[Warning] This article contains spoilers for Frozen, Star Wars, and Joker. [Warning]

About ten years ago, a revolutionary Disney movie was released.

I first encountered Let It Go through the uncut music video on Disney's official channel on YouTube. Compared to the elegant, classic Disney soundtracks (mostly composed by Alan Menken) up until Tangled, Let It Go had a modern, "piercing" quality that made a profound impression on me. I remember thinking at the time, "Disney may have created something monumental here."

Eventually, Frozen became a global phenomenon, breaking numerous records and becoming a legendary hit; its theme song, "Let It Go," alone broke records and even dominated the Far East, Japanese variety shows for almost a month.

However, the movie Frozen itself has received some criticism. For example, CinemaSins released a video titled "Everything Wrong With Frozen," highlighting the "oddities" in the story. Among viewers, opinions like "The songs are amazing, but I didn't like the story" were fairly common. This sentiment wasn't limited to English-speaking audiences; it was echoed in other cultural spheres as well.

However, Toshio Okada has praised Frozen as a masterpiece that influenced not only subsequent Disney movies but even other superhero films.

Okada is one of the founding members of the legendary Japanese animation studio GAINAX, known for the Evangelion series, and has long been involved in anime production, leaving a significant mark on the Japanese animation industry. On his channel, he noted that critics of Frozen often lack the perspective of an anime creator.

Okada also pointed out that the Japanese translation of Let It Go has led to many misunderstandings among Japanese audiences. However, he clarified that this is not due to poor translation quality but rather the substantial limitations imposed by the linguistic differences between English and Japanese in translating song lyrics.

In this article, I would like to translate and share with you some of the key points Okada discussed on his channel, focusing especially on Elsa's desperation and the inherent "difficulty" of translation.

[Reference] UG# 266: Examining Why Frozen Was Such a Hit on Friday Roadshow – January 27, 2019

(【UG# 266】金ロー『アナと雪の女王』ヒットの理由を考える 2019/1/27)

[Okada]

What's remarkable about Let It Go, which became a social phenomenon at the time of its release, is that it shows Elsa, the desperate protagonist, transforming into a villain akin to Darth Vader in the Star Wars series. The revolutionary aspect of this scene is that it presents Elsa's tragic and terrifying descent into monstrosity in a way that appears to be a positive transformation - Elsa liberates herself and embraces her humanity.

Since this work, the portrayal of villains in film has changed significantly. In Tim Burton's Joker, the character's revelation as a demonic being is presented as a very frightening event, but in Elsa's case, her villainous transformation is presented as an almost miraculous event, increasing the chilling effect of the scene. This complex expression is embodied in Let It Go.

In this video, I want to focus on and explain this particular aspect of the scene.

Let me add some background here:

Elsa, the princess of Arendelle, was born with magical powers to create snow and ice. When she was eight years old, she accidentally injured her younger sister, Anna, leaving her unconscious. Thanks to the efforts of the Trolls, Anna’s life was saved, but from that point on, Elsa shut herself away in isolation and ceased going outside except for official royal duties.

Ten years later, Elsa and Anna’s parents perished in a maritime accident, leaving Anna as Elsa’s only remaining family.

The pivotal incident occurs three years later on the night of Elsa’s coronation. Anna tells Elsa she wants to marry Hans, a prince from a neighboring kingdom whom she just met at the coronation events. Naturally, Elsa opposes the idea, leading to an argument with Anna. In the heat of the moment, Elsa accidentally reveals her dangerous magical powers in front of everyone.

At this point, Elsa experiences two profound setbacks:

1. Elsa had distanced herself from Anna after the childhood accident, fearing her powers might harm her again. Despite this, she continued to love her sister deeply as her only family. However, when Anna declares her intention to marry someone she just met, Elsa is devastated. Whether Elsa could see through Hans’s true nature or not remains unclear, but she was deeply disheartened by Anna’s lack of discernment in trusting people.
2. Elsa had been striving to endure the pressures of being a queen while trying to behave as a “normal, upright person.” Yet, at her coronation, her dangerous powers were exposed, and she was publicly branded a “monster” by the guests. This moment reaffirmed to Elsa that she was not an ordinary person, plunging her further into despair.

Having lost both her sense of family and her identity as a normal human being, Elsa retreats to the snowy mountains, carrying profound despair, leading to the iconic Let It Go scene.

[Okada]

The reason this movie is so highly praised is because of the song "Let It Go," but many Japanese audiences are familiar with the translated version. Unfortunately, the Japanese lyrics significantly alter the original intent, making it more of a "parody" than a "translation".

In the Japanese version, Elsa seems to sing only positive things, but the English version conveys a much more complex message. Elsa's desperation is subtly revealed in the nuances of the English lyrics, but due to linguistic limitations, it was impossible to fully incorporate this complexity into the Japanese translation.

Take the most important part, "Let it go, let it go. There's already a shift in nuance. In Japanese, it's rendered as "ari no mama no (Let it be)," but in the English version, Elsa's words convey a much more resigned attitude, something closer to "Enough is enough! I don't care anymore!” This reflects Elsa's sense of throwing everything away in frustration.

Let's take a closer look at the lyrics from the very beginning.

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

Not a footprint to be seen

Elsa climbs the snowy mountain as the camera closes in on her.

This part serves as a metaphor for Elsa shedding all traces of her life in human society. She had worked tirelessly to become a "good queen," but this scene symbolizes how all her efforts have come to nothing. In addition, Elsa is dragging a heavy cloak behind her in this scene. Originally meant to protect her from the cold, the cloak now symbolizes a burdensome shackle. In other words, this cloak represents the overwhelming pressure Elsa felt living as a queen in human society.

Just from this visual composition, I can tell that this movie is a masterpiece. Critics of this movie often lack this kind of perspective. Unlike live-action films, where unforeseen events can occur, everything shown in animation is intentional and serves a specific expressive purpose. It is important for us as viewers to carefully interpret and appreciate these intentional expressions.

A kingdom of isolation

And it looks like I’m the queen

In this scene, Elsa begins to take off her coat. This means that she is gradually losing her sense of feeling the cold. Elsa, still human at the beginning, undoubtedly felt the chill of the snowy mountain. From that moment on, however, we glimpse her transformation into a creature no longer bound by human traits - a monster immune to the cold.

If this were Darth Vader from Star Wars, his descent into darkness would be revealed by his black transformation, symbolizing his corruption by evil. In contrast, this film conveys Elsa's "villainous transformation" by showing her becoming whiter and more beautiful, achieving the same thematic effect through an inverted visual approach.

Don’t let them in, don’t let them see

Be the good girl you always have to be

This part can be a bit unclear due to differences in the Japanese translation, but it can be interpreted that Elsa is imitating her parents. In this scene, Elsa remembers the things she was told over and over again throughout her childhood.

Well, now they know

In this scene, Elsa takes off her gloves. These gloves had served as a device to suppress her magic, but here she breaks the seal on her powers and begins to test the full extent of her magical abilities.

Let it go, let it go

Can’t hold it back anymore

In the Japanese translation, this part is similar to "Let it be," but the original phrase is actually one used to encourage someone who is upset-such as a friend who has been rejected or lost a job-to say, "Don't dwell on what's already over. Just forget about it!"

Elsa utters these remarkably "negative" words with a beaming smile. This must have left English-speaking viewers with a chilling sense of unease.

Immediately thereafter, Elsa breathes life into a snowman. Although this snowman later becomes the adorable character Olaf, it's worth noting that in Christian cultural contexts, the act of breathing life into inanimate objects is associated with witches or demons. In this sense, this scene represents Elsa's further descent into the dark side.

Let it go, let it go

Turn away and slam the door

For English-speaking audiences, the act of "slamming the door" conveys a very negative and strong message, symbolizing a complete rejection of someone and a total severing of the relationship. However, Elsa's expression when she sings this phrase is still full of a smile.

To make this scene more relatable to Japanese viewers, we can compare it to an anime. The atmosphere is similar to a scene in the anime Kakegurui where a character points a gun at someone and yells, "If everyone d*es, everything will be solved! Everybody just d*e! HAHAHA!!" In Japanese anime, such scenes often include another character trembling in fear of her insanity. This setup clearly conveys her deranged state of mind. In Frozen, however, there is no character to fill this role, making it harder for the audience to recognize Elsa's descent into madness.

In a way, this scene is reminiscent of the famous dance scene in the recent Joker movie after he kills the businessmen. In that scene, the Joker, intoxicated by the pleasure of violence, comes to terms with and reveals his true nature. Similarly, in this scene from Frozen, Elsa - who once aspired to be a self-controlled, "good person" - denies her past self. Depending on your perspective, this can be interpreted as a deeply sad moment. Some viewers, especially women, recognized and resonated with it as a representation of "her demonic nature unleashed." However, the beautiful visuals and music make it difficult for this sad nuance to come across.

Unbeknownst to Elsa at the time, the release of her powers will lead to a great catastrophe in the kingdom. Through this storyline, the film subtly conveys a disturbing message that seems far from child-friendly: "To be truly free, you must not be afraid to be antisocial. This message is cleverly hidden within the narrative. In this sense, Frozen is actually much more provocative in its themes than Japanese anime.

I don’t care what the’re going to say

Let the storm rage on

The cold never bothered me anyway

By this point, Elsa has already turned into a monster and lost the ability to consider how her powers cause suffering for the people of the kingdom. While Disney films rarely depict death in an overt way, the reality is that very few Disney films are entirely devoid of death. Snow-covered Arendelle was experiencing one of its rare summers, but Elsa's sudden transformation plunged it back into freezing cold. Naturally, this change in climate would have resulted in some deaths, but the movie completely omits such consequences.

Also, a skilled translator would probably notice the incongruity in the last word of her song - "anyway" instead of "anymore". At the beginning of the song, Elsa was indeed shivering with cold. However, she declares, "The cold never bothered me anyway," suggesting that she never felt cold to begin with. In this scene, having abandoned her place in human society, Elsa has completely lost her humanity and is beginning to forget even her memories of being human.

Earlier in the story, Elsa was portrayed as a woman with a strong sense of justice, striving to be a good queen for the people of Arendelle. But in this moment, she becomes a monster, indifferent to the potential deaths of her subjects, trading her humanity for overwhelming magical power.

This concludes the content of this article. Thank you for reading to the end.

At one point, I aspired to become a professional translator, but even so, I didn’t realize that “anyway” wasn’t “anymore.” In fact, when I sang this song at karaoke, I sometimes got the lyrics wrong and thought, “Oh, I messed that up,” but that was about the extent of my reflection.

Even before hearing Okada's insights, I was aware that there had been some criticism of the Japanese translators for interpreting "Let It Go" as something like "Let It Be" or "Show me as I am," and I personally felt that "Let It Go" probably meant something like "Leave it as it is," but I wasn't able to articulate that sense as well as Okada.

When asked if the translators were unaware of this nuance, I believe that this is not the case for many reasons. Personally, I feel that, aside from this aspect, the translation of Let It Go was handled with professional accuracy, even under the severe constraints of translating from English to Japanese. Clearly, the anonymous translators must have understood the layered meanings hidden in Let It Go. Knowing this, they deliberately adapted the lyrics with a positive interpretation appropriate for a children's film, resulting in the nearly original Japanese version we know as "Ari no Mama de (As I Am)."

And that, it seems to me, now implies the struggle of the translator, who is forced to work dishonestly with the meaning of the source text, the more familiar the translator is with the language. The difficulty of conveying not only linguistic differences, but also the nuances created by cultural and value differences, with minimal explanation to a general audience is now glaringly obvious to me. This realization has shocked me as a "translationfag" to my core, and it feels like there's no immediate solution to this problem. This is a very negative conclusion, but I believe that if I listen to "Let It Go" and consult many interpretations like Okada's, I could grasp a lot of its true meaning, so I feel optimistic in that sense.

The United States is famous for many things, and one of them is its slang. Some phrases have become so popular and versatile that they've even been imported into Japanese. For example, the term "incel" is widely known, even among Japanese who don't speak English fluently. When the term first started trending, I guessed its meaning based on its usage, but later learning its origin left me in awe of the creativity (and violence) of word creation in the online world.

On the other hand, there are words that many Japanese believe were imported from the U.S. but were actually coined locally in Japan. "School caste" (スクールカースト) is a prime example.

Since you're probably unfamiliar with this term, let me explain: it refers to the "social hierarchy that naturally forms among students within a school," likened to India's rigid caste system. Many Japanese people believe that American high schools have a strict social hierarchy among students, with a group consisting of "jocks" (members of the football team) and cheerleaders at the top. This perception is reinforced by American movies and TV dramas.

In addition, I must mention that Wikipedia says that the word "clique" is more commonly used in the U.S. to refer to the similar concept. For English speakers, "clique" may be more familiar, but I didn't know the word "clique" myself, so I'm not entirely sure if the two terms are completely synonymous. The reason I didn't know "clique" is that I mistakenly believed that the term "school caste" had already been invented in the U.S. and was the more common term there.

I think many other Japanese people also use "school caste" as a term similar to "clique." So if you ever find yourself discussing school life with a Japanese person, don't be surprised if they use this term without explanation - they may even appreciate it if you share its meaning and history with other Americans.

Conversely, some words I thought were uniquely Japanese turned out to be imported from the U.S.. A good example is "Generation Z". This term, which is widely used in Japanese generational discussions (along with terms such as 氷河期世代 (Ice Age Generation) and ゆとり世代 (Pressure-Free Generation)), appears in Japanese in a semi-translated form as "ゼット世代 (Zetto sedai)", making it less obvious that it comes from the American term "Generation Z".

Also, I was surprised when an American friend used the term "ADHD." In Japan, this term is widely known and used to describe personality traits. However, I subconsciously assumed that "ADHD" was a kind of Japanese English. About a year ago, I learned that it's also commonly used in the U.S., which came as a surprise.

However, I have a question for you English speakers: are you familiar with the term "ASD"? In Japan, it is used similarly to "ADHD" to refer to individuals with autism spectrum disorder or Asperger's traits. However, I've never met an English speaker who uses "ASD" in this way. I'm curious as to why there seems to be a difference in the way the two terms are used.

Lastly, a term that I only learned about thanks to my time on Newgrounds is "Rule 34 (and 63)." I won't explain its meaning in this article, but discovering this phrase was both shocking and fascinating - it reaffirmed why I can't leave Newgrounds!

These are just a few examples that come to mind, but if I've missed any important slang terms or imported words, please let me know in the comments.

Incidentally, as the title suggests, I also want to delve into Japanese Internet slang. Just as English-speaking countries have their own slang, Japan boasts a rich array of Internet expressions. Some of these phrases rival "incel" in their ability to reveal the darker corners of online culture. Here, I'd like to provide an update on the definitions of some of these terms.

Like slang in the English-speaking world, Japanese slang can range from words that are used moderately in real life to those that are best avoided in everyday conversation - and even terms that could get you arrested if used inappropriately. For the purposes of this article, I'm going to classify them according to their level of "danger".

If you know of any Japanese slang that I've overlooked, feel free to share it with me. As long as it's not overtly sexual or discriminatory, I'll be happy to add it to the list.

Relatively Safe Words to Use in Real-Life Conversations

1.   Oshi (推し)

This word literally means "support" in English. However, its current usage has evolved to convey a meaning closer to "favorite". The term "oshi" is also commonly used in its verb form, "osu (推す; to support)", which refers to the act of passionately supporting someone, often by spending large amounts of money on them.

Prior to the 2000s, this word was mainly taught in schools as a term related to politics or business, and had limited meaning. However, in recent years, thanks in part to the popularity of an anime series that uses the term in its title, oshi has become a widely recognized and commonly used word.

For example, when used in its noun form, it would be phrased as "今推しのアーティストは？" (Who is your favorite artist right now? ), and when used in its verb form, it would be "〇〇を推したい" (I want to support XX!), which are the most natural ways to use it.

2.   XX Gacha (〇〇ガチャ)

The term gacha may sound similar to the English word "gotcha," but it is completely unrelated. Its origin lies in a uniquely Japanese onomatopoeia. Initially, it referred specifically to capsule toys, but over time, its meaning evolved to resemble that of a "lottery" or "drawing." Today it has become a symbol of social inequality. The term "gacha" is used metaphorically to describe circumstances beyond one's control, likening them to a game of chance.

Gacha is often combined with other words to describe specific situations. For example:

• Oya-gacha (親ガチャ; parents): Refers to one's parents or family environment.
• Kuni-gacha (国ガチャ; country): Refers to one's nationality.
• Kao-gacha (顔ガチャ; face): Refers to one's physical appearance.

These combinations show how the term is used to describe various aspects of life that are determined by luck.

However, it is rare to see this term used in contexts such as shigoto-gacha (仕事ガチャ, "job gacha"). This is because the general perception is that one's job is something one can choose for oneself. The term gacha is primarily used to lament aspects of life that are completely out of one's control.

3.   Kusa (草)

This word is equivalent to "LOL" or "LMAO" in English. You may recall seeing "www" in the past - it was shorthand for the Japanese word "warai (笑い)," meaning "laugh," created by stringing together the initial letter "w" several times.

Over time, the shape of "www" came to resemble a field of grass when viewed sideways, inspiring the cultural phrase "growing grass" (草を生やす) to describe typing "www" online. Eventually, this evolved into the independent use of "kusa" (grass), which is now widely used to mean something like "laugh(-able)".

Both "www" and "kusa" are examples of words that have undergone remarkable changes in a short period of time.

An example of how Internet users use kusa is the phrase "zenzen daiji de kusa" (全然大事で草), which can confuse beginners learning Japanese because of its grammatically unusual structure. However, when run through Google Translate, it accurately renders as "It's important LOL," which perfectly captures the intended nuance.

4.   Majiresu (マジレス)

This term is a combination of the slang maji (マジ), meaning "serious," and resu (レス), meaning "response." Literally translated, it means "serious response."

For example, imagine someone tells a joke. "Majiresu" refers to the act of responding seriously to it without realizing it's a joke. In Japan’s online culture, such actions are generally disliked, which led to the creation of this term to describe them.

When used alongside kusa (草), it can form phrases like "majiresu de kusa" (マジレスで草), which means "Serious response LOL."

Words That Shouldn't Be Used in the Real World

1.   -tan (～たん/タン)

This is a suffix used as a term of endearment often attached to the names of cute characters. Grammatically, it can be categorized as a suffix similar to “-sama” or “-san.” For example, if it were attached to my name, it would become something like "Purecipi-tan," wouldn’t it?

The origin of this term is thought to be derived from the way young children, with their underdeveloped pronunciation, call their parents. Over time, it evolved and became established as a term of endearment used primarily by anime-obsessed otaku. Because of this, people who use this word in real-world settings are highly likely to be avoided by others.

That’s right—the “tan” in “ZONE-tan” is actually this kind of term! Of course, ZONE-sama, being a creator well-versed in Japanese, has even produced the educational video series ECCHIcation, which is a fascinating resource for learning Japanese, even from my perspective as a native speaker. I believe they understand the nuances and context behind this term and have chosen to use it deliberately. However, caution is advised when using it in the real world.

2.   Jirai-kei Joshi (地雷系女子)

The term "jirai" means "landmine," an explosive device, but in this context, "landmine girls" are girls who, while seemingly attractive, are very likely to cause emotional distress or "inflict serious wounds" (especially on men) if you get involved with them.

What I find curious is that while this definition seems broad and could apply to a wide variety of girls, if you search the term on Google, you'll find that it almost always refers to a very specific type of girl. Somehow the term has become synonymous with women who dress in a certain style of pink gothic fashion. The term "Jirai-kei" (地雷系) has become increasingly narrow in meaning, to the point where it is now commonly associated with phrases such as "landmine fashion" (地雷系ファッション) or "mass-produced fashion" (量産型ファッション), a term used derisively to describe similar styles often worn by "landmine girls".

I'm not very familiar with their behavior or how the meaning of the term has evolved over time. However, as someone who enjoys gothic fashion, I find jirai-kei fashion equally fascinating. Someday I'd like to make illustrations of them.

3.   Menhera (メンヘラ)

In English, I'm not sure there's a specific term for people who inhabit spaces like 4chan or Reddit, much like you might use "New Yorker" to describe someone from New York. In Japan, however, people who frequented a section of Internet forums called the "Mental Health Board (メンヘラ板)" were referred to as "menhera." Many of the users on this board struggled with some form of mental distress, and thus the term "menhera" was born to describe such individuals. Today, it has become a general term used to describe people with a tendency toward emotional instability.

Interestingly, although "menhera" is a gender-neutral term, it is overwhelmingly used to describe emotionally unstable women. This trend isn't necessarily due to the stereotype that women are more prone to hysteria, but rather, in my opinion, has more to do with the fact that women have embraced the label of menhera and built a certain level of social identity around it. Meanwhile, male menhera tend to be treated as if they don't exist in society....

4.   Riajuu (リア充)

This term often refers to people who lead a fulfilling life in the real world. It is frequently used in contrast to individuals in the following subcultures or social groups, and as a result, it is commonly associated with the implication of "having a romantic partner."

5.   Cheese Gyudon (/Chi-Gyu; チーズ牛丼/チー牛)

This term is one of the Japanese equivalents of the English term "incel. Interestingly, there are a surprisingly large number of Japanese terms equivalent to "incel," and I can think of at least four more off the top of my head. However, the one I'd like to explain here is the one that might seem the most nonsensical at first glance.

Originally, cheese gyudon was simply the name of a dish - a bowl of beef topped with cheese. However, after a particular illustration associated with the dish went viral, the term "cheese gyudon" (or its abbreviation, chi-gyu) began to be used to describe men who resembled the appearance depicted in the illustration.

That concludes this article. Thank you very much for reading to the end.

As someone who travels between the English and Japanese Internet worlds, I notice that no matter where you go in the world, the Internet is full of different perspectives. While some online discussions are overly emotional and oversimplified, I firmly believe that nothing in life is so simple that it can be packaged into a neat, documentary-style narrative.

Basically, I don't believe that there is such a thing as absolute good or evil in this world. Rather, I believe that there are only "situations that some people, for a period of time, consider to be 'good' or 'bad' from their perspective. Furthermore, when discussing the "simple and easy to understand facts" that are often presented in discussions of social issues, it's important to consider the people who stand to benefit from convincing the majority to believe them.

This world is complex, filled with challenges so intricate that a single day of Internet browsing can hardly unravel them. I hope to remain the kind of person who has the emotional bandwidth to enjoy exploring the meanings of Internet slang and the hidden contexts behind it as I encounter them in the course of this complexity.

One of the Japanese YouTube channels I frequently watch is called "Yuru Gengogaku Radio" ("Casual Linguistics Radio"). On this channel, they discuss interesting topics scattered across the field of linguistics in a conversational format between Mizuno, who majored in language at university, and Horimoto, who has no background in linguistics.

However, this article isn’t directly about that. Instead, I would like to mention a quiz game regularly featured on the channel called "Unchiku Eureka Quiz." ("うんちくエウレーカクイズ").

In Japanese, "Unchiku (蘊蓄)" translates to something like "fun fact" or "trivia" in English. While "Trivia Eureka Quiz" might have worked as a translation, a quick online search turned up numerous games with similar names. To avoid confusion, I'll refer to it here as the "Unchiku Eureka Quiz."

The "Unchiku Eureka Quiz" follows this process:

1. The quiz master presents a "strange fact."
2. The contestants can ask any number of yes-or-no questions to the quiz master.
3. When a contestant thinks they've figured out the underlying reason behind the fact, they declare "Eureka!" and give their answer.
4. If their answer matches the quiz master's intended answer, the quiz ends, and the contestant earns points.

Part of the enjoyment in this game comes from participating, but it’s also fun because you can share the interesting trivia with family and friends afterward. The creators enjoy it so much that over 50 quizzes have been presented to date.

In this article, I'd like to present six of the show's quizzes, specifically those that relate to America. Of course, the quiz involves a lively exchange between the quizmaster and the contestants, with plenty of unrelated trivia, random jokes, and off-topic discussions. For the sake of brevity, however, I'll skip those tangents.

This article presents the "Question" posed in the video, followed by "Thinking Time," which includes some of the questions the participants asked the quiz master, and finally the "Answer" to the question.

Question 1

In the spring of 1987, approximately 7 million children suddenly disappeared in the United States. Why?

Thinking Time

• Was it an event similar to the Pied Piper of Hamelin? => NO
• Did the children die? => NO
• Did children disappear from a particular region in the U.S.? => NO
• Did children disappear from all across the United States? => YES
• Did the children disappear temporarily? => NO
• Did the children disappear permanently? => YES
• Was there a change in U.S. territory that year? => NO
• Are the children alive? => NO
• Did these children have official registration? => NO
• Is this related to American law? => YES
• Is this related to the U.S. tax system? => YES

Answer

In 1987, the U.S. tax law was revised, requiring a Social Security number for each child claimed as a dependent. Before this change, people could claim fictitious children to receive tax deductions. With the new requirement, it became impossible to claim non-existent children, resulting in the sudden disappearance of millions of “children” from tax records across the country.

Question 2

In 1973, hip-hop was born in New York. DJ Kool Herc introduced "breakbeats," a technique where only the drum sections of a record are played using two turntables, which captivated young people from low-income neighborhoods. In 1977, breakbeats became hugely popular due to a certain event. What was this event?

Thinking Time

• Was it a bad event? => YES
• Was it a crime? => N/A
• Did it happen within the city? => YES
• Did it happen outdoors/indoors? => N/A
• Was this event reported in the media? => YES
• Did breakbeats become popular because of the media coverage? => NO
• Is musical knowledge necessary to answer this? => N/A
• Was this event a "disaster"? => YES
• Was it a natural disaster? => NO
• Was it caused by human error? => probably NO

Answer

Breakbeats required special audio equipment, which most young people in low-income areas could not afford. However, in 1977, a massive blackout struck New York City, leading to widespread looting by young people. Many electronics stores were robbed, and music equipment was often stolen. As a result, there was a surge in the number of people taking up DJing around that time.

Question 3

When a U.S. military’s bomber was developed, the engineers gathered to take a commemorative photo to celebrate its completion. During the photo session, a small incident occurred that delighted the engineers. What was this incident?

Thinking Time

• Was it related to the bomber's name? => NO
• Was it related to religion? => NO
• Did the incident happen during the photo shoot? => YES
• Did something show up in the photo? => NO
• Did it happen specifically because it was a bomber rather than a fighter jet? => NO
• Could the same phenomenon happen with a fighter jet? => YES
• Were the ones delighted by this incident the developers of the bomber? => YES
• Would others besides the developers be unlikely to find it amusing? => YES
• Did the incident symbolize the bomber's excellent performance? => YES

Answer

The Nighthawk, a stealth bomber, scatters radar waves to evade detection. Because of this, the camera's autofocus couldn't function during the photo shoot, and the photographer struggled to get the camera to capture the shot. This delighted the engineers, as it symbolized the effectiveness of the bomber's stealth technology.

Question 4

When a fighter jet lands on an aircraft carrier, it increases engine power just before landing and approaches the carrier at a relatively high speed. This is the opposite of how aircraft land on regular runways. Why do they do this?

Thinking Time

• Is it related to the fact that the carrier is on water? => YES
• Is this the case for aircraft carriers outside the U.S. as well? => YES
• Would pilots do the same if the carrier were on land? => WTF?
• Is it related to the same physical phenomenon as riding a bicycle? => NO
• Is it related to airflow produced when the plane flies at low altitude? => NO
• Is it because the carrier’s runway is shorter than on land? => YES
• Do arresting wires require the fighter to be at high speed to work? => NO
• Is it dangerous for the fighter to land without high speed? => YES 

Answer

If the fighter jet’s tail hook fails to catch the arresting wire, the jet must immediately take off again. If it approaches at a low speed and the landing fails, it would be unable to take off in time and would risk crashing into the sea. Therefore, fighter jets landing on an aircraft carrier must approach at high speed to ensure a safe go-around if needed.

Question 5

An important book for scientific research was published, but it wasn’t checked for typographical errors. Most people assume there were typos in it, but this didn’t become a significant issue. What book was published?

Thinking Time

• Did those who overlooked the typos notice them? => NO
• Would the general public have seen this book? => partly YES
• Was this book published in the U.S.? => YES
• Did anyone criticize the presence of typos? => NO
• Is this book still published today? => NO
• Was there a tight schedule for publication? => NO
• Was the book written by a scientist? => partly YES
• Was the scientist famous? => probably NO
• Was the book written by a person? => N/A
• Is the book related to physics? => NO
• Is the book related to mathematics? => YES
• Is the book related to computer science? => YES

Answer

At the time of publication, computers were newly developed, and high-quality, large sets of random numbers were needed for calculations. Thus, a random number table with a million random digits was published. However, proofreading for possible typographical errors in these random numbers was considered unnecessary since any errors would likely appear as random, preserving the intended randomness.

Question 6

David Lee Roth, the vocalist of Van Halen, entered the dressing room before a concert and was furious to find brown chocolates there, leading him to cancel the show. Why?

Thinking Time

• Did he dislike chocolate? => NO
• Is knowledge of music necessary? => NO
• Was his reason for getting angry unreasonable to others? => NO
• Were the chocolates a gift from fans? => NO
• Was he on a diet? => NO
• Would he not have been angry if there were no chocolates? => probably NO
• Was he angry at the person who placed the chocolates? => NO
• Was it related to his romantic partner? => NO
• Did he get angry just out of frustration? => NO
• Did he feel compelled to get angry? => YES
• Did he act angry to maintain his character? => YES
• Was his anger on behalf of others? => YES
• Did other Van Halen members appreciate his anger? => probably YES
• Was he considering the sponsors? => NO
• Did the chocolates contain colors other than brown? => YES

Answer

David Lee Roth included a clause in Van Halen’s concert contracts stating that only M&M’s with the brown ones removed should be provided in the dressing room. This was his way of checking whether the venue’s management had read the contract in detail and communicated all instructions to the staff. Since Van Halen’s performances involved dangerous effects like pyrotechnics and high-voltage equipment, they needed to ensure the venue would follow the contract carefully.

This concludes the article. Thank you very much for reading to the end.

Although Yuru Gengogaku Radio is a Japanese station, I hope that this article can help the strange quiz game "Unchiku Eureka Quiz" gain some brief, localized popularity.

While selecting quiz questions, I came across a few that I personally liked, but may not be of interest to you. Instead of including them in the main article, here is a list of just the questions. If any of them pique your curiosity, feel free to look up the answers online and share them with your family and friends, or post your own UEQs in the comments section!

• At one point, a zero-rupee banknote was issued in India. Why was that?
• A mayor in Turkey was arrested by Turkish authorities after delivering a New Year’s greeting to citizens, having violated a certain law. What happened?
• Why does the direction of clock hands become "clockwise"?
• The five rings on the Olympic flag represent the five continents except Antarctica. What do the colors in the five rings represent?
• Mount Fuji is Japan's tallest mountain, but there was a time when it was not the tallest in Japan. What period was that?

I love English and was once good enough to become an English teacher at a Japanese junior high school. But that was in the past, and since then my English skills have been declining rapidly. So, as part of my language learning, I decided to post some simple questions and comments about the English language that are not easy for me (and that I should ask on HiNative or Quora) on Newgrounds. I am not an expert in English and may make elementary mistakes, but thank you for your patience.

Shop vs. Store | English Is Not So Easy 26

These days, I'm mostly learning about the English language and American lifestyle from the YouTuber group called "Kevin's English Room". This channel is about the English language and American culture, but since it's a Japanese channel and mostly uses Japanese, people in the US cultural area probably don't get a chance to watch it. So I would like to share the content of their videos here on Newgrounds, and "report" on what information the Japanese are getting about the English language and American culture.

Recently, they were discussing an interesting topic: "Are the English words we are taught in school have the same meaning?"

Of course, when studying two words with similar meanings, there's bound to be a linguistic difference. However, in this video they focused more on how native speakers differentiate between such words in everyday conversation, which made it very accessible to me. As I mentioned in a previous article, my main interest in studying English is understanding "how a word or phrase affects the native speaker's feelings," so this is exactly the kind of topic I'm most interested in.

This is off topic, but they previously released a video on "Phrases Used Ironically in American Conversation" and I was very interested in the content and wrote a full article introducing it. However, I decided not to post it due to some issues:

1. Some of the "phrases not recommended for casual use" they listed weren't even recognized as ironic by native speakers. For example, they mentioned that "very good" shouldn't be used in casual conversation, which is not the view of many native speakers.
2. By listing such phrases, I might seem to be declaring, "I consider these phrases to be 'attacks on me,' so don't use them around me!" This is not my intention. Ineed, I have learned such phrases, and I think I will never use them myself, but forcing or suggesting that someone not use them is not my philosophy.

Since the topic of "English similar words" seems just as interesting and much safer, I would like to share their insights here.

The format of the channel is that native English speaker "Kevin", who sits in the middle, is asked questions by "Kake", on the right, who has the typical English skills of a Japanese person, and "Yama", on the left, who can speak a little English from his study abroad experience in France. This article is a transcription and translation of their conversation.

1. Shop / Store

Kevin: Personally, I don’t know the difference.

Kake: For example, you say “Grocery store,” but not “Grocery shop.” There’s “Convenience store” but not “Convenience shop.”

Kevin: That’s true. There’s probably some rule for using them, but I can’t explain it well right now.

Yama: How about “Fruit store” and “Fruit shop?”

Kevin: You can use both.

Kake: Which is more common, “Juice store” or “Juice shop?”

Kevin: I’ve seen both, but “Juice shop” might be a bit more common.

Kake: In Japan, “shop” is often defined as a specialized place for selling and making things, while “store” seems to only sell products.

Kevin: “Grocery stores” only sell ready-made items, so we call them “store,” while bakeries, where things are made on-site, are called “Bakery shop.”

Yama: So would a bakery that just sells items from a large factory be a “Bakery store?”

Kevin: Umm... I think so, but I’ve never seen that. Let me consult some dictionaries.

[Kevin consults dictionaries for a while]

Kevin: In the U.S., “store” is defined as “A building or part of a building that sells things,” while “shop” is “A building or room that sells merchandise.” Hmm, that sounds opposite to the Japanese definitions, considering that “merchandise” sounds closer to completed items.

Yama: Does the size of the building matter? Do we call larger places “stores” and smaller ones “shops?”

Kevin: That makes sense. Shops feel specialized, and stores seem more all-purpose.

Kake: Is a "convenience store" small but broad in its offerings, so it's called a "store"?

Kevin: I think so. But there are probably countless exceptions, and definitions might vary by region or between the U.S. and the U.K. Honestly, I don’t fully get the difference.

Conclusion:

• "Store" is a relatively large building that sells a variety of items.
• "Shop" is a relatively small building that specializes in one item.

2. Meet / See

Kevin: Saying “I’m going to meet him” gives the impression that he and I are meeting for the first time. On the other hand, “I’m going to see him” sounds more like we already know each other and are just going out for lunch or something.

Kake: Do you understand the difference between “Nice to meet you” and “Nice to see you”?

Kevin: “Nice to meet you” does feel slightly more like a first-time encounter. But even with someone you’re meeting for the first time, saying “Nice to see you” doesn’t feel too out of place.

Yama: What’s the difference between “I met him yesterday” and “I saw him yesterday”?

Kevin: "I met him yesterday" gives the impression that I interacted with him, but "I saw him yesterday" could mean that I just happened to "look" at him.

Yama: So, the point is whether there was an interaction?

Kevin: I think so.

Kake: In everyday conversation, is one used more often than the other?

Kevin: No, both “meet” and “see” are used often. “Meet” gives more of an impression of a planned appointment to go and meet the person.

Yama: How would you greet someone you happen to run into in town?

Kevin: Since “Nice to meet/see you” are fixed expressions, there isn’t much of a difference in meaning. Either one sounds fine, so you don’t need to worry about it too much.

Conclusion:

• "To meet" refers to the act of using one's own time to meet someone for the first time.
• "To see" refers to the act of meeting an acquaintance for the purpose of hanging out or something similar. It could also mean just "looking" at the person.

3. Till / Until

Kevin: They’re the same. Exactly the same meaning.

Kake: Then why do both words exist?

Kevin: Native speakers being whimsical.

Kake: Are both commonly used in everyday conversation?

Kevin: Yes.

Yama: Their spelling is also similar.

Kevin: Personally, I have this theory that only “until” originally existed, but people got lazy saying it, and over time it turned into “till.”

Kake: Is it a type of abbreviation?

Kevin: It could be.

Kake: Is there a distinction where “until” is used in formal settings and “till” in casual ones?

Kevin: No. Both words are used often in any setting. If anything, “till” is shorter and easier to say, so it’s often used in song lyrics. That’s really the only difference.

Conclusion:

• Both "until" and "till" are used in exactly the same way.

4. Bathroom / Restroom

Kevin: They mean the same thing. In the real estate industry, there might be a clear distinction, but for native speakers using it in daily conversation, it’s exactly the same.

Yama: The origins of the words might be different, though.

Kake: So, they merged as euphemisms for “toilet” from different places. What would you actually call a room just for taking a break?

Kevin: Bedroom.

Kake: “Bed” comes up! LOL. Then, what would you call the room for taking a shower?

Kevin: Shower.

Kake: It’s a mystery.

Yama: In Japanese, too, terms like “Otearai” (hand-washing room) and “Keshoshitsu” (making-up room) mean the same thing. No one thinks of them as rooms specifically for washing hands or doing makeup.

Kake: The same phenomenon happens in English, too.

Conclusion:

• "Bathroom" and "restroom" are both used interchangeably as euphemisms for toilets.

5. Have / Eat

Kevin: It's hard to imagine. Give me the simplest example sentence.

Yama: For example, “Did you have/eat lunch?”

Kevin: “Did you have lunch?” is asking if you completed the “task” of lunch for the day, while “Did you eat lunch?” focuses more on the act of eating itself.

Kake: How about “Did you have/eat a hamburger?”

Kevin: “Did you have a hamburger?” sounds like asking if you tried a hamburger from a famous place, while “Did you eat a hamburger?” gives the impression you’re asking because you smell a hamburger on them. “Have” might refer more to the “experience,” and “eat” to the “biological act” of eating.

Kake: Is there a situation where “have” can’t be used?

Kevin: I can imagine a parent telling a child who refuses to eat broccoli, “Eat your broccoli.” Saying “Have your broccoli” might give the child the idea they only need to pick it up. Or, in a buffet, if a parent sees their child’s plate has few vegetables, they might say, “Get some broccoli, too.”

Kake: Are both commonly used in everyday conversation?

Kevin: Yes, both are used about equally.

Yama: What about “What did you have/eat last night?”

Kevin: For that example, the intent of the question is mostly the same.

Kake: How about “Have you had/eaten Egyptian food before?”

Kevin: Both are used often. With “eat,” the person might be asking because Egyptian food has a distinct smell. With “have,” they might be interested in the restaurant’s interior or atmosphere. But they basically mean the same thing, and there’s little chance of a communication gap.

Conclusion:

• "Have" is a word that focuses on the "experience" of eating and also focuses on various things related to the act of eating, such as the interior design of a restaurant.
• "Eat" is a word that focuses on the "biological act" and focuses only on the act of putting food in the mouth.

6. Nice / Kind

Kevin: “He is nice/kind” means the same thing.

Kake: Doesn’t “nice guy” mean “cool guy”?

Kevin: LOL That’s actually a Japan-specific expression. Americans don’t really use it that way.

Conclusion:

• Both "nice" and "kind" are used in exactly the same way.

7. Home / House

Kevin: These two words are distinctly different. “Home” has a conceptual meaning of “the place I return to,” while “house” just refers to a residence.

Kake: Like the difference between “home town” and “house town.”

Kevin: “House town” gives the impression of a liminal space with just buildings lined up.

Kake: Does “home” need to have “family” there?

Kevin: No. Since “home” has a strong emotional meaning of “the place I return to,” it doesn’t need to have anyone else there.

Conclusion:

• "Home" has the clear nuance of "a place to return to."
• "House" simply refers to a building as a "residence."

8. But / Although / Though / However

Kevin: “But” is a casual term, while the other three words have a more academic feel, like something you’d see in a research paper. Now, the issue is the difference between these three words… First, “although” and “though” might have the same meaning.

Kake: Like the difference between “till” and “until”?

Kevin: Something like that. But neither of them is used very often in general.

Kake: Are they used on news programs?

Kevin: They might be used on news programs. There’s also a grammatical difference. “However” is often used at the beginning of a sentence, whereas “although” and “though” can also be used in the middle of a sentence. I’ve never seen “however” used in the middle of a sentence.

[Precip.24’s note]: Personally, I question his statement here. I learned that “however” can be used in the middle of a sentence, like in “It was, however, not true.”

Kevin: “Although” is generally used to refer to contrasting elements within a single sentence, so opposing ideas A and B are often short and concise. In contrast, “however” is used to add a contrasting paragraph or statement to what was mentioned previously. For example, in a presentation on Apple’s new product, a detailed explanation of the previous model might be given first, and then “however” introduces the new product’s features.

Conclusion:

• "But" is used in colloquial writing, and the other three are used in academic writing.
• "Although" and "Though" are both used in the same way and are used when you want to create a conflict within a sentence.
• "However" does not create conflict. It is used in longer sentences, such as when you want to say the opposite of what the paragraph itself says.

9. Wish / Hope

Kevin: With “I wish I can go to Japan,” it’s clear they can’t actually go to Japan, but they have a long-held admiration for it. In contrast, “I hope I can go to Japan” implies a clearer process toward making it happen; the remaining issues might just be getting a passport or booking a flight.

Kake: So if Japan disappeared from the world, would it be “I wish I can go to Japan”?

Kevin: Yes, exactly. It’s the kind of phrase you’d find in a sci-fi novel.

Yama: In “I hope you will have some great time,” would it feel strange to replace “hope” with “wish”?

Kevin: Very risky. Saying “I wish you had fun” would imply something like, “I could tell you weren’t enjoying the party, but I did my best to make it fun for you.”

Conclusion:

• People who "wish" don't know how to make their dream come true.
• People who "hope" know how to make their dream come true.

10. Say / Tell

Kevin: With “John said to David,” the focus is on the words reaching David’s ears, while “John told David” conveys that John’s true feelings were also communicated.

Kake: So with “John said to David not to make fun of him,” it would mean he just issued a warning, but with “John told David not to make fun of him,” it implies that John also explained what else he found offensive?

Kevin: Yes, that’s basically correct.

Yama: You’d say “Tell me if you need help,” but not “Say to me if you need help,” right?

Kevin: “Say something to me if you need help” sounds a bit less strange, but even so, it’s not commonly used. It gives the impression of focusing on the physical act of producing sound.

Conclusion:

• "Saying" refers to the act of communicating a certain remark to someone by words, and is not interested in whether the other person has understood the meaning. It often refers to the act of saying just that one sentence.
• "Telling" emphasizes whether the teller's ideas and thoughts were conveyed, including the content. Therefore, telling usually does not end with just one sentence, but requires a long explanation of the intention and reason behind the statement.

That’s the end of this article. Thank you very much for reading until the end.

When studying English, questions like these come up all the time. For example, "What's the difference between 'learn' and 'study'?" or "What's the difference between 'study' and 'research'?" "What's the difference between 'post' and 'publish'?" or "'Draw'? You mean 'line drawing'? But all my illustrations are 'painted'!" For some of my questions, there are clearly defined differences that can be explained in words, but for others, even native speakers don't know the answer. This reality is one of the things that makes learning English so challenging. In this video, I was glad to get some useful insights into questions I actually had (or could have had) myself.

Incidentally, Kevin mentioned that using “wish” can sometimes be considered rude, but until recently, I couldn’t differentiate between “hope” and “wish.” I used “wish” in the same way as in “We wish you a Merry Christmas.” If I’ve caused any offense because of that, I sincerely apologize.

Recently, a song titled "Otonoke" by Creepy Nuts has become famous in Japan.

This song was specially composed as the theme for the anime and manga series, Dandadan, which might explain why the artists repeatedly chant the title at the beginning. In the past, it was common for theme songs of works to be unrelated to the content of the work itself, but now artists have emerged who incorporate the title of the work into their songs.

Additionally, a metal cover by LittleVMills has been produced.

Since Creepy Nuts are rappers, their songs use fast-paced and complex Japanese, making them quite difficult for even native speakers to sing without significant practice. Yet, he sing fluently and emotionally, which I respect.

There is also a slightly Americanized video????

However, I feel that interpreting these lyrics can be somewhat challenging for non-Japanese audiences for two reasons. First, as rappers, they prioritize rhythm and sound over the ease of interpreting the lyrics. I've struggled similarly when translating American songs with complex, rhyme-focused lyrics, and Creepy Nuts shares this trait. The second reason is that the lyrics often reference Japanese horror movies and stories posted on "Sharekowa" (洒落怖; short for "Shareninaranai hodo Kowai Hanashi"), the Japanese version of Creepypasta. For example, if a song incorporated stories about Jeff the Killer or Slender Man from Creepypasta, it would be difficult for non-Americans to translate unless they were familiar with these tales. The same phenomenon is at play in "Otonoke."

I am personally fond of Creepypasta (especially Jeff the Killer), followed closely by SCP, but I also have a strong appreciation for Japanese Sharekowa, which makes me particularly fond of these lyrics. There is already an English translation of these lyrics on YouTube, so instead of translating them here, I would like to explain parts of the lyrics that require background knowledge for interpretation.

くわばら くわばら くわばら (Kuwabara, Kuwabara, Kuwabara)

The phrase "Kuwabara" is an old, mysterious expression used to invoke protection from supernatural occurrences. It is said to be similar in meaning to "knock on wood" or "touch wood" in English.

貞ちゃん伽椰ちゃん (Sada-chan and Kaya-chan)

"Sada-chan" refers to Sadako, and "Kaya-chan" to Kayako - both are well-known female ghosts in Japanese movies. The "chan" suffix is used affectionately. Creepy Nuts seems to have irreverently referred to the girls with a friendly "chan".

御祈祷中に何だが4時44分まわったら (Sorry to interrupt your prayers, but when 4:44 rolls around; go kitō chū ni nan da ga yo-ji yonjūyon-pun mawattara)

In Japan, the number 4 is avoided because its pronunciation ("shi") is the same as that for "death." Similarly, the number 9, which shares a pronunciation with "struggle" or "suffering," is disliked. Consequently, some horror stories feature rituals that take place at 4:44, leading to supernatural phenomena.

四尺四寸四分様がカミナッチャ bang around, hey (4 foot 4 sun 4 bu tall ("sun" and "bu" are both unique Japanese units), coming at you, bang around; yon-shaku yon-sun yon-bu-sama ga kaminatccha)

It’s difficult to discern from the lyrics alone, but this is derived from the Japanese Sharekowa story of "Hasshaku-sama" (八尺様; 8-foot-tall lady). Hasshaku-sama is a monstrous being that appears as an exceptionally tall woman with black hair wearing a white dress. Her appearance is somewhat similar to the Creepypasta character Slender Man, although the story differs slightly. The plot follows a boy visiting the countryside who catches the attention of Hasshaku-sama and is almost abducted. However, through the protective magic performed by his relatives living in the countryside, the boy's presence is concealed from her, allowing him to narrowly escape. The original story is quite long, but if you happen to find an English translation, I recommend reading it when you have time. I personally find Hasshaku-sama fascinating.

What makes the lyrics confusing is that instead of referring to "8 foot," they mention "4 foot." While Hasshaku-sama is well-known, I am unfamiliar with a creature called "Yonshaku-yonsun-yonbu-sama" (四尺四寸四分様). It is likely an original creation by Creepy Nuts. But it sounds more evil because it is composed of the number 4, which the Japanese hate.

呼ぶ声がしたんなら 文字通り お憑かれさまやん (If you hear a voice calling, you’re “literally” haunted all around; yobu koe ga shita n' nara mojidōri o tsu kare sama yan)

You may not understand what that means. In Japanese, there is a phrase "otsukare sama (おつかれさま; good job)" to thank someone for their work. And there is a horror story called "お憑つかれさま" where the phrase is misspelled with "憑" meaning "to be possessed."

This story takes the form of a text posted by someone on an online bulletin board as a "method for becoming happy." The text shows you, the reader, a certain photo, has you recite a curse word aloud under the guise of a "lucky charm," and has you perform a ritual to summon evil spirits under the guise of a "lucky gesture." After you complete the final ritual, the text ends with the words "otsukare-sama (thank you for your effort)". Many people assume that this phrase means "Thank you for your efforts," but some readers realize that it actually means "You are now possessed!"

But you don't have to understand this, because it's a very Japanese play on words, and even the English translator seems to have given up on translating this part literally and concentrated on extracting the meaning. 

ハイレタハイレタハイレタハイレタハイレタ (I’m inside, I’m inside, I’m inside, I’m inside, I’m inside; haireta haireta haireta haireta haireta)

The repeated phrase "I’m in (ハイレタ; haireta)" is from a famous line uttered by "Yamanoke (ヤマノケ)," a creature in Sharekowa stories. The title "Otonoke" likely draws inspiration from "Yamanoke" due to the similarity in sound.

The story is that a father and his young daughter are driving through the mountains when they encounter a strange white creature with its face where its chest should be. The father shields his daughter, but the creature comes closer, sticking to the car window and staring at the girl. He waits patiently for the monster to move away from the car, but suddenly the daughter starts clapping and shouting, "I'm in! I'm in! (ハイレタハイレタ)" repeatedly. After that, he leaves his daughter at the temple for purification, but the story ends with the father saying that he is still not sure if his daughter has regained her sanity.

Also, please be careful when searching for "Yamanoke (ヤマノケ)" as it may lead to scary images of the creature.

This concludes the article. Thank you for reading to the end.

I am still unsure whether explaining lyrics from Japanese anime songs is needed on Newgrounds, but I will continue to share what I know about Japanese alongside my main focus on English studies.

Caution!

This article contains spoilers for The Dark Knight.

In the previous article, I discussed the characteristic attitudes of translators through the lens of English and Spanish translations of Japanese anime. In this article, I'm going to examine the Japanese translations of an American movie by looking at one of my favorite scenes and report on the results.

"The Dark Knight" is one of the films in the Batman series of American superheroes. With a special focus on the character of the Joker, the clown-faced villain, it is often compared to Tim Burton's earlier "Batman" and the more recent "JOKER" directed by Todd Phillips, and especially because of the very different interpretations of the Joker in "The Dark Knight" and "JOKER", many people like one of the movies and not the other. Of course, I love them both, but discussing them in detail would make this article too complex, so I won't go into it here.

What I especially like is the interrogation room scene:

Original Version

Japanese Dub

For those who haven't seen the movie, here's a bit of a spoiler: the story features Batman as the hero and the Joker as the villain. Prior to this scene, the Joker's plans have been thwarted by Batman's efforts, resulting in his capture by Lieutenant Gordon. As a result of this capture, Gordon is promoted to Commissioner that same day, and in response, the Joker, still in his cell, gives a round of applause (rumor has it that the applause was not originally in the script and was an ad-lib by Heath Ledger, who played the Joker). The scene then cuts to the interrogation room.

In this article, I'd like to focus on the language used in this scene, reflect on the nature of translation through the work of professional translators, and especially talk about how amazing the Japanese dubbed version of Joker by Fujiwara Keiji is!

The Joker : Evening, commissioner.

ジョーカー：こんばんは、本部長

Lt. James Gordon : Harvey Dent never made it home.

ジェームズ・ゴードン総監：デント地方検事が帰ってない。

• In English, the name "Harvey Dent" is called by the full name, but in Japanese, it is translated as "District Attorney, Dent." In Japan, it's uncommon to call someone by their name without an honorific (such as "san" or "sama") or a title (such as "sensei" or "hakase"). I believe this is why the translation is done this way.

The Joker : Of course not.

ジョーカー：そうだろうな。

Lt. James Gordon : What have you done with him?

ジェームズ・ゴードン総監：彼をどうしたんだ？

The Joker : Me? I was right here. [holds up his arms in handcuffs]

ジョーカー：俺が？俺はここにいたろ。

The Joker : Who did you leave him with? Your people?

ジョーカー：デントを誰に任せた？部下たちにか？

• The phrase "your people" is a very English expression, and it seems that the Japanese translator had some difficulty with it. In the Japanese translation, it is translated as "your subordinates? I think this is a translation that could only be made by understanding the whole context of the story.

The Joker : Assuming, of course, they are still “your” people, and not Maroni's.

ジョーカー：まぁ、一応今でも「あんたの」部下ってことにしよう、マローニのじゃなくて。

The Joker : Does it depress you, commissioner? To know just how alone you really are?

ジョーカー：だが気づいたら寂しいだろうな。本当は、信頼できるものなんかいないって。

• In the Japanese translation, the object is omitted, and a literal translation of the Japanese version would be something like, "But looks lonely realizing that in reality there is nothing to trust." To be honest, this translation is quite far from the original both in meaning and nuance. Moreover, the Japanese translation lacks the element that this phrase is directed not at his subordinates but at the commissioner, making it feel like a rather inaccurate translation.
• A solution to this issue in the Japanese translation is already suggested in the original English. I personally believe that adding a question mark at the end, to make it sound like a question to the commissioner, would result in a much better translation.

The Joker : Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current predicament?

ジョーカー：責任を感じるかもしれないな。ハービー・デントの苦しみを知ったら。

• In this part as well, the element of "you" is missing in the Japanese translation, which results in the omission of the fact that this phrase is directed at the commissioner.

Lt. James Gordon : Where is he?

ジェームズ・ゴードン総監：どこにいる？

The Joker : What's the time?

ジョーカー：何時だ？

Lt. James Gordon : What difference does that make?

ジェームズ・ゴードン総監：何の関係がある？

The Joker : Well, depending on the time, he may be in one spot, or several.

ジョーカー：時間によっちゃ居場所が一か所かもしれないし、バラバラに散ってるかも。

• I personally like the translation here. It accurately conveys the Joker's lines, and combined with the performance of the Japanese voice actor (who is Keiji Fujiwara, a well-known voice actor in Japan), it highlights the Joker's madness with a slightly "playful and mischievous" tone.

Lt. James Gordon : If we're gonna play games... [takes off Joker's handcuffs] ...I'm gonna need a cup of coffee.

ジェームズ・ゴードン総監：ゲームをして遊ぶ気なら…コーヒーでも淹れてくる。

The Joker : Ah, the “good cop, bad cop” routine?

ジョーカー：あぁ、「優しい刑事、怖い刑事」ってアレか。

• I'm not sure if what I'm imagining is exactly what the Joker said, but interestingly, I've heard that similar interrogation techniques are used by the Japanese police. First, a police officer with a high-pressure attitude interrogates the suspect, and then another, younger and kinder-looking officer asks the suspect to confess what they've done. By alternating between the two, they mentally shake the suspect. Is this method also used in the U.S., or is it that the Japanese police are imitating techniques used by American police?

Lt. James Gordon : Not exactly.

ジェームズ・ゴードン総監：ちょっと違う。

[Batman slams The Joker's head on the table]

The Joker : Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy. He can't feel the next...

ジョーカー：頭からやっちゃだめだ。それじゃ相手がボーっとして、次の痛みを感じ...

• This is where the skill of Japanese translators becomes evident. Since the structure of English and Japanese sentences is quite different, it's necessary to supplement the part that he failed to mention (most likely 'pain'). However, while making up for that content in Japanese, the Japanese version of the Joker also has a similar expression, as if he left something unsaid.
• Additionally, the uniquely Japanese expression 'ボーっ (Bō~)' is used, giving the Japanese version a fairly colloquial tone.

[Batman punches the Joker's hand. The Joker pauses for a moment waiting for it to hurt]

The Joker : See?

ジョーカー：な

Batman : You wanted me. Here I am.

バットマン：会いたがってたろ。来てやった。

The Joker [OVER SPEAKER] : I wanted to see what you’d do.

ジョーカー：お前の反応を見てた。

• At this point, the Japanese translator deliberately reduces the number of words used, aiming for a more concise and rapid exchange. I'm not sure I would come up with this kind of Japanese just by looking at the original English text, but the meaning is roughly the same.

The Joker : And you didn’t dissapoint. You let five people die.

ジョーカー：期待通りだったぞ。お前のせいで５人が死んだ。

• For English learners, it might be tempting to phrase it as “you didn’t dissapoint (me?)”, but is his statement natural English for native speakers?

The Joker : Then you let Dent take your place. Even to a guy like me, that’s cold.

ジョーカー：それから、デントを自分の身代わりにしたが、俺から見たって冷酷だ。

• This is a spoiler, but in the previous scene, Dent, who was Batman's friend, falsely announces that he is Batman. As a result, the Joker mistakenly believes he is Batman and captures him, and in this scene, he is in danger of losing his life in a different location.
• Though it's not as important in comparison, the Japanese translation of the line line 'Even to a guy like me, that’s cold' was quite hard to catch for me as a Japanese speaker.

Batman : Where’s Dent?

ジョーカー：デントはどこだ？

The Joker : Those mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were.

ジョーカー：マフィアの馬鹿はお前が消えりゃ街は元通りになると思ってる。

• This part is also puzzling to me, but in the Japanese translation, "mob fools" is consistently translated as "mafia fools." Personally, though, I don't think the word 'mob' refers exclusively to the mafia.
• I thought so until recently, when I found out that "mob" can mean "mafia" by itself. So this translation is not so inaccurate.

The Joker : But I know the truth: there's no going back.

ジョーカー：だが実際は違う。決して戻りゃしない。

The Joker : You've changed things... forever.

ジョーカー：お前が変えちまった…永遠に。

Batman : Then why do you wanna kill me?

バットマン：ならなぜ俺を殺したい？

The Joker : I don’t wanna kill you.

ジョーカー：俺は、お前を殺したくなんかない。

• The Joker believes he has Batman restrained, so it's only natural for Batman to ask that. However, the Joker provokes him by saying that while capturing Batman is his goal, killing him is not.

The Joker : What would I do without you?

ジョーカー：お前がいなくてどうする？

The Joker : Go back to ripping off Mob dealers? No, no.

ジョーカー：またマフィアのカネでもくすねるのか？嫌だ、嫌だね。

The Joker : You complete me.

ジョーカー：お前が、俺を、完璧なものにするんだ。

• The scene where the Joker presses on is well captured in the Japanese version as well. In particular, the final line, 'You complete me,' though short, is quite a difficult translation. It’s so skillful and dramatic that you likely couldn't come up with this translation without being deeply familiar with Marvel comics or games for a long time.

Batman : You’re garbage who kill for money.

バットマン：カネのために人を殺すクズめ。

The Joker : Don't talk like one of them. You're not!

ジョーカー：サツみたいな言い方するな。

• I feel that this translator has a tendency to omit or confuse the object of sentences. "サツ (satsu)" is a Japanese slang word meaning "police" or "cop", and it seems to be quite different from what "they" originally refers to. To me, it looks like "they" refers to the "mob (fools)", guessing by the context, but I think the "mob" has a milder meaning, used in "flash mob" or something.
• I've heard that 'You’re not' is a fairly famous phrase in the Batman series, but unfortunately, it has completely disappeared in the Japanese translation.

The Joker : Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me!

ジョーカー：自分じゃどう思ってても、連中にとっちゃお前はイカれてる。俺と同じ。

• In this part as well, the nuance of the Joker's claim, 'You want to be one of them, but you’re not,' has been significantly watered down in the translation.
• However, to defend the Japanese translator, the word 'freak' often appears in horror or suspense films, but it's a very difficult word to translate while distinguishing it from words like 'monster' or 'crazy' and other similar terms.

The Joker : They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper!

ジョーカー：今はお前が必要だが、要らなくなりゃ、嫌われて、除け者さ。

The Joker : You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke.

ジョーカー：連中はモラルだの、倫理だの言ってるが、悪い冗談さ。

The Joker : Dropped at the first sign of trouble.

ジョーカー：ちょっと困りゃすぐ捨てちまったろ？

The Joker : They're only as good as the world allows them to be.

ジョーカー：善良なのは世の中がまともな時だけさ。

The Joker : I'll show you. When the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each other.

ジョーカー：見てろよ。いざ追い込まれてみろ。いわゆるその…文明人ってやつだって、殺し合いを始める。

• However, this translator shows an overwhelming 'strength' in the flow of 'cool conversation,' and the Japanese used in this scene effectively conveys the intensity between the two characters. It’s unclear whether this part is an improv by the original Joker, but in this section, the Joker hesitates slightly. The Japanese translator accurately captures this hesitation as well. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call this translator not just an inaccurate translator, but rather a 'violent translator.'

The Joker : See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.

ジョーカー：俺は化け物じゃない。一歩先を行ってるのさ。

Batman : [grabs Joker] Where's Dent?

バットマン：デントはどこだ？

The Joker : You have all these rules and you think they'll save you!

ジョーカー：お前にはルールがあるがただの気休めだ。

• The Japanese translator added the phrase "...but that's only a consolation" instead of translating "...you think they'll save you". Perhaps the translator wanted to make it easier to understand.

Lt. James Gordon : [as Batman slams Joker into the wall] He's in control.

ジェームズ・ゴードン総監：彼は平気だ。

Batman : I have one rule.

バットマン：ルールはあるとも。

The Joker : Oh, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth.

ジョーカー：ああ、なら真実を知るにはそれを破らなきゃ。

Batman : [getting impatient] Which is?

バットマン：なんだと？

The Joker : The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.

ジョーカー：この世界はルール抜きで生きるのが賢い。

• This is the first time I've heard the phrase "the only sensible way," so I'd like to use it in everyday conversation!

[mimicking Batman's voice]

The Joker : And tonight you're gonna break your one rule.

ジョーカー：今夜お前は自分のルールを破るかな。

Batman : I'm considering it.

バットマン：考えておこう。

The Joker : Oh, there's only minutes left, so you're gonna have to play my little game if you wanna save one of them.

ジョーカー：だがあと数分だ。二人を助けたきゃここで遊んでる暇はない。

Batman : [softly, fearful] Them?

バットマン：二人？

• In the original English, the joker means that only one of some people can be saved, but unfortunately the Japanese translation says, "If you want to help the two," referring to the possibility that both can be saved. However, it's understandable that such a translation was made, since I couldn't think of a way to translate "one of them" into a short sentence.
• No, I just thought of something: wouldn’t 'どっちかを助けたきゃ…', '『どっちか』だと？' work?

The Joker : You know for awhile there, I thought you really were Dent.

ジョーカー：何、ついさっきまで、お前をデントと思ってた。

The Joker : The way you threw yourself after her.

ジョーカー：あの女にのぼせ上ってるから。

• This contains a spoiler for the story, but 'her' refers to Rachel, the woman whom both Batman and Dent have feelings for, and who is also undecided about which of the two to choose. The Joker does not mention her name, but Batman instantly becomes convinced that the Joker is referring to her.
• Incidentally, when reading slightly difficult English novels, I often come across sentences that are complete with just a subject like this. What impression do such sentences leave on native speakers? Do they feel like incomplete sentences, or are they also natural and without any awkwardness?

[Joker laughs, Batman throws Joker on table, barricades door]

The Joker : Look at you go!

ジョーカー：ほらその調子だ。

The Joker : Does Harvey know about you and his little bunny?

ジョーカー：ハービーはお前とあの女のこと知ってんのか？

• The Joker provocatively refers to Rachel as 'his little bunny,' but unfortunately, in the Japanese translation, it is simply rendered as 'that woman.' However, it’s clear that this phrase is untranslatable.

Batman : [slams Joker into mirror] Where are they?

バットマン：二人はどこだ？

The Joker : Killing is making a choice.

ジョーカー：殺すにはまず選ばなきゃな。

• As a translation enthusiast, I propose a method where I translate '殺しってのは『選択』なんだよ' in a literal and somewhat nonsensical way to deliver a punch to the Japanese audience, but this is ultimately a matter of the translator's preference.

Batman : [punches Joker] Where are they?

バットマン：二人はどこにいる？

• In this scene, Batman says 'Where are they?' twice in succession, but the Japanese translation uses slightly different vocabulary. While it's not unnatural to repeat the same phrase, it can come across as somewhat mechanical or may sound like 'a police officer warning a suspect who is not following instructions,' so I believe it was avoided. However, it cannot be definitively stated that this is incorrect in terms of the situation.

The Joker : Choose between one life or the other. Your friend, the district attorney, or his blushing bride-to-be...

ジョーカー：どっちを殺すか選ぶんだ。友達の地方検事か、奴の未来の嫁さんか…

• Does anyone know what the Joker was trying to say after "his blushing bride-to-be..."? This is the first time I've seen that expression, so I really don't understand what he was trying to convey, and it's not reflected in the Japanese translation.
• However, it's clear that the Joker is persistently provoking and attacking Batman's emotional turmoil. And this scene looks incredibly painful.

[punches Joker]

The Joker : [laughs] You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with!

ジョーカー：お前は無力だ。脅しは通じないぞ！

The Joker : Nothing to do with all your strength!

ジョーカー：たとえお前がどんなに強くてもな！

• I think the Japanese translator did a pretty good job with this part, but it feels like the vectors of the words are scattered, making it difficult to understand the meaning. Looking at the English text, I can understand what the Joker was really trying to say: "There are problems that cannot be solved by strength." That is why I study English without relying too much on translation machines. I have to find the subtle nuances in the original language.

[grabs Joker]

The Joker : Don't worry, I'm gonna tell you where they are.

ジョーカー：安心しろ、居場所は教える。

The Joker : Both of them. And that's the point.

ジョーカー：二人とも。あぁ、そこがポイントだ。

The Joker : You'll have to choose.

ジョーカー：お前は選ぶんだ。

The Joker : He's at 250 52ND Street and she's on Avenue X, at Cicero.

ジョーカー：男は52番ストリート250、そして女はXアベニュー、シセロ。

This concludes the content of this article. Thank you very much for reading all the way through.

This scene is one of the most iconic moments from The Dark Knight, so I highly recommend watching it at least once.

One fun fact I know about this scene is that Heath Ledger, who played the Joker, advised Christian Bale, who played Batman, to "hit him for real" in order to add more realism. In other words, the scene wasn't just acting that looked painful—it genuinely was. So, I wonder if the part where the glass shatters was real as well...

Also, speaking of translation, in my previous article, I discovered that when translating Japanese anime, the English translator tend to translate in a way that is both "violent" yet emotional, while the Spanish translator stay extremely faithful to the original Japanese text, and in this article, I found that the Japanese translator tend to translate English films in a "violent" manner as well.

From these two points, one hypothesis arises. If you take a look at the comment section of the YouTube video mentioned in the previous article, you'll see that many native Spanish speakers aren't satisfied with the Spanish Kobeni's voice actress. While I cannot determine which country’s voice acting is superior, if their critiques are accurate, my hypothesis is that this could be due to the Spanish translator staying too faithful to the original Japanese, resulting in a translation that doesn’t lend itself well to emotional expression in Spanish.

On the other hand, when I consider the powerful performance of the English version of Kobeni, or the legendary performance of the Joker in the Japanese dub (by our dearest voice actor Keiji Fujiwara), it makes me think that a "violent" translation—where you don't adhere too strictly to the original text—may actually produce language that is easier for voice actors to perform in.

Of course, it might be overly simplistic for me to discuss the theme of translation based on just these two examples. But speaking for myself, if my work were ever to be translated into another language, I would strongly prefer a "violent" translation. Even if the translator's interpretation differs from my original intent, to me that's a difference I would love to enjoy exploring.

However, I also feel that forcing this philosophy onto others could be problematic. In Japan, there was a case where a manga artist's interpretation clashed with production staff during the adaptation process, leading to a prolonged dispute that eventually took a toll on the artist’s mental health (Sexy Tanaka-san; セクシー田中さん). The same kind of issues could arise in translation as well.

In the future, I sincerely hope that the creators can form a unified set of values on this issue, rather than handling it on a case-by-case basis.

@anymany

Caution!

This article contains spoilers for Chainsaw Man.

I have been studying Spanish for a long time. That's because a friend I've been interacting with is from Mexico, so I've been focusing on learning Español Latino. Before that, I was learning German for a friend from Austria, but I struggled with memorizing a huge number of nouns and verbs that probably only exist in German (What “Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung” is?!!). In comparison, Spanish vocabulary has many similarities to English, and the words I learned yesterday often appear in the text I read today. So for me, Spanish is a language where "effort pays off" for English learners.

Also, I recently came across an interesting video comparing Kobeni's performance in Japanese, English, and Español Latino. Kobeni is a character from Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto, and she is a member of the "Devil Hunters", the fictional occupation in this story. The video focuses on her performance in episode 6, in the scene where they are trapped on the 8th floor of a hotel by an unknown force.

This video is simply meant to compare the performances of the voice actresses from the three countries, but I wanted to dig a little deeper and specifically compare what "they" said. I used YouTube's transcription feature to examine the translations of the tree countries, and I made a lot of interesting discoveries. So in this article, I would like to share some of those findings.

Also, I am a native speaker of Japanese, an intermediate learner of English, and a beginner of Spanish, so there may be errors in my understanding of each language. If you notice any such errors, I would be grateful if you could point them out to me.

日本語

私たち、全員ここで死んじゃうんだ。おなかペコペコで死んじゃうんだ。

(watashi tachi, zen'in koko de shinjaun da. Onaka pekopeko de shinjaun da; We're all going to die here. (We are) going to die of hunger.)

• Japanese is a language that makes frequent use of onomatopoeia. "Peko-peko" likely derives from the verb "凹む (hekomu; to become hollow)," and it expresses the state of being empty inside. A well-known example of this expression is "onaka (stomach) peko-peko," which is an idiom used to describe the suffering caused by hunger. It’s useful to remember this expression as it stands.

English

Since they can’t get in and we can’t get out, everybody here is gonna die. We’ll slowly starve to death.

• The former part was added to fit the content of the story, but is not present in the original text. As a result, the English Kobeni gives the impression of being more capable of logical thinking compared to other languages.

Español Latino

Todos nosotros vamos a morir en este lugar. Vamos a morir de hambre.

(We are all going to die in this place. (We are) going to die of hunger.)

• When translating Japanese anime into languages other than English, such as Spanish, German, or French, some translators choose to translate from English rather than directly from Japanese due to the similarities in language structure. In this example, however, it's clear that the Spanish translator was working from the original Japanese text. This Spanish translation is quite faithful to the original, and if you translate it as it is, you'll get what the Japanese Kobeni was saying.
• Additionally, Spanish has a wide range of verb conjugations, which often leads to the omission of the subject, a feature it shares with Japanese. I’ve often mentioned this, but in many ways, Spanish is very similar to Japanese.
• However, a significant difference from Japanese is the concept of "gendered nouns" in Spanish. For example, the phrase "(we) all" changes depending on whether the group consists of males or females. If the group were all females, you’d say "todas," but since the room contains both males and females, "todos" is used.

日本語

親が、優秀な兄だけは大学に行かせたいからって私に働かせたんです。風俗かデビルハンターしか選択肢なかったんです。

(oya ga, yūshūna ani dake wa daigaku ni ikasetai karatte watashi ni hatarakasetan desu. fūzoku ka debiru hantā shika sentakushi nakattan desu; My parents made me work because they wanted my smart older brother to go to university. My only options were to work in the sex industry or become a devil hunter.)

• Japanese is a language that frequently uses loanwords from English. The fictional role of "devil hunter" that appears in this work is also rendered as "デビル・ハンター (debiru hantā)" in Japanese.

English

Older brother is the gifted one, so his educations is all that matter to my parents, which is why they made me get a job. It was either become a devil hunter or a sex worker.

• Personally, I found the English in this section to be somewhat stylish and sophisticated, based on expressions about her family and sentences using relative pronouns like "which." Perhaps because of this, the "university" element is missing from the translated text, but it's possible that Kobeni's next line makes up for this omission. In any case, the English translation is quite acrobatic and unique.

Español Latino

Mis padres me pusieron a trabajar porque solo querían mandar a mi hermano el más listo a la universidad. Mis únicas opciones eran trabajadora sexual o devil hunter.

(My parents put me in a job because they only wanted to send my smartest brother to college. My only options were sex worker or devil hunter.)

• I found it interesting that the loanword "devil hunter" was used in Japanese, and it seems that the Spanish translator used "devil hunter" as it is, yet it is probably a foreign word for Spanish. This indicates that the Spanish translator is committed to staying true to the original text.

日本語

私も大学に行きたかったんです。でもここで死んじゃうんです。

(watashi mo daigaku ni ikitakattan desu. Demo koko de shinjaun desu; I wanted to go to college(/university) too, but (I'm/We’re) going to die here.)

• If you have studied Japanese, you may have heard that adding "です (desu)" at the end of a sentence makes it polite language (敬語; keigo; honorific language), which is used when speaking to a superior or someone of higher status. In the video, Kobeni is crying and shouting quite emotionally, but she stubbornly continues to use keigo. On the other hand, the other characters speak to her in casual language, so just by listening to the Japanese in this scene, you can logically infer the relationship between her and the others.

English

I, I wanted to go to college. But I’m just going to my grave!

• Is the expression "go to my grave" a common phrase in English? Because Kobeni is crying and shouting so emotionally, the YouTube transcript and I couldn't hear this part clearly. If our understanding is correct, I think the English Kobeni is using a stylish expression, as always.

Español Latino

Yo también quería ir a la universidad. ¡Pero voy a terminar muerta aquí!

(I wanted to go to college too. But I'm going to end up dead here.)

• The Spanish translation is, as always, very faithful and accurate.
• Incidentally, I noticed that in English, the word "college" was used, while in Spanish, the translation "universidad (university)" was used. In fact, the Japanese word "大学 (daigaku)" can refer to either "college" or "university," and different translators interpret it differently. To be honest, I’m also not very clear on the difference between college and university. My understanding is that college is smaller, while university is larger in scale. If anyone with more knowledge on this topic could explain in the comments, I would be grateful.

日本語

デンジ、くわせろ。

(Denji, kuwasero; Denji, let me eat.)

• In the original text, Kobeni only says the "causative second person imperative" form of "食う (kuu; to eat)," which means something like "let me eat." Therefore, it is impossible to determine from the original Japanese whether Kobeni wants to eat Denji or whether she wants to eat the food that Denji has. It's necessary to infer the meaning from the context.
• However, when the kanji (Chinese character) "喰う (also pronounced "kuu" and meaning the same as "to eat")" is used instead of "食う," it often implies a predator devouring prey. In such cases, the meaning shifts strongly toward "Kobeni wants to eat Denji," but in any case, this nuance cannot be picked up from the audio alone.

English

Denji, let me eat you.

• In the English version, the translation seems to adopt the interpretation that "Kobeni wants to eat Denji."

Español Latino

Dejen que se lo coma.

(Let (him/it) eat (him/it).)

• If our interpretation is correct, this is the first instance where a translation unique to Spanish appears. At first, I thought it was just the unique way the name "Denji" was pronounced in Spanish (as Latin script pronunciation in Spanish is quite different from what English or Japanese speakers might expect). However, I now believe the speaker is saying "Dejen," which corresponds to "let" or "allow." When translated into English, this would become "Let it eat him, (everyone)" which shows that the content of the statement is quite different from both the English and Japanese versions. Yet, interestingly, this translation still works perfectly within the story.
• I suspect that the Spanish translator suddenly changed their stance to better sync the dialogue with Kobeni's mouth movements. This anime, unusually for Japanese productions, has lip-syncing that matches the audio (whereas, in American cartoons, syncing audio with mouth movements is standard, and there's a long history of effort behind that). I believe the translator was likely motivated by a desire to match the mouth movements.
• Additionally, I imagine this Spanish translator struggled with the similarities between Spanish and Japanese. In the story, there’s a character named "Aki," but there’s also the Spanish word "aquí," meaning "here," which is used frequently. If you don’t listen carefully, it becomes unclear which one the speaker is referring to. Spanish has many words that can sound like Japanese vocabulary, which adds to the challenge.

日本語

「その魔人の力で８階から出られないんだ。絶対そうだ！」

「違うが？」

（”sono majin no chikara de 8-kai kara derare nain da. zettai sōda!” “chigau ga?”; "The genie's powers are preventing (us) from leaving the eighth floor. I'm sure of it!" "No, but?"）

• The phrase that ends with "が? (ga?)" is one of those expressions that is difficult to translate into English, but in short, it's a way of speaking that is often used by older men. Throughout the story, the girl in the white shirt speaks in a way that is typical of older men. The character of a girl who looks young but speaks like an old man is very popular in Japan, and it's interesting to see how this unique atmosphere is captured in other languages.

English

“Her ability is keeping us on the eighth floor. That just has to be why!!”

“Incorrect.”

• Although the English translation ultimately conveys the same meaning, the sentence structure changes quite a bit. Pinpointing exactly how and where it changes is a bit tricky, but the final result is that it expresses the same idea as the Japanese. The phrasing is very stylish, and personally, I love the phrase "That just has to be ..."—I want to start using it right away.

Español Latino

“Por culpa de esta poseída no podemos salir del octavo piso. ¡¡Eso debe ser!!”

“No es así.”

(“Because of this possessed woman we can't leave the eighth floor. That must be it!!”

“It's not like that.”)

• The Spanish translation, as always, is very faithful to the original.
• However, the Japanese word "魔人 (majin)" usually evokes the image of a "genie (like the one from the lamp)," but the Spanish translator has taken a unique approach by translating it as "poseída," meaning "the possessed (woman)."

日本語

「魔人をかばうの？私たちデビルハンターなのに。新井君は、悪魔の仲間なんだ。スパイだったんだ」

「酸っぱいじゃ」

(“majin o kabau no? watashi-tachi debiru hantā nanoni. Arai-kun wa, akuma no nakama nan da. supai dattan da” “suppai ja”; "Are you protecting a demon? We're devil hunters, right? Arai-kun, you are a friend of the devil. You are a spy." "Sour!")

• Kobeni mentions the word "スパイ (supai)," which means "spy," but because she doesn’t understand the meaning, she says "酸っぱい (suppai; sour)". Her statement is a meaningless joke, but I'm curious how this has been translated into different languages.

English

“You’re taking her side? And you call yourself a devil hunter. You’ve been spying with them all along, haven’t you? You’re Arai the spy!!”

“Oh, there’s pie?”

• In the English version, "pie" is used as a play on the word "spy". Interestingly, in the scene just before this, the "genie" girl wearing the white shirt had eaten some important food without permission, so the joke fits in quite well with the scene.

Español Latino

“¿Estás de su lado? Y te pones en contra nuestra. Arai eres aliado de los demonios. ¡Eres un espía infiltrado!”

“Y un tarado.”

(“You're on her side? And you're against us. Arai, you're an ally of the demons. You're an undercover spy!” “And a moron.”)

• The Spanish translator used "tarado", which means "stupid", as a play on "infiltrado", which means "infiltrator". However, even "stupid" seems to be a milder translation, and I had trouble finding this translation because the YouTube transcript marked it as an taboo word, like the f-word, and covered it with "[_]".

日本語

絶対スパイだ！！

(zettai supai da!!; (I’m) sure (you) must be a spy!!)

• You don't need to fully understand the finer points of grammar, but this sentence lacks both a subject and a verb, and yet it still works as a sentence. That’s how the Japanese language functions. Even though detailed grammar isn’t necessary, the expression "絶対〇〇だ (zettai ... da; I’m sure () must be ...)" is a very handy phrase to know, and it can come in useful in many situations:

1. 絶対Xだ。（(I'm) sure (it) must X.）
2. 絶対病気だ。（(I'm) sure (he/she) must be sick.）
3. 絶対女の子だ。((I’m) sure (s/he) must be a girl.)
4. 絶対メンドいから「はい」って答えてるやつだ。（(I'm) sure (s/he) answered "yes" because (s/he) didn't want to be disturbed anymore.）

English

I know what you are!!

• In the English version, they intentionally avoided using the word "spy" in the translation, but judging from the voice acting, it might have been the best translation choice. From my personal perspective, the English version of Kobeni’s performance feels crazier and cuter, which I really like. This English voice actor truly understands the concept of yandere.

Español Latino

¡¡Eres un espía!!

(You are a spy!!)

• As for the Spanish translation, it is, as always, faithful to the original Japanese text.
• Spanish has many words that are similar to English, which is helpful for Spanish learners who have already acquired some English. However, there are also words like "espía," which means "spy," where the pronunciation is similar but the spelling is quite different, making it a bit challenging.
• Another example is the word "entender". From the sound of it, I think it's the Spanish version of "understand".
• Also, do you know the Spanish translation for "explanation"? "Explanación"? Good, but "explicación" is more common. ...Why????

日本語

死んで！

（shinde!; Die!）

• It's not a very polite word, but this is an example sentence where you can learn the curse word "Die!" However, the Japanese phrase "死んで (shinde)!" is more commonly used by a delicate girl like Kobeni. If you are a man, it would feel more natural to use "死ね (shine)" instead. Also, I just want to make sure that this is not an English word, but a Japanese word, so you have to pronounce it Japanese style.

English:

DIE!!

• I don't have much to say about the English version.
• But in terms of performance, the voice acting in the English version is absolutely phenomenal. I really recommend listening to it, even just once. As expected from the land of Disney!

Español Latino

¡Muere!

(Die!)

• The Spanish "¡Muere!" is the second person imperative form of "morir (to die)". There are two types of imperative forms in Spanish: the "tú" form and the "vos" form. In this video, the Spanish Kobeni uses the "tú" form all the time because she is speaking Mexican Spanish. On the other hand, the most famous example of a country that uses the "vos" form is Argentina, and if it were translated there, it would probably be "¡Morí!" When I encounter languages like English or Spanish that have native speakers in many countries, I feel a strong urge to study them to the point where I can distinguish the variations in each country. Since Japanese is spoken only in Japan, such languages feel quite fresh to me.

日本語

私のせいじゃない！あなた、あなたのせいだから。あなたがおとなしく食べられてたら解決したのに。

(watashi no sei janai! Anata, anata no seidakara. Anata ga otonashiku taberarete tara kaiketsu shita no ni; It's not my fault! It's your fault. If you had just been quiet and eaten, the problem would have been solved.)

• This passage contains the phrase "It's not my fault," which seems like a useful phrase to remember in different languages.
• In fact, I personally find the original Japanese text a little strange. In the 18th century, the Japanese language underwent rapid globalization, and many new words were created through the forced translation of Western academic terms, and the word "解決 (kaiketsu; solution)" was also born at that time. However, it seems a bit strange that a girl who lost her temper and stabbed her colleague with a knife would use such an academic term. However, in modern times, it's possible that "解決" has become a word deeply rooted in everyday language, making it more natural to use in everyday life. This is just a personal feeling as a Japanese speaker.

English

It’s not my fault, okay? None of this would have happened if it were for him. You should have been good, and let it eat you. And everything would be fine!

• Surprisingly, the English version does not use the word "solve" at all. Her lines are all simple words, which I think makes the English translation better suited to the tone of the story.
• But from a linguistic point of view, the difficulty of the English "subjunctive" has long troubled English learners like me. Even in this example, trying to understand a sentence with "would/should have -ed if ..." from a grammatical point of view can be maddeningly difficult. Similar to the Japanese version, it feels strange that a mentally unstable girl can use such complex grammar so easily.

Español Latino

No, esto no fue mi culpa. ¡No! Todo esto es tu culpa. Todo se habría solucionado si ya hubieras dejado que te comiera.

(No, this wasn't my fault. No! This is all your fault. Everything would have been solved if you had just let (it) eat you.)

• The Spanish translation, known for its fidelity to the Japanese original, uses the word "solucionar."
• Also, bad news for me, the complexity of the subjunctive is also present in Spanish, as if "conjugating verbs" wasn't the first and biggest challenge for Spanish learners. I could catch a glimpse of it in the words "habría" and "hubieras", but I am not ready to deal with it. So I won't go into it too much for now.

This concludes the content of this article. Thank you very much for reading all the way through.

From what I can tell from this scene, the English Kobeni seems to be portrayed as a more intelligent but nervous woman (she reminds me of Wendy Torrance from The Shining) compared to the Japanese version, while the Spanish Kobeni is portrayed as a more childish and powerless girl. Of course, I'm not trying to argue that one country's translation is better than another's, or that it's a problem if a character differs from the original. Rather, I want to point out how the interpretation of a character in each country can significantly influence the translator's script and the voice actors' performances. This is why I consider translation to be one of the creative professions. I can guess that a deep understanding of the work and a unique interpretation are, in my opinion, the most challenging and important issues that a professional translator must face. From this perspective, I think that the translations of the creators of the English and Spanish versions are both professional works that I could never hope to achieve, let alone imagine.

I love English and was once good enough to become an English teacher at a Japanese junior high school. But that was in the past, and since then my English skills have been declining rapidly. So, as part of my language learning, I decided to post some simple questions and comments about the English language that are not easy for me (and that I should ask on HiNative or Quora) on Newgrounds. I am not an expert in English and may make elementary mistakes, but thank you for your patience.

Let’s See How Great a Professional Translator Is | English Is Not So Easy 25

I often post articles that are too manic and boring for Newgrounds because I studied English too much, and I'm afraid this might be one of them. However, I feel obligated to post these kinds of articles because I need to periodically bring my overconfident "If it's in English, I can understand 80% of it" self back down to earth.

Junji Ito (伊藤潤二) is a horror manga artist known for works like "Tomie" and "Uzumaki," and I personally love his work because the characters are unusually beautiful and cute.

What I want to talk about this time is the video on YouTube when vismedia invited Ito to Canada for an interview in 2019. Coincidentally, this video turned out to be an excellent study material for me in learning English. That's because just by correlating Junji Ito's Japanese with the English of the interviewer and translator, there's a lot to learn.

Among the things worth noting is the unnamed translator on the right side of the screen. I'm not a translator, but it's easy to imagine that becoming a professional translator like her would require not only a deep knowledge of both English and Japanese, but also many other skills, such as the ability to take, interpret, and present accurate notes on long and complex discussions.

She is not in an environment like mine where I can spend a lot of time translating with different tools, but she can instantly do translation work that I could never hope to do. In this article, I've transcribed part of the conversation from the interview (thanks to YouTube's transcription!) and examined how accurate her translations are and how to translate "professionally".

As a native Japanese speaker but not a native English speaker, my listening skills are limited, so there may be some errors or awkward places in the English text. If you find any, I'd be grateful if you'd let me know in the comments or via PM.

Short or Long Stories (31:42)

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): I also wanted to ask, I think, in addition to a couple of your longer works that we all know and love, you've serialized a lot of short stories, and I personally think short stories are in many ways better than longer works, like I think Stephen King short stories are better than his novels. I think Philip K Dick's short stories have been more energy than his weird rambling long books. So I guess the question I wanted to ask Ito-sensei is, do you have an idea about how do you figure out whether an idea should be a short story or be serialized, be something longer, and when you are serializing, how far do you plan it out? Do you know the ending or do you let yourself sort of be surprised along the way?

• Although not mentioned in this article, from the full context of the interview, it appears that the interviewer, Ryan Sands, is a professional writer or someone involved in creative work, particularly with a deep knowledge of literature. In that sense, I think this question was one that needed to be asked early on.

Junji Ito: 私は長編の書き方はまだよくわかってないので、だいたい短編が適してると思います。長編は連載のために無理矢理考えだして、短編で済むような話を無理やり引き延ばしたようなものもあります。できれば短編ばかり書いていけたら一番です。

Translator: You know the thing is I still don't really know how to write the long form story that well. For me the short story is really the foundation I think, and when I'm writing a longer story, I kind of have to force it. I really have to pull it out of me. So something that could really fit nicely in a short story, I sort of stretch it out or something. If possible, I'd love to just only do short stories.

• The part she translated with the strong word "foundation", "The short story is really the foundation", was actually "短編が適してる (Drawing short stories is suitable for me)", but her translation makes it clearer that Junji Ito's identity is rooted in short stories. This is a good translation.

Junji Ito: 長編の場合は、どこまでストーリーを考えるかっていうのは作品によって違ったんですけど、『地獄星レミナ』っていう漫画は、最初から最後まで絵コンテを書き終わってから作画に入りまして、一応最後までストーリーを考えました。それとは逆に、最近は行き当たりばったりで、先のこと考えずに書いてるんですけど。最初から最後までストーリー作っちゃってから書くっていうのは、あんまりおもしろくないですね。行き当たりばったりで、とりあえず原稿第一話書いちゃって、「その次はどうする？」ってやった方が、思いがけないストーリーが生まれるような気がします。ただ、書いてる最中は不安でしょうがないですね。「破綻したらどうしよう」とか、「最初に書いちゃったことと辻褄合わせられなかったらどうしよう」っていう不安で、夜も眠れないっていうか、今そんな状態なんですけど。

Translator: With the longer story, like how far I plan the story ahead before I start working on it, it really differs from work to work, of course, but for instance with the work, "Hellstar Remina", I did everything from start to finish. I did all the story boards for everything. So the whole story was finished before I even started drawing it. But lately I've sort of just been like going where the wind takes me as it were, so I don't go all the way to the end of the story when I start it. To be honest, to write it out from the start to the finish is sort of not that interesting to me. It loses its sparkle in a lot of ways. So I just do it on the fly in a sort of way, do the storyboard and then [*Sorry, I couldn't hear*] next, where am I going with this. It takes the story in some surprising directions that it wouldn't otherwise go, and that's really interesting, but it also brings a lot of like anxiety for me personally, like, "Wait! If I do this then what happens next?" or like, "How can I do this?" or "This thing happened and now this? Ugh!!"

Audience: *laughter*

Translator: And sometimes I can't even sleep, like, it gets to that point of the anxiety gets like that, so that's the state I'm currently in so.

Audience: *laughter*

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): Sounds intense.

Translator: (To Ito) それはすごいですね

• This is the skill of a professional translator. She can translate this amount of text in an instant and deliver a speech over a long period. At least for me, this kind of work is impossible without training or, no matter how much training I get.
• If I were Canadian and in her position, I would first be confused by the phrase "行き当たりばったり." While "randomly" is the closest dictionary definition, it's not possible to write a story randomly unless you’re a monkey sitting in front of a typewriter, so she used the expression "where the wind takes me."
• The part including "it loses its sparkle" is not present in Junji Ito's original remark, but it does seem to make the story flow better with this expression.
• Junji Ito's worries about "「破綻したらどうしよう」とか、「最初に書いちゃったことと辻褄合わせられなかったらどうしよう」" would be translated literally as "'What if the story falls apart?' or 'What if I can't make it consistent with what I wrote at the beginning?'" but she humorously expresses it using her own words.

Ito's career as a dental technician (37:20)

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): I know that you worked as a dental technician previously before you became a full-time creator, and I think a lot of our favorite stories have a theme of body horror, you know, dealing with physical deformation and the way that psychological pain affects your physical body, and also beauty and aging, dying young Tomie, and so, I've always wanted to ask you this: Did working as a dental technician...

Audience: *laughter*

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): ...and working with people's bodies or having medical training, did that influence I think the way you think about the body? Is body horror scary to you?

Junji Ito: LOL 私の漫画は「ボディーホラー」であるというようなことをWikipediaで見て、「あっ、そういわれてみればそうだな」って思いました。やっぱり、人体が変形する話が多いので、それは的確な指摘だと思ったんですけど、歯科技工士というのは口だけが専門でですね、身体はあまり関係ないんで、あまり歯科技工士としての仕事がボディーホラーに影響しているかっていうと、あまり関係がないかもしれません。ただ、歯科技工士の学校で解剖学の授業がありまして、人体の名称をラテン語で覚えたりして、そういうところで解剖学に興味をもった、っていうのは事実です。

Translator: Yeah, the fact that my manga is considered "body horror", I actually saw that on Wikipedia,...

Audience: *laughter*

Translator: ...and I was like, "Oh yeah, I guess now that you mention it! Yeah."

Audience: *laughter*

Translator: So, one of the main themes of my work is obviously like how deformations of the body and like, you know, changes in the body, so I, yeah, that was appropriate I thought. But like as a dental technician, that work is dealing with the mouth basically just the mouth area, and doesn't really have any connection at all to the body. So being a dental technician, I mean, as an influence on body horror, I don't think it was really connected at all. But, when I was in school to become a dental technician, we had anatomy lessons where we had to learn, we studied the human body in Latin, and so, I did develop an interest in anatomy from that.

• Junji Ito once worked as a dental technician, and his career is discussed in more detail in interviews, but I didn't cover it in this article.
• What surprised me was that I first consulted the Japanese version of Junji Ito's Wikipedia, but there was no mention of "body horror (ボディーホラー?)", but it was mentioned in the English version of Wikipedia. Based on his demeanor, I assumed that Ito might not be familiar with the English language, but it seems that he has enough English to be able to refer to the English Wikipedia.

Junji Ito: 私も若いころ対人恐怖症だったので、一番怖いのは人間の心だなっていうのがありますね。心を宿した身体というのが私にとって恐怖の対象なのかなと思います。動物のボディーはあまり怖いとは思わないんですけど、鮫とかは怖いですけど。そういうところから、人間の身体のホラーにつながったのかなって思います。

Translator: Actually, when I was young, I really had this phobia of people, basically I was, and the human body like the scariest thing in the world to me was like the human heart. And so, that the heart and the body were, sort of like, this fountain of terror for me.　I didn't find animals scary, although sharks are scary,...

Audience: *laughter*

Translator: ...but the human body was really just a kind of a source of horror for me.

• Although I left it out of this article, Ito had previously mentioned how terrifying Steven Spielberg's JAWS was. I think that was the reason for the audience's laughter.
• "対人恐怖症" is now a common psychiatric term in Japan, and the literal translation is "anthropophobia". But I personally feel that this term is not used as much in English-speaking countries as it is in Japan. So she used "phobia of people," which I think also captures the nuance of his remark well.
• The expression "Fountain of Terror" struck me as a very stylish phrase. The relevant part is "恐怖の対象," and indeed, I feel that this term is challenging to translate into English.

Junji Ito: 歯科技工士をやった経験が漫画に一番役立ったのはですね、漫画を描く道具を加工する、ペン軸を自分の手に合うように削ったりとか、それにサンドペーパーをかけて滑らかにしてあげる、そうすると使いやすくなる。道具を加工する技術を歯科技工士の技術でやってますんで、そこは役に立ってます。

Translator: I think the most useful thing that I learned as a dental technician and the thing that I carry with me even now is, you know, when I have a lot of tools for when I'm making manga, and so I like modify them to fit my hands properly, so I'll shave a little bit off, or you know, take some sandpaper to it and really smooth it down and make it easier for me to use. And so that's something that I used to do as a dental technician, and that skills kind of carried over now.

• In this conversation, there are no very difficult topics discussed, but since Ito is a professional manga artist, there is a possibility that he might delve into complex discussions about drawing manga. A notable example of this is when he later held a live drawing session where he discussed quite advanced topics about the tools he uses and how he draws illustrations, and she translated it all perfectly.

The Genesis of Fuchi (43:05)

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): I wanted to thank you for all the nightmares caused by this character.

Audience: *Admiration*

Translator: (To Ito) このキャラからの悪夢をありがとうございます。

Ito: あぁ… LOL

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): And you mentioned no connection to your dental work, but her mouth has also caused many nightmares for me.

Audience: *Laughter*

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): For people who don't know, this character's name is "Fuchi", and she's an enormous woman with needle teeth and this stare. I have you here so I'll ask, where did this woman come from?

Audience: *Laughter*

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): Who is she? Why is she?

Audience: *Laughter*

Junji Ito: 私が書いてたのが、少女向け雑誌だったんですね。「ハロウィン」っていうのは、少女向けホラー雑誌だったので、主な読者が少女だったんですが、私はファッションセンスがなかったんで、参考のためにファッション誌を買ってきてそれを参考にして漫画を描いてたんですけど、あるファッション誌をめくってたら、モデルさんなんでもちろんきれいなんですけど、「ちょっとおかしいな。ちょっと怖いぞ」ていうふうな、そんなモデルさんの顔を見て、ファッションモデルで綺麗なはずなのに、化け物であるというのがアイデアとして閃いて、そこから「ファッションモデルの化け物」っていうキャラクターを生んだんですけど、当初考えていたよりもお化けみたいな顔になっちゃってまして、本当はもうちょっときれいに描きたかったですね。

Translator: When I was writing this, I actually was writing for, this girls magazine, I mean, it was this magazine a horror magazine called "Halloween", but it was for girls in the Shoujo-manga market, and so the readers were like young girls ostensibly, but you know, I didn't have any fashion sense myself, or any idea of fashion, so I bought some fashion magazines as a reference, and then, I drew this manga while I was referring to these magazines. And I was looking at one magazine, and there's this model and, of course, she's pretty, she's an attractive model, but there's something that was sort of like, "Eh?"

Audience: *Laughter*

Translator: Like it was sort of, you know, something scary or kind of weird about her. I mean, she's a fashion model, so she's supposed to be pretty, but then, you know, she's a monster and that idea kind of got planted in my head there. I came up with this idea of the character being a fashion model but she's actually a monster, and that was kind of, you know, the genesis of it. But she turned out to be really a monster. She was supposed to be more beautiful in my original idea, but she's mostly just monstrous.

Audience: *Laughter*

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): My favorite part of the stories that she's in is that there are a bunch of people who are like, "Oh yeah, let's hire her! She seems great!"

Audience: *Laughter*

Translator: (To Ito) 渕さんの一番好きなポイントは、みんなが「あぁ、渕さんなら雇いましょうか！」って周りの皆さんが言うところで。

Ito: LOL そこはですね、恐ろしいパワーで仕事を得るという。

Translator: She has some power to obtain work.

Audience: *Laughter*

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): It's a very empowering story for all the girls in the audience.

• During the interviews, I could sometimes hear the Japanese spoken by the translator, and her pronunciation was perfect and very easy to understand, indicating that she is a very experienced translator.
• Personally, I found the word "ostensibly" in her translation of "the readers were like young girls ostensibly" interesting. This word does not appear in Ito's original remark, but she seemed to feel the need to add it. It seems that she briefly wondered, "Did he write for a girl's manga magazine even though he's a male horror manga artist?" For Japanese people, it's not unusual for male manga artists to submit work to girls' manga magazines, or for female manga artists to submit work to boys' manga magazines (Fullmetal Alchemist and Demon Slayer are famous examples). However, it may seem a bit strange to non-Japanese audiences.
• I thought it was interesting how she humorously expressed "Eh?!", which was Ito's reaction of "ちょっとおかしいな。ちょっと怖いぞ (a little strange, a little scary)" to the model, drawing laughter from the audience.
• This is my personal impression, but I find the most appealing character to be a girl who is not only beautiful or cute or pretty, but also evokes a feeling of "pain" in those who look at her, even for a moment. This "pain" is described by Ito as "weirdness," and others might call it "creepiness." I believe that this attraction to such women may come from a deeper instinct to understand a person's inner self more deeply.

The Genesis of "Gyo" (46:56)

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): I'm going to ask　about another story that I　think, has caused many nightmares in this room, so I think I know,... for folks who know "Gyo", and another story of Ito-sensensei is the called "The Thing that Drifted Ashore", there's this Primal Fear of what's deep below the water what's in the sea, I personally I read Jaws when I was like 10 or 12, and so, this one really got me hard, but I think also a theme in these stories of like nature sort of getting revenge on us, or the Earth sort of lashing back at humans, and I think, you know, this story came out a long time ago, and since then the realities of sort of what we're doing to the Earth have become pretty clear, and terrifying. Can you talk a little bit about sort of like, what this kind of story or environmental horror means to you now?

Junji Ito: もう50年くらい生きてきますとですね、あっ、55年ですけど、地球が温暖化して、明らかに私の子供のころよりも雪は減りましたし、暑くなってるなって実感できるんですけど、環境を考えた場合、地球はやがて干上がるだろうなって、もちろんそんな近い将来じゃないんでしょうけど、そのうち火星のようになってしまうのかなって思ってまして。やはり、地球の環境は徐々に悪化していくんだろうなって思います。

Translator: I've lived like 50, oh wait, 55 years now, and you know, it's clear like climate change has been happening, and you know there's, like for instance, there's less snow now than when I was a kid. The environment is definitely getting worse and worse, and so, obviously it's not going to happen tomorrow, but I think like what if we are we going to end up like Mars or something you know. And it keeps, the environment just keeps getting worse like we're not getting any better here.

• She faithfully translated Ito’s slip of the tongue, resulting in the phrase, "I've lived like 50, oh wait, 55 years now." However, this was not her mistake.
• As I’ve been writing this text, I’ve realized once again how difficult it is to transcribe spoken conversations into text, whether in English or Japanese. They frequently use what are called "fillers," such as "um" or "you know" in English, and "あの," "ちょっと," or "やっぱり" in Japanese. They often start saying something and then stop, as we saw earlier. YouTube transcription picks up on these fillers faithfully, so it took quite a bit of time to turn the transcription into readable text. And I still haven't found a clear answer on how much of this should be omitted. I hope this article is easy to read.

Junji Ito: でも、そんなたいそうなこと言いましたけど、私が漫画を描くときはあんまりテーマを考えないんですよ。なんか、最初のアイデアはちょっとしたイメージだったり、ちょっと違和感あって面白いなっていうような発想だったりして、それを膨らませて書くんですよ。その過程でテーマをくっつけていくっていう書き方をしていまして。『ギョ』の場合、そうですね、なんていうか、環境問題というのはあまり考えてなかったんですね。それよりも、最初は、さっき鮫が怖いって言いましたけど、海の中に入らなければ鮫は別に怖くないんですけど...

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): うんうん

Junji Ito: それが陸に上がってきたら反則だろって。

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): *giggle*

Junji Ito: それはもう怖すぎるなっていうところから、「ギョ」っていうのは始まりまして。

• Incidentally, the interviewer, Ryan Sands, didn't speak Japanese, but he must have had a fairly high level of Japanese, because he occasionally responded to Ito's words with a nod or a laugh before the translator began to speak.

Translator:  The thing is, I think, you know, when I'm working on manga, like when I'm writing my manga, I'm not sitting there, I don't think of the themes of the work when I start doing it. I get the first idea or an image of something, and I think, "Ah, that's kind of weird!" and so then, I kind of feel like, "Oh that's good!" and I expand on that little nugget of weirdness, and then after the fact, you know, thematic idea sort of get slapped onto it, like, "Oh, it about this!" So with "Gyo", it wasn't that I was writing particularly about environmental themes, it was more about, well, I said before that sharks are scary,...

Audience: *Laughter*

Translator:  ...and the thing is though about sharks is that if you don't go in the ocean they're not that scary. But if they came on to land...

Audience: *Laughter*

Translator:  ...that would be way too scary.

• Her phrases like "Ah, that's kind of weird!" and "Oh, that's good!" and "Oh, it's about this!" were completely ad-libbed. She likely added them to make the translation more dynamic. Since she’s not solving translation questions on a college entrance exam, you can see that the translator is constructing a general storyline in her head and then conveying it as she speaks.
• When she said "nugget," I imagined the delicious bite-sized chicken pieces you can get at McDonald's, but it seems she was using it in a different context.
• As a side note, this part of the interview generated the biggest laughs. Although Junji Ito's stories are often terrifying enough to chill the blood, he himself is a cheerful and humorous person. On the other hand, while Hayao Miyazaki's stories are warm and heartwarming, he is known to be a difficult and somewhat sadistic person.

Horror and Comedy (51:49)

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): I wanted to ask to, I know you mentioned already Umezu Kazuo as an inspiration to you, and I think for folks who've read his comics in English the ones that are mostly out are his horror work, and he's, you know, known as a Godfather of horror but, he's also uh known as sort of a Godfather of comedy and children's manga, and I know, Ito-sensei, you've created, like funny strips or yonkoma (four cell manga; a comic strip format) in the back of your books, and you did an entire series that's hilarious about your cats, so do you think there's a connection between fear and horror ([Precip.24] I think he meant to say "horror and comedy")? Can you talk a little bit about the writing or the art of telling a scary story versus telling a funny story?

Junji Ito: 私の場合は、よく「恐怖と笑いは紙一重」って日本で言われてて、表裏一体というか、本質的には恐怖と笑いは同じようなものだっていう考え方があるんですけど、私はよくわからないですね。恐怖にもいろんな種類があって、笑えない恐怖もあると思うので、必ずしも表裏一体とは思ってないですね。私の場合は、アイデアを思いつくとアイデア帳にアイデアを書いて忘れないようにしてて、怖いアイデアもあるんですけど、ギャグも思いつくと書いちゃうんですね。その笑いのギャグのアイデアをもったいないなと思ってしまってですね。私はホラー漫画家なのでホラーしか書かないんですけど、ギャグを使わないまま眠らせてしまうともったいなくて、あの、ホラー漫画の雰囲気を損なわない程度に、スパイス的にギャグを入れたり、出たアイデアのギャグを入れるっていうような感じで。バランスとしてはやっぱりホラーなんで、怖い漫画なんだけど、ちょっと笑いもいれて読者にほっとしてもらう瞬間を作りたい…まぁ、そんなこと考えてなくて、ホントはギャグ入れたいだけなんですけど。

Translator: I think like in Japan they say that, you know, "fear and humor are two sides of the same coin" there's that kind of thinking that happens. I don't personally know so much about that, but like, there are a lot of different kinds of fear and horror and terror, and some of those, of course, are not laughable you can't laugh at them, but for me personally, I have a notebook of ideas that I keep, and I just write down like any idea as it occurs to me to save it for light or to work on it. So obviously a lot of these are scary ideas, but I also have like little jokes or little funny things that I notice, and I write those down too, and it just seems like such a shame to just leave them there, you know, like "What a waste!" Because I'm a horror artist, right, so obviously I write only horror, but, you know, there's these jokes that I have, and it seems like such a shame not to use them. So I kind of try and balance it so that I don't upset, you know, take away the the horror of it or just sort of like adding a little bit of spice to the mix. So it's mostly horror, so it's scary, but I want to make a little moment for the reader to kind of breathe in and sort of have a little, "Oh, phew!" it's relaxing kind of laughing moment. Although I say that, but really I just want to write little gags in there.

Audience: *Laughter*

• This conversation about how to approach "horror and comedy" starts with the difficulty of the question, with the interviewer struggling with his words, and Itō also carefully choosing his words to respond to the challenging issue.
• "紙一重" is an old phrase that literally means "a layer of paper," but the translator rendered it as "two sides of the same coin. I love this translation.
• There was a time in Japan when the idea that the word "もったいない" was untranslatable became popular, but I am somewhat skeptical of that notion. It usually means something like "wasteful" or "unworthy," but she translated it with her own words, "such a shame" or "what a waste!

Junji Ito: 私がいちばん最高のギャグマンガだと思うのは、楳図かずお先生の「まことちゃん」っていう漫画なんですけど、この漫画は単なる笑いを通り越して、狂気とか、人間のコンプレックスを深くえぐったギャグマンガだと思うんですけど、それが笑いにつながっているということで、楳図先生のギャグマンガはホラー漫画家の描くギャグマンガだなっていうことですね。それが大好きです。

Translator: I think the the best gag manga of like maybe all time is, Kazuo Umezu's "Makoto-chan" which,... I don't know if that's out in English?

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): No.

Translator:  It is not? I'm sorry.

Audience: *Laughter*

Translator: ...But the way Umezu does this thing where he takes up the, you know, the human condition as it were, and turns these pulls the laughter out of it, and makes these jokes, and really like, you know, digs into human complex, you know, the complexes of the human mind and neurosis and just like gouges it out, to sort of create, you know, jokes and laughter from that. I really think that, you know, Umezu is a great example of like a horror manga artist who successfully navigates humor as well, and I just love his work.

Ryan Sands (Interviewer): I think I'm speaking for folks in the audience, but we like when you make us laugh and not just terrify us.

• Although she has extensive knowledge of Junji Ito's works and manga culture, she seems unfamiliar with other Japanese manga artists that only Japanese people would normally know. There was a scene where she looked confused every time Ito mentioned another manga artist's name. In addition, when Ito was asked by another interviewer what horror movie had influenced him, Ito mentioned "死霊館 (shiryokan)," which is actually the American movie "The Conjuring," but it was given a unique Japanese title, and she couldn't translate it either. However, since only researchers of Japanese horror culture outside of Japan would know these details, it's not her fault.
• The phrase "digs into human complex" corresponds to the Japanese phrase "人間のコンプレックスを深くえぐった". To be honest, this expression doesn't feel quite right in Japanese, and I think it's a unique phrase from Junji Ito himself. However, she managed to translate even this part impressively. She also translated the same phrase as "gouge it out," which I also thought was a very fresh expression.

This concludes this article. Thank you for reading this far.

Are there any readers who feel inspired to become translators after reading this far? As a native Japanese speaker with a good command of English, I once considered becoming a translator. However, after seeing the work of this professional translator, I realized that it was completely beyond my abilities, and I gave up that dream.

However, even if you can't reach the top level like they can, I personally believe that learning a language is a valuable pursuit for the learner. Although I'm not an educator, so I can't speak to the specific benefits, I think it's incredibly cool when an English-speaking netizen effortlessly reads Japanese in response to the common "What does this Japanese product say?" posts on Reddit. After all, reading the text in images is something machines can't...

I love English and was once good enough to become an English teacher at a Japanese junior high school. But that was in the past, and since then my English skills have been declining rapidly. So, as part of my language learning, I decided to post some simple questions and comments about the English language that are not easy for me (and that I should ask on HiNative or Quora) on Newgrounds. I am not an expert in English and may make elementary mistakes, but thank you for your patience.

“Ojou-sama Language” in English | English Is Not So Easy 24

Recently, I created an original character named VOFCAT, and I wanted to make a 3D avatar of her. When I created her using VRoid, I was surprised at how much cuter the character turned out compared to when I draw illustrations myself.

By the way, in Japan there is a group of people called "ojou-sama (お嬢様)," who is a noble and refined girl or lady, and there is a concept known as "ojou-sama language."

Especially in anime, there is "ojou-sama laugh (お嬢様笑い)", in which an ojou-sama laughs with an "ohoho" sound, and this type of character also speaks a unique form of Japanese that is slightly different from the Japanese used by ordinary Japanese speakers, and this is called "ojou-sama language".

This made me wonder if there was an "ojou-sama (refined lady) language" in English that might be equivalent. I have been doing some research on this, and in my exploration I have stumbled upon some fascinating discoveries in the enchanted forest of English. In this article, I'll share what I found. This time, as always, the content is a bit scattered, so I hope you can read this not so much as a helpful guide to learning English, but as a casual record of my own English learning journey.

1. How do you do?

According to dictionaries, this phrase is defined as a greeting used when meeting someone for the first time, but it’s considered very old-fashioned and overly formal by native English speakers. In that sense, Japanese ojou-samas are famous for greeting with "御機嫌よう (gokigenyou)," which could be seen as the equivalent of "How do you do?"

While researching usage examples, I found out that a song with the same name was played on the Disneyland attraction "Splash Mountain." However, as a non-native English speaker who has never even been to Disneyland in Tokyo, my investigative skills have limits, so I couldn’t figure out why this song was used, what the story was, or why the attraction was closed.

2. I'm delighted to meet you.

Like "How do you do?" this expression is also used when meeting someone for the first time. Some literature suggests that "delighted" is a word that can be replaced with "happy," but using this word makes it sound more like an ojou-sama.

• "I'm delighted to meet you."
• "I would be delighted if you could..."
• "I would be delighted to..."

While the text indicates that this is formal language that even ordinary people can use, I imagine there are quite a few native speakers who would be surprised to hear someone use "delighted" instead of "happy."

Also, you can use the expression "How delightful it is!" to convey that something is wonderful. Would that also sound ojou-sama-like?

3. And you?

In Japanese textbooks, students are taught to respond to "How are you?" with "I'm fine, thank you. And you?" This phrase is not only completely unusable in American daily conversations, but also, according to a native speaker (Kevin from KER), "And you?" sounds like something a princess or noble lady would say at a ball.

There are also texts that discuss ojou-sama-like responses to "How are you?" and one of the examples introduced was "I'm quite well." Apparently, the word "well" gives it a British English vibe.

4. Pardon? / I beg your pardon? / Pardon me.

Japanese people tend to struggle with understanding native English speakers, so these phrases are taught early in English learning. However, it seems that "pardon" sounds a bit too aristocratic for Americans to use in everyday conversation. Interestingly, in Britain, it’s not such an unusual word, and some people use it daily.

Speaking of which, as in the previous example, many Japanese English learners believe that ojou-sama speaks British English. While I understand that there are different people in America and Britain, I wonder how accurate this image is. Is British English ojou-sama language?

5. May I have the pleasure?

Here, "the pleasure" refers to a dance, and it’s a phrase apparently only used at balls. This is a great example of a context that can’t be understood from the phrase alone unless one shares a certain cultural background in the English-speaking world.

A similar phrase in Japan is "Shall we dance?" which became famous because a movie with the same name was a big hit in Japan. The movie was apparently remade in Hollywood, so perhaps many people remember it from there.

By the way, in response to the main topic of this article, "Teach me Ojou-sama-like English phrases!" some of you may want to reply, "Learn from the way this character in this movie talks!" I agree. I would give the same advice if I were in your position. So, I decided to follow that advice, even though it hasn’t been given to me yet.

Specifically, I enjoy an early Disney work, "The Aristocats," which is about noble cats living in France. In that movie, Duchess (left), the mother cat, is a very beautiful and graceful lady, and I suspect her way of speaking might be close to "ojou-sama language" in English. I sampled her language, especially her conversation with the gentleman cat, Thomas O'Malley (right), who appears in the middle of the story, and I’ll share that in this article.

6. What might your name be?

This phrase was spoken by O'Malley, and I thought it was a very elegant way to ask someone’s name instead of saying, "What is your name?"

7. I am really in a great deal of trouble.

This phrase, spoken by Duchess, is a very glamorous way of saying "I'm in trouble," so I made a note of it. With both "really" and "a great deal" included, it clearly conveys that she’s in significant trouble.

8. If you would be just so kind and (show me the way)

I thought this could be a useful phrase when asking for a favor. In Japanese textbooks, the most polite way to make a request is "I was wondering if you would...," but this phrase is equally beautiful.

By the way, when asking someone to do something, I tend to use "Would you...?" instead of "Could you...?". Although I'm not a native English speaker, I feel that the former asks about the person's willingness, while the latter asks about their ability, and I personally feel that asking about someone's ability might be a bit impolite, so I tend to choose "Would you...?". I wonder if Duchess has a similar philosophy.

9. How can we ever thank you?

No gentleman in this world could refuse a request from a beautiful lady like Duchess. As expected, O'Malley responds, and Duchess’s thank you is again expressed in very beautiful English.

My personal opinion is that including "we" in this phrase gives the impression that "you have saved my family," making it a better expression than "Thank you very much!"

This is totally off topic, but have you ever said or been told, "Haven't we met before?"

I've heard it a lot in movies, but I've never encountered it in real life. So I'm sure if I used the Japanese translated version in my everyday conversation (前にどこかで会った or something), the person would definitely respond, "What? Are you an American?" But this is one of the phrases I want to encounter in my lifetime.

By the way, Madame Duchess's response to this phrase was, "Oh, and I'm so very glad we did this morning."

This is the end of this article. Thank you very much for reading this far.

Finally, I sometimes wonder why I'm so drawn to non-practical languages that I don't even use myself, and I recently realized that it's because I admire the English I've encountered in the worlds of stories. By researching what "ojou-sama" English" is, I believe I can better understand the personalities of characters in Hollywood movies and Nickelodeon cartoons, and gain a deeper understanding of these works without relying on translations. Such insights, I believe, will certainly enrich my life.

[For Japanese Learners]

If someone asked me to teach them "ojou-sama language" in Japanese, I would say, "Just watch Salome's streams." As for speakers of "ojou-sama language" in Japan, I think the most famous one is the VTuber (virtual YouTuber; online entertainer who uses a virtual avatar created by computer graphics), "Ichi Hyakumantenbara Salome (壱百満天原サロメ)".

I believe that analyzing her way of speaking would give a general understanding of this style in Japanese (although the task seems rather tedious).

That aside, I believe that it is generally very beneficial for your language learning to listen to the streams of a VTuber who speaks the language you want to learn. Recently, I've been looking for VTubers who speak Spanish (preferably Español Latino, spoken by Mexicans) and German (Hochdeutsch), so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know (I already have a favorite Californian English speaker for English).

I've occasionally introduced some scary stories from Japan, and this time I'd like to introduce a genre of scary stories that's trending in Japan, known as "scary stories when you understand the meanings (意味が分かると怖い話; 意味怖)". These are stories where nothing seems frightening at first, but as the reader unravels a subtle detail or question, they stumble upon a terrifying truth. Although almost all of these stories can be considered fictional due to the nature of the genre, the blend of horror and mystery in these short stories has made them quite popular. On the Internet, they are often discussed alongside traditional horror stories.

In this article, I will present 10 stories that fall into the genre of "scary stories when you understand the meanings". Each story will be presented in its entirety, and then in the "Answer" section, I will explain the terrifying truth. For those who enjoy puzzles, I suggest you stop after reading the first part of each story and try to figure out the hidden mystery for yourself.

1. The Well

One day, I was irritated by my sister's crying, so I killed her.

I threw her body into the well.

The next day, when I checked, the body was gone.

Five years later, I killed a friend over a trivial argument.

I threw the body into the well.

The next day, when I checked, the body was gone.

Ten years later, I killed a woman I had impregnated.

I threw the body into the well.

The next day, when I checked, the body was gone.

Fifteen years later, I killed my annoying boss.

I threw the body into the well.

The next day, when I checked, the body was gone.

Twenty years later, my mother needed care, and she became a burden, so I killed her.

I threw the body into the well.

The next day, the body was still there.

The next day, and the day after that, the body remained.

Answer:

The narrator’s mother had been cleaning up the bodies thrown into the well.

My Comment:

This story is so famous that it’s guaranteed to appear if you search for "scary stories when you understand the meanings" in Japanese. It's based on a short story from Takashi Atoda's novel "Meiro" (Maze). Frankly speaking, I don't particularly like this story, but since it’s so well-known in this genre, I decided to introduce it first.

2. Living Alone

Despite my parents' objections, I started living alone from today.

I woke up alone, ate breakfast, took out the trash, and got ready for the day.

I was filled with satisfaction, having achieved my dream of living alone.

I locked the house, greeted the elderly woman who waters her flowers every morning, and headed to school.

Answer:

Since the narrator knows the old woman's daily routine, it means that the narrator has not moved to a new place, but is still living in the same house. In other words, the narrator achieved living alone by killing her family.

My Comment:

To decipher this type of story, it’s important to always read critically. Though slightly off-topic, I believe critical reading has become an essential skill in today’s world.

3. House Party

I threw a house party for my birthday.

During the party, I took a picture of everyone inside the house, and something strange appeared in the photo.

From a closet behind everyone, a woman with a ghostly white face and blood-red eyes was peeking out, glaring at us.

Frightened, I had the photo examined by a psychic.

She said, "This photo is not a spirit photograph."

Answer:

Someone who isn’t a ghost is hiding in the narrator’s closet.

My Comment:

The idea of "someone hiding in your closet" originates from a scary story that trended online in the 2000s (a friend of mine calls it ‘Oshimusha,’ though the details are unclear), and there are numerous variations of it.

4. The Well (Another Story)

One night, a man was walking through his village when he heard a girl crying for help.

When he reached the direction of the voice, he found a girl being pulled into a well by a white hand.

The man attacked the white hand with a stick, and the hand disappeared into the well.

Answer:

The girl wasn’t being attacked by a monster from the well; she was trying to save a friend who was about to fall into the well.

My Comment:

Sometimes good intentions backfire, which can make helping others a challenge. It just occurred to me that this genre may have evolved in a similar way to American jokes. Many stories in this genre could also be classified as American jokes. In that sense, I personally feel that the "World's Funniest Joke" could be included in this list.

5. Dog Barking

A couple bought an old house near the forest.

Soon after moving in, they started hearing a dog barking from somewhere.

But no matter how much they searched, they couldn't find a dog.

The next day, they heard the barking again but still couldn’t find the dog.

They concluded that the sound was just the wind rustling the trees in the forest and decided not to worry about it.

A year later, they decided to renovate the living room.

When they pulled up the old carpet, they found stairs leading to a basement.

As they descended the stairs, they found a dog wagging its tail, chained up.

Answer:

Someone has been living in the house for a year, taking care of the dog.

My Comment:

This story reminds me of a famous Korean movie.

6. The Bus

A family took a bus to visit the wife’s parents in the countryside.

When they reached the foot of a mountain, the child started whining, saying, "I’m hungry."

With no other option, they got off at the next bus stop and went to a nearby diner to eat.

After their meal, they watched the TV in the diner and saw a news report about the bus they had just been on, which had been in a landslide accident, killing all the passengers.

After seeing the news, the wife said, "I wish we hadn’t gotten off the bus."

Answer:

If the family hadn’t gotten off the bus, it wouldn’t have been in the path of the falling rocks, and the accident wouldn’t have happened.

My Comment:

This story is one of the most challenging in this genre, almost like a logic puzzle. However, it's worth noting that the story overlooks the possibility that the rockfall was caused by vibrations from the bus's passage.

7. The Elevator

He lived in a high-rise apartment building.

He lived on the 14th floor, so the elevator was essential.

One night, when he returned home, he got into the elevator and pressed the button for the 14th floor.

As the door closed and the elevator started moving, the button for the 8th floor lit up.

He thought, "Oh, someone must be getting on."

Then, he hurriedly pressed all the floor buttons.

Answer:

Elevator buttons don't light up unless they're pressed. This means that someone invisible was in the elevator with him. He had to evacuate as soon as possible.

My Comment:

In Japan, elevator buttons don't light up unless you press them from inside the elevator, but I'm not sure if it's the same for elevators in the U.S. This puzzle only works for those who share the knowledge about how elevators function.

When I post something on Newgrounds, I always consider how much knowledge we share.

8. Hit-and-Run

I was in a hit-and-run accident and had been hospitalized, but I finally got discharged recently.

To celebrate my discharge, a close friend came to visit me at home.

We had the following conversation:

Friend: "Sorry I couldn’t visit you in the hospital."

Me: "Don’t worry about it."

Friend: "Did you see the face of the culprit?"

Me: "No, it happened so suddenly, I don’t remember."

Friend: "I see."

Me: "You be careful too."

Friend: "Yeah, well, I’m gonna head home now. I’ll definitely visit you in the hospital next time."

Me: "Thanks."

Answer:

"I’ll definitely visit you in the hospital next time"? Why is the friend so certain the narrator will be hospitalized again? Because the friend is the hit-and-run culprit.

My Comment:

If you figured this one out, you have the potential to become an FBI investigator. However, I wouldn’t want to be friends with such a person because I'd be worried they could easily read my shallow thoughts during conversations. Or perhaps my intellectual level is already glaringly obvious from my writing…????

At least I couldn’t solve this one, and even after knowing the answer, it took me a while to fully understand it.

9. Robbery

While I was taking a shower in the bath, I heard a scream coming from the living room. 

I quickly got out of the bath and rushed to the living room, completely naked. 

When I got there, I saw a masked man and the bodies of my father, mother, and sister lying on the floor, bleeding. 

As soon as the masked man saw me, he immediately fled through the window, and I sat down on the spot, my face turning pale.

Answer

Why did the narrator hear only one scream when the narrator's entire family was killed? The answer is that the scream came from the robber. In other words, the narrator of this story is the one who brutally murdered the narrator's family, and the masked man witnessed the crime. Since the masked man, whose face couldn't be seen, became a witness, the narrator turned pale.

My Comment

Personally, I consider this a model question for this genre of story, where a terrifying truth is uncovered from a single inconsistency.

The next question is the last one. It is considered one of the most difficult questions in this genre of stories. To make this article more playful, I will give the answer to the last question later. If anyone knows the answer before then, please share it in the comments.

But I am not the author of this story, and this story is quite famous in Japan, so if you really want to know the answer, try Googling the original Japanese text (意味が分かると怖い話「おいやめろって」) and translating it to find the answer.

10. A Best Friend

Friend: "I'm really sorry." 

Me: "Hey, stop it!" 

Friend: "My sister… My sister is sick… I need money…" 

Me: "Are you okay? Take a deep breath." 

Friend: "…Thank you…" 

Me: "If 100,000 yen ($680) would help, I can lend it to you." 

Friend: "Thank you so much… And, um…" 

Me: "Here, if you don't mind leftovers, have some dinner." 

Friend: "Thank you…" 

Me: "Why? We're best friends, remember?" 

Friend: "Actually, I was thinking of committing suicide… If it weren't for you…" 

Me: "It's no problem, don't worry about it." 

Friend: "I'm sorry to bother you so late at night."

This is the end of this article. Thank you very much for reading this far.

Incidentally, I am curious if there is an equivalent to this type of story in the English-speaking world. I did some research and found that "Dark Humor Jokes" seems to be the closest genre, but that's all I could find. If anyone knows more, please let me know!