Editing Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro:Translator's Afterword (section)

====Hikaru Mikado (帝門ヒカル, Mikado Hikaru)====

<u>CV: Yuuki Kaji</u>

''やっぱり変態さんですね？''

Ah, Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru, our dead playboy.

In the afterword of volume 1, the author did mention that she took elements from another story. This story, I felt, was “No Longer Human” by Osamu Dazai, the same book used as the theme for the first Bungaku Shoujo series, until it was halfway through the story that I realized that it could have been ‘The Little Prince’...which the author just so happened to confirm in the last volume.. Hikaru in particular does seem akin to the protagonist of that story in some way too, the womanizing tendencies, the suicidal elements and such, but ultimately, a character is meant to be its own person.

He said that he couldn’t change, but I suppose it’s more likely that he’s afraid of change. He is a natural charmer, but his efforts in that end was ultimately to abate his loneliness, ignited by the death of his mother, and magnified by Fujino’s rejection. Koremitsu was his benefactor not just simply because of the errands fulfilled, but also another example of how to be a human. Alas, though he had learnt his lessons, it was too late for him to make amends proper as he died.

Nevertheless, his presence is both a curse, and also a blessing. He may be a bigger gigolo than Austin Powers, but the girls he met had their lives impacted, both positively and negatively. Perhaps his biggest impact however would be on Koremitsu’s life, literally creating the latter’s social life from basically nothing, and making him the final gift to the girls in his harem.

Ultimately, he vanishes just as the Little Prince did, and his ordeals of seeking the ideal woman roughly reflects that of the Prince seeking the ideal resting place. I do recommend reading this series if you want to understand more of Hikaru’s character.

For the text, I initially had plans to use formal text for nobles like Hikaru to designate their status and to contrast the gruff voice of Koremitsu. It was edited away in the earlier text, so I’m not sure if I’ll bother with editing it.

The voice actor performance reminds me of this quote: you really are a pervert, aren’t you? Exactly the same voice, and while I don’t know how the ‘rich sweet voice’ is supposed to work, I guess he got that ‘sweet’ part down.