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

====Volume 6 – Asagao====

その恋は, 毒のように

You know, when Asa-chan was announced to be the heroine in this volume, I already knew they she’ll be part of the harem; I just want to see how she ended up being part of that harem. Welcome to the club, Asa-chan.

We see the effects of Koremitsu’s words in the previous volume, that Michiru just transformed, Cinderella style...or to put it light novel style, more drastic than Rika Shiguma removing her glasses or Yozora with that haircut. If you really think jet actions were meant to matchmake Koremitsu and Honoka, you shouldn’t be hoping too much. Then again, I do suspect that Honoka was too reliant on the ‘main girl wins’ concept after the school pool incident, and honestly, Michiru’s sudden aggressiveness made Honoka more proactive than she was. I half-expected Honoka to ask the classic Japanese wife question, but that’ll be a bad influence on Shiiko (oh who am I kidding...Shiiko was so ready to slam the ladle onto her head.)

Of course, neither these girls are the heroines, and we proceed to try and melt the ice queen at the end of summer. I got lots of comments telling me Asa-chan best girl, something I really found to be interesting...most probably, the readers are masochistic in the same way they fawn over RyuZU.

Already overworked and weary from being the last line of defense for Fujino, I suppose her going to Granny is the culmination of her desperation, but when I look at Asa-chan, I see someone who blindly does whatever she thinks others want, but due to her hastiness, she failed to understand what others really want, as in the case of her utter devotion to Hikaru. Naturally, Granny knows this, and she really didn’t wish for Asa-chan to end up like herself. This story has two heroines, Asa-chan and Granny Orime, the latter being a (highly) possible look at what Asa-chan will be in the future (assuming that Asa-chan does get married...she’ll get lots of suitors in real life, I swear)

The main conflict is about the succession rights to the Mikados lineage (Ryugamine, please...), but the actual conflict is Granny vs grandson, something you-know-who is more than willing to seize advantage of. Blood is supposed to be thicker than water, but Granny has nothing to dry out of at this point. Behind the terrifyingly aloof facades of both heroines are the lonely faces of the ones left behind by their loved ones. The key difference is that one continued to devote herself to what she thought was the right course of action, while the other had already given up on doing anything because whatever she did never ended up reciprocated.

In a sense, I do see similarities in the grandson and you-know-who. Both are born with silver spoons in their mouths, and more importantly, both are considered unfavorites for Granny and the Old Master, second to Hikaru, and the main reason why they’re unfavourites is because...it’s Hikaru (Hikaru doesn’t spare grannies in his pursuit of his harem), and they didn’t work hard to earn that recognition. Perhaps if one side actually bothered to reach out, things would have worked out better.

And this brings me to the key theme of this volume: poor communications hurt. As you may notice, neither of the heroines are really good at conveying their feelings. Like the Morning Glories, they work hard behind the scenes, but their efforts would hardly be recognised. This is most prominent in the friendship breakdown between Asa-chan and Aoi, vs that of Granny and grandson.

For the former, it can be said that instead of a friendship, the relationship was more of protectorate. The relationship was on unequal standing in the first place, and here it harks back to what I said about most friendships being unequal in the first place. (Well, don’t you have the urge to protect Aoi? Just look at her. ) Nevertheless, disputes like this are necessary so that the differences can be worked out, and the bond can be stronger as Hikaru hoped. Fortunately for me, as much as one would hope so, the relationship will never be fully repaired because of Koremitsu. (Yeah I’m sadistic, reveling in schadenfreude)

For the latter, it really does remind me of my own relationship with my own grandma (though we’re on really good terms), given how grandma’s personality is exactly like Granny in this story. When working on this story, I had the intention of using it as a tribute to her, and also to reflect on what I would do if I’m the grandson in the story. Honestly, I do feel a home without any familial love is not a real home, just a house to stay in. Some tough love is needed from time to time, and honestly, while I do think the grandson got off lightly, imagine being prone on the floor with someone stepping on your neck. That’s what my grandma will do to her kids, and what I guess Granny in this story will do, so let’s enjoy more suffering.

A special note about the calligraphy contest in this story. While we know that Koremitsu will ultimately win such contests, I was already planning what I would do if the calligraphy came into place. Lo and behold, it actually happened. To be honest, I did plan to pay for a calligrapher to do the work. It’s impossible for me to be doing this in the first place since my handwriting is incorrigible. If you haven’t realized, I’m implementing my drama upbringing into my translation; I don’t just translate the text, I try to act out the text in my own words.

The BGM for this one showdown is the Ip Man theme, or more specifically, Koremitsu’s arrival. Hearing this theme basically gives me the feeling that ‘yeah, the master is here, all the kids can just beat it’. I don’t really care that the contest was obviously a ploy on Granny’s part just to see Koremitsu’s calligraphy, I want to see the work myself. It’s like the Bruce Lee movies; you don’t really watch for the plot, you watch it to see him thrash everyone else. Same logic.

The part where Asa-chan’s innocence is revisited really had me feeling way too nostalgic for me. I remember the days where I keep breaking bones every single year because of my reckless sports playstyle (even now, things have yet to change), going about doing all the crazy stuff. I like crazy. When you look back at what you used to do, all you can do is laugh at yourself, but accept it, for it is your experience.

Finally, I’ll like to have a laugh at how it’s the one allied side male character who asks the question most of the other characters are thinking ‘what do they see in that guy’. At the start of the series, Koremitsu could have been a starring member of the FFF. 6 volumes in, and he’s pretty much high on the bounty list. With Asa-chan now part of the harem, Hikaru can finally retire feeling that Koremitsu has surpassed him.