チョコレートの金 (Chocolate Money)

Just an Update on My Status

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:30:22 GMT

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I'm currently working on Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of Chocolate. I wanted to get these up sooner, but college and life simply would not allow it. -0- But, I'll try to get these up ASAP, especially since I'll be heading into my Christmas Break at the end of this upcoming week.

I also just wanted to let you guys know that I've decided to drop Million Girl, I simply don't have the time for it, and when I looked at the raws for Chapter 2...I kinda didn't like were this was going, since it seemed to be taking on a kind of Shonen power-up/level-up format (or, should I say, just a game competition format), which I get bored with rather easily. Hopefully that series won't turn out that way though, since the drawing style was refreshing and the characters seemed interesting. But the chapter wasn't enough to hold my interest and I ultimately decided to drop it, since Chocolate alone takes up a lot of my time.

Anyway, I just thought I'd post this as a heads up. ^^

Take care and Happy Holidays! ^0^

Chocolate Chapter 4 (Part 2)

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:22:22 GMT

The post was too long all together, so I had to break it up into two parts. Sorry about that. Either way…

Enjoy!

Page 21

Chii: But I won’t cry anymore.

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘My dear friend…’

Page 22

Yuuto: B-But, that guy, Takatou Miki is here too, so…

Chii: He’s nothing to worry about. He’s not Rei.

Yuuto: But he’s face resembles Rei’s!

Page 23

Miki: Sigh.

Linda: Ko-i-Chi-yo-ko! Thought you could skip your lessons yesterday, huh!

(Noogie, noogie, noogie, noogie)

Chii: Ouch! Ow, ow, ow! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!

Linda: It’s decided! After school: sweeping!

(Bam!)

Chii: What-! Again-!

Page 24

Linda: Don’t, ‘Again,’ me!

(Bonk!)

Chii: I’m sorry, I’m sorry!

Chii: Ah, that’s right, eat up-. You guys are so cute!

(Pet, pet)

Chii: If sweeping is like this, I won’t mind doing it every once and a while.

(Bite!)

(Shock!)

Chii: OW--!

(Smack!)

Chii: Ack! Maan! My hair’s stuck! It’s…It’s not letting…loose.

Page 25

(Smoothly untangles hair)

Miki: You’re in luck.

(Ba-dum!)

Rei (Flashback): You’re in luck.

Page 26

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Rei…?’

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

(Sudden realization)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘That’s not Takatori Miki--!’

(Takes a step back)

Chii: Wh-

Miki: What? Don’t tell me you don’t appreciate it! I’m sorry.

Chii: Huh.

Page 27

Miki: I’m sorry about yesterday.

Chii: Wha…? What was that I finally heard you say?

(Pooie!)

Chii: I don’t wanna hear it! The reason being that you didn’t help me get Rei’s diary back-!

Miki: And, if that’s how it is, you won’t forgive me?

Page 28 & 29

The Kiss.

Page 30

Miki: Sorry…

Chii: Ah…

Page 31

Miki: …Or something like that.

Chii: Huh…

Miki: Mm, it’s just as I thought. Your weakness is my face!

(Blush)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Wh…’

Page 32

(SLAP!)

Miki: Ow-

(Silence)

Chii: Shut up!

Page 33

Chii: I definitely won’t forgive you for what you did!

Page 34

Miki: I wonder about that.

(Bangs open door)

Page 35

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘I can’t take this anymore! That guy is the worst!’

(Stomp, stomp, stomp)

(Bump)

Chii & Riko: Ah…

Page 36

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘…Riko…’

Riko: Chii, what are you doing here? Club activities?

Chii: Umm…

Shout: Riko-!

Riko: Ah, perfect timing. Let me introduce you.

(Step, step, step)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Huh…’

Page 37

Riko: This is my boyfriend, Miki.

Chii (Flashback): Riko, you have someone you like? What’s he like?

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘No way…It can’t be…’

Riko: Well, we’ll be going.

Riko (Flashback): Let me see…

Page 38

(Swish)

Riko (Flashback): He’s a very kind…

Miki: That kiss is a secret. <3

Riko (Flashback): And honest person.

Translator Notes: There aren’t too many this time. This chapter wasn’t much of a problem to translate (chapter two of Million Girl on the other hand…there is this one line that even my Japanese TA (Teacher Assistant) can’t quite figure out. So, expect the chapter five of Chocolate next (rather than chapter two of Million Girl). Anyway, onto the actual notes:

(P. 11) That guy did something to her somewhere. –This sentence is really awkward sounding, sorry about that. But, I couldn’t really think of a way to translate it that didn’t sound awkward and still kept the basic meaning of the said sentence. So…moving on.

(P. 13) That was simply, huh.- Here Miki is being very rude to Yuuto. He’s sorta talking to himself, but at the same time he wants Yuuto to hear (and agree) with what he is saying. And, on the subject of what he is saying, it is rather ambiguous. The word he uses means “simplicity.” He basically says that plus the “to be” short form marker “da” and the gobi (or ending) “yo ne,” which is a combination of “yo,” added emphasis and “ne,” a way to have a person agree with your statement. Therefore what he is saying is rather vague. He could be saying that Yuuto believes him very easily (as I decided to translate it), but at the same time he could be implying that Yuuto, himself, is rather “simple minded,” so to say.

(P. 25) You’re in luck.- This was a little tricky to translate, since the actual word that Miki (and Rei in Chii’s memories) says is “guuzen” and it can mean a variety of things: “(by) chance, unexpectedly, suddenly, accident, fortuity.” I thought the best bet to go with, and the one that would make the most sense, would be a phrase that was a combination of “fortuity” and “(by) chance,” so I went with “You’re in luck.”

(P. 26) That’s not Takatori Miki-!- This is literally what Chii says here. I think what she means by this statement is this side of Miki, this gentle face that he is showing her, and so on is not Miki but rather Rei.

(P. 27) Pooie and I don’t wanna hear it!- The sound effect here, the actually katakana would be pronounced the same, and it is meant to show anger. The “pooie” that I use is in “oh pooie” as in, something happened that I didn’t want to happen, “oh pooie!” I decided to go with this, rather than other words I could have put there to show anger, because it sounds like the actual Japanese that is there as well, and befits a young, and upset, middle school kid.

As for the second part of this translation note, she actually says something closer to “I won’t forgive you,” like I have her say later on, but right there I thought, “I don’t wanna hear it!” was more fitting and appropriate for a child of middle school age.

That’s it for Translation Notes. Now, onto my thoughts:

My Thoughts: To tell you the truth, I really don’t have that many, after briefly looking over the next chapter, I think I’ll have more thoughts on that instead of this one. But I first must say that Yuuto gets major props in this chapter! He is such a good friend and I feel so bad for him.

I also feel bad for Riko! She’s been a good friend to Chii too and doesn’t deserve to have such a dishonest boyfriend. Though, I do wonder how Miki behaved before Chii came into the picture. At the moment (and thinking about the next chapter as well) I’m near certain that Miki and Rei are the same person (I can’t wait to find out more information on that!) And in Rei’s diary, he writes of how he found Chii to be very annoying and whatnot when he first met her. He didn’t really like her. So, I wonder if now Miki, who I believe is really Rei, but honestly doesn’t remember being him, was a very nice and honest guy like Riko says. Then, when Chii came into the picture, his natural first impression of her was the same, and I wonder if Chii has also mixed up his emotions and affected his memories in any way? I guess we’ll just have to wait a little bit longer to find out. Nevertheless, Miki is a jerk! XD

That’s it for my thoughts on the chapter. I thought I’d go right into it, since it’s been so long since I updated the reason being that my raw provider wasn’t able to provide me with raws anymore, which is understandable with the economy as it is today and such. And two, because this semester of college is being a pain in the butt and requires way too much reading and writing.

Anyway, Chocolate does not belong to me, but to copyright ©Fukushima Haruka. The thanks for the scans goes to cookie over at the blog cookie.Dough, which can be found here: http://cookiedough.pinkmimi.net/ for downloads of many Nakayoshi series raw.

Lastly, I just want to say that if you use my translations, just give me the proper credit. That’s all. ^^

Now…I’m going to relax for a bit and do nothing…these past few weeks have been killers! @.@

Take care! (^^)o

-LilyGinnyBlack-

Chocolate Chapter 4 (Part 1)

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:20:40 GMT

The long awaited chapter 4 is finally up! You can find the translation, translator notes, my thoughts, and copyright information right underneath the LJ cut!

Enjoy! : )

Chocolate Chapter 4

Page 1

This painful love has sympathy sweeping throughout Japan!

A fervent, dramatic love!

Miki, who is the splitting image of her not-dead, first love crush, Rei has appeared, which has Chii trembling. Yet, Miki is the worst kinda guy out there…

From that day forward, my heart came to a standstill…

Chocolate

Chapter 4: Pieces of Memories

Page 2

Chii: I wish you had died instead--!

Miki: Eh.

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Rei’s diary…’

Page 3

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘The memories I have of him, everything…I hadda erase them all.’

Chii: Nowhere. They’re nowhere…

Page 4

Student: Man, the Music Room is so far away.

Student: No kidding, we’re gonna be late.

Rikka: Ha!

(Shake, shake (Chii shaking the tree branches))

Riko: Kya—What are you doing, Chii!

(Tears)

Chii: Riko-!

Riko: Huh.

Page 5

(Rustle, rustle (Chii moving around in the tree))

Chii: I’m sorry, Riko. I’m making you skip class…

Riko: Whoever tore up and threw away that person’s diary is more immature than a primary school student! Hey, that diary, it belongs to the guy you like, Rei, doesn’t it.

Chii:…Uh, yea…but he’s already dead.

Page 6

Chii: That person, back in primary school when he was a transfer student, he told me that he would teach me how to fall in love. That love…I’ll never forget it.

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘That was…’

Chii: I swear I won’t but…

Page 7

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘My only relationship…’

Chii: I lost his diary!

Riko: It’s okay. Say, for instance, that you did happen to find his diary, if you remember everything anyway, it won’t really matter…I kinda understand where you’re coming from.

Chii: Eh? You also like somebody? What kind of a person is he?

Riko: Um—Let me see…

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Riko looks so happy.’

Riko: He’s an extremely kind and honest person.

Chii: I see.

Riko: Anyway, let’s continue looking.

(Rustle; Riko looking through the bushes)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘I love it.’

(A page from Rei’s diary)

(Grab)

Chii + Riko: Ah!

Page 9

Chii OR Riko (I’m not sure who): We found it--!

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Thank you, Riko. I didn’t lose it.’

Page 10

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘I remember…’

Rei’s Diary: Chii, I love you.

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Everything--…’

Teacher: Koi. Koi Chiyoko, what’s happened to her? You sit next to her, have you heard anything?

Page 11

Miki: Nope. I don’t know a thing.

Teacher: I see.

(Student’s chatting and talking about eating lunch)

Yuuto: This is her bag. That guy did something to her somewhere.

Miki: Didn’t she go home and cry?

Page 12

(Miki is drinking Strawberry Orange juice)

Yuuto: Huh? You…

Miki: She wouldn’t shut up about “Rei this” and “Rei that,” so I ended up making her cry, oh well. I pretended to be Rei, played a trick on her, and then I threw away that diary.

Yuuto: Wh-?

Page 13

Yuuto: You bastard!

Miki: Oh, you believe me so quickly. That was simple, huh.

Page 14

Yuuto: That’s Rei ‘s memento!

Miki: Eh!

Yuuto: Rei…

(Shove)

Yuuto: Rei’s dead!

Female Classmates: Kya-!

Male Student: Huh, a fight…

Page 15

Chii: Ah! Stop it!

(Smack!)

(Crash!)

Yuuto: Chii!

Miki: Ah!

(Shock!)

Chii:…won’t allow.

Page 16

Chii: That’s it! I won’t allow you to hurt my precious things!

(Silence)

(Sign: Infirmary)

(Dab, dab, dab)

Page 17

Chii: Ow, ow, ow.

(Dab, dab)

Yuuto: You okay?

Chii: I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.

Yuuto: No, not that…The diary…

Chii: Ah…

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Do you know…that the diary got torn?’

Chii: I’m fine. I’m okay.

Page 18

(Sigh)

Yuuto: I can’t take this anymore…

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Eh…’

(Ba-dum)

Page 19

Chii: Yuu-

Yuuto: I can’t…hold it in any longer.

Page 20

Yuuto: Isn’t it that guy’s fault that you cried? I don’t want to see that.

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘You were always there for me. You’re my precious childhood friend.’

Chii: Yuuto, I won’t forget about Rei.

Chocolate Chapter 3 English Translation

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:48:42 GMT

That’s right! Along with Million Girl I’m going to be doing translations of Chocolate as well. So, here’s chapter 3 of the series. All thanks for the scans goes to Xiao Jie. Because of her I was able to get raws for this series, so I couldn’t have done the translation without her help! ^^ You can find (and download) the raws at her blog, here: http://eksentrick.wordpress.com/

There’s just two things I want to point out. If you want to use my translation, just let me know and make sure to credit me.

Second, this post (like the one for Million Girl) is extremely long. It also has curse words in it and some inappropriate comments (most are found within the actual chapter translation, though I do slip in a few curse words in the My Thoughts section.)

Other than that, please enjoy! You can find the translation, copyright information, translation notes, and my thoughts on the chapter and series by clicking the LJ cut below! ^-^

Copyright: Chocolate belongs to © Haruka Fukushima and Nakayoshi.

Chocolate Chapter Three

Color Splash Page:

Chocolate

I never forgot…

The person Chii had her first love for, Rei, died one year ago. Yet, she had a chance encounter with him at her junior high entrance ceremony…!?

The person Chii has fallen in love with, just keeps on appearing! Dramatic luck and love!!

Page 1

(Ba-dum)

Chii: “Re-.”

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

Flashback Rei: ‘Chii.’

(Ba-dum)

Page 2

(No text)

Page 3

Chii: “Re…Rei?”

Page 4

Chii: “You’re alive-!?”

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

‘Rei’: “I…”

Shout: “Chii!”

Page 5

Chii: “Yuuto! Yuuto, come here! Hurry up and get your butt over here!”

(Turning)

Yuuto: “Hah?”

(Noisily running)

Chii: “Re…R-R-R-Rei is…Rei is here.”

Yuuto: “Huh, what are you talking about? No one’s here.”

Page 6

Chii: “Just now, Rei was he-“

(Grab)

(Squeeze)

Yuuto: “Chii! Get your act together and stop fooling yourself. That guy is dead.”

(The sting of his blunt words)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Yuuto…’

Page: 7

Chii: “B…But-“

Yuuto: “Enough.”

(Yuuto jerks Chii’s arm)

Yuuto: “Let’s get to the entrance ceremony.”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Still…The resemblance was striking. That’s why, it he has to be Rei-!’

(Ding, dong, diing)

Loud Speaker: All new students please line up in class order.

Page 8

(Chatter, chatter)

Various Students: “After this, let’s exchange e-mail address!” “Eh- You’re an Underclassmen Rep? “ “I am!” “Hey, hey, do you know where little Soko-chan is?”

Boy in Background: “If you can’t find your bag, couldn’t it be over there?”

Girl in Background: “It could be.”

Riko: “Ah. Chii, over here, over here!”

Chii: “Riko!”

Yuuto: “Augh, We got spotted by her.”

Riko: “Have you seen your class yet? I’m in Class 11, you’re in Class 5.”

Chii: “Gah! We have different classes!”

Yuuto: “Just to let you know, I’m in Class 5, too.”

Riko: “I don’t give a rat’s ass about you.”

Yuuto: “You’re just jealous.”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘There’s so many classes…’

Page 9

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Maybe he’s in there. Everyone bought new school uniforms, so I can’t tell. Rei, Rei, Rei…’

Page 10

Chii: “Aah.”

(Quick sideways glance)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘I knew it. I’m not going to find what I’m looking for that easily, huh.’

Page 11

(Door slides open with a bang)

Teacher: “Hey, hey, sit your asses down! From today onwards I’m gonna be your homeroom teacher. The name’s Kusatsu Linda. Nice to meet’cha!!!”

(Shock!)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Hiiii…’

(Nervous, nervous)

Students’ Thoughts: ‘A foreigner!?’

(Nervous, nervous)

Students’ Thoughts: ‘A Yanki!’

(Nervous, nervous)

Students’ Thoughts: ‘Who is this!?’

Teacher: “All right, we’ll start with self introductions on this side of the room. Go!”

(Nervous!)

(Whips finger in Chii’s direction)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Eh, why’d she have to start over here!’

(Fear)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘And, oh man, the guy next seems to be asleep!’

(Shake, shake)

Chii: “Oooi! Hey, wake up. We have to do self introductions!”

Page 12

Guy Next to Her: “Nh.”

(Waking up)

Chii: “Ah.”

(Rubbing sleep from face/eyes)

Guy Next to Her: “Self…Introductions…?”

(Swish!)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Huh…’

Page 13

Guy Next to Her: “Me?”

Page 14

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Found it!’

(Reeling back in shock)

Yuuto: “Y-You! You lived?”

Chii: “Rei! You are Rei, aren’t you? I’ve wanted to see you for such a long time…”

Page 15

‘Rei’: “Hah? Who’s that? I’m…Takatori Miki, if that’s any help?”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Wh…’

Page 16

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘He’s not Rei-!?’

Chii: “I’m Chii! You remember me, right?”

Miki: “What’s the meaning of that number?”

(Laugh)

Chii: “Eh… Gyaaa!!!”

(Shock!)

Page 17

Rei: “Are your panties really in that much of a twist?”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Wh-!’

(Blush)

(Grab)

Chii: “What an idiot-!”

(Bam!)

Miki: “Ow! Why you…”

Page 18

(Fingers cracking)

Teacher: “Honestly…You two…have got to be fucking kidding me.”

(Whack, whack!)

Teacher: “It’s decided, after school, you two are doing the cleaning!”

Chii + Miki: “What-!!!”

Teacher: “You two are gonna put on jerseys and then go out to the courtyard and weed!”

Chii: “N-no waay-.”

Miki: “Damn.”

*Door Sign*: Girls Changing Room

Page 19

(Struggling to put on shirt)

Chii: “Why do I have to weed on entrance day…It’s all that guys fault. Such an awful personality…”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘…Still,’

(Zip)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Despite all that, his face is the splitting image…’

(Walking through grass)

Page 20

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Huh…He’s…asleep?’

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

Page 21

(Ba-dum! Ba-dum!)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘..Rei…’

(Ba-dum!)

Page 22

(Catches hand)

Miki: “’Rei,’ who is he?”

(Realization that they are holding hands)

Chii: “Y-you’re awake…”

Miki: “That guy, do I really resemble him that much?”

(Blush)

Chii: “R-Rei was…Rei was a classmate of mine when I was in elementary school. No matter what I…I want to see him again, just one more time.”

Page 23

Miki: “The truth is, I was in an accident, and I don’t have any memories before last year.”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Huh.’

Miki: “That’s why, I don’t even really know if I’m actually Takatori Miki.”

(Ba-dum!)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘What is he saying,’

(Ba-dum! Ba-dum!)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘’Before last year,’’

(Ba-dum!)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘That means…’

Miki: “So I…”

Page 24

(Ba-dum)

Chii: “You’re Rei! You really are Rei.”

Miki: “Um, well, but you see. I don’t have any memories so…”

Page 25

Chii: “That’s okay! I can give your memories to you. There’s something I want you to see.”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Definitely, there’s no doubt about it, he’s Rei.’

Diary Page: Chii is amazing.

(Turning pages)

Diary Page: Chii is the person I love.

Page 26

Riko: “Ah.<3”

(Sneak)

Riko: “A diary!? Show. Me. It. <3”

Chii: “N-no way!”

(Shock!)

Riko: “What, what, did you write about the guy you like in there? Is that guy, is he your boyfriend?”

Chii: “Um, well, it’s not really like that…”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘I mean, is it okay if I suddenly just start talking about it…?’

Riko: “It’s all right, Chii.”

Chii: “Eh?”

Page 27

Riko: “If you think about it all the time,”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Riko…’

Riko: “Then your love will never bear any fruit.”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘…She’s right. Even if I’m anxious, that’s fine.’

(Clutch)

Page 28

On the Page: Something like this is a miracle that only the Gods can do.

Chii: “H-Here. This is Rei’s diary.”

Miki: “Diary?”

Chii: “Rei wrote about me in it, so I gave it a look through.”

Miki: …Hahuu. (a sigh)

Page 29

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Rei.’

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Rei’s remembering.’

(Ba-dum)

(Closes book)

Miki: “Amazing.”

(Oh!)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Ah!’

Page of Diary: Chii is amazing.

Chii: “That’s right! You remembered?”

Miki: “Nope. Amazing, huh?”

Page 30

Miki: “’Cool?’”

(Sound of pages being ripped out and shredded)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Eh. Eh!’

Page 31

Miki: “A terrific read, wouldn’t you say?”

Page 32

Chii: “Huh?”

Miki: “Ahahahahaha! Could it be that you still don’t get it? Since you kept talking about this Rei guy, I simply played along with it. I put up a front of being Rei. So, how was it? A real ‘true-to-life’ performance!”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Everything…’

Page 33

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Was a lie…?’

Miki: “Could it be, that all of this time, you’ve just been some kind of stalker to the guy that rejected you? That’s just disgusting.”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘This guy…This jerk…’

Page 34

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Isn’t Rei. He really…’

Page 35

(Papers shifting and fluttering to the ground)

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Isn’t Rei-…Why…’

Miki: “Yo, you wanna say something?”

Chii’s Thoughts: ‘Does it seem like you forgot.’

Chii: “…You know,”

Page 36

Chii: “I wish it had been you who died!”

(Dash)

Miki: “Eh.”

On Page: The gods are always so cruel to me.

Translation Notes:

* “…Get your act together and stop fooling yourself!...” In the original Japanese Yuuto says something closer to, ‘Stop seeing/having a dream.’ Or, as we would say in English, “Stop fooling yourself.”

* “If you can’t find your bag, couldn’t be over there?” I’m not too sure of this line. The handwriting is a little messy here (and squashed together) so I can’t quite make out some of the hiragana. That’s why that sentence probably sounds a little awkward. I didn’t try that hard with the sentence though. I figured, since it’s just two people talking in the background, with no real importance, it didn’t really matter if it was completely accurate.

* “Gah! We have different classes!” Japan likes using there onomatopoeia! When I got to this speech bubble I saw this: ガーンはなればなれ (Ga-n, hanarebanare.) Ga-n is a Japanese sound effect for extreme shock (usually of the disappointing kind) and hanarebanare means ‘being apart, scattered, separated.’ “Gah,” is probably the closest sound we have in English to the originally ‘Ga-n’ sound made here. And with hanarebanare I went with, “We have different classes!” rather than just saying, “We’re separated!” or something of the like because, to me, in an English conversation, “We have different classes!” would flow better.

* “I don’t give a rat’s ass about you!” Rather vulgar, I know. But the characters (especially a little later on in the chapter) have a vulgar vocabulary. Of course, in the actual Japanese she didn’t say “rat’s ass,” she just said that she ‘didn’t care about him.’ Since this is a conversation between two middle schoolers who don’t like each though, I decided that “I don’t give a rat’s ass about you!” would be an appropriate response.

* ‘Hiiii’ I didn’t really know how to translate this, so I just transliterated it directly. Think of this sound as a really, really nervous laugh.

* A Yanki is basically a delinquent youth (English equivalent would be of a youth in a gang.) One of the students thinks this about their teacher probably because of her speech, which is very rough, demanding, and manly, which is language fit for a female Yanki. Second, another student’s thoughts show that she is (probably) a foreigner, due to her first name and her hair. Her hair is (most likely) blonde, a stereotype for foreigners in manga/anime, and also connects the other students thought of her being a Yanki. Since Yanki’s are known for dying their hair blonde, which goes against the rules and they are delinquents, so…There are plenty of other examples of Yanki’s but the best well known ones would be Uotani and Kyoko from Fruits Basket. I didn’t transliterate is as Yankee, because I didn’t want anyone to confuse the term with the baseball team.

* “What’s the meaning of that number?” Goodness, this was such a random sentence! It came out of nowhere and I wasn’t sure what it was talking about at first. But, then I realized he must be talking about a number on her panties…or something, since her skirt is lifted up and such.

* “Are your panties really in that much of a twist?” Vulgar, yes, but Miki seems to be that way. Also, the originally Japanese didn’t mention anything about panties; it was more along the lines of: ‘Are you really that frustrated?’ But, since he just got a glimpse of her said panties (and I like making puns and/or bad jokes) I went with, “Are your panties really in that much of a twist?”

* “Honestly…you two…have got to be fucking kidding me!” Coarse language, yes, I know. But ‘fuzakennayo’s’ definition is as such: “stop bullshitting me, you’re fucking kidding me; you’re full of shit” really, “fucking kidding me,” was the best fit in my book. I could have censored the language somewhat, but the teacher’s status as a foreigner and her Yanki speech pattern and behavior made me choose otherwise. (Plus, I really don’t like censoring!)

* From page 29 to page 31 Miki keeps using the same slang term, ‘yabai.’ This word gave me a bit of trouble; do to the rather ambiguous way in which it can be translated. The definition of the word is as such: “dangerous, risky, awful, terrible, crap, terrific, amazing, cool.” As you can see…it has some contradictory meanings. But, I went by context clues and went with the “terrific, amazing, and cool” definitions. Since, when Chii was reading about herself in Rei’s diary, I highly doubt that she re-read (and was happy) about sentence that said she was “dangerous or terrible.” Thus, she I translated it as amazing. I also use “cool” and “terrific.” But, the impression I got from the text is a somewhat sarcastic tone coming from Miki, which would fit perfectly because then “terrific” would equal “terrible” and “cool” would equal “crap.” Just like how, in English, “That was sick!” can me, “That was awesome!”

That’s the end of the translation notes. Gods, there was a lot of slang and awkward to translate sentences in this chapter (not to mention a lot of uncouth remarks.) Anyway, onto my thoughts on this chapter:

My Thoughts:

Hmm, I really don’t have too many thoughts on this chapter. Maybe it’s because not much actually happens here. But, well, we’ll see. Let me start from the beginning.

Yay! The dark haired boy finally has a name! XD Yuuto seems to be the ‘long-time-best-friend-who-wants-to-be-more-than-just-friends (even if he doesn’t realize it yet.) He wants Chii to forget about Rei. I bet that has a little to do with the fact that Yuuto knows that her pinning over Rei won’t help her move on (or be good for her health), but I bet it has more to do with the fact that Yuuto is jealous that Chii cares so much for Rei; especially since she didn’t even know Rei for a long time at all.

Now that I’m on the topic of Yuuto, he doesn’t come off as the ‘really-kind-best-friend’ meant to be the foil character to Rei/Miki. He is rather rude in his speech (very blunt), and can be kinda mean to Chii as well. Though, no where near the level of cruelty as Rei/Miki. The way his character is definitely adds a little twist to this shoujo manga. There’s no obvious foil (like Yuki and Kyo, for example) so far. I’m hoping that there never is. It would make the upcoming love triangle a little more interesting.

Shifting gears (slightly), Riko seems like a nice girl (if a bit nosey.) She also seems to have a little more experience and knowledge when it comes to love, in comparison to Chii. I’m assuming that we are going to be getting some more background information on Riko, since she is Chii’s roommate. I’m also assuming that (after, or possibly during, the love triangle) Yuuto and Riko will be getting together. They have the ‘love/hate’ and ‘bickering couple’ dynamic. We’ll just have to see though.

Let’s see, when it comes to characterization…Chii doesn’t have much going for her right now. It’s still very early on, but there isn’t anything about her character that really grabs me…not yet anyway. She’s rather naïve and kind, but that’s it. I’m anticipating some change, or even some kind of character trait that makes her unique. Until that time comes, I’m just going to say that Chii is really young. I mean, she doesn’t understand the power of her own words. Sure Miki is a jackass, but that doesn’t me you go and tell the kid you wished he had died instead of Rei. That’s being extremely careless with your words. And, as anyone who has read Loveless knows, words are very powerful things to the Japanese. And I’m not talking about the usual ‘strong’ words that every culture and society knows (such has ‘love’ and ‘hate’), I’m talking about the concept that, once you say something, it becomes true. So, I’m wondering if Chii’s carelessly used words will have any important impact to the story. Though, I will say that the Gods just hate Chii or something, give the girl a break, won’t you?

Continuing with my thoughts on the individual characters…Miki is an asshole! What a jerk, really. His character is what intrigues me and is probably what’s going to make me want to read the next chapter. How much truth is in his words? How much fib is in his words? We, the readers, really don’t know. Is this Miki person really Rei or not? The horrible personality seems to fit, since (in the beginning) Rei found Chii to be a bunch of horrid things (which he wrote down in his diary.) Yet, he ultimately had a change of heart. But, could this Miki person be the true personality of Rei? Or, is he really a completely different person that just happens to look remarkable like Rei? A doppelganger, perhaps? We don’t know yet, and that’s what I really want to find out.

The only other thing I have to say about Miki is…Rei is a much cooler name. Miki sounds like a girls name and (thanks to Peach-Pit) all I can think of is an artistic, little female Chara who likes to draw! /D

Finally, the last thing I have to say on this chapter (and series so far) is that I’m going to be highly entertained by the foreign Yanki teacher that they have! ~~I better be, at least! If I’m not.. >8(~~ For some reason I always get a kick out of Yanki’s or, should I say, Yanki like characters. They are more direct with their words and their actions, which is appealing to me, since it is more Western in a way. So…I’m hoping for some antics with the teacher (lots of getting in trouble), especially once the love triangle really starts rolling!

That’s it! Ah, I’m all translated out! =.= ;

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, my translation notes, and my thoughts on the said chapter and the characters within it. Take care! (^^)o

~Lily~

Million Girl English Translation

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:30:34 GMT

Hello everyone! (^^)o

I’ve decided to use this blog to post my translations of Million Girl and Chocolate, both series scans are provided by Xiao Jie. The download for these scans can be found at this link: http://eksentrick.wordpress.com/ So first, I’d like to thank her greatly for providing me with the raw scans. Without her hard work of scanning the raw chapters, I wouldn’t be able to translate anything. Thank you, Xiao Jie! m(_ _)m

Second, if you use my translation of the chapter, please credit me for it. This translation took hours (more hours than I would like to admit) and I would highly appreciate the credit where it is properly due.

Lastly, this post is extremely long (though most of it is the actual translation.) Nevertheless, I’m just giving you guys a heads up. There are also a few curse words here and there (as well as some, very small, brief, and rather discreet, discussion on adult-like topics.) But, overall, this is a very, very clean post.

The translation, translation notes, and my thoughts on the first chapter of the series (and thus the series overall) can be found by clicking the LJ cut below.

Enjoy! ^_^

Color Page (Page 1)

I inherited it from my mother: my most precious treasure. That’s why…I have shinning, amber colored hair.

Page 2

Girls on the left: “Pretty~”

Girl on the right: “Kya~”

(Step, step)

People Passing: “Hey, did you see that hair!”

This place, Teito Gakuin, is a newly established, prestigious school for the top men and women in the financial world.

Friends: “Sachi! Over here!”

Page 3

Sachi: “Guys!”

High School First Year, Kohaku Sachi.

Page 4

(no text)

Page 5

Short-Haired Friend: “Sachi, what gorgeous hair, it’s even shiner than a jewel!”

Long-Haired Friend: “What do you use to get such an awesome hair color?”

Sachi: “Nothing. I got it from my mother.”

Long-Haired Friend: “My! Your mother must be beautiful too! I want to meet her! Can I come over to your house?” (This last sentence I’m guessing on, since part of the sentence got cut off in the scan, but based on the first half, and Sachi’s reply, I’m assuming she asked something like this.)

Sachi: “…I’m sorry, but she’s (far) away right now. You won’t be able to meet her.”

Friends: “Aww, that’s too bad~”

Page 6

(Door shut)

(Sigh)

Sachi: “I’m home, mom. Keeping up the appearance of a respectable young lady everyday is really hard, but today, just like everyday, I gave it my best! Good night.”

Page 7

(Birds flapping and flying outside)

Sachi: “Mm…”

(Glomping clock)

Sachi: “Wa! It’s that time already!”

Page 8

(Bong. Bong- Clock ringing)

(Thud!)

Current Head of Family: “Today, like every other day, make sure you do nothing to dishonor the Kohaku family name.”

Sachi: “I won’t. I’ll take my leave now.”

Page 9

The Kohaku family manages Houseki Enterprise.

Long-Haired Friend: “Sachi~ Look’s like you’re in a good mood.”

Teito Gakuin students are rich.

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘All right! Today, like every other day, I’m going to do my best!’

Shout (Boy in Hat): “Give it back!”

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘Extortion!?’

Page 10

Sachi: “What do you think you’re doing!?”

(Sudden appearance!)

Other Boy: “Huh? What! You! Give that money back to me! It’s mine!”

(Rustling)

Other Boy: Ah!

Eye-Patch Dude: “My, my, wasn’t that a very flashy way to throw around money.”

Page 11

Eye-Patch Dude: “How about it? You up to bathing in a pool of money?”

Page 12

!?

Page 13

Eye-Patch Dude: “Deciding you want the money you lost back, after the game is over, is a violation of the rules.”

(Dash!)

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘Game…?’

Sachi: “You two…Were you gambling at school?”

Eye-Patch Dude: “Gambling? We don’t do something as low-level as that.”

(Swish!)

Eye-Patch Dude: “This is the Money Game.”

Page 14

Eye-Patch Dude: “Sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I’m Second Year, Shirogane Leon. If you took an interest in this, why don’t you give it a try and participate?”

Page 15

Sachi: “No way!”

(Smack!)

Sachi: “I’ll never participate in something like that!”

(Sigh)

Page 16

(Ki-n ko-n, ka-n ko-n – school bell)

(Door sliding open)

Sachi: “Just made it!”

Long-Haired Friend: “This is unusual. You’re never on the verge of being late to class like this. Did something happen?”

Sachi: “I saw someone getting their money extorted (?), went over to help them, and then this strange guy called Leon came over and cut in-“

Friends: “Leon!?”

Page 17

Sachi: “You guys…?”

Friends: “‘Leon-sama,’ did you say? He's the richest person here, isn't he? It’s been said that he’s done a bunch of dangerous things in order to work his way up to all those assets. Sachi….It’s best if you have nothing to do with a guy like Leon.”

I just don’t understand this world that’s covered in money. That why I want nothing to do with people like Leon.

Sachi: “I’ve returned.”

Page 18

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘What’s…this…?’

Yakuza Man: “You’re Kohaku Sachi, right? The Kohaku family’s Houseki Enterprise has gone bankrupt. The vast amount of debt your family was in was too much for your family head to deal with, so he up and ran.”

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘Eh?’

Page 19

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘Bankruptcy?’

Sachi: “What’s this? I’ve never heard anything about this.”

Yakuza Man: “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to inform you about these happy events. Simply put, the head of your family sold the company and then ran away.”

Sachi: “Sold it…? What are you talking about?”

(Ba-dum!)

Yakuza Man: “The person now seen as responsible for the debt exchanged you for cash.”

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

Sachi: “Debt…?”

(Ba-dum)

Sachi: “How much…was I sold for…?”

(Ba-dum!)

Page 20

Yakuza Man: “One hundred million yen.”

(Shock!)

!!!

Page 21

Yakuza Man: “I thought to myself, ‘How could I not know a young girl with such beautiful hair?’ So, why don’t you come with us?”

(Chill)

(Grip)

(Smack!)

Yakuza Man: “Don’t let her escape!”

Page 22

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘It happened again, Mom…’

Page 23

Sachi: “Mother…”

(Step)

Current Head of House: “—Was it you, a distant relatives’ brat, that caused us to go bankrupt? Ah, how annoying! Just because everyone in the family says I’m the only one available, why do I have to look over you?” (It looks like there is a little bit more, which could change the last sentence a little, though I doubt it, but I can’t make it out. Oh well.)

Page 24

And then the time came when I became a high school student--

Current Head of House: “Sachi! Put this on! From now on you’re going to be attending Teito Gakuin!”

Sachi: “Teito!? I couldn’t possibly…”

Current Head of House: “If you want to support the household name through social status, don’t complain! You’re hair is the only bit of charm you have, so take it! You’re purpose is to rise up the Kohaku family name in this money-hungry world!”

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘I can’t believe we went bankrupt to an uncle like this!’

Page 25

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘Having my fate be controlled by money again is going to drive me crazy…”

(Bump)

Sachi: “Ah! I’m sorr-“

(Fall)

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘This card…was it inside my pocket…?’ (I’m not too sure on this one, since part is cut off, but it’s definitely talking about something being in her pocket, and since the panel beside it shows the card…ah, I assume the sentence is close to what I have.)

Page 26

(She examines the card, I don’t know exactly what it says, since I’m not that good with Kanji yet…^^; But it obviously has his name, address, and etc. on it. She realizes she can go to him to get the money.)

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘One hundred million yen!!?’

Page 27

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

(Ba-dum, ba-dum!)

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘Behind the school building…this is it…’

Page 28

(Catching breath)

(Beep)

(Elevator coming up)

(Elevator going down)

Sachi’s Thoughts: ‘The basement…?’

(Elevator stops)

Page 29

Leon: “Welcome to the Money Game!”

Page 30

Leon: “You came, just like I thought.”

Page 31

Sachi: “I’m not playing that game. I came here to see if you would lend me some money.”

Leon: “We don’t give out money here. If you want a monetary award for one hundred million yen, the participation fee will be ten thousand yen.”

Sachi: “Ten thousand yen…” (There’s more here, but I can’t see it. It got cut off. But I’m assuming it has something to do with her not having the money amount.)

Leon: “You’re a person who attends Teito and you don’t even have ten thousand yen?”

Sachi: “Well, you see, my family filed bankruptcy…” (There’s some more here too, but I can’t make it out. It got cut off as well.) “That’s right! In order to return the one hundred million yen that was borrowed, I’ve decided that I’ll work for it myself! For that reason, it is absolutely necessary that I borrow money to rent an apartment.” (It seems as if she is making up an excuse in order to get the money from him.)

Page 32

Leon: “So what? I told you that we don’t lend out money, you were listening, weren’t you?”

Sachi: “The truth is…Because of the debt, the Yakuza are after me! But I want to work properly and pay you back! So…I’ll definitely pay you back, just lend me a bit of money, please!”

Leon: “How many times do I have to say this?”

Page 33

(Whoosh!)

(Thud!)

Page 34

Leon: “You’ll work in order to return one hundred million yen? That’s impossible. Could it be that you got sold out to the Yakuza?”

Sachi: “But-“

Leon: “Where will they dispose of your freedom, and what will they make you do…? How about you tell me those things?”

Page 35

(Falls to the ground)

Sachi: “I give up. If I participate in the Money Game, I’ll get to redo my life and gain some kind of a chance.”

(Chair moves)

Leon: “Not even being able to procure ten thousand yen is just bad luck on your part.”

(Squeeze)

Leon: “What are you-“

Page 36

Sachi: “Mother, I’m sorry…”

Page 37

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

(Ba-dum, ba-dum)

(Ba-dum, ba-dum!)

(Raising knife)

Page 38

(Rustle)

Page 39

(No text)

Page 40

(Bam!)

Leon: “Your hair…”

Sachi: “My hair, that’s shines more beautiful than a gem and is the color of amber, is the only piece of property I can sell to you.”

Page 41

Sachi: “With this, I’m going to participate in the Money Game! I’m going to do it in order to regain my life!”

Leon: “Shall I pay ten thousand yen for this enthusiasm?”

Page 42

(Slams down money and spreads it out)

Let the game begin!!

Translation Notes:

• First off, the one hundred million yen…In the actual Japanese they didn’t have yen, dollars, or anything, so I just went with yen, because 1. It takes place in modern day Japan and 2. I don’t like seeing a figure without any label behind it (that’s probably the only thing from Math classes that I actually learned and care about! XD)

• 10,000 yen is roughly 100 dollars, since 100 yen is about 1 USD.

• On page 11 Leon says, “You up to bathing in a pool of money?” This is a loose translation, since the actual Japanese doesn’t mention anything about a pool full of money. It does mention a large amount of money and basking/bathing in; thus, I went with the well known English phrase, “Bathing in a pool of money.” Same concept gets across and it’s less awkward sounding.

• On page 16, when Sachi is explaining about what happened that almost made her late, the “(?)” was in the actual Japanese. It was put there to show that is wasn’t certain herself if she was seeing what she thought she was. Also, the word that I translated as “gambling” can also mean ‘betting,’ but I chose to go with the former because it has a more dangerous edge to it.

• Extortion is basically taking (or stealing) money or goods from someone. It’s not robbery or anything, a good example (which fits the situation in this manga) is when a high school bully takes a nerdy kids money. Cliché, but a very good example indeed.

• Gakuin means “institution or academy”, but I like the sound of it, so I didn’t bother to translate it. Plus, I figured some readers may already know what it means anyway.

• Houseki means “gem or jewel,” I didn’t translate this because…well, to me, this is one of those times when the Japanese sounds cooler than the English translation. So, I simply left it alone.

• Sachi talks in extremely polite Japanese, especially when she is talking to her Head of the Family, which is why I tried to make some of her sentence more formal and stiff (less so, when she is talking to her friends, who are both extremely girly (and slangy) in their speech patterns.)

• Yakuza is the Japanese mafia.

• Last note, “Not even being able to procure ten thousand yen is just bad luck on your part.” This translation…I’m still slightly unsure about, since the actual Japanese was very odd. The “tsuki” that was used here can mean “attached to, under, impression, etc.” so a rough translation would be, “Not even being able to procure ten thousand yen is just the attachment of luck/the impression of luck/left to luck.” None of those sound good, so I went with a very loose translation and said “bad luck.”

My Thoughts:

Okay, first off…the title, I really, really, really just want to put “Dollar” after “Girl”…it’s been bugging me! D:

That’s the only real complaint that I have about this series so far though. There were only two other things that I kinda didn’t like. The first was in the beginning, when Sachi was talking to her friends. These are obviously people that she knows, since they call her by her first name, and she seems rather familiar with him, but they ask her about her hair and her mother like a strangers or something. I know this was done in order for the readers to get back ground information on the character, but still…it could have been done better.

The second thing was when Sachi was talking about her hair at the end, and was calling it “shinier than a gem” and such. I know that she was saying this to show the value of her hair (since, it seems, she’s grown up thinking that her hair is the only thing valuable that she has) and it also makes a kind of pun (since the name of her family business also means “gem” if translated) I still couldn’t help the thought of, ‘Conceited much?’ that went through my head. ^^;

Moving on, the long-haired girl and short-haired girls (who still do not have names, I hope they get some next chapter!) look like twins to me…or is that just me? They seem like interesting friends, they are close but they are distant at the same time. They also seem somewhat ditzy, but girls that know what’s going on around the school. Very helpful friends in that aspect, it’s also quite easy to tell that they are going to be some kind of hindrance when Sachi starts developing feelings for Leon (and vice versa, because, I mean, come on! Those two are going to be the love focus and everyone knows it! XD)

So, Sachi’s mother passed away. We don’t know why yet (I bet she was murdered because of the debt or something, maybe Sachi’s uncle (the bastard who ran away and sold Sachi to the Yakuza) had something to do with it? Or maybe I’m just spinning out wild rumors (actually, that’s exactly what I’m doing! /D) Yes, so, Sachi seems to have a mother complex (there a few times when I had flashbacks to Tohru, especially in one scene when Sachi was thinking of her mother and her eyes took up half her face!) She also seems to be a person with little self-confidence, though she takes pride in her hair. This is obviously the fault of her awful uncle who kept telling her that nothing about her was worth anything except her hair. So, it’s understandable.

In my translation notes I mentioned how Sachi has a very refined and polite way of speaking (another Tohru flashback!), well she does, the only time she doesn’t use this way of speaking is at the end when she is talking to Leon. She is very forceful here and determined. I’m thinking that this is going to be the thing that Leon brings out in her; determination, value in herself, and slightly more forceful personality that won’t stand for things that she doesn’t like.

So far we haven’t seen anything about her being particularly clumsy nor does she seem to eat a lot (but never gain weight.) It’s hinted at that she isn’t all that good at school, since she is surprised that she got into Teito (which, while being an institution for finances, also seems to be an institution for people who are rather smart.) Then again her surprise could have come from the fact that she didn’t believe herself (in social status terms) worthy of going to a school such as Teito. We’ll have to wait and see more of her personality to know that. She also doesn’t seem like the type of person who normally sleeps in late, because she was so shocked by the time when she woke up (not a normal reaction from someone who usually gets up late anyway.) Final thought on her personality, she doesn’t seem to like everyone. She doesn’t like people like Leon, who (in her mind) probably reminds her of her uncle (who she most likely hates.)

Speaking of Leon…my, he certainly knows how to wear and eye-patch! *q* It suits him very, very well (~~even better than Break!~~) I wonder why he wears it though? Hmm, that’s certainly some food for thought, though I bet it has to do with the “dangerous things” he did in order to get the money he has now. His background and personal history will be very interesting indeed, I think.

Also, I’m really digging his personality (as of right now), he is a somewhat refreshing character. He cares about money…and that’s it. Really, he’s shown no interest in anything humane yet, not even when Sachi cut off her hair (I think he was more shocked that she did that than anything else.) I mean, it’s common in Shoujo anime/manga to have a ‘bad boy’ type, such as Kyo from Fruits Basket, Zero from Vampire Knight, Ikuto from Shugo Chara<, and etc. etc. These characters are either unintentionally mean, cold, or simply socially misunderstood due to being socially awkward (or some combination of the three…and sometimes all three.) While they have small quirks that separate them and make them all slightly different, overall there is one thing that connects them all: they all are genuinely kind and want to help people (or people that they love and/or have allowed to get close.)

Leon is none of this (so far, I’m sure his personality is going to morph and change eventually.) He cares about his money (or just money in general) and that’s it. He’s worse than Kyouya from OHSHC! At least he’s shown (fairly early on) that he isn’t always about money, and even when he is about the money, he goes about things in a way that benefits everyone…not just himself. For some reason (note the sarcasm), I don’t think Leon will be this way (not for a long time anyway.)

He’s kind of a jackass, but I don’t mind, because he’s upfront about it, unlike some certain characters (~~Kaname~~). If a guy is going to be a jerk, I’d much rather they are a manipulative jerk upfront then try and pretend to be a nice guy. By being their true selves one can at least know that they are honest and when they say something that they really mean…they’ll mean it. For example, if Leon gives Sachi a compliment sometime down the road in this series, I (and Sachi) will know that he actually means it; since (from what I can gather from this first chapter) compliments are extremely rare from him. He also seems like a stickler for rules, at least when it comes to the Money Game. ^^;>

The interaction between these two will be fascinating, especially for a Shoujo manga. I can sense quite a bit of conflict (with Sachi’s rather self righteous and morally clean attitude and Leon’s more corrupted and twisted sense of morality and how the world works.) Sparks will be flying! And the transformation of these two will be fun to watch, definitely.

Though, I’m sensing that there will be a lack of humor in this series, which I have absolutely in problem with. I do like humor now and then, but I’m mostly drawn to darker and/or more serious series (with the occasional glance at more light hearted series.) So far we haven’t had one humorous moment in this manga, and it doesn’t seem like a series that sugar coats either. Sachi’s uncle is a disgraceful and horribly hypocritical man, Leon is a money hungry jerk (I wonder what made him that way, since I’m positive he wasn’t always like this, and Sachi will be able to bring out that nearly dead part of him), and Sachi got sold to the Yakuza! And the Yakuza leader is a total creeper (I mean, what he said to her, that implies things (things that I don’t really want to think about) in my mind.)

So, I’m ready for some heavy duty dramatic stuff (yay for plot!) As much as I like romance…I do not like when romance takes over the plot (~~Vampire Knight~~)! I like a nice mix between the two. A rare find, but when I can find them it’s all good! XD And, if I can’t find a nice mix, then I usually go for something that is extremely plot driven, but has very subtle hints of romance in it; for example, Mononoke (a series I recommend to anyone reading this!) For the most part it’s all plot, but there are those very small hints throughout of a romance, which makes for wonderful fanfics (though there simply are not enough for this series! =3=)

Getting back to Million Girl though, I’m looking forward to finding out what sort of person Sachi’s mother was, where Sachi’s father is (or what happened to him), and why Leon’s ‘office’ is located behind the school (does he have some connection to the principal/superintendent/whoever runs the school?) Who knows, but I’m very interested in finding out.

Oh! I also want to know who that girl is with the dark brown/purplish hair is! She’s the one on the Splash Page with Leon. I have a rather crazy idea that it might be Sachi in disguise (a wig, since she now has sort hair and some contacts) or something (since she is supposed to be hiding from the Yakuza, who will go after her.) But when I look at the two girls their facial structures are too different (and their attitudes are too different as well.) Still, I can hope…right? In the meantime, I want to know who she is too! =P

Wrapping up this post I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Million Girl and anticipate the next chapter (where is Sachi going to live? With Leon? That would be fun! ^.~) And I like their school uniforms. The both the girls and the boys uniforms are simplistic, but the girls one looks really cute and Leon looks amazing in the boys, so no complaints from me there! n.n

I hope you enjoyed reading this long ass rant of mine on the series (and the actual translation.) ^^

Take care! (^^)o

~LilyGinnyBlack~

Gackt for the Win! XD

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:56:59 GMT

Well, it's been confirmed...Gackt is going to be in Bunraku with Josh Hartnett, he is going to play his partner, Yoshi! W00t! (^O^)o That means seeing Gackt in American theaters. Gosh, I'm still in shock! O.O Anyway, it's nearly 12 midnight and I have school tomorrow, so I'm heading off to bed. I'll talk about this more later when I've gotten some sleep! =P

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:15:17 GMT

Since I'm on vacation...I don't feel like doing anything! >.O Even though there are plenty of things that I have to do...such as my Japanese work (though I must say that I'm proud with how much I'm picking up of the Japanese language, I got an 87 on my Japanese Placement Test for Seton Hall so I can start in Intermediate Japanese (w00t! ^0^)), finish filling out my Housing application (though for this one I need the parental units, because we need to figure out which meal plan I want to go with), look over an essay that's due sometime next week for English class, and update my fanfic....But I don't feel like doing any of that! =P I'd much rather play Crisis Core (since I'm almost done with it, only one more baddie to beat and I'll be at the end guy), watch Darker Than Black, which is turning out to be a pretty interesting anime even though I'm only at episode 4, or watch Are You Afraid of the Dark, which is still just as awesome as I remember it being when I was six or so years old. Now I only wish that I could watch that and all the old Nick shows on the TV rather than on YouTube or hunting them down on the web. -0-

Anyway, off to do some Japanese! *(^^)* Then go to work! o(>A<)o

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:23:24 GMT

I got friended by Gackt! xD It makes me feel special, even though it really isn't...because 1, 858 other people got friended by him as well! =P But, whatever, I think this is a big step for him. I mean, he went from 83 friends last night to 1, 859 this morning! @.@ His international fan base is growing bigger and bigger with each passing day, and it excites me to think of his future and what it may in-store. It excites me think about my future as well, and the thought that I may be able to see him live in concert one day. ^^

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:59:53 GMT

It's finally happened, I got a MySpace account. Though, this is solely due to the fact that Gackt-san has one now too! xD So, I'm probably just going to use my account so I can show my support of Gackt, other than that I have no interest or desire to be apart of MySpace. >.> http://www.myspace.com/gackt

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 02:36:00 GMT

So, I've just come back from Seton Hall. The campus was beautiful, the people in New Jersey were very kind and helpful (and I could see myself in South Orange), and I got to talk one on one with the head of my major, Asian Studies! ^-^ Overall, I'm totally psyched about going to this college!

Because of this I missed my school's musical, I really wanted to go to that, but I was way too tired to go...=.= I might have gone if I didn't have work at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (and then do an essay for my AP English class...>.<) But, since I do, I decided to stay home. My friends understand though, I love them all, they are so great in that way~! &hearts;

Oh, crap, I totally forgot...but I've got to update my fanfic soon! O.O I've just been so busy...^^; My goal, no later than next Sunday...

lilyginnyblack@aol.com — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:02:51 GMT

Unreachable

A lost soul-
Trailing behind a devil.

Each step-
Within my grasp.

Amongst the forest,
   Beyond the tower,
      Cased in ice-
    So close.

A fantasy-
Features contorted in pain.

A dream-
Limbs twisted into a branch.

A wish-
Body enclosed by frozen tears.

But-
SHATTER!

Grace reaches-
Latching on,
         he holds.

My hand is too cold-
               Unable to touch,
             Beatrice.