shire
~o
ne.
again (hon.)-designation please do (colloq.)
"Ask for me again, okay?" (PL2-4)
• naruhodo expresses one's understanding of what one has heard/observed/experienced: ·'aha/1 see/indeed/really." • yoku is the arlverb form of iilyoi ("good/fine"): lengthening it adds emphasis: ''ve-e-ery well." • wakatta is the plain/abrupt past form of wakaru. Since wakaru means "come to know/understand,'' its past form is often equivalent to English "understand" rather than "understood." ~ - yii is an alternate spelling of iu ("say"). The quotative to iu + explanatory 110 + the masculine/rough question da (see above) is essentiall y an emphatic flourish. • ara is an interjection showing sudden recognition/notice of something, "oh/oh my/hey."
•
" Because you/I understand, what i s it that you/1 say it is?"
Madame: t:. i 1: Tama ni
• quotative forms in Japanese mark the content not only of speech but of other actions/situations/things. In this case to iu marks pe11gi11 110 kimochi mo walwtte age11asai as the specific "content" of kami 110 ataeta shire11 ("trial fro'll God"), which in normal syntax would follow to iu. • wakatte is the -te form of wakaru ("come to know/understand") and age-11asai is a gentle command form of ageru ("give"). A form of ageru after the -Le form of a verb means "do (the action) for someone."
• gobusata is a greeting used with someone you have not seen or heard from in a long time. Go- is honorific (standard for the greeting), and busata is lit. "without communicationltidjngs. ·• • (o-)mise can refer to almost any kind of "shop" or retail establishment, but since she seems to be standing in front of a bar, we translated it as "club" here. • dashite is the -Le form of dasu ("put/ take out" -+ "show/display"), used here as an informal request, "please." The colloquialne at the end of a request urges compliance/obedience. • shimei = ·'nomination/designation" and shimei suru ="nominate/designate." In the context of night spots, it refers to designating/asking for a speci ric hostess rather than simply taking wl oever comes.These women are presumably all bar/club hostesses.
MAN GAJIN
59
J!,iiltiQ • K atsu-Shik a 0
l J:t.
~
-r IJ ;.;
~' ~
,c_, f* ;f If
=¥' "'f fp .:, :? ;.; IJ I 7 1: fp
!!
60
MA N GA JI N
c
ufn Q• Katsu -Sh ika 0
Q: -? - ~) , ~ ci: ~ i b Omu
yahari
1;
A rr11
(J)
ningen
hmm nflcr all/really surrounding
of
people/humans
)L ~ !v C L. ""( ~~~ ~ KyL7-san toshite utsuru
~
as
u ': ti
(J)
no
(name-hon.)
mawari
no me s
eyes
111
wa
in a~>- for
''the people around (me)."
L. 1, ' o
• raJhii shows that the speaker is
rashii.
rellectlappear apparently
"HmmJt_pJ!arentlv to the people around me I still look like Q." (PL2) Q: -? L. -c ~ 1v 0 1 ~ / :¥ / J: ~- o Doshite na n da. I Pengin da yo nli.
t.:
c·
w hy
t.:.
(explan.- ? )
penguin
• Llmu indicates he is pondering. • mawari = ·'surroundings/vi cinity,'' and mawari no ningen =
am (emph.) (colloq.)
" Why is it?__LI'm a penguin~ right?" (PL2)
making a judgment/conjecture based on something he/she has seen/heard: "apparently/it seems/1 g uess. • na (lengthened for emphasis) is used as a kind o f self-check/ confirmation when speaking/ thinking to o neself: "that seems to be the case. doesn't it?"
FX: ::: l7 .. . Coku ... G ulp ••. Ba rrel: fr.l1 1i Uokichi (common fi shmonger name)
Q:
1,\'/)'/v
• tsui as an adverb for actions im-
Ikon not good/won't do not good/won' t do "Oh~ no. This won ' t do." (PL2)
fh.
Wf!¥~
"? 1,\
Tsui
•L'
~:
'/){ -?!ibtl""C L. i-? o
shinsen-11a sakana ni kokoro ga
in spi te o f myself fresh
fish
by
ubawarete shimau.
heart (subj.)
is stolen-( regret)
" In spite of myself, my heart is taken by fresh fish .'' " I some how find mn_elf tempted by fresh fish." (PL2)
Q: f(j!
A ra~
!i
Ore wa 1/me
a~-for
~lvt.!. o
~/.:¥'/t.~~v ' lvf.:' o
I
na 11 da. I
ningen
ja nai n da.
Pe11gin
human being (explan.-am)
penguin
(explan.-am not )
" I' m a huma n being! / I' m not a penguin!" (PL2) FX:
I \ ·:;
Ha!
~~
t
Jl
ltsu 110 ma ni ka tamago o unnoticed/unawares
egg
(J)
as hi
(obj.) foot
E. [- k (
I
Oji Tamago
i~~-c"''¢ !
"'C".:Z.v' !!
Yaomasa
(common greengrocer name)
I
(cxclam.)
~
I {if
!i1JdJ1J'
/:¥/ t:
.(.,
i"C'
Karada bakari ka kokoro made body
only-?
heart
even/too
c L. ""(I, \ ~ -!!
0 -? narikiro
~ ~) ~
pe11gin
ni
pengui n
into will completely become
to shite-iru-!! is about to
"Arrggh! Not only my_bod but even my heart is trying to turn (completely) into a penguin." (PL3) FX: .of 7 .. Kira ... Twinkle/Giin_t (light of setting sun reflected in his tears)
Q:
rn .j.j~
" e
f)· .:. -J ikf).
South Pole/Antarctica to
shall go
Nank voku
• itsu noma ni ka (lit. "in the space of when?") is an expression meaning '' while ( I) was not aware/before (I) knew/without realizing it." • atatamete-iru i~ from atatameru ("to warm").
Oji Eggs I Yaomasa FX: 1f / Can (effect of shock/astonishment) Di!i.'!
takes after nouns. A s in the two endings here. 11a 11 da and 11 da can be merely emphatic rather than explanatory.
110
de atatamete-im!!
J\. r'i !&
I
(name) eggs
-r-
Efl
no ko
of top with am warming warmin~ on my feet."
" Without even realizingl!, I' m (PL2)
Q:
• ore is a rough/ masculine " 1/mc.'' • 11a n(o) is the fo rm explanatory
Hunb? (startled/ puzzled ·'gasp")
Q: "'' -::> o:>lm~:n'
Crates:
plies the action is/was done inadvertently/unintentionally. • ubawarete is the -te form o f ubawareru ("to be stolen"), the passive form o f uba u (" steal"). Shimau after the ·te fo rm o f a verb often means that the action is regrettable/undesirable.
• ... bakari ka is an expressio n meaning "not only - .''
• nari is from naru ("become/turn into'') and -kiro is the volitional (''will/shall") form of ·kim, a verb suffix meaning ''finish (doing)/(do) completely:· • . .. to shire iru is an expression meaning ·' is about to/is o n the verge o f/ is try ing to:·
.. • iM is the voli tional ("wi ll/ shall") form of iku (" go").
"I'll go to Antarctica." (PL2) M ANGAJIN
61
~~Q · Katsu-Shika
62
MANGAJIN
0
~fi!PQ • Katsu-Shika
~?
Q: .::. "? Kif
t l""C jj(§J toshite n1une
t::. J:J..t /"{ / .:¥' /
natta
ijO
pengin
this way became
since
pengu in
as
chest
0
~
~~
!i? -r haue
o
-r \t'.::. -? !
ikire ikO!
(obj.) sprcadlthrow out wil l go on living
"Since it's come to this, I'll throw my chest out (proudly) and Iiy_e_as~uin." (PL2) I') ~ ~ !i 'JL ~ lv ~ lv t!.fJ' ~ 'JL ~ lv t l -r :8 jfz ~ t.:./1; -r .. .
-r wa
c
Toriaezu for starters
Kyt7-san na n da kara KyL7-san
as-for (name-hon.)
because I am
toshite
okane
o ramete . . .
(name-ho n.) as/in the capacity of (hon.)-money (obj .) save
"For starters since I'm 0. I'll save uo my money in the capacity _Q(_Q, and ..." (PL2) • a verb followed by ijo means "since/seeing that/so long as (the action occurs/occurred)." • mune o haue is the -te form of mune o han1 ("throw one's chest out'"}. serving as an adverb meaning "proudly." • tamete is the -te form of tameru ("collect/accumulate,'' or when speaking of money. "save'').
Q:
r"Fuji .s- 1.:. J 1: *? -r " ni notte
ll! illllAG
Kansoku-sen
""" q:y.:. -? ,
1¥i ~ Nankyoku
e
iko.'
survey/observation ship (name) on ride-and South Pole/Antarc tica to " 20 to Antarctica on the survey shi~t Fuli!" (PL2)
w
1¥iI! . . . itt t:p (J) Nankyoku .. . sekai-jL7 no Antarctica
.:¥' /
/"{ /
entire world ·s
pengin
~
(/)
7
• Fuji is the name of a wellknown icebreaker affiliated with the Maritime Self-Defense Forces and erving as a transpan and survey ship for J apan's research station in Antarctica.
will go
lfl :t!! 0
no tsudou Nanf..:yoku.
penguins (subj.) gather
Antarctica
"Antarctica ..• Antarctica where all the world 's penguins !!_ather." (PL2)
~
Q:
~~ -,
A-,
(/)J-{7~1.A !!
w-
yume no paradaisu!.'
(exclam.) dream of
• parodoisu is a katakana rendering of English ''paradise."
paradise
"Ahhh the oaradise of mv dreams!" (PL2) Sound FX: 7- -t 7 7 7 - 7 7 Chararara rara (sound of accompaniment for dancing)
~
Sound FX: ::I/ ::I/
Knock knock
Kon kon
Goro: ll ~
7L~Iv, ~~""CT~It' o
Hora
KyL7-san okite kudasai.
look/come o n (name-hon.)
please get up
{:±$ 'l"T J:!! Shigoto desu yo!! work
is (emph.)
"Come on 0. Please 2et uo. Time for work." (PL3) Goro: 'JL ~ lv,
KyL7-san,
?iliil!
reizoko
~ P. c'.:. 1: -t .Q o nedoko ni suru
(name-hon.) refrigerator (obj.)
bed
lv ~ ~ n
b-?
nara mo
to make (explan.) if
• okite is from okiru ("wake/get up").
• shigoto desu is lite rall y "it's work," but implies ''it's time to go to work.''
-tJ Xl: -:> -rT ~ v' J: o ichidai katte kudasai yo.
mo re o ne-(count)
please buy
(cmph.)
"0 . if vou ' re I!Oinl! to use the refri2erator as a bed olease buy another one." (PL3) Customer:
nani, kore.
oh!hcy what
thing) into .. .''
• mo before a number means that many " more." -Doi
this
" Hev. what 's this?" ( PL2) Jar Label: 1¥i.:f!! Antarctica Nankyoku FX: 7 .:f- 7 .:fKukii kukii (penguin cry/sqeal)
Customer:
It'~ -
Iya-11,
I
lv , It' t.:. - It' ! ! ita-i!!
disagreeable
huns/ouch!
"Stoo i-i-it! Ou-u-uch!" (PL2) Someone: lil i1i )L ~ lv ~ t3. P. .. . Saikin
Kyii-san
hen
done.
recent ly (name-hon.) strange/odd is isn't he
"Qlbeen strange recentlv. hasn' t he?" (PL2) Goro: iW fJ' ~ t3. J:: Mae kara before from
da
is a counter suffix for appliances, cameras, cars, and many other kinds of machinery. • kotte is the -te form of kou ("buy"). • noni, kore is an inversion of kore nani?, an informal version of kore wa nan desu ka? (''what is this?").
• iya- n is an exclamatory form of iyo do, literally meaning " is disagreeable/unpleasant." As an exclamation, iya do often means " Don't!/Stop it!" • itoi is an adjective meaning "huns/is painful," but it's also used as the exclamation "ouch!" The lengthener here makes it feel more like a scream. • ne at the end of the sentence assumes/expec ts the listener will agree with the statement.
yo
is (emph.)
"It's from before." ..... " He was alway_s that way." (PL2)
MANGA JIN
63
Kacho Shima Kosaku:
Japan's Most Famous Salaryman We've been thinkingfora while about reprinting part ofHirokane Kenshi' sfamous sa/aryman mango, KachoShima Kosaku. While this was in the works, we discovered another Shima f an: T.R. Reid, Washington Post bureau chief in Tokyo. The following is an excerpt from a story Reid filed to the Post last year about his addiction to manga in general and Shima-kacho in particular. My name is T.R. Reid and I am a mangaholic. On the theory that the way to deal with addiction is to confront it openly, to confess to the world, I hereby reject all my former rationalizations- that I could quit any time I wanted, that I was only a social reader, that it dido ' t really bother me when my local dealer sold out before I could buy my weekly fix. Rather, I now concede that I am hopelessly hooked on manga. Every Thursday morning I race to the bookstore and plunk down 230 yen ($2.25) for the new edition of Comic Moming. This 340-page weekly carries about 20 continuing comic strips, including the one I love most, "Section C hief Shima"-agripping battle-in-the-suites corporateepicaboutoneShimaKosakusan, a hard-working salaryman at a giant consumer electronics company who wages a never-ending struggle for truth, profits and the Japanese Way. Written and drawn by Hirokane Kenshi-a rich, famous but still remarkablydown-to-earth manga artist it has a strikjngly realistic pictorial style and a vast tableau of settings and characters. MANGAJJN readers will recognize the similarity of the visual sty le to Ningen Kosaten, the series Hirokane drew to stories written by Yajima Masao. Our hero, Shima Kosaku, is a single, forty ish salaryman. He heads the General Affairs Section (Our episode came a little before this -Ed.) at " Hatsushiba" Corp., a huge consumer e lectronics multinational that is clearly modeled on Matsushita. the Japanese giant that produces Panasonic, Nationa l and other brand names. Hirokane himself was a salaryman at Matsushita before he hit it big in the manga trade, and many of the triumphs and tragedies that occur in Kach6 Shima are based quite openly on actual events from Matsushita's corporate history. The plot of'·Section Chief Shima" involves recurring corporate crises that require Shima-san to use all his ingenuity and charm to make sure that Hatsushiba doesn ' t lose market share to its Japanese and American competitors. There are countless subplots involving the financial and romantic problems of Shima
and his colleagues. Hirokane is such a good storyteller that almost nothing is predictable. The story really got interesting shortly after the real Matsushita bought the American film producer MCA. Sure enough, in the manga, Section Chief Shima was dispatched to Hollywood by the brass at Hatsushiba with instructions to buy a famous American movie company. Almost every week thereafter, the negotiations took startling turns. There were corporate spies, suspicious fifes, and the mysterious rerum of Shima's former girlfriend, the beautiful (and sexually voracious) Omachi Kuniko. Along the way, Shima experienced what every Japanese expects in America: he was mugged on a street in Los Angeles; his American rental car dido ' t work right; he visited an ordinary American horne and was amazed at how big it was. Shima had to worry not only about the business deal, but also about the political reaction in the US as another American icon became Japanese. His company solved this problem just like real Japanese companies do-by paying ex-Cong ressmen to do the necessary lobbying in Washington. This was all so fascinating that I found myself actually looking forward each week ro Thursday mornings, when I could read the next installment. But then, as the months went by and Shima's career continued to advance. some startling developments occurred. First, the beautiful Ohmachi Kuniko broke all the rules of Japanese propriety by walking out midway through the marriage ceremony with a well-bred young man her parents had picked to be her groom. Still wearing her $25,000 wedding kimono, she raced to Shima's apartment and confessed her love fo r him. While heartwarming, this was a frightening tum of events fo r Shima addicts. It seemed to signal a wedding for Shima himself, a twist that wo uld eliminate all the rich subplots stemming from his sex life. The next piece of good news was even worse. The brass at Hatsushiba promoted Shima from kach6, or section chief, to bucho, or division chief, a more exalted but less adventurous posit ion in Japan 's corporate bureaucracy. This was so unexpected the national newspapers ran stories o n it: "Japan's most famous salaryman gets promoted," said the Mainichi Shinbun. Besieged by reporters-including me-the creator of "Section Chie f Shima" finally explained what was going o n. " I've been writing about Shima-san since 1982," Hirokane said in nostalgic tones. "I've sold 13 million copies of Shima books. And that's enough. 'Section Chie f Shima' is going to end." Going to e nd! But what would happen to my Thursday morning high? In fact, Shima's serial did come to an end, althoug h there was a revival of the national "Shima fever" last fa ll when a movie (using real actors, not cartoons) based on the series came out. The n, the other day, as I was leafing absent-mindedly through another manga periodical , Mister Magazine, I was stunned to see a character who looked like Shima-san's twin brother. Not only (cominued 0 11 pa.~e 73)
MAN GAJIN
65
~!HUIH'F
66
MAN GAJI N
• Kacho Shima Kosaku
~-B:IiUJH'F
QJ
Narration: R:.fffl
• KachO Shima
I:tli
rJ)
iWl
li
.!f!. v' o
kojo
no
asa
wa
hayai.
as-for
early
Kyoto
(place name) factory
s morning
Kosaku
Starting time at the Kyoto factory is early. (PL2) tHIU~ li 8~litr rJ) 7 V ;;t if~ 1:
~,a
~1.Jo-t
Jugyo-in
zen 'in
sanka suru.
all persons
participate
wa
hachiji-mae
no
employees as-for before 8 o'clock 's
rajio
tmso
ni
radio calisthenics in
J.J o
All employees participate in radio calisthenics (held) a little before 8 a.m. (PL2) Sign: 'ti.':§i:
~-
Anzen dai-ichi no. I
safety
Safety First Leader:
s "'-::> 1?
Oitchi
1: "' ~ lv l "' .. . nii
san
shii . . .
"A-one two three four ..•" • rajio taiso, literally "radio exercises/calisthenics,"' refers to a calisthenics sequence, with rhythmical music accompaniment, broadcast a couple of times a day on NHK radio. Most Japanese have at least some familiarity with the sequence from the time they are in grade school. The morning broadcast is generally much earlier than 8:00, but many employers use tapes of the same program for employee exercises. • oitchi is a variation of ichi ("one") often used when counting beats for exercise. Ni ("two'') and shi ("four") are lengthened to get four even beats, since san is considered two syllables in Japanese.
0
Narration: -frJ)r&
19t>hJ.J
Sono aw okonawareru after that
.. n. "':)
wa, soshi-sha Yoshiwara Hatslltaro
is done/held morning meeting as-for founder rJ)
nrw·
(=)
:fnt:~m
"Ern;:
(i,
~
"ltsutsu no Seishin" o five
~J!ro~
t!HL chorei
11/;\.Zt.: tonaeta
(surname) (given name) (subj.) advanced/preached
~to-t'-'
.:: ~
showa suru
koto
tp G trc t. '-' 0 kara hajimaru.
act of
from
spirits (obj.) recite in unison
rJ)
no
begins
The morning meeting that follows be ins with a recitation in unison of "The Five S irits" set forth by founder Yoshiwara Hatsutaro. (PL2) Leader: - --::J, U ~ ~Ht 11) :tl1J :t$ o Hitotsu, slwkai hiJshi no seishin. one/first
society service of
spirit
" One: a s irit of service to societ " • chorei, a meeting for formal "good-morning"s and brief remarks from the ranking member of the group regarding the coming day's agenda, is a fairly standard custom at Japanese businesses, schools, and other organizations. The meetings often include the singing of a company/school song or chanting of a motto, etc. • tonaeta is the plain/abrupt past form of tonaeru ("advocate/preach/set forth"). Soshi-sha Yoshiwara Hatsutaro no tonaeta is a complete thought/sentence ("founder Yoshiwara Hatsutaro set forth") modifying itsutsu no seishin ("The Five Spirits"). This use of seishin could also be translated "ideal(s)"-+ ''The Five Ideals." • showa = "chorus" and showa suru ="sing/recite in a chorus/in unison.'' Koto is literally "thing," in this case referring to an "action" -+ shiJwa suru koto = "the action of reciting in unison."
Workers:
'(}~--::J,
L~t.P~'
Hitotsu,
shakai
'i-) L 11) -\tlt'Liv o hoshi no seishin.
one
society
service
of
spirit
"One: a spirit of service to society." Narration: 9J 00 )C1fi. ~1t 11) .:§ ~~t:JJ1< Chugoku bunkaku
jidai no Mo goroku
China Cultural Revolution era ::.. rJ)
n.mfl1! Pl§fo
~=
kono go-seishin showa ni this
's Mao quotations ~u
11)
J:: 7 7J:
iHii9
AA:W:
~
Mf.¥-9 J.,
no yo-na
senno
koka
o
kitai suru
11)
is like brainwashing effect (obj.) look/aim for
i! !:f:l
,;~:
s s ts tt
m!flJ s9 -r: ~ '? t::.
honsha no renchii wa omune hihan-teki five spirits chorus of head office 's group of people as-for mostly/generally critical
de alta were
tJ~ ..
.
ga .. . but
The crew at the head office were generally critical of this recitation of the Five Spirits, which was intended to have a brainwashing effect like the quotations of Chairman Mao during the Great Cultural Revolution in China, but .•• (PL2) • bunkaku is an abbreviation of bunka daikakumei, "great cultura l revolution," referring to the 1966-69 upheava ls in China. Chinese and Korean proper nouns are read with a Japanese pronunciation, so Mao becomes Mo. • kitai suru ("look/hope/aim for") ends a complete thought/sentence ("aims for/intends a brainwashing effect like the Mao quotations of China's cultural revolution period") modifying kono go-seishin showa ("this FiveSpirit recitation"). • renchii is an informal word for referring to a group of people: "bunch/crew." • hihan = "criticism," and hihan-teki ="critical." De atta is the past of de aru, a more formal equivalent of dal desu ("is/are"), so hihan-teki de atta = "were critical." Ni after showa marks it as the target of the criticism.
MANGAJtN 67
~:&:tH.IH'F
•
Kachl5 Shima Kl5saku
ftllf#T
11 ~ L ~A"' ~M·
IliJ
:lr \.\ ......
lfll* "' -r: .-!-? I t1iiS --:> ?M
"T:~t::
"'i"T:~ 't t : .:.i =
~/)<
"'
68
M ANGAJIN
~ft ~#t-it
0
Narration: -=. .-:> 'G thi~
j!!r.j.J renclrii
Q)
kmclri
• KachO Shima Kosaku
110
H l: 0
(j
side/direction ·s group of people
a~-for
be
lil::'
~ill'
lwdo
su11ao de
<
odoroku
11'0
\urpri~d
.§llj
f! o
slri11ke11 da.
degree arc docile/meek-and serious
are
. . . the people here are amazingl cooperative and serious about it • (PL2)
•oo§
,:(J) ~ (j Ko11o mnjime-sa 1ra. this
*U lronslra
nrt
(J) t '> lli:~<' ~fi~$ 110 torill'ake ll'areware sende11-bu
seriousness as-for head office
t:
U:
ni
wa
1r,..
panicularly
(J) ~"P 110 re11clu/
wcJu, advenising depl. 's bunch
l'f~ o
kaimu
de ell/a.
in/among as-for nonexistent
wa~
Such an earnestness was com letely lacking among_those at the head office- at least amone the crew in the Advertising Department. (PL2) • kotchi. an informal fom1 of koclrira (lit. ''this side/direction"), is often used to refer to one's present location, "here," especially in the contex t of contrast ing it with another location. • de is essentially the -te form of da/de.,·u ("is/are"). and it adds the meaning "and,'' so su11ao de means " is/are docile/meek/cooperati ve/acquiescent and ..." • shi11ke11 literally means "real sword." (a~ opposed to a wooden or bamboo sword used for practice/training), and it's not hard to see how that leads to the idiomatic meaning of "serious(ness)/earnest(ness)." • majime is another word for "serious/earnest": adding -sa makes it a noun: "seriousness/earnestness." • lronsha no (''the head office's") and toriu·ake wareware senden-buno ("pan icularly our advenising depanment's" ) both modify re11clul ("bunch/crew") separately. • roriwake = panicularly/especially." but he u~e~ it here for the meaning. "speaking in pmicular of (the advertising depanmem)" rather than "(the advenising depanment) is especially/more than other lacking in ..... "at least in the advenising depanment." • u•are1mre means "we/us:· and ware11·are senden-lm is literally "we. the advenhing depanment." No makes it possessive. so " 'are1rare senden-buno renc/ul is literally ··we/us. the advenising depanment's bunch/crew."
0
*'( kite
1 ~1111
r:
t
Atarashii
shokuba
isslulkcm
ni
1110
new
workplace to since carne one "eel.
tO
~.ijlj
Narration: :f!f L. "' ~*
ka
section
{/)
A.,
e
~}.,
i){ '
1)(/fl/
ga.
(cmph. ) become but
iJ{
"'ilt'-t;
110
AR~ 11i11gell
ga
ima-iclli
uclriwkete ko11ai.
s
people
(subj.)
not quite
relax with!Clpen up to me
-? -t; t rt "(.:. ~ lt' o
It's been a whole week since'l came to my new worJrnlace, but people in my section still haven' t uite warmed up to me. (PL2) 1tt1: Ore
tt
~~ ~
11.11 ~n~
wa
myo-11a
koritsu-ka11
Ume as-for
odd/strange
:a:o
1\;jd? "? -c ~.- , ;., 0 ajiwalle-iru.
feeling of i:.olation (obj.) am tasling/experiencjng.
I continue to beJeft with an odd feeling of isolation. (PL2) • the -te form of a verb plus a length of time plus ... 11i 11aru makes an expression meaning " it has been (that long) since (doing the action)." lnsening mo adds emphasis: "it has been all of (a le ngth of time) since ..." "it's been a whole week since .. :· • large Japanese corporations are typica lly divided into bu ("divisions/depanments"). which are in turn divided into ka ("sections"). KachO in the title of thi~ manga is this ka plus the suffix cho for referring to the "head/ chief/leader" of an organization or group. ~o it literally means "section chief/manager" - which is the official corporate title/position of Shima Kosaku. our title character and the man whose thoughts we are fo llowing here. • ima-iclli (or ima-hitotsu ) is used before a negative verb to imply the action does not quite succeed/satisfy one's expectations/fulfill one's de~ire~. • uclritokete is from uchitokeru (lit. "melt" •"open one's hean/warm up Ito another person)"). Konai is the plain/abrupt negati ve form of kuru ("come"). A form of kuru after the -te form of a verb is often a way of indicating that the action of the verb moves toward the speaker- i.e., he is referring to the others not warming/ opening up to him. • koritsu =·'isolation" and -ka11 is a suffix for "feeling": koritsu-kan ="feeling of isolation: · • ajiwalle-iru is from ajiwau. literally "taste/savor." but often used idiomatically to mean "experience." Using the -te-im form implies the experience is on-going/continuing.
MAN GAJ IN
69
~iHMJH'J:
• Kachi5 Shima Ki5saku
~
u
w i; .: r, c c• <
"' ~ {> ", .:. '?
(J) _,~ I~ I ;~~;:.; ~ . ~.. l;t .:L
;
i
~f'FI, · ~~~ '? _,~ -r ,..
t::. ;:.; ~ (J)
• IJ
.····-····· ........................0
..
~~
"0) '?
tal!:
-tilft 0)'*'0) ~0)·
l!: "'k \.\
.0).
llll 7 ti "' 0)
t:IUJ t:
ft. l.., "'(
70
M ANGAJIN
~"'k· tr 7 1ii'
.t. U II" -tAO> .t. l at; -t "'(• L
\.•
"t l!:
\.•
;
.,!llfHHJH'F • Kacho Shima Ki5saku
[I)
Narration:
~ ll
"htt~
IJ
· M ~ lv ichigen·san
1;1:, Kyoto wa
Yahari
H Wf 1)
>jl{f~
(!)
as expected/really (place) as-for first timers/strangers (hon.)-rcfusal of cus1om
lhis
tokoro
ga
nokotte-iru
(subj .)
remains
lv 11
t!.7?
~ 1J'o
daro ka.
(ex plan.) is it perhaps?
newcomer~gerhaps
Does the custom of turnin awa Narration: ::_(!) J'JF1t!r8~1d: c::_J:> !l Kono haitmeki·na
~-:> "( "' ~
1J!
o·kotowari no shiizoku
wa
real! still lin er in K oto? (PL2) tl!'W. c ~JlliT~ c::_7:> ld:!v t.!.7:>~1J'o
tJH~
(!)
Cion
no sekai to
exclusive/cliquish plucc/aspcct as-for (name) of
kyotsrl sum
tokoro
na 11
daro ka.
world with have in common place/aspect (explan.)is it perhaps?
Is this cliquishness a characteristic shared (by the whole cit
with the world of Gion? (PL2)
• iclrigen-san means ··first time/chance customer:· referring to a cu tomer who shows up at a teahouse/exclusive restaurant by himself instead of being brought there and introduced by someone already known to the establishment. Kotowari is a noun form of kotowaru ("refuse/tum down"). and ichigen-san o-korowari essentially means "chance customers (respectfully) refused." The teahouses of Gion. in KyOto. are known for adhering to this policy. • nokolle-iru is from nokoru ("remain/be left over") -+ " has remained/still lingers:' • rokoro is literally ''place," here referring more abstractly to "aspect/characteristic." Haitateki·na tokoro ="cliquish aspect"-+ "cliquishness."
Narration: "' ~, ibi ~ o Ira.
chigau.
rio
is different
No, that's not it. (PL2)
[!]
Na rration:
!.c+t±.H
1J{
Joslri-slrain
ga
f!fl.: -?¥)f.:."' rokuni
no da.
cold
(explan.)-is
female employees (subj.) especially ~ tl
tJ
Yalwri
a
(!)
n 1;1: -r .li.ld:
~5 1.: lr.( ~ lratsugen ni gen 'in
karulra~umi-na
ano lri no wro
after all/really 1ha1 day ('s)
(!)f.!.o
tsumetai
I hat
rash/care less
s1a1ement in
ga
aru
cause (subj.) exists
T he female employees in particular are cold and distant. It must be because of the rash comment I made that day. (PL2) • yalrari indicates that he is contirming a previous suspicion. implying. "so it isn't a maner of cliquishness after all."
[?]
Shima: ::_ (!)
~/
<1d: "'
ll
pan
wa
amari
rrmakrmai
na.
bread
a~-for
lnol) very much
no11as1y
(colloq.)
1
(remembering) Kono this
-') i
1d: o
"T his bread isn' t very_good is it?" (PL2) J.I,(P~
*
~
Senmon-ka o experts
~ 6') "(
b
atsumete
"?
C
~
i
\,I
I\ /
(/)
;)
~
.=. .;J.. -
motto
umai
pan
no
menyll
(obj.) assemble-and more
tasty
bread
of
menu
ff -? f.:. ':> v' \,'
o t.mkuttara
ii
C ro
,f!j!, ~ Jd: o omou 1ur.
(obj.) if make is good (quote) think (colloq. emph.)
" I think we should assemble some experts and (haye them make a menu of tastier breads! ' (PL2) • this frame is a flashback to the preceeding chapter when Shima has just arrived at his new post in Kyoto and is taken on a tour of the factory. He was shown the company's new hit product. a bread making machine, and was asked to sample some of the bread. He did not know it at the time, but the recipes and methods for making bread with the machine had been developed by the female employees at the factory. His offhand comments created considerable antagonism toward him. but at the root of the problem is the fact that Shima simply does not like bread. • amari followed by a negati ve mean~ "not very .. :· • ... tara ii (to omou) is literally "(I think) it is/will be good if .. :· "(I think) we should .. :·
1
'
Narration: .,.((f. ill Uchi
(!)
~T.fJ
no Suzukamo
advertising section ·s
(name)
c
v' -'J
17:.7-
to
iu
josili
(quot~)
called
ttn
shain
i '"C" made
female employee even
M1J' J: "C J: "C L "'o nanika
yosoyososhii.
somehow
distant/cool
Even the woma n named Suzukamo in my_section seems distant someh_pw. (PL2) Suzukamo:
c' ? -t'o Du:.o. pie:be
"Your tea sir.'' (PL3-4) Sound FX: :::1 1- ·J Koro! (slight "knocking" sound of ~etting teacup and saucer on table) • rrclri l iterally means "inside/within... but it is commonly used to refer to one's own group/section/company/house/ etc. The author uses the kanji ·,·.:fL;•'*· meaning "advertising section" and properly read senden-ka, to inform the reader which "inside group" Shima is talking about.
• dow is a polite word widely used when offering something. especial ly food or drink. It corresponds to Eng lish "please" in the sense of "please lakc/eal/drinklhavc'' rather than "please give me: · See Basic Japanese 9. (comilrued on following page) M ANGAJIN
7 1
~ :lHHIH'F
• Kacho Shima Kosaku
1t 1E fl9
~
faJ
MJ: -tlltlll .., ') Q>'/rQ>
Q) "'Jl "'( t ...t.t\.Q) \.•to
t: "'(
.m
\.' t: ~ 0 l~ l~
f?.l (7) •
~t:8
\.\
ldt t:
Q)
l~
.m Q)
...t.
t:
72
M ANGAJIN
~lll-K&UIH'F
• Kacho Shima Kosaku
(continued from previous page)
@J
Narration:
~-=>C ft1t
Kiuo
~~~' P~' li . ;:1}) warrri uwasa "'a, kono
I})
ore no
probably lime about bad
!J:I])r
l})r~H: among
I})
no
rumors as-for this throughout workplace of
rti-=>-r ,
~t'-e Su~ukamo
onna no ko 110 aida ni lriromaue, girls
Jlil);/~lfl
slrokuba-jii
has spread-&
(name)
t f:l}) ::c mo sono koto
:a: llr1v't.:. o
kiilll.
also those things (obj.) heard
Most like! nast rumors a bout me haves read among all the girls in this workplace, and Suzukamo has heard them too. (PL2) Sound FX: iJ ·:; iJ ·:; Ka! ka' (sound of shoes clicking against floor) • killo is used when making conjectures with varying degrees of confidence ("maybe/probably/surely/undoubt-
edly") but stops short of complete certainty. • -jr7 crt•) is a suffix meaning ''throughout - ," but when directly mouifying another noun is often translated as "all the - in - ." • hiromaue is from lriromarrr ("spread/be circulated''). The -te form here acts like "and .. .'' • kiita is from the verb kiku ("hear").
@]
Narration: M
J:
Nani
~
yori
t mo
~0$;~:::
nyojitsu ni
~~~h't'o>J.,
monogatatte-im
fJl
1: t:_'o
I})
!i
no
wa tsukue no ue da.
what more than even vividly/graphically tell s/demonstrates (nom.) as- for
desk
I})
s
top
is
What proves this more graphically than anything else is m y desktop_, (PL2) 1!E I}) ~liH~ I}) fJL 1: li -Hi B .{t. 'IJ{ llU.dt -r "' J.> I}) l: , Hoka 110 kaclro no tsukue ni other
fte:
• • • • • •
(=) manager 's
fJl
desks
wa mainiclri lrana
I})
J:: (:::
(;j:
{E:t!,~
ore no tsukue no
ue ni
11·a
zen:en
lime 's
top on as-for lnotJ at all not exist
I})
desk
s
ga
okarete-iru
no ni,
is placed
even though
on as-for every day flower (subj.) ~ \,' 0
nai.
Even thou h flowers are placed every day on the desks of the other ma na ers there aren't any flower s on m desk at all. (PL2) 110ni yori mo ("what'' + "more than"+ "even") makes an expression meaning "more than anything." nyojitsu ="reality"' and nvojitsuni is its adverb form. ·'in a real/realistic manner"--+ "vividly/graphically." monogataue-iru is from monoga/aru. literally "narrate/tell of/recount," but used idiomatically to mean "indicate/demonstrate/prove." no is a "nominalizer" that turns nani yori mo nyojitsu ni monogatatte iru into a noun, like saying "the thing that demonstrates this more graphically than anything else.'' Wa marks this noun as the topic: "As for the thing that . .." okarete-iru is from okareru, the passive form of oku ("set down/place/leave"). ::.em.en followed by a negative means "not at all.''
Sound FX: iJ"+
-v iJ"+ '\'
Cacha gaclw (rattling sound of unlocking door)
FX:
J{ ·:;
Pa! (effect of light coming on) • pa! represents the sudden brightness. not the sound of the switch.
@]
Sound FX:
F-IT·;; Doscr! (dull "thud" of plopping down on the chair)
Shima: .b-? Fii
"Whew." (blowing out his breath in an exhausted sigh) (continued from page 65)
that, but this Shima look-alike was having a drink with a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Gmachi Kuniko. This turned out to be a new "graphic novel" by the same Hirokane Kenshi, running in every issue of Mister. The Shima look-alike is another salaryman, Kaji Ryusuke, and the beautiful girlfriend is an OLat
this company. If there can be any successor to Section Chief Shima, this is it. It's a rich, fascinating, cinematic story-and a new installment comes out every issue. I'm hooked again! My name is T.R. Reid and I am a ... © 1992. The Washington Post. Reprinted with permission. MANGAJ IN
73
~-G:tHIH'J:
74
MAN G AJ I N
• KachO Shima Kosaku
S!lt!'t Q*lf:f'F • Kacho Sound FX:
r )V )V )V
Shima Kosaku
"' )V )V )V
~l____So_u_n_d_F_X_:~r~Jv=J=v~Jv~----------------------------------------------------~ Donmmt
Brinnng
Shima: ~' i> L.i> 1...., A.
~~
moshi-moshi, Nami
oh/uh
hello
fJ' o
!)X:~ A..
ka.
Orosan
?
(name)
f!. o da.
(hon.)-fathcr-(hon.) is
"Uh, heUo, Nami? It's Dad." (PL2) • moshi-moshi is " hello" on the phone. The person who initiates a phone call always begins with moshi-moshi, while the other person responds with either moshi-moshi or hai (literally "yes:· but on the phone it can be considered another form of "hello") or both, hai moshi-moshi. • even though one normally does not use the honorific prefix o- or suffix -san with oneself. parents often refer to themselves as orosan ("Dad") or oklisan ("Mom") when speaking to their k.ids.
Shima: -? A.. . . . -? A.., Un . . .
genki
1111,
uh-huh
t!.
J: o
i t!.
da
yo.
Mada
(cmph.)
still
uh-huh fine/healthy is/am
~~
""( J.:, {/) fJ'?
okire-nt
no ka?
up/awake (explan.-?)
"""' U"'h'-' -h'"'"u',.,h"-'. ......,e= a h~ l'_,_.m..,_, rm =e,_ .Y ~ o""" u_, ' r"""e'""s"' ti"' ll'-'u~..._h""u=-'-?" h (PL2) Sound FX: -:1-T -::J-1- -:1-T !.-' ' •
Kochi kochi kochi
T ick tick tick (sound of clock) • genki is a noun referring to a vigorous state of health/energy. The second line shows that it is Shima who is speaking . Nami probably asked him simply, Genki?- which serves as an infom1al " How are you?" (literally, ··Are you we ll?"). • okire-ru is a contraction of okite-iru ("be awake/up'') from okiru ('"wake/get up"). • no shows he is looking for an explanation, in this case more by way of figuring the explanation out for himself (e.g.. "Nami must have still been up because she answered the phone") than of really expecting her to explain herself (e.g., "What are you doing still up?").
Shima:
~
(j:
Jirsu wa
.Q, ne,
i:> X
LTUlh as-for (colloq.)
~
A.. i t:. -; .t -;)
c
t~ A.. -c'" J.:, nayande-ru
A.. t!. o
orosan
mara
chorro
Dad
again
a little am troubled/distressed (explan.)
n da.
"Actually, I'm a little troubled again." "Actuallv. I' ve e:ot a little problem ae:ain. " (PL2) • jirsu =··truth/fact," sojirsu wa is literally "in fact/actually/to tell the truth." It's often used on the phone and in letters tO bring up the "true/actual" purpose of one's call or letter, after the openjng formalities. • ne in the middle of a sentence is a k.ind of verbal pause. similar to English "you know." • nayande-ru is a contraction of nayande-iru, from nayamu ("fret/worry/be troubled"'). Using the -de-iru form shows that his worries/troubles are on-going/continuing. • n dais a contraction of explanatory no da, literally "it's that ..."
Nami:
c' -? 1.... t:. Do shira
(J)?
i3 -;) -r ::.: I? A.. o
no?
ltte goran.
how/what did (explan.- ?)
say-and see
"W hat's wron ? Tell me." (PL2) • do is "how/what"' and shita is the plain/abrupt past form o f sunt (''do/ make"). but do shita is an expression meaning "what's the matter?/what has happened?" • itte is the-re form of iu ("say"), and adding goran (a PlA equivalent of miru. "see") makes a gentle command. Though polite, the fact that -re goran makes a command means it's normally appropriate o nly when speaking to someone of equal or lower status. Only in very informal situations, as here. can it be used in the opposite direction.
Nami: -? A.. ... -? A.. . .. ..&- - A.. .. . Un . . .
1111 • • •
fiin .. .
uh-huh
uh-huh
hmmm
''Yeah •• • uh-huh •• • hmmm •••" (PL2) • fiin is an interjection showing that one is listening with interest/understanding, "oh?/is that so?/hmm, I see."
M ANGAJ IN
75
~~ ~f#:1'F
• Kach o Shima
Kosaku
"''~.f " ' -"~ ~
"' ; 0) "' .. A-J:: r~O) i"l:
l:-}~J::~""'
""' 1: IJ1
l;t
t:t
:t;
l.'tl..l. '
? I! L-
~
t:t
1: I.' l;t
n.
I!
l: \.' ~
7 \.' 7
:.b-::>
!-r
!
f.l:
I~
o/
ll.
~· j3-
!-
c: 1.1:
tt. =~~
76
M ANGA J IN
~~R~#H'F
Nami: ~~lji. L:~ld:lt' o 1~/
• Kachl5 Shima Kl5saku
~
H~
o
suki ni
Kallfan
ja nai.
Pan
easy
isn't it?
bread (obj.)
like
': ld:ttl£ lt'lt' ii
nareba
to
(/)
J: o
no
yo.
if become is good (explan.)(emph.)
"But it's easv. All vou have to do is learn to like bread." (PL2) -f:(f) 1~/ tJ~ Hlt'l...v' c .~.-) J:-)1: ~hi! "'"' Sono
pan
ga
oishii
to
o1nou bread (subj.) delicious (quote) lhink
that
A- t.::~ld:lt'?
yii "'
nareba
so that
if become is good (explan.) isn't it?
ii
n
ja nai?
" Isn' t it fa matter of) getting so you think the bread is delicious?" (PL2) • ja nai looks like "is not," but here it is being used as a rhetorical question. "(It's easy), isn' t it? (Of course it is!)" • suki ="like" so suki ni naru is literally "become to like" •"get/learn/grow to like." Suki really should take ga. ("pan ga suki ni nareba ... ")but the use of o is increasing. especially among younger people. • ii means "good/fine," and -ba ii makes an expression meaning ''it is enough to do -/all you have to do is-.'' • ending a sentence with the explanatory no plus yo is feminine. In most such cases men would say n(o) da yo. • ... yiJ ni nareba is a conditio nal "ir' form of ... yiJ ni naru, "get/become so that ..."; omou yiJ ni naru = "get/become so that you think .. :· • the second janai? has a question mark to clearly indicate that it's a question. ln informal speech it's very common to ask questions without using the question particle ka. simply by ending the sentence with the intonation of a question.
Mother: 1ft 'f~! Nami!
Dare
(name)
who
to hanashite·ru with
no?
arc talking (cxplan.·?)
" Who ar~ou talking to, Nami?" (PL2) • lzanaslzite-ru is a COntractio n of /wnashite·iru, the progressive ("is/are - ing") form of IICIIICISII ("talk/speak"). • as king questions with the explanatory no is also common in informal speech, espec ially among female speakers.
Jjf.tlfl
(f)
.i> X ~ A-
n' e;, o
IH 1.>?
A.
Mama. I
Kyoto
110
otiisan
kara. I
Deru?
oh.
Mom
(place)
in
Dad
from
answer/speak?
Nami: ih,
? ? o
I
"Oh Mom. It's from Dad in Kyoto. Wauna talk?" (PL2) • no between two nouns make the first a modifier for the second in a wide variety of ways. Here it means "(Dad) who is in (Kyoto):· • dem is literally "come/go out." but in the context of a phone call it means "answer/speak on the phone."
Nami:
77,
ii
Mama, Morn
lie!
Ja
ne!
is good/okay (quote) well then/in that case (colloq.)
" Mom says it's okay. W e ll then .. .'' " Mom savs never mind. Goodbye then." (PL2) • ii is literally "good/fine/okay": it' often used idiomatically like "it's/that's okay" in the sense of "no/never mind.'' For more on the idiomatic use of ii. see Basic Japanese 12. • 11e is a colloquial equivalent of the quotative to. • ja is a contraction of de wa. which literally means "in that case.'' but it's used informally for ··goodbye." We covered o ther permutation~ of ja as "goodbye" in Basic Japanese 14.
~
Sound FX: 11 + '\' Cacha
Click (sound of phone hanging up at other end)
____
~l .
~_-
so_u_n_d_r_x_:__ __J Tsii ________________________________________________________ (sou nd of dial tone)
Sound FX: 1- / Chin (slight "ping" of phone bell as he returns handset to its c radle)
Narration:
~~ :.-
~
H ~ (: 7d: tt ... n'o 7d: J.:. !l c'o
Pan
o
suki
ni llare. . .
ka.
like
to
i' it?
bread (obj.) L~arn
become
Naruhodo. indeed
to like bread ... hunh? I guess that makes sense. (PL2)
• namhodo expresses one's understanding of what has been said: "aha/1 see/indeed/really"
"that makes sense."
MA NGAJIN
77
~~~M:f'F
• f:>
I~
j} •
• Kacho Shima Kosaku
.:.
~fJ' / ~8t1. "? i (f) t:: I ~ fJ'
-:1 1 1l li :,..- .:, 't -r· L ~ t- ~
.t. ~~ •n•• ; :..- L~ ~ li
t->Y
-r i
78
MANGAJIN
~R:JiUJH'F
• Kachi5 Shima Kosaku
-------------------------------------------§] Sound FX: 1! ::.-- #- ::.-- !::" ::.-- #- :.-Pin pan
pin pan
Sign: f:X:.R.
(sound of chimes announcing the noon hour)
11
~
Shirsu
o
Tt}h :J.. o - 1l /
Fushimi (place)
Kojo
Surogan
plant/factory
slogan
Narration: -t -? So
i!S'H Shishin
Quality Improvement
Action Guidelines
cJ t
11a11 da.
Hirorsu no sluJhin
-? (J)
~
ifli Jh
IMl ~ T J.>
o
(J) 1:
kaiharsu suru
(=) product (obj.)
develop
ni
110
li
-t- -? ~., -?
~ 1J
it!! ill: ~ jilnichi-na
in order to as-for
n' 0 M:J t J.>
that kind of steady/step-by-step/unsung efforts (evenr_thin~ins
Sound FX: t! 7- --r
~v
doryoku kara hajintaru from
ward on the southern edge of Kyoto.
• a na is insened when explanatory no (da) follows a noun or equivalent: - na n(o) da. Both explanatory forms here are used mainly for emphasis. • kaiharsu "development" and kaiharsu suru = "develop" • after a verb, no ni means " in order to/for the purpose of'
wa
That's right. In order to d evelop one (new) product . .. sO iu
• Fushimi is a
action/behavior guidelines
~ lv t!. o
that way (explan./emph.) one
lr!WJ Kodo
quality (obj.) raise/improve
The Fushimi Plant Slo_2an
0
(.lin J.> Takameru
t:.. o
=
n da.
begins (explanlemph.)
with tha t kind of slow-but-stead v effort. (PL2)
':1
Cacha! (""rattle.. of door knob or of door closing device staning to pull door shut behind him)
@J
Narration:
itt~
CM
Ore-racl1i wa ima made, dekiagaua
shohin no
we
products for commercials (obj.) make
as-for until now
finished
shii-em11
o rsukuru shigoro shika shire-inakaua. work
were only doing
"Until now, we were only doing the work of making commercials for fini shed products." All we' ve been doinguntil now was make commercials for_nroducts that bad already been fully dey_elopcd. (PL2)
.f -j \;l-? So i11
~~
~~.i"Lf..:
1:
kage
ni kakurera
#%"
~
kuro
o
<
:@: ~ '-:> ~ n' ·:d..: o mattaku shiranakaua.
that kind of shadows in hidde n hardship/suffering (obj.) (notI at all didn't know " We didn' t know anything at all about that kind o f hardship hidden in the shadows." W e knew nothine a bout all the hard work that went on behind the scenes. (PL2)
On Can:
::2
tJ
::2 -
7
Koka kora • developing the recipes and methods for making bread had been very difficult and had taken over a year.
• ore is an informal/rough word for "'lime'' used by men. -racl1i makes it plural, ''we," referring to members of the senden-bu ( ..adveni ing depanment") Shima belonged to in Tokyo, before his recent transfer. • dekiagaua is the plain/abrupt past form of dekiagaru (''[something) is completed/finished"). The verb modifies shohin ("product' '), which in turn modifies CM, pronounced shii-emu, an abbreviation deriving f ro m English ..commercial(s)" that has effectively become a naturalized Japanese word.
• dekiagaua s/riJ/rin no CM o rsukuru is a complete thought/sentence ('·make commercials of finished products..) modifying shigoro ("work/job''). • shika combines with a negative later in the sentence to mean ' '(is/has/does) only" and sltite-inakaua is the negative past form of shire-iru C are doing..) from suru (..do..) -+ ... shika shire inakatra ="were only doing." • kak11reta ("[be] hidden'') is the plain/abrupt past form of kakureru ("hide''). So i11 ("that kind of') and kage ni kakurera (..is hidden in shadows") both modify k11ro (''hardship[ s]/suffering"). • mattaku, like ;;en;;e/1 above, is followed by a negative to mean ..not at all." Shiranakatta ("didn' t know") is from shiru (''learn/come to know").
~
Narration: .:tl..n''-:> Korekara
~it
li
chiishoku
wa
J{/
~
mainichi pan
if~8
o
from now on noon meaVIunch as-for every day bread (obj.)
-? o
rabeyO. shall cal
From___lliD!_on I'm going to eat bread for lunch ever v dav. (PL2) H~':';t ~tl.~("lb. ;{;.,- (J) ~L.:m;L t;< bn'J.> i"t',{/
~
ft""-::>-:11tJ:-? o
Suki niwa 11arenakwe mo.
o
tabe-rsuzukeyo.
like
to
Even if I ::2
tJ
::2 -
pan no yoshi-ashi
that
ga
wakaru made pan
be-
and bad brea d. (PL2) • rabeyo is the volitional ("let"s/1 shall") form of reberu; rsuZtlkeyo is the volitional form of rsuzukem ("continue''), here being used as a verb suf-
7
Koka kora
Sore
ga
even if can "t become bread ·s good-and-bad (subj.) understand until bread (obj .) shall continue to eat can' t learn to likillJ'm going to keep~tinebread until I know the difference
tween_~tood
On Can:
ft""J:
fix showing his intent to continue do ing the action (eating bread).
ore 110
rswni
o
aganau
rada
(subj.) Ume 's guilt/misdeed (obj.) make amends for
hirorsu no
holto
nan da.
only one (=) method/means (explan.)-is
That's the one and onl way_I can make a mends for what I said. (PL2) • ore 110 rswni o agana11 ("make amends for my misdeed") and rada hirors11 11o (''the one and only") both modify hiJho ( ..method/means/way").
MAN GAJtN
79
~Jd_iL~ l'JH'F
80
M ANGAJIN
• Kacho Shima Kosaku
~~ tUJH-'1:
~
"Sound" FX:
1
~7
• KachO Shima Kosaku
'/
Paku! (effect of taking a bite) .Ill~
Narration: fh' Nagai
t!..o
84
(J)
shokuzai
no hibi
long atonement/expiation of
days
da. is/are
(Jheselare mv lonl! davs of atonemenl (PL2)
~
Menu Sii!DS: tJ
v- -? c.' lv
Kare
Cur__a_ Udon Middle:
Ten~ru
udon
Katsu kare
wheat noodles tempura & buckwheat noodles
curry ~ibll
(J)
Temoura Zarusoba ~~]t :J..J~I/ ·:; 71-
Konshii no zangyo-shoku this week · s
ramen
Cutlet Curry
Ramen
Supageuii
overtime meal
spaghetti
This week's Overtime Soecial:~aghetti Upper Left: ... ~ ......., .:.·it** < t!.. ~ "' ! ... -ka
e
Ramen
cutlet curry rice
]t£ kudasai! Shokudo
go-renraku
... section to (hon.)-contactlcommunications please
jj.g·
~.fit~
Un 'ei
linkai
dining room operations/management committee
(For/when/if . . .) olease contact the . .. Section. Dininl! Room Steerinaz Committee (PLA) • udon is a thick, white noodle, usually served in a hot broth flavored with soy sauce. Kare udon has a curry-sauce added. • zaru is short for zarusoba, in which soba refers to a ligbtbrown buckwheat noodle thinner than udon. Soba is also eaten in a hot broth, but zaru refers to a bamboo frameldrainboard on which soba is served cold, topped with shredded nori ("seaweed") and with a dipping sauce on the side. For tenzaru, some kind of tempura (shrimp and/or vegetable) is included on the top or side as well. • katsu is short for katsuretstt, the katakana rendering of "cutlet," which unless specitied otherwise means "pork cutlet." Katsu kare is a mound of rice topped with a pork cutlet and curry sauce. • renraku is a noun referring to the act of getting in touch with/relaying information to someone. Adding the honorific prefix go- and kudasai makes a polite request, "please contact ..." • yaue is from yant ("do"), and kO yaue = "in this way" -+ "this is how ..." • umidasareru is the passive form of umidasu ("bear/create"), from !IIIIU ("give birth") and dasu ("take/put out"). • wakaue kita is from wakaru ("come to know/understand") and kuru ("come"). Kuru after the -te form of a verb often means "begin to (do the action).''
I
Ne,
Shima
Kacho,
itsumo clulshoku no toki ni
say/hey (name) section chief always "'~<~J.>
b
tlo
inaku naru
wa
ne.
disappears
c.·::
lunch
's time
t:rr-?"C'¢
Doko ni
(fern.) (colloq.) where to
iue-ru
at
(J)?
no?
is going (ex plan.-?)
"Sav. Mr. Shima alwavs disappears at lunch time, doesn' t he? Where does he 2:0?" (PL2) OL:
~(:,~v' o
Shiranai.
Narration:
"I don't know." (PL2)
l
~
Ore
wa
ganbant
zo.
Vmc as-for strive hard (emph.)
.l'f! <
$~$
(J)
Hayaku
jigyo-bu
no ningen ni nari-kiru 11 da!!
quickly manufacturing department 's
Allfl 1:
~
IJ
~
1.> A..t!!!
person to become completely
l'm_eohu! to l!ive it mv all to make myself over into a manufacturinaz man as quickly as oossible. (PL2)
• neat the beginning of a sentence is used to get the listener's attention, like "say/ hey/look here." • inakunaru is literally "become(s) gone/ lost/nonexistent," from inai (negative of iru, " is here/exists" for animate things) and naru ("become[s]") "disappears." • shiranai is the negative of shiru ("come to know"), but in actual use it serves as the negative form for shiue-iru ("know/ understand"). • ganbaru means to be "dogged/persistent" in working toward some goal. • nari is from naru ("become/turn into") and -kint is a verb suffix meaning "finish (doing)/(do) completely." Hayaku . . . ni narikiru = "become fully ... as soon as possible.''
M ANGAJIN
81
~-LHl~H'F
82
MANGA J IN
• KachO Shima Kosaku
, ~!{tUJFf'F
@J
SW: ~~ Jigyo
mil{
~
Bucho-
shitsu
• KachO Shima
Kosaku
operations department head- room
"Manufacturing Department Chiefs Office"
General Mana2er -(Electrothermic E.nuipment) Manufacturing • jigyiJ basically means "an undertaking/enterprise," and ajigyo-b11 is a division/department of a corporation engaged directly in the activities/operations that give the business its reason for being. For a manufacturing company, it would be the " manufacturing division/department." Since the next frame reveals a more specific name for thisjigyobu, it is apparently one of several. which makes it inappropriate to simply translate the word as "Operations Department" in this case. • bucho, literally "department head," typically corresponds to a "general manager" or a "vice-president" in an American corporation.
@]
Narration:
~~1ll:
Torishimariyaku director
Dennetsu-ki
Jigyo-bu
JigyiJ BuchO Kurashige
electrothermic equipment manufacturing department general manager (surname)
Shun 'ichi (given name)
Director and General Manager of Electrothermic Equipment Manufacturinl!:. Kurashige Shun'ichi • torishimariyaku refers to a "director'' on the corporate board of directors. • dennetsu refers to "electric heat" and -ki is a suffix for "tool/equipment," so dennetsu-ki is an all-encompassing term for electrical appliances that involve heating e lements: space heaters, toasters, rice cookers, bread makers, etc.
@]
.:\'- ~
Kurashige: .li6 ft,
li wa
Shima-kwr, kimi (name-hon.)
~ Mt
tl
tiBI~ .0
eigo
ga
dekiru
lv-? ··:d.:. 11 yatta
1j: ! na!
you as-for English (subj.) can do/speak (explan.)-was (colloq.)
"Shima, you can speak English, right?" (PL2) Shima: lilt' o ''Yes. (sir)." (PL3)
Hai.
EJ
• -kun is an equiva lent of -san ("Mr./Ms.") used among males of equal rank, or by superiors when speaking to or about their subordinates (either male or female). • dekiru is literally "can/able to do," but when speaking of a language, it means "speak/know/understand.'' • n is a contraction of explanatory no, and yatta is Kansai dialect for datta. the past form of da (''is/are''). • na is a mostly masculine equivalent of ne, which expects the listener to agree with/confirm the statement: "right?/ isn't it so?"
-1
Kurashige: 7 ;.
1) 'h \." Amerika de
America
?
t .: (J) ~~ /;;. -
in
1Jf
'hpan mekii
uuoko no our
bread makers
::? -:> -1 ~!I=JJ
ga
gottsii
(subj.) very much
1:
hyoban ni popular to
1j:
~ J:
?
-c
nariyotte
1j:,
na,
have become-and (colloq.)
" In America our bread makers have_e~tten really popular, you know and . .." 7/ jJ ::;! (J) ~i~ BIJ{;$: (/) :r. 7 1 ~ lv -/)~ i!i: \,\ ? -!;, ~: t •? t J: .0 lv-? 0 Shikago
keizai
110
dantai
Chicago from economic/business group
110
erai-san
's
VlPs
ga chikai uchi ni
dolto
*
kiyoru
n ya.
(subj.) in near future many at once will come (explan.)
"a whole bunch of business leaders from Chicago will be coming to visit in the near future." (PL2) -t-lv II# Son toki that
(;l
~ F91~
t.: (J) ~ t.:. It\
wa
annai-yaku
tanomi-tai
lv-? -/){! n ya ga!
time as-for guide-duty/role want to request (explan.) but
"At that time I want to ask you to be their guide (but)."
" I want to ask you to show them a round a bit while they' re here." (PL2) • uttoko no is a dialect contraction of uchi no tokoro no (lit. "our place's" "our"). • gottsii is dialect for gotsuku, an informal/slang word for "highly/greatly/very much." • hyoban is literally "reputation," referring to how something is being received by the public; hyiiban ni naru can mean just " is being talked about" or it can mean " is being received well/has become popular" (cf., hyiJban ga ii ="is popular/being received well" and hyoban ga warui = " is unpopular/being receive poorly"). • nariyotte is a dialect form of natte, the -te form of naru ("become"), and kiyoru is dialect for kuru ("come/w ill come"). Inserting a form of yoru (yotte is it's -te form) into verbs is especially common in Kansai dailect. • erai-san is an informal equivalent of o-eragata ("dignitaries/YIPs"). Erai is an adjective meaning "eminent/important" (for describing people), and -san has been added to make a noun meaning " important person/people." • son is a contraction of sono ("that''). • o, to mark the object, has been omitted after annai-yaku ("guide"). • tanomi-tai is the " want to" form of tanomu ("ask a favor/make a request"). N ya is dialect for explanatory n(o) da. • ga literally means ''but," but here merely serves as a "softener" for the sentence ending.
@]
Shima: b fJ'
~ I L. t.: !
Wakarimashita. understood
"Certainly, sir." (PL3) • wakarimashita is the PL3 past form of wakaru ("come to know/understand"), which as a response to a request/command means "yes/okayn will."
MAN GAJIN
83
r
~ft!&if1!:ft
84
MANGAJ I N
• KachO Shima Kosaku
~~.fb#Ht
GJ
• KachO Shima Kosaku
Kurashige: -f il7J' I? Sorekara
yoru
after that/in addition
night as-for (place) to
II'O,
Cion e
tsuretelle
seuai sltite kure
take-and
entcnain
ya.
please (emph.)
"And in the evening I 'd like you to take them to Gion and entertain them." (PL2) • the Cion district in Kyoto is the mo t famous of Japan's hanamachi ("Oower towns") where traditional geisha entertain the (mostly male) clients of ultra high-class restaurants with singing, dancing. witty conversation, games. and companionship. • tsuretelle is a contraction of tsurete iue. the -te form of ts11reru ("bring/take along" for people and most animals) fol lowed by the ·te form of iku ("go"). Tsurete ik11 ="take (someone) along to/go with (someone) in tow." • seuai is a noun referring to the entertainment of client . and seuai s11ru is its verb form (sltite is the -te form of suru, "do''). Kure after the -te form of a verb makes an informal request or gentle command. • this ya is a panicle used with commands/suggestion/requests to emphasize the speaker's desi re that the action be done.
@J
.:!?*-~
Shima: ftt!E? Cion?
"t'T7r?
Ochaya
desu ka?
(place) (hon.)-teahouse
is it?
"Gion? You mean(to)a teahouse?" (PL3) • ochaya (lil. "teahouse/shop") is the traditional name for the high-class restaurants where geisha entertain.
@]
Kurashige: -f-? o
.:. tl7)'
So ya. is so/right
~' -?
I? .:. -?
Korekara
ko iu
.:. c
t
i i
~F.>
koto
mo
mama
ant
110 de
occa~ionally/oftcn
exist/occur
because/so
from now on this kind of thing/situation also
(f)
-c:
"That's ri2ht. This kind of thing will ha(!~periodically__ft:_om now on so ... " .:\'-~ b 1.-'L -f:(f) /Jlfii t: /JJi -/)t ~< J:-Jt: /j:-::>}::.~'1.:. 1J7J{P'v' 0 kimi
mo .wkoshi sono hiime11
you
also
a little
11i
that direction in
kao
ga
kiku
yo 11i
face (subj.) ha effect
11at1oita
ho ga ii.
so that became in preparation is better if
" it' d be best if vou made vour face known around the re." (PL2) • soya is dialect for soda ("it is so/that's right"). • kiku means "be effective/have effect... so kao ga kiku is literally "(one's) face has effect,.. meaning one's face is known/recognized and has some pull. Kao ga kiku yo ni naru ="become so that your face is known." • nauoita is a contraction of naue oita. from naru ("become") and the past of oku ("sellplacelleave"). Oku after the -te form of a verb implies doing the action ahead of time/in preparation for some later event/purpose.
Kurashige:
-f-? {> Soya
A,~ '7 ~ Konban washi
lj: o
na.
is so/right (colloq.) tonight
Ume
t:
"? ~ :t:;
ni
1 "(
tsukiote k11re.
to/with (please) keep company
" I know. Come with me tonight" (PL2)
*
h- (f) .:~:; ~ ~ t -tc :~;t Najimi no o-chaya to okami
.!1111
familiar
:ao
*rl?l- L t <
~ n' ", o sakai.
shifkai shiwku
teahouse and madame (obj.) will introduce in preparation because
" (Because}_I'll introduce ou to a teahouse a nd ma da me I know." (PL2) Kurashige:
tHs
(f)
1J
li
sake no
ho
11•a
ii'li
I±
Shima-kun wa
"' ~t::. 7
-r
7J'?
ikeru kuchi ka?
(name-hon.) as-for sake/drink ·s side/direction as- for can go/do type
?
"Shima a re you a stron2 drinke r?" (PL2) Shima: I±"', A.iiE h. t: o Hai. yes
hitonami ni.
• ... no hii wa (ho is literally "direction/ way") here is little different from a plain 11•a to mark the topic: "as for ..... • ikeru kuchi {lit. "can do/go type") is a term for someone who can drink/hold his liquor ··a strong drinker."
like most people
" Yes_, I can hold mv own." (PL3) Kurashige: :;f / -t- I± t'-? Omw
~?
n·a dii m?
women as-for ho_;; is?
" How about women?" (PL2)
• do ya is dialect for do da. "how is it?/ how are you with ...?"
Shima: ;f / -t- I± Omw women
wa
dame desu.
as-for no good
is
" I' m no ~ood with women." (PL3) Nar ration: 4>: A, I±, c "( b -f: lv lj:
*(:
Homo ni ima wa.
truly
totemo
• soya is also dialect for soda ("i t is so/ that's right"). but here he's using it in a common idiomatic way. to bring up a sudden thought/idea. • waslri is a form of ''I" used exclusively by older men. • tsukiote is dialect for tsukiafle, the -te form of tsukiau ("socialize/keep company with"). Adding kure makes it an informal request/command. • shiikai shitoku is a contraction of shiikai shite oku, the -te form of shokai suru (''i ntroduce") with oku implying the action is done "in preparation.'' • sakai is a Kansai dialect equivalent of kara ("because").
sonna
~
1: lj: 11./j: 'v'.
ki
ni narenai.
now as-for really/hardly that kind of will/desire to can't become
I really can't get in the mood for that right now. (PL2)
• ki means "wiiVintenlldesire." and narenai is the negative of narem, the potential ("can") form of 1Wnt (''become"). Sonolsonna ki ni 1Wru means "get in that kind of mood." • totemo is an emphasizer; when it modifies a negative potential form. it means "can hardly .. ."or "reall y cannot ... "
MAN GAJIN
85
86
MA NGAJIN
• Kacho Shima
~lHHJI:f'f.
@]
Narration: J;tfi Kyoto
(j:
JJUE ,
1\'0
gen:.oi.
Kosaku
'~ff,t,
-JG41BT'
I.Uf,
Pomo-cho. Shimabara. Ka111ishichiken.
(place name) as-for now/at present (place name) (place name)
*
I~DUfi it!!.
~
8 JIIIBT
Cion Higashi Shinchi. Miyagall'a-cho
(place name)
c·
nado
(place name)
(place name)
fJf
:ftltr
(/)
110 lwna111achi
ga
if>¢ aru
/){'
ga,
places like (=) no"'cr town (subj .) exist
but/and
At present there are a numbe r of entertainment districts in Kyoto, includin&...f!>nto-chO Shimabafll., Kamishichiken G ion Hi~shi Shinchi and Miyagawa-cho but .. . Qb ff~~ C.:.;:, fJ{, .:..:., '*I~Epgi\ "t"if>'-> o IIIOIIomo .l'llmei-na tokoro most
famous
ga.
place
koko. Gio11 Kob11
(subj.)
the most famous niace of all is tl~ 1M rp ~B (J) i:3 ~ill ';t Cion Kobu
o-chayo
110
wo
here her~
f.~
"ichigen-san o-kotowari"
i;,
Cion Kobu. (PL2) 1204!f,
yaku hyak11-11ijukken,
(place name) of/in teahouses as-for approx.
" - .J.~ ~!vi:>lf!i'IJ "
de aru.
(place name)
120 houses
c.:.-? t!.o
(J)
t't'i:r\
~
~c Vrlbl~~"'
no
kokushiki
o
gen to shite ku:11sonai tokoro
chance customers (hon.)-refusal of rule/precedent (obj.) stringently not break/relax
place
da. is
T here are about 120 teahouses in Cion Kobu and it is a place where the "chance customers re~pectfully refused" r ule is strictly observed. (PL2) • 11ado completes the list of places. and no makes the entire list into a modifier for hanamachi (''nower town"). Nado
•
• • •
~
customarily comes at the end of a liM like this whether it is a complete list (i.e., it means "these several items") or there are additional items left unmentioned (i.e.. it means "etc./and the like"). Thi s makes it similar to the way "including .. :·can be used with both complete and paniallists in English. the conjunction go can mean either "and" or "but" depending on the context. In this case either English rendering seems possible. • de aru is a more formal/literary equivalent of des11 ("is/are"). -ken is a counter suflix for houses/shops/restaurants. ku:.11sanai is the negative form of ku:.usu ("break [up]/demolish"). Kakushiki o ku::;11s11 means to "break/relax a rule/ precedent." Gento shite k11::Jtsa11ai is literally ··stringently not break/relax" " strictly observe:· "iclrigeii-SOII o-kotowari" 110 kokushiki o ge11to slrite ku: usa11ai is a complete thought/sentence ("the ·chance customers respectfully refused' rule is stric tly observed") modifying tokoro ("place").
Narration: \." li,
l;l:
Dewa.
o-choya
to
wo
i11ai
ikanaru 1110110 ka?
well then/now teahouse (quote) as-for (emph.) what kind of thing?
" Now, as for what's called a teahouse, exactly what kind of thing is it?"
Now, what exactly is a teahouse? (PL2)
-o
\."
Hitokuclri
de
'15
1J~
JM Wt
~
kyaku
ga
:.oslriki
o
i:§· .:Z li ,
ieba.
one bite/word in
if say,
customer (subj.)
b;~nquet
Ht ~
-c
karite
room (obj.) borrow/rent-and
ijlljft
(J)
it'Hf
~
T 7.> c.:..:?
slmshoku
110
asobi
o
Sllrtt
tokoro
food & drink of/with cntcnainment (obj.) do place ln_a word~ it is_a place where customers rent a
\."if> 7.> o de am. is
banquet room a nd entertain with food and drink.
(PL2)
-t-.:.
1: ~~ ,
~~
~
Of'(f,
Soko
ni geiko,
maiko
o
yobi.
;tlJII! li
glj(J)
fttl:lLrn n' C:> Ifl'J~it7.> o
ryliri wa betS/1110 shidoslri-ya kara
that place to geisha apprentice geisha (obj.) call/~ummon food as-for separate caterer from To tha t place, they summon ~ish a and dancers_. and orde r in food from an outside
m
f.:. t~ -t i1.f~ It (J) :1JJi t!. fJf , Tada sore dake 110 baslro do ga. just
that
only
of place is
-
~ (J)
ippa11110
A Ill! 1: l;i ~ iJ' ~ iJ' 11inge11 11i II'CI 11aka11aka
but average/common perwn
for
toriyoseru. order in
caterer. (PL2)
f{fiS
fJt
~ 1t'
slrikii
ga takai
110
t!. o da.
quite/very thresholdldoor.;ill (subj.) high (explan.) i;,
" It is a place of just !.hat, but for the ordinary person the doorsill is very high."
-+
T hat 's a ll there is to it but___ill's a place that) the 01:_dinaty_person can' t easilv visit. (PL2) • iuai places strong emphasis on the question word that follows: "who/how in the world/ where the blazes/exactly what kind of -/etc.'' Jka11aru is an archaic equivalent of do i11 or dono yli-110 ("what kind of'), still used idiomatically. • ieba is a conditional "if' form of iu ("say"): lritokuclri de ieba = lit. "if you say it in one word"--+ " in a word." • ::aslriki refers to a formal Japanese-style guest/reception/dining/banquet room wi th tatami mats on the n oor and a decorative toko11oma ("alcove''). They can vary in size from just a few mats to a hundred or more. • kyaku ga :aslriki o karite s/ws/roku 110 asobi o s11ru is a complete thought/sentence ("customers rent a banquet room and entenain with food and drink") modifying tokoro ("place"). • geiko is the term used in Kyoto for geisha. female entertainers trained in traditional Japanese music and dance, while maiko, literally "dancing girls," arc apprentice geisha.
To be continued in the next issue of MANGAJIN MAN GAJIN
87
Vocabulary • Summary
From Basic Jaeanese, fii:~\..'
abunai at sui heta-ni hocho itai karu/wzumi-na 111/lkll sugoi torareru urusai
?.:!f:i,..'
rfl.: ~T
"'t.:. "'
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Q.
34
dangerous/hazardous hot unskillfully kitchen/cooking knife sore/painful hasty/rash peel/skin/strip off incredible/terrible be taken noisy/bothersome
From Furiten-kun, Q. 40 §JJJW.b'C~ t.lv~l.:
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jido hanbai-ki jinsoku-ni johin-ni ( o )shiroyaka-na llt.l"ukushii yosoku suru
vending machine swiftly elegantly/gracefull y gracefu 1/gentle/ladyl ike beauti fulllovely predict/forecast
f rom Tanaka-kun, f!'Jrt.o ~~~ ~ lib1 ~ITffifi.[i /"\./~
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akeru biyo-.l'hirsu eiga eiga-kan hen-na piima shosetsu warau yasttmtl yomu
Q.
44
(day) dawns beauty parlor movie movie theatre strange/weird perm novel laugh (v.) take a day off/stay home read
From Beranmei Tochan, Q. 46 iJ/:=./7'
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kanningu niru /01/(ll"i yowartt
cheating resemble/take after next door become weak/be troubled
From Katsu-Shika 0 . p. 48 ig¥)¢
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ararameru byiJin kami kansoku -sen kimocili mtme Nankyoku nayamu nedoko ochitsukeru okashii pengin reibo reizoko saikin sarada setsumei shinsen-na shiren
warm (up)/heat hospital God/the gods survey/observation ship feelings chest South Pole/ Antarctica fret/brood/agonize bed/place to sleep calm down/pacify strange/odd penguin air conditioner refrigerator recently salad explanation fresh trial/test
~~
tamago tam e ru tsudo u lltSIIrll wake
t.:.V:JJ.>
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egg collect/accumulate/save gather/collect/swarm reflectlappear reason/meaning
From Kachi5 Shima Kosaku, ~ ,;~Jtl
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cho rei doryoku genzai haitateki-na hatsugen hi han hiromaru hitonami-ni hyoban jimichi-na jt7gyo-in kage kaihatsu suru kakureru kakushiki kitai suru kojo koritsu korowa ru kuro kuzusu kyotsii suru majime m.onogataru najimi nayamu nokoru nyojirsu-ni o-chaya rajio taiso sanka suru senden-bu senmon-ka senniJ settai suru shidashi-ya shislrin shitsu slriJkai suru shokuzai showa suru shiizoku soshi-sha SU/lao-na takameru toku-ni tonaeru /Sllllli umidasu 11\V{ISQ
:.angyo z;ashiki
morning meetin g effortlendeavor at present/now exclusive/cliquish statement criticism spread/be ci rcu Iated like most people popularity/fame/reputation steady/step-by-step employees shadows/behind the scenes develop hide (v.) rule/precedent look/aim for/expect factory i solati on refuse/turn down hardship/suffering break (up)/demolish have in common seriousness/earnestness narrate/tell of/prove familiarity fret/worry/be troubled remain/be left over vi vidly/graphically teahouse radio cal isthenics participate/join advertising dept. experts brainwashing entertain (clients) caterer guidelines/principles quality introduce atonement/expiation sing/reci te in unison custom fo under docile/meek raise/improve/enhance especially advocate/preach guilt/ misdeed give birth to/create rumor(s) overtime banquet room
The Vocabulary Summary is taken from material appearing in this issue of M ANGAJIN. It 's nor always possible to give rite complete range of meanings for a word in this limited space, so our "definitions" are based on the usage of the word in a particular story.
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MANGAJtN
