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dgray_man2009-12-28 04:31 pm
symbolism-egg.livejournal.com) wrote in dgray_man2009-12-28 04:31 pm
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On Kanda's Name
I was reading the latest chapter when I noticed a sort of pun that overjoyed my inner language geek. The currently available scanlation doesn’t convey it, so I thought I’d share it here for potential discussion.
This has to do with the meaning of Kanda’s name.
On page 11 (page 12 on Mangastream), the top and central panels read something like:
The malignant weapons, the “Akuma”
The “Millennium Earl”
“Innocence”
“Exorcists”
The reason we were born,
And the reason we live—
It’s a world like a mitoshiro, where everything has been prepared.
I leave mitoshiro untranslated because there’s no direct English equivalent, and it’s the word I want to discuss. A mitoshiro is a rice paddy where rice is grown to be offered to the gods. It’s written 御戸代 here, although different Kanji can be used. 神田 (read shinden or kanda) is listed as a synonym. This meaning is also explained under the Japanese Wiki entry for 神田 (kanda).
So, essentially, Kanda and Alma are like the rice grown in order to be offered to the gods, and Kanda is directly comparing the research facility to the rice paddy. I was wondering why Kanda had a Japanese name, and I think this answers my question. For all that she has Americans named Jasdero and Skinn, and Chinese named Komui and Linalee, Hoshino gets some of her names very, very right.
This has to do with the meaning of Kanda’s name.
On page 11 (page 12 on Mangastream), the top and central panels read something like:
The malignant weapons, the “Akuma”
The “Millennium Earl”
“Innocence”
“Exorcists”
The reason we were born,
And the reason we live—
It’s a world like a mitoshiro, where everything has been prepared.
I leave mitoshiro untranslated because there’s no direct English equivalent, and it’s the word I want to discuss. A mitoshiro is a rice paddy where rice is grown to be offered to the gods. It’s written 御戸代 here, although different Kanji can be used. 神田 (read shinden or kanda) is listed as a synonym. This meaning is also explained under the Japanese Wiki entry for 神田 (kanda).
So, essentially, Kanda and Alma are like the rice grown in order to be offered to the gods, and Kanda is directly comparing the research facility to the rice paddy. I was wondering why Kanda had a Japanese name, and I think this answers my question. For all that she has Americans named Jasdero and Skinn, and Chinese named Komui and Linalee, Hoshino gets some of her names very, very right.