Sinnesspiel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sinnesspiel) wrote2014-01-01 10:34 pm
sinnesspiel) wrote2014-01-01 10:34 pm
Entry tags:
Shiki Novel Translations 2.2.0
Links to Chapter 2
Chapter 2 - 1
Chapter 2 - 2
Chapter 2 - 3
Chapter 2 - 4
Chapter 2 - 5
Chapter 2 - 6
No cultural notes this chapter, unless I've overlooked something!
So instead I'll give a visual progress report:
These are the two volumes of Shiki, with a roll of toilet paper beside them for size reference.
The bookmark shows where we are in Volume 1 right now, at the end of Part 2, Chapter 2.6, page 351.
This is an internal shot; pages are double-layer printed. Keep this in mind when comparing the time it takes to translate light novels that don't look so much thinner.
These are a Knights of Ramune & 40 Fire novel and a Sotsugyou II (Graduation: Neo Generation) novel, respectively. Print size and spacing is typical. In terms of sheer physical thickness, the average light novel looks to be about 3/4ths the length of a single Shiki novel and they usually come in at 250-300 pages, but the print size and spacing makes the difference in volume more pronounced than that. In the 5 volume larger print version, each part comes out to about 500 pages. In typical light novel printing standards, we'd be around 700 pages.
Coincidentally this is why I predict another two years or so to completion; you might look at the current rate of progress and think "We're more than halfway through book 1. By June, couldn't we be done with book 1 and maybe even have a start into book 2, which could then be conquered in about another year for a year and a half?" Those extra 200 pages that make book 2 longer than 1 are nothing to scoff at, since they come out to about 4x as much volume per page as a typical light novel.
Chapter 2 - 1
Chapter 2 - 2
Chapter 2 - 3
Chapter 2 - 4
Chapter 2 - 5
Chapter 2 - 6
No cultural notes this chapter, unless I've overlooked something!
So instead I'll give a visual progress report:
These are the two volumes of Shiki, with a roll of toilet paper beside them for size reference.
The bookmark shows where we are in Volume 1 right now, at the end of Part 2, Chapter 2.6, page 351.
This is an internal shot; pages are double-layer printed. Keep this in mind when comparing the time it takes to translate light novels that don't look so much thinner.
These are a Knights of Ramune & 40 Fire novel and a Sotsugyou II (Graduation: Neo Generation) novel, respectively. Print size and spacing is typical. In terms of sheer physical thickness, the average light novel looks to be about 3/4ths the length of a single Shiki novel and they usually come in at 250-300 pages, but the print size and spacing makes the difference in volume more pronounced than that. In the 5 volume larger print version, each part comes out to about 500 pages. In typical light novel printing standards, we'd be around 700 pages.
Coincidentally this is why I predict another two years or so to completion; you might look at the current rate of progress and think "We're more than halfway through book 1. By June, couldn't we be done with book 1 and maybe even have a start into book 2, which could then be conquered in about another year for a year and a half?" Those extra 200 pages that make book 2 longer than 1 are nothing to scoff at, since they come out to about 4x as much volume per page as a typical light novel.
no subject
Aw well, I guess if you work with them long enough they can start getting annoying. I'm not in your situation so I don't know exaaactly your reasons for being against them, but I can kinda relate because a lot of patients with pretty serious illnesses come into where I work, and some are so snobby and snappish and curmudgeon-y that I start hoping that they'd trip on their way out. Being afflicted with a hardship in your life just doesn't pardon you from being a royal douche.
Then do vampires and shikis and the like also rub you the wrong way like other supernatural stuff? A party where invitation is based on how much you enjoy Ouija-boarding isn't one most people would want to go anyway.
I think the problem with the "I DON'T NEED NO MAN" types is that they try so hard to make them seem independent (because of course, normal-acting girls are hated by fandoms for being doormats) which makes them come off really annoying. Both guys and girls can be in a relationship without being fiery and independent; believe it or not, it's okay not to push away your love interest when they're admitting their feelings! Who knew? I think that might be a factor in why people who watch that kind of stuff all the time have a reputation as being loners who nobody would date, because they assume that all relationships should be like what they see in anime with the tsunderes, while that would actually be pretty weird in real life. Back to Ritsuko, yeah, it's so refreshing that she interacts with a number of guys, but they don't throw her off or keep her from being a generally good person. It actually indicates a greater strength of character because even if she might feel flustered around Tohru, she hides it pretty well, and keeping control of yourself is a good trait to have. She's actually a stronger character for not tsun'ing out, she doesn't let no man change her awesome self.
no subject
Shiki would probably be a lot more effective as horror if I didn't know it was vampires. Drugs, serial killers, conspiracy; right now, I could probably still write up a possible (if improbable) explanation for everything.
It's still very successful as a suspense series or a character drama, and I can recognize scenes as very atmospherically creepy which makes it horror, I just do not personally experience the horror.
no subject
I think it's really reiterated that a horror story becomes scarier if you feel like it can actually happen. I wonder how I'd feel if I was reading Shiki without having seen the anime? Probably still kind of enjoying the slow horror. But it can be argued that the true horror of Shiki comes from the fear and reactions of the characters? Or rather, that the shiki are only catalysts for displaying the real horror. For instance, we're already how far into the book and everyone knows about this scary illness that's killing people and it's impossible to pin down. That could happen in real life, and although it's caused by the shiki, it could very well be the situation with a new illness being discovered in some isolated village. Also the paranoia of the people, and even the dysfunction of the village as a whole is very 'horror' if you think about it, because it brings suspense that with all that tension, something will happen. And of course, all those creepy empty characters (I'm looking at you, Monk) that rely on lolis to keep them going too. So the shiki are all but absent so far on, and the author probably wrote it that way on purpose to add a dose of horror that doesn't rely on just the supernatural but is created by a group of people with high levels of paranoia.
Hmm, at this point my explanation could be that Ozaki was involved with the mafia at one point during college. Then he got the leader mad, and escaped with his life back to Sotoba. Now the gang knows how important the village really is to Ozaki, so they're trying to kill it off, one by one, to inflict as much suffering on Ozaki as possible. Their weapon of choice is a new poison that induces the illness that causes all of the deaths. They can't possibly kill everyone, so some people they bribe to cut all ties, quit jobs, and move out etc. And Ozaki recognizes that it's the work of the gang somehow (he either a) recognizes the poison which has been a trademark of this gang since he was a part of it, or b) sees a gang member and guesses the truth). That's why he doesn't want these cases to be made public, because his past with the gang is kind of shady too, and doing so would put the blame on him too. The person who attacks Masao is a gang member.
How'd I do?