why is this being posted again?

it seems like this version also translated the sound effects. and has slightly higher quality pages, though I could be wrong about the second.

Yeah this makes a lot more sense now and is extra angsty as a result, thank you for the upload!

oof

Ohhh, I did expect the world to be swallowed by the sea, but this ending is even better!!!

A manga so lovely they posted it doubly

I've been really overthinking, so some working ideas.

Yura with bandages, "bruised and battered": Not pure sadism but Koma's desire to passively look over Yura in an innocent, klutzy form while she's reliant on Koma, without having to take into account the possibility of Koma hurting

Bullying?: Verdict is still out on whether bullying is happening and/or how bad it is, but I would say that it probably is to some degree, in a badmouthing way at the minimum. Potential escalation timeline (in terms of how "undeniable" the proof of bullying is), from 536-39 showcasing Yura's reluctance to talk about school (but possibly just due to not fitting in well), to 543 being a potential push or similar that'd cause a fall onto her face (or just her falling by herself, as happened exactly on 535, and would also mean that she directly lied in 546, which seems unlikely) to 557 with the girls talking about her (clear exclusion), and last, 564 with a wound on her neck that couldn't have been caused by a fall (though also not a common area to target unless the hypothetical bullies were really violent).

The end of the world/the change: Yura's independence and demanding more of Koma, which ends Koma's world as she knows it. Yura, interestingly, is who brings the idea up, after which it's immediately shot down by Koma, but Yura states that she still believes in it. Also an extra layer of Koma continuously denialing the possibility of it, even right before it happens.

The sea: Both a herald of change and Koma's feelings toward Yura which she won't admit, as they would break the normal. Not just her normal, but also the normal. This feels most evident in the scene with the girls from Yura' school, where Koma comes closest to actually doing something on Yura's behalf and "dirtying her hands", as the sea rises, and she wonders why she would even consider it when she doesn't want things to change.

Coward: Koma's inability to join Yura in leaving that world behind and embracing the sea. She couldn't say that having Yura by her side was also all she could ever ask for.

Tl;dr, Rev Girl Utena with more passive, useless lesbian? Still feel like too many pieces don't fully fall into place.

The sea: Both a herald of change and Koma's feelings toward Yura which she won't admit, as they would break the normal. Not just her normal, but also the normal. This feels most evident in the scene with the girls from Yura' school, where Koma comes closest to actually doing something on Yura's behalf and "dirtying her hands", as the sea rises, and she wonders why she would even consider it when she doesn't want things to change.

Ooohh, I think I like that interpretation of the sea a whole lot more than my initial takeaway from the previous upload. I'd really completely missed a key part of Koma's character and her attitude towards the relationship the two share - preferring things remain exactly the way she's used to even, if it means Yura is suffering with no one to lean on but her; waving off her concerns both to her face and while dwelling on them later...

The sea: Both a herald of change and Koma's feelings toward Yura which she won't admit, as they would break the normal. Not just her normal, but also the normal. This feels most evident in the scene with the girls from Yura' school, where Koma comes closest to actually doing something on Yura's behalf and "dirtying her hands", as the sea rises, and she wonders why she would even consider it when she doesn't want things to change.

Ooohh, I think I like that interpretation of the sea a whole lot more than my initial takeaway from the previous upload.

Would recommend forgetting the previous version and then reading this version with an open mind. It captures far more of the nuances that were originally present in the raw and would probably overturn every conclusion obtained from reading the first version. For example, this version is not tagged "tragedy".

last edited at Sep 13, 2024 8:20PM

Few more notes.

What is Koma "turning her eyes away from": her own feelings, Yura, Yura's injuries, Yura's pain, ??? (every time she smiles, it's others who point that out, never herself)

Bandaged vs unbandaged significance?

noooo i dont wanna interpret myself, theres only one singular truth unless its quantum superposition

the last time this was posted it resonated super heavily even if it was kinda convoluted and I remember being mad that all the comments were so negative, and then sad that it was gone, but this is a huge upgrade for a oneshot that's occupied a huge chunk of my psyche for a while now, thanks so much!

the last time this was posted it resonated super heavily even if it was kinda convoluted and I remember being mad that all the comments were so negative, and then sad that it was gone, but this is a huge upgrade for a oneshot that's occupied a huge chunk of my psyche for a while now, thanks so much!

i thought the same thing! im glad this got reuploaded.

The sea: Both a herald of change and Koma's feelings toward Yura which she won't admit, as they would break the normal. Not just her normal, but also the normal. This feels most evident in the scene with the girls from Yura' school, where Koma comes closest to actually doing something on Yura's behalf and "dirtying her hands", as the sea rises, and she wonders why she would even consider it when she doesn't want things to change.

Ooohh, I think I like that interpretation of the sea a whole lot more than my initial takeaway from the previous upload.

Would recommend forgetting the previous version and then reading this version with an open mind. It captures far more of the nuances that were originally present in the raw and would probably overturn every conclusion obtained from reading the first version. For example, this version is not tagged "tragedy".

I would still consider it tragic tbh, the suicide angle is maybe more ambiguous than it seemed before but I definitely don't think it can be written off entirely, and regardless Koma not crossing that threshold when Yura needed her to is itself tragic.

Considering even the big publishers usually don't rewrite sfx (other than Viz), sometimes i forgot just how much SOUND there is in manga! Especially when the effects mimic the originals instead of just loosely state them, it really makes the work come alive and capture the original in a way we usually don't get from translations and localizations. Thanks so much!

This is the translator. Thank you all for reading. If anyone is having trouble understanding the gist of this one-shot, here is a list of key information.

• The main character is Koma, not Yura. All depictions in the manga are implicitly made from her point of view.
• The story spans one in-world year and follows a chronological order: High School 1st year summer (pg. 527 to 540); 1st year autumn (pg. 540 to 553); 1st year winter (pg. 553 to 560); 2nd year spring (pg. 561 & 562); 2nd year summer (pg. 563 to end.). It is easy to get swept away by the flow without appreciating how much isn't shown. Even if the seasons are of different length on paper, I think they should be considered on equal footing. Otherwise, you might get caught on a red herring.
• Some sections have changed immensely from the other available translation. If you've read the previous version, comparing what was changed can help unearth more insight.
• This is an incredibly dense and rather "technical" manga. Seemingly trivial lines of dialogue or set-plays are used to foreshadow future scenes or hint at more fundamental characterisations that are obscured by the rising emotional tides later in the story. Perhaps you might have missed something out?
• There is character development, both negative and positive.
• They are in love, but this is (not) a love story.

Also, as a titbit, some schools have enforceable regulations on innerwear. Some schools don't.

There are some stories that reveal more about the reader than the read. This is one of them. I hope you've enjoyed it. Maybe share it with your friends too!

This is the translator. Thank you all for reading. If anyone is having trouble understanding the gist of this one-shot, here is a list of key information.

• The main character is Koma, not Yura. All depictions in the manga are implicitly made from her point of view.
• The story spans one in-world year and follows a chronological order: High School 1st year summer (pg. 527 to 540); 1st year autumn (pg. 540 to 553); 1st year winter (pg. 553 to 560); 2nd year spring (pg. 561 & 562); 2nd year summer (pg. 563 to end.). It is easy to get swept away by the flow without appreciating how much isn't shown. Even if the seasons are of different length on paper, I think they should be considered on equal footing. Otherwise, you might get caught on a red herring.
• Some sections have changed immensely from the other available translation. If you've read the previous version, comparing what was changed can help unearth more insight.
• This is an incredibly dense and rather "technical" manga. Seemingly trivial lines of dialogue or set-plays are used to foreshadow future scenes or hint at more fundamental characterisations that are obscured by the rising emotional tides later in the story. Perhaps you might have missed something out?
• There is character development, both negative and positive.
• They are in love, but this is (not) a love story.

Also, as a titbit, some schools have enforceable regulations on innerwear. Some schools don't.

There are some stories that reveal more about the reader than the read. This is one of them. I hope you've enjoyed it. Maybe share it with your friends too!

Thank you for translating!

Oh women..

Out of topic:
This is why climate change is a serious issue.. right? ;'<

The suggested BGM is really good. Funny that I actually knew both the works. That's a first. Never heard the Nikolayeva recording before, but it's probably my favorite interpretation.

Bullying?: Verdict is still out on whether bullying is happening and/or how bad it is, but I would say that it probably is to some degree, in a badmouthing way at the minimum. Potential escalation timeline (in terms of how "undeniable" the proof of bullying is), from 536-39 showcasing Yura's reluctance to talk about school (but possibly just due to not fitting in well), to 543 being a potential push or similar that'd cause a fall onto her face (or just her falling by herself, as happened exactly on 535, and would also mean that she directly lied in 546, which seems unlikely) to 557 with the girls talking about her (clear exclusion), and last, 564 with a wound on her neck that couldn't have been caused by a fall (though also not a common area to target unless the hypothetical bullies were really violent).

Was under the impression that it was domestic abuse. I think the phone pic on page 558 might be a hint. Also on page 565, there's a scar peeking out from under the uniform next to the neck bruise in the reflection. Also visible on page 570. But it might just be indicative of the restrictiveness of her family situation.

The sea: Both a herald of change and Koma's feelings toward Yura which she won't admit, as they would break the normal. Not just her normal, but also the normal. This feels most evident in the scene with the girls from Yura' school, where Koma comes closest to actually doing something on Yura's behalf and "dirtying her hands", as the sea rises, and she wonders why she would even consider it when she doesn't want things to change.

The sea definitely takes on a symbolic role, but I feel that it is more representative of Koma's feelings of helplessness than of her romantic ones. Reminds me a bit of the feeling of paralysis thematic to James Joyce's Dubliners. The sea is drawn throughout the latter half or so of the oneshot, often as an atmospheric effect (see pages 557 & 565), it's only at the end that the sea is shown as swallowing her whole. I suppose there's a rather dramatic reading that there's an example of synecdoche (totum pro parte), where the collapse of the world is used to refer to the end of their relationship. The fact that Koma's speech bubbles end with her affirming that having Yura by her side is all she could ever ask for lends that interpretation some substance. Very dramatic though. It might be worth noting that Koma doesn't finish that though, breaking up into an internalized scream. So it could be that there's some kind of implied divide between Koma and Yura's feelings. It's possible that Koma thinks her romantic feelings aren't requited and that her wanting to be together is different from Yura's. There's a lot of room for interpretation.

Coward: Koma's inability to join Yura in leaving that world behind and embracing the sea. She couldn't say that having Yura by her side was also all she could ever ask for.

Well yes, but I think that the implication of Koma's 'cowardice' is a little broader than that. It could refer to Koma's unwillingness for their relationship to change, or her unwillingness to interfere with Yura's personal life. It refers I think to all aspects of Koma's stasis. If you recall Koma's conversation with her classmate, Koma lacks the dreams and romanticism her classmate possesses. So it's definitely a developed commentary about Koma as a person, and not an individual accusation by Yura. The author put that in there with consistent intention. I like the word 'stasis' because the word also has the meaning of describing a civil war, so I think it neatly implies Koma's internal struggle, which reaches its apex only after Yura is gone. (From the train of course, I'm sure she's fine). I guess this struggle, is also symbolized by the encroaching sea.

Anyway, just wool gathering. I hope it was somewhat useful.

last edited at Dec 19, 2024 7:56PM