Sinnesspiel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sinnesspiel) wrote2021-04-01 06:44 pm
sinnesspiel) wrote2021-04-01 06:44 pm
Shiki Novel Translations 3.17.5
Neither the Hospital nor the Temple were safe. Despite the near total cessation of the small town gossip that once defined the village of Sotoba, Seishin could not help catch wind of Ritsuko's resignation from the Ozaki hospital. Both business and workers to help with whatever business might remain were in short supply.
Perhaps, just as the village were becoming unlike itself, it was time for Seishin, too, to act outside of his usual characterization. It was time to confront several issues lingering in the air, as he suspected a chance not taken now would be a chance forever lamented for going untaken.
"Shiki is not a light novel," he declared, deciding to begin with the first and most obvious misconception that glared in his face, as an author.
For his part, Toshio found that to be a strange thing to say upon immediately opening someone's bedroom door to barge in, but the fact that Seishin didn't need to be invited at least meant that this was a strangeness innate to the village rather than a strangeness seeping into the village from the outside. So with only a raised brow he decided to let Seishin go on his wild tangent, not finding it quite worth putting his drink down over to interrupt.
"To begin with, it's a very thick publication. I know, I know, if light novels were published in kanzenban or condensed versions they could have a higher page and even word count, but the original publication is two very, very thick, hardback novels, split into an upper and lower portion at that! A light novel is by nature a light release, a quick read, and while it may be quite fat, the print is larger, with only one level of text."
Since Seishin had to stop to breathe, Toshio did take the opportunity to point to the bottle he had out. Seishin knew where Toshio kept his glasses but instead he sat down across from him, taking the bottle by the neck and drinking directly from the spout.
"For another thing!" he continued, slamming the bottle down. "Light novels tend to be light reading in another sense--the grade level of the writing, the kanji used. Shiki liberally uses complex kanji without furigana, and is not written in a literary style geared towards dialogue driven narratives or fast moving action."
"Some of the chapters, like the actual book three, chapter seventeen, part five, are so short I think even the metabolic lardballs or waify sticks that constitute the fanbase could hold a plank for as long as it would take to listen to someone read it out loud," Toshio countered.
"Shiki is written in a way that emphasizes style, compared to light novels which focus on telling a story without doing too much navel gazing."
"Your chapters have so much navel gazing I figure yours must be so deep that it could be an orifice I could thrust things into in some kind of fanfic for weirdos with some kind of weird fetish," Toshio had to admit.
"You leave Mark Kern out of this."
"Who?"
It was at that point that a very cute roach had scurried across the floor, up onto the table. "This is fine and all, but are you actually gonna publish a chapter today, since you said the next one's really short?"
"Maybe."
As it is unclear which character the author was using as a handpuppet soap box anymore, please imagine the line was said by whichever character you like more in order to give them more dialogue. Either way, the moemoe roach wasn't particularly amused, but rather than huff and puff it settled for only puffing, letting out a little sigh and deciding to be patient. Though at the risk of extending this farce any further, the roach did have to (cutely) ask: "When did Sunako get in here?"
And because the roach spoke such truth to power, the curtain was finally drawn. The horrible play ended, as we begun, with something that truly nobody wanted:
Perhaps, just as the village were becoming unlike itself, it was time for Seishin, too, to act outside of his usual characterization. It was time to confront several issues lingering in the air, as he suspected a chance not taken now would be a chance forever lamented for going untaken.
"Shiki is not a light novel," he declared, deciding to begin with the first and most obvious misconception that glared in his face, as an author.
For his part, Toshio found that to be a strange thing to say upon immediately opening someone's bedroom door to barge in, but the fact that Seishin didn't need to be invited at least meant that this was a strangeness innate to the village rather than a strangeness seeping into the village from the outside. So with only a raised brow he decided to let Seishin go on his wild tangent, not finding it quite worth putting his drink down over to interrupt.
"To begin with, it's a very thick publication. I know, I know, if light novels were published in kanzenban or condensed versions they could have a higher page and even word count, but the original publication is two very, very thick, hardback novels, split into an upper and lower portion at that! A light novel is by nature a light release, a quick read, and while it may be quite fat, the print is larger, with only one level of text."
Since Seishin had to stop to breathe, Toshio did take the opportunity to point to the bottle he had out. Seishin knew where Toshio kept his glasses but instead he sat down across from him, taking the bottle by the neck and drinking directly from the spout.
"For another thing!" he continued, slamming the bottle down. "Light novels tend to be light reading in another sense--the grade level of the writing, the kanji used. Shiki liberally uses complex kanji without furigana, and is not written in a literary style geared towards dialogue driven narratives or fast moving action."
"Some of the chapters, like the actual book three, chapter seventeen, part five, are so short I think even the metabolic lardballs or waify sticks that constitute the fanbase could hold a plank for as long as it would take to listen to someone read it out loud," Toshio countered.
"Shiki is written in a way that emphasizes style, compared to light novels which focus on telling a story without doing too much navel gazing."
"Your chapters have so much navel gazing I figure yours must be so deep that it could be an orifice I could thrust things into in some kind of fanfic for weirdos with some kind of weird fetish," Toshio had to admit.
"You leave Mark Kern out of this."
"Who?"
It was at that point that a very cute roach had scurried across the floor, up onto the table. "This is fine and all, but are you actually gonna publish a chapter today, since you said the next one's really short?"
"Maybe."
As it is unclear which character the author was using as a handpuppet soap box anymore, please imagine the line was said by whichever character you like more in order to give them more dialogue. Either way, the moemoe roach wasn't particularly amused, but rather than huff and puff it settled for only puffing, letting out a little sigh and deciding to be patient. Though at the risk of extending this farce any further, the roach did have to (cutely) ask: "When did Sunako get in here?"
 | "I am actually quite a popular character," she informed with a giggle. "So when fans were told to imagine the line responding to you was whichever character they liked, it became me. Although I didn't mean to steal Muroi-san's scene. Would you like to continue your instruction on the different forms of literature, distinguished author?" "I would. Another thing Light Novels have to differentiate them from a normal novel is pictures." "You mean like of the girl who just kinda appeared in my room here in a middle school uniform? Or the Tanaka kid in a gothic loli dress?" "Not every light novel has them, but as you can see, there are too many features of a light novel that Shiki lacks." "So what kind of lolicon are you anyway? The kind into the little-little girl in front there or the still-too-young one in back?" "I'm not a lolicon, I'm a feminist." "I'm not sure if that's a more or less obscure joke than your last one." "I suspect most people will take it to be some kind of anti-SJW statement and in poor taste," Sunako informed. |
| 'Oh good,' Toshio said as if somehow relieved by that likely misconception. Though he said it in that way that wasn't in quote marks, because the author Ono Fuyumi has this writing quirk where she practically uses a line of dialogue as an adverb describing an action as being done while saying something. "By the way, why is the Kirishiki's butler in traditional Japanese women's clothing?" "I wished for my side of the story to have a bit of representation." "Much as I want you to get to work on, you know the actual work, I like this pair so I'm okay with it," the lovable roach conceded. But maybe it was a mistake to approve of anything, for the skit was now dragging on like a shounen manga an author was afraid to end for knowing whatever they published next would never quite net them the same fame and fortune of their current work. |  |
 | "By the way, since I've decided to dress like you today, do you think I should give the rant on literature classifications instead?" Ozaki wondered. Seishin's mouth tapered into a frown. "I was hoping we wouldn't address our clothing choices today." "I am sure the fact that the two of you apparently cosplay as each other will greatly please some of the shippers," said Sunako. "I think for that reason this will be the most popular picture of the bunch. Although the most popular Toshio pairing may not be myself, but Tatsumi." "I like that," Sunako smiled. "You would," sulked Toshio who was universally the bottom in that pair. "Oh, very well then, here's something for you," Sunako offered to the presumably straight doctor. |
| "Are irrelevant pictures a part of light novels?" Toshio asked, admittedly relieved that his employee whom had just become an ex-employee and whom he had been entrusted to drive home was not in fact in his bedroom in a tanktop and panties and not much else. "I get the feeling the translator's mind just jumps to random crap all day anyway. Most of the chatroom stuff is completely irrelevant to anything at all times." Nobody could deny the roach spoke the truth. "I think the translator should know nobody cares that much what your opinion on most things is. Also, nobody wants to see your fanart or read your fanfic. We're here for the actual translation of the damn work. This is about Shiki, not you. Nobody wants you stealing the spotlight like this." |  |
And because the roach spoke such truth to power, the curtain was finally drawn. The horrible play ended, as we begun, with something that truly nobody wanted:
no subject
(Anonymous) 2021-07-08 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2021-11-03 05:08 am (UTC)(link)PS: who made the drawings? are they fanarts?