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[tephra]

So I'm watching Tsubasa Chronicle (toshirodragon is like my anime and manga crack dealer or something) and I'm enjoying it immensely. I'm also geeking out on a few levels, I'm picking up the meaning of yet more Japanese (yay!) and picking out some Japanese accents (or rather, realizing that when I'm having "WTF, that doesn't sound like anything like what the sub says" moments it's because it's a very different dialect). But the niftiest part is noticing some folklore themes. *geekyfangirlysquees!*

On the first world the kudan of the three main characters take the forms of a dragon, phoenix, and what I think is a kirin (it's not a form of it that I'm familiar with, but a fox/wolf thing with a horn seems to fit the bill). On the second world you find a hijutsu master (mistress) that uses a fan to amplify her power and her daugther uses a mirror. This is niggling at me as some folklore I'm probably missing out on. Inuyasha fans will recall that Naraku's first two incarnations, Kagura and Kanna, use a fan and a mirror as well.

I so need to find a good, comprehensive, book on Japanese folklore and superstition! Not getting the references yet knowing, or strongly suspecting, they are there in several anime that I watch is driving me freaking NUTS!

Comments

[dhstein.livejournal.com]

Karins are the japanese unicorn. Very furry

[tephra]

I'm used to seeing them as deer-like critters, or in a few rare cases, lion/foo-dog style. A screen capture might help here:

So, kirin? Some other beasty?

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

I LOVE the Hiroshima accent the one guy has on that world! I know the Japanese look down on that accent but I found it SO freakin sexy! Its Tomoharo's, from Empty Heart, accent so I was glad to kinda hear Tomo..

*fangirls Fye all over the place*

[tephra]

Is that the Hiroshima accent? I've been wondering what that sounds like since I read Empty Heart. I in no way claim to understand Japanese, as you know, but that didn't even sound like the same language. O.o

This makes me wonder about how Jin spoke in the original Japanese (I've only seen him in the dub). If they gave him his incredibly thick accent in the dub because he spoke something like the Hiroshima dialect in the original it will suddenly make a heck of a lot more sense.

*joins you fangirling Fye*

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

Seems like I read a translator note saying that was the accent.. I'll look again

Jin? from what anime?

[tephra]

Yu Yu Hakusho. :)

Tsubasa Chronicle is one of those information-dense fansubs. There's writing all over the place explaining stuff, which is cool, but makes you either have to replay parts of resolve to just follow what is being said. Gravitation was like that (particularly with scenes where Ryuichi is playing with words), and Ghost in the Shell: Innocence takes it to extremes (I actually paused that one several times just to have time to read everything before it blinked off.)

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

OH THAT Jin! hehee I first thought of Samurai Champloo. I believe I have the Tournament in dual language format.. I'll toddle off to check it out. Though I REALLY adore that thick Irish accent, he could recite the phone book and I'd be GLUED to the screen listening!

Yakitate!!Japan is information loaded, mostly because it crammed full of pun, which of course don't translate into our language. So watching it is watch pause read watch rewind puase read watch XD

[tephra]

Well Jin from Samurai Champloo is pretty cool too (glasses!), but no accent to speak of really (in the dub anyway).

Jin the wind master makes me smile. Sometimes I have no idea what he's saying but I do like his accent (and since Yuusuke understands him about as well as I do I figure I'm doing okay.)

I have a fondness for several accents, Irish is one of them. :)

Kanji certainly does make for a whole new level of pun...ishment. ;> Japanese seems to have relatively simple grammar (based on my digging around the net) and from what I hear (and notice myself) isn't that hard to pick up as far as speaking it, it's learning to read it that will kill you.

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

I found the note: Its actually a thick "Kansai-ben" which is the accent of Osaka and Kobe! Which interests me because thats the accent Touko Kawai uses in Loveholic! And your right it is WAY different from standard Japanese (silly me I started to type English)

Now I'm off to investigate Jin!

[tephra]

Ah, so that's Kansai-ben! Now it makes more sense why they used a Texas accent for Jameson in GiTS:SAC.

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

Actually Jin doesn't seem to have that thick of an accent. He hasn't really said any words I understand, but in all honesty I'd say Yusuke's accent is thicker!

AHA! If you have Gravitation on DVD Ryuichi is voiced by the same seiyu as Jin. Probably give you some idea at least of what he sounds like. I can ask my roommate to burn a copy of Jin and Yusuke's battle when he get home next week and send it to you if you'd like.

Here's a bio of the seiyus works: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=277

[tephra]

*mentally puts Ryuichi's voice in Jin's mouth*

Well that fits better than it does for Inuyasha. (So far I've preferred the dubbed voices for all the Inuyasha cast....)

You know, I've been trying to figure out where I've seen Kurogane (dark/black metal, such an appropriate name) before... something about his character design, particularly in 3/4 view, is niggling at me.

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

I have the same feeling for Kurogane. Tsubasa Chronicle is made up of different CLAMP Charas from different stories all pulled together in one place. So its possible he's a CLAMP chara from one or the other of their mangas.

[tephra]

Except I don't think I've ever actually seen anything else by CLAMP. ^^;

I think it might be something to do with his eyes. The only thing I'm currently watching that I think might be similar in design is Full Metal Alchemist. O.o

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

Ahhh another brilliant theory shot outta the water by an uncompromising fact. 0_~

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

I've also noticed, if you pay attention, that the Japanese use personal names more than we do. A great many places where a subber has written "you" the seiyu has actually used the other person's name ie instead of "Will you come with me?" its (paraphrased since I don't have a grasp of Japanese grammar yet) "Will Nisa-san come with me?" My thinking is that to the Japanese its more respectful to refer to someone by their name whereas over here that would sound stilted or just plain stupid XD

[tephra]

I figure it's being polite, from the Japanese point of view. It certainly keeps a distance between people, ensuring that they don't come across as overly familiar. It's interesting that originally "you" was polite (as opposed to "thee") and it's shifted by use to being the familiar form. Only form really, I can't think of a way to be formal with modern English, other than by taking forms similar to Japanese, using titles or names.

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

Yes, my thinking as well. The Japanese are less buddy buddy society than we are, so they use more titles and family names than we do.