{"id":465,"date":"2009-02-22T10:45:17","date_gmt":"2009-02-22T15:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/?p=465"},"modified":"2009-04-18T09:40:41","modified_gmt":"2009-04-18T14:40:41","slug":"japanese-blog-post-translation-gszs3-op","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/2009\/02\/22\/japanese-blog-post-translation-gszs3-op\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Blog Post Translation: Seeing the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mania\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Depression” in Fuura Kafuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Heart in the [Goku] Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 3 OP, by Tamagomago\/Makaroni-san"},"content":{"rendered":"

Translator\/blogger’s Introduction: I’ve started reading more Japanese blogs as of late so that I don’t have to rely on slanted, NWS English-language rss feeds for nerd news. Some of the aggregators<\/a> I started keeping an eye out on link to regular folks’ blog posts, which led me to Tamagomagogohan<\/a>, a blog run by Tamagomago-san. (ironically, link may be nws, especially if you live in Canada or Australia.) I found this wonderful post<\/a> by Tamagomago-san on the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei OPs on Friday, and was kindly given permission from him to post a translation of it here. I have to warn you that this may require some more reader participation to follow his argument than the average English-language blog post, but that’s just how Japanese essays seem to be. There are translator’s notes interspersed throughout the article. The author also frequently uses the technique of putting the characters for an idea or concept in quotes, which works out a lot cooler in Japanese than it does in English. For this reason, I’ve included the original Japanese characters in addition to my translation where I felt it would be enlightening to those familiar with moon runes. I hope you enjoy! Please don’t hesitate to comment if you’d like to offer any suggestions or would like any sort of attempt at clarification. Finally, I’d like to once again suggest you take a look at the author’s blog<\/a> if you can make sense of Japanese and are interested in a good read.<\/p>\n

—————————————–<\/p>\n

The final episode of [Goku] Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has been released.
\nThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it for the OADs. Hmph, so sad :(. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping for a third TV season.<\/p>\n

The Tale Created in Zetsubou Sensei’s OPs: The Story Until Now<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to start with a little review of OPs until now.
\nFirst, season 1.
\n\"szs1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Shoujo<\/i> Objectification and Dismantling as Seen in the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei OP.<\/b>
\nThe OP song is “Hito Toshite Jiku ga Bureteiru”.
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an intense OP where the show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s girls are erotically both dismantled and bound.
\nWhile eros is a theme here, so is this:
\n\"szs2\"<\/a>
\nYes, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Depression\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e9\u00ac\u00b1). (tl note: Haruhi fans should be familiar with this kanji!)
\nAs one goes deeper and deeper into a world overflowing with eros, they turn to more and more extreme paths in that world. Despite the incredible sense of lust, Sensei\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heart is being eaten away by depression. <\/p>\n

\"szs3\"<\/a>
\nKafuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pregnancy scene.
\nThis is a mysterious scene, profound yet unexplained.<\/p>\n

Next we have the second season, [Zoku].
\n\"szs4\"<\/a>
\nThis OP is a grotesque one, with persistent images of organs. The OP song is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kuusou Rumba.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nUnlike the first OP, this one started out in monochrome. This OP had the special trait of changing throughout the different episodes, cutting off midway in some versions and finally appearing in full color, surprising quite a few people.
\nThe Manic Heart and Ero-Guro Nonsense seen in the [Zoku] Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei OP<\/a>
\nThe Mystery Hidden in [Zoku] Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s OP<\/a><\/b>
\nThe theme of this OP is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mania\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e8\u00ba\u0081), acting as a pair to the first season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s theme. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all extremely high-tension, wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you say?
\n\"szs5\"<\/a>
\nDespite the OP\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s colors being in plain monochrome, its actual content is so excited that you feel like you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re about to go mad.
\nOnce color is added to all of this, a new, vibrant world is born.
\nThough, there is one girl who stays the same here. This girl:
\n\"szs6\"<\/a>\"szs7\"<\/a>
\nThat girl is the girl who we saw in season 1 pregnant with Zetsubou-sensei\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s children, Fuura Kafuka (Pen Name). <\/p>\n

Next, the [Goku] OVA series.
\n\"szs8\"
\nNow things are at the point where you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even figure out what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on. While it was called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Professional MAD\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, we can see a complete lack of living characters here, the girls instead fully turned to objects. <\/p>\n

[Goku] Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Jan Svankmajer: The Eroticism of Objects<\/b>
\nVia \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Depression\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e3\u20ac\u20ac(\u00e9\u00ac\u00b1), we fall into the confusion of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mania\u00e2\u20ac\u009d(\u00e8\u00ba\u0081), and also into \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chaos\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e6\u00b7\u00b7\u00e6\u00b2\u0152).
\nFeeling a sense of raw \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Eros\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and gazing at \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Grotesque\u00e2\u20ac\u009d death, we come to an underlying \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Objectification\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e7\u2030\u00a9\u00e4\u00bd\u201c\u00e5\u0152\u2013).
\nWhile wriggling between the boundary of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Truth\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e7\u0153\u0178\u00e5\u00ae\u0178) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pretense\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e8\u2122\u0161\u00e5\u0192\u008f), their form changes shape and color.
\nWhile each of these views are incredibly symbolic and interesting possibilities, we discover from whose perspective these openings are all from in the final part of [Goku].
\n\"szs9\"
\nYou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve probably guessed by now. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Fuura Kafuka.<\/b>
\nThe reason this world is constantly changing is because of this girl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s inner fragility and instability. <\/p>\n

Ambivalence Seen by the Girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Eye(s).<\/b>
\n(tl note: Japanese has the luxury of being able to be vague on pluralization, relying on context to clue the reader in. In this case, I’m fairly certain that it is pointing to the girls’ eye (singular), but that sounds kind of awkward in English. Almost as awkward as a long translation note.)
\nThe music this time is an arrangement by \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rapbito\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. While that may be surprising, there doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remain a trace of the previous OPs\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 sense of parody. Instead, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve created an entirely new work.
\n\"szs10\"\"szs11\"
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost as if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a MAD created by Gekidan Inukaree<\/a> (note: Gekidan Inukaree, literally “Dog Curry Troupe,” is the individual\/group responsible for the OP).
\nThis OP is quite obsessed with certain details, one of which being that if you look closely in the corners of the frame, you can see characters representing the two sides of each girl.
\nChiri is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Chaos\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e4\u00b9\u00b1)and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Order\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e6\u2022\u00b4).
\nAbiru is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kick\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e3\u20ac\u20ac(\u00e8\u00b9\u00b4) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Punch\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e6\u00ae\u00b4).
\nThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e5\u2013\u201e) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Evil\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e6\u201a\u00aa), \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Victim\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00ef\u00bc\u02c6\u00e5\u0160\u00a0) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aggressor\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00ef\u00bc\u02c6\u00e8\u00a2\u00ab), \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Seme\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00ef\u00bc\u02c6\u00e6\u201d\u00bb) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Uke\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00ef\u00bc\u02c6\u00e5\u008f\u2014), \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Poverty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00ef\u00bc\u02c6\u00e8\u00b2\u00a7) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wealth\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e5\u00af\u0152), and so on.
\nEach character is represented by a pair of characters in this manner. (Well, kick and punch aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really opposites, but\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6)
\nEach girl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Existence-as-Presented\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e3\u201a\u00a4\u00e3\u0192\u00a1\u00e3\u0192\u00bc\u00e3\u201a\u00b8\u00e3\u0081\u00ae\u00e5\u00ad\u02dc\u00e5\u0153\u00a8) is made up of two contradictory ideas. This dangerous tightrope act is at once fascinating and terrifying.
\nSo, what about Fuura Kafuka, the girl in question?
\n\"szs12\"
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mania\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e8\u00ba\u0081) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Depression\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00ef\u00bc\u02c6\u00e9\u00ac\u00b1).
\nIn other words, the OPs until now (Season 1: Depression, Season 2: Mania) have been expressions of the core of her inner world.
\nAs you probably noticed by comparing this picture to the previous two, this image of the audience being nothing but Kafukas is once again symbolic, while also eerie. <\/p>\n

Fuura Kafuka isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t her real name. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a pen name. While we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t officially know her name as of now, we see glimpse of it as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153something like *this*\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. However, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never confirmed.
\nWe even see a glimpse of this in today’s episode.
\n\"szs13\"
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be hard to say that this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a young Kafuka. Her nametag reads \u00e2\u20ac\u0153An.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (tl note: other possible romanizations are Ann and Anne. However, my overactive gaijin mind associates “\u00e3\u201a\u00a2\u00e3\u0192\u00b3” with a homonym “\u00e6\u0161\u2014”, “darkness”, so I’ve kept it as is.)
\nOf course, this doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really go beyond another guess. While our main character, the Sensei, has relatively few mysteries surrounding him, Fuura Kafuka is nothing but mysteries.
\nLet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take a look into such a girl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s state of mind. <\/p>\n

The sorrowful psychedelic as seen by the girl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eye(s). <\/b>
\nHalfway through the song, the scenes introducing the girls one-by-one end, and the OP shifts to Kafuka and Sensei\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s duet performance.
\nWell, since we might be seeing a story created by Kafuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s psyche, we might technically call it a solo performance.
\n\"szs14\"
\nFor example, the image of Kafuka dancing madly on a flower bed.
\nIf we take a close look at this scene, we see a fairly awesome scene. (tl note: “awesome” in the biblical sense, not in the contemporary slang sense)
\n\"szs15\"
\nShe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually dancing on top of the rubble of her classmates\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 bodies.
\nThough, these aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really \u00e2\u20ac\u0153corpses\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. The reason I say this is because the girls in the [Goku] series up to this point have already been objectified and dismantled.
\nIf we were to see blood or organs spilled, this could be said to represent death, but since this MAD uses the technique of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Destroying the image\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Image\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is replaced with lifeless objects.
\nHence the girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 world is an extremely inorganic one, one where the senses are fuzzy.
\n\"szs16\"
\nThe scene with Sensei and Kafuka looks like this.
\nWhile Sensei has been turned to an image, barely resembling any sort of living being, Kafuka herself is also turned to a strange creature.
\nNonetheless, if we look closely, the flowers here are, interestingly, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153raw\u00e2\u20ac\u009d ones.<\/p>\n

In the background we see \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Falsehood\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e5\u02dc\u02dc) and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Truth\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (\u00e7\u0153\u0178).
\nOnce again, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sense of ambivalence.
\nWhen one holds ambivalence like this, one is forced to choose to either struggle against it, or become an empty shell of a human being.
\nIt seems as though Kafuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s displayed positive attitude may be a result of her attempts to escape her own extreme thoughts of despair and uncertainty, replacing them with the ideas \u00e2\u20ac\u0153all is inorganic\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153all is meaningless\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.
\n\"szs17\"\"szs18\"
\nOf course, this interpretation is reliant on these OPs which are in some sense \u00e2\u20ac\u0153professionally made derivative works\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, so its relevance to the work as a whole might be questionable, but the world we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen up until now is full of contradictions. In order to stay alive in this world, one can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t choose A or B, but must simply float in between the two.
\nThat the normally-hanged Sensei\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s neck is nooseless this time, and that Kafuka is the one hanging seems especially symbolic. Also, the fact that the previously inorganic images in the OP are replaced with more and more live flowers also interests me.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the inorganic paper-mache world is trying to break through the wave of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Depression\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mania\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in order to then revive itself?
\n\"szs19\"
\nI just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t figure out what color Kafuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s world, the world illustrated by these OPs, is. <\/p>\n

————————————<\/p>\n

Revisiting the Zoku OP with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fuura Kafuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Point of View\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in mind, he gradual fading followed by sudden jump into color in the final episodes seems to also make sense.
\nOn the other hand, we could also see this as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fuura Kafuka as seen by Sensei.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In that case, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to understand the OP in a totally different way, but there is that shot in the part 3 OP where we see Kafuka with her eyes downcast, possibly crying.
\nI think the key to figuring this all out is Kafuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempt to objectify the world while Sensei tries to protect the flowers, which symbolize life.
\nIs it symbiosis, or is it codependence\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6
\nFinally, though this is about the main feature, the final episode of a three-part series having so much development shocked me. Check the manga story for more detail\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Translator\/blogger’s Introduction: I’ve started reading more Japanese blogs as of late so that I don’t have to rely on slanted, NWS English-language rss feeds for nerd news. Some of the aggregators I started keeping an eye out on link to regular folks’ blog posts, which led me to Tamagomagogohan, a blog run by Tamagomago-san. (ironically, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,24,8,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anime","category-shaft","category-the-internet","category-translation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":726,"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions\/726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/2chan.us\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}