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

====Volume 3 – Waka Murasaki====

Ah, yes, the adaptation of the earliest loli tale in Japanese fiction. Someone, please call the police before I start murdering her (Black Bullet is my favorite series as a translator. Loli homicide is something that causes pain in many a lolicon, which I revel in.)

Now, there is pretty much a lot of funny things going on, starting with the random bits. I do have to chime in particularly that the author does seem to be quite the fujoshi herself, given the not-so-subtle fantasies in her other series ‘I’m a royal tutor in my sister’s dress’ and the parts about Konoha and Kazushi. It is striking in particular that Koremitsu actually paid more attention to the ‘delinquent’ part than the ‘gay’ part.

And now, to the start of the main course. When you look at the cover, you probably knew it was coming. While Koremitsu had no intention of carrying out the ‘Hikaru Genji’ plan on Waka Murasaki in ‘The Tale of Genji’, when little Shioriko spoke of that ‘virginity’ talk, it probably sent our readers into a frenzy here, our reactions varied accordingly (proceeds to chop up more lolis). Moral of the story, kids, never ever go anywhere alone with a stranger, you might get your ***** taken.

Of course, current society certainly would not take kindly as to a lolicon, especially one already infamous as a ‘delinquent’ as Koremitsu. If it had been Hikaru who was exposed as one, how would society respond, I wonder?

Working on this volume, I had to use lots of imaginations. A few of you readers may know that I have quite three nieces whom I give tuition to (hence the jokes of me working on Papakiki, though it’ll last till volume 18, nyoron), so my mindset when approaching this volume is, if something were to happen to them or their family, what will I do. I cannot exactly relate myself to anyone who had lost their relative at such a young age, and someone they were so dependent on before that, let alone one who had dementia, so my only option was to begin reading articles about them and such. The translation in this volume may feel somewhat bland for my liking because I do not think I am able to fully bring out the emotions that were present in the original (well, except for a few parts, notably that studio box and gravure reading scene...what were you thinking, Honoka...)

While the first two volumes did hint of it, thanks to Asa-chan, this is the volume where Koremitsu gets the nickname, the red hound. It is a well-earned nickname, not just because of how he really acts like a Rottweiler programmed to automatic, but also how no matter what happens, he will really stick his head out for others. Certainly, his devotion to his master Hikaru is truly impressive, but when he sets his sights on his prey, the girls, he typically disobeys his master and devour them whole, making them his women...somewhat.

Regarding the issue of the scandal involving Kuze, again, do remember that the volume was released 2011, and that would mean the Marine Day of 2001 latest. It is a funny thing to note that despite my laziness not to put in translator notes starting this volume, I still bothered to research on them, for intellectual purposes. The copies of the Hikaru series I had seem to alternate the reading between Kuze and Kuse, but I cannot be bothered at this point...

While Koremitsu’s family was mostly in the background, this is where they get the most prominence, which I find is really unique amongst most LNs, since most probably do not involve their families this much. It is strange seeing a broken family itself taking in a girl themselves, but the effect certainly is positive. Masakaze (grandpa) and Koharu (aunt) would typically argue against each other, and Koremitsu cannot take sides because the family is so small. A man who had his wife run away from him, an aunt who had divorced her husband (giving away the one child she bore), and a boy who had his mother run away from home (gets pretty involved as the second woman in Utsusemi, but we will get to that later), his dad dead from grief. This is pretty dysfunctional for a family, I would say. It is amazing none of them were at each other’s throat.

Back to the positive addition of Shioriko, what it meant to a character.

For Masakaze, we get to see that he is the biggest tsundere in this series (a feat given that we have Koremitsu, Honoka, Aoi and the tsundara Asai). Specifically, though he always had the mantra ‘don’t get involved with women’, he really, really thawed with Shioriko around, either because he felt he owe her grandfather, Tomohiko, a purpose for saving him from his depression, or that he was just a closet lolicon after all. Either way, he really does dote on her quite a bit.

For Koharu, I think the impact may have been bigger. After reading Utsusemi, you probably would wonder what would have happened if her son (at the same age as Shioriko), was to stay with her instead of her ex-husband. The appearance of Shioriko gave her the second chance as a mother. Though she had been trying to be one when it came to Koremitsu, it felt more like a sibling relationship than a parental bond (mentioning Mega Kangaskhan before you folks think about it). Looking at her willingness to do most of the house chores and put in such detail when it came to cooking, perhaps she was really yearning to have her child back, or a child at least beneath that crude facade of hers, and that she really put in the effort of being a housewife before she got divorced.

Now, let us compare them to Tomohiko, Shioriko’s maternal grandfather.

When we talk about ideals in this age, we talk about people who have seen their dreams ruined, their hopes dashed by the reality, their fates betrayed by the world. Here however is a man who continued to live on blissfully no matter how many times he had been betrayed, how many times others have failed him, how, despite all the misgivings he could have had, he chose to remain in his garden, tending to his flowers, and most of all, being who he was. One has to wonder whether he chose to be oblivious to what had happened to him, or whether he actually chose to remain as he was. Personally, I think it is the latter given that he did advise Masakaze back then. I think, ultimately, he made the decision that no matter how anything betrayed him, he cannot allow his own self to betray himself, his ideals, for that would be admitting defeat to all the despair that he should have fallen into a long time ago, especially when his own daughter died before he did. I do apologize if there are any readers who experienced the pain of a younger kin dying before they did, but this is a mentioned topic that shapes Shioriko’s character herself, who I think had the qualities of Waka Murasaki when Genji abducted her, with the additional jilted nature caused by all the despair of this modern world.

I cannot say for certain how difficult it may be a acclimate to being stepchildren, but since this one does have a relatively happy ending, I suppose it is much better than Shioriko being left under Kuze’s care completely, left alone, and being a Hikaru Mikado 2.0. Certainly, I think Shioriko is similar to Hikaru amongst all the girls in terms of circumstances, and it took me a while to think, but when Hikaru mentioned that Shioriko was his ‘happiness’, I suppose that is because Hikaru did see a girl who had the fortune of being able to be with her loved one, her grandfather, until his last days, and because she was happy, he was happy.

Not much to be said about Kuze himself, except that he is the first actual ‘antagonist’ of this series (no, Asa-chan does not count), and his story felt a little similar to Sadasada in Gintama (except for the murder part). Lolicons should go to prison (remember, Riko is 14...depending on your definition of a loli, ask Sako Shuntarou.)

And to conclude, the theme of the volume, I think, is kinship.

By now, you should understand that had Hikaru and Koremitsu, who actually does what Hikaru would not do, been unavailable to fix the mess, you would be reading 10 depressing stories with no happy endings in ‘When Hikaru Departed from the Earth’.

Of course, since the title is ‘When Hikaru was on the Earth’, it means that our playboy wannabe Koremitsu will have to continue the gruelling work of raising a harem. I mean, would you expect both Honoka and Aoi to take action this early? This is amazing...