Shiki Novel Translations 3.3.6

[sinnesspiel]

6

"Smells good."

Ritsuko turned to face the voice behind her. Her sister Midori was in the kitchen doorway, poking her head through the string beaded curtain. "What're you making at this hour? A late night snack?"

"Yup," Ritsuko answered while cutting off the crust of the sandwiches. "But since it's not for you or me, no picking away at it with your fingers."

Ritsuko swatted at Midori's hand that was already stretched out to do so.

"Cheapskate."

"It's for the doctor, he's staying over night at work. The contractors' madamde's been hospitalized, and she has been for a while. So, I'll make something up."

"The madame's sick too now? What's wrong with that family? One after another."

Mm, Ritsuko nodded. Would Yasumori Setsuko die too, then? If that happened then the only one left would be Yasumori Tokujiro. What a bleak prospect.

"But making up something for him, you're dedicated, too, Onee-chan."

"There isn't anybody in charge of meals there. His wife isn't the type to do something like this and all."

"The Junior Wife? So she's back."

"Seems so."

"How nice for her. Just coming and going when she feels like me. I want a husband as understanding as that too." By her tone Midori's words weren't too serious. "But at least the Big Madame would feed him something simple wouldn't she? Since it is her own son. There's not really a reason for Onee-chan to have to go that far."

"That might be the case," Ritsuko said with a smile, sure that that wouldn't be so this time. It'd be one thing if Toshio were just staying overnight, but Seishin was with him. Takae would probably pretend not to notice as usual. "Well, it's fine isn't it? It'll at least be a midnight snack."

Midori wore a coquettish expression as she peered at Ritsuko's face. "Onee-chan, you sure are nice to the doctor, aren't you?"

"Well of course I am. It affects things like advancement and bonuses," Ritsuko said, her voice lowering. "Mom can hear, can't she? Stop it."

"Got it," Midori said sticking out her tongue. 

Ritsuko turned to look back but didn't see any sign of her mother peeking into the kitchen. There was the sound of the television, and light snoring heard during its lulls. She must have been dozing. Making sure of as much, Ritsuko quickly wrapped the sandwiches in aluminium foil. Putting soup into a pot would be a bit much, so he'd just have to suffer with instant. 

"I'll be getting into the bath when I get back so leave the water in for me."

"Right, right. Take care."

Nodding to Midori who waved her off, putting the wrapped up lunches in another paper bag, Ritsuko left the house through the kitchen door. Tarou poked his face out from the dog house door.

"You want to come for a walk too?" She spoke to him but Tarou curled his rail and drew back, fleeing inside his dog house. She could hear a short  weak, pathetic whining voice through his nose.

She was heading out at night and her thin jacket wasn't quite enough. It was the time of year when at dawn and dusk there was a distinct chill in the air. The way the heat was drawn out from one's body was similar to the sensation of losing something, and so the deeper they went into the Fall season, the more a  forlorn feeling overtook her.

(It feels hopeless...)

Trying to put it into words in her mind, it felt all the more like she was being pursued. Her jacket was a bit thin.  There was no sign of anyone's presence nor shadow on the night roads of the sleeping village. If only she'd thought of it a little sooner. If she had, she wouldn't have had to walk this road in the middle of the night. No, maybe instead it'd have been better if she had Midori or Tarou along with her.

Ritsuko suddenly realized that her eyes had been scanning her surroundings, unintentionally alert.

---Why are the roadways so scary at night lately?

No, the question was why was it that were people afraid of the darkness of the night to begin with. It wasn't known that dangers lurked in darkness. But if that was said to be scary then behind one's self in the daytime should have been just as scary. Behind one's self, behind cover, there were countless places that one couldn't see. None the less they weren't thought of as scary. People feared the night. Right--"As if in the ancient past, man had a natural predator, as if it were nocturnal, as if it were a remnant of that time."

She realized her pace was quickening. She could feel something hot on the back of her neck and her feet hurried as if fleeing that.

(There's no reason for this... It isn't that far at all!)

The road she was used to walking was only about a fifteen minute walk. There shouldn't have been anything scary about it. This was in the village, not some back alleyway in the city.

Going past the front of the temple she approached the hill road to the Maruyasu sawmill. There was a street light at the top of the hill, in front of the sawmill's office front, and beyond that the light in front of the hospital's entryway was lit. Ritsuko jogged up the hill, taking a breath beneath the street light. The Ozaki Hospital was right before her eyes. There was a light on in one room of the second floor but it was leaking out from the closed blinds. It was from the second story corner room--the nurse station. Confirming that she took in a deep breath.

(What's the matter with me?)

Even now Ritsuko gave herself a bitter smile. It was strange for her to be so fearful like a child. Gripping the paper bag in her hand, Ritsuko walked out along the remaining path. It was then that she saw something white just within her field of view. 

Despite feeling just a moment ago so much as if she would run into something, in an instant as short as that breath she had taken, with the familiar hospital building there before her eyes, strangely it floated to her consciousness as something that might have been something ordinary.  Ritsuko thought, as if it were incredibly natural, that somebody was there. 

(At this hour.)

How unusual it was, to see a shadow walking through the Maruyasu Sawmill's lumberyard. Who could it be, likely Junko, right? --Though Junko came to mind there was no particular reason. It was just that since that was the Maruyasu Sawmill lot, thinking it must have been somebody from the Maruyasu Sawmill, Junko happened to be the one who most easily came to her mind from that group.

When she stopped to look more closely, it was indeed a young woman. As she wondered why Junko was walking in the lumberyard at this hour, in the next moment she realized it wasn't Junko. Junko had short hair. If nothing else could be told, that person had long hair. 

The figure went out past the lumberyard drawing closer towards the hospital, going around towards the back of the building. Was it Ozaki Kyouko then? she thought.

As Ritsuko tilted her head, what's this? she thought.

(If it isn't the young madame. It is.)

It's Nao-san, Ritsuko thought while at the same having an uncomfortable feeling. The figure disappeared behind the back of the building. 

(But.... The Yasumori's Nao-san is...)

She'd suddenly felt as if her spine were stroked by ice. 

(Nao-san is...)

She couldn't move her legs. Her knees were shaking. (That's stupid.) That couldn't be. It was just a person who looked like her. (Surely, yes.)

But Ritsuko did not want to move from that place. Just a little bit further ahead of her was the Ozaki Clinic's entryway light. She wanted to try racing to its refuge in one breath but the front entrance was locked. With only the key to the side entrance, she would have no choice but to walk the dark, narrow path with no signs of people at the bank of the building or to across the parking lot, walking the roadway between the building and the hedges filled with obstacles, to get to the back of the building. Towards where that person who looked like Nao but no doubt had to be a completely different person had disappeared to.

Ritsuko had tried twice to direct her feet in that direction.

---It's no good, I can't.

No matter what she could not set foot on that causeway. Countless times unconsciously changing her grip on the paper sack, she retreated. (This can't be.)  Taking refuge beneath the Sawmill's lamp light, gazing towards the causeway, she then turned her body and rushed down the hill. (......But.) she thought while determining that she would never again go out walking in the middle of the night like this.

Comments

8D

[(Anonymous)]

Kyouko has a long hair! I'm glad it's not a weird hairstyle like in the anime/manga. And we don't even know whether Seishin wears glasses or not. But since it's not being mentioned at all, (hardly anything is mentioned about his physical appearance ever, except his outfits) I'd say he doesn't wear them. I think Seishin has a completely ordinary appearance. The novels only mention something about physical appearances when there's something worthy of note about them after all.

I remembered you saying that you liked Toshio/Ritsuko, I thought you must have liked this chapter then! (but poor Toshio, he doesn't get to have his sandwich!)

And of course I love the previous chapter. Toshio is grumpy when others doubt him, but when it's Seishin it's a bigger blow to his pride. I love that even though he has a short temper, he doesn't hold to it. (usually people who have a short temper quickly forget their anger too?) That chapter gave a good explanation on things I didn't realize before. Seishin is quite a logical person too, he's able to point out flaws several times in Toshio's theory but apparently Toshio always wins in the end. His stubbornness does him good too, I like that. I also love that he's so smug whenever he's able to convince Seishin. I just really love their relationship.

Next up, Setsuko's death will be significantly different from in the anime/manga I believe!

[sinnesspiel]

We don't know if Seishin wears glasses or if he even has hair; for all we know he's a shaved bald monk! I assume he does have hair since I'd think him being bald while so young might stand out to the fireman in the prelude, but...

I do love this chapter. I really love the radio episode where Ritsuko's seiyuu talks about their relationship, too. I'll be posting that shortly so look forward to it.

Seishin won their last argument. It's only fair that Ozaki wins this one. I like how equal they are and the respect that lets them argue to frankly with each other, able to just get to the heart of what they think the other's issue or real problem is.... besides Ozaki who, ultimately, didn't want to step into accusing Seishin of being a nihilist who hates humanity so much he's driven to suicide. In reading your twos' talk about that, it's been pretty interesting. The only add in I can think to add to it at this stage is that suicide *is* a pretty touchy topic in Japan. You just don't talk about it. More so than other places. That may be a major factor in why Ozaki doesn't bring it up even when he knows and wonders about it... that taboo might be a bit like that darkness he doesn't understand in Seishin, something that must not be touched, even if you can fight and stick together through everything else; that's Seishin's to bring to him, not his to try to drag out of Seishin. Toshio is very largely respectful in his own way of Seishin until it comes to something that affects someone else directly--I think part of why he even takes his defection fairly well is because he views it more as Seishin committing suicide and opting to harm nobody rather than really joining them to harm anyone else.

8D

[(Anonymous)]

I do think he has hair, because if he doesn't the novels will find ways to mention it. Besides, isn't him being bald an initial interpretation of Fujisai-sensei's? Are there other novel readers who think he's bald as well?

True, though. I also have noticed that unless it has something directly to do with other people/some problems they're trying to solve, Toshio largely leaves Seishin to his own devices. About him investigating Seishin rather than confronting; I think it extends to almost all aspects and not just his suicide issue. Toshio may not look like it but he actually observes and analyzes people. I think Toshio feels like he doesn't have any right to bring it up? Unless he's directly related to the temple, which he isn't. The temple people and the Yasumori couple perhaps have certain 'right', but the hospital folks don't. All the more I want to read about this particular scene; when did Toshio found out? Did he find out on his own, from the rumors, or did someone (like Miwako) tell him directly?

When I watched the scene of Toshio thinking 'so that's the answer you've come to/the choice you take' to the sight of Seishin entering Kanemasa (I'm referring to the anime since I don't know about the novels yet) I actually see it more as Toshio thinking that Seishin's chosen the enemy's side and not really about committing suicide. So you see it differently? From an outsider's (me) view though, it really does look like it. But I also don't know Seishin as well as Toshio does, so to me it's the logical explanation. He actually sees Seishin taking an active part (when he drives the car with Suitcase-ko inside and colliding with Toshio and co's pickup) and he doesn't look surprised by it. (I'd say he looks even more conflicted in the novels though. But in the end he lets Ohkawa and the others hunt Seishin down, because what else he can do?) I see the whole ordeal more like Toshio respecting Seishin's freedom of choice. Whether he likes/agrees with it or not is his own business. But since Seishin's chosen the enemy's side now he and the others have to hunt him down too, too bad. I'd like to read other parts which show some of Toshio's real feelings about this certain matter but I'm not able to yet. Toshio's admirable in that he doesn't let personal feelings hinder his actions though. He may be conflicted to some extent but he doesn't berate Seishin for it. He doesn't even come to hate him in the end of Shiki.

[airlynx]

I'm glad they showed Ritsuko walking away. Every time I watched the anime before, it was like...she sees Nao, she looks surprised, then...nothing! Did she go home? Did she keep going to the hospital? Did she follow Nao through the woods, climb a tree overlooking the Ozaki Clinic, and then, out of sight, watch as the horde of undead feasts on Setsuko's dying body?
Now I know, thank you.

And it's so much easier that the novel, unlike some anime we know, is in chronological order. Every time I watch, I promise myself that I'll keep track of all the dates, but really it's a losing battle.


Really enjoyed both of these chapters! Ozaki and Seishin's conversations are always great; I like how they can bounce ideas off of each other and come out being enlightened.
Finally, Ozaki gets a chance to be seme. I can only imagine that after their previous word battle, Ozaki went home and thought up seme game-breaking arguments to regain his rightful status. Seishin never stood a chance.

Ricchan's so nice, Ozaki doesn't even have to ask her to make him a sandwich ^^ No wonder (anime!)Tohru's so keen.

[sinnesspiel]

The anime is mostly in chronological order, but since moving mediums like anime and film have a set pace and a time limit, it's sometimes a better choice thematically to focus on one character for a scene or set of scenes even if you have to skip ahead of where the rest of the character's narratives are. For example, the 2nd OAV is all Motoko with a side of Kanami, and squeezing each little incident of hers in chronologically would feel very random in those otherwise Natsuno/Tohru/Megumi or Ozaki/Seishin/Sunako episodes, but if put together in one episode all to herself it illustrates her character arc and allows the narrative to get the most out of her part in the story. In a book you can just use a chapter break to call 'scene!' and there's no set amount of time you need to take at all.

Manga's a little more free than anime in that the reader goes at their own pace and to shift focus all you need to do is do a particularly large page panel to establish a new setting/focus character. But they still have to make each chapter feel like there was a point, development, or movement; it's harder to get away with a set of what seems like disjointed bunches of characters with no time or momentum in a scene to get into them unless you're doing a very specific type of story that's written like a Rube Goldberg blueprint. Shiki's a very big web of events that all tie up amazingly well, indeed like a village under siege, but it's also very emotionally driven and I'm happier with episodes whose themes and arcs are distinct enough to have meaningful breaks than I would be with a straight line by line attempt at interpretation. Much as I'd prefer the actual story stayed the same (more of the cut wakacombi scenes kept, more fleshing out the adults, less forcing Natsuno into constant prominence--all matters of preference in what characters I like) I think the anime and manga worked well in adapting to the strengths of their mediums. Remember when Toshio snapped at the Katous? That was an emotional scene, and while the novel is fantastic ultimately I don't think it can top the anime in how well it expressed what a snap, stress driven, unexpected but well lead up to reaction that was. We have Toshio talking in a 'present', non 'absent' but still disinterested voice, we have Katou's wife's audio muffled while only focusing on Ozaki's eye, as if he's not listening, but then it gets through and there's the rushing blood and the difference from his last line of dialogue, the wide angle shots that focus on the scene as a whole, Ritsuko's tone that's surprisingly understanding and not surprised even though she is, his own apology tone only returning to that same disinterested one rather than being apologetic; the rushing pounding lead up music that just STOPS when he snaps. A moving, auditory medium has a lot of strengths available to it to establish a change in a person's demeanor and emotional states. The anime did what the medium could do best; sustained a mood. With so many characters in so many emotional states, doing that while following the narrative is really impressive.

Maybe I'm too forgiving, though. I admit I'm just really fond of the anime's end result. I think the fact that it is so strong without the novel is a testament to something done well. I would not be translating the novel if the anime didn't hook me hard, and with all the good anime out there there are plenty of distractions I could have to stop thinking "NEED MORE SHIKI."

I'd love to see people go through the anime or manga with or after the novel and see what people find as strengths or weaknesses comparatively across mediums. I definitely won't say the manga and anime don't have weaknesses. As for the novel... I... can't think of any part I'd call a weakness yet. Some would say the length, but even as the translator, I'm really enjoying it. Even the infodumps which I find tedious I don't find "unnecessary." So I guess I can't discuss the novel too well yet if I can't find any particular things it's not good at.

[airlynx]

So, it seems that your bad luck with technology has transferred to me, because just after I finished typing up a reply to this yesterday, I accidentally hit the back button on my browser. Let's see if I can remember what I was going to say... ;-;

I liked that they included Motoko too; it really showed the worst of Sotoba, the villagers' superstitions and fears. Although the anime paraded Sotoba being 'isolated' and 'backward', all the backup we really got for that was:
- It's far from anything and really small
- It has the okiagari belief
- It's very religious
- People are unfashionable (according to Megumi)
- People gossip about each other
Well now with Motoko, it really showed the village at its worst, with her phobia of the national road, and also her inability to do anything to protect her family. It reminds the viewer that Ozaki, Seishin, and Natsuno aren't the only smart ones who figured out the existence of the Shiki, and not all villagers are proactive badasses like them. I guess it also shows that the villagers need a leader (Ozaki) to organize it and take action against the invasion. In fact, there's also a hint later that other villagers have found out about the Shiki (when Ozaki orders villagers to go around asking for assistance from people who weren't there during Chizuru's death, he says something like "tell them we're getting rid of the pests, they should understand") and there's no cases where anyone DIDN'T know what they were talking about, although this might be different in the novel. Unlike the novel where the villagers and their beliefs are explored from the get-go, Motoko's episode is a refreshing step back.

The part I had in mind when I said it's not in chronological order was when after the final attack on Setsuko, someone notices that Megumi's missing, and then the next episode it skips around with the attack on Natsuno, and the Shiki's planning the raid on the clinic. I appreciate that they didn't show the Shiki planning the raid before showing the actual raid, but I thought that the Natsuno episode should have been one continuous one instead of jumping back and forth. For instance, if first they showed Shizuka inviting herself in and Natsuno being all 'Oh, crap', then showed the Ozaki clinic part, then showed Tohru attacking Natsuno. And Megumi could be in there, but with less flashbacks. I guess flashbacks are okay, if there aren't too many.

And then there was also that one opening part (before the OP starts) where Megumi is picking up the pieces to Natsuno's torn-up greeting card, and then it rewinds, cassette tape style, to her coming out of the forest and finding it. Like, why couldn't they just show that in the beginning? It messed up the nice OST piece that was playing too. The mood was gone, and the rewind killed it.

Yeah, the anime is super effective with showing the characters; for such a character-driven series, I think it really helps to hear the voices and see the faces to get the full impact of emotions. It also helps with making some scenes dramatic and intense, more so than the novel even though it's one of the most intense pieces of literature I've read. Although the anime is also slow, it's very effective in that it's mellow when it wants to be, and dramatic when it wants to be. The story is meant to be slow, but there's also an urgency present--the Shiki are taking over, and by the time anyone's realized it, it's already very far along. Even if I read the novel all in one shot without the pauses between updates, it still wouldn't give me quite that same urgent feeling as the anime (the OST definitely helped with that, maybe I should play the music while I read). It's probably different for you, if you watched the anime as it came out with the week-long gaps.

The main nitpicks I had with the anime were the focus on Natsuno, and the art. Even if I got past the art eventually and started to enjoy it, I would have preferred it to be even darker, with more scenery and muted colors. Like if Shiki was drawn kind of like Fate/Zero, I think that would be cool. My motto for anime is, 'unless it's a comedy, I want it to be extremely depressing'.
And now that I think about it, I actually think the anime did the Natsuno parts well, even if I'd rather they left him in the background. The novel doesn't do a lot with him, but the anime crafted a very believable and unique personality with him, emphasizing the characterization from the novel. Although I don't like him as a person, he was a good character and entertaining to watch as he pushed the plot forward a lot of the time.

The part where Ozaki snaps at the Katous was actually the part that kicked off my transition to being an Ozaki fan. It really showed a lot of his character, also the strain he was under and his sense of duty towards his job. It also really put the situation in perspective: he's literally unable to do his job, and the people he's trying to save are preventing him from doing his best. Like a captain trying to plug up a hole in the ship, while the crew just accidentally makes new holes and tries to block them up with toilet paper.

Also, it's totally not fair how much official art Natsuno gets. Why can't we have more blood-splattered Toshio, or like, a detailed screenshot of him sitting by that bridge by the river smoking and looking intense.
You know, the first time I watched the anime I expected someone to get staked with a sotoba grave marker. It has a point on the end, doesn't it, so what gives?!

Whenever I get too annoyed at the anime (usually when I'm reading the chapters and I'm like, 'ugh, would it have KILLED them to include THIS') I make myself remember that I did, after all, like it enough to take the time to look up translations on the internet and to start learning a little Japanese.

I can't think of any weaknesses really, either...heh, we really are biased. But then again, I think that some things that could be counted as 'weaknesses' really depend on the reader's preferences, and something one person would call a weakness would actually be a strength to someone else. Aside from it being slow, I guess other potential weaknesses would be that it lacks some descriptions, like sometimes I really wish the authoress took the time to describe the characters. They are all Japanese so you can't really say something like 'Natsuno's purple eyes glared heatedly into Megumi's bright pink ones', but there's other ways to do descriptions, like Seishin noticing that Ozaki's eyes are 'red rimmed, with dark bruises betraying intense exhaustion' or someone calling Seishin's face 'delicate' or 'eyes perpetually narrowed in thought'. Some would also get frustrated because it skips around characters a lot, and would prefer it to focus on a select few like the anime.
I bet someone who read the novel first would be even more frustrated with the anime. Unlike us, who are filled with regret when we read stuff we wished would have been animated, novel-first readers would have a select few must-see scenes in mind, and would be really disappointed when they're missed.

Aaand I actually ended up writing more than I did before the tragedy happened. Everything that happens is for the best?