Sinnesspiel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sinnesspiel) wrote2015-02-21 08:22 pm
sinnesspiel) wrote2015-02-21 08:22 pm
Shiki Novel Translations 3.7.6
6
"How'd it go with Tokujirou?" Seishin was asked as Toshio entered his bedroom, to which he shook his head.
"He seems against being hospitalized. Indeed he was talking as if reciting lines according to instructions."
And so, he was asked, to which he explained that while he didn't know if it would have an effect or not they'd moved his body into the altar room, spread incense and placed juzu beads on him, with sacred scriptures put at the porch entryway.
"You think that'll be able to repel them?"
"I don't know. ...The house is already open to the Shiki. The only room blocked off by scriptures is the drawing room, so we might not be able to depend on their effectiveness very much."
If they were going that far, transcribing sutras or mandala or the like on the sliding screens might have been effective but it wasn't as if they could try it. ---As he said that, Toshio gave a wry smile.
"You said it. It's not like we can act too crazy here. Even without all that they're already having a hard enough time trusting me in this situation, if I start doing anything eccentric on top of this, people who would've come won't anymore."
Seishin nodded.
"Other than having him say that he doesn't want to be hospitalized, it doesn't seem they've had Tokujirou-san do anything else then? It's tough, making him refuse hospitalization. With everyone who lived in the same house with Tokujirou-san dying off like that, even though they've gone that far, if there were family there, they couldn't do anything to help."
"Aa......"
"By the way, you heard the talk about the Kirishiki family's Ebuchi-san opening up a clinic?"
No, Seishin said, eyes opening. "---They really are?"
"There was the convenience store in Shimo-Sotoba right? Seems they remodeled that into a clinic. But the question is for what?"
"You don't think it's as a base to spread the infection do you?"
Who knows, Toshio murmured. "In the first place--To start with, what made the bunch of them decide to move here to this village? Strangely enough I haven't even tried thinking about that until today. I was just thinking of it as they're here so they're here, but."
"Wasn't it you who said this place is prime for multiplying the Shiki's numbers?"
"Yeah. ...That's definitely right. Here even now we still bury the dead. Cremation'd be inconvenient for the Shiki. But how did the bunch of them know that the village still buries, I wonder, huh?"
Indeed, Seishin started to say back when he remembered that he himself had written something himself for publication. Indeed, it was in the spring of last year. Hadn't Sunako said that she had read that essay?
"......It can't be."
"Hm?"
Could it be that that was to blame for all of this? Cremation was inconvenient for the Shiki. Cremation was sure to be a major obstacle in increasing their numbers. Toshio may have been correct when he'd guessed that if Shiki existed, the reason they weren't known to this day might have been entirely due to cremation.
--But if there was a place that buried, that would be where Shiki could multiply. Seishin's essay caught their attention. Seishin had memories of writing that the village even now did burials, that the graveyards were in the mountains.
"What's wrong?"
"It might be because of what I wrote."
Toshio gave a suspicious expression. "The village is surrounded by death, ---That one?"
Seishin nodded.
"But the village's name's not written anywhere in it, right?"
"If you read it, you'd know it's the village where the author lives. If you reference the author's CV, you'll basically know where it is, then if you take into account the geographic conditions and search a map, it'd be possibly to find it," Seishin lowered his eyes in shame. "......She said that. The Kirishiki's daughter herself."
"......Oi."
"I think that's indeed what happened. She read the essay. She looked for where it is. Then---"
"Consulted someone related, or otherwise confirmed the real state of things. Before there was that talk about some kind of strange resort wasn't there? A surveyor came out, stayed at the Tokuda house for a while while snooping around here and there."
Indeed, Seishin murmured. Toshio seemed to be further searching his memory.
"The results of investigating the real spot also showed it to be a favorable location. They made a plan to infiltrate the village. They got ahold of the Kanemasa house---" Toshio started to say, then spitting out a sigh. "The predecessor of Kanemasa died suddenly. Without a word to anyone, he arbitrarily handed over the lot to Kirishiki-shi."
And that's where it all started, Seishin thought somberly. Perhaps taking on that same mood, Toshio's expression became all the more distressed.
"They're scrupulous. More than we'd been thinking. On our end we've only just now recognized that they exist, I mean we've confirmed that Nao-san and Shuuji-san aren't in their graves but we haven't found any way to repel them or to dam up the situation. While we're completely in a fog about all this, they've had everything accounted for and planned out for over a year beforehand now. ---But the thing is, why?"
"Why?"
"They calculated nifilstrating the village. But what's that for? The preparations took more than a year, It's not something they just thought up. There's got to be a goal to it, something to make a plan over, to put steadily into place. But what is that goal?"
"Like we'd said, isn't that to increase---"
"What'll they get propagating the species? Cremation's certainly staved off the Shiki from growing in number until now. So in a way, Sotoba might be a beneficial place for the Shiki as a species. But what would the Shiki themselves want to increase their numbers for? For humans, wanting to spread their influence is like second nature but to pointlessly increase their numbers just increases the number of carnivores and that's it. The bunch of them are eating up all the people in the village.
Indeed, Seishin murmured.
"And on top of that there's the Ebuchi clinic. That contamination point---if it's a point to increase their numbers, then they really might just be able to grow even faster than they are now. But even now they're overdoing it. If people are dying off any more than they are now, somebody is definitely going to notice!"
"An undertaker......"
"Eh?"
"It seems we have an undertaker now. They were able to bring one in. The carpentry shop in Kami-Sotoba's been remodeled into a funeral home."
"Contracting burials?"
"Most likely."
Toshio groaned.
The Ebuchi Clinic, the Sotoba Funeral Home, both painted a similar picture. He couldn't think they were unrelated. If the Kirishiki family had a hand in the Sotoba Funeral Home, what was the goal? They would be the ones doing the funeral, doing the burials. One thing that could definitely be said to come from that would be lessening the work it'd take to dig out their rising allies. The pain of secretly digging up a grace was one that permeated deeply into Seishin's own body. They must have been continuing to do that. Somehow or another they were confirming whether or not the dead body beneath the tombstones would rise or not, then if they rose they were digging them out, then burying the grave back. If they could be the agents carrying out the burials, they would be able to take measures to lessen that hardship. It's also quickly decrease the odds of their current activities being found out. They would multiply faster. ---But it was just as Toshio said. What were they trying to do, increasing their numbers like this?
"They've got some kind of goal." Toshio's eyes were sharply concentrated. "They had a goal, that's why they scrupulously made a plan, one they're acting out. In the mean time, we can't even find out their plan."
Toshio remained silent after that. Seishin's back was tense in anticipation of Toshio saying "That's why we need to hunt the Shiki," but fortunately he didn't say a thing.
In fact, Toshio himself wanted to say it but he knew his childhood friend's temperament, so he didn't dare say it. That wasn't all, saying they didn't know what the Shiki were thinking, to hunt them, was easy enough in word, but they still had to think of how to actually go about hunting them. They were exceedingly scrupulous planners. As if they were something that Toshio and Seishin could stop by haphazardly working together.
Seen off by Seishin who looked to him guiltily,Toshio spent time thinking in his own room. Toshio stood up. A shelt, a desk, he heard the sound of something like that falling. He left his own room towards the living room at the same time his mother was coming out in her night clothes down the hallway looking consterned.
"What was that noise? It sounds like something fell?"
"No clue," Toshio answered, peering into the nearby room. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary he went up to the second floor. The room closest to the stairway--formerly Toshio's own room---currently a room with a bed in it, for the married couple in pretext. When he opened the door, with a very strong whiff of cosmetics, he saw Kyouko's form fallen prostrate over the dresser.
"--Oi!" Toshio hurried in. Kyouko had fallen forward onto the dresser, gripping at the front chest portion of her night clothes. They must have been scattered out when she fell, the cosmetics bottles spilled onto the floor, several with the lids off spilling a stain onto the carpet.
"Toshio, what on earth?"
Moving before the shrill voiced Takae did, he turned her towards the light and peered at Kyouko's face. He could tell at a glance cyanosis was occurring. Her breathing was labored. Ensuring her airway was open, he observed her breathing. Her breaths were spontaneous. They were shallow, mixed with wheezing noises. ---She's fine, he breathed out faintly. It wasn't to the point where her condition was a race against time. It was within bounds where Toshio could treat her himself.
"Mom, take her legs. We'll take her to the treatment room."
"I will do no such thing!"
Toshio shouted as his openly repugnant mother. "Carry her! You want her to die?!"
Takae's eyes widened with fright as she took Kyouko's legs with a resentful look. Sufferingly working her down the steps, once taken to the hospital portion of the building she was put onto a stretcher.
"Toshio... How is Kyouko-san?"
"I don't think it's serious but I can't say for sure. I'll treat her, so call Yasuyo-san for me. Tell her the situation and that I need her help ASAP."
Takae nodded, flustered. "Hashiguchi-san, yes?"
Watching Takae head to the main wing as if she were fleeing, Toshio looked down at his own wife. He'd noticed it when making sure her airway was open. There were two bite marks on the vein on her neck.
Why didn't he notice? Come to think of it, lately Kyouko had been strangely moderate. Whenever she came back her fights with Takae would be unending, but not this time. Almost as if she weren't here, confined to her room, Toshio himself lost sight of the fact that she was.
It was that. --And it was entering the later stages.
Why, he thought, wanting to blame himself. Why did he think that they would keep this up while avoiding them? However it was that they chose their victims, even just as a matter of probability, there was no way they should have gotten by safely. It wasn't strange at all that the harm would come to one of their own. No, it was in fact lucky that they'd gotten by safely this long.
But thinking that, Toshio glared into space. ---Was it really true that they'd gotten by safely to this point?
"There's Tohru-kun......"
Yes, Mutou's son had of course been a victim of theirs. And then?
"......They got us."
Sudden resignations.
Shimoyama the X-Ray technician, and also Towada. What would you call them if not victims and losses?
Re: 8D
Thanks, that's so kind of you to say about me being admirable! XD I'm in a good mood today because one of the colleges I've applied to accepted me! But yes, it's good to have that streak of caution that keeps your rebelliousness in check. It's always good to think of the possible consequences behind a decision to do something (or to not do something), sort of looking beyond what you want to do right now. You're very self aware, and that's a good thing; I can tell, you know a lot about yourself and your personality, and you know what you do and don't want to do. Despite that, you're always trying to find out more--I haven't met many people like it, most aren't so self-aware, or don't have the introspection necessary to be self-aware.
Do you have problems with reading Shiki a little bit because it's hard to focus? It'd probably be good to read a fast-paced, light novel type of book for you, then. Ghost Hunt would be really good in this regard! I like reading, I really attach a lot of importance to it. I read a lot as a kid (still do) and it's shaped me a lot growing up. Not only does it enhance your vocabulary, but also your imagination because your brain needs to work to picture the events happening. I'm not one of those people that insists that you have to read only a certain type of literature, or "timeless classics" though, I think any reading is good if you like it. I also want to learn Japanese, but I'm the complete opposite in that I would find it hard to do without a class. I don't trust myself to lay out a study plan for myself, and I'm afraid of making some kind of erroneous assumption that will persist throughout my learning and will never be corrected (whereas a teacher would probably correct it if they noticed something like that), if that makes sense. Some kind of textbook would work, maybe, but it's hard to sit down and study Japanese after already sitting down and studying school stuff after already sitting down in school for 7 hours per day. What method do you use to study it?
It sounds like Psychiatry would work really well for you! Your family sounds really supportive, and yeah if you're genuinely interested in the subject matter, that's a good sign. I'd say not to jump into anything and experience stuff more, but it sounds like you're doing just that with your lectures and then later you will for your internship too. Will you get to try different medical fields of study during your internship?
I've never seen Hannibal, but I've also definitely noticed that people's opinions can sway someone too. For instance there's mob mentality right, and also I think it shows as much about the person influencing you as the person being influenced. If someone is able to influence someone so much, that indicates they have a lot of charisma, or something about them appeals to the other person, I suppose. When someone appeals to you, you start to want to agree with them, and then the opposite when you don't like them, when you try to argue every single one of their points in an effort to make them look as stupid as you think they are. I think being influenced negatively like this is more prominent in me than being influenced positively; someone I really hate could say something I agree with, and I'd probably argue against it anyway. However, it doesn't necessarily have to be a really charismatic person to influence people around them; everyone has that ability to some degree. I've noticed and I'm sure you have too, that people act differently around different people. I definitely do that (and so do you probably, since you're more "bossy" with your sister than your friends!), but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing either? It doesn't show that you're really malleable, I think it's just your natural instinct trying to avoid discord or rubbing people the wrong way. Again, it's putting your best face forward--you unconsciously try to seem as agreeable as possible to the other person. Some would call that being "fake", but it's also being polite because you wouldn't want to purposefully piss someone you don't know off. It's also way too much effort and stress to do that.
"he's still able to empathize properly with the shiki because he hasn't formed any negative impression on them in the first place", do you mean at the beginning when he sees Sunako, or throughout the story? Because if it's throughout the story, I'd say that he does have negative impressions of them. For instance, when he witnesses Tatsumi, Megumi, and the rest attack and kill Setsuko. This also brings up a very interesting question about him because on one hand, he values "life", so you'd think that he'd hate the Shiki for taking it away from the villagers. But this must also make him appreciate others valuing "life", so he could hardly be able to blame the Shiki for trying to preserve their own, if the only way to survive is by killing. It seems like those two opinions make him be on the fence about the Shiki, but it's Ozaki's behavior toward the Shiki that disturbs him, and then he's finally able to decide that the Shiki aren't so bad. Or maybe he decides that they're not as bad as the villagers. Perhaps he hates the village so much that it's like, "I don't care if the thing is bad, as long as it's not Sotoba."
I always wonder what's going on with Seishin's dad. I thought that throughout the story, he's kind of supposed to be like Seishin in that he's tired of his life at the temple and it doesn't really mean anything to him anymore. Or at least, that's the impression I got since he decided to get bitten--knowing that he'd have to kill other people in order to survive--rather than continuing to live on in pain. So I was thinking, perhaps Seishin and Shinmei are alike in that while Seishin's resentment of Sotoba is just an attitude, Shinmei's actually manifests as pain. Seishin is like Shinmei also in that he also can't move. He's confined to his position like his father is confined to his bed.
Yep, it's good to be able to share thoughts with and bounce ideas off other people! And speaking of goals, I think perhaps the reason that Seishin doesn't have one is because he doesn't want to think about the future--he can see nothing except life going on as it is, and he doesn't want to see that. Toshio sees life going on as is, and he likes that. Seishin sees life going on as is, and he hates it.
Re: 8D
(Anonymous) 2015-03-21 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)Thanks! Though I think I'm as much as self-aware as I am self-centered, judging by the time I spend in my own head. Speaking of hobbies, I love dissecting myself as much as I love dissecting Seishin. I mentioned some replies back that people are smart in different fields -- and I'd like to think that I'm good at reading myself. One thing about me is that I can easily find out the reasons behind everything I do, even if it's instinctual. Whatever I'm feeling at the moment, I usually instantly know what it is and what causes it. Though I cannot say anything about what kind of a person I am according to external view -- that would be people other than me's prerogative. Actually, this is linked to one thing among many from Seishin that alarmed me -- for a person who I think resembles me greatly, who spends as much time introspecting as he does, it's kind of alarming to me that he's still so slow regarding himself. Or... at least that's how it seems to me, considering my often lacking focus when reading and all. If you ask me, even if it's true that I cannot always immediately put things into words, I'll still get the rough idea. Regarding Seishin though, I think it's either he's just not as good at it, or... he's created mind blocks. I think the latter is more likely; he has internalized phobia after all and I think he's been on self-preservation mode since long; He's afraid of facing his real self. It's also kind of weird to me that all his novels are about himself, which shows how much he actually knows, but is still slow at determining things? It seems now to me that he's got the rough ideas all along, but tends to prevent himself from organizing them into actual words and bury those ideas instead. It eventually leaks out though, through his writing. Probably he even thinks that writing about characters that don't share his name (even if they share his experiences?) means that he can analyze himself properly from third person POV so he gets to still keep certain distance and thus be safe? Does he even intend to write about himself in the first place even? Considering what he first wrote was the explanation of his suicide attempt (which turned out to be a novel-length letter of self-explosion), that's probably a yes. Deliberately or not, I think he's been dying to show the world his real self.
Also, I wonder if I'm one to talk. Seishin's novels include the knowledge about his self that has accumulated throughout the years, which formed him as he is. No one will be able to organize decades long pieces of knowledge into a single novel-length summary of 'who am I?' at that exact moment. I certainly cannot. It'll include a lot of processing and reprocessing, recalling (reprocessing again), and finding out the exact words to describe our experiences by researching/meeting new experiences. I mean that. At least, what I can immediately do is determining the main reason behind what I've just done. To be able to link it to other experiences/dig out other reasons that accompany the main reason/determine the complete philosophy behind it, I need a bit more time. Seishin wrote those novels himself though, so he definitely is capable even if it takes long. I don't know, but I think Seishin actually doesn't need 10+ years to determine the reason behind his suicide attempt. I believe he's capable of doing it for a shorter time than that. So I think he's just mostly reluctant and afraid.
That he can write a lot about himself shows about how much knowledge he has about himself. I think Seishin is a person who mainly learns from experience -- he sure can understand something logically or using his sympathy, but the only time he can 'fully' understand would be when he experiences it firsthand (This speaks true about myself as well -- I always fear that I don't understand something enough unless I've also experienced it, and I'll have the courage to call the knowledge 'valid' usually when I've also experienced it or witnessed it using my senses, so I could have the chance to properly identify it in my head.) I have noticed these two instances in the novel:
1) In the Seishin-seme chapter, he talks about how everyone thinks they're the center of the universe, though it seems to me that he's talking about himself (considering things).
2) In the chapter when Seishin and Toshio are talking about the vampires currently invading Sotoba, while referencing a lot to literature. It quickly turns into a talk about death and people's opinion about it. Seishin mentions about how people fear death and in turn looks at his own hands, that death will surely come to him too -- he's also talking about himself.
Note that Seishin manages to render Toshio speechless in these two chapters. I think it's because Toshio manages to catch something from Seishin, even if he doesn't know what it actually is.
That's actually a yes; that's why I often reread the novels. It gets even more difficult to focus if I'm reading something I have zero interest in. I actually struggled to read non-Toshio/Seishin chapters. Sunako chapters don't help things either. I read lots of manga growing up though -- I was first introduced to it even before I entered kindergarten. My Dad reads manhua himself even now, so I think that's why I was introduced to manga at such young age. Regarding Ghost Hunt; I looked it up a bit the other day and it surprised me to see that there was actually a bit of romantic indication among the protagonists? Like, I didn't know that 'Ono Fuyumi' and 'romance' could exist in the same work. Shiki doesn't have major romance. Nor does Twelve Kingdoms, Demon Child, and this other work of hers I've read. It's surreal.
Uhm... my method is messy and perhaps unreliable. I usually learn languages for recreational purpose only/just because I want to, not because someone tells me to, so I'm very casual about it. I'm still a beginner at Japanese in that I still don't know the best method to study it, so I'll tell you about my studying English first: since it's English, I was able to get the basics from classes, though books could do too. Basics would be my foundation to form a web of understanding, so if I can get a hang of it, the better. My main method is actually forming 'impressions' of what I read -- I guess you could call it 'making sense of it' but it's incredibly subjective. Rather than full logic, I use intuition/imagination instead. It's true that my impression will be weak if I only study it from one source of reading (I primarily learn languages by reading), so I read a lot to form better impressions and to just get used to the rules like grammars/idioms/etc. If I can get additional classes/books to instruct me about rules, the better, since my lacking focus often means that I don't fully understand the rules. I'm also very lazy to memorize vocabulary lol. I primarily learn English from fics/internet. I still learn even now, from you all and these translations, among many other sources. Internet is a dear friend -- even when I write replies, I often get unsure about grammar or the meaning of certain words or idioms, so I look them up. 90 percent of what I read/write daily is in English, so it's a good practice. I usually only use my native language to communicate with others or at my lectures. Even a lot of my medical literature is in English. If I don't understand, I'll just look it up on the internet. I still get lots of typos, but at least I can communicate with people. My listening is bad though, and speaking even more since I so rarely practice on them.
Japanese... now it's tricky, since it's not in Latin alphabet. I got the basic at high school, where I learned the alphabets, basic grammars and basic kanji, so it was a good start. I bought lots of books, but I don't always get the hang of the structure. My methods are the same though: making impressions of what I read, read a lot, form better impressions and get used to it. If I don't understand something, I look it up on the internet. It helps if I can get reading examples that include Japanese, Romaji, and the English translations so I can compare them all to form better impressions. It's incredibly messy. Fortunately, given my native tongue I can already pronounce correct Japanese. Listening is harder though for me.
Yay, thank you! 8D Yes, to be a general practitioner, it's mandatory to experience all medical fields during internship.
the thing about Will Graham is, as I grasped, he's spent too long inside the murderers' head (thanks to his job) that he ends up being influenced and becoming a murderer himself. And, ohhho, so that's called a mob mentality. New horizon for me! Is it tied in with empathy, or do they exist separately? I gathered that everyone has both abilities to an extent, but it kind of alarms me since sometimes I start to question where do 'I' actually exist when I'm in both modes. Or I believe I should question it anyway. But I think it shows that, first and foremost, human beings are created for self-preservation purpose before other things. Following your own moral values is good, but I think our body acknowledges that survival is much more important, and that it'll do anything to ensure that. Including following the system. Empathy is nice though actually, since it allows me to truly connect with people.
Ah, I used the instance from the novel. In the novel, he doesn't get to witness them directly, and is much too preoccupied with Setsuko having already died and Toshio being too angry and right, and that he really should get to actively defend the village in my opinion. I think he acknowledges that what the shiki do is bad, but as you said, his subconscious think that since they were doing it to Sotoba, he should spare them. He's also much too preoccupied with what he should do than properly demonizing the shiki. I think Seishin is mostly neutral towards the shiki, actually. Or, I don't think he has much time to think about the moral behind what they do, since he's too preoccupied with hiw own turmoil regarding the whole thing. Or I probably missed something too, so I should really reread again. About what Seishin values: I think what he values is 'self', meaning he values individuals. Usually individualists are like that -- they advocate individuals being themselves, and everything each individual has. Which includes life. He understands how an individual would want to preserve their own life, but given his bias, he sides more with the shiki than Sotoba. If he values individuals being themselves, he'll also feel the drive to be his own self as an individual. That means following what he himself wants. People who have high sense of self will usually feel guilty for not being themselves and live according to their own rules, even if it probably means that they could potentially harm others, and that for the better of their surroundings they should probably refrain from fully being themselves. It's painful -- if you follow yourself, you hurt others. But if you follow others, you hurt yourself. In Seishin's case here, following himself means doing things that don't align with Sotoba. Which would seem that he's siding with the shiki, but in truth it seems more that he's using the shiki to gain what he wants -- opposing Sotoba. The shiki is just his way out. Given his bias, his empathy will fully shift to them too. Regarding Toshio though... now I have a theory, but we haven't reached that point yet and since the novel differs considerably with the animanga, I should probably wait.
I agree with that. I think Shinmei is actually dedicated to Sotoba, unlike Seishin, it's just he cannot bear to live being disabled and confined to bed.
I also agree with this one. Actually, I don't think both these men know how to set goals on their own, according to what they want, since their fate was set the moment they were born -- but yeah, Toshio is mostly fine with that (except that he hates his family's way), and Seishin is just so not fine with that.
Re: 8D
Aw thanks, I love talking to you too! Well, people do say that you are who your friends are. Watch out, or you'll not only pick up on my good qualities, but also my bad ones, like...oh wait, I don't have any bad qualities. The college that I got accepted to isn't my first choice, but I'll be getting all of my decisions within the week! And it's spring break this upcoming week, which is both good and bad because while I can chill out and sleep in, I'll also be anxious about getting my college decisions.
Dissecting yourself is good, it's definitely not something that everyone can do! I don't think I've ever noticed myself doing that. I mean, like everyone I get self-conscious and sometimes when I made bad decisions I question myself about why I did that and try to figure it out, but that's more surface level stuff that a lot of people do. You're more like, analyzing even your basic actions trying to find out why you did them, right? I need to be more self aware like that, since most of the time I don't even know why I do half the crap I do. Future goals-wise, it's good to know your strengths and weaknesses, if only in the sense of maintaining a healthy frame of mind. If you know what you like and don't like, chances are you won't put yourself in a situation where you're unhappy doing what you're doing (we all have to do things we don't like sometimes, but this is more long-term, like if you did a career you didn't really want to do), and thus you'll be less stressed out and more happy overall with your life. A lot of people don't know themselves at all and end up doing that.
Yeah, I agree that Seishin is very good at being able to articulate the abstract into words, since all his essays are somewhat vague and confusing (nobody in the village seems to think they're anything but weird drabble, including Toshio who puts it out as reading material), but no doubt they make perfect sense to Seishin himself. A lot of people feel like they can't talk to anyone about their problems, so they take to writing. Personally, since I like writing fiction sometimes when I don't understand my feelings about something or someone, I write (short) stories about characters experiencing the same thing as me and that really helps me think about my own situation because to write the story, I have to think about what logically would come out of the kind of situation I'm writing about. It's easier to think logically about other people than about myself, so I guess really what I'm doing is my own version of your self-analysis? Anyway, it helps me organize my thoughts and it's sometimes a reality check like "hey, if you keep doing this, then that will happen". I bet Seishin gets somewhat of the same benefit from his writings.
So Seishin is definitely capable of putting his own thoughts into words. The essay about the village being surrounded by death and his story about the two brothers are all we see about his writing, but it's enough to know that he's really thought deeply about some things. I agree that he probably doesn't want to think about his suicide attempt because he doesn't want to face what he'll realize about it ("I did this because I wanted to leave the village so bad, but I can't leave, my whole life is here," and that would be even more depressing, perhaps inviting a second suicide attempt. But it all keeps coming back to his suicide attempt since the story about the brothers takes a turn that clearly reflects the suicide attempt, even if Seishin didn't intend it himself. Perhaps the reason why Seishin is so confident and active at the end of the series is because he finally confesses to Sunako why he slit his wrist, and kind of puts the pieces together for himself as well. So now he's not avoiding recognizing a part of himself, and now that he accepts himself he can do what HE wants to do, which is protect Sunako and live on.
Sometimes the fact that a character is speechless says more than words (about Toshio being rendered speechless). He usually has something to say, so him being out of character is kind of a big deal. And it's up to interpretation why he's speechless, since it can be for a variety of different reasons. It can mean that he's given up, he has nothing to say to Seishin because he thinks the difference is just so much (kind of when you don't feel like arguing with someone you disagree with because they're so far gone it wouldn't be any use). It can mean that he's angry, and he wants to say something but he doesn't want to because he cares about Seishin's feelings.
I'm so glad you started reading Ghost Hunt! I never read the manga, just watched the anime and read the (translated) novels, but the story itself is great, isn't it? I really like both Mai and Naru, and I like how Ono did the romance. It's there, and it's very consistent with both of their personalities; Naru's really closed off, but he still finds ways to show his affection, while Mai is more straightforward and I like how she doesn't angst about it. She's still very much her own person, not defined only by her crush on Naru. While the romance is there, I like how it doesn't attempt to be the main idea of the story at all. It's also surprising how different the characters are from the Shiki ones. How could the woman who wrote Seishin also write Ghost Hunt's monk?? Mind blown.
Your English is very good! It's impressive that you've managed to learn it above and beyond on your own time. I've never learned a language in my own time...let's see, I know three languages. My first language I grew up with, so no effort there. I quickly picked up English when I started school at age 5, so I know it just as well if not better than my first language. I've taken Spanish in school for 4 years now, so that was all guided lessons, but I've never done Spanish outside of school. It's hard for me to force myself to study anything on my own time if it's not out of necessity. If I had to learn Japanese because I was planning on visiting Japan, I would probably put more back into it. You must know Japanese pretty well! Are you able to read manga in original Japanese and stuff? It seems that everyone on here knows at least some Japanese...I better get my act together, lol. Maybe once I start learning more we can try having Japanese conversations and struggling through it together! ._./ 'Making impressions' makes a lot of sense, since that's what I do with Spanish. I think Spanish is pretty easy for me partly because I already knew two languages, and they're so different it seems silly to compare them to one another. A mistake that a lot of my classmates do is try to compare Spanish to English, or trying to make sense of Spanish by trying to find similarities to English, and it's a lot harder if you do that. It's easier just to accept that Spanish is different, and expecting a different language to be perfectly parallel to English is just going to make you more confused. That's why if you try to translate anything word by word, as you probably know since you know multiple languages, it rarely makes any sense, so you have to translate in chunks, and you have to get a feel for the language to be able to do that.
That's so interesting that your medical textbooks are in English. Does everyone have to know at least a little English to be able to learn where you're from, or is it just you that uses English supplementary materials?
Mob mentality is a little different from empathy, or I see it that way. Mob mentality is when a group of people are riled up by something, and those emotions bounce off each other, making everyone become focused on just that one thing. An example would be if some speaker speaking to a large audience is very charismatic, and is able to inspire anger in the crowd directed toward a specific target. The crowd starts shouting and protesting against the target. Even people who were kind of neutral on the issue join in on the shouting and protesting, and at that point everyone is so swayed that if the leader tells them to go burn down a house, they will collectively do so, like a mob. Nazi Germany was a good example of that, and Hitler was a good speaker, which is why a lot of the people supported him. If you're told you're better than other people, you'll easily believe it since that's what you want to hear. Empathy is more individual. It's being able to see things from a different person's perspective, or sympathize with them even if you don't share their views. For instance, if someone who's a Pro-Life advocate is talking to a woman who got an abortion, if she explains the reasons behind getting an abortion, the other person can feel sorry for her and kind of see her motivation for it, while still holding onto his beliefs. Like Hasegawa (that's the cafe Creole guy's name, right?), he's against the idea of the Shiki in general, but seeing the Shiki get burned up in the sun is too much for him, seeing how much pain they're in. So I guess empathy is more of a positive force, more like being open-minded rather than being so caught up an emotion you lose sight of everything else.
Yeah, it seems like Seishin is literally disgusted by the prospect of fitting into the system, or fitting in with the temple. I don't have that much to add except that I also feel like he doesn't like being a part of a larger group in general, like he sees the temple as a group of people who are all supposed to share beliefs and act a certain way. Seishin wants to be 'Seishin', not 'a temple priest'. What's the theory you have about Toshio that you mentioned?
Re: 8D
(Anonymous) 2015-03-30 01:53 pm (UTC)(link)That's probably it. And if you write it down, then you HAVE to face whatever it is. At least, I think you'll be more driven to do it since it's harder to run away than when it's in your head only -- I think Seishin's subconscious have actually been pushing at him to properly face himself through whatever means. I wonder if he wants to protect Sunako or be her guardian for the sake of protecting her though...
What I ultimately take from Toshio being speechless in both situations I mentioned is his thinking "There's something in Seishin, which will probably prove important, but I don't know what it is so I better shut up." They haven't clashed ways in those two chapters, so my take is that whatever Toshio feels that renders him speechless, it in a sense only involves Seishin and so doesn't include him in the picture -- like the thick fog that has been surrounding Seishin is gradually lifted, so it's in a sense an enlightenment but also not quite there, in my opinion.
Yeah, it's very good! 8D the manga was scary enough, I cannot imagine how the novels would be. I first became truly interested in it thanks to this Diamond no Ace fic I love, which includes the characters being psychic and naturally my mind just went to Ghost Hunt as a psychic genre title I know I could easily access. (I'm very much into Diamond no Ace at the moment -- I cry about this certain character everyday including how perfect his seiyuu is for voicing him. Toshio's seiyuu is actually in this anime too lol (different character).) I also like how Mai readily questions Naru whenever she's suspicious of his moral -- she might like him but she doesn't yield to him. I cringed whenever she leaped into things without thinking though, damn. Naru is a jerk most of the time but it's really sad that he ultimately thinks people will always choose Gene over him. Everyone is awesome, though my favorite is Yasuhara. My sister even got interested in Ghost Hunt, but horror has always been her thing, so.
Thank you! 8D Though speaking about it, 'out of necessity' is what I lack, actually. There's no way I can get this far if I'm not at least interested in it. The more I feel like being forced, unless I really believe that my life actually depends on it -- though I'm probably more casual about grades than you -- the more I'll rebel. I believe I actually know less about Japanese than what you actually think, lol. I'm currently reading Diamond no Ace manga, and there are many chapters of it currently not scanlated yet. Since they are only available in RAW (Japanese, sometimes Chinese) I have no choice but to go to it. Mostly I can only guess the main point of what's being said, though I'm probably often wrong about it. There are lots of kanji I still don't know, but I make the effort to understand every hiragana used as part of the grammar though I don't know if my understanding is right, lol. Given that it's a manga, I get many context clues from the drawing which makes things easier to grasp, though the baseball terminologies are hard to get. Speaking about vocabulary, it's my weakness in any language. When I read something, whenever I think I can manage to understand the context on my own I don't feel the need to properly look the words up, so my dictionary is often lacking. I think I'm more of a grammar person than vocabulary person, so. Aside from Japanese I learned some German in high school, but I wasn't as interested in it as I did Japanese even though I think German was somehow easier. Everything in my country from elementary school to high school is mandatory, so I had to part with Japanese even when I didn't want to, sobs.
The people here in my country are usually not very good at English (compared to some neighbor countries), but to be a medical student you're required to at least know a bit more compared to if you want to enroll in other faculties, except the ones that primarily use English, I think. My lecturers' powerpoint is usually in my native language, and there are lots of textbooks already translated -- but the real contexts are often lost in translation. My lecturers often advise us to read the English ones and I prefer it as well.
Ah, but that one refers to a part of the novel that would be spoiler-y. Besides, I'm not sure if I perceived that part right...
Re: 8D
Doing the right thing is hard because sometimes something is right for one person, but right for another. And then you run into problems like when someone asks if you think they're an idiot and you do but you don't want to be mean. Is it better to be honest or to be nice? I usually pick 'nice', but I also usually pick the 'right' thing that's rightest for me (If I don't call the person an idiot, then they won't hate me and start drama)...but then I feel kind of bad when I make a decision that's good for myself but worse for the people around me. I'm actually trying to make more decisions that benefit me more (rather than other people), because I sometimes notice that I make things harder for myself by trying to make things easier for other people. I guess that's also good in a way, but one does have to let oneself come first sometimes. So, you too, make sure you're taking care of yourself first and foremost - you're smart and unique and you've got a lot of people supporting you, you gotta treat yourself like it! It's good that your mindset makes you open-minded, but you can also try to, like, control the information coming in, if that makes sense. Even if you're not the most educated person on an issue, you can still formulate an opinion around it. After all, opinions aren't only supposed to be based off pure facts, but also those facts in the context of your opinion and feelings. When someone's trying to argue a point, it's rare that they end up sounding nonsensical. If they're trying to argue, they'll also try to twist the facts a little or present them so their argument seems logical. It's important to have your own opinion instead of taking it at face value.
I think Seishin actually wants to protect Sunako. I'm sure he's also using her because she's a way out of the village (whether he realizes this himself or not), and also she's made quite an impact on him since she helped him figure out his complicated relationship with himself and the village. Could he have figured it out himself, or got out of the village without her help? Probably. But she helped, and usually people remember really clearly the people who made a big impact on their lives like that, so even just because of that Seishin wants her alive...well, as alive as she can be. And since she's small and just a shiki whereas Seishin is a grown man jinrou, that makes him her protector by default.
The Ghost Hunt novels actually weren't too bad, I thought the anime was scarier! Somehow, when all the creepy things happened, actually seeing them animated made me feel as if I was there more than reading the novel did. And I mentioned before that the translation wasn't too consistent and had lots of grammar errors, so that also didn't help. Yasuhara's my favorite too. If I was Mai, I would have ditched Naru and started going after Yasuhara, although Yasuhara did give off a distinctive "playboy" vibe (in the anime, at least)? Unfortunately, the anime didn't get into the Naru and Gene stuff Dx The only thing they did was have Gene appear in Mai's dreams, and she doesn't think too much into it. Actually, she doesn't think too much into anything, but still... I've never seen Diamond no Ace, but it's a sports anime, right? I don't really watch those, but I watched both seasons of the Swimming Anime!
Manga's probably a very good way to learn Japanese though? From the raws I've seen, they usually have kanji but they also have the hiragana next to them that help you read it. And then you can actually look them up more easily in the dictionary by just using the hiragana. What really gets me whenever I study Japanese is the different readings for all the kanji. If only each kanji could just have its own reading, it would be so much easier to memorize! So while you were at school, you got a chance to learn some English, Japanese, and German? I'm jealous! I know a lot of foreign countries teach kids foreign languages from a young age...but not the United States. Which is counter-intuitive because the best time to learn a new language is when you're young. I only got a chance to start learning Spanish in my 9th year of school, which sucks. I'm pretty good at it, but I wish I could have started learning it earlier and become fluent in it by now.
Try me! (with the spoiler). I've already heard a bunch, might as well get this one too. Also I'm not a patient person.
Re: 8D
(Anonymous) 2015-04-09 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)I think this plays a factor in how I often attempt to restrain myself in favor of external stuffs. We did talk about 'inner' and 'outer' a while back, internal and external. I think a healthy, accomplished self is a balance between internal and external. A 'self' that's purely internal or external isn't healthy. It isn't healthy when you put a lot more importance on one compared to the other, or if you attempt to restrain one in favor for the other too much. The reason I'm easily influenced by external stuffs (you can actually use the word 'malleable' here. I think I am lol) is because I constantly doubt myself, so in my mind I put more importance in external than internal despite how self-centered (internal) I am at the core. It's certainly a weakness, it's bad, but I could very well turn it into strength. The way I am now, aside from trying to control the information coming in, I can also use these external stuffs to strengthen my internal, to better it, given lots of introspection and evaluation. It's okay if I temporarily change, but I have to figure out why and what I should do about it, if it's good or bad.
Speaking about information, I'm one of those people who tend to bite more than I can chew, true. As far as I can remember, I have always tried to expose myself to everything there is when there's chance. It's in my nature, so it'll be hard to change...
That makes sense, actually, remembering his character. Though it's a bit unclear if this stays as big as a factor or not post-Shiki. Either way, I now think that Seishin will be stuck with Sunako for a long time, whether he'll come to still like Sunako as much or not. I'm now sort of afraid the whole ordeal with Sotoba will have to repeat itself? Just like how Sotoba was all Seishin knew which made it hard for him to leave it, Sunako will also logically be the same. His being a baby Jinrou and Sunako an adult Shiki. Seishin is one of those people who prefer sticking to routine even if that routine isn't all that good... since he knows intimately about that routine at least, which is better than jumping at things he knows nothing about. It's interesting because Seishin is a very independent person -- but at the same time he really is not considering his constantly needing the support system. I think he's bound to get pissed at himself for being like this. Sotoba used to be his support system. Now? It's Sunako. I'm afraid he'll repeat the same cycle as to when he was a villager. The difference is, it'll probably not take as long until he actually tears himself away from Sunako, with less angst and more plan, and this time he'll do it alone.
I don't think Yasuhara is a playboy, it's just he's able to play anything to help grant him what he wants. If he has some objectives in mind and he knows he'll be able to achieve them faster if he brings more people in, he'll bring people to his side through whatever means. The main gang is lucky he's on their side, lol. People like him are scary. He may not be psychic but hell, he's just as strong as the main gang. The manga didn't reveal much about Gene and Naru actually, except for bits like this like what Naru said to Mai for example: "Who do you actually like... Gene or me?" "You have two people with exact same faces, one has good personality and the other doesn't. Who will you choose? (in terms of being friends with)" That's very sad, since Naru probably wants to change and be a better person... but image does get stuck, and it's often hard to change that. I fear that he actually wants to change at least a bit but since he's been known as bad person, his subconscious pushes at him to stick to his image.
Diamond no Ace is about baseball! 8D I didn't think I'd come to like it this much actually, considering I'm not a sports fan in general and I prefer that what I read has fantasy quirks, but the characters have wonderful, interesting personalities and character development. I still don't understand baseball, but I think it's interesting. The protagonist is actually a typical shounen protagonist, with additional individual quirks, but I see a lot of strengths in him I sure want to have some: his determination, optimism, focus and mental strength. My favorite character is the second most important character, the one who's rather like Yasuhara in terms of being able to get under people's skin, but is actually not emotionally attached to anyone (except perhaps baseball), has little friends even if he does seem outgoing, and is overall told as having a nasty personality. He doesn't care though, as long as baseball stays interesting and he could help bring his team achieve their dream -- to go to Koushien. It's a difficult dream, that's why it's interesting. He's not actually controlling or territorial, but he enjoys being the mastermind in their plays the way I see it. He obeys his coach, sure, so in order to accomplish their coach/team's plan he helps directing his teammates.
I think manga is the best way for me to learn Japanese. At least, through animanga, I think we could learn informal speech pattern better. Books are still too formal. Yes, those are called furigana -- small hiragana or katakana next to kanji for reading aid -- but unfortunately seinen or josei manga don't have it. Likely because the publishers do expect that adult people who read them don't need it. I love the way kanji have multiple readings. It isn't to say that I'm good at memorizing them (I'm not), but it makes Japanese even more complex and interesting to me. Since I'm only learning it casually, my take on those kanji will be just like with English words -- slowly with time, getting used to them as I read along.
Ah no, no. Obviously we learned English since elementary school, but I only learned a bit of Japanese and German in high school. Our main priority is English, so. In middle school (and elementary school, actually) we learn regional/local language. My country has lots of it, since we are very diverse ethnically. We only learn one that's native to the area though, so it depends on where your school is located in.
Okay, so now with some spoiler. Please bear in mind that I could be wrong, but I'll do my best! (I checked in the online translator as well as trying to gauge it roughly myself. In my defense, it's super long...): You've probably known that in the novel there's longer conversation going on between Toshio and Seishin, unlike in the animanga. Seishin doesn't merely look angrily at Toshio and invites himself out. Seishin also isn't notably as angry, as proved by his willingness to hold a conversation and to listen to what Toshio says. Certainly, he ends up questioning what he's done. But here Toshio also ends up questioning Seishin's reasoning, of which the latter is confused about, so the conversation is overall so very them. It seems that Seishin is losing the argument too. What's interesting is, it's Toshio who tells him to 'get out since he has no time to listen to him', not because Seishin walks away on his own accord.
Re: 8D
Sorry for the late correspondence, first of all! Ah yeah, there's a time to be emotional and then times where it's best not to. For instance, I think it's good to let out positive emotions because it's a good outlet and it will rarely make other people upset to see you happy (if it does, they're not people you'd want to associate with, most likely). I think that also helps because it releases pent up energy, even if it's positive, and then maybe when you're feeling a bit more negative you won't be so pressured to lash out. If I lashed out every time I was annoyed with someone, I would have no friends and I'm sure a majority of people will say the same. Bottom line, I don't think strong emotions are necessarily bad. It's only harmful to act like you don't have any, you just need to be able to channel them in a more positive way. But being out in the world does a lot with that, like with your upcoming internship, there'll probably be lots of situations that require you to be patient, disciplined, attentive, and that experience will help you do even better with that. The job I currently have has nothing to do with my career goals, but it's certainly helped me grow as a person. Good luck with that internship, by the way! When do you start it?
Try not to think of it as being indecisive, but of being cautious. When wrestling with a tough decision, it's good to give each possible point a careful situation in order to arrive at the best conclusion. Even if the situation isn't what you would call tough, don't sweat it anyway, because all that matters is if it's tough for you. You're right, it is something easily turned into a strength (even though I think caution is a strength in itself), so a way you can do that is try to follow each indecision with a decision, and then stick to it and follow through as best you can.
I always thought of post-Shiki Seishin as being more independent, not relying on a support system. The way he is in Shiki, he wants to get out and live life according to how he wants to, but the part of him that ties him down to Sotoba doesn't let him. Going along with the metaphor of being tied down, that same part of him is supported by Sotoba. Without that small part of him, he would probably be gone from Sotoba, since he doesn't need it and doesn't want to be associated with it. Throughout the novel, that part of him that ties him down to Sotoba is chafed bit by bit. (I imagine it as being something like seeing the cowardice of the villagers in failing to accept the Shikis' existence and thinking, 'this isn't the Sotoba worth staying for', and then the final push is seeing Toshio's resolve and thinking, 'I'm nothing like this. It was stupid to think that I'm connected to Sotoba, I have nothing keeping me here') After that small part of him is gone, that part of him that needed a support system, all that's left is a Seishin who does what he wants and is free to interact with the world as he sees fit. He's around Sunako because he wants to be (and a sense of loyalty), but he feels like a complete person without her too.
One of the reasons I really like Ghost Hunt is because it mixes ghosts with modern technology and logic. There's all these ghosts, and then the gang interacts with them without using any special powers (on the surface). My favorite characters were the ones that were badass without having some sort of mystical or religious power, so Yasuhara, Mai, and Naru. Yasuhara is probably the straightest example since he doesn't develop any psychic powers (in the anime at least?), but although Mai and Naru have some sort of power, they're not on par with the monk, the miko, and the priest. Mai is more like that, but Naru is also awesome because he knows he can't rely on his PK 100%, so whenever possible he uses his other abilities for taking on work that even the mystical members of the gang are unable to tackle.
Ohh, I don't understand baseball very well! It's popular at school and I played it during gym class, but I never liked it. Most of it is waiting rather than playing the sport: waiting for it to be your turn to bat, or waiting for the ball to fly towards you in the outfield. But even so, anime is great for making even the dullest sports seem interesting, and that's true that it's the characters who really end up making or breaking a series most of the time. Are you going to watch more sports anime now that you liked this one so much?
We must be pretty close to that part right about now, right? I'm really interested in Toshio in that scene, but I'll probably hold off on analyzing it too much before I read the chapter. I'm intrigued that it's an intentional OOC moment for him, since he just went through an ordeal that is, even for him, traumatic, so he won't be like his usual self. I imagine that he'd either be a mess of emotions, in no mood to deal with Seishin, or worn out from having all that stress with Kyoko and just doesn't care anymore/is empty. The anime makes it look like the second is more likely.
Re: 8D
(Anonymous) 2015-04-22 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)The way I see Seishin, based on the latest chapter I think he places importance in order more than the content of the system itself. While it's true that content is important to him whether he realizes it or not (if it aligns with his views or not, etc), his being an idealist and all, the latest chapter confirmed that his real/bigger desire is to be included within the order/system, to be its real member. Problems arise because he's ill suited for it as he's essentially 'different' (the content part of things, I assume it's primarily because he cannot believe in the same God the villagers do). In the chapter he doesn't show real desire to stay true as himself, instead he despairs over it. It shows that he doesn't want to stay true as himself IF it means getting excluded from the orderly ways of system. The chapter confirmed him as placing more importance on order, security, safety (something system can give a person) than real independence or authenticity. This is why it takes him 33 years to tear himself away from Sotoba, and it's not even until a major disaster happens. This is why he tries so hard to blend in even at the cost of throwing/repressing his genuine self to the side. That's how dependent he is upon the system. Frankly, I think this is his essential character and thus isn't something he'll be able to change easily. He's perhaps no longer part of Sotoba's system, but I think he'll instinctively search for another system to support and back him up. If not outright system, it'll be people. If it's people, logically it'll be people he deems bigger than him, either by influence, authority, abilities, experience, or knowledge. Since only things bigger than him can give him semblance of order. All in all, Seishin will be happiest following a system that also accepts his genuine self and allows him to grow as he wants to.
It's little wonder why Seishin is the kind of person who yields to orders, even if he perhaps doesn't actually understand the basis of those orders himself (see Tsuhara, who told him to edit his manuscripts out of the blue back then when he didn't even intend to be an author and he just went along with him. He also just went along when Tsuhara said he was gonna publish whatever he'd been writing). If someone is able to give orders, that would mean they know whatever they are doing. They already have certain structure and order laid out inside their head and people like Seishin who prefer to seek out order from their surroundings will likely go along with it, well, aside from not wanting to cause conflicts by refusing. At the very least, Tsuhara didn't directly violate his moral values (because then it'd be another story since at the very least Seishin would try to resist even if only from the inside). That's why he obeys Tatsumi when he asks him to protect Sunako, I think. He's already too far gone, the villagers already know of his betrayal and Seishin prefers being around the Shiki anyway. The Shiki has already given him a semblance of order in the first place. Tatsumi lays out a rough plan and Seishin just goes along, filling in the rest. Sunako. Lol, she's very influential, authoritative, and charming she'd get under his skin in no time (and she does). What more, she's willing to accept his genuine self and gives him a way out of his problems. She lays out solutions for him -- in some way, a semblance of order? It's already established that he's able to assert himself also because she prompts him to. She's like his support and guide. In his novel, the little brother is also someone influential in the community that the older brother uses as his bridge to communicate with the world. Seishin is definitely attracted to people 'bigger than him'. Toshio too. The thing is, Seishin is dependent on system and he also loves it when people guide him through it, especially if he encounters difficulties when wading through. System? Cool. I want it. Also, please teach me how.
Seishin 'accepting' how system works doesn't mean he's not disheartened by its flaws though, even if he doesn't voice it out because THAT'S HOW THINGS WORK. It's dangerous because that way he doesn't exactly have any outlet, except perhaps writing. Well, those negative feelings pile up, until he reaches a point where his being disheartened caused by those differences (which contributes in his wanting to follow himself instead, besides already having that instinct too in the first place) directly collide with his desire to blend in with the system (notice the parallel with his and Toshio's relationship? That's why Toshio is a direct representation of the whole Sotoba system) like a scale that weighs the same on both sides. Eventually, his desire to follow himself weighs more. Still, if he's only left to his own he'd not be able to do anything about it and shuts himself down instead in sheer frustration. To be able to assert himself, he needs outside forces/supports. Basically to do anything at all he needs outside supports.
It's interesting to note that Seishin is apparently most disheartened by the fact that he and the system cannot merge, and that he didn't actually think of fully following himself without the system at all (in frustration or whatever) if not for the system already rejecting him. It takes the system first. Which means that, if the system can accept him as he is he'd not leave it, ever. If Toshio is the representation of system, then this parallels with their relationship. Well. Is this why some people see him as having a thing for Toshio?
With all these Shiki ordeal, I think the main point of Seishin's arc will be Seishin truly realizing that since he's not included within the system in the first place, he truly has nothing to do with it and the system has nothing to do with him too, based on his speech to Sunako. It's more about real detachment and nihilism than merely disagreeing with Sotoba. From the looks of it, it's also a gloomy, despair kind of realization. He doesn't feel happy being excluded from the system, but it's the way things are -- and holding onto things that aren't his right is useless.
Yasuhara also doesn't develop any psychic power in the manga, so I'm going to assume he's really intended as ordinary person. Speaking about sports anime, I'm not much into them and I don't think this will change much in the future, but I've been into Slam Dunk, Kuroko no Basuke, Prince of Tennis, Yowamushi Pedal and Diamond no Ace. What I like from Slam Dunk and Diamond no Ace is they still manage to be realistic. Prince of Tennis and Kuroko no Basuke are basically pseudo-fantasy/supernatural and it kind of makes me go 'eehhhh' since to me if it's about real life sports then they have to obey physics. I haven't watched all of YowaPeda so I can't exactly tell. I couldn't exactly go into Eyeshield 21, stopped reading Haikyuu!! after a few chapters (because I was lazy), but the only sport animanga I cannot get into no matter what is probably football/soccer. I'm intrigued by sports with complex rules and gameplay, and to me baseball is. I love that there are multiple roles in baseball, both teams take turns playing offense and defense, the design of the gameplay. The signing! The battery! I'm looking it up now and only just now realized why it's called DIAMOND no Ace lol. Is Free! included as sports anime? It probably is but it's mainly about fanservices lol. Swimming doesn't interest me in general too, theory-wise.
Or it's perhaps because it's come to Toshio that their differences are at the point of irreconcilable.
Re: 8D
(Anonymous) 2015-04-22 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)I'm sorry, I'm probably only walking in circles...
Re: 8D
I haven't heard that we have anything like clerkship here, but it sounds like some sort of training, so that's good! There's all kinds of training we have to do to become doctors...but I'm thinking that's good, since even though I would like to be able to become a doctor in just 4 years or so, I wouldn't like to be treated by someone who has only been training for 4 years. Good luck on that scholarly paper! Is that like a thesis?
I think the content of the system is still important to Seishin, because it really holds him back the most out of anything I can think of right now. For instance, his faith, the temple, is a big part of Sotoba, Seishin's life, and the system. I'd argue that it's his position as the Junior Monk that keeps him stuck in Sotoba most of all. We can't even say that he's only there for the sake of being in the system, because that would be illogical for any person. What I mean is that his religion has played a big role in his life, and it's hard not to have that leave an imprint on you. Even if someone with a religious background grows up an atheist, religion is still going to shape you at the very least because you have memories of religion shaping your life. Especially in a town like Sotoba which encourages religion, it would be hard to go against it--not that Seishin does. I also find it interesting that Seishin, while rebelling against his faith, isn't rebelling by rejecting it altogether, but subscribing himself to a different faith.
Even Ozaki, who isn't very pious or devout, still has his Buddhist altar and probably also has Buddhist traditions that play a part of his life even if they're not explicitly mentioned in the text. Perhaps it's easier to see the extent of religion's influence on the village by looking at citizens who are not as affiliated with the temple. The actual clergymen will mostly always be religious, no surprise there, but it makes a big difference if the clergymen have a lot of power, through faith, in the surrounding community or not.
So as much as Seishin is an independent thinker and wants to believe in his own kind of God, the religion he grows up with is obviously going to be a big influence, and to be religious requires a strong faith and personal devotion--and I think that that kind of connection is more lasting and harder to break away from than just duty. If Seishin was only stuck to his temple life because of his duties there, it would be easier for him to break away and get a job somewhere else. But he's also tied to his religion--perhaps he feels that by leaving, he'll lose a grasp on the religion he grew up with, even if deep down he has a different faith (I could probably be more specific with this if I was more familiar with Buddhism). So perhaps that's why when he becomes a vampire, Seishin finds it easier to break away, because now he doesn't believe that his faith applies to him. This also makes him a foil to Sunako because Sunako absolutely still considers herself part of God's world, still in position to be judged by Him. This, the idea that faith doesn't apply to Seishin or Sunako, is exactly the point that he makes to her in the end.
The second content that I can think of that binds Seishin to Sotoba is Ozaki. Friends root you to places very well--just looking at Natsuno, the main reason he was able to connect with the village at all was because of Tohru, and then later Akira and Kaori. And they were kids that he knew for only a year or so--whereas Seishin has been hanging around Ozaki for years. Even if Seishin doesn't care about Ozaki that much, Ozaki remains a symbol to Seishin of his past, and also is a very active figure in his life that keeps Seishin in the 'real world', as it were. While Seishin would have perhaps been more passive about the shiki situation, Ozaki goes out and forces him to stalk vampires with him at night, and proposes the idea of fighting them. He introduces urgency to Seishin's life that perhaps makes him uncomfortable.
And that all ties in with Seishin not being included in the system if you think of him as not being a content inside of the system as well. I imagine it as the system being a net, with each component of it being a knot. The knots are all part of the system, working together, fixed inside it, and Seishin is a ball that's rolling around in the net, close to the parts of the system but not a part of it himself even though he's so close. And the fact that he, as a ball, is the only mobile part of the system, shows how much the system changes him and how much he responds to it or even contemplates it. The other 'knots' are just THERE. They don't get manipulated so much by the system so much as just help it work the way it always has. And of course Seishin wants to get out, deep down, if he' does see the system as a net he must escape.
I usually watch series for the characters--I liked all parts of Free! except for the actual sports parts, lol. I'm just not into watching sports...like a lot of places have everyone hyped up for soccer or the World Cup or something like that, but I just don't like watching something I can't be a part of, I suppose. I love tennis, but I don't watch matches on TV.
I think the best way, maybe the only way, you can tell if you're compatible with a person is by having a serious discussion with them rather than superficial. Something that really matters, with immediate importance and real consequence, like the epidemic going around. It's putting both Seishin and Ozaki on edge because it's so urgent, and it's unlike anything they've seen before so tensions run high. It's easy to bond over superficial stuff, but there's really no way to be superficial when faced with an event like this one, is there? You can't put up polite pretenses or putting your 'best face forward' like we talked about earlier because what's actually going on is more important than seeming agreeable. Seishin thinks that Ozaki is being immoral, and Ozaki thinks that Seishin isn't being proactive enough. It's interesting to think about, how even someone you've gotten along with well for years can actually be an incompatible person to you and that can be revealed through going through a tough, serious situation.
Re: 8D
(Anonymous) 2015-04-28 10:11 pm (UTC)(link)Yes, I agree that religion is important to Seishin. Very important, in fact, that he's unable to see things beyond it. I think to him system is basically how the world -- the whole universe, I'd say -- works, and since he's been exposed to an organized religion his whole life, this religion becomes the system to him. It has God as the highest authority, the one who governs; the followers as the citizens; the area God governs (Sotoba); and the laws. What Seishin wants is to be a part of all these. Unfortunately, he's essentially different in that he's not to be acknowledged in order to be accepted or denied, according to him. I figure it's because he, as his genuine self, isn't an existence to be included within its laws so much to be recognized -- like perhaps say, a Holy Book. If something isn't included in it, it will not have any rules constricting it. That way, you'll not be able to judge it in order to accept it or give it punishment. Seishin sees this as being isolated -- because no one will ever acknowledge his genuine self. He can only be a part of the system when he plays as 'little brother' or his monk persona, but it's eating at him because that's not his genuine self.
I think this is why he looks 'uncertain' to some degree? Like, he's neither fully here nor there in terms of belief. I think as his genuine self he doesn't share the faith Sotoba has, that he has his own ideas about how God is supposed to be like, but you're right in that his being exposed to Buddhism all his life will shape that. All the more because he's honestly trying to actually be a real believer -- or, he probably 'plays' a believer so that he can still be within the order. I view the word 'order' the recent chapters use as 'system' in general; faith, God, world, universe, so on. Other readers perhaps see it differently.
So yeah, I think it takes him being turned into a Jinrou -- being a being that's not human being -- to truly realize that since he's not a human anymore, he's no longer a part of the human system. As a person with lifelong religious influences, I think he'll see it as being excluded from God's system/jurisdiction. God's followers are human beings, forming a human system ruled by God's laws. So what happens when you're not a human anymore? The thing is, from the start Seishin already feels not a 'human being', in my opinion. At least, not one who acts or thinks like other human beings do.
I'm also like that actually lol (watching sports anime for the characters' sake only) but baseball quite intrigues me that perhaps when I got to rereading Diamond no Ace I'd take the trouble to learn about its games.
I guess what I like from them is, even if they aren't exactly compatible they do actually try to make things work together all these years (Seishin does it by adapting to Toshio except when he does things Seishin just has to confront him about and by trying to sympathize with where he comes from, Toshio by accepting Seishin as he is, leaving him to his own devices except when he has to confront him about his certain skewed ideas, and by hiding certain things from him, lol sure). There's a limit to this though, sure. What I like from them also is, that their incompatibility doesn't make them dislike one another. They don't think they can work from technical angle, but their feelings are definitely still with the other. I think this is a great deal.
Re: 8D
I've heard thesis used for undergraduates, graduates, and doctoral candidates. For undergraduates, we call it an 'undergraduate thesis', for graduates it's just a thesis, and for doctoral candidates you can say either thesis or dissertation, with 'thesis' being more informal.
I agree with your analysis about Seishin's religion. I think it's interesting, and says a lot about Seishin in general also, how he doesn't really force himself to break the system like he always wanted. Seishin always needs a slight push to get things done, and in this case the push is him becoming a jinrou. Once he's a jinrou, he knows he really has no choice but to get out of the system, so he stops considering himself a part of it. This is what he's wanted all along so that's a bonus, but the fact is that Seishin tends to be shaped by what happens to him rather than making things happen. He lets the Sotoba system control him and force him into trying to meld himself into the system, and then later he lets his new identity as a jinrou provide a convenient excuse for him to leave the system. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but it shows him as a much different person than he would be if he had quit the system on his own prior to becoming a jinrou.
I wonder how much his influences with Buddhism led him to take the actions he did throughout the novel--just straight Buddhism, without interacting with the system. Again, I could be more thorough if I knew more about that faith, but I do know that Buddhism preaches peace (most religions do). And Seishin, being used to valuing life so much (even more so perhaps after performing the funeral ceremonies), finds that he can't fight the Shiki because it goes against everything he has been taught; it just goes against the moral code that his religion has ingrained in him. I think Buddhism influences that more than Seishin's own inner religion because he never really mentions, in his essays or monologues, that his God values life (not to say that his God doesn't value life, Seishin just doesn't MENTION it, so it stands out less). Ozaki's not as influenced, so that (along with just being that kind of person) lets him fight the Shiki without such qualms.
Do you get any opportunities to play baseball where you're from? You should try it out if you do! If you like watching it, chances are you'll love being a part of it even better. Do you follow live-action baseball too now because of your experience with Diamond no Ace?
It takes a very mature person to be able to accept someone's opinions if those opinions are the polar opposite of your own. And doing so is also a sign that you care about that person a lot....hey, isn't that proof that Seishin cares about Toshio/ isn't indifferent toward him like we discussed earlier?